This is kind of a vent post mostly, although advice is welcome.
Me and my bf have been together for 2 years and live together.
I've often felt as if my boyfriend just doesn't treat me like he treats other people. I don't know why. He doesn't take things as light-heartedly with me. Will take my jokes more seriously, react more coldly. He's more quickly annoyed at me. He doesn't have this kind of "politeness" and respect that he has with others. He's more lenient and humorous with friends, whereas with me, he's way more susceptible and can quickly turn cold. I always feel like I have to put in an extra dose of carefulness and niceness when we're together. And I have to let things slide because it will cause a fight.
If I make a joke to poke at him with a fake mean comment, he'll answer with an actual mean one, then say I have no humor if I don't laugh it off. It's a typical kind of thing that happens quite a lot. Or in a discussion if we have a disagreement, he'll take it quite badly and it'll turn sour in the blink of an eye. But just with me, not with other people. (Actually yes but he gives much more lineage). These kinds of things.
I don't know what I have done for him to resent me and be mad at me in all those tiny ways. When he's like this I want nothing else than be on my own and not talk to him anymore. The strange thing is that it's like a flick that turns on and off. It's not his default personality, but at the same time he's been like this so often lately. In the middle of a conversation it'll just trigger. It's never just easy and nice and respectful like it was at the beginning. I always fill like I could say one tiny word wrong and he'll switch.
To be honest it's been growing an ick in me. I feel like it's not normal. And in those moments I don't feel love at all. I have no idea how to address it without it blowing out of proportion, and I don't even have concrete examples to cite, to make an actual argument for myself.
I guess I just needed to write this out somewhere, advice is welcome.

Hi! I’m doing my bachelorette party in OCMD in August. I’ve been there once and only went to Seacrets, so are there any other fun recommendations? We are looking for Saturday to be the big party day/night but Thursday & Friday just to chill and have a good time. We are planning on doing Spain rooftop for dinner one night. Thank you!

Hi everyone! My name is Martina. I am from Italy. I'm a 172cm tall woman who's looking for an honest man to be friends with and potentially date. I'm posting on Reddit because I'm hoping to find someone who shares similar values and interests as me.I'm very interested in Korean boys...
A little bit about me: I'm a kind and caring person who enjoys spending time with family and friends. I'm also very active and enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming. In my free time, I like to read and watch movies. I'm looking for someone who is also kind, caring, and honest. Someone who is also active and enjoys being outdoors would be a bonus.
If you're interested in getting to know me better, please send me a message. I'd love to chat and see if we have a connection. Looking forward to hearing from you!

The 10-K report uses very different wording from previous 10-Q and even the previous 10-K report.
This report does not state the precise number of shares directly registered, as mentioned in the previous report. It mentions the number of shares claimed to be held by Cede & Co on behalf of the DTCC: 228.7 million. And that the remainder is held by record holders.
The use of the name of shares held by Cede & Co is the crucial part here. This is a VERY important detail. And I will show you why later. Lets start with the paragraph on the 10-K form:

Our Class A Common Stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “GME”. As of March 22, 2023, there were 197,058 record holders of our Class A Common Stock. Excluding the approximately 228.7 million shares of our Class A Common Stock held by Cede & Co on behalf of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (or approximately 75% of our outstanding shares), approximately 76.0 million shares of our Class A Common Stock were held by record holders as of March 22, 2023 (or approximately 25% of our outstanding shares).

Lets compare this with previous DRS number statements as per the 10-Q forms in Gamestop's investor relations website:
Q3 2022

As of October 29, 2022 and October 30, 2021 there were 7.3 million and 4.4 million, respectively, of unvested restricted stock and restricted stock units. As of October 29, 2022 and October 30, 2021 there were 311.6 million and 308.0 million, respectively, of shares of Class A common stock that are legally issued and outstanding or are unvested restricted share units that represent a right to one share of Class A Common Stock. As of October 29, 2022, 71.8 million shares of our Class A common stock were directly registered with our transfer agent.

Q2 2022

As of July 30, 2022 and July 31, 2021 there were 5.5 million and 3.6 million, respectively, of unvested restricted stock and restricted stock units. As of July 30, 2022 and July 31, 2021 there were 309.5 million and 306.0 million, respectively, of shares of Class A common stock that are legally issued and outstanding or are unvested restricted share units that represent a right to one share of Class A Common Stock. As of July 30, 2022, 71.3 million shares of our Class A common stock were directly registered with our transfer agent.

Q1 2022

As of April 30, 2022 and May 1, 2021 there were 1.4 million and 2.6 million, respectively, of unvested restricted stock and restricted stock units. As of April 30, 2022 and May 1, 2021 there were 77.3 million and 71.9 million, respectively, of shares of Class A common stock that are legally issued and outstanding or are unvested restricted share units that represent a right to one share of Class A Common Stock. As of April 30, 2022, 12.7 million shares of our Class A common stock were directly registered with our transfer agent.

The wording in the 10-K is very interesting. First, they provide us with a precise number of record holders: 197,058. Then, they provide us with the (claimed) approximate number of shares held by Cede & Co on behalf of the DTCC: 228.7M. Finally, the approximate number of shares held by record holders.
Now who is included in the record holders? This is the definition in previous reports: https://investor.gamestop.com/static-files/5a610aaf-6606-4173-86a1-cba6abdb204a

What is a registered shareholder? Registered shareholders, also known as "shareholders of record," are people or entities that hold shares directly in their own name on the company register. The issuer (or more usually its transfer agent, such as Computershare) keeps the records of ownership for the registered shareholders and provides services such as transferring shares, paying dividends, coordinating shareholder communications and more. Shares can be held in both electronic (book entry) through the Direct Registration System (DRS) or certificated form (when permitted by the issuer company).

From previous DD we know this includes not only household investors with directly registered shares, but also insiders that hold them with the transfer agent.
However, one important detail is that mutual funds DO NOT HOLD shares with Cede & Co (as stated by the SEC itself). I repeat mutual fund shares ARE NOT HELD at Cede & Co. Search the esse esse sub for i_asked_the_sec_if_etfs_index_funds_mutual_funds

My Question: Hi, I've been looking all over the place for an answer to this question and can't seem to find a definitive answer. When ETFs purchase shares, are they registered in their own name at the transfer agent, or does it go through Cede & Co like regular brokers? Also, is it the same for other institutions, such as pension funds, mutual funds, index funds, etc..? Thanks! SEC Answer: Dear ----: Thank you for contacting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). You ask whether shares purchased by ETFs, pension funds, mutual funds, and index funds are registered in their own name at the transfer agent or if they go through Cede & Co. Mutual funds (including index funds) are not DTC-eligible (Depository Trust Company). They are purchased and redeemed (no secondary market) between brokers and mutual fund entities (technically transfer agents, often part of the fund organization, or a third-party processor). The National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) has a platform called Fund/SERV and a related service called Networking that connect brokers placing and settling mutual fund orders with fund transfer agents.

Cede & Co is the nominee name for the DTC but Mutual Funds are not DTC-eligible. What does this mean?
https://www.nasdaq.com/glossary/c/cede

Cede & Co. Nominee name for The Depository Trust Company, a large clearing house that holds shares in its name for banks, brokers and institutions in order to expedite the sale and transfer of stock.

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=ad927cbb-3afa-4df2-820b-53c7e687b4f2

Companies that regularly engage with securities are likely to interact with the Depository Trust Company (DTC). The DTC is the world’s largest central securities depository. Based in New York City, the the company is responsible for electronic record-keeping of securities balances. It also acts as a clearinghouse for securities trade settlements. The Basics Founded in 1973, the DTC’s goal is to improve efficiencies and reduce risks in the securities market. Most banks and broker-dealers are DTC participants. The Depository Trust and Clearing Company (DTCC), a holding company, owns the DTC. The company manages book entry securities transfers. It also provides custody services for stock certificates. Book-entry refers to uncertificated securities. Users employ an electronic tracking system for purchasing, holding, and transferring book-entry securities. This contrasts with certificated securities, which have physical stock certificates associated with them. Most investors who use a broker hold securities in book-entry form. The two major U.S. stock exchanges, NYSE and NASDAQ, require all listed equity securities to be eligible for a direct registration system (DRS), an electronic book-entry system for recording securities ownership. Cede & Company is the main custodial nominee that the DTC designates to be the holder of record of the securities it manages that are in its custody. Cede & Co. is a specialized financial institution. Securities will be deposited with or on behalf of DTC and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as the nominee of the company.

From the previous quarter where we know that 71.8 million shares were registered by household investors, we know that 32,875,174 are held by mutual funds according to computershared.net and Insiders hold at least 38,513,981. We can assume that some of the insiders hold them with the transfer agent, we just don't know who does. WE KNOW, PER THE SEC's OWN WORDS, THAT MUTUAL FUNDS SHARES AREN'T HELD BY THE DTC UNDER ITS CUSTODIAL NOMINEE CEDE & CO. THEY ARE NOT DTC-ELIGIBLE.
What this means is that from the 308 million shares available at least 110.31 million are not held by Cede & Co. But Cede & Co states they hold 228.7 million shares. The float is at 308 million shares. Where is this discrepancy coming from?
TLDR:
Therefore, my interpretation of the 10-K form can only be one: Gamestop with this 10-k form just stated to all the relevant financial authorities and to the entire world that the DTCC and Cede & Co are misreporting the number of shares they hold. They DO NOT hold Mutual Funds shares as stated by the SEC itself. If you remove mutual funds and household investor shares from the float only 197.69 (nice) million shares that Cede & Co could reasonably claim as being held by them.

