Beef jerky outlet atlantic city
Auto-synaptic; the mountain and the stone cutter
2023.03.29 06:38 memetics_division Auto-synaptic; the mountain and the stone cutter
A blasted red fiend stealing the words that dance on the tips of tongues -
Long long days spent doing nothing quite in particular, a drunkenly stumble
a growling stomach. Cans and eggs and expired beef; 3 more days, a quick fast is easy - incoming rent subsidy, smarter this month my money will go to food instead of weed.
It was worth it. Autophagy, ketosis, a shock and rewiring to a system unfunctionally stable. At the moment nothing particular but discomfort and dreaming of the 1st, of pizza buns.
A little left over to feed missing tongues
Food for a spiritual stomach, inducing travel without motion
life far off the ground
is strange
just floating around, waiting for a cloud, for a chain reaction to occur, for the time to happen
when it's time to come pouring down
and the desert that follows, the long-dry-sun-spot, wandering the cold nights and the scorching days.
Water a myth in a world full of salt
only to evaporate
and continue the process, again floating along, waiting for the time and place and happenstance to come pouring down again
to endure another Aeon until the forest you land on becomes a desert, and you must retreat.
The promise for a droplet is that it will eventually fall
The promise for the oasis is that, it will eventually dry up
The promise for the droplet, is that which goes up must come down
Water escapes earth through air assisted with fire.
and the process continues, in rhythmic and eternal motions, a infinite-pendulum impossible to predict, Fourier's promise that through it's infinite simplicity of eternal rotation, infinite complexity and emergent properties. Orbital Ocular Sight vision and space, stars align with clouds water with sound. Acoustic gravity of inter-scope dimensions untouched by the frequency of light or sound.
A push and a pull a why not and a because everything,
Because I was lost and wasn't sure what else to do
Except bleed, except.. try and figure out what was even left to do.
Sometimes it seems like I have everything I ever wanted. I want so very little, but I want to desire the world. I wish I could dream bigger, and escape the repetition. washy, wishy, washy wishy. Another candle-stick burnt against forgotten winds, wings, win, win, wing -
this attitude To fly and win and soar and do more despite
despite the utterly overwhelming odds
and the inevitability
the sheer impossibility
and all difficultly
there is no force that can stop someone determined enough.
find what you care about most and
the rest comes naturally
supposedly
its easy to take a nihilist approach
to even become a pessimistic
not to wallow in anything but to just finally, land at rock bottom, nowhere deeper down to go. Eventually it can't get too bad, even considering the worst, eventually there is a "worst" and I'll use that as a leverage point, moving reality. At least, writing something resembling poetry. At least, writing something a few people will skim before moving onto something more entertaining. At least, I will have figured out another small percent of this quiet-but-noisy puzzle locked within the blackbox of my own being.. if such a thing exists.
at least words will have been written
arranged in a particular way, that has never occurred before
typed in a series of moments that will never return
I accept what I lack and I have what I require
Already fulfilled there is no void to stuff
no more chasing, teachers and students lose their separation
Things are not to be sought after they are to be slowly slipped into and adjusted too
because you can't be a thing without first having become it. You are only yourself and to become anything is to become something other than yourself. a fallacy, unless one is many
So what
advice to myself - being is the answer, because becoming is eternally suffering. When there is no search, treasure is found effortlessly. Becoming requires distraction , being is freedom and concentration. Becoming is a divergence from the already-is, a blackhole-like process that tricks the entity into false-promises of a dream future.
I dunno
truth is I'm doing laundry
seeking an outlet to escape and trying to reach the potential latent in reality - seemingly just out of reach, in plain sight. It's right there.
I don't know if I like it, and that's why I've been such a fan of becoming - because it offered a promise; of change, that it'd help me escape. But it hasn't.
All there is, is being; becoming is a second-order illusion of it.
So here I am
A human bean
Being human
being lost and confused and seeking guidance from the queen bee
guidance from the system enlarge expecting and deserving of nothing in particular
wishy, washy, washy wishy
accepting my own being is the hardest part
I feel like the change in a wallet of my own self; a loose assortment of nickels and quarters, and dirt-encrusted pennies.
Hardly a buck fifty
but that's just enough to buy a coffee
submitted by memetics_division to LibraryofBabel [link] [comments]
Long long days spent doing nothing quite in particular, a drunkenly stumble
a growling stomach. Cans and eggs and expired beef; 3 more days, a quick fast is easy - incoming rent subsidy, smarter this month my money will go to food instead of weed.
It was worth it. Autophagy, ketosis, a shock and rewiring to a system unfunctionally stable. At the moment nothing particular but discomfort and dreaming of the 1st, of pizza buns.
A little left over to feed missing tongues
Food for a spiritual stomach, inducing travel without motion
life far off the ground
is strange
just floating around, waiting for a cloud, for a chain reaction to occur, for the time to happen
when it's time to come pouring down
and the desert that follows, the long-dry-sun-spot, wandering the cold nights and the scorching days.
Water a myth in a world full of salt
only to evaporate
and continue the process, again floating along, waiting for the time and place and happenstance to come pouring down again
to endure another Aeon until the forest you land on becomes a desert, and you must retreat.
The promise for a droplet is that it will eventually fall
The promise for the oasis is that, it will eventually dry up
The promise for the droplet, is that which goes up must come down
Water escapes earth through air assisted with fire.
and the process continues, in rhythmic and eternal motions, a infinite-pendulum impossible to predict, Fourier's promise that through it's infinite simplicity of eternal rotation, infinite complexity and emergent properties. Orbital Ocular Sight vision and space, stars align with clouds water with sound. Acoustic gravity of inter-scope dimensions untouched by the frequency of light or sound.
A push and a pull a why not and a because everything,
Because I was lost and wasn't sure what else to do
Except bleed, except.. try and figure out what was even left to do.
Sometimes it seems like I have everything I ever wanted. I want so very little, but I want to desire the world. I wish I could dream bigger, and escape the repetition. washy, wishy, washy wishy. Another candle-stick burnt against forgotten winds, wings, win, win, wing -
this attitude To fly and win and soar and do more despite
despite the utterly overwhelming odds
and the inevitability
the sheer impossibility
and all difficultly
there is no force that can stop someone determined enough.
find what you care about most and
the rest comes naturally
supposedly
its easy to take a nihilist approach
to even become a pessimistic
not to wallow in anything but to just finally, land at rock bottom, nowhere deeper down to go. Eventually it can't get too bad, even considering the worst, eventually there is a "worst" and I'll use that as a leverage point, moving reality. At least, writing something resembling poetry. At least, writing something a few people will skim before moving onto something more entertaining. At least, I will have figured out another small percent of this quiet-but-noisy puzzle locked within the blackbox of my own being.. if such a thing exists.
at least words will have been written
arranged in a particular way, that has never occurred before
typed in a series of moments that will never return
I accept what I lack and I have what I require
Already fulfilled there is no void to stuff
no more chasing, teachers and students lose their separation
Things are not to be sought after they are to be slowly slipped into and adjusted too
because you can't be a thing without first having become it. You are only yourself and to become anything is to become something other than yourself. a fallacy, unless one is many
So what
advice to myself - being is the answer, because becoming is eternally suffering. When there is no search, treasure is found effortlessly. Becoming requires distraction , being is freedom and concentration. Becoming is a divergence from the already-is, a blackhole-like process that tricks the entity into false-promises of a dream future.
I dunno
truth is I'm doing laundry
seeking an outlet to escape and trying to reach the potential latent in reality - seemingly just out of reach, in plain sight. It's right there.
I don't know if I like it, and that's why I've been such a fan of becoming - because it offered a promise; of change, that it'd help me escape. But it hasn't.
All there is, is being; becoming is a second-order illusion of it.
So here I am
A human bean
Being human
being lost and confused and seeking guidance from the queen bee
guidance from the system enlarge expecting and deserving of nothing in particular
wishy, washy, washy wishy
accepting my own being is the hardest part
I feel like the change in a wallet of my own self; a loose assortment of nickels and quarters, and dirt-encrusted pennies.
Hardly a buck fifty
but that's just enough to buy a coffee
2023.03.29 05:28 BettaBLeafin Trip to Norway in April
Hi friends! I'll be travelling to Norway for the first time mid April with my husband and I am a bit concerned we were too ambitious in our trip planning. I am hoping for some advice.
We are flying in to Oslo (can't be changed) and we will be taking the train the next day to Bergen. We heard this was a must do thing and we are really looking forward to it.
We were going to spend one night in Bergen and then rent a car the next day and head north. Our first stop is supposed to be Sandane and we were going to spend 2 nights there and do some day trips to see the laukifossen waterfall, and do the briksdal glacier hike. I am wondering if we will even be able to or if there will be too much snow?
On our way to our next stop in Molde, we were hoping to be able to stop by Geiranger fjord if possible but it looks like they are still getting snow and I'm worried the roads will be closed still? I'm not sure how mountainous the drive will get.
We are hoping to spend two nights in Molde before we head back down to Bergen for three nights to explore the city. We want to drive up to the Atlantic road and head over to Andalsnes for the Rampestreken hike but we have no idea what conditions to expect and if the hike would be possible. Is there a way to check conditions of popular hikes in advance?
When I check on Google maps, no roads are marked as closed but I've been checking a specific website for Norway road closures so I know there are some passes that close in the winter. Does anyone know if ferries operate year round?
We have an opportunity to change how long we stay where and how far north to travel. We love to hike but we are limited to day trips due to lack of equipment. We are not opposed to driving north where there is snow but we would like to have some idea of what to expect.
Advice is welcomed. Thanks in advance!
submitted by BettaBLeafin to Norway [link] [comments]
We are flying in to Oslo (can't be changed) and we will be taking the train the next day to Bergen. We heard this was a must do thing and we are really looking forward to it.
We were going to spend one night in Bergen and then rent a car the next day and head north. Our first stop is supposed to be Sandane and we were going to spend 2 nights there and do some day trips to see the laukifossen waterfall, and do the briksdal glacier hike. I am wondering if we will even be able to or if there will be too much snow?
On our way to our next stop in Molde, we were hoping to be able to stop by Geiranger fjord if possible but it looks like they are still getting snow and I'm worried the roads will be closed still? I'm not sure how mountainous the drive will get.
We are hoping to spend two nights in Molde before we head back down to Bergen for three nights to explore the city. We want to drive up to the Atlantic road and head over to Andalsnes for the Rampestreken hike but we have no idea what conditions to expect and if the hike would be possible. Is there a way to check conditions of popular hikes in advance?
When I check on Google maps, no roads are marked as closed but I've been checking a specific website for Norway road closures so I know there are some passes that close in the winter. Does anyone know if ferries operate year round?
We have an opportunity to change how long we stay where and how far north to travel. We love to hike but we are limited to day trips due to lack of equipment. We are not opposed to driving north where there is snow but we would like to have some idea of what to expect.
Advice is welcomed. Thanks in advance!
2023.03.29 04:33 Storms_Wrath The Human Artificial Hivemind Part 343: Who Watches the Elders?
First Previous Wiki
"We should get ready," Kawtyahtnakal said. "They're coming soon."
His honor guard was already well-prepared for all of this, with numerous rehearsals of the event. But now was the final stretch, said more in case the Truth Speakers or Regulators needed to get ready. Some of the Patriarchs and, of course, Eyahtni was here as well, wearing armor denoting their ranks or family names and statuses.
Kawtyahtnakal stood, proudly puffing out his chest as the great doors to the throne room swung open.
On the other side, a hard light hologram of Hive Emperor Calanii, Hive Empress Ashnav'viinir, and a host of diplomats and public officials walked. Their shoes echoed loudly in the halls like heralds of the coming prosperity. Already, both the Vinarii Empire and the Hive Union were in a golden age. The business industry was expanding, and public health and consumer spending were up. New shipyards, spaceports, mines, orbital stations, luxury resorts, and technology were rapidly coming online. And that was in spite of the increasingly unpopular war on Galshaskir, which wasn't bearing any fruit.
It was likely that Kawtyahtnakal would set up a shield dome over the planet, one that was self-perpetuating and continuous. That way, he didn't have to send anyone else to die.
The Alliance had sent some soldiers and even more robotic machines, but its assistance had been sporadic compared to the entire planetary front. Kawtyahtnakal sensed that Calanii would also discuss the war with him when they got the chance.
"Greetings, Nest Overlord Kawtyahtnakal. I thank you for your hospitality, and your willingness to accept my request for a meeting."
"You are quite welcome, Hive Emperor Calanii. I am glad to have received it."
Now that the rehearsed theatrics were done, it was time to get to the meat of the discussion. An array of servants and cooks brought in food suitable for both Vinarii and Cawlarian consumption, laced with nutrients and tastes that each found appealing in their own way. Calanii, Eyahtni, and Kawtyahtnakal quickly established a shielded conversation area. A hologram formed around them, blocking their faces and bodies from the view of the others who had come for the meeting. They would have their own discussions while the most important one occurred.
"So. Are you here to discuss the war?"
"Yes. I have machines that would be helpful in alleviating your struggle. In particular, I have a set of sensors that could potentially locate Galshaskir."
"That is good to hear. What will that cost?"
"Only a favor, later on. That favor will not be extreme, like handing over territory or people."
"We will need more of a discussion on that favor," Kawtyahtnakal said. "May I know the nature of it?"
"I would request that you intervene with a group of pirates that is interfering with the border trade. They don't seem to be natural, and are likely based in and supported by an enemy nation."
Kawtyahtnakal nodded. "The Imperium?"
"Our sources are too dubious to confirm whether it's them or another nation posing as them. But it is someone, and somewhat likely to be the Imperium."
"Haven't you normalized relations with them?"
"I did when I came into power. They hated Ashnad'darii and disliked you. I think that they are worried about our continued moves toward cooperation. And they happen to share a direct border with me, though not with you."
"Have you talked to the Eternal Emperor recently?"
"I haven't directly talked to him at all, actually. He hasn't officially discussed matters of importance with the Vinarii Empire ever since our rise to power."
Calanii's antennae bent forward.
"He's building up his fleet, actually."
"He won't attack you with the mutual defense treaty in place. We've still got a massive military, and so do you. In fact, you're modernizing it," Kawtyahtnakal pointed out.
"Yes. But he is likely backed by others, to be so belligerent. And this comes to the third point. He is being aggressive, but support for a war is low. Not zero, but low. I can't declare on him."
"Do you need to?" Eyahtni asked. "Has there been anything that would serve as a casus belli?"
"No. Just increasing anti-Vinarii rhetoric. They killed a small refugee group, only about 30 thousand Vinarii or so. That's too small to declare war. They do not violate our borders officially, and their spy ships seem content to watch without interference."
"How exactly do you wish for me to alleviate this?"
"I want you to express public solidarity with me more often. Open more pacts and corporate collaborations. More sister cities, joint military operations. That sort of thing."
"If that is the favor, than it is acceptable," Kawtyahtnakal said, looking over to Eyahtni. Both of them already planned on doing this, though a little slower than Calanii likely wanted. It was something that would benefit them, with increased experience for their forces as well as better techniques and strategies.
"Yes, it is acceptable," Eyahtni asked. "What of other agreements?"
"We wish to open research agreements with your institutions for their latest advancements."
"That will take some doing, but I don't see why not," Kawtyahtnakal replied. Calanii looked relieved at that.
"And another thing. I would request that your Alliance tone down the anti-Sprilnav actions. It is bringing undue attention to this section of the galaxy. I'm sure you've noticed the number of searches related to your species in foreign data statistics going up. And that your spies are noticing increased chatter in your border states, and the wider galaxy as a whole. If not that, then surely you must have had an increase in contacts recently."
Kawtyahtnakal had noticed that as well. They seemed to have reached a peak recently, likely due to the birth of Edu'frec and also the publicized killing of the Elder that had bombed the Alliance recently. Kawtyahtnakal admired the hasty decision to kill the Sprilnav doing it before it got worse. Because he knew, as did many dead civilizations in the galaxy, that it definitely would have escalated.
To be honest, he'd wanted to establish relations with Edu'frec, and Eyahtni had already petitioned the Alliance for an official meeting. But with the justification that 'he's a child' and 'he doesn't understand diplomacy yet,' they had refused. Of course, both of them knew that it wasn't the Alliance that was actually refusing, but Phoebe. Her security around Edu'frec was surpassed by only a few individuals in the Alliance. And it was the equivalent of what regional governors that controlled multiple systems got in the Union.
"We have noticed, yes," Eyahtni said.
"And has the Alliance given any indication of their preference?"
"No. It does appear that it was both a matter of vengeance as well as prevention."
"The Sprilnav are moving massive fleets in their systems," pointed out Calanii.
"Yes. But they remain in their systems. If the Sprilnav decided to come for us, the whole galaxy couldn't stop them. The ships in their fleets are each the equivalent of battlecruisers and outnumber every civilian and military ship in the galaxy combined. And their Elder ships are so tough that the amount of force needed to crack them even a bit is only possible with the strongest dreadnaught cannons or with planet crackers."
"The Alliance's force projection capabilities are growing at an alarming rate."
"It is not alarming for us, since we are allies. You could always move for reconciliation."
"We don't know how the rest of the galaxy, and especially the Imperium, would take it."
"Well then, that is your risk," Kawtyahtnakal said. "But the longer you wait, the more favorable the terms will get for the Alliance."
"I'm not so sure. They're absorbing population at a high rate, which should start causing huge cultural friction between their constituent races. There's more Wisselen in the Alliance than Breyyanik or wanderers. And if their supposed plans of invading the Guulin are true, then that problem will worsen until they crack under the weight of culture war and political upheaval."
"Phoebe and the hivemind curb much of that. The Alliance's culture specifically preaches understanding and forgiveness for past wrongs. Most of their Wisselen citizens have jobs now, and those that don't are not only surviving, but actually living in houses and with access to free food and water."
"That shouldn't be possible."
"It is, because the elites of the Alliance have manufactured the cycle to benefit everyone, which makes them richer in the process. Money flows from governments into their economy, which goes into circulation, and makes it stronger. Most issues like inflation impact far less severely when food and housing are free."
"You seem to admire them," Calanii observed.
"I do. To go from their humble beginnings to an ascending superpower of the galaxy is no small feat. The Sprilnav don't even enforce their immigration controls on them. They use their advantages to the fullest, whether it's having an entire species linked to a non-predatory and sapient hivemind, to having not one but now two psychic AIs. I admire the resolve of the leaders who represent their people, and their desire to make the galaxy a better place, as best they can."
"They plan to invade a neighbor and have killed a Sprilnav Elder."
"If you killed an Elder, your people would have a year-long party," Eyahtni pointed out. "And they plan to capture and free the slaves of the United Legions, which is driven heavily by the cultural and political influence of the second largest species in their nation, the Guulin. What galactic power do you know that would have granted independence to a people they had annexed, just to make them more equal?"
Calanii sighed. "I suppose that they are the moral side to take."
"Yes, perhaps that is true."
"I'm glad that you see it."
"Do you think they would be willing to help with the Imperium?"
"You should ask them. But the Imperium doesn't have slaves, and doesn't heavily oppress its people, mostly because its propaganda is baked so deeply into its population. So it's a maybe. They won't help you invade, most likely, unless you are attacked. And by attacked, I mean their ships bombing a planet, not shooting at a police vessel."
"I see. Have you also detected the readings from their psychic amplifier bases?"
"We have. However, the Alliance is using the psychic energy predominantly to build shipyards, grow the orbital ring around Mercury, and to expand their production of rare alloys."
"It's incredible how powerful they are, for such a small nation."
"Not really. With Phoebe and the hivemind, they should be more so. Plus the individual known as Equisa should have knowledge that they could use. Though that big gun Phoebe built is certainly up to par with some of our own weapons."
"True. It does cause quite the stir in psychic energy when fired."
The Nest Overlord knew that he was talking about the small amount of psychic energy that all lasers dragged along. It enabled them to be visible to certain sensors even when they missed and when they were high-energy enough to also glow in all directions. Without psychic energy, the lasers would always be invisible in space.
"Yes."
"Well, with that out of the way, I would like to congratulate you on your 86th year of service."
"Thank you. Overlord Day's next week, though."
"I'm aware."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"Equisa, it's very good to see you again." Meihala smiled as Equisa hugged her. The relatively thin human woman smirked, saying, "Joshua's in the kitchen, making that beef lasagna that we like."
"Mmm. Yes, we do."
"I'll be right in. Don't you wor-"
A message flashed across her vision.
*Elder Equisa. Your presence is requested.\*
She quickly tapped back a response inside her implants.
*Not yet.\*
*Then we will come to you.\*
"Hang on, I need-"
A hologram appeared next to Equisa, of an older Sprilnav man. Wrinkles were visible over his whole body and most prevalent near his joints and face. His jaws hung slightly agape, a common symptom of not just old age but old design. He was likely one of those Elders who had been alive before most galaxies had been born.
Eyes older than stars looked at her and Meihala.
"Equisa. What is... this?"
"You tasked me to investigate the humans and to provide information pertinent to the cause of the psychic pulse. I did so, and you did not reassign me."
A second Sprilnav appeared next to him. Both of them appeared to be male, though with Sprilnav this old, Equisa could never be sure with her eyes alone. But her implants did the identifications for her, confirming her thoughts.
"Ah, so my suspicions were correct. I can smell it on you."
"Smell what?" Joshua asked, entering the room. His eyes widened upon seeing the three Elders. "Oh, uh, what's your names?"
"Refined Elder Rho and Refined Elder Sai." Elder Sai looked at the human with a confused look. "Equisa, why are you mingling with these... beings?"
"Please don't be racist if that's your thing. We're people. Humans, specifically. I'm Joshua, and this is Meihala." He pointed to himself and then to her. Equisa felt like she was swimming in awkwardness.
"Well then. We have questions for your mate."
"She is an acquaintance," Meihala said.
"Mates and friends are different things. You have mated with this Elder, therefore you are... no, both of you have. Equisa, you didn't have any information about this preference in your file."
"It's not a preference; it's just... something new, alright? Yes, I'm in a relationship. But the operation is over, so there's no need for me to do anything." Equisa tried to move away, but Rho just smiled.
"Don't worry. You're not in trouble. Your body is your own, and your words are true. However, this is about the death of a Secondary Galaxy Elder. There has been expressed displeasure at your actions from the Elders of the Secondary Galaxy."
