Hi I'm op friend the same friend who was in the meeting with Angel, op post the story on his main reddit account and that's why i am aware of his post. I hope that my side of the story will give you some clarifications. I will try to arrange the events to make things easier for you to understand what happened. I will call op Arun this is not his real name.
Before I begin, please do not blame religion. Religion has nothing to do with the actions of his parents. I am a Muslim,Angel and her dad are Christians, and we did not abandon him. They represent themselves, not their religion. Please be open minded.
Some background:
Arun and Angel's were raised together, Even after their parents stop being friends, Arun and Angel's friendship remained the same. Me and his ex became their friends later in life.
When Arun was nine years old, his parents left the house and left him and his sister in the care of a family member. That family member assaulted Aruns sister when Arun was a sleep. When Aruns parents saw the bruises on her body, the relative accused Arun and said that he was the one who did that to her, most of them did not believed her at that time. Unfortunately, his sister suffered alot she was a infant when the assault happened and she almost died, Arun blamed himself a lot for not being there for her. Angel told me although his parents did not say they blamed him but the implication was there, his parents became cold and distances to him.
Arun will tell you that this story has nothing to do with what happened later, because his parents did not tell him bluntly that they do doubt his innocence, even when the implication was there, Arun would continue to defend and give them excuses because he himself did not want to believe that his parents hated him for something he did not do.
for years Arun tried to be recognized by his parents, he managed to repair his relationship with them a little bit in the last 1-2 years before he was disowned.
Arun's ex knew all of this,and no one could convince me that he made the same accusation by mistake. he knew what he was doing, the 3 of us saw first hand how his parents act I would not surprised if he did this to take revenge on Arun for leaving him when his dad saw them.
When he was kick out in 2018 he was anything but stable, as you all read in his story he needed to be rushed to the hospital, I wasn't there when this happened but Angel told me when her dad told him about the rape allegations he started crying and tried to hurt himself, luckily they managed to stop him until the paramedics arrived. When he was discharged from the hospital,uncle introduced him to his friend, the lawyer who took Aruns case (don't get me wrong Arun still needed to pay him)
Unfortunately, Arun's mental health continued to decline and he made devastating decisions. He kept cutting himself. He cut off his friends/family who tried to help him. He tried to leave everything and run. But the decision that completely destroyed him was dropping the family name after his parents sent a letter telling him they disavowed him and dsinheritance...etc They ordered him to drop the family name, otherwise they will file a lawsuit against him to drop it. Now let me tell you, there is no law in India that gives the parents the right to disown their kid's that way we told Arun this, but he wasn't listening to us, he was convinced that they could do this. He told me that he would prefer to drop his name quietly rather than popularly and risk being outed more as a bisexual man. after he dropped his name he was a shadow of himself, he was in and out the hospital for 3 years, luckly he managed to pull himself together in the 4 year but he was still taking alot of medicines.
At the beginning of 2023, Arun began to see someone, we where co-workers and they met through me, they weren't official or anything, but he was a single father, in my opinion this is important information for what will come later.
Although Arun changed his phone number, his parents managed to reach him. Unfortunately, Arun did not inform us when they contacted him. I learned from reddit, when I saw his post in his main account, I tried to contact him, but he did not respond to me,fortunately he called me shortly, He was surprised that i know about this he told me he thought he was using his throwaway account. I was horrorfield when I learned that he was planning to go alone to his parents house but said that alot of people on reddit thought it was a bad idea.
Everyone was against this meeting. Us the lawyer, his psychiatrist, but he insisted on going. I know that many of you will blame us for not stopping the meeting, but you must understand that Arun was going to meet his parents, whether we went with him or not, we cannot stop him.
When we arrived at the lawyer's office, Arun was panicking. The lawyer told him, If he did not calm down he would never accepted supervising the meeting. After some medication Arun calmed down a bit, and we started the meeting.
The meeting was downright chaotic when his parents admit his sister is alive. The meeting turns into a screaming match between them. Arun's dad said that Arun should understand that it is hard for them to accept their son has been accused twice, and that they need to distance themselves from Arun in order to accept that the allegations were not true. We tried to calm Arun down and keep his parents away from him as much as possible, but his dad continued to say things that I cannot repeat here. The meeting ended with Arun collapsing on the ground. I do not know if it happened because of the medicine he took before the meeting or because he was shocked that his parents suspect that Arun had a hand in what happened to his sister.
Considering his self harm history he was hospital for a while, when he wake up he didn't remember much which wasn't uncommon for him. The person that Arun was seeing called me and told me that he tried to reach out to Arun, but he did not answer. When I told him that Arun was in the hospital, he panicked and told me that he had received harassing messages and ask me if Arun received them to me to. I know this is not in my place, and I know that I am a bad friend, but I told everything. He is father for a 3 year old he needs to know if his live is in danger. After I told him, he told me not to tell Arun about the messages he had received, and that he would continue to support Arun from afar, to give him credit he did stick with his word.
After Arun was discharged from the hospital, he finally understood the danger of his situation with his father, and he called the cops and told them the lie his parents told him, and that he felt his sister was in danger. Unfortunately, he was right. We don't know why the took her but, we do not live in America. The police will not take your child from you because you scream at them. You must be a very special person for the Indian cops to take your kid away from you. After they took his sister, Arun told the lawyer that he wanted to request a protection from his family. Some family members told him his grandma is sick but we found out it was a another lie.
After a month or so Arun lawyer received a letter from Arun sister, but due to the psychiatrist's strict instructions he didn't read to Arun, unfortunately the silence didn't last long because one of the family member got in a altercation with Arun, Arun isn't a violent person but for the first time he responds violently to anyone, it was out of character for him. We did not get a clear answer to why Arun parents contact him, but I bet all my money that this was supposed to be an honor killing. They abandoned him for five years and did not help him or ask about him, knowing that their son was suffering from mental health problems, they did not show up until after Arun showing signs of moving forward with his life, and he began to see another guy who had a child. If they wanted him to be part of his potential family, they would not lie about his sister's death, and they would not insisted that Arun meet at their home. I think that the only reason that made them agree to the lawyer meeting was to give Arun a false sense of security, and when they saw that Arun could not walk all over him like in the past they lost it on him.
It doesn't matter what their intentions anymore, they won they got what they wanted Arun took his life on the end of May.

Cover Art <<Previous Start Next >>
A few days after Kazue and Mordecai finished the fifth floor they had a set of visitors from Riverbridge which included a couple of surprises. One of those surprises was the inclusion of Brongrim and Nainvil with the set of guards coming in for training. The dwarf and half-orc had managed to negotiate a supervised parole where they worked for the city guards, and part of that duty was going to include training at the dungeon.
The other surprise was a visit from their sister-in-law, Hainako. Moriko’s little sister had been sent with a few sets of medicines for Kazue to try and report back on efficacy. Once satchel and note were delivered she hung out with them in the war room so she could watch the training group move through the dungeon.
The group had two recruits with only a basic level of training, which bogged down the team a bit. Mordecai sent out instructions to keep the challenge down to a minimum, but even so they only barely managed to scrape through the fourth floor and it was clear that they weren’t getting through the fifth floor. Mordecai was glad that they’d shown the good sense to call it off there, he’d have considered intervening if they’d tried to drag the newbies through the fifth floor, the chances of an accidental death were too high.
One side benefit of this particular group coming through was that Mordecai finally got to see what an expert gunner looked like. Brongrim’s fighting style was a skirmishing type that mixed pistol and short sword, and it allowed him to cover his reloading with attacks from his blade. It only worked because he also had his waxed-paper bullets readied in specialized bandoleers. You had to have everything set up for it, it wasn’t the sort of thing you could do on the fly and Mordecai could see where you had to dedicatedly practice certain movement combinations to bring gun and bandoleer into the right alignment without interfering with the rest of your movements. Still, the biggest flaw he could see in guns was the need to reload each shot that way, not that crossbows were any better really. Bows and slings both had much more fluid actions to ready the next piece of ammunition, but they also took more time to master, and neither could be used with only one hand.
Nainvil’s technique was a more straightforward style that focused on a two-handed grip for power, but with a light enough sword that he could free a hand for other uses and still be able to swing. That wasn’t a new variant for Mordecai, but all the styles and techniques of their visitors were being studied by the laganthros. Even if Mordecai knew most of them, there was no good way for him to try and teach every possible style, so he kept to the basics and let them practice and train to find their preferences. Though some of the works Moriko was bringing back included older copies of technique scrolls, maybe he should encourage Betty to study those and start her own school for laganthros.
They were the mundane type, with no learning enchantments or anything, but for the most part he preferred those anyway. Learning what you are actually doing was usually better than just having a combo or technique implanted in your head.
But that was for much later as the wagons were going much slower than Moriko on her own. For now, he made arrangements for everyone to have someplace to sleep for the night, including a private room for Brongrim and Nainvil. No special prizes however, since the group didn’t clear the dungeon. Getting bonuses for clearing everything was going to get harder as they grew, and Mordecai was fine with that. Technically it wasn’t required, he just liked doing it, but it also wasn’t something he wanted to be dealing with constantly.
Now he could turn his attention to something else that Hainako had brought with her. It was a commission and payment for a set of equipment, with some interesting measurements for the armor and cloak. Traxalim was who had sent the commission with her, but according to the note he was relaying the commission from someone else. The work wasn’t particularly hard, but some of the materials were unusual, and the payment included samples of them: Wyvern hide for the armor, Worg fur for the cloak.
The request also wanted a pair of daggers long enough he’d almost call them short swords, except that the specifications for the armor were for someone rather tall and lanky. The instant return enchantments for the daggers were a fairly common design so it was no trouble adding those to each dagger as well.
On top of that was a full gear set complete with an Expanded backpack. It had just about everything one could want for exploring the world and surviving in a range of environments. It was like baby’s-first-adventuring-kit, except most folk couldn’t afford this level of gear when they first stepped into the world of explorers and mercenaries.
It wasn’t enough to keep someone incompetent alive, but it would make the job easier for someone new at it. And all the major components had a rather interesting insignia attached or inscribed in some way: A wolf with three horns. He had no idea what that meant.
But it didn’t matter, the dungeon had gotten some new materials to add to their repertoire, some more raw materials for the laganthros to work with, and a few new small animals that had been easy to carry in a cage this far. It was a fair trade. By the time the group was awake the next morning the dungeon’s part of that trade was complete. And when they had left, it was time to begin on the sixth floor. “Are you ready love?” He asked Kazue.
.
This was a bigger section to do all at once than she’d done before, but after talking it over with her husband Kazue rather liked the idea. They’d gone straight down so far, each floor looping back under the floor above it, but now that they were down this deep there was no reason to not also expand horizontally. The end of the fifth floor was approximately under the end of the first floor, this left them ‘pointing’ back under the mountain. So this time when she gathered energy to push their home complex down, she also pushed ‘out’.
There were a couple of design changes as well. Looping back and forth had made it simplest to bring the two paths back to each other at the end of each floor, and they’d used the stairwells down to keep them isolated. But there was no simple stairway between the fifth and the sixth this time. While the last door for each side could still either lead forward or reroute back up to the start of the sewer path, the forward paths merged into a meandering and slowly widening tunnel.
The tunnel opened up onto a wide, well-lit cavern that was almost meadow-like, excepting only that the ground cover was of a similar makeup to fungal floor five. At the far end of the meadow was a basin that would become a vast lake once filled, and at the shores of this lake-to-be was a large village once more occupied by laganthros. Only this time it was set to be a more well-rounded village, with a clear mix of potential combatants and noncombatants. A well-trod path lead toward this village, complete with a sign saying “Lapin Lake Village”.
At the other end of the basin that was slowly filling with water the lake was split by a large peninsula that ended at the far wall. This signaled the divergence of the paths again, with two underground rivers splitting off from either side of the peninsula. This entire setup meant that at this stage people could decide to switch paths, though they would be obligated by the rules of the new path that they chose.
This did run some risk that someone might try and trick their way this far by taking the non-combat route to conserve their resources before switching, but they would still need to be well-armed to tackle further combat so it seemed unlikely that she or Mordecai would be unable to spot them and call them out on it. And they did intend to offer it up as an option for those who had cleared the fifth floor of the combat route previously and that were in good favor with the dungeon.
The village itself was the first challenge in progressing, as the laganthros were going to be building docks and boats, and the boats could be either sold or rented with a guide who would help pilot them. For the absolute cheapskates, they could even do a short rental to get them to the peninsula, where there were plenty of both normal and mushroom trees to potentially harvest and make their own rafts or boats from.
This was also an optional challenge and reward as some of the vegetation and fungi here were rare or valuable, if you knew how to identify and harvest it.
As for the rest, well, for the moment they had a pair of fairly simple rivers that led to another lake, though this one just had a sandy shore to pull up onto. Filling the floor out was a future endeavor, but the layout was ready. And now their home was even further under the mountain itself.
Kazue had been careful with this by using a trick Mordecai showed her, probing ahead with their mana as she sought to claim more territory. Running into worked stone or large caverns would have felt different and let her pull back before she fully claimed that area. Even if they had a perfect map of the dwarven kingdom, and right now they had no map at all, there was always a chance that something else lived down here.
Well, actually, there had been plenty of that. But those were all simpler underground creatures, and she’d been able to invite them into her dungeon’s ecosystem or as inhabitants. Kazue surveyed her work and was quite pleased with herself. Mordecai approved as well, but she realized then that he’d been partially distracted while she worked on their next level. Before she could ask about what had taken up his attention, his mental voice became excited.
“Kazue! Take a look at this. Focus on the aura of any of your dire rabbits on the first floor. Look at the whole thing.” He seemed to be eagerly anticipating something, so she followed his instructions with curious confusion.
What he wanted her to see quickly became obvious. Some of their mana was flowing into all of their inhabitants, enough to leave her a little hollow feeling given how much they’d just spent, but it was having an interesting effect, one that was most dramatic in the simplest creatures. She could see energy sparkling along the pathways of their brains, the individual components compacting into more efficient forms, then multiplying and creating more complex pathways.
Their auras fluctuated in response to these changes, their very spirits being altered by this physical change until suddenly collapsing into a denser, stronger form of spiritual energy. Every single one of her wonderful creatures now had a spark of true sentience in them, complete with the rise of a soul! A quick check verified it even applied to the clockwork creatures in the library and the spiders on the fifth floor, though not the simpler, reactive vegetative fungi.
This was great! They’d always been able to communicate ideas and concepts to all their inhabitants, but this would allow deeper, language-based communication! Though closer examination revealed that the mental capacity upgrade only barely breached that level, it would in many ways be like talking to a not particularly bright child. On the other hand, the upgrade seemed to affect all but the smartest of her inhabitants to some extent. Which meant Horace and a small percentage of the laganthros.
Hmm. And Mordecai seemed pleased but not particularly surprised. Kazue’s thoughts focused on him with suspicion only to be met with amusement, so her avatar stirred from where they were cuddled on their bed and bit into his shoulder.
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Also to be found on Royal Road.
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I have an old i7 which I am looking to give to a non tech user for which I need a very stable distro that I can set and forget about it. It will mainly be used to browse the web.
From my research the best contenders are either OpenSuse Leap or Debian. I tried Ubuntu LTS but it had some bugs that didn't inspire me much confidence and Fedora runs very slowly for some reason. I also noticed that REHL has a free licence now that allows you to install it and receive the same updates as their corporate version. Has anyone used it for a home pc? Are there any advantages over OpenSuse or Debian?
PS: it supports the x86-64-v2 instruction set

The Rock House
I am a 28 year old female. The story I’m about to tell you happened back in 2016 with my best friend Chris
Now every since the day Chris and I met we have always got ourselves in the dumbest things ever. I mean Chris ran away once and had my nerves all messed up. But He came back because he had no money. We were not the smartest teens but we still enjoyed life.
So one summer night Chris and I were hanging and we were trying to think of a place to explore (like we always did). At the time I told him I’ve never been to the old Rock House In Greenwood South Carolina. ( Now before I get started let me give you a little History on the Rock house. A man named Thomas “Tom” Payne Tolbert built a “Fire Proof House” in 1926. The fireproof house was constructed entirely from stone, concrete, glass, and steel.After years of family homes burning down. Tolbert lived in the detached kitchen and used the large house to store family heirlooms. Tolbert lived his later years in isolation.) The now-crumbling fortress is accessible only by foot, and no one has ever lived inside its walls. You can look up way more about the History online if you like.
No back to my story. I’ve always been told the Rock House has many spirits in and around it but like I said at the time I’ve never been to it. So with that said. Chris and I took my cousins car and headed out to the Old Rock House. I’ve heard of people going in the day time but never heard people say they went at night. We being dumb went at night because why not. Ghost and spirits never bothered me to much being that I’ve seen them my whole life.
Once we pull up to the woods and park on the side of the road I get the bad feeling run all over my body. I sit there for a moment. I believe Chris sees this look on my face and ask if I still want to do this. Something is telling me not to get out but at the same time I want to see this place even at night.
“Yeah let’s go see how scary this place is” I told him. “Hell yeah let’s do it!” he replied. We get out and start walking threw the woods. As we are walking we have our phones out for light and we are making jokes acting silly like we always do. We can never take anything seriously no matter what. As we are walking we don’t realize how quite it is to be in the woods… at night… in the middle of summer…
We find our way to the front of the house. Chris is in front of me and we are looking at the house. No front door and no windows. All you can see is pure darkness. For some reason I just can’t move even though Chris is walking to what used to be the door. At this moment I realize we are in complete darkness and there are no sounds. No animals, no bugs no wind or anything. Just pure silence. Then out of the corner of my eye I see something in the top left window. But before I completely look I hear something to the left of me and I look over. But I see nothing. Only the darkness. A feeling of dread falls over me but nothing is there. Chris is now at the door of the house and looks inside. I look at the windows and there it is. Something is there in the window looking down at me. My body turns cold. Those eyes. I’ll never forget those eyes burning a hole in my soul. Bright yellow redish eyes like fire. All of a sudden I hear Chris say “Oh Hell No” He turns to run to me but my body is still frozen. He grabs my wrist and pulls me to run. He never lets me go. As we are running we are jumping over falling trees and everything on the ground that people have left over time. As we run I realize something is running beside us and I don’t dare to look back.
My body is now in pilot mood as Chris has the grip still on my wrist pulling me. My mind is blank and my heart is racing. At one point I feel like I can feel the breath of what ever is chasing us.
The moment we make it to the car everything comes back to me and I’m back in control of my mind and body. We jump In the car and Chris goes to start the car he has is face covered in the string wheel as he tries to start the car... but… it’s dead! THE CAR IS DEAD! We start freaking out with my head buried between my legs and Chris still hiding his face I yell out “THIS IS IT CHRIS THIS IS HOW WE DIE! THIS IS WHY US WHITE PEOPLE DIE IN MOVIES BECAUSE WE DO DUMB SHIT LIKE THIS!” Chris yells back at me “Shut up we are not going to die the car will start!” I can still feel this thing outside of the car. Its just there. Is this why there are so many spirits here? Does it take the souls of people who it has caught come here? I feel it looking at us. Something wants me to look at it but at the same times a voice in my head is telling me not to. I want to cry.
The car starts and Chris tries to speed off. We start going dowm the road but then… one of the ties blew. We are now on the side of the road again and we just sit there not wanting to get out. It’s quite again. The feeling of being watched is still there. Luckily for us a guy in a truck pulls up behind us. I feel safe right now. The guy pulls over and helps Chris change the tire. I hold my phone as a light with my back to the woods. I still have that feeling. I want to turn and see what is there but I dare not to. Something is telling me not to look.
After the tire gets fixed we head to the Huddle House close by to calm down. The poor lady working that night sees something is wrong and with what little money we have the lady helps us pay for a meal.
The next few days Strange things start happening around my house. For example I’m in the kitchen fixing something for lunch. My roommate and I are talking like normal and the cutting board goes flying across the kitchen. See gives me this looks and says. “See what you caused! Shit keeps happening for no reason all because you want to visit haunted places.” I pick up the cutting board. At this point I feel like I need to make things right. I've always been told that if you disturb the dead that you have to make things right. So with that being said. That weekend I go see some friends who doesn’t live for from the Rock House and tell them I need to go there so we do. This time it’s full daylight. Once we get there I still have this feeling but I don’t say a word. Once we get to the house my friends go in to look around. They explore the place. Inside and out. I look to the left of me and see nothing but the feeling is there. My body is weak. As I walk in I look in the direction that Chris saw something at. Then I look into the room to the left of me and see the room is full of designs in paint all over the room. The whole house is covered the same way. But there is something about this one room. I walk into the room. There is a Pentagram with all the markings around it. I walk over to it and examine it closely.
I walk around it seeing if it’s done right and to my eyes I see that it is. I yell out to my friends “Hey I think someone tried to summon a demon or something!” As soon as the words leave my mouth something comes crashing down. I nope the hell out of there and just start running out of the house sadly leaving my friends inside not meaning to. All I do is run through the woods yelling “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!” I don’t stop until I’m out of the woods.
My friends come after me wondering what is going on so I tell them about the other night and what just happened as well. At this point I just want to leave. We all get into the car. The friend driving goes to start the car… it’s dead… just like the other night but in a different car. My mind goes back to the other night this big dark creature comes to mind for some reason. I never seen it before. Was it the thing chasing us that night? Was it putting itself in my mind to scare me more? So many questions. I try my best not to freak out. I called my roommate to come pick us up. As we are waiting a car pulls up. He must live on this road and knows what happened. He says every time someone goes to the house their car is dead when they get back. He helps jump start the car and we go down the road. I see my roommate and I jump out of the car and jump into mine. I speed off as fast as I can wanting to get as far away from this place at possible. My friends meet me at my house and I made a promise to my self to never go back to the Rock House.
For some reason Chris and I stopped hanging out. We didn’t get in a fight or anything we just stopped being friends and we never spoke about what happened that night until a few weeks again. We both seemed to have forgotten that night. I called him and asked him what it was that he saw that night inside the house to make him do what he did. He doesn’t remember what he saw but he remembers that night. I thought I wouldnt forget but I did until a few weeks ago... Someone told me that a brain will block out something so traumatizing that you won’t remember what happened and live your life like normal. Maybe that’s what our brains did for us so we won’t live in fear forever.
Now its 2023 and now that I remember this I told this story recently to a few of my friends at work and one person told me they want to visit The Rock House. I told them no they don’t but they really want to not believing in Ghost and has never experienced anything Ghostly. So I said “Go if you want but I promise you I won’t be going back to that place ever again and once you do you won’t go back there either. The witch that used to live behind me didn’t scare my as much as what ever was in the woods that night.” Yes a witch used to live in the property behind my hosue.

