Before I get started, If you haven't seen the map I made for the tier two and tier one bus network, I highly recommend you take a look here I think the map I made is currently the highest quality image available of the tier one and tier two bus networks (DART PLEASE MAKE THIS AVAILABLE in high quality)
The main takeaway from this map is that DART is going to make some MASSIVE frequency improvements. A while ago, I made a post about the improvements DART is making and it really looks like we are starting to see some of those materialize.
With that out of the way, I asked staff a lot of questions, and here's all the info I've gathered:
SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS:

• Orange line off peak to Parker road is something they have considered in the past. If enough people push for it they may do it
  • https://www.dart.org/futureprojects (survey here)
• 883 east frequency boost likely coming fall semester
  • This route gets overcrowded
• 883 west and east combined ridership has seen numbers as high as 8,000 riders per day
• Later hours and weekend service GoLink has resulted in huge ridership gains
  • Though keep in mind, GoLink is still low capacity. The two streetcar lines (mainly the m-line) see more ridership than all GoLink zones combined
    • Although this may no longer be true with more weekend and late night service on the GoLink
• There are two tiers of bus system improvements
  • Tier one, which increases frequency on select routes
    • Cheaper to implement, will come within 5 years more likely than not
    • Around 12 routes to see frequency improvements in tier one
    • my tier one map is missing some super small and minor details (DART PLEASE MAKE THIS MAP AVAILABLE IN HIGH QUALITY)
  • Tier two, which increases frequency system wide and on select routes
    • Tier two feels too good to be true
    • The frequent routes now run 15 minutes from 6 am to 10 pm 7 days a week
    • The local coverage routes now run 30 minutes all day 6 am to 10 pm 7 days a week
    • Many routes in the suburbs, south dallas, oak cliff, and pleasant grove see promotions that go beyond the system wide improvements
    • Way more expensive to implement, but DART is going to make it work as more money becomes available and as they re-prioritize projects in their financial plan
    • We can expect this to happen a little bit after 5 years, but its still up in the air. Staff seems very motivated to make tier two happen though
• TRE Sunday service is something DART staff wants, but Trinity Metro is more hesitant on
  • More details regarding this here
• When DART increases or adds weekend service, ridership on the weekdays improves
• When DART increases late night service, ridership during the day improves
• When DART improves frequency, ridership improves on the route to fill in some of the new capacity enabled by the frequency

​
NEW SERVICE:

• Plano City Managers happy with GoLink Service, but they want more fixed route service
• DART is primarily considering more east-west service in Plano
  • Main route bring considered is a route that runs on spring creek from parker road station
  • Have your own suggestions? dart.org/futureprojects
• This is apart of the area plans DART is making. For different sections of the service area, DART is making more focused plans and analysis for specific cities/neighborhoods to see what can be done to improve transit.
• New golink zone near the air port in Irving
  • But I suspect we will see GoLink zones expanded, and new ones come up to fill in the few remaining gaps in service DART has

BUS INFRATSRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS:

• Route 57 (westmoreland), sees ridership of over 3,500 per day, most popular route
• The route 57 is the closest route to getting enough ridership to get federal funding for a bus rapid transit conversion
• DART will do infrastructure upgrades on their highest ridership/frequency, most unreliable bus routes to improve speed and reliability
  • Potential upgrades includes queue jumps, bus lanes, signal priority
• Bus reliability will still improve significantly without the infrastructure improvements. Some routes see on time performance below 70%, while others are higher than 90%, but the general average is around 83-85% (where On time performance is defined a bus coming between 1 minute early and no more than 5 minutes late)
  • Tweaks and adjustments are being made to improve the worst performers
  • 85% is not too bad considering the reality that buses have to share the road with traffic
    • but with infrastructure upgrades it could do better
• DART already has funding for bus corridor improvements in their financial plan
• If you notice your bus getting delayed at a particular intersection or road, let them know by emailing [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) they want to know where your bus needs the most help to get moving. They want to know where their infrastructure improvements need to go
• They want to do this on their most frequent routes. This includes routes slated to get frequency improvements in tier one and tier two

​
D2 UPDATE:

• DART does not need D2 to achieve 10 minute headways on the rail
  • improvements to mocking bird, pearl, and west end junctions are needed though
  • More details here
• If we want to go Beyond 10 minute headways, we will probably need D2
• While Tier Two focuses on achieving more 15 minute and 30 minute service, Nadine Lee's goal is to achieve 10 minute service on the frequent bus and light rail
  • But this is really long term from what I can tell. I'm not expecting this to happen anytime soon
• I asked about increasing frequencies by adding north south lines, such as a Parker Road to Buckner line that bypasses downtown
  • The problem is, whenever you have a train going from cityplace/uptown to deep ellum station, it blocks trains going to or from pearl for 3 minutes
  • This means DART cannot operate this kind of service as of right now

​
STATE POLITICS GETTING IN THE WAY OF TRANSIT:

• Texas killed transit expansion across the state when they allowed sales tax to be used for property tax abatement or economic development
  • This leaves no money for transit, since cities can only allocate 2% of their sales tax
  • Any city with transit today has transit because they allocated their sales tax BEFORE they had any other way to spend it
  • Transit didn't just stop expanding to new cities in DFW, but the whole state of Texas
• Attempts have been made to pass a transportation choices act
  • This would allow Texas cities to add a new transit tax that is EXEMPT from the 2% sales tax limit on municipal governments
  • It would be completely up to the municipality and its voters, its a choice.
  • Did not go very far in the state legislature, but did have some support from democrats and republicans
• TxDot legally CANNOT spend a dime on public transportation
  • any dollar TxDot gives to DART or other transit agencies is just money funneled through the Federal department of transportation
    • This is money that could have only be spent on transit
  • This limit is imposed on TxDot by the state constitution
• Needless to say, a lot needs to change at the state level
  • Texas hamstrings public transportation
• Apparently, TxDot is starting to open up to public transportation more and more
  • Though it seems like they have a long ways to go
• DART thinks that TxDot and the state won't be friendly to public transportation until traffic gets so bad they won't have another choice
  • its frustrating because we should be investing in public transportation to PREVENT LA levels traffic, but it looks like our state leaders will sleep on the issue until we get that crippling traffic. Only then will finally (hopefully) take transit seriously
• Please vote

​
​
MISC:

• DART had to overcome a bus operator shortage to restore frequency and reliability to their service
  • They were successful, roughly 7% of trips were being cancelled. Now its less than 1%
  • HOWEVER, this came at a monumental effort, lots of money spent recruiting, increasing pay, and bonuses
  • This is why DART has enough bus operators, but your local school district and other transit agencies do not. Other employers did not undergo this monumental recruiting effort
  • It cost a lot of $$$
  • As a result, one of the biggest barriers to the tier two bus network is expected to be hiring new bus operators.
    • Its a tough job market right now (for the employers)
• Police pay is now competitive, so they are expecting to be able to fill their police shortage
  • However it will still take a while, but they expect to be able to do it
  • Police pay was not competitive before (I assume before October, somewhere around there)
• In a few months, DART will start the pilot program that connects homeless riding the system to resources so they don't use DART as a shelter
  • Nonprofits will ride the trains to get homeless riders to shelters
• Route 23 is doing very well
  • That's why its getting a frequency promotion (duh)
• Route 241 is still doing very well
  • I think this should be a 15 minute all day route in tier two, but thats just me
    • I don't know of any other 200 series route that gets over 2000 riders per day, but I also don't have access to the latest data

With that, since these posts tend to get a lot of attention, I wanted to let all of you know that I will be making my own recommendations for the city council elections coming up in May. I will be making recommendations for Plano, Richardson, and Dallas. My primary areas of concern will be how the candidates feel about land use, transit, and housing (in particular, land use and housing near transit) as well as walkability and really any issues relating to multimodal travel.

Affirm Holdings (AFRM) shares dipped more than 8% Tuesday on the back of Apple's (AAPL) announcement of its new buy now, pay later product.
Apple Pay Later, which is being introduced in the US, allows users to split purchases into four payments spread over six weeks with no interest and no fees, the tech giant said in its press release.
In addition, the company said users can apply for Apple Pay Later loans of $50 to $1,000, which can be used for online and in-app purchases made on iPhone and iPad with merchants that accept Apple Pay.
Reacting to the news, Mizuho analyst Dan Dolev said it "reaffirms the attractiveness of BNPL."
"We remind investors that the first news about this product occurred nearly 2 years ago and should already be reflected in AFRM's stock price," the analyst wrote.
"We remind investors of our proprietary consumer survey (See Link), which suggested that AFRM is less vulnerable than other BNPL providers given more modest customer overlap with Apple Pay (20% vs. 20-30% for others) and a higher AOV (several hundred dollars AOV ex. Peloton vs. <$100 for Apple Pay)," he added.
Dolev says that although the knee-jerk reaction is understandable, Apple's move may "only further solidify the BNPL category as legitimate."
Source: https://www.streetinsider.com/Analyst+Comments/Apple+announces+Pay+Later%2C+Affirm+Holdings+shares+tumble/21428424.html
Apple (AAPL) introduces ‘Apple Pay Later’ to allow consumers to pay for purchases over time. Is this the end for buy now pay later stocks like Affirm (AFRM)?

