Eso monster sets
Elder Scrolls Online
2012.03.16 05:42 digibond Elder Scrolls Online
A Reddit community dedicated to The Elder Scrolls Online, an MMO developed by Zenimax Online.
2018.01.25 17:03 both_sides_bot Monster Hunter Fashion Sets
Post your fashionable armour sets here. Any monster hunter franchise game is accepted. Glory to glamour.
2018.03.30 05:59 Monster Hunter Mixed Armor Sets
A place to share your interesting mixed sets. Min/maxers welcome! As are more fun/whacky sets.
2023.06.01 18:08 lbabinz [eShop] Weekly Digital Switch Game Sale
2023.06.01 17:55 _Triple_ [STORE] 900+ KNIVES/GLOVES/SKINS, 50.000$+ INVENTORY. M9 Fade, M4 Poseidon, BFK Freehand, Crimson Kimono, Nomad Fade, Skeleton, Kara Lore, Bayo Autotronic, AWP Fade, Kara Damas, BFK Ultra, Kara Freehand, Kara Bright, M9 Damas, Omega, Tiger Strike, Flip MF, Bayo Tiger, Deagle Blaze, Talon & More
Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory
Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.
All Buyouts are listed in cash value.
KNIVES
★ Butterfly Knife Freehand FN #1, B/O: $2500
★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $822
★ Butterfly Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $616
⎯★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW #1, B/O: $1300
★ Bayonet Autotronic FN, B/O: $1050
★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW, B/O: $629
★ Bayonet Bright Water FT, B/O: $326
★ Bayonet Safari Mesh BS, B/O: $233
⎯★ Karambit Lore FT, B/O: $1110
★ Karambit Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $840
★ Karambit Freehand MW, B/O: $784
★ Karambit Bright Water MW, B/O: $759
⎯★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801
★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801
★ M9 Bayonet Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $751
⎯★ Nomad Knife Fade FN, B/O: $1156
★ Nomad Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $544
★ Nomad Knife Blue Steel WW, B/O: $318
⎯★ Flip Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $646
★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $574
★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) MW, B/O: $552
★ Flip Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $257
★ Flip Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $255
★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $287
⎯★ Huntsman Knife Lore FN, B/O: $461
★ Huntsman Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $436
★ Huntsman Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $353
★ Huntsman Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $212
★ Huntsman Knife Bright Water FT, B/O: $129
★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT MW, B/O: $129
★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT BS, B/O: $123
★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Rust Coat BS, B/O: $127
⎯★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $375
★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $363
★ Bowie Knife Tiger Tooth FN, B/O: $269
★ Bowie Knife Crimson Web WW, B/O: $192
★ Bowie Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $159
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $126
⎯★ Stiletto Knife Slaughter FN, B/O: $616
★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web FT, B/O: $412
★ StatTrak™ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe FT, B/O: $227
⎯★ Falchion Knife Lore FT, B/O: $214
★ Falchion Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $192
★ Falchion Knife Scorched WW, B/O: $105
⎯★ Survival Knife Crimson Web BS, B/O: $216
★ Survival Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $198
★ Survival Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $111
⎯★ Shadow Daggers Fade FN, B/O: $368
★ Shadow Daggers Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $228
★ Shadow Daggers, B/O: $201
★ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $108
★ Shadow Daggers Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $105
★ Shadow Daggers Black Laminate FT, B/O: $99
★ Shadow Daggers Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $85
⎯★ Gut Knife Doppler (Sapphire) MW #1, B/O: $1700
★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $223
★ Gut Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $203
★ Gut Knife Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $191
★ Gut Knife Case Hardened BS, B/O: $127
⎯★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199
★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199
★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $138
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $111
⎯★ Classic Knife Urban Masked FT, B/O: $146
★ StatTrak™ Classic Knife Stained BS, B/O: $168
⎯★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $476
★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $375
⎯★ Skeleton Knife, B/O: $1137
★ Talon Knife, B/O: $608
★ Paracord Knife, B/O: $305
★ Survival Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97
GLOVES
★ Moto Gloves Transport MW, B/O: $204
★ Moto Gloves Polygon BS, B/O: $142
★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84
★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84
★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63
★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63
⎯★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono WW, B/O: $1215
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike FT, B/O: $672
★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander FT, B/O: $305
★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander BS, B/O: $140
★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web BS, B/O: $137
★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot FT, B/O: $75
⎯★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave FT, B/O: $359
★ Driver Gloves Imperial Plaid BS, B/O: $229
★ Driver Gloves Overtake BS, B/O: $77
★ Driver Gloves Racing Green FT, B/O: $48
⎯★ Sport Gloves Omega FT, B/O: $739
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious BS #2, B/O: $733
★ Sport Gloves Arid BS, B/O: $292
⎯★ Hand Wraps Giraffe MW, B/O: $212
★ Hand Wraps Leather FT, B/O: $160
★ Hand Wraps Desert Shamagh MW, B/O: $101
⎯★ Broken Fang Gloves Yellow-banded MW, B/O: $185
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point FT, B/O: $67
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point WW, B/O: $59
⎯★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened BS, B/O: $65
★ Hydra Gloves Emerald FT, B/O: $65
★ Hydra Gloves Emerald BS, B/O: $62
WEAPONS
AK-47 Case Hardened BS, B/O: $130
AK-47 Bloodsport MW, B/O: $79
AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76
AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76
AK-47 Bloodsport FT, B/O: $70
AK-47 Neon Rider MW, B/O: $60
StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge FT, B/O: $72
⎯AWP Fade FN, B/O: $1039
AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139
AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139
AWP Wildfire MW, B/O: $95
AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93
AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93
AWP Duality FN, B/O: $81
AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79
AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79
AWP Chromatic Aberration FN, B/O: $60
StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68
StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68
StatTrak™ AWP Electric Hive FT, B/O: $55
⎯Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $623
Desert Eagle Emerald Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $241
Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81
Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81
Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81
Desert Eagle Printstream FT, B/O: $54
⎯M4A1-S Blue Phosphor FN, B/O: $434
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Bright Water MW, B/O: $55
⎯M4A4 Poseidon FN, B/O: $1465
M4A4 Asiimov BS, B/O: $55
M4A4 Hellfire MW, B/O: $50
⎯USP-S Kill Confirmed MW, B/O: $72
USP-S Printstream FT, B/O: $69
StatTrak™ USP-S Kill Confirmed FT, B/O: $139
⎯AUG Flame Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $234
P90 Run and Hide FT, B/O: $147
Five-SeveN Candy Apple FN, B/O: $61
Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory
Some items on the list may no longer be available or are still locked, visit My Inventory for more details.
Send a Trade Offer for fastest response. I consider all offers.
Add me for discuss if there is a serious offer that needs to be discussed.
2023.06.01 17:44 Wheasy Ecosystem in the land of death
There's a continent in my fantasy setting that has long been neglected as a space filler on the map. It's premise is ye old Atlantis trope of a, continent sized, ruined city of a fallen advanced civilization that vanished a million years ago.
Of course that begs the question, how would ruins survive for a million years? I could say that there's automated maintenance machines which could help, but then I remembered a collection of SCP stories about a dead world where food doesn't spoil because there's no bacteria to break it down.
So on the Ruined Continent, new life cannot grow and multiply. Women become barren while visiting, seeds cannot bloom, cells can't divide, etcetera. It sounded like an interesting idea but it left me with a new problem. I wanted the ruins populated with monsters but if there's no plants then what would they eat? Heck, even people and animals visiting would probably die in a few weeks as they would eventually suffer organ failure due to no new cells to replace the dead ones.
Any thoughts?
submitted by Wheasy to goodworldbuilding [link] [comments]
Of course that begs the question, how would ruins survive for a million years? I could say that there's automated maintenance machines which could help, but then I remembered a collection of SCP stories about a dead world where food doesn't spoil because there's no bacteria to break it down.
So on the Ruined Continent, new life cannot grow and multiply. Women become barren while visiting, seeds cannot bloom, cells can't divide, etcetera. It sounded like an interesting idea but it left me with a new problem. I wanted the ruins populated with monsters but if there's no plants then what would they eat? Heck, even people and animals visiting would probably die in a few weeks as they would eventually suffer organ failure due to no new cells to replace the dead ones.
Any thoughts?
2023.06.01 17:41 Wheasy Ecosystem in the land of death
There's a continent in my fantasy setting that has long been neglected as a space filler on the map. It's premise is ye old Atlantis trope of a, continent sized, ruined city of a fallen advanced civilization that vanished a million years ago.
Of course that begs the question, how would ruins survive for a million years? I could say that there's automated maintenance machines which could help, but then I remembered a collection of SCP stories about a dead world where food doesn't spoil because there's no bacteria to break it down.
So on the Ruined Continent, new life cannot grow and multiply. Women become barren while visiting, seeds cannot bloom, cells can't divide, etcetera. It sounded like an interesting idea but it left me with a new problem. I wanted the ruins populated with monsters but if there's no plants then what would they eat? Heck, even people and animals visiting would probably die in a few weeks as they would eventually suffer organ failure due to no new cells to replace the dead ones.
Any thoughts?
submitted by Wheasy to worldbuilding [link] [comments]
Of course that begs the question, how would ruins survive for a million years? I could say that there's automated maintenance machines which could help, but then I remembered a collection of SCP stories about a dead world where food doesn't spoil because there's no bacteria to break it down.
So on the Ruined Continent, new life cannot grow and multiply. Women become barren while visiting, seeds cannot bloom, cells can't divide, etcetera. It sounded like an interesting idea but it left me with a new problem. I wanted the ruins populated with monsters but if there's no plants then what would they eat? Heck, even people and animals visiting would probably die in a few weeks as they would eventually suffer organ failure due to no new cells to replace the dead ones.
Any thoughts?
2023.06.01 17:41 Remarkable_Ad_8353 [Online] [5e] [DDB] [R20] [LGBTQ+] [18+] [EDT Sun 7:30] Romutos: Born of Blood
About me I'm Pepper, and I've been playing D&D for a little over a year now. It's time for me to take my second crack at DMing! I don't have extensive experience as a DM, so I kindly ask for your patience and feedback as I strive to create a world you can enjoy playing in. I'm 18 years old and have a strong passion for both roleplay and combat. While I enjoy roleplay more, I find combat easier to handle. On a personal note, I am a trans woman. Although it may not be necessary information, just imagine all the character voices I can bring to life! Discrimination of any kind, whether it be micro-aggressions or overt acts, will not be tolerated in this campaign. Although it's not explicitly stated in the title, please know that the campaign is fem-friendly and PoC-friendly. Additionally, I welcome beginners with open arms.
Setting: Romotus, a once magnificent world, fell into chaos and division, giving birth to a dystopian and eerie new world, introducing arc I, "Born of Blood." Despite the serious tone, our goal is to have fun and maintain a lighthearted approach. Romutos, reminiscent of a steampunk setting, was destroyed by destructive creations, leading to its mutual downfall. Now, hundreds of years later, you are the remnants of what once thrived, amidst a post-apocalyptic landscape where some pacifist nations have managed to survive.
Our adventure begins in "Forge," an average-sized suburban town acting as a bastion. Beyond its borders lurk wicked beasts from otherworldly realms, while inside, numerous artifacts await discovery. You are free to explore the town's offerings and/or embark on an adventure into the wider world.
The Party: In terms of a party... We currently have no party. Get ready for a session 0, everyone! We'll be starting at level 1. I'm looking for 4-6 players, although I prefer 5 so that we have a full party even if someone is absent. Six players might be a bit crowded, but I want to accommodate as many people as possible, so we'll most likely aim for 6.
While this is a post-apocalyptic world, our goal is not to rebuild it. Instead, we will focus on repelling the monsters of the underdark, which have been attempting to invade this weakened world as they grow stronger.
Speaking of session 0, we'll discuss boundaries in greater detail to ensure everyone is comfortable.
Now, let's address some common questions: Homebrew content is allowed, we'll be using milestone leveling, and we won't track coin weight. Additionally, we won't track arrows or magical components, although they are tangible objects that can be stolen or traded.
Schedule: Sunday, we'll create our characters if we haven't done so already and get acquainted with each other. We might even have a mini-session. This is a weekly campaign set for Sundays at 7:30 PM EST. In an ideal world, we would start on time or maybe even early, but let's be realistic. We all have those days when we can't make it, and that's okay. If a player is absent for a session, and the week isn't canceled, we'll likely have a filler session with an in-character reason that the player and I have communicated.
Applications: This campaign will be run on D&D Beyond, Discord, and Roll20.
To begin with, D&D Beyond (DDB) will be our main platform. I have Tasha's Cauldron, Xanathar's Guide, Strixhaven, and the Player's Handbook. I also have most of the content from Monsters of the Multiverse. If you have any homebrew or content from other sourcebooks that you want to use, please let me know in advance. Next, we have Roll20, which is integrated with DDB. We might also consider using FoundryVTT (FVTT) down the line if the group agrees. However, if there's no unanimous decision, we'll stick with Roll20.
Most of our activities will take place on DDB. If you're experienced with Roll20, you can use a blank character sheet on DDB. Roll20 will be used for maps, and we can integrate it with DDB using a chrome extension called Beyond20. It provides a smooth and seamless experience.
Lastly, we have Discord, which will serve as our communication platform. Unless you're experienced with it, there's no need to link your DDB to Avrae. However, if you strongly dislike DDB, you can use GSheet with Avrae if you're more comfortable with it.
Expectations: I expect you to derail if needed. I'll never purposefully railroad you, so please let me know if it ever feels that way.
I don't expect anyone to be a murder hobo. It's draining for both the DM and the players. However, if the entire party consists of murder hobos (which is unlikely), it will still be welcomed warmly, and the NPCs will fight back.
I expect everyone to be respectful of each other's pronouns, orientations, sexualities, race, gender, and so on.
I don't expect any metagaming. If you want to create a character who can take on a sea hag at level 1 and defeat a lich boss at level 8, then you're free to do so, but if you're using real-life knowledge to achieve feats, I will make use of the inspiration feature at every opportunity.
I expect you to have fun, and if I'm the reason you're not enjoying yourself, I apologize. Please communicate with me so that I can improve the experience for you.
You're still here! Thank you for reading. If you've made it through all that, you might as well click the form. https://forms.gle/1yH8sKPNp3KW4MyG9
submitted by Remarkable_Ad_8353 to lfg [link] [comments]
Setting: Romotus, a once magnificent world, fell into chaos and division, giving birth to a dystopian and eerie new world, introducing arc I, "Born of Blood." Despite the serious tone, our goal is to have fun and maintain a lighthearted approach. Romutos, reminiscent of a steampunk setting, was destroyed by destructive creations, leading to its mutual downfall. Now, hundreds of years later, you are the remnants of what once thrived, amidst a post-apocalyptic landscape where some pacifist nations have managed to survive.
Our adventure begins in "Forge," an average-sized suburban town acting as a bastion. Beyond its borders lurk wicked beasts from otherworldly realms, while inside, numerous artifacts await discovery. You are free to explore the town's offerings and/or embark on an adventure into the wider world.
The Party: In terms of a party... We currently have no party. Get ready for a session 0, everyone! We'll be starting at level 1. I'm looking for 4-6 players, although I prefer 5 so that we have a full party even if someone is absent. Six players might be a bit crowded, but I want to accommodate as many people as possible, so we'll most likely aim for 6.
While this is a post-apocalyptic world, our goal is not to rebuild it. Instead, we will focus on repelling the monsters of the underdark, which have been attempting to invade this weakened world as they grow stronger.
Speaking of session 0, we'll discuss boundaries in greater detail to ensure everyone is comfortable.
Now, let's address some common questions: Homebrew content is allowed, we'll be using milestone leveling, and we won't track coin weight. Additionally, we won't track arrows or magical components, although they are tangible objects that can be stolen or traded.
Schedule: Sunday, we'll create our characters if we haven't done so already and get acquainted with each other. We might even have a mini-session. This is a weekly campaign set for Sundays at 7:30 PM EST. In an ideal world, we would start on time or maybe even early, but let's be realistic. We all have those days when we can't make it, and that's okay. If a player is absent for a session, and the week isn't canceled, we'll likely have a filler session with an in-character reason that the player and I have communicated.
Applications: This campaign will be run on D&D Beyond, Discord, and Roll20.
To begin with, D&D Beyond (DDB) will be our main platform. I have Tasha's Cauldron, Xanathar's Guide, Strixhaven, and the Player's Handbook. I also have most of the content from Monsters of the Multiverse. If you have any homebrew or content from other sourcebooks that you want to use, please let me know in advance. Next, we have Roll20, which is integrated with DDB. We might also consider using FoundryVTT (FVTT) down the line if the group agrees. However, if there's no unanimous decision, we'll stick with Roll20.
Most of our activities will take place on DDB. If you're experienced with Roll20, you can use a blank character sheet on DDB. Roll20 will be used for maps, and we can integrate it with DDB using a chrome extension called Beyond20. It provides a smooth and seamless experience.
Lastly, we have Discord, which will serve as our communication platform. Unless you're experienced with it, there's no need to link your DDB to Avrae. However, if you strongly dislike DDB, you can use GSheet with Avrae if you're more comfortable with it.
Expectations: I expect you to derail if needed. I'll never purposefully railroad you, so please let me know if it ever feels that way.
I don't expect anyone to be a murder hobo. It's draining for both the DM and the players. However, if the entire party consists of murder hobos (which is unlikely), it will still be welcomed warmly, and the NPCs will fight back.
I expect everyone to be respectful of each other's pronouns, orientations, sexualities, race, gender, and so on.
I don't expect any metagaming. If you want to create a character who can take on a sea hag at level 1 and defeat a lich boss at level 8, then you're free to do so, but if you're using real-life knowledge to achieve feats, I will make use of the inspiration feature at every opportunity.
I expect you to have fun, and if I'm the reason you're not enjoying yourself, I apologize. Please communicate with me so that I can improve the experience for you.
You're still here! Thank you for reading. If you've made it through all that, you might as well click the form. https://forms.gle/1yH8sKPNp3KW4MyG9
2023.06.01 17:37 SHIN0BIKING Stamblade which sets to use
I'm currently using Kinra's, Leviathan, and Kjalnar's for my stamblade but I'm wanting to get rid of Barbed Trap to use Razor Caltrops. I'm thinking Aegis Caller and Tzogvin's or Kinra's and Tzogvin's.
Which would be better for normal and vet dungeons? Also would there be a better monster set to use for stamblade like Kra'gh for the penetration?
submitted by SHIN0BIKING to elderscrollsonline [link] [comments]
Which would be better for normal and vet dungeons? Also would there be a better monster set to use for stamblade like Kra'gh for the penetration?
2023.06.01 17:35 GAvillain Children's Picture Book About a Farm Plagued by Monsters
This book was a picture book (fairly certain it was paperback, but I couldn't swear by that), and on the cover was a little girl with brown hair standing in front of an old rustic looking house with gold/dead grass all around it. It was set either in Appalachia or Louisiana, and at night, the house was plagued by monsters who were very vividly illustrated. There were snakelike creature that came out of the well, there were wisp creatures in the chimney, and bigfoot (or some creature like him) came out of the swamp and started opening jars in their house.
We read this one as a class back when I was in Kindergarten in 2000/2001, but I'm fairly certain the book was not new and it was older than that. No clue about any titles or names.
Thank you in advance for anyone who can help me find it.
submitted by GAvillain to whatsthatbook [link] [comments]
We read this one as a class back when I was in Kindergarten in 2000/2001, but I'm fairly certain the book was not new and it was older than that. No clue about any titles or names.
Thank you in advance for anyone who can help me find it.
2023.06.01 17:34 cruisingNW Foundations of Humanity 27 (New Horizons) - an NoP fanfic
Foundations of Humanity 27 (New Horizons) - an NoP fanfic
Thank you u/SpacePaladin15 for establishing the Nature of Predators Universe, and for allowing Fanfics to flourish!Thank you again, u/Braquen, u/Acceptable_Egg5560, u/BiasMushroom721, and last but not least u/Liberty-Prime76 for proofreading! Also, thank you u/Frostborne for your blessing on my Gojid City name! This is my side of the Nature of a Giant crossover)!
Also Star Tours is a Disney copyright which I use in good faith and humor under fair use please don’t hurt me capitalist mouse daddy.
First -- Previous -- Next
Memory transcription subject: Valek, Venlil tourist
Date [standardized human time]: Sept 11th, 2136. Middle of 3rd Claw
I watched Maeve find an open station and investigate the helmet while I asked, “Do Humans have Visor arcades?”
“Oh, absolutely! There’s an entire League for VR!” Maeve awkwardly slipped into the seat and found the controls; after a moment the seat started to adjust itself to size, the sudden movement causing Maeve to jump.
Alvi spoke up beside me, “Maeve has a book that talks about it. It talked about headsets and digital worlds like what we have, over a hundred years ago!”
“A hundred years ago?” I couldn’t help but be skeptical. “Are you really saying that our tech is a hundred years behind yours with VR?”
“Eh, not exactly,” Maeve tilted her head as she thought, “with things like visors, there was an upper limit to how to design them. Most of the innovations were on how realistic the visors could make the media. We got video down pretty quickly, and surround-sound was pretty much figured out by then. We experimented with scent and that did not go well. Really most of the progress has been in processing, and you guys still have us beat on that!”
She picked up the viewing device. There were three kinds of stations with different sized helmets for each. The first she investigated were Dossur to Zurulian sized, but it only took a moment to find a Sivkit to Gojid size. “Looks like these could fit me. Can you two wait long enough to see if this works with humans?”
I flicked my ears in amusement and posed myself overdramatically. “I’m sure that I, your poor starving mate, can continue starving while you enjoy yourself.” I giggled while Alvi slapped me with her tail. “Go on, have fun! I’m also curious to see if the program would work with your eyes.”
With a look around to ensure no one was watching, Maeve switched her veil for the helmet, after only a few moments of effort. The collar thickness was adjustable to help the foam complete a clean seal against the jaw. I touched my pre-paid band to the tap pad, and the machine shifted colors to show it was occupied. The helmet was designed for snouted species, and so hung somewhat past Maeve’s chin, allowing us to see light reflected off her skin.
A screen beside her lit up with the mask, and we could see what she saw while she played. Alvi and I walked her through the tutorial and calibrator, and Maeve chose Jewels of the Federation at my suggestion; a simple walking simulator showcasing highlights of Federation homeworlds.
The simulator starts us in the same arcade, in the same booth! A well-groomed Venlil stands beside her and reminds Maeve of her private tour. Maeve ‘walks’ while still seated and lifts her virtual self from the digital booth, following the guide to a launch pad that didn’t previously exist. Alvi and I stopped in shock for a moment when a noticeably younger Captain Sovlin walked down the gangway of our destination shuttle; though judging by Maeve’s lack of reaction, she seemed not to recognize him; Alvi met my eye and pointedly flicked her ears. The simulated Gojid pilot wags their ears genially as they throw their arms wide in welcome.
“Good waking, citizen of the Federation! Star Tours has invited me to escort you on an introduction to the astounding marvels of our great peoples! Every species has made wondrous contributions to the enlightenment of the Federation, but the strayu is in the oven, so we’ll only get the time to visit your own Venlil Prime, The Cradle, and Nishtal today. Follow me and we can begin!”
Maeve followed Sovlin into the cockpit of the stylized shuttle and took the copilot seat; Maeve’s head was on a swivel and she took in everything around her. “Wow, this is so cool! Your whole helmet is a screen! Our VR is only in front of our eyes, tricking our brains into seeing three dimensionally.” Her voice echoed around the helmet, muffling her words before they could reach us..
The shuttle lifted gently and Maeve’s chair tilted back with it. Coming up, we could see that this arcade was in the Capitol, and they did a flying pass to show its glass spires and bustling spaceport. Sovlin spoke up beside Maeve, “The Venlil Homeworld is in a strategic position within the Federation, and you make your people proud by fulfilling your duty to the Herd; in spite of your weakness and timidity!!”
The shuttle started to pitch to the open center of the city, and a large park came into view. “But, as I-” Sovlin’s voice caught in his throat, before he cleared it and spoke with firm authority, “As we all know: Duty sometimes comes with Sacrifice. And we honor and remember that… sacrifice with the beautiful Cattle Memorial!”
The vines of Morning Light catch the sun, and I feel my ears fall as I remember my own family’s sacrifices. Alvi caught my distress, and curled her tail around me as the simulation continued, “Here we remember the lives lost from the ruthless barbarity of the Greys. We hope that this Shining Beacon may guide their bodies and souls back to the Herd.” The shuttle kept flying straight toward the ground, but the shuttle surroundings started to disappear as Sovlin and Maeve joined the mourners and wellwishers. The breeze played gently with unopened letters and fresh bouquets. Sovlin spoke softly, in respect for visitors, “It is open all claws, and many leave their remembrances. Make sure to show your support, next time you’re in the Capitol.”
After several moments of contemplative silence, the shuttle pulled up into the upper atmosphere, and Maeve’s seat began to shudder. I spoke up a little louder so she could hear me through the helmet, “Set your head back. The next part might make you a little queasy.”
Maeve did as bidden just before Sovlin hit the warp jump, and the screen was awash with a rainbow of colors streaking to the outer border.
We fall out of Warp just above The Cradle, its capital continent in view surrounded by great oceans, while other landmasses curve around the planet and out of sight. The camera quickly descends through the atmosphere and we pull into the great city of Vala’s Embrace, with its shining spires and sprawling seaports. We fly down through the airspace busy with cargo freighters and I see Maeve involuntary flinch after a close miss. “The Gojid are a proud and fierce people, but also industrious! Our Cradle and Colonies are a major food source for the rest of the Federation, in addition to the significant extractions performed by our colonies and outposts.”
The camera flies into the center of the city where stands a grand Cathedral to the Protector, Her robed form guiding believers to the grand entryway. “But my People are renowned for our stalwart loyalty to our faith and to the Federation. Our great houses of worship are monuments of our devotion to protecting the Herd from the Predator Menace!”
After a pass around the building highlighting its traditional stonework and heraldry, the camera joins the throng of worshippers, coming in low like a child beside their parent, and we see the full glory of The Church.
Our view pans up from the crowd to a ceiling decorated with murals of inlaid wood and metals. Vibrant colors, textures, and shining light tell the story of Vala driving out the Predators and forming the first Herd. Stained glass windows cover the congregation in pools of color almost as varied as the congregants themselves. A silver Gojid passes from behind us, towering tall with the kind eyes of one who knows their faith, and is safe in its love. They lay a paw on Maeve’s shoulder and guide her to a bench only a few rows from the front, with a seat on the aisle. The Priest stands before their podium and begins a sermon of service to the Herd, and one’s role within it.
The priest’s voice fades into the background as we fly backward out of an open window like a bird; words of Predators at our doorstep fading on the wind. We rise to re-exit the atmosphere, Maeve’s chair buzzing as the hyperdrive spins up.
We warp into a field of defensive space stations, glittering proudly in the Nishtalian Sun. Below, we see a planet with a great many islands, webbed with weaving waterways and small seas. Maeve pressed herself further into the seat as we entered their thicker atmosphere, the seat vibrations causing the helmet to rattle against it.
“And here we have the vibrant marshes of Nishtal!” We broke through the clouds to see massive arbors climbing back into them. We approached the Nishtal Capital sprawled across dozens of kilometers of archipelago, held above the water by meta-material supports.