Part 19 Like Angels Falling from the Heavens (Part 1) (Part 18)
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"Dropping in 3… 2… 1. Mission initiated." A synthetic voice read the words off of Tensebwse's HUD and his vision was suddenly filled with the familiar sight of metal and polymer panels rushing past him. “Target ETA, 8 minutes.”
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“Alright, ladies!” Tens shouted into his comms-link to the Qui’ztar warriors who were about to experience why the Hell Divers had that name. “Hold on tight! When those retro-thrusters kick, they kick hard!”
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"Hold on to what?" The deep yet feminine that called back was equal parts excited and nervous, and even held hints of sarcasm.
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"Consciousness." Tens chuckled as he felt himself slowly being pushed towards the planets below.
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Despite not feeling too much pressure himself, the Nishnabe warrior was keeping a close eye on both his own acceleration gauge as well as the reads out from his trainees. With his suit and control-AI acting as the central node of the networked machines, he had immediate access to the external and internal sensors of every mech he was in formation with. And, like a good pack leader, Ten wasn't at the front of the group, charging ahead, and possibly going beyond the physical limits of the Qui’ztar warrior women. Rather, he was at the back of the formation, letting the first-time jumpers set a pace they could endure, and watching for signs of overexertion. Even though each woman was nearing the absolute peak of their athletic abilities, the strain they were about to feel would be unlike anything they had ever experienced.
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"This isn't that bad." It was Hutloxa who made the remark while sounding a bit too confident.
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"We're still on the insertion-burn!" Tens fully laughed into the comms. "Verify trajectory and shield integrity, ladies. It's now or never!"
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"Drop zone marked, call out when verified!" Captain Marzima's commanding tone was that of an ardent professional as she knew her commanding officer was watching them carefully.
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"Drop Mech 1, confirmed!" A cacophony of voices began calling out in sequence until completing at number 19.
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"All units confirmed, Lieutenant!" Marz was doing her job with the precision of a trained expert.
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"Excellent, Captain!" Though the praise wasn’t necessary, Tens was starting to get excited as he saw the timer for the retro-thrusters slowly counting down. It had been months since his last time falling into hell and he missed the adrenaline rush. “Remember ladies, you need to keep breathing. If you stop breathing you will pass out. The mechs can and will land on their own if they need to but I need you to stay with me for the whole drop. Do you understand me?!?”
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“Sir, yes, sir!” All 20 voices shouted back through the comms in perfect synchronization.
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Tens could feel as his heart rate picked up in anticipation as his mind became perfectly clear. Only a few hundred meters below him he could clearly see the highlighted outlines of each of the mechanized walkers he was following towards the ground below. Judging by the angle of their approach, the direction of the planet's rotation, and current placement of the day-night terminator line, they would be hitting their drop zone just as the sun would begin to rise. Though that wasn’t necessarily the intention when planning out this training drop onto the Kyim'ayik’s new colony world, the Nishnabe warrior was looking forward to seeing the sunrise on a new planet. As he watched his countdown time slowly inch closer and closer to the fun part, he hoped that even if some of the women got sick, they would enjoy falling into hell and then being greeted by the morning sun.
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“Remember what I said, just keep breath-” Tens almost had his own breath knocked out of lungs as his retro-thrusters began to fire. With a glee none of the women were expecting to hear as they were all rocked by the same forces, the young Nishnabe warrior let out a call of unbridled excitement. “Eeee!”
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"What! The! Fuck!" One if the women shouted into the comms though, through the strain, it wasn't clear who.
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"You got this!" Tens was able to get out in a surprisingly clear tone. "We're only just over 30 m/s2. This isn't even an emergency drop!"
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"Come ladies!" Marz's voice, despite the pressure on her body, was just as strong and confident as it was at the very beginning. "You're deathworlders! You're Qui'ztar! You will endure!"
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"You'll build up a tolerance with more drops." Tens added, his ear to ear grin audible as he tried to keep the women going. "Sound off! I need to hear you're still with me!"
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"Drop… ugh! Drop mech 1! Still breathing!" The first women called out through labored breaths.
​
"Drop Mech 2! This is great!" The next voice, in stark contrast to the first, sounded like she was having the time of her life.
​
In sequence, each of the women called out their number and condition, some showing intense strain and others were clearing having a grand time. It didn't matter to Tens if some of them would need more training, or may not even be cut out for these kinds of missions in the future. The only thing the man cared about at this moment was making sure that they all landed safely. Though it only took a few seconds for each woman to signal they were still conscious and aware, and one a second or two between each one speaking, they were burning through the counter down timer just as quickly as they were beginning to burn through the upper atmosphere of the planet below them. Just before Tens's view of the deep blue oceans beneath him were obscured by the building ball of fire and the blue shimmering from his active shielding, a quaint chain of islands caught his eye. When Captain Marzima finally confirmed that she too was still conscious and able to maintain her professional demeanor, the countdown showed less than six minutes until they touched down.
​
Like angels of fury falling from the heavens, the 21 mechanized combat walker suits tore their way through the building layers of atmosphere, reentry plasma building with each passing moment. The preprogrammed descent path, having been calculated long in advance, coupled with the lack of incoming fire from the ground to ensured the group of first time jumpers and their experienced instructor had no need for evasive actions. In front of them was a clean and clear route, save for a few sparse clouds, which would see them land directly at the chosen site for the new Kyim'ayik colony. Even though something in the back of the man's mind was telling him not to trust the Arnehilians on the planet below, the idea that even the gray demons who had stolen his ancestors from their home weren't all evil warmed his soul. As the formation of mechs came closer and closer to their target, continuing their dramatic descent as if they were an unstoppable force sent by the Gods, the coastal clearing they were heading towards was highlighted by their HUDs.
​
"By the Matria- oof!" One of the women called out with a mixture of giggling and exhaustion. "It doesn't let up!"
​
"Just a couple more minutes!" Tens couldn't help the fact his volume was raised. None of them could. All he could do was shout words of encouragement to spur on the few who were still having trouble acclimating to the strain. "I know you're strong! I know you’re capable! Just keep breathing and you'll be the first Qui’ztar to see a sunrise over the shores of new colony world!"
​
"Yac'tloma! Chuiom! Are you still with me?!?" Marz's slightly more intense yell caused Tens to trigger the cockpit-view of both of the pilots who got called out.
​
"Yes, Captain!" Yac responded almost instantly and with a surprising amount of strength. "I think… mmm… I'm finally getting used to it."
​
"Chuiom!" Marzima shouted again just as a hologram of the Qui’ztar in question popped up on Tens's HUD.
​
"I'll wake her up." Tens chuckled as he sent a signal to Chu's mech to give her some mild stimulation.
​
"Fucker!" The woman was instantly awake and Tens could see through the holographic display that she wasn't happy. "Did someone just shock me?"
​
"No napping till after the debrief!" Tens retorted. "Your vitals are fine and we only got a minute or so left. Keep breathing and stay with me!"
​
Various readouts across Tens’s HUD were running through numbers faster than the holographic display could refresh. From altitude to effective airspeed, the Nishnabe warrior could see that everything was going perfectly and, despite some of his trainees showing signs of serious exhaustion, he was about as happy as he could be at that moment. Though one of the women did stop breathing for just a moment too long, and needed a bit of prodding to wake back up, the health data the man was cycling through indicated everyone seemed fine, no bones had been broken, and the strain hadn’t caused any unforeseen injuries. Regardless of how strong and capable he knew all of these women to be, and the fact that inertial dampers were reducing the felt forces to about a third of what they should be, each of these Qui’ztar deserved to relax after this. With only a few thousand meters per second of relative velocity left to burn off, and the retro-thrusters maintaining a cool 80 meters per second squared of deceleration, they would all get their moment of peace very soon.
​
“Is that the Arnehilian settlement?” Hutloxa’s voice cut in through the comms. “It looks really small.”
​
“Yeup, looks like.” Tens answered while bringing the relevant data up on his HUD. “Just a couple bigger buildings that look like greenhouses, some smaller ones that look like civilian structures, and really simple solar heating and wind energy systems.”
​
“My systems are telling me there aren’t any defensive systems.” Another of the warrior women added with hints of both confusion and doubt in her voice. “I’ve never seen Grays without some kind of weapons.”
​
“Remember the brief!” Marz shouted into the brief. “These aren’t Grays, they’re Greens. They’re entirely peaceful and they only have a few personal defense weapons that would barely break our skin.”
​
“I don’t -ugh-” It sounded like Chu was still struggling with the pressure she was under but was beginning to cope. “I don’t like this. Feels like a trap.”
​
“Their Mayor said he’s tried to keep his people clear of us.” Despite having more reservation about this situation than he cared to admit, Tens almost hoped he would have the opportunity to meet one of these supposedly peaceful Arnehilians. “But we’ll find out if he actually did it. According to the Admiral, the guy is a total softy and doesn’t like telling people what to do.”
​
“The ground is coming up fast!” One of the women nervously shouted as Tens noticed his relative velocity gauge showed the mach cones surrounding the mechs were about to dissipate and they would be on the ground in the next few seconds.
​
“Congratulations, ladies!” Tens shouted in reply as he saw the first mech halt its descent less than a meter off the ground before its massive metal feet could impact the soil. One by one each of the mech stopped just before impact and gently set themselves on to the surface of the planet. “That was your first trip into hell and I hope you enjoyed it!”
​
There was a chorus of cheers, sighs of relief, and what even sounded like a few tears as 19 of the 20 warrior women began to celebrate their accomplishment. As each of the mechanized walkers shed their re-entry assistance systems, the durable and combat tested thrusters impacted the ground in a series of dull thuds, and complete physical control over the suits was given over the pilots. While a many of the over five meter tall goliaths of metal and poly ceramics jumped up and down, throwing their fist in to air in excitement, some of the others had taken up more leaned forward positions to represent the posture their pilots would be in if they were out of their suits and catching their breath. As the orange and purple sunrise crested the horizon, the Nishnabe warrior couldn’t help but take a moment to simply enjoy the scene around him. Though Tens knew the celebration could and would likely keep going until the recovery shuttle landed to pick them up, he couldn’t help but notice that one of the mech seemed to be staring at the treeline of the clearing.
​
Quickly interfacing with the sensor system networked into his own, it soon became quite obvious what Captain Marzima was staring at. Just a few dozen meters away, just at the edge of the treeline surrounding the clearing, were four beings which were quickly highlighted on Tens’s HUD and registered as Arnehilian biosignatures. With a quick zoom and directed scan, it became immediately obvious that a small group of children had stuck away from settlement to watch the mechs land. Though they looked quite clean, well fed, and properly cared for, Tens couldn’t shake the feeling that these small, dull-gray beings were somehow different from the silver-skinned bastards whom he hated. It may have been the more healthy, full-figured appearance of their more human-like frames, the simple olive-drab clothing they wore, or possibly even just the more natural appearance of their skin, but they didn’t seem evil at all. Despite the somewhat suspicious nature of beings trying to keep themselves hidden, a smile formed on the Nishnabe warrior’s face as he walked his mech over towards them.
​
“Hey kids! I can see you!” Tens shouted through his suit’s external speaker system which prompted the children to try to duck behind cover. “The sensors already have you tagged as innocent. You don’t have to hide.”
​
“Report.” Admiral Atxika’s commanding voice cut into the comms link even though she already knew exactly what was going on.
​
“Ah, just some kids.” Tens quickly replied with an unbothered tone. “Probably got told to stay away and then did what kids do.”
​
"I'll contact Mayor Harideth and have him come collect these wayward youth." Atxika replied a bit softer. "Make sure they're safe and uninjured. This planet does have its share of predators."
​
"You got it." There was real excitement from the warrior as he closed the distance to where the children were still cowering behind cover. "Hey kids, are you alright over there?"
​
The only reply Tens received as he stopped just a few of his mechs long paces away from the treeline was silence. Despite their attire blending surprisingly well with the lush green forest that surrounded them, the children's attempt to hide behind a large bush was weak at worst and endearing at best. Seeing as they were obviously still afraid of the giant metal machine that was standing just a few meters away, Tens took the initiative, lowered his mech down to a kneeling position, and triggered the cockpit opening procedure.
​
"Don't be scared." Tens shouted with a caring voice from his now open cockpit. "I've got some snacks for you if you come out."
​
"But… you're an angel…" One of the children was slowly lifting their head above the bush as they spoke.
​
"And angels only fall on tyrants and oppressors!" Another child added with an absolutely adorable, squeaky voice while joining the first with their head poking above the bush.
​
Tens shifted his eyes between the two, unsure of how to respond, but very glad that both children seemed perfectly fine beyond their fear and apprehension. As the other two slowly rose, the Nishnabe warrior opened a small compartment in his cockpit and moved to pull out the promised snacks.
​
"We… we aren't oppressors…" The child who spoke first was clearly still very concerned about why these angels had fallen so close to her settlement. "Are we?…"
​
"No, no, no!" Tens quickly answered in the sweetest voice he could muster. "You are innocent children, little ones! You have done nothing wrong. Now, you can eat candied fruit, right?"
​
"Yes!" The two youngest children shouted in perfect, ecstatic unison.
​
"But…" The first child, though she was now eying the small packets of treats that Tens had in his hand, obviously still had her reservations. "If we aren't oppressors… Why did you fall so close to our village? Are there oppressors nearby?"
​
"Ooohhh!" The realization of what was scaring the young girl hit the man like a falling brick. "No, no, no, don't worry, sweetheart. We're just training. Angels have to practice falling so we can do our jobs perfectly when we are called to."
​
"Huh…" The gray, scaly skinned little girl only looked concerned for a second longer before a huge smile formed across her face and her large blue eyes began to sparkle. "I guess that makes sense. And you all were so beautiful as you fell! Like a wing of fire falling to the ground with the fury of the loving Old Gods!"
​
"The Old Gods?" Tens half asked while motioning for the children to approach and collect their snacks. "But, more importantly, what are your names, little ones?"
​
"I'm Valerovum." The first child, who was obviously the leader of this group, announced as she guided the rest from behind the bush and towards Tens and his mech. "And this is Teliuva, Carmoni, and Jokiat."
​
"It is a pleasure to meet you all." The man bowed slightly before handing the snack packets to Val who then distributed them to her posse. "Do your parents know you're out here? I'm sure they're worried about you."
​
"Umm…." Val and her gang's eyes grew wide as they realized they might get in trouble for wandering so far away from the safety of their village. However, as if on cue, a new voice called out from the forest behind them.
​
"Valerovum! Teliuva! Carm-" It sounded like a man was desperately crying out for the young children.
​
"Over here!" Tens shouted back as loud as he could. "They're safe!"
​
In the few moments it took for rustling of branches and leaves to close the distance to where Tens and the children were waiting, the kids had already opened their snacks and begun savoring the sweet treats as if it were the very first time they had ever eaten something so sweet. When the olive-drap clad Arnehilian Mayor burst through the bramble, he quickly came to a frozen stop as he saw the four children eating their snacks in front of the Nishnabe warrior and his mechanized walker.
​
"Mayor Harideth!" Jokiat, the smallest of the four children, ran over the older being, wrapped one of his legs in a tight hug, and then offered the packet of candied fruit up towards him. "This angel has the best snacks I've ever had!"
​
"They aren't-" The Mayor began before quickly cutting himself off. "Oh, is that right, Jokiat?"
​
"Yes, yes! You have to try one!" The small child raised the packet of snacks even further towards the Mayor’s dull-gray face.
​
"They're just candied fruits." Tens clarified after seeing the hints of apprehension on Harideth's face. "They're high in vitamins and sugar content."
​
“Tha- Thank you!” Harideth took one of the slices of dried, semi-hardened fruit from the package then gave Tens a polite bow before patting Jok on the head lovingly. As he took a delicate bit of the sweet treat, his eyes suddenly grew just as wide as the children’s and he looked like he was eating the most delicious thing he had ever tried.
​
“Good, right?” The Nishnabe warrior was doing his best to be friendly towards these members of a species that, in any other circumstance, he would have already killed. “I always keep a few packets in my mech just in case I get hungry on a mission.”
​
“This is wonderful!” The mayor confirmed before bowing again and then redirecting his attention towards the group of children. “Now children, we were worried sick about you! There are predators in this forest. Think about how your mothers would cry if something bad were to happen to you. Let’s get you back to the village before one of those predators finds us.”
​
“I can escort y’all, if yah want.” Tens chimed in with a genuinely pleasant tone and smile on his face. “I wouldn’t want anything happening to these adorable little ones. If there are predators in this forest, they wouldn’t dare try to attack y’all if me and Loud Bark are with you.”
​
“Oh, that-” Harideth was about to respectfully decline when Jok interrupted him.
​
“The angels protect the innocent!” The small child’s shout was quickly followed up by the rest of the children repeating the phrase in near perfect unison. “The angels protect the innocent!”
​
“That…” The Mayor looked down into Jok’s eyes and saw a sense of hope and serenity that touched his soul before he turned back towards Tens. “That would be quite kind and generous of you. I would truly appreciate it.”
​
“Tsss! Don’t worry about it!” Tens was all smiles at the prospect of being able to witness a truly peaceful Arnehilian settlement. “It’s gonna be another 30 to 40 minutes before the recovery shuttle gets here, another 20 to 30 minutes to load up all my trainees, and then they can just come pick me up from your village. Besides, angels protect the innocent, right?”

I can't believe it.
So a No Somniel run pretty much means that during the run, all activities that are done in the Somniel are banned. There are several combat-related implications of this - no refining weapons (no early strong weapons like a Levin Sword until Ch. 11 for example and can only use base weapons), no engravings, no Bond Rings, no cooking, no activities, no Well, and no Arena. The early Steel weapons that you get upon going to the Somniel from an update are banned as well as the Heroes rewards (the Bond Rings and the weapons, Folkvangr, Fensalir, and Noatun). No Arena means that leveling up the bond rank of Emblems on each character will have to be done in the maps themselves and skill inherits are impossible. Reclassing is still possible, but more difficult now that you have to level up bond ranks in maps and because weapon proficiencies past bond rank 5 will need at least two maps with the Emblem Ring. No DLC either, but that doesn't impact me since I don't have it anyway. And while it's not a Somniel activity, I didn't have Network Connection enabled for the weapon drops, EXP, and other small benefits scattered on a map. I had finished a normal Ironman run with no big issues (one death, RIP Louis), but I went into this run fully expecting to lose it. An Ironman means no using the Draconic Time Crystal, so no rewinding my mistakes and every input I make is final. If a character dies because of my poor decisions or they get crit by the enemy, they remain dead.
Run casualties:

• Chloe: Died in Ch. 6. Fog of war claimed another life. Chloe got hit by an axe fighter and a thief that I didn't have vision of. It was entirely my mistake to overextend with her when I could've just played it safe. I was going to use Chloe this run as an early carry before likely transitioning her to a more support based role if her combat couldn't keep up.
  
• Yunaka: Died in Ch. 8. Overall, I think Chloe's death kinda snowballed the deaths in Ch. 8. Going into this chapter, I lost a character that was going to be one of my early carries. Lapis was Chloe's replacement, but I needed to get staff proficiency on her just in case I was going to pivot her to a support later (especially since I can't get staff proficiency for a long time after Ch. 10). Lapis therefore had to have Micaiah for several maps and I tried to continue using Marth on Alear on Ch. 8 instead as a carry. However, because of my poor timing of Engage attacks and just being badly positioned because I was unprepared for when Kagetsu and Zelkov started moving, I got myself in a situation that required me to hit a 65% to defeat Kagetsu. Missed the 65% and Yunaka died to him.
  
• Framme: Died in Ch. 8. I didn't have Lodestar Rush or enough power in general to take down Ivy in one turn. But I had to start taking down her health bars eventually otherwise I would have game over'ed since enemies would've reached the target point. As such, almost all of my units were in range of Ivy at that point and she had free reign to choose whoever she wanted to kill. In the end, she chose to Killer Axe crit Framme to death (Framme would've died even without the crit).
  
• Celine: Died in Ch. 10. I'm really mad at myself for this death because Celine died on turn one. I calculated how much damage she would take from the armor and pegasus knight on the left if they both hit her and concluded if Celine was next to Alear, she would live at 1 HP. Well, she didn't live at 1 HP because I didn't account for the Resonance damage from having Celica on her. And of course both the armor and pegasus knight hit their 50% attacks. Celine was my only early game carry because Chloe had died. And now she was dead on turn one of a difficult 2-part map.
  
• Diamant: Died in Ch. 10. Got frozen by Hortensia and I couldn't get in range to Restore him without risking Alear's death to Hortensia's Dragon effective Luin. However, I did forget to have him equip a lighter weapon and because he had the armorslayer equipped, he got doubled by Hortensia and died. I don't fully remember if he could've lived if he wasn't doubled by Hortensia (because there were other enemies around him), but I'm still frustrated at myself for letting that happen. I don't know if it's just me, but I always have trouble with taking down Hortensia in this chapter; on my normal Ironman run, I had to resort to freezing her due to a lucky early Freeze staff from the Well, but alas, no such resources like that exist in a No Somniel run.
  

RIP Chloe, Yunaka, Framme, Celine, and Diamant.
The Final Team:
Some quick notes - the screenshot on the top has HP tonics already applied to everyone so subtract 5 if you want to see their true HP. That was the first thing I did when I went into the final map and then thought maybe I should screenshot everyone. The screenshot on the bottom has everyone with their Emblem Rings and full tonics applied to them.

• Martial Master Alear (Lucina): I really like support Alear and having them as the Bonded Shielder has worked wonders in my previous playthroughs. I figured that I would need Alear's +3 flat damage for my carries and since they support everyone in the cast, they provide +10 hit for free as well. I chose to go with Martial Master Alear because my combat carries were going to be in several different class types and I wanted the flexibility to have 100% activation rate on Bonded Shield for all of them if the need arises. I also really like Chain Guard. As such, in early game, I fed Alear experience through Mercurius farming and then gave them Micaiah to get staff proficiency and to farm via Great Sacrifice. By Ch. 11, Alear was a Griffin Knight because I believe having Alear in a flying class in Ch. 11 is invaluable so you can quickly reach the point on the map to trigger Ivy, Zelkov, and Kagetsu to join you before you get overwhelmed by Corrupted with Emblems. After staying a few more chapters in Griffin (until I could give Alear Lucina after getting sword proficiency off of her on another character), Alear became a Martial Master and mainly Bonded Shielded or Chain Guarded. Not being able to Micaiah Engrave a Shielding Art to drive enemy hit rates close to 0% meant that I had to be more cognizant of where I used Bonded Shield. The enemy AI mostly decides which character to attack based on expected damage (combination of actual damage they'll do in a round of combat, how likely it is they'll hit, and their crit chance on you is also factored in). So when Bonded Shielding, I had to make sure that Alear was not going to get targeted and if they were, that they were not going to get killed from it. As such, it wasn't as simple as plop two units down and go to town deleting enemies, but it was still really strong nonetheless.

Stat Boosters: One Boots, one Seraph Robe, one Speedwing, three Dracoshields, three Talismans, two Goddess Icons

• Wyvern Knight Amber (Lyn): For Amber, I was particularly cognizant of the fact that in my previous normal Ironman run, he sometimes had 90% hit rates in the endgame despite having a +hit rate engraving on his lances. That's why I decided to go with sword/lance Wyvern instead of axe/lance Wyvern even though it would've been easier to get axe proficiency on him (axe proficiency is at bond rank 2 on Leif while any sword proficiency requires at least bond rank 6, which means at least two maps worth of using a specific Emblem vs. just one). That decision really paid off. Amber was mostly using swords throughout the midgame of this playthrough because he wasn't getting 90%+ hit on lances even while I was activating his personal for +20 hit. I can only imagine his hit rates while using axes... it just spells disaster if a crucial attack misses in an Ironman (Yunaka's death...). If I saw Amber's hit rate really going into the gutter by the endgame, I was prepared to have him switch to Sniper and just kill fliers, but that never ended up happening especially after I used all my Secret Books on him (none of my other combat characters could use them since many of them capped dex and for those that didn't, they were accurate anyway). Amber remained good throughout even though by endgame, he rarely one-rounded enemies.

Stat Boosters: One Energy Drop, three Secret Books, one Speedwing

• Warrior Kagetsu (Roy): I had my sights set on getting Kagetsu into Warrior despite Wyvern being easier to reclass into and still a strong class for him because I felt I needed the absolute best out of my units to get through this run (and I believe Warrior is Kagetsu's best class). Getting him into Warrior was a bit of an endeavor, but having to delegate an Emblem to Kagetsu wasn't going to make the game harder; on the contrary, it likely made things easier because Kagetsu is such a strong unit to start with. Kagetsu immediately got Lyn for Ch. 12 and 13 to get bow proficiency. This worked out for me in a lot of ways because Ch. 12 is an easy chapter so Emblem allocation isn't that important to get through the map. Plus, Lyn on Kagetsu for Ch. 12 doubles the Wolf Knights once you get two Speedtaker stacks so I found it quite nice having Lyn on him. And my strategy for Ch. 13 always involved Lyn on Kagetsu (see my chapter thoughts in the comments) anyway. Now, he's got bow proficiency just in time for Ch. 14, where Ike immediately goes on Kagetsu to get axe proficiency. And soon after, he's a Warrior and just snowballed from there. I was initially a bit worried about using axes at all in this playthrough considering their low base hit rates (I was prepared to pivot Kagetsu into Wyvern and have him use swords if I needed to), but Kagetsu had 100% hit rate with a Silver Axe often. His Longbow was accurate too (same base hit rate as Silver Axe). Overall, Kagetsu snowballed hard. And when I got Roy on him, and eventually the Binding Blade unlocked, he could clear entire groups of enemies by himself (cleared the entire top lane of Ch. 24 himself with just a healer nearby). After this run, I wholeheartedly believe Roy is Kagetsu's best Emblem and it reaffirms my belief that Warrior is Kagetsu's best class. He just hits so hard with axes and doesn't take much damage either. Wyvern's great for Kagetsu, but really, try him in Warrior if you get the chance. He won't need crits to one-round, only a Silver Axe. If he can cleanly one-round a ton of endgame enemies with just a base Silver Axe and no inherits on this kind of challenge run, actually forging a Silver Axe up a bit and maybe giving it an engrave should achieve similar or better results than what I got as I'm pretty sure my Kagetsu is about average strength-wise (+1 strength than average if I calculated correctly, he got two Energy Drops and is overleveled which is why his strength looks astronomical). My Kagetsu was speed screwed (speed and build were lower than average in the midgame) for nearly the entire run because he should've capped speed way before looping and he didn't cap until after looping in Warrior. That actually mattered a few times and it made me really miss having Speed+X on him, but it wasn't something I couldn't work around and he was a powerhouse regardless.