"Come on, baby, let's start anew," Alibaba (BABA) sang in a new hit-single released on Tuesday, with most believing it won't be hard to pull off for the company. Investors were certainly "down dooby doo down down" for the move, sending shares of the Chinese tech giant soaring 14% during the session. Chinese tech stocks rose in tandem, including JD.com (JD), NetEase (NTES) and Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY), as well as Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank (OTCPK:SFTBY), which was one of Alibaba's key early investors.
The plan: Alibaba will split into six different units covering e-commerce, media and the cloud, with the goal of boosting each group's individual business value. They include: 1) Cloud Intelligence, 2) Taobao Tmall Business, 3) Local Services, 4) Global Digital Business, 5) Cainiao Smart Logistics, and 6) Digital Media and Entertainment. "Under this plan, we will have six major business groups and other investments, each to be independently managed by its own chief executive officer and board of directors," according to a regulatory filing. Aside from Taobao Tmall Business, which will remain fully owned by Alibaba (BABA), each of the other business groups "will also have the flexibility to raise outside capital and potentially to seek its own IPO."
"With such an obvious and unexpected catalyst on our hands, it pays to explore what exactly this new development could do for BABA shareholders," wrote SA contributor Growth at a Good Price. He explores how to play the restructuring, while other SA authors are also bullish on the announcement. See Alibaba Drops A Bombshell by Investing Group author Jonathan Weber, as well as Alibaba Group: A Great Move Aimed At Boosting Shareholder Value by Daniel Jones.
Go deeper: The reorganization follows years-long headwinds for Alibaba shares, including a slowing economy in China and geopolitical tensions, as well as a broad tech selloff and sweeping crackdown on Chinese internet companies. In fact, the announcement came a day after the company's legendary founder, Jack Ma, made his first appearance in mainland China after several months overseas, and has generally been out of the public eye since he gave a speech in 2020 that criticized Beijing's financial and business regulators. It also raises questions about what may happen with the suspended record IPO of Ant Group, which operates one of China's biggest mobile pay apps called Alipay (Alibaba owns 33% of Ant). (108 comments)
iBank?
Apple (AAPL) has officially released its "Buy Now, Pay Later" service in the U.S., permitting purchase payments over time with no fees and no interest. Select users can apply for Apple Pay Later loans of $50 to $1,000, which can be managed in Apple Wallet and used for both online and in-app merchants that accept Apple Pay. The solution was initially planned to be released in September 2022 as part of iOS 16, before technical challenges delayed the launch, though Apple now hopes to offer it to all eligible users in the months ahead. Mastercard (MA) and Goldman Sachs (GS) will be helping out Apple with payment credentials, while rival BNPL provider Affirm (AFRM) tumbled on the latest news. Is a bank charter for Apple in the cards? (49 comments)
Going after the apes
AMC Entertainment (AMC) was up 10% shortly before Tuesday's market close on a report that Amazon (AMZN) was exploring an acquisition of the beleaguered movie-theater chain. Jeff Bezos has been said to organize his entertainment lieutenants and investment advisers to consider such an acquisition, where hundreds of theaters would be used for a number of purposes like promoting Amazon Prime's original films, cross-selling grocery delivery and even serving as product distribution hubs. AMC had a market capitalization of about $2.6B after Tuesday's jump, though it has slid nearly 72% over the past year. Bezos might also want to wait and see if the stock continues to erode, or jump on a potential bankruptcy. (110 comments)

Bankcrisis

"In light of the new challenges and priorities," UBS (UBS) is bringing back Sergio Ermotti, who rebuilt and led the bank (from 2011 to 2020) in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. The move will help UBS figure out how to integrate Credit Suisse (CS) into its operations after conducting an emergency rescue of the troubled lender for $3.25B in stock. Ermotti's first challenges will include laying off thousands of staff, rethinking its business divisions and shoring up the confidence of investors, clients and the overall banking sector. Fearful of the bank crisis? SA contributor Jim Sloan discusses the worst potential outcome and where you should put your money now. (137 comments)
Today's Markets
In Asia, Japan +1.3%. Hong Kong +2.11%. China -0.2%. India +0.6%. In Europe, at midday, London +0.8%. Paris +1.3%. Frankfurt +1%. Futures at 6:30, Dow +0.7%. S&P +0.8%. Nasdaq +0.8%. Crude +0.9% to $73.87. Gold -0.4% to $1966.50. Bitcoin +5.2% to $28,319. Ten-year Treasury Yield unchanged at 3.56%
Today's Economic Calendar
7:00 MBA Mortgage Applications 10:00 Fed's Barr Speech 10:00 Pending Home Sales 10:00 State Street Investor Confidence Index 10:30 EIA Petroleum Inventories 11:00 Survey of Business Uncertainty 11:30 Results of $22B, 2-Year FRN Auction 1:00 PM Results of $35B, 7-Year Note Auction
Companies reporting earnings today »
What else is happening...
Lululemon (LULU) legs higher on earnings beat, strong sales forecast.
On the gas: Carl Icahn spent over $220M in March buying this stock.
Pepsi (PEP) unveils new logo and talks digital investments.
FTX founder Bankman-Fried charged with paying $40M bribe.
More layoffs: Lucid (LCID) plans to slash nearly fifth of workforce.
Judge rules Google (GOOGL) should be sanctioned in Epic Games case.
Micron (MU) gets slight lift amid confidence in long-term outlook.
Spicing it up: McCormick (MKC) jumps 10% on latest earnings.
New strategy from the FDA aims to avoid another baby formula shortage.
Here are the top 10 dividend stocks, according to SA's Quant Ratings.

I’m planning on staying at my assignment for over a year. I’m already setting money aside to pay taxes on my stipends per my travel tax consult. I know this changes my tax home, I don’t care. I’m not going to continue traveling after I leave my current assignment.
Before my recruiter realized I would be officially going over a year at this assignment, she told me that I would be paid my normal $1582 stipend plus $36/hr (which was a $4/hr decrease BTW). Fine, I was planning on continuing to put money away on my own. Pay decrease sucks, but I have my reasons for staying where I am. Gross weekly pay would be $2878.
Once she realized I would be there for over a year, she said they would only pay me $70/hr. The gross would be $2520. That sounded stupid to me, so I called her out on it. I should be paid $80/hr so I would be making the same gross pay as before. She told me that she had already spoken to her manager, and they couldn’t even go up to $71/hr.
There are local per diem contracts at this hospital as well, and they are paid $80. So why the fuck is she telling me they can’t pay me $80/hr? I would be taking a $12/hr pay decrease if I accepted $70. It wouldn’t make any financial sense. I’m livid. She’s just trying to scam me out of more money, right?

Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory

Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.

All Buyouts are listed in cash value.

