Spots on face and cold
I never thought leopards would eat MY face
2017.03.25 18:36 Havik5 I never thought leopards would eat MY face
'I never thought leopards would eat MY face,' sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party. Revel in the schadenfreude anytime someone has a sad because they're suffering consequences from something they voted for or supported or wanted to impose on other people.
2019.12.12 23:09 Vault13470 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Reddit
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and Raven Software and published by Activision. BlackOpsColdWar is a developer-recognized community focused on the title.
2018.03.17 03:53 button_lee cursed_images
Welcome to Cursed Images! Read the rules before posing, and visit our discord if you'd like. https://discord.gg/UuRYG7XhSj
2024.06.01 15:41 NoNotSage Narcissistic Communicator
I had previously posted about narcissistic monologuing. There's not a ton of information out there about it, but I was so shocked when I read an article about the topic, because what is my covert narc wayward husband AND his mother, to a T. Completely spot-on
I found a little more information about in this article, and then a few videos, including this one.
When I've brought up this topic with other people, and they worry that they dominate the conversation. Sometimes, this happens with all of us. The difference is, it sometimes happens. Also, if a non-narcissist were to be given feedback about it, if they spoke at length because of social anxiety and nervousness, they would integrate the feedback. A narcissist would deflect, blame, and become highly agitated and defensive, insisting they never do any such thing.
I am actually shocked by the fact I never realized that covert narc wayward husband is a narcissistic communicator. Here are some of the signs I noticed with him:
He didn't give a shit that our plates were cleared and he hadn't taken a bite. Eventually, he looked down at his plate and started to eat his cold refried beans, while we just waited for him to finish.
I've decided that, this morning, I will not give him the opportunity to hold court. And I want to see how he reacts.
submitted by NoNotSage to NarcissisticSpouses [link] [comments]
I found a little more information about in this article, and then a few videos, including this one.
When I've brought up this topic with other people, and they worry that they dominate the conversation. Sometimes, this happens with all of us. The difference is, it sometimes happens. Also, if a non-narcissist were to be given feedback about it, if they spoke at length because of social anxiety and nervousness, they would integrate the feedback. A narcissist would deflect, blame, and become highly agitated and defensive, insisting they never do any such thing.
I am actually shocked by the fact I never realized that covert narc wayward husband is a narcissistic communicator. Here are some of the signs I noticed with him:
- He hoards/dominates conversation time. 20 minutes straight of babbling? 45? Yep. That may not seem long, but when you have to sit there, unmoving, not permitted to ask a question or interject, it's a LONG time.
- He controls the topic, and that topic is always about work. Does he care that you don't work with him, so many of these endless, repetitive stories are about people you don't know, and that the topics are not very relatable? Doesn't matter. He's going to talk about work, and you will listen.
- If YOU dare to speak, he interrupts constantly, or checks out after 30 seconds and scrolls on his phone. He would FLIP OUT if you did that to him.
- He is the expert on EVERYTHING. He's the smartest guy in the room, and you'd better not question that, even when he's wrong.
He didn't give a shit that our plates were cleared and he hadn't taken a bite. Eventually, he looked down at his plate and started to eat his cold refried beans, while we just waited for him to finish.
I've decided that, this morning, I will not give him the opportunity to hold court. And I want to see how he reacts.
2024.06.01 15:41 Sweet-Count2557 Best Breakfast in Prescott Az
 | Best Breakfast in Prescott Az Are you looking for the best breakfast spots in Prescott, AZ? Well, look no further! We've done the legwork and compiled a comprehensive guide to satisfy your morning cravings.From classic comfort food to innovative and organic dishes, we've got you covered. Whether you prefer cozy diners or upscale bistros, Prescott offers a diverse range of breakfast experiences.Join us as we explore the top spots that not only serve delicious food but also provide charming decor, welcoming atmospheres, and friendly service.Get ready to indulge in a morning feast that will leave you wanting more.Key TakeawaysPrescott, AZ offers a variety of breakfast options, ranging from creative and unique dishes to classic American comfort food.Many of the breakfast establishments in Prescott have a charming and welcoming atmosphere, making them enjoyable places to start the day.Some of the best breakfast places in Prescott are known for their generous portions and mouth-watering meals, including cowboy food and homemade treats.Several breakfast spots in Prescott offer gluten-free and vegan menu options, catering to different dietary preferences and needs.DinerWe should try the Diner on West Gurley Street because it's known for its generous portions and mouth-watering cowboy food. Located in Prescott, Arizona, this breakfast spot is a must-visit for anyone looking for a hearty and delicious start to their day.As you enter the Diner, the pleasant scent of bacon, eggs, and coffee fills the air, instantly awakening your senses. The menu offers a smorgasbord of creative and unique breakfast items, ensuring there's something for everyone. Whether you're a vegan or have dietary restrictions, the Diner has options for you, with a vegan menu and gluten-free choices available.The Diner provides a heavenly breakfast experience with its welcoming atmosphere and friendly staff. The portions are incredibly generous, satisfying even the heartiest of appetites. The mouth-watering cowboy food is a true delight, showcasing the flavors and traditions of the Wild West. From fluffy pancakes to savory omelettes, each dish is prepared with care and attention to detail.Transitioning into the subsequent section about Bistro St. Michael, we can't help but be intrigued by the tantalizing menu and stately downtown views this bistro offers.Bistro St. MichaelThe Bistro St. Michael offers an upscale ambiance and excellent service, making it a great choice for enjoying a delicious meal with a stunning view of downtown Prescott. The bistro is located at the Hotel Saint Michael, providing a picturesque setting for breakfast in Prescott Valley. The menu at Bistro St. Michael is sure to impress foodies, with tantalizing options that cater to all taste preferences. Whether you're craving a classic American breakfast or something more adventurous, this bistro has got you covered. The attentive staff ensures that every guest is well taken care of, adding to the overall dining experience.Here is a table to give you a better idea of what Bistro St. Michael has to offer:FeaturesDetailsAmbianceUpscaleServiceExcellentViewDowntown PrescottLocationHotel Saint MichaelAs you can see, Bistro St. Michael is the perfect place to start your day with a scrumptious breakfast while enjoying the stunning views of downtown Prescott. If you're looking for another top-notch breakfast spot, let's move on to our next discussion topic: Lone Spur Cafe.Lone Spur CafeWhen it comes to breakfast in Prescott, the Lone Spur Cafe stands out with its cowboy-themed menu and generous portions.The cafe's charming decor, adorned with cowboy gear and antler chandeliers, creates an inviting atmosphere for diners.Whether you're in the mood for a hearty cowboy breakfast or a delicious meal for the whole family, the Lone Spur Cafe is sure to satisfy.Cowboy-Themed Breakfast OptionsLet's try the mouth-watering cowboy food at Lone Spur Cafe and explore their cowboy-themed breakfast options!This charming cafe offers a delightful experience with its cowboy-inspired decor, complete with cowboy gear and antler chandeliers. As we enter, the pleasant scent of bacon, eggs, and coffee fills the air, enticing our taste buds.The menu offers a smorgasbord of creative and unique breakfast items, ensuring there's something for everyone. From generous portions of pancakes and eggs to hearty breakfast burritos, Lone Spur Cafe satisfies any cowboy craving. Families will appreciate the kids menu, making it a great spot for breakfast outings.Come and enjoy a heavenly breakfast experience at Lone Spur Cafe, where cowboy food takes center stage.Generous Portions for EveryoneWe can indulge in the generous portions of delicious cowboy food at Lone Spur Cafe, with options that satisfy everyone's appetite.This popular breakfast spot in Prescott offers a wide array of hearty dishes that are sure to leave you satisfied. From fluffy pancakes and crispy bacon to savory omelettes and mouthwatering biscuits and gravy, Lone Spur Cafe has it all.The portions are generous, ensuring that no one leaves hungry. Whether you're a fan of traditional cowboy fare or looking to try something new, this cafe has something for everyone.And the best part? The food is as tasty as it's filling. So, come on down to Lone Spur Cafe and experience the satisfying flavors of cowboy cuisine.As you enjoy your meal, take a moment to soak in the charming decor and inviting atmosphere that surrounds you.Charming Decor and AtmosphereAs we step into Lone Spur Cafe, we're immediately enchanted by the charming decor and cozy atmosphere that transports us to the heart of the Wild West. The rustic cowboy gear and antler chandeliers hanging from the ceiling create a warm and inviting ambiance.The walls are adorned with vintage photographs and paintings that tell the story of the Old West. The wooden furniture and checkered tablecloths add to the nostalgic feel. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon fills the air, making our mouths water in anticipation.The friendly staff greets us with a smile and guides us to a comfortable booth. We can't help but feel a sense of belonging in this quaint little cafe.The Peacock Dining RoomThe Peacock Dining Room offers an upscale and good breakfast experience with its exquisite and refined breakfast plates. Located in the charming Hassayampa Inn, this cozy downtown eatery exudes timeless charm and a chic atmosphere.The menu features a variety of delectable options that will satisfy any breakfast craving. From classic favorites like fluffy pancakes and perfectly cooked eggs, to unique dishes such as smoked salmon benedict and avocado toast with poached eggs, there's something for everyone to enjoy.The Peacock Dining Room prides itself on using high-quality ingredients to create their breakfast plates. Each dish is carefully crafted to ensure a delicious and memorable dining experience. The attention to detail is evident in every bite, from the perfectly seasoned bacon to the freshly squeezed orange juice.In addition to the exceptional food, the Peacock Dining Room offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The attentive and knowledgeable staff is dedicated to providing excellent service, ensuring that guests feel comfortable and well taken care of. Whether you're enjoying a leisurely breakfast with friends or celebrating a special occasion, the Peacock Dining Room is the perfect place to start your day.Overall, the Peacock Dining Room offers an upscale and good breakfast experience with its exquisite and refined breakfast plates. With its timeless charm, chic atmosphere, and exceptional food, it's a must-visit destination for breakfast in Prescott.Dinner Bell CafeLet's meet up for breakfast at Dinner Bell Cafe and enjoy a delicious meal together. This charming cafe offers a wide variety of options to cure morning cravings. As you step inside, you'll be greeted by the pleasant scent of homemade treats and well-known recipes. The cafe has an easy-going neighborly feel, with a cozy patio that offers a view of Granite Creek.Here are five reasons why Dinner Bell Cafe is a must-visit breakfast spot in Prescott:Homemade Filling Meals: The cafe satisfies guests with generous portions that will leave you feeling satisfied. From fluffy pancakes to savory omelettes, there's something to please every palate.Homemade Treats: Indulge in their delectable selection of pastries and baked goods. From buttery croissants to mouth-watering cinnamon rolls, you'll find the perfect sweet treat to start your day.Welcoming Atmosphere: Dinner Bell Cafe has been a must-visit spot in Prescott for generations. The friendly staff and cozy interior make it the perfect place to gather with friends and family.Wide Variety of Options: Whether you're in the mood for a classic breakfast or something more unique, Dinner Bell Cafe has got you covered. Choose from their extensive menu that includes everything from traditional bacon and eggs to creative breakfast bowls.Patio with a View: Enjoy your meal while taking in the beautiful scenery of Granite Creek from the cafe's patio. It's the perfect spot to relax and start your day off right.WildflowerWildflower is a charming bakery and cafe that offers a unique breakfast experience with its impeccable service, delightful ambiance, and a menu filled with creative and delicious options.From their mouthwatering pancakes to their fresh salads and artisan bread, Wildflower caters to diverse palates with its wide variety of breakfast choices.Whether you're in the mood for something sweet or savory, Wildflower is sure to please with its award-winning bakery and attention to detail.Unique Breakfast Menu ItemsWe've discovered a breakfast spot that offers a multitude of creative and unique menu items to satisfy our morning cravings. At this delightful eatery, we're presented with a mouthwatering selection of breakfast dishes that are both inventive and satisfying. Here are five examples of the delectable options that await us:The 'Sunrise Scramble': A savory combination of fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and melted cheddar cheese, all served on a warm toasted croissant.The 'Cinnamon Roll Pancakes': Fluffy pancakes infused with the flavors of a classic cinnamon roll, topped with a generous drizzle of cream cheese glaze.The 'Avocado Benedict': A twist on the classic Eggs Benedict, featuring perfectly poached eggs, creamy avocado slices, tangy hollandaise sauce, and a sprinkle of fresh dill.The 'Berry Blast French Toast': Thick slices of brioche bread dipped in a sweet batter, grilled to perfection, and topped with a medley of fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar.The 'Southwest Breakfast Burrito Bowl': A hearty bowl of scrambled eggs, black beans, roasted peppers, and spicy chorizo, all served over a bed of crispy hash browns and smothered in zesty salsa.These unique and flavorful menu items are sure to satisfy any breakfast lover's cravings.Impeccable Service and AmbianceWith its spotlessly clean indoor space and impeccable service, Wildflower provides an exceptional dining experience. As soon as you step inside, you're greeted by a pleasant scent of freshly brewed coffee and the warm ambiance of the restaurant.The staff at Wildflower goes above and beyond to ensure that every customer is well taken care of. From the moment you're seated, they're attentive and prompt in their service, making sure that your needs are met.Whether you're in the mood for pancakes, salad, sandwiches, or artisan bread, Wildflower has a variety of delicious breakfast choices to satisfy your cravings. Not only is the food top-notch, but they also offer free Wi-Fi, making it a great spot for those looking to catch up on work or connect with friends.Wildflower truly stands out with its exceptional service and inviting atmosphere, making it a must-visit destination for breakfast in Prescott.Prescott JunctionI've heard great things about Prescott Junction's extensive menu and tempting breakfast buffet. Located in Prescott, Arizona, this family-friendly joint is known for its classic American comfort food. Under new management, while still retaining its local vibe, Prescott Junction has a loyal following for its appetizing American dishes.Here are five reasons why Prescott Junction stands out:Warm and family-friendly service: From the moment you walk in, you'll be greeted with a smile and a warm welcome. The staff at Prescott Junction goes above and beyond to make you feel like part of their family.Extensive menu: Whether you're in the mood for a hearty breakfast burrito, fluffy pancakes, or a classic eggs Benedict, Prescott Junction has you covered. Their menu offers a wide variety of options to satisfy all cravings.Tempting breakfast buffet: If you're looking for a breakfast feast, Prescott Junction's buffet is a must-try. With a wide selection of hot and cold dishes, fresh fruits, and pastries, you'll find something to please every palate.Under new management: Despite the change in management, Prescott Junction has maintained its reputation for delicious food and a welcoming atmosphere. The new team is dedicated to preserving the restaurant's local charm.Prescott Junction has a loyal following: Locals and visitors alike flock to Prescott Junction for its appetizing American cuisine. The restaurant has built a dedicated fan base who keep coming back for more.With its warm service, extensive menu, and tempting breakfast buffet, Prescott Junction is a popular choice for breakfast lovers in Prescott, Arizona.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat Are the Vegan Menu Options Available at the Diner?At the diner, there are vegan menu options available. These options cater to individuals who follow a plant-based diet.The diner offers a variety of creative and unique breakfast items that are entirely vegan. Whether you're in the mood for a delicious vegan omelette or a stack of fluffy vegan pancakes, the diner has you covered.The vegan menu at the diner ensures that everyone can enjoy a satisfying and flavorful breakfast experience.Does the Bistro St. Michael Offer Any Gluten-Free Options on Their Menu?Yes, the Bistro St. Michael does offer gluten-free options on their menu.With stately downtown views and an upscale ambiance, this bistro appeals to foodies looking for a delightful breakfast experience. You can enjoy a great view of downtown Prescott while savoring their tantalizing menu.Located at the Hotel Saint Michael, this bistro provides excellent service and ensures that those with gluten sensitivities can still enjoy their delicious breakfast offerings.Are Reservations Required at the Lone Spur Cafe?Reservations aren't required at the Lone Spur Cafe.This charming breakfast spot in Prescott, AZ provides a warm and inviting atmosphere, generous portions of mouth-watering cowboy food, and even a kid's menu for families.The decor is charming, with cowboy gear and antler chandeliers adding to the cozy ambiance.Located on West Gurley Street, the Lone Spur Cafe is a must-visit for a delicious and satisfying breakfast experience.Does the Peacock Dining Room Have Live Jazz Music During Breakfast Hours?Yes, the Peacock Dining Room does have live jazz music during breakfast hours.The atmosphere is timeless and chic, offering an upscale and good breakfast experience.Located at the Hassayampa Inn in downtown Prescott, this cozy eatery provides exquisite and refined breakfast plates.It's a popular destination for those looking for a classy breakfast spot with a touch of live jazz music to enhance their dining experience.Does the Dinner Bell Cafe Offer Any Vegetarian Options on Their Menu?Yes, the Dinner Bell Cafe does offer vegetarian options on their menu. They've a wide variety of choices to satisfy morning cravings, including delicious vegetarian dishes.The cafe is known for its homemade treats and well-known recipes, providing filling meals for breakfast and lunch.With its easy-going neighborly feel and a patio offering a view of Granite Creek, the Dinner Bell Cafe is a must-visit for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.ConclusionIn conclusion, Prescott, AZ offers a vibrant breakfast scene with a variety of options to suit every taste. Whether you prefer the cozy atmosphere of a diner or the upscale elegance of a bistro, you're sure to find a spot that satisfies your cravings.Interestingly, did you know that Prescott has over 20 breakfast establishments to choose from? With such a wide selection, you'll never run out of delicious breakfast options to try in this charming city. submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] |
2024.06.01 15:40 DottedWriter The Heart Thief
Nancy Brooks was the first victim. She was a popular cheerleader, & an energetic one at best. Everyone enjoyed her bubbly personality. So you can imagine the shock and despair that swept over our school and the entire town when she was found dead.
They said she was found in a dumpster at the back of the local pizzeria. The cause of death was nasty. A large gaping hole in her chest. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that her heart was missing. This means that whoever did this had ripped her heart out with their bare hands in some brutal fashion.
The police questioned us, asked if Nancy had any enemies, and asked if there was anyone who wanted to hurt Nancy, but we couldn't think of anyone who would like to harm her. It wasn't like she did anything to warrant hatred from anybody. They continued to investigate, even with the few suspects they had, and the few amount of evidence they had.
Meanwhile, the community was in uproar over who would kill an innocent teenage girl like Nancy, and in such a brutal manner. While a memorial at Nancy's locker was made, and a vigil was held in honor of her. Rumors spread throughout the hallways over who the culprit might have been.
"I still can't believe she's dead," My friend Stanley said as we sat on his front porch. His voice was a little shaky. "It's just, how could something so horrible happen to someone like her?"
"I don't know," I said, staring at the road as cars passed by here and there. Although my face didn't show it, I felt paranoia, slowly growing in my body. It was like a seed that had just been planted into the ground and started to grow.
"They'll probably find the culprit," I told Stanley. "They'll probably find them..". The way I said it made it sound like there was hope, but at the same time, I felt like they would never catch the person responsible for killing Nacy.
Unfortunately, my prediction was proven right, they never caught the culprit. After 2 months, Nancy's case went cold. It wasn't long until the next murder happened though.
This time it was Grant Reese, a smart and slightly chubby guy. Although naive, he meant well, and some students respected him for that. He was found dead in his backyard in the same gruesome manner as Nancy—a large gaping hole in his chest.
School was canceled again, the police investigated again, and they questioned us again. But nothing turned up, again.
Eventually, the media started to dub the killer "The Heart Thief" due to how he "stole" his victims' hearts from right out of their bodies. This however didn't stop the fear and paranoia seeping over the town.
Stanley was more on edge after Grant's murder. He was more paranoid now, and who wouldn't be, there was a deranged killer on the loose, tormenting our town. And the police haven't caught them yet. But still, it was disheartening watching Stanley slowly start to become a shell of what he used to be.
Whenever I saw him, I noticed that the dark circles around his eyes seemed to grow larger, he began even to be afraid of his own shadow. Every time I talked to him, he'd always spout out a fake smile, but his eyes told a different story, they showed terror, terror of being killed by a lunatic. I still tried to make him feel safe, I still wanted to make him feel like everything was okay, even though at the back of my mind, I knew it wasn't. I was just as scared as Stanley, but I couldn't tell him about my invulnerability.
A month after Grant's murder, the Mullins twins were found dead at the local park, their hearts both missing. Even worse, only 2 weeks later, two teenage lovers, Whitney Rowe, & Troy Osborne were found dead in Troy's car, and in the same manner as Nancy, Grant, & the Mullin twins.
If Nancy and Grant's murders caused Stanley to be paranoid, this made that paranoia worse than before. He eventually stopped talking to people, he'd subsequently stop coming outside. My fear was still growing, but Stanley's was more rabid. I wasn't any better. My sleep schedule started to falter, I'd lie awake at night, trying to get rid of the Heart Thief from out of my head, and go to sleep. But I just couldn't. I couldn't get the thought of a psychopath looming over our town, killing innocent teenagers.
Eventually, Stanley stopped texting me. I wasn't too worried, but I was still concerned, but it was just for one day. He just stopped texting for one day. That wasn't much of a big idea. Was it?
Then he didn't text me the next day or the following day.
After the fourth day of not responding, I decided that I would have to check on him in person. That wasn't so bad, go to his house, ask his parents if he's okay, and check up on him. Easy job-
What if he's dead?
I shook the thought out of my head. No, he can't be. He's fine. He's fine.
"He's fine," I mutter as I walk up the steps and touch the door handle. My eyes slowly widen as the door opens. Why is the door unlocked? That doesn't make any sense-
What if the Heart Thief got him?
NO. No. He's fine. He's fine.
I carefully tread through the house, my footsteps being soft due to the shoes I'm wearing.
"Stanley...?" I said, in a hallowed whisper.
I walked forward, my heartbeat started to beat more and more. My heart rate slowly started to shoot out like a bottle rocket. Then I saw something.
Stanley's parents. They were strung up on the floor. Their necks were both snapped, and their eyes hung lifeless. I couldn't focus on the scene for long when I heard a terrible noise from upstairs. The sound of something being ripped.
I went up the stairs, my heart surged as I reached the top, and I went to Stanley's room. My thoughts were frantic as I reached his doorway.
Then my body stopped. My breathing paused as I was taking in the scene before me.
Stanley was on the floor, puking out blood as a hole was punctured through his chest. His crazed, horrified, and tearful eyes turned to mine. But then something impossible happened.
Somehow, Stanley's heart was pulled out from his chest, and it hung in the air like something was holding it. Some invisible force was holding onto Stanley's heart. Then it held it up high and then dropped it. It vanished like it fell into a mouth, and was consumed in one big gulp. I couldn't comprehend what I was witnessing. I couldn't understand how any of this happened. I just stared at what was left of my friend as the life escaped his eyes. He croaked out one final word before dying though.
"Alec....."
I just stood paralyzed, unable to do anything, my mouth hung dry as I tried to get a word out.
Then I felt a presence right next to me. It made me sweat even more than I already was at the sight of my dead best friend. My breathing grew more rabid as I felt like someone loomed over me. But no one was there. Nothing was there. But it felt like someone was. It felt like something was. Something horrible.
Then I heard a "Shhh" noise being whispered into my ear.
Suddenly, I didn't feel that terrifying presence. It left Stanley's room. It was gone, but Stanley's body wasn't.
My stomach felt sick as I exited Stanley's house, dialing 911. I only managed to mutter about finding my friend dead in his home, before I collapsed from shock on the front porch.
I eventually woke up in the hospital. My parents were tearfully thankful that I was okay and safe. Two detectives visited me too. They asked me questions about Stanley, and I answered them wearily. But even then, I couldn't tell them what I saw. I couldn't tell my parents about what happened in Stanley's home.
They did find Stanley and his parents' bodies though. Some people wondered why the Heart Thief went out of his way to kill two adults, some were still angry that the psychopath had claimed another victim. But regardless of that. I still couldn't recover from the events that unfolded in Stanley's house.
I attended his funeral, and I gave a heartfelt speech, bottling up my sadness in an attempt to look stable. But I wasn't.
Some neighbors and classmates look at me with pity on their faces, and some of them look at me funny. I could hear the whispers about me behind my back. Some of them were filled with remorse over how I lost my best friend, some were filled with suspicion over how I could have killed Stanley, or maybe even the other victims. The rumors didn't help either.
I've had to take therapy three times a week now, I feel like it's helping, but at the same time, I feel like it isn't. Nothing will ever help me recover from what I saw that afternoon.
Ever since Stanley's death, I've started to slowly become a shell of what I used to be. I began to become more aware of my surroundings, and I started to become more jumpy. My sleep schedule started to become worse too. I've had many nights where I'd lie awake at night. My mind constantly replays what happened at Stanley's house over and over.
"This is probably how Stanley felt before he died," I say, as my eyes stare at the ceiling.
The paranoia that was once set inside me has evolved into something bigger, something worse.
But that's not just it, I know who the Heart Thief is now, I know how he manages to kill his victims without ever getting caught.
I don't know why he still hasn't come for me yet. I was a direct witness to one of his murders after all. So why hasn't he come after me yet? Why hasn't he killed me? Was this all just part of his plan? To watch me break into a panicked state? To watch me devolve into a cowardous human being?
Because if this is his plan, it's working.
submitted by DottedWriter to nosleep [link] [comments]
They said she was found in a dumpster at the back of the local pizzeria. The cause of death was nasty. A large gaping hole in her chest. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that her heart was missing. This means that whoever did this had ripped her heart out with their bare hands in some brutal fashion.
The police questioned us, asked if Nancy had any enemies, and asked if there was anyone who wanted to hurt Nancy, but we couldn't think of anyone who would like to harm her. It wasn't like she did anything to warrant hatred from anybody. They continued to investigate, even with the few suspects they had, and the few amount of evidence they had.
Meanwhile, the community was in uproar over who would kill an innocent teenage girl like Nancy, and in such a brutal manner. While a memorial at Nancy's locker was made, and a vigil was held in honor of her. Rumors spread throughout the hallways over who the culprit might have been.
"I still can't believe she's dead," My friend Stanley said as we sat on his front porch. His voice was a little shaky. "It's just, how could something so horrible happen to someone like her?"
"I don't know," I said, staring at the road as cars passed by here and there. Although my face didn't show it, I felt paranoia, slowly growing in my body. It was like a seed that had just been planted into the ground and started to grow.
"They'll probably find the culprit," I told Stanley. "They'll probably find them..". The way I said it made it sound like there was hope, but at the same time, I felt like they would never catch the person responsible for killing Nacy.
Unfortunately, my prediction was proven right, they never caught the culprit. After 2 months, Nancy's case went cold. It wasn't long until the next murder happened though.
This time it was Grant Reese, a smart and slightly chubby guy. Although naive, he meant well, and some students respected him for that. He was found dead in his backyard in the same gruesome manner as Nancy—a large gaping hole in his chest.
School was canceled again, the police investigated again, and they questioned us again. But nothing turned up, again.
Eventually, the media started to dub the killer "The Heart Thief" due to how he "stole" his victims' hearts from right out of their bodies. This however didn't stop the fear and paranoia seeping over the town.
Stanley was more on edge after Grant's murder. He was more paranoid now, and who wouldn't be, there was a deranged killer on the loose, tormenting our town. And the police haven't caught them yet. But still, it was disheartening watching Stanley slowly start to become a shell of what he used to be.
Whenever I saw him, I noticed that the dark circles around his eyes seemed to grow larger, he began even to be afraid of his own shadow. Every time I talked to him, he'd always spout out a fake smile, but his eyes told a different story, they showed terror, terror of being killed by a lunatic. I still tried to make him feel safe, I still wanted to make him feel like everything was okay, even though at the back of my mind, I knew it wasn't. I was just as scared as Stanley, but I couldn't tell him about my invulnerability.
A month after Grant's murder, the Mullins twins were found dead at the local park, their hearts both missing. Even worse, only 2 weeks later, two teenage lovers, Whitney Rowe, & Troy Osborne were found dead in Troy's car, and in the same manner as Nancy, Grant, & the Mullin twins.
If Nancy and Grant's murders caused Stanley to be paranoid, this made that paranoia worse than before. He eventually stopped talking to people, he'd subsequently stop coming outside. My fear was still growing, but Stanley's was more rabid. I wasn't any better. My sleep schedule started to falter, I'd lie awake at night, trying to get rid of the Heart Thief from out of my head, and go to sleep. But I just couldn't. I couldn't get the thought of a psychopath looming over our town, killing innocent teenagers.
