Sorry for this being so long…
I just discovered this sub the other day after spending the past month and a half on the worst emotional rollercoaster of my life, and I’m trying to do the best that I can but I need to reach out to others that might have been in the same boat as me.
Myself (M/35) and my wife (31) have been married for 7 years, together for 8. We have 2 children, 6 and 4. We’ve had our ups and downs but have had a mostly pretty great relationship. There are some fundamental differences that we’ve had to work through in both how we accept and express love, but most of the time I feel like I’ve gotten what I’ve needed from her. She doesn’t seem to require nearly as much, physically or emotionally.
Over the past 4 or 5 months, we have steadily grown apart from each other. There were several incidents that occurred that led to disagreements and resentment on both sides, and our communication was probably a bit lacking.
Then she started a new job in March that would require her to be in the office more. For the past 3 or so years, she has primarily worked from home, which is what she said she wanted. With the start of this new job came a whole bunch of new behaviors that I began to observe shortly after. The biggest change I noticed was her phone activity. Throughout most of our relationship, she never paid much attention to her phone, and would often lose it around the house. She talked about hating having to be attached to her phone. But now, it never left her hand or her pocket. She would be on her phone constantly, and never leave it unattended. I would watch her walk into other rooms to text. I would try to see her screen and she would angle her body away from me, or turn her screen off. I tried to look at her phone one day and realized she had changed her password for the first time in years. She took a sudden interest in fitness and working out.
I confronted her one night about all the things I had observed and my concerns. She heard me out and said that she was enjoying being in the office more and making new friends, as she felt like she had lost herself over the years being a mother and wife. I understood, and feel the same way at times. But then she started to talk about how she feels like I’m not getting what I need out of our marriage. She asked if I feel lonely. I said yes, sometimes. She brought up the idea of an open marriage, which floored me. She was never that person before. She told me she had made a bumble account, but only to make friends. I asked to see her phone and she became extremely upset but relented. I didn’t find anything, but that was only because I didn’t know where to look.
Things get worse over the next few weeks. I eventually see her phone screen and see that she’s talking to her ex BF from just before we met. They work together on shows occasionally, and that was her excuse as to why she was talking to him again. Work. I asked to see her phone again and she refused, getting extremely upset.
Over the next 2 weeks, my wife and I had started marriage counseling and had talked about a temporary separation to figure things out. We never really agreed that it was ok to see other people. I gain access to her phone one night and see that she had been talking to him for a month or so. And it was very sexual and flirty. They talked about the things they had been doing, including sex. And it appeared as though they were fooling around before our talks about separating. I consider this cheating, 100%. I called her out on everything, and we’ve been in a really weird spot since then. I decided that because the circumstances were not typical that maybe I could stay and try to work things out with her. I don’t feel like she is meeting me halfway with trying to repair things. She’s mostly just trying to act like things are normal. I told her that if I find out there is any more communication with him, that I’m walking away. I still have my doubts about her honesty and my trust is completely shattered, and it’s really hard to get through each day without being triggered by her. But I still love her. Obviously there’s so many more details to this than what I’ve written here. Has anyone else experienced something like this?

Hi.
I'm using OpnSense to connect my home network to the internet. OpnSense normally connects to the Internet using PPPoE via a fibre2ethernet media converter which is directly connected to the WAN port. Worked perfectly fine until last weekend. Since then there are intermittent outages. Repairs are scheduled to be finished by end of july. :-( My provider offered an LTE WLAN access point and free traffic for the time of the planned repairs.
I've added and configured a second uplink for the LTE modem. Additionally I have configured Multi WAN according to https://docs.opnsense.org/manual/how-tos/multiwan.html with fibre as primary and LTE as failover uplink.
Btw.: If you ever follow the guide: don't forget to add allow rules for SSL, HTTP and HTTPS in step 5, too.
Btw2: If you didn't follow the first btw: Login via Console and stop firewall with "pfctl - d", add missing rules via Web Interface and reboot. ;-)
Failover between the two uplinks works flawlessly. However, in contrast to the fibre uplink, the LTE uplink utilizes CGNAT and does not get a routed IPv4 address. To compensate this flaw, I've setup an openVPN server on an external system directly connected to the internet. Client traffic gets NATed and forwarded to the internet.
I configured an OpenVPN client instance on OpnSense and added an interface, gateway, and the needed routing rules. I set the OpenVPN gateway as default gateway for another interface. The interfaces traffic subsequently gets routed to the external VPN server. Independently of the used physical uplink, traffic seems to originate from the host which is running the openVPN server.
In a static scenario, everything works as expected. As soon as I trigger the failover case, the VPN tunnel does not recover until either the primary uplink gets available, again or if I stop and restart the Open VPN client instance manually via the OpnSense webinterface. The client states that it cannot reconnect.
Is there any option to trigger the VPN restart in a Multi LAN failover scenario automatically?
Any hints, thoughts or suggestions?
I'm grateful for every help...

The second half of a long chapter.
“Oh, professor page,” I heard Anna yell from the living room, “You better get your ass out here quick.”
I quickly rinsed off my hands scurried into the living room, greeted by the two couples sprawled out on the sectional couch in their swimwear, Anna and Kelly in string bikinis and Archer and Paul in speedos. My cock was never limp that day, but there were moments – typically, those of the most intense humiliation – when it was harder than others. Seeing the four fit young bodies in all (or at least, most of) their glory was one of them. And while my gaze naturally was first drawn to Anna’s toned, long legs and taut midriff, followed by Kelly shorter, but still attractive legs and pretty toes, I would be lying if I didn’t admit to admiration of the slender, muscular swimmer bodies of the two young men as well.
My eyes also drifted over Paul’s bare feet. It was the first time I had seen bare the feet I had kissed in the bar through his sneakers or in the apartment through his thick wool socks. I was curious, naturally, but didn’t want to be too obvious, so quickly averted my glance before getting a good look. I need not have worried, however, as I would be spending a great deal of time up close and personal with his bare feet (and Anna’s) in the months that followed, starting a few minutes later. Paul did not have the same obsession with having his feet worshipped as Luke did, but there is no question that he greatly enjoyed the power trip of having an older authority figure quite literally at his feet.
I must also confess that in addition to dwelling as long as I dared on the breasts of Anna (like Brooke’s, ample but not overly large) and Kelly (slightly larger and, to my mind, less proportional to her shorter frame), my eyes also flittered over the speedo-clad crotches of Paul and Archer. Speedos leave so little to the imagination. While I was mortified when forced to wear a speedo, my inadequacy on full display, these two young athletes were completely at ease. Their muscular, chiseled bodies were one explanation for that; the size of their bulges was another.
“Perhaps the professor page can stop ogling our bodies long enough to get us all another round of drinks,” said Anna.
Kelly said, “I think he’s staring more at the boys’ bodies than he is at ours, Anna. I’m jealous.”
“Most cucks are closet fags, so that’s no surprise,” said Paul.
I wanted to object that I wasn’t gay, closet or otherwise. I wanted to say, “What about you, someone who enjoys humiliating other males, forcing them to dress in feminine clothing, spanking their bare bottoms with your bare hands, perhaps other, more intimate things….What does all of that make you?” But I dared not I was say anything of the kind. Instead I simply confirmed their drink orders and hurried off to make them, checking on my stroganoff. And being honest with myself, while I knew beyond a doubt that I was not homosexual, I did have to admit that I was not immune to the physical attractions of dominant, young alpha males. Did I have this attraction prior to the events of the last seven months when Luke came onto the scene like a cyclone? Probably on some level, yes, but it had been latent. No longer.
When I returned to the living room with a serving tray holding their four cocktails, trying hard not to spill any of them, Paul said, “We know our page boy knows how to clean shoes, but what about other personal duties? Who besides me would like a foot massage?”
“That sounds like an excellent idea, dude. Count me in,” said Archer.
“You two boys go ahead. If he does a good job, Kelly and I may have him massage our feet as well,” said Anna.
“Start with Archer. On your knees, of course, page,” said Paul.
“Yes sir,” I said, kneeling before Archer, and beginning to work on his feet with warmup twists and arch rubs. His feet were somewhat calloused, but well formed.
“Ah, that feels good. He’s actually not too bad at this,” Archer said.
Pointing at my crotch, Kelly said, “Look, his little cock is stiff again. Are you excited to massage my boyfriend’s feet, professor?” As she spoke, she pressed her toes lightly against my cock through my tights. It surprised me that it was Kelly, rather than Anna (or even Paul), to first touch my liberated cock.
“No, Princess Kelly.”
“No? But your little stiffie says otherwise. Are you not being honest with us, professor?” She pressed a little harder with her foot, smiling wickedly.
In truth, the entire situation was incredibly arousing and, therefore, incredibly humiliating. Which made it still more arousing. It was a viscous cycle, one which I had been getting increasingly used to with Luke and Brooke. But the dynamics with my students and Archer were different, and, if anything, more intense. Was it the greater age disparity, the bigger inversion of authority, the fact that there was an element of coercion involved? All of the above? Brooke would tell me that I think about these things too much. She would counsel me to go with flow, enjoy the game, embrace the sheer eroticism of it all. I tried valiantly to do just that. Can one be valiant in accepting servitude and abuse?, I wondered (see how I over analyze everything?!)
Lancelot would no doubt have answered my question in the affirmative. Yet, his servitude was solely to Guinevere, and the abuse and humiliations he suffered were solely to satisfy her commands, her whims. Whereas Brooke was not even aware of my servitude to my students. Still, I could tell myself – with some degree of honesty – that the indignities I was suffering at their hands were because of my devotion to Brooke. Because I was in their power as a direct consequence of my obedience to Luke, and I was obedient to Luke for Brooke and Brooke alone. The frail heartbeat of chivalry was still detectable (to me, at least). Perhaps the time had come to tell Brooke of my predicament with Paul and Anna? But there was something so shameful about it. Would it diminish me in Brooke’s eyes in some different, profound and irrevocable way? Or would she hug me, perhaps even thank me for my sacrifice, and tell me everything will be okay?
These were the myriad thoughts that ran through my head as I also contemplated my response to Kelly’s fraught question. “No, princess, I mean, it’s all of your feet…,” I answered,lamely.
She snickered. “Well, you are the Liitle Foot Page, so I guess it makes sense that you’re turned on by feet.”
“Pretty much all submissive guys are turned on by feet. Issac is insane for my feet,” said Anna. You will recall that Issac was the young male slave in Paul’s and Anna’s stable.
“Not just submissive men. Cindy loves worshiping your feet too, babe,” Paul said to Anna. If you recall, Cindy (who, like Issac, I had not yet met at that point) was another member of Paul’s and Anna’s stable of slaves, a fellow student at the college whose intense crush on Paul was not reciprocated. Instead, he put her squarely into “ the friendzone,” eventually introducing her to Anna. Cindy was now a submissive servant to both of them, grateful to be part of Paul’s life under any circumstances.
Anna said to Kelly, “I don’t know about you, but I love having my feet pampered and having my toes sucked, and love the sight of submissive creatures groveling at my feet. At the same time, I couldn’t imagine in a million fucking years being the one doing the sucking or groveling. I have no desire to be that close to anyone’s feet.”
“I know exactly what you mean. I wouldn’t even want to kiss Archer if he sucked my toes. Ew, gross,” said Kelly, with a little shudder.
Archer interjected, “Yo’ve got nothing to worry about there, darling. You have pretty feet, but I have zero desire to kiss or lick them.”
“Or course you don’t, you’re not a perv, like the good professor here. Professor pervert, kiss the bottom of the foot you’re massaging. You don’t mind having your feet kissed, do you sweetheart?” Kelly asked Archer.
“No, I have no problem being worshipped. And I’m secure enough in my masculinity that I don’t care if it’s a submissive cuck like this loser doing the worshiping.”
“That’s what I love about you, sweetheart. You’re masculine, dominant AND open minded. That’s like icing on a yummy cake.,” Kelly said, as she started to kiss Archer passionately. “Professor, keep kissing the bottoms of my man’s feet while we make out.”
I kissed the balls of Archer’s feet, trying to avoid the callouses. I wondered: aren’t swimmers more prone to plantar warts, walking around all those bacteria-riddled pools and locker rooms in their bare feet? I knew plantar warts are highly contagious. Could I get warts on my lips or in my mouth? I made a mental note to research this on-line later. From extensive experience with Brooke and Luke, I was well aware of the aphrodisiac effect my submission could have on a couple dominating me. The exact reasons for this still remain something of a mystery to me. Just like you have to be a masochist to understand certain things, I guess you have to be a dominant or a sadist to understand others.
As if reading my thoughts, Anna said, “I think submissives’ brains must be wired differently. They have to be for them to enjoy feet so much. I mean, sometimes after we work out at the gym, Paul and I will rest our feet right on Cindy’s face. Can you imagine? Our sweaty, wet socks covering her nose and mouth. You’d think she’d have some self-respect and tell us to go to hell. Or, at a minimum, that she’d complain about the smell. Not that my feet smell, of course, but Paul’s smell something awful after he’s been working out,” she smiled at him.
“Yeah, right, babe,” Paul replied. He then explained to Kelly and Archer, “Don’t believe anything she says about her feet not smelling. The smell of her foot sweat is overpowering.”
“Bullshit,” Anna said, smiling and hitting him on the shoulder. “But, like I was saying, far from protesting, Cindy actually inhales the smell of our sweat socks and our sweaty feet. She almost looks as if she’s in ecstasy, like she’s smelling perfume or fresh flowers or something. And she even looks happy when she’s licking the toe jam and lint from between my toes. It’s disgusting. But it’s pretty funny watching her. And I like the sensation of her tongue on my toes.”
“It’s what I’ve been telling you for awhile now, babe. Submissives are intellectually inferior. They’re sexual deviants. By humiliating and abusing them, we’re giving them what they want, what they need, in fact. So there’s no reason for us to feel bad when we mistreat them. We’re actually doing them a favor,” said Paul.
Paul was a Psychology major and fancied himself some sort of authority on this subject apparently, although it was clear to me that he was greatly oversimplifying what were, in reality, very complicated human relationship dynamics. He also had a facile understanding of human intelligence. Under different circumstances, I might have tried to engage him in a debate. But to have done so at that moment would have been the height of folly, so I kept my mouth shut and my fingers busy.
After spending 15 minutes on Archer’s feet, I massaged the feet of my three students for the same amount of time (timed by Paul). Paul and Anna kissed each other while I worked on Anna’s feet, much as Archer and Kelly had done. Each insisted I respectfully kiss the bottoms of their feet after finishing the massage. Paul was last. While I massaged his feet, Anna prodded my balls with her high heel shoe, laughing as my cock twitched through my tights. Having been denied release for so long, my biggest fear was that all of the stimuli – the scantily-clad, young bodies, the humiliating dissection of my fetishes, the pressure of Anna’s foot (which she occasionally brushed against my the underside of my shaft) – would cause me to ejaculate. The thought of that was beyond mortifying, so I did everything I could possibly do to distract myself mentally.
Their ongoing conversation about feet did not make my task an easy one.
“Rollins, you’re actually pretty good at this. In a sensible world, you would be spending your time in your classes massaging all of your students’ feet rather than lecturing to them. It’s a better use of your talents.” There did seem to be a general consensus that I have a knack (was Paul’s term, “talent,” too strong a word) for giving foot massages. I guess there’s at least one thing I can do well with my hands after all, I thought to myself.
“Now, Paul. Don’t be cruel. I’ve had some pretty good courses with Professor Foot Page. I don’t see any reason why he couldn’t lecture while he massages everyone’s feet.” Kelly giggled.
Anna snickered. “Can you picture it? I can. He would be dressed just as he is now, crawling from student to student.”
“Yes, and then he could massage the feet of all of the other faculty members of the English department,” said Kelly, giggling.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t already massaging Neil Lawson’s feet. Lawson already has him fetching his coffee. Or he did today, at least. There’s definitely something going on there,” said Paul.
I couldn’t decide whether to be relieved Paul didn’t know any specifics or to be distressed that he was so suspicious – and that his instincts were correct. I remained silent.
Paul continued, “He obviously has a big foot fetish, like most submissives. Rollins, you ought to consider having a whole chapter dedicated to foot worship in that book you’re working on. You’ll be a real authority on the subject before we’re finished with you.”
Putting aside the implicit threat in his last remark, Paul actually might be on to something, I thought. I had been struggling with the organization of my book, which had really evolved quite a bit over the last six months. While I still aimed to show how medieval courtly poetry was what started the rich history of male masochism in western literature, I was increasingly focusing on contemporary BDSM cuckold fiction and what had clearly been an explosion in interest in that lifestyle in recent years, globally.
Miraculously, I was able to get through the massages and constant teasing without ejaculating. About halfway into my 5-hour stay at the condo, I served the four of them dinner, trying to remember to curtsy at all the required moments. They had changed back into the clothes they were wearing before their swim, Anna and Kelly in short skirts, stockings and heels and Paul and Archer in jeans and polo shirts. Anna kept her little notepad next to her plate on the table, and occasionally wrote in it, causing me further anxiety. When not going back and forth between the kitchen and dining room, I was expected to stand by the table at attention – to refill glasses of the wine I had purchased, fold the napkins of anyone who got up from the table, or do anything else ordered of me. My cock tented out my tights the entire time, of course. My self consciousness about this at least had the advantage of taking my mind off my hunger somewhat, as I enviously watched the four of them eat the meal I had prepared (I sampled the stroganoff as I was cooking it, and thought it came out quite well).
Anna invited everyone to critique the meal afterwards, and it was generally agreed upon that the beef and mushroom sauce was delicious, but that the pasta was overcooked. The salad and dressing was a success, but the Italian green beans less so. I was grateful that Anna had not required me to also prepare dessert.
“Well, Professor maid, it seems that both punishments and a reward are in order for your uneven meal and service. You also earned demerits for failure to curtsy on at least four occasions – I’m sure that I missed others – and continued deficiencies in your technique. Also for how you walked in heels earlier. The mushy pasta and beans were also unacceptable. On the other hand, the stroganoff itself was excellent, as was the salad and dressing. The boys will administer your punishment, and Kelly and I will grant you your reward.”
I replied, with a curtsy, “Yes, princess. Thank you, princess.” The truth of the matter is I didn’t know which of the two caused me greater dread: the punishment or the reward.
“Which should we give him first?”, asked Kelly.
Paul said, “Definitely the punishment first. We need to leave enough time for the redness of his ass to fade in case Luke or his wife want to punish him as well when he gets home.”
“And a submissive freak like him will probably enjoy his reward more with a sore ass. I’ve calculated that he’s owed 120 spanks. 100 from today, and the 20 we didn’t give him on Tuesday that he was due. Which one oy you strapping young men will do the honors?”, said Anna.
“This is going to be so much fun to watch,” said Kelly gleefully.
“It’s going to be hot,” said Anna. “I get all tingly watching Paul punish the slaves. Especially the beta males and sissies.”
“I know you do, girlfriend. Me too,” said Kelly. “I think it’s only fair that each of the boys give him sixty spanks, so you and I get to enjoy this equally,” said Kelly.
“Sounds good. Okay with you guys?,” said Anna.
“Fine. After you,” Paul said to Archer.
“Happy to dish out some discipline to the old cuck. Should we take him up to the dungeon and put him over the bench?”, asked Archer.
“No need to. We have to use our hands for now because we can’t leave any asting marks on his ass. So just take him over your knee,” Paul replied.
“Oh, how I wish we could cane or strap him! I think the cane is a lot more persuasive than just your hands. And the welts can be lovely,” said Anna.
“Someday, babe. You just have to be patient,” said Paul. “Not one of your strong suits, I realize.”
“Don’t worry, ladies. I will make sure his spanking is plenty persuasive. Get over my knees, old man,” commanded Archer.
“Yes, sir.” I draped myself over his knees, incredibly ashamed as I felt my hard cock press through my tights against the jeans covering his firm thighs.
“Do you feel his little stiffie on your leg, honey?,” Kelly asked, tittering.
“I do, but not for long. I’m going to beat it out of him. By the time I’m finished with him, he’ll be as limp as one of the overcooked noodles he served us,” said Archer. I felt his sizable hand resting on the center of my tights-clad bottom. Without warning, he lifted his hand and brought it down sharply on my right cheek.
I typically tried to be stoic in such moments, but the ferocity of his strike (and the suddenness of it) caused me to cry out, “Ouch!” I heard the amusement of our audience.
“That’s right, honey. Give it to him good! Pull down his tights and give it to him on the bare,” said Kelly.
Archer did as Kelly requested. What followed were repeated, loud smacking sounds of flesh striking flesh – as Archer carefully alternated cheeks – accompanied by a slow but steady buildup of pain. The tights had offered negligible protection. The sound was the big difference, but it seemed to provide a more satisfying sensory experience for my three students, who were witnessing the remarkable spectacle of their professor being punished like a naughty child. By the 30th spank or so, the pain was intense. And Archer was correct, my cock had deflated under his relentless assault on my bottom. Not as severe as a cane or strapping certainly, but a hand spanking that rivaled Luke’s in intensity.
I heard Kelly say, “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Look at that shade of red, will you?”
“Not as lovely as welts, but not bad,” added Anna.
By the 50th spank, my attempt at stoicism was a distant memory.
“Please, sir. Please don’t hit me so hard.” He ignored me, delivering the final ten with extra zeal, if anything. When he was finished, it was difficult for my mind to process the fact that my chastisement was only halfway complete.
After Archer pushed me unceremoniously onto the hardwood floor, my tights still lowered to just below my poor, tenderized bottom, Kelly ordered me to stand up. I started to pull up my tights as I stood, but she said with surprising sternness, “Did I say you could pull up your tights, professor? Leave them down so we can all get a proper look at your little cock. Turn around and stand before us. Put your hands on top of your head.”
When I complied with her order, my cock was still quite limp, somewhat shriveled even. But almost as soon as I stood up, I felt it began to stir under their scrutiny.
“Look at the tiny, hairless thing.,” said Anna, smiling contemptuously.
“Pathetic,” said Archer, with a sneer.
“Oh, look. It’s starting to get bigger. That was quick! It must like all of the attention,” laughed Kelly.
With each humiliating comment, it grew harder. My ass was burning, but no longer under a constant barrage (for the moment, at least), the sensation only fueled my involuntary, indeed most unwanted, arousal.
“It looks like it’s up to me beat his hard-on back out of him,” said Paul, patting his knee. “Come over here, Rollins, so I can finish your correction. Leave your tights down. You have 60 more coming.”
As this was unthinkable to me, I felt compelled to try to negotiate – or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say, grovel. When I walked over to where Paul was sitting, rather than lie over his knees, I dropped to my own, at his feet.
“My lord, Sir Archer’s punishment was quite severe. I’m not sure that I can take another 60 right now. I beg you to show some mercy to your lowly page by deferring some of my punishment until next Tuesday.” I then grasped his right foot with my hands and began kissing the tops of his brown, leather shoe. “Please, my lord.”
That Paul was triumphant, bringing me to my knees and abasing myself at his feet – even without being expressly commanded to do so – was clearly evident in his supremely smug, self-satisfied expression. It was painful to behold, but not as painful as another 60 spanks on my already wounded bottom would be. Groveling was a skill that I been refining over the last several months with Luke, so I continued my efforts.
“Please, my lord. Surely you and Princess Anna have some more dry cleaning that needs to be done or some other errands that need to be run. Your humble page is at your disposal.”
“This is a trip,” said Kelly.
“It IS a sign of strength for a ruler to occasionally grant mercy. What do you think, babe?”, said Anna.
“I’m considering it,” said Paul. “Sharing information might help your cause, page. Tell me, what is the story with you bringing Neil Lawson a cup of coffee today? That coffee shop is on the other side of campus. Is that a service that you regularly provide for him? Before you answer, you should know that if I sense you’re not being completely truthful, I’ll add 20 spanks to your punishment now, rather than reduce or defer any of it. If I find out you’re lying after the fact, the consequences for you will be dire.”
To say that I felt somewhat trapped at that moment would be an understatement. I certainly didn’t want to reveal any information to Paul about the nature of my relationship with my colleague, and yet I felt that not doing so was perilous. The slippery slope, again.
So, I continued my descent. “I bring Neil a cup of coffee four days a week, my lord.”
“Why? Are you his lackey or something? You’re senior to him on the faculty, right? Shouldn’t he be the one bringing you coffee, if anything?”
“It’s true that Neil doesn’t have tenure yet but he’s up for tenure in the spring. But it’s not like junior faculty members run errands or anything like that for senior faculty members. It’s just that Neil knows that I’m on a diet and feels that the exercise will do me good. He takes a personal interest in my health and physical fitness, as my friend.”
“Sounds like bullshit to me. I’ve seen Neil lifting weights with Luke at the gym a couple of times. It looks like they’re getting to be pretty chummy.”
“Yes, my lord, they like to work out together. They bond over sports.”
“Interesting. Is Neil aware of your weekly weigh-ins and punishments for failing to lose weight?”, Paul continued his interrogation.
“Yes, my lord,” I answered, deeply ashamed.
“Well, you’ve definitely lost quite a bit of weight, professor. Keep up the good work!”, said Kelly, with seeming sincerity. What a surreal moment this was, I thought to myself.
“Thank you, Princess Kelly.”
“Does Luke allow Neil to witness your weigh-ins and punishments,” Paul asked.
“Yes, my lord. Twice.”
“Keep kissing my shoes when you’re not speaking. Does Luke allow Neil to participate in your punishments?”
“Yes, my lord. Once.” I started kissing the bottom of his right shoe.
Being humiliated and punished by Luke was shameful. Neil’s participation in my punishment and humiliation made it infinitely more so. Being humiliated and punished by my students was incredibly shameful. Them knowing that Neil, another professor in my department, not only was aware of, but even took an active part in my punishment and humiliation was indescribably shameful. It was more than a slippery slope. It was quicksand. And I was sinking deeper by the second.
Paul was not yet done with his interrogation, however. “What other services do you provide for Professor Lawson, besides bringing him coffee?”
I hesitated. But mindful of Paul’s warning (he did seem to have some mysterious ability to intuit and/or discover things about me), I came clean, thereby deepening the pit in which I was sinking: “On Wednesdays, when he has several back-to-back classes, I have started to massage his feet in his office.”
“I knew it! Last week when I walked into his office and you were there, you were acting very nervous. I saw his shoes on the floor next to his desk. There’s not really many reasons to take off your shoes and socks on a freezing day. I had a sneaky suspicion that that’s what was going on. You’re an even bigger beta than I could’ve conceived of, Rollins. Is there anyone you’re not subservient to?”
“Yes, my lord….I mean, prior to 10 months ago…I wasn’t submissive to anyone….except in…my…my, imagination. Everything’s different now…”
“You’re leading a male masochist’s dream! Lick the bottom of my shoe. Do you realize how extraordinarily fortunate you are, old man?”
“Yes, my lord,” I said before reapplying my tongue to the sole of Paul’s shoe.
“This discussion has been very useful. You’ve given me all kinds of ideas about how to further enhance your submissive experience to make it truly exceptional. To make it world class. All the building blocks are already in place. We just need to find a way to integrate them,” Paul said.
“Look how hard his baby cock is! He loves the idea!”, said Anna.
“Now lie down across my lap. The new information I learned just now has caused me to feel magnanimous, so I will grant you mercy by deferring 20 of your spanks until Tuesday and pardoning 10 altogether,” Paul said.
At that exact moment, having my remaining punishment cut in half (at least for that day), I was more grateful about the present reprieve than concerned about any possible future danger that might result from Paul’s increased knowledge. It was only later, during many restless, sleep-deprived nights, that I began to really worry about the possible implications of Paul knowing that I was also submissive to my fellow professor.
“You are very kind, my lord,” I said as his hand came crashing down on the center of my ass. The irony of the moment produced hearty laughter from both Anna and Kelly.
My tights were still lowered, so my erect, bare cock pressed against the denim – a coarser variety than Archer’s – of Paul’s jeans. How much shame could one person endure in a single evening? But it was only 8:30 PM; I still had over an hour left with my young tormentors.
Whereas Archer’s technique was to alternate cheeks, Paul preferred picking one spot and sticking to it for repeated spanks. He focused on the center of my bottom, initially 10 strikes where the crack of my ass began and then moving methodically lower until the final 20 were on the area closest to my scrotum. Unfortunately, Paul hit harder today than on my last visit, no doubt making sure he at least matched the force of Archer in front of the two young women, who were watching with rapt attention. As he delivered the final twenty or so spanks, the pain was searing and I began kicking my legs more and more and squirming around on his lap in a futile attempt to alleviate it, or to escape. On the bright side, my erection quickly subsided under the intensity of his assault.
“Stay still, or I will add the 30 back,” he warned, sternly, grabbing my right arm and holding it tightly behind my back with his free hand.
When he was finally done, he roughly pulled up my tights, producing a wedgie effect, and almost playfully swatted my bottom twice, saying, “You may get up now. Go stand in the corner. Hands behind your head.”
I did as commanded, but Kelly objected, “Why did you pull his tights back up? I want to see what shade of red his ass is now.”
“Lower your tights, page boy,” ordered Anna.
“Yes, princess,” I said, following her command. My eyes were wet with tears, but I was hoping they wouldn’t notice. I wanted to at least deprive them of the satisfaction that they caused me to cry.
“Do I hear sniffling, professor? Did getting spanked by his big, mean student make the poor, wimpy professor cry?”
“No, Princess Kelly.”
“I’m not sure I believe you,” Kelly replied.
“Look at his ass. The color reminds me of raw hamburger meat. Are you sure it will heel quickly enough, babe?”, asked Anna.
“Archer and I hit him hard, but not hard enough for any permanent bruises. The color will fade quickly,” said Paul. “Sort of like a sunset. An intense color that fades quickly.”
“Too bad. It’s such a lovely color, “ said Kelly.
After 10 minutes, during which they passed around a joint and continued to tease me, Anna said, “You’re right, the color is starting to fade already. Turn around, you naughty page boy, and face us. Keep your hands on your head.”
“Well, the color of ass may be like setting like the sun, but his little cock is compensating for it,” said Kelly, with a giggle.
“Pathetic,” commented the eloquent Archer.
I looked down to see my cock standing at attention through my tights, wishing I could simply disappear. I stood there shamefully for another twenty minutes as they finished a second joint.
After they finished, Anna said, “We’re running out of time before the good professor turns into a pumpkin. It’s time for your reward, professor. Obeisance!”
Recalling last week, I quickly dropped to the floor down on my belly and clasped my hands behind my back.
“Very good. You remembered,” Anna said. “Now slither on your belly to our feet, as we taught you.”
I began my humiliating belly crawl across the floor – only a few feet, but it felt like many more – my hard cock grinding into the hardwood, once again fearful that the combination of the potent humiliation and the stimulus to my cock would result in me ejaculating en route. Fortunately, it did not. Once I reached them, I craned my neck up to look at the four pairs of shoes hovering above me, and planted a kiss on the top of each, as I had been instructed during my last visit.
Anna then said, “Kelly, switch places with Paul, please.”
Once she did, Anna ordered me to lie on my back next to where she and Kelly were seated on the sofa. Rolling over, I winced with pain as my bottom touched the floor. From experience, I knew that sitting would be uncomfortable for the next day or two.
She then said to Kelly, “Do you want to provide the olfactory stimulation or the tactile stimulation?”
As if this was a routine occurrence in their lives, Kelly said, “Oh, definitely the tactile stimulation. It will be fun to toy with his little dicklet. Besides, based on what Paul said about your foot sweat, you’re the one who can provide the best olfactory stimulation.” Kelly chuckled.
“Very funny,” said Anna, smiling. “Very well.”
Anna removed her heels and placed her moist stocking-clad feet directly over my nose and mouth. Kelly kept her heels on and began pressing the toe of her right heel firmly into my balls, through my tights. She then began lightly kicking my balls. It was mildly painful, but not so painful that it caused my hard cock to deflate; it was painful yet still highly arousing, a well calibrated approach that suggested to me that Kelly had some experience tormenting others along similar lines.
“Take deep breaths, professor,” Anna ordered.
Her feet indeed had a strong, distinct odor, at once malodorous and fragrant, sour yet sweet. As I inhaled, Kelly began grinding her heel directly into the underside of my cock, pressing it into my body. Only about three minutes into this sensuous torture, my cock erupted, my semen seeping copiously through my white tights. I groaned involuntarily as I orgasmed, a groan of simultaneous ecstasy and despair. Because I hadn’t come in so long, I produced what was for me at least, a prodigious amount. What appalling, exquisite humiliation! I tried to imagine what it would be like facing my three students in class next week, or for that matter, any time again for the rest of my life. It was certainly a moment that would never be forgotten by anyone in that room.
“It looks like our professor enjoyed his reward,” Kelly said, snickering. “And I could tell when he was about to shoot his wad, so I moved my foot away just in the nick of time.” She picked up her heel and pointed at it, “See no icky professor goo. It’s clean.”
Anna said to me, “You see, being enslaved to us is not all about punishment. There are rewards as well, occasionally.”
“Yes, thank you Princess Anna, Princess Kelly.”
Well, at least I wouldn’t have to lick up my ejaculate this time. Paul threw me a towel. I was permitted to clean myself up and was then ordered to put the towel into the washing machine (by itself, as Anna didn’t want the towel I soiled to be near any of their clothes or linen). I then cleared up the kitchen. Finally, I was allowed to change back into my street clothes. Before I left the apartment, I was required one last time to bow down before each of them, kiss their feet and thank them for allowing me to be of service. I then went down the elevator, relieved to see a different doorman (one who I had never encountered before), who more or less ignored me as I exited the building.
I pulled up to my house at 10:20 P.M., surprised to see the light on in the kitchen. When Brooke and Luke went out to dinner on Thursdays, Luke usually drove, so it was not unusual to see Brooke’s car in the driveway. Maybe they had just forgotten to turn off the lights?
But as I entered the kitchen, I was alarmed to see Brooke sitting alone at the table. Expecting to be asked where I had been, I started trying to think of plausible explanations.
However, Brooke simply looked up at me. She had a glum expression on her face and her eyes were bloodshot, as if she had been crying. Something was definitely up.
“Hi, honey,” I said, nervously.
“Hi.”
“Where’s Luke?”
“He’s gone.”
“Will he back later, or is he staying at his house tonight?”
“He’ll be staying at his house every night from now on.”
“What are you talking about? What happened?”
“Go get a bottle of scotch and two glasses. I need a drink.”