KNIVES

★ Butterfly Knife Freehand FN #1, B/O: $1867

★ Butterfly Knife Bright Water MW, B/O: $1098

★ Butterfly Knife Blue Steel BS, B/O: $907

★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $789

★ Butterfly Knife Stained FT, B/O: $695

⎯

★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW #1, B/O: $888

★ Bayonet Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $727

★ Bayonet Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $608

★ Bayonet Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $521

★ Bayonet Rust Coat BS, B/O: $253

★ Bayonet Night FT, B/O: $251

★ StatTrak™ Bayonet Lore MW, B/O: $751

⎯

★ Karambit Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $1343

★ Karambit Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $774

★ Karambit Rust Coat BS, B/O: $537

★ Karambit Boreal Forest FT, B/O: $488

⎯

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1523

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1523

★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $1008

★ M9 Bayonet Blue Steel FT, B/O: $534

★ M9 Bayonet Rust Coat BS, B/O: $449

⎯

★ Flip Knife Fade FN, B/O: $703

★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) MW, B/O: $509

★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $406

★ Flip Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $228

★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $332

⎯

★ Falchion Knife Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $292

★ Falchion Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $264

★ Falchion Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $258

★ Falchion Knife Bright Water MW, B/O: $133

⎯

★ Stiletto Knife Fade FN, B/O: $822

★ Stiletto Knife Slaughter FN, B/O: $569

★ Stiletto Knife Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $530

★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web FT, B/O: $396

★ StatTrak™ Stiletto Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $172

⎯

★ Gut Knife Doppler (Sapphire) MW #1, B/O: $830

★ Gut Knife Fade FN, B/O: $204

★ Gut Knife Tiger Tooth FN, B/O: $138

★ Gut Knife Bright Water MW, B/O: $104

★ Gut Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $92

★ Gut Knife Urban Masked FT, B/O: $82

★ StatTrak™ Gut Knife Rust Coat BS, B/O: $93

⎯

★ Shadow Daggers Fade FN, B/O: $258

★ Shadow Daggers Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $165

★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel FT, B/O: $82

★ Shadow Daggers Bright Water FT, B/O: $82

★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel WW, B/O: $80

★ Shadow Daggers Rust Coat BS, B/O: $74

★ StatTrak™ Shadow Daggers Marble Fade FN, B/O: $186

⎯

★ Classic Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $311

★ StatTrak™ Classic Knife Stained BS, B/O: $163

⎯

★ Talon Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $605

★ Talon Knife Scorched MW, B/O: $290

⎯

★ Ursus Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $405

★ Ursus Knife Night Stripe MW, B/O: $162

⎯

★ Paracord Knife Stained WW, B/O: $125

★ Paracord Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97

★ Paracord Knife Safari Mesh FT, B/O: $96

⎯

★ Navaja Knife Safari Mesh FT, B/O: $71

★ Navaja Knife Scorched WW, B/O: $71

⎯

★ Nomad Knife Fade FN, B/O: $1015

★ Skeleton Knife, B/O: $909

★ Bowie Knife Boreal Forest MW, B/O: $106

★ Survival Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97

GLOVES

★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave FT, B/O: $335

★ Driver Gloves King Snake BS, B/O: $270

★ Driver Gloves Lunar Weave WW, B/O: $113

★ Driver Gloves Overtake WW, B/O: $88

★ Driver Gloves Overtake BS, B/O: $67

⎯

★ Moto Gloves Transport MW, B/O: $171

★ Moto Gloves Polygon BS, B/O: $137

★ Moto Gloves Transport WW, B/O: $71

★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $62

⎯

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono WW, B/O: $1027

★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike FT, B/O: $654

★ Specialist Gloves Mogul FT, B/O: $295

★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander FT, B/O: $277

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web FT, B/O: $275

⎯

★ Sport Gloves Slingshot FT, B/O: $796

★ Sport Gloves Amphibious BS #2, B/O: $699

★ Sport Gloves Omega FT, B/O: $656

⎯

★ Broken Fang Gloves Unhinged BS, B/O: $60

WEAPONS

AK-47 Case Hardened BS, B/O: $130

AK-47 Bloodsport MW, B/O: $79

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Bloodsport FT, B/O: $70

AK-47 Neon Rider MW, B/O: $60

⎯

AWP Fade FN, B/O: $864

AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $84

AWP Containment Breach FT, B/O: $69

AWP Containment Breach FT, B/O: $69

AWP Wildfire FT, B/O: $59

AWP Chromatic Aberration FN, B/O: $59

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $65

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $65

⎯

Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $565

Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $565

Desert Eagle Printstream FN, B/O: $155

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $58

⎯

M4A1-S Icarus Fell FN, B/O: $414

M4A1-S Printstream MW, B/O: $204

M4A1-S Printstream MW, B/O: $204

⎯

M4A4 Poseidon FN, B/O: $1402

M4A4 The Emperor FN, B/O: $152

M4A4 Asiimov WW, B/O: $97

⎯

USP-S Kill Confirmed MW, B/O: $65

USP-S Printstream FT, B/O: $69

StatTrak™ USP-S Kill Confirmed FT, B/O: $123

StatTrak™ USP-S Neo-Noir FN, B/O: $106

⎯

AUG Flame Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $218

P2000 Ocean Foam FN, B/O: $139

Souvenir SSG 08 Death Strike MW, B/O: $81

CZ75-Auto Emerald Quartz MW, B/O: $61

Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory

Knives - Bowie Knife, Butterfly Knife, Falchion Knife, Flip Knife, Gut Knife, Huntsman Knife, M9 Bayonet, Bayonet, Karambit, Shadow Daggers, Stiletto Knife, Ursus Knife, Navaja Knife, Talon Knife, Classic Knife, Paracord Knife, Survival Knife, Nomad Knife, Skeleton Knife, Patterns - Gamma Doppler, Doppler (Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4, Black Pearl, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald), Crimson Web, Lore, Fade, Ultraviolet, Night, Marble Fade (Fire & Ice, Fake FI), Case Hardened (Blue Gem), Autotronic, Slaughter, Black Laminate, Tiger Tooth, Boreal Forest, Scorched, Blue Steel, Vanilla, Damascus Steel, Forest DDPAT, Urban Masked, Freehand, Stained, Bright Water, Safari Mesh, Rust Coat, Gloves - Bloodhound Gloves (Charred, Snakebite, Guerrilla, Bronzed), Driver Gloves (Snow Leopard, King Snake, Crimson Weave, Imperial Plaid, Black Tie, Lunar Weave, Diamondback, Rezan the Red, Overtake, Queen Jaguar, Convoy, Racing Green), Hand Wraps (Cobalt Skulls, CAUTION!, Overprint, Slaughter, Leather, Giraffe, Badlands, Spruce DDPAT, Arboreal, Constrictor, Desert Shamagh, Duct Tape), Moto Gloves (Spearmint, POW!, Cool Mint, Smoke Out, Finish Line, Polygon, Blood Pressure, Turtle, Boom!, Eclipse, 3rd Commando Company, Transport), Specialist Gloves (Crimson Kimono, Tiger Strike, Emerald Web, Field Agent, Marble Fade, Fade, Foundation, Lt. Commander, Crimson Web, Mogul, Forest DDPAT, Buckshot), Sport Gloves (Pandora's Box, Superconductor, Hedge Maze, Vice, Amphibious, Slingshot, Omega, Arid, Big Game, Nocts, Scarlet Shamagh, Bronze Morph), Hydra Gloves (Case Hardened, Emerald, Rattler, Mangrove), Broken Fang Gloves (Jade, Yellow-banded, Unhinged, Needle Point), Pistols - P2000 (Wicked Sick, Ocean Foam, Fire Element, Amber Fade, Corticera, Chainmail, Imperial Dragon, Obsidian, Scorpion, Handgun, Acid Etched), USP-S (Printstream, Kill Confirmed, Whiteout, Road Rash, Owergrowth, The Traitor, Neo-Noir, Dark Water, Orion, Blueprint, Stainless, Caiman, Serum, Monster Mashup, Royal Blue, Ancient Visions, Cortex, Orange Anolis, Ticket To Hell, Black Lotus, Cyrex, Check Engine, Guardian, Purple DDPAT, Torque, Blood Tiger, Flashback, Business Class, Pathfinder, Para Green), Lead Conduit, Glock-18 (Umbral Rabbit, Fade, Candy Apple, Bullet Queen, Synth Leaf, Neo-Noir, Nuclear Garden, Dragon Tatto, Reactor, Pink DDPAT, Twilight Galaxy, Sand Dune, Groundwater, Blue