4th of June, 2070
(One month after the Northeast park incident)
After the attack, it was clear what needed to be done. Elements of the 29th infantry division of the National Guard were stationed around Northeast park and were tasked with keeping watch over the now designated 'Rift' 24/7. Nothing was to get in or out without permission. The coast guard near San Diego was told to do the same. There has been no activity on either of them for a month, but the US Army didn't want to take chances.
At the UN council, the world came to a decision. The United States will attempt to solve this issue on its own, diplomatically. Elements of the US 75th Ranger regiment, 7th Infantry division, 1st Armored division, and 1st Special forces command have been organized into a force 30.000 strong and dubbed the Rift Expeditionary Corp or REC, led by Lieutenant General Patrick Coleman. They were tasked to cross to the other side, create an FOB and make contact with the natives. Despite prince Bodin Zorgen's constant attempts to persuade them otherwise, the US held strong to its decision. Any and all chances to stop bloodshed will be taken and America will not strike first. One of the conditions for peace will be the return of all captive Americans, this will not be negotiable.
This decision was not favored by some. The Chinese president, Bao Huang, suggested that the US should listen to Bodin and wage a full-blown war with the empire. He used the Empire of Japan as an example, a power that couldn't be negotiated with and chose war. US President Arthur McShane said that the empire and the elves received a vision through magic that humanity is a monstrous enemy that wishes to destroy their world. Bao refused to believe anything that 'magic' has to say but Arthur told him that if they do wage a war and strike, then they would only prove them right. Diplomacy needs to go first and should things go south, they'll cross that bridge when they get there.
The Russian president, Dmitri Vukov, suggested that the US should destroy the rifts so that they would not cause problems in the future. Out of sight, out of mind. There were two problems with this plan. First, the US had no way of doing this as they themselves don't possess magic and the rifts aren't affected by any physical means. Second, even if they destroy them, there exists a possibility of the elves opening another one, maybe in another part of the world, and should it open in an unprepared land, it would cause devastation. This is why Arthur urged all countries to create contingencies just for a situation like that. With all of this said, the UN council ultimately decided to let the US deal with this threat, however, NATO will be on alert should things take a turn for the worst.
Now it came down to picking the right people for the job. The empire wasn't the only faction they needed to make peace with. First things first, the Rosians. While prince Bodin is alive, they first needed to get them to know this. Second, they needed to make friendly relations with native elves. Not all of them are cold-hearted like the army. Turns out, most of them live in smaller communities and try to live their lives in peace. The plan is to make contact with them and show them that they aren't an enemy. Third, the tribal peoples. Between thirty and forty percent of lepians, feelians, leanoids, welfen, and others are enslaved by the elves and forced to do their bidding. About twenty percent fled south to the Rosian kingdoms to live in peace. The others live in scattered tribes across North Altia. The captured animal peoples will join the REC and help them establish peaceful relations with them. Finally, the other continents. Besides North Altia, there are also South Altia and Kaplios that are also under the empire's control. However, they are all in a war with the natives and aren't able to send any proper aid, so the UNEF is on low alert at the moment.
Several platoons of rangers have already been organized for the assignment, along with their lieutenants all that was missing was a certain prodigy.
Norfolk, Virginia
Connors estate
The Connors family has a long and proud military tradition dating all the way back to the first world war when Joshua Connors volunteered to go to Europe. World War II, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and even the Great Crisis. They've been through it all. But the current successor, Logan, wasn't too proud of that. It's soldiers who fight wars and bring death. Logan was naturally gifted with strength and skill. He was tall, and athletic and rose to the rank of captain at the age of twenty-five. Still, this didn't make him as happy as he wanted to be. He wondered if there is something else out there for him. But, that might just be a dream.
He lived alone in his house in Norfolk, Virginia near Deep Creek park. He'd usually wait for his sister, Penelope, to come back from her assignments at DARPA and go for a walk, but lately, she's been coming over less and less. At twenty-six, Logan didn't really know what to do anymore.
He sat down with a beer in his hand and turned on the TV. The first channel was the news, typical.
"Thank you Jack.", said the newscaster, "Now that we're at the end of our program I'd like to read you the decision President Arthur McShane has made regarding the now dubbed Rifts incident. The United States army will lead an expedition force through the land rift and attempt to make contact and creates peaceful relations with the Empire of Light. This decision is not supported by some American citizens, the majority of which are from North Carolina. Protesters have gathered near Northeast park and are demanding justice for their loved ones and their city. Still, the president is standing by his decision, and for the time being, the diplomatic approach will be taken. No NATO or other UN forces will intervene until the necessity arises. May God help our brave men and women. This is Kevin Harper, signing off."
The news ended and Logan turned off the TV while sipping his beer. A few moments later knocking came on his front door. Logan stood up and answered, only to find two men dressed in military uniforms standing in front of him. Both were clearly older than Logan and one had gray hair while the other one had blonde hair and carried a briefcase.
"Captain Logan Connors?", asked the man with gray hair.
"Yes.", Logan answered, "What can I do for you, Lieutenant General?"
"My name is Patrick Coleman and this is Brigadier General Oscar Wayne. May we come in?"
"Of course.". Logan let them enter and closed the door. He showed them to the living room where they took a seat on the couch and Logan sat in front of them. "Now. To what do I own the pleasure of sitting in front of the leader of the rift expeditionary force?"
Oscar was a bit stunned by his question, "How did you-"
"Why else would you be here? I'm one of the rangers that are going over there, aren't I?"
Patrick chuckled and pulled out a folder from the briefcase. "Logan Hannibal Connors. Unique middle name. Joined the military at age of 19, and was recruited into special forces at age of 24 upon reaching the rank of lieutenant but quit a month after starting. Rewarded the Medal of Honor and the rank of captain on August 29th in Thailand after saving three platoons of soldiers in an attack on a remnant True salvation outpost. Now serving the army rangers and saving up money to help his father, Marcus Connors, walk again after his legs were paralyzed in a car accident last year. Those new nerve surgeries sure are expensive."
"Where are you going with this lieutenant-general?", Logan asked.
"I don't want to sound like I'm trying to bribe you, that's not my job. I'm just saying that if you take this opportunity it will prove to be mutually beneficial."
Logan took a long look at the folder Patrick was holding. Was this really worth it? This could help his father, but he was going to a completely foreign land to fight an enemy only seen in fiction. He knew there was going to be war, that he will have to fight. Question was, could he? After much consideration, Logan spoke, "Fine. I'll do it. But I want my father's medical bills paid for in full and I want insurance for him and my sister."
"We can arrange that.", Patrick said, "Thank you for accepting this, captain."
"Don't thank me yet. But what's your role in all of this, brigadier general?"
"Me?", asked Oscar, "That's simple. I'm the commander of the first REC infantry brigade. We will go in first and prepare the terrain for the first armored brigade which will properly enforce FOB Galdush. That's the name of the place we're going to by the way."
"And I'm supposed to be in it?"
"Corectomundo, my friend."
"Alright. Let's go win a war then."
---
(Around the same time)
Undisclosed location
The invasion was over in several hours. Zoya had never seen such destruction. Thousands dead in minutes, great beasts slaughtered like cattle, and entire armies turned to blood and ash. She wished she had never come here. She should have just stayed with her tribe in the Great Bolma forest all those cycles ago and not run away. This is what she got for it. A life of enslavement and then being sent to a foreign land just to die.
'Mother. Sister.', she thought to herself as tears went down her face. She was now in a human prison, all alone, separated from her kin. That soldier, Jeff Miller brought her there. He could have killed her along with Bora, but didn't. The reason was never cleared to Zoya. 'Please be alright. I beg you spirits, watch over them. Don't let them suffer my fate.'
As she finished her thought, three loud knocks came from the metal door of her cell. A small window opened and a man spoke, "You. Do you understand me?" After hesitating a bit, Zoya nodded.
"Do you understand me?", he asked again.
"Yes! I understand you.", she said frightened.
"Please stand up.", he said and opened the bottom window. Zoya slowly moved to them and was put in chains. A feeling all too familiar. The cell door opened and she saw the man who talked to her. He was slightly taller and was wearing blue clothing of material unknown to Zoya, unlike the two armed guards who wore black armor.
"Come with me.", he said and led her through the halls. They walked for some time until they reached a door with glass on it. As they entered, the guards stood outside and Zoya sat down at a metal desk. Before the man sat down, he opened a box in the corner of the room and took a white plate of sorts. When he placed it in front of Zoya she saw it was food. Fried meat on one half and green and orange vegetables on the other. She first assumed it was a trick before the man gestured for her to eat. She took the meat and ate as fast as she could. It was delicious, way more than anything she had ever eaten. As she ate the man sat down and opened a thin book.
'He can read?', she thought, 'He must be a scholar then.'
He grabbed some kind of sharp stick and asked, "What is your name?"
"M-My name is Zoya."
"Last name?", she didn't answer, "Family name?"
"I... I don't have one."
"You are a lepian, correct?"
"Yes."
"Are there multiple kinds?"
'What kind of questions are these?', she thought, "Yes. Brown and orange. I am brown. You can see by my fur."
"Alright. Where are you from?"
The questions went on and on for what seemed like hours. The man asked Zoya about everything. How she fights, her skills, what can she do that an elf can't, and what are her relations with the other tribal peoples. She couldn't understand why all this was important. If she was going to be a slave, then not even her name mattered. Why? That question kept ringing in her head.
After a while, the man closed his book and spoke, "Alright, I think we're done here."
Zoya rubbed her hands and muttered, "Can you... can you tell me who my new owner will be? Is it you?"
The man seemed confused by her question, "Owner?"
"Y-Yes. My slave owner. Who am I going to?"
The man laughed a little, "Unbelievable. The others asked the same thing."
Now it was Zoya who was confused, "O-Others? What do you mean by others? Others of my kin? Or other tribals? Tell me."
"Relax. All your questions will be answered in there.", he said pointing at the door on the opposite side of the room from the one they came in, "Just step in and someone else will answer your questions."
The man removed Zoya's chains and then left through the same door they entered from. Zoya stood like a statue for a while. She didn't know what to do. Trust this human? He could be trying to deceive her. But either way, she didn't have a choice. She opened the door she was told to open and entered the room. Inside she saw chairs and three more people. One male welfen, one leanoid, and a familiar face.
"Bora!", she shouted.
"Zoya!", Bora shouted back and hugged her, "I thought you were dead." The two friends hugged for a while before Bora spoke again, "What happened? Did they hurt you?"
"No.", Zoya said, "They just asked me a lot of questions and even fed me."
"They did the same with us.", the welfen said, "The meat was very good, however."
"Yes.", said the leanoid, "For a moment I thought about killing that human for food. The questions confused me. He wanted to know what my strengths were and where are the rest of my people."
"Same with me.", said the welfen, "My name is Brokil by the way."
"I am Gorgo.", said the leanoid.
"A pleasure to meet you.", said Zoya.
"Likewise.", said Bora.
"I see you're getting along.", said a man as he walked into the room. All four of them were immediately on edge as five more entered behind him. They knew that these men were warriors, perhaps the elites of these humans. "That's good.". One of them looked elderly as he had gray hair. One had golden hair and blue eyes, one had medium brown hair, and two were bald, one of which was very tall and had dark skin. The one who entered first had short black hair and black eyes. He was the leader.
"Who are you?", asked Brokil.
"A bit rude.", said the leader.
"Answer the question.", demanded Gorgo.
"Well, we're gonna be working together. So why not?", said the leader after a short pause and sigh. This greatly confused the tribals. "My name is Julius Fisher, but I'm better known as Chief. The senior gentleman is John Castro, known as Pops. This big fella is Griffin West, call him Boxer. The guy eyeballing you is Rick Hunt, Lucky. The ladies man here is Noah Ramirez, he likes to be called Pretty Boy. And last but not least, this is Ryan Spencer, better known as Rook."
"Hi.", said Rook as he waved.
"We are soldiers of the First Special Forces Command, also known as Green Berets, and our team is Spearhead. And you are Brokil, Bora, Gorgo, and Zoya. Nice to meet you all."
The four relaxed a little bit but were still confused. Finally, Bora spoke, "What did you mean by working with us?"
"Oh that.", Chief said, "My superiors think it's a good idea to work with the native tribal peoples as we know you hate the empire and the elves."
"That may be true.", said Gorgo, "But what makes you think we will fight for you?"
"I never said for us, I said with us. We will work together and beat the empire."
"Why?", Zoya asked, "We all saw what you're capable of. You can turn all the elven armies to ash if you wanted. What do you gain from using us?"
"We gain knowledge.", said Pops, "We don't know much about your land and we can use a guide. Besides, allies are always good in war. It's true that we can completely destroy the empire if we wanted to, but that is not how we wage war. In doing so we would kill tens of millions of people and that is not something we want."
This came as a surprise to the four. A force so powerful and yet they choose not to use their power to the fullest and crush their enemies? They sound nothing like the elves.
"Furthermore.", said Pretty Boy, "We're not the monsters your elves say we are. In truth all we want is peace. But since that might not be possible, we have to make plans for the future."
"And why us?", asked Bora, "Why do you care about what happens to us?"
"Because we want to help you.", said Rook, attracting the four's attention.
"Why?", asked Zoya.
"'Cause slavery is wrong.", Boxer said, "And we know a thing or two about that."
This came as a shock to the four. Do they know? Does that mean they were slaves, too?
"You see.", Lucky spoke, "A long time ago, there existed an empire called Great Britain. They, much like your elves, had the bright idea of conquering the world. At some point, they conquered our country and turned us into their slaves. But our ancestors rebelled and we beat them. From that point on, we decided to end slavery everywhere. Because everyone deserves to be free. No one can own another person's life."
The four could just listen. A part of them didn't believe this. These people fought against their rulers and won. And now they seek to eradicate slavery everywhere. This was too good to be true.
"So...", Zoya said, "We fight for, I mean, with you, and we gain our freedom?"
"Not just you.", Rook said, "But all of your people as well. All of your tribes will be free and no longer hunted by the empire."
"This seems too good.", Brokil said. Chief walked up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I promise you.", Chief spoke, "You and all your people will gain their freedom, if you help us win this war." The four walked to the corner of the room and whispered to each other.
"You think they're gonna accept?", Rook asked.
"I have a gut feeling.", Chief replied.
After some time, Bora stepped forward and spoke, "Alright. We will join you and fight. What do you want us to do?"
Chief smiled, "First, I need you to try these on.". He walked to a large wooden crate and out of it took out some clothing. They looked thick and were green in color, but it wasn't armor. It looked similar to what the humans were wearing. "Then, I need you to sit down and listen carefully."
---
(Twenty days after REC crossed over)
Late yellow season
Past the Yellow forest, Meilume region
General Drannor Crax needed to hurry. The news of the invasion force being destroyed in less than a day was as troubling as it was unbelievable. According to the surviving soldiers, the enemy has boomsticks and cannons much like the dwarves, but more powerful and devastating. This made the general feel worried but also relieved. He knew how the dwarves fought and how their weapons worked. Moreover, he had dwarves in his army and this would help him. The enemy is a more powerful version just meant that he needed to be more careful. At least in his mind.
The force of the VII army along with five thousand dwarves and five thousand auxiliary marched to the Galdush fields in hopes of preventing the enemy from making a foothold in Meilume from which to launch an assault. It might have been a good idea to get one of the three east coast fleets to launch an organized strike from the coast so they can pincer them, but it was too late to plan now. They were now eighty leagues from Galdush and one hill separated them from a straight towards the enemy. Drannor decided to go over the plan one more time in order to finish this battle with perfection.
In his personal tent, he spoke to his captains and the dwarves, "Do your troops know the strategy?"
"Of course.", said captain Bamur of the dwarves, "Dunan and I are prepared."
"Our legions are also ready, sir.", said the first captain of the elven army.
"Excellent.", Drannor said, "The spearhead of the attack will be the feral auxiliary, the dwarven legions, and the wyvern corp. The combined force of over forty thousand shall attack the enemy from the front, with the ferals serving as a distraction the dwarves will launch the initial attack with cannons and move in with shooters. The infantry and archer legions will move in from the right but not before the cavalry penetrates the enemy's left flank. We must strike hard, fast, and make sure the enemy can't use its cannons against us."
"I do not like the idea of our troops going in as distractions.", said Dunan.
"Have a better strategy, dwarf?", asked the first captain, "The general is the one in command here.". Dunan scoffed at that and didn't say anything.
"This is the best we can do.", Drannor said. At that moment, a lepian walked into the tent.
"I have news.", she said walking closer but was stopped by one of the captains.
"Aren't you forgetting something?", he said.
The lepian groaned and knelt. "My lord. I bring news."
"Speak.", Drannor said.
"I have returned with my scouts from observing the enemy."
"What have you seen?"
"They have already built a fortification of sorts."
This troubled the officers and the general in the tent. The enemy already has a foothold in their land. Perhaps their cannons aren't the most dangerous part about them.
"What kind of fortification?", the second captain asked.
"It is... strange. They have short walls and round metallic tents as well as long silver bushes. On top of that, many of the soldiers spent their entire day digging holes using metal monsters." This didn't trouble them as much as it made them confused. What kind of fortifications were these?
"What of their weapons and numbers?", asked the sixth captain.
"As far as we know, they have many strange-looking cannons that face upwards as well as several long cannons on iron carriages. Their numbers however can't be higher than eight thousand.". To this, the officers widened their eyes and some smiled.
"Only eight thousand?", said the fifth captain, "They dare think so low of us."
"Seems like you won't even need to send your army, Drannor.", said Bamur, "We will deal with the enemy and scavenge what remains."
"This does not feel right.", Drannor said.
"What are you saying, sir?", asked the tenth captain, "Not only will we destroy the enemy, but also prove why we are not to be trifled with."
"Do you forget already? This is the same army that defeated the first invasion force. I will not make the same mistake of underestimating our enemy. If what the survivors say is true, then their numbers mean nothing.". The tent turned quiet. Drannor's words held truth. If this is the same army that defeated general Ylindar, then they cannot afford to take chances.
"My lord.", the lepian spoke.
"What is it?", Drannor replied.
"I am just a scout, but when my people attack we usually prefer to go on a night raid and strike the enemy when they least expect it."
"You expect us to use such a barbaric and dishonorable tactic?", asked the third captain in disgust, "What do you take us for?"
"This is no time for being picky.", Drannor said, "It is a sound strategy, often used when facing an enemy with a strong defense. Attacking at night will limit their capabilities. Perhaps even inhibit them from using their cannons."
"You cannot hit what you cannot see.", said Dunan, "If we get close enough, it will not matter how powerful they are. Our numbers will drown them."
At last, a sense of hope filled their hearts. Perhaps not all was lost. This could work.
"Very well.", Drannor said, "Spread the word to all soldiers. The tactic remains the same, just that it will be a night raid. And tenth captain?"
"Yes general?", he asked.
"The wyvern corps will not move in. They can't fly well in an organized formation at night."
"Yes, general."
"Lepian."
"Yes my lord?", she asked.
"Take your scouts and prepare for the raid. You will infiltrate their base and cause distortion."
"Yes my lord.". With that, she left and the other officers as well. It was time to prepare. This will be the first battle with the enemy in the empire's own borders. No matter what, they needed to win. Or at the very least, make the enemy bleed.
---
Everything was prepared. The feral auxiliary already started moving forward and the dwarves steadily advanced behind them. The warhogs moved first, behind them were warriors, then shooters, and finally the cannon crew. Dunan was on the right and Bamur on the left, each ready to give orders and lead their legions to battle. As they moved closer they could see the enemy fortification in the distance. It looked just like how the lepian described it. All that was not immediately visible were the cannons. Perhaps they were camouflaged. A tactic used often by the dwarven general of the second Halboram army, Kutmec Coalcloack. He would paint his cannons in the color of the surroundings so the enemy couldn't see them until it was too late. No matter, all they had to do was get close.
"What do you think will happen, commander?", asked a dwarven shooter.
"We will win.", Dunan answered, "We have to. And after this, we will get what we were promised."
The dwarves wouldn't typically choose to fight alongside the elves unless there was something in it for them. Such was their nature. The dwarven kingdoms have good relations with the empire as miners, builders, and blacksmiths. A large portion of elven mines are mostly run by dwarves and with that, the dwarves gain a fifth of the profit. If they dug out five ores of iron, they would get one and if the ore is sold for five pieces of silver, they get one, and so forth. This made the dwarven economy boom as the elves control roughly eighty percent of the Tubal mountains. Now the emperor gave them an offer they could not refuse. If they contributed to the war, they would receive half of the earnings from North Altia, but also half of the earnings from the other side of the rift. The dwarves, due to their lust for riches, could not say no. Of course, king Bylnar of Benullur refused, but the other two kings assumed that when they win the war, Bylnar would see that he was wrong. And if he didn't, the elves would take care of him.
"I hope we do win, commander.", the shooter continued, "I want revenge for what they did to general Dalmin."
"So do I.", Dunan said, "But we must not be-"
Suddenly, explosions came from the front lines. The feral auxiliary started to die out as the ground burst into flames. Orcs, swine, ogres, and trolls were all being destroyed and their scorched bodies were scattered across the field. But there was something strange. The cannons weren't firing. Dunan would have seen them if they did. So how? It's almost as if the ground beneath the ferals exploded on its own as they crossed it. But that shouldn't be possible.
The dwarves were all in shock. "Commander!", shouted the shooter, "What do we do?!"
Dunan was stunned for a moment but spoke, "At this point, I would signal the wyverns. But we left them behind.". Before he could say more, something he never thought would happen, happened. A bright light flew into the air, shining like the sun. Then another and another. The whole sky was filled with them. What kind of magic was this?
"Commander?", a shooter asked.
"All legions, charge!", Dunan shouted, "Quickly, charge! They see us! We must reach them as quickly as possible! Go!". Dunan charged with his warhog. The rest of the cavalry charged with him as well as the infantry and shooters. Now that they can see them, it was only a matter of time before their cannons took aim. They needed to hurry. The hogs ran and ran, behind them the thousands of warriors and shooters. In the distance, he could see cannons and rods pointed upwards as well as the enemy running toward some of them. "Scatter!", he ordered and the dwarves did just that. They knew the power of a cannon and that they couldn't stay clumped together. But they weren't quick enough and the cannons opened fire. The upward-facing rods shot into the air and explosions erupted around the dwarves. Despite them being somewhat scattered they were losing hundreds. The warriors screamed in pain as their arms and legs were scattered over the land, the shooters fired at the enemy, hoping they would cause at least some amount of damage, but fared no better than the warriors. The cannon crew fired as well but were horrified at the sight. Their cannons couldn't reach and were destroyed by the enemies.
Dunan didn't fair much better. His cavalry was almost destroyed and he himself began to realize he would lose. But not before drawing blood, spirits damn him. He had made it to the lines the ferals crossed. He could see craters in the ground and bodies around them. Trolls and ogres were missing legs and heads while orcs and swine were blown to pieces. The ground beneath them did erupt. Dunan knew he would have to be careful, but he couldn't finish his train of thought as the ground beneath his hog exploded and he was tossed on the ground. As he slowly and painfully got on his knees, he removed his helmet and looked around him. None of his soldiers got through, they were all dead or dying. Some retreated, hopefully, they can tell the others. To the left he saw Banur's body, half of it in a pool of blood and the other half gone, he suffered the same fate. Exhausted and frightened, Dunan lay there and prayed. Perhaps the enemy won't see him.
On the left flank, the eighth and ninth captain led their respective cavalry legions. Ten thousand cavalry troops, ready to fulfill their part. As the two captains moved in they could hear the explosions and death on the central front, but there was nothing they could do. Now that the enemy used its magic to create light they needed to hurry. The cavalry charged in two arrowhead formations and had one target, the enemy's left flank. Their mission was to break it and move into the enemy's center so the infantry can take the rift.
The horses ran as fast as they could and could see the enemy's fortification. All that was defending them was a line of silver thorns. The eighth captain rushed in, hoping to jump over, but the thorns were too thick and the horses got stuck. Hundreds of horses got entangled in the thorns and the elves were thrown over. Thousands behind them either trampled themselves or stopped.
"Scatter!", yelled the eighth captain, "You have to get out of here! The enem-". Before he could say more the horses and elves were engulfed in flames. They screamed as they were burned and torn apart.
The ninth captain ran to the eighth and shook him, "Come on! We're still alive! We can reach the enemy on foot!". There was some truth to that. They still had hundreds of soldiers.
"You are right.", he said and drew his sword, "Forward soldiers! We still have a mission!". So he ran towards the enemy fortification alongside the ninth captain and hundreds of soldiers. He had not just hope, but confidence. Confidence that he can still do what he needed to do. Confidence was shattered as the enemy fired upon him. Their boomsticks spat thousands of led arrows at them as if hundreds of thousands of dwarves were in front of them. His elves were dying and dying quickly. They couldn't even get close as they were torn apart and left screaming on the ground. Time seemed to slow down for him. He turned to all sides and swore he could see the arrowheads pierce his soldiers. He could see the blood pouring out of them and the life escaping their bodies. He faced forward just in time to see the arrow coming toward him. It pierced his forehead, and in those few final moments, he thought of his home and how all of this was a mistake.
On the right flank, general Drannor moved with his men. He could hear and see the explosions on the other sides. How could the enemy have known they would come, and worse off how could they possess such magic to create suns in the night sky, was beyond him. He led forty thousand troops in hopes to penetrate the enemy's flank, but it hasn't been going well. They were being slowed down by iron thorns and were forced to use shields to get across. A large part of the army got over them, but then the enemy attacked. Their cannons fired cannon balls that killed dozens of soldiers per hit, blasting them to pieces. Most of the army that was on the outside of the thorns was destroyed and Drannor could only watch the horror unfold before him. After one of the explosions, a soldier was sent flying toward Drannor, knocking him to the ground. At the same time, the enemy fired its boomsticks and tore through his men. First, they killed the ones on the sides and then worked their way in. The survivors gathered near the general and created a layered shield formation, hoping to save him.
When Drannor came to his senses he got up and shouted, "You fools! You have to run! Scatter before they-", but it was too late. The enemy's weapons destroyed their shields and soldiers all around him began to fall, screaming in pain as their hearts, lungs, and heads were pierced by thousands of lead arrows. Drannor just stood there. Miraculously, he wasn't injured. He looked to all sides and saw nothing but carnage. Most of the men that crossed the iron thorns were dead, the ones behind either got blown to pieces or fled.
Drannor just walked. Slowly. He walked towards the enemy as he was taking off his helmet, then his wrist guards, then shoulder pads, and finally his breastplate. He extended his arms and closed his eyes as if he accepted his fate. It was his fault that nearly a hundred thousand people died, so now he was ready to pay the price. As he walked closer to the source of the firing, he noticed it started to die down. He assumed all his men were dead. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a bright white light in front of him and a shadowy figure walking closer.
'Morto?', he thought, 'Have you come to collect my soul?'. As the figure got closer, he saw a pale-skinned man with a black boomstick and before he could react, the man hit him in the head and Drannor was knocked out cold. With that, it was over.
---
It was finally over. The ferals were all dead and the surrendering and wounded elves and dwarves were brought to Galdush base. This couldn't have been a battle, more of a one-sided slaughter. The enemy walked straight into them. First, the minefield destroyed the ferals and the leftover claymores took care of most of the dwarven cavalry. The entrenched Abrams tanks and mortars cleared the rest. Their cannons fired, but couldn't reach the foxholes.
On the right, the elven cavalry made their way to the barbed wire and misunderstood how it worked, which caused them to fall over and leave the horses trapped. Mortar fire destroyed what was on the outer portion and machine guns cleared the foot soldiers that tried to rush them.
The left side was bloodier. The infantry used their shields to get across the barbed wire, but most weren't quick enough and were killed by the mortars and tanks. The ones that did survive put their shields in layers, but that didn't help them much. After most of them died, the several dozen that still had a brain left and one crazy bastard stripped his armor and walked to the machine guns. Luckily, Logan stopped the firing and knocked the nutjob out.
The army was rounding up the survivors, cuffing them, and sending them to a special prison back in the States. Some struggled, but ultimately couldn't do much. From the scorched field came a group of tribals. They walked slowly in shock at what just happened.
"Hold it!", said one of the army soldiers who pointed his gun at them. The tribals raised their hands.
"Lower your weapons.", said Chief, "That's not how you treat your allies."
From behind Chief came Zoya, "Mina. Are you alright?"
"Yes.", spoke the lepian, "I'm just in shock. When you said they were powerful I never imagined this."
"I know. I can hardly believe it myself. Let me introduce you to someone.", she said as she gestured to Chief, "This is Julius Fisher, the chief of the humans' elite warriors."
"A pleasure to meet you, Mina. You helped us out a lot.", Chief said as he extended his hand. After a slight hesitation, Mina shook it.
"You!", yelled an elf as he was pushed, "You traitor! When the others find out about this, they will have the heads of your families, and then-", his bantering was stopped by a kick to the stomach delivered by Zoya which knocked him several feet back.
"Shut up.", she said.
"Is it really true?", Mina asked, "Will you really save my people?"
"Yes.", Chief said, "In time, we will free all of you."
This made Mina smile, "Then, we will fight alongside you.". She turned around and waved her hand several times. Far away in the tall grass, Chief could see people rise and walk towards them. A battalion-sized force of tribals. Lepians, feelians, leanoids, and welfen all walked towards the base. A lot of the soldiers stopped what they were doing and stared at them. The elves and dwarves felt nothing but disgust.
Chief chuckled and so did Pretty Boy next to him, "We're gonna need more uniforms."
End of chapter 6
---
First/ Previous / Next
Thank you very much for reading.
If you'd like to support me and my work feel free to upvote, follow, and check out my Patreon where you can get access to early chapters, a private Discord server, a chance to commission, and even influence on ongoing stories (DM me for the link, please)

