First post here so please let me know if I should direct it somewhere else or if a xpost in another sub would be beneficial - I'm new to headache reddit.
Backstory: As a child I would occasionally get migraines and the odd 'regular' headache. I would cure them with advil and time in the dark. My mother also suffers from migraines. My my migraines usually have an aura which shows a flickering blind spot in my vision - this lets me know it's time to take advil and go into a dark room.. this usually cures it.
HOWEVER, about 8 years ago I had an incident which has lead to near constant headaches which I have not been able to get rid of. Here is the story:
In college I consumed a lot of cannabis, usually by means of smoking a bong. I never had any issues with headaches until one day, I inhaled a large chamber of cannabis smoke and immediately felt a sharp headache sensation behind my righteye. This pain got worse after coughing. Since then, about 8 years ago, the pain has literally NEVER gone away. I saw doctors for headaches with all my panels coming back normal - I even had some sort of scan, cant remember which type at this point. I was put on some sort of migraine medication that did nothing. The headache sometimes gets less intense, but it is almost always present.
I wake up with the headache every day. Sometimes if I wake in the middle of the night I will not feel the pain for a few minutes, then it sets in again. I have tried stronger painkillers that I was given for unrelated surgeries and they helped the pain, but the headache always came back after the meds wore off. I continued to use cannabis for years after my initial incident because it would provide temporary relief.
I have since quit cannabis for 2 years but still have the headaches. I do not consume any alcohol (for over 5 years now).
What is odd is that this does not seem like the regular migraines I get. In fact, I will sometimes get a double headache where a separate migraine pain with aura comes on, on top of my already persistent 'behind the eye' headache which started 8 years ago.
I've learned to live with the pain but lately it had been getting a bit worse and making it hard for me to focus on my daily tasks. I haven't talked to any doctors about it since college which was probably 7 years ago at this point since the last few years the pain has been mild (but still there). Now that it's getting worse, I want to get help.
Does anybody have any ideas of what this could be? What tests I should ask for, or scans I should have done? My recent labs have all been perfect, but obviously I need to talk to a professional and get some sort of opinion. Thank you.

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Generous hours donated to the editing foundation by WaveOfWire
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Lukewarm water gave way to sand underfoot, frequent rocks and dried sea flora giving the orange shore a coarse design. Following an animate piece of metal to harvest underwater stone was not something the gray-skinned fisherwoman thought she would ever be doing. She hauled the ‘potassium’ up and into the wheelbarrow alongside her sister, the once-submerged resources’ rugged texture reflecting the bright sun’s rays in peculiar ways. Unfortunately, the days were getting colder much faster than she would have liked, despite the plentiful light. It was dismissible, but it ever so slightly urged her toward the warmth of the fires… and her new living quarters—the luxurious abode provided by the star-sent himself.
She could not understand how the brick home was capable of keeping such heat without flames, but she would not question it. Instead, she elected to enjoy the first nights of truly comfortable sleep in a long while… and it had been quite some time since the fisherwoman twins enjoyed the luxury of proper civilization. The village was quiet and peaceful compared to the bustling capitol, but it simply lacked the amenities that a large population provided. Their escape to the island provided poor bedding, no entertainment, little variation in food, and a nauseating deficiency of rum. Oh, how the sisters missed the sweet burning liquid. Their… past… may have heightened such affection for the alcohol, but it also didn’t help that they were suddenly branded as sky-worshipers and forced to flee to a humble islet—one that didn’t have any drinks besides boiled water…
Now look at the fisherwoman; there was no escaping her banishment. All that time spent making good with the locals, just for the inquisitors to show up once more and throw her onto the deck of a boat before it departed for an unknown land. She was not scared of the prospect, no. So what if she was to live on the mainland? It was no less rural than the last island—one they were just getting used to. No, she was vengeful for what they had stripped from her and her sister. They had crawled their way from nothing to something within the capitol only a winter or two prior. They could have lived like regular citizens. She supposed it was the grace of the Mountain God that they were led to an actual deity-sent. The siblings’ living situation had improved, too, even over their previous urban living situation. The two would not have to resort to… alternate forms of making a living ever again. She was even starting to appreciate the honor of completing a hard day’s work.
The wheelbarrow creaked and whined underneath the strain it was put under. The hefty rocks were intent on digging the two wheels deep into the dirt. Her sister’s equipment was fairing much the same, but they persevered, dragging the precious haul to the workshop where the Creator needed them. She shoved the portable storage up and over the small hump of the ‘cargo bay’ entrance, hauling it down the rows of animate creations.
Dozens of ‘hums,’ ‘whirrs,’ ‘tonks,’ ‘slams,’ and ear-mauling scrapes assaulted her senses. The ‘machines’ were clumped up with one another under the bright white lights. They spat materials, clear liquids, and yellow gasses amongst their others in a jumble of… something. Some things boiled, others hissed. There was much going on, with one foreign male at the center of it all.
The Creator stood by a towering device, pushing it with the help of the juvenile and the ceramist. The group slid the apparatus into place, leaving the star-sent to deftly manage the many colors on the glowing, rune-filled panel, while the assistants were dismissed, having received a few genuine words of appreciation from the male.
The gray-skinned fisherwoman clicked her tongue, garnering his attention, his weary eyes meeting her own.
“Hey,” he addressed them casually, eyeing their cargo with a raised brow. “You two are back soon. You can put the stuff in the same place as last, then just close the panel. Appreciate the hard work. Feel free to take a break between the next three loads; these machines won’t work fast enough to keep up with y’all.”
“You have my appreciation,” the twins said in unison.
The two of them did as asked, traversing the maze of tubes and metal, pouring the crumbling rocks into the belly of the machine, making sure to close the door as requested. Her sister sighed and stretched her back, extending all four arms up and backward, revealing the short cuts she had on their undersides. The fisherwoman cringed underneath the sudden aura of shame at the sight… It was the only real differentiator between the two, and it was her fault.
“I believe I shall take up the Creator on his blessing and take a short break by the fire. Will you join me?” her twin asked.
“I will be there shortly. Allow me a moment,” she returned.
Her counterpart squinted playfully. “Planning on something with the males, eh?”
“Nothing of the sort,” the fisherwoman chided, flicking her sister's snout with a singular talon.
The twin scowled and turned away, exiting the castle swiftly.
The fisherwoman shook her head and made her way to the star-sent, heedfulness and hesitation quieting her footsteps. It was an unusual feeling. She was never the best when it came to respecting those higher on the mountain than herself; they were always flippant, derisively ordering and pecking at those ‘who make not an honest day’s work.’ She despised giving her labor for such self-assured fools, forced to put on a face for them while suffering through their ‘hierarchy.’
That was why the small island villagers were so welcoming. They were much less strict in their positions or status, allowing for a community focused on the goals of the whole rather than the aspirations of a singular high-ranking Malkrin. Maybe that was why it was so easy for the gray-skinned twins to return to sincere labor there.
The star-sent was much the same, though… different in one aspect. Where the village had a sort of collectivism while still keeping some status of the elders or those higher up the mountain, the Creator did not seem to place himself within any sort of hierarchy. He was solely focused on seeing the settlement progress, addressing and communicating with whomever as if they were of the same status. It made tasks a lot easier and was most certainly why she felt it so easy to approach him with such an unnecessary question.
He was not by the previous set of machines, leaving the fisherwoman to look around. She scanned the entire floor, looking over much of the equipment, spotting him by one of the desks. She stepped up behind him, curiously eying the items on his table. He was… disassembling his staff? His blunt digits twisted small metallic pieces and pulled off larger ones, sliding the large cylindrical end out. He continued until all the components were resting on their respective cuts of cloth, each cleaned and rubbed down with a few liquids.
The fisherwoman did not realize she was leaning over him and staring until he stopped and stretched upward, inadvertently tapping her snout. His chair jolted out of the way, turning around to face her. The Creator’s body was stiff as his wide eyes bored into her, palm resting atop his shoulder-bound blade. He stared up at her for a long few seconds, his burning glare stunning her in place all the while. A loud huff finally escaped him, his strained posture loosening.
“…Jesus, you fuckin’ scared me,” the high male groaned, his chest still rising and falling rapidly. His hand still had not left his knife. “Did you need something?”
“Forgive me star-sent,” she bowed her head, embarrassment and a hint of shame running through her frills. She quickly excused her actions nervously. “I did not mean to startle you… Nor did wish not to bother you, b-but I have a query. You had mentioned that I was free to ask any.”
“Mm, yeah.” The Creator finally released his blade and took a piece of cloth, returning to his task of rubbing down another metallic piece of his staff. “I’d rather you guys ask questions than sit in confusion. So, what’s up? Is there anything you need to harvest the deposits? We’ve got some metal to spare.”
Sparing metal for her simplistic job? Lord above… “N-No. Please excuse my prodding, but I wish to know what these machines are doing.”
“What they’re doing? Like, each one specifically or as a whole?”
“As a whole, Creator.” She did not dream of wrapping her head around the blessed equipment.
He grabbed a gray tube from his staff’s belt. “Gunpowder… for these. Or, more accurately, modified black powder. It’s just as powerful, but it’ll also put on more of a smoke show… and dirty the hell out of barrels and bolts alike…” He frowned at the components next to him before noticing her confused expression. He shook his head. “Sorry. It’s a powder that ignites and propels—” he dug into the cylinder with his digits and slid out a piece of metal. “—slugs and bullets. It’s essentially the whole reason guns work. I’m sure you’ve seen the FAL Akula’s touting around, right?”
She slowly nodded, understanding what he was alluding to. The dark-green-skinned fisherwoman was quite proud of receiving her own staff, keeping it in hand at all times.
“Yeah, so without this, her weapon would be as good as a piece of wood. That’s why I plan on making so much of it.”
“I… see.” She looked back at the whirring snake of moving parts within the center of the castle, a greater sense of awe settling on her as she took in its final purpose. “So it takes metals from a cave, rocks from the sea floor, and the burnt husks of logs to produce such?”
“There are a few more ingredients, like the spider-crab biofuel and trace air elements, but yeah.” The high male continued to clean the components of his weapon as if the process of gunpowder creation was only a menial accomplishment. “It takes a good bit of specific inputs to make the stuff.”
The others claimed the star-sent to be a wizard, and that would be an easy assessment with his staff and mystic equipment, but that would not be accurate. The Creator was clearly a great alchemist, turning useless materials into the very power of his grand weapons. Not to mention forming fine metals from coarse rocks. How did the settlers not see such? The villagers were more blessed than they realized.
A thousand other questions burned into her mind of what else he was capable of creating. What could he do with tree bark? What about dirt and fish? Were they ingredients of powerful remedies or sturdy materials? The dam almost burst, but she held it in. The star-sent’s invitation to casual conversation should not be squandered by her pestering any further. Perhaps he would enlighten her another time. For now, she was required to complete her tasks—this time with much more purpose than she had prior.
She thanked the high male and left for the shore with a swaying tail. Perhaps her efforts would be rewarded handsomely were she to keep it up.
\= = = = =
Harrison sat back on a stool by the outdoor range. The sun had already been down for some time, keeping much of his work underneath the few Malkrin-sized floodlights placed around the settlement. Their bright white light illuminated the decimated wooden targets twenty meters out, dim moonlit covering the rest of the meadows further beyond. It wasn’t a great idea to stay out in the night, given Tracy’s reconnaissance drones weren’t equipped with any night vision or thermals yet, but there was still work to be done, so he instead relied on two armed females to serve as early warnings and defense while he finished up his testing.
The modified black powder was finally narrowed down to a suitable side-grade for traditional double and triple-base gunpowder. The first batch wasn’t nearly powerful enough, and it dirtied the hell out of the FAL he used. The second attempt was much the same, but actually managed to reach an acceptable muzzle velocity. Now, after a whole day of experimenting with the ingredients, it was a damn powerful propellant. The most important ingredient was the added biofuel-adjacent compounds that were made from, of course, biofuel, and much of the air-extracted elements like oxygen and nitrogen.
It was an increasingly convoluted process that required many of the machines to be switched around. Most of their programmed inputs and outputs had been changed several times by the end of the day. Hell, almost the entirety of the workshop’s stock of chemical and mechanical fabrication units had been used up by the operation—if they hadn’t already been taken by the other ongoing lines of industry.
The powder dirtied the hell out of the rifles, it kicked like a horse, and it was a pain in the ass to synthesize, but it was done. He wouldn’t need to worry about letting loose any bullets into those spider-crabs anymore. He even had a suitable source of metal, solving all of his iron and steel needs too. It was small scale, but it was something, and that little bit of income was all he needed to start scaling up the process and deal with all the alloy-hungry projects he needed to start on.
The first of which was probably going to be simple automated mules for the heavy ore. He spent a good portion of the morning assisting with the mining operations until he was confident that the lumberjack got a hang of the hand-held lasers. The most prevailing thing the engineer learned from his efforts was how much of a pain in the ass it was to drag the sphalerite back on sleds.
They didn’t have any on-hand blueprints for any transportation droids until he traveled to the vehicle bay and got them himself. Thankfully, there just happened to be a woman who specialized in creating automated drones, and she was more than happy to take the task on herself. Some part of him felt a little bit of remorse for dumping the work on the technician, but she genuinely seemed to actually kind of enjoy it, almost like it was just a hobby for her. The woman even had her own corner of the workshop dedicated to her tinkering. It had two fabricators, warm yellow lighting, and plenty of cluttered parts and pieces around her laptop. All of it surrounded a central chair that she used to bounce between the different sections of the building process. One corner was for the printers and requesting components, another was for welding, a third for circuitry, and so on.
However, the whole thing did urge him to visit the vehicle bay before the blood-moon. There were a hell of a lot more applications for drone automation than he realized, and he wasn’t intent on putting all of that on Tracy.
The engineer sighed and rubbed his forehead, grabbing for another blue-leaf on the nearby bullet casing-covered table. The finger-width frond was something he’d been enjoying since the foraging Malkrin started to bring them back. They tasted like the fragrance of jasmine. Simply chewing it and letting the small particles of plant matter mix with saliva created a sort of tea in his mouth. He saw Cera using it alongside the whole ‘females using a stick to sharpen their teeth’ thing, so he asked and was generously given a bunch.
The blue-leaf jutted from his mouth like those depictions of Old-Earth farmers chewing the stems of wheat, slowly being gnawed until its tip as the night went on. He eyed Sharky and the ceramist standing at their post nearby, the two of them staying as alert as possible despite it being later than they would usually go to sleep… Maybe it wasn’t best to test gunpowder late at night with unsuppressed fire while the others were sleeping. A tinge of embarrassment and regret nipped at the back of his head.
It was worth it, though. Their ranged capabilities would benefit immensely from the gunpowder, most likely ensuring their survival to come… if it weren’t some small issues. It was a shame the Malkrin had such difficulties with the weapons. Not enough to make them unusable, but enough to cause annoyance with general handling. The guns were practically compact submachine guns to the giant females. Cera and Akula had a hard time reloading with their big ‘ol talons, especially for the mag-release paddles by the trigger. Not to mention the process of actually packing ammo back in the empty magazines… Furthermore, there was irritation with trying to keep the firearm in a suitable place while they worked. Slings swung around too much, and pack attachments poked their lower arms and back. Of course, none of them voiced their opinions on it. He simply noticed all the ways they squirmed when the gun swung out and poked them in the side, or how they fumbled with them while reloading.
Honestly, at this point he might just consider designing a whole new weapon system if the most basic aspects of kinetics were a bother. Something more ergonomic for them to use and store… probably with a bigger bullet that’s easier for them to handle. He’d figure it out later, after he managed to finish helping Tracy build the automated mule.
“Shar! Cera! C’mere!” he called out, his voice somewhat muffled by the frond stuck between his teeth.
The two females perked up, quickly making their way back to his ramshackle firing point. The paladin clipped her M2 onto her back as she trotted up to his side.
“Are we fin—hed for the even—g?” the maroon-colored Malkrin questioned, looking rather tired.
He packed the can of ammunition up, slapping its cover closed. “Just about. I’ve still gotta test the fifty-cal ammo for your browning, but that’s for us to deal with tomorrow.”
“Of course. Will y–u be requiring this firearm for the durat—n?”
“Luckily for you, I won’t.” He pointed a thumb in the direction of the workshop. “I’ve got another being printed right now.”
The paladin squinted. “Anot—r? For whom?”
Cera flipped through the notebook she used for communication, scribbling on it for a mere second before turning it around for the other two to see. It showed a crude outline of the turret they used during the last blood moon… How’d she know?
“I’m guessing Tracy filled you in, huh?” The technician and the ceramist were pretty close, especially whenever Tracy went to help her with drawing. He slid a few FAL magazines into a small pseudomycelium bag, glancing up at Shar. “We’re planning on putting two or three active turrets up around the modules and possibly around the beach and sphalerite cave—depending on resources, of course.”
A grin spread across Shar’s muzzle, her tail swaying. “So we sh—l be furthering our fortificat—ns? It is wise we act early before the bl—d-moon.”
The engineer continued to pack the range items away with the ceramist's assistance. “Yeah, only about ten days or so until then. We have to make the best of it. But that’s not the only reason; I’m planning on setting out sometime ‘fore the blood-moon to retrieve some data from a module further out. This time, it’ll be a longer expedition; ‘Smore than a day’s walk. We’ll be needing more than just the two of us to keep watch overnight. So yeah, we’ll need to keep home base safe while we’re out.”
She leaned forward, an inspired glint in her eye. “I underst—d. Will there be anyth—g I can do to assist the p—paration process?”
“Nothin’ specific.” He smirked, patting her on her oversized forearm for a moment. “‘Cept training and lifting stuff like you do anyway. Definitely gonna need yer strength for hauling turret materials around. Even more for the bullshit we’ll probably have to go through on the journey.”
Her restrained smile turning into something different than the grin she wore before. “I-I am at your c—mand, Harrison. I give my labor to y–u freely.”
Harrison caught Cera idly watching their conversation, a curious look gathering on her face as she observed him. He soon noticed his palm was resting atop shar’s wrist, his hand in a much different place than he last remembered leaving it. He awkwardly coughed and removed it, returning his attention to the mass of equipment he packed up. “Right, uh… Again, that’s all for the day. Cera, you’re free to check out if you want.”
The addressed female raised a brow, still eying up him and the paladin before wiping the look off her face and smiling. She bowed and gave a short wave, leaving him and Sharky to stand underneath the outdoor floodlights while Cera slunk back to the barracks. He looked back up at the tall female beside him, giving her a knowing look.
“You can head off too if you want. I know you’ll be sleeping anyway if we head back into the workshop.”
She stood up straight, an adorable mix of furrowed brows and a pout resembling offense forming on her visage. “I w—ld not fall asl…” The flushed paladin paused, clearly realizing her inaccuracy, causing Harrison’s smile to grow all the wider. She huffed and quietly continued with her excuses. “I can not leave you to the night by y—rself. What if sculking b—sts enter the castle? I should not dare to l—ve your side.”
He stared at her with lighthearted contempt. “C’mon, Shar. Wouldn’t you rather fall asleep in a comfortable bed than a metal desk? I’m gonna be helping Trace with her drones for a long while too.”
“I would prefer noth—g more than to be within arm’s r—ch of you,” she insisted. Her orange irises burned as her tail found its way around him. “Even still, the other star-s—t has left for the other castle alr—dy.”
He raised a brow, the cool skin of her limb rubbing against his palm. “Wait, Tracy left already? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“F—give me, I was busy patrolling the settlem—t. She offered a short wave to me as she left.”
If the technician was gone already and wasn’t in the workshop in the first place to need his help… why did he even need to be in there? She noticed his realization, leaning in closer. Her eyes glanced away nervously for a short moment as she appeared lost in thought before being wrangled back to match his gaze.
“Then, if there is noth—g else for you to complete with the machines, might I sugg—t a compromise to the is—e at hand?”
He raised a brow curiously.
Short clacks of the talons tapping together filled the air. “W-Well, If y–u were to join my slumber, It would satisfy your wish as w—l as my own. I will not fall asl—p atop the desk and you shall be within my p—tection. I-It would be best for your sl—p if I were there, no?
He gave her an incredulous look, the corners of his cheeks breached by a small smile. It wasn’t a great ‘compromise’ for him, but it wasn’t like he had any place to argue against it, really. He wasn’t that tired, yet there was fuck all to do in the workshop until tomorrow… so… “If it’ll get you to sleep, then fine.”
Her eyes lit up in surprise. She clearly wasn’t expecting him to go without debate. “Y-You… Yes, of c—rse. The offer was intended for both our be—fits…” The paladin gestured toward the other module with a wide arm, her thin confidence barely hiding her vibrating frills. “Sh—l… we…?”
He nodded, letting her tail rest on his shoulder like a scarf as he turned around, nudging her to follow. They strolled through the soft grass and night breeze, eased by the thought of a comfortable bed and sound sleep.
\= = = = =
A consistent click came from Kegara’s talon tapping rhythmically against her shield, the piercing sound mirroring the force of her scalding breaths. The tent was bathed in the flickering hue of flame from a centralized fire, yet the warmth bled from everywhere she looked, which was primarily the current target of her displeasure. When their excursion team returned, the Grand Paladin thought them to come back with results or news, yet they brought only an infuriating pitiful recount of a spineless worm.
Every exhale was riddled with the white-skinned female’s ire as she paced around the trembling, pink-skinned female that stood inside the Grand Paladin’s tent. The fisherwoman’s shaking breaths could barely be heard beneath the sizzling of Kegara’s unfinished meal. She had lost her appetite, and the contents she had been looking forward to were now tainted by the taste of ineptitude. A burnt smell permeated throughout the room. A waste, but no more of a waste than the pathetic trash currently fouling her tent.
The failure’s back was straight, her head was kept level, and her tail was as still as the mountain towering above the camp outside, yet nothing but inadequacy was visible.
The Grand Paladin stopped her pacing in front of the messenger, covering her burning vexation with cold, quiet intent and an edged stare. The fisherwoman swallowed heavily. “Were you at least capable of finding their sea vessel, incompetent one?”
“W-We did, Grand Paladin,” the pitiful excuse for a Malkrin quickly returned, fear and guilt bleeding through her voice. A sense of hope entered those dull eyes as they tried to salvage what was already lost. “There were footsteps we followed along the beach, b-but they were cut off abruptly by the tracks of abhorrent!”
Kegara took another step forward, brows furrowing as she bore her gaze ever deeper into the scum that stood before her, the head-height difference in stature between them further emblazening the glare. Her words grew more heated with every question, each syllable teeming with threats. “Then they perished? Was there blood? Signs of a battle?”
The pink-skinned female struggled to keep herself straight, trembling down to the talons. “T-There was no sign of s-such.”
“And you did not pursue them?” A simple question, and one spoke through a frigid, flat tone. Dignified and controlled, yet making no effort to hide the malice underneath. Her digits twitched, barely restrained.
“N-No, we f-feared the abhor—”
The fisherwoman’s speech was cut short with a choke and a flicker of movement from the white-skinned paladin. A singular hand wrung the failure’s throat and lifted the veritable waste, her grip tight enough to cull the fouled intent before it could spit more worthless drivel. Kegara’s frills shook with her burning projection. “You failed because you were *scared? Fourteen females were **frightened of footprints? You insolent failure! Your heathenous brothers and sisters are left to the whims of the mainland because of your fear! Left to be mauled and eaten alive by the abhorrent!”*
“W-We could not have—”
“SILENCE,” she commanded sharply, her voice a blade that tore through the fisherwoman’s denial. She snarled, feeling the very heartbeat within the fragile neck as her grip tightened. Shameful vocalizations and strained breaths failed to bring air to the pathetic one’s lungs. It would be quicker to silence the fool permanently, and Kegara’s pride demanded it be done. Every move within the paladin’s talons threatened to rend the very flesh beneath them, yet her claws must be stayed, for allowing blood to spill would be an equally foolish mistake. The fisherwoman was lucky; menial labor was a strained resource. Such a failure of a banished fool would be culled on the spot otherwise.
The pink-skinned female was thrown to the ground, dirt being tossed into the air as she skid to a stop. She hacked and coughed on her back, her ragged gasps irritatingly scraping the high one’s ears. Kegara’s slow exhalations poured through clenched teeth as she controlled herself. Perfection required persistence. If she wished to send the group back out for their incompetence, then she would need them to live long enough to do so. To ensure the new banished were found and brought back. To prove themselves worth her kindness.
But were there banished left to collect? The latest group was most likely reduced to bones for the repulsive creatures to gnaw on by now, and it would be but a waste of Malkrin to frivolously send more out. It was a situation wrought from mistakes and inadequacy, searing her flesh with its reflection onto her, painting her image with its wretched color. The vexation burned her from the inside as she resisted the urge to stain her tent with the failure’s red. This was much greater a failure than the fisherwoman could understand, but at least a large catch of meat had been procured. This was still a salvageable outcome.
“Bring half the food to the cooks,” the grand paladin relented with a simmering hiss, glaring down at the coughing lump of shame. “Leave the rest by the cave as always. Do not fail me with such a simple task, or you will prove my benevolence to be a mistake.”
“Of… c-course.” The fisherwoman shakily nodded before shuffling away, all but fleeing the tent to complete her duties. The failure was gone, but her stench persisted.
Kegara spat on the ground, no longer wishing to return to her meal, as disgusting as it had become. The searing exasperation that gnawed at her chest slowly fell away, leaving only the frigid caress of mortification on her frills. The lack of success would carry with it great consequences, and those would carry more in an ever-growing rockslide of punishment.
Would it impact her mission? What would happen if her settlement was incapable of providing logistics for the excavation? Would they no longer return with the relics? How would the Grand Script-keeper react? What of the high priestesses? The Grand Paladin was no fool; she knew where their disdain would lie, should she prove to be as pathetic as that fisherwoman. The blame could not be siphoned off into the tainted peasantry beneath her command. It would be put on her and her alone. She would face judgment without reprieve.
The white-skinned Makrin let out a shaky breath, steeling herself away from the agonizing worries. The solution was as clear as her faith, and just as certain. She would not allow such a mistake to occur again. More capable laborers would be sent next time, paladins without such weaknesses as fear, and success would be enforced.
According to the report, the next island that the inquisitors were approaching was one with a larger population, numbering in the thousands. It was assured that they would find many more of the blighted Malkrin to be exiled, and the traitorous filth would find their labor funneling directly to the mainland. She could perform her duties properly once she had the subordinates to do so.
Those higher on the mountain would see her accomplishments then. Surely.
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Next time on Total Drama Anomaly Island - Space Marines Malkrin