Stat Boosters: One Boots, one Seraph Robe, two Energy Drops

• Mage Knight Pandreo (Marth): After I got Pandreo, I immediately gave him Lucina to get sword proficiency to switch into Mage Knight. He did pretty well in Mage Knight, but it wasn't until after getting partway through Ch. 17 (gave him Eirika so he got bond rank 3 for Bravery at that moment and got the Bolganone that Griss drops), where he really started to snowball. After that, he could consistently one-round a lot of enemies without help until Ch. 20. Unfortunately, that's when his speed cap in Mage Knight caught up and in the endgame, 31 base speed that is not quite enough without a bit of speed boosting from an Emblem considering I cannot inherit Speed+X. In the last couple of chapters, I mostly used Marth (sometimes switched to Eirika) on Pandreo. Marth has some +speed stat boosts innately and can boost damage as well if Engaged via Divine Speed providing an additional attack at 50% damage. Using Marth on a magic unit was something I did before when I played around and used Mage Knight Kagetsu lol It worked well then and it worked well now. This Mage Knight Pandreo's stats besides magic have actually been the least impressive I've had so far. I think his magic is maybe around +2 to +3 above average though (I forget what level I class changed him from High Priest to Mage Knight), which more than makes up for his other stat deficiencies. I'm just surprised he didn't cap dex or resistance by the end of the game when he usually does. Nonetheless, Pandreo was a powerhouse and carried the run like Kagetsu even though I couldn't just send him into a group of enemies without being covered by Bonded Shield and know he'll live whilst taking them all down (unless it's a group of enemies with Great weapons he can double, those are fodder to Pandreo).

Stat Boosters: Three Spirit Dusts

• Warrior Merrin (Eirika): Unlike with Kagetsu, I didn't go through four whole maps of raising bond ranks up for Merrin to change classes. That's because she'll probably end up being able to change into Warrior by Ch. 18 if I did that. Meanwhile, if I just waited until Ch. 17 to get Leif back, I would have Warrior Merrin in time for Ch. 19. It's a one chapter lag for a huge team power difference from Ch. 14 through 17 as one of my stronger units wouldn't be able to use Lyn or Ike. Merrin mostly chipped as a Wolf Knight and even when I got her into Warrior, she still was chipping (occasionally, she would one-shot fliers with the Radiant Bow) because her damage wasn't good enough and she was under the level curve. Plus, her hit rates were shaky for a good amount of time. However, I wanted her to be more so I kept feeding her kills whenever I could and I gave her Eirika after I got Marth back. With Eirika, she could sometimes do some great damage with a Brave Axe (and Eirika's damage boost helped her hit some one-round thresholds with a bow on magical enemies, that's how low her damage output was). But once she got access to Sieglinde, she could finally one-round some endgame enemies due to effective damage.

Stat Boosters: One Speedwing

• Thief Zelkov (Byleth): Bought a Short Knife just for him because I didn't want this unlucky guy to get randomly crit if he faced any combat, but in hindsight with all the luck that Byleth provides, maybe that wasn't necessary. Byleth on a covert gives +5 speed when Instructing and after a Goddess Dance and considering that I cannot inherit Speed+X on my characters, I knew I was going to need the speed buff since the speed thresholds get really high on Maddening. In the end, that speed buff wasn't needed for my primary carries (Kagetsu and Pandreo) until Ch. 20, but after that, it really was needed. Pandreo caps speed in Mage Knight at 31 (so with a speed tonic, Special Dance from Seadall, and Chaos Style activated, Pandreo can only naturally double enemies that are at 34 speed or below) and Kagetsu caps speed in Warrior at 35 (so with a speed tonic, Special Dance from Seadall, and while Engaged with Roy, Kagetsu can only naturally double enemies that are at 38 speed or below). From what I saw, enemy speed can reach up to 44 so that Instruct was absolutely needed so that they could double enemies up to 39 or 43 speed respectively.
  
• Dancer Seadall (Sigurd): I don't think there's much to say about Seadall except that I put Sigurd on him because I only have one Canter to give out and having it on a dancer felt like the most useful. I can't use Override, but that's a small price to pay for the flexibility in positioning for Goddess Dances.
  
• Sage Citrinne (Corrin): Citrinne replaced Celine's role as an early game carry after Celine's death. While she only really had one map to shine (Ch. 11), she really did shine in that map. I luckily had the foresight to get a melee weapon proficiency on Citrinne in case I needed to make her a Mage Knight. I could've promoted her to Sage, but I compared the stats and saw that Mage Knight Citrinne would double a lot of enemies on Ch. 11's map and that's what I needed at the time. Citrinne put in a lot of work that map, immediately one-rounding the first axe fighter (if not for Roy's Hold Out). I had Citrinne stay in Mage Knight for several chapters as she was my best option for a magical carry for some time (Pandreo was stuck in High Priest for several chapters while having Lucina equipped before he can reclass) and her performance was pretty good. If I kept using her for combat and gave her resources like Lyn, I feel she would've turned out great. But in the end, Citrinne reclassed to Sage once I got Corrin because she was one of my few units that could be in a Mystical class (no tome proficiency to work towards either for a long time) and pivoted into a support role after that (which was my intention with Celine once I reached that point). She was great nonetheless. Corrin on a Mystical unit is a tried and true combo that I really like because it means being able to debuff and freeze enemies in place from three range (especially important now that I don't have Canter), and the Fire Dragon Vein is the most useful one imo. In all honesty, I didn't use the Fire Dragon Vein much to ward enemies off. My combat carries were strong enough that I rarely needed it. As such, it was mostly spammed to raise Corrin's bond rank. But it was still great to have that option in my back pocket in case I needed it.
  
• Griffin Knight Lapis: Lapis replaced Chloe, but not as well as Citrinne replaced Celine. I couldn't really use Lapis much in combat because she had to have Micaiah equipped to get staff proficiency in the early game. I think I messed up and didn't focus enough on leveling Lapis's bond rank with Micaiah because she had to keep Micaiah all the way until Ch. 11 to get the proficiency. But tbf to myself, I nearly lost the run on Ch. 8 so leveling up bond rank wasn't on the forefront of my mind. By Ch. 11, there was no real justification I could make to try to make her combat work. As like any other staff user, she did her job.
  
• Cupido Fogado: I was unable to get Fogado off the ground in this playthrough. He was alright up to around when I did Roy's Paralogue as he could still one-shot the Wyverns there with a Radiant Bow even if his hit rates were in the 70s (had to just make sure to have a backup plan if he did miss, which he did a few times); but soon after that, I couldn't consistently find ways to have him contribute and he was left in the dust. I still brought him into the final chapter because maybe some of the chip damage he could do to fliers would help and I felt like I had enough staff users (he actually was helpful in two occasions on the final map!).
  
• Lindwurm Ivy (Ike): I probably would've used Ivy as a carry if not for the fact that she faces crit from nearly every enemy. Her inaccuracy with tomes is a problem as well, but I didn't need her to chip too often. Essentially, no engravings to fix these issues meant she was relegated to staff duty. She did her job and I think throughout this playthrough she had higher offensive staff hit rate (Freeze, Fracture) than Hortensia most of the time, though it wasn't by a significant amount. After midgame, Ike eventually went on Ivy mainly because I have just one source of Reposition (I really missed not being able to put this skill on most of my support units) and I wanted it on a flier.
  
• Slepnir Rider Hortensia (Micaiah): Nothing to really say about this as it's as standard and straightforward as can be. She and Citrinne had held a Surge tome just in case I needed someone with 100% accuracy to finish off an enemy (this did happen a couple of times this playthrough).
  
• Griffin Knight Mauvier (Leif): He's a staff user that can luckily take a few hits because he did need to survive a few in my playthrough. I put Leif on him because Leif wasn't doing much on anyone else after the midgame. But then again, it didn't much on Mauvier either besides being used to Quadruple Strike the Dark Bishop on the final map.
  
• Sage Veyle (Celica): I kinda messed up because I didn't realize Veyle had access to S tomes in her Fell Child class and the main thing I wanted to do was use her with Nova. I could've saved myself the trouble of reclassing, but in the end, it was okay because reclassing to Sage does increase Veyle's offensive stats. I do miss out on the Fell Child class skill (which is quite nice), but getting Celica Engage back is low priority anyway so the trade-off was fine. Since my team lacked a second source of magic damage, Veyle was helpful as someone who can do a lot of damage with magic. She didn't one-round a lot of enemies, but her performance was satisfactory.
  

Stat Boosters: One Seraph Robe, one Speedwing
In comments below, I detail my thoughts on the individual chapters if anyone's interested (starting from Ch. 6 since that's the first chapter where something actually happened and where I also had a clear goal in mind for the map). I never thought I would successfully complete this run so I don't have any screenshots to chronicle events from before Ch. 24-ish (also, I forgot to screenshot too many things). I unfortunately don't remember the exact details of the early/midgame chapters that well anymore, but I tried my best to recall whatever information I could. This is listed by the order I tackled the maps. A full turn count, playtime, and MVP list is here.
Edit: Fixed a few links.