“Nishtal is well known for its punishing environments, which helped to mold the Krakotl into Pan-Galactic Heroes! From Captain Kalsim, to Merchant Captain Malins, to Chief Exterminator Estela. Each renowned for holding the line against the predator taint, through fire or rail! And this is where their mettle was tested!”
The shuttle flies around a flat paved area, surrounded by landing pads as warships lift and land. In the center was a platoon of Krakotl performing training exercises. The shuttle again falls away as we start walking behind a Commander, Sovlin walking beside him as he speaks over his shoulder, “The Krakotl have been an instrumental force in maintaining our peaceful way of life. If you think you have what it takes, be sure to register for the JEOTC so you can help make the galaxy a better place!”
Sovlin met the eye of the Krakotl commander beside him, “Thank you for your service, Sir.”
We split off from the commander, and our walking transitioned back to our shuttle before firing off back into the sky.Through the vibrating chair, Maeve stuttered out, “M-M-Man Y-You-u-u Guys-z-z-z’re R-R-Real-l-ly into this-s-s W-W-War, huh??”
Suddenly the chair threw Maeve forward, almost unseating her as she suddenly fell out of warp, “We have Grey contacts! Time to turn tail and get out of here! I’ll stay on the guns and when I say Go, you push that throttle as hard as you can! OK…!” A Metallic handle started to glow in front of her, and Maeve reached out with her controller to grab it. It took her a moment, but Sovlin never gave the signal… Until she grabbed on. “GO!” Maeve rocked her body forward and slammed the throttle to its limiter, the seat beneath her rumbling with renewed vigor.
After only a moment, a Kolshian Capital Ship dropped from subspace in front of us and fired a volley of Everything in the direction behind us. Our ship slowed and Sovlin cheered from the pilot’s chair, “HaHa! The Vanguard has arrived! Thank you for your help gentlemen!”
A portrait feed popped up on and above the control panel, showing General Kalsim’s distinct banding on his beak. “This is General Kalsim, Commander of the Federation Vessel Inatala’s Will. Star tours, have you suffered any damage?” The portrait squawked as the General’s feathers puffed with pride.
“Negative General, thank you for the save!”
“Understood, let’s get you home, Star Tours.”
“We would be very grateful, General! Protector guides you.”
The chair beneath Maeve vibrates and tilts back as the hyper-drive charges up again, the screen flashing to show the sprawling oceans of Aafa, glittering brilliantly in the shining sun, dotted by its giant floating cities and lush tropical islands. A flock of broad chirping seabirds adorned with vibrant colors gliding on the calm ocean breeze flanking the shuttle. The capital of Aafa grew on the viewscreen, the sprawling Governance Center of the Federation dominating the city, swooping lines and a singular towering dome marked the chambers of the Federation senate.
“Isn’t that a beautiful view? This is what we fight for, this is the Cradle of the Federation, the very heart of our enlightened civilization. This is what we protect.”
The camera pans low, the shuttle falling away, sweeping along the streets of the capital.
The dome grew ever larger in the background until the camera began to soar over busy diplomats entering the senate floor, the camera like a very lost Flowerbird. Chief Nikonus was delivering an impassioned speech to the gathered representatives, declaring the grand aims and lofty goals of the Federation to spread peace and safety to all Prey peoples. The camera panned around the room, showing representatives listening to the speech with focused ears and attentive eyes, pausing on the Venlil Representative, swaying their tail in pride and determination. As the camera finished its rotation it exited through the rooms wide glass panes, rising up and over the city as the shuttle reformed once again, breaching through the atmosphere and up into the stars.
Maeve’s seat rumbled as the hyperdrive spooled again, the screen clearing to show the Capital of Venlil Prime once more, soaring down to the arcade the adventure had started in. Captain Sovlin’s voice echoed from the speakers.
“Thank you for joining me today on Star Tours! Be sure to visit your nearest Federation recruitment center today and do your part!”
With fading fanfare, the seat returned to a neutral position and Maeve took off her helmet to meet our eyes. “That… was definitely a thing. It had a lot of… uh… ho boy.”
“Yeah, uh.” I shifted my weight awkwardly, “Watching that as an adult is… Stars, I remember wanting so badly to sign up. But my mom stopped me.”
“I’ll have to thank her when we get home.” Alvi sighed with exaggerated relief.
“You and me, both.” Maeve said through a relieved chuckle, “You guys want a turn? I’d like to do something more chill; cleanse the palate.”
Alvi and I politely declined, before I offered, “Actually I wanted to show you something. I don’t know how you guys have fun, but Shipper is really good.”
I guided Maeve to the catalog and pointed out the correct one. As the game started up and Maeve got the ship moving, she snorted and muttered to herself, “Of course you have Trucking Simulator In Space. Why am I even surprised.”
---
Maeve was making great progress, and had made two deliveries before the low fuel warning began trilling at her.
“Nah, see, you gotta watch your fuel too! The more you haul the more fuel you use, and you still gotta make it to your drop-off.”
“Wow, you guys do not mess around with these work simulators. We actually had a whole era of these a wh- Hey!”The screen locked up, telling us our 30 minutes were up.
“W-What does it say?”
“It says it's time to stop and get some food!”
“Ahh, man I was just getting the hang of it.”
“And I would like to get a hang of some Mel Root wedges. Come on!” Alvi chimed with a playful whine.Maeve rolled out of the station, and after a moment for her legs to remember what walking was, donned her veil and we continued to the food court. Pushing the doors open we saw a veritable swarm of Venlil of all ages, though many of the younger were already sitting while their parents fetched their meal. A child near the door caught sight of us and squeaked in surprise, alerting their parents to our presence.
Conversation died like a wave across the open expanse. Maeve stood stock still, and so did we, trying very very hard to avoid a panic and stampede.
I spoke in barely a whisper, “Maeve?”
She returned my quietness, “Yes, Valek?”
“I don’t want to do this to you, but I think it is best if we find a seat first… Then Alvi or I can get the food.” My tail began to sway in slow caution while my ears kept on a swivel.
“Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right. Can you see any open tables?”Alvi flicked her tail at the balcony, “I see stairs there, and the balcony looks pretty clear.”
Maeve started to nod reflexively before catching herself, then back to keeping her head low and unfocused.
Alvi and I guided her gently around the outer perimeter of the court, slowly working our way to the stairwell while all eyes and ears were locked on us the whole journey. We stepped up the stairs and conversation slowly built up again, though not to the same exuberancy as before. We found our seat just outside the stairwell on the 2nd floor. We tried to avoid scaring what few families remained on the balcony, but despite our efforts, those few almost immediately grabbed their belongings and moved. It was almost comical how little they tried to hide it. Yet also surprising in that there hadn’t been any screams or stampeding. It left a strange feeling in the air. One that felt somehow both better and worse than if they had screamed.
This tension was not lost on Maeve, as she muttered to herself, “Plague bearer, or horrific monster. Decisions, decisions.”
I took her hand in my paw in a feeble attempt to offer what comfort I could. Alvi was the first to speak, “Well, Valek you got the Gravity room and Visor game, so I’ll handle food. Anything the two of you desperately want?”
We gave her our orders and she stepped down the stairs, leaving Maeve and I alone on the balcony.
I hoped to loosen the tangle of this horrid tension. “Sooo…. Biblical?”
As I had hoped, the sudden change snapped Maeve out of her stormcloud and laughter bubbled from her like the Sun! “UUh… That’s uh. Complicated. There’s a good thousand years of linguistic context that makes that word mean what it meant the way I used it. The Bible is a book of faith for a significant portion of people on earth. Not all, and not even a majority; hell, even that is fragmented because no one can agree on what it really means. This Bible teaches a great many things, some good some bad, but one of its teachings is how to… legitimize relationships. Get married, basically.”
Maeve leaned closer to me on the off chance the balcony was less empty than we believed, “And one of the more serious ways to officiate these pairings was with sex; or ‘mating’. As this faith quickly became one of the more influential faiths on our planet, most of humanity learned and still has complicated feelings about sex and intimacy. So, we talk around it. ‘Sleeping together’ ‘Do the nasty’ ‘The beast with two backs’ and more to the point: ‘To know someone biblically’.”
“So when you said…”“I was saying I had sex with one of you, yes.”
I focused my ears in feigned shock, while my tail swished with mischief, “I was that one, right?”
Maeve lightly shoved my shoulder while she straightened to her normal posture, but I stayed low. “Hey,” I whispered, nodding my head for Maeve to come closer, and she did so. I reached my paws up to her white veil, and brought it up and over her face, revealing her brightly blooming face which my lips eagerly met. Pulling away, I asked, “Perhaps once we get back to the hotel, we could… know each other biblically?”
She pulled my face back to hers, returning my affections with equal vigor, “Only if we can get Alvi out of the room. I want you all to myself.”
Alvi. Right. She’s… she’s here. Staying with us. And we would be… kicking her out. The one she admitted feeling for would be kicking her out to mate with someone else. But she understands! Right?
“Oh, looks like Alvi got us some food!”
My ears snapped behind me as Maeve looked over my shoulder.
---
Memory transcription subject: Alvi, Venlil tourist
Date [standardized human time]: Sept 11th, 2136. Middle of 3rd Claw
I stepped lightly up the stairs while balancing the trays within my arms. There were so many options! Cresting the top of the stairs, Valek stood to assist. While I covered the menu.“Ok we got all of our favorite fruit, I know how much you love starberries, Maeve.” Who smiled broadly under her now-open veil. “I was able to get us some Sunbreeze, but most of the food stands had long waits and I was hungry, so I just got a plate of fried veg and called it good. This one is the fried Deeproot, and powdered lakeseed dough balls, and some mel root wedges. The arcade’s mel root is a little heavy on the firefruit.”
“Thank you, Alvi!” Maeve picked up one of the larger wedges and broke it in half with me. We lifted our pieces in celebration and bit down at the same time. Immediately my mouth was alight with bright heat and my lips stung blissfully, but after only a moment the sweet and full flavor of the mel root complimented perfectly with the cleansing fire.
Maeve beside me scrunched her face and gasped, “Whoo!” She hooted, “That is spicy! Mm! That potato is really good though. What do you call this?”
I wagged my tail, happy to see that she appreciated the- wait. “Potato? That’s Mel Root. What’s a Potato?”
Maeve licked her fingers before taking another wedge, “It’s a root tuber; a staple food from earth. Mel root, or, well, cooked mel root, has a really similar consistency to potato! Makes sense since they’re both roots.” She took a bite of her wedge and immediately made that same face, “Ooo that was a mistake, I should have finished talking.” a few quick breaths through her mouth before she continued, “Your mel root is denser, closer to a carrot, but still really starchy. The fry really brings out a lot of sweetness; I’ll admit, it goes really well with the firefruit. Good choice Alvi!”
The praise set my tail to wagging as I bit into my food. So spicy! So good! I am so glad we came to this food court!
Speaking of, “I haven’t seen Tarlim or his human. I hope they haven’t changed their minds on meeting here.” I spoke through a masticated root.
“Wouldn’t blame them if they did,” Valek grumbled, tail curling between his legs, “I was just like everyone who’s been running from us…” He trailed off sinking into his chair.
“You could have handled it better, but so could he.” I sighed, remembering that chair. “From what I’ve heard of those places though, I can’t say I blame him.”
Maeve set down a piece of deeproot and looked at Valek. “What are those places? You guys got really scared when he said he got out of one.”
Valek was the first to speak, “They are places where we put people who are a danger to themselves or the Herd; people with Predator Disease.”
My fur flared at the mention of my almost-diagnosis. Maeve noticed and flattened the fur along my spine, “You’re not a predator Alvi. There is nothing wrong with you.”
She says while you continue stuffing your face like a hun--SHUT UP!! I AM NOT!! I AM LOVED!! I AM IN A HERD! THAT KNOWS AND STAYS! SHUT UP!
Maeve watched Valek while she continued to comfort me “And… how does one get predator disease?”
Valek continued his lesson, while I tried desperately to slow my spinning mind.
“Well… the federation tells us it can be spread by ‘predator taint’, or spending too much time around or with predators. I’m… I’m not sure I believe that. But we know it can be inherent. Sometimes symptoms begin as early as an infant. As well, it can appear randomly or be carried within family lines.”“And how does one get diagnosed?”
I thought about when my teacher first called the Exterminators. I remembered the Exterminators coming to my foster family. They talked them down, but it wasn’t long after that that they ‘couldn't take care of me’.
My voice left my mouth unbidden, “Well those born with it… they tend to get diagnosed early, but sometimes Predator Disease can come out later in life. If someone is reported for Predator Behavior, they have a chance to argue their case to the exterminator on duty. If the exterminator confirms the case, they are taken in to be diagnosed. And if it’s a yes, they are taken to a Correctional Facility to be taught how to be in a herd.”
Valek tapped his claws against the table as his tail shook with desperate hope. “See? There’s several checks on the way to a diagnosis. The system is designed to avoid false positives. If Tarlim was diagnosed, I am sure it was with good cause.”
Maeve shook her head, “I’m not so sure. By my count, there were only two people in that chain, three if you count the person reporting it, and at best only one of them was a medical professional, unless I’m misunderstanding the concept of exterminators. Setting that aside, I think I’m missing something. What is Predator Disease?”
“It’s when someone is a Predator in the body of a Prey. We can see them when they don’t work within a herd, or they don't understand our tail signals. These people are a danger to the herd, both passively and, if left unchecked, directly, so we try to teach them how to be Prey.” Valek looked desperately at Maeve after spouting the information, almost as if by rote. Like he was quoting an exterminator textbook.
“Wait, wait… so it’s a behavioral disease? They can’t grasp body language, or other people’s feelings?” Maeve was appearing more confused, more… afraid. Was predator disease so terrible among humans? Then why would she want me around?
Because she doesn’t know, stupid! But she's about to! They never stick around once they find out!
Valek was adamant. Maeve needed to know this, I know she did. “It’s not just that, they can’t even get themselves to be part of a herd! They always sit or move with nobody around them!” but once she did…
“Well then. What would that make me?”
My eyes froze in their sockets and my legs refused to flee.
The Night called us.
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submitted by cruisingNW to HFY [link] [comments]
Thank you u/SpacePaladin15 for establishing the Nature of Predators Universe, and for allowing Fanfics to flourish!Thank you again, u/Braquen, u/Acceptable_Egg5560, u/BiasMushroom721, and last but not least u/Liberty-Prime76 for proofreading! Also, thank you u/Frostborne for your blessing on my Gojid City name! This is my side of the Nature of a Giant crossover)!
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Memory transcription subject: Valek, Venlil tourist
Date [standardized human time]: Sept 11th, 2136. Middle of 3rd Claw
I watched Maeve find an open station and investigate the helmet while I asked, “Do Humans have Visor arcades?”
“Oh, absolutely! There’s an entire League for VR!” Maeve awkwardly slipped into the seat and found the controls; after a moment the seat started to adjust itself to size, the sudden movement causing Maeve to jump.
Alvi spoke up beside me, “Maeve has a book that talks about it. It talked about headsets and digital worlds like what we have, over a hundred years ago!”
“A hundred years ago?” I couldn’t help but be skeptical. “Are you really saying that our tech is a hundred years behind yours with VR?”
“Eh, not exactly,” Maeve tilted her head as she thought, “with things like visors, there was an upper limit to how to design them. Most of the innovations were on how realistic the visors could make the media. We got video down pretty quickly, and surround-sound was pretty much figured out by then. We experimented with scent and that did not go well. Really most of the progress has been in processing, and you guys still have us beat on that!”
She picked up the viewing device. There were three kinds of stations with different sized helmets for each. The first she investigated were Dossur to Zurulian sized, but it only took a moment to find a Sivkit to Gojid size. “Looks like these could fit me. Can you two wait long enough to see if this works with humans?”
I flicked my ears in amusement and posed myself overdramatically. “I’m sure that I, your poor starving mate, can continue starving while you enjoy yourself.” I giggled while Alvi slapped me with her tail. “Go on, have fun! I’m also curious to see if the program would work with your eyes.”
With a look around to ensure no one was watching, Maeve switched her veil for the helmet, after only a few moments of effort. The collar thickness was adjustable to help the foam complete a clean seal against the jaw. I touched my pre-paid band to the tap pad, and the machine shifted colors to show it was occupied. The helmet was designed for snouted species, and so hung somewhat past Maeve’s chin, allowing us to see light reflected off her skin.
A screen beside her lit up with the mask, and we could see what she saw while she played. Alvi and I walked her through the tutorial and calibrator, and Maeve chose Jewels of the Federation at my suggestion; a simple walking simulator showcasing highlights of Federation homeworlds.
The simulator starts us in the same arcade, in the same booth! A well-groomed Venlil stands beside her and reminds Maeve of her private tour. Maeve ‘walks’ while still seated and lifts her virtual self from the digital booth, following the guide to a launch pad that didn’t previously exist. Alvi and I stopped in shock for a moment when a noticeably younger Captain Sovlin walked down the gangway of our destination shuttle; though judging by Maeve’s lack of reaction, she seemed not to recognize him; Alvi met my eye and pointedly flicked her ears. The simulated Gojid pilot wags their ears genially as they throw their arms wide in welcome.
“Good waking, citizen of the Federation! Star Tours has invited me to escort you on an introduction to the astounding marvels of our great peoples! Every species has made wondrous contributions to the enlightenment of the Federation, but the strayu is in the oven, so we’ll only get the time to visit your own Venlil Prime, The Cradle, and Nishtal today. Follow me and we can begin!”
Maeve followed Sovlin into the cockpit of the stylized shuttle and took the copilot seat; Maeve’s head was on a swivel and she took in everything around her. “Wow, this is so cool! Your whole helmet is a screen! Our VR is only in front of our eyes, tricking our brains into seeing three dimensionally.” Her voice echoed around the helmet, muffling her words before they could reach us..
The shuttle lifted gently and Maeve’s chair tilted back with it. Coming up, we could see that this arcade was in the Capitol, and they did a flying pass to show its glass spires and bustling spaceport. Sovlin spoke up beside Maeve, “The Venlil Homeworld is in a strategic position within the Federation, and you make your people proud by fulfilling your duty to the Herd; in spite of your weakness and timidity!!”
The shuttle started to pitch to the open center of the city, and a large park came into view. “But, as I-” Sovlin’s voice caught in his throat, before he cleared it and spoke with firm authority, “As we all know: Duty sometimes comes with Sacrifice. And we honor and remember that… sacrifice with the beautiful Cattle Memorial!”
The vines of Morning Light catch the sun, and I feel my ears fall as I remember my own family’s sacrifices. Alvi caught my distress, and curled her tail around me as the simulation continued, “Here we remember the lives lost from the ruthless barbarity of the Greys. We hope that this Shining Beacon may guide their bodies and souls back to the Herd.” The shuttle kept flying straight toward the ground, but the shuttle surroundings started to disappear as Sovlin and Maeve joined the mourners and wellwishers. The breeze played gently with unopened letters and fresh bouquets. Sovlin spoke softly, in respect for visitors, “It is open all claws, and many leave their remembrances. Make sure to show your support, next time you’re in the Capitol.”
After several moments of contemplative silence, the shuttle pulled up into the upper atmosphere, and Maeve’s seat began to shudder. I spoke up a little louder so she could hear me through the helmet, “Set your head back. The next part might make you a little queasy.”
Maeve did as bidden just before Sovlin hit the warp jump, and the screen was awash with a rainbow of colors streaking to the outer border.
We fall out of Warp just above The Cradle, its capital continent in view surrounded by great oceans, while other landmasses curve around the planet and out of sight. The camera quickly descends through the atmosphere and we pull into the great city of Vala’s Embrace, with its shining spires and sprawling seaports. We fly down through the airspace busy with cargo freighters and I see Maeve involuntary flinch after a close miss. “The Gojid are a proud and fierce people, but also industrious! Our Cradle and Colonies are a major food source for the rest of the Federation, in addition to the significant extractions performed by our colonies and outposts.”
The camera flies into the center of the city where stands a grand Cathedral to the Protector, Her robed form guiding believers to the grand entryway. “But my People are renowned for our stalwart loyalty to our faith and to the Federation. Our great houses of worship are monuments of our devotion to protecting the Herd from the Predator Menace!”
After a pass around the building highlighting its traditional stonework and heraldry, the camera joins the throng of worshippers, coming in low like a child beside their parent, and we see the full glory of The Church.
Our view pans up from the crowd to a ceiling decorated with murals of inlaid wood and metals. Vibrant colors, textures, and shining light tell the story of Vala driving out the Predators and forming the first Herd. Stained glass windows cover the congregation in pools of color almost as varied as the congregants themselves. A silver Gojid passes from behind us, towering tall with the kind eyes of one who knows their faith, and is safe in its love. They lay a paw on Maeve’s shoulder and guide her to a bench only a few rows from the front, with a seat on the aisle. The Priest stands before their podium and begins a sermon of service to the Herd, and one’s role within it.
The priest’s voice fades into the background as we fly backward out of an open window like a bird; words of Predators at our doorstep fading on the wind. We rise to re-exit the atmosphere, Maeve’s chair buzzing as the hyperdrive spins up.
We warp into a field of defensive space stations, glittering proudly in the Nishtalian Sun. Below, we see a planet with a great many islands, webbed with weaving waterways and small seas. Maeve pressed herself further into the seat as we entered their thicker atmosphere, the seat vibrations causing the helmet to rattle against it.
“And here we have the vibrant marshes of Nishtal!” We broke through the clouds to see massive arbors climbing back into them. We approached the Nishtal Capital sprawled across dozens of kilometers of archipelago, held above the water by meta-material supports.
“Nishtal is well known for its punishing environments, which helped to mold the Krakotl into Pan-Galactic Heroes! From Captain Kalsim, to Merchant Captain Malins, to Chief Exterminator Estela. Each renowned for holding the line against the predator taint, through fire or rail! And this is where their mettle was tested!”
The shuttle flies around a flat paved area, surrounded by landing pads as warships lift and land. In the center was a platoon of Krakotl performing training exercises. The shuttle again falls away as we start walking behind a Commander, Sovlin walking beside him as he speaks over his shoulder, “The Krakotl have been an instrumental force in maintaining our peaceful way of life. If you think you have what it takes, be sure to register for the JEOTC so you can help make the galaxy a better place!”
Sovlin met the eye of the Krakotl commander beside him, “Thank you for your service, Sir.”
We split off from the commander, and our walking transitioned back to our shuttle before firing off back into the sky.Through the vibrating chair, Maeve stuttered out, “M-M-Man Y-You-u-u Guys-z-z-z’re R-R-Real-l-ly into this-s-s W-W-War, huh??”
Suddenly the chair threw Maeve forward, almost unseating her as she suddenly fell out of warp, “We have Grey contacts! Time to turn tail and get out of here! I’ll stay on the guns and when I say Go, you push that throttle as hard as you can! OK…!” A Metallic handle started to glow in front of her, and Maeve reached out with her controller to grab it. It took her a moment, but Sovlin never gave the signal… Until she grabbed on. “GO!” Maeve rocked her body forward and slammed the throttle to its limiter, the seat beneath her rumbling with renewed vigor.
After only a moment, a Kolshian Capital Ship dropped from subspace in front of us and fired a volley of Everything in the direction behind us. Our ship slowed and Sovlin cheered from the pilot’s chair, “HaHa! The Vanguard has arrived! Thank you for your help gentlemen!”
A portrait feed popped up on and above the control panel, showing General Kalsim’s distinct banding on his beak. “This is General Kalsim, Commander of the Federation Vessel Inatala’s Will. Star tours, have you suffered any damage?” The portrait squawked as the General’s feathers puffed with pride.
“Negative General, thank you for the save!”
“Understood, let’s get you home, Star Tours.”
“We would be very grateful, General! Protector guides you.”
The chair beneath Maeve vibrates and tilts back as the hyper-drive charges up again, the screen flashing to show the sprawling oceans of Aafa, glittering brilliantly in the shining sun, dotted by its giant floating cities and lush tropical islands. A flock of broad chirping seabirds adorned with vibrant colors gliding on the calm ocean breeze flanking the shuttle. The capital of Aafa grew on the viewscreen, the sprawling Governance Center of the Federation dominating the city, swooping lines and a singular towering dome marked the chambers of the Federation senate.
“Isn’t that a beautiful view? This is what we fight for, this is the Cradle of the Federation, the very heart of our enlightened civilization. This is what we protect.”
The camera pans low, the shuttle falling away, sweeping along the streets of the capital.
The dome grew ever larger in the background until the camera began to soar over busy diplomats entering the senate floor, the camera like a very lost Flowerbird. Chief Nikonus was delivering an impassioned speech to the gathered representatives, declaring the grand aims and lofty goals of the Federation to spread peace and safety to all Prey peoples. The camera panned around the room, showing representatives listening to the speech with focused ears and attentive eyes, pausing on the Venlil Representative, swaying their tail in pride and determination. As the camera finished its rotation it exited through the rooms wide glass panes, rising up and over the city as the shuttle reformed once again, breaching through the atmosphere and up into the stars.
Maeve’s seat rumbled as the hyperdrive spooled again, the screen clearing to show the Capital of Venlil Prime once more, soaring down to the arcade the adventure had started in. Captain Sovlin’s voice echoed from the speakers.
“Thank you for joining me today on Star Tours! Be sure to visit your nearest Federation recruitment center today and do your part!”
With fading fanfare, the seat returned to a neutral position and Maeve took off her helmet to meet our eyes. “That… was definitely a thing. It had a lot of… uh… ho boy.”
“Yeah, uh.” I shifted my weight awkwardly, “Watching that as an adult is… Stars, I remember wanting so badly to sign up. But my mom stopped me.”
“I’ll have to thank her when we get home.” Alvi sighed with exaggerated relief.
“You and me, both.” Maeve said through a relieved chuckle, “You guys want a turn? I’d like to do something more chill; cleanse the palate.”
Alvi and I politely declined, before I offered, “Actually I wanted to show you something. I don’t know how you guys have fun, but Shipper is really good.”
I guided Maeve to the catalog and pointed out the correct one. As the game started up and Maeve got the ship moving, she snorted and muttered to herself, “Of course you have Trucking Simulator In Space. Why am I even surprised.”
---
Maeve was making great progress, and had made two deliveries before the low fuel warning began trilling at her.
“Nah, see, you gotta watch your fuel too! The more you haul the more fuel you use, and you still gotta make it to your drop-off.”
“Wow, you guys do not mess around with these work simulators. We actually had a whole era of these a wh- Hey!”The screen locked up, telling us our 30 minutes were up.
“W-What does it say?”
“It says it's time to stop and get some food!”
“Ahh, man I was just getting the hang of it.”
“And I would like to get a hang of some Mel Root wedges. Come on!” Alvi chimed with a playful whine.Maeve rolled out of the station, and after a moment for her legs to remember what walking was, donned her veil and we continued to the food court. Pushing the doors open we saw a veritable swarm of Venlil of all ages, though many of the younger were already sitting while their parents fetched their meal. A child near the door caught sight of us and squeaked in surprise, alerting their parents to our presence.
Conversation died like a wave across the open expanse. Maeve stood stock still, and so did we, trying very very hard to avoid a panic and stampede.
I spoke in barely a whisper, “Maeve?”
She returned my quietness, “Yes, Valek?”
“I don’t want to do this to you, but I think it is best if we find a seat first… Then Alvi or I can get the food.” My tail began to sway in slow caution while my ears kept on a swivel.
“Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right. Can you see any open tables?”Alvi flicked her tail at the balcony, “I see stairs there, and the balcony looks pretty clear.”
Maeve started to nod reflexively before catching herself, then back to keeping her head low and unfocused.
Alvi and I guided her gently around the outer perimeter of the court, slowly working our way to the stairwell while all eyes and ears were locked on us the whole journey. We stepped up the stairs and conversation slowly built up again, though not to the same exuberancy as before. We found our seat just outside the stairwell on the 2nd floor. We tried to avoid scaring what few families remained on the balcony, but despite our efforts, those few almost immediately grabbed their belongings and moved. It was almost comical how little they tried to hide it. Yet also surprising in that there hadn’t been any screams or stampeding. It left a strange feeling in the air. One that felt somehow both better and worse than if they had screamed.
This tension was not lost on Maeve, as she muttered to herself, “Plague bearer, or horrific monster. Decisions, decisions.”
I took her hand in my paw in a feeble attempt to offer what comfort I could. Alvi was the first to speak, “Well, Valek you got the Gravity room and Visor game, so I’ll handle food. Anything the two of you desperately want?”
We gave her our orders and she stepped down the stairs, leaving Maeve and I alone on the balcony.
I hoped to loosen the tangle of this horrid tension. “Sooo…. Biblical?”
As I had hoped, the sudden change snapped Maeve out of her stormcloud and laughter bubbled from her like the Sun! “UUh… That’s uh. Complicated. There’s a good thousand years of linguistic context that makes that word mean what it meant the way I used it. The Bible is a book of faith for a significant portion of people on earth. Not all, and not even a majority; hell, even that is fragmented because no one can agree on what it really means. This Bible teaches a great many things, some good some bad, but one of its teachings is how to… legitimize relationships. Get married, basically.”
Maeve leaned closer to me on the off chance the balcony was less empty than we believed, “And one of the more serious ways to officiate these pairings was with sex; or ‘mating’. As this faith quickly became one of the more influential faiths on our planet, most of humanity learned and still has complicated feelings about sex and intimacy. So, we talk around it. ‘Sleeping together’ ‘Do the nasty’ ‘The beast with two backs’ and more to the point: ‘To know someone biblically’.”
“So when you said…”“I was saying I had sex with one of you, yes.”
I focused my ears in feigned shock, while my tail swished with mischief, “I was that one, right?”
Maeve lightly shoved my shoulder while she straightened to her normal posture, but I stayed low. “Hey,” I whispered, nodding my head for Maeve to come closer, and she did so. I reached my paws up to her white veil, and brought it up and over her face, revealing her brightly blooming face which my lips eagerly met. Pulling away, I asked, “Perhaps once we get back to the hotel, we could… know each other biblically?”
She pulled my face back to hers, returning my affections with equal vigor, “Only if we can get Alvi out of the room. I want you all to myself.”
Alvi. Right. She’s… she’s here. Staying with us. And we would be… kicking her out. The one she admitted feeling for would be kicking her out to mate with someone else. But she understands! Right?
“Oh, looks like Alvi got us some food!”
My ears snapped behind me as Maeve looked over my shoulder.
---
Memory transcription subject: Alvi, Venlil tourist
Date [standardized human time]: Sept 11th, 2136. Middle of 3rd Claw
I stepped lightly up the stairs while balancing the trays within my arms. There were so many options! Cresting the top of the stairs, Valek stood to assist. While I covered the menu.“Ok we got all of our favorite fruit, I know how much you love starberries, Maeve.” Who smiled broadly under her now-open veil. “I was able to get us some Sunbreeze, but most of the food stands had long waits and I was hungry, so I just got a plate of fried veg and called it good. This one is the fried Deeproot, and powdered lakeseed dough balls, and some mel root wedges. The arcade’s mel root is a little heavy on the firefruit.”
“Thank you, Alvi!” Maeve picked up one of the larger wedges and broke it in half with me. We lifted our pieces in celebration and bit down at the same time. Immediately my mouth was alight with bright heat and my lips stung blissfully, but after only a moment the sweet and full flavor of the mel root complimented perfectly with the cleansing fire.
Maeve beside me scrunched her face and gasped, “Whoo!” She hooted, “That is spicy! Mm! That potato is really good though. What do you call this?”
I wagged my tail, happy to see that she appreciated the- wait. “Potato? That’s Mel Root. What’s a Potato?”
Maeve licked her fingers before taking another wedge, “It’s a root tuber; a staple food from earth. Mel root, or, well, cooked mel root, has a really similar consistency to potato! Makes sense since they’re both roots.” She took a bite of her wedge and immediately made that same face, “Ooo that was a mistake, I should have finished talking.” a few quick breaths through her mouth before she continued, “Your mel root is denser, closer to a carrot, but still really starchy. The fry really brings out a lot of sweetness; I’ll admit, it goes really well with the firefruit. Good choice Alvi!”
The praise set my tail to wagging as I bit into my food. So spicy! So good! I am so glad we came to this food court!
Speaking of, “I haven’t seen Tarlim or his human. I hope they haven’t changed their minds on meeting here.” I spoke through a masticated root.
“Wouldn’t blame them if they did,” Valek grumbled, tail curling between his legs, “I was just like everyone who’s been running from us…” He trailed off sinking into his chair.
“You could have handled it better, but so could he.” I sighed, remembering that chair. “From what I’ve heard of those places though, I can’t say I blame him.”
Maeve set down a piece of deeproot and looked at Valek. “What are those places? You guys got really scared when he said he got out of one.”
Valek was the first to speak, “They are places where we put people who are a danger to themselves or the Herd; people with Predator Disease.”
My fur flared at the mention of my almost-diagnosis. Maeve noticed and flattened the fur along my spine, “You’re not a predator Alvi. There is nothing wrong with you.”
She says while you continue stuffing your face like a hun--SHUT UP!! I AM NOT!! I AM LOVED!! I AM IN A HERD! THAT KNOWS AND STAYS! SHUT UP!
Maeve watched Valek while she continued to comfort me “And… how does one get predator disease?”
Valek continued his lesson, while I tried desperately to slow my spinning mind.
“Well… the federation tells us it can be spread by ‘predator taint’, or spending too much time around or with predators. I’m… I’m not sure I believe that. But we know it can be inherent. Sometimes symptoms begin as early as an infant. As well, it can appear randomly or be carried within family lines.”“And how does one get diagnosed?”
I thought about when my teacher first called the Exterminators. I remembered the Exterminators coming to my foster family. They talked them down, but it wasn’t long after that that they ‘couldn't take care of me’.
My voice left my mouth unbidden, “Well those born with it… they tend to get diagnosed early, but sometimes Predator Disease can come out later in life. If someone is reported for Predator Behavior, they have a chance to argue their case to the exterminator on duty. If the exterminator confirms the case, they are taken in to be diagnosed. And if it’s a yes, they are taken to a Correctional Facility to be taught how to be in a herd.”
Valek tapped his claws against the table as his tail shook with desperate hope. “See? There’s several checks on the way to a diagnosis. The system is designed to avoid false positives. If Tarlim was diagnosed, I am sure it was with good cause.”
Maeve shook her head, “I’m not so sure. By my count, there were only two people in that chain, three if you count the person reporting it, and at best only one of them was a medical professional, unless I’m misunderstanding the concept of exterminators. Setting that aside, I think I’m missing something. What is Predator Disease?”
“It’s when someone is a Predator in the body of a Prey. We can see them when they don’t work within a herd, or they don't understand our tail signals. These people are a danger to the herd, both passively and, if left unchecked, directly, so we try to teach them how to be Prey.” Valek looked desperately at Maeve after spouting the information, almost as if by rote. Like he was quoting an exterminator textbook.
“Wait, wait… so it’s a behavioral disease? They can’t grasp body language, or other people’s feelings?” Maeve was appearing more confused, more… afraid. Was predator disease so terrible among humans? Then why would she want me around?
Because she doesn’t know, stupid! But she's about to! They never stick around once they find out!
Valek was adamant. Maeve needed to know this, I know she did. “It’s not just that, they can’t even get themselves to be part of a herd! They always sit or move with nobody around them!” but once she did…
“Well then. What would that make me?”
My eyes froze in their sockets and my legs refused to flee.
The Night called us.
First -- Previous -- Next
2023.06.01 17:32 baomai1411 [~2018] [PC] A retro styled game with a dark and bleak atmosphere
Platform(s): PC, maybe Steam
Genre: Action, Souls-like
Estimated year of release: ~2016-2018
Graphics/art style: Simplistic Retro Art
Notable characters: post-apocalyptic monsters and futuristic lovecraftian bosses
Notable gameplay mechanics: Very slow and clunky combat, almost to imitate that of Dark Soul
Other details:
- The game is set in a sort of bleak post-apocalyptic setting, where your nameless character is climbing a tower for an undetermined goal. You have to travel through each floor, with quite linear level designs, fighting almost unfair enemies with a clunky combat system, defeat the gatekeeper at the end of the level and keep going upwards.
- The combat mechanic is Souls-like to the worst of both worlds. You have two modes, travel mode and combat mode, the former only allows you to run in a very realistic "somewhat faster than walking", while the latter forces you into an extremely slow tippy-toes with dodgerolls. Oh yea, and a stamina bar, you know what that's for.
- Artstyle...well, it's so minimal, i can faintly remember it has 240x320 resolution in the settings. Everything is extremely dark™ and every character sprites only have a single color - black (except for bosses, they're red cuz scary). The backgrounds look like a basic (but quite well-done) MSPaint project.
- Also, this game is Souls-like in combat only, i don't think there are any RPG mechanics nor any upgradable equipments. You start with stick-sword, you climb the entire tower with stick-sword.
submitted by baomai1411 to tipofmyjoystick [link] [comments]
Genre: Action, Souls-like
Estimated year of release: ~2016-2018
Graphics/art style: Simplistic Retro Art
Notable characters: post-apocalyptic monsters and futuristic lovecraftian bosses
Notable gameplay mechanics: Very slow and clunky combat, almost to imitate that of Dark Soul
Other details:
- The game is set in a sort of bleak post-apocalyptic setting, where your nameless character is climbing a tower for an undetermined goal. You have to travel through each floor, with quite linear level designs, fighting almost unfair enemies with a clunky combat system, defeat the gatekeeper at the end of the level and keep going upwards.
- The combat mechanic is Souls-like to the worst of both worlds. You have two modes, travel mode and combat mode, the former only allows you to run in a very realistic "somewhat faster than walking", while the latter forces you into an extremely slow tippy-toes with dodgerolls. Oh yea, and a stamina bar, you know what that's for.
- Artstyle...well, it's so minimal, i can faintly remember it has 240x320 resolution in the settings. Everything is extremely dark™ and every character sprites only have a single color - black (except for bosses, they're red cuz scary). The backgrounds look like a basic (but quite well-done) MSPaint project.
- Also, this game is Souls-like in combat only, i don't think there are any RPG mechanics nor any upgradable equipments. You start with stick-sword, you climb the entire tower with stick-sword.
2023.06.01 17:28 letsavenge [FH5] Autumn Information Thread - Series 21
Hello everyone! It's week two of Explore the Horizon. Last week I really enjoyed the Festival tasks, so let's hope this time around we get a bunch of good things once again. Sorry for the little delay in publishing this thread this week, hope you all are having a great week!
A ??? is available for completing the Super7 this week.
FH5 Release Notes: May 23rd, 2023
submitted by letsavenge to forza [link] [comments]
A ??? is available for completing the Super7 this week.
Forzathon Shop
The Forzathon Shop ends on Jun 8th, 2023 @ 14:29 (UTC).- 450FP Car: 1964 Aston Martin DB5
- 300FP Car: 2014 Ford #11 Rockstar F-150 Trophy Truck
- 75FP Clothing: Farid Rueda Lion Race Suit
- 75FP Car Horn: Referee Whistle
- Wheelspins: 60FP & 150FP
Festival Playlist Rewards
- Autumn - 20/63 Points: Ford F-150 '86 (Exclusive Car)
- Autumn - 40/63 Points: 2022 Extreme E Odyssey 21 e-SUV (#44) (Hard to Find)
- Series - 80/252 Points: Wuling Sunshine (Hard To Find)
- Series - 160/252 Points: 2021 Audi RS 7 (Hard To Find)
Hot Wheels Events - 7 Points
Exclusive to Hot Wheels Owners; the respective Academy Rank must be unlocked. Not Required for Season Rewards, Series Completion, or the Min, Meet Max Achievement.- Danger Sign: "Canyon Fire" ?? 2 points
- Criteria: Anything Goes (S2-998)
- Reward: Super Wheelspin
- Championship: "Super Loops" 5 points
- Criteria: Modern Supercars (S1-900)
- Reward: Clothing - Farid Rueda Bear Cap
Rally Adventure Events - 7 Points
Exclusive to Rally Adventure Owners; required for you to be Horizon Badlands Champion. Not Required for Season Rewards, Series Completion, or the Min, Meet Max Achievement.- Speed Zone: "Tierra Verdes" ?? 2 points
- Criteria: Anything Goes (S2-998)
- Reward: Super Wheelspin
- Championship: "Time Warp" 5 points
- Criteria: Retro Saloons (B700)
- Reward: Emote - Macarena
Forzathon Weekly Challenge - 5 Points
Earn 80FP for completing the weekly challenge, double if you own La Casa Solariega. Must be done in sequence to count.- Own the drive the 2017 RAM 2500 Power Wagon.
- Win a Dirt Race in the 2017 RAM 2500 Power Wagon.
- Earn a Wrecking Ball skill with the 2017 RAM 2500 Power Wagon.
- Earn 3 Stars at Trailblazers in the 2017 RAM 2500 Power Wagon.
Forzathon Daily Challenges - 1 Point Each, 7 Points Total
Each challenge is open for 7 Days from 2:30PM UTC* of the start day. Earn 10FP per Challenge, double if you own La Casa Solariega.- Take a photo of your car at night
- Earn 3 stars from Danger Signs in any Offroad car
- Smash 12 Cactus
- Complete any Showcase event
- Earn an Ultimate Air skill in Dunas Blancas
- Find the flamingos near Cascadas de Agua Azul
- Complete any Custom Racing Cross Country event
Seasonal Events - 30 Points Total
The reward listed for Seasonal Championship events requires you to place 1st against at or above the Highly Skilled Drivatar difficulty setting; the Trial requires Unbeatable difficulty and is accessible after entering the Hall of Fame.- Horizon Arcade: Any Event 3 Points
- Criteria: Complete any Horizon Arcade event
- The Trial: "Ooh... Barranca" 10 Points
- Criteria: Retro Rally (C600)
- Reward: 2016 Bentley Bentayga
- Event Lab: "By Land, Air and Sea..." 3 Points
- Criteria: Offroad Capable (A800)
- Reward: 1970 Ford GT70
- Danger Sign: "Salto de Río" ? 2 Points
- Criteria: Anything Goes (S2-998)
- Reward: Super Wheelspin
- Speed Trap: "Dustbowl" ? 2 Points
- Criteria: Anything Goes (S2-998)
- Reward: Super Wheelspin
- Championship: "Rally Good Time" 5 Points
- Criteria: Rally Monsters (A800)
- Reward: 2017 Maserati Levante S
- Championship: "Ready for Liftoff" 5 Points
- Criteria: Unlimited Offroad (A800)
- Reward: 1973 Ford Escort RS1600
Challenges - 8 Points Total
- Treasure Hunt "Finders Keepers" 3 Points
- Criteria: Check out this week's Pathfinder challenges in Evolving World Accolades page. If you can uncover all 3 trails then the treasure will be yours!
- Reward: 250,000 credits
- Photo Challenge #BigHorn 2 Points
- Criteria: Take a wildlife photograph near the camera equipment to the North of Mulegé
- Reward: Forza Link - "I'm the goat!"
- The Eliminator: Battle Royale 2 Points
- Criteria: Finish 30th or better
- Reward: 2011 BMW X5 M
- Collectibles: "Flamingo Falls" 3 Points
- Criteria: Smash 10 Flamingo cut-outs found near the Cascadas de Aqua Azul
- Reward: Clothing - Farid Rueda Lion Face Mask
Monthly Events - 2 Points per Season (8 Points per Series)
- Monthly EV Ek' Balam Cross Country Circuit 1 points per Season
- Criteria: Post a clean lap to complete
- Forza EV Cupra Tavascan Concept 1 points per Season
- Criteria: Post a clean lap to complete
FH5 Release Notes: May 23rd, 2023
2023.06.01 17:26 Drakos8706 Powerless (part 36)
Previous.
Admiral Shane stood in the room usually used for training, but had been cleared out so he could make the conference over holophone, and a larger room helped with the scale when they were addressing the entire Federation Council.
It had taken only about 2 ½ days to get to the Golden Egg’s position, as with their progress in the uplifting process - and the fact that they had access to FTL technology - they had been allowed to send a ship out into the Federation, albeit supervised. As such, they decided on sending a military ship, seeing as there was a much smaller chance of an interstellar incident happening with disciplined Marines.
The chamber was a semicircle, with the Chairperson’s seat at ground level, in the center of the floor, with each next row elevated slightly, so that the gathered Representatives were situated in a step-pattern, ascending to the top row of the chamber. He noticed that the ‘insectoid’ species all were situated to his right of the chamber, if he was looking out at them.
Beside him stood Admiral Ree’Scote, being his ‘escort’ into the Federation; Kyle, as the boots-on-ground witness; Officer Kit’Ahnj, being the Federation’s liaison officer; and Captain Vohr’Doe, as the commander of the vessel that found the planet. But of course, it was him that was currently the center of attention.
He had reviewed the team's video logs, and he agreed that whatever was on that planet was likely hostile; the sounds that came from that darkness - not to mention the fear he felt when looking into it - were so… wrong, he didn't feel any other classification would be right. And - after the testimony of Officer Kit’Ahnj, backing up Kyle’s report, and the video - the Council felt the same way; however, they were less inclined to destroy the planet. He was currently being addressed by the Council Chairwoman, a bipedal crocodile, whose title was Chairwoman Hahss’Chom, (which - when she pronounced it - was little more than a hiss, followed by her snapping her jaws shut.)
“We have ways to prevent… whatever this is - from ever being able to exit their system, even if they were to develop FTL technology.”
“With all due respect, ma’am,” he said, keeping his focus on her, and not the - obviously - judging races that surrounded him, all of whom represented different animals from Earth, each one the Speaker for their respective races, “We’ve dealt with a mindless force of nature that was only intent on killing…
“Europa was one of Jupiter’s moons, and was roughly 90% the size of Luna. When we began spreading out from Earth, the question of drinkable water became a problem. And while it's - relatively - easy to make it from its base components, Europa was almost entirely water, though not all of it was liquid.
“Once we had developed the technology to land there, we set out drilling to the ocean, which was located beneath a shell of ice that was estimated to be between 10-15 miles deep… We made it four miles before we lost all resistance. The drills were shut down, and new readings were taken; but by the time they realized what was happening, it was too late.
“At first, the teams thought that it was a geyser, which are - were - a fairly common thing, though there had been no signs that one was building up there. Well, they managed to get far enough away before… The ice where they had been working melted, but there was no geyser. What came out of the hole resembled, well, it most resembled a machine AI that humanity dreamed up as a monster in a movie. The one I reference here was basically a metal ball with countless metal tentacles from its ‘back’, and what came out of that hole looked remarkably similar.
“And it wasn't alone. About a dozen of those [‘squids’] came out, and made straight for our people. It was… a massacre; our weapons had no effect on them whatsoever. And after they were done killing everyone, they began dismantling and consuming the ships and equipment. And afterwards, they turned their gazes upwards, launching themselves from the surface of the moon with the force of their limbs, alone.
“Judging from the fragments of their bodies we were able to recover after encounters with them in space, we determined that they were iron of the Fe oxidized variety, so the metal of their bodies didn't interact with the water. They were also incredibly light, especially for how dense they were; it took several missiles to destroy each, and we had no other choice, as they were heading directly at the ships in orbit.
“We retreated to a tactical distance, and while we tried so many different ways to communicate, we found nothing. We even captured one alive, and still, there was no way to communicate. Every attempt was met with the utmost hostility. And throughout this process, they continuously sent out others from beneath the ice, most of them sent towards our ships, yet others were sent out towards the asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit around the sun. We had no idea what they were doing with the asteroids, whether they were mining them for food, or using them as places to reproduce - or both - so we eventually decided to bombard them with munitions until they crashed into the planet. But this was after we had exhausted every possible avenue of communication.
“We eventually came to a decision - as a people - to destroy the moon, but we had to be smart about it. The Europans had already proven they didn't need to breathe, as they could survive the cold, irradiated vacuum of space without any external protection, which took blowing Europa up off the table.. So - after much deliberation - it was decided to create a ship that could use tractor beams to move the planet. For this, we converted another of Jupiter’s moons - Ganymede - into a ship, and once the construction was complete, we renamed it the Europa Contingency.
“From there, we caught Europa, and towed it to Sol, where we cast it in, to destroy the Europans, down to the last one… It's not something that we’re proud of - as a people - but it was what we needed to do, in order to survive.”
There was a resounding silence after he finished with his speech, and he allowed them the time to process what he'd just told them. He was suddenly very self-conscious, and he felt as if he hadn't explained their plight sufficiently. They were already classified as the most aggressive that their measurement system could register, what must they think of humanity after this. Finally, the Chairwoman broke the silence.
“Though it sounds as if you may have committed genocide on a sapient species… This Council can claim no better. While we have ways to contain FTL travel, this was only put forth as a possible avenue to explore after our predecessors had glassed multiple planets who had turned out to be too hostile to conduct civil interactions with. To have that threat in the same system as you, with no real barrier between your peoples, well, I don't believe any here could truly blame your people for coming to this decision… However, we can't be sure that we face the same threat. Nor can we order anyone to go into the darkness to find out.”
The suul’mahr representative, Grol’Rosh - a solid white coloration to his fur - spoke up, his voice playing out over the speakers, as he was sitting in the topmost row.
“We could send a probe into the midst of it; that could tell us what we're dealing with. And if they are entirely hostile, we could take a specimen up to the atmosphere, to see if it survives.”
He heard a strangled sound of protest, and he didn't need to look around to see the fearful look on Kyle’s face; he gently held up a hand to assuage the Ambassador, as he knew full well what his concern was.
“We believe that the contents of the darkness are… harmful to the generally accepted term of ‘sanity’. And not in the sense of ‘it would be dangerous to any non-human’; as in, to anyone. If - however - you should need a volunteer, then-”
“I will watch it,” Grol’Rosh cut him off. Admiral Shane merely looked at him, sighing lightly as he nodded once in acknowledgment to the suul'mahr. Captain Vohr'Doe stepped up at that point, calling to the hangar to release the drone, and to program it to enter the darkness just beyond the leading edge. A small communication satellite was set out after it to retain contact with the drone when the curve of the planet would render it beyond their scope of reach.
It took several minutes, during which Grol’Rosh inserted earbuds into his ears, and had his personal screen connected to the probe's camera. While he was watching the drone's progress, it was also taking its own readings, and sending them back as text. Which is how they knew when it was breaching the atmosphere, and when it encountered the darkness; Kyle had been right: it wasn't natural.
The reports coming back from the drone were confusing, to say the least; firstly because ‘the darkness’ was actually solid material, though ‘solid’ was used loosely here, as it was more like a ‘dust storm’. Except that it wasn't just dust - as there were readings of sand, and soil in the mess - because nanoscanners inside the drone determined that each grain of soil was coated in a thick, viscous material that absorbed all light that hit it.
The material was what caused the confusion, as when it was analyzed, it was determined to be… everything. There were traces of all genus of races, from canines, to felines, insects, to pachyderms; there was even all manner of aquatic animals, as well. There was no plant life detected in the sludge.
As imagined with readings like that, the drone had more difficulty descending to the surface of the planet than it normally would have, but strangely, not as much as one might expect; it was only when the craft sped up that they realized it was being pulled. The altitude of the drone continued to drop at a steady rate, until it was about 50’ from the ground, according to the readings from the expedition team, as it was heading for the exact location they had originally made camp. However, the drone was sending even more confusing information, as it was now reading the ground to be 25’ away, and moving quickly.
The drone was about 10’ from the ‘ground’ when Grol’Rosh began howling like he’d been stabbed. Looking up in his direction, everyone gasped in horror as he began clawing at his eyes, quickly rending his face, and entirely destroying the delicate orbs within. He wasn't done, however, as he then began clawing at his ears, his Gift obviously activated, as he tore straight to his skull in only a single swipe, the unnerving sound of claw scraping bone filling the room.
Two suul'mahr guards rushed towards him as soon as he'd begun clawing his eyes, and were almost to him when he reached his hands out to the sides, and brought them together - with his head still between them - with obviously tremendous force.
One of the guards - a dark gray specimen - leapt forward at the last second, tackling him by leverage of his left arm. That still left his right arm free, though it had only succeeded in a glancing blow, which still knocked him unconscious with a sickening /thud**. There was a stunned silence that followed that ordeal, until Chairwoman Hahss’Chom shakily gave an order for medics, who soon arrived, two kanfi’doe that - after stabilizing his wounds - quickly carried Grol’Rosh down the stairs, and loaded him onto a stretcher they had brought with them.
The silence reigned for a long minute after they’d wheeled him out, broken finally by the Chairwoman’s subdued voice.
“I call a vote: all in favor of allowing the humans to bring their ‘Europa's Contingency’...?” She tapped a few commands into the datapad in front of her, and there was a quiet flurry of movement as the rest of the Council cast their votes.
“It's unanimous: Admiral Shane, we hereby give the Europa’s Contingency permission to travel to this system, and then to return to Sol when the job here is done. Are we clear on this?”
“Crystal, ma’am. I can have the orders dispat-”
He was cut off as a keen'yohng appeared by his side.
Commodore Vah’Rin came out of subspace, his prey already in his sights. The eight other captains under his command confirmed lock-on status, and his communications officer informed him that they had an opening into their link, though it was protected by an unusually strong defense system.
“Well,” he replied, “We did intercept the report on humans; they have artificial intelligences. They probably have one with that cylindrical ship that has too many guns to not be military. Well, this certainly changes things: an a.i. would be by far more valuable than an entire hold of drahk'mihn. If we can capture it, and reprogram it to obey us, we could drop down far enough into subspace that we could make a trip of several months cut down to as many weeks… Patch me into their communication; I’m done hiding…”
He let a cruel smile play across his face as his entire bridge turned into the Federation Council Hall; his ship would project his image into their conversation, but not those of his crew around him. And there in front of him were the objects of his focus, as he was certain he appeared before them, wearing his black Commodore’s jacket.
“How nice of you to join us, Commodore.”
He turned to the owner of the cold voice that ‘greeted’ him.
“Ah, Council Member Toss’Vah,” he replied cheerily to her, “Good to see you again. How are things back home?”
She regarded him coldly, then almost spat,
“It was widely believed that you were still alive; I regret to have that theory confirmed.”
“What can I say?” he asked, smiling, “This ship was just too good to not take it. Give my regards to the president; this ship truly is state-of-the-art… But, I didn't break into this conversation to speak with you.” He turned to the humans, who regarded him with wary expressions, if his experience with the suun'mahs and kanfi’doe was anything to judge by.