Hello, just want to see if you read this page, does it pique your interest enough that you'd keep reading. Trying to test some different intros. Thanks!

It was the third village this year. Barely any signs of struggle, houses intact, nothing valuable stolen. Nothing out of the ordinary except for one thing: all the people were gone.
Warden Hyukos stood in the village square, the only signs of movement coming from his men who patrolled the empty streets. The sun was beginning to set and the quiet wood houses cast long shifting shadows on the road, the sound of cicadas buzzing softly in the trees. Though it was a quite pleasant summer evening, making sweat run down his neck into his tunic, he shivered. He didn’t like this one bit.
Someone tapped his shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his skin.
“By the stars, Kyurias, nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Well, what have you to report? Have you found anyone?”
“No, sir.”
“Then what is it?”
“We just received a message from the magistrate.”
“And?”
“It looks like the capital is sending someone to assist in the investigation.”
Damn it, Warden Hyukos thought. The bleeding capital? He’d been investigating these disappearances for nearly a year now, with absolutely nothing to show for it. Not only did it look bad on him, it embarrassed the magistrate, and he wasn’t a man to embarrass. He ran a hand through his hair, which was acquiring more white strands everyday it seemed. He sighed slowly.
“Alright. Who are they sending?”
“Uhm. Well, according to the message, if it can be believed–”
“Just spit it out, who is it? Some minor lord’s hireling?”
“Eo Akami, sir.”
Some spit caught in the warden’s throat and he hacked a cough into his elbow.
“What, the bleeding archmage?”
“Er, according to the messenger, yes.”
“You’re telling me that Eo Akami, the war hero, the bleeding Red Mage, is coming all the way from the capital to the backwoods of the Wild North to help us look for some missing peasants?”
“That’s what he said. Like I was saying, the messenger in question, Junias, has been known to embellish or otherwise exaggerate the importance of his charges, just last week he ran a message from the magistrate’s cook to the local butcher, regarding the procurement of venison, and naturally–”
“Alright, alright, Kyruias, I get the point, don’t need every bleeding detail, do I? Just take me to Junias and I’ll question him myself.”
Kyurias led him down the darkening dirt road, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. Hyukos pulled a rolled up parchment from his pouch, unraveled it, and placed his left hand on the complex pattern of ink inscribed. The pattern glowed gold and illuminated a 10 foot radius around them. He fastened the glowing parchment to his belt. The messenger was clearly exaggerating. Nobody of import had any interest in the coming and goings of the Wild North, much less an archmage to the king. He was under enough stress lately as it was, and he was in the mind to take it out on this Junias for adding to his increasing supply of white hairs.

TW// purging talk
i recently moved back in with old roommates, my bf and i lived here a couple years ago but we had to move back in recently for a transition period after college. im in recovery for bulimia/restrictive eating and gained abt !10! kg in the ~1.5 yrs we've been away, and im happy about where i'm at with my body and with food.
one of my roommates has been very open about her ED since i've known her, its fluctuated throughout the years, but she is now very tiny since i last saw her. last time i was here, it was anorexia. i was suspecting she is now purging, i noticed she rushes to the restroom right after meals and has marks all over her knuckles and has puffy cheeks. but this morning. i woke up to coughing and groans coming from the downstairs restroom. loud coughs, hacking, gagging, for over two hours. and very dramatic, long, loud groans in between retches. it stopped right when her boyfriend woke up and went to go in and see her, which is why i suspect it was drawn out so long. she is known to beg him over the phone to call out of work so he can go home and take care of her, even when there are other ppl in the house who can do the same thing. i talked to my bf about it, and he says he's heard it nearly every morning since we've been here. i guess i've just slept through it and he hasnt mentioned anything bc he's worried about it being a potential trigger.
i understand eating disorders are competitive by nature but, it's very hard not to see her as a mean person separate from that. everyone in the house has tried to give her a chance, but she's burned every bridge every time. she calls people she doesnt like "fat" as an insult, comments on how everyone else fills their clothes compared to her, compares wrist/thigh sizes, and will just make fun of people who are in vulnerable positions. i have confirmed that another roommate has developed bulimia after seeing how thin she's gotten, and she only encouraged it by coaching them on what bodychecking is and furthering their self image issues.
it was so fucking upsetting to listen to this morning. i cant help but feel sad and also really angry about it. my purging sessions used to last 15-30 mins, and i would run the shower, play music, use toilet paper, and try to mask the noise to accommodate not only her, but any potential person in the house that might be triggered. nobody to my knowledge ever knew i had an ED. i never discussed it with anyone. even when she used to talk about her eating disorder when we last lived here, i never chimed in and chose to stay private about it. for reference, she is 21 and i am 23, and i was her age when i was in the depth of my ED. there is no reason you need to be yakking with the bathroom door open, for 2 hours, letting the whole house hear it, just waiting for your bf to come in?
knowing that she does this nearly every morning is super upsetting to me, and i dont know how long i could do it. its already very triggering seeing how tiny she and other roommate has gotten. it doesnt seem to bother anyone else in the house, im guessing theyre all just used to it atp. i'm looking for employment so desperately, but having to worry about waking up to my roommate's 2-hour purging session just to get her boyfriend's attention is really bothering me. im worried that confronting her will just stroke her ego and there will be nothing productive that'll come from it. is it worth it to bring it up to her? idk if im justified in being upset by the situation, or if im being an inconsiderate asshole abt it.