Heads up! This story is both unpolished and unfinished, and posted here only for the sake of not letting my work go entirely to waste. If you want to continue the story yourself, feel free to do so.
Credit for The Nature of Predators goes to u/spacepaladin15.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: September, 2136)
At first, we assumed it to be an Arxur weapon, but we had plenty of time to get a more detailed look at the object intersecting our FTL trajectory. A mass of energy, far more than a star could emit, yet giving off no light. Gravitational pull was intense, but completely wrong for a black hole. Maybe the remains of a massive warp core accident? Whatever it was, it was directly in our path.
We had ample time before our collision, and nothing we could do. Our course was set, and escape vessels couldn’t be launched during an FTL jump. All that was left was to wait, and pray for a mercifully quick death that we all knew was unlikely. We built our starships to withstand direct assault from Arxur warships. Our deaths would be both inevitable and slow.
I was away from the refugee’s quarters, on the bridge. I couldn’t bear to watch pups cry in terror, as their parents tried hopelessly to ease their fear. The bridge was only marginally better. Some of the crew were facing their imminent death with stoicism. Many were praying. Many were crying. I don’t remember what I was doing when it hit, but I was probably crying too.
Then… then…
Pain, agonizing and blinding pain. No screaming. No noise at all. Silence, darkness, death.
Movement. But I couldn’t possibly move myself. Was I carried?
​
My first coherent memories started taking shape next to a fire. I couldn’t see, but the warmth and crackling were unmistakable. I tried to move, only to find myself unmoving. Was I in the wreckage of the ship? I felt no pain. Was I already dead?
“Hey, look who’s finally back in the land of the living. Can you hear me?”
A human. The species that started this whole mess. That attacked our cradle, let the Arxur find an easy target. That taunted us with their “Evacuation” cattle roundups. The disgusting mockery of a voice washed over me, tainting my very soul.
That fire must be to roast my flesh. Does it want my fear, before it kills me? It won’t get a single goddamn word, not so much as a noise.
“You… damn, he must still be out of it. Maybe another stimpak..?”
Cli-hsssss. A stabbing pain in my arm, followed by… relief? My arm twitched slightly, but I couldn’t manage anything more. A rushing sound filled my ears, overpowering the growl on my left until it bore me away to unconsciousness.
—
I woke up on a bed, staring at what must’ve been the ceiling, though all I could see was vague rust-brown shapes in the distance. My body still refused to move. And yet still, somehow, so little pain. Was my nervous system destroyed?
No. Hunger. Brutal, snarling hunger stabbed through my stomach like a dagger. I made a weak noise, remembered where I was, and rapidly forced silence. If it knows I’m awake, it’ll torture me until it lets me die…
“Oh! You— you’re awake again! Can you hear me?”
Don’t make a noise. It might lose interest.
“...No. Dammit. It’s going to starve if it doesn’t fully wake up soon… I can’t afford all these meds for much longer anyway. I’ll just have to… leave this here for it. Maybe it’ll wake again while I’m out.”
And just like that, a rush of movement and it was gone. It worked! I lived… I lived, just so I could starve…
​
By the graces of the protector. Food. I could smell food, just inches to my right. Can I move to pick it up? Can I move my jaw to eat?
Is it a trap? The human must be trying to fatten me up. Or maybe it didn’t leave at all, and is just waiting in the shadows to see if I take the bait. Or… maybe…
Fuck it. I was already good as dead, I could at least die full. I tried moving my arm, but to no avail. My other arm was no better. Maybe I could move my head?
The world shifted around me, a nauseating whirl of muted colors. But that meant my head could move. I could move… the food was still just barely out of reach. I can almost taste it… it’s so close to my nose…
I let out a weak cry of frustration. I couldn’t help myself. Did the human intend for this torture? The frustration became rage, filling my body like a white-hot star until I—
Trembling, my claw grasped the food. Rage and hunger animated my arm, pushing it forward. Whatever this was, it was soft. It smelled heavenly. I brought it up to my face. My vision was just recovered enough to make out its form; a strayu-like pillow drizzled with a sweet glaze. I tore into it like an animal, barely even tasting. I must not have eaten in days.
Gone in seconds, and the hunger was barely sated. But it was enough energy to force movement with. Slowly, unsteadily, I rose to a sitting position. The world threatened to shift away from under me, but I held, trying to get my bearings.
I’m in… some sort of shack. Bare, rusted sheet metal on the walls; clearly an improvised structure. Other than that oddity, the room was surprisingly normal. No blood dripping from cages, no hunting trophies on the walls. A torn up carpet, a beaten-up table and chair, some cabinets, all illuminated by soft rays of light pouring in from a window over the table. And right next to my little mattress… is that more food? Some sort of orange vegetable. Like the sweet strayu, I ate without even tasting.
Much better. I was still starving, but only metaphorically. I could even move my other arm, though my legs were entirely numb and refused to cooperate no matter how much I pushed them. Could I escape by dragging my body with my arms?
No. I was still too weak. I had to count on the human fattening me up a bit more before I could make a break for it.
​
​
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Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Just a hair to the right… and… Now. The interloper, a feral dog that had wandered onto the property, dropped without a sound.
I couldn’t afford to attract any attention, so I’d hastily slapped together a silencer for my pipe revolver. An old oil filter, just small enough to not obstruct the scope I’d hastily tied to the top. The gun looked ridiculous, but it got the job done silently. If I attracted any visitors, my alien guest was as good as dead. Nearly a week after finding it, and it still wasn’t waking up consistently.
Now’s not the time for thought. Focus. Now.
The second dog also dropped. The alpha of the pack still hadn’t noticed anything, a miracle. I lined up one last shot… pulled the trigger, and finally let myself breath. That was way too close. Every day without the fence finished was another day of silent stress.
Putting up a fence was easy enough, but putting up a fence QUIETLY was nightmarishly slow work, constantly punctuated by hiding from any would-be visitors. But these dogs had wandered onto the property without even seeing me. Could they smell the alien? I knew Dogmeat could track injuries from a far greater distance…
Fence should've been up yesterday. Back to work.
I’m running out of barbed wire. And screws. And boards. Can I afford another expedition? What if Dogmeat can’t defend him? Not a chance in hell I’m risking any other group learning about this… although Mama Murphy probably knows anyway, doesn’t she. Maybe the Minutemen can—
No. I can’t risk it. I’ll have to improvise. Maybe I can set up a Tesla arc as defense and leave to raid Sunshine Tidings. Rusted metal sheets don’t make for the best walls, but better than nothing.
The sun was still high, so I had some time if I hurried. As I began gathering supplies, a thought crossed my mind. A Tesla arc was better than nothing, and Dogmeat was formidable enough, but… surely if the alien was in serious danger, it could use some self defense. Those spikes weren’t gonna cut it. Maybe that bastard Kellogg’s old .44 would finally get some use?
I grabbed the .44 revolver, a spare arc trap I’d salvaged from Fort Hagan, and some tools. It would have to do. There was already power hooked up to the shack for heating, so wiring the—
The food’s gone.
Dogmeat didn’t eat carrots, so I knew there was only one culprit. The alien must’ve woken up while I was working. It was back asleep now, but at least it got something down. It wouldn’t starve. Thank god.
…right. If it can wake up, this trap is probably more dangerous to it than any invader. I walked back over to the shed, stowed the Tesla arc and tools, and grabbed a handful of vegetables and a water canteen. If it could stomach food, it needed to start putting on weight now to make up for lost time. This would be a start, at least.
I set the food and water on the table (taking care not to break the digital chimera I’d already laid there), and the gun beside the bed. I knew it could reach to there, without a doubt. Maybe toss in a handful more bullets, too; it’s not like I’d ever be able to make myself use the damn thing. I gave one last glance at the alien curled up on a bare mattress before closing the door and setting out.
—
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Help me. Kay-ut. Ki-ra. Protector. Anyone. It’s right there.
When I heard the human coming, I faked sleep hoping it wouldn’t check. As seconds passed, that hope grew thinner and thinner. Clearly, it could see the food was gone. Not that it needed to figure anything out; it could probably see through my deception just looking at me. Ki-yu, trickster; please, let this work. Let me live a moment longer. Noises all around me. Was it laying out torturous weaponry? Was it getting ready to gut me?
Protector. Please. I don’t want to die.
The noise around me stopped. Had the gods heard my prayers? I dared not check; if the human was still there, and I so much as opened an eye, I was dead. But death failed to claim me, and more noises failed to appear, until I finally worked up the courage to take advantage of my blessing and open my eyes.
The human was gone. I was alive. One more look around the room, to make sure it hadn’t—
A gun. A human weapon, close enough to grab. And ammo…
I knew humans were masters at trapping, at deceiving; such was their nature. I stared at the gun, trying to figure out what the trap was.
But I was tired, and hungry, and every sense told me that this wasn’t a trap, but a loaded gun. An answer to my prayers for safety. I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. I picked it up. It felt solid and weighty in my hands, lending some sense of security to the otherwise hopeless situation. Emboldened, I tried to rise to my feet again.
If I grabbed some of the furniture and stood on my good leg, I could just about stay upright without pain. That would have to do for now. Maybe I could use something in this room as a crutch. A leg of the table might do nicely, if I could—
Food. More food, all over the table. A sprawl of alien vegetables, including that orange one I had earlier. A metal jug, probably filled with water. And… is that a translator?
Curiosity overpowered both my hunger and my fear. On closer inspection, it was indeed a translator, one of the older dedicated units. Wired into… some sort of metal armband with a green flickering screen. The craftsmanship was shoddy; some parts were literally held together with insulated tape. Still, it appeared to be powered on and functional.
If I wasn’t in so much danger… I’d love to get a better look at what the human did with this thing. To wire Federation tech directly into one of their devices, and make it work…
My attention drifted back to the bounty laid out on the table before me. It could all be poisoned, but I’d already eaten the human’s food; what harm could it do to be full?
—
Sweeter than the orange one, but not as filling. Kind of mushy. Now no longer starving, I began to savor my meal slightly more. The green fruit was next, the one nearly the size of my skull. Upon breaking open the shell, it turned out to be pinkish red inside, and so juicy that I didn’t even need the water in the jug.
Bitter, but strangely satisfying. Next was a massive purple flower, which I could only guess was supposed to be food as well. The taste was unpleasant, but it felt bizarrely good to eat. Maybe a medicinal herb?
Why would the human give me a medicinal herb?
I’d been circling around the question for some time now. Why the food? Why the gun? Why the lack of gutting? Even if those supposed “empathy tests” weren’t faked, our species were at war! Did it not know?
Well-fed prey made for better-tasting prey, but a gun did not feed. A translator did not feed. Did it really want to talk to me? I weighed my options.
Option 1: Run. Impossible to do in my current state. Even with a large head start, even with uninjured legs, humans were nothing if not persistent; my odds were not all too favorable. And where would I go, anyway?
Option 2: Hide. Impossible to do in any state. Humans were perceptive and cunning. Nothing short of divine protection would hide me. And again, where would I go afterwards?
Option 3: Fight. I had a loaded gun, but for all I knew it was only there to lure me into a false sense of security. And besides, did I really expect to outfight a predator?
Option 4: Talk. It wasn’t likely, but maybe the human would have some sympathy (or at least fake some sympathy to keep up appearances). I was already injured, and it hadn’t torn me apart already; it clearly had something else in mind. Maybe the translator was involved in its “Something else”?
I didn’t… like that last option, but it seemed a hair better than shooting on sight when the human came back. Maybe I was forsaking the protection of the gods, forsaking my fellow Gojid. But none of the options were without risk, and I had to try something bold if I wanted to survive.
A noise from outside roused me from my thoughts. It’s coming. Time to make your choice.
​
​
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Halfway through the outbound trip, I realized I’d forgotten my pip-boy at camp. I’d taken both off, while working on wiring in that translator to the spare one from Vault 81. Having no way of assessing potential injuries simply would not do.
Halfway through the return trip, I realized I’d brought Dogmeat with me instead of leaving him to guard. I managed to make myself move a little faster. That .44 was no guarantee of safety, not if the alien simply couldn’t get up.
Once back, I could at least be sure that nothing happened. No blue blood seeping through the shack’s foundation. I grabbed the pip-boy, ordered Dogmeat to patrol, and prepared to leave before the daylight faded.
That’s a bit cold, isn’t it? Leaving without even checking on your guest?
I was leaving so I could build a fence for its protection, but… a quick check couldn’t hurt. Just to make sure nothing happened, right? Yeah. Sure. I had the time. Though maybe barging straight in wasn’t the brightest idea, not when I had just given it a revolver.
I knocked twice, and tried to lower my voice to a more soothing register. I had no idea if my hacked-together translator abomination would work, so tone was key. Before I could even speak, I heard a wild scrambling from the inside.
“Don’t— please don’t k-kill me, human, I’ll… I’ll do anything.”
…I guess I should be glad the translator worked? What the hell was that?
“I’m not gonna hurt you. I promise. Is it OK with you if I come inside?”
“I… Y-Yes.”
I gave Dogmeat a strong look to stay back, and cracked open the door. The terrified sniveling over the translator couldn’t have prepared me for what met my gaze.
A few weeks ago, I’d heard a heart-wrenching noise while poking around the edge of the glowing sea; a lone radstag doe, torn literally in half by a deathclaw. The beast was scared off by an approaching Vertibird, leaving the doe to wail helplessly until I put it out of its misery.
I had nothing else I could compare the alien to. It was shaking like an aspen leaf, eyes screwed shut and body curled up against the wall. The gun was still technically in its hand (claw?), but pointed at nothing. Just looking at the thing made me feel helpless.
But I brought it back from the brink of death. Soothing terror would surely be easier than saving its life.
—
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Protector. Please, give me strength. It’s… It’s going to…
No. It just wants to talk. Rania, get a hold of yourself.
I cracked open an eye. Tears largely blinded me from the horrifying details of the predator, but the human still towered over me, casting an engulfing shadow over my weakened form. It was all I could do to not further embarrass myself with incoherent pleading.
It seemed to take notice of my fear, crouching down to roughly eye level.
“You’re OK. I’m not going to hurt you, no matter what. What’s your name?”
“R-Rania.” I forced another eye open. The human had moved itself to a chair. Soft daylight illuminated a pair of forward-facing eyes, but no predatory scowl. It had an expression which could be mistaken for solemn sympathy on another species. But it had no reason not to be sincere. There was no other audience, nor anything I could do to escape. Could it really be concerned?
“Rania. My name is Nate. Can you tell me… what you are?”
“Just Nate? I— I thought humans had two names.”
“Oh, uhh… Nathan Dunne. I just go by Nate.”
I noticed a distinct look of confusion engulf the human’s face. Actually, I started to notice a lot of things. It wasn’t just the building and translator that were so clearly improvised. It— Nate’s armor was clearly not standard-issue anything. Nor the weapon on his side, some sort of pistol made seemingly from scrap.
He didn’t look like a UN soldier, nor a civilian of any type. And… just now… did he ask what I was? How could he not know?
“I’m a… I’m a G—Gojid. Does that mean anything to you?”
He shook his head, which even I knew was a human gesture for no. “Not as such. I might need to work out some issues with the translator, though, so don't count on it meaning—”
“The Federation? The cradle? Venlil? Arxur? UN?”
A bizarre shudder passed through Nate. “I know about the UN, though I can’t imagine how they’re relevant now… and no to the rest.”
“I can’t imagine how they’re relevant”!? What the hell could that mean?
“What— what does the UN mean to you?”
Again, that shudder, like a shadow cast over his soul. “They were a global group, trying to keep international peace. When the first Resource wars sparked… they collapsed like a house of cards. 2052. I was 12. After that, it…” he trailed off, before forcing himself to speak. “It all went to hell. As you can see.”
I couldn’t speak for shock. Predators were deceitful by their nature, yet I knew in my heart his words were sincere. It was plain as day, etched across his face. And if so… What the hell? What the hell!? What was any of that?
“As you can see? What do you mean?”
“Can you walk?”
Should I reveal my weakness? I don’t see any way he couldn’t notice my condition by now, so maybe I can get some sympathy for it?
“I… no, I don’t think so…”
“Then I can carry you outside. If you want, I mean. You’ll see what I meant by ‘went to hell’ real quickly.”
He’d have to… oh Protector, if he chose to carry me to slaughter, there’d be nothing I could do. But by this point, my fear was starting to wear thin from weariness. Curiosity was slowly taking the upper hand.
“S-show me.”
And just like that, the world moved out from under me. Instinctively, I grasped the human’s artificial pelt like a pup clinging to its mother. Light flooded my still tearstained eyes. I blinked them clear, and looked out on the world.
​
​
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Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Was this Earth? This couldn’t be Earth. Earth was green, wasn’t it?
Yellow foliage, grey trees. A soft blue sky, intermittently broken up by concrete highways that towered towards the clouds. And on the horizon, the mammoth corpse of a city, a metal carcass that dominated the skyline.
No green. No life. Not even wind. The whole scene was eerily still, seemingly frozen in time.
Unable to make sense of the wider world, my attention drifted closer. A ring of ramshackle fencing, a larger building that I might mistake for a house. An ancient hand-worked water pump. A plot of vegetables. A beast with glistening fangs, bounding towards—
“Dogmeat, no. Stay.”
Somehow, impossibly, the beast heeded the command, slowing down enough for me to get a better look at my imminent demise. Long brown fur with black markings, a swishing tail, a red fabric tied around its neck. Forward-facing eyes gleaming with hideous intelligence. It sat down, tilting its head and letting out a shrill whine.
“You still haven’t met Dogmeat yet, have you— Rania? Rania!”
I couldn’t breathe. It was looking straight at me. I thought the human was terrifying, but this thing made it look harmless. Did Nate not realize the danger he was in?
“N— No! Please… don’t let it…”
“It’s not going to hurt you either. You’re OK. Breathe.” Nate turned slightly, shielding the beast from view. “Here. We can go back inside if he scares you too much.” I managed to choke out an affirmation, and felt darkness overtake me as we rushed back into the relative safety of the shack. The door clicked shut, sealing the beast outside.
“Rania, talk to me. Can you breathe?”
“Please… please don’t feed me to it…”
Nate’s eyes went wide, and his hand rose to cover his mouth. I didn’t know much human body language (aside from the vicious snarl they called a smile), but shock was a constant across almost every species. His eyes cast around the room wildly, his breathing becoming erratic before he managed to regain control.
“Rania, I— I’m not going to feed you to him. You— listen, I won’t even let him in. It’s safe here.” He clearly had something else to say, and silently struggled with the words for a moment before finding his phrasing. “Can you tell me why you’re so scared? What happened before I found you?”
The words took several moments to consciously register, but their effect was immediate. If Nate was trying to startle me out of my fear, he couldn’t have done a better job. When I spoke, it was with startling clarity as fear was replaced by near-indignant confusion.
“How could I not be scared? You’re predators. Even if… even if you really don’t want to kill me, seeing injured prey must be a powerful temptation to your instincts, no? Not to mention the invasion of the cradle; even if you do have empathy, why try to save an enemy species?”
A few moments of stillness, and then I mimicked his previous motion of shock as I realized what I’d done. If he somehow didn’t know the situation with the Gojid before, he did now. Even prey empathy didn’t extend to their sworn enemies. My stupid thoughtless rambling meant I was good as dead.
“Rania.” Nate’s words were slow, soft, and measured. “I don’t know where you come from or what the situation is out… up there. But I can promise you this.” He tapped my shoulder, snapping me out of my terrified reverie and forcing me to pay full attention. “I’m never going to hurt you. I’ll keep it safe here, as long as it takes for you to heal. You can hold me to that.”
“Safe… even safe from that monster..?”
Nate looked deeply hurt, but quickly covered it up with his previous expression of concern. “Yes. I wish I could prove to you that my dog is friendly, but… if he scares you that much, I’ll find somewhere else for him.”
He stole a glance out the window, before turning back to me. “Listen. I need to get some supplies for the fence while there’s still light. I’ll take Dogmeat with me. Do you know how to use this?” He gestured towards the gun, still sitting where I’d carelessly let it slip from my claws minutes earlier.
“Y-yes.”
Apparently seeing straight through my lie, he bent down to show me. “Here, you just need to pull back the hammer. Finger over the trigger, and line up these sights on your target. Only pull the trigger when you know you have your shot.”
Nate stood up, putting one hand on the door before remembering something. “If you start hurting, you can use this.” He set a syringe down on the table. “Just stab wherever it hurts. The pack’ll do the rest for you. I’ll be back at sundown.”
And just like that, he was gone.
​
​
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
For a while, I just sat there, gun in hand and mind slowly dissolving from all the new information weighing it down. But boredom is a powerful thing, and even injured as I was, restlessness started to take hold.
With the beast gone, and gun in hand, I started convincing myself that it might be a good idea to get another look at the land. I needed to know what I had to work with in case… something happened. And I swore I saw a vegetable garden earlier. Curiosity was getting the better of me.
I tested my legs again. One was sore, but shockingly capable. The other was still burning when I applied pressure, and swaddled in bandages. I didn’t particularly feel like knowing what was under there. One leg would have to do. I didn’t need my legs to shoot, after all.
Cautiously, without making a sound, I cracked the door open. Nobody was out there. I took one shaky step. Then another. Inch by silent sore inch, I made my way over to the “house”.
Like everything out here, it was a rough-hewn heap of rusted metal and thick planks of wood. On closer inspection, however, some care had clearly been put into making it insulated. The windows even had glass (albeit covered in dust), rather than the screen mesh in my shack. This must be where the human lives.
What could Nate be hiding from me?
My curiosity burned brighter than the pain in my leg as I ambled towards the door. Unlocked. I peeked inside.
Thick layers of carpet. A fireplace on the wall, a couple paintings. A mattress much better-maintained than mine, pushed up under one of the windows.
No blood dripping from cages. No hunting trophies on the walls. No indication that this was the lair of a predator. If not for the construction materials, it could be mistaken for a house back on the cradle. It even has refrigeration and lights, without a functional power grid. I guess that predatory cunning comes in handy.
I already knew what the fridge must be filled with. I made the decision not to look. It’d be better if Nate didn’t know I was here, and that’d be pretty hard to hide with vomit all over his carpet. I couldn’t stop myself from looking in one of the cabinets, though. The thing was stuffed with cans of food, nearly full to bursting. Some were clearly homemade, some looked like they’d been excavated from the dirt. Maybe they had been.
My good leg was starting to ache, cutting my exploration short. With no small hesitation, I forced myself back outside, back to the shack where I could rest up a bit.
—
I was only steps away from the door when a horrifying sight stopped me in my tracks. Dead animals, three of them. Sickly looking things, but recognizably the same species as that ‘Dogmeat’. I couldn’t look away. Was Nate hunting before I woke up? I stepped closer, morbid curiosity dowsing my pain. I don’t see any bite marks. And… predators don’t eat other predators.
​
Did he kill them to protect me?
Humans were apex predators on their planet. It couldn’t have been self-defense. Nor could it have been hunger, if he’d just left them to rot. So… what other reasons would he have to fight?
I looked closer, my eyes meeting a series of glassy stares. Two of them looked literally skin and bones, but the third looked a lot like Dogmeat. Mouth closed, eyes staring up at the sky unseeing. I almost felt bad for it.
“I wish I could prove to you that my dog is friendly, but… if he scares you that much, I’ll find somewhere else for him.”
Did Nate feel any conflict, having to shoot them on my behalf? Was he going to shoot Dogmeat too, just to ease my fears? He clearly cared about the beast, but if he thought “keeping me safe” meant…
​
No. I wouldn’t let it come to that. I had to overcome my fear. If I wanted to survive, I needed to be stronger.
Reaching out to the body, arm trembling, I ran a claw down its side. It was soft… still warm, too. The thought that this predator had been alive so recently, only to be put down for my safety, managed to elicit a twinge of sorrow. That feeling, hold on to that. Force it through your fear.
My movements got bolder, even exploring the rows of sharp teeth hidden by a clenched jaw. And the soft fur on its underbelly… its long tail, which sat limp and unmoving on the dust. I could feel my fear begin to fade more and more with every second I sat next to the body of this predator.
Eventually, I forced myself to rise. As I walked back to my bed, I stole one last glance backwards. Instead of horrifying predators, all I saw was a family of three. That they had to die so I could live… the thought filled me with a strange sense of shame.
I couldn’t stand there forever. My poor legs wouldn’t allow it. Back to the bed, step by shaky step.
​
​
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Hauling sheet metal was no easy task, even with the help of a dog. It was dark by the time I got home; I’d missed my appointment with the sunset by nearly half an hour.
Supplies stowed away, armor shed, weapons holstered. I rummaged around the fridge for a radstag fry I’d prepared a couple days ago. I didn’t have the energy to cook, and I still needed to check in with Rania. Dogmeat hovered around my ankles, performing his best puppy impression.
These might be the last meals you get to eat with him. I gave a few scraps for his unconvincing performance.
I knew the minutemen would take good care of him, and Valentine could make good use of his nose. But saying goodbye would be a challenge. He’d had my back practically since I escaped Vault 111, and casting him aside felt like nothing short of a betrayal.
The radstag felt like sawdust in my mouth. I tossed the rest of it to Dogmeat, who looked up quizzically rather than digging in. I knew he was wondering why I was being so generous all of a sudden, but I wasn’t ready to break the news to him yet.
—
“Is it OK with you if I come in?”
The voice responding sounded completely different. Still recognizably Rania, but without the terrified quivering I’d expected. “Yes. We need to talk.”
I slipped inside, taking care not to let out too much heat. The figure facing me, while again still undoubtedly Rania, was otherwise unrecognizable. Sitting up straight, unshaking, looking directly at me. A far cry from the poor creature I’d talked to when I left. He (he? I decided to assume it was male, given the voice from the translator) turned his head slightly to the side, leaving one eye to meet both of mine in what I assumed was an intense stare for a person with side-facing eyes.
“Nate.” Rania’s voice was thick with determination. “I’ve decided… I want to get used to Dogmeat. If he’s really as friendly as you say, you shouldn’t have to get rid of him just because of my fear.”
It was all I could do to suppress a full-bodied sigh of relief. If he’s on the fence on this decision, showing my joy would force his hand. I have to stay calm. “Can I ask why?”
“I, uh… I found the other predators. The feral ones. The ones you shot.”
Oh.
“And I… I don’t want you to have to do the same for him. It doesn’t…” The quivering returned in shades, but he continued. “Even if you meant ‘find somewhere else for him’ literally, you shouldn’t have to do that for my sake.”
“I…” I buried my face in my hands, trying to beat back tears. “Thank you. I couldn’t imagine having to… thank you. I can still keep him away from you if you’re scared. You shouldn’t have to live in fear.”
Rania shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Actually, I was thinking I should… you know, get used to him, not just tolerate him from a distance. Face my fear head-on. Just… not tonight, OK?”
For all that quivering, he’s a lot braver than I thought he’d be.
“Yeah. We can get something worked out later. Right now, you need to rest. I’m not just talking about tonight; you’re still injured. Best you can do right now is rest and eat. Which reminds me… The vegetables I brought you earlier. How were they? Any you really liked?”
“Oh, uhhh… yeah, the orange one was really nice. And that red mushy one wasn’t so pleasant; I could eat it anyway to get full, but I’d rather not. Why do you have so many vegetables, anyway?”
Why wouldn’t I? “What do you mean?”
“Well, I thought… predators eat flesh, right? Were you growing them for decoration? I mean… it was nice to see something green and growing out here, but that seems like a lot of effort!”
I couldn’t manage a verbal response to this. All I could give was a baffled stare, which Rania seemed to interpret as a threat.
“I— I didn’t mean to insult you—”
“No, no, it’s just…” I rubbed my eyes. Hauling sheet metal had sapped all my energy, but I couldn’t just let this slide. “I mean… humans aren’t obligate carnivores. Most predators aren’t; even deathclaws forage for mutfruit when they can. Or does the word ‘predator’ mean something else to you?”
It was Rania’s turn for a blank stare, and I began to wonder if I’d just said something insulting. He looked down, mumbling something the translator couldn’t catch, then turned his attention back. “I think we should talk about this later. I need to rest.”
I knew it was a flimsy excuse (I could practically see his mind overheating as he stared back into the ground), but he wasn’t exactly wrong. I bid my farewell with a solemn nod.
—
The moon cast a picturesque blue light through the windows, giving just enough illumination to fend off sleep. On its own, the meager light couldn’t fight off the exhaustion radiating through my muscles, but Rania’s bizarre outburst was also keeping me up.
Not knowing about the history of our planet was perfectly reasonable, given his alien identity. Being so scared of humans despite apparently knowing about them was strange, but nothing a bit of trauma couldn’t induce. But even schoolchildren knew the basics of the food chain, and I found it hard to believe that a space-faring alien race would be less knowledgeable about ecology than the local population of raiders. Even with no education at all, certain things were obvious by observation.
If nothing else, Rania was right about one thing. We will need to talk about this later.
​
​
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[Continued in comments]

Hi All
Is there anything missing from this rewire list? 😊
I've pulled it (out of my arse!? 🤔) together from other reddit posts.
Thanks!! Sorry if this not appropriate for this subreddit.
---
Questions

1. What can I do as a customer to make the rewire go well? Including instructions to other trades like plasters etc.
2. What accessories do you like? Hager, Click or others?

Plan beforehand

• Empty the house of all junk!
• Write on masking tape on walls where we want everything to go
• Disconnect existing wiring and setup temporary power for trades.

Short term

• 1 or 2 double sockets on most walls
• Double socket near phone socket for router
• Double socket for cordless vacuum cleaner
• 1 or 2 x Cat6 for ceiling mounted POE wireless access points
• double sockets in loft
• about 1 single 5 amp socket on most walls
• 1 USB C high amperage sockets in each room
• Ethernet wall sockets where tv is
• External socket on back of house and front of house
• run cable for PIR exterior lights side and rear of house with manual switch to turn off inside
• Dim lights for using bathroom before bed either with dimmer or separate lower powered light
• Bathroom shaver point in mirror
• LED batten lights for garage and loft
• mains interlinked fire detectors / alarms
• RCBO on each circuit
• run cable for any thermostat

Long term

• Oversized consumer unit for if we get electric car charger, ASHP in the future
• 6mm or 10mm SWA to potential heat pump location
• 47mm backboxes walls thick enough to fit smart switches and sockets in the future
• 1.5mm twin and earth to every light switch and every light
• 2 x 32amp cable for 7kW electric car charger. check supply fuse size for electric car in the future. check supply fuse size for electric car in the future
• Cat6 for POE cameras
• Cat6 to doorbell if having a wired
• Grid switches for kitchen appliances
• cable for power supply to any future garden buildings

Context
We are buying a probate property and it needs a rewire.
Sources

• https://old.reddit.com/DIYUK/comments/ui3rcs/house_needs_a_full_rewire_any_advice_future/
• https://old.reddit.com/DIYUK/comments/z86hch/whole_house_rewire_dos_and_donts/
• https://old.reddit.com/HomeNetworking/comments/j9reb3/seeking_advice_for_rewire_of_1960s_house_in_the_uk/
• https://old.reddit.com/DIYUK/comments/ompv5d/rough_idea_of_rewire_cost/
• https://old.reddit.com/HousingUK/comments/12om8a6/how_can_i_get_the_most_out_of_a_rewiring/