This chapter was too long to post as one, so I’m dividing into two parts. Apologies for it being a bit disjointed.
On Thursday morning, after Luke left early for work and Brooke went for a run, I removed from Brooke’s closet the the gossamer jacket I had worn to the Ren fair and put it into the trunk of my Prius along with the canvas shoes and white tights that had completed my humiliating “Little Foot Page” costume. I dared not disappoint Anna a second time.
Fortunately, I didn’t have any punishment writing lines to complete after I cleaned her and Paul’s apartment on Tuesday. Brooke didn’t force me to wear any new feminine accessory that day. She was so fond of the choker that it had become an almost regular part of my daily attire.
As she kissed me goodbye that morning before I left for campus, she fingered the choker and my neck, saying, “I like this on you. Maybe I’ll order another one with a subtle little ring on it.”
I often couldn’t tell when Brooke was joking or not.
“You mean something where someone could attach a leash? Like a slave collar? Please, Brooke. This is bad enough.”
“No, it wouldn’t have to stick out like that. I said ‘subtle,’ didn’t I? The ring could be flat against your neck. That style is very common. It’s sexy. But I do think we can get you a proper collar to wear at home. I’m thinking leather with silver studs and a nice ring in the front. That one will definitely stick out. Luke and I will look for something on-line.”
Again, was she joking or not? She gave me her full, dimpled smile as she spoke, but that didn’t tell me conclusively one way or another. Nevertheless, her smile, her touch and the nature of the conversation all conspired to cause my liberated cock to grow hard in the lace panties I was wearing under my khakis. I was hoping she wouldn’t notice, so she wouldn’t lock me back up; several hours later, I was wishing that she had noticed.
Except for regular cleanings, and one or two supervised, humiliating releases, I had been locked up pretty consistently over the previous 2 1/2 months. Therefore, I truly enjoyed my freedom most of that Thursday. I had an almost incessant erection, fortunately mostly concealed by my khakis (which were looser than most of the pants I was permitted to wear), even while waiting in line to get Neil’s coffee and while walking across campus in a light snow to bring it to his office. The phrase “microaggressions” had become trendy on college campuses such as mine, referring to insensitive comments people make that are discriminatory or insulting, often even without intending to be. As I knocked on the door to Neil’s office, I thought to myself how I was being subjected not to microaggesions at my college, but rather to microhumiliations. Such as fetching Neil’s coffee.
“Come in,” said Neil, through the door.
Remarkably, seated in the one chair across from Neil’s desk was Paul Betz. Yet again! Alarming and suspicious. Or was I simply being paranoid? Neither of them made any effort to get up from their seats.
I was holding the cup of coffee in a paper bag. Feeling like an idiot, I placed the bag on Neil’s desk.
“Thanks for the coffee, pal,” Neil said, as he removed the cup from the bag. “It’s a bit cold.”
“Sorry, it’s snowing out there,” I replied, absurdly, as if it was even remotely somehow my fault that his coffee wasn’t hot.
“No worries. I’ll warm it up in my microwave. Paul and I were just discussing some swimming techniques. Paul’s team has a big meet this weekend. Is it okay if I catch up with you later?”
Paul looked up at me with an arrogant smirk. I thought to myself: how much strategy could there possibly be to discuss? You jump in the pool and you swim.
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll talk to you later.”
And just like that, I was dismissed. The coffee boy had delivered the coffee and was no longer needed. Why should I care about suffering this microhumiliation in front of Paul, who a few hours later would be subjecting me to any number of macro humiliations? Simply because he was gaining even greater knowledge about me, the nature of my relationships with others in my social circle and the breadth of my submission. Knowledge is power. More knowledge about me, more power over me. Nothing good could possibly come of it.
Paul was his usual arrogant self in class that afternoon, and it was clear that he, Anna and Kelly were all in exaggeratedly good moods, no doubt savoring the thought of interacting with me under radically different circumstances only a few hours later.
Anna was wearing black tights, a short, plaid skirt and black ankle boots. She propped her feet up on the desk in front of her next to Paul’s and said, “Oh, look how dirty my boots are from all the puddles of slush.”
Paul added, “Mine too. Fortunately, our shoeshine boy will be visiting later.”
Kelly sitting two seats to their left, giggled and said, “The cold weather makes me ravenous. What’s for dinner tonight, Anna?”
Anna grinned and answered, “Beef stroganoff. Our shoeshine boy is also an excellent cook, supposedly. A real Renaissance boy.”
“Not a Medieval boy?”, said Kelly. She and Anna both laughed.
Scanning the room, I didn’t believe the other students were picking up on all of the innuendo (or, if they were, I didn’t think they understood what it meant). Nevertheless, one serious female student, not part of Kelly’s clique, looked at me as if to say, “Why are you letting these clowns do and say whatever they want? Why don’t you take control of your classroom?” How I longed to do just that, to put the three of them in their place with some witty remark, as I would have done in the past. The pain of Paul’s spanking on Tuesday still fresh in my mind (if not on my bottom), however, I bit my tongue and timidly began my lecture.
After class, I went to the grocery store to purchase all of the ingredients for Anna’s prescribed menu of beef stroganoff, Italian green beans, and a starter spinach salad with warm bacon dressing (she had even directed me to her preferred recipes on-line — I had tested the salad and dressing on Brooke, with positive reviews). I also purchased the two bottles of not inexpensive red wine specified by Paul.
When I arrived at their condo, holding multiple grocery bags, my nemesis doorman was lying in wait for me, like a snarky Cerberus dressed as a bellhop. My underworld was eleven flights up, however.
“I’m going to apartment 11B. Paul Betz.”
“I have to announce you. Who should I say is calling?”
“The cook. Please tell him the cook is here.”
He spoke into the intercom phone, smirking at me, “Mr. Betz. Someone calling himself the cook is here to visit you. Although I’m pretty sure it’s the same guy who announced himself as the maid on Tuesday. May I send him up?”
Still holding the phone, he then addressed me: “Mr. Betz said they are expecting the maid, not the cook. What should I tell him?”
I sighed. “Please tell him the maid is here.”
“Mr. Betz. He is now no longer pretending to be a cook, but has announced himself as the maid. Very good, sir, I’ll send him right up then.” He put down the phone, his expression more smug by the second, and said, “You may now go up. The elevator…”
I interrupted him. “I know perfectly well where the elevator is, thank you.”
He stopped smirking to glare at me with annoyance for a moment, before resuming his smirk as I entered the elevator with my shopping bags.
When I got to their door, I got down on my knees and waited. Behind the door, I heard talking and sporadic laughter. They only kept me waiting about five minutes that day, and fortunately I was spared any encounters with Paul’s and Anna’s neighbors. It was during those five minutes on my knees, staring down at my cock pushing out my khakis, that I came to the belated realization that it probably wasn’t a good thing to be free of my chastity cage in the circumstances in which I then found myself. As I continued to wait, a sense of panic began to set in, which paradoxically only increased my arousal.
When the door finally opened, I was greeted by Kelly. I was eye level with her short, blue skirt. I looked down at her sheer stocking-encased legs and black, strap-on heels before looking up at her grinning face. She had been wearing jeans in class, but had obviously dressed up for the exciting occasion of being served dinner by her submissive professor. I have not really described Kelly’s appearance much before now, other than to say that she is attractive. Kelly has shoulder length, thick, brown hair and sort of a button nose. She is slender, but not as tall as Anna or Brooke. I would describe her more as cute than truly beautiful like the other two. However, by “cute,“ I don’t want to suggest that Kelly isn’t sexy. She is, but more in a teasing, playful way than the regal Anna. Sometimes it’s those cute, playful ones that you really have to watch out for, I was to learn.
Generally speaking, it occurred to me that, on the cusp of turning 40, I was surrounded by – and subservient to – a number of meaningfully younger people, most of whom were well above average in the looks department. There are a lot of overweight Americans – more in Ohio than in the Northeast, I thought (I’m sure Neil would have said that observation was still further evidence of my elitism) – including a lot of overweight students on my campus. For whatever reason, however, I was this bookish, unathletic guy now surrounded by athletes (Luke, Paul, Anna, Kevin, and even my one contemporary in terms of age, Neil), or fitness freaks (Brooke) or the generally attractive people who they chose to associate with (like Kelly, Laura, and Brooke’s estranged friend, Michelle). Growing up, my social circle tended to consist of the less attractive – the geeks, the nerds, the social outcasts. So, being surrounded by the cool, beautiful people was new for me, and exciting. So much toned, taut young flesh. Of course, I was not, nor am not now, their equal. Not even close. I’m their servant, their lackey, their toy. But that’s part of what makes the dynamic so exciting, so arousing. For me, certainly. But also for most of them, I believe (Brooke excepted; I am confident that there is a lot more depth to our relationship with each other, than to our relationships with all the others).
As I looked up at Kelly, these thoughts running through my head, I consoled myself that at least I wasn’t being subjugated, teased and tormented by physically repulsive people. Remembering Brooke’s advice to go with the flow, I tried to tell myself to be grateful for small favors.
“Hi, Professor Rollins!“, said Kelly, brightly.
“Hi, Kelly,” I sheepishly replied.
“Oh, come now, professor. We’re not in class now. I think the proper way to address me here is Miss Kelly, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, Miss Kelly, of course.”
“You may enter,” she said. Seeing Paul behind her, I remembered to shuffle on my knees into the apartment, bags in either hand.
Paul said, ”What time do you need to be home tonight, Rollins? Where are Luke and Brooke?”
“Thursday night they almost always go out, sir. If you recall, that’s why we picked Thursday evenings for me to…to come here. Luke is taking Brooke out to dinner tonight at a restaurant near his house. The earliest they’ll be home, I think, is around 10:30, unless they decide to spend the night at Luke’s. I’d like to be home by 10, just to be on the safe side, sir, if possible,” I replied.
Kelly said to Paul, “I like the ‘sirs.’ I see that you’ve been training him well.“
“You may leave at 10. That means we have you for 5 hours. Put the food away and then get dressed,” ordered Paul. Anna and Kelly’s boyfriend, Archer, were sitting on the couch in the living room.
“Wait a minute,” said Anna. “Did you bring your Ren fair costume this time?”
“Yes, Princess Anna.”
“‘Princess?’ I really like that. Call me ‘Princess,’ too,” Kelly said to me, giggling.
“Yes, Princess Kelly,” I replied.
Smiling with delight, Kelly asked Archer, “Do you wish him to address you as Prince Archer?”
Archer, who I later learned was Paul’s teammate on the college swimming team, said, “No, he can just call me ‘sir’.”
“You’re no fun,” said Kelly.
“Put on your Little Foot Page costume, professor,” said Anna.
“Hold on,” said Paul. “If he’s serving us dinner, shouldn’t he be dressed as a waitress? Or as a maid? What about the pink uniform Chrissy wears? That’s sort of a waitress maid hybrid,” Paul explained to Archer.
“Or what about the Hooters uniform?”, asked Archer.
“But the Little Foot Page uniform is so cute!”, said Kelly.
Anna said, “Well, everybody seems to have an opinion. The only way to settle this democratically is through a vote. Let’s all write down our top choice on a scrap of paper and toss it into my baseball cap. There are three options and four votes, so there will be a clear winner.”
“I think he should model each uniform first, so we can make an informed decision,” said Archer.
“Great idea, Archer! Who doesn’t love a little, impromptu fashion show? Kelly, please tear up four pieces of paper and get a pen while I show our dear professor where we keep Chrissy’s uniforms,” said Anna.
I listened to this rather extraordinary conversation while still kneeling in the entrance hall. I had managed to will my erection down, at least partially, so had escaped detection for the moment. Obviously, this was only a temporary victory, however.
After being permitted to stand, I first put away the food and then followed Anna upstairs into the dungeon. She opened a closet and pulled out two plastic bags that she draped over the spanking bench.
“Here are the other two uniforms you will model for us. I want you to start with the waitress uniform. Make sure you wear the black stockings and the heels with the dress. And the cap. There are hairpins in the bag you can use to make sure that it doesn’t fall off your head. Once you’re dressed, we’ll be waiting for you in the living room. I expect you to walk the length of the living room, stand before us, curtsy, do a slow 360, face us again and curtsy a second time. Then walk back up here, put on the Hooter’s uniform, and repeat the same steps. Remember to put on the flesh colored pantyhose; they’re what really make the Hooters uniform, don’t you think?”
I had never darkened the doors of a Hooters before, but nodded my ascent.
“Well, the pantyhose along with the white socks and sneakers. You didn’t bring those, did you?”
“No, princess. Besides the shoes I’m wearing, I only brought the canvas shoes I wore to the Ren fair. As you commanded, princess.”
“All the more reason the Hooters uniform just won’t cut it tonight. But we have to humor Archer, don’t we? So, wear your canvas shoes with it. You’ll look preposterous, but that’s the point, I suppose. Right?”
“Yes, princess.”
“You’ll finish with your Little Foot Page uniform. The same steps. That’s my top choice, so make sure that you really sell that one. I’ll be watching closely. If you fail to do any of the steps I just told you, or don’t do any of them satisfactorily, I’ll ask Paul and/or Archer to take you over their knees and spank you, hard, 10 times for each mistake. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Princess Anna.”
She left me in the dungeon to change. Paul’s description of the first uniform was accurate. Imagine a pink maid’s uniform, with a V-neck, black collar, black buttons and a black apron. It came with a matching cap, pink with black trim. After putting on the dress, I rolled the sheer, black stockings up my legs and smoothed out the skirt, my fully erect cock still concealed for the time being beneath it. The short skirt only came down to my mid thigh. I then put on the heels and the cap, fumbling with the hairpins, and regarded myself in the mirror. I was dressed like a fetishized waitress in a retro diner. Could I look any more ridiculous? As I practiced curtsying a few times in front of the mirror, I answered my own rhetorical question.
Worried about keeping my students and Archer waiting, I descended the stairs and followed Anna’s instructions, listening to the strange sound of my heels clicking on the hardwood floor of the living room.
As I curtsied before the four of them relaxing on the couch, Kelly giggled with glee and Paul said, “Now that’s an appropriate uniform for dinner service.”
“It is, yes, but we see Chrissy in it all the time. A little variety is nice,” Anna replied.
As I went through my steps, I watched Anna hold the same little book they had used to record my shortcomings in cleaning – my demerits as they called them – and make notes in it with a pen. That couldn’t be a good thing, I thought to myself, although I was quite certain that I was following her instructions to a T.
After I did my 360° turn, I did a brief second curtsy, as Anna had ordered, but she stopped me as I was turning around to go back upstairs.
“Wait, professor maid. Curtsy to us again, but this time make it a deep curtsy. I want to make sure that you’ve been practicing.“
I did as she commanded, bending my legs, one behind the other, lifting my skirt with my hands and holding the dipped, bowed position for a few seconds before straightening back up.
“What do you think?”, Anna asked Kelly.
“Not too bad for a relative novice, I suppose, although his technique could definitely use some work,” said Kelly.
“Do you hear that, professor maid? You need to spend a lot more time practicing your curtsying. Also, you’re walking in the heels better than on Tuesday, but you’re still pretty unsteady. We expect our servants to be graceful,” said Anna, imperiously, as she made additional notations in her little notebook. “You need to practice walking in heels somewhere besides your time here with us. We do not tolerate on-the-job training here. Got it?”
“Yes, Princess Anna. I understand.”
“Good. Move along now. We need to decide on your uniform so you can start serving us cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.”
I hurried back upstairs as quickly and gracefully as was within my power and changed into the Hooters uniform. I put on the nude pantyhose first, my cock distressingly hard beneath the transparent nylon. So much for further concealing my liberation from chastity! Freedom can be a dangerous thing, I was to soon learn. I next put on the U-shaped, white T-shirt with the big orange letters, the two ‘Os’ doubling as eyes for the owl. The shirt was tight against even my flat chest; I could only imagine what it must’ve felt like to the well endowed women for whom the shirt was designed. Next, I pulled up the skimpy, bright orange shorts, hoping like hell that they might hide my erection. They did quite the opposite, in fact. Made of some synthetic fabric, they were incredibly snug and almost looked like a bikini the way they rode up the side of my legs next to my crotch. The shorts hugged my small balls, the outline of which was readily apparent through the fabric, my cock making a small, but unmistakable protrusion above them. As humiliating as the waitress uniform was, this was worse, I felt. I groaned as I observed myself in the mirror. I then put on my canvas shoes and descended the stairs to begin another degrading catwalk.
Archer laughed and clapped. “Thats fucking hilarious. Look at the loser!”
“Ha ha, look our professor has a little stiffie,” said Kelly, pointing at my crotch and snickering.
Anna said, “Oh, my God. Paul. She’s right. Look! They must’ve taken off his chastity cage.”
Paul said, “Well, this opens up all kinds of new possibilities, doesn’t it?”
“It most certainly does!”, agreed Anna.
This conversation, so intensely humiliating, resulted in my already hard cock twitching beneath the tight orange shorts, growing harder still.
Kelly said, “But he doesn’t have any boobs. What kind of Hooters waitress is that? At least Chrissy is growing boobs, thanks to the hormones.”
As I was curtsying, Paul asked, “What happened to Chrissy’s breast forms?”
Anna answered, “We let her throw them out after she started growing her own tits.“
“Too bad,” Archer replied.
Anna added, “And the whole outfit just doesn’t work without the white tennis shoes and socks. Also, our Hooters girl forgot to do her second curtsy.” As I turned back around to comply, Anna added, “No, no professor pantywaist, it’s too late now. That’s another demerit, I’m afraid. Now hurry along and model your last outfit for us.”
I scampered up the stairs and quickly changed into my Little Foot Page costume from the Ren fair, the one inspired by the Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale’s painting, a favorite of Brooke’s. How I wished at that moment that it was her I was dressing for instead! The short, nearly transparent jacket barely concealed my cock, jutting out shamefully through my white tights.
Remembering Anna’s insistence that I really “sell” this outfit, I took special care to complete each step to the best of my abilities. I held my back straight and practically pranced into the room and across the living room floor. I held my curtsy longer than usual, somewhere between the duration of a regular curtsy and a deep curtsy.
Both of the girls applauded, gleefully.
“See. The foot page costume is adorable. And it’s unique,” said Kelly.
“But pages don’t serve dinner. Pages do all kinds of other things for their masters, like clean their clothes and shoes, help them get dressed, deliver messages, and so forth,” said Paul.
“Oh you’re such a stickler for authenticity. I’m sure plenty of pages served their masters and mistresses meals as well. They were utility servants, and I’m sure did whatever was required of them,“ said Anna. “Besides, with this uniform, we have the best view of his hard, little cock. Look, it’s fun size!“, she added, pointing.
“With equipment like that, it’s no wonder that his wife cuckolded him,” chuckled Archer.
“From the look of him and his attitude, I’ll bet Luke is hung like a horse. Is that true, professor baby cock?”, asked Anna.
“Yes, Princess Anna,” I answered meekly.
“Look how red his face is!,” said Kelly. “We’re not embarrassing you, are we, professor?”
“Yes…I mean no, Miss…I mean Princess Kelly.”
“Okay, it’s time to vote,” said Anna.
“Why bother. We all know which one will win. Archer will vote for Hooters, I will vote for sissy waitress, and you and Kelly will vote for this silly page costume, inappropriate as it may be,” said Paul, sulkily. “So, the foot page it is.”
“Oh, goody!”, said Kelly, clapping her hands together with delight.
“Time for cocktails! Take everyone’s order,” Paul said to me sternly, seemingly still annoyed that he didn’t get his way.
Paul and Anna had a well equipped bar, so making the drinks was relatively easy. Anna insisted that I curtsy after serving each person. I, of course, would’ve felt ridiculous curtsying under any circumstances, but felt particularly so dressed in my page costume. Paul had a point; there was something incongruous about it. After serving them, I began prepping for dinner in what was truly a chef’s kitchen. The meat needed to simmer for a while to be sufficiently tender.
Anna had shown me a little brass bell that they would use to summon me for drink refills or anything else they desired. I heard it jingling about 20 minutes into my prep work and hurried back into the living room.
Paul said, “Archer and I are ready for refills.”
“Yes, sir.”
“From now on, curtsy every time you enter or leave a room any of us are in, and every time any of us gives you an order,” Anna interjected.
“Yes, princess,” I said, curtsying as I took their glasses.
By the time I returned a few minutes later with Paul’s and Archer’s fresh old fashioneds, curtsying again, Anna was also ready to for new martini. Of course, by the time I returned with her martini, Kelly was finally ready for her second cosmopolitan. Would this ever end?, I wondered. How would I ever have time to prepare the rest of dinner?
Fortunately, rather than request a third old-fashioned Paul said to the others, “Let’s go for a swim.” I was back in the kitchen working when the four of them left the apartment to take the elevator down to the building’s large indoor pool. Things got more interesting about an hour later when my young superiors returned to the apartment in their bathing suits.

https://reddit.com/link/1d6eecm/video/bagk6q1z264d1/player

I can't access my phone anymore. The phone is a Samsung A54, and I've had it for almost a year. Today, it worked perfectly until the time when I had to use my phone and it didn't work. I needed to access an application, and when I unlocked it, a web page was open, and I wanted to exit Chrome. But it won't let me, so after several attempts, I turned off the phone from the button (I didn't shut it down, I just turned it off). And after I opened it, once it scanned my fingerprint, the phone successfully recognizes it but does not let me enter the home page. As you can see in the video sent, this is what it looks like. It won't let me do anything else,my options disappeared. RANDOMLY.RANDOM! I can't understand how the hell this happened, I can't say that I'm necessarily nervous, but I was going to buy a new phone, Samsung S23 ULTRA, and it's like now I'm losing all my confidence. Luckily, a few days ago, I transferred all my data from the A54 to the s9 and I was still thinking about whether to sell the a54 to deposit money for the s23 ultra, but the answer was much more certain that no. But now, apparently I'm forced to use s9 until I fix my a54, or if not, until I get my s23 ultra (if). I want some explanations :( 

Trelik paced in front of the bookshelf, its frame was smooth to the touch and was polished to where the wood it was made off could act as a mirror in some cases. But there was one issue with it, it lacked variety and interesting material. He had books from across the Federation but those had become harder and harder to get his paws on after the halt on trade. The only books available now were either the ones already on Venlil Prime or from the Humans.
He desperately wanted a human book or three to sit on his bookcase but there was a small issue with that... they were expensive. In normal times Trelik would have scoffed while trying to find a cheaper deal and if not he would defeatedly buy it, but the lack of trade had hit the economy hard and so funds had been getting a bit low for him as well.
He’d recently heard from some others on Bleat that apparently the government was offering to pay people to help house a human why the war raged. Most saw this as a dumb idea or thought the risk too big to take but the ones remaining were too desperate to pass up such an opportunity. Trelik fell in with the desperate crowd, he just had to get some of those human books and having a human helping him could make it easier.
A sound from the door alerted Trelik that someone had arrived, most likely his new human housemate. He’d signed and completed the forms almost a week ago and so had been waiting for news for a while.
Despite his best efforts his heart was pounding, he knew it was silly but something at the very back of his mind kept screeching that he should run or freeze or escape into one of his book, anything but open the door.
“Think of the money, how could you read a book made by humans if you are scared of them?” Trelik muttered to himself. It seemed to work, his steps became more confident and ordered and he swung open the door quickly before his mind had time to catch up with his actions.
The human before him was tall and thin, not unlike some of the trees that populated some of the outlying colony worlds. What little flesh Trelik could see was pale and near hairless, this was only around the wrists.
A pair of gloves covered their paws and a set of ‘clothes’ covered the rest while they seemed to have a bit of cloth covering their head with a mask covering the face. It was slightly unnerving to the Venlil, nothing told him how the human was feeling, no tail or ears gave away emotion.
Slowly the human put down its bags and reached down to grab a pad, as the figure scribbled something down Trilek noticed the name tag on the right side of its outfit. ‘Maxwell A.’ was written in such a way that it took the visual translator a few seconds to parse it.
Maxwell finished their scribbling and turned the pad around, a message was written that the visual translator could decipher. ‘You can just call me Max.’
It had been three days since Max had arrived in Trilek’s home, he was an odd sort compared to the humans he the Venlil had heard about. Most of the people that helped house the humans reported them as either being really energetic and wanting to explore everywhere or being near despondent to everything save the most determined of pestering.
Max however seemed to just sit in a corner and scribble stuff on his pad or cross his legs in a frankly uncomfortable looking position and stare at the pad for hours. Trilek assumed he was either writing something, idly scribbling or reading. He desperately hoped it would be the latter, if he had a human in his home that read almost as much as him, they might have access to some books that he could get his paws on. There was one small issue with this plan, Max hadn’t taken out any physical books and seem to be unwilling to separate from his pad.
A week had now passed and Trilek was starting to get irritated, he’d hoped to have his paws on one of the human books he’d heard about but neither Max nor the payment had helped. Max just sat in the corner of the library, Trilek couldn’t even tell if the human was asleep or not until it slowly lifted it’s head to check the time or look around the room.
The paycheck for helping house a human had taken longer than aticipated to arrive, and were smaller than he was promised. When questioned about this Trilek got the excuse of taxes removing a tenth of what was owed. Still money was money, but he was going to go crazy if he couldn’t get a new book or something to read soon.
The time had finally arrived, the human had left his pad and a pair of what seemed to be listening devices on the lunge of the office area. Trilek might not get a chance like this again, his body thrummed with nervous anticpation as he slipped the devices into his ears and quickly look for how to start whatever the human was listening to.
A small triangle was in the centre of a bar, a turning indicator with a number nearby faced both behing and in front of the symbol. Worse that could happen was he turned the pad off, so Trilek tapped at the arrow symbol, a voice flooded into his ears. It was even and filled with energy, it seemed to be rapidly reading something.
“’GOTREK!’ cried Felix, the monster’s hatchet landing a hair’s width beside his head, the smell of corruption and decay wafted from the rusted thing. Suddenly it came at him with a mouth filled with what seemed to hundreds of needle-like teeth, it’s breath a foul mixture of rotting fish and fresh blood.”
Trilek felt a cold terror settle in his stomach, a feeling like a claws was running up his spine informed him that every stand of wool on his body had stood on end.
“A mighty thunderclap sound of metal on bone broke Felix out of his terror, the head of the once-human thing thumped to the ground, a small river of black sludge pattered from where it’s neck had once been. The Slayer stood on it’s quilled back, his mighty axe in hand, Gotrek simply spat on the creature’s corpse and muttered about how he was hoping for something larger.”
A hand on his shoulder made Trilek lead almost a meter into the air, the human was behind him one of it’s paws gently placed on the Venlil’s shoulder. Somehow they were a reassuring presence, the lack of any detail save this simple gesture spoke more than Trilek could say. Maxwell had sat in the corner of the library for near an entire week and hardly interacted with anything but when he saw that Trilek had used his pad without consent he comforted him after the fact.
“Want to talk about it?” the voice was low and tinny, the Venlil looked at Maxwell as the human lowered himself into a sitting position. Trilek signed a simple ‘no’ with his tail, the human nodded and simply sat there with a hand on Trilek’s should as the other went about removing the listening devices and pad.
“Wh-why do you listen to that?” his voice was a shaking whisper, any mirth or confidence drained away by terror and the crash after the percieved danger had passed. Maxwell simply rubbed an aread of his mask with his hand.
“Because,” a sigh echoed slightly from the mask, “because I see it as a fun adventure between two comrades. Sure, there is danger and the reason they are engaging on their quests wouldn’t ring as very sensible but it allows me to live in a world of action and characters.”
They sat in silence for several minutes, his heart rate had returned to normal but all of Trilek’s limbs felt tired as if he’d run across the whole city without any breaks. Still, there was one question he wanted an answer to.
“Are all human books like that one?”
A barking sound quickly burst from the human before suddenly stopping, like a thunderclap in a storm.
“No, no, some are and they are my preferred reading material but I can see they wouldn’t be for you. Problem is though is that I can’t really speak on what novels outside of the genres I listen to are like or make any suggestions.” A pause followed this, as though some idea was brewing and Max was hesitant to say it. “There is another option, how desperate are you to listen to or read Human books?”
At the start of this whole day, by all the stars in the sky even an hour ago, Trilek would have excitedly shouted ‘I HAVE TO READ AT LEAST ONE!’ at the top of his lungs. But after listening to that passage, he wasn’t as sure anymore. Yet a small nugget of curiosity blazed in him, it couldn’t be quenched by ignoring it, so he might as well see what the human’s plan was.
“Kind of,” was his response.
“Then how about he start again, I’ll grab the first book of a serious I like and we can listen to it together.”
Original work belongs to u/Thirsha_42 and the original work can be read here: Tight Money

throw away account
TX (in a fairly conservative town if that matters)
I am now over two years divorced and recently had to file a suit against my ex regarding my ability to communicate with my kids (ages 8 and 10) when they are in her custody (we have a 50/50 custody arrangement). There are various pieces that fall under this suit, but it all is in regard to having open lines of communication to the kids, sharing of social media and email logins for kids accounts, and most importantly a parenting facilitator to ensure there is a level of protection for both sides before a suit has to be filed. All things pertaining to the kids. I tried working it out between she and I, then offered to use an outside mediator (which our divorce decree mandates but only for issues related to medical or mental health) and finally had to file the suit. We requested the case be an associate judge and she is requesting it be heard by a jury. She is outright objecting to all of the points and is accusing me of trying to get devices into her home so I can spy on them.
I can absolutely state without any shred of doubt that I have no interest in knowing what goes on in that house except for things that relate to the kids and the history of text messages will show that there is no time where I pushed or tried to invade anyone’s privacy.
My ex has requested mostly financial information through discovery and it seems she is either going to try to go after some child support or try to play the victim in front of the jury/judge, or maybe it’s just posturing/intimidation, I’m not really sure what her angle is here. I have started making a decent chunk more that I did during our marriage so to me it seems like a money grab. In my eyes if she is going to go for child support, I am going to push for additional or full custody to reduce the financial burden on her.
Some details that may be important or maybe not. She had an affair with a customer that led to the divorce, he now lives full time with her and is a part of the kids live. That possibly led to her losing her job (not sure if she left on her own or was fired) and she now has a job that I’m assuming doesn’t pay as well but she has plenty still for trips, a very new large SUV, etc. She is insisting the suit is frivolous and is being done out of jealousy or revenge (yet it all pertains to the kids and was the last resort after she refused to work it out between us or use a mediator 🤷‍♂️). In all of our communications (which is all done via text), I have been nothing but kind, willing to work together and accommodating to schedule changes, etc. She has many instances of being controlling, agreeing to something and then doing the opposite, and has had a few instances of inappropriate things happening on her watch which she brushed off as no big deal and “kids being kids” (one kid was searching for porn and they both have had situations that involved inappropriate touching).
I don’t know if that is all enough background information or not because I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact someone is fighting against putting barriers in place to protect both parents lines of communication and access to their social media accounts for supervision. But I guess my question is how does this likely play out? The money thing worries me because I have worked hard to get to where I am and she is the type of person that would go after their money to try to make her own life easier but I’d rather push this thing all the way than give in to intimidation tactics if that’s what it is.
If there are any additional questions I’ll definitely answer what I can but I’d like to hear from the masses how they see this thing going since it seems to be changing from a simple request for additional communication rules to a financial fight. What do yall think?