You’re a damn fool, you know that?”, said Gemeti.
After they arrived at the palace, Lord Gyholt’s servants showed them to their quarters where they would stay with the Fursaglan lord’s own staff. It was a spacious set of rooms, whitewashed walls and a light breeze gliding in from the outside bringing in the awful smell of the city’s smoke. They seemed nice enough though there was no way to communicate anything to them since neither group knew the other’s tongue. Gemeti took a reluctant Ettu away from the main group to chastise her in a corner of the room.
Ettu sighed heavily, “Yes, I know. You’ve done nothing but tell me since I joined Lord Palanu’s service. He can punish me if he wants to. That Marhuk’s smile and laughter would be worth every bit of misery”. She could still picture that beautiful smile he had that made her heart skip a beat.
The other woman put her fists in her hips, “What would your mother say about this?”.
Ettu laughed, “She would hand me a flask of animal fat”.
Gemeti blushed and sucked in her breath in irritation before throwing her head back in a guffaw. That’s when Ettu knew she had her. Her mother always told her to win people over with a smile and a jest and ever since it had worked like a charm and got her out of trouble many times. The other woman stopped suddenly when she realized she was loud enough to draw the gaze of several of the other servants but then giggled more quietly with Ettu.
The giggling was cut short when a Fursaglan servant hurriedly entered the room and closed the door behind him. He leaned against the door as if bracing himself to prevent anyone else from coming in.
One of the other Fursaglan servants walked up to him and asked a question. Before he could answer, a sword ran through his back and out of his stomach and spat blood out. The worried man screamed and coughed blood as the door hinges broke and the door itself crushed him. Through the door, came a man in silver armor, other armed men behind him. The warrior was big and muscular which left Ettu in no doubt that he broke the door down by himself. He hacked down the inquisitive servant, killing him with two blows to the head.
One woman belted out an ear splitting scream, cut short by the murderer’s quick dash towards her, ramming his obsidian sword through her heart. Another woman began running for the window which led the others to do the same. More assailants filtered in, slashing at more men and women and creating a pool of gore and guts.
“Oh fuck!”, said Ettu.
Gemeti took her hand and pulled her away from the bloodshed and into the window. But all the servants rushed through at the same time, leaving none of them free to jump out. Hemmed in to one side of the room, they made it easier for the warriors to cut them down.
Gemeti’s face was struck with horror, “Gods! They killed them. Just slashed them like lumberjacks at a forest”.
The first intruder cleaved her head off with his already gory sword. The warrior had been sawing off another servant’s arm when he saw her with an almost feral expression on his face and jumped at her. Blood flew at Ettu’s face, a gasp all that escaped her. She never had it in her to scream but that didn’t mean she wasn’t scared.
Piss slithered down her legs as she knelt before him, “Please don’t kill me. I don’t want to die”, with hands held up as if she could stop a sword swing.
The warrior smiled at her fear, enjoying every second of it. Through his grin he said with a thick accent, “Die, Aroloth”.
Suddenly, one of her hands turned bright green. A sharp pain surged through her arm and manifested itself in a lance of fire, blasting from her palm and into the murderer’s chest. He fell down, never knowing what killed him.
At the north wing of the palace, Lord Gyholt was gesturing at his Sentinels, barking out orders and cursing at his manservant to put the armor on faster. He had men watch the windows to gauge the enemy numbers and servants cowering at a corner. Meanwhile, Palanu calmly ran an oilcloth along his khopesh and swung it around to test it amidst all the chaos in the room. Two of his guards flanking him.
“Asula! Go with Mazni and his brothers. By Crudas! Where’s Marhuk?”, said Gyholt as he swore by the Fursaglan god of warriors.
The throne room was a cream-colored, marble representation of Fursagla’s history with intricately etched bass reliefs of the Eagle Kings and their households. The images were everywhere, in each floor tile, round pillar, step in the dais, and the very throne itself. The whole place seemed to burst with reminders of Fursagla’s martial glory as if a man might quickly forget it.
“What’s the best route to the barracks?”, asked the Aroloth lord.
Gyholt shooed his manservant away once he was done, “What? You mean to go out there? Wait for me and my Sentinels. We can go out together to rescue your men”.
A man’s howl of pain took both lords’ attention. One of the watchers was pierced with an arrow in the clavicle. A warrior climbed in through the window as the watcher sobbed at his pain, the sobbing man grew quiet as a sword thrust to the temple ended him. More assailants entered, killing another watcher with a spear through the skull.
Immediately the Sentinels ran to their lord in a wall of bronze and hides and slammed their shields into the ground with an intimidating, “Huh!”. The enemies quickly swarmed the room, tearing arms and slashing necks all the while of any man not behind the Sentinels or Palanu and his guards. One assailant in particular wore Dendra armor and a plumed helmet with cheek pieces and a grim smile plastered on his face.
“Gojan”, said Lord Gyholt.
“Gyholt”, said Gojan son of Asgena.
“Where’s your father? If we could get to him then we can end all this senseless violence and make amends”, said the Fursaglan lord.
The nobleman sneered, “What makes you think we’re stupid enough to believe that?”.
“You were stupid enough to attack my palace”, retorted the former rebel.
The younger man snarled and shouted an order to attack. His men charged, bringing to bear wrathful blows and glory-hounding sprints. Palanu and his two guards (Sylon and Naru-zim) braced for impact, holding khopeshs and tower-like shields except for the Aroloth lord.
Even with the lack of shield, Palanu held his khopesh before him, giving vicious strokes with its hungry edge to the first man that faced him. The warrior had barely grown his chin hairs when he threw himself at the noble with wide eyes and panicky spear thrusts. The khopesh darted out and banged against his copper helmet. While his opponent was dazed, Palanu quickly reversed his grip and hooked the young man’s shield, pulling him away from his companions as if a babe from a nest of vipers. Only the babe landed in a nest of cobras. Once he stole away the shield, the Aroloth pushed the tip of his sword through his gullet and tore it out with a strip of flesh dangling in the hilt. The fight lasted less than two seconds.
The room became a cauldron of action as men on both sides jabbed and pushed each other, a red flood spilling into the floor. In the midst of this battle, Gojan saw Palanu’s prowess with his khopesh. After killing his first opponent, the lord let the next man come only to hack him down with equal vigor. His beautiful, sky blue sleeves became drenched in crimson blood, spit adorned his forehead, fire burned behind his eyes.
The magma in his veins coursed through his body, his whole world narrowed down to his blade and his next victim. He killed them all, the ugly, the beautiful, the sad, and the happy. Gojan watched it all traverse before him. With greedy determination, he pushed past his men to get to the Aroloth lord.
“AROLOTH!”, he bawled.
Sylon saw him first whilst his lord slew yet another traitor and bellowed out a war cry to call him out. The Fursaglan noble fixed his eyes on the bronze-armored guard and stomped towards him, bashing the heads of the remnants of the fighting men still not in formation, chunks of brain-matter and skull-bone flew up and rained down, adding to the collage of death unleashed by Asgena.
Sylon’s khopesh wove a tapestry of slaughter as he ended the lives of men who stood between him and Gojan. There was no speech by either man like in the songs, no ceremonies like in Strohinite duels or war dances like in the Demon Isles, just the fight. Mace met khopesh, stone against bronze. The bronze-armored man expected to get a few chips off his opponent’s weapon but had realized it was spell-bound. Gojan grinned nastily as he belted out an animal growl that caused it to glow a deep purple and they clashed again.
The blade juddered and nearly leapt from Sylon’s grasp this time, but he bit his tongue in determination and his knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip. The mace spat lightning and hissed with every touch. Another series of clashes pelted Sylon’s khopesh with many notches. Battle-madness held him, veins popped out along his hands and forehead. The Fursaglan noble lost his grin and sweat beaded his brow as he only barely swept aside yet another lunge from the guard.
Though he was an expert warrior trained from birth, Gojan only ever fought against peasants in the battlefield. Unbeknownst to him, Sylon was as blueblooded as he was and was considered gifted for his young age. When the son of Asgena realized the man wasn’t going down, he grew desperate, driving harder swings into his opponent and expending more of his strength.
Sylon realized this and simply let his shield take the beating. The cured hides blackened and light wisps of smoke rose from the places the Fursaglan bashed with his mace. The Aroloth man’s muscles jolted, the slight twinge of fear that belied his defence fueling his every move and stratagem. With a twist of wrist, the mace slid by and took the Fursaglan’s momentum with it. Out balanced and out maneuvered, Gojan was at the mercy of Sylon’s blade. The tortured khopesh sank deep with a vengeance between shoulder and neck.
Nerveless fingers dropped the mace, the deep purple glow dissolving into thin air. The noble warrior himself staring at the ground with glazed eyes and dripping blood. Sylon slid the khopesh out and much of his neck with it. Before the body dropped on the floor, the guardsman yelled out, “For the Emperor!”, as he awaited the next foe.
Naru-zim fought methodically, cold calculation and ruthless determination guiding his strikes and parries. Both khopesh and shield were trained for offense and defense and narrow was the window which a man could strike true against a foe like him. Nary a flinch shook him from his deep concentration from the killing, slicing flesh with a butcher’s precision and sending souls to the River Vim which was his people’s concept of the afterlife. He made no war cry, he let his blade do the talking. And it sang a bloody chorus as men fell like trees in a logging camp. After his last swing felled another man, he noticed the rest of the traitors were retreating with tails between their legs. Cowards, he thought. A man should stand and fight until his lifeblood oozed from him.
Palanu wiped his khopesh in the cleaner parts of his clothing, “Peace be with you”, he said to the dead men who were his victims.
“They were traitors to our God, Lord Palanu. No men are less deserving of mercy as these”, said Naru-zim as he stabbed a groaning traitor and left him in a pool of his own blood.
“Mercy is a gift of the righteous, my friend. A man is not judged more than when he has the upper hand”.
Naru-zim bowed at his lord politely before he turned a corpse over and pushed his khopesh into its neck. When Sylon strayed from them to kill more of the wounded, he barked out, “Sylon! What are you doing?”.
The other guard turned to him, “What do you think? Killing the enemy”.
Naru-zim screwed up his face in anger, “Our job’s to protect Lord Palanu not running off after the enemy”.
“How else do you protect him if not by killing the enemy?”, said Sylon, flabbergasted.
“Enough, both of you”, growled Palanu, “Like a pair of old wives, you are. We are still in the presence of Lord Gyholt and his Sentinels. Don’t shame the Emperor’s name”.
The two guards muttered their apologies and Sylon jogged back to Palanu’s side.
Lord Palanu approached Lord Gyholt and gave him an apologetic smile, “Please forgive the disgrace you witnessed, my lord. My men are… young and untested in the realm of manners and discipline”.
The Fursaglan lord nodded in understanding, “They are like brothers. I’m certain it is merely their eagerness to serve”.
Palanu nodded thankfully yet in the back of his head he was disappointed. ‘All my life I’ve heard of the many glorious deeds of the guardians of the God. I never pictured them bickering amongst themselves’.

I (38F) have lost 3 adult teeth: upper left pre-molar extracted in college after chipping, and lower right molar extracted in April 2023 because it had been root canaled and crowned years ago but was now in unbearable pain. When the root canaled and crowned lower premolar next to it started hurting, I agreed to get it extracted and get 3 implants. I had the lower right premolar extracted and 3 implants placed in January 2024. Everything was fine until they did the uncovering and abutments in May 2024. Ever since then, I've felt stabs of pain in my jawbone right below the implants, but they say the dental x ray and dental CT look normal (no infection, no failure or anything).
I do clench and grind my teeth, so I had gotten a night guard years ago. Then in 2020, because of persistent discomfort, the new dentist I got at the time gave me a "guide plane" to use at night instead to relax my jaw and then tried filing and reshaping my teeth all over to stop tension and pressure. Didn't work, but I continued using the guide plane instead of getting a new night guard (old one wouldn't fit anymore, so I threw it out). Current dentist says those should only be used short term. So as soon as I get the last, upper implant put on in June or July, I can get a new night guard.
So we have bruxism, missing teeth, and starting the day after Easter 2024, I got a chronic, hacking, severe cough that lasted for over 6 weeks, the kind that leaves you so exhausted, you don't think you have the strength to cough anymore. I was scaring people at work. Went to the doctor, got a clean lung x ray and antibiotics... All signs point to it being severe allergies. My ears were also full of fluid, causing ear pain, which I've never had with allergies before. Made an appointment with an allergist, but the earliest I could get was in July.
So I've read that allergies, chronic cough, bruxism, and missing teeth can cause TMD, and that TMD can cause ear and jaw pain. Can it cause stabbing pain that comes and goes in the lower jawbone toward the front near the chin but only mild soreness in other parts of the jaw? Can you have TMD causing pain without any clicking or popping noises or feeling like your jaw is unlocking out of place?

TLDR: Passed with 70 points on first try. I'm happier about passing on the first try than about passing at all, because that means I won't have to endure this again.
Background:
I have about 6 years of experience as a Security Engineer in IR teams, but I have never done any penetration tests. Never heard of winpeas, linpeas, etc. Barely heard of mimikatz and bloodhound because they would come up once in a while when responding to alerts or when engaging against red teams. Also, half of those 6 years were in the military where I hardly ever got to do the job. Im sure some of you can relate.
Why OSCP:
TL;DR: vanity.
Every year or so, I feel an itch to get a new cert that's harder than the previous one. The progression went from CompTIA certs to SANS certs in forensics and malware reverse engineering which landed me in pretty demanding jobs. Recently, I took a step back to take a less demanding job, but with that, came a compulsive itch to tickle my brain with something demanding. I'd heard of OSCP, and the horrors. Purely out of vanity, I figured there's no better way to feel good about myself than to get this cert. I had no incentive to get a new job, or to get promoted or to make more money or anything like that because I am already in highly overpaid role.
How I did it:
TLDR: 4 months of prep. 1.5 month for PEN200, then 2.5 months of labs.
At the end of December, I signed up for LearnOne. The discount didn't matter to me because my employer paid for it, but it definitely helped. Starting in January, I skimmed over the PEN-100 modules to familiarize myself with Kali Linux, and then started PEN-200 full speed. With a wife, toddler and a newborn, it wasn't easy to make time to study at home, but I went through the modules as often as I could at work. I completed the course in about a month and a half. It was like drinking from a firehose. Never had I ever felt so overwhelmed by so much new and exciting knowledge at such a pace. Really enjoyed the learning process.
After PEN200, I dove right into the challenge labs. I was very quickly humbled by Medtech when I spent an entire week trying to figure out how to get an initial foothold. That's when I had to take a step back, go through Portswigger, and then try again. Overall, Medtech took me at least 2 weeks. Followed by another week for Relia. Did a couple PG practice boxes, and then dove straight into OSCP A B and C so could get the 10 bonus points. I think the practice tests were easier because they were smaller AD sets, but some of the standalones were absolutely brutal. Before I moved on to more PG boxes, I took a few weeks off from studying as I realized that I was spending way too little time with family, and way too much time at the desk.
My next prep work as PG boxes. I think I did about 25 PG boxes total, mostly windows. I didn't watch any Ippsec walkthroughs, but I did follow TJ Null's list for PG boxes.
I also read the HTB Academy's Active Directory course, which I think is absolutely excellent. I didn't complete it, but I studied and took notes on the portions that I found relevant. I basically entirely replaced my PEN200 AD notes with the HTB Academy's AD notes because HTB material was so much better.
Walkthroughs: I really really enjoyed S1REN!'s PG practice boxes walkthroughs. Highly recommend.
I have no opinions about Ippsec because I didn't watch his videos because I wanted to focus as much as possible on Offsec material, and I considered HTB boxes as more of a "distraction" of sorts from the Offsec way of doing things. Don't trust my opinion blindly though, since there are so many people out there who love IppSec for good reasons. If you're tight on time, I'd skip Ippsec. HOWEVER, I highly recommend you to bookmark his website ippsec.rocks where you can keyword-search for walkthrough. This is incredibly helpful and I am very grateful to Ippsec for doing this.
Tib3rius: Cough up the $30 or so and purchase the Windows/Linux privesc bundle by Tib3rius. It's not better than PEN200's material by a whole lot, but it's still better.
My exam experience:
I knew this would not be easy, but it was much harder than I imagined. This was because against by best judgement, [1] I started later in the day, and [2] I didn't take as many breaks as I should have and [3] I forgot it KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid. Up until the 12 hours, I had 0 points. I finally made progress only after I backed off from the complex approaches and tried something ridiculously simple. After initial foothold, it was super easy. Same with my next standalone. After initial foothold, it was super easy. Couldn't crack into the other 2 standalones because I was just too exhausted from beating my head against the keyboard for 12 hrs. Had I taken a step back and got some rest, perhaps I would've been in a better mental state to tackle all the boxes.
Tips for preparing:

• Get the 10 bonus points. I wouldn't have passed if I hadn't.
• For SQLi, do Portswigger modules first before doing the PEN200 modules. Portswigger has interactive exercises that solidify your SQLi knowledge before you can put it into practice. Don't bother with the Blind SQLi portions (except for what you need to do to get your 80% completion)
• Don't waste time by being stuck. Don't tRy hARdER when all you're doing is beating your head against the keyboard and burning yourself out. Look for solutions. The goal is to learn, and the time you spend pulling your hair out is better spent on adding more knowledge to your arsenal.
• Do the PG boxes, but again lean on walkthroughs as needed. Out of the 20+ boxes I did, I think I pwned only 2-3 boxes on my own.
• If you are not on a time crunch, give yourself the time to learn from HTB Academy, TCM, etc before jumping into PEN200. If I had known any better, that's what i would've done. If you are like me and are willing to take on a challenge at the cost of family life and Work life balance, go ahead and throw yourself into the fire. Otherwise, I'd recommend taking a softer and longer ramp up approach.
• Take notes but don't bother wasting time on learning how to write reports. As long as you take screenshots, you'll be able to slap together a report on exam day. Way too many people overcomplicate report writing. Use the OffSec template. It's ugly, but 70 points is 70 points.