5 nights at aftons
4pm ,location aftons house,
Golden Freddy does a head turn to look right at Jack.” Who are you¨ Jack shouts across the room.freddy says nothing but still looks at him. Jack runs and runs as fast as he can spamming the elevator button for safety.lucky the door shuts just in time but something doesn't feel right to jack the elevator is not moving then he sees a blur an animatronic he sees but he doesn't know this one.the robot 12 ft high burt skull face razor sharp teeth and claws wires sticking out everywhere ¨who…… who ……… are you¨jack says the robot looks down at him and says ¨death jack death¨ all the sudden it attacks him biting ripping skin off him from the wires.but jack sees a logo that says afton enterprise.bleeding bad Jack escapes the elevator running out the door of the house the robot chasing him but wants he out the door the robot is flung back from something ¨hummmmmmmmm so they can't leave the house¨ jack says taunting the robot so called death.
Jack goes home to his apartment on the other side of town. When he gets home he treats the wounds trying not to scream in pain. And then he just lays down like that. Hoping nothing attacks him in his sleep.
¨hello¨ ¨ what did i do to you¨ ¨everything ̈ .errr errr errr ¨uhhhhh the pain.¨ Jack says looking at the alarm clock hitting snooze. getting out of bed jack turns on the lights to see his bandages came undone and his bed was covered in blood.later that morning jack went to the er to get stitches from the attack the nurse looks at him and says what happened to you jack just says ¨death¨ thats what happened the doctor stitches him up and sends him on his way when he drives by aftons house he sees death still waiting for him to come back in.¨not today he says¨ looking out the window.all the sudan his car exploded throwing jack in the air. Then Jack sees it land mines but why jack thinks to himself falling on the asphalt ¨i just got stitches know this¨jack screams.then he passes out.then he sees a boy getting hurt from fredy at a grand opening william shoving dead kids in the animatronics while wearing the spring trap costume then one drop of water hits the mask triggering the spinlocks crushing his body.jack wakes up to the sound of cop cars and ambulances.¨ Sir sir what happened¨ Jack just pointed at the house and said ¨him¨ the cops go over to the house while the paramedics put him in the ambulance.then cops start running from the house one cop being attacked calling for backup. Then the rest of the cops are dragged under ground by some strange mechanical tentacles.
¨what?¨ zoey says looking at jack¨is something wrong¨.jack says nothing but points behind her.zoey turns around but it's not there.”jack i think you need some rest”zoey says with a corsern face.”no no no i'm not going to sleep”jack says.but just then jack falls asleep to see he's in a room with one closet in front of him with 2 doors by it when he turns around he sees one bed behind him. he sits down waiting for something to happen. Just then he walks to one of the doors with the flashlight he just so happenly found by him. He opens the door to see if he hears or sees anything just then he hears something breathing. He turns on the flashlight to see a fredy with sharp teeth and a messed up body.Just then it runs at him terrified he quickly shuts the door and turns the flash light out. Then Freddy runs in the room and goes out the other door.he wakes up to his alarm which was for some reason set at 6 o'clock. Jack thinks nothing of it and turns on the TV to see the news is talking about the attack yesterday “police dragged under ground by strange tentacles after magor car crash”the headline said.jack didn't want to listen to it so he just turned the tv off.a few minutes later the nurse walks in and checks him out of the hospital.when zoey comes to pick him up he sees the same burnt bonnie he saw that night.when jack got in the car it was gone again.jack thought nothing of it and went on with his day.jack and zoey where trying to figure out where to finger lunch out when zoey says “how bout we go to fazbears pizzeria for lunch” as much as jack does not want to go back there he says “sure”.when they get settled in the restaurant jack sees a new chica.when the waitress comes up the order there food and talk awhile when the food comes out there's a $100 check that say your pay jack quickly takes it and stuffs it in his jacket before anyone notices.When jack and zoey leave the restaurant some guy gives jack a letter when jack gets home he reads the letter saying
Dear jack
I know about what happened with the animatronics that night so I'm giving you a second chance. So i need you to watch my house
willam afton
“Really this fool thinks i'm going to watch the house i almost died in no way”Jack says to him self.there was a knock at his door then when he opened the door it was the landlord “give me your keys you haven't paid rent for a week” he says. Jack doesn't know what to say so his mouth does it for him “5 more days and i'll have your money sir” the landlord responds with “fine but if you don't have the money i'm changing the lock” as he walks away.jack grabs his keys rights his will and goes to the house.when jack enters the house though it's different instead of being a run down dump it was beautiful marble staircase ,golden chandeliers, and instead of the robot death there was a butler at the door. When Jack went into the backyard there was a smoothie stand, a big clean pool and palm trees.william afton walks out and then shows jack the security room. There were 5 flat screen TVs for each part of the house. There were also vent cameras if he pressed shift on the keyboard.the door had 5 layers of plexi glass in case something happened .then willam showed him a secret room with a bed tv bathroom and a fridge full of hot pockets and corn on blue.soon willam left and jacks shift started to be continued.Knock knock knock jack herer at the plexiglass door jack looks to see who it is to see the butler when jack opens the door he is offered a beverage from the butler.jack kindly accept it and looks at the camera “nothing strange yet”jack thinks to himself as he takes a sip of his drink.7 o'clock hits so jack locks the door and takes a nap planning to wake up at 12.the time comes and jack gets up but before he goes in the other room he warms up some hot pockets. When Jack looks at the cameras he sees a shadow of the bonni.jack keeps the door lock just in case if something happens when he looks out the door he sees the skeleton robot waiting for it to open.``really i thought this guy was gone” jack thinks to himself when he sees the same chicka he destroyed at the pizzeria rolling around on a skateboard. Then he sees the thing he fears the most: the burnt bonnie at the door jack almost spilt his drink on him he was so scared.then he goes in his room grabs the sheet of his bed and the roll of tape off the table. Jack puts the sheet on the plexiglass door just to keep him calm during the job.Painting Jack takes a sip of his drink. 4 o'clock 5 o'clock 6 o'clock confetti covers the floor. Good job the camera says you completed your 1st night.when jack takes down the sheet to see if the robot was still there it was gone when he checked every room in the house there were no more robots.with relief jack goes in his room to take a napThe rest of the day Jack sits by the pool drinking smoothies and eating pineapple.his watch goes off 5 o'clock 5 o'clock Jack turns it off and heads inside.when he gets to his room he locks the door and takes a nap. When 7 hits he goes in the other room puts the sheet on the door and watches tick tock on his phone waiting for 6 o'clock when he hears something crawling through the vents jack grabs the nearby ax and waits when the creature comes through the vent he swings when he hears “patron sir are you trying to kill the buttlar” the vent opened and the buttlar stuck his head out and started to come in.”wait how do i know you're actually the butler you could just be a robot”jack says “i have no proof but i also trust you” the buttlar says,the buttlar comes in with a duffle bag.soda,chips,tablets,rubix cubes,and pizza.”dude how much stuff did you bring” jack says “enuf to last the rest of the week”.few hours go by and more confetti covers the floor.congrats the screen says you survived night 2.”this is only going to get harder”jack says plugging in the devices.”there's going to be more of them soon”the buttlar says. “My name's jack”jack says “brysan” the buttlar says sticking out his hand “Knock knock KNock” here at the door.the butler slowly lifts the sheet then braysan jumps back.”what is it?” Jack says looking terrified, brayson says “a…….a……..burnt bonnie suit”.”thank lord im not the only one who sees him”jack says.then the door falls on the ground leaving the sheet up still though.”quick in the vents!”brayson hollers. They quickly throw everything in the duffle bag and climb in.then they see the burnt bonnie suit walking around trying to find them then it says “jack come out” then it hits jack the voice the robot everywhere it was afton.the whole time how did he not figure that out he thinks to himself crawling through the vents.then braysan is gone “braysan!”Jack hollers, then something grabs him,“ahhh!” Jack screams trying to get the grip off then he sees it is just a robotic hand then it pulls him looking at the hand again he sees its covered in blue fur. When the arm stops dragging him he sees himself in the old axols bbq that had been closed for a while after an unknown accident.he sees the old rusted robot suits and stays away from them in case they were dangerous too.jack sees a door with a blood lock (which would require him to give it blood to open) he bangs on the door for help but nothing happens.jack walks over to the old robots to see they had many malfunctions then out of nowhere one turns on and starts singing.then the blood lock door opens and he sees a tall figure who pulls him in. In the room Jack sees braysan in the corner with a bottle of water and bandaging.”What happened to you?” Jack asks, looking terrified at braysan. “The alligator thing got me” he says.jack looks at the man and says “who are you” “names cael i'm the owner of here” jack sits down and starts eating his room tempetar smushed corn on blue from the security room.”how do we get out of here” brayson say “you can't” cael respondes.”the only way in and out are the vents but somethings in there and it doesn't want us leaving” cael says. In the corner of the room jack see vials with things like ink,wood,blue fur,piece of cloth,and metal scraps.”what's that” jack ask “things i got from other areas” says cael.”what do you mean” braysan ask.”have you heard of the backrooms if so it's kinda like that accept more monsters so far i encounter killer dolls animatronics a murder ink monster and old person zombie”but i can't get past the doll.”i think i know who made this world besides you” jack says “what do you mean” cael says “i mean william afton made this nightmare world i saw him he has the burnt bonnie suite on he wants to kill all of us do you understand!” jack hallers. “That's it i'm taking a walk” cael says.when the door closes jack hears a loud slam in the wall and then a few swear word.jack rushes out side with the ax to see caels arm has been ripped off by axol.jack gats cael back in the room and bandages it up.”OK NEW RULE YALL NO GOING OUT ALONE”braysan.Then they hear a sound outside like a blade scraping metal then the door opens.Jack,cael,and braysan stand up fast to fight.then they see a person with 2 swords and one robot arm in his hand.jack looks up in shock and says “I thought i killed you” “what” the person says “i hit you with my car 5 months ago” jack says “that was you” “yes” “then you'll die” the person runs towards jack with both swords by his sides .before he can hit jack cael stops him with the ax and says”he's a survivor he can help us find the way out so lets not kill each other” the person looks and looks angrily and says “fine he can live but one wrong move and he's dead got it” “what's your name” jack ask “orion” “Orion cannon”orion says sitting down with axols arm attaching it to cael with the remaining muscles and bone left when he's done the arm works how cael needs it to like a normal arm.when he gets up he grabs a pull string bag and canteen while putting food in the bag jack ask “what are you doing” “going back to level 3 there's been crying in there for a while trying to find where its coming from” orion says “but what if there's more robots” jack says “dont worry theres not just killing toys like this big blue one and a pink a big spider and lots more” orion answers “but how do you get there” braysan ask “the vents” “then we should all go” jack says “why you have a death wish or something” orion says ¨yes yes i do¨ jack says ¨after all i survived i'm sure i should live till we escape ¨ ¨fine let's go then we got to be back by 8 or were dead¨orion says.they climb up in the vents and start crawling to the next level when they get out they see a abandoned toy factory and here crying¨where is that coming from¨cael ask ¨that's the thing there's no human life here¨orion says. After awhile of walking the floor fell in on cael dropping him straight down when every one checks to see if he alive they hear ¨y'all come down hear and bring flashlights¨ so orion past out flashlights and they all jumped down when they landed they turned on the flash lights to see a girl with ripped up clothes and cuts all over her “Who are you” the girl says looking terrified “orion,jack,cael,braysan.”orion says staring the girl down “were looking for survivors”cael quickly says looking rather nervous “and who are you” braysan says “gabby”the girl says.”ok well you can join us we have food and soda”cael said.”thanks but i'm good”gabby said getting up.orion quickly pulled a sword from his bag and gave it to gabby “how many of those things do you even have”braysan said in shock “about 50 at least” orion said “yall we need to get going we don't have long till it comes out” gabby says “till what comes out” cale says “the spider”gabby said “wait what does it look like”jack says “its pink 4 arms and is plastic”gabby says “kind of like the toy from when i was a kid mommy long legs” braysan replies.”well if that's the thing we need to leave”orion says.”where are you children” a voice says. “RUN!” gabby hallers. The group runs straight to the vent climbing as fast as they can. Eventually they get back to base.”welp we're screwed” jack says “sissy”orion says.”ill show u a sissy after i kick your” “stop!” ceal says “if were going to survive we need to get along last thing we need is orion skinning jack” “so you're saying i'm too weak to beat him in a fight” jack says in anger “no i'm just saying orion will cut your head off your body and cook u over a fire faster than u can say a word” cale says back “know what this is stupid i'm leaving” jack says walking out “well should we remind him of the robots”braysan says “maybe later” gabby responds later y=the group hears bloody scream from outside “orion” cale says “go save him before he bleeds out” “fine but i don't want to” orion responds but when orion walks out he sees its just a cat “O my god your scared of a cat” orion says laffing taking jack back in the room.letter orion tells everyone how jack was scared of the cat.then they get some rest.that morning when they realize jack was gone.”we can't let him die!” gabby says “yes we can we just don't look for him “ orion says “one more negative comet about jack and you'll look for him yourself” cael says in anger.when the group gets there gear ready they head outside when they climb in the vent there was lots of blue fir and blood terrified they followed it.when they got to the end of the trail they see a drop out of the vent when they got out they saw they were in a old studio everything though was black and white and ink was everywhere. After looking around for a while they found bacon soup and a poster that said wilson the slayer of the ink demon.”¨ahh!What was that? ``Cale said, jumping back.''what do you mean"Orion responds "something just ran past my legs".Then a black goo spider jumped at gaby 'get off me! Get it off me!"she screamed "calm down "orion said, cutting it in half with a sword.then the black goo on the floor disintegrated.''wow what was that"braysan said, amazed. "Proof that we were not alone"cale said.``well then let's find the mastermind behind it"braysan said.``bet it's afton"Orion said.after a while of exploring they heard a sound it was laughing not from something funny just laughing like a crazy person. When they looked around the corner they saw jack on the floor in a ball laughing nonstop “we need to get him out of here” cale said slowly going towards jack but then an animatronic face opened up and started screaming at them “that's not jack”bryson said “ya this place must be here to scare and confuse us we need to go back to the shelter before we all go crazy” the group started heading back to the shelter when they cot to the shelter they all got food and went to sleep.``Thump!” what was that gabby said getting out of bed just to see no one was there where did they go gaby touht getting on a jacket heading out just to see all their bodys dead on the floor with jack and some burt rabbit suit standing next to him then she woke up “so should we go back to the mall again to find jack or to the mansion” they heard orion saying “we shouldn't look for jack” gabby said “why” cael responded “this dream i had yalls dead bodys were piled up outside and he was standing there with a burnt rabbit suit next to him” gabby said “i saw that rabbit suit at the mansion he tried to get in the room with us” bryson said.``then we should go do the mansion” cael said packing extra materials in his bag “maybe we could find who is in that rabbit suit” orion said. The group eventually got to the mansion and started exploring they saw the room in shreds the bed was ripped up the tvs ripped off the wall and claw marks in the wall the group headed down stairs and saw a body not anybody a child's body when they got closer the saw it was crying orion pulled his sword out and ask her “what's wrong are you hurt” the little kid said “he's coming” then they saw a burt rabbit suit standing where the kid was. The burt rabbit suit just tilted his head and started waveying at them then they saw jack. Jack was covered in blood with a knife in his hand smiling not like he was happy but like he was crazy then gabby screamed the group looked over and saw the kid dead on the floor with blood oozing out of it. “You monster” Orion said, pulling out a sword and taking a slash the head came off the suit just for them to realize that wasn't the real suit. Jack then charged at Orion with the knife Orion then stabbed him with a sword in the leg making him go to the ground. The group fled while hearing Jack scream in pain “we can't just leave him there” gabby said terrified as they ran “yes we can he just tried to murder us and he killed a child and he's not going to die just be in pain for a while” orion said. When the group got back to the base they all went to sleep.the next morning they woke up and got ready soon they went back to the mansion to see if jack was still there but he was not but the sword was on the ground covered in a green substance. Cael put the substance in a beaker and back in his bag. They headed back and tested what the substance was. It would only respond to heat by trying to get out.”I don't think that was jack you stabbed Orion” cael said. “What do you mean it was his face his body how” orion responded. This substance is alive and we saw the bunny suit was fake so what if jack was fake” cael said. “That makes science” gabby said. Then orion slashed the wall the substance ozzed out of it. “This is all fake” Orion screamed “all of it is”. “Calm down orion there must be a reason” then jack walked through the door fast orion stabbed him in the throat more of the substance oozing out of it and jack smiled before turning into a pile of the green substance. The ozz started crawling away

My creds: born and raised in the Amazon in Brazil. "Winter" there means 20C and rain for about 2 months, the rest of the year sits at around 30C and sunny.
I did post a comment in a thread last year which people seemed to find useful, so this will also expand on that a bit more.
At home:

1. Buy a cheap fan (you can get them starting at £10 last I checked), place a bowl with ice/ice packs/frozen water bottles either in front or behind the fan. It will send out cool air around the room.
2. Keep the curtains closed during the daytime (especially if you have blackouts!) but open the windows if there's a decent wind going, so you'll get a good breeze without baking the room. Once the sun goes down, open all windows and curtains before putting your ice near a fan! If there's one room in the house that doesn't get direct sunlight, have that window open as much and as long as possible. If you have a layout that allows for airflow (say a front bedroom window and a living room window towards the back) maximise that and have them both open at night to get that air moving.
3. Avoid turning the oven on unless you want your kitchen (and/or living room, if open plan) to get even hotter.
4. Make sure your ice tray is constantly stocked up as you're likely going to be using it a lot more than usual.
5. Ditch the duvet. This is serious. Every year when we get a heatwave I marvel at people saying they can't sleep any night, especially because when questioned they all seem to be carrying on as usual with duvets. Some will have their "summer duvet" out and wonder why it's too hot. If you're like me and you need something on your legs to sleep, use just the duvet cover, sans duvet. Or better yet, invest in a single sheet for this exact situation as heatwaves are becoming more common.
6. When it's really hot, a cold shower will only help as much as a scalding one would when it's freezing: temporarily and inefficiently. What you really want is to reduce movement as much as possible to give your body time to regulate so its' internal temp is closer to the external temp, thereby making you feel less hot - acclimatising. This will take time though so don't expect it to happen instantly.

On your person:

1. Seems obvious but avoid the sun as much as possible. Not just for burning reasons, but it will make you feel hotter and compound the problem. Also if you do get sunburnt, you're then basically adding constant heat to an already hot situation. Avoid getting a sunburn at all costs.
2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. You will likely find you need to pee less during the day, but that just means your body is getting rid of the water through sweat so you have to compensate by drinking about 2x as much as normal (if not more!) to remain healthy and hydrated.
3. Water by itself is better than nothing (always!), but something like coconut water is ideal if you're really sweating, as it hydrates, replenishes electrolytes and gives you a boost from the sugar.
4. Try to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day if you know you struggle with the heat. If you do have to go out during that time, make like a vampire to do so: hats are your friend when out and about. As are sun glasses. And sun cream. Dig them out from the holiday bag and wear them everywhere like you're on a Greek island!
5. Pop some plastic bottles with water in the freezer overnight so you have cold water to take with you in the morning.
6. Wear light-coloured fabrics. Anything dark will absorb the heat while light colours will help reflect some off you.
7. HOWEVER, prioritise natural fibre clothes (cotton, linen, etc) over synthetic. If your options are a black item in cotton or a white one in elastane, go with the black cotton every time. Reason being the natural fibres allow air in, while synthetics don't. You're more likely to not feel the sweat or heat as much in cotton which lets your body release the heat through the fabric, than in synthetic clothes that trap the sweat and heat close to your body, compounding the issue.
8. Loose, flowing clothes are ideal. Again the goal here is allowing air in to cool you off, and not trapping your own body heat in.
9. You may not feel as hungry as usual, but it's important to keep eating like normal so your body doesn't run out of energy.
10. Small, light meals are best - salads and foods that don't require a lot of energy for your body to break down, to help keep your body temperature cooler.
11. Careful with the booze + heat combo. Both dehydrate you, so you need to stay on top of the water situation or be at risk of heatstroke/a particularly heinous headache the next morning.

The following is a modernized version of the advice given in the Newbies Corner of Aussie distiller forum https://aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=3539 (dated 2013)- it follows the same sort of fictional dialogue with a lot of the original text but structured to include home continuous distillation as an option. I hope this is considered fair use – plz tell me what you think, which parts are good, bad, missing, or just plain wrong:
Is this home-distilling hobby really for me?
This is probably something you have been contemplating since you first read, heard, or watched a show about home distilling. As with most hobbies, you need to go over the pros and cons of why you want to get into it, and what kind of time and costs are involved in getting set up, and continuing the hobby. By the end of this write up you should have enough information to decide whether or not this is something for you!
What do you want to get out of this hobby? First things first. What do you want to get out of distilling?
​
Do you just want a quick and easy way to get alcohol?
Or
Do you want to make a quality drop that will beat the price and taste of commercial products?
​
Think about that for a second, and when you're ready, we can move on.
- I know what I want!
Alright then! That is all fine and dandy, but I think we are getting ahead of ourselves.
Do you want to be an early adopter of cutting-edge modern technology or do you want to make it the old-fashioned way, like you may have seen on shows like Moonshiners?
So you want to use the bleeding edge of modern technology? Yes? Let's move on then.
What kind of price will I be looking at, you ask?
A smart, automated, micro air-cooled reflux continuous still will set you back $500 shipped.
- Holy s\**!*
Does that seem expensive to you? If so, you may want to re-think your options. But before that, think of it this way. That price pales in comparison to what you can spend on commercial products. For example, a quick search shows that $500 of alcohol is approximately 10 to 20 bottles of Jack Daniels depending on your country. Once you've finished that alcohol, that's it. You have to buy more. It ain't going to fill itself back up.
Now let's look at the still price again. $500.It's a once-off equipment price that you spend. From there on out you only pay for your ingredients, and you can make as much alcohol as you, your family, your friends, etc can ever think of drinking.
Okay, so after pondering that for a while and consulting the minister of finance, let's move on.
- Sorry, I don't want to spend that much!
Okay, so that's not for you.
-How about less technology and more work, is that less expensive?
Yes, It can be...
Do you want to make spirit that you can use as vodka, a base for gin, in mixes, or with essences designed to emulate commercial spirits, including whiskeys or brandy(a neutral spirit), or do you want to make traditional authentic whiskey/whisky/rum/etc (a flavored spirit)?
If you want to make a neutral spirit, your best bet is to go with a reflux still. We won't go into too much detail with the different types of stills as there is plenty of that around. We just want to work out whether or not you have the time and money to go the traditional route into this hobby.
If you want to make an authentic flavored spirit (whiskey/whisky/rum/etc) a pot still would be a good starting place.
So, have you decided what you want? Yes? Let's move on then.
- I want to make a neutral spirit!
Okay, so for making a neutral spirit, we want to go with a reflux still. This will make a neutral/flavorless spirit that you can mix with flavors. But don't get too ahead of yourself just yet.
If you don't have the skills to build your own, you will likely be looking at buying one. There are many online stores where you can get exactly what you want. They will be more than happy to recommend the best piece of equipment for your needs.
What kind of price will I be looking at, you ask? Going by some stores, a basic 2" reflux still and a boiler will set you back around ~$800 delivered.
- Double Holy s\**!*
Yes, sometimes new technology can do more for less money... but wait, if we go real old school the next option is a pot still.
Searching online you can find a small pot still for under $100, or you could DIY a keg still for under $150
.- That's more like it!
I thought it might be more appealing to you...What's the catch, you say?
Well, a pot still (and a reflux still to a lesser extent) needs a lot of manual mundane repetitive tasks and both need a lot of boring babysitting, watching it the whole time. Basically, block off a long weekend to run a decent haul. And half your garage...you need a lot of space to work in and you don’t want kids running around your still.
Also with a pot still you won't be able to make the quality neutral you would with a reflux or continuous still. That doesn't necessarily mean that you can't get close to a neutral spirit that could be used for flavoring, but if it was that simple, we would all be recommending the cheaper pot still.
A pot still is great for many recipes such as authentic bourbon, whisky, rum, etc. This essentially removes the need to purchase essences from your homebrew shop or mixes for your vodka.
- If I don't need to buy essences, then why would I even bother spending the money on a continuous still or even reflux still?
That's a good question. The reason people use a continuous still (or even reflux still) is because it is very easy to produce a product superior to what you can buy commercially (which was our original goal). Then you can use it as vodka, a base for gin, in mixes, or with essences designed to emulate commercial spirits, including whiskeys or brandy.
Making a simple, sugar wash, is almost failproof, running it through the continuous still is something anyone can manage. Much like reading instructions on the packet of 2-minute noodles.
If you want to make a rum/whisky/etc to run through a pot still, you will need to make a wash that requires experience, and a lot of extra work, whether that is adding grains to the fermenter, or even mashing the grains for a specific time and temperature, your risk of failure is significant when you have no experience.
We've covered the basic startup costs for each type of product so far.
The more expensive reflux still, the convenient continuous still, and the cheapest pot still. Now, that's not to say you can’t build a cheap reflux still (or find a used one for sale), but as a guide, that is what you are looking for in a nice quality still.
So, for argument's sake, you have a limit to spend on equipment and you have decided that you don't care, you're going to get a still no matter what.
-Okay. I've got my still decided. Do I get free alcohol now?
It doesn't quite work like that, sorry. Depending on the still you chose, you will need to make a wash to run through the still.
-Let me guess...more money?
Correct! You're learning fast. You will need a fermenter or a barrel that you can use to make your wash in. These pop up all the time on gumtree, eBay, etc or you might be able to pick one up for cheap (<$30) at your homebrew shop. Really it can be any size, but the bigger the better, you can always make half batches, but you cannot make more than what you have space for. HDPE 200L(55gal) barrels are cheap and handy.
-Easy enough...
Now, you can go to the homebrew shop and drop $10 on some turbo yeast, $10 on some sugar and go home and follow the directions, but chances are it won't be what you're looking for.
We like to use basic recipes that don't rely on a super-yeast that was designed for making fuel.
There are simple recipes such as a Tomato Paste Wash which can be made for <$10 and will make a nice neutral spirit when run through a continuous or reflux still.
-That sounds fine. I've read some recipes and know what I want. Now do I get that sweet nectar?
We're almost there. We've covered the basic costs of equipment and recipes, but we haven't covered the other cost. Time.
For starters, you need to ferment the wash. This can take anywhere from 3-14 days, or even longer, depending on the conditions you ferment in. We will keep that time range for now so you can get an idea of how long this whole process takes.
You've got your wash, it has fermented out, and you're reading to distill it! It's the big day! You're prepared to distill your first wash.
-What do I do now?
Well, this is where the cutting edge of modern technology starts making a big difference. With a smart, automated, micro air-cooled reflux continuous still, you just drop in the feed tube, drop your waste tube in a waste bucket, place your collection jars, and turn on the still, you can get this done in less than 5 minutes, then you come back later to collect a jar of your sweet nectar...That’s it! done! However...
With a pot or reflux still, to get that authentic traditional experience, set aside the whole day, and get a good book.
First, we need to siphon off the wash so you don’t put sediment in the boiler, once filled, get everything set up. This is the quickest part so far. If you are good, you can get this done in less than 15 minutes. After your condenser hoses are attached, the wash is in the boiler and the still is clamped on the keg, we can turn on our gas or electric element.
-Wooo! Finally!! Wait.. my condenser hoses?
For a pot or reflux still, you will need a water supply to cool the alcohol vapors as they come out of the still. This can either be your garden hose or a pump in a rainwater tank or container. Obviously, these are more costs that you need to factor in. A pump is good for recirculating water, but then you need to invest in a pump ($50) and you need a container to hold a large volume of water. ($50+). Or if you want, you can run it straight out the tap, but that can get wasteful.
Obviously an air-cooled continuous still does not need water, it uses the incoming wash for most of the cooling.
-Okay, that's easy enough. Now, back to the distilling. So, how long will it be? 30mins? An hour?
If only...We need to discuss a couple more things first.
Stripping runs and Spirit runs.
-Who and what?!
A stripping run is a process of stripping all the alcohol out of your wash to create "low wines". This process depends on the type of still you run but can take anywhere from 2-6 hours. Maybe more. Once you have stripped the wash, you put your "low wines" back into the still for the spirit run.
A spirit run is a process of making a good quality end product out of your low wines. This process also depends on the equipment and can take anywhere from 4-12 hours. When you are finished, you will have something that is drinkable, once diluted to a sane ABV%.
-Okay, so that is a lot longer than I thought. Can't I just do a spirit run and not strip it?
Yes, you can. But even in a reflux still, you might not get as good a spirit as you would from doing a stripping run first, but it is possible to do and you will save the time of doing multiple runs. This is something that relates back to the first couple of questions of whether you want something easy or something that will be of great quality.
Fortunately a continuous still solve this stripping/spirit run dilemma as it includes a stripping run section (“Analyzer”) and a spirit run section (“Rectifier”) all in one still so it can run from an un-cleared wash without a need for siphoning to a something that is of great quality, all in one go – so easy - no fuss.
-Well, for a pot or reflux still that is a long process. Can I just start it up before work and when I come home turn it off?
No, no, and no!
Pot and reflux stills are manual batch stills, you have a lot of ethanol all boiling at vapor temperature, and a failing water line or leak can quickly fill the room with enough ethanol vapor to reach an explosive level(LEL). The still is dumb and cannot watch itself. You must watch the still and be in eyesight range at all times. You need to routinely check your water flow and your distillate flow rate (a sudden drop may indicate a leak or lack of water) You need to be there if anything goes wrong, and you need to change over the collection jars when they get full. And you need to switch off before the boiler boils dry - so no drinking and passing out on the job!
The traditional tools of this hobby require full involvement. If you can't make the commitment to spend a day with your pot and reflux still, you might want to consider a smart, automated, micro air-cooled reflux continuous still, it is both intrinsically safe (only boils a tiny amount of ethanol at a time, the feed is the coolant so if the coolant stops then so does the feed) and is fully automated (it is smart and watches itself). You can even set the run time so it won’t overflow the collection jar when it gets full. So you can set it up, so you can run a 200-liter barrel and all you do is spend 2 minutes a day to take off almost 2 liters of 90% ABV each day for 10 days, and if you forget a day it will automatically stop itself before it overflows or runs dry.
-Alright. So I know what I want to use, the wash I want to make. Is there anything else this will cost me?
There are a few other things you will need.

1. An alcometer to measure your alcohol strength. *recommended
2. A hydrometer to measure your wash sugar content. *Optional
3. Privacy. You don't want everyone and their dog to know what you are doing! This is your little secret.
4. Time and patience. This isn't a hobby that happens overnight. There is a lot of reading and questioning. There is a lot of time that will be spent just waiting for the wash to finish, or the still to do its thing.