It has been over a week since I last left the apartment. I was meant to return to work the other day, but have been avoiding my boss’ calls. She’s out there now, watching me. I can see her through the window. She’ll leave soon, but then she’ll be back tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after that. Same time. Same place. Always watching.
It started in the bathroom of a McDonald’s just down the road from where I work. It had been a long shift and I had to stay behind two hours as a coworker called in sick. My legs were tired from standing all day and my eyes were drooping from exhaustion.
I washed my hands at the sink. The mirror reflected my awful features. Bags under the eyes. Acne scarring on my face. I felt icky.
“What are you doing here?”
A woman called from behind me. I flicked my hands in the sink to quickly dry them as I turned to face her.
“Excuse me,” she continued, “What are you doing in here?”
In front of me was a 40 something year old woman. Blonde hair and wearing sunglasses indoors. She looked furious.
“Just washing my hands,” I said.
“You’re a man,” she said.
“I’m not…”
“What are you doing in the female bathroom you freak?” she raised her voice over mine.
“I’m just using the toilet...”
The woman pulled out her phone and, presumably, started recording me, “This pervert is in the ladies bathroom checking on women.”
I lifted my hand up to block my face from the camera and walked brusquely out into the restaurant. I could hear the woman’s heavy footfalls trail behind me.
“Look at this groomer walking off now he’s been called out,” she said.
I walked up to the front counter. No doubt she was there too. A member of staff was standing there putting an order together.
“Hey,” I leaned over, “Can you stop her?”
“Oh yeah! Call the cops! We’ll see what they have to say when they arrive!” she said behind me.
“Sorry ma’am?” the staff member said, “What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know,” I said, “I’m just trying to use the bathroom and she’s harassing me.”
“Go on! Call them! They’ll kick this freak out!”
“Ma’am,” the worker said to her, “I’m going to have to ask you to stop or leave.”
“Stop what?” she said, “I’m just calling out this pedophile so they’ll stop creeping on little girls!”
The worker sighed, “I’ll just call the cops.”
“Yeah, they’ll get this sicko out of here!” she said.
I sighed, “You know what, I’ll just go.”
“Are you sure, ma’am?” the worker said.
“Ma’am?” the woman said, “That’s a dude!”
“Yeah, I just needed the toilet anyway,” I said, “I don’t want to make a fuss.”
“Run away!” she said, “Run away like the freak you are!”
Apart from the shouting woman, the place was completely silent as every bystander watched the situation unfold. I pulled my hoodie over my head and walked out the building as fast as I could. She followed.
I walked across the McDonald’s parking lot over to the supermarket next to me where I parked my car. The entire time, the heckler followed me, her phone still up and recording. I tried to ignore her as she kept screaming absurd shit over and over.
It didn’t take long to make it back to the car. I jumped in and locked the door. The woman pulled the handle as soon as it clicked. Luckily, she was too slow. My hands choked the wheel as the adrenaline started to fade. I didn’t realize how fast my heart was beating until it began to slow. She stood outside the window still filming and shouting her obscenities as I got control of my breathing.
After a minute, I started the car and reversed out of the space. She followed still recording from the window. Once on the road, I put it into drive and sped out of the parking lot. I saw her standing in the rear view mirror, phone in hand. Still screaming.
A day later, the experience still left a mark on me. I dreamed about it overnight. Her face was vivid in my mind. All day I was filled with regret that I didn’t let the police take care of it and hopefully get the woman taken away. Everything I didn’t say to her floated in my head.
I noticed it first when I took my dog out for a walk. A banged up blue Chevrolet. Must have been from the 70s. The paint was peeling, replaced with rust. I didn’t get a good look in from across the street. The glare from the sun was too strong. But it left an impression on me. I’d never seen a vehicle so distinct on this street before.
Throughout the day, I kept looking out the window. The car was still there. Down the road. I couldn’t make out any features from the distance, but there was someone sitting in the driver’s seat. It was freaking me out. I closed all the blinds in my apartment and tried to put it out of my mind for the time being.
I was working the next day. It was at a cafe franchise in the same complex as the McDonald’s. Most of my shift was spent making coffee and wiping down tables. The same old shit every day. Customers ranged from okay to horrible. I was just happy to get a paycheck.
We closed later than most cafes at around 10pm, though we were usually out of there by 10:45pm. I noticed it when mopping the front of house. It wasn’t so easy to see in the dark of night, but there was a blue Chevrolet—same model, same rusted coat—in the parking lot just outside the store. Again, I couldn’t see the person sitting in the driver’s seat, so I wandered out back and checked the cameras. Also not good enough, even when zoomed in.
My coworker kept asking if I was okay. Even though he tried to hide it, he was clearly annoyed that I was slowing down the close for no reason. I got on with mopping, but kept my eye on the parking lot. By the time we got out, the car was gone.
It was back outside the apartment the next day. The car would arrive at around 10am and leave at 9pm. A few times throughout the day, it would leave and then come back an hour or so later. I could see the person sitting there for hours and hours. But I didn’t want to confront them out of fear of what they might do.
When I went in for my next shift, my coworkers were all staring at me. I greeted them with a good afternoon, but everyone returned it with a harsh glare. As I was stuffing my bag into a locker in the back office, the store phone began ringing. My other coworker in the back quickly shuffled out of there, ignoring the ringing. After a couple of seconds, it stopped.
I closed the locker and put the key into my trouser pocket. The phone began ringing again. No one from front came out back. It was company policy that the phone must be picked up, but I wasn’t to start my shift for another five minutes. I sat down at the office, and listened to it ring until it eventually stopped.
10 seconds hadn’t passed before the phone started to ring again. I picked it up. “No CallerID” was displayed on the screen.
“You’ve reached…”
“Who is this?” a woman’s voice commanded on the other end.
“This is…”
“Is this Amy?”
I was shocked into silence for a moment, “How do you know me?”
“What’s your real name?”
“What?”
“You need to stop playing dress up, it doesn’t suit you well.”
“Who is this?”
I looked at the monitor and saw the blue Chevrolet parked outside.
“Is that you following me?” I asked.
“Stop pretending to be a woman then I’ll leave you alone.”
She hung-up.
I watched the Chevrolet pull out of the space and exit the parking lot on the monitor. I didn’t see her again all day.
When I got home after closing, a notification appeared from Facebook Messenger. It was a random account—no photo, fake name—requesting to DM me. I opened their request:
"Hey,
You don’t know me, but I’ve been following this random page for a while. A handful of people are sharing your photos and private information around. Sorry you had to find out this way."
They attached screenshots of posts from this group. All of them had my photos, ripped from my Facebook and Instagram accounts, posted along with disparaging comments and personal information. One of the posts even shared my address and work place. Some screenshots of comments showed people taking glee in the idea of hurting me. All of them made fun of how I looked. Picking apart all my insecurities one-by-one.
He’s too tall
Look at those big hands
Why is he caked in makeup in every photo?
The anonymous account linked the group, but it was private.
I called in sick the next day and took everything I had seen to the police. I told a detective about the Chevrolet, the online posts, the woman in the McDonalds. Everything. I printed off the screenshots, I gave them the link to the account, I noted the reg number of the car. All the detective did was assure me everything was going to be okay and made a report. Although the lack of immediate action was concerning.
I got home two hours later. The car was parked up on the same spot it had occupied for days. I called the police then, wanting to make sure a tangible incident report was made, hopefully creating a paper trail if it ever escalated. However, before the cops could arrive, the car was gone. They somehow knew the police were coming. I made my report to the officers and they scolded me for wasting their time before driving off.
When I got into work the next day, my manager pulled me aside before I started my shift. He sat me down next to him in the office.
“We’ve been getting reports,” he said, “From employees here and head office of someone harassing everyone? And they keep naming you. I just want to make sure everything’s okay and know if I can do anything to help.”
“What?” I was taken aback, “What about the head office.”
“Well,” he said, “HR have been getting floods of calls from No CallerID numbers and emails spammed to them. It’s clear they’re getting put into spam databases and stuff. We’ve had to turn the phone off here because people keep calling at all hours of the day. Head office have made reports to the police but they’re still investigating and want to make sure we give you the proper support.”
My heart sank. Everyone in the store had heard the women’s rants. Even the middle management that know of me through the paperwork they receive. All of them know the embarrassing comments some random woman made about me. All of them knew I was being stalked.
The surveillance monitors were open on the desk. I looked up at them and saw the blue Chevrolet was in the parking lot. Something broke.
I got up and walked out the door. My manager called after me, though I can’t recall his words. There was a sizable chunk of concrete broken off the sidewalk just outside. I took it in my hand and made for the car.
I got a close look at the driver. The same blonde, 40 something woman that had harassed me in the McDonald’s. She saw me coming and immediately started the ignition and drove for the exit.
“Leave me the fuck alone!” I screamed.
I arced my hand. The concrete left my palm and flew towards the Chevrolet. It missed the roof by a few inches and kept flying until it hit a black BMW parked behind it. The concrete broke in half as it left a massive crack on the windscreen.
I fell to the floor. The emotions had finally hit me as the adrenaline wore off. I began crying and didn’t stop for an hour.
The police came. When the customer eventually came back to their car from the supermarket, he was pissed. Luckily the two officers were able to keep things relatively calm. My manager spoke for me as I sat in the cafe. The two officers came in and informed me that he wasn’t pressing charges so long as I covered the damages. Even though I had little money to my name, I agreed.
My manager then told me to take a couple days off and said he was there if I needed help. All my coworkers stared at me in complete shock as I left the cafe. None of them said a word.
I drove home by myself. Even though he needed it, I decided not to take my dog for a walk. I didn’t want to be outside by myself at that moment. Instead, I made a cup of coffee and sat by the window. The blue Chevrolet is parked down the street.
Always watching.