Eventually, Stanley stopped texting me. I wasn't too worried, but I was still concerned, but it was just for one day. He just stopped texting for one day. That wasn't much of a big idea. Was it?
Then he didn't text me the next day or the following day.
After the fourth day of not responding, I decided that I would have to check on him in person. That wasn't so bad, go to his house, ask his parents if he's okay, and check up on him. Easy job-
What if he's dead?
I shook the thought out of my head. No, he can't be. He's fine. He's fine.
"He's fine," I mutter as I walk up the steps and touch the door handle. My eyes slowly widen as the door opens. Why is the door unlocked? That doesn't make any sense-
What if the Heart Thief got him?
NO. No. He's fine. He's fine.
I carefully tread through the house, my footsteps being soft due to the shoes I'm wearing.
"Stanley...?" I said, in a hallowed whisper.
I walked forward, my heartbeat started to beat more and more. My heart rate slowly started to shoot out like a bottle rocket. Then I saw something.
Stanley's parents. They were strung up on the floor. Their necks were both snapped, and their eyes hung lifeless. I couldn't focus on the scene for long when I heard a terrible noise from upstairs. The sound of something being ripped.
I went up the stairs, my heart surged as I reached the top, and I went to Stanley's room. My thoughts were frantic as I reached his doorway.
Then my body stopped. My breathing paused as I was taking in the scene before me.
Stanley was on the floor, puking out blood as a hole was punctured through his chest. His crazed, horrified, and tearful eyes turned to mine. But then something impossible happened.
Somehow, Stanley's heart was pulled out from his chest, and it hung in the air like something was holding it. Some invisible force was holding onto Stanley's heart. Then it held it up high and then dropped it. It vanished like it fell into a mouth, and was consumed in one big gulp. I couldn't comprehend what I was witnessing. I couldn't understand how any of this happened. I just stared at what was left of my friend as the life escaped his eyes. He croaked out one final word before dying though.
"Alec....."
I just stood paralyzed, unable to do anything, my mouth hung dry as I tried to get a word out.
Then I felt a presence right next to me. It made me sweat even more than I already was at the sight of my dead best friend. My breathing grew more rabid as I felt like someone loomed over me. But no one was there. Nothing was there. But it felt like someone was. It felt like something was. Something horrible.
Then I heard a "Shhh" noise being whispered into my ear.
Suddenly, I didn't feel that terrifying presence. It left Stanley's room. It was gone, but Stanley's body wasn't.
My stomach felt sick as I exited Stanley's house, dialing 911. I only managed to mutter about finding my friend dead in his home, before I collapsed from shock on the front porch.
I eventually woke up in the hospital. My parents were tearfully thankful that I was okay and safe. Two detectives visited me too. They asked me questions about Stanley, and I answered them wearily. But even then, I couldn't tell them what I saw. I couldn't tell my parents about what happened in Stanley's home.
They did find Stanley and his parents' bodies though. Some people wondered why the Heart Thief went out of his way to kill two adults, some were still angry that the psychopath had claimed another victim. But regardless of that. I still couldn't recover from the events that unfolded in Stanley's house.
I attended his funeral, and I gave a heartfelt speech, bottling up my sadness in an attempt to look stable. But I wasn't.
Some neighbors and classmates look at me with pity on their faces, and some of them look at me funny. I could hear the whispers about me behind my back. Some of them were filled with remorse over how I lost my best friend, some were filled with suspicion over how I could have killed Stanley, or maybe even the other victims. The rumors didn't help either.
I've had to take therapy three times a week now, I feel like it's helping, but at the same time, I feel like it isn't. Nothing will ever help me recover from what I saw that afternoon.
Ever since Stanley's death, I've started to slowly become a shell of what I used to be. I began to become more aware of my surroundings, and I started to become more jumpy. My sleep schedule started to become worse too. I've had many nights where I'd lie awake at night. My mind constantly replays what happened at Stanley's house over and over.
"This is probably how Stanley felt before he died," I say, as my eyes stare at the ceiling.
The paranoia that was once set inside me has evolved into something bigger, something worse.
But that's not just it, I know who the Heart Thief is now, I know how he manages to kill his victims without ever getting caught.
I don't know why he still hasn't come for me yet. I was a direct witness to one of his murders after all. So why hasn't he come after me yet? Why hasn't he killed me? Was this all just part of his plan? To watch me break into a panicked state? To watch me devolve into a cowardous human being?
Because if this is his plan, it's working.
2024.06.01 15:40 GhostfulWonders I am a vivid dreamer and it gets worse with stress
I’ve always been a super light sleeper, super reactive to sounds around me but in that same retrospect, I’ve always been a super vivid dreamer and reactive to stress, having sleep paralysis and looping dreams on multiple occasions. (You can skip to the bold part cause the first part was mainly regular dream turned intense, if you’re uninterested)
The dream I just had was like me and my sister going out to run an errand at like 11:30pm and going with the kids I’m babysitting cause it was on their list of errands cause we should’ve done it earlier but forgot so we go out and I’m looking around for a place to get a drink cause most of the shops are closed this late and I tell the kids to go ahead to the place we’re going for our errand cause I’ll be there real fast while I’m getting this soda from the Chinese spot and I have some cash on me.
I go up to the guy and ask how much are the soda and he’s like 1.25 USD so I’m like okay cool let me get 4 cause I had four quarters and some singles and I pick mine (a coke, 2 sprite and an orange) and I’m giving him the money and bro starts laughing cause my cash is counterfeit and he thinks I think he’s stupid and I’m like O.O cause I had no idea it was counterfeit and try looking at my others bills (mind you I had like 27 dollars on me, and turns out all of it is counterfeit and I start freaking out
The boss comes up like what’s the issues, and I’m like I didn’t know this was fake my mom gave me some of these and he starts feeling bad and I’m like I’m gonna go get the bills from my sister cause she’s literally at the bank rn, and he’s like okay I’ll hold it and give you an extra sweet tea- and I rush over to where the kids I’m babysitting and my sister and my male friend I didn’t realize was there is at (I don’t have male friends- this was like some sort of faceless look a like to someone I knew in hs)
I’m like can I get some singles, I’ll give it back when I can (I knew my quarters were good but I needs cash) and my male friend is like I have the perfect thing and pulls out this super old 5 dollar bill cause it’s superrrr old cause it’s from the first time he went to the bank and put money away and for some reason even tho it was senstimental he was okay with it and we quickly go tg to get my sodas and he’s about to pay but the worker guy thinks it’s a joke cause it’s an old dollar and looks fake cause it’s an old print with no boarders and I’m like “it’s real!! We just got it from over there!!” And he’s like whatever this is where it’s confusing and stressing me out
We leave before the boss man returns but things get kind of crazy when boss starts chasing us down to get the dollar cause it’s worth thousands apparently??? And he wants to get us but I’m scared and whatever and at some point I end up in a big body of water and I’m panicking and having dual visuals of me stuck in bed so I’m like “open your eyes. Wake up.” While making a little noises from my body there like my usually humming or something and unlike usually, I open my eyes from that dream easily and end up in a room where all the floor is wet and cold and my head hurts cause I’m tired from that dream where I was being chased and I just woke up from it but I’m still asleep cause it’s a dream in a dream.
Mind you, It was like super bright where I woke up btw, like in the dream where the floor was wet/stained, it was like a dream equivalent to where squidward was when he saw the future but I didn’t see my reflection anywhere.
I walk through the floor thinking about how I’m gonna clean it cause I think it’s a mess from the ac leaking, and I go to find my mom to tell her about that dream but I keep like zapping back to the bed and looking at the water and it’s cold and I end up waking up pretty soon after just crouching down and looking at the floor and realizing it’s not water on the floor but it is stained and looks like it was wet and dried out which is more annoying to clean and mop.
But yeah I woke up and forgot the details for a while but just went to the bathroom and turned my ac to fan mode and typed it out.
I can give more context in my home situation if anyone is interested, but I’m super interested in any interpretations!! <3
submitted by GhostfulWonders to Dreams [link] [comments]
The dream I just had was like me and my sister going out to run an errand at like 11:30pm and going with the kids I’m babysitting cause it was on their list of errands cause we should’ve done it earlier but forgot so we go out and I’m looking around for a place to get a drink cause most of the shops are closed this late and I tell the kids to go ahead to the place we’re going for our errand cause I’ll be there real fast while I’m getting this soda from the Chinese spot and I have some cash on me.
I go up to the guy and ask how much are the soda and he’s like 1.25 USD so I’m like okay cool let me get 4 cause I had four quarters and some singles and I pick mine (a coke, 2 sprite and an orange) and I’m giving him the money and bro starts laughing cause my cash is counterfeit and he thinks I think he’s stupid and I’m like O.O cause I had no idea it was counterfeit and try looking at my others bills (mind you I had like 27 dollars on me, and turns out all of it is counterfeit and I start freaking out
The boss comes up like what’s the issues, and I’m like I didn’t know this was fake my mom gave me some of these and he starts feeling bad and I’m like I’m gonna go get the bills from my sister cause she’s literally at the bank rn, and he’s like okay I’ll hold it and give you an extra sweet tea- and I rush over to where the kids I’m babysitting and my sister and my male friend I didn’t realize was there is at (I don’t have male friends- this was like some sort of faceless look a like to someone I knew in hs)
I’m like can I get some singles, I’ll give it back when I can (I knew my quarters were good but I needs cash) and my male friend is like I have the perfect thing and pulls out this super old 5 dollar bill cause it’s superrrr old cause it’s from the first time he went to the bank and put money away and for some reason even tho it was senstimental he was okay with it and we quickly go tg to get my sodas and he’s about to pay but the worker guy thinks it’s a joke cause it’s an old dollar and looks fake cause it’s an old print with no boarders and I’m like “it’s real!! We just got it from over there!!” And he’s like whatever this is where it’s confusing and stressing me out
We leave before the boss man returns but things get kind of crazy when boss starts chasing us down to get the dollar cause it’s worth thousands apparently??? And he wants to get us but I’m scared and whatever and at some point I end up in a big body of water and I’m panicking and having dual visuals of me stuck in bed so I’m like “open your eyes. Wake up.” While making a little noises from my body there like my usually humming or something and unlike usually, I open my eyes from that dream easily and end up in a room where all the floor is wet and cold and my head hurts cause I’m tired from that dream where I was being chased and I just woke up from it but I’m still asleep cause it’s a dream in a dream.
Mind you, It was like super bright where I woke up btw, like in the dream where the floor was wet/stained, it was like a dream equivalent to where squidward was when he saw the future but I didn’t see my reflection anywhere.
I walk through the floor thinking about how I’m gonna clean it cause I think it’s a mess from the ac leaking, and I go to find my mom to tell her about that dream but I keep like zapping back to the bed and looking at the water and it’s cold and I end up waking up pretty soon after just crouching down and looking at the floor and realizing it’s not water on the floor but it is stained and looks like it was wet and dried out which is more annoying to clean and mop.
But yeah I woke up and forgot the details for a while but just went to the bathroom and turned my ac to fan mode and typed it out.
I can give more context in my home situation if anyone is interested, but I’m super interested in any interpretations!! <3
2024.06.01 15:39 Ok-You-7696 Scared and angry and utterly broken
For 2 months I’ve been dealing with pain and so much more it’s been so unbearable I’m practically disabled I’ve always been the “manly man” type always just lifted whatever needed to be moved without worrying about it using all my strength working on cars spending time in the woods building campsites and chopping wood and blah blah I got my license super late at 20 I just got a job at 21 after not having a job the past 2 years and to celebrate I got drunk idk wtf happened cause I woke up with hemroids and haven’t been able to have bms or gas without immense struggle ever since that day I have no one to talk Im back to staying with my dad he doesn’t understand whatsoever and treats me like I’m some lazy piece of shit meanwhile ALL I want to do is work I hate being in bed I hate not even being able to rely on my body to function correctly on top of this my whole life has fucking sucked I’m a virgin I’ve had one gf and she cheated on me I live in the country in the middle of fucking nowhere so I already had a slim chance of meeting anyone and I doubt anyone’s gonna fuck with me now that I’m like this my doctors worth fuck all motherfucker couldn’t figure out the difference between a cold and a broken leg I’m just tired man I’m scared my life’s over all my freinds have moved off and have successful lives and here I am laying in bed watching YouTube playing video games I swear on everything if I can make a recovery whatsoever I’ll get what ever waivers necessary and I’m going straight to the damn army and getting the fuck outta here with the way I feel all I wanna do is drink or get high and both of those things just make this shit infinitely worse so I’m months sober and just depressed angry and have nothing ti do everyday all day life sucks and what happens if I don’t get better my parents eventually get tired of me and kick me to the streets I’m literally unable ti work and I don’t think you could even claim disability with this if you wanted too especially when dr fuck face won’t get a diagnosis so I guess I’ll just end up homeless and starving to death what a life…
submitted by Ok-You-7696 to venting [link] [comments]
2024.06.01 15:38 majapahit_arquebus A Hard Bargain
“Tick, tick, tick” an antique clock sang its rhythm.
Within a luxurious meeting room, an accord was about to be made. The negotiating parties included the Union of Terra and the Grand Duchy of Gaimellasz. Both nations had grown increasingly hostile towards one another, as straight lines on the galactic map had caused a border dispute.
It was common knowledge that violence is not always the answer. The price for bloodshed, more often than not, outweighed the benefits. You may receive a few systems, but for what? Millions, even billions could die in a single conflict. Those who lost their loved ones would ask for accountability, which would not bode well for the politician’s approval rating. And more importantly, wars tend to cause a dip in a nation’s GDP. No sane statesperson liked the idea of an economic recession.
And so, to avoid a wasteful war, both nations negotiated. The Carparkian Republic mediated the assembly, as well as providing a spot at their grand hotel.
And yet, despite being mediated by a third party;
despite being held in a room designed to ease hostilities with its grandeur;
and despite both sides having no desire for aggression;
Tensions still persisted within the atmosphere of the chamber. Nobody was willing to budge.
The Terran ambassador, Cyrus Rodriguez, sat at one side of the table with his entourage. His posture was firm. Across the table, Guhlor-Marrosz, the serpentlike Ducal envoy, seated straight alongside his assistants. He maintained a fierce eye contact with the human ambassador.
The uneasiness remained, until suddenly, it was disrupted by the avian Carparkian diplomat. “Perhaps the Terran side could readjust their demands?” The diplomat uttered. Tiredness was evident in her voice.
“Very well,” Cyrus spoke. “We are willing to compromise as long as we maintain our possession of the Gallibello System.”
Confusion reigned over the Gaimellasz envoy. Understandable, as the Gallibello System was exceptionally unexceptional. It boasted no resources of note. It was not located in a central position within the intragalactic network. The only central thing was the dim and trivial red star.
It was only one of the systems in the galaxy.
Perplexed, Guhlor raised a question. “Out of our curiosity, what is the significance of the Gallibello System?”
“The exact reasons for Gallibello’s strategic importance to the Union is not of your concerns." Cyrus stated. "However, you should understand that the system is relevant to our ‘Project Highway’.”
‘Project Highway’; one of the Union’s many industrial plans. While it was still ongoing, its impact on the Terran economy was evident. The Union became a manufacturing powerhouse, with factories churning out products that drowned the galactic market with consumer goods.
But what made a useless, backwater system so essential to this scheme? Had the Terrans discovered reserves of energy? Had they found deposits of rare minerals? Or perhaps an ancient artefact was buried somewhere in the system?
With these questions lying within his mind, Guhlor requested. “Our side of this negotiation wished for this meeting to be adjourned for the day and continued tomorrow.”
All sides, exhausted from the dialogue, agreed. All representatives stood up and left the room. On his way to an accommodation, the Gaimellasz envoy contacted the prime minister. They conversed on all possibilities for the Gallibello System; and reimagined how the disputed systems could be incorporated into their plans.
Perhaps the planetary bodies could be surveyed for exotic elements. Maybe Gallibello's sun emitted a special kind of radiation. Or possibly the debris within the system contained precursor technologies. Regardless of the possibilities...
...their perception had changed.
~~~
“Tick, tick, tick” an antique clock continued its rhythm.
Another day, another meeting. All sides of the negotiation sat down at their respective sides. The air of tension began to build up once more.
After a simple greeting, the Carparkian diplomat opened the mediation enthusiastically. Well, at least more than previously. “Perchance the Gaimellasz representatives would like to inform us of their revised demands?”
“We do,” Guhlor stated. “After much deliberation, we consider the Gallibello System to be central to our development projects as well.”
“Pardon me?” the Terran ambassador raised his voice. He was unmistakably confused. “As we have mentioned previously that system is crucial for our projects. What makes it so significant to your nation?”
“Ambassador Rodriguez, would you please calm your voice down.” The Carparkian diplomat mediated. “Ambassador Marrosz, would you like to elaborate?”
Hearing that, Guhlor replied smugly. “The exact reasons for Gallibello’s strategic importance to the Union is not of your concerns.”
The Terran ambassador closed his fist tightly. It seemed as if his plans were thwarted. Just as he opened his mouth -- ready to raise his voice once more -- his assistant tapped his shoulder to calm him down. They then had a short discussion.
“Very well,” Cyrus spoke. “Considering Gallibello’s prominence, we are willing to part with it ONLY IF the Grand Duchy is willing to also part with other disputed systems.”
Guhlor tried to maintain composure. He attempted to hide his joy; usually expressed via his species’ equivalent to a smile. Which, coincidentally, is a smile. He felt victorious, as the Terrans were unable to hide their petty schemes from the Grand Duchy.
“That seems to be an appropriate demand.” The Gaimellasz ambassador spoke. “Perhaps an agreement is achievable, after all.”
After a lengthy discussion, both sides settled. The Grand Duchy receives the valuable Gallibello System. While the Union received the rest of the disputed territories.
In an instant, Guhlor-Marrosz became a celebrity. He became a household name, for his achievements of ruining the Union of Terra’s plots.
He became known as the person who provided Gallibello to the Grand Duchy.
~~~
10 years after the agreement…
“Tick, tick, tick” a different antique clock sang its rhythm with a Gaimellasz accent.
In an office in the Gallibello System, Guhlor-Marrosz sat at his desk. His face pressed into the table. Overwhelmed.
A few years after the agreement, the Ducal Government followed through with their revised plans.
They tried to explore the system for energy reserves.
Nothing.
They tried to find any rare mineral deposits.
Nothing.
They tried to excavate to find any ancient artefacts.
Still nothing.
The only thing they managed to build in the system was a glorified warehouse.
On the Terran’s side, however, their systems flourished. They managed to find plentiful reserves of resources for their ‘Project Highway’. New companies -- both private and government-owned -- were set up and extracted the area’s boundless deposits. Some strategic systems were transformed into logistics hubs that could deliver goods swiftly to the Union’s trade partners.
After seeing what a failure the deal had turned out, the Ducal Cabinet was displeased. They repositioned Guhlor as the governor for the Gallibello System. Fortunately for him, he had nothing much to do in this assignment. Unfortunately for him, he had nothing much to do in this assignment. And now, he could only waste away in his office, wondering when things went wrong. If only, back then, he knew…
…that there was no “Gullible” written on the ceiling.
submitted by majapahit_arquebus to HFY [link] [comments]
Within a luxurious meeting room, an accord was about to be made. The negotiating parties included the Union of Terra and the Grand Duchy of Gaimellasz. Both nations had grown increasingly hostile towards one another, as straight lines on the galactic map had caused a border dispute.
It was common knowledge that violence is not always the answer. The price for bloodshed, more often than not, outweighed the benefits. You may receive a few systems, but for what? Millions, even billions could die in a single conflict. Those who lost their loved ones would ask for accountability, which would not bode well for the politician’s approval rating. And more importantly, wars tend to cause a dip in a nation’s GDP. No sane statesperson liked the idea of an economic recession.
And so, to avoid a wasteful war, both nations negotiated. The Carparkian Republic mediated the assembly, as well as providing a spot at their grand hotel.
And yet, despite being mediated by a third party;
despite being held in a room designed to ease hostilities with its grandeur;
and despite both sides having no desire for aggression;
Tensions still persisted within the atmosphere of the chamber. Nobody was willing to budge.
The Terran ambassador, Cyrus Rodriguez, sat at one side of the table with his entourage. His posture was firm. Across the table, Guhlor-Marrosz, the serpentlike Ducal envoy, seated straight alongside his assistants. He maintained a fierce eye contact with the human ambassador.
The uneasiness remained, until suddenly, it was disrupted by the avian Carparkian diplomat. “Perhaps the Terran side could readjust their demands?” The diplomat uttered. Tiredness was evident in her voice.
“Very well,” Cyrus spoke. “We are willing to compromise as long as we maintain our possession of the Gallibello System.”
Confusion reigned over the Gaimellasz envoy. Understandable, as the Gallibello System was exceptionally unexceptional. It boasted no resources of note. It was not located in a central position within the intragalactic network. The only central thing was the dim and trivial red star.
It was only one of the systems in the galaxy.
Perplexed, Guhlor raised a question. “Out of our curiosity, what is the significance of the Gallibello System?”
“The exact reasons for Gallibello’s strategic importance to the Union is not of your concerns." Cyrus stated. "However, you should understand that the system is relevant to our ‘Project Highway’.”
‘Project Highway’; one of the Union’s many industrial plans. While it was still ongoing, its impact on the Terran economy was evident. The Union became a manufacturing powerhouse, with factories churning out products that drowned the galactic market with consumer goods.
But what made a useless, backwater system so essential to this scheme? Had the Terrans discovered reserves of energy? Had they found deposits of rare minerals? Or perhaps an ancient artefact was buried somewhere in the system?
With these questions lying within his mind, Guhlor requested. “Our side of this negotiation wished for this meeting to be adjourned for the day and continued tomorrow.”
All sides, exhausted from the dialogue, agreed. All representatives stood up and left the room. On his way to an accommodation, the Gaimellasz envoy contacted the prime minister. They conversed on all possibilities for the Gallibello System; and reimagined how the disputed systems could be incorporated into their plans.
Perhaps the planetary bodies could be surveyed for exotic elements. Maybe Gallibello's sun emitted a special kind of radiation. Or possibly the debris within the system contained precursor technologies. Regardless of the possibilities...
...their perception had changed.
~~~
“Tick, tick, tick” an antique clock continued its rhythm.
Another day, another meeting. All sides of the negotiation sat down at their respective sides. The air of tension began to build up once more.
After a simple greeting, the Carparkian diplomat opened the mediation enthusiastically. Well, at least more than previously. “Perchance the Gaimellasz representatives would like to inform us of their revised demands?”
“We do,” Guhlor stated. “After much deliberation, we consider the Gallibello System to be central to our development projects as well.”
“Pardon me?” the Terran ambassador raised his voice. He was unmistakably confused. “As we have mentioned previously that system is crucial for our projects. What makes it so significant to your nation?”
“Ambassador Rodriguez, would you please calm your voice down.” The Carparkian diplomat mediated. “Ambassador Marrosz, would you like to elaborate?”
Hearing that, Guhlor replied smugly. “The exact reasons for Gallibello’s strategic importance to the Union is not of your concerns.”
The Terran ambassador closed his fist tightly. It seemed as if his plans were thwarted. Just as he opened his mouth -- ready to raise his voice once more -- his assistant tapped his shoulder to calm him down. They then had a short discussion.
“Very well,” Cyrus spoke. “Considering Gallibello’s prominence, we are willing to part with it ONLY IF the Grand Duchy is willing to also part with other disputed systems.”
Guhlor tried to maintain composure. He attempted to hide his joy; usually expressed via his species’ equivalent to a smile. Which, coincidentally, is a smile. He felt victorious, as the Terrans were unable to hide their petty schemes from the Grand Duchy.
“That seems to be an appropriate demand.” The Gaimellasz ambassador spoke. “Perhaps an agreement is achievable, after all.”
After a lengthy discussion, both sides settled. The Grand Duchy receives the valuable Gallibello System. While the Union received the rest of the disputed territories.
In an instant, Guhlor-Marrosz became a celebrity. He became a household name, for his achievements of ruining the Union of Terra’s plots.
He became known as the person who provided Gallibello to the Grand Duchy.
~~~
10 years after the agreement…
“Tick, tick, tick” a different antique clock sang its rhythm with a Gaimellasz accent.
In an office in the Gallibello System, Guhlor-Marrosz sat at his desk. His face pressed into the table. Overwhelmed.
A few years after the agreement, the Ducal Government followed through with their revised plans.
They tried to explore the system for energy reserves.
Nothing.
They tried to find any rare mineral deposits.
Nothing.
They tried to excavate to find any ancient artefacts.
Still nothing.
The only thing they managed to build in the system was a glorified warehouse.
On the Terran’s side, however, their systems flourished. They managed to find plentiful reserves of resources for their ‘Project Highway’. New companies -- both private and government-owned -- were set up and extracted the area’s boundless deposits. Some strategic systems were transformed into logistics hubs that could deliver goods swiftly to the Union’s trade partners.
After seeing what a failure the deal had turned out, the Ducal Cabinet was displeased. They repositioned Guhlor as the governor for the Gallibello System. Fortunately for him, he had nothing much to do in this assignment. Unfortunately for him, he had nothing much to do in this assignment. And now, he could only waste away in his office, wondering when things went wrong. If only, back then, he knew…
…that there was no “Gullible” written on the ceiling.
2024.06.01 15:36 kenUdigitt Novel Chapter 426
Disclaimer: I do not speak Korean. This is purely translated by machine with a lot of cleanup afterward. With that in mind, I am open to criticism to improve these translations. Enjoy!
Chapter 426
Whoosh!
The instant he confronted the colossal Fire Dragon emerging from the spearhead, the Arch Lich had a stark realization.
'It's too late.'
The attack was inescapable.
His unspoken spell and the nearly completed magic dissipated among the abrupt inferno that enveloped him.
Radiating the Fire of Calamity, the Fire Dragon opened its gaping maw towards the paralyzed Arch Lich, who had become numb to even pain.
Boom!
A draconian roar accompanied by billowing blue flames engulfed everything. The air warped, and the searing heat vaporized all in its path.
The Arch Lich felt his magical barriers and shields dissolving, reviving sensations he thought he had long forgotten.
'It's hot.'
Roar!
The blue Fire of Calamity dominated his vision. The Fire Dragon, unrelenting, swept over him and continued its relentless flight.
Its target was the enormous black Gate at the heart of the devastated city.
Wait, it was hurtling towards the Gate.
'No!'
In a surge of panic, the Arch Lich's red eyes widened, and he extended his hand futilely as the Fire Dragon consumed the Gate, nearly equal in size.
At that moment, when the flames met the extraordinary magical power fueled by the life force of countless humans, a blinding explosion erupted.
Boom!
A pillar of light visible from vast distances ascended.
Darkness clashed with blue flames, merging rapidly. The stripped skyscrapers that had barely held against the onslaught now crumbled, unleashing a ring of tempestuous winds.
Gurgurrrrrugug.
An unspeakable roar and tremor shook the earth.
The ash-gray sky cracked open, and the dense fog smothering the city dispersed like a dispelled illusion.
Then, as if it were all a fleeting dream, a tranquil silence descended.
'Ah.'
With a vacant stare, the Arch Lich surveyed the landscape.
The scene was ostensibly unchanged, yet he knew — everything, including himself, had irreversibly transformed. It had all crumbled, like a sandcastle at high tide.
Slowly, the Arch Lich turned his gaze. The trembling red glow fell upon a figure, imposing as a steel tower.
- I should have killed you.
A declaration that pierced the stillness.
Pale as death, Jin Tae-Kyung spoke. Despite appearing on the brink of collapse from the physical toll and mental strain of endless battles, his voice retained its unwavering force.
"I know. Why didn't you kill me quickly?"
The Arch Lich's lips sealed shut. The missed chance to end Jin Tae-Kyung's life was his error.
A lapse in vigilance had undone everything.
'My King, please forgive this disloyal servant.'
The Arch Lich sought forgiveness from his King, wherever he might be.