-Are we done yet?
Yes. If you have gotten to this point, and you have still decided that you want a still even after all the costs and time involved, then you are on your way to a great hobby. As I have said throughout the write-up, we have only just touched the surface of the distilling world. There is a library worth of information that you can read, and most likely will need to read to get on your way to a final product.
Read through the topics in the sidebar and posts to learn more about the types of stills and how they work, keeping in mind the prices involved in getting them set up.
We don't want to scare you off, because we love doing this, it is very rewarding to sit down after a long day, sip on something that you have put money and time into, and just think "I made this." The feeling doesn't get any better.
You get to make exactly what you want, how you want, and for a cheaper cost than the stores, it just takes time and a start-up investment. I would like to personally wish you luck with your decision and hope that you take as much pride in your product as we all do here. Remember, read, read, and read. Ask, ask, and ask some more. You will find everything you will need here and more. Don't be afraid to ask a question, but most of the "beginner" questions you might have will be found right here.

Introduction

I wanted to collate some information about people still missing from programs. Obviously, there are a lot of runners from programs - some don't get out of the door before being caught, and some keep their freedom until they're 18 and can make themselves known again. That said, there are a lot of people who go beyond runners - who have been missing for years, their image frozen at thirteen, with no news and few theories. These people deserve recognition.
I struggled with how to define the TTI here - lots of people are missing from group homes, which aren't necessarily TTI but sometimes operate with similar modes of coercion, control, repression, and restricted access to rights such as food and sleep. I have tried to be careful and not assign someone TTI when they weren't part of it, but I may have some inclusions or exclusions which you disagree with.

1970's

February 3 1973 (?): Sentenced to Synanon by court order, Rose Lena Cole was sixteen when her last known contact occurred - a postscript to a letter written the previous year noting that she'd finally found a stamp. Rose wasn't actually at Synanon when she went missing, having run away and written to her family telling them she couldn't write again until she turned 18 lest Synanon find her, capture her, and force her back against her will. Rose has never been heard from since, and is still classed as a runaway.

1980's

August 31st 1981: Patricia Lynn Taylor was fifteen when she went missing. Born in California, she'd gone at some point to North Dakota to live with relatives. At some point afterwards, she was taken to Oklahoma and put into the care of Oklahoma's Department of Human Services. First placed in the Oklahoma Baptist Home for Children, she was moved to the Tulsa Girls Group Home in July 1981. She went missing on the 31st August that year, and was classified as a runaway. Patricia's family continue to look for her.
March 23rd 1984: William Charles Cordes was a "troubled youth" who had spent time in Juvenile Hall and Oak Ridge House group home before being sent to the Children's Home Society in Auburn, California as punishment for stealing beer. He and two other boys escaped the group home to go to a party, after which 15 year old William has never been seen again. Although he was initially reported as missing, the report was swiftly cancelled and no investigation was made into his disappearance until years later.

1990's

January 16th 1993: John Christopher Inman was a 17 year old student of CEDU Running Springs when he went missing on January 16th 1993. John wasn't the healthiest - he needed meds to prevent seizures, he had a shunt in his skull, crowns on his teeth, and he needed glasses - and didn't have his seizure medication on him when he seemingly ran away.
June 26 1994: A year and a half later, Blake Wade Pursley went missing from the very same CEDU campus. Blake wasn't too healthy either - he'd been in an accident as a toddler that left him with a paralysed vocal chord, a life-threatening internal fungus, poor motor skills, and seizures, and he too required daily medication for said seizures. Blake had only been at CEDU since June 1st, and the circumstances of his disappearance are unclear - the school and authorities believed he'd voluntarily run away, while his family believe he was lured away or abducted. There have been sightings of Blake, but he has not been confirmedly seen since June 26 1994, when he was 14 years old.

2000's

February 8 2004: Another decade on, and another young man disappeared from CEDU High School - 16 year old Daniel Ted Yuen. He was at CEDU for only ten days before running, having been initially sent there following the recommendation of a psychiatrist following a bout of depression. On The Lost Kids podcast, Daniel's parents have stated they believe he is still alive - indeed, there have been recent alleged sightings of Daniel with a woman and baby.
February 15 2004: Thirteen year old Justin Phillip Harris has few confirmed details about him online - everything seems to be contradictory. His father stated he had no disabilities, while the staff at the R.L. Mills Home stated he required constant supervision and was unable to function without psychiatric medication. The R.L. Mills Home, closed in 2011, was a home for adolescent boys with emotional and behavioural problems, and it's from there that Justin vanished. Seemingly, he packed his bed with clothes to make it look like he was asleep in it and then ran away during the night - that said, his father believes that Justin was a victim of a crime, and that the R.L. Mills Home had covered it up. Justin has never been found.

2010's

December 4 2010: Forest Ferguson had attended Diamond Ranch Academy before he ended up at Carlbrook School, a CEDU spinoff which closed in 2015 and is discussed in depth in Stolen: a Memoir by Elizabeth Gilpin. Forest left campus at 7.30PM with some additional clothing, and has not been seen since. Forest's loved ones run a website dedicated to finding Forest and bringing him home.
May 5 2013: William "Billy" Fred Patient III had some problems - he was diagnosed as bipolar, he had substance abuse issues, and was swamped by grief over the death of his father in 2012. Billy was enrolled at The Academy, a residential centre for 'troubled teens', to try and treat his substance abuse problems and depression. He and a group of nine other boys went on an outing to Juno Beach, Florida - Billy was last seen floating in the ocean, his clothes and wallet on the sands. Naturally, one may assume the worst - that Billy drowned, either by accident or intentionally - however his mother believes he was alive for at least several months after his disappearance due to activity on his Facebook page, including messages being read. Billy's parents ended up being refunded by The Academy, as they had failed to provide what they had promised them.
January 21 2019: A resident of Spruce Street Inn, a residential program for " “street youth”, chronic runaways, and commercially sexually exploited children", Kaitlynn Munson went missing on January 21 2019. Kaitlynn simply left, with a couple of sightings shortly after her disappearance but none in the years since. Both of Kaitlynn's parents are dead, and Kaitlynn has severe developmental disabilities. 14 at the time, Kaitlynn is now 18.
February 3 2019: The youngest on this list, Serenity Dennard was only nine years old when she ran away from Black Hills Children's Home in February 2019. Serenity's life had been filled with trauma - removal from her birth parents, over a dozen foster placements, and a diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder. Her adoptive parents placed her in the private facility for a 14 month stay to work on her trauma, and Serenity had been at the home since July 2018. She had already run from the facility before, and so had been on run watch right up until February 3rd. Serenity's disappearance caused concern and outrage when it was revealed the facility took 41 minutes to call 911 following her disappearance, valuable time wasted.

Conclusion

There are many more than this. There are kids from group homes that seem to be TTI-inspired or to follow TTI protocols, but which I can't find definitive information about. There are kids who're written off as runaways and their information never makes it online. There are kids who no one knows about. Kids lost in the system. I can't name them all, but I offer my love and respect to those people. They deserved better.

Hi, i posted this on Agoraphobia aswell but i wondered what everyone else here also thought or had any advice.
For some background: i was diagnosed with agoraphobia a few years ago now, its had its moments where it was extremely severe and i couldnt go to the shop 2 mins walk from my house to get groceries. panic attacks every day, sick from stress 24/7, couldnt go to school etc. about a year in i was able to work towards exposure as i had got a job really close to my house, it was really hard but i was able to push through all the physical sensations. and then during that year i was able to travel abroad 3 times in one year! then i started university and as i was able to travel very far on my own (over an hour) with two trains, i thought i was healed!
But in january i relapsed back into it because i got sick, and since then i have only been able to go out for 'fun' a couple times (with someone and lots of safety items), but for the past 3 months ive practically been house bound. i couldnt travel with public transport, panic attacks and anxiety through the roof. my biggest fear isnt just that ill have a panic attack in public, its that ill have symptoms of being sick from acid reflux/stomach issues, stomach pain/chest pain/neasua/headaches in public are terrifying to me, and they WILL send me in to a panic attack.
but a couple of days ago, 2 of my closest friends picked me up from my house and we got on a bus to an open shopping center, i had a bag with me, bottle of water, propanlol(never used it in my life just brought it for relief), painkillers, and a banana incase i get hungry. these are all safety behaviours which i know are NOT advised. but i did it anyway and im glad i did, all though i only used the water. me and my friends were talking SO much that i didnt have time to panic, ofcourse i had the thoughts in my mind but it felt like i was on autopilot, i had alot of errands to run so i went to a few stores for returns and shopping. I was COMPLETELY fine! after a couple hours one of my friends had to leave and so me and my other friend got on 2 underground trains to get to a place an hour away from my home. before this i hadnt ventured further then 10 mins from my house, and thats including the hospital. (i had visitited the ER 7 times in 1 month prior to this) we got food at a restaurant (which i cant believe i was able to do!) and then we shared a frozen yoghurt (not a good idea for my acid reflux). we then sat on a bench in the park for like 2 hours and it was the best time, i couldnt believe i didnt have a panic attack, especially because the morning of i had one, and my stomach was in alot of pain so i set back the meet time. i had chest pains a couple times but i just ignored it, plus i was super tired and my body was aching because i wasnt used to walking around so much (have blisters now lol). i know that exposure therapy you have to do it alone, but i struggled with even going places with people i know, it didnt matter if i was with people id get panic attacks regardless. so im very proud of myself that i was able to get on public transport (one of my biggest issues).
now this is the problem, my cousin is coming from another country to visit for nearly a week. when i had 'healed' from my agoraphobia and i was in her country, i asked her when she was going to visit my city and that id show her around all the best places. and shes coming with her husband, TODAY!! i am aboslutely TERRIFIED because im still struggling with my stomach issues and chest pains (which have ongoing investigations). nobody knows about my panic attacks.
What do i do? do i tell her about my panic attacks? should i just show them around (mind you we'd have to get on many trains and buses) and just risk having a panic attack infront of my cousin and her husband who i havent seen since 2018? i have this new stomach pain above my belly button (when i press on it) and my health anxiety is skyrocketing. i made a huge step a couple days ago, but i feel like im about to regress. also, shes like 30, 10+ years older then me so i feel kinda awkward tellling her but we have a good relationship, whenever we see eachother its as if we are sisters. have any of you had experience in opening up to a relative about your MH issues?

For some background: i was diagnosed with agoraphobia a few years ago now, its had its moments where it was extremely severe and i couldnt go to the shop 2 mins walk from my house to get groceries. panic attacks every day, sick from stress 24/7, couldnt go to school etc. about a year in i was able to work towards exposure as i had got a job really close to my house, it was really hard but i was able to push through all the physical sensations. and then during that year i was able to travel abroad 3 times in one year! then i started university and as i was able to travel very far on my own (over an hour) with two trains, i thought i was healed!
But in january i relapsed back into it because i got sick, and since then i have only been able to go out for 'fun' a couple times (with someone and lots of safety items), but for the past 3 months ive practically been house bound. i couldnt travel with public transport, panic attacks and anxiety through the roof. my biggest fear isnt just that ill have a panic attack in public, its that ill have symptoms of being sick from acid reflux/stomach issues, stomach pain/chest pain/neasua/headaches in public are terrifying to me, and they WILL send me in to a panic attack.
but a couple of days ago, 2 of my closest friends picked me up from my house and we got on a bus to an open shopping center, i had a bag with me, bottle of water, propanlol(never used it in my life just brought it for relief), painkillers, and a banana incase i get hungry. these are all safety behaviours which i know are NOT advised. but i did it anyway and im glad i did, all though i only used the water. me and my friends were talking SO much that i didnt have time to panic, ofcourse i had the thoughts in my mind but it felt like i was on autopilot, i had alot of errands to run so i went to a few stores for returns and shopping. I was COMPLETELY fine! after a couple hours one of my friends had to leave and so me and my other friend got on 2 underground trains to get to a place an hour away from my home. before this i hadnt ventured further then 10 mins from my house, and thats including the hospital. (i had visitited the ER 7 times in 1 month prior to this) we got food at a restaurant (which i cant believe i was able to do!) and then we shared a frozen yoghurt (not a good idea for my acid reflux). we then sat on a bench in the park for like 2 hours and it was the best time, i couldnt believe i didnt have a panic attack, especially because the morning of i had one, and my stomach was in alot of pain so i set back the meet time. i had chest pains a couple times but i just ignored it, plus i was super tired and my body was aching because i wasnt used to walking around so much (have blisters now lol). i know that exposure therapy you have to do it alone, but i struggled with even going places with people i know, it didnt matter if i was with people id get panic attacks regardless. so im very proud of myself that i was able to get on public transport (one of my biggest issues).
now this is the problem, my cousin is coming from another country to visit for nearly a week. when i had 'healed' from my agoraphobia and i was in her country, i asked her when she was going to visit my city and that id show her around all the best places. and shes coming with her husband, TODAY!! i am aboslutely TERRIFIED because im still struggling with my stomach issues and chest pains (which have ongoing investigations). nobody knows about my panic attacks.
What do i do? do i tell her about my panic attacks? should i just show them around (mind you we'd have to get on many trains and buses) and just risk having a panic attack infront of my cousin and her husband who i havent seen since 2018? i have this new stomach pain above my belly button (when i press on it) and my health anxiety is skyrocketing. i made a huge step a couple days ago, but i feel like im about to regress.

PART SIXTY-FIVE
[Previous Part] [Beginning]
Whether it was a snow half-orc thing or because Felipe was the chief and in better control of himself, his rage, as he surged to the nearest tree and tore it to pieces, then ripped it out by its massive roots and beat it all into kindling (roaring the whole time), was the extent of his outpouring. Part of me felt sorry for the tree, but better it than us.
Tarq maintained a protective stance half a step ahead of me, tensing when Felipe began punching into the frozen soil, but within a minute or two, with both hands pressed into the ground, he leaned over the top of them and stilled.
In the past, half-orcs had been known to rage for hours … sometimes days, depending on the slight. When Felipe turned to us, his eyes were red with unshed tears. “Where is he?” he asked, his voice thick and gravelly.
“With the rest of my party, having his first meal. He’s scared, Felipe. We haven’t questioned him yet, except to learn his name is Shobi, and even that’s more a play on the slave designation they gave him. Snow-Half-Orc-Eight-One … and a few other numbers.”
Felipe frowned. “They’ve got more than half-orcs,” he said without hesitation.
I nodded in agreement. “I thought as much too. Why allocate the species in the brand unless you have others that are different?”
“Are you going to tell Gimweren?”
“I’ll let her know of the possibility. More to the point, you know your people better than I do. Should we let your troops know now or hold off in the hopes that they don’t locate the slave pits? How you were able to contain your rage just then was impressive, but neither place will be a good time to lose so many snow half-orcs to a war craze.”
Felipe looked away from me, palming his braid with both hands thoughtfully. “We get angry, but we don’t do the psychotic rage like our green-skinned cousins,” he said, which coincided with what I knew of the battle-grain debacle of the past. “And we are just settling in for the night. I’ll speak to the boy first, then talk to a small group of my people. Once they have accepted the situation, I’ll have them move out to notify the others. Hopefully, most, if not all of my people, will be apprised of the situation by morning.”
“Shobi is understandably very nervous. Do you need another few minutes to clear your head properly, or are you good to go?”
His lips pinched as he thought about it, then turned to a brand new tree and punched his fist dead centre through it up to his bicep. “Okay,” he declared after extracting his arm as if he were pulling it through water. “I’m good now.”
I dismantled the opaque sound-blister I had created around us and led him back to our area, showing him where the opening in our protection dome was. He paused at the human-sized entrance he and the other half-orcs could pass through. “You’re very scary, Emeron. You know that, right?”
“Sorry?”
He flicked a finger at the opening. “I had no idea this spell could be modified like this.”
To me, it wasn’t a modification. Not like the ones I was actively avoiding to side-step a potentially cataclysmic event like blending chain lightning and fireballs to create a firestorm. This was more like having a thousand troops in front of me and ordering nine hundred to turn left and use their shield to form a testudo, leaving the other one hundred as they were. I lifted my left shoulder, uttered a dismissive sound, and went inside.
Felipe followed, losing all interest in me and my magical ability as his eyes zeroed in on the boy tucked in behind the opening where no prying eyes would see him. Shobi had his head covered by a blanket, with another wrapped around his waist, still eating whatever rations my friends had found in my pack while I’d been away talking to Felipe. What stunned me was the sight of Milo chopping up my vegetables into fine cubes with the speed and grace of a professional chef. He caught me staring at him and lifted his knife just enough to point at Shobi.
I’m not entirely sure why I thought Milo couldn’t cook. Perhaps it was because the roles in his shire were so gender defined or because he’d never offered to before. But that skill with a blade didn’t come from butchering prey, and it was a story I made a mental note to ask him for as soon as I got the opportunity.
Felipe swivelled on his heel to face the boy and then dropped to his knees, his eyes taking in the gaunt features of a man-child who’d probably never had a real meal in his life. “Do you understand me?” he asked.
The boy’s eyes were so wide it would have been comical if it wasn’t so tragic as they took in every facet of the man kneeling before him before returning to his face and nodding silently.
“Do you speak?”
Shobi swallowed heavily and nodded again.
“Do you know who your parents are?”
Instead of answering, the boy reached out one hand and gingerly touched the leather bracer of Felipe’s armour. Felipe turned his hand, allowing the boy to trace his fingers across the seams and down onto his battle-hardened palms. “You fight,” he said, looking up at Felipe’s face.
“When I have to,” Felipe agreed. “And as of now, I will fight for you.”
The boy’s eyes immediately filled with tears. “I don’ wancha t’ die.”
It was more than the boy had ever said before, and I could already hear the differences in the dialogue. Shobi’s was more like the regular half-orc.
Felipe’s lips twitched into a forced smile. “I don’t plan on doing it anytime soon either, son. But those people who did this to you?” He lifted his hand to push back the blanket covering the boy’s head, and I watched the pain that danced across his face as the short hair, then the branding as the boy leaned forward, came into view. “I will end them all for this.” His tone had dropped to something I felt belonged on the other side of the gates of hell.
Shobi started to shudder. A little at first, but then more violently as Felipe’s words sank in. “No. No!” he insisted, his small frame shaking with determination. “Run. Flee! Hide! Free!” He gripped Felipe’s forearm, desperate to convey that message.
With his free hand, Felipe reached over his shoulder and drew one of his two swords, pointing it tip down and to the side where Shobi could see it. “We are not unarmed,” he said in his most assertive voice.
If anything, the sight of the sword made Shobi even more frantic. “NO!” he insisted, rising to his feet and pulling Felipe to his. “You not win! You not! Run! Run or we die!”
“My gun says we can,” I said, using their distraction to unsheathe my light weapon and hold it towards the roof of our dome with my finger nowhere near the trigger. I watched as Shobi’s eyes went wide with recognition, which confirmed what I’d thought. The Consitors also had light weapons. “That’s right, Shobi. We have them too.”
I saw his eyes drop to my gloved wrist and knew what he was looking for. “I am not one of them,” I promised. “And this is Chief Felipe. We’re here to free everyone, and we’re not leaving until we do.” It may not have been on my original agenda, but now that I knew about it, it was damn well up near the top of my to-do list, coming in just under the evisceration of the Consitor infiltrators. “And we have the numbers to do it. What we don’t have, is what you know. You escaped, Shobi. You got out. And now you need to tell us how you did that so we can use it to our advantage.”
“Emeron,” Felipe said, so softly I almost didn’t catch it.
“Yes?”
“I want my people to see Shobi as he is, but once that is done, would you please heal him?”
I looked between him and the boy. “I’m not sure what you’re asking,” I admitted. “He’s not in great health, but he’s not …”
“Could you heal his scalp and then grow his hair so that he never has to see himself like this again?”
I breathed out slowly. “Healing the burnt tissue is something any defence mage can do, however forcing one aspect of someone to age faster than normal, which is essentially what you’re asking me to do—that I’m not so sure of. I wouldn’t want to risk accidentally aging the boy as well.”
Felipe’s nose screwed up in annoyance. “Is that a light weapon?” he asked, finally noticing my gun.
“Yes,” I nodded. “And it is connected to me and me alone. If anyone else were to try and use it, they would die.”
“Yuh, yuh!” Shobi agreed, nodding emphatically. “They scream, fly apart and poof. Gone. Bad! Very bad!”
That was something I didn’t know, and Shobi was apparently speaking from experience. “When did you see it happen?”
Shobi’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Masters drop guns. Good vermins get food. Vermins who use them…”
I sheathed my gun while Felipe’s attention was on the boy, then snapped my fingers twice for both of their attention. “Vermins?” I tried very hard to keep the censure out of my tone, but the way Shobi’s head dipped low, I hadn’t been overly successful.
I watched Shobi patting himself on the chest while his other hand squeezed Felipe’s wrist. He then pointed out Milo, Thalien, Lanna and Tarq before he stopped and stared hard at Shay-Lee since our resident half-elf looked more human except for her slightly pointed ears.
“Her too,” I growled, for again, his twisted worldview confirmed much. Vermins? I would not show these Consitor dogs any mercy at all. The extent of my mercy went to how quickly that ship of theirs was destroyed. I saw Felipe’s jaw clench and knew we were of the same mind there.
“Alright,” I said, releasing the breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding. “This is how we’re going to proceed. Felipe, you bring up to speed only those who were at that first meeting in Tetorli. I’ll come with you and erect another opaque sound blister so their various reactions won’t be seen by others. Thalien, you and Lanna go to Gimweren and speak to those she had at that same meeting. We’ll reconvene here after that, and Shobi can tell us what we need to know about getting into Jinis Ridge.”
I waited just long enough for everyone to agree to my directions, then continued, “This will be the first time we’ll have information on what’s going on inside Jinis Ridge, but Shobi is young and clearly exhausted, so we won’t be pushing him too hard for details tonight. We’ll get what we can and pick it up again in the morning, but not before you and Gimweren spread the word that we’ll be camping an extra day here.”
“We’re only a day’s ride from Cerro Nexo,” Shay Lee quickly argued. “Why not ride there with him and have this discussion with the elves too?”
Thalien hummed in agreement, and in fairness, I could see the merits of their argument. Ironically, ten years ago, I’d have done just that and to hell with what the boy had endured. “Because I’m not about to force this young man back towards the one place he’s just killed himself to escape from. He got this far all by himself, and although I plan on winning this war, there will be casualties. He will NOT be amongst them. We’ll draw all the information we can from him, and then we’ll get him the hell out of here.”
I felt Shobi’s eyes on me, and when I turned, Felipe had his hand on the boy’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Is that what you wish? To be safe, far, far from here?” he asked. Shobi nodded so hard I thought his neck was going to snap. “Very well. I have fighters outside. Many men and women who will die to protect you. Once you’ve told us everything you can about your …err… where you were,” —like me, Felipe would rather gargle crushed glass than speak of the slave pits to Shobi— “They’ll take you far away, to our home in the south. Thousands of us are there. You’ve been so brave to come this far, and I promise you, with everything in me and our people, you’ll never be alone again.”
Tears welled in Shobi’s eyes, and without warning, he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Felipe’s neck, burying his face against his throat. Felipe tipped backwards under the unexpected impact, but Tarq’s reflexes had him standing behind the snow half-orc chief, supporting Felipe’s back with his legs.
The second blanket fell away at the sudden movement, reminding me he was dressed only in a leather loincloth. Felipe closed his eyes and angled his head against Shobi’s, curling his arms around the younger man’s trembling body. Now and again, his hand would travel up to Shobi’s back to cup his shaved head, only to change direction before coming into contact with the brand.
I stared at Felipe’s clothing, knowing there weren’t any class distinctions between him and what his people wore, and commanded the dust dots to create an exact copy of it in Shobi’s size. Truthfully, I should’ve done this before, but better late than never. Included in that order were the boots and whatever passed for snow half-orc underwear. Yes, it would mean every nick, tear and stain in the chief’s clothes would be replicated in the smaller size, but better that than botching something more fundamental.
The dust dots whirled, creating something from nothing until they had everything piled neatly on my outstretched hand. Except for the boots on top, the dots had even gone to the trouble of putting it in the order that it would be donned.
Poor Shobi had never worn clothes, and as soon as Felipe pulled each piece into place, the boy tugged and picked at the hems and seams. He was delighted to be rid of the loincloth, though. That he threw straight into the fire.
I tried very hard not to react to something like that and our food being within the same proximity. At least it had been cleaned, thanks to Lanna; otherwise, we’d probably all be gagging on the stench that would quickly follow.
The boots were the most challenging thing for him to adapt to. His ankles rolled with each step, and sheer pride kept him upright. “They pinch my toes,” he complained to Felipe, his new hero.
“Your toes have spread from not wearing shoes. Even now, look,” the big man explained, putting his booted foot down beside Shobi’s. “Yours are wider in the toe than mine because those boots were made specifically for you. They fit fine.”
Shobi squinted, realising his were at least an inch wider, despite the rest of the boot being two-thirds of Felipe’s. Shobi’s feet were more like that of a regular half-orc, probably for the same reason.
When Felipe and I went to leave to speak to the other snow half-orcs, Shobi clung to Felipe’s hand and all but wrapped himself around the chief’s arm. Nothing either of us said could convince him to let go.
“My people will not be happy to learn you have been treated like an animal,” Felipe tried to explain for the hundredth time. “I don’t want them to frighten you when they start throwing things to vent their anger.”
“You be here?” Shobi asked, somehow interlocking their fingers even as he pointed to where Chief Felipe stood.
“Of course.”
“I hide behind you.”
Felipe snorted, and I had to smirk as well. That wasn’t precisely what Felipe had meant, but it seemed Shobi had chosen himself a champion. “Nothing untoward will ever touch you again as long as I breathe, boy. Count on that.”
Shobi pressed his forehead into Felipe’s upper bicep, and Felipe’s jaw tensed as our eyes met, both of us silently wishing we could purge all that had happened to the youngster. It didn’t take a genius to realise it would take magic and a crowbar to separate them, either.
“Okay,” I said, coming up with a new plan on the fly. I hid my hand inside my jacket and had the dust dots craft me a quilted coif in Shobi’s size, having it appear in my hidden hand. From there, I went over to the boy and slid it over his head to hide his brand, and when his head lifted to see what I was doing, I tied the strings under his chin. “Leave that on,” I said as he went to touch the fabric. My eyes then went to Felipe. “Once those at this meeting have seen the brand, Thalien and Milo will remove the boy and repair his scalp. Time will grow his hair out, but at least he won’t have that brand beyond tonight.”
I put my hand on Shobi’s cheek and guided his face to look at me. “Have you ever seen a half-orc in a rage? When they get really, really mad?” I didn’t care how much he clung to Felipe. If this were all too new for him and the sight of his own people raging frightened him, I’d have Harmony put the boy to sleep for a few minutes while we were away.
Shobi nodded. “Sportsday.”
I really didn’t want to know what he meant by that. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay here with Harmony and Liab?”
Shobi looked past me to where Harmony and her familiar sat, watching. I took the tightening grip on Felipe’s arm to mean ‘No’.
“Alright then,” I said, waving them both towards the opening. “Let’s do this.”
The snow half-orcs reacted as well as I expected, but an hour later, I had fifteen of one race and sixteen of the other sitting inside our dome. The line of myself and my friends with our backs to our fire was no different to that night in Tetorli, though this time, Felipe sat directly across from me instead of on my right. Shobi sat on his feet, his shins flush to the ground and his weight leaning sideways against Felipe. More interestingly, Felipe had draped his braid across Shobi’s shoulders with the weighted end pooled possessively in the boy’s lap. The way Shobi’s other hand caressed the braid and smiled shyly at those around him, he was nervous, but Felipe’s presence made him feel safe.
I couldn’t help but look to my left where Tarq stood, knowing that feeling very well.
“Let us see it,” Gimweren commanded, flicking her finger at the youngster.
“Do not bark orders at him, Overseer,” Felipe warned. “It is only through his bravery that you are now aware that they could very well have the young of your kind in there as slaves too.”
“They do,” Shobi answered, looking up at his hero. “They have all vermins.”
Gimweren met Felipe’s eyes, but then she drew in a deep breath and held it for several seconds before dipping her head in a silent nod. I noticed several of the warriors on both sides had dragged their hands through the frozen ground to control their tempers, partially due to the boy’s presence but also because they were under my roof, which was where they wanted to stay. “Alright, lad. When you’re ready, please take off the coif and twist around so we can see what those animals did to you.”
Even though I’d seen it before, looking at the seared flesh and burnt bone, my stomach roiled, and no less than three dwarves rose to their feet. “Boy,” they all shouted at once. If it weren’t for the concern in their eyes, I would’ve ordered them back to their seats.
“Shobi,” Felipe corrected.
“Shobi,” the dwarf closest to me repeated while the other two retook their seats in deference to him. “Would you allow me to fix that for you right now? I’m Overseer Gimweren’s personal defence mage. Do you know what that is?”
Shobi leaned harder against Felipe and shook his head.
“Among other things, I’m a magical healer, and I’m begging you to let me take that scar away. Please?”
Shobi looked at me, and when I rolled my hand to give him the choice, he looked up at Felipe. “They won’t hurt you, son,” he promised.
The son part was new.
“I’m assuming no one needs to see it again?” the male defence mage ran his eye along both sides, almost daring anyone to argue with him. Unsurprisingly, no one did. The dwarf then moved to stand directly in front of Shobi and knelt in front of him.
We all waited while the defence mage completed the sequence that would make the dust dots repair the physical damage. It only took a minute. “There,” he said with a smile, reaching forward to touch the back of Shobi’s head. I couldn’t see Shobi’s reaction since the dwarf stood between us, but I could picture it, especially when the defence mage continued on. “The snow half-orcs have always looked after their own, but you have my vow now to add to that. Anyone who comes at you must go through me first.”
“AYE!” “Hear, hear!” the line of dwarves cried in unison. Even Gimweren added her shout to the cry.
I looked back at my friends and saw Harmony and Lanna clasping their hands to their chests, both fighting the tears that banked in their eyes, and I could appreciate the sentiment. The boy had won the respect and loyalty of not one army but two.
For the next hour, Shobi told us in his limited dialect about his life in the slave pits of Jinis Ridge. Many of his explanations required physical prompting when words failed him, but no one spoke to contradict or interrupt him. If he was to be believed, he wasn’t a captured prisoner turned slave like I thought. He’d been born in the pits from parents who’d been brought together for the specific purpose of breeding.
And as I listened to his tale, I thought about our own slave trade and realised his story probably wasn’t that different to so many others. The palace didn’t have slaves; only a few of the capital’s population kept them, but they weren’t outlawed.
In fact, people in certain provinces made good coin peddling in flesh. I myself had parted with a significant sum of money to buy Harmony’s freedom when she’d been taken, and I hadn’t thought to ask myself why I had even allowed it to happen in the first place. The slaves were former citizens whose citizenship was stripped from them by others who were only citizens themselves. A collar and a brand were all that separated an imperial citizen and a slave, and we had allowed that to happen.
No … I had allowed that to happen.
It was a startling wake-up call to realise the only difference between the two types of slavers was their place of origin. That if the Consitors were Imperials, we wouldn’t be so up in arms about them enslaving people.
I glanced at where Felipe sat protectively at Shobi’s side and knew I had to amend that. The snow half-orcs were the exception. No one had ever taken a snow half-orc as a slave before that I knew of.
I felt a hand on each of my shoulders and knew without looking that one belonged to Harmony and the other to Milo. Tarq always knew what I was thinking, but those two had the uncanny knack of knowing instinctively what I was feeling, and right then, it wasn’t good. I hadn’t protected all of my people—only some of them.
When this was all over, I knew I’d be discussing this at length with Roald, and I wouldn’t stop until he agreed to make a proclamation outlawing slavery within our borders. Some livelihoods would suffer, but on the whole, we didn’t need slaves. They were simply convenient. Buying someone outright instead of paying a daily wage was easier.
Depending on how wound up I got, I might even push for a total ban on slaves within the empire, including any overseas visitors.
Leave them home, or watch them be taken from you and freed.
I liked the sound of that.
Perhaps I was getting too emotionally invested, but what was the point of being the Emperor’s Shadow if I couldn’t do what should’ve already been done to safeguard not just the majority of my people but each and every imperial citizen? Slaves, before they were enslaved, would have paid their taxes too, which should have given them certain protections, and I had seriously fallen down on the job there.
Not anymore.
* * * ((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗 )) For more of my work including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here. FULL INDEX OF WE PLAN, GODS LAUGH TO DATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!!