Meanwhile, at the Base of the Barbarian Tribe, the King, Clint Orons had talked to the Messenger. "I shall consider the proposal." said Clint. "Sire." said Deronix, "we should be watching for the so-called 'Heroes'.". "so be it." said Clint. That was where one of the Council Members came towards Clint. "King Orons." said The Council Member. "Yes." said Clint. "With all due respect, we don't really know what the heroes are all about." said the Council Member. Meanwhile, at the crash site of the Kor'Drakk Cruiser, Alan had informed Joseph about the situation that had happened so far. "Where is the Undead Keep?" asked Kar'Gorto. "I'm not certain." said Kalzortus, "Perhaps we could ask the Orcs.". "I can't believe this." said Broktar, "of all the possible situations, you suggest asking the Orcs. Even when you said that you found them to be brutish in nature.".
At that moment, a Orc Warrior had approached the ship. "Sir." said Helmsman Mecator, "There's a Orc warrior at the side of the ship.". "Patch the Transmission to the Ready Room." said Captain Zordash. That was where Helmsman Mecator had patched the transmission to the ready room. "Captain Zordash." said the Orc. "yes, Comrade." said Captain Zordash, "What is it that you want?". "Xeintox has suggested that i come and help the Heroes." said the Orc, "i can help, by leading you to the Undead Keep.". At that moment, Tirus, Rotusor, and Officer Morgan had arrived at the area. "So." said Officer Morgan, "This is the object that had been sighted.". "I wonder where Alan And Broktar are located?" said Tirus.
That was where the Orc Warrior had turned to face Tirus, Rotusor, and Officer Morgan. "I should have figured." said the Orc, as he went for his axe. Tirus had gone for her bow and arrows. "wait a minute." said Rotusor. "What do you mean?" asked Tirus. "The Orc may actually be trying to help the crew of the ship." said Rotusor. "You may be right." said Officer Morgan, "i say we let him have a chance.". "if you insist." said Tirus. That was where the Orc had approached Tirus, Rotusor, and Officer Morgan. "I'm quite surprised." said the Orc, "i thought you would have fired on me, without a second thought.". "state the reason you have approached the ship." said Rotusor. "It is because my boss, Xeintox had sent me to lead a group of warriors to the Undead Keep." said the Orc. "Is that so." said Rotusor.
At that moment, Alan and Broktar had exited the cruiser. That was where Broktar had noticed Rotusor. "By the Moons of Artiox." said Broktar. "What do you mean by that?" asked Alan. "It's a figure of speech." said Broktar. That was where the Orc warrior had approached Alan and Broktar. "Well, Comrade." said Broktar, "Let's get a move on.". "What about our mission of finding allies to help fight the Master Of Zombies and the Undead Forces?" Asked Alan. "You are Right." said Broktar. As soon as Broktar said that, he went back to the ship, and accessed the comm-link. Meanwhile, at the Undead Keep, Ghoultor, Quotor, and the Battle Knight had entered the main room of the Keep. The Master Of Zombies And Necro-Oracle were waiting in the room for them. "Master, it is good to see you." said the Battle Knight, "Even after all these years.". That was where an undead soldier had arrived in the room."Sir." said the Undead Soldier, "we have captured several outlying towns, that surround the Plains of the Kordoz.". "What about the search for the Tomb of the Knight Lord Joseph Barker?" asked The Master Of Zombies. "Well, Sir." said the Undead Soldier, "They still haven't found the tomb yet.". "What!!!" the Master Of Zombies Roars, "This is unbelievable. They still haven't found the tomb.". "On the Bright side." said the Soldier, "when we captured the towns, we had transformed a good deal of the population into zombies.".
"Is that so." said the Master Of Zombies. Just then, K'Dartok and Captain Ghoulax had entered the room. "About time the two of you have arrived." said Quotor. "Yeah, That was wise." said The Battle Knight, "sending in a couple of shambling corpses to do a warrior's job.". "we may be reanimated corpses." said Captain Ghoulax, "but we actually had managed to do some damage to the heroes.". "Bah!" Said the Battle Knight, "You have battled only two of an entire group of Heroes.". "An Entire Group?" Said Captain Ghoulax. "yes, apparently there was a clan of Orcs and a crew of Aliens in the area, when i tried to contact the Battle Knight." said Quotor. "How do you know of such things?" asked Captain Ghoulax. "yeah." Said K'Dartok, "Neither of us were at the site.". "You're not helping matters." said Captain Ghoulax. "Oh, Really Now." said K'Dartok, "And i suppose that tactic of charging at the human with the two guns was effective.". “Oh." said Captain Ghoulax, "And i suppose that letting yourself be seen was any better.". "In case you two didn't notice." said Quotor, "We're on the same side.". "Oh, Right." said Captain Ghoulax. "in case any of you haven't noticed." said Necro-Oracle, "The plans must proceed, if we are to cover this Realm in darkness.". Meanwhile, At the Kor'Drakk Cruiser, Broktar, Tirus, Rotusor, Officer Morgan, Alan, and the Orc Warrior had started on the Way to the Undead Keep.
Just then, Kalzortus had caught up with them. "Kalzortus." said Broktar, "i'm surprised that you are coming with us.". "Captain Zordash figured that i would make a great representative on this mission." said Kalzortus, "Even though he doesn't really trust humans.". "Why does Captain Zordash distrust humans?" Asked Alan. "I'm Not sure." said Kalzortus, "but he did mention something that happened several hundred years ago, between him and a human.". "Several hundred years." Alan Said Curiously. "Yes." said Kalzortus, "i guess you don't really know too much about our people.". "Indeed." said Broktar, "The Kor'Drakk can live for hundreds of years. Kalzortus here, is one thousand years old.". "One thousand years." said Tirus. "I'm surprised the Kor'Drakk live that long." said Officer Morgan.
"Guys." said Rotusor, "it looks like these hills are about to curve over to the other side.". "it's not far now." said the Orc. "just what does this Undead Keep Look Like?" asked Officer Morgan. "last time i was in the area." said the Orc, "the place had been falling apart.". "Falling apart?" said Rotusor. "but when i had seen some undead creatures around the place." said The Orc, "upgrading the place. They had also placed some pieces of weaponry outside the gates.". "pieces of weaponry." said Broktar, "it should be no problem.". As soon as Broktar said that, he shifted his weapon mount to long range cannon mode. "What kind of weaponry?" asked Kalzortus. "I have only seen the two guns placed outside the Undead Keep." said the Orc, “It looked like they're long range rifles. Both of the guns are operated by a team of two zombies each.". At that moment, Joseph had contacted Alan. "Alan." Said Joseph, "What is your status?".
"i'm headed towards the Undead Keep." said Alan, "Officer Morgan is here as well. So are some of our new allies.". "Is that so." said Joseph, "Who are they, if you don't mind me asking.". "First of all." said Alan, "We have Broktar the Cyborg Lizardman, Tirus the Ranger, Rotusor the Warrior, Kalzortus, and, Wait a minute, We didn't ask the Orc Warrior what his name is.". "Yeah, That's Right." said Officer Morgan. "My name is Optotorix." said Optortorix. "Is that so." said Kalzortus. “Yes." said Optotorix, "and the Undead Keep is straight ahead.". As soon as Optotorix said that, He aimed at the Keep. "Well, i'll be." said Officer Morgan. "Hmm." said Joseph, "Apparently, Optotorix wasn't kidding.". Joseph had checked the database for any records on the weaponry. "I say we take it on directly." said Broktar. "Hold it, Broktar." said Kalzortus. "What do you mean?" asked Broktar. "there might be a weakness in the weaponry we may be able to exploit." said Kalzortus. "You may be right." said Officer Morgan. Just then, one of the zombies had seen the heroes. "Oh great." said Tirus, "they spotted us.". At that moment, Optotorix had charged at the guns. "For the Glory of the clans." Optotorix exclaimed as he charged at the guns. "Hold position." said Kalzortus. All of a sudden, a mysterious force had taken out both of the teams of zombies. "What in the Realms was that?" said Rotusor. "I haven't the slightest." said Tirus, "but whoever, Or whatever, had caused this, it sure helped us.".
"yeah." said Broktar, "And to think, i had shifted my weapon mount to long range cannon mode. Now i don't need to use it, for the time being.". "Just what doesn't your cyber-arm come attached with?" said Officer Morgan. "The kitchen sink, for one thing." said Broktar. "I should have figured." said Officer Morgan. "you must have learned that expression while you were on Earth." said Alan. "You mean to tell us, that Broktar was on Earth." Said Officer Morgan. "Of Course." said Broktar, "it was in the late 19th century, that i have been on Earth. The Location was England.". That was where Tirus had noticed a message near the Remains of the Gun emplacements. "i wonder what's on the message." said Tirus. That was where Tirus went over and picked up the message. "Hey, Tirus." said Officer Morgan, "what's on the message you have there?". "Apparently, it's in a Elven Language." said Tirus. "Are you able to Translate it?" asked Kalzortus. "I'll see what i can do." said Tirus. As soon as Tirus said that, she started to translate the message. Meanwhile, In Xerdas, The "Fire Griffens" had just started on their way. Little did they realize that there was someone watching them from a distance. "Hmm, this looks like the gang is headed towards the Undead Keep." said the Person, "if my instincts prove correct, They're going to be in danger.".
As soon as the Person said that, he opened a Portal. Meanwhile, back at the Undead Keep, Tirus had just finished translating the message. "What does it say?" asked Broktar. "Apparently." said Tirus, "it says that, to stop the Master Of Zombies, one needs The Sword of the Knight Lord Joseph Barker.". "What else does it say?" asked Officer Morgan. "it says that the Master Of Zombies has already placed the parts in the Battleship." said Tirus, "Not only that, it seems that the person had left several pieces of equipment.". "any idea on the identity of our mystery ally." said Alan. "as a matter of Fact." said Tirus, "it says the person's name is Zektus Skystar.". "Zektus." said Kalzortus, "that sounds like a word we Kor'Drakk use.". "Oh, Really Now." said Broktar, "Could we get on with this mission.". Just then, Zektus Skystar had appeared, via a portal. "Greetings, Heroes." said Zektus. "Hold it right there." said Officer Morgan. "Wait." said Tirus, "allow him to explain himself.". "thank you." said Zektus, "as i was saying, i am the warrior known as Zektus Skystar.". "If you don't mind me asking." said Alan, "But Kalzortus had mentioned that your first name is a word in Kor'Drakk. What does it mean in english?". "Ah, an inquisitive person." said Zektus, "Zektus means Warrior in Kor'Drakk.". As soon as Zektus said that, he went over and picked up the pieces of equipment he left for the heroes.
"You may need these." said Zektus. That was where Zektus handed Officer Morgan several clips of ammo. "Good thing you arrived with these clips." said Officer Morgan, "i was about to run out of ammo.". "indeed." said Zektus, "I had a feeling that you will be needing them. After all, i had witnessed your fight with the zombies.”. After Zektus said that, he turned to face Alan. "Alan." said Zektus, "I know that you intend on completing the mission. But i must warn you, The Master Of Zombies knows that you are headed to his base.". "What do you mean?" Asked Alan. "I mean that the Master Of Zombies has laid traps in advance." Said Zektus, "Not only that, but the Battleship that the Undead Forces have constructed, is not here.". "What do you mean the Battleship isn't here." said Officer Morgan. "You mean to tell us that this search was in vain." Said Alan. "All is not lost." said Zektus, “I know where the Battleship is being held in.". At that moment, an Zombie had spotted the heroes outside the Keep. That was where the zombie signalled for reinforcements. "Oh, Great." said Officer Morgan, "We must get going.". "Understood." said Zektus, "But before we go, Alan, Here's your equipment.". As soon as Zektus said that, he handed Alan a shotgun, a chainsaw, and a piece of Metal Plate Armor.
"Interesting pieces of equipment." said Alan. "Now can we get on with the mission." said Broktar. "Hey, what about Rotusor, Broktar, and Me?" said Tirus. "Yeah, She's Right." said Optotorix, "What about us?". "I hadn't expected to be with more than two heroes." Said Zektus. "I couldn't really blame you." said Kalzortus, "I mean, That you must have learned of the legend of the heroes.". "If that is true." said Tirus, "Than you must know of the sword 'Omnolight', and its role in this battle.". "Indeed." Said Zektus, "but the legend said that there is a group of only 2 heroes.". "Could we just get on with the mission." said Broktar. "Broktar seems to have a point." said Kalzortus, "After all, We're here to stop the Master Of Zombies.".
"He's Right." said Optotorix, "let's get going, before we're swarmed by shambling corpses.". "Good idea." Said Alan. That was where the heroes had entered the Undead Keep. Meanwhile, in the Mountain Town Of Ormrus, The townspeople were preparing the defences. That was where a messenger had arrived at the main building. "Sir." said one of the warriors, "There's a messenger for you.". That was where the warrior had escorted the Messenger to the leader. The Leader of the town, is Mayor Reinhart Jackson. "So, This is the messenger you mentioned." said Reinhart, "What is it that you have to say?". "First of all." said the messenger, "King Anderson requests that you would help him and his forces in the battle against the Armies of the Undead.". "Is that so." said Reinhart, "Then prepare a reply, saying that i will provide assistance.".
Just then, a Drwarven Warrior had entered the area. "Sir." The warrior said in a gruff voice, "the defensive perimeter is set up.". "Excellent work." said Reinhart, "is the Tomb of The Knight Lord Joseph Barker secured?". "Aye, Sir." said The Warrior. Little did the warriors know that there was a undead Scout spying on them. Meanwhile, Back at the Undead Keep, The heroes have already passed by several corridors. All the while, Necro-Oracle was watching the situation. Necro-Oracle was in the Observation room. That was where Quotor had entered the Room. "Necro-Oracle." said Quotor, "I just wanted to...". That was where Quotor had seen Necro-Oracle without his hood over his head. "By the Gods." said Quotor, "It cannot be possible.". "Then you know who i truly am." said Necro-Oracle, "That i am, in fact, an Dark Elf named Arkos Darkblade.". "That couldn't be possible." said Quotor, "Arkos was killed 7000 years ago.". "indeed i was." said Necro-Oracle, "However, i was resurrected by Dark Powers, that even i don't understand completely.". "Is that so." said Quotor. "Look, Quotor." Said Necro-Oracle, "Let's settle this when we're out of the way.". "What For?" Asked Quotor, "For What Reason?". "I have a plan." said Necro-Oracle, "I have set up a explosive for levelling this base. Not Only that, i had managed to hire a giant Cyclops to help in the plan to stop the Heroes.".
"This should be interesting." said Quotor. "Yes, indeed." said Necro-Oracle, As he was putting his hood over his head."Now, then." said Necro-Oracle, "Let's Get going.". Meanwhile, in another part of the Undead Keep, The heroes had managed to come across a room with three doors. "Which Way now?" said Officer Morgan. "I haven't the slightest." said Tirus, "What do you say, Broktar?". "I find it odd that you would ask me." Said Broktar, "Even though Zektus might be better at this than i.". "I'm surprised you would say that." said Zektus. "What do you mean?" asked Rotusor. "I mean that you would be the ones to trust me completely." said Zektus, "Even though you guys don't really know much about me.". “Indeed." said Kalzortus. "Let's just choose a path and keep going." said Officer Morgan. "Alright then." said Optotorix, "let's choose the middle path.". As soon as Optotorix said that, the heroes entered through the middle door. Little did the heroes realize that the doorway leading to the right, leads to a secret passageway leading outside of the Keep. Meanwhile, in the main room of the keep, the Giant Cyclops was waiting for the heroes to arrive in the area. "I wonder when they will arrive." said the Cyclops. That was where Quotor had contacted the Cyclops. "General Quotor." said the Cyclops, "i didn't expect you to call.".
"yes, indeed." said Quotor, "There is one thing i want you to do.". "What would that be?" Asked the Cyclops. "I want you to set the explosives to explode in 60 minutes." said Quotor, "Also, make sure the heroes don't make out of the keep.". "Anything else?" Asked the Cyclops. "That is all." Said Quotor. That was where the Cyclops had heard some footsteps in the distance. "Hmm." said the Cyclops, "The heroes must be nearby.". That was where the heroes had arrived in the room. "What on Earth?!" Said Alan, As soon as he seen the Cyclops. “Ah, Humans." said the Cyclops, “What's this, Non-human creatures?". "There seems to be a Rat-Man, An Orc, Two Half-Elves, A Lizardman, and a Alien there." said Quotor, "Along With the humans.".
"I shall make sure they don't make it out." said the Cyclops. As soon as the Cyclops said that, he had set the explosives for 60 minutes. "Oh, Great." Said Broktar, "There's a bomb.". "I thought you would have experience in that." said Tirus. "You think you're wise, with your comments." Said Broktar, "You just wait and see.". "Guys." said Kalzortus, "It looks like we only have less than an hour to deal with both the bomb and the Cyclops.". "Kalzortus is right." said Optotorix, "I say i will do the bomb defusing. You guys try to hold off the Cyclops.". "That sounds risky." said Officer Morgan. "I say we let him have a chance." said Rotusor, "I'll help Optotorix.". That was where Rotusor and Optotorix went to defuse the bomb.
All the While, The Cyclops was chasing after Alan, Broktar, Tirus, Kalzortus, Officer Morgan, and Zektus. At that moment, Joseph had contacted Alan. "Alan, What's your status?" Asked Joseph. "I'm inside the Undead Keep." said Alan, "The allies are here as well. There is one setback.". "One setback?" said Joseph. "Two, in fact." said Alan, "One, a bomb that is apparently set for 60 minutes, and Two, a Giant Cyclops.". "Is that so." said Joseph. "I just thought of something." said Kalzortus. "What's That?" asked Alan."What if we were able to convince the Cyclops to help us?" said Kalzortus. "That might be crazy enough to work." said Rotusor, "Although i doubt if it will work.". "Then i shall be the person to attempt that plan." Said Zektus. That was where Zektus had started to talk to the Cyclops. "Comrade." said Zektus, "Why is it that you serve the Forces of Darkness?". "I was hired to do so." said The Cyclops, "And i shall not fail in my mission.". "Even if it means that you will go down with this Keep." said Zektus. "What do you mean?" asked the Cyclops. "I mean that you will go down." said Zektus, "when the bomb explodes.". "Yes." said Kalzortus, "In other words, you'll be sacrificing yourself to help the enemy.".
"If what you say is true." said the Cyclops, "Then i shall help you.". That was where the Cyclops had gone over to the bomb and attempted to deactivate the bomb. At that moment, the bomb started up again. "Foolish Heroes." said a voice from the comm-link next to the bomb, "You think you can stop us.". "By the Gods." said Zektus, "It can't possibly be whom i think it is.". "What do you mean, Zektus?" Asked Broktar. "It is none other than Necro-Oracle." said Zektus. "Indeed, It is i, Necro-Oracle." said Necro-Oracle. "Who's Necro-Oracle?" Asked Alan. “Necro-Oracle is a Dark Oracle." said Zektus, "He has lived for centuries. It is rumoured that he feeds on the lifeforce of others.". "Also." said Rotusor, "It is rumoured that no-one has ever seen him without his hood.". "Indeed." said Necro-Oracle, "As for you, Comrade, you are no longer needed.". As soon as Necro-Oracle said that, he activated a remote, which controlled the bomb. The countdown timer went from 35 minutes to 15 minutes. "Oh Great." said Officer Morgan, "What are we going to do now?". "I have a idea." said the Cyclops. "What's that?" asked Officer Morgan. "There's a passage that exists under this Keep." said the Cyclops, "I'm not sure where it leads to, but it may be our way out of here.". "It sounds like a good idea." said Zektus, "let's get going.".
As soon as Zektus said that, the heroes went out of the main room, and headed towards the room with the three passageways. "Which Way Now?" Asked Officer Morgan. "It's this way." said the Cyclops, as he pointed to the door on the right.". "Excellent." said Kalzortus, "Let's go.". "Right." said Broktar, "Alan and i should take up the front.". As soon as Broktar said that, he shifted his cybernetic optic sensor to infra-red sight. "This should be good." said Alan. As he was talking, Alan had put a couple of shells in the shotgun. All the while, Necro-Oracle had warped in some troops to stop the heroes. "Captain Abomtus." said Necro-Oracle, "See to it that the heroes don't make it out of here.". "Yes, Master." said Captain Abomtus. That was where Captain Abomtus had moved into towards the location of the heroes. Meanwhile, At Castle Diroctor, An Orc Warrior had arrived at the Castle. There was a Barbarian Warrior at the Castle. "Greetings, Comrade." said the Barbarian Warrior. "You must be here to form an alliance with the Humans." said The Orc Warrior. "Indeed i am." said the Barbarian Warrior, "You must be here for the same reason as well.". "Of Course." said the Orc Warrior.
At that moment, King Anderson had Arrived in the Courtyard. "Ah, Greetings Comrades." said King Anderson, “How have you been?". "We've been Great." Said the Barbarian Warrior, "Wouldn't you agree with that?". "Indeed." said the Orc Warrior. Just then, Ortonk had appeared. "Sire, i was thinking." said Ortonk, "There might be a possible plan.". "What would that be, Ortonk?" asked King Anderson. "The Citizens of Chior might be able to help." said Ortonk. "Anyways." said the Orc Warrior, "Both the Barbarian and I are here on behalf of our respective peoples to usher in an alliance.". "Aye." said the Barbarian Warrior, "Even though i suspect Telzor and his clan would be reluctant in joining.". "I would Think so." said King Anderson.
"Yeah." said the Barbarian Warrior, "Telzor's brother was killed by a Knight.". "How did you know about it?" asked the Orc Warrior. "I heard it from Tlowtox Ironhammer." said the Barbarian Warrior, "He said he heard it from a friend of his.". At that moment, Princess Anderson had arrived in the Courtyard. "Jesse." said Princess Anderson, "Is that you.". "Heather." said Jesse, "I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were with your Uncle and Cousin.". "I was." said Princess Anderson. "Why are you here?" Asked Jesse. "Yeah." said the Orc Warrior, "He's Right.". "Uncle Arthur wanted to make sure i was safe." said Princess Anderson. Meanwhile, in the Tunnels under the Undead Keep, The Heroes had ventured into the lower levels. That was where Kalzortus had attempted to contact the crew of the Cruiser "Dragon Fire". "Comrades." said Kalortus, "This is Kalzortus reporting in. I just...". That was where Kalzortus noticed the comm-link had shorted out. "Bah!" said Kalzortus, "This Thing must be low on energy.". "Either that." said Broktar, "Or these Tunnels have an Communications Interference Device in them.". That was where Broktar turned to face Alan.
"Hey, Alan." Said Broktar, "see if your Communications device works.". That was where Alan had attempted to contact Joseph. "What The..." Said Alan, as soon as he seen the Comm-Link short out. "What Heppened?" asked Rotusor. "Apparently my Comm-Link is inoperative." said Alan, "For the Time Being.". "Well, That's just Great." said Officer Morgan, "what are we going to do now?". "Not to worry, Comrades." said Zektus, "I have a plan.". "What would that be?" asked Broktar. "You guys forget about my abilities." said Zektus, "Including Telepathy.". "Oh, Really now." said Broktar.. While the Heroes were in the Tunnels, The "Fire Griffens" gang had arrived at the Undead Keep, only to find it was about to blow up. That was where one of the Bikers had started to approach the Keep.
"Hold it, comrade." said Greg, "I have a feeling that something is about to happen.". At that moment, the Keep blew up. "All Bikers, head for cover." Said Greg. Fortunately, all 20 of the bikers had hidden behind the rocks. "Is everyone alright?" asked Greg. “All present and accounted for." said Caleb, "All are in one piece.". "then let's get going." said Greg. “Shouldn't we at least call Aizortun." David said. "Of Course." said Greg. As soon as he said that, he called Aizortun. Meanwhile, in the Tunnels under the Undead Keep, the Heroes had progressed through the tunnels. "So, Zektus." said Rotusor, "You haven't told us much about yourself.". "Indeed." said Broktar. "Then i shall tell you about my history." said Zektus.
As soon as Zektus said that, he had seen something in the distance. "What in the Realms was that?" said Rotusor. "Scans show a humanoid creature." said Broktar, "The closest i could figure, it is a Troll.". "Wait a minute." said the Cyclops, "The only Trolls in the Undead Forces i know of, are Fortox the Undead Troll, and Zoutoxas the Dark Troll.". "Fortox." said Rotusor, "that name sounds familiar.". "That's because Fortox was, at one time, a friend of Gretack the Ogre." said Tirus. At that moment, the creature showed itself. "By the Gods!" said Optotorix. "Mua-ha-ha." said the Creature, "so you have figured out who i am.". "indeed." said Tirus, "You are, in fact, Fortox.". "indeed." said Fortox, "But your quest ends here.". As soon as Fortox said that, he went right for Alan, With both Handaxes. "Alan, Duck out of the way!" said Tirus. Alan had managed to duck out of the way, also managing to fire off a couple of shots. one shot had hit Fortox in the Shoulder. "Arg!!" Fortox exclaimed in pain, as he clinched his left arm. "You shall pay for this, Human." said Fortox, As he charged at Alan. Fortox had taken a swipe at Alan with one of his axes.
"Alan, Watch out!!" said Tirus. That was where Alan had managed to move the metal plates of the armor in the path of the axe. That resulted in one of the axes being broken. "You shall pay for this, human." Said Fortox. "I wouldn't be so sure." said the Cyclops. At that moment, Fortox was surrounded by the Heroes. "You heroes shall not defeat me." said Fortox. "Care to try." said Officer Morgan. "You shall not stop the Master Of Zombies." said Fortox. "How could you fall so far from the light?" said Tirus, "You were once a noble warrior, Fighting along side your old friend, Gretack the Ogre.". "Bah!" said Fortox, “Do you really think i would willingly betray my friend.". "You mean to tell us, you're not a traitor." said Alan. "I say we deal with him immediately." said Broktar. "I wouldn't be so certain." said Zektus, "i have a plan.". "What would that be?" asked Alan. "We have a leader of the Undead Forces here." said Rotusor. "Exactly my point." said Zektus. "Where are you going with this?" asked Broktar. "We will try to interrogate Fortox to get the whereabouts of the Master Of Zombies." said Zektus. "Yeah, That's an excellent idea." said Alan, "with that data, we could find the two parts that had been stolen from the Military base From Earth.".
"I would have to agree with Alan." said Officer Morgan, "This could be advantageous.". All the while, above the Tunnels, and outside the remains of the Undead Keep, The "Fire Griffens" had gotten their new instructions. "Alright, boys." said Greg, "Let's Get going.". "Hey Greg, Where are we headed to now?" asked David. "Aizortun says the Location lies up to the North." said Greg, "It's a place called the Fort of the Dead.". "Then why did you have that confused look on your face?" asked David. "That's because Aizortun had first said the name of the location in another language." said Greg, "The Language he used, was a dialect of Troll.". “What was the place called in Troll?" asked Caleb. "That would be 'Nertos Dox Fareous'." said Greg. "Anyways." said David, "Let's get going.". As soon as David said that, the gang started on their way to the Fort of the Dead. Meanwhile, in the Tunnels, the heroes had managed to get the information they needed. At that moment, Captain Abomtos and the Troops had arrived. "Oh Great!" Said Officer Morgan. "Finally." said Fortox, "The odds are now stacked against you.". "I wouldn't be so sure." said Broktar.
As soon as Broktar said that, he grabbed ahold of Fortox. "Troops, Hold your fire." said Captain Abomtos. All of a sudden, Fortox had hit Broktar right in the mid-section. That resulted in Broktar loosening his grip, long enough for Fortox to escape. "We shall meet each other soon." said Fortox, as he was running towards the exit. "You won't be going too far." said Zektus, as he tossed a homing device on Fortox. At that moment, the Undead Troops in the Tunnel attacked the Heroes. "Heroes, Defensive Position." Said Tirus. At that moment, the Cyclops had hit the Wall. "What was that for?" asked Officer Morgan. "Just clear out of here." said the Cyclops, "i'll hold them off.". "If you insist." said Broktar. "We shall go." said Kalzortus. That was where all of the heroes, except for the Cyclops had started on their way out of the tunnels. "Your efforts shall not be in vain." said Kalzortus. "C'mon, Let's get going." said Broktar. "i shall stay here with the Cyclops." said Optotorix. "You go along with the others." said the Cyclops, "i shall catch up with you later.". "Alright then." said Rotusor. That was where the heroes went after Fortox. "How far is it now?" asked Alan.
"I haven't the slightest." said Officer Morgan, "But we'll find out soon enough.". All the while, Fortox was activating the mechanism for the exit. "I shall be out of here, finally." Fortox said to himself, "and i don't have to deal with these so called 'Heroes'.". Meanwhile, outside of the tunnels, The "Fire Griffens" had reached the outskirts of the towns surrounding the Plains of the Kordoz. "How far is it to the Fort of the Dead?" asked David. "Aizortun says it's only 3 days ride from here." said Greg, "Whatever that means.". That was where a Ogre had appeared. "Oh great!" said Duane. "Let me handle him." said Caleb. That was where Caleb stepped forward to deal with the Ogre. "we come in peace." said Celeb, "We are here on a mission to stop the Master Of Zombies.". "Tell him about the Location we are headed to, Caleb." said David. "Right." said Caleb, "we are headed to a place called the Fort of the Dead.". "is that so?" said The Ogre, "i know of someone who can help.". "Who is this person of which you speak of?" Asked Caleb. "you'll find out soon enough." said the Ogre. Meanwhile, under the tunnels, all of the heroes, except for the Cyclops, had made it in time to see Fortox enter the Mechanism to leave the tunnels. That was where Fortox turned to face the Heroes. "If you plan on getting those parts." said Fortox, "You're Too late.".
"Not if we can help it." said Officer Morgan. As soon as Officer Morgan said that, he charged at Fortox. At that moment, Fortox's comrades had arrived. "Commander Fortox." said the Captain of the Transport, "get a move on, sir.". That was where Fortox headed to the transport. "Until next time, heroes." said Fortox, as he boarded the Transport. "Officer Morgan, Hold position." said Kalzortus. But Officer Morgan didn't listen. He grabbed ahold of Fortox, just when Fortox stepped into the Transport. "By the Gods!" Said Kalzortus, "This cannot be!". At that moment, The Transport started to head to the Fort Of The Dead. "Oh, Great." said Rotusor, "They're getting away.". "Not if i can help it." said Broktar. As Soon as he said that, he targeted the Transport.
"Hold your fire." said Tirus, "Officer Morgan's in the ship.". "Oh, Right." said Broktar. At that moment, Optotorix had arrived. "Optortorix." said Broktar, "What Happened?". "I have some bad news." said Optotorix, "The Cyclops had Died.". "By the Gods!" said Kalzortus, "This is a dark day, indeed.". "What shall we do now?" asked Broktar. "I have a idea." said Rotusor. "What would that be, Rotusor?" asked Tirus. "I know of someone who can help us." said Rotusor, "He is Tlowtox Ironhammer, a Goblin.". "where does he reside?" Asked Tirus. "He resides in a area to the east of here." said Rotusor. "Let's get a move on." said Optotorix. "I just hope Officer Morgan is alright." said Tirus. "Of Course he'll be alright." said Alan, "i knew him for years.". "If you say so." said Tirus. That was where the heroes went to Tlowtox Ironhammer's base. All the while, on the Transport, Officer Morgan had been surrounded by several Ghouls. "Alright, you rotting pieces of flesh." said Officer Morgan, "You and your masters shall not conquer this realm.". All of a sudden, Officer Morgan was hit in the back of the head by a zombie. "That ought to keep him quiet." said the Zombie. Meanwhile, the Heroes made it to Tlowtox Ironhammer's Base. At that moment, Aizortun and Scaltokas had appeared. That was where the Heroes were taken off guard by their appearance. "Aizortun!" said Tirus, "I might have figured you would be around.". "However did you know, young Tirus." said Aizortun.
"I could sense your dark energy." said Tirus. "You must know of my history, and my role as it involves the Territory Wars." said Aizortun. "Yeah, i've heard the news." said Tirus, "You betrayed the Humans to the Orcs.". "Hey, do you mind." said Optotorix. "Right, Optortorix." said Tirus, "i have also heard the news that you had helped the 'Shock Rangers' clan get some new weapons.". "indeed, i have done so." said Aizortun, "And now your quest ends here.". "yeah, like he said." said Scaltokas. As soon as Scaltokas said that, he raised his battle-axe. At that moment, Tlowtox Ironhammer had appeared. "Tlowtox." said Aizortun, as he turned to face Tlowtox, "i didn't expect to see you here.".
"Nor i." said Tlowtox, "Now begone from here.". "Not likely." said Aizortun. All of a sudden, Aizortun had tossed an energy ball at Tlowtox. Fortunately, Tlowtox had managed to dodge the attack. "Now It's time to teach you a lesson." said Tlowtox. As soon as Tlowtox said that, he pressed a button on his wrist-mounted computer system. "What's happening now?" asked Alan. "Tlowtox is armoring up." said Rotusor. "Armoring up?" Alan said, curiously. "Indeed." said Rotusor. That was where Tlowtox had completed the Armoring up sequence. In his armored mode, Tlowtox stood over 8 feet in height. There are weapons systems over most of the robotic Armor.
"I shall not ask you this." said Tlowtox, "You two must leave here, and never return.". "Make us." said Scaltokas. "Stubborn Minotaur." said Aizortun. That was where Scaltokas charged at Tlowtox. All of a sudden, Tlowtox lifted Scaltokas off of the ground. Tlowtox then tossed Scaltokas out of the area. "By the Gods!" Exclaimed Aizortun, "You shall not beat Me.". As soon as Aizortun said that, he launched another energy ball. The energy ball hit Tlowtox directly in the armor. Tlowtox retaliated by using his grappling hook mechanism. Tlowtox had tossed Aizortun to the ground. "What do we do?" asked Alan.
"I suggest we try to find a mode of transportation." said Rotusor. "If you are looking for a mode of Transportation." said Tlowtox, "there's one on the launch pad.". "That does it!" said Aizortun, "i shall use my ultimate attack.". As soon as Aizortun said that, he raised his staff in preparation for his ultimate attack. The ultimate attack is "Omega Storm". "Now you shall fall." said Aizortun. "Boom!", a shot rang out, and Aizortun's staff was broken in two. Everyone looked over directly at Alan. Alan was holding the Double-Barrelled Shotgun, which was smoking.
That was where Alan Cleared the Smoke from the Barrels. "You know." said Alan, "You should listen to the Goblin.". "You Foolish weakling!" said Aizortun, as he planted his staff in the ground, "Don't you know how long it took to create this very staff with the best type of wood and a special type of crystal, which was available.". "Your Point?" said Alan. "You shall pay for this!" said Aizortun. "I don't think so." said Tlowtox. As soon as Tlowtox said that, he went for Aizortun. "You think that i could be beaten so easily." said Aizortun, "We shall meet again.". As soon as Aizortun said that, he summoned a Griffen. The Griffen swooped down to pick up Scaltokas. "This isn't the last time you'll see me." said Aizortun, As he was riding off. "Shouldn't we chase after him?" said Alan. "Not to worry, human." said Broktar, "i have a feeling he'll be facing a larger threat.". Meanwhile, in another dimension, The Gate Master was watching the events. "Most impressive." said the Gate Master. That was where the Gate Master noticed some of the events on another one of the View screens. "i have a bad feeling about this." said the Gate Master.
The situation that the Gate Master is referring to, was the "Fire Griffens" had made it within the Borders of the Undead Territory. "I have better tell the heroes about this." said The Gate Master. That was where the Gate Master went over to the communications console. Meanwhile, at Tlowtox's base, the heroes had met Tlowtox. At that moment, a call came over the communications console. "i'll be right back." said Tlowtox. That was where Tlowtox went over to the Communications Console. "I'm Surprised that you did that." said Broktar. "Yeah." said Optotorix, "i thought that Broktar would be the one to try something like that.". "Do you Mind?" said Broktar.
"The most unusual things happen in this dimension." said Kalzortus. At that moment, Joseph had contacted Alan. "Alan." said Joseph, "where on Earth have you been? the Troops were getting concerned. even the President had contacted this base.". "The President?" Asked Alan, "Well, the allies and i were in the tunnels under the Keep.". "Yeah, There was some sort of device that blocked communications." said Broktar. "Yeah." said Optotorix, "Not only that. we had a new ally join our side for a while, until his death.". "you mean that the Cyclops helped you." said Joseph. "yes, indeed." said Optotorix, "he sacrificed himself to help us.". "yes." said Kalzortus, "he died honourably.". That was where Tlowtox had come back from being inside the base. "guys." said Tlowtox, "There's someone you should meet.". "Alright." said Alan, “We're coming.". That was where the heroes had entered Tlowtox's base. "Alright, who is it you are referring to?" asked Broktar. "It is none other than the Gate Master." said Tlowtox. "Gate Master?" said Broktar, "i didn't expect to see you.". "Indeed." said The Gate Master, "So, you must be Alan Stukov.". “Indeed i am." said Alan. "So." said Kalzortus, "You are the Gate Master.".