Had he not hesitated, had he slain Jin Tae-Kyung before the human's monstrous ally was reborn and drove that cursed sword into his chest... all would have unfolded as ordained.
He would have endured, finalized the Gate, and unleashed legions of monsters to devastate humanity and ignite their cities.
All while anticipating the return of the formidable King.
Yet, his flawless scheme had crumbled spectacularly.
All due to one man — Jin Tae-Kyung.
The crimson in the Arch Lich's eyes ignited with dwindling power.
He silently vowed vengeance, and his oath of retribution echoed towards Jin Tae-Kyung.
- Remember me. One day, I will trample your souls with my bare feet.
Jin Tae-Kyung spat out a glob of phlegm.
"The one that's about to die always spouts bullshit. How about you try calling Asmodeus a bastard instead? If you do, I may consider ending this quickly."
The Skeleton King hesitated before speaking.
- Asmodeus, you bastard...
"Not you."
- Ah, I know. I just wanted to try it once. But it feels wrong to say such disrespectful words.
"Why? You're a king now, too."
- Yes, that's right.
By the River of Death, he swore to tear those two apart.
The Arch Lich extended both hands towards Jin Tae-Kyung and the Skeleton King.
His skeletal fingers tightened as if to obliterate them from a distance, yet nothing ensued.
Instead, a stray wind caressed his entire form.
Swoosh.
It was disintegration. Beginning with the Arch Lich's hands, his very essence started to erode.
Arms, legs, torso, and at last, the skull housing the dimming red glow.
- Please survive. Until the day we meet again... [Note: the second villain who wishes the MC a long life.]
A voice steeped in bitterness mingled with the wind and faded away.
The growing tempest scattered the ashes that were once the Arch Lich.
As it howled, its reach extended to everything within the radius of One Strike, leaving behind a desolate landscape of collapsed skyscrapers, heaps of concrete, overturned vehicles, and lifeless bodies...
And the unfinished colossal Gate, which might have sparked an even more catastrophic war.
Whoosh.
In the midst of this desolation, Jin Tae-Kyung stood in silence, a solitary chime ringing in his ears, audible only to him amidst the chaos.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
A flood of System notifications clouded his vision, signaling the end of the ordeal.
Yet, Jin Tae-Kyung’s body, drained of all energy, began to sway towards the earth.
'I did it.'
With that single thought, he surrendered to a profound and serene slumber.
And the Skeleton King, carefully catching the falling form of Jin Tae-Kyung, could see it.
The faint smile spreading across his lips.
- You've worked hard.
Wicked but still a decent human, he murmured to himself.
Intent on transporting Jin Tae-Kyung to a place of rest and safety, the Skeleton King suddenly recalled something he had forgotten.
- Oh, right. The sword.
Was it called 'Hero's Soul'? He wasn't sure who had named it, but it was certain that a mysterious power was imbued in it.
It was thanks to that sword that he, once a Skeleton Warlord on the verge of extinction, had been awakened and able to deal a serious blow to the dreadful Arch Lich.
- I almost forgot. I must make sure to take it.
Locating the sword didn't take long. It had lain quietly at the spot where the Arch Lich last stood, embedded in its chest until the final moments.
Yet, as the Skeleton King lifted the [Hero's Soul], confusion furrowed his brow.
- Hmm, something feels off.
It was a strange sensation, difficult to explain.
It might be accurate to say that while it remained a legendary sword, its mystical aura seemed somewhat diminished.
- Did I pick up the wrong sword?
But despite a thorough search and close inspection of the sword, nothing seemed amiss.
After some contemplation, scratching his golden skull, the Skeleton King concluded.
- Hmm. It must be the right one, I suppose.
He thought it was just a momentary feeling. The sword he remembered looked the same, and he had seen it fall from Arch Lich's chest at the last moment.
'But why does this feel so unsettling?'
It was a perplexing anomaly. The Skeleton King shook his head and tucked the sword between his pelvic bones for safekeeping.
As he approached the fallen Jin Tae-Kyung, he remained oblivious.
Unseen by him, as Jin Tae-Kyung succumbed to unconsciousness, drained of all strength, a mist-like black energy mingled with the dispersing wind.
Simultaneously, the golden light that had clung to the [Hero's Soul] disapeared from the sword as it pursued this dark essence.
But this light was not merely riding the wind.
The black energy, intertwined with the wind, drifted along until his path was obstructed.
The Arch Lich, now merely a feeble fragment of his former soul, widened his eyes at the dazzling golden light shimmering before him.
'Such an absurdity.'
Before dissolving, the Arch Lich’s final words to Jin Tae-Kyung and the Skeleton King were sincere.
He vowed a swift return, ready to drench the land with blood, wielding greater power and commanding a vaster horde of monsters than ever before.
Life Force Vessel.
A high-level dark magic exclusive to the undead, capable of preserving fragments of souls, was thought to prevent eternal obliteration. [Note: like a horcrux from Harry Potter.]
Or so he had thought, until that resplendent golden light intercepted him.
- What are you?
Now reduced to a mere sliver of a soul, the Arch Lich was no match for the brilliance emanating from the light.
Mixed emotions of anger, astonishment, and fear intensified the black energy.
Despite the Arch Lich’s thoughts reaching out, the golden light remained impassive, merely intensifying its radiance and expanding in size.
Then, the Arch Lich understood the true essence of the light.
It was not magic but a soul. The soul of someone he had once crushed and defiled. Though formless, it persisted within the sword, sustained solely by sheer will.
The Arch Lich suddenly recalled one of the memories he had buried deep in his mind.
'You are noble, human. What is your name?'
On that day of carnage, where blood ran like rivers and corpses mounted like hills, amidst ruins and death, one human stood defiant till the end.
- Lei Fei.
The movement of the Arch Lich, or rather the black energy, halted abruptly.
The brilliant golden light burst forth from the void, enveloping him like a tidal wave.
Whoosh!
'...Damn it all.'
And those were the Arch Lich's final thoughts.
* * *
The atmosphere on the battlefield, where the main forces congregated, was electric.
As the S-rank Hunters and a contingent of troops moved to the rear to forge a pathway for the suicide squad, tens of thousands of monsters capitalized on the opportunity to launch an assault.
「Fire Rain!」
Boom!
From the back lines, the mage unit unleashed their area-wide magic, and a torrential downpour of fire descended upon the enemy.
In that moment, as hundreds of monsters were reduced to cinders, the mages' fists clenched in grim resolve.
Squeal! Crack!
「...Huh?」
One mage, his face etched with confusion, wiped away the blood that had splashed across his features.
The face of his comrade, who had shared a smile just moments ago, was obliterated. No, it had been blown apart.
This was the work of a black lance, piercing through the air like a beam of light from a distance.
Squeal, boom!
Another lance hurtled through the air, impaling several mages before their screams could even begin.
「Aaagh!」
「Death Knights! It's Death Knights!」
「Damn it, what the hell are you talking about! Weren't they all dealt with?」
「No, it seems not! It looks like they had hidden some elite monsters among them!」
This foreboding pronouncement quickly became a gruesome reality.
With the S-rank Hunters away, elite monsters emerged on the battlefield, initiating a brutal massacre.
Screech!
Boom!
Death Knights, Liches, and scores of invisible Wyverns materialized, unleashing a ruthless onslaught.
As people fell and monsters advanced without pause, a profound despair settled over those who fought desperately to hold their ground.
Even if the S-rank Hunters were present, this battle would have been tough to emerge victorious from.
'It's all over.'
And just when all seemed lost, as they braced for death.
Swoosh!
The blade of a Death Knight, caught mid-slash through a victim, suddenly halted.
No, it disintegrated into ash.
"W-what is this...?"
A hunter who had narrowly escaped death looked around in astonishment.
It was a sight beyond belief.
First, hundreds fell, then thousands disintegrated.
Before long, tens of thousands of monsters were disintegrating into ash and collapsing.
Swoosh.
It was the beginning of the end.
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Chapter 426
Whoosh!
The instant he confronted the colossal Fire Dragon emerging from the spearhead, the Arch Lich had a stark realization.
'It's too late.'
The attack was inescapable.
His unspoken spell and the nearly completed magic dissipated among the abrupt inferno that enveloped him.
Radiating the Fire of Calamity, the Fire Dragon opened its gaping maw towards the paralyzed Arch Lich, who had become numb to even pain.
Boom!
A draconian roar accompanied by billowing blue flames engulfed everything. The air warped, and the searing heat vaporized all in its path.
The Arch Lich felt his magical barriers and shields dissolving, reviving sensations he thought he had long forgotten.
'It's hot.'
Roar!
The blue Fire of Calamity dominated his vision. The Fire Dragon, unrelenting, swept over him and continued its relentless flight.
Its target was the enormous black Gate at the heart of the devastated city.
Wait, it was hurtling towards the Gate.
'No!'
In a surge of panic, the Arch Lich's red eyes widened, and he extended his hand futilely as the Fire Dragon consumed the Gate, nearly equal in size.
At that moment, when the flames met the extraordinary magical power fueled by the life force of countless humans, a blinding explosion erupted.
Boom!
A pillar of light visible from vast distances ascended.
Darkness clashed with blue flames, merging rapidly. The stripped skyscrapers that had barely held against the onslaught now crumbled, unleashing a ring of tempestuous winds.
Gurgurrrrrugug.
An unspeakable roar and tremor shook the earth.
The ash-gray sky cracked open, and the dense fog smothering the city dispersed like a dispelled illusion.
Then, as if it were all a fleeting dream, a tranquil silence descended.
'Ah.'
With a vacant stare, the Arch Lich surveyed the landscape.
The scene was ostensibly unchanged, yet he knew — everything, including himself, had irreversibly transformed. It had all crumbled, like a sandcastle at high tide.
Slowly, the Arch Lich turned his gaze. The trembling red glow fell upon a figure, imposing as a steel tower.
- I should have killed you.
A declaration that pierced the stillness.
Pale as death, Jin Tae-Kyung spoke. Despite appearing on the brink of collapse from the physical toll and mental strain of endless battles, his voice retained its unwavering force.
"I know. Why didn't you kill me quickly?"
The Arch Lich's lips sealed shut. The missed chance to end Jin Tae-Kyung's life was his error.
A lapse in vigilance had undone everything.
'My King, please forgive this disloyal servant.'
The Arch Lich sought forgiveness from his King, wherever he might be.
Had he not hesitated, had he slain Jin Tae-Kyung before the human's monstrous ally was reborn and drove that cursed sword into his chest... all would have unfolded as ordained.
He would have endured, finalized the Gate, and unleashed legions of monsters to devastate humanity and ignite their cities.
All while anticipating the return of the formidable King.
Yet, his flawless scheme had crumbled spectacularly.
All due to one man — Jin Tae-Kyung.
The crimson in the Arch Lich's eyes ignited with dwindling power.
He silently vowed vengeance, and his oath of retribution echoed towards Jin Tae-Kyung.
- Remember me. One day, I will trample your souls with my bare feet.
Jin Tae-Kyung spat out a glob of phlegm.
"The one that's about to die always spouts bullshit. How about you try calling Asmodeus a bastard instead? If you do, I may consider ending this quickly."
The Skeleton King hesitated before speaking.
- Asmodeus, you bastard...
"Not you."
- Ah, I know. I just wanted to try it once. But it feels wrong to say such disrespectful words.
"Why? You're a king now, too."
- Yes, that's right.
By the River of Death, he swore to tear those two apart.
The Arch Lich extended both hands towards Jin Tae-Kyung and the Skeleton King.
His skeletal fingers tightened as if to obliterate them from a distance, yet nothing ensued.
Instead, a stray wind caressed his entire form.
Swoosh.
It was disintegration. Beginning with the Arch Lich's hands, his very essence started to erode.
Arms, legs, torso, and at last, the skull housing the dimming red glow.
- Please survive. Until the day we meet again... [Note: the second villain who wishes the MC a long life.]
A voice steeped in bitterness mingled with the wind and faded away.
The growing tempest scattered the ashes that were once the Arch Lich.
As it howled, its reach extended to everything within the radius of One Strike, leaving behind a desolate landscape of collapsed skyscrapers, heaps of concrete, overturned vehicles, and lifeless bodies...
And the unfinished colossal Gate, which might have sparked an even more catastrophic war.
Whoosh.
In the midst of this desolation, Jin Tae-Kyung stood in silence, a solitary chime ringing in his ears, audible only to him amidst the chaos.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
A flood of System notifications clouded his vision, signaling the end of the ordeal.
Yet, Jin Tae-Kyung’s body, drained of all energy, began to sway towards the earth.
'I did it.'
With that single thought, he surrendered to a profound and serene slumber.
And the Skeleton King, carefully catching the falling form of Jin Tae-Kyung, could see it.
The faint smile spreading across his lips.
- You've worked hard.
Wicked but still a decent human, he murmured to himself.
Intent on transporting Jin Tae-Kyung to a place of rest and safety, the Skeleton King suddenly recalled something he had forgotten.
- Oh, right. The sword.
Was it called 'Hero's Soul'? He wasn't sure who had named it, but it was certain that a mysterious power was imbued in it.
It was thanks to that sword that he, once a Skeleton Warlord on the verge of extinction, had been awakened and able to deal a serious blow to the dreadful Arch Lich.
- I almost forgot. I must make sure to take it.
Locating the sword didn't take long. It had lain quietly at the spot where the Arch Lich last stood, embedded in its chest until the final moments.
Yet, as the Skeleton King lifted the [Hero's Soul], confusion furrowed his brow.
- Hmm, something feels off.
It was a strange sensation, difficult to explain.
It might be accurate to say that while it remained a legendary sword, its mystical aura seemed somewhat diminished.
- Did I pick up the wrong sword?
But despite a thorough search and close inspection of the sword, nothing seemed amiss.
After some contemplation, scratching his golden skull, the Skeleton King concluded.
- Hmm. It must be the right one, I suppose.
He thought it was just a momentary feeling. The sword he remembered looked the same, and he had seen it fall from Arch Lich's chest at the last moment.
'But why does this feel so unsettling?'
It was a perplexing anomaly. The Skeleton King shook his head and tucked the sword between his pelvic bones for safekeeping.
As he approached the fallen Jin Tae-Kyung, he remained oblivious.
Unseen by him, as Jin Tae-Kyung succumbed to unconsciousness, drained of all strength, a mist-like black energy mingled with the dispersing wind.
Simultaneously, the golden light that had clung to the [Hero's Soul] disapeared from the sword as it pursued this dark essence.
But this light was not merely riding the wind.
The black energy, intertwined with the wind, drifted along until his path was obstructed.
The Arch Lich, now merely a feeble fragment of his former soul, widened his eyes at the dazzling golden light shimmering before him.
'Such an absurdity.'
Before dissolving, the Arch Lich’s final words to Jin Tae-Kyung and the Skeleton King were sincere.
He vowed a swift return, ready to drench the land with blood, wielding greater power and commanding a vaster horde of monsters than ever before.
Life Force Vessel.
A high-level dark magic exclusive to the undead, capable of preserving fragments of souls, was thought to prevent eternal obliteration. [Note: like a horcrux from Harry Potter.]
Or so he had thought, until that resplendent golden light intercepted him.
- What are you?
Now reduced to a mere sliver of a soul, the Arch Lich was no match for the brilliance emanating from the light.
Mixed emotions of anger, astonishment, and fear intensified the black energy.
Despite the Arch Lich’s thoughts reaching out, the golden light remained impassive, merely intensifying its radiance and expanding in size.
Then, the Arch Lich understood the true essence of the light.
It was not magic but a soul. The soul of someone he had once crushed and defiled. Though formless, it persisted within the sword, sustained solely by sheer will.
The Arch Lich suddenly recalled one of the memories he had buried deep in his mind.
'You are noble, human. What is your name?'
On that day of carnage, where blood ran like rivers and corpses mounted like hills, amidst ruins and death, one human stood defiant till the end.
- Lei Fei.
The movement of the Arch Lich, or rather the black energy, halted abruptly.
The brilliant golden light burst forth from the void, enveloping him like a tidal wave.
Whoosh!
'...Damn it all.'
And those were the Arch Lich's final thoughts.
* * *
The atmosphere on the battlefield, where the main forces congregated, was electric.
As the S-rank Hunters and a contingent of troops moved to the rear to forge a pathway for the suicide squad, tens of thousands of monsters capitalized on the opportunity to launch an assault.
「Fire Rain!」
Boom!
From the back lines, the mage unit unleashed their area-wide magic, and a torrential downpour of fire descended upon the enemy.
In that moment, as hundreds of monsters were reduced to cinders, the mages' fists clenched in grim resolve.
Squeal! Crack!
「...Huh?」
One mage, his face etched with confusion, wiped away the blood that had splashed across his features.
The face of his comrade, who had shared a smile just moments ago, was obliterated. No, it had been blown apart.
This was the work of a black lance, piercing through the air like a beam of light from a distance.
Squeal, boom!
Another lance hurtled through the air, impaling several mages before their screams could even begin.
「Aaagh!」
「Death Knights! It's Death Knights!」
「Damn it, what the hell are you talking about! Weren't they all dealt with?」
「No, it seems not! It looks like they had hidden some elite monsters among them!」
This foreboding pronouncement quickly became a gruesome reality.
With the S-rank Hunters away, elite monsters emerged on the battlefield, initiating a brutal massacre.
Screech!
Boom!
Death Knights, Liches, and scores of invisible Wyverns materialized, unleashing a ruthless onslaught.
As people fell and monsters advanced without pause, a profound despair settled over those who fought desperately to hold their ground.
Even if the S-rank Hunters were present, this battle would have been tough to emerge victorious from.
'It's all over.'
And just when all seemed lost, as they braced for death.
Swoosh!
The blade of a Death Knight, caught mid-slash through a victim, suddenly halted.
No, it disintegrated into ash.
"W-what is this...?"
A hunter who had narrowly escaped death looked around in astonishment.
It was a sight beyond belief.
First, hundreds fell, then thousands disintegrated.
Before long, tens of thousands of monsters were disintegrating into ash and collapsing.
Swoosh.
It was the beginning of the end.
2024.06.01 15:34 kenUdigitt Novel Chapter 424
Disclaimer: I do not speak Korean. This is purely translated by machine with a lot of cleanup afterward. With that in mind, I am open to criticism to improve these translations. Enjoy!
Chapter 424
Kwaaaaah!
Engulfed in searing blue flames, the vortex devoured everything in its path,
Buildings crumbled - their concrete skeletons exposed and steel frames twisted grotesquely. The ground was littered with the scattered bodies of humans and monsters alike, casualties of the relentless destruction.
The ultra-high heat obliterated nearly everything, reducing it all to ash and molten remnants.
Except for one.
- Blink.
Everything but him.
Beep.
- Skill, [One Strike] has been activated!
- [Qi] has been completely exhausted!
- Everything comes with a price. Despite serious injuries, you have overexerted your power.
- Status abnormality, [Exhaustion] has been applied!
- [Strength], [Stamina], [Agility] have temporarily plummeted!
My strength ebbed away, leaving me hollow. The alerts from the System rang incessantly in my ears, while the distant cries of the Skeleton Warlord in my inventory faded to mere whispers.
My body felt leaden, as though submerged in icy water. In the frigid solitude of my mind, one thought spun relentlessly:
'This was my last chance.'
Why hadn’t I seen it coming? Why hadn’t I guessed?
The Arch Lich had warned me; he had been observing me through his network of familiars scattered across the battlefield.
I should have suspected he'd seen my earlier uses of [One Strike] on the Liches and Death Knights.
I should have questioned it, even without certainty.
‘Idiot.’
A laugh, bitter and mocking, broke from my lips. I had promised myself never to let down my guard, yet here I was, caught in the most critical of errors.
The lack of options was no excuse. In battle, it is the outcome that counts, not the intent. This was the bitter fruit of my negligence.
Thud!
The iron bar I clutched fell from my weakening grasp, clanging loudly as it hit the ground. My legs buckled, forcing me to kneel.
Head bowed, I was enveloped by a suffocating darkness.
- You, human. How does it feel to pay the price for your reckless courage?
Struggling to lift my head, I locked eyes with his fiery red gaze. A hoarse whisper clawed its way through my parched throat.
"Of course it feels shitty, you damn bastard."
- It was a fearsome strike. I'll give you that much praise.
The Arch Lich’s voice dripped with triumph.
Despite his use of teleportation magic, he couldn’t entirely evade One Strike, resulting in the loss of his left arm. Yet, there he stood, a grim victor amidst the chaos of the battlefield.
His eyes, a sinister red, gleamed with a cruel joy as he gazed down at me, kneeling like a penitent sinner.
- I waited until the end. Despite the humiliation suffered at the hands of a human, I endured and persevered. And finally... this body claims victory.
His cunning was undeniable.
As I had feared, he had been anticipating One Strike from the outset.
Previously, I had obliterated Liches and Death Knights with One Strike, replenishing my stamina through leveling up, but he had keenly observed the moment I depleted all my strength.
- Do you understand now? This is your limit - the limit of a human.
Limit.
That word burrowed deeply into my chest.
Despite all my struggles, the label of F-rank haunted me. It was a limit I had strived to surpass every day since acquiring the System.
'Is this really the end?'
I had fought desperately, for myself and for those I loved, pushing through peril after peril. This was my life: a relentless challenge of transcending my own boundaries.
"It's not over... not yet."
The words fell from my lips, hollow and lifeless, as if spoken by another.
My vision blurred as I raised my eyes to meet the Arch Lich’s gaze.
- What?
"It's not over yet."
A battle to the death concludes only when one side falls and the other stands victorious.
Until then, the struggle persists.
As death loomed close, I whispered to myself.
'Inventory open. Summon.'
I thought I had secured one of the spears from my inventory in my grasp.
But then, I dropped it.
Clang!
In that moment, I realized my strength had waned too far to wield a spear, let alone swing it.
- Hahahaha!
The Arch Lich’s laughter was grotesque, reveling in my plight.
Yet, surrender was not an option for me. I would not, could not give up.
'Open Inventory. Summon.'
Weapon after weapon appeared in my hands.
Thud!
And one by one, I dropped them.
'Open Inventory. Summon.'
Thud!
- Oh, you foolish, stupid human!
The Arch Lich's mockery rang out.
Yet I persisted, undeterred.
Is it courageous to humbly accept one's end? If that is courage, then label me a coward.
I must survive — I believed this was the highest respect I could pay to the life I had fought so hard to live.
'Open Inventory. Summon.'
It was at that very moment.
Ding.
- [Endurance] greatly increases.
- The attribute, [Endurance], transforms into [Will]!
- Those with strong will are not easily broken; they do not fall. They will fight with all their might until the very end.
- A strong will, at times, can give you the power to overcome your limits!
- Special effect, [Indomitable], has been activated. Temporarily, all attributes slightly increase, and fatigue is reduced!
A surge of warmth spread through my core, faint yet fiercer than any force I had known.
It wasn't just a burst of power.
It was a beacon of hope kindled by my desperation and given by the System.
With hands shaking, I clasped the cold spear shaft firmly.
- You...
The Arch Lich had noticed the shift too.
His gaze, previously dismissive as if I was merely an exhibit, now widened in alarm. Seizing the moment, I mustered all my remaining strength and lunged forward.
Time seemed to stretch, elongating the seconds as I thrust the spear towards his looming figure.
Screeeeech!
As the spear tore through the air with a sonic boom, I saw it clearly — the Arch Lich’s eyes, twisted into a crescent of scorn.
It was a sneer.
- Blood Explosion.
Boom!
The force of the explosion reverberated through my body, sending shockwaves pulsing through every fiber.
With the last of my strength spent, my muscles seized up. The spear slipped from my weakened grip and impaled the ground at an awkward angle.
I blinked through eyes filled with blood. In a world now painted a visceral red, something warm and sticky splattered onto my face.
Drip, drip-drip.
'...Ah.'
It was blood.
My own blood, spurting forth like a gruesome fountain, showered down in a macabre rain.
As I raised my trembling hands, quivering like aspen leaves in a storm, the ghastly sight of my shredded flesh and starkly exposed bones confronted me.
Blood Explosion. A literal explosion of blood.
From the edges of my dimming consciousness, the cries of the Skeleton Warlord pierced the air.
- ...Human, human!
How long had he been shouting?
I tried to answer, but all that escaped my lips was a grotesque mix of blood and fragments of my organs.
"Cough."
The world spun chaotically before my eyes.
I reached out toward the Arch Lich, now just a blur through the blood-smeared lens of my vision, but my hand grasped only air.
Perhaps it always would.
- Snap out of it! Aren't you supposed to live?
Is that supposed to be encouragement?
I knew I had to survive, defeat him, and return home.
But...
'Can I really?'
Slowly, the world seemed to tilt.
No, the world was stable; it was I who was faltering. My body, ravaged by relentless bleeding and grievous injuries, used the last vestiges of its strength just to keep from collapsing.
'No. If I fall, it's all over.'
I propped myself up on a broken ankle.
The faint, thorn-like pain was a grim reminder that I was dying, yet the intermittent shouts from the Skeleton Warlord, sounding through the haze like a broken radio, affirmed that I was still somehow alive.
- ...Do it, human! Hurry!
Do it? Do what?
- Summon me now...!
My eardrums were ruptured, my consciousness slipping; the Skeleton Warlord's shouts were just muffled echoes in my shattered senses.
Even if I could have made out his words, there was nothing I could do to intercept the Arch Lich's next move.
- You have some interesting possessions.
Suddenly, in the Arch Lich's hand was a familiar object.
My cherished weapon, White Flames, which had weathered many battles at my side, now blazed in the hands of this usurper. He laughed, his skeletal frame aglow within the dancing flames.
- I have received a gift far too extravagant. I suppose it should be returned to its owner.
The Arch Lich drew back his arm. A potent magic dampened the inferno of White Flames and surged along the spear’s blade.
- Farewell, noble adversary — or perhaps just a fool who might have been something more.
Screech!
The sonic boom was fleeting, yet the moment stretched into an eternity.
I watched, mute, as White Flames hurtled towards me like a meteor. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my mind, leading me to an inevitable conclusion.
'I can't avoid it.'
Then the only end left for me was death.
I had survived countless battles over the past seven years, but never had the specter of death loomed so palpably.
All I could do was witness its relentless advance.
'Yes, this is the end.'
I repeated the thought with eerie calm.
Crack!
The blade of White Flames cleaved through bone as it impaled me squarely in the chest.
I froze, eyes wide in shock — not pain.
"...You."
- Why, what?
Words failed me as I stared into the flickering blue eyes just inches from my face.
From a skull no larger than a soccer ball, the Skeleton Warlord had morphed into a towering figure over two meters tall, his voice blunt and confounding.
- Don't ask how I was able to get out on my own. Even this commander doesn't understand why.
"But why? ...Why?"
I asked, facing him.
The blade of the spear, protruding from the Skeleton Warlord's back to his chest, halted just a whisper away from piercing me.
If no one had intervened, I would have surely died.
He had just thrown himself to save my life.
- ...I don't know anymore. Damn it. I don't know anything now. Maybe I was enchanted by this sword.
Only then did I recognize the identity of the sword in the Skeleton Warlord's hand.
"Hero's Soul."
The only relic of Lei Fei, a sword that cannot be wielded by those who are not qualified to be heroes.
Yet here it was.
Held not by a hero, but by a Named Monster — the Skeleton Warlord.
- Hero's Soul, huh? For something made by humans, that's a pretty decent name. No, honestly, it's cool. Although it's too late to swing it properly now...
His voice trailed off, and the intense blue light in his eyes began to fade.
I understood what was happening to him.
'Extinction.'
Undoubtedly. Even now, the magical force of the Arch Lich, carried by the blade of White Flames, was devouring the Skeleton Warlord.
"You."
- Don't say any more. I'm already regretting this as it is.
I doubted his sincerity, especially given the soft chuckle that seemed at odds with his typically gruff demeanor.
- Human. There's something I'm curious about.
As the Arch Lich approached and the shoulders of the Skeleton Warlord crumbled, I gave a silent nod.
"Anything."
He hesitated for a moment then asked in a soft voice.
- About what you said last time. Was it sincere?
"Last time, what... Oh."