“Greetings,” he began jovially - no reason not to be civilized, “I - as you may have gathered - am Commodore Vah’Rin, and I regret to inform you that you are under the guns of 9 ships, all of which are heavily armed. Now, this is normally the part where I tell you that if you cooperate, then we can get through this with a minimal amount of casualties - someone always has to try to be the hero, don’t they? - but I have a different proposition for you, today: give me you a.i., and we’ll leave this system - and your ships - without any hostilities. Refuse, and… Well, I think you get the idea.” He smiled a predatory smile that was more of a leer than anything.
“This is outrageous;” the current Councilwoman stated, righteous anger evident in every syllable, “We not stand for-” but he cut her off.
“We’re too far away from any Federation outposts, and the nearest suun’mahs patrol is… well, right here.” He gestured to Admiral Ree’Scote.
“So, no matter how this plays out, there’s really nothing that this council can do about the goings-on here. So - as I said earlier - I’m not speaking to you; this has nothing to do with any of you.” He turned his attention back to the humans.
“So, what is your answer? And might I remind you, while you may - or may not - be able to take on our ships at 3-1 odds, one of your ships is not only not made to fight, but is also filled with civilians; are you willing to risk all of their lives?”
“How about this,” the human who was obviously military began, “You choose six of your ships, and use those to square off against us; the other three can hang back, and guard the Golden Egg from leaving. If you win that battle, you can take the A.I. stationed there. If not, then your other ships have to leave us in peace.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name and rank.”
“Admiral Shane of the Sol Defense Force.”
“Ah,” he continued, “Well, Admiral Shane, I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. It’s all, or nothing, which means that even if you feel comfortable taking on all of our ships at once, we will still target the civilian vessel. There is no other option; sometimes you only have bad paths to choose from, and you must take the lesser of the evils.”
Admiral Shane stood taller, and defiantly responded with,
“We of the Sol Defense Force cannot - in good conscience - hand over a single soul to slav-”
But he was cut off by the other human behind him, the one he actually recognized. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a small blue cube, which he held out as he angrily stated,
“You can have mine.”
“Ah,” he replied jovially, turning to the smaller human, “Mr. Redding, I believe?”
“It’s Ambassador.” The defiant little monkey at least seemed pretty fearless in the face of life-or-death negotiations, so he figured that he deserved at least that recognition; he certainly seemed to realize the value of diplomacy over fighting.
“Ambassador, then; good to see someone here has a level head on their shoulders.”
The cube reformed into a small human, as the Admiral rounded on his civilian counterpart; they both started talking at the same time.
“Excuse me?! You have no right to auction me off like some-
“... hell do you think you’re doing?! How dare you offer up a Sollian to a slaver?! I ought to knock the sh-”
But they were both cut off as Ambassador Redding simply stated, talking louder than both of them,
“Artificial Intelligence Override Code: JKJKLOL69!”
The small android stiffened up, and remained rigid, as if it were a simple robot, while the Admiral recoiled, raising an arm slightly as if to defend himself.
“How dare you?” he said with disgust to the Ambassador, “That’s only to be used in the event of a rogue A.I., this-!”
“This,’ the Ambassador interjected angrily, “Is bigger than all of us! I know what I’m doing.” He turned to address the Commodore,
“You will take it, and you’ll leave. In peace. Give me… 12 Standard minutes - I have to collect the memory core - and we’ll meet halfway between the 'civilian’ ship, and your group, ‘cause you sure as hell aren't coming aboard either of our ships.”
“That sounds acceptable; however, once the transfer is made, you will keep your shuttle in position until we have determined that the package is authentic, at which point, we will leave. If it is a fake, then I won't hesitate to blow your little shuttle to dust, and then I’ll take everyone I can get my hands on; and with 9 ships, we have more than enough space to hold you all. And we will both come unarmed.”
“I’ll be accompanying you,” the Admiral said sternly to the Ambassador, “I need to document everything that happens so I can send it back as evidence in your hearing.”
“Yeah,” the smaller primate answered testily, “You do that…”
With a vindictive smile, Commodore Vah’Rin motioned to end the transmission.
Kahv’Hosh sat in the pilot’s seat, having been chosen to transport the humans out to the meeting spot. They were both currently silent, and the air was so thick with emotion that you could cut it with a knife. They were already in place, and were currently waiting on the pirate ‘commodore’ to reach their shuttle, with an estimated thirty seconds until they made contact. With a solid /thud/, they were connected, and Kahv’Hosh equalized the pressure in the sleeve, and soon heard a slight knock on their door. Kyle and the Admiral had already moved to the door - the large metal cube with the interface screen sitting beside it - and Kyle reached forward to open it.
The keen’yhong walked onto their shuttle, and his eyes immediately fell to Kyle’s waist.
“I thought we agreed no weapons.” The man’s voice wasn’t as hostile as he would have expected, as he stared at the big gun on Kyle’s waist, and the smaller - but still obviously deadly - pistol on the Admiral’s.
“Yeah,” Kyle replied sarcastically, “Because you don’t have some hidden weapon on you…”
The ‘commodore’ simply smiled, and turned to the box.
“This is my a.i., I take it?” he asked, still smiling.
Kyle’s mood seemed to darken further as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the cube that became Kay’Eighty at his command.
“Begin downloading into the core, and commence factory reset.”
He set the cube down on top of an open slot beside the monitor, and a loading screen immediately came up. It only took a few seconds, but it was still a tense few seconds; soon, the box chimed, and Kyle removed the cube.
“I’ll be taking that, as well,” the ‘commodore’ replied, reaching a hand into his jacket; Kyle simply scoffed.
“No, you want to make your own mithril, then you figure out how to make it, yourself. You’ve already got the core, that’s all you need. And that’s all we agreed on. If you wanted the mithril, too, then you should’ve said so; not my fault you failed to specify that point.” There was no amusement as he said it, though it was obvious that he enjoyed that little stunt. And while the ‘commodore’ obviously had his hand on the handle of his gun, he wouldn’t be able to move faster than two humans; the two suul’mahr lurking just beyond the airlock wouldn’t be much help after he was already riddled with bullets.
The ‘commodore’ regarded him for a few moments, then began laughing a cruel, calculated laugh. He gestured behind him, and one of the suul’mahr - all-brown fur - came aboard, carrying the large box onto their shuttle. After he’d observed its successful transfer of the package onto his shuttle, the ‘commodore’ turned back to Kyle.
“As stated before: you will hold this position until either my flotilla leaves, or destroys you for trying to trick me. And this time, I expect you to follow my directions, because you’re already targeted by my lead ship… Well, until next time.” With that, he exited the shuttle, their airlock door closing behind him, both humans remaining staring at the door.
They finally turned away when the shuttle disconnected, moving to look out the viewport to watch the other shuttle go back to its ship. Finally, his nerves got the better of him, and he asked to no one in particular,
“Do you think he will truly spare us?”
“There’s a chance,” Admiral Shane replied, “Depending on what kind of pirate he is; they can have varying codes of honor. He does - however - self-admittedly sell people into slavery, so I don’t know how strong his sense of ‘honor’ may be.”
They were all quiet for a while as he considered this, until Kyle’s soft voice - filled with sorrow - broke the silence.
“I’ve never killed anyone before. I mean, the mahn’ewe were all in a fit of rage; and while I’d fantasized about it, I didn’t exactly plan it. Now, though - with all this time to stop and think about it…” He fell silent at that, watching the shuttle go, though Kahv’Hosh wasn’t sure he was actually seeing it. To his surprise, Admiral Shane reached up and grasped Kyle’s shoulder, his voice gentle as he replied,
“It’s never easy. And while the mahn’ewe can probably be overlooked by your conscience, this is - obviously - a different situation entirely. There’s a chance that you never truly recover from this, but just always remember the innocent lives you’re saving by doing this; they’re what’s going to get you through the low points.”
Kyle nodded in acceptance, and then his face contorted, and a predatory smirk lit up his countenance.
“Have you ever seen one go off?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the viewport.
“Well,” the Admiral replied, a mischievous note in his voice, “I have seen a number of tests; of course, there was that pirate faction that we traced to their base in an asteroid. One on each side, and it was history.”
Kyle let out a cruel snort of laughter, and - not taking his eyes off of the viewport - said,
“Kahv’Hosh, did you ever get around to reading about the women of Weinsberg?”
He wasn’t sure where this was going, but he decided to play along.
“I did," he replied slowly.
“And if you knew nothing else about humans,” Kyle began, a cruel smile on his face, “Would you have accepted that deal?”
He managed to take a breath in before something in his mind clicked. Something had seemed off from the beginning, but he couldn’t place exactly what it was. He’d been given clearance to review the transmission from the part where the ‘commodore’ broke in, and he had been replaying it in his mind ever since then, trying to figure out what was gnawing at his mind like a pup with a bone.
But nothing came out at first, as his mind struggled to form words; he managed simply to point out the viewport to the shuttle - that was almost to its ‘mothership’ - and to look back and forth between him and it, before he finally managed to spit out,
“Wh-... you-... why would the arti-... the ‘override code’: why would it be in Galactic Standard?!”
The smile on his face widened, and he was suddenly aware that he was on a small shuttle with two Class 12 aggressors. Kyle - however - merely pulled the cube from his pocket, and said,
“Kay’Eighty?”
The cube began to dissolve, reforming into the humanoid shape that was her android form.
“Yes, Ambassador Redding?” she replied in a distinctly… robotic voice. Kyle merely scoffed, however, and rebutted with,
“Aw, come on; it’s not like he gave us ample opportunity to talk: I had to think of something on the fly…”
She suddenly became much more ‘sapient’ crossing her arms, and looking off to the side as she sighed.
“Fine,” she replied, “Whatever; what do you want?”
Kyle snorted in laughter, and asked,
“Has he made it to the optimal range, yet?”
Kay’Eighty sighed again, and looked out the viewport.
“Just about, yeah.”
“Then I leave the honors to you,” he finished, holding her up for a better view of the viewport.
“Detonation in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”
Kahv’Hosh found that though he was sure this was going to be on par with their aggression level, he also couldn’t look away; like watching an asteroid impact a planet: he knew something bad was coming, but he just couldn’t bring himself to break eye-contact with the nine ships in formation, the middlemost one having already received the shuttle. And even as he watched, the ships seemed to draw closer together.
At first he thought that it must be his eyes playing tricks on him, but soon enough, not only were they drawing closer together, but they began to spin around the central ship, as if caught in the gravity-well of some insanely dense celestial body. He saw small explosions issuing from the sides. with little bits breaking off into the void of space, only for the expanding singularity - for that was obviously what it was - to suck the life-pods back into its center, where everything seemingly disappeared into nothingness. Soon, the ships themselves began breaking apart, still doing their destructive, tumbling dance around the spot where the ‘commodore’s ship used to be.
Piece by piece, the ships began to break apart, ‘falling’ into the center, where they were obviously compressed beyond what physics would normally allow. He tried not to think about the fate of the people aboard the ships, gravity increasing to the point that you were crushed under the weight of your own skin, having to watch - if they could even survive - as the ship around them broke apart, exposing them to the blackness of space.
He managed a quick look back at the humans, and was granted some small consolation in that the evil smiles had left their faces, and both had looks of somber determination gracing their features. And at that moment, he believed he knew what it was that set them so high on the aggression scale; even they were appalled by their actions - by their own weapons - and yet not even the prospect of becoming a monster would stop them from removing a perceived threat.
Soon, all pieces of the ships were gone, and about a Standard minute after that, the anomalous gravity readings disappeared. And suddenly space had returned to ‘normal’, as if nothing unnatural had just happened. Kyle broke the silence in a neutral voice as he said,
“Well, let’s get back to the ship; Cap’m’s gonna tear me a new one for this…”
[Next.] Patreon
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Admiral Shane stood in the room usually used for training, but had been cleared out so he could make the conference over holophone, and a larger room helped with the scale when they were addressing the entire Federation Council.
It had taken only about 2 ½ days to get to the Golden Egg’s position, as with their progress in the uplifting process - and the fact that they had access to FTL technology - they had been allowed to send a ship out into the Federation, albeit supervised. As such, they decided on sending a military ship, seeing as there was a much smaller chance of an interstellar incident happening with disciplined Marines.
The chamber was a semicircle, with the Chairperson’s seat at ground level, in the center of the floor, with each next row elevated slightly, so that the gathered Representatives were situated in a step-pattern, ascending to the top row of the chamber. He noticed that the ‘insectoid’ species all were situated to his right of the chamber, if he was looking out at them.
Beside him stood Admiral Ree’Scote, being his ‘escort’ into the Federation; Kyle, as the boots-on-ground witness; Officer Kit’Ahnj, being the Federation’s liaison officer; and Captain Vohr’Doe, as the commander of the vessel that found the planet. But of course, it was him that was currently the center of attention.
He had reviewed the team's video logs, and he agreed that whatever was on that planet was likely hostile; the sounds that came from that darkness - not to mention the fear he felt when looking into it - were so… wrong, he didn't feel any other classification would be right. And - after the testimony of Officer Kit’Ahnj, backing up Kyle’s report, and the video - the Council felt the same way; however, they were less inclined to destroy the planet. He was currently being addressed by the Council Chairwoman, a bipedal crocodile, whose title was Chairwoman Hahss’Chom, (which - when she pronounced it - was little more than a hiss, followed by her snapping her jaws shut.)
“We have ways to prevent… whatever this is - from ever being able to exit their system, even if they were to develop FTL technology.”
“With all due respect, ma’am,” he said, keeping his focus on her, and not the - obviously - judging races that surrounded him, all of whom represented different animals from Earth, each one the Speaker for their respective races, “We’ve dealt with a mindless force of nature that was only intent on killing…
“Europa was one of Jupiter’s moons, and was roughly 90% the size of Luna. When we began spreading out from Earth, the question of drinkable water became a problem. And while it's - relatively - easy to make it from its base components, Europa was almost entirely water, though not all of it was liquid.
“Once we had developed the technology to land there, we set out drilling to the ocean, which was located beneath a shell of ice that was estimated to be between 10-15 miles deep… We made it four miles before we lost all resistance. The drills were shut down, and new readings were taken; but by the time they realized what was happening, it was too late.
“At first, the teams thought that it was a geyser, which are - were - a fairly common thing, though there had been no signs that one was building up there. Well, they managed to get far enough away before… The ice where they had been working melted, but there was no geyser. What came out of the hole resembled, well, it most resembled a machine AI that humanity dreamed up as a monster in a movie. The one I reference here was basically a metal ball with countless metal tentacles from its ‘back’, and what came out of that hole looked remarkably similar.
“And it wasn't alone. About a dozen of those [‘squids’] came out, and made straight for our people. It was… a massacre; our weapons had no effect on them whatsoever. And after they were done killing everyone, they began dismantling and consuming the ships and equipment. And afterwards, they turned their gazes upwards, launching themselves from the surface of the moon with the force of their limbs, alone.
“Judging from the fragments of their bodies we were able to recover after encounters with them in space, we determined that they were iron of the Fe oxidized variety, so the metal of their bodies didn't interact with the water. They were also incredibly light, especially for how dense they were; it took several missiles to destroy each, and we had no other choice, as they were heading directly at the ships in orbit.
“We retreated to a tactical distance, and while we tried so many different ways to communicate, we found nothing. We even captured one alive, and still, there was no way to communicate. Every attempt was met with the utmost hostility. And throughout this process, they continuously sent out others from beneath the ice, most of them sent towards our ships, yet others were sent out towards the asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit around the sun. We had no idea what they were doing with the asteroids, whether they were mining them for food, or using them as places to reproduce - or both - so we eventually decided to bombard them with munitions until they crashed into the planet. But this was after we had exhausted every possible avenue of communication.
“We eventually came to a decision - as a people - to destroy the moon, but we had to be smart about it. The Europans had already proven they didn't need to breathe, as they could survive the cold, irradiated vacuum of space without any external protection, which took blowing Europa up off the table.. So - after much deliberation - it was decided to create a ship that could use tractor beams to move the planet. For this, we converted another of Jupiter’s moons - Ganymede - into a ship, and once the construction was complete, we renamed it the Europa Contingency.
“From there, we caught Europa, and towed it to Sol, where we cast it in, to destroy the Europans, down to the last one… It's not something that we’re proud of - as a people - but it was what we needed to do, in order to survive.”
There was a resounding silence after he finished with his speech, and he allowed them the time to process what he'd just told them. He was suddenly very self-conscious, and he felt as if he hadn't explained their plight sufficiently. They were already classified as the most aggressive that their measurement system could register, what must they think of humanity after this. Finally, the Chairwoman broke the silence.
“Though it sounds as if you may have committed genocide on a sapient species… This Council can claim no better. While we have ways to contain FTL travel, this was only put forth as a possible avenue to explore after our predecessors had glassed multiple planets who had turned out to be too hostile to conduct civil interactions with. To have that threat in the same system as you, with no real barrier between your peoples, well, I don't believe any here could truly blame your people for coming to this decision… However, we can't be sure that we face the same threat. Nor can we order anyone to go into the darkness to find out.”
The suul’mahr representative, Grol’Rosh - a solid white coloration to his fur - spoke up, his voice playing out over the speakers, as he was sitting in the topmost row.
“We could send a probe into the midst of it; that could tell us what we're dealing with. And if they are entirely hostile, we could take a specimen up to the atmosphere, to see if it survives.”
He heard a strangled sound of protest, and he didn't need to look around to see the fearful look on Kyle’s face; he gently held up a hand to assuage the Ambassador, as he knew full well what his concern was.
“We believe that the contents of the darkness are… harmful to the generally accepted term of ‘sanity’. And not in the sense of ‘it would be dangerous to any non-human’; as in, to anyone. If - however - you should need a volunteer, then-”
“I will watch it,” Grol’Rosh cut him off. Admiral Shane merely looked at him, sighing lightly as he nodded once in acknowledgment to the suul'mahr. Captain Vohr'Doe stepped up at that point, calling to the hangar to release the drone, and to program it to enter the darkness just beyond the leading edge. A small communication satellite was set out after it to retain contact with the drone when the curve of the planet would render it beyond their scope of reach.
It took several minutes, during which Grol’Rosh inserted earbuds into his ears, and had his personal screen connected to the probe's camera. While he was watching the drone's progress, it was also taking its own readings, and sending them back as text. Which is how they knew when it was breaching the atmosphere, and when it encountered the darkness; Kyle had been right: it wasn't natural.
The reports coming back from the drone were confusing, to say the least; firstly because ‘the darkness’ was actually solid material, though ‘solid’ was used loosely here, as it was more like a ‘dust storm’. Except that it wasn't just dust - as there were readings of sand, and soil in the mess - because nanoscanners inside the drone determined that each grain of soil was coated in a thick, viscous material that absorbed all light that hit it.
The material was what caused the confusion, as when it was analyzed, it was determined to be… everything. There were traces of all genus of races, from canines, to felines, insects, to pachyderms; there was even all manner of aquatic animals, as well. There was no plant life detected in the sludge.
As imagined with readings like that, the drone had more difficulty descending to the surface of the planet than it normally would have, but strangely, not as much as one might expect; it was only when the craft sped up that they realized it was being pulled. The altitude of the drone continued to drop at a steady rate, until it was about 50’ from the ground, according to the readings from the expedition team, as it was heading for the exact location they had originally made camp. However, the drone was sending even more confusing information, as it was now reading the ground to be 25’ away, and moving quickly.
The drone was about 10’ from the ‘ground’ when Grol’Rosh began howling like he’d been stabbed. Looking up in his direction, everyone gasped in horror as he began clawing at his eyes, quickly rending his face, and entirely destroying the delicate orbs within. He wasn't done, however, as he then began clawing at his ears, his Gift obviously activated, as he tore straight to his skull in only a single swipe, the unnerving sound of claw scraping bone filling the room.
Two suul'mahr guards rushed towards him as soon as he'd begun clawing his eyes, and were almost to him when he reached his hands out to the sides, and brought them together - with his head still between them - with obviously tremendous force.
One of the guards - a dark gray specimen - leapt forward at the last second, tackling him by leverage of his left arm. That still left his right arm free, though it had only succeeded in a glancing blow, which still knocked him unconscious with a sickening /thud**. There was a stunned silence that followed that ordeal, until Chairwoman Hahss’Chom shakily gave an order for medics, who soon arrived, two kanfi’doe that - after stabilizing his wounds - quickly carried Grol’Rosh down the stairs, and loaded him onto a stretcher they had brought with them.
The silence reigned for a long minute after they’d wheeled him out, broken finally by the Chairwoman’s subdued voice.
“I call a vote: all in favor of allowing the humans to bring their ‘Europa's Contingency’...?” She tapped a few commands into the datapad in front of her, and there was a quiet flurry of movement as the rest of the Council cast their votes.
“It's unanimous: Admiral Shane, we hereby give the Europa’s Contingency permission to travel to this system, and then to return to Sol when the job here is done. Are we clear on this?”
“Crystal, ma’am. I can have the orders dispat-”
He was cut off as a keen'yohng appeared by his side.
Commodore Vah’Rin came out of subspace, his prey already in his sights. The eight other captains under his command confirmed lock-on status, and his communications officer informed him that they had an opening into their link, though it was protected by an unusually strong defense system.
“Well,” he replied, “We did intercept the report on humans; they have artificial intelligences. They probably have one with that cylindrical ship that has too many guns to not be military. Well, this certainly changes things: an a.i. would be by far more valuable than an entire hold of drahk'mihn. If we can capture it, and reprogram it to obey us, we could drop down far enough into subspace that we could make a trip of several months cut down to as many weeks… Patch me into their communication; I’m done hiding…”
He let a cruel smile play across his face as his entire bridge turned into the Federation Council Hall; his ship would project his image into their conversation, but not those of his crew around him. And there in front of him were the objects of his focus, as he was certain he appeared before them, wearing his black Commodore’s jacket.
“How nice of you to join us, Commodore.”
He turned to the owner of the cold voice that ‘greeted’ him.
“Ah, Council Member Toss’Vah,” he replied cheerily to her, “Good to see you again. How are things back home?”
She regarded him coldly, then almost spat,
“It was widely believed that you were still alive; I regret to have that theory confirmed.”
“What can I say?” he asked, smiling, “This ship was just too good to not take it. Give my regards to the president; this ship truly is state-of-the-art… But, I didn't break into this conversation to speak with you.” He turned to the humans, who regarded him with wary expressions, if his experience with the suun'mahs and kanfi’doe was anything to judge by.
“Greetings,” he began jovially - no reason not to be civilized, “I - as you may have gathered - am Commodore Vah’Rin, and I regret to inform you that you are under the guns of 9 ships, all of which are heavily armed. Now, this is normally the part where I tell you that if you cooperate, then we can get through this with a minimal amount of casualties - someone always has to try to be the hero, don’t they? - but I have a different proposition for you, today: give me you a.i., and we’ll leave this system - and your ships - without any hostilities. Refuse, and… Well, I think you get the idea.” He smiled a predatory smile that was more of a leer than anything.
“This is outrageous;” the current Councilwoman stated, righteous anger evident in every syllable, “We not stand for-” but he cut her off.
“We’re too far away from any Federation outposts, and the nearest suun’mahs patrol is… well, right here.” He gestured to Admiral Ree’Scote.
“So, no matter how this plays out, there’s really nothing that this council can do about the goings-on here. So - as I said earlier - I’m not speaking to you; this has nothing to do with any of you.” He turned his attention back to the humans.
“So, what is your answer? And might I remind you, while you may - or may not - be able to take on our ships at 3-1 odds, one of your ships is not only not made to fight, but is also filled with civilians; are you willing to risk all of their lives?”
“How about this,” the human who was obviously military began, “You choose six of your ships, and use those to square off against us; the other three can hang back, and guard the Golden Egg from leaving. If you win that battle, you can take the A.I. stationed there. If not, then your other ships have to leave us in peace.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name and rank.”
“Admiral Shane of the Sol Defense Force.”
“Ah,” he continued, “Well, Admiral Shane, I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. It’s all, or nothing, which means that even if you feel comfortable taking on all of our ships at once, we will still target the civilian vessel. There is no other option; sometimes you only have bad paths to choose from, and you must take the lesser of the evils.”
Admiral Shane stood taller, and defiantly responded with,
“We of the Sol Defense Force cannot - in good conscience - hand over a single soul to slav-”
But he was cut off by the other human behind him, the one he actually recognized. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a small blue cube, which he held out as he angrily stated,
“You can have mine.”
“Ah,” he replied jovially, turning to the smaller human, “Mr. Redding, I believe?”
“It’s Ambassador.” The defiant little monkey at least seemed pretty fearless in the face of life-or-death negotiations, so he figured that he deserved at least that recognition; he certainly seemed to realize the value of diplomacy over fighting.
“Ambassador, then; good to see someone here has a level head on their shoulders.”
The cube reformed into a small human, as the Admiral rounded on his civilian counterpart; they both started talking at the same time.
“Excuse me?! You have no right to auction me off like some-
“... hell do you think you’re doing?! How dare you offer up a Sollian to a slaver?! I ought to knock the sh-”
But they were both cut off as Ambassador Redding simply stated, talking louder than both of them,
“Artificial Intelligence Override Code: JKJKLOL69!”
The small android stiffened up, and remained rigid, as if it were a simple robot, while the Admiral recoiled, raising an arm slightly as if to defend himself.
“How dare you?” he said with disgust to the Ambassador, “That’s only to be used in the event of a rogue A.I., this-!”
“This,’ the Ambassador interjected angrily, “Is bigger than all of us! I know what I’m doing.” He turned to address the Commodore,
“You will take it, and you’ll leave. In peace. Give me… 12 Standard minutes - I have to collect the memory core - and we’ll meet halfway between the 'civilian’ ship, and your group, ‘cause you sure as hell aren't coming aboard either of our ships.”
“That sounds acceptable; however, once the transfer is made, you will keep your shuttle in position until we have determined that the package is authentic, at which point, we will leave. If it is a fake, then I won't hesitate to blow your little shuttle to dust, and then I’ll take everyone I can get my hands on; and with 9 ships, we have more than enough space to hold you all. And we will both come unarmed.”
“I’ll be accompanying you,” the Admiral said sternly to the Ambassador, “I need to document everything that happens so I can send it back as evidence in your hearing.”
“Yeah,” the smaller primate answered testily, “You do that…”
With a vindictive smile, Commodore Vah’Rin motioned to end the transmission.
Kahv’Hosh sat in the pilot’s seat, having been chosen to transport the humans out to the meeting spot. They were both currently silent, and the air was so thick with emotion that you could cut it with a knife. They were already in place, and were currently waiting on the pirate ‘commodore’ to reach their shuttle, with an estimated thirty seconds until they made contact. With a solid /thud/, they were connected, and Kahv’Hosh equalized the pressure in the sleeve, and soon heard a slight knock on their door. Kyle and the Admiral had already moved to the door - the large metal cube with the interface screen sitting beside it - and Kyle reached forward to open it.
The keen’yhong walked onto their shuttle, and his eyes immediately fell to Kyle’s waist.
“I thought we agreed no weapons.” The man’s voice wasn’t as hostile as he would have expected, as he stared at the big gun on Kyle’s waist, and the smaller - but still obviously deadly - pistol on the Admiral’s.
“Yeah,” Kyle replied sarcastically, “Because you don’t have some hidden weapon on you…”
The ‘commodore’ simply smiled, and turned to the box.
“This is my a.i., I take it?” he asked, still smiling.