Tips for exam:

• Keep it simple. If you find yourself pulling your hair out trying to figure out how to exploit a machine, you're likely going down the wrong path. The vectors of exploit are very simple, but only slightly out of reach. Perhaps you under-enumerated. Or maybe you went straight to trying complex solutions without trying the easy solutions that were right under your nose the whole time.
• Start early even if you're not a morning person. I started at midday, which was a mistake.
• If you get stuck for too long, go for a drive or just step away.
• Do everything twice. On the first go, just do the hacking and don't worry about the notes too much. After you've got enough points, revert the machines, then go back through your steps, taking VERY thorough notes and screenshots.

Good luck, all!

Hi, just wanted to share my experience to see if anyone else has had similar symptoms or has any advice. I'm a 25 y/o male, 5'11" 135 lbs, and I never had any chest pain before smoking weed a few times. Even taking CBD gave me chest pain, but it subsided after stopping so I just abstained from it, no big deal. About a year ago, I did a 24 hour fast and woke up pretty dehydrated. When I stood up my heart rate went insane, and it felt like it wasn't even beating. I called 911 and the ekg in the ambulance was normal but with 150 bpm and dropped to 130 in a few minutes. I decided to wait it out and it went under 100 after a few hours.
A few months later I tried a medication, naltrexone, to try and treat headaches. I took it a few times and noticed chest pain, but I wasn't sure if it was related. After the 5th day of taking it, my heart rate immediately skyrocketed again and I had chest pain. Later that night I had irregular heartbeats. After that, I regularly had palpitations and pain even though I stopped taking the drug.
I went to a cardiologist and had an ekg and echo, which were both normal. I had a monitor that I wore for a week and had a very bad episode that was caught on it (they said it was afib). I have a stress test scheduled. Now my symptoms are very bad. I get shortness of breath daily, when I lie on my back I feel like I have to cough, I get chest pains throughout the day especially when eating, and I get palpitations and random pulses in my chest. This honestly feels like heart failure, it's just so overwhelming and makes me absolutely miserable. I did not expect to have to deal with this at my age.

So I realized that I would get sick like once every 2-weeks. My kid goes to daycare and she’s turning 1. My wife is also on the staffing chart and we also rotate on being sick. It’s either fatigue, headache, mild fever or a severe cough.
I’m so tired of being sick / uncomfortable. It really hinders my abilities to clean up / enjoy my weekends with my kid.
How do I stop being sick and live a healthier life? We don’t eat too bad either.

So, starting in about March or April or so, I started getting this same set of symptoms. Usually it was a stuffy nose, post nasal drip, a mild sore throat, and fatigue. No cough or fever.
Initially, I thought I had a cold, but then I had these symptoms disappear, and come up at least 2-3 more times within the next month or two. It didn't make sense that I got sick that many times. And I had no hacking cough.
For my friends with more severe allergies, it seems like their symptoms are constant. Is it normal for the symptoms to pop up and go away?
To be fair, the fatigue, the post nasal drip, etc, seems to be pretty constant. But sometimes it gets worse, and I wonder why this is. Today I have post nasal drip and it feels like only the left side of my throat is slightly irritated. Could be teeth related too I guess.
I have a pretty strong fear of getting sick too so I'm not sure if this is just mental.
I've been taking 10mg of Claritin a day, but idk if it's even doing anything. I have no food allergies, my doctor said it could be pollen. Should I just get a test?

Hello everyone, I’ve recently been having symptoms that I have never had together and would like to get general health bloodwork done. I’ve seen Ulta Labs recommendations which fits in my budget however when looking at the options they provide I have not the slightest idea of what bloodwork would be the one to take for overall general health. What do you guys recommend/which blood work would cover that?
My symptoms are body aches and fatigue, headache, and generally bad back pain more lower at times. At times eyes feel a bit swollen connected to my headache. Usually when I’ve had the flu i get the same symptoms but it comes with cough and sore throat which I do not have. Anything would help. Thank you.

Apologies for the delay, as promised, continuing with the story! Link to previous act: VII

The night wore on. The people in the street thinned, then vanished.
The last Samurai left the geisha house, weaving drunkenly.
And then, two shadowy figures emerged from a side door in the geisha house and headed away.
I followed.
I caught a whiff of opium, so I was able to keep after them without exposing myself much.
They stopped in a deserted alleyway.
The coal from a pipe lit up one of the figures faces.
Tatsuki.
What did you want, anyway?
Tatsuki san, you were so cruel to Satsume today.
So? Samurai are nothing but trouble! Get em drunk, do a dance, take their money, that's it.
Anyone hoping some rich pretty boy will buy their contract is a fool, and anyone who goes out of their way to get their attention even more so.
They'll kill you for looking at them sideways!
I can't say you're wrong, Tatsuki. But, you shouldn't have spoken up when you did.
Those jade magistrates might just wonder if you had some connection to the murders.
What d'ya mean, murders? They just went missing, it's not like we know they're dead or anything.
I was already moving at that point.
Oh but I do know.
I got between the two just as the knife flashed.
It scraped me, and I returned the favor with my tetsubo.
Catching the Geisha in the side, I pulled my blow so I wouldn't kill her. I just wanted to take her off her feet. I had questions.
To my surprise, she not only seemed untroubled by my attack, she kept her feet.
Okay, that's just not right.
Tatsuki. Run to the inn. Get my companions and bring them here.
Tatsuki just stared, slack jawed. Her pipe fallen to ground.
MOVE PEASANT!
She ran.
The not really a geisha moved to give chase, but I blocked her path.
Your fight is with me.
In the dim light of the red paper lanterns, I could just make out the dark stain spreading across her side.
So I did hurt her.
As I advanced, preparing to strike again, she swung her knife. Not at me, but at the string of lanterns.

Most fell harmlessly into the road, but enough did drift into the outer walls of the nearby buildings that I had to rush over and put them out, lest they start a fire.
She used those precious few seconds to break from me and run.
I finished stomping out the lanterns and stood there cursing until Tatsuki came back with my friends. Mantis and Monkey weren't with them of course, still investigating.
Damn bitch is tough. More than simple geisha!
I wounded her though, think you can follow a blood trail this late at night, Kitsuki-san?
Ishigaki.
Toshiro had knelt to examine the blood.
This blood, it's far too dark.
Kitsuki-san leaned in, brought his lantern in closer.
You're right.
Humans breathe in Air, it mixes with our Water, making our blood bright red. As our water passes its strength on to our Earth, our bodies, it becomes darker.
This blood is black.
Toshiro looked up at me.
Just like a corpse that has not taken in any Air for a long time.
Bog Hag?!
I think so, yes.
Kitsuki-san blinked.
I thought you said your technique disrupted the taint of your enemies?
It does, but it's a reflex. I use it when I am struck; it's not as if I would know it's working. Only my opponent would know... ah.
No wonder it was not eager to fight you.
Toshiro and I locked eyes, the same thought running through our heads.
You three go find the Mantis! I'll get the Monkey!
Protocol!
I'll be fine, Toshiro! You're slow, Naomi is sick, and Kitsuki-san isn't much of a Yojimbo!
You three NEED to stay in a larger group!
I was already running, before any more protests could come up.
As I neared the docks I heard the sound of retching. Turning towards it, I found the Monkey.
He was leaning against a building, clutching the side of his neck. I could see him panting. As I came closer he leaned over and puked.
He saw me.
Ishigaki-san? I... I don't feel so good.
I picked him up. His skin was on fire with fever.

Some crazy bitch... She was clutching her side, I asked her what was wrong and as I got close she clawed the shit out of my neck!
Bog Hag talons carried disease in them. She had used the tanto on me because she did not wish to extend her claws through her fake skin.
I had no idea how severe the disease was, or how long it normally took to work, but obviously THIS one was working very, very fast.
I slung the Monkey over my shoulders and ran.
He didn't complain.
I got back to the Inn and stomped heavily as I ran up to our room,
I threw open the door.
Toshiro said hello by blasting both myself and the Monkey with a Jade Strike.
As the energy washed harmlessly over the two of us I set down the Monkey.
Hag got him. With her claws.
Shit.
Toshiro fished out a prayer to Jurojin. As I explained what that meant to the others.
Naomi added her own magic, and between the two the Monkey was saved.
Everyone was quickly brought up to speed.
The Mantis confirmed for us that the Yoriki I had encountered early that day was also the Bog Hag, as his failure to report in had caused a bit of shouting at the magistrate's.
Okay, now that we know what we're looking for, we only need to find one creature in a city of thousands that could change its appearance almost at will.
There was a reason Bog Hags were able to live in Rokugan for a long time should they just make it past the wall.

Hey, uh Toshiro-san?
I'm grateful and all for the magic healing... but why did you blast us both?
Won't hurt you if you aren't tainted. If it did hurt you I'd have blasted you again till you stopped twitching.
Oh.
I chuckled. Hitting one another in the face with that spell is a perfectly fine way to say hello among the Kuni. It has advantages, since a normal Jade test requires you to get close enough to poke someone first.
Couldn't you just hold up your own Jade?
Toshiro took that one.
Greenstone.
There's a mineral that is similar in appearance to Jade, but it's not. Hard to tell the difference at a distance.
Some fools have, from time to time, tried to pass it off as Jade to our Clan when our own stores were low.
Okay.
Now, how do we go about finding this monster?
Check the geisha. The madame, in particular.
It was the Mantis.
That Yoriki not reporting in for duty was a big deal. If the Hag was stepping into their daily lives, then there's an issue.
Geisha live in their house. They really aren't supposed to leave unless called out by a client, or to run errands.
Keeping up a double life like that would be hard.
What? don't judge me! You're the weird ones, being all lovey dovey.
Before we left we ground up jade and prepared powder. Bog hags were invulnerable. The blood was not the hag's, but from the skin she had been wearing.
It was unusual, but not unheard of for older, stronger and more cunning hags to be able to take more than just the surface skin.
This made the disguise even MORE difficult to spot.
Some even learned maho spells to preserve their skins.
We returned to the geisha house as dawn was nearing.
Toshiro placed a ward of flame upon the frame of the door.
We entered.
Tatsuki greeted us.
Oka-san is resting right now, should I go get her?
Please.
As the madame shuffled out, she greeted us warmly.
Hello great Samurai! I cannot thank you enough for what you did for our Tatsuki last night!
How may I help you?

I walked up to her, and held out the finger of Jade I wore.
Hold this a moment.
Oh great Samurai, this one is unworthy of such of a gift.
She was misunderstanding, going through the three refusals.
I heard the Monkey snicker.
No, I'm not giving this to you, I just want you to touch it.
Whatever for great samurai?
Some of the other girls had come out of their rooms to see us.
We just want to be sure.
The door to the front slid open.
Oka-san, I'm home! I have the-
As soon as the Geisha stepped across the threshold, she burst into flames.
Oh shit, which one was that?
Dammit, THEY KNOW!
Uh...
Oh dear, this is going to cause quite the ruckus.
We will have to leave this city now, no matter what happens.
Girls, listen up. The one who kills the big one gets the little girl's pretty skin.
All around us, geisha ripped their flesh off and revealed themselves to be Bog Hags.
Tatsuki fell to her knees, unable to comprehend her entire world shattering in an instant.
Including the madame, and the burned one, I counted six.
I once mentioned we Crabs had a code word for when the teahouse we're in is staffed by demons in disguise, they didn't know they'd been found out, and everyone should grab their weapons and meet out front.
We also had one that meant the same thing, expect that the demons know they've been found out, and you should fight way out.
Yasha.

Toshiro threw Jade fire as we powdered our weapons.
Energy rushed through my limbs as Naomi blessed me.
I was worried, there were a lot of Hags here, Toshiro and Naomi had both used magic earlier, and we were relying primarily on powder to injure them.
The burned one leapt onto Toshiro's back, clawing him
One went for the Mantis, one the Monkey. Two came at me.
The Mantis and Monkey both defended themselves, and I knocked aside the first to reach me, the second one got a claw in under my arm as I raised by tetsubo to block.
She cried out as she struck me, confused.
WHAT WAS THAT HUMAN WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME.
Calm down, that's why I told you to work together on him.
I know what he is doing; it won't harm you.
As the Geishags eyed me hatefully, Troka-san reached inside her kimono, and pulled out a scroll.
Oh shit.
She then clawed herself, quite deeply.
Oh that's a lot of blood...
And my chest burned. I fell to my knees hacking and coughing. Blood poured up from nose and mouth. My lungs ached.
So this is what it's like, to be Naomi...
I had to end that bitch, and I had to do it, now. Before she cast that spell again.
With the strength Naomi gave me, I slammed the haft of my tetsubo into the geishag that had clawed into me, knocking it down, while preserving my powder.
Then I rushed over it and attacked the head of this hag coven.
I saw surprise and fear in the creature’s eyes, it had hoped that spell would slow me down much more than it had.
I spun my tetsubo, two overhead strikes, sliding my hand down the haft to let the full momentum strike her.
She was still standing, but swaying about drunkenly.
I suspected she had overtaxed herself with that maho.
Behind me the Mantis, Monkey and Kitsuki all worked together. As the Kitsuki shoved his blade into one's stomach, the Monkey struck at the back of her neck.
Then the Mantis buried his kama into the top of her head.
The hag made an almost comical gurgle as it fell over, dead.