I've been living together with my ex girlfriend for 5 months now but it's obviously not working out for neither of us. The flat isn't our official adress, and only my name is on the lease agreement, so I'm basically sub-leasing to her. She says she wants to move, I also want her to move, but its been like this for 3 months. We have been splitting the expenses equally.
At this point I really want her to leave, because she has a new boyfriend and she kinda lives with him now anyway, so she could stay there until she finds a new place for herself. The only time she comes home is when she wants to throw a party for her friends and then I'm the one that has to clean up after them. In order to get her to move out I even agreed to pay her out the initial deposit.
Now, anytime I touch upon the subject of her leaving she threatens me that she will either cut my throat or mess me up so bad I will end up in hospital. Keep in mind we are talking about a girl that had her butterfly knife confiscated for threatening a neighbour with it because he was shouting in their house at the time, last year.
I'm torn between reporting her to the police or informing the landlord that she is staying against my will. However, I'm hesitant to inform the landlord because I'm afraid he'll kick us both out as he might not want any trouble with his apartment. What do you think?
TL:DR: My ex refuses to move out, now she is threatening me anytime I kindly ask her to do so.

I know, the caption sounds very weird and selfish, but it's really like that sometimes.
So here's the deal. I like being around people, but I don't have a ton of friends. Right now, I've only got one close friend, and he's a really great guy. I trust him and know I can count on him. The only issue is that he's got a bunch of other friends (like A LOT) and he's always hanging out with them.
Don't get me wrong, we do hang out too, but not as often and sometimes, it feels like he's not even that excited to be with me, like he is with his other friends. It's kinda childish, I know, but I can't help feeling jealous. He's literally everything I have, and I feel like I'm just a tiny part of his life. It makes me feel left out, like he doesn't care about me as much as I care about him (although I'm not sure if that's true).
Also, he hardly ever texts me first and responds kinda dry when I text him. But when we're hanging out irl, we have a great contact and can talk about anything.
I do a lot for our friendship. I'm always there for him when he needs me, but it feels like it's...one sided? I feel like he doesn't like me as much as I like him, and it makes me really sad. It's like I'm not my best friend's best friend.
I really don't know what to do in this situation. Should I just accept that this is how it is?
P.S.: I'm not claiming that I'm literally the best friend that he could ever have or shut like that, but I just want to be appreciated a bit more..