"Alert, level 2." said the ship's computer. "Computer, where are the hostiles?" asked Captain Zordash. "Hostiles located ahead of ship, and to the left side." said the ship's computer. Just then, the ship was hit by several rockets. "all crew, prepare for defense." said Captain Zordash. "Sir" said Lieutenant Gotarus. "Yes, Lieutenant Gotarus." said Captain Zordash. "I have some bad news." said Lieutenant Gotarus. "What is it?" asked Captain Zordash. "Our Armor Walkers are Off-line. also they're beyond repair." Said Lieutenant Gotarus. "this is just great." said Captain Zordash. Just then, several more rockets had hit the ship. "Helmsman" said Captain Zordash, "Prepare Autocannons.". "Yes, sir." said Helmsman Mecator. Meanwhile, at the Arch Mage's tower, Alan, Officer Morgan, and Broktar had arrived in the main room.
"Ah, you must be the people my apprentice told me about." said Alex. At that moment, Broktar noticed something in the distance. "First of all, i would like to introduce myself." said Alex Johnson, "i am Alex Johnson. You three have already met my Apprentice, Lucas Sorbo.". "I am Tirus, Ranger Of the Town Of Chior." Said Tirus. "A Elf, I should have known." said Broktar, "I sensed her energy level when we were on the seventh floor.". "Actually, i'm a Half-Elf." said Tirus. "What do you mean by that, Broktar?" asked Alan. "My People, The Lizard Creatures, have a history with the Elves." said Broktar. "Yeah, Elves have a history with the Lizard Creatures." said Tirus. As soon as Tirus said that, she went for her Bow And Arrow, and aimed it at Broktar. That was where Broktar had aimed his weapon mount at Tirus. "Hold it." said Alan, "We're supposed to be on the same side.". "Sir." said Lucas, "There seems to be a disturbance in Orc Territory.”. "What is the disturbance?" asked Broktar. "apparently, the Shock Rangers are raiding a ship of some sort." replied Lucas. "Then we must do something about it." said Officer Morgan. "Yes, i agree, but you should be careful." said Alex. "What do you mean?" asked Officer Morgan. "The Shock Rangers are a dangerous clan. Their warriors ride upon creatures called Griontors." said Alex, "They also have weaponry from other dimensions.".
"Other dimensions?" Said Officer Morgan. "Yes, but we should go there to help out any survivors." said Alan. "It's agreed then." said Alex, "Tirus will show you the way.". As soon as Alex said that, Broktar, Alan, Officer Morgan, and Tirus had gone back down to the first floor, After Alex Convinced Tirus to go with the team. "I can't believe this." said Tirus. "What's that?" asked Alan. "It's Being stuck with a creature, such as Broktar." said Tirus. "Hey, just because Lizard Creatures and Elves have a history of being enemies, that doesn't stop our two peoples from reconciling our differences." said Broktar. Just then, Joseph had contacted Alan, via the comm-link. "Alan." said Joseph, "What's your status?". "We've just started our trip." said Alan, "But we have been informed about a disturbance in Orc Territory.". "Yeah, and the Clan that resides in the territory is the Shock Rangers." said Officer Morgan. "Shock Rangers." said Joseph. "Yes, Shock Rangers." Said Broktar, "We Must get a move on.".
"Yes, then you better get there." said Joseph, "I will contact you once you're in position.". Once Joseph said that, he ended the transmission. "Hey, i just realized something." said Broktar. "What's that?" asked Officer Morgan. "We don't have any mode of transportation." replied Broktar. "That's right." said Officer Morgan, "We couldn't use the police car, because it's in the Earth Dimension.". "So is my truck." said Alan. "I know of someone who can help." said Tirus. "Who's that?" asked Alan. "Rotusor the Rat-Man." Replied Tirus. "Rotusor?" asked Officer Morgan. "Yes, Rotusor lives in a encampment to the south of the Castle." said Tirus, "I'll go talk to Rotusor.". "We'll meet you on the way." said Alan. "I will accompany Tirus on her way to Rotusor's place." said Officer Morgan. "Alright, Officer Morgan." said Alan, "We'll start to head to the area where the disturbance is located in.".
As soon as Alan said that, he and Broktar started on their way. "Tirus, what is area where the Orc Territory is located in?" asked Alan. "it's Directly to the north." said Tirus, "go past the bridges and keep going north until you find two cliffs.". "is that where the boarders of the begin?" asked Broktar. "not quite, it starts a couple of meters off from it." said Tirus, "there is a sign stating that it is Orc Teritory.". "i understand." said Alan. That was where Alan and Broktar had started on the way to the Orc Territory. "Tirus, who is this Rotusor whom you speak of?" Asked Officer Mogan. "He's a good friend of Mine." replied Tirus, "he had helped my hometown from being invaded by Orcs.". Little did Tirus and Officer Morgan know that the Ghoul K'Dartok was following them.
"General Quotor." said K'Dartok, "i have something to tell you.". "What would that be?" Asked Quotor. "Apparently, the Half-Elf Ranger Tirus is getting involved." said K'Dortok, "and now Tirus and the human known as Officer Morgan are going to the base of the Rat-man Rotusor.". "this is most serious." said Quotor, "i'll send a squad of zombies in to deal with the human known as Officer Morgan and the Ranger Tirus.". "what shall i do, General Quotor." said K'Dortok. "Hold your position." said Quotor. At that moment, a squad of zombies had entered the main room of the Keep, where Quotor was located in. That was where the Captain of the Squad came Forward. "Sir, Captain Ghoulax reporting for duty, sir." said Captain Ghoulax. "finally, the troops i sent for have arrived." said Quotor, "i have a mission for you and your troops.". "what is it, sir?" asked Captain Ghoulax. "it seems that a group of warriors have started a quest to stop the Master Of Zombies." said Quotor, "so far, two of the warriors are headed to the base of the Rat-Man Rotusor. I want you to make sure they don't get any farther in their quest.".
"understood, sir." said Captain Ghoulax. At that moment, Quotor had moved into position to warp the troops into the Area. Meanwhile, outside of Rotusor's base, Tirus and Officer Morgan had made it to Rotusor's place. That was where Rotusor had noticed Tirus and Officer Morgan. "well, i'll be." Rotusor said To himself. That was where Rotusor went over to the Front door and opened it. "Rotusor." said Tirus as soon as she saw Rotusor. "ah, Tirus." said Rotusor, "it's been a long time.". "It sure has been a long time." said Tirus. At that moment, a squad of zombies had appeared in the area. "By the Gods." said Rotusor. "Finally, the targets." said Captain Ghoulax, "Alright Troops, surround and attack.". "Yes, sir." said the zombie troops, as they moved into position. "Oh, great." exclaimed Officer Morgan, "how did they get here?". "Apparently it's the work of General Quotor." said Rotusor. "Quotor?" said Officer Morgan, "who's that?". Just then, a zombie tried to jump at Rotusor. Fortunately, Rotusor managed to dodge the attack. Officer Morgan had unholstered both of his guns and aimed both at the Zombies.
"if i remember Correctly." said Officer Morgan, "to stop a zombie, aim for the head.". "where did you learn that?" asked Tirus. "That was from watching Zombie Movies." replied Officer Morgan. That was where most of the Zombies had surrounded Officer Morgan. "This should be good." said One of the Zombies. All of a sudden, The zombies had charged at Officer Morgan, Tirus, and Rotusor. "Bang!", "bang!". Shots rang out as several Zombies fell. Several Zombies had tried to gang up on Tirus. "Tirus, Watch Out!!" exclaimed Officer Morgan. just then, a zombie managed to injure Tirus. "Yaah!!" Tirus exclaimed as she fell to the ground. "Now for the Human and the Rat-man." said Captain Ghoulax. "how dare you harm a friend of mine." said Rotusor. As soon as he said that, Rotusor had charged at the remaining Zombies. "Rotusor, wait!" said Tirus. But before Rotusor could react, he was hit with a arrow from one of the Zombies.
"yaargh!!" Rotusor exclaimed when the arrow had pierced his shoulder. That was where Officer Morgan had moved into position. "trying to be the hero, eh, human." said Captain Ghoulax, "Zombies, attack.". Just then, the zombies had charged Officer Morgan. Officer Morgan had started charging at the zombies, with both guns blazing. "This is for harming Rotusor and Tirus." said Officer Morgan. While that was going on, K'Dortok was watching from a distance. "This is most interesting." K'Dortok said to himself, "the human seems to be quite a fighter.". Meanwhile, Broktar and Alan had crossed the bridge leading north into Orc Territory. "You're probably wondering how i had gotten these cybernetics." said Broktar. "How did you get those cybernetics?" asked Alan. "It was in the late 19th century, in your home realm of Earth." said Broktar, "when i had entered the realm by accident. the location i landed in, was England.".
"19th century England?" Alan Said, curiously. "i know it sounds strange." said Broktar, "during that time, i had encountered a time-travelling Mad Bomber.". “A time Travelling Mad Bomber." said Alan. "Yes, during the encounter, one of his bombs went off." said Broktar, "i tried to move it out of the way, but it went off, and it cost me my arm.". "how did you get the cybernetics?" asked Alan. "that was with the help of a alien warrior whom had arrived there centuries before." said Broktar, "ever since the incident, i didn't see the Mad Bomber ever again.". Just then, Broktar had seen something in the distance. "Computer." said Broktar, "access long range visual scan.". “Accessing long range scan." Broktar's computer Replied. "What on Earth is that?" said Alan.
That was where the Recon Patrol, lead by Sergeant Dorgarus had moved into position. "wait a minute." said Sergeant Dorgarus. "apparently there are two individuals in the distance." said Kalzortus. That was where Kalzortus had checked the viewscope. "Are you able to tell who, or what they are?" asked Dorgarus. "there is a human and a lizardman." replied Kalzortus. "a human and a Lizardman?" asked Kar'Gorto. "yes, young warrior, a human and a lizardman." said Kalzortus. "how were you able to recognize that there is a lizardman with the human?" Asked Dorgarus. "i have seen many different kinds of life forms throughout my life." said Kalzortus, "i have witnessed these lizard creatures, and some of the events in their civilization.".
"what events?" asked one of the members of the Recon Patrol. "one such event happened during the battles in the sister realm of this realm." said Kalzortus, "it was when a sacred object that the Elves had deep respect for, had been stolen.”. "what Happened next?" asked Kar'Gorto. "the Elves had suspected the Lizard Creatures of being the culprits." said Kalzortus, "it was later revealed that a clan Of Orcs had stolen the object known as the Vase Of Light.". "Why would the Orcs steal the Vase Of Light?" asked Dorgarus. Just then, Alan And Broktar came closer to the Recon Patrol. "Well, I'll Be." Broktar said, "it's a patrol of Kor'Drakk Warriors.". "Kor'Drakk?" said Alan. "yes, it just so happens that a member of their people had helped me get these Cybernetics." said Broktar.
Just then, Kalzortus came forth from the Recon Patrol. “Wait a minute." said Kalzortus, "is that you, Broktar?". "Kalzortus?" said Broktar. "Well, i'll be." said Kalzortus, "it is you.". That was where Broktar and Kalzortus came forward, and started acting like old friends, which, in fact, they are. Alan was standing there, with a rather confused look. So were the other members of the Recon Patrol. "it's sure been a long time." Broktar said to Kalzortus. “Yeah, it's been 500 years." said Kalzortus. "500 years?" Alan Asked, curiously. "yes, young human." said Kalzortus, "500 years ago, i had met a young Lizardman by the name Of Broktar.". "yes, it was during a time of conflict between my people and the Elves." said Broktar, "the Events took place in a dimension that just so happens to be the sister realm of this realm.".
"hey, wait a minute." said Alan, "Broktar, when you told me the events in which you got your cybernetics. The events you said, took place in the late 19th century, in England.”. "Yes, what about it?" asked Broktar. "How were you able to arrive in England during the Late 19th century?" asked Alan. At that moment, Captain Zordash had contacted the Recon Patrol. "Sergeant Dorgarus." said Captain Zordash. "yes, Captain." said Sergeant Dorgarus. "There's a situation here at the ship." said Captain Zordash. "The Orcs must be near." said Broktar. "how would you know, Lizardman?" said Captain Zordash. "we were told by Tirus the Ranger." said Broktar. "we were on our way to the site of a crashed object in Orc Territory." said Alan.
"the Object you are referring to, is our ship." said Dorgarus, "how dare you insult the Kor'Drakk cruiser 'Dragon Fire', the glory of the Kor'Drakk Armada.". Just then, Dorgarus had attempted to strike down Alan for the perceived insult. "stand Down, Dorgarus." said Kalzortus. "What do you mean, Kalzortus?" said Dorgarus. "you're letting pride cloud your judgement." said Kalzortus, "you must learn to control your emotions.". "if you insist." said Dorgarus. After Dorgarus said that, she started heading back to the cruiser. "i must apologize on Dorgarus's behalf, and on behalf of our patrol." said Kalzortus, "Dorgarus tends to get riled up whenever someone insults the Kor'Drakk, its People, Army, or its Technology, or even the home planet.".
"we've better get a move on, if we are to be of any help." said Alan. "That's Right." said Broktar. "why don't you hop on-board." said Kalzortus. "On-Board?" said Broktar. "yes, on-board the Drakkus 7." said Kalzortus. The Drakkus 7 is a 4-wheeled recon vehicle. Its features include a cloaking device. "i just hope we can get there in time to be of any help." said Alan. That was where Alan, Broktar, And Kalzortus started to make their way to the Kor'Drakk cruiser. Meanwhile, at Rotusor's place, the zombies were shot down by Officer Morgan. "you won't be able to stop the Master Of Zombies." said Captain Ghoulax. As he was saying that, he looked over at Tirus and Rotusor. Then he looked back at Officer Morgan. That was where he started moving towards Officer Morgan.
"it seems your friends are in a bad position." said Captain Ghoulax, "you shall not proceed any farther.". As he was moving closer, Captain Ghoulax had reached for his battle-axe. "The Master Of Zombies shall thank me for eliminating these so-called 'heroes'." said Captain Ghoulax. "you won't stop us." Said Officer Morgan, as he was reloading his guns. "alright you rotting piece of flesh." Officer Morgan said under his breath, "just a moment longer.". That was where Captain Ghoulax has started to quicken his pace. At that moment, Tirus had managed to toss an arrow in Captain Ghoulax's path. The Arrow that Tirus tossed, had crossed the path of Captain Ghoulax. At that moment, Captain Ghoulax had tripped over the arrow. "Arrgh." Captain Ghoulax said, as he fell to the ground. "now's your chance, Officer Morgan." Tirus said to Officer Morgan. that was where Officer Morgan had gotten into position. "Alright, you rotting piece of flesh." said Officer Morgan, "get up.".
As he saying this, he aimed both of his guns directly at Captain Ghoulax's head. "human, why do you even bother with this talk?" Captain Ghoulax said to Officer Morgan. Once he said that, Captain Ghoulax went for his Battle-Axe. "Don't even bother trying to get your axe." said Officer Morgan. While Officer Morgan was dealing with Captain Ghoulax, the Ghoul K'Dortok was moving closer to the scene. "i must help Captain Ghoulax." said K'Dortok. Just then, the archers whom were stationed at the south wall of the castle had come back from the armory. "wait a minute." said one of the archers. "what is it, Greg?" another one of the archers asked Greg, "it looks like a ghoul is fighting Officer Morgan." said Greg, "not only that, it looks like a Half-Elf and the Rat-Man Rotusor are in the area. It looks like they're injured.".
"We've better do something to help them." said one of the archers. Just then, the Knight Dante Morgan had come onto the Wall. "What's going on?" asked Dante. "it Seems that there is a situation going on just outside Rotusor's place." said Greg. "i shall get a squad of troops ready." said Dante. Just then, one of the archers had noticed the Ghoul K'Dortok. "hey guys." the Archer said, "there seems to be a ghoul here.". At that moment, K'Dortok had noticed the Archers at the wall. "Oh, Great." said K'Dortok, "hey, Captain Ghoulax, you've better hurry up and finish off the Human, the Half-Elf, and the Rat-Man.". "yeah, yeah." said Captain Ghoulax, "i'm on it.". After he said that, he went for his secondary weapon, which is a short sword.
"hold it right there." said Officer Morgan. "You won't stop me from completing my mission." said Captain Ghoulax. As soon as he said that, he charged at Officer Morgan. "for the Glory of the Master Of Zombies." Captain Ghoulax exclaimed as he charged at Officer Morgan. "watch out!" exclaimed Tirus. Just then, Officer Morgan had managed to dodge out of the way of Captain Ghoulax's charge. "huh." said Captain Ghoulax, "how are you still able to move?". Little did Officer Morgan, Tirus, and Rotusor realize that Captain Ghoulax isn't the only undead creature in the area.
All of a sudden, K'Dortok had started charging towards the area where Officer Morgan, Tirus, Rotusor, and Captain Ghoulax are located in. All the while, the archers were firing at K'Dortok. Just then, K'Dortok had turned to face the Archers and the barrage of arrows. K'Dortok then took a Blade Disc from his belt and tossed it at the archers. The Blade Disc is a circular disc weapon with a curved blade on each section. "incoming Projectile!!" exclaimed one of the archers. As soon as the archer said that, the archers had put up their shields, in a attempt to block the Blade Disc. But it was too late, the Blade Disc had managed to hit its target, as it sliced through several of the Archers' Armor.
"auggh!!" exclaimed the injured Archers as they fell to the floor, next to the outer edge of the wall. "someone get the healer up here." said Greg Myers. That was where one of the archers had started on his way to get help. Meanwhile, at the site of the crashed Kor'Drakk cruiser, Kalzortus had joined with the rest of the crew. All of a sudden, one of the Orcs had targeted Kalzortus. "this should be good." The Orc Said, as he loaded a missile launcher. "Helmsman." said Captain Zordash, "What's the status?". "i'm getting several incoming projectiles." said Helmsman Mecator, "they're coming in from Starboard Side.".
Just then, several rockets hit the cruiser right below the Autocannons on the starboard side. "ka-boom!!" the rockets hit directly at the shields, which rocks the ship. "Chief Engineer Jor'Dorus." said Captain Zordash, "how are you and the crew doing on the engine repair?". "Warp coils are nearly repaired." Replied Jor'Dorus. At that moment, Kalzortus had contacted Captain Zordash. "sir." said Kalzortus, "recon Patrol Alpha reporting in.". "Kalzortus, what's your status?" asked Captain Zordash. "Apparently, this realm has many different cultures." said Kalzortus. "Cultures?" asked Captain Zordash, "What kinds?". "there is a medieval type of area to the south of this area." said Kalzortus. At that moment, several Orc warriors came charging at the recon patrol, Alan, and Broktar. "For the glory of the clans!!" one of the Orc Warriors exclaimed. "warning: incoming hostiles", Broktar's computer said. "i suggest we defend ourselves." said Broktar, as he was getting into defensive position.
"Kor'Drakk Warriors, begin defensive maneuvers." said Sergeant Dorgarus. As the Kor'Drakk Warriors were getting into defensive position, Xeintox had motioned for his Gatling cannon artillery crews. "Alright, Comrades." said Xeintox, "move into position.". "yes, sir." said the Artillery Crew Captain. That was where Broktar had noticed that the Artillery crew was moving towards the rear of the cruiser. "guys." said Broktar, "there seems to be a artillery crew headed towards the rear of the ship.". "oh, great." said Dorgarus, "if they make it to that part, they'll be able to knock out the external propulsion system.". "aren't there any shields in that area, or at least some way of defense in that area." said Alan. "There's only a couple of chain guns and an energy shield protecting the external propulsion system." said Dorgarus. "i'll help defend the position." said Kar'Gorto. Little did the Kor'Drakk crew, the Recon Patrol, Alan, Broktar, and the Orcs realize that the Battle Knight Was Watching the situation. "Most Impressive." The Battle Knight said to himself, "these Orcs have some powerful weapons.". Just then, Quotor had contacted the Battle Knight.
"Battle Knight, What is your position and status?" Asked Quotor. "I'm Outside the site of a c rashed Alien ship." said the Battle Knight. "Crashed Alien ship?" asked Quotor. "yes, a alien ship." said the Battle Knight, "I'm not waiting.". As soon as the Battle Knight said that, he had unsheathed the Skull Sword, and started charging towards the site. That was where one of the Orc Warriors had noticed that the Battle Knight was charging towards the site. "sir." said the Orc, "the Battle Knight is approaching.". "Prepare defensive maneuvers." said Xeintox. That was where two Artillery crews moved into position, Along with a squad of Orc Warriors, both on Griontors and on foot. "all troops, fire upon the Battle Knight." said the Artillery Crew Captain. That was where every troop in the defensive position started firing at the Battle Knight.
"pow", "Pow". Each of the shots from the Artillery cannons had hit the Battle Knight. However, the Gatling cannons had no effect on the Battle Knight and his armor. "that can't be possible." said one of the Orcs. "this guy isn't going down." said another Orc. That was where several rocket launcher wielding Orcs moved into position and fired upon the Battle Knight. "That should do it." said the Artillery Captain. All of a sudden, the Orcs had started to see a shadow emerge from the shadowy Smoke. It was that of the Battle Knight. "is there anything that he can do to stop him." said one of the Orcs. "Look guys." said another Orc, "it looks like most of the Battle Knight's armor is heavily damaged.".
The Battle Knight's Armor had sustained heavy damage, including his helmet. "hey guys." said one of the Orcs, "we might have a chance of beating this guy.". All of a sudden, one of the Orcs had seen the Battle Knight Start to recover his armor. The Battle Knight's Armor is created from Dark Powers. It can recover itself, using the Dark Powers. As the Battle Knight's Armor was repairing itself, he looked down at his tunic. He had remembered that there was a cut on the tunic, right over his chest. "it's been years." the Battle Knight Said to himself, "that i faced Joseph Barker.". The events that the Battle Knight is referring to, happened many, many years ago. It was when the Battle Knight had battled the Knight Lord Joseph Barker. The Battle had left the Battle Knight with a scar on his chest.
That was where Quotor had managed to contact The Battle Knight. "Battle Knight." said Quotor, "return to base immediately.". "Not until i finish what i have started." said the Battle Knight. "Get Back here immediately." said Quotor, "the Master Of Zombies is expecting you here at the Undead Keep.". "the Master Of Zombies is there?" said the Battle Knight. "the Master Of Zombies is there?" said the Battle Knight. "yes, and he's waiting for you." said Quotor. "If you insist." said The Battle Knight. That was where the Battle Knight had faced the Orcs, Broktar, The Crew of the "Dragon Fire" and Alan.
"Until Next Time." said the Battle Knight. Once he said that, he started to head towards the Undead Keep. "Who was that?" Asked Alan. "i haven't the slightest." said Kalzortus, "Even in all my years. i have seen hundreds of worlds and hundreds of people. Never before have i seen a being such as him.". That was whee the Orcs had turned to face the crew of the Kor'Drakk cruiser, Alan, And Broktar. "All Warriors." said Dorgarus, "Prepare to defend the ship at all costs.". Once Dorgarus said that, she and the Warriors had readied their weapons. All of a sudden, an Orc Warrior came forth from the clan. "All Warriors, Hold your fire." said Xeintox. "What on Earth?" said Alan. At that moment, Joseph had contacted Alan, Via the Comm-link. "Alan." said Joseph, "What's your status?".
"Officer Morgan and i had arrived in Octiviox." said Alan, "i am currently at the site of an crash landed alien cruiser.". "interesting." said Joseph, "what else had happened? Were you able to find the creature that stole the parts?". "i haven't found him yet." said Alan, "but i have a idea where he might be at.". "Oh, Really now." said Joseph, "where would that be?". "Well, when the Knight was talking to the Dark Being, The Dark Being said something about an Undead Keep." said Alan. "an Undead Keep?" asked Joseph. "i haven't the slightest what that is." said Alan. Just then, the Orc Warrior had reached the Kor'Drakk Cruiser. "What On Earth?" said Alan. "On behalf of Captain Xeintox, Leader of the Shock Rangers clan, and on..." said the Orc Warrior. But before the Orc Warrior could finish the sentence, Broktar had grabbed him by the throat, and started to lift him into the air.
"Alright you slimy...." said Broktar. "Hold it, Broktar." said Alan, "let the Warrior speak.". "If you insist." said Broktar, as he put the Warrior back on the ground. "Continue with what you are saying." said Alan. "As i was saying." said the Orc, "On Behalf of Captain Xeintox and the Shock Rangers, Captain Xeintox wishes to apologize for any inconvenience the situation has caused.". “Apologize." said Broktar, "for What? Trying to raid this ship.". As Broktar was saying this, he aimed his weapon mount at the Orc Warrior. "Apparently, there is something more to this situation that what it appears to be." Said Kalzortus. Meanwhile, in another Dimension, The Gate Master had seen the recent events. "It is time." said the Gate Master, "That i meet Alan in person.". That was where the Gate Master Realized that if he was to leave the portals unwatched, creatures from all dimensions could cause chaos.
"Hmm, how shall i meet Alan." said the Gate Master, "without leaving the Portals unwatched.". Meanwhile, at the Kor'Drakk cruiser, The Orc Warrior had sent a message from Xeintox, Leader of the "Shock Rangers" clan to Captain Zordash of the Cruiser "Dragon Fire". "I still don't trust these Orcs." said Broktar. "After witnessing the events in your homerealm, i couldn't really blame you." said Kalzortus, "Maybe you should let them have a chance to prove themselves.". "Maybe you're right." said Broktar, "Who knows. Maybe they might prove to be worthy allies.". That was where Captain Zordash had contacted Dorgarus. "Dorgarus, What is your status?" asked Captain Zordash. "It seems that the Orcs have stopped the attack." said Dorgarus, “and the Clan leader has sent one of his warriors to negotiate a possible alliance.".
"Allow them to enter the Ship." said Captain Zordash. "But, Sir." said Dorgarus, "they just attacked our ship.”. “they may be able to prove themselves." said Kalzortus. "i would have to agree with Kalzortus." said Kar'Gorto. "Then it's agreed." said Captain Zordash, "escort the warriors inside.". That was where Xeintox, leader of the "Shock Rangers" clan came forth from the Orc Clan. "so, your leader has decided to accept my proposal." said Xeintox. "Why, you Slimy..." said Broktar. "Hold it, Broktar." said Alan. "it seems your lizardman friend is a bit of a hothead." said Xeintox. After Xeintox said that, he started to head towards the Kor'Drakk Cruiser.
Meanwhile, in the Town Of Chior, Aross was having a meeting in the main room of the Town Hall with his advisors. "sir." said one of the Advisors, "we must improve our defenses if we are to stand a chance against the forces of the undead.". "by the way." said another one of the Advisors, "how is your sister?". "the last i heard from her." said Aross, "was that she was headed to the Arch Mage's Tower. I haven't heard from her since then.". Just then, Gretack the Ogre had entered the scene. "Gretack." said Aross, "What in the Realms are you doing here? You're supposed to be guarding the Bridge.". "One of the Advisors told me to see you." said Gretack, "I had also made sure that the bridge is still being watched.".
Meanwhile, at Rotusor's base, Captain Ghoulax and K'Dortok had retreated from the base. "that was unusual." said Officer Morgan. That was where Sir Dante Morgan had arrived on the scene with the healer with him. "Ah, Comrade." said Sir Morgan, "i have heard so much about you.". "How on Earth do you know about me?" asked Officer Morgan, "i have only just arrived here not too long ago.". "Never mind that." said Sir Morgan, "lets get you guys healed up.". That was where the Healer had proceeded to heal Officer Morgan, Tirus, and Rotusor. Meanwhile, back at the Kor'Drakk Cruiser, Xeintox had been escorted to the Ready Room section of the Cruiser. "So what you're Saying." said Captain Zordash, "is that, if we were to join forces with you, we would get the help of great warriors.". "Basically." said Xeintox, "not only that, my warriors know more about this land then even your recon patrol, or even your Probes could tell.".
"How dare you insult our people?!" exclaimed Sergeant Dorgarus. "Dorgarus, You're doing it again." said Kalzortus, "You're letting your pride cloud your judgment.". "Ha hah." said Xeintox, "it seems i have riled up one of your troops.". "The boss tends to do that." said one of the Orc Warriors. "Yes, apparently so." said Kalzortus. Just then, Joseph had contacted Alan. "Alan." said Joseph, "What's your status?". "i'm inside the Kor'Drakk cruiser." said Alan, "the Orcs have stopped fighting against the Kor'Drakk.". "the Orcs have stopped fighting." said Joseph, curiously. "they're going over a proposal for an alliance." said Alan. Meanwhile, at the Desert Base Of The Barbarian Tribe, the council had assembled. That was where Clint Orons, King of the Tribe, had stepped forward. "Comrades." Clint Orons said, "It is time for all of the tribes to unite, and stand against the oncoming Forces Of Darkness.". "Sire." said Deronix. "Yes, Deronix." Said Clint. "There seems to be a messenger waiting outside the borders." said Deronix. "Allow them to enter." said Clint. That was where Deronix went to the Outer Gates, and informed the messenger to come see the King in person. Meanwhile, at the Kor'Drakk Cruiser, The Kor'Drakk Captain Zordash, and the Orc Warrior Xeintox had signed the Aliiance. "This shall mark the beginning of a new era." said Xeintox. "Sir." said Mecator, "Kor'Drakk High Command is contacting this ship.". "Bring it on screen." said Captain Zordash.
That was where the vid-screen in the ready room came on-line. The Kor'Drakk Commander-In-Chief, Vor'Tosus had contacted the crew. "Captain Zordash." said Commander-In-Chief Vor'Tosus. "Commander Vor'Tosus." said Captain Zordash, "I was thinking of contacting you.". "i have some bad news." said Vor'Tosus. "what would that be?" asked Captain Zordash. "Our Homeplanet, Dracronus, was destroyed." said Vor'Tosus. "By the Gods." said Captain Zordash, "When did this happen?". “It was a hour ago." said Vor'Tosus. "How Could this happen?" said Gotarus, "who has done such a thing?". "It was the Slortaxons." said Vor'Tosus, "Not only that, but a pirate crew.". "A Pirate crew?" Said Kar'Gorto. "This is a dark day, indeed." said Kalzortus. "What is the pirate crew?" asked Kar'Gorto. "The Crew is comprised entirely of humans." said Vor'Tosus, "their captain is Amadeus Ironside. The ship's name is 'Gatronus'.".
"Humans." said Captain Zordash, "I should have known better.". "Captain." said Kalzortus, "Don't let your distrust of humans prevent a new era from dawning.". "Apparently humans had been responsible for this situation." said Captain Zordash, "i say we deal with the Humans.". "I wouldn't be so certain about the humans." said Kalzortus, "Not all humans are bad.". "Name a example." said Captain Zordash. "One such example is the human whom is with us." said Kalzortus. "What is his name?" asked Captain Zordash. "I actually didn't get to ask his name." said Kalzortus. "That was bright." said Broktar. "Apparently, you still haven't lost your comments." said Kalzortus. That was where Alan had stepped forward.
"Human, What is your name?" asked Captain Zordash. "It is Alan Arthur Stukov." Replied Alan. “Stukov?" said Captain Zordash, "How interesting.". "Sir." said Kalzortus, "We should start to rebuild our homeworld.". "That's a good idea." said Vor'Tosus. "Hey, Wait a minute." said Alan. "What's that?" asked Kalzortus. "Vor'Tosus's Voice Sounds familiar." replied Alan. "What do you mean?" asked Gotarus. "Ah, so you recognize my voice." said Vor'Tosus, "Maybe this might help.". As soon as Vor'Tosus said that, he started to transform. "What on Earth?" said Alan, as he watched Vor'Tosus transform into a human form. That was where Vor'Tosus had fully Transformed into a human form. "So, do you recognize me now." said Vor'Tosus. "What on Earth?" said Alan, "You Couldn't possibly be my teacher.". "Indeed i was." Replied Vor'Tosus. "What do you mean, Vor'Tosus?" asked Kar'Gorto.
"I was once a teacher at a school on the Planet Of Earth." said Vor'Tosus, "It was there, where i had taught history to a young Alan Stukov.". "Is that so." said Captain Zordash, "Apparently you seem to trust humans too much.". "Captain Zordash." said Vor'Tosus, "it seems you haven't lost your distrust of humans.". "I might have figured you would say so." said Captain Zordash. "Now then." said Vor'Tosus, "Let's Get a move on.". "For What reason?" Asked Kalzortus. "Apparently the patrol has been interrupted." said Vor'Tosus. "Yes, we were getting to that." said Kalzortus. "Kalzortus is right." said Dorgarus, "but we were side-tracked when we inadvertently entered a wormhole, and entered into this dimension.".
"Not only that." said Kar'Gorto, "we had encountered a clan of Orcs.". "yes, and also the ship had suffered moderate damage around the ship." said Captain Zordash, "we were doing the repairs when the orcs had attacked.". “yes." said Vor'Tosus, "well, you've better get a move on.". "There's one last thing." said Kalzortus, "there's the matter Of the Master Of Zombies.". "The Master Of Zombies?" asked Vor'Tosus. "yes, the Master Of Zombies." said Captain Zordash, "All we know is that he is a dark being.". "Apparently so." Said Vor'Tosus, "if you wish, you can remain in that dimension.". "We may need reinforcements." said Gotarus. "We shall see what we can do." said Vor'Tosus, "When he have supplies for you, we shall warp it to you.". "What about troops?" asked Dorgarus. "unfortunately, we can't spare any troops at the moment." said Vor'Tosus. "Why is that?" asked Dorgarus. "For one thing." said Vor'Tosus, "most of the troops were killed in the battle against the Slortaxons and the Pirate crew.". "Of course, this realm may make a suitable location for a outpost." said Gotarus. "you may be right." said Vor'Tosus. "then we shall send you the data for the Alliance." said Captain Zordash. "It shall be done." said Vor'Tosus, "When we have available supplies and troops, we shall warp them to you directly.". Just then, A Kor'Drakk Warrior had entered the room where Vor'Tosus was located in.
"Sir." said the Kor'Drakk Warrior. "Yes, Comrade." said Vor'Tosus. "All of the Repairs have been completed." said the Warrior. "Most Excellent." said Vor'Tosus. Meanwhile, at Castle Diroctor, King Anderson's Daughter, Heather Anderson, had arrived at the castle. "Finally, you have arrived." said Ortonk, "i was starting to get worried about you.". "how have you been?" asked Heather. "I have been great." said Ortonk, "although these events have been a bit stressing, not only on me, but on the other residents of the castle.". At that moment, Sir Dante Morgan had entered the area. “M'Lady." said Sir Morgan, "it is good to see you.". "it is good to see you, too." said Heather. At that moment, King Anderson had entered the Area. "Father." said Heather, as she headed towards King Anderson. "It is good to see you." said King Anderson, "How was it with your Uncle and Cousin?". "It was excellent." Said Heather, "Duke Arthur sends his regards.". "Sire." said one of the Archers.
"Yes, what is it?" asked King Anderson. "The Heroes haven't returned from the object in the distance." said the Archer. That was where Officer Morgan, Tirus, and Rotusor had started on their way to the Crash-landed Kor'Drakk Cruiser. "I'll Come along." said Dante. "It's much better that you stay here, at the Castle." said Tirus. "then allow us to help by sending troops." said Sir Morgan. "That won't be necessary." said Officer Morgan. That was where the trio continued on their way. That was where Alex Johnson had arrived at the Castle. "Greetings, Alex." said King Anderson. "Greetings, King Anderson." said Alex Johnson. "Any news of the Heroes?" asked King Anderson.
"I haven't heard from Alan and Broktar." said Alex, "Or even Tirus and Officer Morgan. I have sent a messenger to the Barbarian Tribe.". “Excellent." said King Andrson, "Do you really think the Barbarians would be a worthy ally?". "Of Course." said Alex Johnson, "The Barbarians are Strong Warriors.". Meanwhile, at the crash site of the Kor'Drakk Cruiser, the orcs have left the ship. "I'm surprised." said Kalzortus. "What do you mean?" asked Gotarus. "I mean I'm surprised that this situation hadn't gotten any worse than it was." said Kalzortus. "whatever makes you say that?" said Broktar. "when i was in Artiox, i had encountered a clan of Orcs." said Kalzortus, "i had found those Orcs to be a bit Brutish.". "Is that so." said Broktar. "Of Course, Orcs can also make great Allies." said Kalzortus, "Even though Orcs can be a bit brutish.". "Oh, Really Now.” said Kar'Gorto. "Let's get going." said Dorgarus. Meanwhile, at the Undead Keep, The Battle Knight had arrived at the Keep. Quotor was waiting at the gate for him. "What in the Dark Realms were you trying to do?" asked Quotor. "Whatever do you mean?" said the Battle Knight. "You know what i mean." said Quotor, as he looked at the Battle Knight with one eyebrow raised. That was where Ghoultor had appeared at the gate. "Ah, Ghoultor." said Quotor, "About time you have gotten here.". "The Master Of Zombies wants to see both of you, Immediately." Said Ghoultor. "Is that so." said Quotor. "yes, indeed." said Ghoultor. That was where Ghoultor, Quotor, and the Battle Knight went into the Undead Keep.