Equisa was surprised that they were saying all of this in front of the humans.
"Why-?"
"We in the Primary Galaxy had a vote, and in that vote we moved to allow knowledge of us to be spread to trusted individuals. As an Elder and one of sound mind and proper, if strange, judgement, then this applies to your mates."
"So you're saying that... everyone knew about this? Everyone?" Equisa asked.
"Everyone knows, yes. Including your family, since that's likely your next question. Your father actually placed a bet on how you would react when you were made aware of this. He's just become a richer man."
Equisa sighed, knowing that her father's nature had somehow remained the same throughout the long millennia. Ever since his time before the Source War, he'd been a gambler and better. He was prolific and just successful enough to win enough to pay the debts of his losses. But he wasn't a bad person.
"Wow, that's gotta be like, I don't know, really embarrassing," Meihala laughed. "I'm sorry."
"Yes. You're one of the most famous Elders in existence, as the first Elder to mate with a member of another species in... 7 billion Earth years or so? Maybe 8, I'm still not exact on the length."
"You carry the 3, so 8," Rho said. Sai smiled as if not knowing basic math was a running joke between them. Perhaps it was.
"Alright. So what's the consequences for it, then?"
"None. They expressed displeasure, that's all. But they lost the war, so who cares about what they think? Plus, this is way more fun. I'm particularly keen on meeting Phoebe and Penny."
"Penny's single," Rho said. "But too young, especially for you. Age gaps that large are too weird for me."
"Well, Equisa doesn't care," Sai laughed. "She's what, a hundred million times older than these humans here? That's gotta be strange."
"Can you two not pry into my love life? Thank you. I'd prefer that this visit ends quickly," Equisa said. Rho and Sai then changed into forms that were human, though still old.
"Alright. We won't bother you, but we'd be happy to do some sightseeing. Can you take us to walk around?"
"No."
"What if I ordered you?" Sai asked.
"I'd refuse."
"Aw, you're so grumpy now. Good old Equisa. Well, not older than me, is she?" Sai joked, laughing with Rho and slapping his back. He exited Equisa's house, followed by Sai close behind.
"Can you explain this to us?" Joshua asked.
"I... it'll take a while."
"We're not mad, just confused," Meihala added. "I wouldn't exactly want them to know about my love life, either."
"How many Sprilnav are in the Primary Galaxy?"
"About... a septillion of them?"
Joshua laughed. "You're serious?"
"Absolutely. We've got Dyson spheres, ringworlds, and artificial worlds."
"Full spheres?"
"Segmented. But the concept remains true."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"Aw, this guy's kind of adorable," Penny heard. She was busy being absolutely destroyed at a game with Edu'frec, who definitely didn't have the skill of a mere ninth grader. Whether that was because of further advancement or because he was an AI was hard to know for sure. But whatever the case, that was what things had been.
Penny's head craned leftward to the sound, strings of psychic energy already starting to form on her fingers. But they stopped when they saw a pair of old men standing at the door. And they weren't just people with grey hair, but really old. Like they were thousands of years old, with hanging jowls, wrinkled faces, and spotted skin. One even sported a wart on his nose.
"Oh, hello there!" one said, waving at her as if he wasn't a person out of a hospital bed. "I'm Sai, and this is Rho. How are you doing?"
"I'm good. How did you get here?"
"We walked, obviously."
"Phoebe has incredibly powerful security, and you just... walked in?"
"Yeah, it looked expensive. But don't worry. We just want to pat him on the head."
"Who are you?" Edu'frec asked. "Don't treat me like a child."
"My name is-"
"Not your names. What are you?"
"I'm not sure what you mean," Rho said.
"You don't walk like humans. Your gait and stance are wrong, as if you're compensating for something that's not there. Like you had four legs before, instead of two. So I'll ask again. What are you?" Edu'frec bared his teeth in a growl.
"Well, isn't it quite obvious? We're Sprilnav. And we're here to-"
An android suddenly walked into the room. Phoebe moved in a blur, her hands rushing forward to slam into both of them. However, she passed through them. A second android pulled back Edu'frec as shields appeared around him thick enough to hide him from view. Penny wasn't sure what to do.
"We're here to pet him."
"I'm not a child," Edu'frec growled through the shield. There was a pulse of something, and then the two old men became Sprilnav. Penny switched into action, standing between them and Phoebe's son. All of them were on a hair trigger.
"Ok, we'll leave," Rho and Sai said. "We're sorry."
"You don't just get to-"
"Yes, we do. I'm not going to be locked in a cage, and neither is my friend here. We're sightseeing."
"How did you get here?"
"Don't worry about it. We won't do any harm to you."
"You need to learn about what to do and what not to, if you're going to remain in the Alliance."
"Sai, they're treating us like we're vermin."
Sai frowned. "Oh. Phoebe, we're not from the Secondary Galaxy. We're here because Equisa hacked a communication device, which resulted in the death of an Elder."
"So you're punishing us?"
"Not at all. We're just seeing the Alliance that we've heard so much about."
"Would you stay and protect us against the Primary Galaxy?" Phoebe asked, calming quickly with the revelation.
"Probably not. Why, are they trying to kill you all or something?"
"Sort of."
"Then why are you still alive?" Sai asked with genuine confusion.
"Come on, you aren't that senile," Rho said. "It's the Source's Servant that's in the mindscape, trying to hide from us."
With that, Rimiaha appeared in the room as if he'd always been there. "What are you trying to do here?"
"We really do just want to do some sightseeing. There's nothing wrong with it."
"How do we know?"
"Just him and I are enough, if that wasn't true."
"What do you mean by that?" Phoebe asked.
"We are enough."
Rimiaha sighed. "I'd still beat you."
"We can block the Source's power from reaching you. All you'd have is your reserves, and they're not enough," Sai said.
"Please. I could smack you into tomorrow, quite literally," Rimiaha retorted.
"We get it," Phoebe said. "You're only using 1% of your power or whatever. But you're getting guards, both for your sake and ours."
"We can become humans again."
Penny sighed. Nilnacrawla ended another psychic energy class, looking at the scene in bemusement.
Are these guys really as stupid as they're acting?
Older Sprilnav are generally smarter, so not likely. And these guys are very old.
Generally?
Generally, it's likely that they are purposely doing this for entertainment.
"Well, you'd do it badly, but yeah," Phoebe replied. "I'm sorry that I got upset. But I'm going to explain this to you. I'm... very protective of Edu'frec. I really love him. So when I saw you two so close to him, and heard what I thought would be a declaration of intent to kill him, I was upset. Very upset."
"Nilnacrawla says that you guys are faking it," Penny said.
"Nilnacrawla? He's alive?"
"Yes, he's in my head," Penny stated dryly. "Do you not know this?"
"I didn't," Sai said.
"First of all, what kind of Elders are you?" Edu'frec asked.
"Refined Elders. Those who were born not only before the Source war, but before the most major of the genetic modifications preparing for it."
"I see. Another title," Phoebe said.
"You can call is Rho and Sai, if you want. We won't make you use our titles."
"You seem a lot more... chill than the Elders in our galaxy," Penny noted.
"Yes. We haven't had much to do, really. Most of us waste away in drug-induced euphoria or implants that do the same."
"That's sad," Edu'frec said.
"Perhaps it is. It is said that their throats are dry as bones from all the laughing they do. But anyway. We will stop acting senile. Rho and I are here to see whether your Alliance is worthy of our attention, after so long in isolation."
"Why?"
"The psychic pulse. It has reached us, and made a number of people very concerned. But upon seeing you, we have decided to ignore that. Given that Equisa's been able to find love among your kind, you are clearly not as hostile to Sprilnav as we were led to believe. For the right price, perhaps a deal can be worked out."
"What deal?"
"Exports, specifically. We'd like some of your food and cultural works."
"The originals?"
"Copies will suffice," Rho said.
"You came all the way here to ask for art and act like this?" Penny asked.
"Yes. And to see if Equisa's father would win his bet. He did."
"So you want to do something fun, huh?" Phoebe asked. "Want to hear about the hard light simulators?"
"We have those where we're from," Sai replied.
"Not like we do," Phoebe grinned. "I'll get you two tickets to the Infinite Skiing Hill, if you want. Think of it as compensation for my earlier actions."
"I would very much like to see this, and to see Rho fail," Sai smirked. "But what is skiing?"
submitted by Storms_Wrath to HFY [link] [comments]
"We should get ready," Kawtyahtnakal said. "They're coming soon."
His honor guard was already well-prepared for all of this, with numerous rehearsals of the event. But now was the final stretch, said more in case the Truth Speakers or Regulators needed to get ready. Some of the Patriarchs and, of course, Eyahtni was here as well, wearing armor denoting their ranks or family names and statuses.
Kawtyahtnakal stood, proudly puffing out his chest as the great doors to the throne room swung open.
On the other side, a hard light hologram of Hive Emperor Calanii, Hive Empress Ashnav'viinir, and a host of diplomats and public officials walked. Their shoes echoed loudly in the halls like heralds of the coming prosperity. Already, both the Vinarii Empire and the Hive Union were in a golden age. The business industry was expanding, and public health and consumer spending were up. New shipyards, spaceports, mines, orbital stations, luxury resorts, and technology were rapidly coming online. And that was in spite of the increasingly unpopular war on Galshaskir, which wasn't bearing any fruit.
It was likely that Kawtyahtnakal would set up a shield dome over the planet, one that was self-perpetuating and continuous. That way, he didn't have to send anyone else to die.
The Alliance had sent some soldiers and even more robotic machines, but its assistance had been sporadic compared to the entire planetary front. Kawtyahtnakal sensed that Calanii would also discuss the war with him when they got the chance.
"Greetings, Nest Overlord Kawtyahtnakal. I thank you for your hospitality, and your willingness to accept my request for a meeting."
"You are quite welcome, Hive Emperor Calanii. I am glad to have received it."
Now that the rehearsed theatrics were done, it was time to get to the meat of the discussion. An array of servants and cooks brought in food suitable for both Vinarii and Cawlarian consumption, laced with nutrients and tastes that each found appealing in their own way. Calanii, Eyahtni, and Kawtyahtnakal quickly established a shielded conversation area. A hologram formed around them, blocking their faces and bodies from the view of the others who had come for the meeting. They would have their own discussions while the most important one occurred.
"So. Are you here to discuss the war?"
"Yes. I have machines that would be helpful in alleviating your struggle. In particular, I have a set of sensors that could potentially locate Galshaskir."
"That is good to hear. What will that cost?"
"Only a favor, later on. That favor will not be extreme, like handing over territory or people."
"We will need more of a discussion on that favor," Kawtyahtnakal said. "May I know the nature of it?"
"I would request that you intervene with a group of pirates that is interfering with the border trade. They don't seem to be natural, and are likely based in and supported by an enemy nation."
Kawtyahtnakal nodded. "The Imperium?"
"Our sources are too dubious to confirm whether it's them or another nation posing as them. But it is someone, and somewhat likely to be the Imperium."
"Haven't you normalized relations with them?"
"I did when I came into power. They hated Ashnad'darii and disliked you. I think that they are worried about our continued moves toward cooperation. And they happen to share a direct border with me, though not with you."
"Have you talked to the Eternal Emperor recently?"
"I haven't directly talked to him at all, actually. He hasn't officially discussed matters of importance with the Vinarii Empire ever since our rise to power."
Calanii's antennae bent forward.
"He's building up his fleet, actually."
"He won't attack you with the mutual defense treaty in place. We've still got a massive military, and so do you. In fact, you're modernizing it," Kawtyahtnakal pointed out.
"Yes. But he is likely backed by others, to be so belligerent. And this comes to the third point. He is being aggressive, but support for a war is low. Not zero, but low. I can't declare on him."
"Do you need to?" Eyahtni asked. "Has there been anything that would serve as a casus belli?"
"No. Just increasing anti-Vinarii rhetoric. They killed a small refugee group, only about 30 thousand Vinarii or so. That's too small to declare war. They do not violate our borders officially, and their spy ships seem content to watch without interference."
"How exactly do you wish for me to alleviate this?"
"I want you to express public solidarity with me more often. Open more pacts and corporate collaborations. More sister cities, joint military operations. That sort of thing."
"If that is the favor, than it is acceptable," Kawtyahtnakal said, looking over to Eyahtni. Both of them already planned on doing this, though a little slower than Calanii likely wanted. It was something that would benefit them, with increased experience for their forces as well as better techniques and strategies.
"Yes, it is acceptable," Eyahtni asked. "What of other agreements?"
"We wish to open research agreements with your institutions for their latest advancements."
"That will take some doing, but I don't see why not," Kawtyahtnakal replied. Calanii looked relieved at that.
"And another thing. I would request that your Alliance tone down the anti-Sprilnav actions. It is bringing undue attention to this section of the galaxy. I'm sure you've noticed the number of searches related to your species in foreign data statistics going up. And that your spies are noticing increased chatter in your border states, and the wider galaxy as a whole. If not that, then surely you must have had an increase in contacts recently."
Kawtyahtnakal had noticed that as well. They seemed to have reached a peak recently, likely due to the birth of Edu'frec and also the publicized killing of the Elder that had bombed the Alliance recently. Kawtyahtnakal admired the hasty decision to kill the Sprilnav doing it before it got worse. Because he knew, as did many dead civilizations in the galaxy, that it definitely would have escalated.
To be honest, he'd wanted to establish relations with Edu'frec, and Eyahtni had already petitioned the Alliance for an official meeting. But with the justification that 'he's a child' and 'he doesn't understand diplomacy yet,' they had refused. Of course, both of them knew that it wasn't the Alliance that was actually refusing, but Phoebe. Her security around Edu'frec was surpassed by only a few individuals in the Alliance. And it was the equivalent of what regional governors that controlled multiple systems got in the Union.
"We have noticed, yes," Eyahtni said.
"And has the Alliance given any indication of their preference?"
"No. It does appear that it was both a matter of vengeance as well as prevention."
"The Sprilnav are moving massive fleets in their systems," pointed out Calanii.
"Yes. But they remain in their systems. If the Sprilnav decided to come for us, the whole galaxy couldn't stop them. The ships in their fleets are each the equivalent of battlecruisers and outnumber every civilian and military ship in the galaxy combined. And their Elder ships are so tough that the amount of force needed to crack them even a bit is only possible with the strongest dreadnaught cannons or with planet crackers."
"The Alliance's force projection capabilities are growing at an alarming rate."
"It is not alarming for us, since we are allies. You could always move for reconciliation."
"We don't know how the rest of the galaxy, and especially the Imperium, would take it."
"Well then, that is your risk," Kawtyahtnakal said. "But the longer you wait, the more favorable the terms will get for the Alliance."
"I'm not so sure. They're absorbing population at a high rate, which should start causing huge cultural friction between their constituent races. There's more Wisselen in the Alliance than Breyyanik or wanderers. And if their supposed plans of invading the Guulin are true, then that problem will worsen until they crack under the weight of culture war and political upheaval."
"Phoebe and the hivemind curb much of that. The Alliance's culture specifically preaches understanding and forgiveness for past wrongs. Most of their Wisselen citizens have jobs now, and those that don't are not only surviving, but actually living in houses and with access to free food and water."
"That shouldn't be possible."
"It is, because the elites of the Alliance have manufactured the cycle to benefit everyone, which makes them richer in the process. Money flows from governments into their economy, which goes into circulation, and makes it stronger. Most issues like inflation impact far less severely when food and housing are free."
"You seem to admire them," Calanii observed.
"I do. To go from their humble beginnings to an ascending superpower of the galaxy is no small feat. The Sprilnav don't even enforce their immigration controls on them. They use their advantages to the fullest, whether it's having an entire species linked to a non-predatory and sapient hivemind, to having not one but now two psychic AIs. I admire the resolve of the leaders who represent their people, and their desire to make the galaxy a better place, as best they can."
"They plan to invade a neighbor and have killed a Sprilnav Elder."
"If you killed an Elder, your people would have a year-long party," Eyahtni pointed out. "And they plan to capture and free the slaves of the United Legions, which is driven heavily by the cultural and political influence of the second largest species in their nation, the Guulin. What galactic power do you know that would have granted independence to a people they had annexed, just to make them more equal?"
Calanii sighed. "I suppose that they are the moral side to take."
"Yes, perhaps that is true."
"I'm glad that you see it."
"Do you think they would be willing to help with the Imperium?"
"You should ask them. But the Imperium doesn't have slaves, and doesn't heavily oppress its people, mostly because its propaganda is baked so deeply into its population. So it's a maybe. They won't help you invade, most likely, unless you are attacked. And by attacked, I mean their ships bombing a planet, not shooting at a police vessel."
"I see. Have you also detected the readings from their psychic amplifier bases?"
"We have. However, the Alliance is using the psychic energy predominantly to build shipyards, grow the orbital ring around Mercury, and to expand their production of rare alloys."
"It's incredible how powerful they are, for such a small nation."
"Not really. With Phoebe and the hivemind, they should be more so. Plus the individual known as Equisa should have knowledge that they could use. Though that big gun Phoebe built is certainly up to par with some of our own weapons."
"True. It does cause quite the stir in psychic energy when fired."
The Nest Overlord knew that he was talking about the small amount of psychic energy that all lasers dragged along. It enabled them to be visible to certain sensors even when they missed and when they were high-energy enough to also glow in all directions. Without psychic energy, the lasers would always be invisible in space.
"Yes."
"Well, with that out of the way, I would like to congratulate you on your 86th year of service."
"Thank you. Overlord Day's next week, though."
"I'm aware."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"Equisa, it's very good to see you again." Meihala smiled as Equisa hugged her. The relatively thin human woman smirked, saying, "Joshua's in the kitchen, making that beef lasagna that we like."
"Mmm. Yes, we do."
"I'll be right in. Don't you wor-"
A message flashed across her vision.
*Elder Equisa. Your presence is requested.\*
She quickly tapped back a response inside her implants.
*Not yet.\*
*Then we will come to you.\*
"Hang on, I need-"
A hologram appeared next to Equisa, of an older Sprilnav man. Wrinkles were visible over his whole body and most prevalent near his joints and face. His jaws hung slightly agape, a common symptom of not just old age but old design. He was likely one of those Elders who had been alive before most galaxies had been born.
Eyes older than stars looked at her and Meihala.
"Equisa. What is... this?"
"You tasked me to investigate the humans and to provide information pertinent to the cause of the psychic pulse. I did so, and you did not reassign me."
A second Sprilnav appeared next to him. Both of them appeared to be male, though with Sprilnav this old, Equisa could never be sure with her eyes alone. But her implants did the identifications for her, confirming her thoughts.
"Ah, so my suspicions were correct. I can smell it on you."
"Smell what?" Joshua asked, entering the room. His eyes widened upon seeing the three Elders. "Oh, uh, what's your names?"
"Refined Elder Rho and Refined Elder Sai." Elder Sai looked at the human with a confused look. "Equisa, why are you mingling with these... beings?"
"Please don't be racist if that's your thing. We're people. Humans, specifically. I'm Joshua, and this is Meihala." He pointed to himself and then to her. Equisa felt like she was swimming in awkwardness.
"Well then. We have questions for your mate."
"She is an acquaintance," Meihala said.
"Mates and friends are different things. You have mated with this Elder, therefore you are... no, both of you have. Equisa, you didn't have any information about this preference in your file."
"It's not a preference; it's just... something new, alright? Yes, I'm in a relationship. But the operation is over, so there's no need for me to do anything." Equisa tried to move away, but Rho just smiled.
"Don't worry. You're not in trouble. Your body is your own, and your words are true. However, this is about the death of a Secondary Galaxy Elder. There has been expressed displeasure at your actions from the Elders of the Secondary Galaxy."
Equisa was surprised that they were saying all of this in front of the humans.
"Why-?"
"We in the Primary Galaxy had a vote, and in that vote we moved to allow knowledge of us to be spread to trusted individuals. As an Elder and one of sound mind and proper, if strange, judgement, then this applies to your mates."
"So you're saying that... everyone knew about this? Everyone?" Equisa asked.
"Everyone knows, yes. Including your family, since that's likely your next question. Your father actually placed a bet on how you would react when you were made aware of this. He's just become a richer man."
Equisa sighed, knowing that her father's nature had somehow remained the same throughout the long millennia. Ever since his time before the Source War, he'd been a gambler and better. He was prolific and just successful enough to win enough to pay the debts of his losses. But he wasn't a bad person.
"Wow, that's gotta be like, I don't know, really embarrassing," Meihala laughed. "I'm sorry."
"Yes. You're one of the most famous Elders in existence, as the first Elder to mate with a member of another species in... 7 billion Earth years or so? Maybe 8, I'm still not exact on the length."
"You carry the 3, so 8," Rho said. Sai smiled as if not knowing basic math was a running joke between them. Perhaps it was.
"Alright. So what's the consequences for it, then?"
"None. They expressed displeasure, that's all. But they lost the war, so who cares about what they think? Plus, this is way more fun. I'm particularly keen on meeting Phoebe and Penny."
"Penny's single," Rho said. "But too young, especially for you. Age gaps that large are too weird for me."
"Well, Equisa doesn't care," Sai laughed. "She's what, a hundred million times older than these humans here? That's gotta be strange."
"Can you two not pry into my love life? Thank you. I'd prefer that this visit ends quickly," Equisa said. Rho and Sai then changed into forms that were human, though still old.
"Alright. We won't bother you, but we'd be happy to do some sightseeing. Can you take us to walk around?"
"No."
"What if I ordered you?" Sai asked.
"I'd refuse."
"Aw, you're so grumpy now. Good old Equisa. Well, not older than me, is she?" Sai joked, laughing with Rho and slapping his back. He exited Equisa's house, followed by Sai close behind.
"Can you explain this to us?" Joshua asked.
"I... it'll take a while."
"We're not mad, just confused," Meihala added. "I wouldn't exactly want them to know about my love life, either."
"How many Sprilnav are in the Primary Galaxy?"
"About... a septillion of them?"
Joshua laughed. "You're serious?"
"Absolutely. We've got Dyson spheres, ringworlds, and artificial worlds."
"Full spheres?"
"Segmented. But the concept remains true."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"Aw, this guy's kind of adorable," Penny heard. She was busy being absolutely destroyed at a game with Edu'frec, who definitely didn't have the skill of a mere ninth grader. Whether that was because of further advancement or because he was an AI was hard to know for sure. But whatever the case, that was what things had been.