If you’re an older women and looking for someone younger to chat and maybe have relationship with don’t be shy send me a message I’ll gladly reply and hopefully we could have something together. I hope you enjoy some who looks very young too😅Ive been looking for someone who could make my life a little better and enjoyable with their companionship. I’m sure someone is out there who would love the feel the same I hope. But of course wed have to know each other a little more and see how we connect. I’m only 5’7” hazel eyes and curly hair. I enjoy working out so I’d say I have an athletic body. There’s a sorta picture of me on my profile if you’d like to take a peak at it :) I would love someone who has good communication and at least able to handle a good conversation. love doing anything really as long as we’re both having fun, laughing and enjoying life together I don’t mind what else we try for the first time. I’m a funny, caring, loyal and hard working guy there’s a few more words I would describe myself as but it’ll make this description a little too long I know many to like to read all of it. I would enjoy going out and exploring new places with someone but don’t worry so much if don’t like going out much I enjoy indoors just as much. There’s so much we could talk about if you’re interested and if possible sending a picture of yourself would be amazing but not necessary unless you want to show later I will do the same :)

According to the latest article in Foreign Affairs, China is preparing for war. While it raised it's military budget by 7% , it's budget is smaller than USA, and a lot lower than the 2% of GDP, that some European nations may be targeting.
Does preparing for war, reduce or increase, the chances of war?
What can USA and it's allies do to reduce the chances of war? Ensure that China remains integrated into the global economy. China is seeking self reliance, as USA and it's allies are reducing dependence on China. China is aiming to reduce agricultural and technology imports. We must pause, and reconsider, if friendshoring is in the world's best interests economically, and politically.
Perhaps USA and its allies needs to compromise on trade with China, and exports of semiconductor and other critical technology. And while continuing to diversify supply chains, to countries like India, still continue to manufacture in China, especially for the domestic market, in the transition to increasing domestic consumption in China.
But I don't believe USA should compromise on Taiwan. Taiwan is a sovereign nation with a democratic government. Taiwan's president is set to tour the Americas, meeting with many leaders, including US Speaker McCarthy. She can meet whoever she likes. The main problem with China is not economic, but in its claims to foreign territories, including Taiwan, parts of India etc. Here we should not compromise.
As the West and China raise their military budgets, we don't want a self fulfilling prophecy of war. While we need to be ready to defend ourselves, especially from a militarily aggressive Russia, we don't want to force China's hand. We must communicate honestly with China, and respect their economic and political culture, and treat them as equals.

New build block of flats in England, completed in 2018, flat roof, leaseholders with Right to Manage.
A few months ago, a neighbour spotted something flapping off the roof. Managing agents sent someone up to have a look/initial repairs. They did an initial survey which suggested that the roof has been constructed/installed very poorly (single ply membrane, not sloping enough, bad workmanship), to the extent that bits had already come away. In one corner there's an actual hole exposing the wall cavity, another bit is peeling away and letting water in (that has created a large leak and mould in a communal area). That initial survey essentially recommended replacing the roof entirely. The managing agent sought some quotes, was looking like £100k+ (between not many flats) so we baulked at that.
We have a Checkmate new build insurance policy, which will cover repairs for major damage in years 2 to 10 post completion, so enquired with them, and they recently sent a surveyor round.
He's been up on the roof and said its completely fine quality/construction wise, but the damage that there is has been caused by pests (rats, mice or pigeons). Still waiting for the response back from Checkmate but seems like they're going to say, roof doesn't need to be replaced and whatever is required they won't cover as its caused by animals.
Now, as well as the initial survey, have shown some photos/talked to people who work in and around insurance, surveying, construction. Most have advised that the roof does indeed look terrible, and no way that the holes could have been created by animals if it has been constructed properly.
So I guess two questions:

• does it seem reasonable that urban pests could create a hole in a flat roof, if that roof was built properly in 2018?
  
• is there a process of challenging a decision made by an insurer about a claim like this? Checkmate (nor NHBC or others I've looked at) don't have anything about this on their policy documents or website. Surely their must be some way we could ask for an independent surveyor for a 2nd opinion, otherwise it's just their own surveyor who is hugely incentivised to suggest its caused by something not covered?
  

I make $13 an hour with commission on the phone. I accepted an offer last week for a guaranteed just over 100k job. I technically did put in for a two week notice on Monday for my last day to be 4/7/2023. My boss then called me and told me I was expected to work "as normal, high occupancy and full 8 hours" for the two weeks unless I want to do an immediate resign. I said "well everyone else that left put in a two week notice and was told they have to leave but will get paid their base..." he said "well I'm being told that isn't the case, if you want to leave today or sooner just resend the email." I feel like I got manipulated to quit without pay. I had a coworker quit last month and she said it was quick and professional. They had her jump in a zoom and said "thanks for the notice but since we pay a lot for leads and your heart isn't in it, you won't have to be on the phones any longer but you'll get your base pay." They also sent her an email to her personal email about sending back equipment, etc. I've always been higher on the top of the teams and I'm thinking they just wanted me to finish the last week of the month and then tell me to go. What's going on? I worked there three years which is longer than most people and they are yet again trying to screw me out of my measly $13 an hour.

My boyfriend has always had this group chat with his friends (on IG): they share pictures of semi-naked women they found on IG and they send them to each other and comment on them, about how they're hot etc. There are also pics/posts of people we know. I asked him why does he do it, it doesn't make me feel great and I feel this is something only creepy men do. He always says "oh you know it's just a joke between us guys, it's nothing serious" but he keeps on being a part of it, even if he "hides" it from me by silencing their notifications. I don't know how to make him understand it's not something cool and it makes me feel very insecure. But I can't possibly always bring this up, so often times I'm upset and for "no reason" (I don't tell him it's about that cause I don't want him to just reiterate on the fact that I care too much about something so "stupid"). How can I make him understand that what he does affects our relationship? What can I say to him to avoid listening to his excuse "it's just a joke between boys"? He's always very defensive and can't really comunicate in a constructive way. He makes me feel like I'm limiting him. Thanks in advance for the advices (sorry for the poor english, but it's not my main language).