The Adventures Of Warrior Omega
By Ryan Baker
Date: May 16, 2000
Location: South Eastern Part Of The U.S.
It was a normal day In May, when Alan Arthur Stukov, trucker for the company "Aconor Trucking Ltd." was on a delivery. Alan was on his way down to Florida. Meanwhile, at a army base, not far from Florida, Alan's brother, Joseph Stukov, had just finished a training exercise with some new recruits.
"Excellent Work, Soldiers." said Joseph. Just as Joseph said that, Sergeant Caleb Anderson had entered the scene. That was where Joseph Stood at Attention and Saluted Sergeant Anderson. "At Ease, Joseph." Said Sergeant Anderson. "Sir, I hadn't expected you to be on the field. I thought you still had work to do at the barracks?" Said Joseph. "I had Just finished that work you are referring to." said Sergeant Anderson, "Next on my list was a inspection of the Training exercises. By the way, how is your brother?".
"He's Doing Alright sir." Said Joseph, "He said he was on a delivery to a diner, not far from here. As for the training exercises, We've just completed the first part.". "Excellent, were there any problems?" Said Sergeant Anderson. While Sergeant Anderson and Joseph were going Over the inspection, Alan Stukov had just passed the Florida State Border, on the way into Florida. While Alan Was driving, he had the radio on. One particular song was "Puttin' the Dark Back into the night" By Sawyer Brown. Alan was singing along with the Song. That was where Bobby Raynor, a friend of Alan, and a fellow truck driver, came over the C.B. Radio. "Hiya Alan." Said Bobby. "Bobby, Is that You?" Asked Alan. "Of Course it's me, Alan." replied Bobby. "I didn't recognize you there for a moment.” said Alan, "How have you been all this time?".
"I'm doing great." replied Bobby. As Bobby and Alan were talking, Alan noticed someone in the distance. "I wonder whom the Person is?" Alan Said to himself, "It's Probably an illusion.". Meanwhile, in the distance, the person was going over his mission statement. "This should be interesting." The person said to himself, "The boss shall be pleased once the mission is completed.". As soon as the person said that, he started watching and waiting for when the coast is clear. Little did the person realize that there was a biker gang headed his way.
"Alright guys, the diner's not far off." said the leader of the biker gang. The Biker gang leader was a leader whom seemed to have a ruthless side to him, but on the other hand, a bit honourable. The gang he leads is a rough and tumble bunch. Meanwhile, Alan had just entered the area where the diner was located at. That was where he had seen Bobby Raynor at the parking lot of the diner "Diner of the Clouds". "Hi Alan." replied Bobby. "Hi Bobby." said Alan as he parked his truck and had gotten out of the truck. "Just let me go see the owner for a moment. I'll tell her i'm here." said Alan. "I'll come with you.” said Bobby. Meanwhile, the biker gang had just passed the Florida state border. That was where the lead biker had noticed a person in the distance. That person was the same person Alan had seen earlier. "Hey guys." said the lead biker, "It looks like we have a new target to rough up.". That was where the biker gang moved towards the person. Then one of the bikers had tossed a chain at the person. That was where one end of the chain had wrapped around the person.
"What matter of magic is this?" said the person. As soon as the person said that, he fell to the ground as the biker wielding the chain sped up. As a result, The person started to slide along the ground, getting dragged by the biker. Little did the bikers realize that the person isn't who he seems. All of a sudden, the person had managed to free himself from the chain. Just then, one of the bikers notices that the person had freed himself from the chain. "Hey Guys, it looks like our target is out of the chains." said the biker. As soon as the biker said that, he and the rest of the bikers turned right around and face the person. "You shall not stop me from completing my mission." said the person, "For The Glory Of The Master Of Zombies.". "The Master Of Zombies?" said the Gang Leader. "What do you say guys?" asked one of the Bikers. "I say we take this guy down." Said another biker, "What about you, boss?". "you're Right." said Greg Anderson, the biker gang leader.
That was where the gang had surrounded the person. "Alright, Bring it on." Said the person. That was where the person got into a defensive stance. Meanwhile, at Castle Diroctor, in the Dimension of Octiviox, King Eduardo Anderson had called for His Councillers. "Sire, State the reason why you have called for us." said John Taylors. "I have called you because of a major event." Said King Anderson. "What would that be, sire?" Asked John Taylors. "The Reawakening of the Master of Zombies." replied King Anderson. "The Reawakening, sire?" Said another Councilor. "Yes, the Reawakening." Said King Anderson, "It was 175 years ago this very month, when the Master of Zombies had attempted to plunge this realm into darkness. It was only with the help of the Knight Lord Joseph Barker and his sword, called the 'Omnolight', that stopped the Master Of Zombies and his minions of Darkness.". Meanwhile, back in Florida, The Biker Gang had managed to do some damage to the person. That was where on of the bikers had knocked the person down.
As soon as the person fell down, part of his mask was torn off, revealing his actual form underneath his mask. "What on Earth!?" Said one of the bikers, as he had noticed the torn piece of the person's mask. "I Guess you humans have figured out my secret." Said the person. "What Secret?" Asked Greg. "i am not from this realm." said the person. As Soon as the person said that, he took off his mask. "What the..." said one of the bikers as they witnessed the person transform into his actual form. As the Person Transformed, he also changed sizes. "Let's get him guys." said another biker. As soon as the biker said that, the gang attempted to rush at the person. Little did the gang realize that the person, in his actual form, is much stronger. That was where the person had finally transformed into his actual form. His Actual form is that of an undead creature. His entire body is covered in decayed flesh, and has a arch in the back. There are several sword slices in his body. He is a hulking Creature, standing over seven feet in height.
That was where one of the bikers had attempted to attack the creature. All of a sudden, the creature raised his hand. "Alright, i will see you pay for trying to mess with me." said the creature, "but first, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ghoultor.". "What do you say boys?" one of the bikers said. "Leave 'im to me" Another biker said. The biker is named Caleb Raynor. "Caleb, What do you have planned?" asked Greg. "I'm planning on taking him down with my power." said Caleb. "Alright Then, Show him that no one messes with the Fire Griffens." Said Greg.
That was where Caleb picks up several pieces of equipment from his motorcycle's side pack. The Equipment included a shotgun, a chain, and a Brass knuckle. As soon as Caleb picked up his gear, he started walking towards Ghoultor. "This Is Gonna be Fun." Caleb Said as he walked towards Ghoultor. As Caleb Walked towards Ghoultor, he equipped the brass knuckle on his right hand. Meanwhile, at the diner, "Diner Of The Clouds", Alan And Bobby were going over old times. That was where Officer Adam Morgan had entered the diner. Officer Morgan was a "Take Charge" kind of person. He had his regular equipment with him. All of a sudden, a call came over the radio in Officer Morgan's police Car. "I'll Be Right Back." Said Officer Morgan, as he headed towards the Police Car. That was where Officer Morgan had Picked up the comm-link in the police car. "Calling all available Officers." the voice from the other end said, "there's a fight going in the vicinity of the local military base.". "I'm on my way." said Officer Morgan. That was where the biker gang and Ghoultor had managed to take the fight even closer to where the diner was located at. Meanwhile, back at the diner, Alan had just started unloading his delivery.
Just then, Bobby had noticed something in the distance. It was the biker gang and Ghoultor fighting in the distance. As the Gang was fighting Ghoultor, Ghoultor had managed to toss several of the Gang Members. Just Then, Officer Morgan had arrived at the scene. "What The..." Officer Morgan said to himself. That was where Officer Morgan had called in for back-up. After Officer Morgan did that, he tried to break up the fight. "Alright, Break it up, all of you." Said Officer Morgan. That was where Ghoultor had turned to face Officer Morgan. "Good Thing i called for Back-up, before stepping out of the Car." Officer Morgan said to himself, "I just hope they can arrive in time.".
Just Then, Ghoultor had charged at Officer Morgan. Officer Morgan immediately moved out of the way. At that moment, Ghoultor came crashing into the police Car. "Alright, whoever you are, You're not going to mess with me." said Officer Morgan, "You're Going Down.". Meanwhile, in the Dimension of Octiviox, a spy had just entered Castle Diroctor. "Ah lad, you're here." said Ortonk Poreon, "How have you been?". "I've Been Better, but i have some dire news to tell the king." Replied Angus Davidson. "What do you mean?" asked Ortonk.
"It would seem that the Master Of Zombies's minions are trying to construct a giant battleship of some sort." replied Angus. "This is most Dire." said Ortonk, "the King Must Know about this.". "Fortunately, i had managed to acquire a copy of the plans, and had seen that the battleship is incomplete. They still need two more parts." said Angus. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Ghoultor has just started to head for his Objective, which was located in the military base. Both Officer Morgan and the biker gang had given chase to Ghoultor, as he was heading to the part of the base where the Objective of his mission is located at. At That moment, one of the Soldiers at the base had noticed the situation on that side of the base. "What On Earth?" The Soldier said to himself. At That moment, Corporal Mel Barker had entered the scene. "Soldier, What's Going On?" asked Corporal Barker. "I'm not sure, but it looks like some sort of decayed creature being chased by a biker gang and a police officer." Replied the Soldier.
"We've better do something about this." said the Soldier. As soon as the Soldier said that, the soldier and Corporal Barker had called for other soldiers to come and help in the chase. Meanwhile, in the Dimension Of Octiviox, at the Tomb of the Master Of Zombies, the Master Of Zombies had arisen from his Tomb. "Has it been 175 years already?" the Master of Zombies said to himself. That was where the Master Of Zombies looked around his surroundings. Just then, he went over to a mirror. His Reflection showed a creature that had suffered hundreds of years of decay. His Skin had turned grey-green in colour. His Eyes had sunken back into their Sockets. "Hmm, it seems that the objects in this tomb had sustained quite some wear." said the Master Of Zombies, "This must mean that the Knight Lord Joseph Barker is long Gone.". After he said that, the Master of Zombies went over and picked up his sword and shield, only to find that time had deteriorated the sword and shield. "Well, i have better get some new equipment." said the Master Of Zombies. As soon as the Master Of Zombies said that, he headed out to the entrance of the tomb. Little did the Master Of Zombies realize that a spy was outside the tomb, in the Graveyard of Darkness.
The Graveyard of Darkness is a dark, and almost Desolate place. Most Of the gravestones have fallen apart. The Spy is Loyal to King Anderson. The Spy was located partway between the centre of the Graveyard and the entrance. At that moment, the Spy had seen the Master Of Zombies. "By the Elder Beast God." the spy said, under his breath, "I Must tell the King about this.". All of a sudden, a Shadow Phantom had appeared behind the spy. That was where the spy turned to face the Shadow Phantom. Then the Shadow Phantom had raised his sickle. The Spy had attempted to block the sickle as it came down upon him. "Yaargh!!" Exclaimed the Spy as he fell to the ground. Then, with his last bit of Strength, he had written a message.
That message was "King Anderson, there is bad news. The Master Of Zombies has arisen from his tomb. I suspect he is going to join up with his legions of the undead. A suggested plan of action is to prepare the defenses. Unfortunately, i might not be able to help. Next Time you see me, i might be one of the undead. Please Tell my brother i still care about him.". As soon as the spy completed the message, he had attached the message to a carrying case on the homing pigeon he had carried with him. Meanwhile, at the military base, Ghoultor had made it to the mission objective. "Excellent." said Ghoultor, "The Master Of Zombies will be pleased.".
At that moment, Ghoultor had grabbed the objects he was sent to acquire. The objects were a computer system and hover tech circuits. Just then, Officer Morgan, the biker gang, and the soldiers had blocked the entrance to the building. "You won't capture me." Ghoultor sneers. At that moment, the soldiers aimed their rifles at Ghoultor. "You think your puny weapons can affect me." Sneers Ghoultor, as he was preparing to charge at the soldiers, the biker gang, and Officer Morgan. "Soldiers, prepare to fire on my mark." said Corporal Barker. At that moment, Ghoultor had charged at the group blocking his way. Meanwhile, at the diner, Bobby had noticed the incident at the base. At that moment, Bobby went to his truck and picked up a pair of binoculars. "What on Earth?" said Bobby, "Alan, you have better see this.". "What are you talking about?" Asked Alan. "Apparently, there's some sort of situation going on at the base." replied Bobby. "Wait a minute." said Alan, "My Brother is stationed at the base.". At that moment, Ghoultor had made it over to the other side of the road.
That was where Alan and Bobby had gone closer to investigate. Little did either of them realize that the situation is far more dangerous, because of the plans being put into motion, and Ghoultor's undead powers. While the situation was happening, in another dimension, a robed individual was watching the events unfold. "this is most dire." the individual said to himself. At that moment, Broktar, a Cyborg Lizardman had entered the room. "Sire, you have called for me." said Broktar. "Yes indeed, Broktar." replied the individual, "It seems that there is a major disturbance in the dimension of Octiviox.". "Is it the Master Of Zombies?" asked Broktar. "I'm Afraid so, Broktar." replied the Individual.
"Hmm, this is most dire, indeed." said Broktar, as he moved his cybernetically enhanced left arm. "Broktar." said the Individual. "Yes, Gate Master." said Broktar. "i want you to go into the dimension of Octiviox." said the Gate Master. "For what reason, Gate Master." asked Broktar. "I want you to intercept an individual whom will be entering that dimension very shortly." replied the Gate Master. "Whom is the individual that you want me to intercept?" asked Broktar. "The Individual in question is Alan Stukov." Replied the Gate Master. Meanwhile, near the base, Ghoultor had made it to the designated sector where he will enter a portal leading to the dimension of Octiviox. "i shall complete the mission." Ghoultor said to himself. At that moment, Ghoultor was surrounded by the soldiers, the gang, and Officer Morgan. "You humans shall not capture me!!!" Ghoultor said.
As soon as he said that, Ghoultor had opened a dimensional portal into Octiviox. "Soldiers, don't let him get away." Corporal Barker said to the soldiers. Just then, the back-up Officer Morgan radioed in earlier, had arrived. "What on Earth is that creature?" Officer James Sorbo said, when he arrived at the scene. "i haven't the slightest what the creature is, but we better not let him get away with the gear he's holding." Officer Diana Joelson said. At that moment, a giant came through the Portal. "Sir" said the Giant, "the Master Of Zombies is awaiting your arrival back in Octiviox.". "I'll be there right away." said Ghoultor. As soon as Ghoultor said that, he tossed a smoke bomb to cover his tracks. "soldiers, fire upon the target." Corporal Barker said the soldiers. "take him down." Officer Morgan said. But the soldiers and the cops were too late in stopping Ghoultor and the Giant from entering the portal.
"Oh, Great." said Officer Morgan, "They're Gone.". At that moment, Alan Stukov and Bobby Raynor had arrived at the scene. "What's going on?" asked Alan. "Apparently, the creature had escaped into some other dimension." replied Officer Morgan. "It looked like the creature was carrying two devices. What were the two devices?" asked Bobby. Meanwhile, in the Karnoxus sector of space, a Kor'drakk cruiser was continuing their patrol. "Computer, access database." said the Captain. The Captain is Captain Zordash, captain of the cruiser, "Dragon Fire.". Zordash is distrustful of humans. "Sir." said one of the crew members. "Yes, Helmsman Mecator." said Captain Zordash. "There seems to be a wormhole several light years in front of the Cruiser." said Helmsman Mecator.
At that moment, the ship started experiencing technical problems. little did the crew realize that they would be on a trip to the dimension of Octiviox. Meanwhile, on Earth, Alan had talked to his brother, Joseph. "Joseph, what are the capabilities of the objects that the creature had stolen?" Asked Alan. "Not much, on their own." replied Joseph, "but when they are connected to a vehicle, it could be dangerous.". "then allow me to help in retrieving the objects." said Alan. "That could be risky." said Joseph, "Do You really want to help in the situation?". "Of Course, Joseph." said Alan. "Hey Alan, i just thought of something." said Bobby. "What is that?" asked Alan. "You might be gone a long time. Shouldn't you at least call your boss, and tell him you won't be in for a while." replied Bobby. "That's right, Bobby." said Alan, "i have better do so.". As soon as Alan said that, he went back to his truck and picked up his cell phone and phoned his boss. "Mr. Jackson" said Alan. "Yes Alan, what can i do for you?" said Mr. Jackson. "i will not be in for the next while. I'm not sure how long." said Alan. "For What reason, Alan?" asked Mr. Jackson. "It is a major situation. Apparently there was a robbery at the military base here in Florida." said Alan. "Wait a minute, isn't your brother stationed at the base." said Mr. Jackson. "Yes, Joseph is stationed at the base." said Alan.
"Alright then, i'll get one of the other truckers to cover your loads." said Mr. Jackson. At that moment, Alan and Mr. Jackson had finished up the conversation. Alan went over to Joseph. "Then it's agreed." said Joseph. After Joseph said that, he and the other Soldiers prepared to retrieve the Gate Portal Generator. "Alan" Bobby said. "Yes, Bobby." Said Alan. "I just wanted to wish you luck on this mission." said Bobby, "and i would like to say that I will volunteer for this mission.". "But Bobby, what about your fiance?" asked Alan. "Oh yeah, that's right." said Bobby, "Julie and i were planning on going out tonight. thanks for reminding me.".
Meanwhile, in the dimension of Octiviox, Telzor and his clan, the Shadow Wolves were in the main building of the clan's encampment. At that moment, an Orc Warrior had just entered the building. "Sir, i have some major news." said the Orc Warrior. "What news is that?" asked Telzor. "Our Scouts had found some evidence of the awakening of the undead." said the Orc Warrior. "This is major, indeed." Telzor said, Grimly, "then this would mean the Master Of Zombies had arisen from his tomb.". Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Gate Portal Generator was put into position. Little did the soldiers, the Police, Alan, and Bobby realize that the biker gang was still around the area. All of a sudden, Greg had gone over to Officer Morgan. "Adam." Said Greg, "This isn't over between us.".
At that moment, Greg had motioned for the other bikers. "We will see each other soon." said Greg. After he said that, Greg got on his motorcycle and started to drive away. "All Bikers, let's roll." said Greg. "Alan." Said Joseph. "Yes, Joseph." Said Alan. "The Portal Generator is up and ready." Said Joseph. "what dimension is the portal generator set to?" Asked Alan. "It seems to be a dimension called Octiviox." replied Joseph. "Octiviox?" said Alan. "Apparently it's a dimension of magic and fantasy." said Joseph. After Joseph said that, Alan started moving towards the portal. "Wait a minute, Alan." said Joseph. "What is it, Joseph?" Asked Alan. "You should have some equipment." Said Joseph, "Just in case you get in trouble.".
As soon as Joseph said that, he went and retrieved some equipment for Alan. One such piece of equipment was some armor. Another piece of equipment was a comm-link communicator. "Alan, i just want to wish you good luck." Said Officer Morgan. Just then, Joseph had returned with to the site. "Alan, here is the equipment that you will be working with." said Joseph, as he presented the equipment. "First, is the visor helmet. It has several visor modes, which includes night vision mode." said Joseph. As Joseph was presenting the equipment, Greg Anderson and the other members of the "Fire Griffens" had turned around and started to head towards the portal. At that moment, a cloaked person came into the area. "Wait a minute." said one of the bikers. "What is it?" asked another biker. "There Seems to be a cloaked figure behind us." said the biker. Just then, the bikers had turned to face the person. "Alright, whoever you are, explain yourself." said Greg. "I am the Dark Mage known as Aizortun." said Aizortun, "I have come here to Earth to request your services.".
"Services, For What?" Said Caleb. “Yeah, Caleb's Right. What do you want us to do?" said David Joelson. As Soon as David said that, he and several other bikers started to surround Aizortun. "Hold it guys. let him explain his situation." Said Greg. "Thank You." said Aizortun, "i come from a dimension called Octiviox. It is a realm of magic and fantasy. At this time, a dark being called the Master Of Zombies has arisen from his tomb.". "Hold it." said David, "For all we know, Aizortun could actually be this 'Master Of Zombies'.". "Wait a minute." Said Caleb, "Didn't Ghoultor mention his name when we encountered him earlier.". "Yeah, that's right, Caleb." Said Duane Jackson.
"As i was saying." said Aizortun, "The Master Of Zombies had tried to conquer the dimensions several times. However, he has been stopped by many heroes. The Most recent hero in history was the Knight Lord Joseph Barker.". "How are we involved in this situation?" asked Greg. "I have come here to request that you bikers help in defending Octiviox from the darkness that is known as the Master Of Zombies." Said Aizortun. While Aizortun and the bikers were talking, the portal generator had been set for the coordinates of Octiviox. "the coordinates have been set. You're ready to go." said Joseph. That was when Alan headed towards the Portal. "One last thing, Alan." Said Joseph. "What's that?" asked Alan. "Good Luck." Said Joseph.
As soon as Joseph said that, Officer Morgan came over to the portal area. "Alan, I'm Coming along." said Officer Morgan. "Well, I'm Surprised." said Alan, "i didn't know you were the adventurous type.”. "Knock it off, will you." said Officer Morgan. "Why would you want to join me on this mission." asked Alan. "First of all, he had stolen those two parts." said Officer Morgan, "second, he had wrecked my Police Car.". Meanwhile, in the dimension of Octiviox, at the Orc Encampment, Telzor and the leaders of the other Orc Clans were discussing a course of action. "The best course of action is a direct assault on the Undead Keep." said Telzor. As Telzor was speaking, he rolled out a map of the Undead Keep, and started putting symbols to show the plan. "That sounds like a good plan." Said G'tekor, leader of the Crimson Tigers clan, "but from what my scouts have informed me about the situation, the Master of Zombies had acquired various pieces of technology from other dimensions.".
"What do you mean, G'tekor?" asked Raiztor, leader of the Atorton Clan. "For one thing." said G'tekor, "My scouts report that there are several gun emplacements at the front of the Keep. These guns are operated by a team of two zombies each.". "What if we were to send one of our faster troops in and have them move between the gun emplacements, so that they would hit each other instead of us." said Raiztor, "Would That Work?". "It Sounds Risky." Replied G'tekor, "But it might Work.". Meanwhile, back on Earth, Alan And Adam had entered the portal, after they had talked about the situation. "This Should Be interesting." said Alan. "What do you mean, Alan?" asked Officer Morgan. "we would be entering an unknown dimension." said Alan. Little did Alan and Officer Morgan realize that Aizortun the Dark Mage had warped the Biker gang and himself to the dimension of Octiviox. Meanwhile, in The dimension Of Octiviox, At Castle Diroctor, King Anderson had contacted his advisors. At that moment, The homing Pigeon had flown through a open window. That was where one of the soldiers went over and picked up the pigeon and retrieved the message.
"Sire." said the soldier, "i have some bad news.". "What has happened?" asked King Anderson. "The Spy whom was stationed at the Graveyard of Darkness has died." said the soldier. "What else does the message say?" asked King Anderson. "Apparently the Master Of Zombies has awakened from his tomb." said the Soldier. "That does it." said King Anderson, as he rose from his throne, "we must take action.". At that moment, outside in the main part of Castle Diroctor, Alan And Officer Morgan had arrived through the portal. "Hmm, Most impressive." said Alan. Just then, Joseph had contacted Alan via the comm-link communicator. "Ah, Alan." Said Joseph, "It seems that you have finally arrived in Octiviox.”. "Yeah, and this device actually works." said Alan, "Joseph, where exactly are we in this dimension?". "You and Officer Morgan are located in Castle Diroctor." Said Joseph. "Any idea whom the ruler of the castle is." Asked Alan. "I have a feeling that we'll soon find out." said Joseph, "but from what i know, his name is King Eduardo Anderson.". At that moment, King Anderson had arrived at the courtyard. "What is all this commotion about?" asked King Anderson. "Greetings, your Highness." said Alan, "I am Alan Stukov, and he is Officer Adam Morgan.". "We're here to....” said Officer Morgan.
But before Officer Morgan could even finish the sentence, he and Alan were surrounded by the King's Soldiers. Just then, Ortonk Poreon had arrived at the scene. "Sire, What's going on?" asked Ortonk. "it seems that two intruders were found trespassing on the grounds of this kingdom." said King Anderson. "intruders?" asked Ortonk. "Yes, intruders." said King Anderson, "And they must be dealt with immediately.". "Wait a minute." said Ortonk, "I think I have seen these two so-called 'intruders' before.". "What do you mean, Ortonk?" asked one of the soldiers. "I remember seeing two individuals pictured in a book at the Arch Mage's Tower." said Ortonk, "The text was in a form of Orcish language, but it said that the two individuals would be the heroes that will help in stopping the Master Of Zombies.". At that moment, the sound of gunfire had sounded outside the walls of the castle. All of a sudden, Officer Morgan had charged at several of the King's Soldiers. "hold it right there, intruder." said one of the soldiers. "Wait, he might be able to help." said Ortonk. That was where the soldiers had moved out of the way, so that Officer Morgan could get past them.
Once he got past the soldiers, Officer Morgan ran up the stairs to the top of the wall. As soon as Officer Morgan had reached the top of the wall, he saw where the gunfire was coming from. It was coming from the weapon mounted on Broktar's Cybernetic Left Arm. "Hold Your Fire." said Officer Morgan. "We couldn't possibly do that." said one of the Archers. "what do you mean?" asked Officer Morgan. "the Creature fired at us first." said one of the Archers. "Yeah, we were only defending ourselves." said another archer. "I am here for the human known as Alan Stukov." said Broktar. "What is your reason?" asked Officer Morgan. "i am here on a mission for the Gate Master." said Broktar. "Who is this Gate Master you are talking about?" asked Officer Morgan. "He is the Master Of the Gate Portals." replied Broktar.
"Let the person in." said one of King Anderson's Advisors. "Do you really think it's a good idea?" asked another one of the Advisors. "of course." replied the advisor, "the Gate Master is a highly regarded person, especially in my homeland.”. Meanwhile, in the Karnaxus sector, the Kor'Drakk crew of the ship "Dragon Fire" had entered the wormhole. "Computer, what is the coordinates?" Captain Zordash had asked the ship's computer. "Unable to access interstellar location circuit system file." the ship's computer replied. "This is just great." said Captain Zordash. "Sir, it seems that a opening to the wormhole is just ahead of us." said Helmsman Mecator. "Chief Engineer Jor'Dorus." said Captain Zordash, "What is the situation in engineering?". "Captain." said Jor'Dorus, "The engines are still functioning. But, Warp coils are malfunctioning.". "what's the status on the teleporter device?" asked Captain Zordash. "i'll patch you right into the teleporter room, sir." said Jor'Dorus.
At That moment, the ship had entered through the opening in the Wormhole. "Sir, there seems that land is coming into view." said Helmsman Mecator. "Land?" said Captain Zordash, "Helmsman, prepare for evasive Maneuvers.". Meanwhile, at the castle, Broktar had explained the situation to Alan, Officer Morgan, and the residents of Castle Diroctor. "So, what you're telling us." said Alan, "is that the Master of Zombies is planning to take over this realm.". "Why doesn't the Gate Master just come in and Battle the Master Of Zombies in person?" asked Officer Morgan. "For One main Reason." said Broktar, "if he were to leave the Gate Portals unwatched, creatures from other worlds and dimensions could cause havoc among the worlds.". At that moment, one of the archers stationed at the top of the castle wall had seen something in the distance. That something is, in fact, the Kor'Drakk cruiser "Dragon Fire.".
"Wait a minute." the archer said to himself, "It looks like the object is about to land in a short time.". As soon as the Archer said that, he took out a telescope and aimed it in the direction where the object is about to land in. "What on Earth?" said the Archer. "What is it, Jean?" asked one of the archers. "it seems that the object is about to land in Orc territory." said Jean, "to be more precise, territory controlled by the 'Shock Rangers' Clan.". "What is the first act of business?" asked Alan. "we should definitely prepare defenses around the castle." said John Taylors. "Aye, and we should also send a team of warriors to stop the Master Of Zombies." said Ortonk, "not only that, but we should also find some allies whom are willing to help.".
"Yes, that definitely sounds like a plan." said King Anderson, “but we should also acquire the sword called 'Omnolight'.". "Omnolight?" asked Alan. "Yes, it's the sword that the Knight Lord Joseph Barker used 175 years ago this month to defeat the Master Of Zombies." Said King Anderson. "We must get going, if we are to stand a chance." said Officer Morgan. "If it must be, so be it." said King Anderson, "but before you go, you should have this.". As soon as King Anderson said that, he handed Alan a map of the land. "Your first destination should be the Arch Mage's Tower." said King Anderson, "The Arch Mage, Alex Johnson, is a friend of mine. He would be a worthy ally in this mission.". Meanwhile, in a village located to the north-west area, not far from a entrance to the Queen of the Witches's hideout, Aizortun the Dark Mage was going over the plan with the "Fire Griffens" biker gang. At that moment, a minotaur had arrived in the area. "Ah, Scaltokas." said Aizortun, “Finally you have arrived.".
"Comrade." said Scaltokas, "i am surprised you haven't been captured by now.". "What do you mean by that?" asked Greg. "I mean that there are some bounty hunters after Aizortun." replied Scaltokas. "why are the bounty hunters after him?" asked Caleb. "It was during the final battles of the Territory Wars between the Orc clans lead by Telzor, leader of the 'Shadow Wolf' Clan, and the human forces." replied Scaltokas, "that Aizortun had betrayed the human forces.". "Yes, but i had escaped just before the orc clans were repelled from Castle Diroctor." said Aizortun. "How did you meet the Orc clans?" asked Caleb. "I haven't met the leader of the Orc Forces personally." said Aizortun, "but i had met Xeintox, leader of the 'Shock Rangers' Clan. In fact i had helped them gain some new weaponry, some of which are from Earth.".
While Scaltokas was talking to Aizortuns the Dark Mage and the biker gang, just north of the village, and a little way to the East, the Kor'Drakk cruiser had just crash landed. "Helmsman." said Captain Zordash, "What is the status?". "Most of the systems are still functioning." said Helmsman Mecator, "But they have sustained a serious amount of damage.". "Is the shield generator still operational?" asked Captain Zordash. "Shield generator is still functional, and so is the weapons systems." replied Helmsman Mecator. Just then, Sergeant Dorgarus had entered the bridge. "Sir." said Dorgarus, "Permission to scout out this sector.". "Acknowledged, Sergeant Dorgarus." said Captain Zordash. As soon as Captain Zordash said that, he had contacted Lieutenant Gotarus.
Meanwhile, near Castle Diroctor, Alan And Officer Morgan had checked the map. "Ah, so this must where the Arch Mage's tower is located." said Alan. "I find it odd that you humans would try and find allies, when it would be much easier to go straight into the main base, and take on the Master Of Zombies in direct battle." said Broktar. "That may seem easier, Broktar." said Officer Morgan, "But Remember, he has a army at his command.". "Not only that." said Alan, "But from what King Anderson had told us, he has a flying Battleship.". "what makes you so certain that your chances at victory will be better with any allies?" asked Broktar. "you just wait and see, Broktar." Said Officer Morgan, "We will win this battle.".
Little did they Realize that they were being spied upon by a Ghoul. "Hmm, humans are about." said the Ghoul, "i must tell the Master Of Zombies.". As soon as he said that, the ghoul had tapped once on a button on his comm-link. Immediately, the comm-link had contacted the forces at the Undead Keep. At that moment, Quotor the Wraith had seen that the communications console had been accessed. That was where Quotor went over and accessed the Communication console. "General Quotor." said the Ghoul, "Ghoul Agent K'Dortok reporting in.". "What is your status?" asked Quotor. "There are two humans and a cyborg lizardman headed to the Arch Mage's Tower." Said K'Dortok. "Excellent." said Quotor, "Follow those humans and the lizardman.". After Quotor said that, he went over to the main section of the Undead Keep. It was there, that he met the other leaders of the Undead Forces. "Ah, General Quotor." said the Battle Knight, "It is good to see you.".
"Battle Knight." said Quotor, "I'm quite surprised you haven't already attempted to attack Castle Diroctor.". "Arrgh!!" Exclaimed the Battle Knight as he went off in a blind rage. "Ooh, that's a wise move." said Fortox. "Why am i not surprised, Fortox." said Quotor. Just then, Zoutoxas the Dark Troll had entered the scene. "Ah, Air Commander Zoutoxas." said Quotor, “How are you?". "Excellent." replied Zoutoxas, "Fortox, what is the status of your troops' mission to find and destroy the tomb of the Knight Lord Joseph Barker?". "My forces are searching for it as we speak." said Fortox. Meanwhile, Alan, Officer Morgan, and Broktar had arrived at the Arch Mage's Tower. "Hmm, I'm Rather surprised." said Alan. "Why is that, Human?" said Broktar. "I was expecting something more magical." replied Alan. "Yeah, After All." said Officer Morgan, "This is supposed to be a realm of magic and fantasy.".
After Officer Morgan said that, he went over to the door and used the door knocker. Meanwhile, inside the Arch Mage's Tower, Alex Johnson was going over his spellbooks. "Hmm, there doesn't seem to be any information on the object that you had said, Tirus." said Alex. Just then, Alex's Apprentice had entered the main room. "Sir" said the Apprentice, "There are two people and a lizardman outside the Tower.". "What do they look like?" asked Alex. "The two people are dressed in unusual clothing, those not found in this realm." said the apprentice, "The Lizardman, however, seems to have metallic parts connected to organic flesh.". "That seems to be a similar description to that of the heroes of legend." said Alex, "Allow them in.". "Yes, sir." said the Apprentice, as he was heading towards the main door. Meanwhile, at the door of the Arch Mage's Tower, Alan, Officer Morgan, and Broktar were waiting outside the place. Just then, the Apprentice had arrived at the main door. "The Arch Mage will see you now." said the Apprentice, as he opened the door. "It's about time." said Broktar. "Who is this Arch Mage?" asked Alan.
"The Arch Mage is Alex Johnson." said the Apprentice, "He is quite Powerful.". "Just how high does this tower extend to?" Asked Broktar, "My servo joints are about to malfunction.". "it's only 10 floors." replied the Apprentice. "that doesn't seem to long, does it, eh Broktar." Alan said to Broktar. "Ha, you humans may laugh, but you don't know what it is like to have cybernetics replacing any limb that is lost." said Broktar. Meanwhile, in the main room of the Arch Mage's Tower, Alex had brought the Book of Legends over to the table. "Why did you bring the book over to the table?" asked Tirus. "It is to check up on the legend of the heroes." replied Alex. Just then, the Apprentice had arrived in the main room, ahead of Broktar, Alan, And Officer Morgan.
"Sir" said the Apprentice, "the people in question are on their way.". "Excellent." said The Arch Mage. Meanwhile, at the Crash site of the downed Kor'Drakk ship, the crew were working on the repairs. "Chief Engineer Jor'Dorus." said Captain Zordash, "What is the status of the repairs?". Just then, the ship was hit by a outside force. "Alert." the ship's computer said, "Unidentified hostiles located in area.". "Computer, where was the ship hit?" asked Captain Zordash. "Middle section of port side." said the ship's computer. Outside the ship, two Orc Warriors, riding on Griontors had moved into postion. That was after one of the warriors had fired a rocket at the ship. "Sire." said one of the Orc warriors. "Yes, Comrade" said Xeintox. "We have started phase one of the raid." said the Orc Warrior. "Excellent." said Xeintox, "Prepare to move to phase two.".

As discussed in the first post, this is my ongoing compilation of the remaining questions Christopher has answered online between August 1st 2023 and April 30th 2024 which I've not already covered in other compilations.
As always, questions are sorted by topic, and each Q&A is annotated with a bracketed source number. Links to every source used and to the other parts of this compilation will be provided in a comment below.
The previous post focused specifically on the writing process. This installment will focus on Inspirations, including Christopher's idea process, specific inspirations used, and some comments about other properties. The next post will focus on Worldbuilding and Promotion.