Fissure, Snack Attack, Water Elemental, Brass, Wasteland Rebel, Vogue, Franklin, Royal Legion, Gamma Doppler, Weasel, Steel Disruption, Ironwork, Grinder, High Beam, Moonrise, Oxide Blaze, Bunsen Burner, Clear Polymer, Bunsen Burner, Night), P250 (Re.built, Nuclear Threat, Modern Hunter, Splash, Whiteout, Vino Primo, Mehndi, Asiimov, Visions, Undertow, Cartel, See Ya Later, Gunsmoke, Splash, Digital Architect, Muertos, Red Rock, Bengal Tiger, Crimson Kimono, Wingshot, Metallic DDPAT, Hive, Dark Filigree, Mint Kimono), Five-Seven (Neon Kimono, Berries And Cherries, Fall Hazard, Crimson Blossom, Hyper Beast, Nitro, Fairy Tale, Case Hardened, Copper Galaxy, Angry Mob, Monkey Business, Fowl Play, Anodized Gunmetal, Hot Shot, Retrobution, Boost Protocol), CZ75-Auto (Chalice, Crimson Web, Emerald Quartz, The Fuschia is Now, Nitro, Xiangliu, Yellow Jacket, Victoria, Poison Dart, Syndicate, Eco, Hexane, Pole, Tigris), Tec-9 (Rebel, Terrace, Nuclear Threat, Hades, Rust Leaf, Decimator, Blast From, Orange Murano, Toxic, Fuel Injector, Remote Control, Bamboo Forest, Isaac, Avalanche, Brother, Re-Entry, Blue Titanium, Bamboozle), R8 Revolver (Banana Cannon, Fade, Blaze, Crimson Web, Liama Cannon, Crazy 8, Reboot, Canal Spray, Night, Amber Fade), Desert Eagle (Blaze, Hand Cannon, Fennec Fox, Sunset Storm, Emerald Jörmungandr, Pilot, Hypnotic, Golden Koi, Printstream, Cobalt Disruption, Code Red, Ocean Drive, Midnight Storm, Kumicho Dragon, Crimson Web, Heirloom, Night Heist, Mecha Industries, Night, Conspiracy, Trigger Discipline, Naga, Directive, Light Rail), Dual Berettas (Flora Carnivora, Duelist, Cobra Strike, Black Limba, Emerald, Hemoglobin, Twin Turbo, Marina, Melondrama, Pyre, Retribution, Briar, Dezastre, Royal Consorts, Urban Shock, Dualing Dragons, Panther, Balance), Rifles - Galil (Aqua Terrace, Winter Forest, Chatterbox, Sugar Rush, Pheonix Blacklight, CAUTION!, Orange DDPAT, Cerberus, Dusk Ruins, Eco, Chromatic Aberration, Stone Cold, Tuxedo, Sandstorm, Shattered, Urban Rubble, Rocket Pop, Kami, Crimson Tsunami, Connexion), SCAR-20 (Fragments, Brass, Cyrex, Palm, Splash Jam, Cardiac, Emerald, Crimson Web, Magna Carta, Stone Mosaico, Bloodsport, Enforcer), AWP (Duality, Gungnir, Dragon Lore, Prince, Medusa, Desert Hydra, Fade, Lightning Strike, Oni Taiji, Silk Tiger, Graphite, Chromatic Aberration, Asiimov, Snake Camo, Boom, Containment Breach, Wildfire, Redline, Electric Hive, Hyper Beast, Neo-Noir, Man-o'-war, Pink DDPAT, Corticera, Sun in Leo, Elite Build, Fever Dream, Atheris, Mortis, PAW, Exoskeleton, Worm God, POP AWP, Phobos, Acheron, Pit Viper, Capillary, Safari Mesh), AK-47 (Head Shot, Wild Lotus, Gold Arabesque, X-Ray, Fire Serpent, Hydroponic, Panthera Onca, Case Hardened, Vulcan, Jet Set, Fuel Injector, Bloodsport, Nightwish, First Class, Neon Rider, Asiimov, Red Laminate, Aquamarine Revenge, The Empress, Wasteland Rebel, Jaguar, Black Laminate, Leet Museo, Neon Revolution, Redline, Frontside Misty, Predator, Legion of Anubis, Point Disarray, Orbit Mk01, Blue Laminate, Green Laminate, Emerald Pinstripe, Cartel, Phantom Disruptor, Jungle Spray, Safety Net, Rat Rod, Baroque Purple, Slate, Elite Build, Uncharted, Safari Mesh), FAMAS (Sundown, Prime Conspiracy, Afterimage, Commemoration, Dark Water, Spitfire, Pulse, Eye of Athena, Meltdown, Rapid Eye Move, Roll Cage, Styx, Mecha Industrie, Djinn, ZX Spectron, Valence, Neural Net, Night Borre, Hexne), M4A4 (Temukau, Howl, Poseidon, Asiimov, Daybreak, Hellfire, Zirka, Red DDPAT, Radiation Hazard, Modern Hunter, The Emperor, The Coalition, Bullet Rain, Cyber Security, X-Ray, Dark Blossom, Buzz Kill, In Living Color, Neo-Noir, Desolate Space, 龍王 (Dragon King), Royal Paladin, The Battlestar, Global Offensive, Tooth Fairy, Desert-Strike, Griffin, Evil Daimyo, Spider Lily, Converter), M4A1-S (Emphorosaur-S, Welcome to the Jungle, Imminent Danger, Knight, Hot Rod, Icarus Fell, Blue Phosphor, Printstream, Master Piece, Dark Water, Golden Coil, Bright Water, Player Two, Atomic Alloy, Guardian, Chantico's Fire, Hyper Beast, Mecha Industries, Cyrex, Control Panel, Moss Quartz, Nightmare, Decimator, Leaded Glass, Basilisk, Blood Tiger, Briefing, Night Terror, Nitro, VariCamo, Flashback), SG 553 (Cyberforce, Hazard Pay, Bulldozer, Integrale, Dragon Tech, Ultraviolet, Colony IV, Hypnotic, Cyrex, Candy Apple, Barricade, Pulse), SSG 08 (Death Strike, Sea Calico, Blood in the Water, Orange Filigree, Dragonfire, Big Iron, Bloodshot, Detour, Turbo Peek, Red Stone), AUG (Akihabara Accept, Flame Jörmungandr, Hot Rod, Midnight Lily, Sand Storm, Carved Jade, Wings, Anodized Navy, Death by Puppy, Torque, Bengal Tiger, Chameleon, Fleet Flock, Random Access, Momentum, Syd Mead, Stymphalian, Arctic Wolf, Aristocrat, Navy Murano), G3SG1 (Chronos, Violet Murano, Flux, Demeter, Orange Kimono, The Executioner, Green Apple, Arctic Polar Camo, Contractor), SMGs - P90 (Neoqueen, Astral Jörmungandr, Run and Hide, Emerald Dragon, Cold Blooded, Death by Kitty, Baroque Red, Vent Rush, Blind Spot, Asiimov, Trigon, Sunset Lily, Death Grip, Leather, Nostalgia, Fallout Warning, Tiger Pit, Schermatic, Virus, Shapewood, Glacier Mesh, Shallow Grave, Chopper, Desert Warfare), MAC-10 (Sakkaku, Hot Snakes, Copper Borre, Red Filigree, Gold Brick, Graven, Case Hardened, Stalker, Amber Fade, Neon Rider, Tatter, Curse, Propaganda, Nuclear Garden, Disco Tech, Toybox, Heat, Indigo), UMP-45 (Wild Child, Fade, Blaze, Day Lily, Minotaur's Labyrinth, Crime Scene, Caramel, Bone Pile, Momentum, Primal Saber), MP7 (Teal Blossom, Fade, Nemesis, Whiteout, Asterion, Bloosport, Abyssal Apparition, Full Stop, Special Delivery, Neon Ply, Asterion, Ocean Foam, Powercore, Scorched, Impire), PP-Bizon (Modern Hunter, Rust Coat, Forest Leaves, Antique, High Roller, Blue Streak, Seabird, Judgement of Anubis, Bamboo Print, Embargo, Chemical Green, Coblat Halftone, Fuel Rod, Photic Zone, Irradiated Alert, Carbon Fiber), MP9 (Featherweight, Wild Lily, Pandora's Box, Stained Glass, Bulldozer, Dark Age, Hot Rod, Hypnotic, Hydra, Rose Iron, Music Box, Setting Sun, Food Chain, Airlock, Mount Fuji, Starlight Protector, Ruby Poison Dart, Deadly Poison), MP5-SD (Liquidation, Oxide Oasis, Phosphor, Nitro, Agent, Autumn Twilly), Shotguns, Machineguns - Sawed-Off (Kiss♥Love, First Class, Orange DDPAT, Rust Coat, The Kraken, Devourer, Mosaico, Wasteland Princess, Bamboo Shadow, Copper, Serenity, Limelight, Apocalypto), XM1014 (Frost Borre, Ancient Lore, Red Leather, Elegant Vines, Banana Leaf, Jungle, Urban Perforated, Grassland, Blaze Orange, Heaven Guard, VariCamo Blue, Entombed, XOXO, Seasons, Tranquility, Bone Machine, Incinegator, Teclu Burner, Black Tie, Zombie Offensive, Watchdog), Nova (Baroque Orange, Hyper Beast, Green Apple, Antique, Modern Hunter, Walnut, Forest Leaves, Graphite, Blaze Orange, Rising Skull, Tempest, Bloomstick, Interlock, Quick Sand, Moon in Libra, Clean Polymer, Red Quartz, Toy Soldier), MAG-7 (Insomnia, Cinqueda, Counter Terrace, Prism Terrace, Memento, Chainmail, Hazard, Justice, Bulldozer, Silver, Core Breach, Firestarter, Praetorian, Heat, Hard Water, Monster Call, BI83 Spectrum, SWAG-7), M249 (Humidor, Shipping Forecast, Blizzard Marbleized, Downtown, Jungle DDPAT, Nebula Crusader, Impact Drill, Emerald Poison Dart), Negev (Mjölnir, Anodized Navy, Palm, Power Loader, Bratatat, CaliCamo, Phoenix Stencil, Infrastructure, Boroque Sand), Wear - Factory New (FN), Minimal Wear (MW), Field-Tested (FT), Well-Worn (WW), Battle-Scarred (BS), Stickers Holo/Foil/Gold - Katowice 2014, Krakow 2017, Howling Dawn, Katowice 2015, Crown, London 2018, Cologne 2014, Boston 2018, Atlanta 2017, Cluj-Napoca 2015, DreamHack 2014, King on the Field, Harp of War, Winged Difuser, Cologne 2016, Cologne 2015, MLG Columbus 2016, Katowice 2019, Berlin 2019, RMR 2020, Stockholm 2021, Antwerp 2022, Swag Foil, Flammable foil, Others - Souvenirs, Agents, Pins, Passes, Gifts, Music Kits, Cases, Keys, Capsules, Packages, Patches

Some items on the list may no longer be available or are still locked, visit My Inventory for more details.

Send a Trade Offer for fastest response. I consider all offers.