4th of June, 2070
(One month after the Northeast park incident)
After the attack, it was clear what needed to be done. Elements of the 29th infantry division of the National Guard were stationed around Northeast park and were tasked with keeping watch over the now designated 'Rift' 24/7. Nothing was to get in or out without permission. The coast guard near San Diego was told to do the same. There has been no activity on either of them for a month, but the US Army didn't want to take chances.
At the UN council, the world came to a decision. The United States will attempt to solve this issue on its own, diplomatically. Elements of the US 75th Ranger regiment, 7th Infantry division, 1st Armored division, and 1st Special forces command have been organized into a force 30.000 strong and dubbed the Rift Expeditionary Corp or REC, led by Lieutenant General Patrick Coleman. They were tasked to cross to the other side, create an FOB and make contact with the natives. Despite prince Bodin Zorgen's constant attempts to persuade them otherwise, the US held strong to its decision. Any and all chances to stop bloodshed will be taken and America will not strike first. One of the conditions for peace will be the return of all captive Americans, this will not be negotiable.
This decision was not favored by some. The Chinese president, Bao Huang, suggested that the US should listen to Bodin and wage a full-blown war with the empire. He used the Empire of Japan as an example, a power that couldn't be negotiated with and chose war. US President Arthur McShane said that the empire and the elves received a vision through magic that humanity is a monstrous enemy that wishes to destroy their world. Bao refused to believe anything that 'magic' has to say but Arthur told him that if they do wage a war and strike, then they would only prove them right. Diplomacy needs to go first and should things go south, they'll cross that bridge when they get there.
The Russian president, Dmitri Vukov, suggested that the US should destroy the rifts so that they would not cause problems in the future. Out of sight, out of mind. There were two problems with this plan. First, the US had no way of doing this as they themselves don't possess magic and the rifts aren't affected by any physical means. Second, even if they destroy them, there exists a possibility of the elves opening another one, maybe in another part of the world, and should it open in an unprepared land, it would cause devastation. This is why Arthur urged all countries to create contingencies just for a situation like that. With all of this said, the UN council ultimately decided to let the US deal with this threat, however, NATO will be on alert should things take a turn for the worst.
Now it came down to picking the right people for the job. The empire wasn't the only faction they needed to make peace with. First things first, the Rosians. While prince Bodin is alive, they first needed to get them to know this. Second, they needed to make friendly relations with native elves. Not all of them are cold-hearted like the army. Turns out, most of them live in smaller communities and try to live their lives in peace. The plan is to make contact with them and show them that they aren't an enemy. Third, the tribal peoples. Between thirty and forty percent of lepians, feelians, leanoids, welfen, and others are enslaved by the elves and forced to do their bidding. About twenty percent fled south to the Rosian kingdoms to live in peace. The others live in scattered tribes across North Altia. The captured animal peoples will join the REC and help them establish peaceful relations with them. Finally, the other continents. Besides North Altia, there are also South Altia and Kaplios that are also under the empire's control. However, they are all in a war with the natives and aren't able to send any proper aid, so the UNEF is on low alert at the moment.
Several platoons of rangers have already been organized for the assignment, along with their lieutenants all that was missing was a certain prodigy.
Norfolk, Virginia
Connors estate
The Connors family has a long and proud military tradition dating all the way back to the first world war when Joshua Connors volunteered to go to Europe. World War II, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and even the Great Crisis. They've been through it all. But the current successor, Logan, wasn't too proud of that. It's soldiers who fight wars and bring death. Logan was naturally gifted with strength and skill. He was tall, and athletic and rose to the rank of captain at the age of twenty-five. Still, this didn't make him as happy as he wanted to be. He wondered if there is something else out there for him. But, that might just be a dream.
He lived alone in his house in Norfolk, Virginia near Deep Creek park. He'd usually wait for his sister, Penelope, to come back from her assignments at DARPA and go for a walk, but lately, she's been coming over less and less. At twenty-six, Logan didn't really know what to do anymore.
He sat down with a beer in his hand and turned on the TV. The first channel was the news, typical.
"Thank you Jack.", said the newscaster, "Now that we're at the end of our program I'd like to read you the decision President Arthur McShane has made regarding the now dubbed Rifts incident. The United States army will lead an expedition force through the land rift and attempt to make contact and creates peaceful relations with the Empire of Light. This decision is not supported by some American citizens, the majority of which are from North Carolina. Protesters have gathered near Northeast park and are demanding justice for their loved ones and their city. Still, the president is standing by his decision, and for the time being, the diplomatic approach will be taken. No NATO or other UN forces will intervene until the necessity arises. May God help our brave men and women. This is Kevin Harper, signing off."
The news ended and Logan turned off the TV while sipping his beer. A few moments later knocking came on his front door. Logan stood up and answered, only to find two men dressed in military uniforms standing in front of him. Both were clearly older than Logan and one had gray hair while the other one had blonde hair and carried a briefcase.
"Captain Logan Connors?", asked the man with gray hair.
"Yes.", Logan answered, "What can I do for you, Lieutenant General?"
"My name is Patrick Coleman and this is Brigadier General Oscar Wayne. May we come in?"
"Of course.". Logan let them enter and closed the door. He showed them to the living room where they took a seat on the couch and Logan sat in front of them. "Now. To what do I own the pleasure of sitting in front of the leader of the rift expeditionary force?"
Oscar was a bit stunned by his question, "How did you-"
"Why else would you be here? I'm one of the rangers that are going over there, aren't I?"
Patrick chuckled and pulled out a folder from the briefcase. "Logan Hannibal Connors. Unique middle name. Joined the military at age of 19, and was recruited into special forces at age of 24 upon reaching the rank of lieutenant but quit a month after starting. Rewarded the Medal of Honor and the rank of captain on August 29th in Thailand after saving three platoons of soldiers in an attack on a remnant True salvation outpost. Now serving the army rangers and saving up money to help his father, Marcus Connors, walk again after his legs were paralyzed in a car accident last year. Those new nerve surgeries sure are expensive."
"Where are you going with this lieutenant-general?", Logan asked.
"I don't want to sound like I'm trying to bribe you, that's not my job. I'm just saying that if you take this opportunity it will prove to be mutually beneficial."
Logan took a long look at the folder Patrick was holding. Was this really worth it? This could help his father, but he was going to a completely foreign land to fight an enemy only seen in fiction. He knew there was going to be war, that he will have to fight. Question was, could he? After much consideration, Logan spoke, "Fine. I'll do it. But I want my father's medical bills paid for in full and I want insurance for him and my sister."
"We can arrange that.", Patrick said, "Thank you for accepting this, captain."
"Don't thank me yet. But what's your role in all of this, brigadier general?"
"Me?", asked Oscar, "That's simple. I'm the commander of the first REC infantry brigade. We will go in first and prepare the terrain for the first armored brigade which will properly enforce FOB Galdush. That's the name of the place we're going to by the way."
"And I'm supposed to be in it?"
"Corectomundo, my friend."
"Alright. Let's go win a war then."
---
(Around the same time)
Undisclosed location
The invasion was over in several hours. Zoya had never seen such destruction. Thousands dead in minutes, great beasts slaughtered like cattle, and entire armies turned to blood and ash. She wished she had never come here. She should have just stayed with her tribe in the Great Bolma forest all those cycles ago and not run away. This is what she got for it. A life of enslavement and then being sent to a foreign land just to die.
'Mother. Sister.', she thought to herself as tears went down her face. She was now in a human prison, all alone, separated from her kin. That soldier, Jeff Miller brought her there. He could have killed her along with Bora, but didn't. The reason was never cleared to Zoya. 'Please be alright. I beg you spirits, watch over them. Don't let them suffer my fate.'
As she finished her thought, three loud knocks came from the metal door of her cell. A small window opened and a man spoke, "You. Do you understand me?" After hesitating a bit, Zoya nodded.
"Do you understand me?", he asked again.
"Yes! I understand you.", she said frightened.
"Please stand up.", he said and opened the bottom window. Zoya slowly moved to them and was put in chains. A feeling all too familiar. The cell door opened and she saw the man who talked to her. He was slightly taller and was wearing blue clothing of material unknown to Zoya, unlike the two armed guards who wore black armor.
"Come with me.", he said and led her through the halls. They walked for some time until they reached a door with glass on it. As they entered, the guards stood outside and Zoya sat down at a metal desk. Before the man sat down, he opened a box in the corner of the room and took a white plate of sorts. When he placed it in front of Zoya she saw it was food. Fried meat on one half and green and orange vegetables on the other. She first assumed it was a trick before the man gestured for her to eat. She took the meat and ate as fast as she could. It was delicious, way more than anything she had ever eaten. As she ate the man sat down and opened a thin book.
'He can read?', she thought, 'He must be a scholar then.'
He grabbed some kind of sharp stick and asked, "What is your name?"
"M-My name is Zoya."
"Last name?", she didn't answer, "Family name?"
"I... I don't have one."
"You are a lepian, correct?"
"Yes."
"Are there multiple kinds?"
'What kind of questions are these?', she thought, "Yes. Brown and orange. I am brown. You can see by my fur."
"Alright. Where are you from?"
The questions went on and on for what seemed like hours. The man asked Zoya about everything. How she fights, her skills, what can she do that an elf can't, and what are her relations with the other tribal peoples. She couldn't understand why all this was important. If she was going to be a slave, then not even her name mattered. Why? That question kept ringing in her head.
After a while, the man closed his book and spoke, "Alright, I think we're done here."
Zoya rubbed her hands and muttered, "Can you... can you tell me who my new owner will be? Is it you?"
The man seemed confused by her question, "Owner?"
"Y-Yes. My slave owner. Who am I going to?"
The man laughed a little, "Unbelievable. The others asked the same thing."
Now it was Zoya who was confused, "O-Others? What do you mean by others? Others of my kin? Or other tribals? Tell me."
"Relax. All your questions will be answered in there.", he said pointing at the door on the opposite side of the room from the one they came in, "Just step in and someone else will answer your questions."
The man removed Zoya's chains and then left through the same door they entered from. Zoya stood like a statue for a while. She didn't know what to do. Trust this human? He could be trying to deceive her. But either way, she didn't have a choice. She opened the door she was told to open and entered the room. Inside she saw chairs and three more people. One male welfen, one leanoid, and a familiar face.
"Bora!", she shouted.
"Zoya!", Bora shouted back and hugged her, "I thought you were dead." The two friends hugged for a while before Bora spoke again, "What happened? Did they hurt you?"
"No.", Zoya said, "They just asked me a lot of questions and even fed me."
"They did the same with us.", the welfen said, "The meat was very good, however."
"Yes.", said the leanoid, "For a moment I thought about killing that human for food. The questions confused me. He wanted to know what my strengths were and where are the rest of my people."
"Same with me.", said the welfen, "My name is Brokil by the way."
"I am Gorgo.", said the leanoid.
"A pleasure to meet you.", said Zoya.
"Likewise.", said Bora.
"I see you're getting along.", said a man as he walked into the room. All four of them were immediately on edge as five more entered behind him. They knew that these men were warriors, perhaps the elites of these humans. "That's good.". One of them looked elderly as he had gray hair. One had golden hair and blue eyes, one had medium brown hair, and two were bald, one of which was very tall and had dark skin. The one who entered first had short black hair and black eyes. He was the leader.
"Who are you?", asked Brokil.
"A bit rude.", said the leader.
"Answer the question.", demanded Gorgo.
"Well, we're gonna be working together. So why not?", said the leader after a short pause and sigh. This greatly confused the tribals. "My name is Julius Fisher, but I'm better known as Chief. The senior gentleman is John Castro, known as Pops. This big fella is Griffin West, call him Boxer. The guy eyeballing you is Rick Hunt, Lucky. The ladies man here is Noah Ramirez, he likes to be called Pretty Boy. And last but not least, this is Ryan Spencer, better known as Rook."
"Hi.", said Rook as he waved.
"We are soldiers of the First Special Forces Command, also known as Green Berets, and our team is Spearhead. And you are Brokil, Bora, Gorgo, and Zoya. Nice to meet you all."
The four relaxed a little bit but were still confused. Finally, Bora spoke, "What did you mean by working with us?"
"Oh that.", Chief said, "My superiors think it's a good idea to work with the native tribal peoples as we know you hate the empire and the elves."
"That may be true.", said Gorgo, "But what makes you think we will fight for you?"
"I never said for us, I said with us. We will work together and beat the empire."
"Why?", Zoya asked, "We all saw what you're capable of. You can turn all the elven armies to ash if you wanted. What do you gain from using us?"
"We gain knowledge.", said Pops, "We don't know much about your land and we can use a guide. Besides, allies are always good in war. It's true that we can completely destroy the empire if we wanted to, but that is not how we wage war. In doing so we would kill tens of millions of people and that is not something we want."
This came as a surprise to the four. A force so powerful and yet they choose not to use their power to the fullest and crush their enemies? They sound nothing like the elves.
"Furthermore.", said Pretty Boy, "We're not the monsters your elves say we are. In truth all we want is peace. But since that might not be possible, we have to make plans for the future."
"And why us?", asked Bora, "Why do you care about what happens to us?"
"Because we want to help you.", said Rook, attracting the four's attention.
"Why?", asked Zoya.
"'Cause slavery is wrong.", Boxer said, "And we know a thing or two about that."
This came as a shock to the four. Do they know? Does that mean they were slaves, too?
"You see.", Lucky spoke, "A long time ago, there existed an empire called Great Britain. They, much like your elves, had the bright idea of conquering the world. At some point, they conquered our country and turned us into their slaves. But our ancestors rebelled and we beat them. From that point on, we decided to end slavery everywhere. Because everyone deserves to be free. No one can own another person's life."
The four could just listen. A part of them didn't believe this. These people fought against their rulers and won. And now they seek to eradicate slavery everywhere. This was too good to be true.
"So...", Zoya said, "We fight for, I mean, with you, and we gain our freedom?"
"Not just you.", Rook said, "But all of your people as well. All of your tribes will be free and no longer hunted by the empire."
"This seems too good.", Brokil said. Chief walked up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I promise you.", Chief spoke, "You and all your people will gain their freedom, if you help us win this war." The four walked to the corner of the room and whispered to each other.
"You think they're gonna accept?", Rook asked.
"I have a gut feeling.", Chief replied.
After some time, Bora stepped forward and spoke, "Alright. We will join you and fight. What do you want us to do?"
Chief smiled, "First, I need you to try these on.". He walked to a large wooden crate and out of it took out some clothing. They looked thick and were green in color, but it wasn't armor. It looked similar to what the humans were wearing. "Then, I need you to sit down and listen carefully."
---
(Twenty days after REC crossed over)
Late yellow season
Past the Yellow forest, Meilume region
General Drannor Crax needed to hurry. The news of the invasion force being destroyed in less than a day was as troubling as it was unbelievable. According to the surviving soldiers, the enemy has boomsticks and cannons much like the dwarves, but more powerful and devastating. This made the general feel worried but also relieved. He knew how the dwarves fought and how their weapons worked. Moreover, he had dwarves in his army and this would help him. The enemy is a more powerful version just meant that he needed to be more careful. At least in his mind.