I suddenly remembered. The way he had been right after Lei Fei's death, pondering his forgotten past.
And the casual remark I had made.
'Well, I think he was probably a pretty good guy.'
'...Huh? Are you talking about me?'
'No. I'm just talking to myself.'
'Oh, yes. Right.'
So that's what it is.
For the Skeleton Warlord, who had awakened with power from a spirit that had lost all its memories, I might have been the closest thing to a friend he ever had.
The simple words I had spoken were like a pebble tossed into the still waters of his heart, causing ripples to spread outward.
'What an idiot.'
What was that all about? Why go this far over such a trivial thing?
A surge of emotion welled up within me, heat flushing my face, but I reined it in. I barely managed to muster my voice.
"Of course it was sincere."
- Yes, I see.
At that moment, as the blue light in his eyes flickered feebly, a cold voice cut through the air, heralding the end.
- Are you finished with your farewells?
"…!"
- Bone Explosion.
Boom!
Instinctively, I shielded my face with my arms, but the force of the explosion hurled me backward, sending shockwaves pulsating through me.
As I staggered to my feet, I witnessed a skull catapulted into the sky, bones splintering and scattering like brittle ice.
And then… silence.
The Skeleton Warlord had vanished.
Whoosh!
[Hero's Soul] plummeted from the heavens, its blade burying itself deep into the earth, gripped by a hand that had not relinquished it until the very end.
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Chapter 424
Kwaaaaah!
Engulfed in searing blue flames, the vortex devoured everything in its path,
Buildings crumbled - their concrete skeletons exposed and steel frames twisted grotesquely. The ground was littered with the scattered bodies of humans and monsters alike, casualties of the relentless destruction.
The ultra-high heat obliterated nearly everything, reducing it all to ash and molten remnants.
Except for one.
- Blink.
Everything but him.
Beep.
- Skill, [One Strike] has been activated!
- [Qi] has been completely exhausted!
- Everything comes with a price. Despite serious injuries, you have overexerted your power.
- Status abnormality, [Exhaustion] has been applied!
- [Strength], [Stamina], [Agility] have temporarily plummeted!
My strength ebbed away, leaving me hollow. The alerts from the System rang incessantly in my ears, while the distant cries of the Skeleton Warlord in my inventory faded to mere whispers.
My body felt leaden, as though submerged in icy water. In the frigid solitude of my mind, one thought spun relentlessly:
'This was my last chance.'
Why hadn’t I seen it coming? Why hadn’t I guessed?
The Arch Lich had warned me; he had been observing me through his network of familiars scattered across the battlefield.
I should have suspected he'd seen my earlier uses of [One Strike] on the Liches and Death Knights.
I should have questioned it, even without certainty.
‘Idiot.’
A laugh, bitter and mocking, broke from my lips. I had promised myself never to let down my guard, yet here I was, caught in the most critical of errors.
The lack of options was no excuse. In battle, it is the outcome that counts, not the intent. This was the bitter fruit of my negligence.
Thud!
The iron bar I clutched fell from my weakening grasp, clanging loudly as it hit the ground. My legs buckled, forcing me to kneel.
Head bowed, I was enveloped by a suffocating darkness.
- You, human. How does it feel to pay the price for your reckless courage?
Struggling to lift my head, I locked eyes with his fiery red gaze. A hoarse whisper clawed its way through my parched throat.
"Of course it feels shitty, you damn bastard."
- It was a fearsome strike. I'll give you that much praise.
The Arch Lich’s voice dripped with triumph.
Despite his use of teleportation magic, he couldn’t entirely evade One Strike, resulting in the loss of his left arm. Yet, there he stood, a grim victor amidst the chaos of the battlefield.
His eyes, a sinister red, gleamed with a cruel joy as he gazed down at me, kneeling like a penitent sinner.
- I waited until the end. Despite the humiliation suffered at the hands of a human, I endured and persevered. And finally... this body claims victory.
His cunning was undeniable.
As I had feared, he had been anticipating One Strike from the outset.
Previously, I had obliterated Liches and Death Knights with One Strike, replenishing my stamina through leveling up, but he had keenly observed the moment I depleted all my strength.
- Do you understand now? This is your limit - the limit of a human.
Limit.
That word burrowed deeply into my chest.
Despite all my struggles, the label of F-rank haunted me. It was a limit I had strived to surpass every day since acquiring the System.
'Is this really the end?'
I had fought desperately, for myself and for those I loved, pushing through peril after peril. This was my life: a relentless challenge of transcending my own boundaries.
"It's not over... not yet."
The words fell from my lips, hollow and lifeless, as if spoken by another.
My vision blurred as I raised my eyes to meet the Arch Lich’s gaze.
- What?
"It's not over yet."
A battle to the death concludes only when one side falls and the other stands victorious.
Until then, the struggle persists.
As death loomed close, I whispered to myself.
'Inventory open. Summon.'
I thought I had secured one of the spears from my inventory in my grasp.
But then, I dropped it.
Clang!
In that moment, I realized my strength had waned too far to wield a spear, let alone swing it.
- Hahahaha!
The Arch Lich’s laughter was grotesque, reveling in my plight.
Yet, surrender was not an option for me. I would not, could not give up.
'Open Inventory. Summon.'
Weapon after weapon appeared in my hands.
Thud!
And one by one, I dropped them.
'Open Inventory. Summon.'
Thud!
- Oh, you foolish, stupid human!
The Arch Lich's mockery rang out.
Yet I persisted, undeterred.
Is it courageous to humbly accept one's end? If that is courage, then label me a coward.
I must survive — I believed this was the highest respect I could pay to the life I had fought so hard to live.
'Open Inventory. Summon.'
It was at that very moment.
Ding.
- [Endurance] greatly increases.
- The attribute, [Endurance], transforms into [Will]!
- Those with strong will are not easily broken; they do not fall. They will fight with all their might until the very end.
- A strong will, at times, can give you the power to overcome your limits!
- Special effect, [Indomitable], has been activated. Temporarily, all attributes slightly increase, and fatigue is reduced!
A surge of warmth spread through my core, faint yet fiercer than any force I had known.
It wasn't just a burst of power.
It was a beacon of hope kindled by my desperation and given by the System.
With hands shaking, I clasped the cold spear shaft firmly.
- You...
The Arch Lich had noticed the shift too.
His gaze, previously dismissive as if I was merely an exhibit, now widened in alarm. Seizing the moment, I mustered all my remaining strength and lunged forward.
Time seemed to stretch, elongating the seconds as I thrust the spear towards his looming figure.
Screeeeech!
As the spear tore through the air with a sonic boom, I saw it clearly — the Arch Lich’s eyes, twisted into a crescent of scorn.
It was a sneer.
- Blood Explosion.
Boom!
The force of the explosion reverberated through my body, sending shockwaves pulsing through every fiber.
With the last of my strength spent, my muscles seized up. The spear slipped from my weakened grip and impaled the ground at an awkward angle.
I blinked through eyes filled with blood. In a world now painted a visceral red, something warm and sticky splattered onto my face.
Drip, drip-drip.
'...Ah.'
It was blood.
My own blood, spurting forth like a gruesome fountain, showered down in a macabre rain.
As I raised my trembling hands, quivering like aspen leaves in a storm, the ghastly sight of my shredded flesh and starkly exposed bones confronted me.
Blood Explosion. A literal explosion of blood.
From the edges of my dimming consciousness, the cries of the Skeleton Warlord pierced the air.
- ...Human, human!
How long had he been shouting?
I tried to answer, but all that escaped my lips was a grotesque mix of blood and fragments of my organs.
"Cough."
The world spun chaotically before my eyes.
I reached out toward the Arch Lich, now just a blur through the blood-smeared lens of my vision, but my hand grasped only air.
Perhaps it always would.
- Snap out of it! Aren't you supposed to live?
Is that supposed to be encouragement?
I knew I had to survive, defeat him, and return home.
But...
'Can I really?'
Slowly, the world seemed to tilt.
No, the world was stable; it was I who was faltering. My body, ravaged by relentless bleeding and grievous injuries, used the last vestiges of its strength just to keep from collapsing.
'No. If I fall, it's all over.'
I propped myself up on a broken ankle.
The faint, thorn-like pain was a grim reminder that I was dying, yet the intermittent shouts from the Skeleton Warlord, sounding through the haze like a broken radio, affirmed that I was still somehow alive.
- ...Do it, human! Hurry!
Do it? Do what?
- Summon me now...!
My eardrums were ruptured, my consciousness slipping; the Skeleton Warlord's shouts were just muffled echoes in my shattered senses.
Even if I could have made out his words, there was nothing I could do to intercept the Arch Lich's next move.
- You have some interesting possessions.
Suddenly, in the Arch Lich's hand was a familiar object.
My cherished weapon, White Flames, which had weathered many battles at my side, now blazed in the hands of this usurper. He laughed, his skeletal frame aglow within the dancing flames.
- I have received a gift far too extravagant. I suppose it should be returned to its owner.
The Arch Lich drew back his arm. A potent magic dampened the inferno of White Flames and surged along the spear’s blade.
- Farewell, noble adversary — or perhaps just a fool who might have been something more.
Screech!
The sonic boom was fleeting, yet the moment stretched into an eternity.
I watched, mute, as White Flames hurtled towards me like a meteor. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my mind, leading me to an inevitable conclusion.
'I can't avoid it.'
Then the only end left for me was death.
I had survived countless battles over the past seven years, but never had the specter of death loomed so palpably.
All I could do was witness its relentless advance.
'Yes, this is the end.'
I repeated the thought with eerie calm.
Crack!
The blade of White Flames cleaved through bone as it impaled me squarely in the chest.
I froze, eyes wide in shock — not pain.
"...You."
- Why, what?
Words failed me as I stared into the flickering blue eyes just inches from my face.
From a skull no larger than a soccer ball, the Skeleton Warlord had morphed into a towering figure over two meters tall, his voice blunt and confounding.
- Don't ask how I was able to get out on my own. Even this commander doesn't understand why.
"But why? ...Why?"
I asked, facing him.
The blade of the spear, protruding from the Skeleton Warlord's back to his chest, halted just a whisper away from piercing me.
If no one had intervened, I would have surely died.
He had just thrown himself to save my life.
- ...I don't know anymore. Damn it. I don't know anything now. Maybe I was enchanted by this sword.
Only then did I recognize the identity of the sword in the Skeleton Warlord's hand.
"Hero's Soul."
The only relic of Lei Fei, a sword that cannot be wielded by those who are not qualified to be heroes.
Yet here it was.
Held not by a hero, but by a Named Monster — the Skeleton Warlord.
- Hero's Soul, huh? For something made by humans, that's a pretty decent name. No, honestly, it's cool. Although it's too late to swing it properly now...
His voice trailed off, and the intense blue light in his eyes began to fade.
I understood what was happening to him.
'Extinction.'
Undoubtedly. Even now, the magical force of the Arch Lich, carried by the blade of White Flames, was devouring the Skeleton Warlord.
"You."
- Don't say any more. I'm already regretting this as it is.
I doubted his sincerity, especially given the soft chuckle that seemed at odds with his typically gruff demeanor.
- Human. There's something I'm curious about.
As the Arch Lich approached and the shoulders of the Skeleton Warlord crumbled, I gave a silent nod.
"Anything."
He hesitated for a moment then asked in a soft voice.
- About what you said last time. Was it sincere?
"Last time, what... Oh."
I suddenly remembered. The way he had been right after Lei Fei's death, pondering his forgotten past.
And the casual remark I had made.
'Well, I think he was probably a pretty good guy.'
'...Huh? Are you talking about me?'
'No. I'm just talking to myself.'
'Oh, yes. Right.'
So that's what it is.
For the Skeleton Warlord, who had awakened with power from a spirit that had lost all its memories, I might have been the closest thing to a friend he ever had.
The simple words I had spoken were like a pebble tossed into the still waters of his heart, causing ripples to spread outward.
'What an idiot.'
What was that all about? Why go this far over such a trivial thing?
A surge of emotion welled up within me, heat flushing my face, but I reined it in. I barely managed to muster my voice.
"Of course it was sincere."
- Yes, I see.
At that moment, as the blue light in his eyes flickered feebly, a cold voice cut through the air, heralding the end.
- Are you finished with your farewells?
"…!"
- Bone Explosion.
Boom!
Instinctively, I shielded my face with my arms, but the force of the explosion hurled me backward, sending shockwaves pulsating through me.
As I staggered to my feet, I witnessed a skull catapulted into the sky, bones splintering and scattering like brittle ice.
And then… silence.
The Skeleton Warlord had vanished.
Whoosh!
[Hero's Soul] plummeted from the heavens, its blade burying itself deep into the earth, gripped by a hand that had not relinquished it until the very end.
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2024.06.01 15:33 kenUdigitt Novel Chapter 422
Disclaimer: I do not speak Korean. This is purely translated by machine with a lot of cleanup afterward. With that in mind, I am open to criticism to improve these translations. Enjoy!
Chapter 422
Ding. Ding. Ding.
- Opportunity arises within crisis. You have gained new enlightenment amidst a life-and-death battle!
- [Middle Dantian] has been opened!
- With the opening of the [Middle Dantian], all stats have increased by 20!
- The effects of [Qi Cultivation] have greatly improved!
- Your ability to understand and manipulate the flow of Qi has been greatly enhanced!
- Your internal and external states have been strengthened!
.
.
.
The relentless System notifications echoed in my ears, their cadence like a persistent hammer.
A sudden gust of wind swept through, playing with my sweat-drenched hair as a newfound vigor suffused my body.
A clear, resonant bell chimed, marking the culmination of my transformation.
Ding.
- As a reward for your enlightenment, you have gained a large amount of experience points!
- As a reward for your enlightenment, you have gained 50 bonus points!
- Level up!
- As a result of leveling up, all status effects, fatigue, and some injuries are recovered!
- The status abnormality, [Curse], has been lifted!
- Temporarily reduced stats have been restored to their original state!
I wasn't the only one who felt such changes.
No hand moves unseen by its master. The Arch Lich, sensing the dissolution of his curse, voiced his disbelief in a tone thick with suspicion.
- How did you...?!
His words, laden with myriad unspoken queries, met only my nonchalant shrug.
"Well."
- Well?
"Yes, well."
- Do you think that explains it?
"Obviously not. But do I really need to explain myself to you?"
From the flickering light in his eyes, incredulity was unmistakable.
- You're not a mage, are you?
"I did want to be a mage. They get paid more, you know. But I just don't have the talent for it. Nor the brains."
- Even those you call Grand Mages couldn't easily dispel my magic like this.
"There's nothing to it, really."
- This makes no sense!
I conceded silently.
The Arch Lich's mastery was undeniably beyond mine.
Even I, having long surpassed the ordinary bounds of a Hunter, struggled against his curses and the perilous illusions crafted from bone spears.
Without my recent enlightenment, I might not have stood here at all.
But...
"So what are you going to do about it?"
- ...!
The System was on my side; I had simply utilized the strength and resources it provided to navigate through the crisis.
If he thinks that's unfair, he can use the System himself.
"That's just how the world works. It's annoying and frustrating, but you just have to bear with it and move on. It's already happened. Right?"
The Skeleton Warlord, previously howling in rage until a moment ago, now murmured under his breath.
- Wow, you really do speak well.
That's just how I am.
- You wicked human. It doesn't look like he's going to just let it go and move on.
The Skeleton Warlord was right.
Suddenly, a chilling voice cut through the air, followed by a tempest of formidable magical energy.
- Unleash Sonic Buster.
Simultaneously.
Whoosh, boom!
A blast of densely compressed air erupted.
Its sheer velocity turned concrete to dust and twisted steel rebars like twigs.
The shockwave shattered the windows of a nearby skyscraper, sweeping up a storm of glass shards.
In an instant, before I could even blink, the devastating wind was mere inches from my face.
- Human!
The scream of the Skeleton Warlord resounded from my inventory.
Was it concern for his own fate, or anxiety over mine?
Regardless, the reason held little weight.
I was no longer the same person I had been mere moments ago.
'Ah.'
A warmth blossomed in my chest. The spot known to martial artists as the Middle Dantian had fully opened.
Suddenly, I understood everything around me. I felt it on my skin and saw it with acute clarity.
'So that's how it is.'
Time seemed to stretch, the world slowing to a crawl around me, rendering everything sharply defined and vivid.
A colossal orb of wind, launched like a slicing blade, and the intricate flow of magic that propelled it.
Shhhh!
Everything has a core, magic included. With the opening of my middle dantian, I could discern that core.
'Now.'
In this decelerated reality, I thrust my spear forward. The formidable orb of wind, previously unstoppable, cleaved neatly in two by the blade of White Flames.
The split fragments of the wind, once a unified force, now dispersed into hundreds, then thousands of smaller currents. Stripped of their magical command, they cascaded to the earth in a chaotic ballet.
Swoosh, crash!
The winds whipped around, tousling my clothes and hair. I raised my head to face the Arch Lich, my expression tinged with a slight smile.
"Come down here. My neck hurts."
- You...!
"Fine, I'll come up."
Crack, boom!
A single step.
The ground beneath me shattered, and I propelled myself toward the grey expanse above.
* * *
Boom!
As Jin Tae-Kyung launched into the air, the Arch Lich grasped the gravity of the situation.
'I can't let this human approach.'
Avoiding melee combat was a basic rule for any mage, yet it held a new significance for the Arch Lich now.
'To think this body feels threatened by a mere human.'
He prided himself on having reached the pinnacle of black magic.
Despite the considerable drain on his power during his resurrection, the Arch Lich still wielded more magical might than any Grand Mage.
Yet, the human confronting him now... posed a genuine threat.
'Yes, just like that one back then.'
It was a memory he desperately wanted to forget. Gritting his teeth, the Arch Lich summoned his magic.
- Gravity!
This time, his command wasn't just a shout but a formidable wave of power, unleashing an invisible, formless force that crushed everything within its vast reach.
Even an S-rank Hunter like Jin Tae-Kyung could hardly withstand the overwhelming pressure closing in on him.
Bang!
A burst of compressed air shot from beneath Jin Tae-Kyung's feet as he executed the Void-Trampling Step, his body darting out of the gravity's lethal embrace.
His movements, sharp and swift as a hawk's, far surpassed those of any ordinary flyer.
'What the hell.'
The Arch Lich's eyes darkened as he watched Jin Tae-Kyung slice through the air, rapidly closing the distance.
It was clear now; Jin Tae-Kyung had not only accurately determined the range of the gravity spell but evaded it with uncanny skill.
'It wasn't mere luck that he dispelled the illusion magic. Then...'
Whoooosh!
Magic surged from the Arch Lich, vibrating the very air around him.
- Gravity. Gravity. Gravity.
He cast the high-level spell repeatedly, a feat beyond even the most adept mages. With this, the Arch Lich believed he would overpower Jin Tae-Kyung this time.
'Fall, human.'
Instead of increasing the force, he had expanded the spell's reach, creating a gravitational field vast enough to ensnare any within its grip...
Screech!
Doubt flickered in the Arch Lich's gaze.
Simultaneously, the crushing spell around Jin Tae-Kyung unraveled, its magical link severed as if sliced by an unseen blade.
Caught off-guard, the Arch Lich watched as Jin Tae-Kyung propelled himself forward, stepping into the void and rocketing upwards like a cannonball.
Boom! Sssshhhh!
With a deafening sonic boom, Jin Tae-Kyung soared, not merely in front but rising above the Arch Lich, and he brought down the White Flames with devastating force.
Whoosh, a streak of blue flames surged towards the Arch Lich.
Crash!
In the slowed-down reality, an invisible shield around the Arch Lich shattered like glass.
In that moment, the flames of Protective Qi, fueled by three gapjas of Scorching Yang Qi, penetrated the multitude of defensive spells cloaking the Arch Lich.
- Great Bone Wall!
With a grim command, a barrier of black bones erupted from the void.
This top-tier defensive magic, materializing merely a meter away, met the spear blade wreathed in flames.
In the ashen sky, a massive shockwave boomed and thunder roared around the two foes divided by the Bone Wall.
Whooooah!
The air burst with intensity, dispersing clouds that had roamed the high skies. Buildings teetering on collapse crumbled, and half-decayed bodies were whisked away by the winds.
Yet, the two beings responsible for this chaos faced each other across the barrier, their gazes steady.
"It was a waste, wasn't it?"
- Yes, indeed. No, wait...
The Arch Lich paused, his eyes fixated on the mystical spear blade that had penetrated the center of the wall.
- It was dangerous.
The length of the spear blade that passed through the Bone Wall was only about the length of a finger, and the burst of Protective Qi had not even grazed his nose.
It was fortunate for the Arch Lich and regrettable for Jin Tae-Kyung.
"You're lucky, you."
- Arrogant human, I must admit.
"What?"
Jin Tae-Kyung, taken aback, listened as the Arch Lich spoke more deliberately.
- You would be worthy of this win, if you truly are the Adversary.
"...The Adversary?"
- Yes. The King's Adversary. The eternal rival entangled by the whims of the gods. I cannot be certain yet... but perhaps that's why I was able to rise again from the River of Death.
Jin Tae-Kyung’s brow furrowed. What does the King's Adversary mean, and what was this talk of the whims of the gods?
"Are you a second-year middle school student? Clear away these bones and show me your right hand. Let's see if you have a Black Flame Dragon." [Note: this reference is a bit intricate. The "Black Flame Dragon" part originates from the YuYu Hakusho anime/manga, in which one of the characters has a Black Flame Dragon living in his right arm. The "second year middle school" part references a concept called "chuunibyou", which comes from the light novel "Even with Chuunibyou, I Want to Fall in Love!", which heavily references "YuYu Hakusho". The concept of "chuunibyou" describes a particular stage in adolescence where individuals might hold delusional beliefs of grandeur, pretending to have secret knowledge or hidden powers. It's typically characterized by dramatic, over-the-top behavior, which is often a source of embarrassment later in life. This concept was vastly popularized by the anime, "Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions!"]
The Arch Lich shook his head.
- This is something neither you nor I can understand. But one thing is certain.
His eyes, previously dimly glowing red, now blazed with intensity.
Initially, he had merely thought of him as a powerful, albeit strange, human. Now, his perception had shifted.
Memories from decades ago flooded back, when he had roamed the planet in service to the King.
And the face of that human he had encountered on the day he fell into the River of Death.
'The Adversary.'
The human who had not only slain him but had also assassinated the King.
The Arch Lich tried to halt him but failed; he attempted to close the distance but could not bridge it. This human was the only one the Arch Lich had ever truly feared.
Amidst the tumult of battle with Jin Tae-Kyung, memories of that fearful day surfaced.
- You... will surely die here.
His voice, grim yet resolute, reverberated through the air.
Jin Tae-Kyung’s reply was dismissive and direct.
"What are you talking about, idiot?"
Then, in the blink of an eye,
"Eat this."
Whoosh. Boom!
With calm defiance, Jin Tae-Kyung unleashed a fist wreathed in blue flames, obliterating everything before it.
It met the barrier of black bones head-on.
Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist.
Crack!
The seemingly impenetrable Bone Wall shattered.
Through the cloud of bone shards, Jin Tae-Kyung, his face impassive, declared,
"It's much better this way. No more neck pain."
- ...!
"Down, boy."
Pop!
Like a streak of lightning, his fist shot forward, connecting squarely with the Arch Lich’s jaw.
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submitted by kenUdigitt to u/kenUdigitt [link] [comments]
Chapter 422
Ding. Ding. Ding.
- Opportunity arises within crisis. You have gained new enlightenment amidst a life-and-death battle!
- [Middle Dantian] has been opened!
- With the opening of the [Middle Dantian], all stats have increased by 20!
- The effects of [Qi Cultivation] have greatly improved!
- Your ability to understand and manipulate the flow of Qi has been greatly enhanced!
- Your internal and external states have been strengthened!
.
.
.
The relentless System notifications echoed in my ears, their cadence like a persistent hammer.
A sudden gust of wind swept through, playing with my sweat-drenched hair as a newfound vigor suffused my body.
A clear, resonant bell chimed, marking the culmination of my transformation.
Ding.
- As a reward for your enlightenment, you have gained a large amount of experience points!
- As a reward for your enlightenment, you have gained 50 bonus points!
- Level up!
- As a result of leveling up, all status effects, fatigue, and some injuries are recovered!
- The status abnormality, [Curse], has been lifted!
- Temporarily reduced stats have been restored to their original state!
I wasn't the only one who felt such changes.
No hand moves unseen by its master. The Arch Lich, sensing the dissolution of his curse, voiced his disbelief in a tone thick with suspicion.
- How did you...?!
His words, laden with myriad unspoken queries, met only my nonchalant shrug.
"Well."
- Well?
"Yes, well."
- Do you think that explains it?
"Obviously not. But do I really need to explain myself to you?"
From the flickering light in his eyes, incredulity was unmistakable.
- You're not a mage, are you?
"I did want to be a mage. They get paid more, you know. But I just don't have the talent for it. Nor the brains."
- Even those you call Grand Mages couldn't easily dispel my magic like this.
"There's nothing to it, really."
- This makes no sense!
I conceded silently.
The Arch Lich's mastery was undeniably beyond mine.
Even I, having long surpassed the ordinary bounds of a Hunter, struggled against his curses and the perilous illusions crafted from bone spears.
Without my recent enlightenment, I might not have stood here at all.
But...
"So what are you going to do about it?"
- ...!
The System was on my side; I had simply utilized the strength and resources it provided to navigate through the crisis.
If he thinks that's unfair, he can use the System himself.
"That's just how the world works. It's annoying and frustrating, but you just have to bear with it and move on. It's already happened. Right?"
The Skeleton Warlord, previously howling in rage until a moment ago, now murmured under his breath.
- Wow, you really do speak well.
That's just how I am.
- You wicked human. It doesn't look like he's going to just let it go and move on.
The Skeleton Warlord was right.
Suddenly, a chilling voice cut through the air, followed by a tempest of formidable magical energy.
- Unleash Sonic Buster.
Simultaneously.
Whoosh, boom!
A blast of densely compressed air erupted.
Its sheer velocity turned concrete to dust and twisted steel rebars like twigs.
The shockwave shattered the windows of a nearby skyscraper, sweeping up a storm of glass shards.
In an instant, before I could even blink, the devastating wind was mere inches from my face.
- Human!
The scream of the Skeleton Warlord resounded from my inventory.
Was it concern for his own fate, or anxiety over mine?
Regardless, the reason held little weight.
I was no longer the same person I had been mere moments ago.
'Ah.'
A warmth blossomed in my chest. The spot known to martial artists as the Middle Dantian had fully opened.
Suddenly, I understood everything around me. I felt it on my skin and saw it with acute clarity.
'So that's how it is.'
Time seemed to stretch, the world slowing to a crawl around me, rendering everything sharply defined and vivid.
A colossal orb of wind, launched like a slicing blade, and the intricate flow of magic that propelled it.
Shhhh!
Everything has a core, magic included. With the opening of my middle dantian, I could discern that core.
'Now.'
In this decelerated reality, I thrust my spear forward. The formidable orb of wind, previously unstoppable, cleaved neatly in two by the blade of White Flames.
The split fragments of the wind, once a unified force, now dispersed into hundreds, then thousands of smaller currents. Stripped of their magical command, they cascaded to the earth in a chaotic ballet.
Swoosh, crash!
The winds whipped around, tousling my clothes and hair. I raised my head to face the Arch Lich, my expression tinged with a slight smile.
"Come down here. My neck hurts."
- You...!
"Fine, I'll come up."
Crack, boom!
A single step.
The ground beneath me shattered, and I propelled myself toward the grey expanse above.
* * *
Boom!
As Jin Tae-Kyung launched into the air, the Arch Lich grasped the gravity of the situation.
'I can't let this human approach.'
Avoiding melee combat was a basic rule for any mage, yet it held a new significance for the Arch Lich now.
'To think this body feels threatened by a mere human.'
He prided himself on having reached the pinnacle of black magic.
Despite the considerable drain on his power during his resurrection, the Arch Lich still wielded more magical might than any Grand Mage.
Yet, the human confronting him now... posed a genuine threat.
'Yes, just like that one back then.'
It was a memory he desperately wanted to forget. Gritting his teeth, the Arch Lich summoned his magic.