Toshiro was praying, hard. Another big one. then.
Naomi whispered another prayer and touched the Mantis.
Who then spun and struck the burning hag.
The other hags howled in fury and lunged at the Mantis, taken by surprise at the three on one, he went down under their claws.
Kitsuki-san grabbed the Mantis and dragged him back to Naomi.
She didn't waste any time, not even bothering with a scroll.
As the Mantis groggily got to his feet, Naomi teetered, sweating and panting hard.
For that matter, so was I.
I was still sucking in Air, a terrible panic rising in me at the feeling of not being able to breathe.
I crushed it ruthlessly. I knew I COULD breathe, even though my body was screaming I needed more.
Still, my vision was going dark at the edges.
What the hell did that monster do to me?
It lashed out with a claw, unable or unwilling to spill more of its own blood to work any more magic.
It's talons punched through my chest piece but only the very tips found my flesh.
And before she could draw back, I brought my tetsubo down on her head for a third time.
This time the thing's skull cracked open. Brains and fluid spattered to the floor. It stood there, head still bent from the impact of my strike, almost as if it was bowing before me.
Then it crumpled.

I turned. I needed to repowder my weapon.
Naomi was spent, or close to it.
Toshiro was praying, scroll in one hand, with his tetsubo held out in a warding stance. With that one hand grip he could not defend himself well.
Mantis was badly hurt, near death. Not even Naomi could heal someone so wounded that quickly.
And there were still four of the damn things standing. One hadn't even been hurt yet.
Well let's fix that.
Panting like a horse in heat (even killing the fucking thing hadn't fixed my lungs... was I going to be like this forever?) I charged at the unwounded Hag.
And into her.
She bit at my helmet and clawed at my back as I continued to run, taking her with me
And out the front door.
Through the ward.
When a bleeding Crab in full armor comes crashing through the door of a Geisha house, bearing with him a Bog Hag that is also on fire, people have a tendency to take notice.
One may then assume that, once their brains can fully register what their eyes have told them, they will scream and run about like chickens with their heads cut off.
The people in the streets lived up to my expectations. Spectacularly.
Good, that should bring some more bodies. If we have to we'll just pin them down with sheer numbers until we can bring up enough powder to bring them all down.
The Monkey lashed out at one of the hags, keeping the thing from attacking the Mantis.
The Kitsuki took a stance from the Dojo. I had seen the Shiba do that once, long ago.
The Mantis spun around slipping to one knee he scythed his blades through the legs of two of the hags, causing them both to fall.
Naomi drew another scroll from her satchel
And then Toshiro finished his spell.
The spell was an old one, in use for centuries.
It turned wrathful Earth Kami upon those it targeted, disrupting their own earth, weakening them considerably.
The Earth Kami were particularly incensed should they detect the presence of taint.

The spell had been made famous by one of the sons of the Emperor Toturi the First.
It was, in these days, known as the Wolf's Mercy.
Toshiro managed to get all four of the hags.
The wounded three died on the spot, their weakened bodies succumbing to the severe wounds they already bore.
Only the burning one was still alive.
Kitsuki-san struck it hard.
It trashed in my grip, but I managed to hold on, barely. The Mantis and then the Monkey were finally able to still the beast.
I felt life rush into me, and the pain in my chest eased up at last.
Just as Naomi began to cough once more. I caught her before she fell, and set her down gently.
Tatsuki. TATSUKI! My wife needs her medicine, we need a teapot, water, and a fire. QUICKLY!
My shouts galvanized her, and Tatsuki moved to comply.
Kitsuki-san saw to preparing her medicine.
Toshiro, panting hard looked at me and the Mantis.
Neither of you better get sick from those wounds. I've got nothing left.
And, far too late to be useful, the Crane showed up, Yoriki in tow.

Doji Goemon looked about with disgust, and more than a little fear.
What has happened here?
Naomi was panting hard, still giving little coughs.
She looked at me. Though her eyes were tight with pain, she gave me a nod to reassure me she would be alright soon enough.
So Toshiro, as the only other full-fledged Jade Magistrate in our group, had to explain the scene to the Magistrate's satisfaction.
You had a Bog Hag problem.
We took care of it for you.
You're welcome.
Bye.
Atta boy, Toshiro.
That won't cause any problems, I'm sure.
He then turned and began throwing salt all over.
Wait, just a minute!
No.
WHAT?
Toshiro spun and glared at the Doji.
I had watched Toshiro apply his face paint several times. He started out pure white. Black, all around his eyes, making them tiny pools of light in deep sea. Then, almost haphazardly dipped his four fingers into red, and pulled them across his face.
The visage he created looked like a man with deep black eyes that were far too large, and had been clawed from temple to chin by some great beast.
In other words, pretty damn scary.
And he used it to full effect as he glared at the Doji.
Bog Hags are tainted. They've been hiding in this geisha house for months. People have probably already been tainted. There might be infections even now.
And I HAVE to deal with that.
It's what Jade Magistrates do.
The first step is to Purify this place.
So shut up and let me do my job!
Or do you want to explain to your lord why half this city had to be burned down when the taint gets too deep?
He was bluffing. It was true there were probably people with the taint unknowingly spreading it around, but one geisha house? No way had it become such a crisis.
Toshiro just didn't want to deal with the Crane, and was using the fact that such knowledge was considered shameful in the rest of Rokugan to deceive him.
It worked.

The Doji salvaged his wounded pride by berating his Yoriki.
Don't just stand there! Get some monks, shugenja! And ETA!
The Mantis, meanwhile, discreetly moved Tatsuki out the back, we all knew from the attempt on her life she was innocent of any wrongdoing.
But we doubted Goemon would see it that way.
Several Monks, a small swarm of Eta, and even an Asahina showed up to help with the cleansing.
And all protests from Goemon stopped as the Eta began to bring up human skins from a secret basement Kitsuki-san found.
There were thirty two.
As well as a very large pile of bones. There was no telling how many people were there. There were only three skulls. Not nearly enough for all the bones.
I explained to Goemon.
Bog Hags don't kill just for skins.
They eat people.
Especially pretty women and children.
He excused himself, and hurried off.
I could hear him vomit.
I doubted it was compassion for the victims. Rather I suspected it was fear that such a thing had gone on for so long right under his nose.
I had no doubt he would have much explaining to do when his lord heard of this incident.
I didn't embarrass him further by looking.
Hey, Naomi?
Ha...hai Ishigaki-san?
Still a little sore.
Is he doing that right?
I jerked my head to Toshiro. He had just thrown a second handful of salt at a wall that particularly offended him.
It always seemed... messy to me, when Toshiro purified things.
Naomi nodded. sipped some water.
He lacks grace, I admit but it is fine the way he does it.
Huh.
Naomi advised Goemon on the Jade test, and the Monk in charge of the local Shrine assured us that, should anyone be found with the taint, he could guide them to a temple that specialized in treating those so afflicted.
Toshiro pressed him on the details, but was satisfied the temple in question wasn't one that took mercy too far.
We left, to chase after possible clients with the taint.

We were joined, of all people, by Tatsuki.
"What the fuck is this?" I asked to no one in particular, pointing at her.
Mine. Hands off.
I stared at the Mantis.
He pulled his clothes and produced a piece of paper.
I bought her contract.
From a dead bog hag?!
Yeah. Got a great price.
You just took that!
Look, I know you don't know shit about Geisha, loving your wife as much as you do (Naomi blushed), but the contract is the only thing separating a Geisha from a whore.
I had no idea if that was true or not.
Naomi, of course, wanted to know what the half-person thought of all this.
Naomi's Compassion could really get in the way of her sense of propriety at times.
I don't have any traveling papers, I can't stay there and I sure as hell didn't want to show my face to the magistrate to try and get some papers....
So this works. I mean, I could be a lot worse off right now, and you did save my life...several times over in fact.
Huh. That's very upfront. I wondered what is was that she sensed in us to put her so at ease.
And that's how the Mantis got a Geisha.
So, you gonna marry her?
Monkey, of course.
Naomi hid her smile behind her sleve and tittered.
The Mantis just glowered at the Monkey, but Tatsuki actually fidgeted a bit.
I shared a glance with Kitsuki-san and Naomi as we noted that.
And we headed out for the nearest town.
For a few weeks we spread word of a possible taint outbreak. Discreetly, to local lords. We told them how to check, got them in touch with temples to handle anyone found with the taint.
Naomi went through paper and ink quite quickly, writing letters back home.
I don't think either of them can read yet, Naomi.
The nanny will read the letters TO them Ishigaki-kun. Until we got home to see them again.
I understood. Not a day passed while I was standing on my post on the Wall that I didn't think of home.
When we arrived at the third city, the guard who checked our papers became very excited.

36F, I don’t smoke or drink. I take a prenatal as a daily vitamin most days when I remember. Not pregnant just finishing them up.
Last Sunday on my way to brunch I got a headache. It lingered all day and aligned with my period so wrote it off. Monday, I was coughing, congested, with headache. Tuesday same. Wednesday the worst so I took a day quill as I have a toddler and couldn’t keep up with coffee alone.
Thursday I went to the doctor and he listened to my chest and said I was fine just to rest. I felt silly for wasting his time. But last time I felt like I had something in my chest I waited too long and it was walking pneumonia.
Friday the cough was fully back and I couldn’t stop blowing my nose. But headache free.
Today I woke up and I was super dizzy. Like hungover room spins and now I have a very specific headache that started on the bottom left and has crept to the leg side of my head. It’s super bizarre. I feel nauseous and wonder if throwing up would just help the whole situation.
Is this the healing process for viruses? When should I be considered about weird headache and dizzy nauseous spells?

(F19, 5’1, 135lbs) so about a week ago i came down with a cold. it wasn’t too bad at all and it was super short. it started with a sore throat then developed into a headache and a stuffy nose. i just overall felt sick. that only lasted for about 2 days and i was feeling almost 100% better. well, about 2 days after feeling perfectly fine, i’ve developed a deep chest pain (worsens when coughing and laughing), mucus in my throat that i have to constantly clear up, an occasional runny nose, and scratchy throat. i’m not having throat pain, chest tightness, wheezing, a fever, or a cough. did my cold develop into a chest cold or is it something more serious?

"Soul Sync: Possession Time" is a specialist nen ability that allows the main character to temporarily merge with 2 specialized entities, granting access to enhanced intellectual capabilities with "The Nerd" and heightened physical prowess with "The Sportsman." This ability offers versatility in combat and problem-solving, but comes with limitations and requires strategic planning.
Entity A: The Nerd Nen Ability: Intellect Augmentation Aura Type: Specialist Description: "The Nerd" is a Specialist ability that utilizes nen to augment their intellectual abilities, granting them unparalleled cognitive prowess. By channeling their aura, the main character enhances their memory retention, analytical skills, and learning capacity to extraordinary levels. This allows them to absorb vast amounts of information at an accelerated rate and solve complex problems with ease. Additionally, they can selectively amplify specific areas of expertise, such as hacking or academic subjects, to further specialize their abilities. Drawback: Intellect Augmentation requires precise control over nen and significant mental focus. Prolonged use may lead to mental fatigue and exhaustion, as the intense concentration required taxes both the mind and body. Additionally, over-reliance on this ability may hinder their development of other nen techniques or combat skills, as their nen becomes predominantly gee & towards intellectual enhancement.
Enity A “The Nerd” has these specific abilities:

1. Photographic Memory and Rapid Learning: Entity A possesses a photographic memory, allowing them to remember every detail of anything they see or hear. They also have the ability to learn new information rapidly and logically, grasping complex concepts with ease.
   
2. Exceptional Intelligence and Mastery in Hacking: Entity A excels in hacking and computer programming, possessing exceptional intelligence and skills in digital manipulation. They can bypass security systems, access restricted information, and manipulate digital data with ease.
   
3. Thorough Problem Solver: Entity A is a masterful problem solver, capable of analyzing complex situations, identifying patterns, and devising innovative solutions. They excel at critical thinking and strategic planning, making them invaluable in navigating challenging scenarios and overcoming obstacles.
   
4. Broad Knowledge Base: Entity A naturally possesses great knowledge in various fields, including mathematics, physics, and other sciences, as well as literature, psychology, and philosophy. They are a polymath, excelling in multiple disciplines and able to apply their knowledge creatively and strategically.
   

Drawbacks for Entity A “The nerd”:

1. Physical Weakness: Despite their intellectual prowess, Entity A is physically weak and vulnerable. They lack physical strength and endurance, making them generally very physically vulnerable and weak.
   
2. Mental Strain: The constant mental processing required by Entity A's abilities can exert a significant strain on the main character's mind. They may experience cognitive fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating, when not in this form. Prolonged usage on a day to day basis can even cause neurological degeneration in the long term for the main character when not in this form.
   
3. Memory Limitation: While in Entity A's form, the main character retains all information learned during all the times of activation. Also, The Nerd can also process information learned from the main character before the activation of this ability. When not in this form, they can only recall 50% of the information learned during those 4 hours, though all information from previous uses is restored upon reactivation. This limitation does not affect the processing of the information learnt from the main character before activation of this ability and also doesnt affect the remembering of ideas or concepts processed after the activation of this ability for the information before ability activation. Meaning he can find himself in a bind intellectually or in a situation where he doesn’t know what to do or is unfamiliar with the concepts or situations, activate this ability, think of a solution, disable the ability but still remembering and retaining the full knowledge and solution of Entity A, The Nerd, for the specific situation or bind he was in.
   

4 Time Limitation: The main character can only use Entity A's abilities for no more than 4 hours in a 20 hour period. He doesnt have to use the 4 hours at the same timeframe. He can use it for a few minutes a day or as long as is needed, but no more than 4 hours in a 20 hour period. Also, the cooldown period for reactivating Entity A is determined by multiplying the duration of activation by the square of that duration. For example, if the main character uses Entity A's abilities for 3 hours, the cooldown period would be 3 multiplied by 3, resulting in a cooldown of 9 hours. This ensures that the cooldown period increases exponentially with the duration of activation, preventing rapid consecutive usage of the ability. So if he used it for 6 seconds, he would have to wait 12 seconds to reactivate The Nerd. If he used it for 9 minutes, he would have to wait 81 minutes to reactivate it. If he uses it for 4 hours he would have to wait 16 hours to reactivate it. 4 hours plus 16 hours equals the 20 hours time mark.
Entity B: The Sportsman
For "The Sportsman": Nen Ability: Athletic Enhancement Aura Type: Enhancer and Manipulator Description: "The Sportsman" is an Enhancer nen user who harnesses nen to enhance their physical capabilities, transforming them into an elite athlete. By channeling their aura, they heighten their senses, reflexes, and strength to superhuman levels, allowing them to excel in various physical activities and sports. This ability grants them exceptional agility, endurance, and proficiency in sportsmanship, making them a formidable competitor in any athletic endeavor. Drawback: Athletic Enhancement demands precise control over nen and rigorous physical conditioning. Prolonged use may lead to nen depletion and physical exhaustion, as the intense physical exertion required taxes both the body and mind. Additionally, over-reliance on this ability may limit their versatility in combat situations, as their nen becomes predominantly geared towards athletic enhancement.
Entity B “The Sportsman” has these specific abilities:

1. Enhanced Durability: The Sportsman has incredibly powerful physical strength, and he keeps getting stronger the longer he is in this form (if need be). In addition to increased strength, Entity B also provides enhanced durability, allowing the main character to take on very physically challenging tasks and not getting tired or feeling strained.
   
2. Agility and Reflexes: Entity B could grant the main character heightened agility, flexibility and reflexes, enabling them to move with incredible speed and react swiftly to threats.
   
3. Combat Skills: Entity B could imbue the main character with advanced combat skills, including mastery in various martial arts techniques and weapons proficiency. This would make the main character a formidable fighter in hand-to-hand combat scenarios and even a weapons expert.
   
4. Regeneration: Entity B includes a regeneration factor, allowing the main character to regenerate and heal injuries at an accelerated rate while in this form. He is also numb to pain or other physical damage or discomfort.
   
5. Sportsmanship Excellence: Entity B enhances the main character's physical abilities to excel in all physical sports, including but not limited to darts, archery, and swordmanship. They become a natural athlete, displaying absolutely exceptional skill, talent, grind and precision in any physical activity they undertake.
   