The force of the VII army along with five thousand dwarves and five thousand auxiliary marched to the Galdush fields in hopes of preventing the enemy from making a foothold in Meilume from which to launch an assault. It might have been a good idea to get one of the three east coast fleets to launch an organized strike from the coast so they can pincer them, but it was too late to plan now. They were now eighty leagues from Galdush and one hill separated them from a straight towards the enemy. Drannor decided to go over the plan one more time in order to finish this battle with perfection.
In his personal tent, he spoke to his captains and the dwarves, "Do your troops know the strategy?"
"Of course.", said captain Bamur of the dwarves, "Dunan and I are prepared."
"Our legions are also ready, sir.", said the first captain of the elven army.
"Excellent.", Drannor said, "The spearhead of the attack will be the feral auxiliary, the dwarven legions, and the wyvern corp. The combined force of over forty thousand shall attack the enemy from the front, with the ferals serving as a distraction the dwarves will launch the initial attack with cannons and move in with shooters. The infantry and archer legions will move in from the right but not before the cavalry penetrates the enemy's left flank. We must strike hard, fast, and make sure the enemy can't use its cannons against us."
"I do not like the idea of our troops going in as distractions.", said Dunan.
"Have a better strategy, dwarf?", asked the first captain, "The general is the one in command here.". Dunan scoffed at that and didn't say anything.
"This is the best we can do.", Drannor said. At that moment, a lepian walked into the tent.
"I have news.", she said walking closer but was stopped by one of the captains.
"Aren't you forgetting something?", he said.
The lepian groaned and knelt. "My lord. I bring news."
"Speak.", Drannor said.
"I have returned with my scouts from observing the enemy."
"What have you seen?"
"They have already built a fortification of sorts."
This troubled the officers and the general in the tent. The enemy already has a foothold in their land. Perhaps their cannons aren't the most dangerous part about them.
"What kind of fortification?", the second captain asked.
"It is... strange. They have short walls and round metallic tents as well as long silver bushes. On top of that, many of the soldiers spent their entire day digging holes using metal monsters." This didn't trouble them as much as it made them confused. What kind of fortifications were these?
"What of their weapons and numbers?", asked the sixth captain.
"As far as we know, they have many strange-looking cannons that face upwards as well as several long cannons on iron carriages. Their numbers however can't be higher than eight thousand.". To this, the officers widened their eyes and some smiled.
"Only eight thousand?", said the fifth captain, "They dare think so low of us."
"Seems like you won't even need to send your army, Drannor.", said Bamur, "We will deal with the enemy and scavenge what remains."
"This does not feel right.", Drannor said.
"What are you saying, sir?", asked the tenth captain, "Not only will we destroy the enemy, but also prove why we are not to be trifled with."
"Do you forget already? This is the same army that defeated the first invasion force. I will not make the same mistake of underestimating our enemy. If what the survivors say is true, then their numbers mean nothing.". The tent turned quiet. Drannor's words held truth. If this is the same army that defeated general Ylindar, then they cannot afford to take chances.
"My lord.", the lepian spoke.
"What is it?", Drannor replied.
"I am just a scout, but when my people attack we usually prefer to go on a night raid and strike the enemy when they least expect it."
"You expect us to use such a barbaric and dishonorable tactic?", asked the third captain in disgust, "What do you take us for?"
"This is no time for being picky.", Drannor said, "It is a sound strategy, often used when facing an enemy with a strong defense. Attacking at night will limit their capabilities. Perhaps even inhibit them from using their cannons."
"You cannot hit what you cannot see.", said Dunan, "If we get close enough, it will not matter how powerful they are. Our numbers will drown them."
At last, a sense of hope filled their hearts. Perhaps not all was lost. This could work.
"Very well.", Drannor said, "Spread the word to all soldiers. The tactic remains the same, just that it will be a night raid. And tenth captain?"
"Yes general?", he asked.
"The wyvern corps will not move in. They can't fly well in an organized formation at night."
"Yes, general."
"Lepian."
"Yes my lord?", she asked.
"Take your scouts and prepare for the raid. You will infiltrate their base and cause distortion."
"Yes my lord.". With that, she left and the other officers as well. It was time to prepare. This will be the first battle with the enemy in the empire's own borders. No matter what, they needed to win. Or at the very least, make the enemy bleed.
---
Everything was prepared. The feral auxiliary already started moving forward and the dwarves steadily advanced behind them. The warhogs moved first, behind them were warriors, then shooters, and finally the cannon crew. Dunan was on the right and Bamur on the left, each ready to give orders and lead their legions to battle. As they moved closer they could see the enemy fortification in the distance. It looked just like how the lepian described it. All that was not immediately visible were the cannons. Perhaps they were camouflaged. A tactic used often by the dwarven general of the second Halboram army, Kutmec Coalcloack. He would paint his cannons in the color of the surroundings so the enemy couldn't see them until it was too late. No matter, all they had to do was get close.
"What do you think will happen, commander?", asked a dwarven shooter.
"We will win.", Dunan answered, "We have to. And after this, we will get what we were promised."
The dwarves wouldn't typically choose to fight alongside the elves unless there was something in it for them. Such was their nature. The dwarven kingdoms have good relations with the empire as miners, builders, and blacksmiths. A large portion of elven mines are mostly run by dwarves and with that, the dwarves gain a fifth of the profit. If they dug out five ores of iron, they would get one and if the ore is sold for five pieces of silver, they get one, and so forth. This made the dwarven economy boom as the elves control roughly eighty percent of the Tubal mountains. Now the emperor gave them an offer they could not refuse. If they contributed to the war, they would receive half of the earnings from North Altia, but also half of the earnings from the other side of the rift. The dwarves, due to their lust for riches, could not say no. Of course, king Bylnar of Benullur refused, but the other two kings assumed that when they win the war, Bylnar would see that he was wrong. And if he didn't, the elves would take care of him.
"I hope we do win, commander.", the shooter continued, "I want revenge for what they did to general Dalmin."
"So do I.", Dunan said, "But we must not be-"
Suddenly, explosions came from the front lines. The feral auxiliary started to die out as the ground burst into flames. Orcs, swine, ogres, and trolls were all being destroyed and their scorched bodies were scattered across the field. But there was something strange. The cannons weren't firing. Dunan would have seen them if they did. So how? It's almost as if the ground beneath the ferals exploded on its own as they crossed it. But that shouldn't be possible.
The dwarves were all in shock. "Commander!", shouted the shooter, "What do we do?!"
Dunan was stunned for a moment but spoke, "At this point, I would signal the wyverns. But we left them behind.". Before he could say more, something he never thought would happen, happened. A bright light flew into the air, shining like the sun. Then another and another. The whole sky was filled with them. What kind of magic was this?
"Commander?", a shooter asked.
"All legions, charge!", Dunan shouted, "Quickly, charge! They see us! We must reach them as quickly as possible! Go!". Dunan charged with his warhog. The rest of the cavalry charged with him as well as the infantry and shooters. Now that they can see them, it was only a matter of time before their cannons took aim. They needed to hurry. The hogs ran and ran, behind them the thousands of warriors and shooters. In the distance, he could see cannons and rods pointed upwards as well as the enemy running toward some of them. "Scatter!", he ordered and the dwarves did just that. They knew the power of a cannon and that they couldn't stay clumped together. But they weren't quick enough and the cannons opened fire. The upward-facing rods shot into the air and explosions erupted around the dwarves. Despite them being somewhat scattered they were losing hundreds. The warriors screamed in pain as their arms and legs were scattered over the land, the shooters fired at the enemy, hoping they would cause at least some amount of damage, but fared no better than the warriors. The cannon crew fired as well but were horrified at the sight. Their cannons couldn't reach and were destroyed by the enemies.
Dunan didn't fair much better. His cavalry was almost destroyed and he himself began to realize he would lose. But not before drawing blood, spirits damn him. He had made it to the lines the ferals crossed. He could see craters in the ground and bodies around them. Trolls and ogres were missing legs and heads while orcs and swine were blown to pieces. The ground beneath them did erupt. Dunan knew he would have to be careful, but he couldn't finish his train of thought as the ground beneath his hog exploded and he was tossed on the ground. As he slowly and painfully got on his knees, he removed his helmet and looked around him. None of his soldiers got through, they were all dead or dying. Some retreated, hopefully, they can tell the others. To the left he saw Banur's body, half of it in a pool of blood and the other half gone, he suffered the same fate. Exhausted and frightened, Dunan lay there and prayed. Perhaps the enemy won't see him.
On the left flank, the eighth and ninth captain led their respective cavalry legions. Ten thousand cavalry troops, ready to fulfill their part. As the two captains moved in they could hear the explosions and death on the central front, but there was nothing they could do. Now that the enemy used its magic to create light they needed to hurry. The cavalry charged in two arrowhead formations and had one target, the enemy's left flank. Their mission was to break it and move into the enemy's center so the infantry can take the rift.
The horses ran as fast as they could and could see the enemy's fortification. All that was defending them was a line of silver thorns. The eighth captain rushed in, hoping to jump over, but the thorns were too thick and the horses got stuck. Hundreds of horses got entangled in the thorns and the elves were thrown over. Thousands behind them either trampled themselves or stopped.
"Scatter!", yelled the eighth captain, "You have to get out of here! The enem-". Before he could say more the horses and elves were engulfed in flames. They screamed as they were burned and torn apart.
The ninth captain ran to the eighth and shook him, "Come on! We're still alive! We can reach the enemy on foot!". There was some truth to that. They still had hundreds of soldiers.
"You are right.", he said and drew his sword, "Forward soldiers! We still have a mission!". So he ran towards the enemy fortification alongside the ninth captain and hundreds of soldiers. He had not just hope, but confidence. Confidence that he can still do what he needed to do. Confidence was shattered as the enemy fired upon him. Their boomsticks spat thousands of led arrows at them as if hundreds of thousands of dwarves were in front of them. His elves were dying and dying quickly. They couldn't even get close as they were torn apart and left screaming on the ground. Time seemed to slow down for him. He turned to all sides and swore he could see the arrowheads pierce his soldiers. He could see the blood pouring out of them and the life escaping their bodies. He faced forward just in time to see the arrow coming toward him. It pierced his forehead, and in those few final moments, he thought of his home and how all of this was a mistake.
On the right flank, general Drannor moved with his men. He could hear and see the explosions on the other sides. How could the enemy have known they would come, and worse off how could they possess such magic to create suns in the night sky, was beyond him. He led forty thousand troops in hopes to penetrate the enemy's flank, but it hasn't been going well. They were being slowed down by iron thorns and were forced to use shields to get across. A large part of the army got over them, but then the enemy attacked. Their cannons fired cannon balls that killed dozens of soldiers per hit, blasting them to pieces. Most of the army that was on the outside of the thorns was destroyed and Drannor could only watch the horror unfold before him. After one of the explosions, a soldier was sent flying toward Drannor, knocking him to the ground. At the same time, the enemy fired its boomsticks and tore through his men. First, they killed the ones on the sides and then worked their way in. The survivors gathered near the general and created a layered shield formation, hoping to save him.
When Drannor came to his senses he got up and shouted, "You fools! You have to run! Scatter before they-", but it was too late. The enemy's weapons destroyed their shields and soldiers all around him began to fall, screaming in pain as their hearts, lungs, and heads were pierced by thousands of lead arrows. Drannor just stood there. Miraculously, he wasn't injured. He looked to all sides and saw nothing but carnage. Most of the men that crossed the iron thorns were dead, the ones behind either got blown to pieces or fled.
Drannor just walked. Slowly. He walked towards the enemy as he was taking off his helmet, then his wrist guards, then shoulder pads, and finally his breastplate. He extended his arms and closed his eyes as if he accepted his fate. It was his fault that nearly a hundred thousand people died, so now he was ready to pay the price. As he walked closer to the source of the firing, he noticed it started to die down. He assumed all his men were dead. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a bright white light in front of him and a shadowy figure walking closer.
'Morto?', he thought, 'Have you come to collect my soul?'. As the figure got closer, he saw a pale-skinned man with a black boomstick and before he could react, the man hit him in the head and Drannor was knocked out cold. With that, it was over.
---
It was finally over. The ferals were all dead and the surrendering and wounded elves and dwarves were brought to Galdush base. This couldn't have been a battle, more of a one-sided slaughter. The enemy walked straight into them. First, the minefield destroyed the ferals and the leftover claymores took care of most of the dwarven cavalry. The entrenched Abrams tanks and mortars cleared the rest. Their cannons fired, but couldn't reach the foxholes.
On the right, the elven cavalry made their way to the barbed wire and misunderstood how it worked, which caused them to fall over and leave the horses trapped. Mortar fire destroyed what was on the outer portion and machine guns cleared the foot soldiers that tried to rush them.
The left side was bloodier. The infantry used their shields to get across the barbed wire, but most weren't quick enough and were killed by the mortars and tanks. The ones that did survive put their shields in layers, but that didn't help them much. After most of them died, the several dozen that still had a brain left and one crazy bastard stripped his armor and walked to the machine guns. Luckily, Logan stopped the firing and knocked the nutjob out.
The army was rounding up the survivors, cuffing them, and sending them to a special prison back in the States. Some struggled, but ultimately couldn't do much. From the scorched field came a group of tribals. They walked slowly in shock at what just happened.
"Hold it!", said one of the army soldiers who pointed his gun at them. The tribals raised their hands.
"Lower your weapons.", said Chief, "That's not how you treat your allies."
From behind Chief came Zoya, "Mina. Are you alright?"
"Yes.", spoke the lepian, "I'm just in shock. When you said they were powerful I never imagined this."
"I know. I can hardly believe it myself. Let me introduce you to someone.", she said as she gestured to Chief, "This is Julius Fisher, the chief of the humans' elite warriors."
"A pleasure to meet you, Mina. You helped us out a lot.", Chief said as he extended his hand. After a slight hesitation, Mina shook it.
"You!", yelled an elf as he was pushed, "You traitor! When the others find out about this, they will have the heads of your families, and then-", his bantering was stopped by a kick to the stomach delivered by Zoya which knocked him several feet back.
"Shut up.", she said.
"Is it really true?", Mina asked, "Will you really save my people?"
"Yes.", Chief said, "In time, we will free all of you."
This made Mina smile, "Then, we will fight alongside you.". She turned around and waved her hand several times. Far away in the tall grass, Chief could see people rise and walk towards them. A battalion-sized force of tribals. Lepians, feelians, leanoids, and welfen all walked towards the base. A lot of the soldiers stopped what they were doing and stared at them. The elves and dwarves felt nothing but disgust.
Chief chuckled and so did Pretty Boy next to him, "We're gonna need more uniforms."
End of chapter 6
---
First/ Previous / Next
Thank you very much for reading.
If you'd like to support me and my work feel free to upvote, follow, and check out my Patreon where you can get access to early chapters, a private Discord server, a chance to commission, and even influence on ongoing stories: patreon.com/SimpleWrites