Penny's head craned leftward to the sound, strings of psychic energy already starting to form on her fingers. But they stopped when they saw a pair of old men standing at the door. And they weren't just people with grey hair, but really old. Like they were thousands of years old, with hanging jowls, wrinkled faces, and spotted skin. One even sported a wart on his nose.
"Oh, hello there!" one said, waving at her as if he wasn't a person out of a hospital bed. "I'm Sai, and this is Rho. How are you doing?"
"I'm good. How did you get here?"
"We walked, obviously."
"Phoebe has incredibly powerful security, and you just... walked in?"
"Yeah, it looked expensive. But don't worry. We just want to pat him on the head."
"Who are you?" Edu'frec asked. "Don't treat me like a child."
"My name is-"
"Not your names. What are you?"
"I'm not sure what you mean," Rho said.
"You don't walk like humans. Your gait and stance are wrong, as if you're compensating for something that's not there. Like you had four legs before, instead of two. So I'll ask again. What are you?" Edu'frec bared his teeth in a growl.
"Well, isn't it quite obvious? We're Sprilnav. And we're here to-"
An android suddenly walked into the room. Phoebe moved in a blur, her hands rushing forward to slam into both of them. However, she passed through them. A second android pulled back Edu'frec as shields appeared around him thick enough to hide him from view. Penny wasn't sure what to do.
"We're here to pet him."
"I'm not a child," Edu'frec growled through the shield. There was a pulse of something, and then the two old men became Sprilnav. Penny switched into action, standing between them and Phoebe's son. All of them were on a hair trigger.
"Ok, we'll leave," Rho and Sai said. "We're sorry."
"You don't just get to-"
"Yes, we do. I'm not going to be locked in a cage, and neither is my friend here. We're sightseeing."
"How did you get here?"
"Don't worry about it. We won't do any harm to you."
"You need to learn about what to do and what not to, if you're going to remain in the Alliance."
"Sai, they're treating us like we're vermin."
Sai frowned. "Oh. Phoebe, we're not from the Secondary Galaxy. We're here because Equisa hacked a communication device, which resulted in the death of an Elder."
"So you're punishing us?"
"Not at all. We're just seeing the Alliance that we've heard so much about."
"Would you stay and protect us against the Primary Galaxy?" Phoebe asked, calming quickly with the revelation.
"Probably not. Why, are they trying to kill you all or something?"
"Sort of."
"Then why are you still alive?" Sai asked with genuine confusion.
"Come on, you aren't that senile," Rho said. "It's the Source's Servant that's in the mindscape, trying to hide from us."
With that, Rimiaha appeared in the room as if he'd always been there. "What are you trying to do here?"
"We really do just want to do some sightseeing. There's nothing wrong with it."
"How do we know?"
"Just him and I are enough, if that wasn't true."
"What do you mean by that?" Phoebe asked.
"We are enough."
Rimiaha sighed. "I'd still beat you."
"We can block the Source's power from reaching you. All you'd have is your reserves, and they're not enough," Sai said.
"Please. I could smack you into tomorrow, quite literally," Rimiaha retorted.
"We get it," Phoebe said. "You're only using 1% of your power or whatever. But you're getting guards, both for your sake and ours."
"We can become humans again."
Penny sighed. Nilnacrawla ended another psychic energy class, looking at the scene in bemusement.
Are these guys really as stupid as they're acting?
Older Sprilnav are generally smarter, so not likely. And these guys are very old.
Generally?
Generally, it's likely that they are purposely doing this for entertainment.
"Well, you'd do it badly, but yeah," Phoebe replied. "I'm sorry that I got upset. But I'm going to explain this to you. I'm... very protective of Edu'frec. I really love him. So when I saw you two so close to him, and heard what I thought would be a declaration of intent to kill him, I was upset. Very upset."
"Nilnacrawla says that you guys are faking it," Penny said.
"Nilnacrawla? He's alive?"
"Yes, he's in my head," Penny stated dryly. "Do you not know this?"
"I didn't," Sai said.
"First of all, what kind of Elders are you?" Edu'frec asked.
"Refined Elders. Those who were born not only before the Source war, but before the most major of the genetic modifications preparing for it."
"I see. Another title," Phoebe said.
"You can call is Rho and Sai, if you want. We won't make you use our titles."
"You seem a lot more... chill than the Elders in our galaxy," Penny noted.
"Yes. We haven't had much to do, really. Most of us waste away in drug-induced euphoria or implants that do the same."
"That's sad," Edu'frec said.
"Perhaps it is. It is said that their throats are dry as bones from all the laughing they do. But anyway. We will stop acting senile. Rho and I are here to see whether your Alliance is worthy of our attention, after so long in isolation."
"Why?"
"The psychic pulse. It has reached us, and made a number of people very concerned. But upon seeing you, we have decided to ignore that. Given that Equisa's been able to find love among your kind, you are clearly not as hostile to Sprilnav as we were led to believe. For the right price, perhaps a deal can be worked out."
"What deal?"
"Exports, specifically. We'd like some of your food and cultural works."
"The originals?"
"Copies will suffice," Rho said.
"You came all the way here to ask for art and act like this?" Penny asked.
"Yes. And to see if Equisa's father would win his bet. He did."
"So you want to do something fun, huh?" Phoebe asked. "Want to hear about the hard light simulators?"
"We have those where we're from," Sai replied.
"Not like we do," Phoebe grinned. "I'll get you two tickets to the Infinite Skiing Hill, if you want. Think of it as compensation for my earlier actions."
"I would very much like to see this, and to see Rho fail," Sai smirked. "But what is skiing?"
2023.03.29 04:17 PomegranateFormal961 New dieter here! 20lbs in 30 days!
I started this thirty days ago, at 229lbs. I'm 207.2 now, my target is 180.
I'm draconian. ZERO carbs. I get sirloin, shrimp, scallops, gouda cheese, and pork breakfast sausage from Sam's club. I drink diet 7-up, and use Splenda Zero in my coffee (Not that stevia crap, it tastes horrible)
I've got urine and breath testers, I never seem to get above 1.3 1.9 mmol/L, but the weight keeps coming off! I plateaued for a couple of days, then realized beef jerky has sugar! (Yeah, I forgot to look)
So far (Cross my fingers), I have had ZERO side effects, except for muscle cramps. I take potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, omega, D, etc. I've always been prone to some pretty savage cramps, but magnesium oil spray kills them in about 3-5 minutes.
I came for tips on what else I can eat!
submitted by PomegranateFormal961 to carnivorediet [link] [comments]
I'm draconian. ZERO carbs. I get sirloin, shrimp, scallops, gouda cheese, and pork breakfast sausage from Sam's club. I drink diet 7-up, and use Splenda Zero in my coffee (Not that stevia crap, it tastes horrible)
I've got urine and breath testers, I never seem to get above 1.3 1.9 mmol/L, but the weight keeps coming off! I plateaued for a couple of days, then realized beef jerky has sugar! (Yeah, I forgot to look)
So far (Cross my fingers), I have had ZERO side effects, except for muscle cramps. I take potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, omega, D, etc. I've always been prone to some pretty savage cramps, but magnesium oil spray kills them in about 3-5 minutes.
I came for tips on what else I can eat!
2023.03.29 03:43 Micokerts Self improvement is boring.
I quit nicotine about a year and a half ago. On a pretty good streak for kicking a porn addiction. I’m single and I stopped using dating apps a couple months back because they were degrading my mental sanity. I am trying to get my dopamine in order. Next is my phone usage. So basically what occupies my free time now is pornless masterbation, tv, chores and food. I reach out to my friends constantly to see if we can get together for literally anything and just can’t get anything going. I don’t know how to make new friends at my age and I live in a very social part of my city. I am just bored and don’t have an outlet. I am actually quite fun to be around and can be really extroverted. I feel like for the last 3 years of my life I haven’t had a regular social outlet and I developed a type of social anxiety. I often sit at home doing nothing and stew in my own anxiety. I am terrified to go to restaurants and bars alone. What do I do?
submitted by Micokerts to self [link] [comments]
2023.03.29 03:43 Micokerts Self improvement is boring.
I quit nicotine about a year and a half ago. On a pretty good streak for kicking a porn addiction. I’m single and I stopped using dating apps a couple months back because they were degrading my mental sanity. I am trying to get my dopamine in order. Next is my phone usage. So basically what occupies my free time now is pornless masterbation, tv, chores and food. I reach out to my friends constantly to see if we can get together for literally anything and just can’t get anything going. I don’t know how to make new friends at my age and I live in a very social part of my city. I am just bored and don’t have an outlet. I am actually quite fun to be around and can be really extroverted. I feel like for the last 3 years of my life I haven’t had a regular social outlet and I developed a type of social anxiety. I often sit at home doing nothing and stew in my own anxiety. I am terrified to go to restaurants and bars alone. What do I do?
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2023.03.29 03:37 Alexandratta Book 3 - Chapter 25 - Echoes of the Past
St. Michael
Failure.
The thought hit me hard. I watched as Xyphiel crested over the wall and stared down upon me. All I could see in his visage was my failure.
Once, so long ago, at the edge of the memory of eternity stood a Niten Dragon whose passion for God and his kind rivaled my own.
He was to be, in truth, my successor.
A man born of peace, not war. A man who would sacrifice everything unto his family, his kin, and at the end of the day, smile and request if there were more he could give.
Now the abomination before me glared at me with contempt and downright glee.
Corrupted by Pride and by my Brother Lucifer. The Fallen Prophet Xyphiel stood before me, in his most impure form.
The darkness in his eyes was an abyss that knew no true depth. Hovering over those twin pits of pitch-black void sat a pair of dark crimson embers. His once scaled, Seraphim wings, were replaced by the Cherubim wings of my Brother Lucifer, yet even those Xyphiel had altered.
No more were they white, nor even blackened by soot as they could easily become. Nay! Now they rose behind him in a charred crimson, catching the fading light of the sun here and there.
His armor, stained with the blood of millions as his hand, clad in a golden gauntlet, wielded the Puriel Blade.
I would free that blade from his hand by the end of this day, one way or another. I knew that within, he drew from the demons imprisoned in the Puriel Blade.
The Puriel blade housed legions of demons, lost souls, and Fallen angels. Xyphiel had not let it out of his sight all this time. Likely drawing from Lucifer and God knows how many other unholy powers which were trapped within.
I knew my goal and my hand was outstretched, waiting for the tool I could use to achieve it.
Geoffery placed my original sword in my hand.
As it touched my gauntlet I could feel the blade’s spirit emboldened. Through Geoffery’s works over the millennia, he had tempered it in Justice and Goodwill, as I had instructed him.
Though far from my disciple, I turned to Geoffrey, appraising the blade and hearing it resonate with the songs of its use as it defended the helpless and smote the wicked by Geoffrey's hand.
As if the blade itself took me through Geoffrey's life as he battled against man and old Gods alike.
This particular blade was forged once from the remains of a defeated Old One. The spirit purified in God’s divine power, its essence cleansed of darkness and void and replaced with unending light and hope.
I had missed this blade, my Blade of Ohr Tahor. With it and my shield of Chazak Choma, I readied myself to do battle with Xyphiel, as it was foretold.
For I knew that Xyphiel wielded the power of my Brother, Lucifer of Pride, and now I would have to defeat him.
If I failed this day, all was lost.
“Geoffrey Karkade, you have done well. Now, return to me my blade, so that I may try and fulfill my Father's prophecy,” I praised Geoffrey, my eyes never leaving Xyphiel.
“Done well??!” Xyphiel scoffed, laughing as he approached, landing several meters from myself, The Metatron Timothy, and Geoffrey. “Do you not know what he is responsible for, Michael?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, readying my shield and sword, “I have had enough of your venom, Fallen Prophet! This ends today!” I shouted.
Xyphiel did not acknowledge me, addressing Timothy, “Ask your supposed mother, Boy! Your dear uncle is the one who destroyed all of Nite at the behest of Lucifer! Now he claims to be Michael’s disciple. Yet…” Xyphiel’s brow furrowed in fury as his eyes fixed on me, “When I came to the Guardian Council, I was offered no mercy…”
Before I could speak, Geoffrey called out, “There’s a difference between you and me, Xyphiel! Though it is true, I did as you said long ago! I set myself upon a path to atone for my misdeeds, rather than wallow further in the mud of corruption!”
I couldn’t help but smile. Of all the people, I never thought a former child of Lucifer would be able to hold a moral high ground over a Niten Dragon.
That being said, neither Geoffrey nor Timothy of Enoch could yet stand against Xyphiel. “Go, now!” I shouted, “Aid your comrades!” I turned to Xyphiel once more, “This fate is mine to face.”
“Archangel, I’ll fight by your side!” Timothy of Enoch protested, “I’m the sundered child, this is my fate as well!”
Geoffrey, for his part, pulled Timothy away, “St. Michael knows what he’s doing. If he says you’re needed elsewhere, then elsewhere you go! Come on, there’s plenty to defend!”
Timothy was pulled, reluctantly, from my side as I approached Xyphiel.
Xyphiel scoffed, “Geoffrey ought to burn for lying to the boy,” he chuckled as he fixed his gaze upon me, “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, Michael.”
I charged ahead, not wanting to listen to Xyphiel’s putrid words a moment longer. My sword was raised high, my shield ready to parry or deflect. The time for speaking had ended.
The Sword of Samael had been drawn and now it was time for the wrath of God to descend upon the damned.
Even if one of those fallen were once our own brightest.
I felt a sense of Déjà vu.
Xyphiel blocked my strike with the Puriel blade and I could hear the blades sing a ballad of anguish and despair as they collided.
“Michael,” Xyphiel tsk’d me, his wrist holding firm, though at its limit as I clashed with him, “Striking first? What happened to turning the other cheek?”
“That is meant for those who might be forgiven for their transgressions, one day!” I growled, pushing my shield against Xyphiel, forcing him back, “Not for the likes of you!”
Xyphiel took a step back, gripping the Puriel blade in both hands, raising it upwards as he crouched down, the point aiming towards me. A Lancing pose, of sorts, like a viper ready to strike, “Ah, yes. I can never forget! I am The Unforgiven, after all.” Xyphiel lunged forward, the tip of the Puriel blade rocketing towards me.
I parried it with my shield, turning and swinging my blade down towards his wrist.
To my shock, his gauntlet-clad hand caught my wrist before I could sever his. I felt the claws of his hand digging into my flesh and wisps of blue mana seeped from my wounds.
“You see, Michael? You think you have the advantage in this battle, but you’re sorely mistaken,” Xyphiel taunted.
I twisted my wrist from his hand and pushed him back once more with my shield.
Xyphiel withdrew, though he continued his verbal onslaught, “While you sat high above in Heaven, singing lovely choirs to God Almighty, I was fighting,” Xyphiel grinned, looking to the chaos unfolding around us, “As were they,” he motioned to the armies of darkness seething around us.
I kept my focus on Xyphiel, waiting for his next strike.
“Ever embattled, even with one another, fighting day in and day out,” Xyphiel grinned, “Growing ever stronger, longing for the day they would destroy you.”
I flexed my hand behind my shield, waiting to make my strike. If I could pull the Puriel blade from him, or better yet, shatter its hilt, then Xyphiel would no longer hold the legions of Demons imprisoned within.
While he wouldn’t be defeated, it would be the first blow to land upon him. I would take his dark powers, piece by piece.
“We have not been resting, Fallen Prophet. We have been preparing as well, for the day to finally set the world right!” I called out, charging forward.
Xyphiel stood firm, pridefully believing he had anticipated my attack.
As I charged forward, I did not attack with my blade, instead moving to strike with my shield.
Xyphiel was caught off-guard, and as he blocked my shield with the Puriel blade, I thrust my sword into the gem of its hilt.
I watched as the jewel was struck firmly, and cracked. “I am sorry, brother Puriel. It had to be done.”
The gem let out a shockingly pitiful spat of light sparks and white smoke before it shattered, crumbling to the ground.
Something was wrong.
I felt no shift in strength from Xyphiel, no change in his temperament.
The Puriel Blade didn’t even feel different as it scraped and trembled along my shield.
“Confused, Michael?” Xyphiel said with a vicious grin.
I leaped back, keeping my guard up as Xyphiel’s grin remained. “Where is the true Puriel blade? The blade that you used to imprison Lucifer and his armies!” I demanded.
It had to be a replica or a fake. Did Xyphiel have the blade elsewhere on him and refused to fight due to the risk it would put him in?
Xyphiel glanced at the sword in his hand and back to me, “This is the Puriel blade, of that I can assure you, Michael. Did you think I would take anything else into battle?” His grin grew ever more contemptible, “My goal was, after all, to slay angels.”
I growled, “If that was the true blade, then the prison would have broken when I shattered the seal upon it!”
Xyphiel took his gauntlet-clad hand off the blade, his eyes locked on mine, “Puriel’s Seal, perhaps, but…” Xyphiel opened his palm, and at its center was the Greater Seal of the Scribe Lord, “But whoever said I was using his seal when I have my own?”
The seal on Xyphiel’s hand now pulsed with horrific energy, a darkness I had never seen before.
But even so, the seal was once used to lock the Damned and Fallen deep within Hell! Unless… Could he have been so mad?! “You couldn’t…” I stammered.
The seal began to rotate slowly on his palm, as a key turns in a lock, “It is as you have said, all those years ago, Michael! I am the Seal!”
Xyphiel’s eyes shifted from his deep crimson to violet, to red, and back to crimson, “You imprisoned those demons within yourself?!” I cried out in shock and horror.
“All at my disposal, but I wouldn’t be a fool to rely on all of their power,” Xyphiel chuckled, “I only needed to leverage one.”
“One?” I asked though I knew who.
Lucifer.
“But, perhaps you’re right, Michael,” Xyphiel spun the Puriel blade in his hand and I watched the jewel pieces lift from the ground and merge once more unto the blade’s hilt. Now the insignia within it was that of a Mobius Crest. The symbol Xyphiel had adorned himself with often.
A reminder of his immortal existence and a perceived curse.
“Perhaps they shouldn’t be imprisoned,” Xyphiel snapped his fingers, grinning at me, “Let us compromise…” I watched as the center of the seal on his hand, opened once more, “I shall release all but one.”
I rushed towards him.
My new goal was clear: I had to take his hand. I had to sever his connection with the seal. I had placed it upon his hand all those eons ago, it was fitting that I remove it.
Xyphiel turned, his seal-bearing hand facing behind him as he blocked my strike with the Puriel blade. “It’s rude to interrupt, Michael!”
A cone of blackened light erupted from Xyphiel’s hand as I watched, powerless, as he unleashed yet more potent demons.
Xyphiel turned to me, grinning wickedly, “You’ve done exactly what I wanted, Michael. All of Heaven is here now… and I can unleash the true breadth of my army!”
I heard a horrific roar as I saw the mighty wings of the gigantic demon of Destruction and Chaos, Abaddon, unfurl into the air.
“I have released you!” Xyphiel called out, “Serve me, Xyphiel, Lord of Pride, and today, you shall feast on the flesh of angels!”
Abaddon soared into the air and bellowed back, “Prisoners of Lucifer - our new Lord gives us freedom! Let us reward it with death upon the children of God!” Abaddon's massive form crashed through one of the walls of the city, roaring in celebration as yet more horrors poured out of the seal upon Xyphiel’s hand.
The flood stopped and I witnessed demons tearing into the forces of God, their numbers more than I could imagine.
“Seems it is far easier to get into Hell than Heaven, dear Michael,” Xyphiel boasted, “While you were busy singing and training, the armies of Hell swelled and readied themselves for this day.”
My eyes widened as Xyphiel’s golden-clad hand took hold of the Puriel blade.
Xyphiel rushed towards me, the Puriel blade readied at my chest, “The day that Heaven itself shall fall!”
…
Ragna
I lay there on the floor where Zepherina had fallen.
She came to save me and now she was trapped here.
Could I have failed her more?
Zepherina, Rachel, Eva, or Timothy?
My regret reached even further back.
Moira, Alyssa, Xahara, and Soradoria?
How many did I let down or fail? Over and over again.
I curled up in a fetal position, a half-empty bottle clutched to my chest.
I envied Alexander of Macedonia.
How death came for him so easily. I wanted nothing but darkness to take me, swallow me up, and ferry me away.
I’d rather feel nothing than an ounce of what I felt now.
The ground shook and I looked around me, the entire room shaking.
“Mom!” I heard Zepherina shout from below.
Ripping out of the floor was a sight I had thought I would never see again.
My eyes went wide as I gazed upon a strange figure rising from the shattering floor.
Was this another illusion from this damned place? Was I just dreaming in a drunken stupor? This figure rising from the floor had the wings of a Nite but the body of a Dei.
She looked like my mom or a version of her. But it couldn’t be, I saw my mother die, Guardians know how long ago.
No, this figure had the face of Zepherina.
This representation of Zepherina had white Niten Dragon wings, and her head adorned with white horns. Her eyes sat in her seemingly empty eye sockets, a glowing white mist around a pair of solid amethyst spheres which gazed upon me with a surprising level of authority.
But it wasn’t authority or pride holding those eyes on mine. I saw hope looking back at me.
“Z-Zepherina?!” I gasped, “What-What is this?!” I stammered.
Zepherina hefted me off the floor like I was nothing more than a cardboard cutout, “Time to sober up and get out of here, Mom!” She declared as she ferried me out of the bar and towards the throne room.
I let the glass bottle and tumbler slip from my fingers as I grabbed a hold of her, unsure if the glass was what I heard shattering or if that was the tower around us crumbling to pieces.
I could hear Madison shouting now, “Zeph, what the fuck did you do?!”
“It wasn’t me!” Zepherina protested, but still running, “Okay, it was but not-Nevermind! Come on, we have to get out of here! The whole tower is coming down!”
Zepherina was right and I glanced around us frantically, unsure where we were or what was what.
I still had some drink in me, my vision wasn’t fully clear and I was still groggy.
All I could do was gaze up at Zepherina’s potent form, holding onto me firmly and securely.
Every step, every movement she made exuded confidence and prowess.
There wasn’t a single moment where I held a shred of doubt in her resolve.
We weren’t in danger, I knew that much. Not with Zepherina here. Not with my daughter here.
I heard the sound of a slight animalistic whine and turned to see that under Zepherina’s other arm was Stalphous, glancing at me, uncertain, his eyebrows raised in concern at the chaos going on around us.