Kyle’s mood seemed to darken further as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the cube that became Kay’Eighty at his command.
“Begin downloading into the core, and commence factory reset.”
He set the cube down on top of an open slot beside the monitor, and a loading screen immediately came up. It only took a few seconds, but it was still a tense few seconds; soon, the box chimed, and Kyle removed the cube.
“I’ll be taking that, as well,” the ‘commodore’ replied, reaching a hand into his jacket; Kyle simply scoffed.
“No, you want to make your own mithril, then you figure out how to make it, yourself. You’ve already got the core, that’s all you need. And that’s all we agreed on. If you wanted the mithril, too, then you should’ve said so; not my fault you failed to specify that point.” There was no amusement as he said it, though it was obvious that he enjoyed that little stunt. And while the ‘commodore’ obviously had his hand on the handle of his gun, he wouldn’t be able to move faster than two humans; the two suul’mahr lurking just beyond the airlock wouldn’t be much help after he was already riddled with bullets.
The ‘commodore’ regarded him for a few moments, then began laughing a cruel, calculated laugh. He gestured behind him, and one of the suul’mahr - all-brown fur - came aboard, carrying the large box onto their shuttle. After he’d observed its successful transfer of the package onto his shuttle, the ‘commodore’ turned back to Kyle.
“As stated before: you will hold this position until either my flotilla leaves, or destroys you for trying to trick me. And this time, I expect you to follow my directions, because you’re already targeted by my lead ship… Well, until next time.” With that, he exited the shuttle, their airlock door closing behind him, both humans remaining staring at the door.
They finally turned away when the shuttle disconnected, moving to look out the viewport to watch the other shuttle go back to its ship. Finally, his nerves got the better of him, and he asked to no one in particular,
“Do you think he will truly spare us?”
“There’s a chance,” Admiral Shane replied, “Depending on what kind of pirate he is; they can have varying codes of honor. He does - however - self-admittedly sell people into slavery, so I don’t know how strong his sense of ‘honor’ may be.”
They were all quiet for a while as he considered this, until Kyle’s soft voice - filled with sorrow - broke the silence.
“I’ve never killed anyone before. I mean, the mahn’ewe were all in a fit of rage; and while I’d fantasized about it, I didn’t exactly plan it. Now, though - with all this time to stop and think about it…” He fell silent at that, watching the shuttle go, though Kahv’Hosh wasn’t sure he was actually seeing it. To his surprise, Admiral Shane reached up and grasped Kyle’s shoulder, his voice gentle as he replied,
“It’s never easy. And while the mahn’ewe can probably be overlooked by your conscience, this is - obviously - a different situation entirely. There’s a chance that you never truly recover from this, but just always remember the innocent lives you’re saving by doing this; they’re what’s going to get you through the low points.”
Kyle nodded in acceptance, and then his face contorted, and a predatory smirk lit up his countenance.
“Have you ever seen one go off?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the viewport.
“Well,” the Admiral replied, a mischievous note in his voice, “I have seen a number of tests; of course, there was that pirate faction that we traced to their base in an asteroid. One on each side, and it was history.”
Kyle let out a cruel snort of laughter, and - not taking his eyes off of the viewport - said,
“Kahv’Hosh, did you ever get around to reading about the women of Weinsberg?”
He wasn’t sure where this was going, but he decided to play along.
“I did," he replied slowly.
“And if you knew nothing else about humans,” Kyle began, a cruel smile on his face, “Would you have accepted that deal?”
He managed to take a breath in before something in his mind clicked. Something had seemed off from the beginning, but he couldn’t place exactly what it was. He’d been given clearance to review the transmission from the part where the ‘commodore’ broke in, and he had been replaying it in his mind ever since then, trying to figure out what was gnawing at his mind like a pup with a bone.
But nothing came out at first, as his mind struggled to form words; he managed simply to point out the viewport to the shuttle - that was almost to its ‘mothership’ - and to look back and forth between him and it, before he finally managed to spit out,
“Wh-... you-... why would the arti-... the ‘override code’: why would it be in Galactic Standard?!”
The smile on his face widened, and he was suddenly aware that he was on a small shuttle with two Class 12 aggressors. Kyle - however - merely pulled the cube from his pocket, and said,
“Kay’Eighty?”
The cube began to dissolve, reforming into the humanoid shape that was her android form.
“Yes, Ambassador Redding?” she replied in a distinctly… robotic voice. Kyle merely scoffed, however, and rebutted with,
“Aw, come on; it’s not like he gave us ample opportunity to talk: I had to think of something on the fly…”
She suddenly became much more ‘sapient’ crossing her arms, and looking off to the side as she sighed.
“Fine,” she replied, “Whatever; what do you want?”
Kyle snorted in laughter, and asked,
“Has he made it to the optimal range, yet?”
Kay’Eighty sighed again, and looked out the viewport.
“Just about, yeah.”
“Then I leave the honors to you,” he finished, holding her up for a better view of the viewport.
“Detonation in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”
Kahv’Hosh found that though he was sure this was going to be on par with their aggression level, he also couldn’t look away; like watching an asteroid impact a planet: he knew something bad was coming, but he just couldn’t bring himself to break eye-contact with the nine ships in formation, the middlemost one having already received the shuttle. And even as he watched, the ships seemed to draw closer together.
At first he thought that it must be his eyes playing tricks on him, but soon enough, not only were they drawing closer together, but they began to spin around the central ship, as if caught in the gravity-well of some insanely dense celestial body. He saw small explosions issuing from the sides. with little bits breaking off into the void of space, only for the expanding singularity - for that was obviously what it was - to suck the life-pods back into its center, where everything seemingly disappeared into nothingness. Soon, the ships themselves began breaking apart, still doing their destructive, tumbling dance around the spot where the ‘commodore’s ship used to be.
Piece by piece, the ships began to break apart, ‘falling’ into the center, where they were obviously compressed beyond what physics would normally allow. He tried not to think about the fate of the people aboard the ships, gravity increasing to the point that you were crushed under the weight of your own skin, having to watch - if they could even survive - as the ship around them broke apart, exposing them to the blackness of space.
He managed a quick look back at the humans, and was granted some small consolation in that the evil smiles had left their faces, and both had looks of somber determination gracing their features. And at that moment, he believed he knew what it was that set them so high on the aggression scale; even they were appalled by their actions - by their own weapons - and yet not even the prospect of becoming a monster would stop them from removing a perceived threat.
Soon, all pieces of the ships were gone, and about a Standard minute after that, the anomalous gravity readings disappeared. And suddenly space had returned to ‘normal’, as if nothing unnatural had just happened. Kyle broke the silence in a neutral voice as he said,
“Well, let’s get back to the ship; Cap’m’s gonna tear me a new one for this…”
[Next.] Patreon
2023.06.01 17:20 Chelle2013 Better caffeine alternative?
My husband and I trying for a baby. We aren't telling friends and family yet, just saying that we're "preparing to try". I need a new car as I only have two front seats and that's our current "excuse" I've been working on making sure I'm set up in healthy habits for my future family, but my biggest struggle is caffeine. I don't drink coffee as it hurts my stomach and hate tea. My go to is sugar-free energy drinks or "fat burner" supplements for energy. (I know they don't burn fat, just take them for extra energy boost). I don't drink them everyday, but 4-5 times a week. What are some better alternatives rather than Monsters or Ghosts?
submitted by Chelle2013 to BabyBumps [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 17:03 A_Vespertine Souls & Scarabs at Mathom-Meister's Flea Market
“I’m sorry; we’re going to astral travel to a flea market?” Charlotte asked incredulously as she watched Genevieve and I set up a meditation circle under the shade of a towering old willow tree in my cemetery. “What if we want to buy something? How will we bring it back?”
“We’re not going there to shop, Lottie. Samantha’s finally had a vision about Emrys,” Genevieve explained.
The Veil between the Physical and Astral Planes is exceptionally weak in my cemetery, especially at night and on hallowed days. When I sleep there, my subconscious mind is highly receptive to all manner of revelations from the Spirit World. When I saw a Blood Moon rise on the night of May fifth, the same night as a penumbral eclipse, I knew that my dreams would be prophetic.
“I had a dream about him last Friday,” I expounded. “He’s at some sort of otherworldly marketplace, one that’s not connected to the Crypto Chthonic Cuniculi, so it’s mostly inaccessible to the Ophion Occult Order. In my dream, Emrys invited us to come and speak with him while we were lucid. He drew a sigil for me, the same one I’ve drawn in the middle of the mediation circle. He said that all I’d have to do is toss an Undying Rose – the earthly effigy of the rose Persephone used to steal a drop of his blood – into the sigil and it will become an astral portal to where he is.”
I held up the deep purple rose that I had cut from its bush earlier that day. I don’t know for certain where the roses came from, but my best guess is that they were made by the same Occultist who hallowed my cemetery to Persephone; Artaxerxes Crow. They have some connection to Emrys as well, since the only other time I saw someone else use one was when his avatar was summoned into the Physical Plane on Halloween 2020.
Knowing that Emrys wouldn’t dare to set foot in a place that was sacred to the Goddess who was ultimately responsible for his cosmic defeat, I gently tossed the rose into the middle of the sigil.
“He invited all of us?” Charlotte asked with an incredulous raising of her eyebrow.
“He said me and my coven. If he had just meant me or me and Genevieve he would have said that,” I replied. “You and Elam are coming too. I want as many eyes on this place as possible so that we don’t miss anything. We may not get an opportunity like this again.”
“And this is safe? Visiting some random flea market between worlds?” Charlotte asked.
“Samantha and I have visited the Underworld and come back no problem,” Genevieve reminded her. “So long as we’re bound to our bodies and Elam is bound to Samantha, we can come back anytime. Don’t worry; this is going to be a blast! Adventures like these are the best part of being a Witch.”
“The only reason you were able to go to the Underworld is because Samantha’s cemetery came with an astral portal in the back,” Charlotte countered, gesticulating in the general direction of the archway that was still partially visible behind the light spring foliage. “Other than that, when have any of us ever done anything useful with our astral projection? This is still a physical place, right? We don’t have any of our physical senses available to us when we astral project, and I get extremely disoriented trying to navigate the mortal plane with clairvoyance alone.”
“It is a physical place, but one saturated with astral energy and full of occultists and occult artifacts. It will be extremely illuminated to our clairvoyance,” I assured her. “Elam will also be there to guide us. As a ghost, he’s much more practiced at traversing the mortal plane in an astral form.”
Charlotte folded her arms over her chest and turned to look at Elam, who was leaning up against the willow tree as he waited for us.
“I don’t suppose you could go and scout the place out for us ahead of time?” she asked.
“I can’t go too far from Samantha, and definitely not across planes,” he said with a shake of his head. “But Eve’s right. Your astral bodies will be in no danger, and you can return here in an instant whenever you want.”
“But what about Emrys? Didn’t that book Leon gave you say that he’s some sort of soul-flayer?” Charlotte asked me.
“It did,” I admitted. “Keep in mind though, that book was written by his enemies. I want to hear his side of things before this conflict of theirs spirals out of control.”
“Any update from Chamberlin about that?” Elam asked.
“Yeah, he said that after he failed to purify the Sigil Sand, Ivy’s onboard with negotiating some kind of truce with Emrys,” I replied. “The Grand Adderman’s still reticent, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s running out of options. I need to find out if Emrys will agree to peace talks.”
“Um, I get that, but I’m still kind of hung up on him potentially flaying our souls,” Charlotte reiterated.
“If Emrys and the Ophion Occult Order go to all-out war, there’ll be a lot of collateral damage and innocent souls caught in the crossfire,” Genevieve told her, gently grabbing hold of her and looking her straight in the eye. “Samantha, Elam, and I are doing this because if there’s any chance we can put an end to this before it starts, then it’s our responsibility to try. You don’t have to come with us, Lottie, but you’re still a member of our coven. Samantha and I would both feel a lot better with you there to help us.”
“Arghhh! All right, fine! I’ll come with you,” Charlotte gave in, plopping her butt down on the edge of the meditation circle. “If we’re holding hands, that will help keep our astral bodies together too, right?”
“I believe it should, yes,” I smiled at her, sitting down and reaching out for her hand.
Genevieve lit the incense and her bong filled with the entheogenic Delphi Dream, before sitting down to join us. She took a hit from the bong before passing it to me, and then to Charlotte before setting it aside out of the circle.
“Start with taking a deep breath, completely filling the lungs, and holding it for five heartbeats,” she guided us as she took hold of each of our hands. “Exhale completely, and wait five more heartbeats before breathing in again. Eyes closed, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Focus on the astral energies flowing through you with each breath, gently aligning each chakra until those energies are enough to lift you up and out of your body.”
In unison with one another, the three of us slowly breathed in and out, ignoring the material world around us and focusing upon the task at hand. Eve was first, as usual, and because we were all holding hands, Charlotte and I felt her eagerly tugging us up to speed us along.
I opened my eyes, and beheld the dull and muted Physical Plane through my clairvoyance, everything outshined by the radiant forms of my coven mates. I noted that Genevieve had eschewed her normal skyclad form when astral projecting and instead wore a cloak like Charlotte and I.
“Are you worried this place might have a no shirt, no shoes, no souls, no service policy?” I teased her.
“I just don’t want to risk a confrontation over it. I realize how important this is,” she answered. “Though I’m not actually wearing shoes, now that you mention it.”
“Christ, look at the sigil Samantha drew!” Charlotte said, pointing down at the meditation circle beneath us. The sigil wasn’t just glowing but flowing as well, churning the Aether around it in a misty, spectral vortex. “It’s an astral portal, isn’t it?”
“Oh yeah. It’s not stable, though. Good for one trip only,” Genevieve said with a delighted smile. “And Lottie, since we’re Neopagan Witches, try not to swear by Christ, okay?”
“Jesus!” she swore, both in defiance and in genuine annoyance.
“Elam! Elam, come join the circle! I don’t want to take any chances of severing our bond,” I instructed, letting go of Charlotte’s hand and waving him in between us.
Faithful Familiar that he was, he obeyed without hesitation. Despite my concerns, I think that he probably could have stayed behind if he had wanted. The fact that he was willing to follow me to an unknown otherworld without complaint really made me appreciate how devoted he was to me.
“We step in together on the count of three, got it?” I instructed, each of them nodding clearly in response. “One. Two. Three!”
We all extended our right feet into the vortex together, and the instant we did we were swept away, falling out of our own world and tumbling between the cracks of countless others. They weren’t real, I don’t think. At least, not as real as our world. They were potential realities, or realities that could have been once but now can never be, or fantasies that are so persistent in the minds of real people that in some sense or another, they become real themselves. I only saw glimmers of them, glimmers in nebulas made of primeval chaos and uttermost void.
It was outside of time, that place we travelled through, or at least we had no sense of it there. Our souls were haphazardly spat out upon a surreal landscape of earth, sea, and fire. Hilly plains of volcanic ash, incandescent calderas of lava and bubbling hot springs all intermeshed in a chaotic mosaic that didn’t seem to abide by any laws of geology or geography that I was familiar with. A strong but slow wind pushed fractal formations of dark silver clouds through a pale silver sky, illuminated by a single white orb which could have been either a bright moon or a faint sun.
While our spectral feet left no trace upon the ash we now stood upon, our presence nonetheless elicited a response from some of the local fauna. We were just able to catch a glimpse of some kind of shimmering scarabs burrowing themselves into the ash to escape the four otherworldly ghosts that had invaded their territory.
“Holy shit,” Charlotte murmured as we all gazed out upon the strange world we had found ourselves on. “This really isn’t on the Astral Plane. This is a real planet. This a real, alien planet! This is unbelievable!”
Genevieve glided over to one of the bubbling pools and peered into it, looking for any more signs of life.
“There’s some kind of bluish-grey algae growing on the rocks down there, and I think I can make out some small arthropods too. This planet’s alive!” she announced with glee, smiling and looking up at the alien sky.
Conjuring an astral approximation of my staff, I plunged it into a small mound of ash beside me. I watched curiously as the scarabs shot out in all directions, moving too quickly for me to get a good look at them, before scurrying back into the surrounding ash.
“These bugs can sense our presence,” I remarked. “How and why would clairvoyance evolve in insects on this world, and why would their first instinct be to flee?”
“Samantha!” Elam called out. “I think I found the Flea Market.”
We all gathered around him and looked where he was pointing. On a distant dune, we beheld the moulted carapace of a colossal insect, gleaming a brilliant, lustrous gold in the broken white light.
“That’s impossible!” Charlotte claimed. “That thing must be hundreds of meters long! No insect, no animal period could ever get that big on the Physical Plane!”
“It could be the Incarnation of some kind of Titan,” Genevieve suggested. “But… it’s dead. I can tell that even from here. It’s dead. It’s the corpse of a dead god, and now it’s being used as a swap meet with a punny name. Either whatever killed it just abandoned it, or…”
“Or is running the place,” I finished for her. “Well, we should see if we can find Emrys.”
In an instant, the world moved around us until we were at the entrance to the Flea Market. The colossal carapace was hollow inside, of course, and had been filled with a bustling city that looked like it had been created in the most ad hoc manner possible. There wasn’t a single straight street to be seen, and they converged with one another at random intervals. Stalls and buildings varied wildly in both design and materials, all imported from a plethora of different cultures across the planes.
Enormous shards of luminous glass levitated above the throng like a thousand Swords of Damocles, any or all of them seeming capable of succumbing to gravity at any moment. In the very center of the moulted husk dangled a great spiralling chrysalis or hive woven of iridescent silk, its function not being immediately apparent to me.
There must have been thousands of people there, and hundreds of merchants hawking their wares. Most of those who looked human still seemed a little off, like they were members of ethnicities that didn’t exist in our world. Some of the beings were near-human in appearance, many seemingly some kind of Fey or Seelie folk. There was even a small handful of people that weren’t remotely human at all.
The only thing they all had in common was that none were native to this world.
“Most of these people are here in person, aren’t they?” Charlotte asked.
“It would’ve been quite a feat for them to have built all of this while astral projecting,” Genevieve agreed.
“But if this place isn’t connected to the Cuniculi, then how did they get here?” Charlotte asked. “We’re on another planet, maybe even in another dimension. If getting here is beyond the Ooo’s abilities, then what sort of ungodly reality benders decided to turn it into a Flea Market?”
“Ladies, gentlemen, and any beings either too ancient and alien or too modern and alienated to settle on one or the other, come bear witness to one of the most astounding and atrocious abominations on this or any other world!” a fast-paced male voice rang out over the din of the crowd.
We turned to see a short, skinny, old-timey sort of carnival barker standing on a literal soap box, placed next to a large object draped in a black tarp.
“For the paltry price of a single three-headed coin, you can peer beneath the veil and behold with your own unbelieving eyes the mangled and mutilated monstrosity that lurks beneath!” the carnival barker continued. “But I must warn you, it is not possible to truly understand what dwells underneath without seeing it first! I cannot guarantee that you will still retain your sanity or will to live after witnessing the proverbial Mountains of Madness, for this low creature is truly like no other and serves only as a grim testament to the cruel sadism of the Lord Above! Anyone plagued by even the faintest lingering doubt as to their spiritual fortitude should not dare to even contemplate what might lie before me! But, for those brave, noble few who are truly dauntless of heart and incorrigible of spirit, I am proud to share with you this rare, unfathomable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness sublime –”
The carnival barker was interrupted by a man yanking the sheet off the object beside him, revealing it to be a mirror.
“Whelp, that was a hell of an Im14andthisisdeep post, eh?” Charlotte mused.
Genevieve and I, however, were far too stunned to be amused; not by the mirror, but by the man who had unveiled it.
“It’s him, Lottie. That’s Emrys,” Genevieve whispered.
We had only seen him briefly once before, more than two-and-a-half years ago, but he was far from what anyone would call forgettable. He was tall and gaunt, with literal blue blood flowing beneath translucent skin. His long, receding hair and regal beard were pitch black, and dark miasma wafted from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He was dressed in dark sable robes with three overlapping Ouroboros’s tattooed on his forehead, with a pair of ophidian pupils lying in the spaces between them.
What stood out the most to us were the six silver Ouroboros chains bound around his wrists, ankles, waist, and neck. These were the chains the Ophion Occult Order had made to limit the power of his physical avatar, and it seemed he had not yet found a way to free himself from them.
“Are you still here?” Emrys asked in exasperation, tossing the veil back at the carnival barker in disdain.
“…Possibly,” the strange man replied evasively. “But not definitively, for purely legalistic reasons.”
“I believe Mathom-meister was quite clear when he said that your rather pitiful chicanery wasn’t welcomed here,” Emrys reminded him.
“And who is he to judge chicanery from cutthroat, capitalistic competition? Should not the Flea Market be a free market?” the charlatan demanded. “And while we’re on the topic of commerce, I don’t suppose you have enough three-headed coins to pay for all the poor souls you have so discourteously exposed to my exhibit against their will? I’d hate to have to start shaking people down to get my due.”
“Hard to believe your own circus threw you out,” Emrys said with a sardonic eye roll as he tossed him a small medallion. “You get one coin. Take it and get out of my sight.”
The charlatan flipped the coin in the air thrice, presumably to confirm it actually had three heads. Satisfied with its impossible dimensions, he shoved it into his pocket.
“It will cover the trolley ride home, at least,” he acquiesced, stepping off his soap box and turning to face his looking glass. “A shame though you can’t see the genius in my little avant-garde performance piece here, Emmy. Even I know that the monster in the mirror is often the hardest to recognize.”
As the man reached to pick up his mirror, his reflection’s arms shot through the glass and grabbed him by the wrists, pulling him in. Emrys immediately tried to chase after him, but bounced off the glass as if there was nothing supernatural about it at all.
“Bastard!” he cursed under his breath, before turning towards us and giving us a small apologetic smile. “I’m sorry you had to see that rather pathetic display. Unfortunately, the few meeting places I know of that are relatively safe from any Ophionic incursion also attract their fair share of other annoying miscreants.”
“If it didn’t attract a little bit of everything, it wouldn’t be a Flea Market, would it?” I asked rhetorically. “Thank you, Emrys, for inviting us. I’ve never been anywhere like this before.”
“And thank you for accepting. Samantha, Genevieve, it’s a pleasure to see you again, and a relief that you have not fallen under the auspices of the Ophion Occult Order,” he said with a gentle bow. “Elam, I remember you as well. Valiant but not reckless, you remained atop Pendragon Hill during my battle with the Darlings until your mistress was well out of harm’s way, and then you got the hell out of dodge yourself. Samantha couldn’t hope for a better Familiar. And Charlotte, any Witch that Samantha deemed worthy to induct into her coven is obviously someone whose acquaintance I am pleased to make. Welcome, all of you, to Mathom-meister’s Flea Market!”
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out the past two years?” Genevieve asked.
“Oh no. Far too Cosmopolitan for my tastes,” Emrys replied. “No, this is just a friendly place to meet those I consider friends – or potential friends, at least. I’d offer to show you around, but I know it’s difficult for you to astral travel for prolonged periods. Come with me to Mathom-meister’s house where we can talk freely, and we’ll discuss the situation with the Order.”
I gave him a small, single nod in response, and gestured with my staff that he should lead the way. He responded by pointing upwards, then vanished into his shadow form. When we looked up, we saw him waving at us from a balcony atop the great silken chrysalis.
We exchanged hesitant glances with one another, but ultimately followed him into the strange structure, moving from the ground to the balcony in an instant by will alone.
“How would an incarnate being get up here if they couldn’t fly or teleport?” Charlotte asked as she peered over the balcony’s teetering edge.
As though answering a summons, a humanoid creature apparated beside her in a flash of dark vapours. The hunched-back entity stood over six-and-a-half feet tall, and was clad in golden-brown erudite robes. Its squid-like skin was of a similar colour, and its entire face was a single gaping orifice that held a wispy, glowing orb in the center of its skull which I immediately recognized as its soul. A pair of long, fanged tentacles lined with pores and tendrils hung down from its head like a long, forked beard, and the seven digits shared by its two hands all bore wicked-looking talons, as did its two-toed, digitigrade feet.
“Not fly or teleport? What sort of pedestrian house guests do you think I entertain here?” the being asked wryly, its voice seeming to come from nowhere in particular.
Charlotte instinctively backed away from the creature and into the protective fold of our coven, but Emrys was quick to hold up his hand to plead for calm.
“Please, there’s no need for alarm. This is our host, Mathom-meister. He’s the only reason any of this is here in the first place,” Emrys informed us. “A year or two ago a companion of his unfortunately became one of the Darling Twin’s victims, and when he heard of my vendetta with them, he tracked me down; which is no small feat, I assure you.”
“It is for us. My people are a race of Planeswalkers. Traversing the many worlds of Creation is second nature to us,” Mathom-meister explained.
“I’ve… I’ve heard of your people, I think,” I said, softly and unsurely. “A friend of mine had an encounter with an artifact that gave her a vision of a race of strange and powerful sorcerers slaying their own god. I take it you’re the ones who slayed this Scarab Titan as well? That’s, that’s…”
“Horrifying, yes. That’s the idea,” he nodded. “You have nothing to worry about, young Witch. My people have no special interest in your world. This is purely personal. My friend is dead, and I want his murderers brought to justice; a goal which Emrys and I happen to have in common.”
“Feel free to share this information with the Ophion Occult Order, Samantha,” Emrys said. “I’d very much like for the Darling Twins to know what’s hunting them. Mathom-meister, please excuse me while I take my guests inside. We do have pressing business to discuss and their time is limited.”
The squid-cyclopes bowed gracefully, and my coven and I quickly scurried after Emrys as he led us inside through a towering hallway and into a large chamber that had been appointed as a living space.
I had thought that Emrys would want to speak with us alone, which was why I was surprised to see a young woman sitting cross-legged on a spongey yet chitinous object that I will for the sake of my sanity call a bean bag chair. Like Emrys, she was pale and blue-blooded, her choppy hair as black as coal. She wore a black robe and heavy black eyeliner, but these could not conceal the fact that she too had thin wisps of miasma emanating from her eyes.
“Is that your… daughter?” Charlotte asked, as baffled by her presence as any of us. The woman smiled warmly at the question.
“In a way. I was dead, and Emrys gave me new life. Now a part of the Outer Primordial Darkness he represents lives in me too,” she said serenely.
Hovering above her left palm were three small bluish-green orbs, lazily going around in a circle. They were translucent and held something inside them that I couldn’t make out, but the orbs themselves appeared to be melting and solidifying by the woman’s will.
“You’re Petra, aren’t you?” I asked as I cautiously approached her. “Chamberlin had mentioned that Emrys had taken an acolyte. I’m Samantha, and this is Genevieve, Elam, and Charlotte.”
“I know. The whole reason we’re here is to speak with you,” she nodded.
“The Ophion Occult Order calls me a soul-flayer, and I’m sure you were all wondering exactly what that meant before you came here,” Emrys said, standing proudly behind his acolyte. “Well, this is it. The Darkness Beyond is now a part of her, and a part of her now lives within the Darkness Beyond. She is not unchanged from what she was before, but neither has what she was been lost.”
“My interpretation of the term ‘soul-flaying’ was the complete removal of a person’s consciousness from their astral and physical bodies to be subsumed by your Darkness,” I countered. “They told me that what you’ve done with Petra here is just the limit of your power while you’re bound in their chains. Are you telling me that if your chains were broken, you wouldn’t be able to do any worse than this?”