Hey, if you found this you searched for historical Roleplays. So why dont you check out why you should start a Historical Roleplay of any type with me.
I know alot about History, know alot about European History in General. My favorite Era to learn about is post-ww2 Europe with the Victorian Era a close second. You can call me by my username or Brunhilde.
I speak 3 languages. A Scandinavian one and a Central European one. (You can guess which one. Its more central than you think.) aswell as English. With that and my knowledge of dialects and accents we can make our Roleplays authentic.
If that hasn’t persuaded you, ive got spicy and exciting scenarios for you. Waiting to be unleashed. Just send me things you like and dislike in a RP. Hope to hear more from you.
Some plots:
Cold War Era Archeological Roleplay
This Roleplay is set in 1967. Its set in the Eastern Bloc, mostly East Germany(GDR) and Poland aswell as Hungary. The main premise is that our two characters go on a treasure hunt and find secret Places.
The Year is 1967 and you just got promoted in your position in an American University. But with a new job came a new task. The Government has hired you to perform a secret Archeological Operation with a person of your choice. But you didn’t have a choice and got my character a Female Professor in a small East German University. My character has ties to the West and gladly helps you out. The Goal is to visit locations which are now underground due to war,natural disasters and landscape changes. There we must find treasures and secrets to help our allies.
One Problem we have is that you dont really like me due to my countries history. Could i change that problem using my methods?
Victorian Era Village Roleplay: Mystery,Romance,Action is what this scenario entails. In a small Village near the Austrian-Prussian Border a conflict erupts, you are called into war for your country and fight, on the way you stay in my characters village. Its a nice place but it includes a crime scene and a unknown perpetrator. We both decide its best to find who it is and bond along the way. Can we stop this person and establish order once more?
Time Travel Disaster. You are a ordinary person until you notice you can time travel. You go back to your favorite era and do the things you want until you realize you cant go back. Do you really want to go back? Or do you decide to stay and adapt? Its up to you.