“Madison, get it in the air!” Zepherina shouted as I watched Madison rush into a transport vessel.
The Tower of Mourning was all crumbling around us and Zepherina’s hands were full, Madison was doing all she could.
I could hear Stalphous whine.
I felt the same.
Helpless, unsure of what was going on.
Then the transport started to slip off the edge of the tower!
No! I wasn’t helpless!
I thrust my hand out, something I hadn’t needed to do when using my telekinesis in so long. Addled as I was, I needed a guiding hand to help me focus.
I held the vessel as best I could.
I could feel Zepherina tense up as we flew towards it and we stopped as we came to the vessel, which I held in place with my mind.
Barely, I might add.
We were still collectively falling, just a bit slower than we would had I done nothing.
“I’m not… Completely… Useless…” I stammered, my primary focus less on talking and more on holding the ship in place while Madison got its engines warmed up.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long.
Soon, the vessel was hovering on its own and I could release it.
Zepherina flew in, dropping Stalphous into the loading area and sitting me upright in a passenger seat, “Madison, you got them from here?” Zepherina asked.
Distracting me from the events next was Stalphous rushing me and licking at my face, the foul scent of his breath helping me sober up, “Stal, Stop,” I tried to instruct him as his smooth yet slimy tongue slid over my face.
I had to keep his tongue from my eyes, I wasn’t going to want the bacterial soup of his saliva getting in there. Weakened as I was, I might get an infection.
“I gotta go, Mom,” Zepherina informed me with a reassuring smile.
I had to slow her down or at least get some idea of what was happening before she left, “Zepherina, look at you! What form is this?!” I demanded.
Zepherina’s face remained warm, serene, and confident, “I’ll explain later, I gotta go save Themyscira from Xyphiel, okay?”
Zepherina was going to face Xyphiel? Now? She said the words with such conviction. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind.
Zepherina was going to stop him? My daughter planned to fight Xyphiel head-on?
The fight of her life lay before her, and here I was, holding her back. Yet she still came for me? She saved me? I could not let her go alone.
“You did this, didn’t you? You defeated what was holding me there?” I said, motioning to the collapsing tower below us.
Zepherina simply nodded, stretching out her shimmering Niten wings, getting ready to leave. Standing there, she looked like my mother, Yuki.
I reached out to caress her cheek, “Zepherina…” I wanted to say so much. ‘I’m proud of you,’ ‘you’re incredible,’ ‘that’s my girl!’
So cliché but still, I could barely speak. I was so taken aback by how powerful she had become.
“We’ll talk later,” Zepherina said comfortingly.
I moved to stand, but I was strapped in. I immediately began to undo the belt buckles holding me in place.
I wasn’t going to sit back, drinking myself into a stupor, feeling sorry for myself.
Zepherina’s face fell as she spoke in a concerned tone, “Mom? I gotta go. I don’t have time-”
I didn’t let her finish, “Take me with you,” I demanded.
Zepherina paused for only a single moment before she smiled at me, opening her arms, “Then let’s go.”
Madison shouted over the hum of the engines, “Uh, hey, guys?!” She said as she pointed northward.
There a massive pillar of light reached out from the horizon and high into the apex of the firmament above. A grand spectacle of swirling glowing white clouds at the top with many streaks streaming down from the heavens above.
Zepherina’s voice cracked through the hum of the engine, “They opened up Heaven’s Gate,” she said in awe.
The battle hadn’t just begun, it was well underway.
Even I knew what that meant: Sofia had sacrificed herself to open the gates. Despite my disdain for her, I had to respect her for it. It was certainly no easy feat to give yourself over to a greater cause.
“Well, my old foe, Godspeed to you,” I thought as I turned to Zepherina. “What are you waiting for? Let’s not be the last ones to get a shot at Xyphiel.”
Zepherina smiled, grabbing hold of me, “Hold on tight, Mom.”
I turned to Madison, “Make sure Stalphous is safe, Captain!”
Madison shouted back, “It’s Colonel now!” She shouted as she gave me a thumbs up, “And Stal’s safe with me!”
Stalphous sat calmly on a passenger seat, his thick lizard-like tail wagging back and forth as he licked his snout happily.
“Be good for your auntie!” I shouted as Zepherina and I took off.
I had to hold on tightly as we soared faster and faster toward the pillar of light.
I couldn’t even see the world around us, the wind was so intense. I shut my eyes, holding onto Zepherina for dear life.
I could feel the feathers of my wings being ripped off by the sheer force of the air, we were traveling so fast.
Yet, somehow, I knew those were feathers that would fall regardless.
I could feel my strength returning. Whether that was by my power or Zepherina’s, I didn’t know. Nor did I care, to be honest.
We slowed and I opened my eyes, watching a final white feather flutter off of my blackened wings.
I smiled at my dark wings, noticing my hair had darkened as well.
I turned to Zepherina, her smile had turned into the stone-cold look of a warrior.
My attention was caught by the sounds of clashing blades, weapons firing, and the din of war cresting over the battlefield.
We landed on the top of the capitol building, Zepherina setting me down.
“Mom, wait here until you’re ready to join in. I’ve got scores to settle,” Zepherina said, a pair of glowing white blades of pure light materializing in her hands.
“Zepherina,” I said, slowly getting to my feet.
Zepherina turned to me, an aura of divinity surrounding her.
I smiled at her, “I’m so proud of you. Thank you. I love you.”
Zepherina’s stone-cold face cracked a smile, “Love you too, Mom.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, she jumped from the rooftops and dove into the fray.
I moved to the edge of the capitol building’s roof, and looked around, “Rage, confirm you can hear me.”
“Confirmed. Welcome back, Mother,” Rage reported.
I sighed, turning to a door on the roof, “I’m not at full strength yet. How functional are the old armature systems?”
“Fully maintained in storage mode at this time. Would you like to exhume it?” Rage asked.
“Yes, Rage. Please do,” I ordered, heading down into the capitol. “I’m not going to be useless. I will fight, to my last breath.”
“Oh, I am so happy to hear that, little Sellenia!” My eyes went wide as I looked out into the distance to see Zelletia’s massive form descend from the sky, landing on the battlefield.
Zelletia’s huge head turned right and left, searching for me below.
Had she not seen me yet?! I rushed into the Capitol building, moving to the stairwell.
Normally, the elevator would be my first inclination, but all things considered, I had to hurry.
The armory was in the basement.
I jumped over the railing and sprung my wings straight up, falling down the center of the stairwell as quickly as gravity could move me.
“Come out, Come out, wherever you are… Or is little Sellenia too afraid to meet her doom with the rest of her supposed empire?!” Zelletia’s voice taunted.
I growled to myself as I landed below, rushing through the hallways as I felt the ground shake under my feet.
Rage was keen enough to know that I needed the doors unlocked and I slammed my way through as many of them as I could while I made my way to the armory.
To where Esmeralda and Brittany should have been.
I smashed into a lab to find only Esmeralda sitting calmly on a stool drinking a glass of wine, a bottle next to her.
I was about to admonish her but it struck me that up until a few minutes ago I was doing the same thing, “Esmeralda!” I shouted.
Esmeralda turned to me, bowing her head and lifting her glass, “My Mistress, however, can I be of assistance?”
“I believe you had considered armor for Zepherina that would nullify demonic power, yes?” I asked.
“Yes my Empress, but I believe you said she was not yet ready…” Esmeralda mused.
“I need it,” I ordered.
“You?” Esmeralda turned to me, confused, “But you do not need such-”
“Did I stutter, Esmeralda?” I growled, narrowing my eyes at her.
Esmeralda flinched, dropping her glass, “O-Of course, My Mistress. My humble apologies… Allow me to fetch it.”
“Now!” I commanded, glaring at her.
Esmeralda was on her hooves and moving quickly through the lab as she did I hurriedly removed my shirt and boots.
Within, Esmeralda opened a large chamber where a set of plate armor stood on a mannequin about Zepherina’s height. Luckily we had similar builds.
Esmeralda was careful not to touch the armor, as she unveiled it to me, “The engineers did well enough where I cannot touch the blessed armor. An alloy made of blessed metals plated in pure silver, with every aspect of the forging, even the plating, performed in the sacred waters of the Guardian Temple, courtesy of the Temple's custodian, what was his name? Juan or Jorge...? Yes, I think it was Jorge. Some Spaniard," Esmeralda turned to me, “Well either way, were you a demon it would burn your skin upon first touch…” Esmeralda looked me up and down, “Or a Fallen.”
I moved towards the armor, hesitating for a moment as my reflection stared back at me from the shined silvery surface. Etchings across the shoulders and chest bore the sigil of Penthesil and etched along its sides were holy symbols and runes.
I paused for a moment, then the ground under my feet shook, “Fuck it. If it burns me the entire time that means it’ll burn anything else I touch.”
My hands moved to the buckles and I quickly slipped the armor on, being as careful as I could to not come into contact with the outside portions of the armor whenever I could.
Esmeralda gave me a curious expression as I donned the armor.
I finally picked up the helm, my hands properly protected by the gloves, “What are you staring at?”
Esmeralda looked me up and down, “...By all accounts, if you were a Fallen Angel, that should burn you. At least as far as I know,” Esmeralda’s eyebrows rose in thought on her otherwise flawless face, “Unless that only applied to Fallen whom were cast down into Hellfire?"
“No time to debate the how or why,” I said as I looked around, “Weapons?”
“There wasn’t much need for a weapon with Zepherina having the so-called Dragon Slayer blade you designed for her,” Esmeralda said with a shrug.
I glanced at my wing and focused on a feather, pulled one out, and tested if I could form it into a blade.
My feather was a proper sword. I nodded and formed a second one. “Taking another method to slay this dragon.”
“Good luck, My Empress,” Esmeralda said with a bow.
“Where is Brittany?” I asked.
“Brittany is aiding Lady Dmitria in the Atlantic States in the Americas, My Mistress,” Esmeralda informed.
I moved past her, “I won’t force you to fight your brethren.”
“I had no intention to do so,” Esmeralda admitted, “You had given me no order to defend the Capitol nor to fight. So I shall remain here.”
I nodded to her, “If you should be captured, you are to claim you never stopped serving my father, make no mention of our pact, and assume your previous responsibilities while avoiding my brother, until I call upon you. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
Esmeralda’s face soured, “I would have rathered you to order me to fight… But very well, My Mistress,” Esmeralda bowed low to me, “It shall be as you command.”
I rushed out of the labs as the ground shook again.
I could hear Zelletia’s voice in my mind, but I could somehow tell this was not a message just for me. Her voice was ringing out to all those in the city, “Is this how the Empress of Penthesil addresses a challenge?! She hides on the battlefield!? How cowardly of you, Little Sellenia!”
I rushed to the stairwell and jumped up into the air, flying up through the stairwell until I reached the roof.
I did not bother with the door and just crashed through the doorway and into the air, spreading my wings wide to slow myself down once I was over the Capitol building.
I responded as Zelletia did, in the minds of all around me, “Not running from you worm! Just waiting for you to be exactly where I wanted you to be!”
Zelletia was there, where I expected. Standing at the center of my capital city. The last place I wanted to see her, but for my attack, she was just where she had to be.
I dove towards her, my armor blinding her at first as I swung my blades at her eye.
Even as she swatted me away, I could hear her roar in pain as the flesh on her massive paw burned.
That being said, I was still swatted down to the ground.
I pushed myself to my feet and slammed my swords together, reforming them into a polearm as I rushed towards her towering front paw.
I let loose a war-cry as I drove it between the scales on her toes, causing her to lift her foot instinctively. As she raised her front paw, I was riding along with her, my polearm impaled deep into her flesh.
Just as I was about level with her chest I pushed off of Zelletia’s scales, watching as my boot caused her scales to burn and wither.
Zelletia let out a deafening roar, the power of which knocked over a building before her, blowing any soldiers, demons, or angels away as she did.
I was luckily away from the blast as I dove towards her ear.
Zelletia’s head thrashed slightly and I had to adjust, landing on her horn. I wrapped my legs tightly around her massive tree-sized horn and took a firm grip of my polearm, swinging down and thrusting the polearm into her ear.
My blade pierced through her flesh and I felt as I struck her eardrum.
Zelletia’s thrashing increased wildly now, as she stumbled, her equilibrium thrown by my strike.
“You vile little insect!” Zelletia’s voice bellowed as she slammed her horn, and me with it, down into the ground.
I rolled over, pushing myself away from Zelletia as a cloud of dust and debris burst into the air.
The ground shook once more and rising out of the cloud was a surprisingly smaller sight.
Zelletia was in her Rex Dragon form still, but now an eighth the size. Still, Zelletia was over twelve meters tall.
I glared up at her, “What, did I make you dizzy, snake?”
Zelletia growled, turning quickly, far faster than I expected, sending her tail whipping at me at high speed.
I gasped as it collided with me, knocking me through a building’s wall as I tumbled across the battlefield.
I landed in a mass of demons and soldiers.
One large demon grinned down at me. It was some kind of towering goat-like creature with burning green eyes. It reached a massive hand towards me moving to hold me down while it rose a bloodied cleaver the size of a small car in its other hand.
The moment its free hand touched my armor, however, the flesh on the demon's skin burned.
The goat demon reeled back, screaming in pain.
I reached out, grabbing at its wrist as more fur and flesh burned, “The Ragnarök has come for you all!” I pulled hard on its wrist, ripping its arm from the socket and causing the huge beast to tumble forward.
As it fell I whipped the polearm through its body, slicing the creature in half, allowing both sides of its body to fall on either side of me.
I turned to the demons around me who quickly turned and began to run, my soldiers all crying out in joy, “Let none escape!” I shouted.
Zelletia landed before me, roaring at me and the soldiers around me.
They took up arms quickly, ready to fight her.
I shook my head, “Leave this one to me!” I ordered, “Kill the retreating Demons!”
My soldiers quickly took up my charge.
“Oh Sellenia, you must feel so special! Having little pathetic creatures listening to your every command as if it matters…” Zelletia taunted, “How fitting that you become a queen when you have robbed me of my right to rule at every turn!”
“I am no queen! And you have no right to call me Sellenia!” I shouted, readying my polearm, “I am Empress Ragna Misho,” I narrowed my eyes at Zelletia’s, “And I’m going to end you.”
“Try it, Little Sellenia!” Zelletia roared in anger at me, her foul breath making me dizzy.
I held firm and rushed towards her, only to be swatted aside by her paw before I could get in range of her.
The blow carried the same force as she had when she was larger. This time I had to drive the base of the polearm into the ground to stop myself from flying backward.
“My size change was tactical, insect!” Zelletia grinned, spreading her wings, “I was too large to keep track of you before… But now,” Zelletia’s maw turned up into a wicked grin filled with snaggle teeth, “I can find you easily.”
I groaned as I got to my feet, “Just means I can inflict more damage on you.”
“Try it, flea!” Zelletia snapped at me.
I took to the air, polearm at the ready now, dodging her strikes as best I could.
Zelletia was right, however. She was far faster now.
I barely missed her massive jaws as they snapped near my shoulder.
With a swift motion I struck at her cheek with my polearm, but her tail once again swatted me out of the air.
I was sent straight down with such force that I bounced upwards for a moment before I turned and fell onto my back.
Zelletia loomed over me, my vision tunneling and blurred as her voice rang in my ears.
“I will admit, watching you languish in the Tower of Mourning was enjoyable… But I will take just as much satisfaction in killing you. When you get to your mother’s realm of the Dead, do tell her that her throne will be the next I take!” Zelletia laughed heartily, “All that was robbed from me shall be mine at last!”
I heard a roar of pain, followed by a flash of brilliant yellow light.
Landing next to me was one of Zelletia’s massive horns, severed completely from her head.
Zelletia roared in pain and anger, her voice shrill as she cursed, “You pathetic little Niteling!”
Landing next to the horn I saw a pair of draconic paws, with yellow scales and tan claws. Wrapped around them were white leathers and silvery shin guards.
My eyes followed the legs up, looking to see an outstretched claw of a Niten Dragon reaching down towards me.
My vision cleared and my eyes focused on her brilliant blue eyes as she spoke, my heart caught in my throat.
Tears filled my eyes as I looked upon a face I had all but forgotten to time long ago. But now, before me, there was no mistake, it was her!
“You’re lucky I got here in time,” Tassel’s smiling face looked down at me as she took my hand, pulling me to my feet and greeting me with a wry and friendly grin, “Why am I always saving your ass, Sellie?”
submitted by Alexandratta to The_Guardian_Temple [link] [comments]
| Table of Contents |
|---|
| Chapter 17 l Chapter 18 l Chapter 19 l Chapter 20 l Chapter 21 l Chapter 22 l Chapter 23 |
| Chapter 24 |
St. Michael
Failure.
The thought hit me hard. I watched as Xyphiel crested over the wall and stared down upon me. All I could see in his visage was my failure.
Once, so long ago, at the edge of the memory of eternity stood a Niten Dragon whose passion for God and his kind rivaled my own.
He was to be, in truth, my successor.
A man born of peace, not war. A man who would sacrifice everything unto his family, his kin, and at the end of the day, smile and request if there were more he could give.
Now the abomination before me glared at me with contempt and downright glee.
Corrupted by Pride and by my Brother Lucifer. The Fallen Prophet Xyphiel stood before me, in his most impure form.
The darkness in his eyes was an abyss that knew no true depth. Hovering over those twin pits of pitch-black void sat a pair of dark crimson embers. His once scaled, Seraphim wings, were replaced by the Cherubim wings of my Brother Lucifer, yet even those Xyphiel had altered.
No more were they white, nor even blackened by soot as they could easily become. Nay! Now they rose behind him in a charred crimson, catching the fading light of the sun here and there.
His armor, stained with the blood of millions as his hand, clad in a golden gauntlet, wielded the Puriel Blade.
I would free that blade from his hand by the end of this day, one way or another. I knew that within, he drew from the demons imprisoned in the Puriel Blade.
The Puriel blade housed legions of demons, lost souls, and Fallen angels. Xyphiel had not let it out of his sight all this time. Likely drawing from Lucifer and God knows how many other unholy powers which were trapped within.
I knew my goal and my hand was outstretched, waiting for the tool I could use to achieve it.
Geoffery placed my original sword in my hand.
As it touched my gauntlet I could feel the blade’s spirit emboldened. Through Geoffery’s works over the millennia, he had tempered it in Justice and Goodwill, as I had instructed him.
Though far from my disciple, I turned to Geoffrey, appraising the blade and hearing it resonate with the songs of its use as it defended the helpless and smote the wicked by Geoffrey's hand.
As if the blade itself took me through Geoffrey's life as he battled against man and old Gods alike.
This particular blade was forged once from the remains of a defeated Old One. The spirit purified in God’s divine power, its essence cleansed of darkness and void and replaced with unending light and hope.
I had missed this blade, my Blade of Ohr Tahor. With it and my shield of Chazak Choma, I readied myself to do battle with Xyphiel, as it was foretold.
For I knew that Xyphiel wielded the power of my Brother, Lucifer of Pride, and now I would have to defeat him.
If I failed this day, all was lost.
“Geoffrey Karkade, you have done well. Now, return to me my blade, so that I may try and fulfill my Father's prophecy,” I praised Geoffrey, my eyes never leaving Xyphiel.
“Done well??!” Xyphiel scoffed, laughing as he approached, landing several meters from myself, The Metatron Timothy, and Geoffrey. “Do you not know what he is responsible for, Michael?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, readying my shield and sword, “I have had enough of your venom, Fallen Prophet! This ends today!” I shouted.
Xyphiel did not acknowledge me, addressing Timothy, “Ask your supposed mother, Boy! Your dear uncle is the one who destroyed all of Nite at the behest of Lucifer! Now he claims to be Michael’s disciple. Yet…” Xyphiel’s brow furrowed in fury as his eyes fixed on me, “When I came to the Guardian Council, I was offered no mercy…”
Before I could speak, Geoffrey called out, “There’s a difference between you and me, Xyphiel! Though it is true, I did as you said long ago! I set myself upon a path to atone for my misdeeds, rather than wallow further in the mud of corruption!”
I couldn’t help but smile. Of all the people, I never thought a former child of Lucifer would be able to hold a moral high ground over a Niten Dragon.
That being said, neither Geoffrey nor Timothy of Enoch could yet stand against Xyphiel. “Go, now!” I shouted, “Aid your comrades!” I turned to Xyphiel once more, “This fate is mine to face.”
“Archangel, I’ll fight by your side!” Timothy of Enoch protested, “I’m the sundered child, this is my fate as well!”
Geoffrey, for his part, pulled Timothy away, “St. Michael knows what he’s doing. If he says you’re needed elsewhere, then elsewhere you go! Come on, there’s plenty to defend!”
Timothy was pulled, reluctantly, from my side as I approached Xyphiel.
Xyphiel scoffed, “Geoffrey ought to burn for lying to the boy,” he chuckled as he fixed his gaze upon me, “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, Michael.”
I charged ahead, not wanting to listen to Xyphiel’s putrid words a moment longer. My sword was raised high, my shield ready to parry or deflect. The time for speaking had ended.
The Sword of Samael had been drawn and now it was time for the wrath of God to descend upon the damned.
Even if one of those fallen were once our own brightest.
I felt a sense of Déjà vu.
Xyphiel blocked my strike with the Puriel blade and I could hear the blades sing a ballad of anguish and despair as they collided.
“Michael,” Xyphiel tsk’d me, his wrist holding firm, though at its limit as I clashed with him, “Striking first? What happened to turning the other cheek?”
“That is meant for those who might be forgiven for their transgressions, one day!” I growled, pushing my shield against Xyphiel, forcing him back, “Not for the likes of you!”
Xyphiel took a step back, gripping the Puriel blade in both hands, raising it upwards as he crouched down, the point aiming towards me. A Lancing pose, of sorts, like a viper ready to strike, “Ah, yes. I can never forget! I am The Unforgiven, after all.” Xyphiel lunged forward, the tip of the Puriel blade rocketing towards me.
I parried it with my shield, turning and swinging my blade down towards his wrist.
To my shock, his gauntlet-clad hand caught my wrist before I could sever his. I felt the claws of his hand digging into my flesh and wisps of blue mana seeped from my wounds.
“You see, Michael? You think you have the advantage in this battle, but you’re sorely mistaken,” Xyphiel taunted.
I twisted my wrist from his hand and pushed him back once more with my shield.