- Gravity!
This time, his command wasn't just a shout but a formidable wave of power, unleashing an invisible, formless force that crushed everything within its vast reach.
Even an S-rank Hunter like Jin Tae-Kyung could hardly withstand the overwhelming pressure closing in on him.
Bang!
A burst of compressed air shot from beneath Jin Tae-Kyung's feet as he executed the Void-Trampling Step, his body darting out of the gravity's lethal embrace.
His movements, sharp and swift as a hawk's, far surpassed those of any ordinary flyer.
'What the hell.'
The Arch Lich's eyes darkened as he watched Jin Tae-Kyung slice through the air, rapidly closing the distance.
It was clear now; Jin Tae-Kyung had not only accurately determined the range of the gravity spell but evaded it with uncanny skill.
'It wasn't mere luck that he dispelled the illusion magic. Then...'
Whoooosh!
Magic surged from the Arch Lich, vibrating the very air around him.
- Gravity. Gravity. Gravity.
He cast the high-level spell repeatedly, a feat beyond even the most adept mages. With this, the Arch Lich believed he would overpower Jin Tae-Kyung this time.
'Fall, human.'
Instead of increasing the force, he had expanded the spell's reach, creating a gravitational field vast enough to ensnare any within its grip...
Screech!
Doubt flickered in the Arch Lich's gaze.
Simultaneously, the crushing spell around Jin Tae-Kyung unraveled, its magical link severed as if sliced by an unseen blade.
Caught off-guard, the Arch Lich watched as Jin Tae-Kyung propelled himself forward, stepping into the void and rocketing upwards like a cannonball.
Boom! Sssshhhh!
With a deafening sonic boom, Jin Tae-Kyung soared, not merely in front but rising above the Arch Lich, and he brought down the White Flames with devastating force.
Whoosh, a streak of blue flames surged towards the Arch Lich.
Crash!
In the slowed-down reality, an invisible shield around the Arch Lich shattered like glass.
In that moment, the flames of Protective Qi, fueled by three gapjas of Scorching Yang Qi, penetrated the multitude of defensive spells cloaking the Arch Lich.
- Great Bone Wall!
With a grim command, a barrier of black bones erupted from the void.
This top-tier defensive magic, materializing merely a meter away, met the spear blade wreathed in flames.
In the ashen sky, a massive shockwave boomed and thunder roared around the two foes divided by the Bone Wall.
Whooooah!
The air burst with intensity, dispersing clouds that had roamed the high skies. Buildings teetering on collapse crumbled, and half-decayed bodies were whisked away by the winds.
Yet, the two beings responsible for this chaos faced each other across the barrier, their gazes steady.
"It was a waste, wasn't it?"
- Yes, indeed. No, wait...
The Arch Lich paused, his eyes fixated on the mystical spear blade that had penetrated the center of the wall.
- It was dangerous.
The length of the spear blade that passed through the Bone Wall was only about the length of a finger, and the burst of Protective Qi had not even grazed his nose.
It was fortunate for the Arch Lich and regrettable for Jin Tae-Kyung.
"You're lucky, you."
- Arrogant human, I must admit.
"What?"
Jin Tae-Kyung, taken aback, listened as the Arch Lich spoke more deliberately.
- You would be worthy of this win, if you truly are the Adversary.
"...The Adversary?"
- Yes. The King's Adversary. The eternal rival entangled by the whims of the gods. I cannot be certain yet... but perhaps that's why I was able to rise again from the River of Death.
Jin Tae-Kyung’s brow furrowed. What does the King's Adversary mean, and what was this talk of the whims of the gods?
"Are you a second-year middle school student? Clear away these bones and show me your right hand. Let's see if you have a Black Flame Dragon." [Note: this reference is a bit intricate. The "Black Flame Dragon" part originates from the YuYu Hakusho anime/manga, in which one of the characters has a Black Flame Dragon living in his right arm. The "second year middle school" part references a concept called "chuunibyou", which comes from the light novel "Even with Chuunibyou, I Want to Fall in Love!", which heavily references "YuYu Hakusho". The concept of "chuunibyou" describes a particular stage in adolescence where individuals might hold delusional beliefs of grandeur, pretending to have secret knowledge or hidden powers. It's typically characterized by dramatic, over-the-top behavior, which is often a source of embarrassment later in life. This concept was vastly popularized by the anime, "Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions!"]
The Arch Lich shook his head.
- This is something neither you nor I can understand. But one thing is certain.
His eyes, previously dimly glowing red, now blazed with intensity.
Initially, he had merely thought of him as a powerful, albeit strange, human. Now, his perception had shifted.
Memories from decades ago flooded back, when he had roamed the planet in service to the King.
And the face of that human he had encountered on the day he fell into the River of Death.
'The Adversary.'
The human who had not only slain him but had also assassinated the King.
The Arch Lich tried to halt him but failed; he attempted to close the distance but could not bridge it. This human was the only one the Arch Lich had ever truly feared.
Amidst the tumult of battle with Jin Tae-Kyung, memories of that fearful day surfaced.
- You... will surely die here.
His voice, grim yet resolute, reverberated through the air.
Jin Tae-Kyung’s reply was dismissive and direct.
"What are you talking about, idiot?"
Then, in the blink of an eye,
"Eat this."
Whoosh. Boom!
With calm defiance, Jin Tae-Kyung unleashed a fist wreathed in blue flames, obliterating everything before it.
It met the barrier of black bones head-on.
Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist.
Crack!
The seemingly impenetrable Bone Wall shattered.
Through the cloud of bone shards, Jin Tae-Kyung, his face impassive, declared,
"It's much better this way. No more neck pain."
- ...!
"Down, boy."
Pop!
Like a streak of lightning, his fist shot forward, connecting squarely with the Arch Lich’s jaw.
Previous Table of Contents Next
2024.06.01 15:32 Festias Storing in damp basement?
Hey folks, I went to Italy recently and bought a bunch of Tuscan wines that I'd like to store. I have two options: in the apartment or the building basement.
My apartment is south-facing so it gets sun year round, and I never feel it's cold. I think the temperature gets to maybe 18C/64F minimum. For this reason I'm worried about storing wines longer term here.
We have storage in the basement which stays cool and dark year round, but there is a humidity issue that causes paint to peel from the ceiling all the time and if we store clothes or cardboard down there, we notice it can get moist and smell (or even get) moldy. I've read that some humidity is good for the corks, but could it be too humid if there are mold concerns?
I'd be happy to have any input on where might be the preferred location for storage. Thanks in advance!
submitted by Festias to wine [link] [comments]
My apartment is south-facing so it gets sun year round, and I never feel it's cold. I think the temperature gets to maybe 18C/64F minimum. For this reason I'm worried about storing wines longer term here.
We have storage in the basement which stays cool and dark year round, but there is a humidity issue that causes paint to peel from the ceiling all the time and if we store clothes or cardboard down there, we notice it can get moist and smell (or even get) moldy. I've read that some humidity is good for the corks, but could it be too humid if there are mold concerns?
I'd be happy to have any input on where might be the preferred location for storage. Thanks in advance!
2024.06.01 15:31 Big_Tourist_7625 [Acne] Years long stubborn acne.
Acne
Hello to all,
I am 19 years old (female) and had acne since I hit puberty so since I was 11/12. It never disappeared despite trying home remedies and skincare. A lot of skincare tends to do more harm than good (especially products made to battle acne, and Neutrogena causes immediate chemical burns).
My acne is almost all over my face, the worst is cheeks and chin as well as the side of my noses. There are two minor spots just below my eyes on both sides which never really causes any problems with acne like the rest of my face.
My skin confuses me a lot and that is why I am asking for suggestions here. So let me tell a few things about it.
Diet does not seem to affect it, already tried this. As a kid (stupid me of course) I tried several home remedies and even used pure apple cider vinegar which didnt cause any burns (luckily) but didnt improve my skin either.
The only stuff left which I didnt try seem to be AHA, Benzoyl and Accutane. I got an appointment at the derm scheduled for September.
My skin was best (still clogged pores but few pimples and overall better than ever) was when I just washed it water and used SPF. no cleanser, nothing. But then it got bad again without any cause I could perceive as I did not change anything. This didnt improve again so I tried using skincare again. I currently use 2x/ week paulas choice bha, a cleanser and moisturizer from a drug store as I cannot really afford more expensive stuff (morning water only and SPF, cleanser and moisturizer for evening).
My skin seems to be dry even when just using water but at the same time its full of clogged pores and everyting. So far it didnt really matter whether I used nothing but SPF and water (which doesnt even really clean well on its own) and even with skincare it is the same. I really dont know what to do at this point.
It is usually surface pimples and many whiteheads, I very rarely get painful deep cysts.
submitted by Big_Tourist_7625 to SkincareAddiction [link] [comments]
Hello to all,
I am 19 years old (female) and had acne since I hit puberty so since I was 11/12. It never disappeared despite trying home remedies and skincare. A lot of skincare tends to do more harm than good (especially products made to battle acne, and Neutrogena causes immediate chemical burns).
My acne is almost all over my face, the worst is cheeks and chin as well as the side of my noses. There are two minor spots just below my eyes on both sides which never really causes any problems with acne like the rest of my face.
My skin confuses me a lot and that is why I am asking for suggestions here. So let me tell a few things about it.
Diet does not seem to affect it, already tried this. As a kid (stupid me of course) I tried several home remedies and even used pure apple cider vinegar which didnt cause any burns (luckily) but didnt improve my skin either.
The only stuff left which I didnt try seem to be AHA, Benzoyl and Accutane. I got an appointment at the derm scheduled for September.
My skin was best (still clogged pores but few pimples and overall better than ever) was when I just washed it water and used SPF. no cleanser, nothing. But then it got bad again without any cause I could perceive as I did not change anything. This didnt improve again so I tried using skincare again. I currently use 2x/ week paulas choice bha, a cleanser and moisturizer from a drug store as I cannot really afford more expensive stuff (morning water only and SPF, cleanser and moisturizer for evening).
My skin seems to be dry even when just using water but at the same time its full of clogged pores and everyting. So far it didnt really matter whether I used nothing but SPF and water (which doesnt even really clean well on its own) and even with skincare it is the same. I really dont know what to do at this point.
It is usually surface pimples and many whiteheads, I very rarely get painful deep cysts.
2024.06.01 15:27 Adventurous_Dirt1926 Help
I'm getting a terrible rash on my neck, I've been trying to cure it with everything and it's not working at all. Is there a chance that I have allergies to Minoxidil, I've heard that when you take minox and you stop using it, when you restart it you can get allergies, that's my situation, I used it a few months ago and I'm using it again, might that be the problem?. I think I'll stop, also my face looks bad, I have red spots on my face too. Btw I'm using topical Minoxidil, the liquid one.
submitted by Adventurous_Dirt1926 to Minoxbeards [link] [comments]
2024.06.01 15:24 SickAndAfraid advice for upcoming doctors appointment regarding chronic nerve pain
background (feel free to skip):
1 year ago i had top surgery (i’m trans). 2 weeks post op i woke up and my right arm felt like it was on fire. it was a pain i had never felt before. at the same time my right arm and right side of my face felt numb and heavy. i was dumb and just tried to ignore it and as the day went on the pain got slightly better. but i woke up the next day and the pain was back. this persisted for months. the pain is in my right shoulder and feels like a shooting stabbing pain that travels down my arm and recently up into my neck. while i was in the hospital 4 months ago for other reasons they said it was neuralgia and placed a referral to neurology (that needed up being the wrong referral so that went nowhere). the pain was getting better but the past month it’s been getting worse. i’m in daily 7-8/10 pain. i went back to my surgeon to see if maybe the surgery had something to do with it and he said he didn’t think the surgery caused this but recommended i follow up with my family doctor and placed a referral to neurology.
i see my family doctor today and plan on telling him all this plus telling him what i’ve tried (tylenol, advil, naproxen, muscle relaxers, physio, heat, cold).
i’m wondering if there is anything else i should bring up? my pain has severely effects my ability to function to the point where i’m missing 4/5 days of school and can barely do my job. i need some form of pain relief.
edit: please don’t dm me offering me medications. i’m not interested in getting medication anywhere but my pharmacy.
submitted by SickAndAfraid to ChronicPain [link] [comments]
1 year ago i had top surgery (i’m trans). 2 weeks post op i woke up and my right arm felt like it was on fire. it was a pain i had never felt before. at the same time my right arm and right side of my face felt numb and heavy. i was dumb and just tried to ignore it and as the day went on the pain got slightly better. but i woke up the next day and the pain was back. this persisted for months. the pain is in my right shoulder and feels like a shooting stabbing pain that travels down my arm and recently up into my neck. while i was in the hospital 4 months ago for other reasons they said it was neuralgia and placed a referral to neurology (that needed up being the wrong referral so that went nowhere). the pain was getting better but the past month it’s been getting worse. i’m in daily 7-8/10 pain. i went back to my surgeon to see if maybe the surgery had something to do with it and he said he didn’t think the surgery caused this but recommended i follow up with my family doctor and placed a referral to neurology.
i see my family doctor today and plan on telling him all this plus telling him what i’ve tried (tylenol, advil, naproxen, muscle relaxers, physio, heat, cold).
i’m wondering if there is anything else i should bring up? my pain has severely effects my ability to function to the point where i’m missing 4/5 days of school and can barely do my job. i need some form of pain relief.
edit: please don’t dm me offering me medications. i’m not interested in getting medication anywhere but my pharmacy.
2024.06.01 15:19 TheGoodestBoyToy 31 [M4F] #Boston - Searching for my more-dominant-than-not ✨forever✨ person!
Alright, "✨forever✨ person" came off a bit more possessive than I thought but I'm rolling with it. Or rather, ✨we're✨ rolling with it since you've read this far.
Anywho, I've been on the dating apps for longer than I'd like to admit and have yet to find that special someone. I figure that it doesn't hurt to explore other avenues (posting on Reddit) to see who is out there and take a different approach (posting on my NSFW account and starting with kink compatibility(usually the last thing I talk about with people when I date)). Before that, I just want to note that I am looking for something in person only. Please be near the Boston, Massachusetts area if you reach out! Online dating and long distance relationships just don't work well for me, sorry!
Let's talk ✨kink✨! Alright, that was the last sparkle emoji, I swear. Kink is important to me but it isn't everything to me. I fall into the "mostly in the bedroom only" category and especially like to keep the D/s aspect there as well, unless it's being used playfully. Outside of kink, I view my partner as my equal and expect the same in return. I am a switch and I lean more submissive than not. So, naturally, I am looking for a switch who leans more dominant than not to complement that. Connection is far more important to me than ensuring that our laundry lists of kinks has sufficient overlap, but I'm happy to chat further about that in private if it's important to you!
Relationship-wise, I am ultimately looking to live the DINKWAD (Double Income No Kids With A Dog(or ten)) lifestyle. I don't want children of my own, but I plan on being the cool uncle to my friend's children. I am content/happy with my life as it is and am looking for someone who is in a similar spot. I value independence, trust, mutual respect, and, most importantly, silliness/goofiness/playfulness. I don't do well with excessive clinginess, though a small amount can be endearing.
Personality-wise I am not very serious at all. I am very playful and I love to laugh and make others laugh. I'm super affectionate when I get comfortable enough and I call everyone dude. Did the dude part belong in that sentence? No. Will I call you dude in weirder contexts? Yes. I'm a healthy balance between a homebody and someone who likes to do too much and regrets having no time left to be a homebody. I'm nerdy and like to describe myself as "a nerd who lifts". In levels of nerdiness, I'm a Star Wars nerd not a Star Trek nerd. Not that I like Star Wars, I think it's bad. Don't even @ me. My main hobbies are weight lifting, hiking, video games, D&D, anime/manga, travelling, road trips, day trips, cooking, baking, and spending time with my friends. I have a good career in tech and am fairly career driven at the moment (until my next promotion). Physically, I am 5'8" and weigh entirely too much right now. The diet is in progress to de-fat myself but, sadly, that takes time. I have loads of very NSFW videos on my profile if you want to see what I look like. Look at your own discretion.
I am not sure what else to write. If you are interested and would like to chat then I'd love to hear a bit about you! However, just to be transparent, it's unlikely that I'll send a face picture to you given what is on my profile. There are so many scammers and blackmailers out there that it's unhealthy to not have that sense of paranoia... That's not to say that I haven't sent them before, but if that is your minimum expectation then you're not going to have a good time. That being said, I don't expect a face picture from you either. I'm more than happy to go on a blind date and just have fun.
submitted by TheGoodestBoyToy to cf4cf [link] [comments]
Anywho, I've been on the dating apps for longer than I'd like to admit and have yet to find that special someone. I figure that it doesn't hurt to explore other avenues (posting on Reddit) to see who is out there and take a different approach (posting on my NSFW account and starting with kink compatibility(usually the last thing I talk about with people when I date)). Before that, I just want to note that I am looking for something in person only. Please be near the Boston, Massachusetts area if you reach out! Online dating and long distance relationships just don't work well for me, sorry!
Let's talk ✨kink✨! Alright, that was the last sparkle emoji, I swear. Kink is important to me but it isn't everything to me. I fall into the "mostly in the bedroom only" category and especially like to keep the D/s aspect there as well, unless it's being used playfully. Outside of kink, I view my partner as my equal and expect the same in return. I am a switch and I lean more submissive than not. So, naturally, I am looking for a switch who leans more dominant than not to complement that. Connection is far more important to me than ensuring that our laundry lists of kinks has sufficient overlap, but I'm happy to chat further about that in private if it's important to you!
Relationship-wise, I am ultimately looking to live the DINKWAD (Double Income No Kids With A Dog(or ten)) lifestyle. I don't want children of my own, but I plan on being the cool uncle to my friend's children. I am content/happy with my life as it is and am looking for someone who is in a similar spot. I value independence, trust, mutual respect, and, most importantly, silliness/goofiness/playfulness. I don't do well with excessive clinginess, though a small amount can be endearing.
Personality-wise I am not very serious at all. I am very playful and I love to laugh and make others laugh. I'm super affectionate when I get comfortable enough and I call everyone dude. Did the dude part belong in that sentence? No. Will I call you dude in weirder contexts? Yes. I'm a healthy balance between a homebody and someone who likes to do too much and regrets having no time left to be a homebody. I'm nerdy and like to describe myself as "a nerd who lifts". In levels of nerdiness, I'm a Star Wars nerd not a Star Trek nerd. Not that I like Star Wars, I think it's bad. Don't even @ me. My main hobbies are weight lifting, hiking, video games, D&D, anime/manga, travelling, road trips, day trips, cooking, baking, and spending time with my friends. I have a good career in tech and am fairly career driven at the moment (until my next promotion). Physically, I am 5'8" and weigh entirely too much right now. The diet is in progress to de-fat myself but, sadly, that takes time. I have loads of very NSFW videos on my profile if you want to see what I look like. Look at your own discretion.
I am not sure what else to write. If you are interested and would like to chat then I'd love to hear a bit about you! However, just to be transparent, it's unlikely that I'll send a face picture to you given what is on my profile. There are so many scammers and blackmailers out there that it's unhealthy to not have that sense of paranoia... That's not to say that I haven't sent them before, but if that is your minimum expectation then you're not going to have a good time. That being said, I don't expect a face picture from you either. I'm more than happy to go on a blind date and just have fun.
2024.06.01 15:15 pinkstarx My bf (27m) of 2 + years randomly told me (34f) that he wants me to lose weight. How should I go about this?
I have had body issues due to trauma my whole life. I had always thought I was fat but looking back I was always very slim. People always told me k was pretty and could be a model but I never saw that in myself. Growing up in an abusive family, I was put down a lot and had my insecurities used against me. This developed a lot of self esteem issues creating an unsure image of myself. Before dating my current boyfriend, I was with my ex of 13 years who was verbally and emotionally abusive as well. He would call me fat when I wasn’t and then anorexic when I had actually lost more weight being down to 103lbs in my mid twenties. In 2019 we had broken up and even though he was no good for me and I knew that, I had a very hard time with it. I also lost my dad a few months later which I think sealed the deal for what was to come. Covid rules went in to place around this time making it impossible to go get groceries yet Uber eats and things like that were still running to an extent. I lost myself and would order out a lot. I feel like I lost such a huge part of me that I no longer cared about myself and before knowing it I had gained lots of weight.
In 2021 I tried dating again and had no problem meeting new guys. I’m sure it was my personality that attracted them to me which was great and what I wanted however nothing worked out long term. I knew I wanted to lose weight but it was very hard for me and I didn’t even know where to start. I continued dating and said if I found someone who liked me for me now, then I’d know it’s real and would cherish me when I did lose weight. In 2022 I met a guy like no other. I almost swiped left but something drew me to him. He was awesome and so sweet. He was everything I ever wanted in a man and he seemed to like me for me, all of me. Through dating my self confidence came back, if anything it rose and I would actually feel hot and beautiful, something I never thought about myself before. He never put me down, told me my body was beautiful and made me feel amazing but in the back of my mind I still knew I wanted to lose weight. He supported me but told me I didn’t need to lose weight and that I was perfect the way I was. Throughout our whole relationship he would compliment me, making me feel on top of the world. Him liking me for me was a main thing that made me fall for him. I had never felt more comfortable and safe in my whole life.
I ended up getting pregnant and since giving birth, I had lost all my pregnancy weight and I think even more weight on top of that. The other day I was looking at my id from 2021 compared to now and there was such a huge difference in my face size. As of now, I’m about 176lbs and 5”6 for context. For BMI I am 1 point in the overweight mark but I see that as just 1 point over average which I know I can easily get down to. We were having a discussion yesterday and I asked him a personal question about our future, he snapped on me but later told me he wants me to lose weight. This came as an absolute shock to me. Not because I know I need to and want to but that this was coming from the same guy who always praised my body and made me feel like I was beautiful no matter what. It crushed me hearing this though I know it was true. What really got me is he said something along the lines of throughout our relationship he would look at me and not like the way I looked but overlook it. That really hurt and made me feel like our whole relationship was a lie. If so, why did he always compliment my body? Why did he try to make me feel so good about myself? Just the night before I was in the bathtub bent over where my stomach probably looked gross and he randomly came in and whistled at me. When I brought this up to him, he said it was because he thought I looked good. Everything he told me just contradicted each other. He would say sometimes he found me attractive the way I was and sometimes he didn’t like it. I was like so what, do you just pick and choose? How am I supposed to know? He claimed he was just as confused. He also said a few other contradictory things about our relationship, complaining we don’t do anything (we have a small child and no one to babysit) and saying I’m boring however every event, trip, outing was sought out and planned by me alone. So again I was very confused. He was really mean about it all but continued to say he loves me, love our time together, never met anyone like me, sees a future with me. How am I supposed to take all that? I’m not at all making excuses for him but he has been very stressed lately in not finding a job and I can see it’s been getting to him the last few days so I’m not sure if this helped in causing him to lash out at me in any way.
With him saying he wants me to lose weight, it was also confusing to hear as I have spent the last year begging him to help me out in regards to our home life. I struggle mentally but still do everything cool, clean, take care of our baby (he does help out) but he leaves me with so much mental load that I have to think for him. He’s has a task list of things to do for the last two years that he still hasn’t done and I have to keep track of that for him as well as his appointments. Anyone who’s had a baby especially a single mother would know how hard it is to do it on your own, I feel like with him I have another child I have to take care of. The responsibilities in our life are definitely not equal. He gets up, makes himself a big breakfast, has the time to work out and do the things he likes but me, I do a full day of work and when our baby goes to sleep I am completely exhausted that I mostly crash out within an hour or 2. He leaves me no time for myself to work out even if I wanted to and along with the mental load I am just exhausted. I also want to add that I have been having some health issues since the new year and I actually made a few changes. I cold turkey stopped drinking soda and changed my eating habits. He said he was proud of me and how quickly I could do that to take care of myself. But now he’s acting like I’ve made no changes at all even though I have lost weight both since I’ve met him and since giving birth. Of course I want to lose weight but now it almost feels wrong to do so. I don’t want to do it just because he said he ants me to. I want to do it at my own pace in my own way because I want to. It’s always been a goal of mine. And now I feel if I do lose weight and he starts complimenting me, it’ll just be wrong because I will always remember that he never liked me for me. I am already feeling extremely uncomfortable around him and wearing more clothes to hide my body. Also everything now feels like it was a lie so I don’t know how to move forward or if I even should.
I am really just so confused and don’t know where to go from here. Is this a reasonable request or should I move on? Opinions? Suggestions?
*** I forgot to add that he tells me he sees old pictures of me and wants me to look like that though those pictures are 10 years old and I’m not that same person anymore. Of course I’ve grown up and don’t always doll myself up to go to clubs and such anymore. Plus I was an unhealthy weight, you could see my bones sticking out. How should I take this?
submitted by pinkstarx to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
In 2021 I tried dating again and had no problem meeting new guys. I’m sure it was my personality that attracted them to me which was great and what I wanted however nothing worked out long term. I knew I wanted to lose weight but it was very hard for me and I didn’t even know where to start. I continued dating and said if I found someone who liked me for me now, then I’d know it’s real and would cherish me when I did lose weight. In 2022 I met a guy like no other. I almost swiped left but something drew me to him. He was awesome and so sweet. He was everything I ever wanted in a man and he seemed to like me for me, all of me. Through dating my self confidence came back, if anything it rose and I would actually feel hot and beautiful, something I never thought about myself before. He never put me down, told me my body was beautiful and made me feel amazing but in the back of my mind I still knew I wanted to lose weight. He supported me but told me I didn’t need to lose weight and that I was perfect the way I was. Throughout our whole relationship he would compliment me, making me feel on top of the world. Him liking me for me was a main thing that made me fall for him. I had never felt more comfortable and safe in my whole life.
I ended up getting pregnant and since giving birth, I had lost all my pregnancy weight and I think even more weight on top of that. The other day I was looking at my id from 2021 compared to now and there was such a huge difference in my face size. As of now, I’m about 176lbs and 5”6 for context. For BMI I am 1 point in the overweight mark but I see that as just 1 point over average which I know I can easily get down to. We were having a discussion yesterday and I asked him a personal question about our future, he snapped on me but later told me he wants me to lose weight. This came as an absolute shock to me. Not because I know I need to and want to but that this was coming from the same guy who always praised my body and made me feel like I was beautiful no matter what. It crushed me hearing this though I know it was true. What really got me is he said something along the lines of throughout our relationship he would look at me and not like the way I looked but overlook it. That really hurt and made me feel like our whole relationship was a lie. If so, why did he always compliment my body? Why did he try to make me feel so good about myself? Just the night before I was in the bathtub bent over where my stomach probably looked gross and he randomly came in and whistled at me. When I brought this up to him, he said it was because he thought I looked good. Everything he told me just contradicted each other. He would say sometimes he found me attractive the way I was and sometimes he didn’t like it. I was like so what, do you just pick and choose? How am I supposed to know? He claimed he was just as confused. He also said a few other contradictory things about our relationship, complaining we don’t do anything (we have a small child and no one to babysit) and saying I’m boring however every event, trip, outing was sought out and planned by me alone. So again I was very confused. He was really mean about it all but continued to say he loves me, love our time together, never met anyone like me, sees a future with me. How am I supposed to take all that? I’m not at all making excuses for him but he has been very stressed lately in not finding a job and I can see it’s been getting to him the last few days so I’m not sure if this helped in causing him to lash out at me in any way.
With him saying he wants me to lose weight, it was also confusing to hear as I have spent the last year begging him to help me out in regards to our home life. I struggle mentally but still do everything cool, clean, take care of our baby (he does help out) but he leaves me with so much mental load that I have to think for him. He’s has a task list of things to do for the last two years that he still hasn’t done and I have to keep track of that for him as well as his appointments. Anyone who’s had a baby especially a single mother would know how hard it is to do it on your own, I feel like with him I have another child I have to take care of. The responsibilities in our life are definitely not equal. He gets up, makes himself a big breakfast, has the time to work out and do the things he likes but me, I do a full day of work and when our baby goes to sleep I am completely exhausted that I mostly crash out within an hour or 2. He leaves me no time for myself to work out even if I wanted to and along with the mental load I am just exhausted. I also want to add that I have been having some health issues since the new year and I actually made a few changes. I cold turkey stopped drinking soda and changed my eating habits. He said he was proud of me and how quickly I could do that to take care of myself. But now he’s acting like I’ve made no changes at all even though I have lost weight both since I’ve met him and since giving birth. Of course I want to lose weight but now it almost feels wrong to do so. I don’t want to do it just because he said he ants me to. I want to do it at my own pace in my own way because I want to. It’s always been a goal of mine. And now I feel if I do lose weight and he starts complimenting me, it’ll just be wrong because I will always remember that he never liked me for me. I am already feeling extremely uncomfortable around him and wearing more clothes to hide my body. Also everything now feels like it was a lie so I don’t know how to move forward or if I even should.