The project seems to be abandoned, but there's a candidate to take over as maintainer. But we need the old maintainers to give them access, so they can take over.
So this is a request for signal boost plus a request to anyone who may know them, to ask them to take care of passing on the project.
The project has had 520k installs and a many who love it (like me) – it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

Welcome to my second entry of my fan-season character rank down series. This entry is going to be relatively more quick, so let’s just jump into it

#11th: Dan

Next up is the very first boot. Simply put, there’s not a whole lot to talk about this guy. Throughout the one episode he appears, he is just pretty much there. However, if there's one noteworthy role he has, it’s that he ultimately falls victim to the scheming of one of the villains throughout. That and he briefly talks with the other guys to vote for Miriam for being the weak link. And IG if there's one more thing I'll give credit for, his elimination was certainly not predictable unless you watch his audition tape before the episodes. In very hindsight, I thought Miriam would go home. But thanks to Grett in particular lying to Tom, it was Dan who got eliminated. So in that regard, he is kind of easy to feel bad for (certainly more so than the following boot💀)
But besides that, Dan is just incredibly forgettable, which isn't necessarily bad since he's supposed to be the first boot. But at the same time, TD has proved in the past that they are capable of utilizing even first boots well (and thankfully, I think a certain other fan-season also happens to be way better in this specific regard👀). For that reason, he takes the second to bottom spot of this ranking and is overall just a very whatever character (though with what we got with Will, I honestly wouldn’t have minded seeing Dan go just a bit further). Though I think the fact that my bottom 2 characters are the first two boots serves as a great sign of how well utilized this cast is. Will say though, just like the last entry, the irony with his audition tape is kind of funny
Ohh how this aged💀
Endnote: And that wraps up the second entry of this series. We’ve now officially covered the two characters I don’t particularly like. From here, we are about to travel into the net-positive rankings. So stay tuned for future entries, and for now, peace out✌️

There has been mentions about this in various places, last time I saw it was in the DD about the teddy trademark application. But I don’t remember seeing a sole post about it so I wanted to again bring a little bit of attention to it.
If you use the wayback machine for teddy.com you can see actually that there has been placements of various articles regarding toys and child product way before RC bought in bbby and wrote his letter. RC started building his position back in Jan 2022.
On the teddy.com site have been placed those articles even before oct 2021, but I will provide link for October 2020 so you can check yourself.
https://web.archive.org/web/20201001193614/https://teddy.com/
If the user that made this public first reads this Id like to give credit to them.
This proves that RC had plans long before he started buying. Also we can assume that he also wanted to do something with baby himself and possibly not only push for a spin off for random shareholder value (wich would be fine of course too)
Do with it what you will. I continue to HODL.

If you’re an older women and looking for someone younger to chat and maybe have relationship with don’t be shy send me a message I’ll gladly reply and hopefully we could have something together. I hope you enjoy some who looks very young too😅Ive been looking for someone who could make my life a little better and enjoyable with their companionship. I’m sure someone is out there who would love the feel the same I hope. But of course wed have to know each other a little more and see how we connect. I’m only 5’7” hazel eyes and curly hair. I enjoy working out so I’d say I have an athletic body. There’s a sorta picture of me on my profile if you’d like to take a peak at it :) I would love someone who has good communication and at least able to handle a good conversation. love doing anything really as long as we’re both having fun, laughing and enjoying life together I don’t mind what else we try for the first time. I’m a funny, caring, loyal and hard working guy there’s a few more words I would describe myself as but it’ll make this description a little too long I know many to like to read all of it. I would enjoy going out and exploring new places with someone but don’t worry so much if don’t like going out much I enjoy indoors just as much. There’s so much we could talk about if you’re interested and if possible sending a picture of yourself would be amazing but not necessary unless you want to show later I will do the same :)

She told me last night and i've been feeling numb since.i have just been going about my day like nothing happened
She was on birth control and we used protection. i dont know how this happened. I can say that i did look forward to starting a family with her eventually. But I definitely did not want it to be this sudden and unplanned. I wanted to think and plan about after we spend some time reconciling.
It's hard to describe how im feeling. Im neither happy nor sad. Just wishing things would have happened a bit differently. She looked so happy and cried when i told her we're going to raise this child. I dont feel the same sort of happiness that she feels about this and i dont even know why. I feel anxious. This is going to be a big change. I hope im able to have the strength to keep going.