Inspirations

Coming up with ideas

Do you have trouble coming up with new ideas? They don't fall out of trees, but it takes me so long to write a book that I usually come up with at least one or two ideas over the six months to a year that it takes to write, edit and publish, if not longer. So they keep accumulating. One of the reasons that I really like having a world to play in for a long time is that the longer I spend in a setting, the more story ideas suggest themselves because you get to know the characters so much and you get to know the implications of the magic in the world and the culture. [1]
What is your inspiration process like? I read a lot of books, I watch a lot of movies, and I make sure I have time to stare out the window and do nothing but daydream. And all of those things continually give me ideas for stories. [20]
Inspiration can come from anywhere, but good stories and good music will actually give me the proverbial tingle up the spine. And basically nothing else in life does that. So I'm always chasing that high. And that's really the inspiration. And trying to replicate that both for myself and for my readers. [33]
I get my inspiration from the beauty of the world itself, from every book and movie that I watch and read, even the bad ones, sometimes especially the bad ones. I get my inspiration from meeting folks like you who have so much energy and enthusiasm and from thinking and talking and listening to music. Everywhere can be a source of inspiration. [36]
I listen to soundtracks when I write. I can't listen to anything with lyrics because it's too distracting. But my biggest source of inspiration is simply the environment in which I live. The mountains around my house look like the mountains from The Lord of the Rings. If I have no experience with the things I write, the descriptions would probably not be as good. You have to look around for inspiration. Photos, visiting places… that which just comes out of your head ultimately has its limitations. You can do a lot, but it helps creativity if you can base it on your own experiences. [23]
You have an idea, you have a spark of thought. Do you jot it down and leave it? Or do you immediately delve into it? It depends on the idea ultimately and it depends how much of it I have. But I always write something down because I have forgotten story ideas in the past, which sucks. So the instant I have something that I think is interesting, I write it down. I won't write most of these because I don't have the time but I write them all down. I have a file here with 140 pages of story ideas, 19,147 words. I try to write it down. If I have a sense of more of the story than the initial thing, then I'll write that down. Then mostly I just let it sit and I think about it while I'm working on other stories. [28]

Executing ideas

Would you rather lose a mental battle against another author so he could steal your ideas? Or give away your true name to your literary agent so he could control you? Wow. I trust my agent with my life. But I'd go with the first one, lose a mental battle, because honestly, ideas are cheap, execution is what matters. You could take every single idea I would have and give it to Brandon Sanderson, or any other author, and their execution would be totally different than mine, and vice versa. And quite honestly most authors wouldn't want to write the ideas I have, they have their own ideas. So that seems like the least perilous of the two options. [17]
When have the greatest flows of creativity happened for you? Whenever I know what I'm trying to write in terms of the scene, I understand what it's doing for the characters and who the characters are. And it all clicks together. And I don't have to sit there, banging my head against the keyboard trying to figure any of that out and then I could just work on writing it. Are there times where you have to bang your head against the keyboard? Or do you just get up and walk outside and just walk away from it? You need to do some of the head banging on occasion just to get past the tough stuff. But you also have to recognize when you're not making any progress and then it's better to step away, move physically in order to get your brain to move. And learning when to step away is always a challenge and has taken me a long time. [34]
What do you think about the idea that when we're asleep, our minds or souls wander off and act unbeknown to us and perhaps ideas aggregate which may lead to us waking up in the morning with sudden ideas, realizations? I think it's a very common occurrence. The whole point of creativity is that you connect two or more things that are seemingly unconnected. That's what a metaphor is or simile. "Her love was like a red, red rose." It's not literally a rose, but you're connecting two things to make a point. So when you sleep the barriers in your mind sort of descend and it's much easier to connect things. And there does seem to be some indication that if you are trying to solve a certain problem or working on something in the back of your head that your subconscious, whatever the hell the subconscious is, this older more instinctual part of the brain, continues to work on the problem even while you sleep. There have been multiple instances of scientists and inventors, engineers, who have actually thought of the solutions to their problems that they're trying to solve while while dreaming. So it's a known phenomena. And it's something that I do try to take advantage of. Sometimes I will think of things I'm trying to solve right before I go to sleep. The trick is you can't do it in a way that stresses you so that it keeps you up. So don't do this if it's going to keep you up. But it doesn't stress me to think about what I'm trying to figure out with the writing. So I'll think about that as I'm falling asleep and a lot of times I'll have a better idea in the morning or a better sense of what path to pursue and sometimes I'll actually dream of a solution. ... There's also some very solid research that says that if you're trying to learn something, whatever that something is, put in a couple hours of study, practice, whatever it is, and then you need to sleep in order for your brain to consolidate that knowledge. So if you pull an all-nighter studying, you're not going to retain the information very well. But if you were able to sleep even for just three hours, it allows the brain to take that temporary knowledge and encode it in more permanent memory. And that seems to be a very important part of the process. [19]

Fantasy Inspirations

How much has Tolkien influenced your writing, if at all? I wouldn't be here if not for Tolkien. I'll be honest with that. And I think there are a number of other contemporary fantasy authors that were equally as influential on me. But they wouldn't exist without Tolkien either. So Tolkien's the foundation that so much of this genre rests upon. [33]
Which dragon in literature do you find to be the most impactful as an influencer on stories that came after it? Historically, you'd have to put in for St. George and the Dragon, the dragon from Beowulf, Jormungandr, the Midgard Serpent from Norse mythology, Tiamat. Of course, then there's all the Asian dragons as well. And all of those influenced the authors that have influenced us, Anne McCaffrey, Ursula Le Guin, Wizard of Earthsea. Vermithrax Pejorative. [30]
What was the inspiration for how you approached the dragons in your books? For me it was a whole mess of fantasy that I read. Lord of the Rings, of course, with Smaug. The Pit Dragon trilogy by Jane Yolen. Dragon Singer was the first Anne McCaffrey book I read, and that got me into the Dragon Riders of Pern series. I still have a soft spot for Dragon Singer. The Wizard of Earthsea series. Raymond Feist's Magician series. As well as I think the Millennium series by David Eddings. A lot of others. Beowulf, of course. Tad Williams's Memory Sorrow and Thorn, which has some really impressively dangerous dragons in it. [30]
From just the first book and the second I can see how heavily Christopher was 'influenced' by George R R Martin. The part about the swords being imbued with spells to keep them sharp and the dragons growing forever isn't borrowing. It's downright plagiarism. I, uh, have never read GOT. Started the first book in 2011 and bailed when Bran was pushed out the window. However, Tolkien and Dragonriders of Pern were certainly big influences. [R]
Did the way Eragon and Arya ended remind you of the way Will and Lyra ended in His Dark Materials? In love, but unable to be together. Completely unintentional. I didn't read His Dark Materials until I'd already written Eragon (and plotted out the whole series, including the ending). I won't lie though: I love bittersweet endings, and Pullman wrote one of the best ones. [R]

Names

How do you go about naming all the places in Alagaësia? Well, these days I tend to think about where the name is coming from with the internal cultures of the land. So is it an Urgal name? Is it an Elvish name? Is it a Human name? Is it something else? For the human names I'm often drawing from established cultures, Germanic cultures, Scandinavian cultures. But I have a lot of invented and established things within the world itself. So it just sort of depends what I'm writing and how I'm doing it. The nice thing is because I've created various invented languages for the different races, that gives me a good starting place for the feel of some name that I might be creating. [12]
Where do the names in your worlds come from? Some are puns, Eragon is Dragon but with an 'e' instead of a 'd'. It also means an Era Gone By. Saphira is from Sapphire. The names also come from historical names: Germanic, Northern influences or were made up by me based on the rules from my world. For example, Murtagh is Irish. [23]

Name of Names

Does the ancient language have a canon name? I know it's never said in order to keep the mystery feel, but out of curiosity, do YOU know it? Or is it something that does not even truly have a name for you? Yup, I do have a name for it. Not sharing it with anyone, though. :D [R]

World of Eragon

What is the "World of Eragon"? Well it encompasses the entire Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance), as well as The Fork the Witch and the Worm, Murtagh, as well as all the other projects that I hope to be doing in this setting, whether books, games, or other things. And the reason we went with "World of Eragon" instead of something like Alagaësia is because Alagaësia is hard to say and hard to spell, and some of the adventures the characters will be going on actually go beyond that land. So World of Eragon it is. Also I'm rather fond of that Brisingr symbol in the "O" there. It felt appropriate for the character, for the world, and like I said, I like it myself. [Y]
What would you say to introduce someone to the World of Eragon? Well, it's the story of a young man who finds a dragon egg. And the dragon and Eragon, they go on a series of adventures and there's duels and dragons and battles and villains and romance and all the good stuff a story needs. I think it's fundamentally a good hearted series. I don't really like to write stuff that's like super super grim. It definitely is a good place to start if you're getting into epic fantasy and you're a slightly younger reader and then as you go along with the books, adult isn't really the word, but they get more elaborate and epic as the series progresses. I was learning as I wrote the series and so I tried to put all of that learning to use with each new book. [12]
What is the difference between the World of Eragon and other fantasy series? The fact that I wrote it and not someone else! There are definitely references to other works, because I love reading about elves, dwarves, magic and dragons and I wanted to write about them. At the same time, there are some unique aspects. I believe that my magic system is unique in the fantasy genre and I have unique races such as the Werecats, Ra'zac and my slightly different take on Dragons. It's a mix of familiar and really new things. [23]

Arya

George [R R Martin] and I invented the name Arya completely independently. We talked about it: he was trying to come up with something fierce and warrior-like … I was thinking of an aria in an opera. [R]

Eldest

I was today years old when I realized "Eldest" refers to Murtagh. And Roran. [T]

Shruikan

Me, a weeb, reading Shruikan as "shuriken" Where do you think I got the name from? Shruikan is just 'shuriken' rearranged a bit (and with the 'e' changed to an 'a'). [T]

Do Well Then

Am I the only one who ever realized that Du Weldenvarden sounds like Do Well Then, Varden? You are not. [T]

People, Places, Things, and Scenes

Eragon

Does the character Eragon resemble you? Initially, yes, a lot! But the more the story progressed, the more my hero experienced his own adventures. The common point that remains between him and me is that we both like to ask each other questions. [4]
What are the commonalities that you now still have with Eragon to this day? Curiosity. Eragon is very curious about the world and wants to understand it and learn, and that's definitely something I still have and still pursue. Probably a willingness to tackle big adventures and projects, even knowing it's going to be a huge thing. And then maybe a basic sense of optimism, all things considered. [19]
Eragon's journey appears to me from the beginning to the end a quest of research of identity, of self-discovery, the "Who am I?" question. Did you put yourself through the same examination Eragon and Saphira did on Vroengard while searching for their true names? And do you have an idea of what your true name will be? I think that identity and character and figuring out who you are is one of the central things of adolescence. Because you transition from a child to an adult and figuring out what sort of an adult you're going to be, and how you fit into society and how you're going to function as an adult once you have agency and power versus a child who usually doesn't have a whole lot of agency and power. And so that's why writing about adolescence to me very naturally becomes writing about identity and who you are. And yes, it's something I have spent a large portion of my life thinking about and figuring myself out. I think I have a pretty good idea of who I am and have had a pretty good idea for a long time. If you asked me to guess at my true name, I think I could come pretty close. [19]
Do you think emulating your characters’ actions is a necessary part of the writing process? It’s definitely not necessary, but it can be helpful. Having personal experience with a particular activity is always a plus. Failing that, books, articles, and YouTube can be a decent substitute. Given that I write about spaceships and dragons, there are somethings that I’ll never be able to encounter in real life . . . but, hey, that’s what our imaginations are for! [10]

Beor Mountains

I drew a map and it was like the western half of the current map. And I thought, well, this gives me everything I need. But then I was like, "oh, I want to visit this location. I want to visit that location." And pretty soon I realized I was out of space. So I didn't want to spend like days and days drawing another map because I wanted to keep writing. So I took another sheet of printer paper and put it next to the first one, and I quickly scribbled in some mountains in a giant forest. And I was really lazy. I did this in like 15 seconds, 30 seconds tops. And I was moving so fast that I made the mountains huge. And I looked at that and I was like, well, wait a minute, what if they actually were 10 times bigger than the normal mountains? And that's how I got my Beor mountains. Also, I'd read an article about the mountains in New Zealand being 10 miles high if it weren't for erosion, given their rate of upheaval. That also contributed. [34]
You grew up in Montana, is it true that the valley where Eragon comes from is based on that? Yes. There is even a mountain in the valley that is as high and the same shape as Tronjheim, the mountain where the dwarves live. And I looked at that and thought: hm, what if that was a city? You can take things from everyday life and recreate them in something. [23]

Roran

Roran and his chapters have a good bit of biblical allegory. It wasn't intentional, but I read a LOT of Biblical stuff growing up. Make of that what you will. [R]

Forging of Brisingr

One of my favorite parts of the Inheritance Cycle was the forging of Brisingr. Tell us about the research process you used in order to construct such an intricate and detailed scene. I've done a fair bit of metalworking myself. I built two forges as a kid. I credited in the back of Brisingr two different books I have on Japanese sword making, both of which I referenced pretty heavily because they were relevant, since Brisingr is made for meteorite steel and there's various reasons for using the Japanese method on a western-style sword in that book. So I did some research but I also had a fair bit of practical knowledge and that was helpful. That scene actually was even longer because if you know your metalworking you'll know there's definitely some things I skimmed over or condensed and it was just because the scene was too long and my editor said, "look, Christopher, just summarize or say it was magic. You've got a magic elven smith, let her use some magic, move it along a little faster. So I was aware of the things that I had to skimp over a little bit, but no, that was one of my favorite scenes to write and I think that came through since so many people enjoyed it. [34]

Erôthknurl

Is this [Japanese dorodango] what Orik's earth rock was based off of? Of course. [T]

Burrow Grubs

Trauma is an element that's always been a part of these books, but it's been talked around and mentioned, up until I think the burrow grubs in Inheritance. That one is rude. They're bad. I won't lie. They came from a nightmare. That literally came from a nightmare. I shared it with the world so that it's out of my head and into yours. But when I write about something, I stop thinking about it. After it's done, it purges it from my brain. [11]
I need to know how you came up with the burrow grubs because they've always freaked me out. Bad nightmare. [T]

Inheritance Climax

Was there a particular experience in your life that suggested to you that it was ultimately through compassion and empathy that Eragon will vanquish Galbatorix? No. It was the result of sort of a long chain of logic while writing the books, and a lot of thinking I've been doing about violence and responses to violence and when it's appropriate to use violence. Part of the chain of logic was the fact that I just got sick of writing sword fights. I wrote a lot of sword fights between Eragon and Arya, Eragon and Murtagh, and of course, Roran's hammer fights. So resolving the entire series's conflict just through a physical confrontation felt inadequate. There needed to be a moral component to it. One of my own criticisms for myself here is that I feel like I failed to do that with Roran in Inheritance. There really should have been a little bit slightly deeper resolution to his storyline and his confrontation with Barst that taught us something new or resulted in a change in his character. Roran's character is a little different than Eragon's because he's already grown up in a lot of ways and thus is not resolving the same issues, but a good arc, a good journey, would have reflected on what was happening with Eragon and Galbatorix. So how Roran defeats Barst in some ways should stand in contrast to how Eragon defeats Galbatorix. Maybe it does, but that's something I would have spent more time taking another look at were I to do that now. But again with Eragon and Galbatorix, just one more sword fight was inadequate. So much of the story with Eragon involved him paying attention to the lives of the ants and learning about the different groups in Alagaësia, the Urgals, the dwarves, this and that. So all of that played into this decision to have him defeat Galbatorix in that matter. And with all of that, the fact that I really didn't want there to be some obvious way of defeating Galbatorix. Galbatorix isn't stupid. He protected himself in all of the ways that one might think of protecting himself, and he's had a long time to think about that. So it needed to be something that was non-obvious. Non-obvious and yet inevitable. [19]

Favorites

Which of the fantasy creatures/races did you most enjoy writing about? I obviously love dragons. Before Murtagh I would have said the dwarves because I think they are funnier than the elves, although I enjoy writing about the elves too. But the dwarves are more earthly and interesting and human in their own way. [21]
Who is your own favorite character anyway? Saphira. I used to say Eragon right after that, but nowadays Murtagh is number two. That said, I feel most connected to Brom. Because I'm also getting old and starting to get some white spots in my beard. [21]
Which of your characters would you bring along with you to a deserted island? Saphira, because she could fly me off the deserted island. [34]
Which place in your Eragon universe would you like to live in the most? Probably with my dwarves, because they live in these 10-mile high mountains. And I love mountains and I have a beard like a dwarf these days. And I think the dwarves have more fun than the elves. [2]
Which fantasy world would you like to live in? Middle-Earth can be a nice place to live in some places, especially Hobbiton. I wouldn't mind living in a Hobbit hole and writing my books there. [23]

Interactions with other media properties

Getting into Fantasy

I got into sci-fi and fantasy because of a magical creature. My parents had a lot of sci-fi fantasy in the house, and I wasn't particularly interested in it at the time. But when I was around eight, my grandfather was taking me through a bookstore. I saw a book that had a knight in full armor without his helmet, holding a spear, facing off with a giant scaly humanoid, dragon-like monster. And at eight years old, all I knew was that this was the coolest book cover I had ever seen in my life and that this therefore must be the best book in the world. And so I begged my grandfather to please, please, please, buy me this book. He wasn't entirely sure about it, but he bought it for me anyway. That ended up being The Ruby Knight by David Eddings, which I took home and I read as fast as I could. I got a little concerned as I got near the back of the book because I was getting through the pages and then there's only this many pages left. I started to get this weird feeling that somehow the author couldn't end the whole story in the number of pages that were left. And sure enough, when I got to the end, I discovered that this was the middle book of a trilogy. Yeah, I wasn't always the brightest kid. So I finished that and immediately said, "well, I need to know what happens". So I went to our library and I read all the David Eddings books they had. There really was no internet back then, so I didn't know what to read next. So I'm standing in the library staring at Eddings, "E". What do I read next? Well, two shelves down from "E" was "F" and there was a giant book called Magician by Raymond Feist, which had a dragon on the cover. And I thought, okay, well maybe that's good. It's got a dragon, the same magical creature. So I checked out that book and I read it and it was pretty awesome. So I read everything by Raymond Feist. And then I go, "well, what do I read now?" And well, a couple of shelves down, there was a book called Mossflower by Brian Jacques which was the prequel to Redwall, so I read the entire Redwall series. And wasn't too far from Brian Jacques to Anne McCaffrey, and there was the Dragon Riders of Pern series. So I basically worked my way through the library, just chasing the covers with dragons and talking animals, which is not the worst way to set up a reading program when you're ten. And that really transformed my life. And I just absolutely fell in love with reading in a way that I never really had before. [35]

Anne McCaffrey

Is it awkward though, sitting here between Dragonriders of Pern, the original series about Dragonriders, from a beloved author who was nice enough to give you a blurb for your first novel, knowing that you sort of borrowed the whole Dragonriders thing? Oh, not at all. Absolutely shameless about it. And McCaffrey was kind enough to give me not just a blurb, my first blurb. So funny thing is I did kind of repay her in the most roundabout way. I was touring in Spain and found out that her books were out of print there. And I talked them up so much that they ended up reprinting the entire series in Spain and I blurbed her books in Spain. But you know, it's a small market so it probably doesn't count. Right. No, I would say not. [31]

Star Wars

I was homeschooled and raised in a very rural environment in Montana. I had no access to the internet and stuff. I literally had not heard about Star Wars all the way up until I was 14. And it was referenced in the movie Space Camp. And I said, "Why are they saying 'Luke use the force'? What does that mean?" And my dad got this horrified expression on his face. Like he had failed as a parent, and so we watched Star Wars the next day. [5]

Star Trek

The problem with Lost is those seasons are full length seasons. I mean it's like 23, 26 episodes. It's a huge commitment. My wife watched Next Generation for the first time a couple years ago, and each season is like 24 or 26 episodes, and it's a big commitment of time. And that's part of the problem getting into something like Battlestar Galactica or something else. [21]
Deep Space Nine is the best Star Trek, because they actually managed to take the Ferengi and turn them into interesting, well-rounded, deep characters, which you wouldn't think, and not just the Ferengi, but other aliens, which the other Star Treks didn't manage to do anything like that, I think. [29]

The Prisoner

The original Prisoner television show is the most prophetic piece of science fiction in a lot of ways because it deals with loss of privacy and individuality, the strength of the individual against the system of government. And the cool thing too is that I think The Prisoner is definitely an auteur piece. It was written by Patrick McGuinn who also stars in it and he also directed the majority of episodes. And it directly follows from his earlier series Secret Agent Man. When that show ended he was at a party and there were some governmental officials and someone asked him, so what does a secret agent do when he retires? And he said, I don't know, you tell me what does a secret agent do when he retires? And the bureaucrat just kind of goes, well we take care of them. And that was kind of the beginning of the concept for the show. A lot of people hate the ending. I actually quite like the ending but there's a sense of absurdity to the show as well that I think is very well suited for the nature of modern life given that although we live in a Heinlein future in the sense we have rockets taking off and landing vertically as God and Heinlein intended, at the same time, we live in a very strange modern life and Philip K. Dick captured that, but I also think the prisoner absolutely did. So if you haven't seen The Prisoner, I can't recommend it enough personally. McGuinn had some really strong philosophy driving it underneath. He was a very religious man, actually very similar to Gene Wolfe, both Catholic. And that drove a lot of his beliefs and approach to the material. [21]

House of the Dragon

I'm not necessarily a fan of the way George R R Martin writes. House of the Dragon pretty much started with a bloody scene about a young mother who had to pay for the birth of her child with death. My wife was just heavily pregnant, I turned off the TV and didn't look back. But there is no arguing about the quality of Game of Thrones and the enormous cultural impact of the series. All respect. [18]

Dragons Love Tacos

I've had to read Dragons Love Tacos to my son more times than I care to remember. Look, dragons do not love tacos. Dragons love some of the things that go into tacos, like cows or maybe sheep or goats. But dragons do not love tacos. And this is sheer slander upon the whole race of dragons. [14]
They'll probably like the ground meat that sometimes goes into tacos, but no, dragons don't eat tacos. Come on. [34]

Video Games

What was the first game that you played where you thought, I really love games? Crystal Quest. If anyone remembers that. Old game that was on the Mac Classic. I got up to level 99 on that or something. It was insane. But, yeah, Myst, Riven especially, the Marathon series, Mass Effect trilogy. Loved Control recently. I've spent way too many hours playing Far Cry 5 because it's set in Montana and looks exactly like Montana. And there are some similarities to things in that game, to actual real world stuff, which is kind of weird, but it's cool. I don't know. Too many games to list and they're all awesome. [26]
I played a lot of classic Mac games, we're talking about like on the old Mac Classic, so things like Crystal Quest and Starship Mono and things like that. And then later on, when the computers upgraded, I loved the Myst series, so Myst and Riven. My friend had a PC, so I got to play the original Doom and Wolfenstein 3D and all of that. On the Mac, I loved the Marathon series. That was a huge influence on me with storytelling. I'm really excited that they're rebooting it or doing a sequel to the Marathon game finally over at Bungie. So the Marathon trilogy. Unreal Tournament 1999 is still the best shooting game I've ever played in a lot of ways, a tournament game. So yeah, all that stuff definitely had an influence on me. [12]
All of my gaming experience was computer games, video games. One that had a huge influence on me was the old Myst series. Personally I love solving puzzles, so that's the first thing. And also the concept of the series, especially with the second game, Riven, it's all based around people writing books that create new worlds. And you get to go in them and solve puzzles and understand how that world works. And that just tickled every single part of my brain back in the day. [26]
Now, funny thing with Spyro is that the company that made the Spyro games actually worked on the Eragon video game back in the day. Now, I've never played the Spyro games, but my wife is a huge fan of them, and I like Spyro. Proper number of legs. The wings are a little small, though. But sheer force of personality, and at least Spyro's not a dog dragon. [13]
What do you love about Mass Effect? I like the RPG elements, but I like the universe. I like the setting. I like the fact that really their big jump is they assume the existence of this element zero that if I'm remembering it correctly, allows for all of the technology. And then they don't break the laws of physics past that. They assume there's one break from what we know and then explore that. But I love the setting. I like how much blue they use. No, seriously. And if I'm remembering correctly, one of the planets in Mass Effect actually is the planet from Dragon Age. So they've tied in their two different franchises, which is cool. I have so many wonderful memories with the characters and in the world of Mass Effect that in some ways it was almost like a Star Wars experience for video games. [21]
There's great aliens in Mass Effect. I seem to recall Wayne Barlow, an artist, creating a cool book with some aliens in it. [29]

Minecraft

My favorite game these days is Minecraft. If you put a gun to my head and told me I can only have one game for the rest of my life, I'd pick Minecraft right now. If you go to my YouTube channel, you can see my storage system, which is mechanized and can store every single item in the game, either in shulker boxes or bulk storage or chests. It's mechanized. If you're familiar with the Hermitcraft series, they actually invited me on the server as a guest at one point. Scicraft, I got to tour with them. I built a machine to kill the Ender Dragon with one arrow. I love Minecraft. The problem is I could spend so long playing Minecraft, I will never write another book in my life. So I haven't played it in six months. But I really want to update my storage system. So we'll see. [26]
You went almost a decade from the time that you published Inheritance to the time that you published another book that people cared about, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. What were you doing during this time besides Minecraft? Have you seen my storage system in Minecraft? I have, it's pretty solid. It's not just solid, it's like I built a computer in Minecraft. Honestly, I could have written another book. I was going to say, imagine if you had written a book instead. What was I doing in those ten years? Well, I suppose I was just relaxing on my giant pile of money. Plagiarism pays, nepotism pays, I was just relaxing, enjoying life. And then I decided that I should probably, pay tribute to a lot of the sci-fi games and movies that I enjoyed and pluck up a bunch of pieces from them and paste them all together and put out a new book. And that was To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. That's fantastic. Absolutely. And you know what's even better? It won Best Sci-Fi of the Year over at Goodreads. I'm starting to wonder if you might be a pretty smart guy. People have said that on occasion, but I don't really believe it. Yeah, I wouldn't either. No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't. [31]

Crossovers

Who wins in a fight, Kratos or Eragon? I'm enormously fond of Eragon and he does have magic at his disposal, but we are talking about a man who literally killed the Greek pantheon and then the Nordic pantheon. So I hate to say it, but I think Kratos has it here. Not to mention that technically his son becomes the Midgard Serpent. [30]
Who would win in the fight? Eragon or Anne McCaffrey? Not the dragons, the author? Well, look, Anne McCaffrey gave me my first blurb. I kind of have to go with Anne McCaffrey there. [30]
[Rebecca Yarros:] How would our dragons interact with each other? I think your dragons would consider Saphira a bit soft. But I think Saphira would rise to the occasion. She's more humane. Like she's more human. She has more like a softness to her, as where mine are superior jerks. Well, I think also she's trying to be nice for the nice little squishy humans around her. And if she were stuck with a bunch of dragons who weren't quite so nice, she'd probably go a bit more feral. [33]
What would Eragon's signet be if he was in the Fourth Wing world instead? Probably something with fire, firebending essentially. The first spell he ever used was Brisingr, which was fire. So probably something with fire. I think that that seems appropriate. I could come up with something more exotic, but let's face it, Eragon's kind of basic. So it's going to be fire. [33]
I assume Roran would have carried a 45-70 govt in a different timeline. He absolutely would, if not a 45-90 or even a 50-110. [R]
What Taylor Swift song do you feel most represents each character? I’ve never listened to a Taylor Swift song, so … How is that even possible?? You must not have listened to a radio in the last decade. You would be correct. That is actually insane. What kind of music do you listen to? I love classical. However, mostly I listen to movie & game soundtracks while writing. And when not writing, I've had enough music, so don't listen to stuff. I can't listen to anything with English lyrics while writing. Messes with the words in my head. Nothing while lifting? Heh. Heavy Metal. Amon Amarth. That sort of thing. [T]

FOUR MONTHS AFTER THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE, JOHN D. LEE – THE DIRECTOR AT THE SCENE - ENJOYED THE PRIVILEGES OF A CELEBRITY
“In [January] 1858 [following the Mountain Meadows Massacre in September 1857], Brigham Young gave me my seventeenth wife Emma Batchelder . . . . Brigham Young said that Isaac C. Haight . . . and I, needed some young women to renew our vitality so he gave us both a dashing young bride.” (Lee, Confessions, 289). John D. Lee and Isaac C. Haight were married, in each case, in President Young’s private sealing room. Diary Two, John D. Lee’s 1857-1861 account of his life, like the journals of other Massacre-related Saints, is missing pages (in Lee’s case 12 pages). The surviving part of the Diary begins in the midst of an entry for December 27, 1857, approximately three-and-a-half months after the Massacre. At this moment, the Diary, absent pages that were removed and concealed, has John D. Lee, a southern Utah Legislator, as was also Haight, in Salt Lake City attending the tenth annual session of the Utah Legislature, listening to speeches by Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball.
In the evening, on December 27, 1857, John D. Lee “attended a ward meeting” where he “was called to the Stand by Bishop Wooly, to open by Prayre.” On the following day, Monday, December 28, Lee and his sidekick “Pres. I[saac] C. Haight” traveled North of the city “to visit relatives . . . .” (Brooks, The Diaries of John D. Lee, Vol. 1, 140). On the 30^th, Lee took dinner with Simon C. Dot, where he received an invitation to “Stay & Participate in a Social Party [the] following evening.” Still, on the 30^th, in the evening he “addressed the Saints in this city [presumably “centerville Farmington . . .”].” On January 1, 1858, and as a matter of some importance, Lee “Paid a visit to Father H. Rollins & obtaind the co. [company] of My [Emma] Batchelor as a Partner in the Dance . . . [a woman he had seen at Bishop Wooly’s ward]. In the eve[n]ing I was favored with Bro. Judson Stoddards carriage & Horses, to bring my Partner to the Party. We enjoyed the Dance well. Spent the remainder of the Night at C.W. Dollons.” (Ibid., Vol. 1, 140). In the morning, with yet more assistance from Judson Stoddard’s carriage and horses, one of Lee’s daughters, then Emma Bachellor and Lee were conveyed to the city, where they had their pictures taken, after which the daughter, and Emma, “both returned home.” Before they did, “Emma expressed an attatchment for me & Said that I on first site [sight] was the object of her Choice.” Lee replied that he would lay the case (marriage to Emma) before Brigham Young (whose consent for Lee to marry was required) and would let her know “when convenient” what the Governor said. On that evening, January 2, 1858, by the request of Brigham Young and four months after the Massacre, “Lee attend[ed] the Theater in the council Hall . . . .” (Ibid., 140-41).
On Sunday, January 3, 1858, after meetings in the Tabernacle featuring Orson Hyde, George Albert Smith, Joseph Young and Daniel H. Wells, Lee preached to “an attentive assembly in the 8^th Ward,” where he was “full of the Spirit & had good liberty.” In the evening on Monday, January 4, 1858, Lee had an interview with Brigham Young, who “counseled me to bring Emma & he would Seal her to me.” (Ibid., 141). On Tuesday, January 5, 1858, Lee traveled twelve miles north to fetch Emma, only to find that she was in trouble with her Bishop who had vetoed the intended union. His opposition arose, according to Lee, “from the simple fact that I h[ad] not asked his permission.” Lee had permission, he noted, from Brigham Young “& the girl had no father & that was [all] that was requi[red].” Lee told his intended “that if she loved & had confidence in me” that she should “get into the carriage & let the Bishop sweat & go to hell . . . .” With that controversy then resolved, “In a few minets we were on our ways.” Later that day, the Members of the Legislature (including John D. Lee) met at the Endowment Room where they received lectures upon “clothing ourselves [in] Priestly Robes & Praying &c.” (Brooks, The Diaries of John D. Lee, Vol. 1, 141-42).
On Wednesday, January 6, “upon the Motion of Elder O. Hyd[e] & vote of the House I was requested to deliver a speech upon Forengn relations & Self preservation.” On Thursday, January 7 at 9:00 a.m., John D. Lee and others met in the Endowment Room at the request of Heber C. Kimball “to clothe & be instructed in the Prayre circle.” (Ibid., 142). “At 12 noon Emma Batchellor was given to me to wife by Prest. B. Young in his own Sealing Room.” (Ibid., 142-43). Approximately four months after the horrendous events at Mountain Meadows (and in January 1858), Brigham Young rewarded John D. Lee and Isaac C. Haight (the executors of the Massacre) by marrying them, with some few days between, Lee to Emma Batchelder, and Haight to Elizabeth Summers. The two conspirators, two of Brigham Young’s main men in the south, were married to their exciting new polygamous wives – by the grateful prophet – in the prophet’s private sealing room. (Lee, Confessions, 289).
Brigham Young, John D. Lee’s brother-in-law (Brigham was married to Emmeline Free), understood how Lee might exercise his renewed “vitality” with a “dashing young bride.” In December 1847, when a council chastened Lee “for his cruel treatment of his wives,” Lee said that he had “‘frigged [Young’s sister-in-law] Louisa Free 20 times in one night,’ Young joined in upbraiding Lee but seemed to make light of some allegations. ‘[T]hats the matter with John,’ Young laughed, ‘he has loved his women too much & frigged them too much.’” (John G. Turner, Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, 159).
There was another not-so-unimportant element connected to this blissful ten-day from meeting to marriage courtship. It concerned Emma and yet another husband. She was already sealed to another church member, Brother “Jas. Kippin.” Lee’s Diary explained that annoyance in the following terms: “She had been forced to be Sealed to Jas. Kippin through ignorence of the order of this church.” They (Lee did not describe them) said that Emma and her posterity “Should be cursed if she did not consent to be Seald to him.” Once this monster husband “[ac]complished” his nefarious “designs,” he mistreated her. She loathed him, and refused to have connection with him. The Bishop of the ward, after “lear[n]ing the facts,” reported his findings to President Brigham Young. President Brigham Young “set her at liberty at once.” (Brooks, The Diaries of John D. Lee, 143).
On Thursday, January 7, the day of the marriage – Emma being freed from her mind-bending encumbrance – the newlyweds were feted by dignitaries – including President Isaac Haight, two other presidents and two bishops – through the good offices of Sister Ezra Taft Benson (the first Ezra Taft Benson) and her family. “Sister Benson made the Bride cake & a good Dinner; the guest[s] Eat & drank [Cherry Brandy, Sugar {and} other liquors] & made merry & had a firstrate good time.” (Ibid., 143). After the marriage, while still in the city, and then also after, Lee enjoyed the privileges of a celebrity. The murderer at Mountain Meadows, the man who lured those emigrants out, leading them to their deaths, killing some himself, consorted with Mormon royalty.
On Monday, January 11, 1858, “the Legislative assembly met in Joint Session.” At 2:00 p.m., the assembly adjourned to Tuesday, the 12th. At 10:00 a.m. on the twelfth, “Pres. H. C. Kimble enterd the Door, took off his hat & Shouted Hura 3 times for Iseral.” The subject of home manufacture was “the topic of the day. Amung the rest I [John D. Lee] delivered a discourse on that subject which was met with applause by all the House. The Speaker, H.C. Kimble commandd me to write down that Speech & he would have it printd & continued, Gentlemen, that is experimental knowledge & that’s what we want & I wouldent give the snap of my finger for all the Speeches that you could make aside from that.” (Ibid., 143-44). On Saturday, January 16, 1858. “At eve[n]ing Pres. B. Young invited me to attend the rehearsal at the Social Hall. Pres. Young Said to me that he inte[nded] to have sent me home provid[ed] that I needd help & that his tea[m]s & men would be ready to start with us at the close of the Legislatu[re] . . . wished me hapiness with my new wife.” (Ibid., 144). Sunday, January 17, 1858. “At early candle light I addressed an other assembly at the 17^th Ward . . . . The Spirit of the Lord was with us & we had a good time.” (Ibid., 145). Friday, January 22, 1858. “This eve[n]ing Pres Young said that he wished Bro. Haight & I to Make our arrangements to Start home on Mond. Next. By that time he would have his co. ready to Start & that he intendd to assist me home with my New wife Emma.” (Ibid., 145).
Saturday, January 23^rd. “Recieved an order from Bro. B. Young, Kimble & Wells [First Presidency] for 3 Milch cows for the benefit of their co. Sent to make a farm on the Rio virgin.” (Ibid., 146). Sunday, January 24, 1858: “Bro. I[saac] C. Haight had Miss Elizabeth Sum[mers] Seald to him by Pres. B. Young. . . .” Following which “the Pres. [Brigham Young] remain[ed] in his Sealing Room & conversed with me Some hour or More upon the Presant Moves of [the] government against u[s] & councild me to encourage the Manufacturing of Powde[r] & getting out of Lead, & to wake up the Saints in all the Southern setlements to their duty, thus reviving the spir[it] of the reformation &c. Blessed [by Young] & we parted.” (Ibid., 146).
Monday, January 25, 1858. Traveled home [to Harmony] with Isaac Haight. “With our 2 new wives made us quite a load.” “I also presented I.C. Haight with a brace of colts revolvers . . . .” (Ibid., 146). January 26. “[P]ut up at Bro. Alfonzo Green’s. Kind reception.” January 27. “Put [up] for the Night at Bro. Kerns, Springville, where we were made welcome.” January 28. “Traveld to payson & put at Bro. Jas Pace, one of my adopted children. In the evening he bought us tickets & took us to the Theathre.” January 29. “Bro. Pace gave me some 5 bushls of oats to feed on our way home . . . . Put up with Bro. Z. Baxters . . . Kind reception.”
Website: MormonismUnderTheMicroscope.com