Xyphiel withdrew, though he continued his verbal onslaught, “While you sat high above in Heaven, singing lovely choirs to God Almighty, I was fighting,” Xyphiel grinned, looking to the chaos unfolding around us, “As were they,” he motioned to the armies of darkness seething around us.
I kept my focus on Xyphiel, waiting for his next strike.
“Ever embattled, even with one another, fighting day in and day out,” Xyphiel grinned, “Growing ever stronger, longing for the day they would destroy you.”
I flexed my hand behind my shield, waiting to make my strike. If I could pull the Puriel blade from him, or better yet, shatter its hilt, then Xyphiel would no longer hold the legions of Demons imprisoned within.
While he wouldn’t be defeated, it would be the first blow to land upon him. I would take his dark powers, piece by piece.
“We have not been resting, Fallen Prophet. We have been preparing as well, for the day to finally set the world right!” I called out, charging forward.
Xyphiel stood firm, pridefully believing he had anticipated my attack.
As I charged forward, I did not attack with my blade, instead moving to strike with my shield.
Xyphiel was caught off-guard, and as he blocked my shield with the Puriel blade, I thrust my sword into the gem of its hilt.
I watched as the jewel was struck firmly, and cracked. “I am sorry, brother Puriel. It had to be done.”
The gem let out a shockingly pitiful spat of light sparks and white smoke before it shattered, crumbling to the ground.
Something was wrong.
I felt no shift in strength from Xyphiel, no change in his temperament.
The Puriel Blade didn’t even feel different as it scraped and trembled along my shield.
“Confused, Michael?” Xyphiel said with a vicious grin.
I leaped back, keeping my guard up as Xyphiel’s grin remained. “Where is the true Puriel blade? The blade that you used to imprison Lucifer and his armies!” I demanded.
It had to be a replica or a fake. Did Xyphiel have the blade elsewhere on him and refused to fight due to the risk it would put him in?
Xyphiel glanced at the sword in his hand and back to me, “This is the Puriel blade, of that I can assure you, Michael. Did you think I would take anything else into battle?” His grin grew ever more contemptible, “My goal was, after all, to slay angels.”
I growled, “If that was the true blade, then the prison would have broken when I shattered the seal upon it!”
Xyphiel took his gauntlet-clad hand off the blade, his eyes locked on mine, “Puriel’s Seal, perhaps, but…” Xyphiel opened his palm, and at its center was the Greater Seal of the Scribe Lord, “But whoever said I was using his seal when I have my own?”
The seal on Xyphiel’s hand now pulsed with horrific energy, a darkness I had never seen before.
But even so, the seal was once used to lock the Damned and Fallen deep within Hell! Unless… Could he have been so mad?! “You couldn’t…” I stammered.
The seal began to rotate slowly on his palm, as a key turns in a lock, “It is as you have said, all those years ago, Michael! I am the Seal!”
Xyphiel’s eyes shifted from his deep crimson to violet, to red, and back to crimson, “You imprisoned those demons within yourself?!” I cried out in shock and horror.
“All at my disposal, but I wouldn’t be a fool to rely on all of their power,” Xyphiel chuckled, “I only needed to leverage one.”
“One?” I asked though I knew who.
Lucifer.
“But, perhaps you’re right, Michael,” Xyphiel spun the Puriel blade in his hand and I watched the jewel pieces lift from the ground and merge once more unto the blade’s hilt. Now the insignia within it was that of a Mobius Crest. The symbol Xyphiel had adorned himself with often.
A reminder of his immortal existence and a perceived curse.
“Perhaps they shouldn’t be imprisoned,” Xyphiel snapped his fingers, grinning at me, “Let us compromise…” I watched as the center of the seal on his hand, opened once more, “I shall release all but one.”
I rushed towards him.
My new goal was clear: I had to take his hand. I had to sever his connection with the seal. I had placed it upon his hand all those eons ago, it was fitting that I remove it.
Xyphiel turned, his seal-bearing hand facing behind him as he blocked my strike with the Puriel blade. “It’s rude to interrupt, Michael!”
A cone of blackened light erupted from Xyphiel’s hand as I watched, powerless, as he unleashed yet more potent demons.
Xyphiel turned to me, grinning wickedly, “You’ve done exactly what I wanted, Michael. All of Heaven is here now… and I can unleash the true breadth of my army!”
I heard a horrific roar as I saw the mighty wings of the gigantic demon of Destruction and Chaos, Abaddon, unfurl into the air.
“I have released you!” Xyphiel called out, “Serve me, Xyphiel, Lord of Pride, and today, you shall feast on the flesh of angels!”
Abaddon soared into the air and bellowed back, “Prisoners of Lucifer - our new Lord gives us freedom! Let us reward it with death upon the children of God!” Abaddon's massive form crashed through one of the walls of the city, roaring in celebration as yet more horrors poured out of the seal upon Xyphiel’s hand.
The flood stopped and I witnessed demons tearing into the forces of God, their numbers more than I could imagine.
“Seems it is far easier to get into Hell than Heaven, dear Michael,” Xyphiel boasted, “While you were busy singing and training, the armies of Hell swelled and readied themselves for this day.”
My eyes widened as Xyphiel’s golden-clad hand took hold of the Puriel blade.
Xyphiel rushed towards me, the Puriel blade readied at my chest, “The day that Heaven itself shall fall!”
…
Ragna
I lay there on the floor where Zepherina had fallen.
She came to save me and now she was trapped here.
Could I have failed her more?
Zepherina, Rachel, Eva, or Timothy?
My regret reached even further back.
Moira, Alyssa, Xahara, and Soradoria?
How many did I let down or fail? Over and over again.
I curled up in a fetal position, a half-empty bottle clutched to my chest.
I envied Alexander of Macedonia.
How death came for him so easily. I wanted nothing but darkness to take me, swallow me up, and ferry me away.
I’d rather feel nothing than an ounce of what I felt now.
The ground shook and I looked around me, the entire room shaking.
“Mom!” I heard Zepherina shout from below.
Ripping out of the floor was a sight I had thought I would never see again.
My eyes went wide as I gazed upon a strange figure rising from the shattering floor.
Was this another illusion from this damned place? Was I just dreaming in a drunken stupor? This figure rising from the floor had the wings of a Nite but the body of a Dei.
She looked like my mom or a version of her. But it couldn’t be, I saw my mother die, Guardians know how long ago.
No, this figure had the face of Zepherina.
This representation of Zepherina had white Niten Dragon wings, and her head adorned with white horns. Her eyes sat in her seemingly empty eye sockets, a glowing white mist around a pair of solid amethyst spheres which gazed upon me with a surprising level of authority.
But it wasn’t authority or pride holding those eyes on mine. I saw hope looking back at me.
“Z-Zepherina?!” I gasped, “What-What is this?!” I stammered.
Zepherina hefted me off the floor like I was nothing more than a cardboard cutout, “Time to sober up and get out of here, Mom!” She declared as she ferried me out of the bar and towards the throne room.
I let the glass bottle and tumbler slip from my fingers as I grabbed a hold of her, unsure if the glass was what I heard shattering or if that was the tower around us crumbling to pieces.
I could hear Madison shouting now, “Zeph, what the fuck did you do?!”
“It wasn’t me!” Zepherina protested, but still running, “Okay, it was but not-Nevermind! Come on, we have to get out of here! The whole tower is coming down!”
Zepherina was right and I glanced around us frantically, unsure where we were or what was what.
I still had some drink in me, my vision wasn’t fully clear and I was still groggy.
All I could do was gaze up at Zepherina’s potent form, holding onto me firmly and securely.
Every step, every movement she made exuded confidence and prowess.
There wasn’t a single moment where I held a shred of doubt in her resolve.
We weren’t in danger, I knew that much. Not with Zepherina here. Not with my daughter here.
I heard the sound of a slight animalistic whine and turned to see that under Zepherina’s other arm was Stalphous, glancing at me, uncertain, his eyebrows raised in concern at the chaos going on around us.
“Madison, get it in the air!” Zepherina shouted as I watched Madison rush into a transport vessel.
The Tower of Mourning was all crumbling around us and Zepherina’s hands were full, Madison was doing all she could.
I could hear Stalphous whine.
I felt the same.
Helpless, unsure of what was going on.
Then the transport started to slip off the edge of the tower!
No! I wasn’t helpless!
I thrust my hand out, something I hadn’t needed to do when using my telekinesis in so long. Addled as I was, I needed a guiding hand to help me focus.
I held the vessel as best I could.
I could feel Zepherina tense up as we flew towards it and we stopped as we came to the vessel, which I held in place with my mind.
Barely, I might add.
We were still collectively falling, just a bit slower than we would had I done nothing.
“I’m not… Completely… Useless…” I stammered, my primary focus less on talking and more on holding the ship in place while Madison got its engines warmed up.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long.
Soon, the vessel was hovering on its own and I could release it.
Zepherina flew in, dropping Stalphous into the loading area and sitting me upright in a passenger seat, “Madison, you got them from here?” Zepherina asked.
Distracting me from the events next was Stalphous rushing me and licking at my face, the foul scent of his breath helping me sober up, “Stal, Stop,” I tried to instruct him as his smooth yet slimy tongue slid over my face.
I had to keep his tongue from my eyes, I wasn’t going to want the bacterial soup of his saliva getting in there. Weakened as I was, I might get an infection.
“I gotta go, Mom,” Zepherina informed me with a reassuring smile.
I had to slow her down or at least get some idea of what was happening before she left, “Zepherina, look at you! What form is this?!” I demanded.
Zepherina’s face remained warm, serene, and confident, “I’ll explain later, I gotta go save Themyscira from Xyphiel, okay?”
Zepherina was going to face Xyphiel? Now? She said the words with such conviction. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind.
Zepherina was going to stop him? My daughter planned to fight Xyphiel head-on?
The fight of her life lay before her, and here I was, holding her back. Yet she still came for me? She saved me? I could not let her go alone.
“You did this, didn’t you? You defeated what was holding me there?” I said, motioning to the collapsing tower below us.
Zepherina simply nodded, stretching out her shimmering Niten wings, getting ready to leave. Standing there, she looked like my mother, Yuki.
I reached out to caress her cheek, “Zepherina…” I wanted to say so much. ‘I’m proud of you,’ ‘you’re incredible,’ ‘that’s my girl!’
So cliché but still, I could barely speak. I was so taken aback by how powerful she had become.
“We’ll talk later,” Zepherina said comfortingly.
I moved to stand, but I was strapped in. I immediately began to undo the belt buckles holding me in place.
I wasn’t going to sit back, drinking myself into a stupor, feeling sorry for myself.
Zepherina’s face fell as she spoke in a concerned tone, “Mom? I gotta go. I don’t have time-”
I didn’t let her finish, “Take me with you,” I demanded.
Zepherina paused for only a single moment before she smiled at me, opening her arms, “Then let’s go.”
Madison shouted over the hum of the engines, “Uh, hey, guys?!” She said as she pointed northward.
There a massive pillar of light reached out from the horizon and high into the apex of the firmament above. A grand spectacle of swirling glowing white clouds at the top with many streaks streaming down from the heavens above.
Zepherina’s voice cracked through the hum of the engine, “They opened up Heaven’s Gate,” she said in awe.
The battle hadn’t just begun, it was well underway.
Even I knew what that meant: Sofia had sacrificed herself to open the gates. Despite my disdain for her, I had to respect her for it. It was certainly no easy feat to give yourself over to a greater cause.
“Well, my old foe, Godspeed to you,” I thought as I turned to Zepherina. “What are you waiting for? Let’s not be the last ones to get a shot at Xyphiel.”
Zepherina smiled, grabbing hold of me, “Hold on tight, Mom.”
I turned to Madison, “Make sure Stalphous is safe, Captain!”
Madison shouted back, “It’s Colonel now!” She shouted as she gave me a thumbs up, “And Stal’s safe with me!”
Stalphous sat calmly on a passenger seat, his thick lizard-like tail wagging back and forth as he licked his snout happily.
“Be good for your auntie!” I shouted as Zepherina and I took off.
I had to hold on tightly as we soared faster and faster toward the pillar of light.
I couldn’t even see the world around us, the wind was so intense. I shut my eyes, holding onto Zepherina for dear life.
I could feel the feathers of my wings being ripped off by the sheer force of the air, we were traveling so fast.
Yet, somehow, I knew those were feathers that would fall regardless.
I could feel my strength returning. Whether that was by my power or Zepherina’s, I didn’t know. Nor did I care, to be honest.
We slowed and I opened my eyes, watching a final white feather flutter off of my blackened wings.
I smiled at my dark wings, noticing my hair had darkened as well.
I turned to Zepherina, her smile had turned into the stone-cold look of a warrior.
My attention was caught by the sounds of clashing blades, weapons firing, and the din of war cresting over the battlefield.
We landed on the top of the capitol building, Zepherina setting me down.
“Mom, wait here until you’re ready to join in. I’ve got scores to settle,” Zepherina said, a pair of glowing white blades of pure light materializing in her hands.
“Zepherina,” I said, slowly getting to my feet.
Zepherina turned to me, an aura of divinity surrounding her.
I smiled at her, “I’m so proud of you. Thank you. I love you.”
Zepherina’s stone-cold face cracked a smile, “Love you too, Mom.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, she jumped from the rooftops and dove into the fray.
I moved to the edge of the capitol building’s roof, and looked around, “Rage, confirm you can hear me.”
“Confirmed. Welcome back, Mother,” Rage reported.
I sighed, turning to a door on the roof, “I’m not at full strength yet. How functional are the old armature systems?”
“Fully maintained in storage mode at this time. Would you like to exhume it?” Rage asked.
“Yes, Rage. Please do,” I ordered, heading down into the capitol. “I’m not going to be useless. I will fight, to my last breath.”
“Oh, I am so happy to hear that, little Sellenia!” My eyes went wide as I looked out into the distance to see Zelletia’s massive form descend from the sky, landing on the battlefield.
Zelletia’s huge head turned right and left, searching for me below.
Had she not seen me yet?! I rushed into the Capitol building, moving to the stairwell.
Normally, the elevator would be my first inclination, but all things considered, I had to hurry.
The armory was in the basement.
I jumped over the railing and sprung my wings straight up, falling down the center of the stairwell as quickly as gravity could move me.
“Come out, Come out, wherever you are… Or is little Sellenia too afraid to meet her doom with the rest of her supposed empire?!” Zelletia’s voice taunted.
I growled to myself as I landed below, rushing through the hallways as I felt the ground shake under my feet.
Rage was keen enough to know that I needed the doors unlocked and I slammed my way through as many of them as I could while I made my way to the armory.
To where Esmeralda and Brittany should have been.
I smashed into a lab to find only Esmeralda sitting calmly on a stool drinking a glass of wine, a bottle next to her.
I was about to admonish her but it struck me that up until a few minutes ago I was doing the same thing, “Esmeralda!” I shouted.
Esmeralda turned to me, bowing her head and lifting her glass, “My Mistress, however, can I be of assistance?”
“I believe you had considered armor for Zepherina that would nullify demonic power, yes?” I asked.
“Yes my Empress, but I believe you said she was not yet ready…” Esmeralda mused.
“I need it,” I ordered.
“You?” Esmeralda turned to me, confused, “But you do not need such-”
“Did I stutter, Esmeralda?” I growled, narrowing my eyes at her.
Esmeralda flinched, dropping her glass, “O-Of course, My Mistress. My humble apologies… Allow me to fetch it.”
“Now!” I commanded, glaring at her.
Esmeralda was on her hooves and moving quickly through the lab as she did I hurriedly removed my shirt and boots.
Within, Esmeralda opened a large chamber where a set of plate armor stood on a mannequin about Zepherina’s height. Luckily we had similar builds.
Esmeralda was careful not to touch the armor, as she unveiled it to me, “The engineers did well enough where I cannot touch the blessed armor. An alloy made of blessed metals plated in pure silver, with every aspect of the forging, even the plating, performed in the sacred waters of the Guardian Temple, courtesy of the Temple's custodian, what was his name? Juan or Jorge...? Yes, I think it was Jorge. Some Spaniard," Esmeralda turned to me, “Well either way, were you a demon it would burn your skin upon first touch…” Esmeralda looked me up and down, “Or a Fallen.”
I moved towards the armor, hesitating for a moment as my reflection stared back at me from the shined silvery surface. Etchings across the shoulders and chest bore the sigil of Penthesil and etched along its sides were holy symbols and runes.
I paused for a moment, then the ground under my feet shook, “Fuck it. If it burns me the entire time that means it’ll burn anything else I touch.”
My hands moved to the buckles and I quickly slipped the armor on, being as careful as I could to not come into contact with the outside portions of the armor whenever I could.
Esmeralda gave me a curious expression as I donned the armor.
I finally picked up the helm, my hands properly protected by the gloves, “What are you staring at?”
Esmeralda looked me up and down, “...By all accounts, if you were a Fallen Angel, that should burn you. At least as far as I know,” Esmeralda’s eyebrows rose in thought on her otherwise flawless face, “Unless that only applied to Fallen whom were cast down into Hellfire?"
“No time to debate the how or why,” I said as I looked around, “Weapons?”
“There wasn’t much need for a weapon with Zepherina having the so-called Dragon Slayer blade you designed for her,” Esmeralda said with a shrug.
I glanced at my wing and focused on a feather, pulled one out, and tested if I could form it into a blade.
My feather was a proper sword. I nodded and formed a second one. “Taking another method to slay this dragon.”
“Good luck, My Empress,” Esmeralda said with a bow.
“Where is Brittany?” I asked.
“Brittany is aiding Lady Dmitria in the Atlantic States in the Americas, My Mistress,” Esmeralda informed.
I moved past her, “I won’t force you to fight your brethren.”
“I had no intention to do so,” Esmeralda admitted, “You had given me no order to defend the Capitol nor to fight. So I shall remain here.”
I nodded to her, “If you should be captured, you are to claim you never stopped serving my father, make no mention of our pact, and assume your previous responsibilities while avoiding my brother, until I call upon you. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
Esmeralda’s face soured, “I would have rathered you to order me to fight… But very well, My Mistress,” Esmeralda bowed low to me, “It shall be as you command.”
I rushed out of the labs as the ground shook again.
I could hear Zelletia’s voice in my mind, but I could somehow tell this was not a message just for me. Her voice was ringing out to all those in the city, “Is this how the Empress of Penthesil addresses a challenge?! She hides on the battlefield!? How cowardly of you, Little Sellenia!”
I rushed to the stairwell and jumped up into the air, flying up through the stairwell until I reached the roof.
I did not bother with the door and just crashed through the doorway and into the air, spreading my wings wide to slow myself down once I was over the Capitol building.
I responded as Zelletia did, in the minds of all around me, “Not running from you worm! Just waiting for you to be exactly where I wanted you to be!”
Zelletia was there, where I expected. Standing at the center of my capital city. The last place I wanted to see her, but for my attack, she was just where she had to be.
I dove towards her, my armor blinding her at first as I swung my blades at her eye.
Even as she swatted me away, I could hear her roar in pain as the flesh on her massive paw burned.
That being said, I was still swatted down to the ground.
I pushed myself to my feet and slammed my swords together, reforming them into a polearm as I rushed towards her towering front paw.
I let loose a war-cry as I drove it between the scales on her toes, causing her to lift her foot instinctively. As she raised her front paw, I was riding along with her, my polearm impaled deep into her flesh.
Just as I was about level with her chest I pushed off of Zelletia’s scales, watching as my boot caused her scales to burn and wither.
Zelletia let out a deafening roar, the power of which knocked over a building before her, blowing any soldiers, demons, or angels away as she did.
I was luckily away from the blast as I dove towards her ear.
Zelletia’s head thrashed slightly and I had to adjust, landing on her horn. I wrapped my legs tightly around her massive tree-sized horn and took a firm grip of my polearm, swinging down and thrusting the polearm into her ear.
My blade pierced through her flesh and I felt as I struck her eardrum.
Zelletia’s thrashing increased wildly now, as she stumbled, her equilibrium thrown by my strike.
“You vile little insect!” Zelletia’s voice bellowed as she slammed her horn, and me with it, down into the ground.
I rolled over, pushing myself away from Zelletia as a cloud of dust and debris burst into the air.
The ground shook once more and rising out of the cloud was a surprisingly smaller sight.
Zelletia was in her Rex Dragon form still, but now an eighth the size. Still, Zelletia was over twelve meters tall.
I glared up at her, “What, did I make you dizzy, snake?”
Zelletia growled, turning quickly, far faster than I expected, sending her tail whipping at me at high speed.
I gasped as it collided with me, knocking me through a building’s wall as I tumbled across the battlefield.
I landed in a mass of demons and soldiers.
One large demon grinned down at me. It was some kind of towering goat-like creature with burning green eyes. It reached a massive hand towards me moving to hold me down while it rose a bloodied cleaver the size of a small car in its other hand.
The moment its free hand touched my armor, however, the flesh on the demon's skin burned.
The goat demon reeled back, screaming in pain.
I reached out, grabbing at its wrist as more fur and flesh burned, “The Ragnarök has come for you all!” I pulled hard on its wrist, ripping its arm from the socket and causing the huge beast to tumble forward.
As it fell I whipped the polearm through its body, slicing the creature in half, allowing both sides of its body to fall on either side of me.
I turned to the demons around me who quickly turned and began to run, my soldiers all crying out in joy, “Let none escape!” I shouted.
Zelletia landed before me, roaring at me and the soldiers around me.
They took up arms quickly, ready to fight her.
I shook my head, “Leave this one to me!” I ordered, “Kill the retreating Demons!”
My soldiers quickly took up my charge.
“Oh Sellenia, you must feel so special! Having little pathetic creatures listening to your every command as if it matters…” Zelletia taunted, “How fitting that you become a queen when you have robbed me of my right to rule at every turn!”
“I am no queen! And you have no right to call me Sellenia!” I shouted, readying my polearm, “I am Empress Ragna Misho,” I narrowed my eyes at Zelletia’s, “And I’m going to end you.”
“Try it, Little Sellenia!” Zelletia roared in anger at me, her foul breath making me dizzy.
I held firm and rushed towards her, only to be swatted aside by her paw before I could get in range of her.
The blow carried the same force as she had when she was larger. This time I had to drive the base of the polearm into the ground to stop myself from flying backward.