PART SIXTY-FIVE
[Previous Part] [Beginning]
Whether it was a snow half-orc thing or because Felipe was the chief and in better control of himself, his rage, as he surged to the nearest tree and tore it to pieces, then ripped it out by its massive roots and beat it all into kindling (roaring the whole time), was the extent of his outpouring. Part of me felt sorry for the tree, but better it than us.
Tarq maintained a protective stance half a step ahead of me, tensing when Felipe began punching into the frozen soil, but within a minute or two, with both hands pressed into the ground, he leaned over the top of them and stilled.
In the past, half-orcs had been known to rage for hours … sometimes days, depending on the slight. When Felipe turned to us, his eyes were red with unshed tears. “Where is he?” he asked, his voice thick and gravelly.
“With the rest of my party, having his first meal. He’s scared, Felipe. We haven’t questioned him yet, except to learn his name is Shobi, and even that’s more a play on the slave designation they gave him. Snow-Half-Orc-Eight-One … and a few other numbers.”
Felipe frowned. “They’ve got more than half-orcs,” he said without hesitation.
I nodded in agreement. “I thought as much too. Why allocate the species in the brand unless you have others that are different?”
“Are you going to tell Gimweren?”
“I’ll let her know of the possibility. More to the point, you know your people better than I do. Should we let your troops know now or hold off in the hopes that they don’t locate the slave pits? How you were able to contain your rage just then was impressive, but neither place will be a good time to lose so many snow half-orcs to a war craze.”
Felipe looked away from me, palming his braid with both hands thoughtfully. “We get angry, but we don’t do the psychotic rage like our green-skinned cousins,” he said, which coincided with what I knew of the battle-grain debacle of the past. “And we are just settling in for the night. I’ll speak to the boy first, then talk to a small group of my people. Once they have accepted the situation, I’ll have them move out to notify the others. Hopefully, most, if not all of my people, will be apprised of the situation by morning.”
“Shobi is understandably very nervous. Do you need another few minutes to clear your head properly, or are you good to go?”
His lips pinched as he thought about it, then turned to a brand new tree and punched his fist dead centre through it up to his bicep. “Okay,” he declared after extracting his arm as if he were pulling it through water. “I’m good now.”
I dismantled the opaque sound-blister I had created around us and led him back to our area, showing him where the opening in our protection dome was. He paused at the human-sized entrance he and the other half-orcs could pass through. “You’re very scary, Emeron. You know that, right?”
“Sorry?”
He flicked a finger at the opening. “I had no idea this spell could be modified like this.”
To me, it wasn’t a modification. Not like the ones I was actively avoiding to side-step a potentially cataclysmic event like blending chain lightning and fireballs to create a firestorm. This was more like having a thousand troops in front of me and ordering nine hundred to turn left and use their shield to form a testudo, leaving the other one hundred as they were. I lifted my left shoulder, uttered a dismissive sound, and went inside.
Felipe followed, losing all interest in me and my magical ability as his eyes zeroed in on the boy tucked in behind the opening where no prying eyes would see him. Shobi had his head covered by a blanket, with another wrapped around his waist, still eating whatever rations my friends had found in my pack while I’d been away talking to Felipe. What stunned me was the sight of Milo chopping up my vegetables into fine cubes with the speed and grace of a professional chef. He caught me staring at him and lifted his knife just enough to point at Shobi.
I’m not entirely sure why I thought Milo couldn’t cook. Perhaps it was because the roles in his shire were so gender defined or because he’d never offered to before. But that skill with a blade didn’t come from butchering prey, and it was a story I made a mental note to ask him for as soon as I got the opportunity.
Felipe swivelled on his heel to face the boy and then dropped to his knees, his eyes taking in the gaunt features of a man-child who’d probably never had a real meal in his life. “Do you understand me?” he asked.
The boy’s eyes were so wide it would have been comical if it wasn’t so tragic as they took in every facet of the man kneeling before him before returning to his face and nodding silently.
“Do you speak?”
Shobi swallowed heavily and nodded again.
“Do you know who your parents are?”
Instead of answering, the boy reached out one hand and gingerly touched the leather bracer of Felipe’s armour. Felipe turned his hand, allowing the boy to trace his fingers across the seams and down onto his battle-hardened palms. “You fight,” he said, looking up at Felipe’s face.
“When I have to,” Felipe agreed. “And as of now, I will fight for you.”
The boy’s eyes immediately filled with tears. “I don’ wancha t’ die.”
It was more than the boy had ever said before, and I could already hear the differences in the dialogue. Shobi’s was more like the regular half-orc.
Felipe’s lips twitched into a forced smile. “I don’t plan on doing it anytime soon either, son. But those people who did this to you?” He lifted his hand to push back the blanket covering the boy’s head, and I watched the pain that danced across his face as the short hair, then the branding as the boy leaned forward, came into view. “I will end them all for this.” His tone had dropped to something I felt belonged on the other side of the gates of hell.
Shobi started to shudder. A little at first, but then more violently as Felipe’s words sank in. “No. No!” he insisted, his small frame shaking with determination. “Run. Flee! Hide! Free!” He gripped Felipe’s forearm, desperate to convey that message.
With his free hand, Felipe reached over his shoulder and drew one of his two swords, pointing it tip down and to the side where Shobi could see it. “We are not unarmed,” he said in his most assertive voice.
If anything, the sight of the sword made Shobi even more frantic. “NO!” he insisted, rising to his feet and pulling Felipe to his. “You not win! You not! Run! Run or we die!”
“My gun says we can,” I said, using their distraction to unsheathe my light weapon and hold it towards the roof of our dome with my finger nowhere near the trigger. I watched as Shobi’s eyes went wide with recognition, which confirmed what I’d thought. The Consitors also had light weapons. “That’s right, Shobi. We have them too.”
I saw his eyes drop to my gloved wrist and knew what he was looking for. “I am not one of them,” I promised. “And this is Chief Felipe. We’re here to free everyone, and we’re not leaving until we do.” It may not have been on my original agenda, but now that I knew about it, it was damn well up near the top of my to-do list, coming in just under the evisceration of the Consitor infiltrators. “And we have the numbers to do it. What we don’t have, is what you know. You escaped, Shobi. You got out. And now you need to tell us how you did that so we can use it to our advantage.”
“Emeron,” Felipe said, so softly I almost didn’t catch it.
“Yes?”
“I want my people to see Shobi as he is, but once that is done, would you please heal him?”
I looked between him and the boy. “I’m not sure what you’re asking,” I admitted. “He’s not in great health, but he’s not …”
“Could you heal his scalp and then grow his hair so that he never has to see himself like this again?”
I breathed out slowly. “Healing the burnt tissue is something any defence mage can do, however forcing one aspect of someone to age faster than normal, which is essentially what you’re asking me to do—that I’m not so sure of. I wouldn’t want to risk accidentally aging the boy as well.”
Felipe’s nose screwed up in annoyance. “Is that a light weapon?” he asked, finally noticing my gun.
“Yes,” I nodded. “And it is connected to me and me alone. If anyone else were to try and use it, they would die.”
“Yuh, yuh!” Shobi agreed, nodding emphatically. “They scream, fly apart and poof. Gone. Bad! Very bad!”
That was something I didn’t know, and Shobi was apparently speaking from experience. “When did you see it happen?”
Shobi’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Masters drop guns. Good Vermins get food. Vermins who use them…”
I sheathed my gun while Felipe’s attention was on the boy, then snapped my fingers twice for both of their attention. “Vermins?” I tried very hard to keep the censure out of my tone, but the way Shobi’s head dipped low, I hadn’t been overly successful.
I watched Shobi patting himself on the chest while his other hand squeezed Felipe’s wrist. He then pointed out Milo, Thalien, Lanna and Tarq before he stopped and stared hard at Shay-Lee since our resident half-elf looked more human except for her slightly pointed ears.
“Her too,” I growled, for again, his twisted worldview confirmed much. Vermins? I would not show these Consitor dogs any mercy at all. The extent of my mercy went to how quickly that ship of theirs was destroyed. I saw Felipe’s jaw clench and knew we were of the same mind there.
“Alright,” I said, releasing the breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding. “This is how we’re going to proceed. Felipe, you bring up to speed only those who were at that first meeting in Tetorli. I’ll come with you and erect another opaque sound blister so their various reactions won’t be seen by others. Thalien, you and Lanna go to Gimweren and speak to those she had at that same meeting. We’ll reconvene here after that, and Shobi can tell us what we need to know about getting into Jinis Ridge.”
I waited just long enough for everyone to agree to my directions, then continued, “This will be the first time we’ll have information on what’s going on inside Jinis Ridge, but Shobi is young and clearly exhausted, so we won’t be pushing him too hard for details tonight. We’ll get what we can and pick it up again in the morning, but not before you and Gimweren spread the word that we’ll be camping an extra day here.”
“We’re only a day’s ride from Cerro Nexo,” Shay Lee quickly argued. “Why not ride there with him and have this discussion with the elves too?”
Thalien hummed in agreement, and in fairness, I could see the merits of their argument. Ironically, ten years ago, I’d have done just that and to hell with what the boy had endured. “Because I’m not about to force this young man back towards the one place he’s just killed himself to escape from. He got this far all by himself, and although I plan on winning this war, there will be casualties. He will NOT be amongst them. We’ll draw all the information we can from him, and then we’ll get him the hell out of here.”
I felt Shobi’s eyes on me, and when I turned, Felipe had his hand on the boy’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Is that what you wish? To be safe, far, far from here?” he asked. Shobi nodded so hard I thought his neck was going to snap. “Very well. I have fighters outside. Many men and women who will die to protect you. Once you’ve told us everything you can about your …err… where you were,” —like me, Felipe would rather gargle crushed glass than speak of the slave pits to Shobi— “They’ll take you far away, to our home in the south. Thousands of us are there. You’ve been so brave to come this far, and I promise you, with everything in me and our people, you’ll never be alone again.”
Tears welled in Shobi’s eyes, and without warning, he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Felipe’s neck, burying his face against his throat. Felipe tipped backwards under the unexpected impact, but Tarq’s reflexes had him standing behind the snow half-orc chief, supporting Felipe’s back with his legs.
The second blanket fell away at the sudden movement, reminding me he was dressed only in a leather loincloth. Felipe closed his eyes and angled his head against Shobi’s, curling his arms around the younger man’s trembling body. Now and again, his hand would travel up to Shobi’s back to cup his shaved head, only to change direction before coming into contact with the brand.
I stared at Felipe’s clothing, knowing there weren’t any class distinctions between him and what his people wore, and commanded the dust dots to create an exact copy of it in Shobi’s size. Truthfully, I should’ve done this before, but better late than never. Included in that order were the boots and whatever passed for snow half-orc underwear. Yes, it would mean every nick, tear and stain in the chief’s clothes would be replicated in the smaller size, but better that than botching something more fundamental.
The dust dots whirled, creating something from nothing until they had everything piled neatly on my outstretched hand. Except for the boots on top, the dots had even gone to the trouble of putting it in the order that it would be donned.
Poor Shobi had never worn clothes, and as soon as Felipe pulled each piece into place, the boy tugged and picked at the hems and seams. He was delighted to be rid of the loincloth, though. That he threw straight into the fire.
I tried very hard not to react to something like that and our food being within the same proximity. At least it had been cleaned, thanks to Lanna; otherwise, we’d probably all be gagging on the stench that would quickly follow.
The boots were the most challenging thing for him to adapt to. His ankles rolled with each step, and sheer pride kept him upright. “They pinch my toes,” he complained to Felipe, his new hero.
“Your toes have spread from not wearing shoes. Even now, look,” the big man explained, putting his booted foot down beside Shobi’s. “Yours are wider in the toe than mine because those boots were made specifically for you. They fit fine.”
Shobi squinted, realising his were at least an inch wider, despite the rest of the boot being two-thirds of Felipe’s. Shobi’s feet were more like that of a regular half-orc, probably for the same reason.
When Felipe and I went to leave to speak to the other snow half-orcs, Shobi clung to Felipe’s hand and all but wrapped himself around the chief’s arm. Nothing either of us said could convince him to let go.
“My people will not be happy to learn you have been treated like an animal,” Felipe tried to explain for the hundredth time. “I don’t want them to frighten you when they start throwing things to vent their anger.”
“You be here?” Shobi asked, somehow interlocking their fingers even as he pointed to where Chief Felipe stood.
“Of course.”
“I hide behind you.”
Felipe snorted, and I had to smirk as well. That wasn’t precisely what Felipe had meant, but it seemed Shobi had chosen himself a champion. “Nothing untoward will ever touch you again as long as I breathe, boy. Count on that.”
Shobi pressed his forehead into Felipe’s upper bicep, and Felipe’s jaw tensed as our eyes met, both of us silently wishing we could purge all that had happened to the youngster. It didn’t take a genius to realise it would take magic and a crowbar to separate them, either.
“Okay,” I said, coming up with a new plan on the fly. I hid my hand inside my jacket and had the dust dots craft me a quilted coif in Shobi’s size, having it appear in my hidden hand. From there, I went over to the boy and slid it over his head to hide his brand, and when his head lifted to see what I was doing, I tied the strings under his chin. “Leave that on,” I said as he went to touch the fabric. My eyes then went to Felipe. “Once those at this meeting have seen the brand, Thalien and Milo will remove the boy and repair his scalp. Time will grow his hair out, but at least he won’t have that brand beyond tonight.”
I put my hand on Shobi’s cheek and guided his face to look at me. “Have you ever seen a half-orc in a rage? When they get really, really mad?” I didn’t care how much he clung to Felipe. If this were all too new for him and the sight of his own people raging frightened him, I’d have Harmony put the boy to sleep for a few minutes while we were away.
Shobi nodded. “Sportsday.”
I really didn’t want to know what he meant by that. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay here with Harmony and Liab?”
Shobi looked past me to where Harmony and her familiar sat, watching. I took the tightening grip on Felipe’s arm to mean ‘No’.
“Alright then,” I said, waving them both towards the opening. “Let’s do this.”
The snow half-orcs reacted as well as I expected, but an hour later, I had fifteen of one race and sixteen of the other sitting inside our dome. The line of myself and my friends with our backs to our fire was no different to that night in Tetorli, though this time, Felipe sat directly across from me instead of on my right. Shobi sat on his feet, his shins flush to the ground and his weight leaning sideways against Felipe. More interestingly, Felipe had draped his braid across Shobi’s shoulders with the weighted end pooled possessively in the boy’s lap. The way Shobi’s other hand caressed the braid and smiled shyly at those around him, he was nervous, but Felipe’s presence made him feel safe.
I couldn’t help but look to my left where Tarq stood, knowing that feeling very well.
“Let us see it,” Gimweren commanded, flicking her finger at the youngster.
“Do not bark orders at him, Overseer,” Felipe warned. “It is only through his bravery that you are now aware that they could very well have the young of your kind in there as slaves too.”
“They do,” Shobi answered, looking up at his hero. “They have all vermins.”
Gimweren met Felipe’s eyes, but then she drew in a deep breath and held it for several seconds before dipping her head in a silent nod. I noticed several of the warriors on both sides had dragged their hands through the frozen ground to control their tempers, partially due to the boy’s presence but also because they were under my roof, which was where they wanted to stay. “Alright, lad. When you’re ready, please take off the coif and twist around so we can see what those animals did to you.”
Even though I’d seen it before, looking at the seared flesh and burnt bone, my stomach roiled, and no less than three dwarves rose to their feet. “Boy,” they all shouted at once. If it weren’t for the concern in their eyes, I would’ve ordered them back to their seats.
“Shobi,” Felipe corrected.
“Shobi,” the dwarf closest to me repeated while the other two retook their seats in deference to him. “Would you allow me to fix that for you right now? I’m Overseer Gimweren’s personal defence mage. Do you know what that is?”
Shobi leaned harder against Felipe and shook his head.
“Among other things, I’m a magical healer, and I’m begging you to let me take that scar away. Please?”
Shobi looked at me, and when I rolled my hand to give him the choice, he looked up at Felipe. “They won’t hurt you, son,” he promised.
The son part was new.
“I’m assuming no one needs to see it again?” the male defence mage ran his eye along both sides, almost daring anyone to argue with him. Unsurprisingly, no one did. The dwarf then moved to stand directly in front of Shobi and knelt in front of him.
We all waited while the defence mage completed the sequence that would make the dust dots repair the physical damage. It only took a minute. “There,” he said with a smile, reaching forward to touch the back of Shobi’s head. I couldn’t see Shobi’s reaction since the dwarf stood between us, but I could picture it, especially when the defence mage continued on. “The snow half-orcs have always looked after their own, but you have my vow now to add to that. Anyone who comes at you must go through me first.”
“AYE!” “Hear, hear!” the line of dwarves cried in unison. Even Gimweren added her shout to the cry.
I looked back at my friends and saw Harmony and Lanna clasping their hands to their chests, both fighting the tears that banked in their eyes, and I could appreciate the sentiment. The boy had won the respect and loyalty of not one army but two.
For the next hour, Shobi told us in his limited dialect about his life in the slave pits of Jinis Ridge. Many of his explanations required physical prompting when words failed him, but no one spoke to contradict or interrupt him. If he was to be believed, he wasn’t a captured prisoner turned slave like I thought. He’d been born in the pits from parents who’d been brought together for the specific purpose of breeding.
And as I listened to his tale, I thought about our own slave trade and realised his story probably wasn’t that different to so many others. The palace didn’t have slaves; only a few of the capital’s population kept them, but they weren’t outlawed.
In fact, people in certain provinces made good coin peddling in flesh. I myself had parted with a significant sum of money to buy Harmony’s freedom when she’d been taken, and I hadn’t thought to ask myself why I had even allowed it to happen in the first place. The slaves were former citizens whose citizenship was stripped from them by others who were only citizens themselves. A collar and a brand were all that separated an imperial citizen and a slave, and we had allowed that to happen.
No … I had allowed that to happen.
It was a startling wake-up call to realise the only difference between the two types of slavers was their place of origin. That if the Consitors were Imperials, we wouldn’t be so up in arms about them enslaving people.
I glanced at where Felipe sat protectively at Shobi’s side and knew I had to amend that. The snow half-orcs were the exception. No one had ever taken a snow half-orc as a slave before that I knew of.
I felt a hand on each of my shoulders and knew without looking that one belonged to Harmony and the other to Milo. Tarq always knew what I was thinking, but those two had the uncanny knack of knowing instinctively what I was feeling, and right then, it wasn’t good. I hadn’t protected all of my people—only some of them.
When this was all over, I knew I’d be discussing this at length with Roald, and I wouldn’t stop until he agreed to make a proclamation outlawing slavery within our borders. Some livelihoods would suffer, but on the whole, we didn’t need slaves. They were simply convenient. Buying someone outright instead of paying a daily wage was easier.
Depending on how wound up I got, I might even push for a total ban on slaves within the empire, including any overseas visitors.
Leave them home, or watch them be taken from you and freed.
I liked the sound of that.
Perhaps I was getting too emotionally invested, but what was the point of being the Emperor’s Shadow if I couldn’t do what should’ve already been done to safeguard not just the majority of my people but each and every imperial citizen? Slaves, before they were enslaved, would have paid their taxes too, which should have given them certain protections, and I had seriously fallen down on the job there.
Not anymore.
* * *
((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗 ))
For more of my work including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here.
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i (19 f) have struggled a bit with my mental health ever since i was severely cyberbullied in 6th grade. after that, other minor bullying continued throughout the rest of my school years, but my junior year it really messed me up. a friend of mine started showing toxic behavior in our friendship and i basically thought it would be best to call off the friendship. long story short, she started completely bullying me for literally just ending the friendship. this happened all the way from the last couple months of junior year til like senior graduation. so during the past couple years of the bullying by my ex friend, i noticed i had gotten major anxiety. was already fairly insecure but this completely ruined my view of myself, seeing as she would make fun of my appearance. so i don't know if it's because i was her friend before and she would compliment me on things that turned to things she bullied me for or what but my anxiety and mental health was so bad. i would just go home everyday and cry and then sleep until my parents woke me up for dinner. i had no motivation to do anything else. so fast forward to now, i have my moments where i am insecure with how i look, but what has gotten bad is how insecure i am at work. i started at my retail job a few months after i graduated. at work i noticed that when i have more anxiety (which is a lot of the time), i tend to make silly mistakes or i will end up forgetting things i should know, but i end up needing to like triple check because i don't wanna mess up. even at home like baking frozen pizza i now have to make sure and double check with my parents that i am doing it right. i have never been so unsure of my abilities until my anxiety got bad. i wanna be able to do things right without second guessing. i know everyone makes mistakes, but if this is from my anxiety i want to know how to manage it so i can be a better and more confident worker. any advice?