Add me for discuss if there is a serious offer that needs to be discussed.

We have arrived here at the non-English language tournament, FG. This will be a long tournament, as we had nearly 300 movies nominated from all over the world (though as to be expected from the history of cinema the most nominated countries were France, Italy, and Japan), so this will take us over the next few months. As always, the polls will last for one day, so get your votes in and come back tomorrow for the results and the next battle.
Letterboxd list of all the participating movies: https://boxd.it/lOu1o
Results of Round 1
8 1/2 (1963) - Italy (48) beat Martyrs (2008) - France (26), Elevator to the Gallows (1958) - France (11), and The Aviator’s Wife (1981) - France (5)
The Battle of Algiers (1966) - Italy/Algeria (28) beat 3-Iron (2004) - South Korea (7), Embrace of the Serpent (2015) - Colombia (5), and Massacre Time (Tempo di massacro) (1966) - Italy (2)
The 400 Blows (1959) - France (34) beat Memories of Murder (2003) - South Korea (32), Battleship Potemkin (1925) - Russia (21), and Eyes Without a Face (1960) - France (12)
Metropolis (1927) - Germany (51), beat Fanny and Alexander (1982) - Sweden (32), 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007) - Japan (16), and The Bothersome Man (2006) - Norway
Fantastic Planet (1973) - France (23) beat Minari (2020) - USA (16), A Brighter Summer Day (1991) - Taiwan (14), and The Conformist (1970) - Italy (13)
Mirror (1975) - Russia (21) beat Farewell My Concubine (1993) - China (10), The Cranes Are Flying (1957) - Russia (10), and A City of Sadness (1989) - Taiwan (6)
Fists of Fury (1972) - Hong Kong (21) beat A Man Escaped (1956) - France (15), The Cremator (1969) - Czech Republic (9), and Moolaade (2004) - Senegal (5)
My Neighbour Totoro (1988) - Japan (44) beat A Separation (2011) - Iran (22), Fitzcarraldo (1982) - Germany (20), and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) - France (12)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) - Japan (25) beat The Double Life of Véronique (1991) - Poland (22), A Short Film About Love (1988) - Poland (11), and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) - India (6)
Night and Fog (1956) - France (14) beat A Very Long Engagement (2004) - France (8), The Emigrants (1971) - Sweden (6), and Girlhood (2014) - France (4)
Nosferatu (1922) - Germany (39) beat Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) - Germany (26), Godzilla (1954) - Japan (24), and The Exterminating Angel (1962) - Mexico (10)
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979) - Germany (36) beat Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) - Germany (21), Goodbye Lenin (2003) - Germany (12), and The Foreign Duck, The Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker (2007) - Japan (5)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009) - Sweden (17), beat All About My Mother (1999) - Spain (16), Grand Illusion (1937) - France (16), and O-bi, O-ba: The End of Civilization (1985) - Poland (3)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - Japan (33) beat Amarcord (1973) - Italy (14), One Cut of the Dead (2017) - Japan (10), and The Green Ray (1986) - France (9)
Amelie (2001) - France (79) beat The Handmaiden (2016) - South Korea (40), Only Yesterday (1991) - Japan (10), and Hamlet (1964) - Russia (6)
Harakiri (1962) - Japan (33) beat The Hidden Fortress (1958) - Japan (22), Amour (2012) - Austria (12), and Ordet (1955) - Denmark (10)
Andrei Rublev (1966) - Russia (29) beat The Holy Mountain (1973) - Mexico (26), Headhunters (2011) - Norway (10), and Obsession (1943) - Italy (4)
The Host (2006) - South Korea (30) beat Another Round (2020) - Denmark (29), Hedgehog in the Fog (1975) - Russia (7), and Out 1 (1971) - France (7)
High and Low (1963) - Japan (33) beat The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973) - Poland (10), Pale Flower (1964) - Japan (5), and Any Number Can Win (1963) - France (2)
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) - Mexico (85) beat Apocalypto (2006) - USA (42), Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) - France (19), and The House is Black (1963) - Iran (5)
Parasite (2019) - South Korea (106) beat Holy Motors (2012) - France (16), The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959) - Japan (16), and Army of Crime (2009) - France (1)
Hour of the Wolf (1968) - Sweden (16) beat Army of Shadows (1969) - France (13), The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer (1961) - Japan (9), and Pastoral: To Die in the Country (1974) - Japan (3)
The Hunt (2012) - Denmark (42) beat I Saw the Devil (2010) - South Korea (25), Ashes and Diamonds (1958) - Poland (9), and Pater Brown – Das schwarze Schaf (1960) - Germany
Ikiru (1952) - Japan (34) beat The Killer (1989) - Hong Kong (25), Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) - France (10), and Pater Brown – Er kann's nicht lassen (1962) - Germany (4)
The Lives of Others (2006) - Germany (42) beat Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) - France (27), Pauline at the Beach (1983) - France (11), and Il compagno Don Camillo (1965) - Italy (1)
Il Decameron (1971) - Italy (14) beat Pépé le Moko (1937) - France (13), The Man Without a Past (2002) - Finland (11), and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion 2017) - India (10)
Battle Royale (2000) - Japan (76) beat Persona (1966) - Sweden (36), The New Land (1972) - Sweden (7), and Il ritorno di Don Camillo (1953) - Italy (4)
Beauty and the Beast (1946) - France (19) beat Phoenix (2014) - Germany (14), The Platform (2019) - Spain (11), and In a Year with 13 Moons (1978) - Germany (5)
In the Mood for Love (2000) - Hong Kong (42) beat The Raid (2011) - Indonesia (30), Belle de Jour (1967) - France (16), and Pixote (1980) - Brazil (10)
The Red Balloon (1956) - France (23) beat Playtime (1967) - France (22), Inside (2007) - France (12), and Belle Époque (1992) - Spain (10)
Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Italy (39) beat The Rules of the Game (1939) - France (14), Intouchables (2011) - France (6), and Port of Shadows (1938) - France (2)
Ip Man (2008) - Hong Kong (37) beat The Saragossa Manuscript (1965) - Poland (11), Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (2008) - France (6), and Pratidwandi (a.k.a. The Adversary) (1970) (India) (2)
Princess Mononoke (1997) - Japan (73) beat Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) - India (47), The Sacrifice (1986) - Sweden (17), and Black Girl (1966) - Senegal (13)
The Seventh Seal (1957) - Sweden (53) beat Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) - France (18), Jauja (2014) - Argentina (6), and Pushpak (1987) - India (3)
Raise the Red Lantern (1991) - China (28) beat The Skin I Live In (2011) - Spain (23), Bob Le Flambeur (1956) - France (14), and Jean de Florette (1986) - France (6)
Ran (1985) - Japan (32) beat Breathless (1960) - France (14), Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) - Belgium (9), and The Tin Drum (1979) - Germany (2)
Johnny Gaddaar (2007) - India (45) beat Rare Exports - Finland (17), The Turin Horse (2011) - Hungary (15), and Cairo Station (1958) - Egypt (13)
Rashomon (1950) - Japan (37) beat Castle in the Sky (1986) - Japan (23), The Twilight Samurai (2002) - Japan (7), and Joyeux Noël (2005) - France (4)
Raw (2016) - France/Belgium (35) beat Jules and Jim (1962) - France (32), Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) - France (19), and The Ugly Swans (2006) - Russia (3)
The Virgin Spring (1960) - Sweden (25) beat Red Beard (1965) - Japan (20), Katyn (2007) - Poland (4), and Cemetery of Splendour (2015) - Thailand (3)
Rififi (1955) -France (27) beat Kin-dza-dza (1986) - Russia (8), Children of Heaven (1997) - Iran (6), and The Warped Ones (1960) - Japan (3)
Chungking Express (1994) - Hong Kong (25) beat Three Colors: Blue (1993) - Poland/France (24), Roma (2018) - Mexico (18), and L’avventura (1960) - Italy (17)
Cinema Paradiso (1988) - Italy (23) beat Three Colors: Red (1994) - Poland/France (15), Rome, Open City (1945) - Italy (10), and La Belle Noiseuse (1991) - France (6)
City of God (2002) - Brazil (63) beat La Dolce Vita (1960) - Italy (31), Run Lola Run (1998) - Germany(27), and Three Times (2005) - Taiwan (5)
Throne of Blood (1957) - Japan (42) beat La Femme Nikita (1990) - France (25), Cold War (2018) - Poland (14), and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) - India (5)
Come and See (1985) - Russia (50) beat La Haine (1995) - France (27), Through a Glass Darkly (1961) - Sweden (24), and Samurai Rebellion (1967) - Japan
La Jetee (1962) - France (26) beat Cries and Whispers (1972) - Sweden (19), Sansho the Bailiff (1954) - Japan (18), and Time Regained (1999) - France (3)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Taiwan (80) beat La Notte (1961) - Italy (21), Tokyo Godfathers (2003) - Japan (14), and Santa Sangre (1989) - Mexico (13)
Tokyo Story (1953) - Japan (31) beat Satantango (1994) - Hungary (11), La Vie de Bohème (1992) - Finland (5), and Daens (1992) - Belgium (1)
Das Boot (1981) - Germany (47) beat Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) - India (7), Tokyo Tribe (2014) - Japan (5), and Satya (1998) - India (1)
Scenes from a Marriage (1974) - Sweden (21) beat Day of Wrath (1943) - Denmark (11), Lakshya (2004) - India (6), and Touchez Pas Au Grisbi (1954) - France (4)
Seven Samurai (1954) - Japan (90) beat Train to Busan (2016) - South Korea (51), Death Rides a Horse (1967) - Italy (4), and Landscape in the Mist (1988) - Greece (3)
Sholay (1975) - India (74) disqualified, Troll Hunter (2010) - Norway (36) beat Dekalog (1989) - Poland (33), and L'atalante (1934) - France (17)
Solaris (1972) - Russia (40) beat Delicatessen (1991) - France (22), Late Spring (1949) - Japan (13), and Ugetsu (1953) - Japan (12)
Umberto D. (1952) - Italy (16) beat Le Cercle Rouge (1970) - France (14), Soy Cuba (1964) - Russia (11), and Departures (2008) - Japan (8)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (2003) - South Korea (19) beat Victoria (2015) - Germany (9), Le Doulos (1962) - France (5), and Der Mann, der Sherlock Holmes war (1937) - Germany (4)
Stalker (1979) - Russia (43) beat Le Samourai (1967) - France (16), Der Untergang (2004) - Germany (6), and Viridiana (1961) - Spain/Mexico (5)
Wages Of Fear (1953) - France (19) beat Dersu Uzala (1975) - Russia (14), Le Trou (1960) - France (7), and Sunset (2018) - Hungary (5)
Werckmeister Harmonies (2001) - Hungary (11) beat Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991) - France (7), Survive Style 5+ (2004) - Japan (4), and Die Feuerzangenbowle (1944) - Germany (2)
Suspiria (1977) - Italy (36) beat Wild Strawberries (1957) - Sweden (19), Les Diaboliques (1955) - France (18), and Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) - France (17)
Winter Light (1963) - Sweden (22) beat Les Miserables (1995) - France (17), Syndromes and a Century (2006) - Thailand (7), and Do Bigha Zamin (1953) - India (5)
Life is Beautiful (1997) - Italy (35) beat Woman in the Dunes (1964) - Japan (27), Don Camillo e l’onorevole Peppone (1955) - Italy (1), and Tais Toi! (2003) - France (0)
Like Water For Chocolate (1992) - Mexico (16) beat Woyzeck (1979) - Germany (15), Take Care of My Cat (2001) - South Korea (7), and Don Camillo Monsignore…ma non troppo (1961) - Italy (4)
Y tu Mama Tambien (2001) - Mexico (39) beat Dr Mabuse The Gambler (1922) - Germany (16), Talk to Her (2002) - Spain (13), and Little World of Don Camillo (1952) - Italy (4)
View Poll