“My size change was tactical, insect!” Zelletia grinned, spreading her wings, “I was too large to keep track of you before… But now,” Zelletia’s maw turned up into a wicked grin filled with snaggle teeth, “I can find you easily.”
I groaned as I got to my feet, “Just means I can inflict more damage on you.”
“Try it, flea!” Zelletia snapped at me.
I took to the air, polearm at the ready now, dodging her strikes as best I could.
Zelletia was right, however. She was far faster now.
I barely missed her massive jaws as they snapped near my shoulder.
With a swift motion I struck at her cheek with my polearm, but her tail once again swatted me out of the air.
I was sent straight down with such force that I bounced upwards for a moment before I turned and fell onto my back.
Zelletia loomed over me, my vision tunneling and blurred as her voice rang in my ears.
“I will admit, watching you languish in the Tower of Mourning was enjoyable… But I will take just as much satisfaction in killing you. When you get to your mother’s realm of the Dead, do tell her that her throne will be the next I take!” Zelletia laughed heartily, “All that was robbed from me shall be mine at last!”
I heard a roar of pain, followed by a flash of brilliant yellow light.
Landing next to me was one of Zelletia’s massive horns, severed completely from her head.
Zelletia roared in pain and anger, her voice shrill as she cursed, “You pathetic little Niteling!”
Landing next to the horn I saw a pair of draconic paws, with yellow scales and tan claws. Wrapped around them were white leathers and silvery shin guards.
My eyes followed the legs up, looking to see an outstretched claw of a Niten Dragon reaching down towards me.
My vision cleared and my eyes focused on her brilliant blue eyes as she spoke, my heart caught in my throat.
Tears filled my eyes as I looked upon a face I had all but forgotten to time long ago. But now, before me, there was no mistake, it was her!
“You’re lucky I got here in time,” Tassel’s smiling face looked down at me as she took my hand, pulling me to my feet and greeting me with a wry and friendly grin, “Why am I always saving your ass, Sellie?”
2023.03.29 03:13 why2009 I am taking a stab at Booking ROH Super Card Of Honor 2023 and AEW Double Or Nothing 2023 PPVs.
Promotion Ring of Honor
Date March 31, 2023
City Los Angeles, California
Venue Galen Center
Super card of Honor (2023) Card:
(30:00)
(24:00)
(16:00)
(10:00)
(20:00)
(15:00)
(29:00)
(14:00)
(17:00)
Promotion All Elite Wrestling
Date May 28, 2023
City Paradise, Nevada
Venue T-Mobile Arena
Double or Nothing (2023) Card:
(10:00)
(13:00)
(20:00)
(18:00)
(20:00)
(12:00)
(11:00)
(14:00)
(13:00)
(18:00)
submitted by why2009 to FantasyBookers [link] [comments]
Date March 31, 2023
City Los Angeles, California
Venue Galen Center
Super card of Honor (2023) Card:
- ROH Pure Championship Iron Man Rules
(30:00)
- ROH World Tag Team Championships
(24:00)
- ROH Six Man Tag Team Championships
(16:00)
- AEW All Atlantic Championship/International Championship
(10:00)
- First Time Ever
(20:00)
- ROH Women's World Championship
(15:00)
- Last Time Ever for these two
(29:00)
- ROH World Television Championship
(14:00)
- ROH World Championship
(17:00)
Promotion All Elite Wrestling
Date May 28, 2023
City Paradise, Nevada
Venue T-Mobile Arena
Double or Nothing (2023) Card:
- FTW Championship
(10:00)
- TBS Championship
(13:00)
- Trio's World Championships
(20:00)
- Casino Chip Ladder Match
(18:00)
- World Tag Team Championships
(20:00)
- Women's World Championship
(12:00)
- International/All Atlantic Championship
(11:00)
- TNT Championship
(14:00)
- Casino Battle Royale
(13:00)
- Singles Match
Bryan Danielson vs Christopher Daniels
- World Championship
(18:00)
2023.03.29 01:38 CalIMeBabyBlue I think it may finally be done, although I’ve said the same thing every time I’ve added something…
 | submitted by CalIMeBabyBlue to battlestations [link] [comments] |
2023.03.29 01:37 Tea_Bender Bring a potato 🥔 (yes, a real potato) and get a FREE ticket to be one of the first to watch Dungeons and Dragons on March 30th!
 | submitted by Tea_Bender to MovieTheaterEmployees [link] [comments] |
2023.03.29 01:35 AmbitionFearless1691 Both simultaneously the biggest rock roll move and the most corporate move- the Houston 3/25 Non-show
I’m one of the devoted fans who dedicated my vacation to Houston to going to my first TK concert. I really did feel like a “victim” when I boarded my flight home to North Carolina on Monday morning. I had to gather my thoughts before posting this. If I felt like it didn’t help me or someone else I won’t have posted my opinion. Here goes. The world of large rock arena shows has many sides or competing interests. There is the art of rock and rock- make art and the ends justify the means. For example The Stones played on at Altamont while people were stomped by the show’s “security detail.” Led Zep was known to land in a helicopter at the venue in order to take off never to be seen the next minute. This was and still is rock and rock- flip off what ever doesn’t feel good now. Artists are well artists. Another side is corporate interests. I work in that world and my work pays my bills and I stand by my work. Corporate interests have lately been scrutinized by US Senate Anti-Trust Committees whereby Senator Blumenthal asked Ticket Master to “Respectfully look in the mirror and say it’s me. I’m the problem.” This corporate side adds more dates for artists to play more than humanly possible. This side overbooks and over-commits venues so that preparations for The Final Four have to compete with a twice booked make up concert. Later this summer Houston will host The Cure and Depeche Mode among others. Then there is the side of common sense which I am sad to say has been missing from both TK and Houston’s Toyota Center. I hate to admit that my favorite band that hasn’t traveled to the Carolinas since they were a small band has less common sense than Guns N Roses, Taylor Swift, DMB and Beyoncé. GNR, TS and Queen B posted their near entire schedule publicly on their websites before tickets went on sale. These artists proactively invited fans to join fan clubs to get the advance ticket and info. They made it easy to join(I joined GNR’s Night Train so I could see them in Charlotte). For TK I researched their schedule and crossed checked against my schedule and budget. If I would have known that private corporate shows and benefit shows were to cloud an already tight schedule I would have arranged to fly to Atlantic City or Columbus. I have to respectfully ask our boys who’s side are you on? We are all human and get sick and as humans we evolved to make art to share it. We evolved to be ethical and fair and improve the needed relationship with corporations. As humans who evolved to dancers we learned to ask “where’s the logic?” Can we trust that your art is available for me too?
submitted by AmbitionFearless1691 to TheKillers [link] [comments]
2023.03.29 01:30 thereal_jdneal Places to Live?
Hey y'all!
I'm new to this space, but it's already had so much great information for me to peruse! I'm currently in a grad school program earning my MDiv and also have my MSW. I have a future life goal to use my education and experience in a consulting/programming capacity, but for now I find myself drawn to higher education/student affairs after graduating.
As a queer Black genderqueer guy, I've loved growing up in CT on the coast. I hated going to undergrad in VT. And I love my graduate experience in CT on the coast... the only problem is there aren't enough Queer POC or sun and warmth here! As a FAT Black queer person, the dating scene is also tragic.
So, I'm here... to gather some information from y'all about your experiences in different cities in the US? Especially ones with fairly liberal colleges and universities? I'm heavily leaning on Philadelphia as a possibility, but I'm willing explore the mid-Atlantic or, if need be, the left coast. Not really tryna go North of New Haven or South of DC, but willing to hear those experiences as well!
Lastly... if you're in higher ed, maybe let's connect? I'd love to network and find a job organically if possible!
submitted by thereal_jdneal to gaypoc [link] [comments]
I'm new to this space, but it's already had so much great information for me to peruse! I'm currently in a grad school program earning my MDiv and also have my MSW. I have a future life goal to use my education and experience in a consulting/programming capacity, but for now I find myself drawn to higher education/student affairs after graduating.
As a queer Black genderqueer guy, I've loved growing up in CT on the coast. I hated going to undergrad in VT. And I love my graduate experience in CT on the coast... the only problem is there aren't enough Queer POC or sun and warmth here! As a FAT Black queer person, the dating scene is also tragic.
So, I'm here... to gather some information from y'all about your experiences in different cities in the US? Especially ones with fairly liberal colleges and universities? I'm heavily leaning on Philadelphia as a possibility, but I'm willing explore the mid-Atlantic or, if need be, the left coast. Not really tryna go North of New Haven or South of DC, but willing to hear those experiences as well!
Lastly... if you're in higher ed, maybe let's connect? I'd love to network and find a job organically if possible!
2023.03.29 00:58 Agreeable-Status-352 1915 history of the Baha'i Faith in North America, by Thornton Chase
Star of the West , vol, X, no. 17: 19 January 1915
A brief history of the American development of the Bahai Movement
Thornton Chase
(published posthumously)
In the month of June, 1894, a gentleman in Chicago desired to study Sanskrit, in order to further pursue his search into ancient religious teachings. While seeking an instructor he met a Syrian who had come to Chicago from Egypt a short time before, and who told him of the Bahá'í Movement.
As the statements of the life and teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, and his son, Abbás Effendi, the "Greatest Branch", otherwise known as 'Abdu'l-Bahá, accorded with the declarations of numerous sacred prophecies, and with the age-long expectations of mankind, it was deemed of value to investigate those claims as far as possible
Other seekers for truth became attracted to the study of these matters, with the result that five accepted the teachings as true during the year 1894. In 1895 a number of earnest students became interested, classes were formed, and several became "believers", and in 1896, the followers of the Bahá'í Cause in Chicago were numbered by hundreds.
A class of Truth Seekers was begun in Kenosha, Wis., another in Milwaukee, and individuals from New York, Cincinnati, Washington, and other points, came in touch with the Movement in Chicago, and carried information of it to their friends at home, so that in 1898 many students in eastern cities were eagerly seeking knowledge of God through this channel.
On 4 November 1900, there arrived in New York, Mírzá Asadu'lláh, a Persian teacher of authority from 'Akká, in Palestine, and Hájí Hasan-i-Khurásání, a prominent merchant of Cairo, Egypt; with Mírzá Husayn Ruhí, and Mírzá Burzurg, as interpreters. They remained in New York" meeting and teaching large numbers of people, until 26 November, when they visited Johnstown, New York, for two days, and reached Chicago at 4 p.m., Thanksgiving Day, 29 November, where they made their headquarters for a year and a half.
A little later came another Persian gentleman, Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl, a scholar and historian, famous in the Orient for his learning and sincerity, one who had given up a position of the highest honour in Persia, as president of the Royal College of Tihrán, to embrace the Bahá'í Cause, which resulted in his imprisonment for three years in Persian dungeons. Two young Persians, Mírzá 'Alí Qulí Khán and Mírzá Amín'u'lláh also arrived to act as interpreters.
With these teachers came the first opportunity for a correct and intimate knowledge of the true Bahá'í teachings. The salient facts,-the mission of the Báb as the forerunner and proclaimer of the coming of "He Whom God Shall Manifest", his life, and early martyrdom; the appearance of Bahá'u'lláh, the Manifestation, and Revealer of the Divine Word, the station and authority of Abbás Effendi, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, as the Centre of the Covenant, the Interpreter and the Establisher of the Sacred Law; these were known and believed; but, as yet, there had been but little translation of their writings, and but a small portion of their beautiful and comprehensive teachings of religion and life was known until they were disclosed by these visitors from the Centre of the Cause. The young interpreters, assisted by Mr Anton [Antún] Haddád of Syria, busied themselves in translating the Bahá'í Writings from Persian and Arabic into English, and a wonderful treasury of wisdom and knowledge was opened, which has been the delight and satisfaction of thousands of hungry souls in America.
The instructions given by Mírzá Asadu'lláh and Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl were thoroughly sane and practical, and so insisted on righteousness, right living-as the essential of religion, rather than psychic and occult experiments, that many persons, who had conceived views imbued with imaginations and superstitions, fell away from the Cause-but those who remained discovered such spiritual light, guidance, richness, and power in the teachings, that they were deeply confirmed in their belief, and clung to it as the most valuable instruction possible for man to obtain.
The classes and assemblies which had diminished in number, again began to grow, and to spread the knowledge of the Bahá'í Cause; until at the present time its adherents in the United States are numbered by thousands-there are believers in many cities and towns, from the Atlantic to the Pacific-all earnest and sincere in their faith, and in their acceptance of this modern revelation of Divine (continued to page 265)
p.263
Knowledge, and striving with their lives to carry out the Bahá'í teachings of love to God expressed in love to man.
There are assemblies of believers in Chicago and New York, in Boston and Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia, in Cleveland, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Kenosha, Minneapolis, Spokane, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and in many towns of lesser fame; in all of which this wonderful, religious, ethical, moral, and practical teaching of the age, is received and loved as the great solvent of religious, social, and economic problems, and the joy and beauty of life.
#
p. 265
submitted by Agreeable-Status-352 to BahaiHistory [link] [comments]
A brief history of the American development of the Bahai Movement
Thornton Chase
(published posthumously)
In the month of June, 1894, a gentleman in Chicago desired to study Sanskrit, in order to further pursue his search into ancient religious teachings. While seeking an instructor he met a Syrian who had come to Chicago from Egypt a short time before, and who told him of the Bahá'í Movement.
As the statements of the life and teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, and his son, Abbás Effendi, the "Greatest Branch", otherwise known as 'Abdu'l-Bahá, accorded with the declarations of numerous sacred prophecies, and with the age-long expectations of mankind, it was deemed of value to investigate those claims as far as possible
Other seekers for truth became attracted to the study of these matters, with the result that five accepted the teachings as true during the year 1894. In 1895 a number of earnest students became interested, classes were formed, and several became "believers", and in 1896, the followers of the Bahá'í Cause in Chicago were numbered by hundreds.
A class of Truth Seekers was begun in Kenosha, Wis., another in Milwaukee, and individuals from New York, Cincinnati, Washington, and other points, came in touch with the Movement in Chicago, and carried information of it to their friends at home, so that in 1898 many students in eastern cities were eagerly seeking knowledge of God through this channel.
On 4 November 1900, there arrived in New York, Mírzá Asadu'lláh, a Persian teacher of authority from 'Akká, in Palestine, and Hájí Hasan-i-Khurásání, a prominent merchant of Cairo, Egypt; with Mírzá Husayn Ruhí, and Mírzá Burzurg, as interpreters. They remained in New York" meeting and teaching large numbers of people, until 26 November, when they visited Johnstown, New York, for two days, and reached Chicago at 4 p.m., Thanksgiving Day, 29 November, where they made their headquarters for a year and a half.
A little later came another Persian gentleman, Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl, a scholar and historian, famous in the Orient for his learning and sincerity, one who had given up a position of the highest honour in Persia, as president of the Royal College of Tihrán, to embrace the Bahá'í Cause, which resulted in his imprisonment for three years in Persian dungeons. Two young Persians, Mírzá 'Alí Qulí Khán and Mírzá Amín'u'lláh also arrived to act as interpreters.
With these teachers came the first opportunity for a correct and intimate knowledge of the true Bahá'í teachings. The salient facts,-the mission of the Báb as the forerunner and proclaimer of the coming of "He Whom God Shall Manifest", his life, and early martyrdom; the appearance of Bahá'u'lláh, the Manifestation, and Revealer of the Divine Word, the station and authority of Abbás Effendi, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, as the Centre of the Covenant, the Interpreter and the Establisher of the Sacred Law; these were known and believed; but, as yet, there had been but little translation of their writings, and but a small portion of their beautiful and comprehensive teachings of religion and life was known until they were disclosed by these visitors from the Centre of the Cause. The young interpreters, assisted by Mr Anton [Antún] Haddád of Syria, busied themselves in translating the Bahá'í Writings from Persian and Arabic into English, and a wonderful treasury of wisdom and knowledge was opened, which has been the delight and satisfaction of thousands of hungry souls in America.
The instructions given by Mírzá Asadu'lláh and Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl were thoroughly sane and practical, and so insisted on righteousness, right living-as the essential of religion, rather than psychic and occult experiments, that many persons, who had conceived views imbued with imaginations and superstitions, fell away from the Cause-but those who remained discovered such spiritual light, guidance, richness, and power in the teachings, that they were deeply confirmed in their belief, and clung to it as the most valuable instruction possible for man to obtain.
The classes and assemblies which had diminished in number, again began to grow, and to spread the knowledge of the Bahá'í Cause; until at the present time its adherents in the United States are numbered by thousands-there are believers in many cities and towns, from the Atlantic to the Pacific-all earnest and sincere in their faith, and in their acceptance of this modern revelation of Divine (continued to page 265)
p.263
Knowledge, and striving with their lives to carry out the Bahá'í teachings of love to God expressed in love to man.
There are assemblies of believers in Chicago and New York, in Boston and Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia, in Cleveland, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Kenosha, Minneapolis, Spokane, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and in many towns of lesser fame; in all of which this wonderful, religious, ethical, moral, and practical teaching of the age, is received and loved as the great solvent of religious, social, and economic problems, and the joy and beauty of life.
#
p. 265
2023.03.29 00:54 mr_captcha Not that anyone asked, I built an app that sorts by distance nearly 300 farms within 90 mi of Cleveland and 35k+ farms nationwide selling beef, chicken, pork, milk, eggs, bison, elk, duck, turkey, and many more. Check it out! Thoughts?
Hi everyone
I'm building this app that sorts by distance farms selling over 20 food types
Some items like eggs and milk tend to sell out fast.
I'll be adding way more farms manually and trying to sign up more local farms in Cleveland. Please help introducing more farms to the app if you know anyone :)
Let me know if you encounter any bugs
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplylocal-farmers-market/id1517647951?ls=1
[EDIT] - if you're an Android user and want to be notified on the release - join the subreddit simplylocal
submitted by mr_captcha to Cleveland [link] [comments]
I'm building this app that sorts by distance farms selling over 20 food types
- Beef
- Chicken
- Pork
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Raw milk
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Farmers Markets
- Seafood
- Honey
- Maple
- Sheep
- Goat
- Lamb
- Jerky
- Turkey
- Bison
- Buffalo
- Elk
- Duck
- Rabbit
- Goose
- Ostrich
Some items like eggs and milk tend to sell out fast.
I'll be adding way more farms manually and trying to sign up more local farms in Cleveland. Please help introducing more farms to the app if you know anyone :)
Let me know if you encounter any bugs
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplylocal-farmers-market/id1517647951?ls=1
[EDIT] - if you're an Android user and want to be notified on the release - join the subreddit simplylocal
2023.03.29 00:34 Modelsteelrails Atlantic City Railroad Camelback Bringing the goo stuff to the shore
 | submitted by Modelsteelrails to modeltrains [link] [comments] |
2023.03.29 00:29 ihadaface I have some frozen london broil and bottom round I don't know what to do with. Can I make jerky with it?
Both are months old but still good. I had other beef from the same batch gifted to me that tasted fine once cooked up (one was a prime ribeye steak, totally fine). I'm open to suggested recipes for actually preparing these cuts as a meal, but I'm kinda curious about making jerky. I figured I could thinly slice everything up, marinate them awhile, then throw them in my dehydrator. I have zero idea which cuts are ideal for jerky, but I assumed if I had random meat not being used, may as well jerky it, right?
What would y'all do?
submitted by ihadaface to AskCulinary [link] [comments]
What would y'all do?
2023.03.28 23:57 anothernotavailable2 Beef Wellington?
I've always wanted to try beef wellington, but it seems like such a pain to make at home. What's the best place in the city/suburbs/exurbs to get it? Willing to travel a bit.
submitted by anothernotavailable2 to cincyeats [link] [comments]
2023.03.28 23:50 RandomAppalachian468 I got an email from a whistleblower. Things aren't what they seem at the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve
My name is Jordan Richter. I’m an investigative journalist for an independent media outlet. Ever since I had to use my wits, an old tape-recorder, and some fake weed I made from my mother’s arugula plant to catch a few bullies in their lies back in middle school, I’ve been obsessed with exposing corruption. I’ve spent years chasing the truth, going undercover, and even doing some modest hacking. Mostly I do political stuff, scandals, coverups, bribery. Every politician has a skeleton in their closet, and if you look hard enough, they usually have a few dozen. It’s not out of the ordinary for people to send me evidence of bad behavior on a potential suspect, like hotel receipts, photos, bank statements, that kind of thing.
Don’t get me wrong, I never publish anything I get without verifying it. I always look at every case as hearsay until proven correct. You can really mess up someone’s life with a false accusation, and as someone who’s been through that twice, I don’t want to be that guy. Besides, sometimes the stuff people send is just too vague, not convincing, or obviously faked. But ever once in a while I find something really deep, something my editor would call ‘beyond the pale’.
Something dark.
This is one of those times.
I recently received a recording and transcript of a phone call that the whistleblower, who chose to remain anonymous, secretly recorded and sent to me via email. The first time I listened to it, I was shocked, and had to re-listen several times just to be sure I heard it right. Due to technical difficulties with the recording, I can’t post it here, but I can share the transcript. If what is contained within is even remotely true, then anyone who lives in Barron County Ohio needs to get in contact with either their local travel agent, or perhaps a National Guard unit.
The following is the transcript, exactly how it was sent to me, word for word.
(The recording begins. The sound of a phone ringing can be heard, before a handset is picked up with a soft click, and a man speaks.)
Voice 1: “Sheriff’s office, how may I help you sir or—”
(A second man’s voice can be heard shouting through the phone.)
Voice 2: “Wurnauw! What the hell is going on in your district?”
(A chair creaks, and it sounds as though Voice 1 is clearing his throat.)
Voice 1: “Mr. Karonti, I—”
Voice 2: “Shut your mouth before I shut it for you. Don’t you know not to use my name on the phone, you hopeless lump? I gave you a job to do, one job, and now I’m hearing all kinds of noise about things going wrong down there. You think my group funded your campaign so these kinds of mistakes could happen?”
Voice 1: “Sir, I assure you, my deputies are doing everything we can to—”
Voice 2: “Your deputies? Do you have any idea what I just got done reading? One of your loudmouth deputies has been blabbing online about seeing a Techno in the freaking woods. Thousands of people viewed his post, Wurnauw. If just one of them does any amount of digging, our entire operation could be jeopardized.”
(The sound of a pencil snapping in half can be heard.)
Voice 1: “I . . . I’ll find the responsible man, and deal with him, sir. It won’t happen again.”