I am really just so confused and don’t know where to go from here. Is this a reasonable request or should I move on? Opinions? Suggestions?
*** I forgot to add that he tells me he sees old pictures of me and wants me to look like that though those pictures are 10 years old and I’m not that same person anymore. Of course I’ve grown up and don’t always doll myself up to go to clubs and such anymore. Plus I was an unhealthy weight, you could see my bones sticking out. How should I take this?
2024.06.01 15:14 RyanMorholt Forest Grove Settlers: First Day Fallout Fan Fiction - A Short Story
“I told you there would be nothing in that military check point,” Barrett said. He cleaned his hands from bloodbug residue. “Only abandoned cars and empty cigarette machines.”
“Okay, I was wrong!” Simon admitted. “Is it my fault that I have hope?”
“No one ever knows out here,” Kevin chimed in.
Simon affectionally grabbed his youngest brother by the shoulder.
“See, Barrett, this is what a supportive brother sounds like.”
Barrett grunted.
The three brothers continued to follow the broken asphalt road. In time, the sky above them disappeared behind the ruins of an interstate highway. Its massive concrete columns towered over the horizon. It had cast a long shadow over their route.
Kevin stopped his brothers.
“Is that an elevator?” He pointed to the yellow cable lift that ran up to the overpass.
“I’m not using that,” Barrett quickly responded. He touched his stomach unconsciously, cognizant of his size and weight.
“Yeah, that might be an adventure for another life time,” Simon said, noting the precariousness of the cables that rose up to the ruins of the highway overpass.
Kevin pursed his lips with a modicum of disappointment. As the youngest and smallest of the three, he possessed more daring than his brothers combined. Perhaps this difference was due to the inexperience of his age or the simple fact that Kevin had a different mother than Barrett and Simon. His courage may have been a genetic inheritance that the others lacked.
“House!” Simon spotted the wooden building before his brothers, who still focused on the elevator and the possibility of ascending it.
“Let me guess, there’s going to be treasure inside of it,” Barrett said sarcastically.
“There could be!” Simon replied.
As the young men approached the building, it became apparent it had been apart of a long abandoned settlement. From their higher-ground perspective, they could see the ruins of several buildings roll down the landscape and into the consuming waters of the Charles River. The houses closest to the river had flooded and slowly rotted in the river’s murky water.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Barrett said. His siblings could hear the smile in his words. They knew that there would be at least one piece of worthwhile loot among these buildings. Barrett, however, wanted more than the natural greed of survival. The big man itched for a real fight.
“Raiders, Ghouls, or Mirelurks,” Kevin asked.
“Five caps on raiders,” Barrett said. His hand dropped to the pipe pistol holstered to his thigh.
“Five for mirelurks,” Simon said.
“I guess, I take ghouls.”
The three men moved closer to the first building. The residence, once a beautiful suburban home, had decayed over the two hundred and twenty years since its owners died in the nuclear fallout. Yet, despite the age of home, its door seemed to have been freshly repaired.
Simon, as per usual, approached the entrance with military tact. Barrett positioned himself behind his older brother. He placed one hand on Simon’s shoulder and the other around his pipe pistol. Kevin checked their flank and readied his pipe rifle.
Simon lifted his hand. He counted silently with his fingers.
One. Two. Three.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. Barrett entered the building, his pipe pistol scanning the interior of the house.
“Clear!”
Simon followed Barrett. Kevin slowly backed into the building. He closed the door behind him.
“Stairs,” Barrett said to his brothers.
Immediately, the big man took the lead, scanning the floor above him with his pistol at eye-level. Simon followed in the wake of his larger brother, keeping his eyes straight to the top of the landing. Kevin stayed on the first floor. He found a corner, pressed his back into it, and crouched. He kept his eye on the front door.
“Clear!” Barrett’s voice rang through the structure.
“Nothing for nobody,” Kevin said, standing from his position and letting his rifle hang limply in his hands. He thought at least one ghoul would be hiding in the house. Their fraternal bottlecap wager would have to wait another house.
“Cheer up! Better luck in the next building.” Simon said as he walked down the stairs. “Right now, we have some time to loot.”
The brothers began the careful examination of the residential building.
Despite two centuries of rain and snow the building seemed to be in good condition. Clearly, since the bombs fell, a series of squatters had made improvements and adjustments over the years. In fact, the house seemed almost luxurious compared to the standards of the Wasteland. The floors had been redone with new planks of wood. The walls had been scraped of their original wallpaper and painted a light seafoam green. Although the glass from the windows had been long destroyed, curtains hung over the wooden shutters that secured the windows from the exterior world.
“Ooo!” Barrett exclaimed upstairs.
“What’d you find?” Simon called out. He stood at the bottom of the staircase and waited for a sign.
“Caps stash!” Barrett appeared with a grey tin can. He shook it and a number of caps inside of it pleasantly jingled.
“And you thought there wouldn’t be any treasure?” Simon laughed to himself.
“And the fridge is full!” Kevin called.
Barrett rushed down the stairs and joined his brothers at the fridge. Together, they drank a bottle of mostly clean water, each taking sips and passing it to the others. Then, they finished a plate of crispy squirrel bits.
“Almost fresh,” Barrett said, shoving a large handful into his mouth.
Simon continued his perusal of the house as he chewed his last portion of squirrel meat. He went to the living room section of the main floor and rummaged through a chest of drawers.
“Women’s clothing?” He lifted a dress from the chest of drawers and showed his brothers. The light green dress seemed to be in relatively good condition. The clean herbaceous smell of carrot flowers wafted into his nose.
“Someone might still live here,” Barrett said, looking at a bouquet of fresh hubflowers on the table.
Kevin looked from one of the windows. “I think he’s just arrived.”
Before Simon and Kevin could arm themselves, the door opened. An old man entered with two buckets of water. At the very moment he saw these three men, he dropped the buckets on the floor and rushed out of the building. One of the buckets spilled its contents across the floor, slowly dribbling down the front steps. Meanwhile, the old man pressed his back against the exterior wall of the building.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“We didn’t know!” Simon shouted back. “We didn’t mean to trespass!”
“Well, you did. Now, what are you going to do? Kill an old man and take his home?”
“Not if you let us leave unharmed!”
“How do I know that you’re not raiders?”
“You can’t,” Simon shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
“And why would I that?”
“Well, for one thing, there are more of us than there are of you.”
“Send one man out.”
“No!” Simon responded. “How do I know you’re not just going to shoot him the moment he leaves the building?”
“You can’t,” the old man shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
Simon felt bested by the old man’s negotiating skills.
“I’ll go,” Kevin said to his brothers.
“No, I will.” Barrett put his hand on his younger brother. He would gladly die in his place.
“There’s less of me to hit,” Kevin bantered.
Barrett grunted, but he could not stop himself from smiling.
Simon thought about dissuading his brothers, telling them that no one was going to leave the house, but this show of trust needed to be made. If things went well, there could be a chance that the three of them could profit from this encounter. Perhaps, they could spend the night sleeping inside a warm house and finally be able to get a proper night’s rest.
“I’m coming out,” Kevin shouted to the old man.
“Unarmed. With your hands up! If I see so much as a big iron on your hip, the deal is off.”
Kevin placed his pipe rifle and his switchblade on top of the chest of drawers.
Simon stepped close to his brother and embraced him.
“If he harms you, I will make sure he suffers until his very last breath,” Simon whispered.
Kevin squeezed his brother tightly and went to the door.
“I am approaching the door now,” Kevin shouted. “My hands are up.”
Kevin stepped over the spilled water bucket and crossed the threshold of the house.
“Keeping going,” the old man commanded.
Once Kevin descended the front stairs and reached the hard ground, he felt the old man sweep behind him and check for weapons.
“Do we trust each other?” Kevin said, letting the old man pat down his sides. “I’m alive, so I know I can trust you, but there are still two men inside of the house.”
“Two, huh? I thought there’d be more of you.” The old man met Kevin gaze. His face was wrinkled, freckled, and scarred. His neck-length beard, once nearly black in colour, had become streaked with grey. His moustache faired slightly better, but it too had begun to pale in his old age. Overall, the old man seemed hardened by his experiences in the wasteland, but, despite this hardness, Kevin noticed a softness behind his eyes. They reflected no bitterness or resentment.
“Now what?” Simon called from inside of the house.
“I’m going to come inside with your friend as collateral.”
The old man drew his 10mm pistol and pressed into Kevin’s lower back. Kevin straightened his posture with a reflexive fear. He climbed up the stairs and back into the house, the pistol never losing contact with his spine.
“Welcome to my home, gentleman,” the old man said. “The name is Duncan. I hope you make yourselves comfortable, although, by the looks of yesterday’s dinner, it seems as though you already have.”
Barrett glanced back at the empty porcelain plate. He wiped his greasy hands on his pant legs.
“Watch it, big guy,” the old man said. “You don’t want to make too many sudden movements.”
Barrett looked into his brother’s face. Kevin seemed calm on the surface, but Barrett could see the fear beneath his composure.
“My name is Simon. This is Barrett, and the man you currently threatening is our brother Kevin.”
“Pleasure, gentlemen.”
“We’re travellers. We’ve no particular destination. We’re just trying to survive.”
“Yes, that always seems to be the story. Why aren’t you getting comfortable in Diamond City or Goodneighbor?”
“We’re new to the Commonwealth,” Simon replied.
“Just arrived,” Barrett added.
“Boys, I’m happy to be your first experience in these here parts, but you’re going to have to leave. I can’t risk any trouble.”
“We won’t be any trouble,” Kevin said, looking behind his shoulder.
“Truly, I would like to believe you boys, but you best be going.”
Duncan stepped aside and positioned himself to the side of the room. He tilted his head toward the door with a quick gesture, encouraging Simon and Barrett to leave.
“Now, please.”
“Can we at least get Kevin’s weapons over there?” Simon asked.
“I’ll toss them to you once you’re out of the door. Just go.”
Simon and Barrett complied. They walked out of the house and down the steps. Duncan led Kevin from his house, allowing the young man to move away from the pistol.
“Grandpapa!”
The men turned to see group of three women approaching the house. Two of them carried heavy bags of harvested food, while the third held a tactical submachine gun in her hands. The three of them kept staring at their grandfather, who kept his pistol held toward the brothers.
The woman with the submachine gun lifted the stock to her shoulder. She knew that with her large drum magazine, she could cut down these three intruders without the need to reload.
“We had a small misunderstanding, ladies,” Simon said with a winning smile. He looked at the woman with the submachine gun. Her short dark brown hair swooped over one of her eyes. She flipped her hair out of the way. “We’ll be on our way,” Simon continued, “once your grandfather hands us our weapons.”
“How about you head on out without them?” the woman with the gun said.
“That’s not fair,” Kevin said. He stepped forward as he said it, causing the woman to swivel her sights on him.
“On more step and you’ll have lost more than your weapons.”
“Woah, woah. Okay, message received,” Kevin said, putting his hands back into the air. “Let’s go, guys. It’s okay. We can find kinder hosts somewhere else.”
“Or, at least, a better fight,” Barrett said with a sniff of his nose. “An old man and three little girls hardly constitute a challenge.”
“I can wipe the floor with you, big boy,” said the woman with the machine gun.
“Audrey!” Duncan reprimanded.
“I’d like to see you try, girlie. Unarmed, one-on-one, you stand no chance,” Barrett said. As he spoke, he took a deep breath and inflated his already imposing figure. The muscles beneath his shirt could be seen flexing.
“Want to try me? Or are you scared of losing to a girl?” Audrey responded.
Barrett roared with laughter.
“Audrey, that’s enough!” the old man said. “Do not aggravate them. They’re on their way.”
“Wait!” the smallest of the three women called to her grandfather. “Can’t they stay? If they wanted to hurt us, they would’ve already.”
“It’d be too risky!” Duncan replied.
“But you’ve always said that people need to come together and rebuild this world,” she said.
Duncan flashed her a quick scolding look.
“Sylvie’s right,” the third woman added. “They can help us around the property.” Her eyes danced over Barrett’s large figure. While her middle sister seemed ready to harm him, she merely wanted to be held by him.
“Audrey, talk some sense into your sisters!” Duncan exclaimed. “You ladies know that we can’t invite people at random!”
“We’d be happy to help,” Simon interjected.
Kevin locked eyes with his young counterpart. Sylvie broke eye contact and looked at her feet.
“Yeah, we can help,” Kevin said a little absent-mindedly. He continued to admire the woman before his eyes.
“Wait a minute,” Barrett said, “This guy pulls a pistol on you and you want to help him? What are you going to do? Fetch him water?”
“We made him to spill it,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“Are you guys out of your mind? How can we trust them? What if the old man and these she-devils are planning to kill us in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, now you’re afraid of me!” Audrey teased, loosening her grip on the submachine gun.
“I ain’t afraid of anything,” Barrett snapped.
Simon bursted in laughter. “Buddy, you know you’re agreeing with the old man, right? He doesn’t want you around because he thinks your going to do to him what you think he’s doing to do to you.”
Barrett squinted his eyes, trying to parse the sentence.
“I don’t like it,” Barrett said.
“Neither do I,” Duncan agreed.
“Well, they’re not staying in the house,” Audrey said. She tilted her swooping hair out of her eyes again. “Give them the rotting house.”
Duncan stayed silent. Everyone looked at him as though it was his decision which made everything final.
“Fine, but I’m standing guard during the night. If one of these boys come creeping in the night, I’ll make sure our walls get a nice new shade of red.”
Barrett nodded his head in agreement. “And I’ll take first watch at our place.”
Audrey turned to her sisters. “Morgan, Sylvie, take the food inside. I’ll show these men their residence.” She adjusted the tactical submachine gun in her arms.
Her sisters did what they were told.
“Gentlemen,” Audrey said, leading the men down the slight hill, “Your new abode.” She kicked the front door, which broke free from its hinges. The wood from the door had rotted from the moisture in the air. Wet dust flew from the ground and an acrid smell spewed from the interior of the building.
“Enjoy.”
Audrey left the three brothers and returned to her home.
The three of the brothers exchanged uncomfortable glances and looked at the building. Kevin approached the doorway and peered into the darkness.
“Ghoul!” Kevin shouted.
His brothers ran into the building with their weapons drawn. Kevin threw his arms around his brothers as they looked at remains of a feral ghoul. It had died a long time ago.
“Pay up, boys!” he said with a smile. “Five caps each.”
submitted by RyanMorholt to RyanMorholt [link] [comments]
“Okay, I was wrong!” Simon admitted. “Is it my fault that I have hope?”
“No one ever knows out here,” Kevin chimed in.
Simon affectionally grabbed his youngest brother by the shoulder.
“See, Barrett, this is what a supportive brother sounds like.”
Barrett grunted.
The three brothers continued to follow the broken asphalt road. In time, the sky above them disappeared behind the ruins of an interstate highway. Its massive concrete columns towered over the horizon. It had cast a long shadow over their route.
Kevin stopped his brothers.
“Is that an elevator?” He pointed to the yellow cable lift that ran up to the overpass.
“I’m not using that,” Barrett quickly responded. He touched his stomach unconsciously, cognizant of his size and weight.
“Yeah, that might be an adventure for another life time,” Simon said, noting the precariousness of the cables that rose up to the ruins of the highway overpass.
Kevin pursed his lips with a modicum of disappointment. As the youngest and smallest of the three, he possessed more daring than his brothers combined. Perhaps this difference was due to the inexperience of his age or the simple fact that Kevin had a different mother than Barrett and Simon. His courage may have been a genetic inheritance that the others lacked.
“House!” Simon spotted the wooden building before his brothers, who still focused on the elevator and the possibility of ascending it.
“Let me guess, there’s going to be treasure inside of it,” Barrett said sarcastically.
“There could be!” Simon replied.
As the young men approached the building, it became apparent it had been apart of a long abandoned settlement. From their higher-ground perspective, they could see the ruins of several buildings roll down the landscape and into the consuming waters of the Charles River. The houses closest to the river had flooded and slowly rotted in the river’s murky water.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Barrett said. His siblings could hear the smile in his words. They knew that there would be at least one piece of worthwhile loot among these buildings. Barrett, however, wanted more than the natural greed of survival. The big man itched for a real fight.
“Raiders, Ghouls, or Mirelurks,” Kevin asked.
“Five caps on raiders,” Barrett said. His hand dropped to the pipe pistol holstered to his thigh.
“Five for mirelurks,” Simon said.
“I guess, I take ghouls.”
The three men moved closer to the first building. The residence, once a beautiful suburban home, had decayed over the two hundred and twenty years since its owners died in the nuclear fallout. Yet, despite the age of home, its door seemed to have been freshly repaired.
Simon, as per usual, approached the entrance with military tact. Barrett positioned himself behind his older brother. He placed one hand on Simon’s shoulder and the other around his pipe pistol. Kevin checked their flank and readied his pipe rifle.
Simon lifted his hand. He counted silently with his fingers.
One. Two. Three.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. Barrett entered the building, his pipe pistol scanning the interior of the house.
“Clear!”
Simon followed Barrett. Kevin slowly backed into the building. He closed the door behind him.
“Stairs,” Barrett said to his brothers.
Immediately, the big man took the lead, scanning the floor above him with his pistol at eye-level. Simon followed in the wake of his larger brother, keeping his eyes straight to the top of the landing. Kevin stayed on the first floor. He found a corner, pressed his back into it, and crouched. He kept his eye on the front door.
“Clear!” Barrett’s voice rang through the structure.
“Nothing for nobody,” Kevin said, standing from his position and letting his rifle hang limply in his hands. He thought at least one ghoul would be hiding in the house. Their fraternal bottlecap wager would have to wait another house.
“Cheer up! Better luck in the next building.” Simon said as he walked down the stairs. “Right now, we have some time to loot.”
The brothers began the careful examination of the residential building.
Despite two centuries of rain and snow the building seemed to be in good condition. Clearly, since the bombs fell, a series of squatters had made improvements and adjustments over the years. In fact, the house seemed almost luxurious compared to the standards of the Wasteland. The floors had been redone with new planks of wood. The walls had been scraped of their original wallpaper and painted a light seafoam green. Although the glass from the windows had been long destroyed, curtains hung over the wooden shutters that secured the windows from the exterior world.
“Ooo!” Barrett exclaimed upstairs.
“What’d you find?” Simon called out. He stood at the bottom of the staircase and waited for a sign.
“Caps stash!” Barrett appeared with a grey tin can. He shook it and a number of caps inside of it pleasantly jingled.
“And you thought there wouldn’t be any treasure?” Simon laughed to himself.
“And the fridge is full!” Kevin called.
Barrett rushed down the stairs and joined his brothers at the fridge. Together, they drank a bottle of mostly clean water, each taking sips and passing it to the others. Then, they finished a plate of crispy squirrel bits.
“Almost fresh,” Barrett said, shoving a large handful into his mouth.
Simon continued his perusal of the house as he chewed his last portion of squirrel meat. He went to the living room section of the main floor and rummaged through a chest of drawers.
“Women’s clothing?” He lifted a dress from the chest of drawers and showed his brothers. The light green dress seemed to be in relatively good condition. The clean herbaceous smell of carrot flowers wafted into his nose.
“Someone might still live here,” Barrett said, looking at a bouquet of fresh hubflowers on the table.
Kevin looked from one of the windows. “I think he’s just arrived.”
Before Simon and Kevin could arm themselves, the door opened. An old man entered with two buckets of water. At the very moment he saw these three men, he dropped the buckets on the floor and rushed out of the building. One of the buckets spilled its contents across the floor, slowly dribbling down the front steps. Meanwhile, the old man pressed his back against the exterior wall of the building.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“We didn’t know!” Simon shouted back. “We didn’t mean to trespass!”
“Well, you did. Now, what are you going to do? Kill an old man and take his home?”
“Not if you let us leave unharmed!”
“How do I know that you’re not raiders?”
“You can’t,” Simon shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
“And why would I that?”
“Well, for one thing, there are more of us than there are of you.”
“Send one man out.”
“No!” Simon responded. “How do I know you’re not just going to shoot him the moment he leaves the building?”
“You can’t,” the old man shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
Simon felt bested by the old man’s negotiating skills.
“I’ll go,” Kevin said to his brothers.
“No, I will.” Barrett put his hand on his younger brother. He would gladly die in his place.
“There’s less of me to hit,” Kevin bantered.
Barrett grunted, but he could not stop himself from smiling.
Simon thought about dissuading his brothers, telling them that no one was going to leave the house, but this show of trust needed to be made. If things went well, there could be a chance that the three of them could profit from this encounter. Perhaps, they could spend the night sleeping inside a warm house and finally be able to get a proper night’s rest.
“I’m coming out,” Kevin shouted to the old man.
“Unarmed. With your hands up! If I see so much as a big iron on your hip, the deal is off.”
Kevin placed his pipe rifle and his switchblade on top of the chest of drawers.
Simon stepped close to his brother and embraced him.
“If he harms you, I will make sure he suffers until his very last breath,” Simon whispered.
Kevin squeezed his brother tightly and went to the door.
“I am approaching the door now,” Kevin shouted. “My hands are up.”
Kevin stepped over the spilled water bucket and crossed the threshold of the house.
“Keeping going,” the old man commanded.
Once Kevin descended the front stairs and reached the hard ground, he felt the old man sweep behind him and check for weapons.
“Do we trust each other?” Kevin said, letting the old man pat down his sides. “I’m alive, so I know I can trust you, but there are still two men inside of the house.”
“Two, huh? I thought there’d be more of you.” The old man met Kevin gaze. His face was wrinkled, freckled, and scarred. His neck-length beard, once nearly black in colour, had become streaked with grey. His moustache faired slightly better, but it too had begun to pale in his old age. Overall, the old man seemed hardened by his experiences in the wasteland, but, despite this hardness, Kevin noticed a softness behind his eyes. They reflected no bitterness or resentment.
“Now what?” Simon called from inside of the house.
“I’m going to come inside with your friend as collateral.”
The old man drew his 10mm pistol and pressed into Kevin’s lower back. Kevin straightened his posture with a reflexive fear. He climbed up the stairs and back into the house, the pistol never losing contact with his spine.
“Welcome to my home, gentleman,” the old man said. “The name is Duncan. I hope you make yourselves comfortable, although, by the looks of yesterday’s dinner, it seems as though you already have.”
Barrett glanced back at the empty porcelain plate. He wiped his greasy hands on his pant legs.
“Watch it, big guy,” the old man said. “You don’t want to make too many sudden movements.”
Barrett looked into his brother’s face. Kevin seemed calm on the surface, but Barrett could see the fear beneath his composure.
“My name is Simon. This is Barrett, and the man you currently threatening is our brother Kevin.”
“Pleasure, gentlemen.”
“We’re travellers. We’ve no particular destination. We’re just trying to survive.”
“Yes, that always seems to be the story. Why aren’t you getting comfortable in Diamond City or Goodneighbor?”
“We’re new to the Commonwealth,” Simon replied.
“Just arrived,” Barrett added.
“Boys, I’m happy to be your first experience in these here parts, but you’re going to have to leave. I can’t risk any trouble.”
“We won’t be any trouble,” Kevin said, looking behind his shoulder.
“Truly, I would like to believe you boys, but you best be going.”
Duncan stepped aside and positioned himself to the side of the room. He tilted his head toward the door with a quick gesture, encouraging Simon and Barrett to leave.
“Now, please.”
“Can we at least get Kevin’s weapons over there?” Simon asked.
“I’ll toss them to you once you’re out of the door. Just go.”
Simon and Barrett complied. They walked out of the house and down the steps. Duncan led Kevin from his house, allowing the young man to move away from the pistol.
“Grandpapa!”
The men turned to see group of three women approaching the house. Two of them carried heavy bags of harvested food, while the third held a tactical submachine gun in her hands. The three of them kept staring at their grandfather, who kept his pistol held toward the brothers.
The woman with the submachine gun lifted the stock to her shoulder. She knew that with her large drum magazine, she could cut down these three intruders without the need to reload.
“We had a small misunderstanding, ladies,” Simon said with a winning smile. He looked at the woman with the submachine gun. Her short dark brown hair swooped over one of her eyes. She flipped her hair out of the way. “We’ll be on our way,” Simon continued, “once your grandfather hands us our weapons.”
“How about you head on out without them?” the woman with the gun said.
“That’s not fair,” Kevin said. He stepped forward as he said it, causing the woman to swivel her sights on him.
“On more step and you’ll have lost more than your weapons.”
“Woah, woah. Okay, message received,” Kevin said, putting his hands back into the air. “Let’s go, guys. It’s okay. We can find kinder hosts somewhere else.”
“Or, at least, a better fight,” Barrett said with a sniff of his nose. “An old man and three little girls hardly constitute a challenge.”
“I can wipe the floor with you, big boy,” said the woman with the machine gun.
“Audrey!” Duncan reprimanded.
“I’d like to see you try, girlie. Unarmed, one-on-one, you stand no chance,” Barrett said. As he spoke, he took a deep breath and inflated his already imposing figure. The muscles beneath his shirt could be seen flexing.
“Want to try me? Or are you scared of losing to a girl?” Audrey responded.
Barrett roared with laughter.
“Audrey, that’s enough!” the old man said. “Do not aggravate them. They’re on their way.”
“Wait!” the smallest of the three women called to her grandfather. “Can’t they stay? If they wanted to hurt us, they would’ve already.”
“It’d be too risky!” Duncan replied.
“But you’ve always said that people need to come together and rebuild this world,” she said.
Duncan flashed her a quick scolding look.
“Sylvie’s right,” the third woman added. “They can help us around the property.” Her eyes danced over Barrett’s large figure. While her middle sister seemed ready to harm him, she merely wanted to be held by him.
“Audrey, talk some sense into your sisters!” Duncan exclaimed. “You ladies know that we can’t invite people at random!”
“We’d be happy to help,” Simon interjected.
Kevin locked eyes with his young counterpart. Sylvie broke eye contact and looked at her feet.
“Yeah, we can help,” Kevin said a little absent-mindedly. He continued to admire the woman before his eyes.
“Wait a minute,” Barrett said, “This guy pulls a pistol on you and you want to help him? What are you going to do? Fetch him water?”
“We made him to spill it,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“Are you guys out of your mind? How can we trust them? What if the old man and these she-devils are planning to kill us in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, now you’re afraid of me!” Audrey teased, loosening her grip on the submachine gun.
“I ain’t afraid of anything,” Barrett snapped.
Simon bursted in laughter. “Buddy, you know you’re agreeing with the old man, right? He doesn’t want you around because he thinks your going to do to him what you think he’s doing to do to you.”
Barrett squinted his eyes, trying to parse the sentence.
“I don’t like it,” Barrett said.
“Neither do I,” Duncan agreed.
“Well, they’re not staying in the house,” Audrey said. She tilted her swooping hair out of her eyes again. “Give them the rotting house.”
Duncan stayed silent. Everyone looked at him as though it was his decision which made everything final.
“Fine, but I’m standing guard during the night. If one of these boys come creeping in the night, I’ll make sure our walls get a nice new shade of red.”
Barrett nodded his head in agreement. “And I’ll take first watch at our place.”
Audrey turned to her sisters. “Morgan, Sylvie, take the food inside. I’ll show these men their residence.” She adjusted the tactical submachine gun in her arms.
Her sisters did what they were told.
“Gentlemen,” Audrey said, leading the men down the slight hill, “Your new abode.” She kicked the front door, which broke free from its hinges. The wood from the door had rotted from the moisture in the air. Wet dust flew from the ground and an acrid smell spewed from the interior of the building.