Hey guys! I'm a parent in SE Wisconsin with two preschoolers, and I'm trying to figure out what the going rate for babysitting is in this area. I know what nannies typically charge, but I'm not sure what to expect for a babysitter.
One of my neighbors pays $10 an hour for her one child, but that seems a bit low to me. What do you all think? Any advice or insight would be much appreciated!

Let's remember Hector Lopez, an overshadowed but valuable roleplayer on the Yankees' 1960s dynasty that went to five straight World Series!
There have been six players born in Panama who played for the Yankees, about a third as many who were born in Mexico... yet from a Yankee point of view, Panama has been the far richer source of baseball talent!
Of course it helps when the list includes the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera. But three other Yankees from Panama have been notable contributors as well: Roberto Kelly, Ramiro Mendoza, and of course... Hector Lopez. (The other two Yankees born in Panama weren't as notable: Ruben Rivera and Omar Moreno.)
The six Panamanian-born Yankees accumulated 85.6 bWAR -- 56.3 of them from Mariano. Compare that to the 17 Mexican-born players in Yankee history, who combined for 3.6 bWAR -- most of it from Alfredo Aceves (2.7).
Hector Headley Lopez was born July 8, 1929, in Colon, Panama. Just as many kids did in the Dominican Republic and Cuba -- and the Bronx, for that matter -- Lopez grew up playing baseball with a broom handle for a bat and a rubber ball. He attended an English-speaking high school, where he played baseball and ran track, and by age 14 was playing against men in amateur leagues; at 19, he played in the 1948 Amateur World Series. Playing for a professional team in Panama during the 1950-1951 winter season, he was signed by a scout for the independent league St. Hyacinthe Saints and went to Canada.

“When I got to Canada it was about 40 F, and I had left Panama, where it’s usually 70, 80. The owner of the team had to buy me clothes. He wanted to make sure I had a lot of woolen stuff to wear.”

He hit .297/.370/.386 at the age of 21, making him one of the most exciting prospects in the league -- all the more exciting because the team thought he was just 18!
The following year, the Saints became an affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics, and Lopez continued to hit, putting up a .329/.441/.458 line while stealing 32 bases. They promoted him to the Eastern League, where he hit .270/.349/.344. In 1954 he was in Triple-A, hitting .316/.389/.425 in 520 PA. In 1955, the A's made the move from Philadelphia to Kansas City, and after hitting .321 with 5 home runs in his first 21 games in Triple-A, Lopez was called up to the bigs. He hit .290/.337/.422 that season, with 15 home runs in 527 PA.
Lopez could hit, but fielding was an issue. Initially a shortstop in the minors, Lopez made 61 errors in 127 games in 1952 and was soon moved to second base and third base, but the errors came there as well.
In 1959, Lopez opened the season as the A's starting second baseman, and over the first two months of the season hit .281/.324/.533, with six home runs and 24 RBIs in 35 games. The Yankees, meanwhile, were desperate for an infielder -- prior to the trade, shortstop Tony Kubek was hitting .252/.278/.396, second baseman Bobby Richardson .247/.276/.301, third baseman Andy Carey .218/.274/.269, and reserves Gil McDougald .214/.296/.262, Jerry Lumpe .214/.313/.214, and Clete Boyer .136/.174/.136.
And when the Yankees needed a player during this era, they often got him -- from the A's.
The Kansas City A's from 1955 to 1961 were essentially another farm team for the New York Yankees. There's a long list of players the Yankees got from the A's, including Enos Slaughter, Clete Boyer, Ryne Duren, Ralph Terry, Roger Maris, and Bob Cerv... while giving up little in return. In all, the Yankees and A's made 16 trades involving 62 players (some traded more than once) during this stretch. According to this analysis, the Yankees got 64.1 WAR from the A's in return for 36.2 WAR to the A's... and of the 36.2 WAR, nearly a third came from Slaughter and Cerv, who would later be traded back to the Yankees!
Lopez was yet another player on that list, traded May 26, 1959 (along with Ralph Terry) for Johnny Kucks, Jerry Lumpe, and Tom Sturdivant. It was a good trade for the Yankees, but nowhere near the heist that was Roger Maris (and two others) for Norm Siebern (and three others). Terry and Lopez would be worth 13.4 bWAR for the Yankees; Kucks, Lumpe, and Sturdivant would be worth 10.1 bWAR, nearly all of it (9.9) from Lumpe, a utility infielder with the Yankees who would become the starting second baseman for the A's for five seasons.
Lopez continued to hit in New York much as he had in Kansas City, putting up a .283/.336/.451 line with 16 HR and 69 RBI in 406 ABs with the Yankees. He'd play his first 76 games as a Yankee at third base, but after making 17 errors, the Yankees decided to make a change. On August 18, they put Lopez in left field for the rest of the season, with McDougald primarily taking over third base. Lopez would almost exclusively be an outfielder for the rest of his career, playing just 9.0 innings at first base, 19.1 innings at second, and 19.2 innings at third over the next seven seasons, compared to nearly 5,000 in the outfield.
During the Yankee glory days of the early 1960s, Lopez was the "third man" in the Yankee outfield with Maris and Mantle, and often getting extra at-bats when one of them was injured.
In eight seasons with the Yankees, Lopez hit .262/.324/.399 (101 OPS+) in 2,796 plate appearances. He played in five straight World Series, 1960 to 1964, and hit .286/.333/.536 (.869 OPS) in 31 plate appearances. His best World Series performance was in 1961, when he had an RBI triple and a three-run home run in the decisive Game 5.