The drawbacks of Entity B “The Sportsman”.

1. Physical Strain: Despite the increased strength and abilities, using Entity B puts immense strain on the main character's body after use, leading to extreme fatigue, exhaustion and muscle strain and soreness after prolonged use. The more strenuous the activity, the greater the strain and the longer the recovery time required.
   
2. Recovery Time: After disabling Entity B, the main character requires an extended period of rest and recovery to recuperate from the physical exertion. This downtime could leave them vulnerable to attacks or hinder their ability to engage in subsequent activities. This downtime depends on the activities he did while in this form and the difficulty of the physical activities.
   
3. Health Risks: Prolonged usage of Entity B's powers can lead to serious long term health risks, including muscle fatigue, joint pain, and potential long-term damage to the main character's body. This could manifest as chronic injuries or degenerative conditions if not managed carefully. Abusing this power can physically disable the main character forever.
   

This is all I can think of right now, but it's my attempt to make the individual members of each faction unique. These can be changed to make them more balanced as needed. No, Phantoms don't need the additional 20 health.
"All abilities are refreshed upon respawn.
Cleaners: Fire Ammo damage increased by 1, duration increased by 1 second. Replaced range reduction with reduced bullet penetration. Immune to Fire Ammo effect.

• Default - Flame Turret with 360 degree targeting angle. Range of 12 meters. Duration of 15 seconds. Can be placed straight down or thrown 10 meters.
  
• Cleaner B - Fire Drone - Fire Drone will now follow the player until an enemy is within 12 meters, then it will automatically fly directly towards that enemy and explode. If the Drone is shot or hacked, then the drone will detonate and the Cleaner and their allies will be damaged from the explosion. No longer leaves a fire trail, but still leaves a large fire pool at detonation spot.
  
• Cleaner C - Fire Bomb - Fire Bomb can now be thrown. If killed with a bomb available, then the player will explode and set fire to everything within 10 meters.
  

Cleaner Ultimate: When activated, instantly heal all health, gain temporary 15% damage reduction, and a 10% movement speed increase. Increase flamethrower range by 5 meters.
Phantoms: Gene Mod changed from +20 max HP to +15% buff to reload speed, ADS speed, ADS movement speed, sprint to fire speed, vaulting speed, and recoil control. Phantoms have 100 HP now.

• Default - Mag Shield - Cooldown reduced by 5 seconds if the shield was not destroyed.
  
• Phantom B - Crusader Shield - +5% sprint speed boost and melee attack speed.
  
• Phantom C - Personal Overshield - Full body overshield that gives 20 temporary health for 10 seconds.
  

Phantom Ultimate: Damage to bubble shield increases the duration and durability of your next ability usage by max of 25%.
Echelon: Unsuppressed weapons do not reveal location on minimap, but all weapons have their max damage range reduced by 10 meters. Quieter footsteps.

• Default - Active Camo - Firing any non-pistol weapon breaks the cloak.
  
• Echelon B - Intel Suit - Enemies revealed are shown in still images and not real time. Increased reveal range by 5 meters.
  
• Echelon C - Proximity Shock Trap - A shock trap that stuns enemies that enter its triggering range for a short period of time and reveals their location for 5 seconds.
  

Echelon Ultimate: Player is now perfectly cloaked when using the ability. Reduced the enemy detection range by 5 meters.
Libertad: Increased passive healing range by 10 meters.

• Default - BioVida Can - Increased range by 10 meters, increased active duration by 5 seconds, reduced cooldown by 10 seconds.
  
• Libertad B - Medico Bag - Increased range by 10 meters, reduced cooldown by 10 seconds.
  
• Libertad C - PG-240 Poison Grenade - A red poison gas that damages nearby enemies within a 10 meter range for 10 seconds. Gas disorients the vision of those affected, causes them to cough loudly, and lingers for 2 seconds out of the gas cloud. If killed with an available grenade, then this character will drop a live one.
  

Libertad Ultimate: Libertad A and B have increased effective range, Libertad C has their healing Supremo replaced with a the poison one, which spews out poison within the same radius as the healing one. The user also becomes berserked from the poison, gaining increased sprinting speed.
DedSec: 3D Printer ability only applies to non-lethal throwables, and can print an additional one every 15 seconds when the previous one is used.

• Default - Hacker Device- Enemies and proximity mines can be hacked as well. Enemies that are hacked cannot use their abilities for 10 seconds.
  
• DedSec B - Spiderbot - Increased range that the ability can be placed. Reduced duration of stun by 5 seconds, reduced shock damage by 5%, increased movement speed by 5%. When an enemy shoots the spiderbot off of someone, the victim is stunned for an additional 2 seconds.
  
• DecSec C - Firewall Protection - Use this on an ally to give their next ability 10% efficiency when used. 15 second cooldown per use.
  

DedSec Ultimate: This Ultimate is now available 10 seconds sooner."

I'll be doing a separate post just for Season 2 of the reboot later. Anyways,

Average (C Tier)

16. Caleb (The Best First Boot) - Just a reminder that this list only takes S1 into account (in case you got used to Caleb dead last already) so of course I don't HATE this Caleb. There's nothing to hate here. While the character itself didn't really do anything, I like the role he plays in the narrative, being by far the best first boot in this show. Long gone are the days of the first elimination being some idiot nobody likes getting everybody to hate them for the sake of it! She says, planning on writing about Season 2 later
Caleb says his iconic catchphrase.
15. Axel (Totally Not An Expy) - While I'm usually not a fan of comparing characters and going "this character is basically just X mixed with Y!!", I have a hard time believing Axel wasn't made with being Neo-Eva in mind. She was angry and left second and that's it... And that did make me really curious as to what they'd do with Axel in the rematch. But that's for later.
Remember when everyone thought Axel was gonna be awesome because of this shot?
14. Nichelle (I HATE YOU JERRY!!!) - This might come off as a surprise, but I don't actually dislike Nichelle. She had an interesting concept (famous teen actress going to TD for exposure) with a neat execution (got "exposed" as a fraud on TV, disappointing her fans and leaving determined to improve herself). It was clear she wasn't meant to be "complete" in Season 1, and was just being set up for a bigger story in S2, and there's nothing really wrong with that! We'll see how that went later.
Nichelle hates 1/2 of the Tennis Rivals, for some reason.

Good (B Tier)

13. Priya (Abusive Parents) - Surprised to see the winner of the season this low? Don't get me wrong, this IS the 'Good' tier, so I do like Priya, she's just not really my type of character. I think all comparisons to Zoey and Sky are incredibly silly and a bit dumb, the only thing they have in common is being athletic, and Priya actually has a personality. Yes, it was clear from the start that she was created with being the winner in mind, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, with Priya having an unique concept (raised by TD fans) and fun interactions and dynamics with the other characters, making her obvious win be satisfying nonetheless (take NOTES, Sky). And even after everything, there is still a good setup for things she could do in the rematch, such as addressing her home life and the way she was raised. Boy, I sure hope that happens!
Just wanted to say Priya looks really cute with messy hair.
12./11. Wayne & Raj (Thing 1 & Thing 2) - After Katie & Sadie and Amy & Sammy, I didn't expect to see a 'duo character' I'd actually like. I always knew they wouldn't be the gay couple like most people expected, as it would've been a boring approach, but I did suspect ONE of them would be part of it. And I was right, Raj having a self-discovery moment during the show was very sweet, and so was Wayne being a supportive ally to his bestie, it's a really great message to send to the kids who watch the show (and part of why I don't really like gay Wayne headcanons, it takes away the impact of him being 100% supportive of his best friend despite not being queer himself). Small complaints though, I think it would've been nice if we got to know Raj's thoughts on his coming out instead of just Wayne's, and the 'package deal' characters being eliminated together isn't really my cup of tea either. I don't mind it that much though, because surely Season 2 will separate them and have them be apart from each other for a few episodes, right? ...R-Right?
First and last time we see the Hockey Bros acting mean.

Great (A Tier)

10. MK (Parody Of Annoying Celebrity, Somehow Good) - If you know me, or at least have seen my profile picture, then this placement is probably a surprise. S1 MK is probably one of the most unique concepts this show has had.A thief who takes her castmates' belongings? Fun. Hacking the confessional camera to watch everyone's confessionals? Interesting. Intentionally floating to fly under the radar? Very interesting. Annoying snarker? Yes please. Overall? Great combo. She's only really "low" on this list because she left before being able to put, well, any of her plans in practice. Fortunately, there's still season 2, where we'll see a lot more of her unique strategy and villainy, for sure!!!!
MK: \"I can't wait to be seen as nothing but shipping fodder by the fans next season!\"
9. Damien (Best Design, Hands Down) - And the winner of most unique character concept goes to... Yeah, him. Some guy who's never seen Total Drama and doesn't know what he signed up for? You're crazy if you don't think that's one of the most fun ideas for a new character you've seen. He used a concept other characters failed at (being the token normal/straight man) and made it work! Damien (in season 1) is probably the closest this show has ever had to just having a real person: Being flabbergasted at the insanity that happens in cartoon-land that other characters don't react to, without being played as the "haha token coward afraid of everything", which is something not usually done (...We'll get to season 2 later.). His early exit was sad, but made sense, this wasn't meant to be his season. We all know he was being given an easy, impossible to mess up, set-up for a bigger role in the rematch! There is no way to do this wrong!
Damien: \"Oh well, at least I'll totally have a good arc next season, right?\"
8. Julia (wth is a buttknuckle) - "omg what!! why is queen slay girlboss Julia not in top3 you know shes perfect slay gaslight gatekeep girlb-" Shut up. God. Very annoying fanbase aside, S1 Julia was a fun twist antagonist. The 'good vibes, vegan crystal girlie' instagram influencer being a sour, evil douchebag behind the scenes? Great bit, we all know most of them are like this in real life. Her villainy is criticized by some people for being "too Heather-like", which I disagree with. Sure, her constant immunity wins may seem like heavy plot armor, but unlike Island Heather, others weren't constantly dumbed down to make it work, most of her wins weren't due to dumb luck, (like Heather in Search and Do Not Destroy) and most importantly, Julia was full of flaws. She was a challenge beast, yes, but the constant immunities were the only things she had, for the show goes on its way to show her game otherwise is horrible. Her social game is atrocious, due to being unnecessarily rude to everyone, she had no alliances (and when she did they didn't last a day) and most of her attempts to scheme backfired. Remember when she tried to make Emma vote for Chase and that somehow resulted in them getting back together? Like, wow, making Emma want to vote for Chase is NOT a hard task, girlie, come on. Julia's flaws keep her character grounded and make her stand out from other villains. God, can you imagine if she was like Heather, and everyone got dumbed down to make her look more competent and cause stupid eliminations? That would suck! Not like that'd ever happen though, haha.
Julia telling her fanbase to attack anyone who criticizes her character.
7. Emma (Cringe Girl /affectionate) - God, she's so cringe (/pos). When I saw her face in Chase's intro, I knew there was going to be juicy drama and I'd live for it, but I was not expecting THAT trainwreck. I don't even know how to proceed with this paragraph properly without just calling her cute or stupid (affectionate) and calling it a day. I can't imagine the writers didn't have fun writing her and her extreme emotions; There's a lot of characters the fandom labeled as being "neurodivergent-coded", and while I see the vision with most of them, I think people overlook Emma as one (or maybe I'm just projecting onto her, whatever).While I don't like Chemma as a ship, I can't deny that they have a great dynamic, though it's funnier when it's Emma hating Chase while he tries to win her back, so Chemma getting back together at the end was a bit of a letdown. I do hope season 2 gives us more Chase and Emma individually without both of them being attached to each other though (clueless).
Emma laughs at someone being horribly hurt (cutely).
6. Millie (WOAH! GOOD WRITING!? IN MY TOTAL DRAMA!?) - Now, I know what some of you are probably thinking; "Millie is a horrible character she floated!!" "She foated and had to be carried by Priya!!" "She's a horrible friend she wrote mean things about Priya!!" Shut up shut up shut up. Millie haters, you guys are weak and aren't surviving the winter. Anyways, Millie makes me extremely happy, she has what I consider to be one of the best cases of character development in TD: First arriving with the intent of writing a thesis about how Gen Z is really stupid, befriending someone for the first time, growing to regret ever writing bad things about the others, and then being confronted about it and having to work to patch up her friendship with Priya? Total Drama hasn't had an arc this good in ages, and people think Millie is a bad character? I totally understand not liking Millie due to finding her boring or uninteresting,those are valid reasons, but I really don't get disliking Millie for her actions.
When you hate on Millie this is who you're hating btw

Fantastic (S Tier)

5. Scary "Lauren" Girl (I don't care if she's one-note stfu) - Scary Girl is a character I've noticed to be pretty divisive. The people who love her do so because they think she's pretty funny, and the people who hate her think she's a one-note gimmick. I'm the former, obviously, I see a lot of people complain that they find Scary Girl to be "overrated", (1. Not a valid reason to dislike a character 2. She literally isn't. Stop throwing that word around, it's already losing it's meaning) and while I do understand why people wouldn't like her, because yeah she does only have 1 joke, I think that one joke is really funny and consistently lands. Also I'd just like to point out that a lot of comic relief characters aren't very varied in terms of humor either but I don't think the fandom is ready to accept that yet. The hockey bros also only have 1 joke and it's less funny than Lauren's Oops, who said that? Wasn't me! Must've been the wind!
She's literally just a girl why are people afraid of her /j
4. Ripper (do you think Ripper has a fursona? no? just me? okay then) - Ripper in S tier?! I know, scandalous! "But you're not supposed to like Ripper he's a mean bully who farts and is gross he's like Owen!!" Shut up, NERD. Anyway, I'm not really fond of toilet humor, but Ripper made up for it by having a lot of hilarious jokes outside of farting (something people will insist is his entire character) and he has some depth that could use some more exploring, such has his home life and his relationship with his parents. Pretty much every dynamic he had with other characters, even if short, were bangers, proving that his character is super versatile. Chase, Zee, Priya, Millie, Axel, Damien... He just works with anyone. Him, Bowie and Millie are the three characters I believe you can pair up with literally anyone, and you can squeeze a good dynamic out of it.
Ripper knows we love him, because he's based.
3. Zee (I don't have a joke for this one bear with me) - I don't have much to say about him like everyone else, because Zee is a simple character. He's really funny, and that's it, and it just works. Dude's hysterical and that's why I love him. Yeah
Birds don't like Zee because birds are stupid.
2. Chase (Horrible Person, Hilarious Character) - Another probably controversial take, and I just know a certain someone on this sub will be very happy with this placement. Chase is, in my eyes, the best comic relief in this show, part of it is because of how unique and specific the joke with him is. We have a million "comically stupid" characters at this point, and we (or I) still love them regardless, but having a comedic character with a different brand of humor makes them stand out more. Chase is so unapologetically a jerk, and that's what makes him so funny to me. He's not a complete idiot like Tyler, Max, Raj, Wayne, Zee and Ripper are, in fact, in s1 he shows a lot of intelligence and common sense for a comic relief character, it's just that he's such a self-centered douchebag that he doesn't see anything wrong with his actions while everyone else recognizes him as a horrible individual, and that makes him so unique in the sea of "idiot men" characters that is TD. Episode 10 was one of the best episodes in the whole series, and the biggest contributors to that? Come on, you know it's him and Emma. They are everything, they are the moment.
\"Chase how many people did you run over that day?\" Chase:
1. Bowie (Drama King and Queen) - When I first saw his design in the promo, I admit I was very afraid? Not because I didn't think a stereotypically gay character could work, but because this is Total Drama. I was afraid they'd mess up and accidentally make the most offensive shit ever like the last few times they tackled minorities (cough cough Mike). When I first watched the season? All worries left my body in an instant. My God? STRATEGY?! IN TOTAL DRAMA? That isn't just an evil villain manipulating everyone using plot armor??? It was a BLESSING to see, even if I was a little upset he got villanized by the end of the season, it does show that TD will always portray ambition to win as inherently evil and something that needs to be punished (and it certainly doesn't make me very excited for future seasons' villains). For what it's worth, I enjoyed watching an actual strategist character onscreen that was neither fully evil or a moron the writers wanted to believe you to be smart, that makes Bowie the first ever. Also the queer rep? Really awesome. I loved his relationship with Raj, and how healthy it was compared to other TD relationships, and I love how it shows a "villain"/strategy focused player can be a good person/partner. It felt so surreal (in a good way) watching a TD character that wears gender non-conforming clothes and has a very flamboyant and sassy personality. Bowie also has some of the best quotes in the season ("MEEE!" and "Oh my, did I do that? Yes I diiiiid! I'm going to be a MILLIONAAAAAAAIRE!" are some of the best ones)
\"Lift a log if you're the best character in the series\" Bowie:
Final S1 list:
This list looks so positive, right? Well, if you want negativity be sure to look forward to the season 2 post.
Final Thoughts: Overall, excellent cast! the only characters below B tier are the first three boots. A great and colorful cast in a good season filled with great writing, and there's even a second season after it? This is a recipe for success, surely the second season will be as great as the first one, if not better, right? Right?
... Yeah who am I kidding. See you guys next post, when I cover this same cast in THAT OTHER season.