Link to part 2
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/13qcl3m/the_big_rock_candy_mountain_book_2_finding/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Well, this is going to be a little different.
First thing I want to say is that Kev will be back. I’m not the type to sugar coat things, he’s in a pretty sorry state, but he’s going to pull through. He’s a tough bastard.
In case you haven’t clued in yet, it’s Mike, I might not be as much of a wordsmith as Kev but I think I can keep your interest.
She was about five foot four, pale greasy skin and pitch colored hair that was just about to cross the double line from shiny into gross. Early thirties I’d guess, but with the strange shit Kev and I have gotten ourselves into she could be a million, or put together yesterday for all I know.
She was a “ Shame Monger” which was as esoteric of a job title as it sounds, and the first context me and my little buddy had on our current assignment.
The place we’re in is an old, decrepit arcade, I’m surrounded by shadowy figures sticking to the dark recesses like insects.
Kev is somewhere deep within the place sticking his neck out with God knows what ( I mean, I do as well, but I’ll let Kevin relay shit when he’s up to it.), and I’m making small talk.
“You human? “ I say, she’s not offended but raises an eyebrow.
“Are you? “ She has an edge to her, human or not, she’s seen some shit.
I laugh, running a hand over the branded lines mimicking clown patterns Art left me with after that stay in his gulag.
“Sometimes I forget about the braille.
Yeah, %100 sadly. “ I lean on the counter as I speak.
“Me too, you haven’t been working with the watchers long, have you? “ She sounds concerned, “ I’d suggest finding a new job. They have a bit of a reputation. “
“Long enough. “ I’m wary now, information is a resource I’m not willing to part with easily.
I don’t think she’s wrong, mind you, every day I spend with these wizards by another name, I like them less and less. Being sent with Kev, Jr, and the voices in my head, wandering across the country to find something called “The Fleshsmith”, is the best case scenario in my opinion. Gives me some breathing room.
“How do does one deal in shame? “ I say after a long silence. The glitched beeping of the machines becoming grating.
“Not as spooky as you’d think.
You play airsoft? I’m Tori by the way. “ Tori says, lighting up a small black cigar.
“Never got the bug, but I’ve heard of it, and I’m Mike. “ I reply.
“Well Mike, I play, and it’s a great hobby. Lots of physical activity, lots of equipment to learn about, it’s got something for everyone. For the most part, it’s an exciting activity .
But, think of the factory that makes the plastic ammunition. It’s integral, but it’s cheap, easy to make, monotonous, and far removed from any of the interesting facets of the hobby.
That’s me. I brush up against all kinds of folks, but besides the little wrinkle your friend is dealing with, all of the real spooky shit is well past arm’s length. “ she coughs, the thick, cherry scented smoke hangs in rings, “ It’s a living. “
“Honestly, I couldn’t be happier.
I hear ‘ Shame Monger’ and I was thinking torture, and, I don’t know, ghosts maybe? “ I shrug, motioning for one of the cigarellos.
She gives me one, it tastes of rose and a rich, almost syrup like tobacco.
“Sorry to disappoint. No, extraction is pretty painless, uses a kind of blotter paper. And to the best of my knowledge, ghosts aren’t a thing.
As I said, things are safe and boring. “ Tori says, taking a seat on a black waist high stool.
I let her statement hang for a moment.
“So what’s with the big guy trying to blend in, waiting for me to leave the counter? And why did he come with 2 friends and a running engine? “ I say, low but casual.
I can tell she’s annoyed at my insight.
“That’s nothing horror adjacent. Just a good old fashioned shake down, cost of doing business.
He doesn’t know exactly what goes on here, but him and his associates know it’s profitable enough they can squeeze ten grand out of me a month. “ Tori shrugs, putting out her cigar.
“You can’t give someone a discount to rattle their cage? “ I ask, curious.
“Listen to you. “ Tori laughs, “If your butcher asked you to get shot for them, would you jump at the chance? “
I make eye contact, I can’t help but smirk.
“I’ve gotten shot for less. “ My comment gets a sideways look.
“Mike, I’m seeing you, and I’ve got to say, kinda seems like you’re full of shit. “ Her reply is harsh, but I can’t blame her. I’m dressed like salesman, facial scars or no.
I don’t reply. I walk to the grimy, dim, wet floored men’s room.
Someone who chooses my line of work doesn’t get into it because they have great impulse control. And unfortunately, I’m not unique .
Since I’ve got here, I’ve felt scared, small, ineffective. I know you guys have seen Kevin’s point of view on things, and it makes me seem like some kind of wrecking ball, but that is 50 per cent showmanship, 30 per cent planning and 20 per cent not caring if I lose a piece or two.
But this situation, some low rent semi-connected asshole who thinks he’s Don Corleone? It calls to me.
The clothing I wear is designed to be reversable, and with a few adjustments, I’m no longer wearing a cheap looking used car salesman’s suit, but an antique tuxedo with a 1940s design.
The mirror is grimy as hell, I try to clear a spot, but the sad, octogenarian Esque flow from the tap isn’t up to the task.
But it’s clear enough to reflect him, standing behind me. I jump, and my heart starts to pound.
“Not the time for this. “ I say, pacing.
I try to look away, but there he is, in the corner of my vision, each time. I’d close my eyes, but that’s what he wants, he gets closer when I can’t see.
For a half second my vision is taken up by a crystal clear image of his face. That angular, pale visage inhuman by any standard, but haunting in it’s echoes of a past rooted in mortality.
I stumble backward, slamming into the wall. Panting, my eyes locked on his almost-there form.
He’s tall, wicked, and everything about him exudes power. He’s taken to looking like me more and more lately. But a twisted, malignant reflection, what I could be if I let this pulp novel of a corner of reality have it’s way with me.
“Fuck off Demi! “ I say, getting to my feet, “ I’ve got shit to do. “
Still don’t know if he is just another hallucination, or who he says he is, but Demi and myself are on pretty poor terms as of late.
I hear the bodyless old ghoul whispering what I assume are dark threats as I open a small tube of what I like to refer to as ‘Mike’s Mix’.
A combination of preparation H, topical anesthetic, and just a hint of clown white. Laugh if you want, but it stops a hell of a lot of incidental injuries in my line of work.
Demi starts to fade and I see what I can of myself in the dull mirror.
I’m a little too old for the phrase, but I’m sure a lot of you folks out there would refer to the cliché spook I’ve cultivated as “Cringe”.
I don’t disagree.
But, it’s the game I have to play right now. I’m not some invincible cursed killer, but you know what, I can certainly play one on T.V.
(Did I just try to relate to kids, then make a joke from a 40 year old commercial? This is why Kev does the writing.)
I walk out of the bathroom, reeking of fear sweat and tainted water. The foot and a half lucite rod is tucked up my sleeve, I tap the end of it against the wall as I walk.
The guy is six feet, easily, he’s fifty or so, but making up for it with trips to the gym and a few friendly doctors if I don’t miss my guess.
He doesn’t take the bait, just keeps talking to Tori, once he looks to me, I can tell he is asking her who I am, she’s smart, she shrugs after looking over.
I had an entire plan where I would embarrass the man, get him to send some guys, and make things so costly he just gave up on Tori. It’s a classic, but if it ain’t broke and all that.
But plans, like the people that make them, tend to fail at the worst times.
Once I get within striking distance, the guy turns, his speed isn’t supernatural, but a lot more than I was expecting. His punch lands well enough that I don’t remember starting to fall.
The second finishes the job before I can get my bearings.
The darkness creeps in and in it’s peace I realize how stupid it was to go in this half cocked. I was jonesing for a fight I could win so badly, I went in without a plan B.
I need someone to reign me in, back home it was Eli, here, it’s Kev. As the last bits of conscious thought leave me, I feel bad about leaving him alone.
It's the stifling heat that wakes me up, before my vision clears I smell hot, cheap leather, old vomit and years worth of attempts to mask the smell.
I’m soaked in sweat, the air is like a sauna. I’m sitting in the back of a car, I wouldn’t call it a limo, but it’s clearly built for comfort, in optimal circumstances. There’s a tinted glass partition separating me from the front seat, it’s cracked slightly, I try to tell if anyone is there, but have no luck.
“Can’t say this is a new experience. “ I say, to whoever may be listening.
I try kicking out the windows and the partition, they don’t budge a millimeter.
“If you are up for talking things over, I’m game. “ I try to pry the overhead light loose, and that’s when I notice it.
It's a note, in a thick plastic sleeve, wrapped around my forearm and stuck with some kind of adhesive.
The pain is horrible, made all the worse by the constant pouring of sweat literally putting salt into the wound.
Said wound isn’t deep, a few layers of skin down, enough to weep blood, but far away from pouring. But if this kills me, it won’t be exsanguination. Depending on how long, whoever, plans on keeping me in here, I worry about infection, necrosis, pretty much all the members of the Untreated Wound crew.
I take off the suit jacket, and tear it into strips to use as makeshift bandages, I have a feeling I’ll be needing plenty by the time this is over.
My left arm is slow and clumsy as I open the envelope. I hope it’s just shock, or swelling, not nerve damage.
It reads:
Hey, Dracula, or whatever the hell you are.
Fuck yourself, you think we don’t have ways of taking care of your kind?
Have Fun
Niko Ferang
“Well, can’t say the guy isn’t succinct. “ I say, laughing.
If I just went up to the guy with a threat and a pipe, I’d have either won or lost, and that’d be the end of it. But my genius self succeeded in convincing him I was scary enough to toss me… here.
It dawns on me that there is something obvious I haven’t tried.
As I pull the latch on the passenger side door, something inside me tells me to stop.
Visually, I can’t really describe what it looked like opening the door. The brief period before I saw what was beyond was the visual equivalent of trying to catch a greased pig.
I was left with a view, an identical car interior. The other car parked impossibly close, Their doors seeming to blend with their exteriors.
I enter, as a great man once said “Buy the ticket, take the ride. “, and my dumb ass need for assurance, bought me one hell of a ride.
Once I get in, the driver’s side door closes, and I find myself in the same sweltering heat, in the same backseat.
The damp leather sticks to my arms, I start to calculate how much water I’m losing by the minute, and the math scares the hell out of me.
I try going through the door a few more times, but the more I do, the more I realize, it’s the same car.
The fear becomes as oppressive as the wet heat, I’ve researched a hell of a lot of things from the watchers library, but infinite Oldsmobiles didn’t come up.
I’ve been disarmed, but left with my phone, and wallet. I’m kind of impressed they managed to find 99 per cent of the equipment I can hide in a suit, but hey, %1 is better than nothing.
The phone makes a useless bludgeon, I quickly retire the idea, and figure, even neutered as it is ( I find I can get online, but little else.), it’s better doing phone things than broken.
The good news is frighteningly slim.
I’ve got a few feet of polymar tarp, folded in the wallet, useful for a lot of things, but most important in my situation will be trying to get some kind of drinking water.
An emergency credit card knife, barely useful little thing, won’t do me any good in a fight, but might be a useful tool.
Three strike anywhere matches, a small hook and length of fishing line.
My lips are cracked and bleeding, it can’t have been more than an hour or two, but I’m starting to feel heat exhaustion set in.
I think I’ve found something when the knife sinks into the thin leather of the overstuffed backseat, but the shoddy blade encounters some kind of solid matter, and as I pull the knife out, the leather seals itself.
I stay still, trying to conserve energy, trying to formulate some plan.
He sits beside me now, his looming hunched frame bent in the confines of the car. His face is a blur, but I know beneath the shadows he's smirking.
“I’m way too tired for you Demi. “ I say, wiping what feels like a liter of sweat from my forehead.
His repeating, echoing laughter proves me wrong, I shiver, despite the brutal heat.
It can’t have been more than a few degrees, bit It feels like getting splashed with ice water.
The light in the car begins to dim, and with it, the soul crushing temperature of the luxury automobile drops.
I scramble to set up the tarp, I was banking on this, without some kind of temperature drop, the plastic sheet is useless.
Within an hour droplets have began to create a small stream, collecting at the cone shaped tip of the suspended tarp. Lacking anything to put it into, I catch the liquid in my mouth.
It's foul, and likely contaminated, but it’s my only option. If I’m stuck in here a week I can get by without food, brutalized by heat, I won’t make it 2 days without water.
I feel exhausted, wondering exactly how long I’ve been stuck here I check the time on my phone.
It’s almost random progression does nothing to comfort the surreal sense of dread that is enveloping me.
I don’t know when I passed out, but I wake up laying across the reeking leather, being dragged backward.
I feel fingers, dozens of them, clawing, scraping, trying to gain purchase. A crevice begins to open in the deep black leather, and I begin to be dragged into it.
I throw myself forward, landing painfully on the sticky, grime ridden floor of the car.
Fear, and the awkward ergonomics of my situation make turning around a slow, nerve wracking chore. Once I manage to, I regret the decision.
Hands, some small, some large, some seemingly cobbled together from mismatched scraps, slowly pull themselves from the crevice between the seat and back of the back seat.
They prod and crawl like insects, none ever giving way to arm, just a lumpen flow of calloused, wrist like structure, giving each an segmented, centipede like appearance.
I sit up, watching the macabre display, trying to make some kind of sense of it.
I actually scream when there’s a sharp, loud, mechanical ringing beside my head. The type of analogue noise that went out of style long before land lines did.
It doesn’t take me long to find the handle and pull out an ancient car phone, it’s a two part wood paneled brick of a thing, I pick up the receiver, “Hello” I say, a question as much as a greeting.
The voice is male, probably early twenties.
“Don’t worry about them. They can be an issue if you don’t sleep on the floor, but I’ve never seen one drag itself more than half way across the seat. “ He’s calm, but has a survivors hushed impatience.
“Who are you? “ I ask.
“I won’t lie to you man.
I’ve been in here a while, but now that there is someone else, I think I can get out. Call me Pol. “ I catch the hopeful tone in his voice.
“How? “ I say simply, still trying in vain to put more space between me and the hands.
“Not to sound cold, but if I tell you, there is a chance you just take the information and leave me here.
The first step is us meeting, you’ll know the plan by the time that happens.
I don’t lie. “ If nothing else I can say Pol seems smart.
“Fair enough, what can I do? “ I Trail off at the end of my sentence, one of the hands is pointing at me.
“You need to understand a few things about this place.
First, don’t travel at night. Nothing you are going to find is going to be any better than the crawlers.
Second, remember the numbers, 1, 5 and 9. I’m assuming you have a watch, or a cellular phone? If the time ends in one of those, you’re likely to find a new space.
Last, what’s outside of the car, on the driver’s side, pretend it doesn’t exist. “ The instructions are cryptic, but I’m in no place to turn down good advice.
“How do I know I can trust you? “ I ask, knowing the answer.
“Don’t see how I could be anything other than what I say.
Wouldn’t it be pretty obvious if I was trying to lead you astray? “ Pol’s response is reasonable, but a lifetime of being blindsided makes me wary.
“I guess so. What should I be doing now? “ I say, flipping off the hand like thing that continues to point at me.
“Get some sleep. Time, day and night cycles, they mean nothing here, and passing out in a hundred and fifty degree weather is a shitty way to go.
I won’t be able to get through during the day, so listen carefully.
If you time your travel right, you are going to be looking for two main things. The first is going to be a pillow mint, eventually you are going to starve either way, the human body needs more than just sugar, but you should be able to find enough to keep you going till malnutrition kicks in. The second is a soda can, it’s a sip, and it’s turned, but it’s better than trying to lick the droplets from the windows. “ I listen to Pol, hopefully memorizing his instructions.
Daylight brings with it reek and heat, I watch the hands scuttle back to within the recesses of the seats, shuddering a bit as I see wave like, movements in the cushions.
“God damn it. “ I say looking at the display on my knock off phone. About %50, for all I know I’ll be out in 15 minutes, but I’m not banking on it.
I watch the numbers flash by like a stock ticker, waiting to see if Pol is trying to screw me over or not.
I see 1:39 and crack open the passenger side door.
The same sweltering heat, the same basic backseat, but I know, at a glance, things are not quite identical. Part repetition from the day before, part a decade and a half playing private eye, but I can tell Pol was telling the truth.
Lipstick, smeared on the passenger window, an old handprint. It seems like something bad happened here.
The leather of one of the headrests is torn, I purposely avoid looking at the certainly not stuffing inside.
It’s like this place wants to tell a story, I can’t help but try and hear it.
I don’t find any soda, but I do find a single, red and white pillow mint, wrapper mostly in tact, sitting in a sticky patch on the floor.
I try my luck a few more times, using the cell phone as a kind of metronome, and while I do get a lot of repetition, every so often, there is a little change, or quirk.
I’ve collected two pocketfulls of mints, and found myself desperately hoping to stumble upon anything to drink. Another night of distilled sweat, dust, and God knows what doesn’t seem appealing.
I must have been too slow opening the door, I’d done it over two hundred times at this point, and the grey haze of this new variation set off every danger instinct in me.
It felt like I was being watched from every angle, despite the gloom the heat was worse, and seemed to bake a fungal reek into the air itself.
The door handle on the passenger side is mangled, the steel colored plastic twisted into a useless lump.
The leather seems slightly rotten, weather stripping peels, light fixtures are cracked and loose, it feels very, old.
I watch the phone, my eyes instinctively darting around, there are noises from the front seat and I doubt they have my best interests in mind.
I’m trying the mangled door handle but something is broken.
That being, said, with a car this old, the fish hook, with enough persistence could work,
I Peel back some of the stripping around the window, te hook begins it’s slow trek down into the mechanics of the door.
I scratch my wounded arm, it hurts, but that isn’t what concerns me. I feel a small, irregular lump.
I peel back my makeshift bandages, and what I see attempts me make to vomit stomach contents that weren’t there.
Small, brown grey mushrooms, a half dozen, about the size of a grain of rice. I feel a tingling in the wound, and panic sets in.
Opening a door like this requires a steady hand, but between the noises in the front seat, and the literally budding body horror on my arm, my nerves are shot.
I hear the partition begin to lower, and that rotten, fungal reek becomes nearly a physical force. My eyes water, my nose runs, and I hear a noise, like flowing sand.
I feel the hook dig under the proper part of the lock and pull up as I feel something wet soak through my shoe.
The door opens violently, not that I’m upset, I toss myself forward like I’m going for a touchdown, my forehead slams off of the armrest in the newest backseat I find myself in.
Before the passenger side closes I catch a glimpse of the mess that spilled from behind the partition. Rot and flesh, an aborted rotten attempt at life enraged at the universe that spawned it.
I actually feel relief at the blinding sunlight, and shining leather, and find myself relating to the monsterous mass I left behind.
I look at my arm, realizing I didn’t leave all of it behind.
“Oh, fuck me. “ I say, fumbling the credit card knife together.
The mushrooms had doubled in size, the cheap tin knife makes a terrible scalpel, I scream as I err on the side of caution, flaying a half inch around each.
I’m bleeding heavily, half of the makeshift bandages barely keeping the flow at bay.
My vision swims, I feel sick, and I fight the urge to break down into a mentally and physically broken heap.
That’s where I’ll leave everyone. Night is falling, and without a little more help from Pol, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.
If this is the last time you hear from me, well I’m sure Kev will have you guys covered for the rest of what I hope is Art’s downfall.
If it isn’t, I’ve got a favor to ask, did you guys notice anything I didn’t? Is there anything that is more obvious from outside this displaced cluster fuck?