Voice 2: “It better not. As for the park, why didn’t you seize control of New Wilderness like I directed? We need that instillation as a base for operations, and those two-bit rangers are still running around firing guns everywhere, stirring up the herds, and causing the anomalies to migrate. I want them gone, Wurnauw. I don’t care how you do it, just get rid of them.”
Voice 1: “Sir, with all due respect, the Night Rangers outnumber us two to one, and they’re the only ones keeping the Technos and Organics at bay. I’ve lost two men already to the Echo-Spiders, and we can barely keep the roads blocked as it is. Civilians are finding their way in, and every one of them that survives has to be silenced or discredited. I need more men.”
Voice 2: “I have a thousand of my best fighters on standby as we speak. But I need live specimens, Wurnauw, the more the merrier, and we can’t get them if those polo-shirt wearing rent-a-cops are killing them all. Ever since that Cromwell girl popped the last Oak Walker, we’ve had nothing but spikes in the electromagnetic satellite readings from your area. Time is of the essence if we want to contain this thing. Arrest the Night Rangers, clear the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve of all personnel, and prepare the site for ELSAR to move in.”
Voice 1: “If I move on the park, the rangers might resist. I know the head of security there, and that old Marine won’t give up without a fight. This could spark a real shooting war right in our backyard, and if the public finds out . . .”
Voice 2: “If the public finds out that there are moon-eyed freaks stumbling around in the woods, they’ll start the shooting war themselves. For God’s sake Sheriff, use your head for something other than a hat rack! You want to flush the rangers out? Drive a herd into them, and let the freaks do their job. Once everyone’s dead, we’ll come in and clean up. No one will ever have to know it was you.”
Voice 1: “Look, this would be a whole lot easier if we had more help. I’m not a miracle worker, and rumors spread every time we take another casualty on the force. It’s a small county, sir, with even smaller towns. All it takes is one person talking, and I can’t contain it. Just give me 50 guys, kitted out and ready to go, and at least then we can man the roadblocks.”
(There is a long pause, and a clock can be heard ticking in the background.)
Voice 2: “Fine, I can send 50, but no more until the LZ is clear. The situation is rapidly deteriorating, and the more men we move, the more attention we’ll attract. If we can’t seal the Breach soon, we could face an ecological disaster that would make Chernobyl look like Christmas in the Bahamas. I don’t need to remind you what we’ll be forced to do if that happens.”
Voice 1: “Clean Sweep.”
Voice 2: “Exactly. I won’t risk creating another Black Crow Island. The press is distracted by the upcoming elections right now, but if we make one slip-up, we’ll have reporters and home-grown watchdogs breathing down our necks all across the country. We cannot afford another Disaster Zone, especially not after what happened in Canada.”
Voice 1: “I understand sir. As soon as the reinforcements arrive, I’ll have New Wilderness captured for you within a week. Three days tops.”
Voice 2: “Time is critical, Wurnauw. Do not disappoint me on this. Get control of your department, shut the Night Rangers down, and keep the anomalies contained until we get there. I’ll work on suppressing any more online activity regarding your area and run some interference in case a few wannabe private-eyes start Googling things they shouldn’t.”
Voice 1: “Yes sir.”
Voice 2: “Oh, and one more thing. The leak in your department, it’s some moron named Hamond. I don’t care how you do it, or where, just make him disappear, now.”
Voice 1: “Hamond, huh? I should have known. Believe me, sir, it’s as good as done.”
(There is a muted click from the other end of the line, and the recording ends.)
Naturally, I dove into the internet and started hunting for information as soon as I read the transcript. Try as I might, I couldn’t find anything about a Barron County Ohio in the mainstream press, or on any map anywhere. There is a Barron County in Wisconsin, but nowhere in the foothills of Appalachia, almost as if it’s been selectively deleted from every record available. As for the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve, I did manage to locate its home page just before a strange computer glitch made it unavailable. Just last week, the park announced it wouldn’t be holding a tour season this year, and that all grounds were closed to the public. It also issued a call for more volunteers for its security department, offering a whopping $40 an hour to anyone who stayed longer than a week, along with free room and board. Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to find any contact information, the site crashing in what I suspect was a coordinated DDOS attack from an unknown source.
What really stood out to me about the whole thing was the capitalization in the transcript of the bizarre words used by the two callers. Technos, Organics, and the vague threat known as the Breach. These seem to refer to some kind of animal species, judging by the use of the word ‘herds’ but it was hard to make heads or tails of it. My search in the regular web turned up nothing, until I stumbled across this site, and found four posts; three of them belonging to a girl named Madison Cromwell, and one belonging to a sheriff’s deputy, Sean Hamond.
From what I can gather in reading their accounts, both claim to have seen creatures of gargantuan and supernatural proportions. If there is any truth to them, then it might be reasonable to infer that the creature Miss Cromwell encountered, (called the ‘Oak Walker’ in the transcript by the mysterious Mr. Karonti) was likely an Organic, due to its plant-like characteristics. This creature seemed to be highly intelligent, and even possibly telekinetic, with the ability to create and control smaller human-sized creatures referred to by Cromwell as ‘Puppets.’ It is also important to note that in both Hamond’s account, and in the secret phone call, the creature known as ‘the Big one’ or ‘the Oak Walker’ is described as a type of apex predator, whose downfall contributed largely to the explosion of anomaly activity outside of the regular area. It is entirely possible that Miss Cromwell did in fact succeed in killing the creature, which in turn allowed lesser species to thrive in its absence and spill out into the environment.
In the second account, the strange metallic monstrosity that attacked Officer Hamond seems to fit rather well into the Techno category, given its electronic and mechanical attributes. This very well could be one of the ‘Echo-Spiders’ brought up by Sheriff Wurnauw. While there isn’t much information to go by, it seems that Organics and Technos are merely subcategories of the various paranormal beings that came from the Breach, and these anomalies present a clear and present danger to all human beings around them. A mention of electromagnetic readings powerful enough to be observed by satellites also seems to indicate that there is significant environmental disturbance going on in the area, which may have contributed to the origins of these species, or perhaps is a byproduct of their existence.
This, of course, was troubling to say the least, but I wanted to know more, and for that, I’d have to find the people who had supposedly witnessed these occurrences firsthand. Armed with two complete names, I info-hunted, and found some alarming results.
Madison Cromwell’s family recently moved from Black Oak to an unknown location somewhere deep in the hills of Idaho. For a family of relatively low-income to undertake such an abrupt move, they were either pursuing better income, or desperately fleeing some form of danger. I have no idea if Madison is alive or not. All of her social media accounts have been deleted, and none of her contacts on the various platforms seem to know if she quit, disappeared the last night of her job, or is still lying low somewhere.
In the case of Sean Hamond, it was announced early yesterday morning that a gunfight broke out in the Barron County Sheriff’s Office between members of the department, resulting in three dead, and four injured. Sean Hamond is said to be still at large, charged with the rather serious crime of organizing domestic terrorism, though no more details have been provided on that. One of the casualties was Officer James Walker, the partner Hamond referenced in his account on this site. Walker was shot twelve times in the firefight and taken to the Black Oak Regional Hospital. According to the hospital reports, he died of his wounds on the operating table soon after. For such violence to break out between fellow peace officers, and for such drastic charges to be leveled, there must be serious issues in the Barron County government, which lends more than a little credence to the validity of the whistleblower’s claims.
But it gets worse.
Upon looking into the reference to ‘Black Crow Island’, I could only find a passing mention about an explosion that destroyed an abandoned sanitorium on a small island off the coast of British Columbia. Not much was provided in terms of detail, except that two people had been seen fleeing the island on a rowboat but were never apprehended. How this is connected, I do not know, but if it was important enough to mention in the phone call, I can only assume it had ties to the same forces at work in Barron County.
As for the vague ‘ELSAR’ group of which Mr. Karonti appears to be a major player in, I found nothing that matched the description of his lethal capabilities. No large-scale private security companies hail by that name, and while I have no doubt it’s an acronym for something, I don’t know what it could be. Whoever they are, I seriously doubt the fighters of ELSAR are interested in the wellbeing of Barron County, or the employees at the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve.
That leads me to this moment, as I type the finishing touches on my entry. Normally, I would say to refer to my article in our media website for the rest of the story, but my editor was found dead just this morning, with a bullet in his head.
The back of his head.
I have a well-adapted gut feeling when I’ve been asking too many questions, stirred around in too many pots, and I know they’re coming for me. Random cars have been following me to-and-from home, strangers keep watching my apartment building, and I found a tracking device stuck to the trunk of my car today. Maybe this little post will garner enough attention to alert the people of Barron County to their imminent danger. Perhaps the New Wilderness Night Rangers will read this in time and find a way to avoid whatever horrible plans Sheriff Wurnauw and ELSAR have for them. Regardless, my part in this investigation is at an end.
My wife, and two boys are waiting for me, at the pre-determined spot I arranged over the burner phone I bought at a local phone kiosk. I have withdrawn all my money in cash, and have booked flights for three different countries, bus tickets for four different cities, and a rental car with three sets of fake license plates. My social media accounts are all deleted, my entire family has shed their personal phones, and I even dyed my hair. If someone reading this is hunting me, good luck. I’ve dug up people who didn’t want to be found for half my life, and my family is at stake here.
You’ll never catch us.
And if you’re someone who lives in Barron County, or heck, anywhere near Ohio, all I can say is . . . brace for impact.
submitted by RandomAppalachian468 to LighthouseHorror [link] [comments]
Don’t get me wrong, I never publish anything I get without verifying it. I always look at every case as hearsay until proven correct. You can really mess up someone’s life with a false accusation, and as someone who’s been through that twice, I don’t want to be that guy. Besides, sometimes the stuff people send is just too vague, not convincing, or obviously faked. But ever once in a while I find something really deep, something my editor would call ‘beyond the pale’.
Something dark.
This is one of those times.
I recently received a recording and transcript of a phone call that the whistleblower, who chose to remain anonymous, secretly recorded and sent to me via email. The first time I listened to it, I was shocked, and had to re-listen several times just to be sure I heard it right. Due to technical difficulties with the recording, I can’t post it here, but I can share the transcript. If what is contained within is even remotely true, then anyone who lives in Barron County Ohio needs to get in contact with either their local travel agent, or perhaps a National Guard unit.
The following is the transcript, exactly how it was sent to me, word for word.
(The recording begins. The sound of a phone ringing can be heard, before a handset is picked up with a soft click, and a man speaks.)
Voice 1: “Sheriff’s office, how may I help you sir or—”
(A second man’s voice can be heard shouting through the phone.)
Voice 2: “Wurnauw! What the hell is going on in your district?”
(A chair creaks, and it sounds as though Voice 1 is clearing his throat.)
Voice 1: “Mr. Karonti, I—”
Voice 2: “Shut your mouth before I shut it for you. Don’t you know not to use my name on the phone, you hopeless lump? I gave you a job to do, one job, and now I’m hearing all kinds of noise about things going wrong down there. You think my group funded your campaign so these kinds of mistakes could happen?”
Voice 1: “Sir, I assure you, my deputies are doing everything we can to—”
Voice 2: “Your deputies? Do you have any idea what I just got done reading? One of your loudmouth deputies has been blabbing online about seeing a Techno in the freaking woods. Thousands of people viewed his post, Wurnauw. If just one of them does any amount of digging, our entire operation could be jeopardized.”
(The sound of a pencil snapping in half can be heard.)
Voice 1: “I . . . I’ll find the responsible man, and deal with him, sir. It won’t happen again.”
Voice 2: “It better not. As for the park, why didn’t you seize control of New Wilderness like I directed? We need that instillation as a base for operations, and those two-bit rangers are still running around firing guns everywhere, stirring up the herds, and causing the anomalies to migrate. I want them gone, Wurnauw. I don’t care how you do it, just get rid of them.”
Voice 1: “Sir, with all due respect, the Night Rangers outnumber us two to one, and they’re the only ones keeping the Technos and Organics at bay. I’ve lost two men already to the Echo-Spiders, and we can barely keep the roads blocked as it is. Civilians are finding their way in, and every one of them that survives has to be silenced or discredited. I need more men.”
Voice 2: “I have a thousand of my best fighters on standby as we speak. But I need live specimens, Wurnauw, the more the merrier, and we can’t get them if those polo-shirt wearing rent-a-cops are killing them all. Ever since that Cromwell girl popped the last Oak Walker, we’ve had nothing but spikes in the electromagnetic satellite readings from your area. Time is of the essence if we want to contain this thing. Arrest the Night Rangers, clear the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve of all personnel, and prepare the site for ELSAR to move in.”
Voice 1: “If I move on the park, the rangers might resist. I know the head of security there, and that old Marine won’t give up without a fight. This could spark a real shooting war right in our backyard, and if the public finds out . . .”
Voice 2: “If the public finds out that there are moon-eyed freaks stumbling around in the woods, they’ll start the shooting war themselves. For God’s sake Sheriff, use your head for something other than a hat rack! You want to flush the rangers out? Drive a herd into them, and let the freaks do their job. Once everyone’s dead, we’ll come in and clean up. No one will ever have to know it was you.”
Voice 1: “Look, this would be a whole lot easier if we had more help. I’m not a miracle worker, and rumors spread every time we take another casualty on the force. It’s a small county, sir, with even smaller towns. All it takes is one person talking, and I can’t contain it. Just give me 50 guys, kitted out and ready to go, and at least then we can man the roadblocks.”
(There is a long pause, and a clock can be heard ticking in the background.)
Voice 2: “Fine, I can send 50, but no more until the LZ is clear. The situation is rapidly deteriorating, and the more men we move, the more attention we’ll attract. If we can’t seal the Breach soon, we could face an ecological disaster that would make Chernobyl look like Christmas in the Bahamas. I don’t need to remind you what we’ll be forced to do if that happens.”
Voice 1: “Clean Sweep.”
Voice 2: “Exactly. I won’t risk creating another Black Crow Island. The press is distracted by the upcoming elections right now, but if we make one slip-up, we’ll have reporters and home-grown watchdogs breathing down our necks all across the country. We cannot afford another Disaster Zone, especially not after what happened in Canada.”
Voice 1: “I understand sir. As soon as the reinforcements arrive, I’ll have New Wilderness captured for you within a week. Three days tops.”
Voice 2: “Time is critical, Wurnauw. Do not disappoint me on this. Get control of your department, shut the Night Rangers down, and keep the anomalies contained until we get there. I’ll work on suppressing any more online activity regarding your area and run some interference in case a few wannabe private-eyes start Googling things they shouldn’t.”
Voice 1: “Yes sir.”
Voice 2: “Oh, and one more thing. The leak in your department, it’s some moron named Hamond. I don’t care how you do it, or where, just make him disappear, now.”
Voice 1: “Hamond, huh? I should have known. Believe me, sir, it’s as good as done.”
(There is a muted click from the other end of the line, and the recording ends.)
Naturally, I dove into the internet and started hunting for information as soon as I read the transcript. Try as I might, I couldn’t find anything about a Barron County Ohio in the mainstream press, or on any map anywhere. There is a Barron County in Wisconsin, but nowhere in the foothills of Appalachia, almost as if it’s been selectively deleted from every record available. As for the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve, I did manage to locate its home page just before a strange computer glitch made it unavailable. Just last week, the park announced it wouldn’t be holding a tour season this year, and that all grounds were closed to the public. It also issued a call for more volunteers for its security department, offering a whopping $40 an hour to anyone who stayed longer than a week, along with free room and board. Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to find any contact information, the site crashing in what I suspect was a coordinated DDOS attack from an unknown source.
What really stood out to me about the whole thing was the capitalization in the transcript of the bizarre words used by the two callers. Technos, Organics, and the vague threat known as the Breach. These seem to refer to some kind of animal species, judging by the use of the word ‘herds’ but it was hard to make heads or tails of it. My search in the regular web turned up nothing, until I stumbled across this site, and found four posts; three of them belonging to a girl named Madison Cromwell, and one belonging to a sheriff’s deputy, Sean Hamond.
From what I can gather in reading their accounts, both claim to have seen creatures of gargantuan and supernatural proportions. If there is any truth to them, then it might be reasonable to infer that the creature Miss Cromwell encountered, (called the ‘Oak Walker’ in the transcript by the mysterious Mr. Karonti) was likely an Organic, due to its plant-like characteristics. This creature seemed to be highly intelligent, and even possibly telekinetic, with the ability to create and control smaller human-sized creatures referred to by Cromwell as ‘Puppets.’ It is also important to note that in both Hamond’s account, and in the secret phone call, the creature known as ‘the Big one’ or ‘the Oak Walker’ is described as a type of apex predator, whose downfall contributed largely to the explosion of anomaly activity outside of the regular area. It is entirely possible that Miss Cromwell did in fact succeed in killing the creature, which in turn allowed lesser species to thrive in its absence and spill out into the environment.
In the second account, the strange metallic monstrosity that attacked Officer Hamond seems to fit rather well into the Techno category, given its electronic and mechanical attributes. This very well could be one of the ‘Echo-Spiders’ brought up by Sheriff Wurnauw. While there isn’t much information to go by, it seems that Organics and Technos are merely subcategories of the various paranormal beings that came from the Breach, and these anomalies present a clear and present danger to all human beings around them. A mention of electromagnetic readings powerful enough to be observed by satellites also seems to indicate that there is significant environmental disturbance going on in the area, which may have contributed to the origins of these species, or perhaps is a byproduct of their existence.
This, of course, was troubling to say the least, but I wanted to know more, and for that, I’d have to find the people who had supposedly witnessed these occurrences firsthand. Armed with two complete names, I info-hunted, and found some alarming results.
Madison Cromwell’s family recently moved from Black Oak to an unknown location somewhere deep in the hills of Idaho. For a family of relatively low-income to undertake such an abrupt move, they were either pursuing better income, or desperately fleeing some form of danger. I have no idea if Madison is alive or not. All of her social media accounts have been deleted, and none of her contacts on the various platforms seem to know if she quit, disappeared the last night of her job, or is still lying low somewhere.
In the case of Sean Hamond, it was announced early yesterday morning that a gunfight broke out in the Barron County Sheriff’s Office between members of the department, resulting in three dead, and four injured. Sean Hamond is said to be still at large, charged with the rather serious crime of organizing domestic terrorism, though no more details have been provided on that. One of the casualties was Officer James Walker, the partner Hamond referenced in his account on this site. Walker was shot twelve times in the firefight and taken to the Black Oak Regional Hospital. According to the hospital reports, he died of his wounds on the operating table soon after. For such violence to break out between fellow peace officers, and for such drastic charges to be leveled, there must be serious issues in the Barron County government, which lends more than a little credence to the validity of the whistleblower’s claims.
But it gets worse.
Upon looking into the reference to ‘Black Crow Island’, I could only find a passing mention about an explosion that destroyed an abandoned sanitorium on a small island off the coast of British Columbia. Not much was provided in terms of detail, except that two people had been seen fleeing the island on a rowboat but were never apprehended. How this is connected, I do not know, but if it was important enough to mention in the phone call, I can only assume it had ties to the same forces at work in Barron County.
As for the vague ‘ELSAR’ group of which Mr. Karonti appears to be a major player in, I found nothing that matched the description of his lethal capabilities. No large-scale private security companies hail by that name, and while I have no doubt it’s an acronym for something, I don’t know what it could be. Whoever they are, I seriously doubt the fighters of ELSAR are interested in the wellbeing of Barron County, or the employees at the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve.
That leads me to this moment, as I type the finishing touches on my entry. Normally, I would say to refer to my article in our media website for the rest of the story, but my editor was found dead just this morning, with a bullet in his head.
The back of his head.
I have a well-adapted gut feeling when I’ve been asking too many questions, stirred around in too many pots, and I know they’re coming for me. Random cars have been following me to-and-from home, strangers keep watching my apartment building, and I found a tracking device stuck to the trunk of my car today. Maybe this little post will garner enough attention to alert the people of Barron County to their imminent danger. Perhaps the New Wilderness Night Rangers will read this in time and find a way to avoid whatever horrible plans Sheriff Wurnauw and ELSAR have for them. Regardless, my part in this investigation is at an end.
My wife, and two boys are waiting for me, at the pre-determined spot I arranged over the burner phone I bought at a local phone kiosk. I have withdrawn all my money in cash, and have booked flights for three different countries, bus tickets for four different cities, and a rental car with three sets of fake license plates. My social media accounts are all deleted, my entire family has shed their personal phones, and I even dyed my hair. If someone reading this is hunting me, good luck. I’ve dug up people who didn’t want to be found for half my life, and my family is at stake here.
You’ll never catch us.
And if you’re someone who lives in Barron County, or heck, anywhere near Ohio, all I can say is . . . brace for impact.
2023.03.28 23:47 Scoop_McDroop Anyone else seeing Brakence in New Jersey next month?
 | submitted by Scoop_McDroop to brakence [link] [comments] |
2023.03.28 23:46 Scoop_McDroop Anyone else seeing Steve Aoki in Atlantic City?
 | submitted by Scoop_McDroop to steveaoki [link] [comments] |
2023.03.28 23:42 Scoop_McDroop Looking forward to Bamboozle! Who's going?
 | submitted by Scoop_McDroop to atlanticcity [link] [comments] |
2023.03.28 23:32 RandomAppalachian468 I got an email from a whistleblower. Things aren't what they seem at the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve.
My name is Jordan Richter. I’m an investigative journalist for an independent media outlet. Ever since I had to use my wits, an old tape-recorder, and some fake weed I made from my mother’s arugula plant to catch a few bullies in their lies back in middle school, I’ve been obsessed with exposing corruption. I’ve spent years chasing the truth, going undercover, and even doing some modest hacking. Mostly I do political stuff, scandals, coverups, bribery. Every politician has a skeleton in their closet, and if you look hard enough, they usually have a few dozen. It’s not out of the ordinary for people to send me evidence of bad behavior on a potential suspect, like hotel receipts, photos, bank statements, that kind of thing.
Don’t get me wrong, I never publish anything I get without verifying it. I always look at every case as hearsay until proven correct. You can really mess up someone’s life with a false accusation, and as someone who’s been through that twice, I don’t want to be that guy. Besides, sometimes the stuff people send is just too vague, not convincing, or obviously faked. But ever once in a while I find something really deep, something my editor would call ‘beyond the pale’.
Something dark.
This is one of those times.