“Enjoy.”
Audrey left the three brothers and returned to her home.
The three of the brothers exchanged uncomfortable glances and looked at the building. Kevin approached the doorway and peered into the darkness.
“Ghoul!” Kevin shouted.
His brothers ran into the building with their weapons drawn. Kevin threw his arms around his brothers as they looked at remains of a feral ghoul. It had died a long time ago.
“Pay up, boys!” he said with a smile. “Five caps each.”
2024.06.01 15:14 RyanMorholt Forest Grove Settlers: First Day Fallout Fan Fiction - A Short Story
“I told you there would be nothing in that military check point,” Barrett said. He cleaned his hands from bloodbug residue. “Only abandoned cars and empty cigarette machines.”
“Okay, I was wrong!” Simon admitted. “Is it my fault that I have hope?”
“No one ever knows out here,” Kevin chimed in.
Simon affectionally grabbed his youngest brother by the shoulder.
“See, Barrett, this is what a supportive brother sounds like.”
Barrett grunted.
The three brothers continued to follow the broken asphalt road. In time, the sky above them disappeared behind the ruins of an interstate highway. Its massive concrete columns towered over the horizon. It had cast a long shadow over their route.
Kevin stopped his brothers.
“Is that an elevator?” He pointed to the yellow cable lift that ran up to the overpass.
“I’m not using that,” Barrett quickly responded. He touched his stomach unconsciously, cognizant of his size and weight.
“Yeah, that might be an adventure for another life time,” Simon said, noting the precariousness of the cables that rose up to the ruins of the highway overpass.
Kevin pursed his lips with a modicum of disappointment. As the youngest and smallest of the three, he possessed more daring than his brothers combined. Perhaps this difference was due to the inexperience of his age or the simple fact that Kevin had a different mother than Barrett and Simon. His courage may have been a genetic inheritance that the others lacked.
“House!” Simon spotted the wooden building before his brothers, who still focused on the elevator and the possibility of ascending it.
“Let me guess, there’s going to be treasure inside of it,” Barrett said sarcastically.
“There could be!” Simon replied.
As the young men approached the building, it became apparent it had been apart of a long abandoned settlement. From their higher-ground perspective, they could see the ruins of several buildings roll down the landscape and into the consuming waters of the Charles River. The houses closest to the river had flooded and slowly rotted in the river’s murky water.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Barrett said. His siblings could hear the smile in his words. They knew that there would be at least one piece of worthwhile loot among these buildings. Barrett, however, wanted more than the natural greed of survival. The big man itched for a real fight.
“Raiders, Ghouls, or Mirelurks,” Kevin asked.
“Five caps on raiders,” Barrett said. His hand dropped to the pipe pistol holstered to his thigh.
“Five for mirelurks,” Simon said.
“I guess, I take ghouls.”
The three men moved closer to the first building. The residence, once a beautiful suburban home, had decayed over the two hundred and twenty years since its owners died in the nuclear fallout. Yet, despite the age of home, its door seemed to have been freshly repaired.
Simon, as per usual, approached the entrance with military tact. Barrett positioned himself behind his older brother. He placed one hand on Simon’s shoulder and the other around his pipe pistol. Kevin checked their flank and readied his pipe rifle.
Simon lifted his hand. He counted silently with his fingers.
One. Two. Three.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. Barrett entered the building, his pipe pistol scanning the interior of the house.
“Clear!”
Simon followed Barrett. Kevin slowly backed into the building. He closed the door behind him.
“Stairs,” Barrett said to his brothers.
Immediately, the big man took the lead, scanning the floor above him with his pistol at eye-level. Simon followed in the wake of his larger brother, keeping his eyes straight to the top of the landing. Kevin stayed on the first floor. He found a corner, pressed his back into it, and crouched. He kept his eye on the front door.
“Clear!” Barrett’s voice rang through the structure.
“Nothing for nobody,” Kevin said, standing from his position and letting his rifle hang limply in his hands. He thought at least one ghoul would be hiding in the house. Their fraternal bottlecap wager would have to wait another house.
“Cheer up! Better luck in the next building.” Simon said as he walked down the stairs. “Right now, we have some time to loot.”
The brothers began the careful examination of the residential building.
Despite two centuries of rain and snow the building seemed to be in good condition. Clearly, since the bombs fell, a series of squatters had made improvements and adjustments over the years. In fact, the house seemed almost luxurious compared to the standards of the Wasteland. The floors had been redone with new planks of wood. The walls had been scraped of their original wallpaper and painted a light seafoam green. Although the glass from the windows had been long destroyed, curtains hung over the wooden shutters that secured the windows from the exterior world.
“Ooo!” Barrett exclaimed upstairs.
“What’d you find?” Simon called out. He stood at the bottom of the staircase and waited for a sign.
“Caps stash!” Barrett appeared with a grey tin can. He shook it and a number of caps inside of it pleasantly jingled.
“And you thought there wouldn’t be any treasure?” Simon laughed to himself.
“And the fridge is full!” Kevin called.
Barrett rushed down the stairs and joined his brothers at the fridge. Together, they drank a bottle of mostly clean water, each taking sips and passing it to the others. Then, they finished a plate of crispy squirrel bits.
“Almost fresh,” Barrett said, shoving a large handful into his mouth.
Simon continued his perusal of the house as he chewed his last portion of squirrel meat. He went to the living room section of the main floor and rummaged through a chest of drawers.
“Women’s clothing?” He lifted a dress from the chest of drawers and showed his brothers. The light green dress seemed to be in relatively good condition. The clean herbaceous smell of carrot flowers wafted into his nose.
“Someone might still live here,” Barrett said, looking at a bouquet of fresh hubflowers on the table.
Kevin looked from one of the windows. “I think he’s just arrived.”
Before Simon and Kevin could arm themselves, the door opened. An old man entered with two buckets of water. At the very moment he saw these three men, he dropped the buckets on the floor and rushed out of the building. One of the buckets spilled its contents across the floor, slowly dribbling down the front steps. Meanwhile, the old man pressed his back against the exterior wall of the building.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“We didn’t know!” Simon shouted back. “We didn’t mean to trespass!”
“Well, you did. Now, what are you going to do? Kill an old man and take his home?”
“Not if you let us leave unharmed!”
“How do I know that you’re not raiders?”
“You can’t,” Simon shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
“And why would I that?”
“Well, for one thing, there are more of us than there are of you.”
“Send one man out.”
“No!” Simon responded. “How do I know you’re not just going to shoot him the moment he leaves the building?”
“You can’t,” the old man shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
Simon felt bested by the old man’s negotiating skills.
“I’ll go,” Kevin said to his brothers.
“No, I will.” Barrett put his hand on his younger brother. He would gladly die in his place.
“There’s less of me to hit,” Kevin bantered.
Barrett grunted, but he could not stop himself from smiling.
Simon thought about dissuading his brothers, telling them that no one was going to leave the house, but this show of trust needed to be made. If things went well, there could be a chance that the three of them could profit from this encounter. Perhaps, they could spend the night sleeping inside a warm house and finally be able to get a proper night’s rest.
“I’m coming out,” Kevin shouted to the old man.
“Unarmed. With your hands up! If I see so much as a big iron on your hip, the deal is off.”
Kevin placed his pipe rifle and his switchblade on top of the chest of drawers.
Simon stepped close to his brother and embraced him.
“If he harms you, I will make sure he suffers until his very last breath,” Simon whispered.
Kevin squeezed his brother tightly and went to the door.
“I am approaching the door now,” Kevin shouted. “My hands are up.”
Kevin stepped over the spilled water bucket and crossed the threshold of the house.
“Keeping going,” the old man commanded.
Once Kevin descended the front stairs and reached the hard ground, he felt the old man sweep behind him and check for weapons.
“Do we trust each other?” Kevin said, letting the old man pat down his sides. “I’m alive, so I know I can trust you, but there are still two men inside of the house.”
“Two, huh? I thought there’d be more of you.” The old man met Kevin gaze. His face was wrinkled, freckled, and scarred. His neck-length beard, once nearly black in colour, had become streaked with grey. His moustache faired slightly better, but it too had begun to pale in his old age. Overall, the old man seemed hardened by his experiences in the wasteland, but, despite this hardness, Kevin noticed a softness behind his eyes. They reflected no bitterness or resentment.
“Now what?” Simon called from inside of the house.
“I’m going to come inside with your friend as collateral.”
The old man drew his 10mm pistol and pressed into Kevin’s lower back. Kevin straightened his posture with a reflexive fear. He climbed up the stairs and back into the house, the pistol never losing contact with his spine.
“Welcome to my home, gentleman,” the old man said. “The name is Duncan. I hope you make yourselves comfortable, although, by the looks of yesterday’s dinner, it seems as though you already have.”
Barrett glanced back at the empty porcelain plate. He wiped his greasy hands on his pant legs.
“Watch it, big guy,” the old man said. “You don’t want to make too many sudden movements.”
Barrett looked into his brother’s face. Kevin seemed calm on the surface, but Barrett could see the fear beneath his composure.
“My name is Simon. This is Barrett, and the man you currently threatening is our brother Kevin.”
“Pleasure, gentlemen.”
“We’re travellers. We’ve no particular destination. We’re just trying to survive.”
“Yes, that always seems to be the story. Why aren’t you getting comfortable in Diamond City or Goodneighbor?”
“We’re new to the Commonwealth,” Simon replied.
“Just arrived,” Barrett added.
“Boys, I’m happy to be your first experience in these here parts, but you’re going to have to leave. I can’t risk any trouble.”
“We won’t be any trouble,” Kevin said, looking behind his shoulder.
“Truly, I would like to believe you boys, but you best be going.”
Duncan stepped aside and positioned himself to the side of the room. He tilted his head toward the door with a quick gesture, encouraging Simon and Barrett to leave.
“Now, please.”
“Can we at least get Kevin’s weapons over there?” Simon asked.
“I’ll toss them to you once you’re out of the door. Just go.”
Simon and Barrett complied. They walked out of the house and down the steps. Duncan led Kevin from his house, allowing the young man to move away from the pistol.
“Grandpapa!”
The men turned to see group of three women approaching the house. Two of them carried heavy bags of harvested food, while the third held a tactical submachine gun in her hands. The three of them kept staring at their grandfather, who kept his pistol held toward the brothers.
The woman with the submachine gun lifted the stock to her shoulder. She knew that with her large drum magazine, she could cut down these three intruders without the need to reload.
“We had a small misunderstanding, ladies,” Simon said with a winning smile. He looked at the woman with the submachine gun. Her short dark brown hair swooped over one of her eyes. She flipped her hair out of the way. “We’ll be on our way,” Simon continued, “once your grandfather hands us our weapons.”
“How about you head on out without them?” the woman with the gun said.
“That’s not fair,” Kevin said. He stepped forward as he said it, causing the woman to swivel her sights on him.
“On more step and you’ll have lost more than your weapons.”
“Woah, woah. Okay, message received,” Kevin said, putting his hands back into the air. “Let’s go, guys. It’s okay. We can find kinder hosts somewhere else.”
“Or, at least, a better fight,” Barrett said with a sniff of his nose. “An old man and three little girls hardly constitute a challenge.”
“I can wipe the floor with you, big boy,” said the woman with the machine gun.
“Audrey!” Duncan reprimanded.
“I’d like to see you try, girlie. Unarmed, one-on-one, you stand no chance,” Barrett said. As he spoke, he took a deep breath and inflated his already imposing figure. The muscles beneath his shirt could be seen flexing.
“Want to try me? Or are you scared of losing to a girl?” Audrey responded.
Barrett roared with laughter.
“Audrey, that’s enough!” the old man said. “Do not aggravate them. They’re on their way.”
“Wait!” the smallest of the three women called to her grandfather. “Can’t they stay? If they wanted to hurt us, they would’ve already.”
“It’d be too risky!” Duncan replied.
“But you’ve always said that people need to come together and rebuild this world,” she said.
Duncan flashed her a quick scolding look.
“Sylvie’s right,” the third woman added. “They can help us around the property.” Her eyes danced over Barrett’s large figure. While her middle sister seemed ready to harm him, she merely wanted to be held by him.
“Audrey, talk some sense into your sisters!” Duncan exclaimed. “You ladies know that we can’t invite people at random!”
“We’d be happy to help,” Simon interjected.
Kevin locked eyes with his young counterpart. Sylvie broke eye contact and looked at her feet.
“Yeah, we can help,” Kevin said a little absent-mindedly. He continued to admire the woman before his eyes.
“Wait a minute,” Barrett said, “This guy pulls a pistol on you and you want to help him? What are you going to do? Fetch him water?”
“We made him to spill it,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“Are you guys out of your mind? How can we trust them? What if the old man and these she-devils are planning to kill us in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, now you’re afraid of me!” Audrey teased, loosening her grip on the submachine gun.
“I ain’t afraid of anything,” Barrett snapped.
Simon bursted in laughter. “Buddy, you know you’re agreeing with the old man, right? He doesn’t want you around because he thinks your going to do to him what you think he’s doing to do to you.”
Barrett squinted his eyes, trying to parse the sentence.
“I don’t like it,” Barrett said.
“Neither do I,” Duncan agreed.
“Well, they’re not staying in the house,” Audrey said. She tilted her swooping hair out of her eyes again. “Give them the rotting house.”
Duncan stayed silent. Everyone looked at him as though it was his decision which made everything final.
“Fine, but I’m standing guard during the night. If one of these boys come creeping in the night, I’ll make sure our walls get a nice new shade of red.”
Barrett nodded his head in agreement. “And I’ll take first watch at our place.”
Audrey turned to her sisters. “Morgan, Sylvie, take the food inside. I’ll show these men their residence.” She adjusted the tactical submachine gun in her arms.
Her sisters did what they were told.
“Gentlemen,” Audrey said, leading the men down the slight hill, “Your new abode.” She kicked the front door, which broke free from its hinges. The wood from the door had rotted from the moisture in the air. Wet dust flew from the ground and an acrid smell spewed from the interior of the building.
“Enjoy.”
Audrey left the three brothers and returned to her home.
The three of the brothers exchanged uncomfortable glances and looked at the building. Kevin approached the doorway and peered into the darkness.
“Ghoul!” Kevin shouted.
His brothers ran into the building with their weapons drawn. Kevin threw his arms around his brothers as they looked at remains of a feral ghoul. It had died a long time ago.
“Pay up, boys!” he said with a smile. “Five caps each.”
submitted by RyanMorholt to FalloutFanFiction [link] [comments]
“Okay, I was wrong!” Simon admitted. “Is it my fault that I have hope?”
“No one ever knows out here,” Kevin chimed in.
Simon affectionally grabbed his youngest brother by the shoulder.
“See, Barrett, this is what a supportive brother sounds like.”
Barrett grunted.
The three brothers continued to follow the broken asphalt road. In time, the sky above them disappeared behind the ruins of an interstate highway. Its massive concrete columns towered over the horizon. It had cast a long shadow over their route.
Kevin stopped his brothers.
“Is that an elevator?” He pointed to the yellow cable lift that ran up to the overpass.
“I’m not using that,” Barrett quickly responded. He touched his stomach unconsciously, cognizant of his size and weight.
“Yeah, that might be an adventure for another life time,” Simon said, noting the precariousness of the cables that rose up to the ruins of the highway overpass.
Kevin pursed his lips with a modicum of disappointment. As the youngest and smallest of the three, he possessed more daring than his brothers combined. Perhaps this difference was due to the inexperience of his age or the simple fact that Kevin had a different mother than Barrett and Simon. His courage may have been a genetic inheritance that the others lacked.
“House!” Simon spotted the wooden building before his brothers, who still focused on the elevator and the possibility of ascending it.
“Let me guess, there’s going to be treasure inside of it,” Barrett said sarcastically.
“There could be!” Simon replied.
As the young men approached the building, it became apparent it had been apart of a long abandoned settlement. From their higher-ground perspective, they could see the ruins of several buildings roll down the landscape and into the consuming waters of the Charles River. The houses closest to the river had flooded and slowly rotted in the river’s murky water.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Barrett said. His siblings could hear the smile in his words. They knew that there would be at least one piece of worthwhile loot among these buildings. Barrett, however, wanted more than the natural greed of survival. The big man itched for a real fight.
“Raiders, Ghouls, or Mirelurks,” Kevin asked.
“Five caps on raiders,” Barrett said. His hand dropped to the pipe pistol holstered to his thigh.
“Five for mirelurks,” Simon said.
“I guess, I take ghouls.”
The three men moved closer to the first building. The residence, once a beautiful suburban home, had decayed over the two hundred and twenty years since its owners died in the nuclear fallout. Yet, despite the age of home, its door seemed to have been freshly repaired.
Simon, as per usual, approached the entrance with military tact. Barrett positioned himself behind his older brother. He placed one hand on Simon’s shoulder and the other around his pipe pistol. Kevin checked their flank and readied his pipe rifle.
Simon lifted his hand. He counted silently with his fingers.
One. Two. Three.
He grabbed the door and yanked it open. Barrett entered the building, his pipe pistol scanning the interior of the house.
“Clear!”
Simon followed Barrett. Kevin slowly backed into the building. He closed the door behind him.
“Stairs,” Barrett said to his brothers.
Immediately, the big man took the lead, scanning the floor above him with his pistol at eye-level. Simon followed in the wake of his larger brother, keeping his eyes straight to the top of the landing. Kevin stayed on the first floor. He found a corner, pressed his back into it, and crouched. He kept his eye on the front door.
“Clear!” Barrett’s voice rang through the structure.
“Nothing for nobody,” Kevin said, standing from his position and letting his rifle hang limply in his hands. He thought at least one ghoul would be hiding in the house. Their fraternal bottlecap wager would have to wait another house.
“Cheer up! Better luck in the next building.” Simon said as he walked down the stairs. “Right now, we have some time to loot.”
The brothers began the careful examination of the residential building.
Despite two centuries of rain and snow the building seemed to be in good condition. Clearly, since the bombs fell, a series of squatters had made improvements and adjustments over the years. In fact, the house seemed almost luxurious compared to the standards of the Wasteland. The floors had been redone with new planks of wood. The walls had been scraped of their original wallpaper and painted a light seafoam green. Although the glass from the windows had been long destroyed, curtains hung over the wooden shutters that secured the windows from the exterior world.
“Ooo!” Barrett exclaimed upstairs.
“What’d you find?” Simon called out. He stood at the bottom of the staircase and waited for a sign.
“Caps stash!” Barrett appeared with a grey tin can. He shook it and a number of caps inside of it pleasantly jingled.
“And you thought there wouldn’t be any treasure?” Simon laughed to himself.
“And the fridge is full!” Kevin called.
Barrett rushed down the stairs and joined his brothers at the fridge. Together, they drank a bottle of mostly clean water, each taking sips and passing it to the others. Then, they finished a plate of crispy squirrel bits.
“Almost fresh,” Barrett said, shoving a large handful into his mouth.
Simon continued his perusal of the house as he chewed his last portion of squirrel meat. He went to the living room section of the main floor and rummaged through a chest of drawers.
“Women’s clothing?” He lifted a dress from the chest of drawers and showed his brothers. The light green dress seemed to be in relatively good condition. The clean herbaceous smell of carrot flowers wafted into his nose.
“Someone might still live here,” Barrett said, looking at a bouquet of fresh hubflowers on the table.
Kevin looked from one of the windows. “I think he’s just arrived.”
Before Simon and Kevin could arm themselves, the door opened. An old man entered with two buckets of water. At the very moment he saw these three men, he dropped the buckets on the floor and rushed out of the building. One of the buckets spilled its contents across the floor, slowly dribbling down the front steps. Meanwhile, the old man pressed his back against the exterior wall of the building.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“We didn’t know!” Simon shouted back. “We didn’t mean to trespass!”
“Well, you did. Now, what are you going to do? Kill an old man and take his home?”
“Not if you let us leave unharmed!”
“How do I know that you’re not raiders?”
“You can’t,” Simon shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
“And why would I that?”
“Well, for one thing, there are more of us than there are of you.”
“Send one man out.”
“No!” Simon responded. “How do I know you’re not just going to shoot him the moment he leaves the building?”
“You can’t,” the old man shouted back. “You can only make a leap of faith.”
Simon felt bested by the old man’s negotiating skills.
“I’ll go,” Kevin said to his brothers.
“No, I will.” Barrett put his hand on his younger brother. He would gladly die in his place.
“There’s less of me to hit,” Kevin bantered.
Barrett grunted, but he could not stop himself from smiling.
Simon thought about dissuading his brothers, telling them that no one was going to leave the house, but this show of trust needed to be made. If things went well, there could be a chance that the three of them could profit from this encounter. Perhaps, they could spend the night sleeping inside a warm house and finally be able to get a proper night’s rest.
“I’m coming out,” Kevin shouted to the old man.
“Unarmed. With your hands up! If I see so much as a big iron on your hip, the deal is off.”
Kevin placed his pipe rifle and his switchblade on top of the chest of drawers.
Simon stepped close to his brother and embraced him.
“If he harms you, I will make sure he suffers until his very last breath,” Simon whispered.
Kevin squeezed his brother tightly and went to the door.
“I am approaching the door now,” Kevin shouted. “My hands are up.”
Kevin stepped over the spilled water bucket and crossed the threshold of the house.
“Keeping going,” the old man commanded.
Once Kevin descended the front stairs and reached the hard ground, he felt the old man sweep behind him and check for weapons.
“Do we trust each other?” Kevin said, letting the old man pat down his sides. “I’m alive, so I know I can trust you, but there are still two men inside of the house.”
“Two, huh? I thought there’d be more of you.” The old man met Kevin gaze. His face was wrinkled, freckled, and scarred. His neck-length beard, once nearly black in colour, had become streaked with grey. His moustache faired slightly better, but it too had begun to pale in his old age. Overall, the old man seemed hardened by his experiences in the wasteland, but, despite this hardness, Kevin noticed a softness behind his eyes. They reflected no bitterness or resentment.
“Now what?” Simon called from inside of the house.
“I’m going to come inside with your friend as collateral.”
The old man drew his 10mm pistol and pressed into Kevin’s lower back. Kevin straightened his posture with a reflexive fear. He climbed up the stairs and back into the house, the pistol never losing contact with his spine.
“Welcome to my home, gentleman,” the old man said. “The name is Duncan. I hope you make yourselves comfortable, although, by the looks of yesterday’s dinner, it seems as though you already have.”
Barrett glanced back at the empty porcelain plate. He wiped his greasy hands on his pant legs.
“Watch it, big guy,” the old man said. “You don’t want to make too many sudden movements.”
Barrett looked into his brother’s face. Kevin seemed calm on the surface, but Barrett could see the fear beneath his composure.
“My name is Simon. This is Barrett, and the man you currently threatening is our brother Kevin.”
“Pleasure, gentlemen.”
“We’re travellers. We’ve no particular destination. We’re just trying to survive.”
“Yes, that always seems to be the story. Why aren’t you getting comfortable in Diamond City or Goodneighbor?”
“We’re new to the Commonwealth,” Simon replied.
“Just arrived,” Barrett added.
“Boys, I’m happy to be your first experience in these here parts, but you’re going to have to leave. I can’t risk any trouble.”
“We won’t be any trouble,” Kevin said, looking behind his shoulder.
“Truly, I would like to believe you boys, but you best be going.”
Duncan stepped aside and positioned himself to the side of the room. He tilted his head toward the door with a quick gesture, encouraging Simon and Barrett to leave.
“Now, please.”
“Can we at least get Kevin’s weapons over there?” Simon asked.
“I’ll toss them to you once you’re out of the door. Just go.”
Simon and Barrett complied. They walked out of the house and down the steps. Duncan led Kevin from his house, allowing the young man to move away from the pistol.
“Grandpapa!”
The men turned to see group of three women approaching the house. Two of them carried heavy bags of harvested food, while the third held a tactical submachine gun in her hands. The three of them kept staring at their grandfather, who kept his pistol held toward the brothers.
The woman with the submachine gun lifted the stock to her shoulder. She knew that with her large drum magazine, she could cut down these three intruders without the need to reload.
“We had a small misunderstanding, ladies,” Simon said with a winning smile. He looked at the woman with the submachine gun. Her short dark brown hair swooped over one of her eyes. She flipped her hair out of the way. “We’ll be on our way,” Simon continued, “once your grandfather hands us our weapons.”
“How about you head on out without them?” the woman with the gun said.
“That’s not fair,” Kevin said. He stepped forward as he said it, causing the woman to swivel her sights on him.
“On more step and you’ll have lost more than your weapons.”
“Woah, woah. Okay, message received,” Kevin said, putting his hands back into the air. “Let’s go, guys. It’s okay. We can find kinder hosts somewhere else.”
“Or, at least, a better fight,” Barrett said with a sniff of his nose. “An old man and three little girls hardly constitute a challenge.”
“I can wipe the floor with you, big boy,” said the woman with the machine gun.
“Audrey!” Duncan reprimanded.
“I’d like to see you try, girlie. Unarmed, one-on-one, you stand no chance,” Barrett said. As he spoke, he took a deep breath and inflated his already imposing figure. The muscles beneath his shirt could be seen flexing.
“Want to try me? Or are you scared of losing to a girl?” Audrey responded.
Barrett roared with laughter.
“Audrey, that’s enough!” the old man said. “Do not aggravate them. They’re on their way.”
“Wait!” the smallest of the three women called to her grandfather. “Can’t they stay? If they wanted to hurt us, they would’ve already.”
“It’d be too risky!” Duncan replied.
“But you’ve always said that people need to come together and rebuild this world,” she said.
Duncan flashed her a quick scolding look.
“Sylvie’s right,” the third woman added. “They can help us around the property.” Her eyes danced over Barrett’s large figure. While her middle sister seemed ready to harm him, she merely wanted to be held by him.
“Audrey, talk some sense into your sisters!” Duncan exclaimed. “You ladies know that we can’t invite people at random!”
“We’d be happy to help,” Simon interjected.
Kevin locked eyes with his young counterpart. Sylvie broke eye contact and looked at her feet.
“Yeah, we can help,” Kevin said a little absent-mindedly. He continued to admire the woman before his eyes.
“Wait a minute,” Barrett said, “This guy pulls a pistol on you and you want to help him? What are you going to do? Fetch him water?”
“We made him to spill it,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“Are you guys out of your mind? How can we trust them? What if the old man and these she-devils are planning to kill us in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, now you’re afraid of me!” Audrey teased, loosening her grip on the submachine gun.
“I ain’t afraid of anything,” Barrett snapped.
Simon bursted in laughter. “Buddy, you know you’re agreeing with the old man, right? He doesn’t want you around because he thinks your going to do to him what you think he’s doing to do to you.”
Barrett squinted his eyes, trying to parse the sentence.
“I don’t like it,” Barrett said.
“Neither do I,” Duncan agreed.
“Well, they’re not staying in the house,” Audrey said. She tilted her swooping hair out of her eyes again. “Give them the rotting house.”
Duncan stayed silent. Everyone looked at him as though it was his decision which made everything final.
“Fine, but I’m standing guard during the night. If one of these boys come creeping in the night, I’ll make sure our walls get a nice new shade of red.”
Barrett nodded his head in agreement. “And I’ll take first watch at our place.”
Audrey turned to her sisters. “Morgan, Sylvie, take the food inside. I’ll show these men their residence.” She adjusted the tactical submachine gun in her arms.
Her sisters did what they were told.
“Gentlemen,” Audrey said, leading the men down the slight hill, “Your new abode.” She kicked the front door, which broke free from its hinges. The wood from the door had rotted from the moisture in the air. Wet dust flew from the ground and an acrid smell spewed from the interior of the building.
“Enjoy.”
Audrey left the three brothers and returned to her home.
The three of the brothers exchanged uncomfortable glances and looked at the building. Kevin approached the doorway and peered into the darkness.
“Ghoul!” Kevin shouted.
His brothers ran into the building with their weapons drawn. Kevin threw his arms around his brothers as they looked at remains of a feral ghoul. It had died a long time ago.
“Pay up, boys!” he said with a smile. “Five caps each.”