“On my physical avatar? No. So long as my astral form remains chained and bound with the World Serpent, I cannot cleave a conscious mind from its astral substrate,” Emrys assured me.
“But that is your ultimate goal, isn’t it? Breaking the chains the Ophion Occult Order put on you is just a stepping stone to breaking the ones the gods bound you with?” Genevieve asked. “You’ve allied yourself with a literal god slayer. Do you expect us to believe that his people’s abilities aren’t something you intend to put to your own ends?”
“I don’t have an ultimate goal so much as I have a fundamental principle of opposing tyranny,” he claimed. “When I was a mere man, thousands of years ago, I was a tyrant. I believed that might made right so unquestionably that when my might began to fail me, the only thing I could think to do was to try everything in my power to restore it. This quest eventually led to me becoming one with the Darkness Beyond, which gave me not only the might I coveted but the wisdom I didn’t know I needed. It gave me perspective. It made me stronger than any human alive at that point but still let me realize how insignificant I was. It was humbling, and enlightening, and filled me both with remorse over my past actions and an impetus to use my newfound gifts to rectify them. I tried to overthrow the gods themselves which, in hindsight, was overly ambitious. I not only failed but had my soul devoured by the World Serpent, where it still resides to this day.
“I am not eager to bring the wrath of the gods down upon me once again. No, for now, I will be content to end the tyranny of the Ophion Occult Order. This is the message I’d like you to relay to them. If the Grand Adderman agrees to unbind my chains and step down from his post, I will spare his life. If he declines, I want the rest of the Order to know that I will show mercy to any who sides with me over him. I am willing to allow the Order to exist so long as it agrees to become more decentralized, democratic, and accountable. They will have to forfeit certain artifacts and individuals in their possession over to me, chief among them the Darling Twins, but I am willing to negotiate. If they aren’t, then I will overthrow the Grand Adderman by whatever means necessary and see the Order scattered to the four winds. It is entirely up to them whether or not the conflict between us escalates to full-on war. Have I made myself clear, Samantha?”
“I think so,” I said as I pensively considered everything he had said. “Why should they trust you to keep your word once your chains are broken? For that matter, why should we?”
He took a moment to consider his response, eyeing me over as though he was trying to divine something that would win over my trust.
“Samantha, you made a pact with Persephone to get your Spirit Familiar there; one where she swore by the River Styx. Is that correct?” he asked.
“It is,” I nodded.
“And in the years since, has Persephone ever broken that pact she swore to?” he asked.
“No, she hasn’t,” I replied.
“I may not be an Old God, but so long as my astral form remains bound by their chains, they have power over me,” he said. “Samantha Sumner, Hedge Witch of Harrowick Woods, I swear on the River Styx that I have spoken no lies to you today. I swear by the River Styx that I will abide by any Covenant that I and the Ophion Occult Order agree to in good faith and fair dealing that they do not break first. I swear by the River Styx that when my chains are broken, I will give you no cause to fear me or regret your trust in me.”
I gave a questioning glance to Genevieve, and then Elam, both of whom nodded in the affirmative.
“All right. An oath sworn on the River Styx is good enough for me. I’ll deliver your terms to Seneca Chamberlin,” I agreed. “I’m very grateful for the trust and respect you’ve shown for me and my coven, Emrys, though I can’t say I quite understand it. Out of all the guests that were there on the Hallow’s Eve you were summoned, why did Evie and I stand out to you?”
“The Ophion Occult Order deemed you worthy of inclusion in their cult, an offer you rejected on principle. You cheated Persephone, but you did it not to gain immortality for yourself but to save your friend from hell. You came here, thinking I could very well tear your souls asunder, but did so because you believed it was your duty to prevent needless suffering,” Emrys answered. “You are extraordinary in your craft, courage, and conscience, the latter of which especially stood out among the degenerates at that party. I do apologize if I frightened you at that event. I was a bit… irritable, given the circumstances. I’m glad we were able to meet again under more pleasant conditions.”
“So am I, Emrys,” I nodded. “I’m not sure exactly what this means or how relevant it is, but Seneca wanted me to tell you that he’s able to offer you the Dream Demon Red Ruck as a sacrifice.”
“Pffft. Tell him it’s hardly a sacrifice if I’m getting rid of a boogie man for him,” he scoffed. “In fact, now that you mention it, Ruck’s one egregore that might be of more use to me alive.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but we were suddenly interrupted by the rapid pounding of a gong somewhere down below. It seemed to be an alarm of some kind, as we could hear the panicked shouting and frantic racing of people either battening down or forsaking the Flea Market altogether.
Mathom-meister apparated into the middle of the room, his facial tentacles reflexively raised in a defensive position.
“Were you outside the market?” he demanded of us.
“The portal we came through deposited us a few miles outside of the market, yes,” I admitted.
“Damn,” Emrys cursed softly, though he sounded more frustrated than angry. “Meister, it’s not their fault. I knew they weren’t experienced Planeswalkers, I could have – ”
“It doesn’t matter!” Mathom-meister interjected. “They need to leave, now!”
“Why, what’s going on?” Genevieve demanded.
“The scarabs are swarming,” Petra explained. “Don’t feel bad; it happens often enough that they’re prepared for it.”
I wanted to press for more details, but I could hear the humming of a vast winged swarm steadily encroaching upon us.
“Don’t worry. Once you leave the swarm will disperse… eventually,” Emrys told us. “We’ve said all that need be said for now. Return home, and I’ll reach out to you again shortly, Samantha.”
Again, I wanted to object, but the swarm outside was growing louder and louder, and it occurred to me that we might not be completely safe from a biblical swarm of insects that could not only sense but evidently sought out souls.
This occurred to Charlotte as well, as she was the first of us to vanish and awaken back in her body. We could all feel the weight of her reembodied soul tugging on us to return with her. Genevieve immediately grabbed hold of my right hand and Elam my left, both of them refusing to leave before I did.
I spared one final glance at Emrys, lamenting that we couldn’t have had more time.
“I’ll relay everything you said to the Order. I’ll make sure they know you’re willing to negotiate a truce,” I vowed.
He gave me a gracious nod, and just as we heard the swarm start to pelt the exterior of the market, I forced my physical eyes open and was back in my body, still safely under a willow tree in my cemetery.
I immediately looked beside me to Genevieve, and saw that she was awake as well, and then around me for Elam, who seemed to be suffering a bit of spectral whiplash from being pulled back with me so suddenly, but was otherwise all right. Sighing with relief, I turned lastly to Charlotte, and saw that she was looking down at the mediation circle in dreaded horror.
Following her gaze, I saw that the Undying Rose was gone – spent, perhaps, in exchange for our passage – and in its place was the inert, and hopefully dead, body of one of the shimmering scarabs.
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“We’re not going there to shop, Lottie. Samantha’s finally had a vision about Emrys,” Genevieve explained.
The Veil between the Physical and Astral Planes is exceptionally weak in my cemetery, especially at night and on hallowed days. When I sleep there, my subconscious mind is highly receptive to all manner of revelations from the Spirit World. When I saw a Blood Moon rise on the night of May fifth, the same night as a penumbral eclipse, I knew that my dreams would be prophetic.
“I had a dream about him last Friday,” I expounded. “He’s at some sort of otherworldly marketplace, one that’s not connected to the Crypto Chthonic Cuniculi, so it’s mostly inaccessible to the Ophion Occult Order. In my dream, Emrys invited us to come and speak with him while we were lucid. He drew a sigil for me, the same one I’ve drawn in the middle of the mediation circle. He said that all I’d have to do is toss an Undying Rose – the earthly effigy of the rose Persephone used to steal a drop of his blood – into the sigil and it will become an astral portal to where he is.”
I held up the deep purple rose that I had cut from its bush earlier that day. I don’t know for certain where the roses came from, but my best guess is that they were made by the same Occultist who hallowed my cemetery to Persephone; Artaxerxes Crow. They have some connection to Emrys as well, since the only other time I saw someone else use one was when his avatar was summoned into the Physical Plane on Halloween 2020.
Knowing that Emrys wouldn’t dare to set foot in a place that was sacred to the Goddess who was ultimately responsible for his cosmic defeat, I gently tossed the rose into the middle of the sigil.
“He invited all of us?” Charlotte asked with an incredulous raising of her eyebrow.
“He said me and my coven. If he had just meant me or me and Genevieve he would have said that,” I replied. “You and Elam are coming too. I want as many eyes on this place as possible so that we don’t miss anything. We may not get an opportunity like this again.”
“And this is safe? Visiting some random flea market between worlds?” Charlotte asked.
“Samantha and I have visited the Underworld and come back no problem,” Genevieve reminded her. “So long as we’re bound to our bodies and Elam is bound to Samantha, we can come back anytime. Don’t worry; this is going to be a blast! Adventures like these are the best part of being a Witch.”
“The only reason you were able to go to the Underworld is because Samantha’s cemetery came with an astral portal in the back,” Charlotte countered, gesticulating in the general direction of the archway that was still partially visible behind the light spring foliage. “Other than that, when have any of us ever done anything useful with our astral projection? This is still a physical place, right? We don’t have any of our physical senses available to us when we astral project, and I get extremely disoriented trying to navigate the mortal plane with clairvoyance alone.”
“It is a physical place, but one saturated with astral energy and full of occultists and occult artifacts. It will be extremely illuminated to our clairvoyance,” I assured her. “Elam will also be there to guide us. As a ghost, he’s much more practiced at traversing the mortal plane in an astral form.”
Charlotte folded her arms over her chest and turned to look at Elam, who was leaning up against the willow tree as he waited for us.
“I don’t suppose you could go and scout the place out for us ahead of time?” she asked.
“I can’t go too far from Samantha, and definitely not across planes,” he said with a shake of his head. “But Eve’s right. Your astral bodies will be in no danger, and you can return here in an instant whenever you want.”
“But what about Emrys? Didn’t that book Leon gave you say that he’s some sort of soul-flayer?” Charlotte asked me.
“It did,” I admitted. “Keep in mind though, that book was written by his enemies. I want to hear his side of things before this conflict of theirs spirals out of control.”
“Any update from Chamberlin about that?” Elam asked.
“Yeah, he said that after he failed to purify the Sigil Sand, Ivy’s onboard with negotiating some kind of truce with Emrys,” I replied. “The Grand Adderman’s still reticent, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s running out of options. I need to find out if Emrys will agree to peace talks.”
“Um, I get that, but I’m still kind of hung up on him potentially flaying our souls,” Charlotte reiterated.
“If Emrys and the Ophion Occult Order go to all-out war, there’ll be a lot of collateral damage and innocent souls caught in the crossfire,” Genevieve told her, gently grabbing hold of her and looking her straight in the eye. “Samantha, Elam, and I are doing this because if there’s any chance we can put an end to this before it starts, then it’s our responsibility to try. You don’t have to come with us, Lottie, but you’re still a member of our coven. Samantha and I would both feel a lot better with you there to help us.”
“Arghhh! All right, fine! I’ll come with you,” Charlotte gave in, plopping her butt down on the edge of the meditation circle. “If we’re holding hands, that will help keep our astral bodies together too, right?”
“I believe it should, yes,” I smiled at her, sitting down and reaching out for her hand.
Genevieve lit the incense and her bong filled with the entheogenic Delphi Dream, before sitting down to join us. She took a hit from the bong before passing it to me, and then to Charlotte before setting it aside out of the circle.
“Start with taking a deep breath, completely filling the lungs, and holding it for five heartbeats,” she guided us as she took hold of each of our hands. “Exhale completely, and wait five more heartbeats before breathing in again. Eyes closed, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Focus on the astral energies flowing through you with each breath, gently aligning each chakra until those energies are enough to lift you up and out of your body.”
In unison with one another, the three of us slowly breathed in and out, ignoring the material world around us and focusing upon the task at hand. Eve was first, as usual, and because we were all holding hands, Charlotte and I felt her eagerly tugging us up to speed us along.
I opened my eyes, and beheld the dull and muted Physical Plane through my clairvoyance, everything outshined by the radiant forms of my coven mates. I noted that Genevieve had eschewed her normal skyclad form when astral projecting and instead wore a cloak like Charlotte and I.
“Are you worried this place might have a no shirt, no shoes, no souls, no service policy?” I teased her.
“I just don’t want to risk a confrontation over it. I realize how important this is,” she answered. “Though I’m not actually wearing shoes, now that you mention it.”
“Christ, look at the sigil Samantha drew!” Charlotte said, pointing down at the meditation circle beneath us. The sigil wasn’t just glowing but flowing as well, churning the Aether around it in a misty, spectral vortex. “It’s an astral portal, isn’t it?”
“Oh yeah. It’s not stable, though. Good for one trip only,” Genevieve said with a delighted smile. “And Lottie, since we’re Neopagan Witches, try not to swear by Christ, okay?”
“Jesus!” she swore, both in defiance and in genuine annoyance.
“Elam! Elam, come join the circle! I don’t want to take any chances of severing our bond,” I instructed, letting go of Charlotte’s hand and waving him in between us.
Faithful Familiar that he was, he obeyed without hesitation. Despite my concerns, I think that he probably could have stayed behind if he had wanted. The fact that he was willing to follow me to an unknown otherworld without complaint really made me appreciate how devoted he was to me.
“We step in together on the count of three, got it?” I instructed, each of them nodding clearly in response. “One. Two. Three!”
We all extended our right feet into the vortex together, and the instant we did we were swept away, falling out of our own world and tumbling between the cracks of countless others. They weren’t real, I don’t think. At least, not as real as our world. They were potential realities, or realities that could have been once but now can never be, or fantasies that are so persistent in the minds of real people that in some sense or another, they become real themselves. I only saw glimmers of them, glimmers in nebulas made of primeval chaos and uttermost void.
It was outside of time, that place we travelled through, or at least we had no sense of it there. Our souls were haphazardly spat out upon a surreal landscape of earth, sea, and fire. Hilly plains of volcanic ash, incandescent calderas of lava and bubbling hot springs all intermeshed in a chaotic mosaic that didn’t seem to abide by any laws of geology or geography that I was familiar with. A strong but slow wind pushed fractal formations of dark silver clouds through a pale silver sky, illuminated by a single white orb which could have been either a bright moon or a faint sun.
While our spectral feet left no trace upon the ash we now stood upon, our presence nonetheless elicited a response from some of the local fauna. We were just able to catch a glimpse of some kind of shimmering scarabs burrowing themselves into the ash to escape the four otherworldly ghosts that had invaded their territory.
“Holy shit,” Charlotte murmured as we all gazed out upon the strange world we had found ourselves on. “This really isn’t on the Astral Plane. This is a real planet. This a real, alien planet! This is unbelievable!”
Genevieve glided over to one of the bubbling pools and peered into it, looking for any more signs of life.
“There’s some kind of bluish-grey algae growing on the rocks down there, and I think I can make out some small arthropods too. This planet’s alive!” she announced with glee, smiling and looking up at the alien sky.
Conjuring an astral approximation of my staff, I plunged it into a small mound of ash beside me. I watched curiously as the scarabs shot out in all directions, moving too quickly for me to get a good look at them, before scurrying back into the surrounding ash.
“These bugs can sense our presence,” I remarked. “How and why would clairvoyance evolve in insects on this world, and why would their first instinct be to flee?”
“Samantha!” Elam called out. “I think I found the Flea Market.”
We all gathered around him and looked where he was pointing. On a distant dune, we beheld the moulted carapace of a colossal insect, gleaming a brilliant, lustrous gold in the broken white light.
“That’s impossible!” Charlotte claimed. “That thing must be hundreds of meters long! No insect, no animal period could ever get that big on the Physical Plane!”
“It could be the Incarnation of some kind of Titan,” Genevieve suggested. “But… it’s dead. I can tell that even from here. It’s dead. It’s the corpse of a dead god, and now it’s being used as a swap meet with a punny name. Either whatever killed it just abandoned it, or…”
“Or is running the place,” I finished for her. “Well, we should see if we can find Emrys.”
In an instant, the world moved around us until we were at the entrance to the Flea Market. The colossal carapace was hollow inside, of course, and had been filled with a bustling city that looked like it had been created in the most ad hoc manner possible. There wasn’t a single straight street to be seen, and they converged with one another at random intervals. Stalls and buildings varied wildly in both design and materials, all imported from a plethora of different cultures across the planes.
Enormous shards of luminous glass levitated above the throng like a thousand Swords of Damocles, any or all of them seeming capable of succumbing to gravity at any moment. In the very center of the moulted husk dangled a great spiralling chrysalis or hive woven of iridescent silk, its function not being immediately apparent to me.
There must have been thousands of people there, and hundreds of merchants hawking their wares. Most of those who looked human still seemed a little off, like they were members of ethnicities that didn’t exist in our world. Some of the beings were near-human in appearance, many seemingly some kind of Fey or Seelie folk. There was even a small handful of people that weren’t remotely human at all.
The only thing they all had in common was that none were native to this world.
“Most of these people are here in person, aren’t they?” Charlotte asked.
“It would’ve been quite a feat for them to have built all of this while astral projecting,” Genevieve agreed.
“But if this place isn’t connected to the Cuniculi, then how did they get here?” Charlotte asked. “We’re on another planet, maybe even in another dimension. If getting here is beyond the Ooo’s abilities, then what sort of ungodly reality benders decided to turn it into a Flea Market?”
“Ladies, gentlemen, and any beings either too ancient and alien or too modern and alienated to settle on one or the other, come bear witness to one of the most astounding and atrocious abominations on this or any other world!” a fast-paced male voice rang out over the din of the crowd.
We turned to see a short, skinny, old-timey sort of carnival barker standing on a literal soap box, placed next to a large object draped in a black tarp.
“For the paltry price of a single three-headed coin, you can peer beneath the veil and behold with your own unbelieving eyes the mangled and mutilated monstrosity that lurks beneath!” the carnival barker continued. “But I must warn you, it is not possible to truly understand what dwells underneath without seeing it first! I cannot guarantee that you will still retain your sanity or will to live after witnessing the proverbial Mountains of Madness, for this low creature is truly like no other and serves only as a grim testament to the cruel sadism of the Lord Above! Anyone plagued by even the faintest lingering doubt as to their spiritual fortitude should not dare to even contemplate what might lie before me! But, for those brave, noble few who are truly dauntless of heart and incorrigible of spirit, I am proud to share with you this rare, unfathomable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness sublime –”
The carnival barker was interrupted by a man yanking the sheet off the object beside him, revealing it to be a mirror.
“Whelp, that was a hell of an Im14andthisisdeep post, eh?” Charlotte mused.
Genevieve and I, however, were far too stunned to be amused; not by the mirror, but by the man who had unveiled it.
“It’s him, Lottie. That’s Emrys,” Genevieve whispered.
We had only seen him briefly once before, more than two-and-a-half years ago, but he was far from what anyone would call forgettable. He was tall and gaunt, with literal blue blood flowing beneath translucent skin. His long, receding hair and regal beard were pitch black, and dark miasma wafted from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He was dressed in dark sable robes with three overlapping Ouroboros’s tattooed on his forehead, with a pair of ophidian pupils lying in the spaces between them.
What stood out the most to us were the six silver Ouroboros chains bound around his wrists, ankles, waist, and neck. These were the chains the Ophion Occult Order had made to limit the power of his physical avatar, and it seemed he had not yet found a way to free himself from them.
“Are you still here?” Emrys asked in exasperation, tossing the veil back at the carnival barker in disdain.
“…Possibly,” the strange man replied evasively. “But not definitively, for purely legalistic reasons.”
“I believe Mathom-meister was quite clear when he said that your rather pitiful chicanery wasn’t welcomed here,” Emrys reminded him.
“And who is he to judge chicanery from cutthroat, capitalistic competition? Should not the Flea Market be a free market?” the charlatan demanded. “And while we’re on the topic of commerce, I don’t suppose you have enough three-headed coins to pay for all the poor souls you have so discourteously exposed to my exhibit against their will? I’d hate to have to start shaking people down to get my due.”
“Hard to believe your own circus threw you out,” Emrys said with a sardonic eye roll as he tossed him a small medallion. “You get one coin. Take it and get out of my sight.”
The charlatan flipped the coin in the air thrice, presumably to confirm it actually had three heads. Satisfied with its impossible dimensions, he shoved it into his pocket.
“It will cover the trolley ride home, at least,” he acquiesced, stepping off his soap box and turning to face his looking glass. “A shame though you can’t see the genius in my little avant-garde performance piece here, Emmy. Even I know that the monster in the mirror is often the hardest to recognize.”
As the man reached to pick up his mirror, his reflection’s arms shot through the glass and grabbed him by the wrists, pulling him in. Emrys immediately tried to chase after him, but bounced off the glass as if there was nothing supernatural about it at all.
“Bastard!” he cursed under his breath, before turning towards us and giving us a small apologetic smile. “I’m sorry you had to see that rather pathetic display. Unfortunately, the few meeting places I know of that are relatively safe from any Ophionic incursion also attract their fair share of other annoying miscreants.”
“If it didn’t attract a little bit of everything, it wouldn’t be a Flea Market, would it?” I asked rhetorically. “Thank you, Emrys, for inviting us. I’ve never been anywhere like this before.”
“And thank you for accepting. Samantha, Genevieve, it’s a pleasure to see you again, and a relief that you have not fallen under the auspices of the Ophion Occult Order,” he said with a gentle bow. “Elam, I remember you as well. Valiant but not reckless, you remained atop Pendragon Hill during my battle with the Darlings until your mistress was well out of harm’s way, and then you got the hell out of dodge yourself. Samantha couldn’t hope for a better Familiar. And Charlotte, any Witch that Samantha deemed worthy to induct into her coven is obviously someone whose acquaintance I am pleased to make. Welcome, all of you, to Mathom-meister’s Flea Market!”
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out the past two years?” Genevieve asked.
“Oh no. Far too Cosmopolitan for my tastes,” Emrys replied. “No, this is just a friendly place to meet those I consider friends – or potential friends, at least. I’d offer to show you around, but I know it’s difficult for you to astral travel for prolonged periods. Come with me to Mathom-meister’s house where we can talk freely, and we’ll discuss the situation with the Order.”
I gave him a small, single nod in response, and gestured with my staff that he should lead the way. He responded by pointing upwards, then vanished into his shadow form. When we looked up, we saw him waving at us from a balcony atop the great silken chrysalis.
We exchanged hesitant glances with one another, but ultimately followed him into the strange structure, moving from the ground to the balcony in an instant by will alone.
“How would an incarnate being get up here if they couldn’t fly or teleport?” Charlotte asked as she peered over the balcony’s teetering edge.
As though answering a summons, a humanoid creature apparated beside her in a flash of dark vapours. The hunched-back entity stood over six-and-a-half feet tall, and was clad in golden-brown erudite robes. Its squid-like skin was of a similar colour, and its entire face was a single gaping orifice that held a wispy, glowing orb in the center of its skull which I immediately recognized as its soul. A pair of long, fanged tentacles lined with pores and tendrils hung down from its head like a long, forked beard, and the seven digits shared by its two hands all bore wicked-looking talons, as did its two-toed, digitigrade feet.
“Not fly or teleport? What sort of pedestrian house guests do you think I entertain here?” the being asked wryly, its voice seeming to come from nowhere in particular.
Charlotte instinctively backed away from the creature and into the protective fold of our coven, but Emrys was quick to hold up his hand to plead for calm.
“Please, there’s no need for alarm. This is our host, Mathom-meister. He’s the only reason any of this is here in the first place,” Emrys informed us. “A year or two ago a companion of his unfortunately became one of the Darling Twin’s victims, and when he heard of my vendetta with them, he tracked me down; which is no small feat, I assure you.”
“It is for us. My people are a race of Planeswalkers. Traversing the many worlds of Creation is second nature to us,” Mathom-meister explained.
“I’ve… I’ve heard of your people, I think,” I said, softly and unsurely. “A friend of mine had an encounter with an artifact that gave her a vision of a race of strange and powerful sorcerers slaying their own god. I take it you’re the ones who slayed this Scarab Titan as well? That’s, that’s…”
“Horrifying, yes. That’s the idea,” he nodded. “You have nothing to worry about, young Witch. My people have no special interest in your world. This is purely personal. My friend is dead, and I want his murderers brought to justice; a goal which Emrys and I happen to have in common.”
“Feel free to share this information with the Ophion Occult Order, Samantha,” Emrys said. “I’d very much like for the Darling Twins to know what’s hunting them. Mathom-meister, please excuse me while I take my guests inside. We do have pressing business to discuss and their time is limited.”
The squid-cyclopes bowed gracefully, and my coven and I quickly scurried after Emrys as he led us inside through a towering hallway and into a large chamber that had been appointed as a living space.
I had thought that Emrys would want to speak with us alone, which was why I was surprised to see a young woman sitting cross-legged on a spongey yet chitinous object that I will for the sake of my sanity call a bean bag chair. Like Emrys, she was pale and blue-blooded, her choppy hair as black as coal. She wore a black robe and heavy black eyeliner, but these could not conceal the fact that she too had thin wisps of miasma emanating from her eyes.
“Is that your… daughter?” Charlotte asked, as baffled by her presence as any of us. The woman smiled warmly at the question.
“In a way. I was dead, and Emrys gave me new life. Now a part of the Outer Primordial Darkness he represents lives in me too,” she said serenely.
Hovering above her left palm were three small bluish-green orbs, lazily going around in a circle. They were translucent and held something inside them that I couldn’t make out, but the orbs themselves appeared to be melting and solidifying by the woman’s will.
“You’re Petra, aren’t you?” I asked as I cautiously approached her. “Chamberlin had mentioned that Emrys had taken an acolyte. I’m Samantha, and this is Genevieve, Elam, and Charlotte.”
“I know. The whole reason we’re here is to speak with you,” she nodded.
“The Ophion Occult Order calls me a soul-flayer, and I’m sure you were all wondering exactly what that meant before you came here,” Emrys said, standing proudly behind his acolyte. “Well, this is it. The Darkness Beyond is now a part of her, and a part of her now lives within the Darkness Beyond. She is not unchanged from what she was before, but neither has what she was been lost.”
“My interpretation of the term ‘soul-flaying’ was the complete removal of a person’s consciousness from their astral and physical bodies to be subsumed by your Darkness,” I countered. “They told me that what you’ve done with Petra here is just the limit of your power while you’re bound in their chains. Are you telling me that if your chains were broken, you wouldn’t be able to do any worse than this?”
“On my physical avatar? No. So long as my astral form remains chained and bound with the World Serpent, I cannot cleave a conscious mind from its astral substrate,” Emrys assured me.
“But that is your ultimate goal, isn’t it? Breaking the chains the Ophion Occult Order put on you is just a stepping stone to breaking the ones the gods bound you with?” Genevieve asked. “You’ve allied yourself with a literal god slayer. Do you expect us to believe that his people’s abilities aren’t something you intend to put to your own ends?”
“I don’t have an ultimate goal so much as I have a fundamental principle of opposing tyranny,” he claimed. “When I was a mere man, thousands of years ago, I was a tyrant. I believed that might made right so unquestionably that when my might began to fail me, the only thing I could think to do was to try everything in my power to restore it. This quest eventually led to me becoming one with the Darkness Beyond, which gave me not only the might I coveted but the wisdom I didn’t know I needed. It gave me perspective. It made me stronger than any human alive at that point but still let me realize how insignificant I was. It was humbling, and enlightening, and filled me both with remorse over my past actions and an impetus to use my newfound gifts to rectify them. I tried to overthrow the gods themselves which, in hindsight, was overly ambitious. I not only failed but had my soul devoured by the World Serpent, where it still resides to this day.