"I played with a great bunch of guys. They talked about winning as a team. If you didn't perform up to your ability, Moose Skowron would walk up to you and say, 'You're messing with my October money.' "

After the 1966 season, in which he hit a disappointing .214 in 130 plate appearances, Lopez was released. He signed a minor league contract with the Washington Senators -- not the original team, which had moved to Minnesota to become the Twins, but the expansion team founded in 1961 that became the Texas Rangers in 1972 -- and played two seasons in Triple-A, hitting .295/.382/.422 in 1967 and .258/.319/.405 in 1968. He returned for a third year in 1969, but now nearly 40, he knew time was running out. He decided that off-season he'd retire at the end of the year.
During warm-ups before a Spring Training game, Lopez heard Ted Williams -- in his first season as manager of the Senators -- shouting his name. Lopez, who had spent the last two years dreaming the Senators would add him to the major league roster as a reserve outfielder, hustled over. But Williams had other plans for him.
Williams had just told Triple-A manager Wayne Terwilliger that he was going to be the Senators' third base coach. Now the Senators needed a Triple-A manager, and Williams asked Lopez to do it.
"Sure," Lopez coolly replied. "I gotta pay rent."
It all seemed pretty casual, but it was actually a historic moment. Lopez was the first black manager in Triple-A history, six years before Frank Robinson became the first black manager in major league history. (Only two black men had managed in the minors before Lopez: Sam Bankhead in 1951 and Gene Baker in 1961.) The Bisons had a bad year under Lopez -- 58-78, though not much worse than the 66-81 they'd done the year before -- and the Senators didn't bring him back after the season as a manager or coach.
He would be a scout for the Yankees for the next three years, then became a recreation director for the town of Hempstead on Long Island for the next 20 years. "I enjoyed that very much. I loved working with kids," Lopez said.
But he would return to Yankee Stadium for Old Timers' Day, and longed to return to baseball in some capacity.

"The game stays with you like your first romance." -- Hector Lopez

He did some scouting for the Yankees and Giants, and then, in 1991, George Steinbrenner hired him to be an outfield and hitting instructor with the Gulf Coast Yankees in Tampa.
In 1992, he worked with the Yankees' 1st round draft pick, an 18-year-old shortstop named Derek Jeter. "As soon as you watched the kid play you knew he was something special," Lopez said. "He had all the moves and he was very confident on the field. He was a little raw with the glove and made a few errors, but he was willing to work hard. He would come out early, and I would hit him a lot of balls. He was very determined to get better. I'm not surprised at how good he got -- one of the very best in the game."
He also managed the Gulf Coast Yankees in 1994 and 1995 -- where Darryl Strawberry had his first at-bats in the Yankee organization, going 5-for-20 with no home runs -- and managed Panama in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Lopez died six months ago today, on September 29, 2022, at the age of 93.
The Lopez Low Down:

• According to the book Where Have You Gone by Maury Allen (2004), Lopez's full name is Hector Headley Lopez Swainson, and Headley was his father's surname.
  
• Hector wore #11 with the Yankees, a number I'll always associate with Brett Gardner, who wore it from 2008 to 2021. Other notable 11's in Yankee history were Gary Sheffield (2004-2006), Chuck Knoblauch (1998-2001), Fred Stanley (1973-1980), Joe Page (1945-1950), and Lefty Gomez (1932-1942). Dwight Gooden wore #11 when he threw his no-hitter in 1996. The first Yankee to wear #11 was Hall of Fame pitcher Herb Pennock in 1929.
  
• Lopez's baseball-reference.com page has one of the more colorful baseball nicknames, "What A Pair of Hands". It was not a compliment. Supposedly the nickname came from sportswriter Leonard Shecter as a sarcastic commentary on Lopez's "many duels with ground balls." (“If I bench him I bench 93 runs,” Casey Stengel said after the 1959 season, “but I would like better fieldin’ outta my 93 runs.”) Outfield was a reasonable compromise.
  
• A more charitable nickname came from sportswriter George Vecsey, "Hector the Hit Collector." Lopez also was known as "The Panama Clipper."
  
• Hector said he was a ballplayer from birth -- actually before birth. He said his father was a pitcher for an amateur team and his pregnant mother would bring him to games in the hope that he would grow up to play baseball as well. “Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a ballplayer,” he said in 1963. “Things didn’t seem bright, though. Panama is crazy about baseball but most of those few who had a chance in the majors were pitchers. I was a skinny little infielder.” In fact, Lopez was the first Panamanian-born player in the American League, and the only other Panamanian to have played in the National League at the time was pitcher Humberto Robinson, who had made his debut with the Phillies a month earlier. (Twelve Panamanians had played in the Negro Leagues prior to integration.)
  
• Lopez said he was a Yankees fan in Panama: "We were all Yankees fans because that was the team we heard the most about and listened to on the radio." Years later, when he was on the Yankees, he said his family and neighbors would gather around the radio in Panama and listen to games -- even though the broadcast was in English. "My father was a salesman and spoke English as well as Spanish," Lopez said. "He told everybody what was going on and what I was doing."
  
• In the late 1940s, the Yankees would play spring training games throughout the Caribbean, including Panama. The teenaged Hector Lopez said he used to cut school to watch all the games he could. A shortstop in his early years, he said his favorite player was Phil Rizzuto.
  
• In a 1960 article in Newsday, "The Lonely World of Hector Lopez", writer Stan Isaacs noted Lopez commuted an hour each way to Yankee Stadium, riding the subway from the Brooklyn home he shared with his mother. Lopez, looking just like just another commuter on the subway, was almost never recognized as a Yankee. “One difference in playing in Kansas City and New York was that Kansas City wasn’t a big city, and everyone knows you. You walk around, and they all know you,” Lopez would recall years later. “In New York most people don’t know you.” He got married after the 1960 season and moved to Long Island, and started driving to the Stadium instead.
  
• Lopez had a reputation as a clutch hitter. "Hector was never a spectacular player, but he was one of those guys you could always depend on when you needed him," said Ralph Houk, Lopez's manager from 1961 to 1963. He had a career .269/.330/.415 slash line, but .298/.355/.422 with runners in scoring position, and .286/.333/.536 in 15 World Series games.
  
• Lopez was managing a game in 1969 when a dropped fly ball in the outfield allowed the winning run to score. Lopez, enraged, stood on the top step of the dugout, glaring at the outfielders as they sheepishly jogged off the field toward him. Boiling mad, when they were finally in front of him he screamed: "Jiminy Criminy!" The minor leaguers were mortified by the error but fought to hide their smiles at their manager's version of an angry outburst. It may have been the harshest thing the soft-spoken Lopez had ever yelled on a baseball field.
  
• The Yankees would have had even more bWAR from Panama if Rod Carew had been traded to the Yankees in 1979. Carew was in the last year of his contract with the Twins and had said he wouldn't re-sign with them after owner Calvin Griffith called him "a damn fool." The Yankees offered Chris Chambliss and Juan Beniquez, but the Twins also wanted two prospects -- either Paul Mirabella or Dave Righetti, plus either Damaso Garcia or Rex Hudler. The Yankees wouldn't include the prospects, and the Twins instead dealt Carew to the Angels for four prospects (none of whom panned out). The following season, the Yankees would make pretty much the same deal -- Chambliss, Garcia, and Mirabella -- but for Rick Cerone instead of Rod Carew. In seven years with the Angels, Carew was worth 17.4 bWAR. If he'd done that for the Yankees, he would have been the second-greatest pinstriped Panamanian behind only The Sandman.
  

"I was just excited to play ball with those Yankee teams," Lopez told sportswriter Maury Allen. "I think the 1960 and 1961 teams may have been the best in baseball, ever. We had everything -- power, pitching, great defense, depth and great leadership. It was fun to be on those teams."
It was fun having you on them, Hector!

Just here coming to vent out my concerns. I work in animal medicine. I've worked in it for 8 years and at the same at that. I was kind of getting over worked snd was dealing with burn out. The drive was an hour away, and I only got 1 raise in the years I had been working there. Fast forward. I'm starring a new job on Monday. I'm going to be making 4.50 more an hour, but their compressed work schedule is going to cause me to not have as many hours. Ie. ..instead of the 44+ a week, I'm only going to have maybe 34ish. All benefits paid for. And my drive to the new job is only 6 minutes from my house. I was happy that I took the job when I still had my old one. Mentally, comparing the two was no contest. But I've had time off in between and I have been freaking out the entire time. Crying, not eating, the whole thing. Literally driving those around me mad because in my head I feel like this was a huge mistake. I'm so scared that the lack of hours is going to keep me broke. I'm so used to having to get overtime every week, but atleast that meant over time pay, and even with my increase in pay, I'll still be breaking even to what I was doing before pay wise. My SO lost his job, so it's more stress on me because I'm paying for all the household. He's been looking, but I dunno. I'm trying to misdirect my anger about feeling like I made a really dumb decision. The hiring manager told me not to worry about the hours looking short, because usually we have to stay after and clean up and that adds time to the clock. I decided originally I was going to give myself a year, and if it didn't work out, look elsewhere. I'm just so scared. I'm scared I'm not ready. And then I'm like am I looking for excuses to convince myself not to do this? Has anyone else experienced this? I know it's mostly because I'm a workaholic. I just have debts I was wanting to pay off too and thought with my increase of pay, I would be able to. Please help. I'm making myself sick with worry.