26M, it all started six days ago with loss of appetite & constipation, and also a high fever with the headache and dizziness that comes with it. Weird thing is, I don't have any problem with coughing or sneezing at all.
Day 4 I started defecating again and my appetite started getting better. I though the fever will be going away too, but it didnt happen. What did happen is that Im starting to get muscle pain whenever I do even the slightest stretch. It feels like a large amount of lactic acid had been built up in my muscle, exactly like the day after a hard workout, except I didn't workout and it is in my entire body.
What could it be? I have never had a fever lasting this long. I live in a very isolated location with no easy access to doctors.

"Soul Sync: Possession Time" is a specialist nen ability that allows the main character to temporarily merge with 2 specialized entities, granting access to enhanced intellectual capabilities with "The Nerd" and heightened physical prowess with "The Sportsman." This ability offers versatility in combat and problem-solving, but comes with limitations and requires strategic planning.
Entity A: The Nerd Nen Ability: Intellect Augmentation Aura Type: Specialist Description: "The Nerd" is a Specialist ability that utilizes nen to augment their intellectual abilities, granting them unparalleled cognitive prowess. By channeling their aura, the main character enhances their memory retention, analytical skills, and learning capacity to extraordinary levels. This allows them to absorb vast amounts of information at an accelerated rate and solve complex problems with ease. Additionally, they can selectively amplify specific areas of expertise, such as hacking or academic subjects, to further specialize their abilities. Drawback: Intellect Augmentation requires precise control over nen and significant mental focus. Prolonged use may lead to mental fatigue and exhaustion, as the intense concentration required taxes both the mind and body. Additionally, over-reliance on this ability may hinder their development of other nen techniques or combat skills, as their nen becomes predominantly gee & towards intellectual enhancement.
Enity A “The Nerd” has these specific abilities:

1. Photographic Memory and Rapid Learning: Entity A possesses a photographic memory, allowing them to remember every detail of anything they see or hear. They also have the ability to learn new information rapidly and logically, grasping complex concepts with ease.
   
2. Exceptional Intelligence and Mastery in Hacking: Entity A excels in hacking and computer programming, possessing exceptional intelligence and skills in digital manipulation. They can bypass security systems, access restricted information, and manipulate digital data with ease.
   
3. Thorough Problem Solver: Entity A is a masterful problem solver, capable of analyzing complex situations, identifying patterns, and devising innovative solutions. They excel at critical thinking and strategic planning, making them invaluable in navigating challenging scenarios and overcoming obstacles.
   
4. Broad Knowledge Base: Entity A naturally possesses great knowledge in various fields, including mathematics, physics, and other sciences, as well as literature, psychology, and philosophy. They are a polymath, excelling in multiple disciplines and able to apply their knowledge creatively and strategically.
   

Drawbacks for Entity A “The nerd”:

1. Physical Weakness: Despite their intellectual prowess, Entity A is physically weak and vulnerable. They lack physical strength and endurance, making them generally very physically vulnerable and weak.
   
2. Mental Strain: The constant mental processing required by Entity A's abilities can exert a significant strain on the main character's mind. They may experience cognitive fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating, when not in this form. Prolonged usage on a day to day basis can even cause neurological degeneration in the long term for the main character when not in this form.
   
3. Memory Limitation: While in Entity A's form, the main character retains all information learned during all the times of activation. Also, The Nerd can also process information learned from the main character before the activation of this ability. When not in this form, they can only recall 50% of the information learned during those 4 hours, though all information from previous uses is restored upon reactivation. This limitation does not affect the processing of the information learnt from the main character before activation of this ability and also doesnt affect the remembering of ideas or concepts processed after the activation of this ability for the information before ability activation. Meaning he can find himself in a bind intellectually or in a situation where he doesn’t know what to do or is unfamiliar with the concepts or situations, activate this ability, think of a solution, disable the ability but still remembering and retaining the full knowledge and solution of Entity A, The Nerd, for the specific situation or bind he was in.
   

4 Time Limitation: The main character can only use Entity A's abilities for no more than 4 hours in a 20 hour period. He doesnt have to use the 4 hours at the same timeframe. He can use it for a few minutes a day or as long as is needed, but no more than 4 hours in a 20 hour period. Also, the cooldown period for reactivating Entity A is determined by multiplying the duration of activation by the square of that duration. For example, if the main character uses Entity A's abilities for 3 hours, the cooldown period would be 3 multiplied by 3, resulting in a cooldown of 9 hours. This ensures that the cooldown period increases exponentially with the duration of activation, preventing rapid consecutive usage of the ability. So if he used it for 6 seconds, he would have to wait 12 seconds to reactivate The Nerd. If he used it for 9 minutes, he would have to wait 81 minutes to reactivate it. If he uses it for 4 hours he would have to wait 16 hours to reactivate it. 4 hours plus 16 hours equals the 20 hours time mark.
Entity B: The Sportsman
For "The Sportsman": Nen Ability: Athletic Enhancement Aura Type: Enhancer and Manipulator Description: "The Sportsman" is an Enhancer nen user who harnesses nen to enhance their physical capabilities, transforming them into an elite athlete. By channeling their aura, they heighten their senses, reflexes, and strength to superhuman levels, allowing them to excel in various physical activities and sports. This ability grants them exceptional agility, endurance, and proficiency in sportsmanship, making them a formidable competitor in any athletic endeavor. Drawback: Athletic Enhancement demands precise control over nen and rigorous physical conditioning. Prolonged use may lead to nen depletion and physical exhaustion, as the intense physical exertion required taxes both the body and mind. Additionally, over-reliance on this ability may limit their versatility in combat situations, as their nen becomes predominantly geared towards athletic enhancement.
Entity B “The Sportsman” has these specific abilities:

1. Enhanced Durability: The Sportsman has incredibly powerful physical strength, and he keeps getting stronger the longer he is in this form (if need be). In addition to increased strength, Entity B also provides enhanced durability, allowing the main character to take on very physically challenging tasks and not getting tired or feeling strained.
   
2. Agility and Reflexes: Entity B could grant the main character heightened agility, flexibility and reflexes, enabling them to move with incredible speed and react swiftly to threats.
   
3. Combat Skills: Entity B could imbue the main character with advanced combat skills, including mastery in various martial arts techniques and weapons proficiency. This would make the main character a formidable fighter in hand-to-hand combat scenarios and even a weapons expert.
   
4. Regeneration: Entity B includes a regeneration factor, allowing the main character to regenerate and heal injuries at an accelerated rate while in this form. He is also numb to pain or other physical damage or discomfort.
   
5. Sportsmanship Excellence: Entity B enhances the main character's physical abilities to excel in all physical sports, including but not limited to darts, archery, and swordmanship. They become a natural athlete, displaying absolutely exceptional skill, talent, grind and precision in any physical activity they undertake.
   

The drawbacks of Entity B “The Sportsman”.

1. Physical Strain: Despite the increased strength and abilities, using Entity B puts immense strain on the main character's body after use, leading to extreme fatigue, exhaustion and muscle strain and soreness after prolonged use. The more strenuous the activity, the greater the strain and the longer the recovery time required.
   
2. Recovery Time: After disabling Entity B, the main character requires an extended period of rest and recovery to recuperate from the physical exertion. This downtime could leave them vulnerable to attacks or hinder their ability to engage in subsequent activities. This downtime depends on the activities he did while in this form and the difficulty of the physical activities.
   
3. Health Risks: Prolonged usage of Entity B's powers can lead to serious long term health risks, including muscle fatigue, joint pain, and potential long-term damage to the main character's body. This could manifest as chronic injuries or degenerative conditions if not managed carefully. Abusing this power can physically disable the main character forever.
   

When I was 18 I complained to my parents about my inability to bite all the way through a goddamm sandwich, as if that was the worst tragedy someone could possibly impose on me. They agreed that correcting my mega underbite with orthagnathic surgery was a good idea. This was 20 years ago and I still remember the pre surgery consult where the surgeon told my folks "it may not be perfect as his jaw may still grow." I did the surgery and looked like a balloon for weeks after. I had braces on before and after the surgery. Yep. My bite was still being corrected during and after the jaw correction. Not more than a year or 2 after surgery the symptoms slowly came. First was minor dull headaches and light sensitivity. I thought It was me and my anxiety. I couldn't understand why my hangovers got so much worse after drinking. Then the fatigue from talking. Still yet, my pain was mostly manageable for almost 2 decades as I grew used to the annoying symptoms, especially muscular headaches. Flash forward to last fall, I had a root canal done on #14. They also removed a lower retainer bar because i got calculus there all the time that required extra cleaning. They 3d printed a retainer-biteguard combo for my lower teeth. I felt fine for 4 months and then...I got sick. Possibly covid. Headaches and fatigue worsened. I couldn't get better. My teeth hurt all thr time. Then a sinus infection onset. My dentist said the roots were deep in thr sinus wall and so sinus infections could exacerbate things. I saw an Endodontist who said they missed a 4th canal on the molar and retreated it. Tons of inflammation in my jaw for months, 2 rounds of antibiotics, ruined gut bacteria, new facial and chest neuralgia symptoms probably from coughing for months. Worst year of my life so far. I'm about to do a 3rd prolozone injection in 2 weeks hoping it brings relief. Considering having my blood ozoned with UV and other long covid type protocols. This stuff sucks but gotta keep fighting I suppose.

Read PART 1 here
 
Erik only emerged from his room at around noon the next day with puffy eyes and red marks and bruises on his face. He dragged his legs and hung his head as he moved.
Once he’d gotten something to eat, I waved him into my room and closed the door.
“Erik, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Why did you barricade your window with a table, chair, and wardrobe?”
“Uh, never mind that. This Old Henriksen guy. Did he get eaten by the Great Eel God in the past?”
“Nick, I really don’t want to talk about that right now. I don’t even want to think about Storålens natt anymore.” He sighed.
“I know, Erik, I’m really sorry. I just need to know this.”
“He got regurgitated during the festival, but that was a long time ago. Maybe before I was born, or at least when I was still a baby.”
“Did you see him before he stopped showing up in Maelstrom?”
“I barely remember. Think so. Lots of unkempt hair. Kept scratching himself.”
“Right, thank you.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Pay him a visit.” I slung my bag onto my shoulders.
“You can’t be serious. He’s…probably dead or something.” Erik shook his head in disbelief.
“Won’t know until we actually look.”
“It could be dangerous, especially for a newcomer. You could get stopped.”
“Then come with me.”
He looked down at the floor.
“Erik, this is our chance to really uproot all this. Expose Storålens natt.”
He shook his head. “This festival has been running every year for centuries, ever since my ancestors first settled here. It’s not being stopped anytime soon.”
“We can just take the first step. Just visit Old Henriksen. Will you come with me?”
He placed his face into his hand, pacing in a circle. Then, he looked up and sighed. “You have a way with words, Nick. Let’s go.”
Heading out his door, we quickly headed up the terraces, Erik leading and allowing us to avoid anyone who would stop me. Several people watched us from windows, but nobody actually approached us.
It took a while, but we finally arrived at the top of the hill.
“Goddamn, I’d never leave my home either if this was the climb back.” I said, panting hard and wiping buckets worth of sweat off my forehead. I looked out over the rest of the village, at the completed festival square and the boats out on the calm blue water. For a second, I saw a massive snaking shape under the surface, just like I had on my arrival, but it vanished in the next moment. Was that the fabled Great Eel God?
Rubbing my eyes, I turned my attention back to Old Henriksen’s place. This house was old. The red paint was flaking off, the windows were boarded up, and the doorknob was entirely rusted. I tried it. Locked.
“If we kick it down, people will hear and tell the village chief.” I said.
“Don’t worry, I know a little trick.” He gave me a sly grin and pulled what looked to be a piece of metal wire, which he inserted into the keyhole.
“Is that a lockpicking wire? Erik, you’re naughtier than I thought.”
“Don’t tell anyone.” He giggled and worked away at the door. After about a minute of finicking and under the breath curses, I heard one final click and Erik turned the doorknob.
An overwhelming smell hit us immediately upon entry. I’d been in old buildings before, slept in them even. They have a strong musty stale smell to them. Old Henriksen’s house was on another level entirely. It was putrid rot that wormed its way down my throat. I gagged, as did Erik, as we tried to hold in our vomit. The rancid stench was unbelievable.
All the furniture were still in their proper places, untouched by any signs of struggle or human inhabitation. A thick layer of dust covered everything from the plates to the floor, which etched our shoeprints as we walked.
Erik put a handkerchief to his nose and I made do with the sleeve of my arm. Peeking into the lone bedroom, his bed was unmade, and a hole in the roof had been letting in rainwater, turning it into a grimy brown sponge for filthy water. Whatever the case, Old Henriksen had not been in this room in a long, long time.
“Nick, come here.” I followed Erik back out into the main room, where he pointed at a trapdoor in the corner. He leaned down and pulled it open. Unlocked. A ladder led down into darkness. We looked at each other.
“I have to go down to check.” I quickly said before he could express any doubts. “You can stay up here if you want.”
“I’m coming with you.”
The ladder shook and creaked with each step down I took, but it didn’t go down very far at all. I stepped on the dirt floor, putting my hands on my knees and gagging in a desperate attempt not to vomit. The revolting odour was even worse down here, packed into this small underground space and crowding out the breathable air.
I heard Erik come down behind me. He lit a candle, illuminating a small portion of the musty basement. We crept forward into the main room, lined with old shelves filled with various tools and cans. The ground was sticky with something. Our shoes squelched with each step.
A strange hissing groan came from just ahead, making both of us jump. I could hear something shifting, grinding against the ground. We stepped closer into the centre of the room, and that was when we saw it.
There was something long on the ground about the width of a large plastic bottle, occasionally squirming as we got closer.
“Oh my god.” I muttered.
“What is it?” Erik’s hands were shaking in terror.
“Find one end.” We followed it carefully as it snaked across to one end of the basement, and there we saw what it looked like at one end.
It was Old Henriksen, there was no doubt. He become long enough to stretch like rope across the basement. His skin was loose like torn clothes, covered in thousands of massive rotting ulcers and black sores, oozing fetid necrotic fluid onto the basement floor and coating it in a thin layer.
The top part of him ended in his oblong skull, but his skin had gotten so loose that his face had entirely detached, lying in a messy heap half a metre away. One eye on the side of his face not lying in his own rotting flesh goop looked up at us. He had no iris, just a small black pupil in his white beady eyes. He opened his mouth, where his few remaining teeth had turned razor sharp, and made the same hissing groan we heard moments earlier.
I felt something slowly wrap around my calf and let out a high-pitched shriek, leaping up and stomping on it. Old Henriksen hissed at me, and I looked down to see pencil-thin rubbery fingers as long as my legs retreating, attached to arms similarly disproportionately long. They were coiled all round the room, one even pooled in a corner like a heap of rope.
“Where’s his other end?” I asked. Erik nodded and we went along by his candlelight, following his sore-filled body with skin pooling off, until we reached the opposite corner of it. A shelf filled with heavy paint cans had toppled and practically shattered his legs. What was left was actively decomposing while he was alive, releasing even more of the septic stench. As much as his long eel-like body squirmed, the heavy shelf remained pinned over him.
“He must have gotten trapped down here and just kept growing and growing.”
“For…my whole life?” Erik gasped in horror. “How’s he not died of thirst yet?”
We walked back across to his head, where I had Erik lift the candle as high as he could. The ceiling was cracked in placed, and even know, the filth-water from his bedroom was slowly leaking through the cracks and dripping down into the basement, right into his open mouth.
“I-I can’t believe it.” Erik gripped onto one shoulder to support as he held his head in the other. “I’m getting lightheaded.”
“Alright, we’re getting out of here.” As Erik turned, I noticed Old Henriksen’s mouth moving. It sounded like a word.
“Henriksen? Did you say something?”
“Eeeee…” He groaned.
“Yes?”
“Itchy…” He scratched at a black wound the size of a basketball, fingernails digging into the rotting flesh and ripping it up.
“Yeah, sorry.”
“Hungry…” I felt his other hand suddenly grab me and shove me towards him.
“Erik!” I cried out. I violently wrenched at Henriksen’s fingers, but despite his thin limbs, he was freakishly strong. He yanked me towards his face, where his mouth hung open. Erik rushed over, pulling at Old Henriksen’s arm, but he couldn’t overpower him either.
“My bag! Take his photo!”
“Now?”
“Just do it!” I screamed, shoving a shoe into his mouth and stomping on his loose skin. Erik unzipped my backpack and pulled my camera free.
“This button?”
Old Henriksen sunk his teeth into my sole, and I could feel the very tip of his fangs stab into my socks.
“Yes!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “Now!”
Erik took aim and clicked, briefly engulfing Old Henriksen and me in a blinding flash. His pupil constricted immediately and he let go, letting out an unholy half-hiss, half-shriek as he raked at his eyeballs with his fingers. Erik grabbed me by the hand, and we bolted towards the ladder, scrambling up it as fast as our bodies allowed us to. We slammed the trapdoor shut and rushed out of the house, coughing the last of the awful fumes out.
Fresh sea air filled our lungs again and it was like ambrosia to us. We gasped and took deep inhales, clearly any dizziness we had. Breathing heavily, we sat down on the front steps of the house, trying to wrap our heads around what the hell we just saw.
“Old Henriksen. He…he’s what people who got regurgitated are turning into?” Erik asked, incredulity in his voice as he passed my camera back to me.
“They’re not just growing taller. They’re turning into human eels.” Erik buried his face in his hands, trying to make sense of it all. “They never told us anything about that.”
“What do you think happens to those the Great Eel God swallows?”
He didn’t reply.
“I’m going to get evidence about the festival.” I told him. “You can join me if you like.”
“I’m going home.”
“Erik…”
“You saw it yourself. My mom either gets eaten or she starts turning into one of those things. I don’t want to think about this anymore.” Erik got up and trudged off slowly back down the hill.
It didn’t matter. I’d do it with or without him.
 