“I am not eager to bring the wrath of the gods down upon me once again. No, for now, I will be content to end the tyranny of the Ophion Occult Order. This is the message I’d like you to relay to them. If the Grand Adderman agrees to unbind my chains and step down from his post, I will spare his life. If he declines, I want the rest of the Order to know that I will show mercy to any who sides with me over him. I am willing to allow the Order to exist so long as it agrees to become more decentralized, democratic, and accountable. They will have to forfeit certain artifacts and individuals in their possession over to me, chief among them the Darling Twins, but I am willing to negotiate. If they aren’t, then I will overthrow the Grand Adderman by whatever means necessary and see the Order scattered to the four winds. It is entirely up to them whether or not the conflict between us escalates to full-on war. Have I made myself clear, Samantha?”
“I think so,” I said as I pensively considered everything he had said. “Why should they trust you to keep your word once your chains are broken? For that matter, why should we?”
He took a moment to consider his response, eyeing me over as though he was trying to divine something that would win over my trust.
“Samantha, you made a pact with Persephone to get your Spirit Familiar there; one where she swore by the River Styx. Is that correct?” he asked.
“It is,” I nodded.
“And in the years since, has Persephone ever broken that pact she swore to?” he asked.
“No, she hasn’t,” I replied.
“I may not be an Old God, but so long as my astral form remains bound by their chains, they have power over me,” he said. “Samantha Sumner, Hedge Witch of Harrowick Woods, I swear on the River Styx that I have spoken no lies to you today. I swear by the River Styx that I will abide by any Covenant that I and the Ophion Occult Order agree to in good faith and fair dealing that they do not break first. I swear by the River Styx that when my chains are broken, I will give you no cause to fear me or regret your trust in me.”
I gave a questioning glance to Genevieve, and then Elam, both of whom nodded in the affirmative.
“All right. An oath sworn on the River Styx is good enough for me. I’ll deliver your terms to Seneca Chamberlin,” I agreed. “I’m very grateful for the trust and respect you’ve shown for me and my coven, Emrys, though I can’t say I quite understand it. Out of all the guests that were there on the Hallow’s Eve you were summoned, why did Evie and I stand out to you?”
“The Ophion Occult Order deemed you worthy of inclusion in their cult, an offer you rejected on principle. You cheated Persephone, but you did it not to gain immortality for yourself but to save your friend from hell. You came here, thinking I could very well tear your souls asunder, but did so because you believed it was your duty to prevent needless suffering,” Emrys answered. “You are extraordinary in your craft, courage, and conscience, the latter of which especially stood out among the degenerates at that party. I do apologize if I frightened you at that event. I was a bit… irritable, given the circumstances. I’m glad we were able to meet again under more pleasant conditions.”
“So am I, Emrys,” I nodded. “I’m not sure exactly what this means or how relevant it is, but Seneca wanted me to tell you that he’s able to offer you the Dream Demon Red Ruck as a sacrifice.”
“Pffft. Tell him it’s hardly a sacrifice if I’m getting rid of a boogie man for him,” he scoffed. “In fact, now that you mention it, Ruck’s one egregore that might be of more use to me alive.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but we were suddenly interrupted by the rapid pounding of a gong somewhere down below. It seemed to be an alarm of some kind, as we could hear the panicked shouting and frantic racing of people either battening down or forsaking the Flea Market altogether.
Mathom-meister apparated into the middle of the room, his facial tentacles reflexively raised in a defensive position.
“Were you outside the market?” he demanded of us.
“The portal we came through deposited us a few miles outside of the market, yes,” I admitted.
“Damn,” Emrys cursed softly, though he sounded more frustrated than angry. “Meister, it’s not their fault. I knew they weren’t experienced Planeswalkers, I could have – ”
“It doesn’t matter!” Mathom-meister interjected. “They need to leave, now!”
“Why, what’s going on?” Genevieve demanded.
“The scarabs are swarming,” Petra explained. “Don’t feel bad; it happens often enough that they’re prepared for it.”
I wanted to press for more details, but I could hear the humming of a vast winged swarm steadily encroaching upon us.
“Don’t worry. Once you leave the swarm will disperse… eventually,” Emrys told us. “We’ve said all that need be said for now. Return home, and I’ll reach out to you again shortly, Samantha.”
Again, I wanted to object, but the swarm outside was growing louder and louder, and it occurred to me that we might not be completely safe from a biblical swarm of insects that could not only sense but evidently sought out souls.
This occurred to Charlotte as well, as she was the first of us to vanish and awaken back in her body. We could all feel the weight of her reembodied soul tugging on us to return with her. Genevieve immediately grabbed hold of my right hand and Elam my left, both of them refusing to leave before I did.
I spared one final glance at Emrys, lamenting that we couldn’t have had more time.
“I’ll relay everything you said to the Order. I’ll make sure they know you’re willing to negotiate a truce,” I vowed.
He gave me a gracious nod, and just as we heard the swarm start to pelt the exterior of the market, I forced my physical eyes open and was back in my body, still safely under a willow tree in my cemetery.
I immediately looked beside me to Genevieve, and saw that she was awake as well, and then around me for Elam, who seemed to be suffering a bit of spectral whiplash from being pulled back with me so suddenly, but was otherwise all right. Sighing with relief, I turned lastly to Charlotte, and saw that she was looking down at the mediation circle in dreaded horror.
Following her gaze, I saw that the Undying Rose was gone – spent, perhaps, in exchange for our passage – and in its place was the inert, and hopefully dead, body of one of the shimmering scarabs.
2023.06.01 16:57 HandsomeTar In Defense of SEE, Gucci Mane Wants to Be Your Friend
The SEE journey guide is a pathway to a GL that many in the community consider to be unnatural. In my opinion, this is folly.
First - This is all contingent on you farming Executor before / after / in tandem with SEE. I believe Vader, Piett, and Tie Bomber is the overlap, but there is more overlap w the Thrawn fleet that we will get into here that make this a great farm. Here's why:
Imperial Trooper team -
With SEE you now have a minimum r5 Piett, r3 Veers, & r3 Stark. If you add a r3 Dark Trooper to this team, you now have an absolutely elite GL cleanup team. Throw whatever datacron on them you want, you can now get through any GL you want.
SEE -
Yes he sucks in Conquest. That sucks. But the detractors of the past of raid viability no longer apply. SEE is a monster on offense and at the midgame level, can take down just about every GL.
Does he need Wat? Yes. Does he need the armorer? Yes. Is Wat a kenobi requirement? Yes. Is the armorer now key to the Krayt raid? Yes.
In the arena, Territory Wars, and in GAC, my lineup of SEE, Wat, Armorer, Royal Guard, & Thrawn have taken out Kenobi, Jabba, Rey, JML, & SLKR. LV doesn't seem possible, but that's where your troopers come in. As a midgame player, I don't know where else I'd even put Wat, I don't see why it's such a pain to use him w SEE.
Thrawn -
With Thrawn at r6, Vader at r7 w 7 star Tie Advanced, 7 star Tie Fighter w TFP r5, and 7 star TIE Bomber, you have the starting lineup for a great Thrawn fleet. Adding the Defender & Interceptor to this squad gives you an absolute unit of a fleet. You are free to put Executor on defense with whatever other fleet you want, while bringing in your Thrawn on offense to take down Executor. It's amazing how simple it is to take down the Exec with this Thrawn lineup.
At 4m GP i'm now in mid Aurodium and absolutely holding my own. I don't set a defense besides Executor & Malevolence. I beat ACTIVE 7m GP teams over and over as I typically don't see more than 2 GLs on defense. SEE takes care of one, and one of 501st or whatever team you want plus Troopers cleanup takes care of the other. I don't believe that people have the combination of competent ships and competent rosters until low aurodium / high kyber.
All in all, SEE is cheap and is a pathway to a GL that supports & encourages you to have two of the best fleets in the game. You can get him fast and easy, and his impact will let you climb the ranks of GAC and punch up well above your means. Don't be discouraged, and let yourself be seduced by the darkside.
submitted by HandsomeTar to SWGalaxyOfHeroes [link] [comments]
First - This is all contingent on you farming Executor before / after / in tandem with SEE. I believe Vader, Piett, and Tie Bomber is the overlap, but there is more overlap w the Thrawn fleet that we will get into here that make this a great farm. Here's why:
Imperial Trooper team -
With SEE you now have a minimum r5 Piett, r3 Veers, & r3 Stark. If you add a r3 Dark Trooper to this team, you now have an absolutely elite GL cleanup team. Throw whatever datacron on them you want, you can now get through any GL you want.
SEE -
Yes he sucks in Conquest. That sucks. But the detractors of the past of raid viability no longer apply. SEE is a monster on offense and at the midgame level, can take down just about every GL.
Does he need Wat? Yes. Does he need the armorer? Yes. Is Wat a kenobi requirement? Yes. Is the armorer now key to the Krayt raid? Yes.
In the arena, Territory Wars, and in GAC, my lineup of SEE, Wat, Armorer, Royal Guard, & Thrawn have taken out Kenobi, Jabba, Rey, JML, & SLKR. LV doesn't seem possible, but that's where your troopers come in. As a midgame player, I don't know where else I'd even put Wat, I don't see why it's such a pain to use him w SEE.
Thrawn -
With Thrawn at r6, Vader at r7 w 7 star Tie Advanced, 7 star Tie Fighter w TFP r5, and 7 star TIE Bomber, you have the starting lineup for a great Thrawn fleet. Adding the Defender & Interceptor to this squad gives you an absolute unit of a fleet. You are free to put Executor on defense with whatever other fleet you want, while bringing in your Thrawn on offense to take down Executor. It's amazing how simple it is to take down the Exec with this Thrawn lineup.
At 4m GP i'm now in mid Aurodium and absolutely holding my own. I don't set a defense besides Executor & Malevolence. I beat ACTIVE 7m GP teams over and over as I typically don't see more than 2 GLs on defense. SEE takes care of one, and one of 501st or whatever team you want plus Troopers cleanup takes care of the other. I don't believe that people have the combination of competent ships and competent rosters until low aurodium / high kyber.
All in all, SEE is cheap and is a pathway to a GL that supports & encourages you to have two of the best fleets in the game. You can get him fast and easy, and his impact will let you climb the ranks of GAC and punch up well above your means. Don't be discouraged, and let yourself be seduced by the darkside.
2023.06.01 16:39 SeekingSignificance Can we get some user flairs to rep our favorite Yugioh monsters?
Don't know how hard it is to create flairs or if enough people would use them to make it worth it. Thought it would be cool though. Could have the colors of the flairs go with the Monsters. Or we could just have set flairs.
Blue- Blue Eyes White Dragon
Black- Dark Magician
Pink- Jinzo
Gold- Buster Blader
White- Summoned Skull
Orange- Exodia
submitted by SeekingSignificance to yugiohshowcase [link] [comments]
Blue- Blue Eyes White Dragon
Black- Dark Magician
Pink- Jinzo
Gold- Buster Blader
White- Summoned Skull
Orange- Exodia
2023.06.01 16:34 0gravitea [F4A] Thriller + Romance
Hello!! I’m Mina. I’m currently looking for a partner. I adore horror and dark romance themes, so I would like someone with similar interests!
About me:
I’m 23, so I’m looking for partners who are around my age. No minors please!
I also write exclusively in 3rd person, so I would prefer people who also do the same. I really don’t like “i” or “you”, so we might not be compatible if you use these POVs for writing!
I only write female characters, sorry!! I am okay with writing all genders of side characters though! I would like my partner to write a male or masculine aligned character.
My writing length varies, but you’ll always get around 2-3 paras from me, so I would like a similar response length. I love romance, SoL, adventure/action, fantasy themes. I also write on discord!
Themes and Plots:
Themes I love: Horror, unstable romance, power dynamics, stockholm syndrome, eldritch entities, yakuza, gods and goddesses, monsters, one-sided love, love triangles, hanahaki-like themes, yandere, opposites attract, otome games, etc.
Plot ideas, with my character being A and yours B:
Fandom Prompts/What I’m currently into:
submitted by 0gravitea to roleplaying [link] [comments]
About me:
I’m 23, so I’m looking for partners who are around my age. No minors please!
I also write exclusively in 3rd person, so I would prefer people who also do the same. I really don’t like “i” or “you”, so we might not be compatible if you use these POVs for writing!
I only write female characters, sorry!! I am okay with writing all genders of side characters though! I would like my partner to write a male or masculine aligned character.
My writing length varies, but you’ll always get around 2-3 paras from me, so I would like a similar response length. I love romance, SoL, adventure/action, fantasy themes. I also write on discord!
Themes and Plots:
Themes I love: Horror, unstable romance, power dynamics, stockholm syndrome, eldritch entities, yakuza, gods and goddesses, monsters, one-sided love, love triangles, hanahaki-like themes, yandere, opposites attract, otome games, etc.
Plot ideas, with my character being A and yours B:
- A store owner (character A) gets a customer (character B) who seems to be getting too close to the owner, knowing their schedule, constantly bumping into each other, so one and so forth. People keep disappearing from the owner’s life ever since this customer stepped into it…
- A prince (character B) finds themselves falling for a princess (character A) who lives in the kingdom next over, but happens to be engaged to another. The prince stops at nothing to get rid of his love’s partner, and does anything to woo the princess.
- A girl (character A) finds herself in the same situation every life she lives. Every time she is resurrected, she finds herself getting chased by some person (character b) she doesn’t love.
- A cruel god (character b) just has to have a girl (character a) they happened to meet when they were on the mortal plane…
Fandom Prompts/What I’m currently into:
- BNHA: I typically write as Ochako! I adore rarepairs with her, and I have a soft spot for ABO AUs, fantasy AUs, and most AUs honestly! I have been craving a scenario as ocha as a princess and a knight who has a one-sided crush on her, and we could build a romance around that, and have them traveling together or something. I also write as Nagant as well!
- Pokemon: I have been wanting to write Hilda and Sabrina! I would love to write about Hilda and N reuniting and choosing to travel together, and having the two of them slowly fall in love. With my interpretation of Sabrina, I would like someone who maybe challenges her psychic abilities or tries to coax her out of her comfort zone.
- Miraculous Ladybug: I would love an AU, or even an OC setting!
2023.06.01 16:30 OakBench Older anime about a girl and some animal companions in a darker, castle setting.
I stayed at a Japanese hotel for one night as a kid in 2002, and I watched two hours of this anime and have been looking for it ever since! I remember it was a dark setting but not horror, and the female main character had strange animal/monster friends to help her. Please help me find this one!
submitted by OakBench to Animesuggest [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 16:26 Ok-Number-2981 After reading more than 170 chapters in a week of this masterpiece, I'm emotional drained and feel empty.
So, before we start, let's have a bit of backstory, shall we? Before starting Berserk, I had been reading One Piece for three weeks. I read up to around 600 chapters before dropping it. Now, One Piece is not bad or anything. In fact, I believe what the fans say about it getting better after each arc is definitely true. Arcs like Marineford, Impel Down, and Water 7 are truly amazing, and I absolutely loved them! But... it just lacked something for me. I never felt emotionally connected to the main character and Zoro. They just felt too bland, and the humor wasn't working for me. The world-building was phenomenal, but it was just too lighthearted for my taste, I guess. After I dropped it and started searching for the next manga to read, I saw everyone recommending Berserk. Now, One Piece was the first manga I read, and that was mainly because it was colored. I was never able to get into manga even though I'm a massive anime fan. But after hearing about how good the art style is and it being proclaimed as the best manga of all time, I decided to start reading it. And ohhhhh boy, was it one of the best decisions I have ever made!
So, the start was a bit slow, and I was mostly reading it for the art style because OMG, the art was absolutely gorgeous!! The Black Swordsman arc was good; it set up the tone of the story, but there wasn't anything amazing about it, in my opinion. I was enjoying reading Berserk but didn't see what made it the greatest. And then the Golden Age started, and I fell in love with it. From start to finish, I read it in a single sitting, and feeling emotionally drained by the end of it would be an understatement.
We see why Guts is the way he is and why he doesn't let anyone get close to him. He is the type of guy I always wanted as a protagonist but didn't know I wanted it. He embodies what it means to never give up. It doesn't matter how much he suffers; he'll keep moving forward, which really made me emotional a couple of times. He truly changed the way I look at the world and made me feel like I can do so much better. Literally, there were moments when I felt inadequate with myself and realized I should be working on self-improvement. Guts is a tragic character who burns too brightly, using his own life force to rage against the darkness that is Griffith.
Now, let's talk about our antagonist. From the moment Griffith was introduced, I was never really amazed by him. Sure, he is pretty beautiful, and yes, he is really, really good with the sword, but does that really make him better than my boi Guts? Throughout the Golden Age saga, we start to see who Griffith really is, and I just fucking hated him. I always got this ominous chill down my spine when he used to stare intensely at others, especially Guts. But the moment I saw his smile, I just wanted to punch him!! That goofy-ass smile, which looks too innocent for that face, just made me really irritated and irrational at times. He is someone I would kill if I met him in real life. I would grab him by the throat, strangle him while holding a gun inside his mouth, and as soon as he was on the verge of death, I would loosen my grip and let him feel a bit of relief before pulling the trigger. Am I being too graphic? Eh, who am I kidding? You'll have read Berserk, and I'm literally in the Berserk subreddit.
The Eclipse arc has to be one of the best and worst things I have ever read in my entire life. The emotions I felt while reading it were just too hard to describe. The rage, the hopelessness, and most of all, seeing Guts turn into the monster he is now was heartbreaking. The way all of this is portrayed in the manga is so well done that I would just stare at panels for a few minutes, processing what has happened. My only complaint would be that the Casca rape scene was a bit too long for me. I just skipped it and went to the last panel because I couldn't handle it. And then I think about Guts seeing it for the entire time and it just... my poor Guts truly deserved better!
I just finished the Conviction arc today and needed a moment to process that the damn Griffith is back. I'll continue reading Berserk tomorrow and will likely feel depressed again, but oh well, been there, done that. I liked the Lost Children arc the most in the Conviction saga because I really felt for Jill and the main antagonist, Rosine. Maybe it's just me, but I feel that, other than the main cast of characters, the side characters are a bit shallow. That's mainly because, you know... they die all the time... But still, Jill and Rosine were really well written and I felt for them.
So this is the end of my ramblings about how good Berserk is, and I'm sure you must be smirking right now and saying, "Told you so," but still, I'm surprised by how good Berserk really is. The action is, of course, top tier, but it's the characters that make Berserk truly shine with their depth. It makes you wonder if you ever really truly know them, especially Griffith.
Berserk might just be my favorite manga, surpassing Attack on Titan. I'm not too sure yet, but I'll know by the end of it.
And RIP Kentarou Miura.
P.S.: English is not my first language, so sorry for any wrong use of words if there are any. I did use ChatGPT to proofread it, so I hope that helps.
submitted by Ok-Number-2981 to Berserk [link] [comments]
So, the start was a bit slow, and I was mostly reading it for the art style because OMG, the art was absolutely gorgeous!! The Black Swordsman arc was good; it set up the tone of the story, but there wasn't anything amazing about it, in my opinion. I was enjoying reading Berserk but didn't see what made it the greatest. And then the Golden Age started, and I fell in love with it. From start to finish, I read it in a single sitting, and feeling emotionally drained by the end of it would be an understatement.
We see why Guts is the way he is and why he doesn't let anyone get close to him. He is the type of guy I always wanted as a protagonist but didn't know I wanted it. He embodies what it means to never give up. It doesn't matter how much he suffers; he'll keep moving forward, which really made me emotional a couple of times. He truly changed the way I look at the world and made me feel like I can do so much better. Literally, there were moments when I felt inadequate with myself and realized I should be working on self-improvement. Guts is a tragic character who burns too brightly, using his own life force to rage against the darkness that is Griffith.
Now, let's talk about our antagonist. From the moment Griffith was introduced, I was never really amazed by him. Sure, he is pretty beautiful, and yes, he is really, really good with the sword, but does that really make him better than my boi Guts? Throughout the Golden Age saga, we start to see who Griffith really is, and I just fucking hated him. I always got this ominous chill down my spine when he used to stare intensely at others, especially Guts. But the moment I saw his smile, I just wanted to punch him!! That goofy-ass smile, which looks too innocent for that face, just made me really irritated and irrational at times. He is someone I would kill if I met him in real life. I would grab him by the throat, strangle him while holding a gun inside his mouth, and as soon as he was on the verge of death, I would loosen my grip and let him feel a bit of relief before pulling the trigger. Am I being too graphic? Eh, who am I kidding? You'll have read Berserk, and I'm literally in the Berserk subreddit.
The Eclipse arc has to be one of the best and worst things I have ever read in my entire life. The emotions I felt while reading it were just too hard to describe. The rage, the hopelessness, and most of all, seeing Guts turn into the monster he is now was heartbreaking. The way all of this is portrayed in the manga is so well done that I would just stare at panels for a few minutes, processing what has happened. My only complaint would be that the Casca rape scene was a bit too long for me. I just skipped it and went to the last panel because I couldn't handle it. And then I think about Guts seeing it for the entire time and it just... my poor Guts truly deserved better!
I just finished the Conviction arc today and needed a moment to process that the damn Griffith is back. I'll continue reading Berserk tomorrow and will likely feel depressed again, but oh well, been there, done that. I liked the Lost Children arc the most in the Conviction saga because I really felt for Jill and the main antagonist, Rosine. Maybe it's just me, but I feel that, other than the main cast of characters, the side characters are a bit shallow. That's mainly because, you know... they die all the time... But still, Jill and Rosine were really well written and I felt for them.
So this is the end of my ramblings about how good Berserk is, and I'm sure you must be smirking right now and saying, "Told you so," but still, I'm surprised by how good Berserk really is. The action is, of course, top tier, but it's the characters that make Berserk truly shine with their depth. It makes you wonder if you ever really truly know them, especially Griffith.
Berserk might just be my favorite manga, surpassing Attack on Titan. I'm not too sure yet, but I'll know by the end of it.
And RIP Kentarou Miura.
P.S.: English is not my first language, so sorry for any wrong use of words if there are any. I did use ChatGPT to proofread it, so I hope that helps.
2023.06.01 16:23 Platynpus Seraphon Army Set - Models suitable for WAP Bases?
I'm considering getting the new Seraphon Army Set (the one consiting of a slann, 10 skink riders and 10 warriors) since I reall love their astheatics; but while I would begrudingly pay the hefty price GW asks for them, I'm not sure if they would even fit in rank& file, even with a few adjustments. I am not interested at all in AoS, meaning the would be useless for me If the slann and the skink riders are too big and turn out to be impossible to be mounted on a monster base/cavallery bases for WAP or the older Warhammer Editions respectively. Has anyone experience with these models in rank&File?
submitted by Platynpus to WarhammerFantasy [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 16:17 Jerry_217 [H] Back 4 blood, BIOMUTANT, Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo, hell let loose, crusader kings 3, Talisman complete set, Warhammer 40k Chaos Daemonhunters, Aliens Fireteam Elite, Dark Pictures: Man of Medan&Little Hope, Fable Anniversary, Injustice 2 Legendary ED, ABZU [W] Paypal, amazon, TF2KEY, Gem, wishli
If you traded with me before, you can chat with me directly. Or else, please comment first, then send me a message or chat, thank you.
Region is NA, Full WISHLIST
My REPs: 200+ successful trades, 0 dispute.
#########################################################My Wishlist:
Rocket LeaguePoker night
poker night 2
NBA 2k16
NBA 2k17
Persona 5 Royal
Hell let loose
Crusader kings 3
Spiderman remaster
F1 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2012, 2011
A Hat in Time
monster hunter rise
fight in tight space
phoenix wright
LOOT RIVER
Hell let loose
satisfactory
crusader kings 3
Gotham Knights
Vrising
DOOM Eternal
Deep Rock Galactic
LegionTD 2
Dead by Daylight
quantum break
Maybe:
Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf special edition
slay the spire
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
deep rock galactic
#########################################################
My games for trade:
Added recently:
Hell let loose (may keep)Crusader kings 3 (may keep)
Beneath Oresa
Haiku, the Robot
Rain World
Hollow Knight
Kerbal Space Program
Starbound
Quantum Break
Wizard of Legend
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Tainted Grail: Conquest
Dicey Dungeons
Talisman: The complete collection (54 game+dlc)
Back 4 blood (EU)
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc)
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
Ragnarock
Super Star (delisted, 18+)
Source of Madness
MAY choice:
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Builder Simulator
Operation Tango
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
The Invisible Hand
Windjammers 2
APRIL choice:
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Founders' Fortune
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Revita
Rollerdrome
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
MARCH choice:
BIOMUTANT
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
EDGE OF ETERNITY
ROGUE LORDS
HERO'S HOUR
GOLDEN LIGHT
Demon Turf
List A: I don't own them yet myself.
A Plague Tale: InnocenceABZU
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
AMID EVIL
Anuchard
Armello
Astronarch
Beneath Oresa
Big Pharma
BIOMUTANT
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition
Boundless
BPM: Bullets Per Minute
Children of Morta: Complete Edition
Construction Simulator (2015) Deluxe Edition
Cultist Simulator
Demon Turf
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
DEATHLOOP
Depraved
Desperados III
Destroy All Humans
Dicey Dungeons
Dishonored Definitive Edition
Distant Worlds Universe
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
Dungeons 2 - Complete Edition
Dusk
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc, 97% positive rating)
EDGE OF ETERNITY
Encased
ENDLESS Space 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Fable Anniversary
Flynn: Son of Crimson
Full Metal Furies
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
GOLDEN LIGHT
GRID Ultimate Edition
Hedon Bloodrite
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
HERO'S HOUR
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
IRIS and the Giant
Joggernauts
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
Just Cause 4 Complete Edition
Last Oasis
Late Shift
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Metro Exodus
Mini Metro
Mini motor Racing EVO (delisted)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Monster Train + Monster Train: The Last Divinity
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl
Obduction
Offworld Trading Company
OLLIOLLI WORLD - RAD EDITION
Othercide
Outward The Soroboreans DLC + soundtrack (no base game)
Paint the Town Red
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Royal Ascension DLC
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - The Wildcards DLC
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition
Per Aspera
Planet zoo
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Port Royale 3 Gold
Port Royale 4 - Extended Edition + Port Royale 4 - Buccaneers DLC
Project CARS
Project Wingman
Propnight
Proteus
Quantum Break
Ragnarock
Risen 2: Dark Waters, Sacred 2: Gold Edition, Saints Row 2, and Saints Row: The Third! (all 4 together in one key)
ROGUE LORDS
Rollerdrome
Rubber Bandits
Ryse: Son of Rome
Sakura Alien, 18+
Sakura Dungeon, 18+
Sakura - Forest Girls set, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 2, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 3, 18+
- Sakura Knight, 18+
- Sakura Knight 2, 18+
- Sakura Knight 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO, 18+
- Sakura MMO 2, 18+
- Sakura MMO 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO Extra, 18+
- Sakura Succubus, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 2, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 3, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 4, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 5, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 6, 18+
Sam & Max: Devil's Playhouse
Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer
Severed steel
Ship Graveyard Simulator
Sid Meier's Civilization VI : Platinum Edition
Sniper Elite 3
Sniper Elite 4
Source of Madness
Spirit Hunter: NG
Starbound
State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition (steam gift)
Strange Brigade
Sunset Overdrive
Super Star (delisted)
Superliminal
Surviving The Aftermath
Tainted Grail: Conquest
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos
The Gardens Between
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
The Long Dark
The Stanley Parable
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (Gift)
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Total War: Empire - Definitive Edition
Total War: Medieval II - Definitive Edition
Total War: Napoleon- Definitive Edition
Tribes of Midgard
Twilight Struggle
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
WASTELAND 3
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Edition
Yakuza Kiwami 2
List B: I already own.