Get the course here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/super-lumen-the-linkedin-ads-course/
https://www.genkicourses.com/product/super-lumen-the-linkedin-ads-course/
📷
The LinkedIn Ads Course
The ultimate course for business owners and marketing managers of larger organisations to learn how to generate a ton of demand for their businesses using LinkedIn Ads.
Why do this course
By the end of the course, you will know your way around the LinkedIn Ads platform and you will be highly confident to start generating leads consistently for your own business or for other people in a matter of days. We hold nothing back in this course, you will be an absolute pro.
80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn
LinkedIn is by far the most valuable source of leads when it comes to B2B – in fact 80% of B2B businesses say they are getting leads from the platform each month. LinkedIn ads are the best way to bring in a torrent of consistent new enquiries about your consulting, coaching or saas services.
Time
I have condensed all my knowledge after spending tens-of-thousands on the platform into a few hours of video, showing you the exact systems we use as an agency, so you will save a lot of time. Everything I have learned is neatly organised for you to learn from, step by step, organised in a way which is designed to make you learn fast. You will go from zero to hero quickly.
Money
You will save a lot of money. We have tested and experimented with pretty much every strategy out there, we have learned a lot on what works and what doesn’t, so skip the learning curve and jump right in at the deep end. You will get access to all our learnings. There are so many different ways you use the platform to drive down the cost per lead significantly, and if you are looking to gain many leads a month, this will add up to a saving of 1000’s of pounds each onth – much more than the course costs.
…and now we have taken tens-of-thousands of pounds worth of testing and condensed this knowledge into a course which anyone can start generating new leads for their business within days. We hold nothing back.
What will you learn in the course
Tried and tested B2B demand generation strategies which you can implement right away and start generating a ton of new leads for your business.
Confidence in the ads platform so you know how to target the right people, how to test your ads and drive down your cost per click.
How to organise your account like a pro.
How to use LinkedIn tracking, the Insight pixel, how to implement it on your website, and how to use it to analyse your audience.
Remarketing for ninjas – remarketing is essential to stay top-of-mind, and to keep every prospect that interacts with your business interested in you and your products or services.
How to get the lowest cost per click (CPC), cost per lead (CPL) and cost per scheduled phone call.
Mastering the follow-up. Learn what the big sales teams do with the leads they generate and how to turn the MQL to a SQL (Marketing Qualified Lead to Sales Qualified Lead) to a paying customer or client.

(Stuff in blood is the important stuff) Furnace started spewing gas fumes exactly 2 months ago last week, only a few days after moving in. Called the landlords immediately and they sent 2 techs to fix it but neither one of them could. They both said it was a very old unit and needed to be replaced. They left a tag on it for the landlords and furnace company to see. A month and a half passed and before I heard anything about them replacing it. They are supposed to do it tomorrow but I haven’t heard anything from anyone about it. They said they’d call and let me know the day before, but nothing.
There’s also a disgusting sewer smell that has been coming from all the drains in my bathroom It’s so bad I have to keep my bathroom door shut or my whole apartment smells like sewer. Been like that since I moved in. The gas guy who came to fix it said there was probably a clogged drain in the basement that was rerouting the smell back up to me. Once again, I was told by the landlord that there would be plumbers to fix it 3 separate times, but on the last time they never showed up.
There are a list of other problems but I don’t think they would qualify as unlivable conditions. I heard that I don’t have to pay rent for the time I’ve been without a furnace, especially since it’s winter. Is that true? Rent is coming up and I could use the extra money to help fix some car problems.

I have been living in Okinawa and working at an eikaiwa for a couple of years now. I like living here but I hate teaching English. I had a job in america as a junior florist for a while before moving here and despite the long working hours and shit pay I really liked it. From what I've seen online, there seem to be a decent number of local, entry level floral designer jobs posted around where I live. It's something that I am really interested in and could possibly see myself doing long term on a more independent basis if I could get more experience. Honestly, I'm kind of at a point where I'm gonna have a mental breakdown if I can't see a light at the end of the eikaiwa tunnel and moving away from Japan is not an option rn. My questions are: 1. What level of japanese proficiency would you guess a trade job / non-customer facing position like a floral designer would be expected to have by potential employers? I want to take an intensive course at a language school this summer and am wondering how realistic applying for jobs afterwards would be. 2. Are jobs like this willing/able to sponsor foreigners? 3. I have 3 years left on my current work visa as an English teacher and I know that if I just applied to a different eikaiwa/ALT position I'd be fine, but can I switch to a different category of work? Thanks in advance!

$30 - Ubank
Code - 1VV4A6X
Ubank are offering $30 to anyone who signs up and makes 3 card transactions. Once you sign up you can add the card to your apple pay, then just transfer in some money and the next time you go to Coles or Woolies split your payment into 3 at the checkout.
$120-$1200 USD ($177.6-$1776 AUD) - Webull
Link - https://www.webull.com.au/s/fpFZ1vvIixCxI9T7oG
Here you have to sign up and deposit $1 AUD to get 12 fractional shares worth between $120-$1200 USD. The sign up is a bit complex, you'll need your license or passport to verify your identity but it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to do. Once you've signed up it takes a couple hours for your account to be approved. Once it is you can deposit and get your free fractional shares which can be resold. After selling them you'll have to wait 2 days to convert it to AUD and withdraw.
$50 - MyPayNow
Link - https://mypn.app/z/?z=r&r=ZDKF-3LAD-YWKS
Mypaynow are running a promo where you get a $50 bonus when you sign up and cash out. You just have to sign up and cash out $50, you'll get the bonus $50 on top of that so $100 into your bank account. On your next payday you'll repay the $50 plus the 5% fee so $52.50 which will leave you $47.50 profit. You can also earn $50 every time you refer someone so get your whole family onto it like I did haha. Feel free to share your links in the comments after you sign up to pass it on.
$70 - Tiger Trade
Link - https://www.tigersecurities.com/signup?invite=SGXPN9
All you have to do here is sign up to Tiger Trade and deposit over 2 cents and you'll get $50 USD worth of shares which is $70 AUD. I did it by depositing $1 and got transferred the shares in a couple hours. You can then just queue them to sell once the US market opens and cash out the $70, it takes a couple days to reach your bank account.

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)

Spending hours looking and speaking with estate agents in Plovdiv daily at the moment.
I was interested in a luxury apartment for 1800 leva a month (which we pay in a significantly less luxurious apartment in England already), but because we have a small dog, we'd have to put down double the deposit, one month's rent, and 60% commission.
So, we'd be looking at 6480 leva just for moving in, but of course, with 3600 of them being the deposit that we'd likely get back when moving out.
I know you can, without a doubt, get cheaper apartments than that, but my partner and I do want something genuinely nice, but I have never come across the concept of the renters (us) having to pay the agent the commission fee; usually, that is the owner of the property's responsibility. Is it normal that it is 60% or higher? Or is it a total ripoff because we're foreign?
I have looked for apartments from private owners in Facebook groups as well, but nothing really catches my eye.
What do you think a fair price is for a luxury apartment within the decent districts in Plovdiv?
This is the link to see the standard of the property: https://7hills.bg/bg/property/3677?&_token=Qmhx5W2HufCKMkyEJNPHDwUsPop5oQCC1y927fSa&main_regs=4866&sub_regs%5B%5D=&max_price=&min_area=&q=2&main_regs=4866&listing_type=2&orderby=&page=3

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.

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

Hi I’m Lindsey, a Clairaudient and Claircognizant Medium.
I offer a variety of services, if you’re unsure of where to start or what type of reading would be the best fit for your situation feel free to send a chat!
Below is a list of the extensive services offered. 🤍
Unlimited Question Readings
🌸These are question based readings. You can ask as many questions as you’d like within your chosen time frame. For the timed readings, they do NOT have to be yes or no based.🌸
•One yes/no question-Free (Free one question is valid up to 10 hours after post, please send a chat with your name and question)
•15 minute unlimited question reading-$12
•30 minute unlimited question reading-$25
•One hour unlimited question reading -$40
Tarot or Oracle Readings
🌸Tarot/Oracle readings are done within 48 hours of payment. I’ll include a photo, full explanation, and advice in your reading.🌸
•3 Card Tarot or Oracle spread-$7
•6 Card Tarot or Oracle spread-$10
•9 Card Tarot or Oracle spread-$15
Medium Readings
🌸These readings are mainly used to connect to passed on loved ones/spirit guides. I do need a name, photo and for you to be present during your reading! These are more advanced than the unlimited question readings.🌸
•30 minute- $45
•One hour- $75
Spell Work available, please send a chat for pricing. ALL spell work includes consultation and one free check up reading for your spell
Reviews can be found here
Reviews Part 2
Reviews Part 3
Accepted forms of payment are Venmo, PayPal or Etsy