I waited until the Sun vanished behind the western hill and darkness slowly fell onto Maelstrom once more.
Yet this time, it wasn’t the same omnipresent blanket of night. The festival square lit up, lanterns blazing, bonfires in braziers lining the sides of the square. Blazing torches adorned the open-air towers, each with one particularly tall villager standing there beating a drum. It lit up like a sole beacon in the darkness of Maelstrom and the surrounding forests.
Processions of villagers began to drift towards the festival square like moths to a flame. They mostly wore their usual clothes, but each carried a light source – handheld lanterns, fiery torches, the odd flashlight. Other villagers watched from the same or higher terraces.
I spotted the village chief standing before the raised platform. The tall man was dressed in a purple robe that glinted in the light of the flames around him. Before long a crowd had gathered, and the chief started talking to them, though I couldn’t make out the words from where I was standing.
A loud, deep, groaning call came from the sea, shaking the foundations of the village houses and vibrating my very bones. Maelstrom fell dead silent, all eyes staring at the coast.
Seawater began creeping in, slowly turning from abnormal tide into a full-scale of the coastal region. Everything not nailed down was swept away as water rushed down every street and alley. Then, something absolutely gargantuan emerged from the sea. I could see only its silhouette from here but it dwarfed the houses around it. Not caring about them, the giant eel pushed itself onto land, scraping across the slightly flooded ground and smashing straight through the first house it touched.
I could feel my hands trembling in sheer amazement at what I was witnessing. It continued dragging itself for a while, crushing houses and shoving the debris aside until there was practically a wall of smashed furniture and devastated walls surrounding it. With a great groan, the eel lifted its front section up and flopped forward, crossing half the coastal town in one move.
It landed with a massive crashing noise, shaking the ground beneath my feet. Hundreds of houses crumbled apart like a house of cards, crushed beneath its massive weight. It began its climb up the side of the hill towards the terrace. The entire place shook. Rocks dislodged and tumbled down the slope. Even as it continued pushing up the terrain, more and more of its massive, elongated body slithered out of the water. It must have been well over a hundred metres long.
At last, it reached the festival square. It rested its head onto the velvet-covered platform, fit rather snugly with the wooden roof above it and bent, angular pillars all around. Finally, it stopped moving and all was still in Maelstrom.
Taking the opportunity, I began to descend the terrace layers, running down the steep staircases. I could see the village chief and several other abnormally tall villagers approached it, splashing it with buckets of water. Other villagers began to dance and wave banners before it, casting shadows onto the eyes of the silent god-beast.
Finally, I arrived at the terrace where Erik’s home was located, one step up from the festival square. Finally close enough, I could get a good look at this eel god. It appeared to have…human skin? Pale, loose, wet skin hung from its body and pooled on the edges of the platform. It was absolutely covered in massive rotting wounds and sores. It opened its mouth wide, and from within I could spot more putrid oozing ulcers and disgusting gums lined with sharp fangs.
One of the chief’s tall assistants nodded and walked straight into its mouth, taking care to avoid the teeth. I thought he was about to stroll right down its throat too, but the eel god lifted its tongue and flung him off his feet. With a gulp, he vanished right down the monster’s throat without a sound.
The village chief made another call, and this time a regular-looking woman climbed in and was practically swallowed immediately too.
This was it. What I needed. I slung my bag onto one shoulder and pulled the camera out. Zooming in, I waited for the next person. In came a tall woman, who bowed to the Great Eel God before stepping in.
No, I had to get a photo with a regular-looking person or someone could get suspicious about fakery.
Footsteps and talking spectators began to approach me.
Shit. Hurry up!
One man, dressed in rags and with a white bandana around his head, carefully took his clothes off and handed them to one of the village chief’s assistant before he stepped into its mouth.
The footsteps closed in.
I clicked the button.
The bright flash enveloped the entire festival square.
The Great Eel God’s pupils immediately constricted.
Dozens of heads turned to look straight at me.
I felt my blood run cold.
The eel let out a deafening hissing call of pain and smashed its jaws shut. I heard the sound of screaming and snapping bones as it swallowed its prey. The village chief backed off in surprise as the furious eel god flung its head upwards, smashing the wooden roof above it into a million splinters that came raining down. Screeching ever louder, it pushed itself forward, opened its mouth, and enveloped three of the nearest villagers in one gulp, shredding one of them on its teeth. Blood spewed from its mouth as it swallowed them.
It swiped its head to one side, flinging several people off the square and sending the fiery braziers toppling off. Then it appeared to tense up and cracked its own body like a whip. Its lower half swept across half the coastal village in seconds. Houses were ripped off their foundations and broke to pieces. A tsunami of debris and the eel’s body tore through streets and boats alike. Dozens of people tried to flee before being enveloped and vanishing into the carnage.
Debris flung high into the air. Chunks crashed into the hillside. One massive metal piece landed on Old Henriksen’s house and collapsed it down into the basement.
At the square, the eel god continued its feast, snatching up villagers and devouring them. Yet they didn’t flee. Instead, they bowed, clasping their hands, and silently awaited their turn.
But not all. The village chief glared straight at me and broke into a run, scaling up the terrace steps with frightening speed. I felt my entire body freeze instantly as the tall man approached me with nothing but murder in his eyes, but I pried myself from my spot and broke into a run.
I could hear his footsteps. He was closing in. Closer and closer.
Thud!
I heard him cry out in pain and fall. Turning my head, I saw the chief lying on the dirt path, one hand on his bloodied head and a large sharp rock lying beside him. Another rock cracked him on the chin, and I looked up to see Sigrid on the next terrace up with an armful of stones as ammo, hurling them at him.
“Go, run!” She yelled at me.
“Sigrid!” He roared, getting to his feet and running up after her. Tucking my camera into my bag, I continued to sprint away as well, pushing past a woman in my way. I barely made it much further before I collided straight into Erik. We both fell to the ground, groaning.
“Nick! W-what’s happening?”
“Your god’s pissed off! It’s eating everyone!” I pointed over, where the eel had coiled around the entire festival square and was picking through the last of the villagers awaiting their eternal prize.
“My mom!” He screamed, pointing behind me. I turned round to see the woman who had just gone past me, currently scampering at full speed towards the festival square. “Stop her!”
Both of us scrambled up, chasing after her. She ran and ran, darting across the wooden boards that led to the now-abandoned open-air towers. Picking up a drumstick, she beat on the drums, yelling down inaudibly at the Great Eel God.
Erik pulled ahead of me and ran over onto the tower as well, grabbing onto his mother’s arm.
“Mom, stop it! Please!” He screamed. She yelled back, tugging away from him and slapping at his face. As I started crossing over the wooden board, I looked down to see the eel god bringing its head back and swinging it like a bat. One pillar snapped with a thunderous cracking noise. The tower violently leaned onto an angle, sending Erik’s mother tumbling over the side.
Erik leapt right off as fast as lightning, one arm grabbing onto the wooden railing and the other clutching her forearm tightly as she dangled over the festival square. He caught his foot on the edge of the railing on the way down and I heard an audible crack and an agonized cry from him.
The eel god pulled back once more and slammed into the tower again. Erik’s fingers slipped and he fell. Literally throwing myself forward, I slammed into the railing and caught his hand with my right, both of us clutching tightly. Pain immediately ripped through my shoulder in protest from the sheer weight dangling from it.
Down below, the eel god opened its massive bloody maw. Its loose skin rippled as it roared, waiting for its sacrifices. Dangling several metres up, Erik’s mother struggled to land in it, but he wouldn’t let go.
“Erik! Let go of me, now!” She screamed.
“No! I’m not going to!”
“Let go!”
“Mom! Stop this. Just come back home with me.” He pleaded.
“He’ll will take me to his eternal kingdom.”
“You don’t know that!”
“Let go of me, Erik.”
“Please.” Tears were streaming down his face. “Don’t abandon me too. Don’t leave me alone. Please don’t leave me alone!”
“Erik…”
“I’ll have no one left if you go! Don’t leave me too!” He screamed from the very bottom of his heart.
“Erik!” I cried out. I could feel his fingers slipping from my grip. My shoulder screamed in sheer white-hot agony. “I…can’t hold on much longer.”
The eel god snapped its jaws impatiently, waiting for its food.
“I’m not letting go!” He shouted.
“Erik,” his mother said gently, a calm look on her face, “it’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t.” He desperately shook his head.
“Listen. You still have your life ahead of you. It’s okay.”
“I’m not letting you go, mom!” Erik wailed, his voice going hoarse from the strain.
“Erik. I’m just going to see your father again. I’ve missed him so much.”
“Erik, please!” I begged, clinging onto him with the tip of my fingers, the two positioned right above the snapping jaws of the eel.
“…goodbye.” Erik whimpered.
“I love you.” She smiled.
And he let go.
She fell for just a second, and then she was gone, engulfed by the Great Eel God.
With the weight lessened, he gripped my hand with his other arm, and I pulled harder than I ever had in my life until we both collapsed on the floor of the precariously leaning tower.
“Is the god going to puke them out now?” I asked.
“He should.”
We watched as the Great Eel God raised its head and screeched one last time, and it turned and began slithering sideways through the wrecked village back into the sea without regurgitating a single person.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He wiped his tear-stained face. “I don’t think I can stand.”
I looked down to see his right leg had swollen considerably and turned black-blue with massive bruising.
“Alright, careful.” I wrapped one arm of him over my shoulders and we very carefully clambered up the sloped tower floor and onto the terrace.
Before us stood the village chief, blood profusely leaking from his forehead. He stared daggers at us and in his massive hands he held a huge woodcutter’s axe.
He opened his mouth to speak or snarl or maybe curse us before he hacked us to death, but I interrupted him before he could.
“Chief. Are you going to keep your god waiting?”
His head turned, watching the Great Eel God crawling halfway to the sea, sweeping houses and bloodied corpses with it.
The village chief dropped his axe with a metallic clatter and ran off into the ruined village after it.
 
Dawn broke on a brand-new day for Maelstrom.
Erik and I sat wrapped in a blanket, him leaning into my shoulder, softly crying at the utter carnage that had ensued in his hometown. Different emotions swept across me. Guilt, relief, despondence. I really felt like I had to do it. To finally expose the cultish religion that had seized hold of the town for the past few hundred years. I’d never expected such devastation to occur.
Local country police officers swept through the town, while paramedics and firefighters worked to help survivors and find anyone buried in the rubble. The flashing red and blue lights alarmed me at first, but nothing emerged from the sea after us.
A paramedic had applied a splint to Erik’s fractured shin, and I’d told disbelieving police officers to get divers or a submarine to look into what was underwater. Right now, I could spot people in wetsuits wading out of the water after a dive.
Elsewhere, I could see Sigrid embracing her family as they were taken out on stretchers, hurt but alive.
“Erik.”
“Nick…I don’t know what to do now.”
“You could come with me.”
“With you?”
“If you don’t want to stay here, that is. I don’t know what Maelstrom’s future holds, but me and Addison, we’ll be going upstate. And what I’m saying is, I’d be happy to have you join me. Join us.”
He was quiet.
“It’s up to you.”
“I think…I just want to sleep for now.” He lay his head fully on my shoulder, and I carefully wrapped a hand around his.
A police detective came up to me, dressed in a drenched coat. All colour had drained from his face.
“You’re the one who called us to check under the water?”
“Yeah. What did your divers see under there?”
His teeth were chattering. “This information will go nowhere. You’re not to speak about this to anyone.”
“What did you see? What’s inside the water?”
But he didn’t answer. He walked away, shaking his head and staring at the sky, as if asking the heavens for an explanation.
Holding onto Erik even tighter, I could only wonder what had become of those eaten by the Great Eel God.
   
Author's note: IceOriental123 here! Hope you enjoyed this kaiju story!
This turned out to be my longest short story yet, and definitely took a lot of work.
You can check out my other stories in my subreddit at this link.
The subreddit's still WIP but the story list in the link is updated.
Thanks for reading!

hey docs !! i’m a 19 year old female and 2 nights ago i started feeling like i was coming down with a fever so i took meds and went to sleep. When i woke up yesterday morning i went to the bathroom and spit out blood from my saliva and mucus . Just straight out blood. I rushed to ER and they did ct scans and 2 other scans . Every time came out perfectly fine and they said that I came down with Mono and that I have a possible broken blood vessel from stratching my throat. As of right now I keep spitting out straight blood. I feel better but the spitting out blood constantly is getting annoying. The only other symptoms I have as of right now is that I have a small headache and I am coughing occasionally. Do you think my doctor was right ? and when will my bleeding stop if it is a blood vessel 😔? Thanks in Advanced :)