2024.06.01 15:11 shallah Fact Sheet: In Response to H5N1, HHS and USDA Focus on Protecting Farmworkers HHS.gov
 | The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including its four agencies CDC, FDA, NIH, and ASPR, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), remain focused on keeping communities healthy, safe, and informed in response to the outbreak of H5N1 in dairy cattle. CDC continues to assess that the risk to the general public is low. submitted by shallah to H5N1_AvianFlu [link] [comments] However, farmworkers who work closely with infected animals are at a higher risk of infection. As a result, across the U.S. Government, the Administration has taken a number of actions to enhance farmworker safety and to provide clear information to inform decisions made by workers and employers. For more information on the ongoing response, please visit FDA, CDC, and USDA’s ongoing H5N1 update pages. If farmworkers or others with contact to infected animals are feeling sick, or exposed to livestock is in need of personal protective equipment (PPE) they should contact their state health department for assistance. Additionally, the U.S. Government is taking the following actions to reduce the risk to farm workers: Protecting Farmworkers and the Public PPE Assistance: The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is making PPE available to protect farmworkers and others who may come in contact with infected animals through the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), supplementing commercial availability and state-managed stockpiles. States can request face shields, face masks, gloves, and goggles from the SNS if needed, giving them further flexibility to comply with CDC recommendations. ASPR will also make oseltamivir (Tamiflu) available upon request to jurisdictions that do not have their own stockpiles and are responding to treatment of symptomatic persons with exposure to confirmed or suspected infected birds, cattle, or other animal exposures. To date, ASPR has worked with six states to provide PPE to ensure farmworker safety. Additionally, USDA is providing financial support for producers who supply PPE to employees and/or provide outerwear uniform laundering, for producers of affected herds who facilitate the participation of their workers in USDA/CDC workplace and farmworker study. Genomic Analysis: CDC will continue to perform timely analyses of HPAI (H5N1) virus isolates to identify genetic changes that might allow for spread more easily to and between people, more serious illness in people, reduce susceptibility to antivirals, affect the sensitivity of diagnostic assays, or reduce neutralization of the virus by vaccine induced antibodies. Safety Guidance: CDC and USDA have updated guidance for people who work on dairy farms and in slaughterhouses, provided guides for how they can protect themselves, and continue to engage with state health departments to encourage them to have concrete plans in place to be able to test and treat workers in the event of an H5N1 outbreak among livestock. In response, additional tools have been added so farmers can better keep their herds and workers healthy and reduce the risk that the virus may spread to additional herds. USDA issued a Federal Order to limit spread of the disease, which included mandates for testing prior to interstate movement of lactating dairy cattle, a ban on interstate movement for affected herds for 30 days, and a requirement that labs share positive tests with the federal government. This has resulted in increased testing of cattle over the last month since the order was implemented. Treatment: CDC had posted recommendations for Influenza Antiviral Treatment and Chemoprophylaxis with oseltamivir. Educating Workers on Avian Flu: USDA and HHS’s Office of Intergovernmental & External Affairs (IEA) has held regular briefings with a broad range of organizations focused on food system workers (e.g., animal production workers, farmworkers, meat and poultry workers) and rural health stakeholders to keep them apprised on the latest developments and share information and written resources in multiple languages about the supports that the federal government is making available to protect workers. ASPR, CDC, and USDA have been regularly communicating with state agriculture and health officials as well as other partners about these resources. CDC is also investing in targeted social media, streaming audio, and display ad placement in areas with infected herds to reach poultry and livestock farmers, dairy farmers, and other farm workers with messages about their heightened risk and recommended protective measures in English and Spanish. Monitoring and Understanding Disease Transmission and Severity Health Surveillance: CDC working across the U.S. Government has identified an additional $93 million to make further investments in epidemiology, surveillance, and data analytics; wastewater and genomic surveillance; testing and laboratory capacity; vaccine activities; and partner efforts to reach high-risk populations. This builds on experience battling avian influenza globally and domestically – their system allows CDC to spot flu infection trends in advance and positions the agency to be able to detect this virus, down to the individual case. Exposure Monitoring: CDC is working with state and local health authorities to monitor exposed persons for illness. In most states, this means state public health officials are working with a trusted messenger in the community to alert public health when someone becomes symptomatic; in Michigan, state public health has direct daily contact with some impacted workers through texts. Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at https://www.hhs.gov/news. Like HHS on Facebook , follow HHS on Twitter @HHSgov , and sign up for HHS Email Updates. Last revised: May 31, 2024 |
2024.06.01 15:09 Fuzzyhoof26 Duodenal atresia - successful outcome
Hi Everyone,
First time posting as I wanted to share our experience of duodenal atresia and found this sub incredibly helpful when I was preparing for our little one to undergo surgery and be in the NICU. As duodenal atresia is fairly rare, I wanted to share our experience as the few stories I did read were incredibly informative.
For context, I was 32 weeks pregnant when at our third trimester scan a ‘double bubble’ was spotted on the ultrasound. My OBGYN thought it was most likely duodenal atresia and spoke to myself and my husband about further genetic testing as the condition is linked to Downs Syndrome. He also advised that our baby would need an operation soon after birth and I would likely develop a condition called polyhydramnious which would make early labour a possibility. All of this information was shocking and sudden as I had a fairly uneventful pregnancy up to this point.
My amniocentesis showed negative for Down Syndrome however, the double bubble persisted on my future scans so we prepared for a duodenal atresia diagnosis at birth.
I had a c-section at 37+4 (due in part to polyhydramnios) and our son was born weighing 8lbs 2oz. He was immediately taken to the NICU and we were able to go and see him later that day. Seeing him needing oxygen and with wires was something I had not fully prepared for but the NICU nurses were incredibly supportive and talked us through our son’s care in the lead up to his operation.
Our son had his operation on day three - the surgeon said his duodenum was larger than average post surgery - so we would have to wait to see how quickly he would progress. This was the most challenging part as until our son’s digestive system showed signs of working, he would not be able to come home. We were assured that this would take time but it didn’t make the wait any easier.
Our son began breast milk feeds on day four post surgery. He began on 3ml every three hours with the intent to gradually increase. His aspirate levels were checked at feeding times and he had a TPN line to ensure all his nutritional needs were met. This was a slow process and we needed lots of patience whilst celebrating the small victories of his feeds increasing and his aspirate reducing.
Ultimately, it was not until day eleven that he had a motion. However, this proved to be the turning point in his recovery and his progress rapidly improved. His aspirate began decreasing and within five days was almost at 0. His surgeon and paediatrician increased his milk levels in the morning and evening. Twenty one days after he was born and eighteen days after surgery, our son was consistently being fed 50ml eight times a day, having regular motions and no longer needed TPN or additional fluids. Finally it was time for him to come home.
For any parents facing a diagnosis of duodenal atresia, having your baby have major abdominal surgery so soon after birth is an incredibly challenging experience. I was assured by the high success rate of the surgery and valued the posts I found from other parents who had been through the experience. Happy to answer any questions from parents facing something similar.
Our baby is now four weeks old and thriving at home!
submitted by Fuzzyhoof26 to NICUParents [link] [comments]
First time posting as I wanted to share our experience of duodenal atresia and found this sub incredibly helpful when I was preparing for our little one to undergo surgery and be in the NICU. As duodenal atresia is fairly rare, I wanted to share our experience as the few stories I did read were incredibly informative.
For context, I was 32 weeks pregnant when at our third trimester scan a ‘double bubble’ was spotted on the ultrasound. My OBGYN thought it was most likely duodenal atresia and spoke to myself and my husband about further genetic testing as the condition is linked to Downs Syndrome. He also advised that our baby would need an operation soon after birth and I would likely develop a condition called polyhydramnious which would make early labour a possibility. All of this information was shocking and sudden as I had a fairly uneventful pregnancy up to this point.
My amniocentesis showed negative for Down Syndrome however, the double bubble persisted on my future scans so we prepared for a duodenal atresia diagnosis at birth.
I had a c-section at 37+4 (due in part to polyhydramnios) and our son was born weighing 8lbs 2oz. He was immediately taken to the NICU and we were able to go and see him later that day. Seeing him needing oxygen and with wires was something I had not fully prepared for but the NICU nurses were incredibly supportive and talked us through our son’s care in the lead up to his operation.
Our son had his operation on day three - the surgeon said his duodenum was larger than average post surgery - so we would have to wait to see how quickly he would progress. This was the most challenging part as until our son’s digestive system showed signs of working, he would not be able to come home. We were assured that this would take time but it didn’t make the wait any easier.
Our son began breast milk feeds on day four post surgery. He began on 3ml every three hours with the intent to gradually increase. His aspirate levels were checked at feeding times and he had a TPN line to ensure all his nutritional needs were met. This was a slow process and we needed lots of patience whilst celebrating the small victories of his feeds increasing and his aspirate reducing.
Ultimately, it was not until day eleven that he had a motion. However, this proved to be the turning point in his recovery and his progress rapidly improved. His aspirate began decreasing and within five days was almost at 0. His surgeon and paediatrician increased his milk levels in the morning and evening. Twenty one days after he was born and eighteen days after surgery, our son was consistently being fed 50ml eight times a day, having regular motions and no longer needed TPN or additional fluids. Finally it was time for him to come home.
For any parents facing a diagnosis of duodenal atresia, having your baby have major abdominal surgery so soon after birth is an incredibly challenging experience. I was assured by the high success rate of the surgery and valued the posts I found from other parents who had been through the experience. Happy to answer any questions from parents facing something similar.
Our baby is now four weeks old and thriving at home!
2024.06.01 15:00 Mother_Driver2714 My story of love. It's gonna be long hope you guys enjoy.
My first reddit post, hope you guys go easy on me.
Everything was perfect for about a month. It was the month of October; we had a small quarrel over something and the next day I called her to apologize. But something seemed different, something felt off. She said it’s okay but I could feel something was off. The worst day of the year and the worst time of that day. She told me her brother had run away from their house because of something that happened with him and a girl and their family was in a lot of panic, and she was obviously worried and scared. She prayed to God to return her brother and she promised that she will never date someone again. I stood there, without movement, without words and I realized what it had meant. It meant an official goodbye. Breaking up in a way one could never expect. She told me to promise to not tell this reason for breakup to my friends (common friend group). I was the one who was given up. The call ended with both of us saying I love you but for the last time ever. I wasn’t at home; I was outside in a park. I felt as if someone had stabbed me right through the heart. I couldn’t feel the wind anymore. People seemed to have stopped talking. The sky lost its color, the birds stopped chirping. My whole world had come to a pause. I couldn’t think straight. I returned home acting normal. My father had come to visit, he rarely visits the city because him and my mother are separated so I don’t get to see my whole family together often so I didn’t want to spoil it. My mother and sister knew about Missybusy. Later that night I told my mom and sister that we broke up and my mom was worried but I told her to not worry because I was fine and I never told them the actual reason either, I just keep telling them I got bored of her so that they won’t worry about me, besides I had created such a wonderful image of missybusy for them I thought I should let it be that way. I couldn’t tell me friends what had happened, I didn’t tell my mom and sister what actually happened. I just kept it to myself and it hurt. It hurt really bad. I felt as if I had given her my heart and she shattered it and threw it away. I never hated her for it and I always blamed the circumstances.
When we exited the park, we were standing near her car (oh she drives great by the way!). I told her to go while I wait for my uber. I pushed her away (not physically), I kept telling her to go away. That was it, no hugs just goodbyes. I wanted to hug her but I didn’t want the part of me that still had hope to grow. As she drove away, I realized in the end, I did end up hurting her by telling her to just go away. I came back home, acted normal as usual. Lied to my mom and sister again and told them the 'meeting was fine but it was boring'. The next day when I was home alone. I burst out crying. I never cried this much before. Only I know what I have lost. I didn’t want the part of me that had hope to grow but I also didn’t want it to just die. I cried for hours until eventually I washed my face and waited for my mom and sister to return. Missybusy was gone. I know what I’ve lost. And I blame myself for it. I can physically feel the pain in my heart at this point. It hurts so much. I wish I never met her after she told me a relationship isn’t possible. I wish I was never in love. I wish I never love again. I wish to be never this vulnerable again. I had gone through so much pain in those months and tried to act normal in front of everyone. I can’t tell how many thoughts crossed my mind daily. I just kept it bottled up within me. In the end I think God doesn’t like my heart. When I was in my mother’s womb it was found that I had a very faint heartbeat. As soon as I was born, I was taken into the ICU for surgery. Five years later it was found I have a low BPM. And so many years later my heart was broken into pieces. God doesn’t like my heart.
submitted by Mother_Driver2714 to stories [link] [comments]
- Her
- The real end
Everything was perfect for about a month. It was the month of October; we had a small quarrel over something and the next day I called her to apologize. But something seemed different, something felt off. She said it’s okay but I could feel something was off. The worst day of the year and the worst time of that day. She told me her brother had run away from their house because of something that happened with him and a girl and their family was in a lot of panic, and she was obviously worried and scared. She prayed to God to return her brother and she promised that she will never date someone again. I stood there, without movement, without words and I realized what it had meant. It meant an official goodbye. Breaking up in a way one could never expect. She told me to promise to not tell this reason for breakup to my friends (common friend group). I was the one who was given up. The call ended with both of us saying I love you but for the last time ever. I wasn’t at home; I was outside in a park. I felt as if someone had stabbed me right through the heart. I couldn’t feel the wind anymore. People seemed to have stopped talking. The sky lost its color, the birds stopped chirping. My whole world had come to a pause. I couldn’t think straight. I returned home acting normal. My father had come to visit, he rarely visits the city because him and my mother are separated so I don’t get to see my whole family together often so I didn’t want to spoil it. My mother and sister knew about Missybusy. Later that night I told my mom and sister that we broke up and my mom was worried but I told her to not worry because I was fine and I never told them the actual reason either, I just keep telling them I got bored of her so that they won’t worry about me, besides I had created such a wonderful image of missybusy for them I thought I should let it be that way. I couldn’t tell me friends what had happened, I didn’t tell my mom and sister what actually happened. I just kept it to myself and it hurt. It hurt really bad. I felt as if I had given her my heart and she shattered it and threw it away. I never hated her for it and I always blamed the circumstances.
- Life goes on
- The Present- I’m still not over her completely. A part of me will always have hope for her to come back even though my mind knows otherwise but the heart is just weird. I met my school group friends after a long time and I felt good. There were four of us (Me, Dave and let’s call the other two Bob and Marley). I get along with Marley very well, he has his college in a different city so whenever he comes here, I make sure to meet him separately. When I met Marley, we went to a café just to have food and talk really, he asked me why does no one know the real reason for my and Missybusy's breakup. I just told him that it’s complicated. Then Marley told me that he heard from Bob and Dave that they told him that Missybusy started to like someone else that is why you both broke up. It was unprecedented to me. I felt weird, I felt a weird sting. I went back home and I messaged her to confront about this, I was taken away by my impulses. She assured me that wasn’t it and then we started talking like normal people do, talked about each other’s friends’, each other’s college life and so on. Then she asked if it’s possible to meet because it had been so long! And I was honestly scared to meet her but I just agreed anyway. 30th of may we met at a bowling and pool café. We sat there and talked about each other’s life. And honestly it seemed God did listen to my wish for keeping her happy because she had made good friends at college and obviously, she did have some problems but overall, she did seem happy and I was happy for that. The moment I saw her again after such a long time I realized nothing changed, she was just as pretty, her eyes were glowing just as usual and her fashion game was on the top. We made several eye contacts throughout and I could see a little pain in her eyes. It was the pain of guilt or pain of just losing, I won’t know for sure. When we were talking about our lives and what all had happened in these 7 and a half months, I felt so peaceful inside. But as soon as I mentioned what all I had to go through after out breakup she kept saying sorry and it felt as if I was just there to make her feel sorry. So, I refrained from talking about that. But then what did I have to talk about? Most of these months I had spent in misery and apart from that I told her about the little breakthroughs that I made in the market and I told her how I made some good friends at college. But that was it really. So, she did most of the talking. I was just listening. I didn’t want to talk about what I had to go through all these months because I felt I’ll just pressure her with more guilt. I didn’t come here to meet her and just listen to her saying sorry. I only cared about her smile.
When we exited the park, we were standing near her car (oh she drives great by the way!). I told her to go while I wait for my uber. I pushed her away (not physically), I kept telling her to go away. That was it, no hugs just goodbyes. I wanted to hug her but I didn’t want the part of me that still had hope to grow. As she drove away, I realized in the end, I did end up hurting her by telling her to just go away. I came back home, acted normal as usual. Lied to my mom and sister again and told them the 'meeting was fine but it was boring'. The next day when I was home alone. I burst out crying. I never cried this much before. Only I know what I have lost. I didn’t want the part of me that had hope to grow but I also didn’t want it to just die. I cried for hours until eventually I washed my face and waited for my mom and sister to return. Missybusy was gone. I know what I’ve lost. And I blame myself for it. I can physically feel the pain in my heart at this point. It hurts so much. I wish I never met her after she told me a relationship isn’t possible. I wish I was never in love. I wish I never love again. I wish to be never this vulnerable again. I had gone through so much pain in those months and tried to act normal in front of everyone. I can’t tell how many thoughts crossed my mind daily. I just kept it bottled up within me. In the end I think God doesn’t like my heart. When I was in my mother’s womb it was found that I had a very faint heartbeat. As soon as I was born, I was taken into the ICU for surgery. Five years later it was found I have a low BPM. And so many years later my heart was broken into pieces. God doesn’t like my heart.
2024.06.01 14:57 moep123 SNES: FYI: S-CPU-N PIN 112 is directly connected with feet of PIN 113....
TL;DR: If you ever break S-CPU-N PIN 112, you can file down the CHIP to uncover part of the trace, to reattach it to it's original trace on the board. If the original trace is gone as well for some reason, you can just attach it on the feet of PIN 113. The traces are connected on the motherboard.
I recently bought a pretty much f****ed up 1 CHIP 01 PAL SNES for about 15 dollars. From the outside it looked good, but the inside was what will haunt me for years now. Extremely dusty, dirty, and someone tried to do a SuperCiC Mod with it.
The board was installed below the cartridge slot and in place. He probably went to lift the needed pins, started with PIN 111 on the S-CPU-N (the 1Chip basically) and ended his/her journey there.
PIN 111 and 112 were missing. Both broken.
Thinking I bought trash, I heard that the black surface of that, and basically almost all Chips, are just covers / mantles. (Never thought about it and I am modding for years now and am actually an IT guy... wow)
Since it's destroyed anyway, there's nothing left to lose actually. So I went ahead and filed down the chips until both traces were open. Since the spots are awfully tiny, I accidentally filed a small part of 113 free as well... (oopsie... would have made it easier if I hadn't)
Originally, since the trace in the pcb of PIN 112 was missing as well, I took another one chip i had and checked where i could connect the trace of the chip itself to on the broken board.
I checked every possible place, and I never got a response from my little beeping device. :(
I then checked the PINs of the S-CPU-N as a last straw and there it was. The beep on PIN 113.
Back to the broken board I immediately checked if I could just solder the traces on the chip itself... but nope. There was some sort of resistors in between both traces on the chip for PIN112 and 113.
Not a big deal, I could simply connect it from the inside to the outside feet which is connected to the board. Right? RIGHT???
Holy cow... since I also had to work with PIN 111 it was pure torture. The space is so god damn tiny holy macaroni. A smaller iron wouldn't bring up enough heat marriage both, the solder and the copper trace on the chip... and I really don't want to f this up. So I had to work with a bigger one that was just able to get in the gap. Since I had to use a bigger Iron, I would always touch both traces ...
So there were cases where I combined PIN 111 to PIN 112, 112 to 113 and once all three. Eventually I got it, checked if anything touched anything it shouldn't and got the responses I was hoping for.. no Beeps on the chips, beep on trace 112 to feet of 113, no beep from 112 to 113 on the chip. perfect.
I installed the missing LED, the ghosting fix and put everything back together again.
Fingers crossed....
After the fix (NSFW)
Oh and he melted the reset button so it's non functional and ripped off trace 10 where the old CIC sat.... holy moly never had a device in such da state. On the other side, I just do it as a hobby.
I fixed the reset button by cutting it open, bending the plates so it looks like how it should and sealed it again afterwards.
One last thing to add: All PAL 1 Chip consoles I had so far weren't too bright. I am using a normal PAL RGB Cable and I didn't need to do the brightness fix on the consoles (adding three 750 ohm resistors). The image brightness looked exactly like the one on the US 3 Chip I had. I compared the games using my two capture cards side by side. Both CCs are internal Live Gamer 4Ks.
Normally, a 1 Chip console is naturally a bit too bright, causing colors to blend in where there should be two different color tones f.e...
Okay! Hopefully one time, one lonely wandering soul in the same situation as me can read this and grow hope again to fix the mess he/she is facing.
TL;DR: If you ever break S-CPU-N PIN 112, you can file down the CHIP to uncover part of the trace, to reattach it to it's original trace on the board. If the original trace is gone as well for some reason, you can just attach it on the feet of PIN 113. The traces are connected on the motherboard.
submitted by moep123 to consolemodding [link] [comments]
I recently bought a pretty much f****ed up 1 CHIP 01 PAL SNES for about 15 dollars. From the outside it looked good, but the inside was what will haunt me for years now. Extremely dusty, dirty, and someone tried to do a SuperCiC Mod with it.
The board was installed below the cartridge slot and in place. He probably went to lift the needed pins, started with PIN 111 on the S-CPU-N (the 1Chip basically) and ended his/her journey there.
PIN 111 and 112 were missing. Both broken.
Thinking I bought trash, I heard that the black surface of that, and basically almost all Chips, are just covers / mantles. (Never thought about it and I am modding for years now and am actually an IT guy... wow)
Since it's destroyed anyway, there's nothing left to lose actually. So I went ahead and filed down the chips until both traces were open. Since the spots are awfully tiny, I accidentally filed a small part of 113 free as well... (oopsie... would have made it easier if I hadn't)
Originally, since the trace in the pcb of PIN 112 was missing as well, I took another one chip i had and checked where i could connect the trace of the chip itself to on the broken board.
I checked every possible place, and I never got a response from my little beeping device. :(
I then checked the PINs of the S-CPU-N as a last straw and there it was. The beep on PIN 113.
Back to the broken board I immediately checked if I could just solder the traces on the chip itself... but nope. There was some sort of resistors in between both traces on the chip for PIN112 and 113.
Not a big deal, I could simply connect it from the inside to the outside feet which is connected to the board. Right? RIGHT???
Holy cow... since I also had to work with PIN 111 it was pure torture. The space is so god damn tiny holy macaroni. A smaller iron wouldn't bring up enough heat marriage both, the solder and the copper trace on the chip... and I really don't want to f this up. So I had to work with a bigger one that was just able to get in the gap. Since I had to use a bigger Iron, I would always touch both traces ...
So there were cases where I combined PIN 111 to PIN 112, 112 to 113 and once all three. Eventually I got it, checked if anything touched anything it shouldn't and got the responses I was hoping for.. no Beeps on the chips, beep on trace 112 to feet of 113, no beep from 112 to 113 on the chip. perfect.
I installed the missing LED, the ghosting fix and put everything back together again.
Fingers crossed....
After the fix (NSFW)
Oh and he melted the reset button so it's non functional and ripped off trace 10 where the old CIC sat.... holy moly never had a device in such da state. On the other side, I just do it as a hobby.
I fixed the reset button by cutting it open, bending the plates so it looks like how it should and sealed it again afterwards.
One last thing to add: All PAL 1 Chip consoles I had so far weren't too bright. I am using a normal PAL RGB Cable and I didn't need to do the brightness fix on the consoles (adding three 750 ohm resistors). The image brightness looked exactly like the one on the US 3 Chip I had. I compared the games using my two capture cards side by side. Both CCs are internal Live Gamer 4Ks.
Normally, a 1 Chip console is naturally a bit too bright, causing colors to blend in where there should be two different color tones f.e...
Okay! Hopefully one time, one lonely wandering soul in the same situation as me can read this and grow hope again to fix the mess he/she is facing.
TL;DR: If you ever break S-CPU-N PIN 112, you can file down the CHIP to uncover part of the trace, to reattach it to it's original trace on the board. If the original trace is gone as well for some reason, you can just attach it on the feet of PIN 113. The traces are connected on the motherboard.
2024.06.01 14:56 highlens [WTS] Libertads, Royal Mint Stones, Morgan/Peace Proof & RP and Silver Below Spot
Good morning. Hope everyone is doing well. Small sale, if interested in something and think price is too high then feel free to send offer. Worst I can do is say no then stalk you online for couple months and harass you while you’re at work.
Proof & Pictures
https://imgur.com/a/Dzie4qQ?s=sms
Kennedy Halves 40% - 74 total - $310 shipped priority FRB for all 74 coins. That’s 10.94 oz of silver for $310 shipped. Average cost is $28.33 per oz. shipped.
https://imgur.com/a/IQFe4e6?s=sms
2020 1/10 and 1/4 oz Silver Libertad Proofs - SOLD
https://imgur.com/a/gTwSz2P?s=sms
1982 George Washington Commemoratives Uncirculated and Proof Coins with OGP - $12 each
https://imgur.com/a/j3FJw7W?s=sms
Royal Mint Rolling Stones Silver 1 oz - $31 each or all 8 for $245 shipped Priority FRB
https://imgur.com/a/XpNZkqc?s=sms
2023-S Peace RP PR70 - $100
2023-S Morgan RP PR69 (Small Scratch on Face of Holder and Chip on Reverse of Holder) - $75
https://imgur.com/a/n5gF5H8?s=sms
2023-S Peace PF70UC - $105
2023-S Morgan PF70UC - $100
https://imgur.com/a/jAVP02V?s=sms
Payment via Zelle or PPFF. Please add $5 for shipping via USPS. Although I find the USPS to be very reliable and have never lost a tracked package with them, I can only be responsible for properly packing, applying the correct mailing label, and getting the items to the Post Office safely.
Please message or chat. Happy to provide additional photos or videos via chat or answer any questions you have about the items listed for sale.
Shipping insurance or signature confirmation can be added at buyers request but buyer will have to pay the extra cost and be familiar with the details of the shipping insurance policy.
NOTE: I USE 2FA 2 FACTOR LOGIN SECURITY AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO TOO. I NEVER give anyone my password or let login with my account. If I have questions I PM one of the MODS listed to the right. I will RARELY cold PM you and if I do please verify it is ME.
submitted by highlens to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
Proof & Pictures
https://imgur.com/a/Dzie4qQ?s=sms
Kennedy Halves 40% - 74 total - $310 shipped priority FRB for all 74 coins. That’s 10.94 oz of silver for $310 shipped. Average cost is $28.33 per oz. shipped.
https://imgur.com/a/IQFe4e6?s=sms
2020 1/10 and 1/4 oz Silver Libertad Proofs - SOLD
https://imgur.com/a/gTwSz2P?s=sms
1982 George Washington Commemoratives Uncirculated and Proof Coins with OGP - $12 each
https://imgur.com/a/j3FJw7W?s=sms
Royal Mint Rolling Stones Silver 1 oz - $31 each or all 8 for $245 shipped Priority FRB
https://imgur.com/a/XpNZkqc?s=sms
2023-S Peace RP PR70 - $100
2023-S Morgan RP PR69 (Small Scratch on Face of Holder and Chip on Reverse of Holder) - $75
https://imgur.com/a/n5gF5H8?s=sms
2023-S Peace PF70UC - $105
2023-S Morgan PF70UC - $100
https://imgur.com/a/jAVP02V?s=sms
Payment via Zelle or PPFF. Please add $5 for shipping via USPS. Although I find the USPS to be very reliable and have never lost a tracked package with them, I can only be responsible for properly packing, applying the correct mailing label, and getting the items to the Post Office safely.
Please message or chat. Happy to provide additional photos or videos via chat or answer any questions you have about the items listed for sale.
Shipping insurance or signature confirmation can be added at buyers request but buyer will have to pay the extra cost and be familiar with the details of the shipping insurance policy.
NOTE: I USE 2FA 2 FACTOR LOGIN SECURITY AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO TOO. I NEVER give anyone my password or let login with my account. If I have questions I PM one of the MODS listed to the right. I will RARELY cold PM you and if I do please verify it is ME.