I recently received a recording and transcript of a phone call that the whistleblower, who chose to remain anonymous, secretly recorded and sent to me via email. The first time I listened to it, I was shocked, and had to re-listen several times just to be sure I heard it right. Due to technical difficulties with the recording, I can’t post it here, but I can share the transcript. If what is contained within is even remotely true, then anyone who lives in Barron County Ohio needs to get in contact with either their local travel agent, or perhaps a National Guard unit.
The following is the transcript, exactly how it was sent to me, word for word.
(The recording begins. The sound of a phone ringing can be heard, before a handset is picked up with a soft click, and a man speaks.)
Voice 1: “Sheriff’s office, how may I help you sir or—”
(A second man’s voice can be heard shouting through the phone.)
Voice 2: “Wurnauw! What the hell is going on in your district?”
(A chair creaks, and it sounds as though Voice 1 is clearing his throat.)
Voice 1: “Mr. Karonti, I—”
Voice 2: “Shut your mouth before I shut it for you. Don’t you know not to use my name on the phone, you hopeless lump? I gave you a job to do, one job, and now I’m hearing all kinds of noise about things going wrong down there. You think my group funded your campaign so these kinds of mistakes could happen?”
Voice 1: “Sir, I assure you, my deputies are doing everything we can to—”
Voice 2: “Your deputies? Do you have any idea what I just got done reading? One of your loudmouth deputies has been blabbing online about seeing a Techno in the freaking woods. Thousands of people viewed his post, Wurnauw. If just one of them does any amount of digging, our entire operation could be jeopardized.”
(The sound of a pencil snapping in half can be heard.)
Voice 1: “I . . . I’ll find the responsible man, and deal with him, sir. It won’t happen again.”
Voice 2: “It better not. As for the park, why didn’t you seize control of New Wilderness like I directed? We need that instillation as a base for operations, and those two-bit rangers are still running around firing guns everywhere, stirring up the herds, and causing the anomalies to migrate. I want them gone, Wurnauw. I don’t care how you do it, just get rid of them.”
Voice 1: “Sir, with all due respect, the Night Rangers outnumber us two to one, and they’re the only ones keeping the Technos and Organics at bay. I’ve lost two men already to the Echo-Spiders, and we can barely keep the roads blocked as it is. Civilians are finding their way in, and every one of them that survives has to be silenced or discredited. I need more men.”
Voice 2: “I have a thousand of my best fighters on standby as we speak. But I need live specimens, Wurnauw, the more the merrier, and we can’t get them if those polo-shirt wearing rent-a-cops are killing them all. Ever since that Cromwell girl popped the last Oak Walker, we’ve had nothing but spikes in the electromagnetic satellite readings from your area. Time is of the essence if we want to contain this thing. Arrest the Night Rangers, clear the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve of all personnel, and prepare the site for ELSAR to move in.”
Voice 1: “If I move on the park, the rangers might resist. I know the head of security there, and that old Marine won’t give up without a fight. This could spark a real shooting war right in our backyard, and if the public finds out . . .”
Voice 2: “If the public finds out that there are moon-eyed freaks stumbling around in the woods, they’ll start the shooting war themselves. For God’s sake Sheriff, use your head for something other than a hat rack! You want to flush the rangers out? Drive a herd into them, and let the freaks do their job. Once everyone’s dead, we’ll come in and clean up. No one will ever have to know it was you.”
Voice 1: “Look, this would be a whole lot easier if we had more help. I’m not a miracle worker, and rumors spread every time we take another casualty on the force. It’s a small county, sir, with even smaller towns. All it takes is one person talking, and I can’t contain it. Just give me 50 guys, kitted out and ready to go, and at least then we can man the roadblocks.”
(There is a long pause, and a clock can be heard ticking in the background.)
Voice 2: “Fine, I can send 50, but no more until the LZ is clear. The situation is rapidly deteriorating, and the more men we move, the more attention we’ll attract. If we can’t seal the Breach soon, we could face an ecological disaster that would make Chernobyl look like Christmas in the Bahamas. I don’t need to remind you what we’ll be forced to do if that happens.”
Voice 1: “Clean Sweep.”
Voice 2: “Exactly. I won’t risk creating another Black Crow Island. The press is distracted by the upcoming elections right now, but if we make one slip-up, we’ll have reporters and home-grown watchdogs breathing down our necks all across the country. We cannot afford another Disaster Zone, especially not after what happened in Canada.”
Voice 1: “I understand sir. As soon as the reinforcements arrive, I’ll have New Wilderness captured for you within a week. Three days tops.”
Voice 2: “Time is critical, Wurnauw. Do not disappoint me on this. Get control of your department, shut the Night Rangers down, and keep the anomalies contained until we get there. I’ll work on suppressing any more online activity regarding your area and run some interference in case a few wannabe private-eyes start Googling things they shouldn’t.”
Voice 1: “Yes sir.”
Voice 2: “Oh, and one more thing. The leak in your department, it’s some moron named Hamond. I don’t care how you do it, or where, just make him disappear, now.”
Voice 1: “Hamond, huh? I should have known. Believe me, sir, it’s as good as done.”
(There is a muted click from the other end of the line, and the recording ends.)
Naturally, I dove into the internet and started hunting for information as soon as I read the transcript. Try as I might, I couldn’t find anything about a Barron County Ohio in the mainstream press, or on any map anywhere. There is a Barron County in Wisconsin, but nowhere in the foothills of Appalachia, almost as if it’s been selectively deleted from every record available. As for the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve, I did manage to locate its home page just before a strange computer glitch made it unavailable. Just last week, the park announced it wouldn’t be holding a tour season this year, and that all grounds were closed to the public. It also issued a call for more volunteers for its security department, offering a whopping $40 an hour to anyone who stayed longer than a week, along with free room and board. Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to find any contact information, the site crashing in what I suspect was a coordinated DDOS attack from an unknown source.
What really stood out to me about the whole thing was the capitalization in the transcript of the bizarre words used by the two callers. Technos, Organics, and the vague threat known as the Breach. These seem to refer to some kind of animal species, judging by the use of the word ‘herds’ but it was hard to make heads or tails of it. My search in the regular web turned up nothing, until I stumbled across this site, and found four posts; three of them belonging to a girl named Madison Cromwell, and one belonging to a sheriff’s deputy, Sean Hamond.
From what I can gather in reading their accounts, both claim to have seen creatures of gargantuan and supernatural proportions. If there is any truth to them, then it might be reasonable to infer that the creature Miss Cromwell encountered, (called the ‘Oak Walker’ in the transcript by the mysterious Mr. Karonti) was likely an Organic, due to its plant-like characteristics. This creature seemed to be highly intelligent, and even possibly telekinetic, with the ability to create and control smaller human-sized creatures referred to by Cromwell as ‘Puppets.’ It is also important to note that in both Hamond’s account, and in the secret phone call, the creature known as ‘the Big one’ or ‘the Oak Walker’ is described as a type of apex predator, whose downfall contributed largely to the explosion of anomaly activity outside of the regular area. It is entirely possible that Miss Cromwell did in fact succeed in killing the creature, which in turn allowed lesser species to thrive in its absence and spill out into the environment.
In the second account, the strange metallic monstrosity that attacked Officer Hamond seems to fit rather well into the Techno category, given its electronic and mechanical attributes. This very well could be one of the ‘Echo-Spiders’ brought up by Sheriff Wurnauw. While there isn’t much information to go by, it seems that Organics and Technos are merely subcategories of the various paranormal beings that came from the Breach, and these anomalies present a clear and present danger to all human beings around them. A mention of electromagnetic readings powerful enough to be observed by satellites also seems to indicate that there is significant environmental disturbance going on in the area, which may have contributed to the origins of these species, or perhaps is a byproduct of their existence.
This, of course, was troubling to say the least, but I wanted to know more, and for that, I’d have to find the people who had supposedly witnessed these occurrences firsthand. Armed with two complete names, I info-hunted, and found some alarming results.
Madison Cromwell’s family recently moved from Black Oak to an unknown location somewhere deep in the hills of Idaho. For a family of relatively low-income to undertake such an abrupt move, they were either pursuing better income, or desperately fleeing some form of danger. I have no idea if Madison is alive or not. All of her social media accounts have been deleted, and none of her contacts on the various platforms seem to know if she quit, disappeared the last night of her job, or is still lying low somewhere.
In the case of Sean Hamond, it was announced early yesterday morning that a gunfight broke out in the Barron County Sheriff’s Office between members of the department, resulting in three dead, and four injured. Sean Hamond is said to be still at large, charged with the rather serious crime of organizing domestic terrorism, though no more details have been provided on that. One of the casualties was Officer James Walker, the partner Hamond referenced in his account on this site. Walker was shot twelve times in the firefight and taken to the Black Oak Regional Hospital. According to the hospital reports, he died of his wounds on the operating table soon after. For such violence to break out between fellow peace officers, and for such drastic charges to be leveled, there must be serious issues in the Barron County government, which lends more than a little credence to the validity of the whistleblower’s claims.
But it gets worse.
Upon looking into the reference to ‘Black Crow Island’, I could only find a passing mention about an explosion that destroyed an abandoned sanitorium on a small island off the coast of British Columbia. Not much was provided in terms of detail, except that two people had been seen fleeing the island on a rowboat but were never apprehended. How this is connected, I do not know, but if it was important enough to mention in the phone call, I can only assume it had ties to the same forces at work in Barron County.
As for the vague ‘ELSAR’ group of which Mr. Karonti appears to be a major player in, I found nothing that matched the description of his lethal capabilities. No large-scale private security companies hail by that name, and while I have no doubt it’s an acronym for something, I don’t know what it could be. Whoever they are, I seriously doubt the fighters of ELSAR are interested in the wellbeing of Barron County, or the employees at the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve.
That leads me to this moment, as I type the finishing touches on my entry. Normally, I would say to refer to my article in our media website for the rest of the story, but my editor was found dead just this morning, with a bullet in his head.
The back of his head.
I have a well-adapted gut feeling when I’ve been asking too many questions, stirred around in too many pots, and I know they’re coming for me. Random cars have been following me to-and-from home, strangers keep watching my apartment building, and I found a tracking device stuck to the trunk of my car today. Maybe this little post will garner enough attention to alert the people of Barron County to their imminent danger. Perhaps the New Wilderness Night Rangers will read this in time and find a way to avoid whatever horrible plans Sheriff Wurnauw and ELSAR have for them. Regardless, my part in this investigation is at an end.
My wife, and two boys are waiting for me, at the pre-determined spot I arranged over the burner phone I bought at a local phone kiosk. I have withdrawn all my money in cash, and have booked flights for three different countries, bus tickets for four different cities, and a rental car with three sets of fake license plates. My social media accounts are all deleted, my entire family has shed their personal phones, and I even dyed my hair. If someone reading this is hunting me, good luck. I’ve dug up people who didn’t want to be found for half my life, and my family is at stake here.
You’ll never catch us.
And if you’re someone who lives in Barron County, or heck, anywhere near Ohio, all I can say is . . . brace for impact.
submitted by RandomAppalachian468 to nosleep [link] [comments]
Don’t get me wrong, I never publish anything I get without verifying it. I always look at every case as hearsay until proven correct. You can really mess up someone’s life with a false accusation, and as someone who’s been through that twice, I don’t want to be that guy. Besides, sometimes the stuff people send is just too vague, not convincing, or obviously faked. But ever once in a while I find something really deep, something my editor would call ‘beyond the pale’.
Something dark.
This is one of those times.
I recently received a recording and transcript of a phone call that the whistleblower, who chose to remain anonymous, secretly recorded and sent to me via email. The first time I listened to it, I was shocked, and had to re-listen several times just to be sure I heard it right. Due to technical difficulties with the recording, I can’t post it here, but I can share the transcript. If what is contained within is even remotely true, then anyone who lives in Barron County Ohio needs to get in contact with either their local travel agent, or perhaps a National Guard unit.
The following is the transcript, exactly how it was sent to me, word for word.
(The recording begins. The sound of a phone ringing can be heard, before a handset is picked up with a soft click, and a man speaks.)
Voice 1: “Sheriff’s office, how may I help you sir or—”
(A second man’s voice can be heard shouting through the phone.)
Voice 2: “Wurnauw! What the hell is going on in your district?”
(A chair creaks, and it sounds as though Voice 1 is clearing his throat.)
Voice 1: “Mr. Karonti, I—”
Voice 2: “Shut your mouth before I shut it for you. Don’t you know not to use my name on the phone, you hopeless lump? I gave you a job to do, one job, and now I’m hearing all kinds of noise about things going wrong down there. You think my group funded your campaign so these kinds of mistakes could happen?”
Voice 1: “Sir, I assure you, my deputies are doing everything we can to—”
Voice 2: “Your deputies? Do you have any idea what I just got done reading? One of your loudmouth deputies has been blabbing online about seeing a Techno in the freaking woods. Thousands of people viewed his post, Wurnauw. If just one of them does any amount of digging, our entire operation could be jeopardized.”
(The sound of a pencil snapping in half can be heard.)
Voice 1: “I . . . I’ll find the responsible man, and deal with him, sir. It won’t happen again.”
Voice 2: “It better not. As for the park, why didn’t you seize control of New Wilderness like I directed? We need that instillation as a base for operations, and those two-bit rangers are still running around firing guns everywhere, stirring up the herds, and causing the anomalies to migrate. I want them gone, Wurnauw. I don’t care how you do it, just get rid of them.”
Voice 1: “Sir, with all due respect, the Night Rangers outnumber us two to one, and they’re the only ones keeping the Technos and Organics at bay. I’ve lost two men already to the Echo-Spiders, and we can barely keep the roads blocked as it is. Civilians are finding their way in, and every one of them that survives has to be silenced or discredited. I need more men.”
Voice 2: “I have a thousand of my best fighters on standby as we speak. But I need live specimens, Wurnauw, the more the merrier, and we can’t get them if those polo-shirt wearing rent-a-cops are killing them all. Ever since that Cromwell girl popped the last Oak Walker, we’ve had nothing but spikes in the electromagnetic satellite readings from your area. Time is of the essence if we want to contain this thing. Arrest the Night Rangers, clear the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve of all personnel, and prepare the site for ELSAR to move in.”
Voice 1: “If I move on the park, the rangers might resist. I know the head of security there, and that old Marine won’t give up without a fight. This could spark a real shooting war right in our backyard, and if the public finds out . . .”
Voice 2: “If the public finds out that there are moon-eyed freaks stumbling around in the woods, they’ll start the shooting war themselves. For God’s sake Sheriff, use your head for something other than a hat rack! You want to flush the rangers out? Drive a herd into them, and let the freaks do their job. Once everyone’s dead, we’ll come in and clean up. No one will ever have to know it was you.”
Voice 1: “Look, this would be a whole lot easier if we had more help. I’m not a miracle worker, and rumors spread every time we take another casualty on the force. It’s a small county, sir, with even smaller towns. All it takes is one person talking, and I can’t contain it. Just give me 50 guys, kitted out and ready to go, and at least then we can man the roadblocks.”
(There is a long pause, and a clock can be heard ticking in the background.)
Voice 2: “Fine, I can send 50, but no more until the LZ is clear. The situation is rapidly deteriorating, and the more men we move, the more attention we’ll attract. If we can’t seal the Breach soon, we could face an ecological disaster that would make Chernobyl look like Christmas in the Bahamas. I don’t need to remind you what we’ll be forced to do if that happens.”
Voice 1: “Clean Sweep.”
Voice 2: “Exactly. I won’t risk creating another Black Crow Island. The press is distracted by the upcoming elections right now, but if we make one slip-up, we’ll have reporters and home-grown watchdogs breathing down our necks all across the country. We cannot afford another Disaster Zone, especially not after what happened in Canada.”
Voice 1: “I understand sir. As soon as the reinforcements arrive, I’ll have New Wilderness captured for you within a week. Three days tops.”
Voice 2: “Time is critical, Wurnauw. Do not disappoint me on this. Get control of your department, shut the Night Rangers down, and keep the anomalies contained until we get there. I’ll work on suppressing any more online activity regarding your area and run some interference in case a few wannabe private-eyes start Googling things they shouldn’t.”
Voice 1: “Yes sir.”
Voice 2: “Oh, and one more thing. The leak in your department, it’s some moron named Hamond. I don’t care how you do it, or where, just make him disappear, now.”
Voice 1: “Hamond, huh? I should have known. Believe me, sir, it’s as good as done.”
(There is a muted click from the other end of the line, and the recording ends.)
Naturally, I dove into the internet and started hunting for information as soon as I read the transcript. Try as I might, I couldn’t find anything about a Barron County Ohio in the mainstream press, or on any map anywhere. There is a Barron County in Wisconsin, but nowhere in the foothills of Appalachia, almost as if it’s been selectively deleted from every record available. As for the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve, I did manage to locate its home page just before a strange computer glitch made it unavailable. Just last week, the park announced it wouldn’t be holding a tour season this year, and that all grounds were closed to the public. It also issued a call for more volunteers for its security department, offering a whopping $40 an hour to anyone who stayed longer than a week, along with free room and board. Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to find any contact information, the site crashing in what I suspect was a coordinated DDOS attack from an unknown source.
What really stood out to me about the whole thing was the capitalization in the transcript of the bizarre words used by the two callers. Technos, Organics, and the vague threat known as the Breach. These seem to refer to some kind of animal species, judging by the use of the word ‘herds’ but it was hard to make heads or tails of it. My search in the regular web turned up nothing, until I stumbled across this site, and found four posts; three of them belonging to a girl named Madison Cromwell, and one belonging to a sheriff’s deputy, Sean Hamond.
From what I can gather in reading their accounts, both claim to have seen creatures of gargantuan and supernatural proportions. If there is any truth to them, then it might be reasonable to infer that the creature Miss Cromwell encountered, (called the ‘Oak Walker’ in the transcript by the mysterious Mr. Karonti) was likely an Organic, due to its plant-like characteristics. This creature seemed to be highly intelligent, and even possibly telekinetic, with the ability to create and control smaller human-sized creatures referred to by Cromwell as ‘Puppets.’ It is also important to note that in both Hamond’s account, and in the secret phone call, the creature known as ‘the Big one’ or ‘the Oak Walker’ is described as a type of apex predator, whose downfall contributed largely to the explosion of anomaly activity outside of the regular area. It is entirely possible that Miss Cromwell did in fact succeed in killing the creature, which in turn allowed lesser species to thrive in its absence and spill out into the environment.
In the second account, the strange metallic monstrosity that attacked Officer Hamond seems to fit rather well into the Techno category, given its electronic and mechanical attributes. This very well could be one of the ‘Echo-Spiders’ brought up by Sheriff Wurnauw. While there isn’t much information to go by, it seems that Organics and Technos are merely subcategories of the various paranormal beings that came from the Breach, and these anomalies present a clear and present danger to all human beings around them. A mention of electromagnetic readings powerful enough to be observed by satellites also seems to indicate that there is significant environmental disturbance going on in the area, which may have contributed to the origins of these species, or perhaps is a byproduct of their existence.
This, of course, was troubling to say the least, but I wanted to know more, and for that, I’d have to find the people who had supposedly witnessed these occurrences firsthand. Armed with two complete names, I info-hunted, and found some alarming results.
Madison Cromwell’s family recently moved from Black Oak to an unknown location somewhere deep in the hills of Idaho. For a family of relatively low-income to undertake such an abrupt move, they were either pursuing better income, or desperately fleeing some form of danger. I have no idea if Madison is alive or not. All of her social media accounts have been deleted, and none of her contacts on the various platforms seem to know if she quit, disappeared the last night of her job, or is still lying low somewhere.
In the case of Sean Hamond, it was announced early yesterday morning that a gunfight broke out in the Barron County Sheriff’s Office between members of the department, resulting in three dead, and four injured. Sean Hamond is said to be still at large, charged with the rather serious crime of organizing domestic terrorism, though no more details have been provided on that. One of the casualties was Officer James Walker, the partner Hamond referenced in his account on this site. Walker was shot twelve times in the firefight and taken to the Black Oak Regional Hospital. According to the hospital reports, he died of his wounds on the operating table soon after. For such violence to break out between fellow peace officers, and for such drastic charges to be leveled, there must be serious issues in the Barron County government, which lends more than a little credence to the validity of the whistleblower’s claims.
But it gets worse.
Upon looking into the reference to ‘Black Crow Island’, I could only find a passing mention about an explosion that destroyed an abandoned sanitorium on a small island off the coast of British Columbia. Not much was provided in terms of detail, except that two people had been seen fleeing the island on a rowboat but were never apprehended. How this is connected, I do not know, but if it was important enough to mention in the phone call, I can only assume it had ties to the same forces at work in Barron County.
As for the vague ‘ELSAR’ group of which Mr. Karonti appears to be a major player in, I found nothing that matched the description of his lethal capabilities. No large-scale private security companies hail by that name, and while I have no doubt it’s an acronym for something, I don’t know what it could be. Whoever they are, I seriously doubt the fighters of ELSAR are interested in the wellbeing of Barron County, or the employees at the New Wilderness Wildlife Reserve.
That leads me to this moment, as I type the finishing touches on my entry. Normally, I would say to refer to my article in our media website for the rest of the story, but my editor was found dead just this morning, with a bullet in his head.
The back of his head.
I have a well-adapted gut feeling when I’ve been asking too many questions, stirred around in too many pots, and I know they’re coming for me. Random cars have been following me to-and-from home, strangers keep watching my apartment building, and I found a tracking device stuck to the trunk of my car today. Maybe this little post will garner enough attention to alert the people of Barron County to their imminent danger. Perhaps the New Wilderness Night Rangers will read this in time and find a way to avoid whatever horrible plans Sheriff Wurnauw and ELSAR have for them. Regardless, my part in this investigation is at an end.
My wife, and two boys are waiting for me, at the pre-determined spot I arranged over the burner phone I bought at a local phone kiosk. I have withdrawn all my money in cash, and have booked flights for three different countries, bus tickets for four different cities, and a rental car with three sets of fake license plates. My social media accounts are all deleted, my entire family has shed their personal phones, and I even dyed my hair. If someone reading this is hunting me, good luck. I’ve dug up people who didn’t want to be found for half my life, and my family is at stake here.
You’ll never catch us.
And if you’re someone who lives in Barron County, or heck, anywhere near Ohio, all I can say is . . . brace for impact.