112 Operator911 Operator
Aarklash: Legacy
Agent in Depth
Alchemist's Castle
Aliens vs. Predator Collection ( includes Aliens vs. Predator + Aliens vs Predator Swarm Map Pack + Aliens vs Predator: Bug Hunt Pack)
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs + Amnesia: The Dark Descent (one key)
Among Us
Armello
Army Men RTS
Assault Suit Leynos
Backbone
Battlecruisers
Beat Hazard 2
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Behold the Kickmen
Between the Stars
Bezier
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Blade Assault
Blood And Zombies
Brawlout
Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
[email protected]
Calico
Call of Juarez Gunslinger
Cats in Time
Chicka Wars Chicken Meat (delisted)
CivCity: Rome
Click and Slay
Conan Chop Chop
Concept Destruction
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Corridor Z
Cosmic Express
Cosmonautica
Crayon Physics Deluxe
CROSSBOW: Bloodnight
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
Dead Age
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death Squared
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Disciples: Liberation
Double Cross
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Driftland: The Magic Revival
Due Process
EarthX
El Hijo
Eldest Souls
Emily is Away <3
Epic Chef
Fallout
Farming Simulator 17
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue
First Class Trouble
Five Dates
Fling to the Finish
Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
Forged Battalion
Fortissimo FA INTL Ver
Founders' Fortune
Frick, Inc.
Full Throttle Remastered
Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
GameGuru Classic
Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
Geometric Sniper
Ghost 1.0
Go Home Dinosaurs!
Going Under
Golf Gang
Grow: Song of the Evertree
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
Guns & Fishes
Guts and Glory
Hack 'n' Slash bundle (including Hack 'n' Slash + Hack 'n' Slash Soundtrack + Spacebase GIFT)
Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition
Heart Fragment - Book Two: Belief Fragments (Shannon & Lana)
Helheim Hassle
Hellbound
Hello Neighbor
Hexologic
Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire
Hidden & Dangerous: Action Pack
Hokko Life
Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?!
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Hydrophobia: Prophecy
Hyper Gunsport
I’m not a Monster
In Sound Mind
INDUSTRIA
Internet Cafe Simulator
Interplanetary: Enhanced Edition
Into the Pit
Intruders: Hide and Seek
Iris and the giant
Iron Danger
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Joggernauts
JYDGE
Killsquad
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning FATE Edition (including Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Soundtrack + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fatesworn)
Knights of Pen and Paper +1
Labirinto 2
Last Word
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Legend of Keepers
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry
Let Them Come
Lighthouse Keeper
Little Orpheus
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Lust for Darkness
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Maid of Sker
Mainlining
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Mekabolt
Meow Express
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Moon Hunters
Moonlighter
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
Murder by Numbers
Must Dash Amigos
My Time At Portia
N++
NecroWorm
NeuroVoider
Neverinth
Neverout
Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition
Non-Stop Raiders
Of Orcs And Men
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Override
Overture
Papo & Yo
Paradise Lost
Partial Control
Pathfinders: Memories
Pathway
PAYDAY 2
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Pilgrims
Pill Baby
Pixplode
Pixross
Planet TD
PlataGO!
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Popup Dungeon
Post Void
PowerBeatsVR
Project Chemistry
Project Nimbus: Complete Edition
Propagation VR - Co-op
Proteus
Pumped BMX +
Quadrata
Radio Commander
Railroad Corporation
Railroad Tycoon 3
Raji: An Ancient Epic
Rebel Galaxy
Rebound Dodgeball Evolved
Re-Legion
Remnants of Naezith
Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Revita
RIOT - Civil Unrest
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Roboquest
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
RPG Maker VX
Rym 9000
Say No! More
ScourgeBringer
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice
Shady Part of Me
shapez - Puzzle DLC
Shing!
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
Skullgirls 2nd Encore
Slinger VR
Smile For Me
Sorcerer King: Rivals
Soul Searching
Soulblight
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Spellcaster University
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
Stacking
STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic
Starpoint Gemini Warlords
Stick Fight: The Game
stikir
Stirring Abyss
Strange Brigade
Strider
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sunlight
Super Chicken Catchers
Super Magbot
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE
Surviving the Aftermath
Sword Legacy Omen
SYMMETRY
System Shock 2
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Telefrag VR
The Amazing American Circus
The Beast Inside
The Deed II
The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR
The Inner World
The Next Penelope
The Serpent Rogue
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Ticket to Ride
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
TOEM
Tools Up!
Tooth and Tail
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Traffic Jams
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Turmoil
Underland: The Climb
UnMetal
Vanishing Realms
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War
WARSAW
We Were Here Too
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
White Noise 2
Worms Rumble
WRC 7
WWE 2K BATTLEGROUNDS
XCOM 2
X-COM: Complete Pack (including X-COM: UFO Defense + X-COM: Apocalypse + X-COM: Enforcer + X-COM: Interceptor + X-COM: Terror from the Deep)
XEL
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (including X-Morph: Defense + X-Morph: Defense - European Assault + X-Morph: Defense - Survival Of The Fittest + X-Morph: Defense - Last Bastion)
Yoku's Island Express
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition (including + Zombie Driver HD + Zombie Driver HD Apocalypse Pack + Zombie Driver HD Burning Garden of Slaughter + Zombie Driver HD Tropical Race Rage + Zombie Driver HD Brutal Car Skins + Zombie Driver HD Soundtrack)
ΔV: Rings of Saturn
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (ORIGIN key)
DOOM 64 (Bethesda key)
Liberated (GOG key)
STAR WARS: Squadrons (Origin)
Wanderlust Travel Stories (GOG key)
Dishonored 2 (GOG)
#########################################################
Full WISHLIST
2023.06.01 16:17 Jerry_217 [H] Back 4 blood, BIOMUTANT, Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo, hell let loose, crusader kings 3, Talisman complete set, Warhammer 40k Chaos Daemonhunters, Aliens Fireteam Elite, Dark Pictures: Man of Medan&Little Hope, Fable Anniversary, Injustice 2 Legendary ED, ABZU [W] Paypal, amazon, TF2KEY, Gem, wishli
If you traded with me before, you can chat with me directly. Or else, please comment first, then send me a message or chat, thank you.
Region is NA, Full WISHLIST
My REPs: 200+ successful trades, 0 dispute.
#########################################################My Wishlist:
Rocket LeaguePoker night
poker night 2
NBA 2k16
NBA 2k17
Persona 5 Royal
Hell let loose
Crusader kings 3
Spiderman remaster
F1 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2012, 2011
A Hat in Time
monster hunter rise
fight in tight space
phoenix wright
LOOT RIVER
Hell let loose
satisfactory
crusader kings 3
Gotham Knights
Vrising
DOOM Eternal
Deep Rock Galactic
LegionTD 2
Dead by Daylight
quantum break
Maybe:
Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf special edition
slay the spire
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
deep rock galactic
#########################################################
My games for trade:
Added recently:
Hell let loose (may keep)Crusader kings 3 (may keep)
Beneath Oresa
Haiku, the Robot
Rain World
Hollow Knight
Kerbal Space Program
Starbound
Quantum Break
Wizard of Legend
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Tainted Grail: Conquest
Dicey Dungeons
Talisman: The complete collection (54 game+dlc)
Back 4 blood (EU)
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc)
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
Ragnarock
Super Star (delisted, 18+)
Source of Madness
MAY choice:
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Builder Simulator
Operation Tango
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
The Invisible Hand
Windjammers 2
APRIL choice:
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Founders' Fortune
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Revita
Rollerdrome
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
MARCH choice:
BIOMUTANT
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
EDGE OF ETERNITY
ROGUE LORDS
HERO'S HOUR
GOLDEN LIGHT
Demon Turf
List A: I don't own them yet myself.
A Plague Tale: InnocenceABZU
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
AMID EVIL
Anuchard
Armello
Astronarch
Beneath Oresa
Big Pharma
BIOMUTANT
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition
Boundless
BPM: Bullets Per Minute
Children of Morta: Complete Edition
Construction Simulator (2015) Deluxe Edition
Cultist Simulator
Demon Turf
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
DEATHLOOP
Depraved
Desperados III
Destroy All Humans
Dicey Dungeons
Dishonored Definitive Edition
Distant Worlds Universe
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
Dungeons 2 - Complete Edition
Dusk
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc, 97% positive rating)
EDGE OF ETERNITY
Encased
ENDLESS Space 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Fable Anniversary
Flynn: Son of Crimson
Full Metal Furies
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
GOLDEN LIGHT
GRID Ultimate Edition
Hedon Bloodrite
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
HERO'S HOUR
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
IRIS and the Giant
Joggernauts
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
Just Cause 4 Complete Edition
Last Oasis
Late Shift
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Metro Exodus
Mini Metro
Mini motor Racing EVO (delisted)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Monster Train + Monster Train: The Last Divinity
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl
Obduction
Offworld Trading Company
OLLIOLLI WORLD - RAD EDITION
Othercide
Outward The Soroboreans DLC + soundtrack (no base game)
Paint the Town Red
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Royal Ascension DLC
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - The Wildcards DLC
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition
Per Aspera
Planet zoo
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Port Royale 3 Gold
Port Royale 4 - Extended Edition + Port Royale 4 - Buccaneers DLC
Project CARS
Project Wingman
Propnight
Proteus
Quantum Break
Ragnarock
Risen 2: Dark Waters, Sacred 2: Gold Edition, Saints Row 2, and Saints Row: The Third! (all 4 together in one key)
ROGUE LORDS
Rollerdrome
Rubber Bandits
Ryse: Son of Rome
Sakura Alien, 18+
Sakura Dungeon, 18+
Sakura - Forest Girls set, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 2, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 3, 18+
- Sakura Knight, 18+
- Sakura Knight 2, 18+
- Sakura Knight 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO, 18+
- Sakura MMO 2, 18+
- Sakura MMO 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO Extra, 18+
- Sakura Succubus, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 2, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 3, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 4, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 5, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 6, 18+
Sam & Max: Devil's Playhouse
Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer
Severed steel
Ship Graveyard Simulator
Sid Meier's Civilization VI : Platinum Edition
Sniper Elite 3
Sniper Elite 4
Source of Madness
Spirit Hunter: NG
Starbound
State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition (steam gift)
Strange Brigade
Sunset Overdrive
Super Star (delisted)
Superliminal
Surviving The Aftermath
Tainted Grail: Conquest
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos
The Gardens Between
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
The Long Dark
The Stanley Parable
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (Gift)
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Total War: Empire - Definitive Edition
Total War: Medieval II - Definitive Edition
Total War: Napoleon- Definitive Edition
Tribes of Midgard
Twilight Struggle
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
WASTELAND 3
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Edition
Yakuza Kiwami 2
List B: I already own.
112 Operator911 Operator
Aarklash: Legacy
Agent in Depth
Alchemist's Castle
Aliens vs. Predator Collection ( includes Aliens vs. Predator + Aliens vs Predator Swarm Map Pack + Aliens vs Predator: Bug Hunt Pack)
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs + Amnesia: The Dark Descent (one key)
Among Us
Armello
Army Men RTS
Assault Suit Leynos
Backbone
Battlecruisers
Beat Hazard 2
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Behold the Kickmen
Between the Stars
Bezier
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Blade Assault
Blood And Zombies
Brawlout
Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
[email protected]
Calico
Call of Juarez Gunslinger
Cats in Time
Chicka Wars Chicken Meat (delisted)
CivCity: Rome
Click and Slay
Conan Chop Chop
Concept Destruction
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Corridor Z
Cosmic Express
Cosmonautica
Crayon Physics Deluxe
CROSSBOW: Bloodnight
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
Dead Age
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death Squared
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Disciples: Liberation
Double Cross
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Driftland: The Magic Revival
Due Process
EarthX
El Hijo
Eldest Souls
Emily is Away <3
Epic Chef
Fallout
Farming Simulator 17
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue
First Class Trouble
Five Dates
Fling to the Finish
Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
Forged Battalion
Fortissimo FA INTL Ver
Founders' Fortune
Frick, Inc.
Full Throttle Remastered
Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
GameGuru Classic
Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
Geometric Sniper
Ghost 1.0
Go Home Dinosaurs!
Going Under
Golf Gang
Grow: Song of the Evertree
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
Guns & Fishes
Guts and Glory
Hack 'n' Slash bundle (including Hack 'n' Slash + Hack 'n' Slash Soundtrack + Spacebase GIFT)
Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition
Heart Fragment - Book Two: Belief Fragments (Shannon & Lana)
Helheim Hassle
Hellbound
Hello Neighbor
Hexologic
Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire
Hidden & Dangerous: Action Pack
Hokko Life
Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?!
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Hydrophobia: Prophecy
Hyper Gunsport
I’m not a Monster
In Sound Mind
INDUSTRIA
Internet Cafe Simulator
Interplanetary: Enhanced Edition
Into the Pit
Intruders: Hide and Seek
Iris and the giant
Iron Danger
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Joggernauts
JYDGE
Killsquad
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning FATE Edition (including Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Soundtrack + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fatesworn)
Knights of Pen and Paper +1
Labirinto 2
Last Word
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Legend of Keepers
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry
Let Them Come
Lighthouse Keeper
Little Orpheus
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Lust for Darkness
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Maid of Sker
Mainlining
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Mekabolt
Meow Express
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Moon Hunters
Moonlighter
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
Murder by Numbers
Must Dash Amigos
My Time At Portia
N++
NecroWorm
NeuroVoider
Neverinth
Neverout
Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition
Non-Stop Raiders
Of Orcs And Men
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Override
Overture
Papo & Yo
Paradise Lost
Partial Control
Pathfinders: Memories
Pathway
PAYDAY 2
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Pilgrims
Pill Baby
Pixplode
Pixross
Planet TD
PlataGO!
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Popup Dungeon
Post Void
PowerBeatsVR
Project Chemistry
Project Nimbus: Complete Edition
Propagation VR - Co-op
Proteus
Pumped BMX +
Quadrata
Radio Commander
Railroad Corporation
Railroad Tycoon 3
Raji: An Ancient Epic
Rebel Galaxy
Rebound Dodgeball Evolved
Re-Legion
Remnants of Naezith
Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Revita
RIOT - Civil Unrest
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Roboquest
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
RPG Maker VX
Rym 9000
Say No! More
ScourgeBringer
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice
Shady Part of Me
shapez - Puzzle DLC
Shing!
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
Skullgirls 2nd Encore
Slinger VR
Smile For Me
Sorcerer King: Rivals
Soul Searching
Soulblight
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Spellcaster University
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
Stacking
STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic
Starpoint Gemini Warlords
Stick Fight: The Game
stikir
Stirring Abyss
Strange Brigade
Strider
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sunlight
Super Chicken Catchers
Super Magbot
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE
Surviving the Aftermath
Sword Legacy Omen
SYMMETRY
System Shock 2
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Telefrag VR
The Amazing American Circus
The Beast Inside
The Deed II
The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR
The Inner World
The Next Penelope
The Serpent Rogue
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Ticket to Ride
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
TOEM
Tools Up!
Tooth and Tail
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Traffic Jams
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Turmoil
Underland: The Climb
UnMetal
Vanishing Realms
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War
WARSAW
We Were Here Too
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
White Noise 2
Worms Rumble
WRC 7
WWE 2K BATTLEGROUNDS
XCOM 2
X-COM: Complete Pack (including X-COM: UFO Defense + X-COM: Apocalypse + X-COM: Enforcer + X-COM: Interceptor + X-COM: Terror from the Deep)
XEL
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (including X-Morph: Defense + X-Morph: Defense - European Assault + X-Morph: Defense - Survival Of The Fittest + X-Morph: Defense - Last Bastion)
Yoku's Island Express
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition (including + Zombie Driver HD + Zombie Driver HD Apocalypse Pack + Zombie Driver HD Burning Garden of Slaughter + Zombie Driver HD Tropical Race Rage + Zombie Driver HD Brutal Car Skins + Zombie Driver HD Soundtrack)
ΔV: Rings of Saturn
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (ORIGIN key)
DOOM 64 (Bethesda key)
Liberated (GOG key)
STAR WARS: Squadrons (Origin)
Wanderlust Travel Stories (GOG key)
Dishonored 2 (GOG)
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Full WISHLIST
2023.06.01 16:16 Jerry_217 [H] Back 4 blood, BIOMUTANT, Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo, hell let loose, crusader kings 3, Talisman complete set, Warhammer 40k Chaos Daemonhunters, Aliens Fireteam Elite, Dark Pictures: Man of Medan&Little Hope, Fable Anniversary, Injustice 2 Legendary ED, ABZU [W] Paypal, amazon, TF2KEY, Gem, wishli
If you traded with me before, you can chat with me directly. Or else, please comment first, then send me a message or chat, thank you.
Region is NA, Full WISHLIST
My REPs: 200+ successful trades, 0 dispute.
#########################################################My Wishlist:
Rocket LeaguePoker night
poker night 2
NBA 2k16
NBA 2k17
Persona 5 Royal
Hell let loose
Crusader kings 3
Spiderman remaster
F1 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2012, 2011
A Hat in Time
monster hunter rise
fight in tight space
phoenix wright
LOOT RIVER
Hell let loose
satisfactory
crusader kings 3
Gotham Knights
Vrising
DOOM Eternal
Deep Rock Galactic
LegionTD 2
Dead by Daylight
quantum break
Maybe:
Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf special edition
slay the spire
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
deep rock galactic
#########################################################
My games for trade:
Added recently:
Hell let loose (may keep)Crusader kings 3 (may keep)
Beneath Oresa
Haiku, the Robot
Rain World
Hollow Knight
Kerbal Space Program
Starbound
Quantum Break
Wizard of Legend
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Tainted Grail: Conquest
Dicey Dungeons
Talisman: The complete collection (54 game+dlc)
Back 4 blood (EU)
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc)
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
Ragnarock
Super Star (delisted, 18+)
Source of Madness
MAY choice:
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Builder Simulator
Operation Tango
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
The Invisible Hand
Windjammers 2
APRIL choice:
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Founders' Fortune
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Revita
Rollerdrome
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
MARCH choice:
BIOMUTANT
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
EDGE OF ETERNITY
ROGUE LORDS
HERO'S HOUR
GOLDEN LIGHT
Demon Turf
List A: I don't own them yet myself.
A Plague Tale: InnocenceABZU
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
AMID EVIL
Anuchard
Armello
Astronarch
Beneath Oresa
Big Pharma
BIOMUTANT
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition
Boundless
BPM: Bullets Per Minute
Children of Morta: Complete Edition
Construction Simulator (2015) Deluxe Edition
Cultist Simulator
Demon Turf
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
DEATHLOOP
Depraved
Desperados III
Destroy All Humans
Dicey Dungeons
Dishonored Definitive Edition
Distant Worlds Universe
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
Dungeons 2 - Complete Edition
Dusk
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc, 97% positive rating)
EDGE OF ETERNITY
Encased
ENDLESS Space 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Fable Anniversary
Flynn: Son of Crimson
Full Metal Furies
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
GOLDEN LIGHT
GRID Ultimate Edition
Hedon Bloodrite
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
HERO'S HOUR
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
IRIS and the Giant
Joggernauts
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
Just Cause 4 Complete Edition
Last Oasis
Late Shift
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Metro Exodus
Mini Metro
Mini motor Racing EVO (delisted)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Monster Train + Monster Train: The Last Divinity
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl
Obduction
Offworld Trading Company
OLLIOLLI WORLD - RAD EDITION
Othercide
Outward The Soroboreans DLC + soundtrack (no base game)
Paint the Town Red
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Royal Ascension DLC
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - The Wildcards DLC
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition
Per Aspera
Planet zoo
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Port Royale 3 Gold
Port Royale 4 - Extended Edition + Port Royale 4 - Buccaneers DLC
Project CARS
Project Wingman
Propnight
Proteus
Quantum Break
Ragnarock
Risen 2: Dark Waters, Sacred 2: Gold Edition, Saints Row 2, and Saints Row: The Third! (all 4 together in one key)
ROGUE LORDS
Rollerdrome
Rubber Bandits
Ryse: Son of Rome
Sakura Alien, 18+
Sakura Dungeon, 18+
Sakura - Forest Girls set, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 2, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 3, 18+
- Sakura Knight, 18+
- Sakura Knight 2, 18+
- Sakura Knight 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO, 18+
- Sakura MMO 2, 18+
- Sakura MMO 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO Extra, 18+
- Sakura Succubus, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 2, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 3, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 4, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 5, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 6, 18+
Sam & Max: Devil's Playhouse
Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer
Severed steel
Ship Graveyard Simulator
Sid Meier's Civilization VI : Platinum Edition
Sniper Elite 3
Sniper Elite 4
Source of Madness
Spirit Hunter: NG
Starbound
State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition (steam gift)
Strange Brigade
Sunset Overdrive
Super Star (delisted)
Superliminal
Surviving The Aftermath
Tainted Grail: Conquest
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos
The Gardens Between
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
The Long Dark
The Stanley Parable
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (Gift)
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Total War: Empire - Definitive Edition
Total War: Medieval II - Definitive Edition
Total War: Napoleon- Definitive Edition
Tribes of Midgard
Twilight Struggle
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
WASTELAND 3
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Edition
Yakuza Kiwami 2
List B: I already own.
112 Operator911 Operator
Aarklash: Legacy
Agent in Depth
Alchemist's Castle
Aliens vs. Predator Collection ( includes Aliens vs. Predator + Aliens vs Predator Swarm Map Pack + Aliens vs Predator: Bug Hunt Pack)
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs + Amnesia: The Dark Descent (one key)
Among Us
Armello
Army Men RTS
Assault Suit Leynos
Backbone
Battlecruisers
Beat Hazard 2
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Behold the Kickmen
Between the Stars
Bezier
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Blade Assault
Blood And Zombies
Brawlout
Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
[email protected]
Calico
Call of Juarez Gunslinger
Cats in Time
Chicka Wars Chicken Meat (delisted)
CivCity: Rome
Click and Slay
Conan Chop Chop
Concept Destruction
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Corridor Z
Cosmic Express
Cosmonautica
Crayon Physics Deluxe
CROSSBOW: Bloodnight
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
Dead Age
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death Squared
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Disciples: Liberation
Double Cross
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Driftland: The Magic Revival
Due Process
EarthX
El Hijo
Eldest Souls
Emily is Away <3
Epic Chef
Fallout
Farming Simulator 17
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue
First Class Trouble
Five Dates
Fling to the Finish
Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
Forged Battalion
Fortissimo FA INTL Ver
Founders' Fortune
Frick, Inc.
Full Throttle Remastered
Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
GameGuru Classic
Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
Geometric Sniper
Ghost 1.0
Go Home Dinosaurs!
Going Under
Golf Gang
Grow: Song of the Evertree
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
Guns & Fishes
Guts and Glory
Hack 'n' Slash bundle (including Hack 'n' Slash + Hack 'n' Slash Soundtrack + Spacebase GIFT)
Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition
Heart Fragment - Book Two: Belief Fragments (Shannon & Lana)
Helheim Hassle
Hellbound
Hello Neighbor
Hexologic
Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire
Hidden & Dangerous: Action Pack
Hokko Life
Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?!
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Hydrophobia: Prophecy
Hyper Gunsport
I’m not a Monster
In Sound Mind
INDUSTRIA
Internet Cafe Simulator
Interplanetary: Enhanced Edition
Into the Pit
Intruders: Hide and Seek
Iris and the giant
Iron Danger
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Joggernauts
JYDGE
Killsquad
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning FATE Edition (including Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Soundtrack + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fatesworn)
Knights of Pen and Paper +1
Labirinto 2
Last Word
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Legend of Keepers
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry
Let Them Come
Lighthouse Keeper
Little Orpheus
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Lust for Darkness
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Maid of Sker
Mainlining
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Mekabolt
Meow Express
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Moon Hunters
Moonlighter
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
Murder by Numbers
Must Dash Amigos
My Time At Portia
N++
NecroWorm
NeuroVoider
Neverinth
Neverout
Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition
Non-Stop Raiders
Of Orcs And Men
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Override
Overture
Papo & Yo
Paradise Lost
Partial Control
Pathfinders: Memories
Pathway
PAYDAY 2
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Pilgrims
Pill Baby
Pixplode
Pixross
Planet TD
PlataGO!
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Popup Dungeon
Post Void
PowerBeatsVR
Project Chemistry
Project Nimbus: Complete Edition
Propagation VR - Co-op
Proteus
Pumped BMX +
Quadrata
Radio Commander
Railroad Corporation
Railroad Tycoon 3
Raji: An Ancient Epic
Rebel Galaxy
Rebound Dodgeball Evolved
Re-Legion
Remnants of Naezith
Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Revita
RIOT - Civil Unrest
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Roboquest
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
RPG Maker VX
Rym 9000
Say No! More
ScourgeBringer
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice
Shady Part of Me
shapez - Puzzle DLC
Shing!
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
Skullgirls 2nd Encore
Slinger VR
Smile For Me
Sorcerer King: Rivals
Soul Searching
Soulblight
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Spellcaster University
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
Stacking
STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic
Starpoint Gemini Warlords
Stick Fight: The Game
stikir
Stirring Abyss
Strange Brigade
Strider
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sunlight
Super Chicken Catchers
Super Magbot
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE
Surviving the Aftermath
Sword Legacy Omen
SYMMETRY
System Shock 2
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Telefrag VR
The Amazing American Circus
The Beast Inside
The Deed II
The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR
The Inner World
The Next Penelope
The Serpent Rogue
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Ticket to Ride
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
TOEM
Tools Up!
Tooth and Tail
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Traffic Jams
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Turmoil
Underland: The Climb
UnMetal
Vanishing Realms
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War
WARSAW
We Were Here Too
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
White Noise 2
Worms Rumble
WRC 7
WWE 2K BATTLEGROUNDS
XCOM 2
X-COM: Complete Pack (including X-COM: UFO Defense + X-COM: Apocalypse + X-COM: Enforcer + X-COM: Interceptor + X-COM: Terror from the Deep)
XEL
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (including X-Morph: Defense + X-Morph: Defense - European Assault + X-Morph: Defense - Survival Of The Fittest + X-Morph: Defense - Last Bastion)
Yoku's Island Express
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition (including + Zombie Driver HD + Zombie Driver HD Apocalypse Pack + Zombie Driver HD Burning Garden of Slaughter + Zombie Driver HD Tropical Race Rage + Zombie Driver HD Brutal Car Skins + Zombie Driver HD Soundtrack)
ΔV: Rings of Saturn
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (ORIGIN key)
DOOM 64 (Bethesda key)
Liberated (GOG key)
STAR WARS: Squadrons (Origin)
Wanderlust Travel Stories (GOG key)
Dishonored 2 (GOG)
#########################################################