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BoxOfficeTheory Presale Tracking
USA Showtimes As of May 31
Presales Data (Google Sheets Link)
BoxOfficeReport Previews
Quorum Update (May 31)

• https://forums.boxofficetheory.com/topic/31569-the-box-office-buzz-tracking-and-pre-sale-thread/?do=findComment&comment=4683375

DOMESTIC PRESALES

• YM! (Marcus is doing $7 matinees for children and seniors all day every day before 4 PM for the summer (May 31).)

Bad Boys: Ride or Die Average Thursday / EA+Thursday comp: $4.28M/$5.20M

• abracadabra1998 (Comp: $3.70M THU. Biggest outlier here is Equalizer ($6.47M), but that is also probably the best comp... tough to say with a release like this where we don't know just how backloaded it will be (May 30). All these comps had been on sale for longer, so those will go up, with the exception of Civil War, which went on sale at T-18 so that'll go down. Feels like a walk-up movie so it's hard to find good comps (May 19).)
  
• el sid (Counted yesterday for THU had 395 sold tickets with shows in 6 theaters. 10 days left. Bad Boys for Life (6.36M from previews) had on MON of the release week 915 sold tickets = 43% at the moment for Bad Boys 4 with 7 days left to come closer or maybe overtake. My guess is that BB4 could have 800-1000k tickets by next MON, so it could be pretty much on par with BBfL. BB4 does not have stellar presales and after several disappointments I shouldn't exaggerate but compared to the best comps it looks quite good for BB4 as you can see (May 28).)
  
• Flip (Decided to add one more theater but there was good growth in both of the original two (May 27).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex (Comp: $5.2M EA+THU.)
  
• keysersoze123 (We have to wait until early next week to tell the tale. These movies finish very strong. That said at this point I dont see a path for it to hit last movies OW ($62.5M). That is going to be a stretch plus the internal multi will be weaker relative to MLK weekend release of last movie. So I hope it goes for at least 6m previews to keep 50m OW in play (June 1). Pace is definitely going up but is it enough. We will only with final week pace (May 31). Still at very low pace (May 30). Presales are again not that much at this point. I think its not going to hit the heights of last movie (May 28). It should start to amp up sometime this week (May 27). This wont be fan driven. Even the last one initially trailed Dr Do little in presales but amped up big time close to release. This will be a late bloomer. I am still expecting 50m+ OW (May 23).)
  
• TheFlatLannister (Comp: $5.55M THU. Pace staying steady, but it increased against all comps which is a good sign. 39% of total sales is coming from the greater Miami region, which is a really strong split. The demo for this film is perhaps coming out (June 1). Actually slowed down a bit (May 31). Not as good as yesterday's update, but still increasing against comps (May 30). Excellent jump today. Starting to see the acceleration (May 29). Steady pace, no acceleration yet. Switch to G x K since that had super strong walkups ($6.12M THU comp) and Bad Boys 4 will likely replicate this (May 27). Comps ($4.11M) would mean $40M+ Opening Weekend (May 24).)
  
• TwoMisfits (Aging male-skewing franchises tend to get the biggest bump from this deal. Folks are on the fence but know what they are getting. Female skewing non-sequel ones tend to get zero help. You need baseline interest to get people willing to pay anything, b/c these still are $5. The other effect of the deal is that movies releasing around the $5 hits sometimes get hurt. June TMobile $5 Atom movie. This could help it go huge, like last year's Spider-Verse (May 22).)
  
• vafrow (Comp: $3.6M THU. Even without the slap, I don't think the 15-25 demographic has much affinity for Will Smith. That younger demo though is usually key to getting a big walk up. Breakdown of sales on my numbers tilt heavily to the ages 19+ VIP screens. That strikes me as older audiences looking for an outing without teenagers. That audience is important, but there's a limit to how much business they can drive. I can definitely be wrong. But every day that we don't see trends reverse is making me nervous. Slower than expected. It's staying pace with the films with a slow finish and falling behind the walk up heavy films (June 1). A good and steady day (May 31). A bounceback day that helped undo some of the damage from earlier this week (May 29). It's not having a great week. It's slowly slipping against comps, when the hope was that it would be gaining. New showtimes went up for the THU, and it's only gotten one additional screen. It's the 4DX screen, which makes sense, as what else justifies a 4DX screen at this stage (May 29). It's staying pretty flat (May 28). Zero sales day when all comps seemed to have done well. Not a great result. Note: This isn't a holiday weekend in Canada, so that doesn't explain the slow sales. Hopefully it's just an anomaly. This has been very steady to date (May 27). Ghostbusters and Apes both went up in comps, but I didn't have Hunger Games included, so it's brought the average down. Still, its growing at a steady pace (May 26). I still expect this to be more walk up friendly than the comps being used, and should see a gradual rise as the date gets closer (May 25). Nothing of note here. Staying steady. Will probably pick up only in the final week (May 20).)
  
• YM! (Definitely overindexing in the more diverse areas of SE Wisconsin but underindexing in less diverse areas (like a reverse Furiosa). 57% ahead of Furiosa without EA puts us at 5.5M previews and whilst not the perfect comparison, I feel good about a surprise for this one so pencil me in at 4.5-5.5M previews. Looking to overperform in SE Wisconsin if my four theaters are anything to go by. About 57% ahead of Furiosa and 170% ahead of Furiosa with Early Access. Definitely showing strongest signs in the Hispanic and Black heavy areas of SE Wisconsin (June 1). Like IO2 the pace for Bad Boys is small but mighty. EA is only available at Majestic much like Garfield. With EA, it’s a few tickets shy of Furiosa’s T-6 but without them it’s only a bit over half. Either way both is really good. I think we’ll continue to see the gap grow over the week but as of rn, I am thinking around $6-7m previews without EA solely on vibes to an OW north of $55m (May 25). Same thing as IO2 for Bad Boys (see May 23 IO2 comment), I expect this to not only skew more GA friendly and should bulk up ticket sales as we get closer to release. It’s almost at half of Furiosa’s T-6 which is a pretty great thing. Should easily outdo it by T-6 imho (May 23).)
  

The Watchers Average Thursday Comp: $0.86M

• el sid (Had a pretty muted start in my theaters. Yesterday 37 tickets were sold for THU, May 6, and today it were 44 (with showtimes in 5 theaters). Comps (always counted for THU):Tarot (715k from previews) had with 6 days left 28 sold tickets. The First Omen (725k) had with 8 days left also 28 sold tickets. Abigail (1M) had with 6 days left 97 sold tickets. And The Strangers: Chapter One (1.2M) had on MON of the release week 215 sold tickets. I don't think that The Watchers can reach the presales number of The Strangers, maybe half of that (= ca. 100 sold tickets next MON). So at the moment I go with around 500k from previews for The Watchers (May 30).)
  
• filmlover (Hasn't sold anything near me (May 26).)
  
• Flip (These are good numbers considering it’s only playing in 2/3 theaters I track (May 28).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex ($0.86M THU Comp.)
  

The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Re-Releases (June 8-10)

• BoxOfficePro (Fathom Events has also announced that select Regal Cinemas will present the films in 4DX on June 22/23/24 for Fellowship/Towers/Return respectively (May 14).)
  
• AnthonyJPHer (Fellowship of the Ring (269 tickets, 6 showtimes, 4 theaters) on SAT, June 8, 2024 and SAT, June 15, 2024 (21 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). The Two Towers (243 tickets, 4 theaters) SAT, June 9, 2024 and SAT, June 16, 2024 (22 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). Return of the King (281 tickets, 4 theaters) for SAT, June 10, 2024 and SAT, June 17, 2024 (16 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). 852 tickets sold in total. 793 tickets sold for the first week. 59 tickets sold for the second week (May 28).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex (Up to ~1,400 shows now with new locations picking it up and others adding a second showing. LotR1 has sold 831 seats OD, LotR2 sold 715 seats OD, and LotR3 sold 735 seats OD. For comparison, Phantom Menace didn't break 800 tickets until T-3 and we're still over a month out. JW3 comp is currently around 9m (it was at 1,670 tickets sold at this point!) (May 6).)
  

Inside Out 2 Average Thursday Comp using TheFlatLannister's Florida comp: $9.15M

• NRG (Now tracking for $85M domestic debut (May 30).)
  
• abracadabra1998 (Comp: $5.84M THU. Keeps chugging along, comps will start converging soon (May 30). Good update, hopefully this keeps on rising (May 23). Not impressed at all so far here sadly (May 19).)
  
• AniNate (Finally a little movement here. 23 THU, 52 Fri-Sun (compared to 18 THU and 23 FRI-SUN on May 17) (May 22). Safe to say the fan rush has ended, and it might not be immediately on casual family and radar when they're making memorial Day plans and there are two other kids movies out or about to be out (May 19).)
  
• AnthonyJPHer (Some growth for THU, not bad but I expect sales to increase steadily as we get closer to release. Presales are good enough to not be a disaster like Garfield, but not big enough to guarantee a 100m opening. I still like what I’m seeing though. My local theater has finally shown some signs of life with this film. 5 tickets sold. Way better than Garfield at the same point. Might not be completely accurate, but looking extremely strong on FRI. 900 tickets for the 5 theaters I track. Maybe even 1,286 tickets if my numbers are accurate. That tells me this is not front loaded whatsoever. Or at the very least not preview heavy (May 27). Out of the 4 tracked theaters, there is at least 774 tickets sold out of 1000+ seats. Blown Garfield out of the water (~200 tickets from the theaters I tracked). At least 3 sold out (or close to sold out) showings for Inside Out 2. Looking good for Inside Out 2. Of course this might just be fan surge and all. I was looking at the THU previews in a theater near me. There is an almost completely sold out showing. Out of 195 seats, 175 were sold. Where I live there seems to be real interest. I counted about more than 400 tickets sold on THU for theaters near me, kind of shocked me (May 19).)
  
• charlie Jatinder (Comp: $12.2M THU at MTC2. Moving along nicely (May 21).)
  
• Flip (Decided to add one more theater but there was good growth in both of the original two (May 27). Fan event on the 16th has 43 tickets sold from 2 showtimes (compared to 8 showtimes and 73 tickets sold for previews), so that might be depressing previews a bit.)
  
• katnisscinnaplex (Comp: $6.2M THU. No great comps for this. The last week and especially final few days will tell everything we need to know (May 31). Early sales haven't been there lately except for the extreme fans. $12.27M Mario comp (May 18).)
  
• keysersoze123 (If you compare this to any animation movies seen recently including Minions, its doing very well. Really good this far out for sure (May 25). Chugging along at this point (May 19). Show counts show Plexes are expecting a big OW. I dont remember when we last had a animation movie start with so many shows. I wont count Mario as that was a fan driven movie. Definitely not great presales but this is not a fan driven movie. Let us see where things are in the final week (May 15).)
  
• Porthos (BAD COMPS: $8.94M THU. I literally have zero good comps. I generally don't keep track of sub-5m pure kids animated films until right before release. It is too backloaded (or rather NOT frontloaded) for the AtSVs of the world to make much sense. IO2 had a (too) long (by half) pre-sale window which is wrecking a whole bunch of other slightly more plausible comps. If I had a complete track of KFP4, that'd probably help a great deal. As often the case with films that should be very backloaded, won't really know how backloaded they are until the week of release. (will note that IO2 does seem to be picking up a hint of steam right now. Which should bode well for its overall ticket total). Horror is, along side pure kids animation, THE most backloaded genre there is when it comes to pre-sales. ATP for the Nope comp will be wrecked, but the pace should be very instructive. Name recognition for Jordan Peele led to slightly stronger pre-sales for a non-franchise horror installment which should map fairly well with the in-built name recognition of IO2. Is complicated by the fact that Nope had an even longer pre-sale window than IO2, but that might help counterbalance some of the ATP errors. Won't be a good comp at the end but right now it might be one of the better ones, especially to show the insane growth that should be on the table. I don't think it's much of a coincidence that it's one of the few comps I have right now that is pointing to double digit previews (May 30). I don't agree with the undertone of concern when it comes to ticket sales. They seem perfectly fine to me, maybe even somewhat strong. It just isn't selling like a frontloaded CBM/fan driven franchise (even when adjusting for animation). So I suppose it really comes down to how much we think this will still act like a traditional kids animation film when it comes to buying pattern, how much demand has been burnt off, and how many people are still going to buy tickets but see no particular need to buy them early. Which I suppose really can't be answered until we get close to the time when kids animation films typically accelerate. But, I keep looking at the sales in Sacramento and not seeing much cause for concern (May 25). Decided to add Nope ($12.62M) to the comp block. Not because I think it's a particularly good one (ATP differences are a major red flag), but more for pace considerations considering how similar horror and kids animation are when it comes to being backloaded. The other consideration with Nope is that it was on sale for nearly two weeks longer, so it did have a small amount of extra time to pad some seats sold. But maybe the errors (ATP vs length of pre-sale) will cancel each other out. PROBABLY NOT! But the pace at the very least should be interesting (May 25).)
  
• Skim Beeble (I don't know if it's just me, but starting June 20th PLF showings for Inside Out 2 are stopping after around 4 PM. Is there possibly a surprise release coming or is it just a scheduling showtime thing from the chains. (This is AMC) (May 29).)
  
• TheFlatLannister (Comp: $8.52M THU Florida and $7.57M THU Orlando Comp. Thinking $85M OW is about right. Don't see much data as of right now to suggest a number much lower or higher than that (May 31). Excellent pace this far out. Does feel like something big is around the corner (May 27).)
  
• vafrow (Comp: $13.2M THU. I still have a wide divide between comps. KFP4 just did tremendously well around here, making it a challenging comp to use. Or Garfield and IF being the opposite (June 1). Take the comps with a grain of salt. The low numbers on IF and Garfield really throw things off. Numbers were flat all week before a jump in the last day (May 29). It's starting to grow (May 25). I'm surprised this hasn't been stronger. At this stage, I don't expect we'll see much activity until final week (May 19).)
  
• YM! (SouthEast Wisconsin: Already outdone Garfield minus EA. Ideally I’d like heavy buying to be prevalent next week with some form of buildup this week. Right now, looking at other data on here, put me down for 7-8M previews. At NS using pre-pandemic comparisons, it’s about 22% ahead of Onward’s T-9, 57% ahead of Sonic’s T-9 and 46% of Aladdin’s T-9 (June 1). Using Keysersoze123's earlier MTC1 data, the pace is pretty good. $6.74M average THU comp. The same caveats apply (higher ATP than the other animations due to older skew and PLFs but having lower ATP than TLM as that skews older and likely has more of audience to buy upfront, and Wish being on Discount TUES muddies things up) but the important thing is that pace healthy and gainer ground against its comparisons. Feel like tracking is right on the money of 75-85m OW but could grow stronger if pace continues strong and reviews are strong (May 26). The pace is moving nicely as we have about two and a half weeks left. Think there’s potential for ticket count pace to grow strongly. I have no comparisons but it is at Garfield’s EA-less T-3 ticket sales. Going to probably not say much on preview predictions but my thoughts of an OW in between 75m-100m still stand. Not much to make of things until we get to around 2 weeks for rudimentary guessing and opening week for figuring things out (May 25). Little has changed as IO2 keeps on trucking along. I do theorize at least from the 250 ticket selling Funko Event, it’s plausible families and fans went for that date instead of THU night previews. Not much to make of things until we get to around 2 weeks for rudimentary guessing and opening week for figuring things out. At the very least, I like that it doubled its previous sales a week ago as it shows pace and outdid Garfield’s T-6 (May 23). Did some snooping around for the Funko Event as I was curious if perhaps families getting presales for the opening SAT vs opening THU as those sales are kind of weak THU and uhm it’s at 250 tickets. Which is like 5 times Garfield’s EA showing of 50 tickets all at PLF prices despite normal theaters. Most of which at 9:30 AM with only one theater having it at 11:00 AM (May 22). Based on keysoze123's Elemental, Wish, Little Mermaid, and Kung Fu Panda 4 preview data, $5.66M THU comp and $22.2M FRI comp. Not a fan of the average comp (Disney has underperformed at MTC2 so not within history to rely on it overperforming like KFP4 and IF) but really like the True FRI although it is very inconsistent. Not sure if IO2 would jump that high from the THU average. However, there’s a lot of variable since: 1. TLM should skew more towards young adults than families by nature which should make ATP higher. 2. IO2 should and does have a higher ATP than either Wish, KFP4 or Elemental due to total PLF control and presumably skews a bit older. 3. Wish was on Discount TUES so that should muddy up the comparisons. 4. The comparisons apart from Elemental are either days before or days behind. 5. Both Wish and KFP4 opened outside the summer season so internal multiplier will be different (especially with Wish’s five day) due to how summer and fall have entirely different natures in walkups which leaves just TLM/Elemental as viable comparisons. It does show that IO2 should at least open above 65m? (May 20).)
  

The Bikeriders

• Pinacolada (Actually sold some around me. It does seem like Focus is giving it kind of a shitty release though. Small screens. Definitely no PLFs, which 20th Century Studios was gonna get it Dolby back when they had it. There's 3 theaters really near me. Only 1 of them has this on sale as of now, though the other 2 theaters may come later? (May 26).)

A Quiet Place: Day One Average Thursday Comp: $4.09M

• AnthonyJPHer (Alright start to presales, although kind of muted in my opinion. I’m hoping it’ll start picking up the pace soon, but it’s alright. Not much to say here (May 31).)
  
• Flip (Has a fan event on the same day of previews, PLF only (May 30).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex ($4.84M THU comp.)
  
• Porthos (Took a look locally. Not too bad. Before I tracked DBOX, AQP2 sold 160 tickets at T-22 and.... AQPD1 sold 166 tickets at T-28. Now I am now tracking DBOX seats, which at a glance sold 19 tickets tonight. However three theaters locally converted to having DBOX showings, so some local theaters will just have more DBOX sales. Still, basically in line with D1 of AQP2, more or less. Tickets sold for the 3pm fan event are practically non-existent right now (8 tickets sold). There are so many problems with an AQP2 comp as to make it nearly worthless but... promising start, I'd say (May 31).)
  
• TheFlatLannister ($4.44M THU Comp. Pretty good start, but nothing crazy or outright telling me a big breakout is coming (May 31))
  
• vafrow ($3.0M THU comp. Second day didn't go as well (June 1). Not a bad start. I don't have great comps with it starting at a month out (May 31).)
  

Deadpool and Wolverine Average Thursday Comp using TheFlatLannister's Dune2+GOTG3 comp: $29.31M

• AMC ("Some 200,000 movie fans have bought their AMC tickets already. This is more Day 1 ticket sales at AMC than for any other R-rated movie ever." Insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter that first-day sales are likely around $8 million to $9 million if extrapolating the 200,000 stat cited by Aron (May 22).)
  
• DEADLINE (Already heating up eight weeks before its debut, having already collected some $8M in first day ticket sales. $8M is pretty remarkable for an R-rated movie two months before release. While there are no direct comps on Deadpool & Wolverine ticket sales in post-Covid history, its current cash bests the 24-hour advance ticket sales of The Batman ($6.5M), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($6M) and John Wick: Chapter 4 ($1.4M). The Batman and GOTG3 opened to respective 3-day weekends of $134M and $118.4M (May 22).)
  
• FANDANGO (Broke Fandango’s best first-day ticket sales record for 2024. Best first-day pre-seller from the Deadpool franchise (May 21).)
  
• abracadabra1998 (Day 1/2 Comps (not serious ones): $25.82M/$28.14M THU. Pretty damn great day 2! (May 21).)
  
• AniNate (THU sales still largely biased towards primetime evening showings. There may be FOMO but not enough for people to take off work early. Good lord already 80+ THU previews sold for Deadpool at Canton (May 20).)
  
• AnthonyJPHer (Extremely strong growth from OD for THU. We have a monster on our hands here people. Buuut. Let me temper the excitement somewhat. The FRI numbers are good, stronger than Inside Out 2 by a considerable margin. However Inside Out 2 is looking very backloaded. This is looking extremely presales heavy right now. Much more than IO2’s 1,200 tickets for FRI. But here lies the problem. There is only 122 tickets separating THU and FRI for Deadpool and Wolverine, and for IO2, there is 500 tickets between the two days for that movie. This far out I’m not freaking out. I think the gap will increase. It just alarmed me a little. I still think it’s going to be massive though. Just a word of caution (May 28). Off to a hot start! At my theater in my town, there has been 8 tickets sold. That sounds low but it’s actually a lot, especially this far out and because Inside Out 2 hasn’t sold any tickets at my theater yet. Looking more broadly at 4 theaters I track other than my own, there is a mind- boggling 1,029 tickets sold! Already more than Inside Out 2 (May 20).)
  
• Charlie Jatinder (Comp: $28.23M THU. Weirdly strong day today, selling 200+ tix (May 31). Moving along well (May 27). Nearly 300 sales day vs ~260 by Black Panther & ~200 of GOTG3. Another brilliant day. Given the length of sales window, comps be falling off but they have remained steady for first 4 days (May 24). Looking at keysersoze123's MTC1 data: These are incredible (May 22). $40.22M THU (MCU first day sales). Amazing day two at MiniTC2. Well ahead of BP2, GOTG3 and AM3. Not too far off from Thor 4. This is more impressive considering they all were ~25-35 days out while this is 65 days out. MTC2 has lower ATP generally due to smaller screens, less PLF, and more family friendly chain. Does much better PTA than MTC1 (May 21). MCU MTC 1 24 Hours: Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness ~ 210K (T-29), Thor 4 ~ 137K (T-24), DP&W ~ 120K+ (T-66), BP 2 ~ 110K (T-38), AM3 ~ 88K (T-30), and GoTG3 ~ 76K (T-30). At T-30 guess DP&W would have been around 160-170K type. Will mostly be above BP2 and below Thor 4. 3.6k so far. BP2 final was 4.6k. It’s done (crossed GOTG3 day one sales). Almost crossed GoTG3 day one sales at MiniTC2 (May 20).)
  
• Inceptionzq (Denver Comp: $25.69M THU. Drafthouse THU/FRI/SAT/SUN comp: $31.04M/$38.62M/$40.21M/$22.35M (May 21). Drafthouse THU/FRI/SAT/SUN comps with L&T 24 hours and MoM 11 hours: (1.03x0.968x) / (0.884x0.945x) / (0.912x1.01x) / (0.561x1.004x). Denver THU: In like for like theaters: (0.828x Thor L&T First 24 hours) and (0.628x Doctor Strange MoM first 11.5 hours) (May 20).)
  
• jeffthehat (Took my first look in Indiana yesterday. Won't do a full post because I missed like 20 shows. But the gist is it was at ~3600 tickets sold and ~400 shows. Just as a point of reference, here are the highest values for tickets sold I have in my database. Bob Marley Wed T-1 = 3309 tickets sold. Dune 2 Thu T-1 = 3041 tickets sold. Godzilla x Kong Thu T-1 = 2328 tickets sold. Thus, sales are already the highest I've tracked with two months to go (May 29).)
  
• keysersoze123 (Previews was taken late yesterday and FRI data was just now. Still going quite strong. very impressive after huge OD (May 28). Still really strong 3 days later (May 25). 1st few days of PS is all about fanboys so T-x does not matter. By this FRI it will be in steady state mode. With this long a cycle that would be at very low levels. Looking at FRI sales, its IM will be closer to Thor 4 than BP2. So we can do the projections based on how the previews will go. However Its really early. Let us wait until we have T-x comps. Probably will have to wait until July to get credible comps. MTC2 early sales tend to be way weaker for all movies. The disparity for big movies is even higher. Nothing out of ordinary in day 2 pace for MTC1 (May 22). Obvious skew on previews (compared to FRI) as its 9+ weeks from release. Excellent growth even past 2:15 PM. Finished ahead of BP2 and ~20K below Thor 4 (116k for DxW and FINAL The Marvels previews at 133k). It has the longer cycle. This includes fan shows which sold 18K+ in initial check around noon PST. Fan event is just MTC1. I dont see anything for any other MTC so far or smaller chains. I think at this point we need to comp with 2022 MCU movies if OD presales are on par. Until we are within T-x cycle for this movie, we cannot comp after 1st 2-3 days. Fan shows are yuge. Adding FanShows and Previews should put it between BP2 and Thor 4 for now. Terrific OD. Over time, GotG3 should provide great comps. I can say for sure, its no where in the ballpark of DS2 which did 36m previews. Really good start. Should finish the day ahead of Ant 3 I think. Sales will taper off after fanboy rush. This does not include fan shows. No full data yet but show counts for previews (MTC1 - 7427 and MTC2 - 2914). MTC1 shows they are ready for big numbers. MTC2 is more conservative and numbers will go up close to release. If I have to guess based on really early indications, its OD between Guardians 3 and Ant 3 at MTC1. MTC2 I unfortunately cannot get data (May 20). Thor 4 is the most logical comp but that had meh WOM so IM was terrible. Previews were excellent though. Since its previews was 3 days after July 4, its final surge was stronger than even DS2. I dont think there is any difference between early and late July. All schools/colleges will still be off (May 19).)
  
• Legion Again (Previews this early in summer are almost a THU opening, so Fri soemthing like +35-55% from Th is IM ~4.9-5.5. If we get some strong Fri sales when we’re close maybe I’ll drag it up to 5.6 or something but it will be really really tough to beat that. Expecting an IM close to Thor 4. Better reception (in avg case, just by regression to the mean) but bigger previews/more fanrush element, ~cancelling. T-65 Projection Matrix ($166M-$186M OW) (May 22).)
  
• Porthos (Comp: $20.87M THU. Approx Earned So Far (Sacto Market Based Comps): $7.24M (June 1). For long releases of MCU/SW Saga caliber, it usually takes about 6 to 8 days for the initial wave to stop. The Rise of Skywalker didn't really "bottom out" until D9 or so (T-51). Then at T-21, more or less, it started up its acceleration again. Can see similar patterns for MCU long runners (May 24). MCU/SW films tend to have a bit longer of a slope-down on the decent of the "u-curve" so I think I'll keep posting "Day x" comps for at least a couple more days (May 23). Pretty standard Day 2, really. Best sign, I think, is it nearly matching BP2 (that also had a long pre-sale window starting at T-38) (May 22). $22.09M THU Day 1 Comps (8.4% 3D and 58.5% PLF) (May 21). Pretty good, all things considered. BP2 and onward tell a pretty consistent picture. Do think the extra month of pre-sales is gonna mess with these comps at least a little (May 21). Since setup took 60-75 min longer, take the following with a slight grain of salt: 1:45 PM with 2,105 tickets sold. (NWH 2am: 6515), (NWH 2pm: 10685), (Batman 12:45 pm: 1693), (MoM 1:00 pm: 5030), (L&T 12:15pm: 2519), (BP2 2:15pm: 2197) and (GOTG3 12:40pm: 1317). Two theaters have not yet checked in. Seems to be broadly in line with other markets that have reported in (May 20).)
  
• TalismanRing (NYC Regal Local. 17 shows (3 3D, 3 RPX, 11 Reg 2): 102 tickets sold for first hour - almost half for the 7pm RPX showing. COMPS MON opening week: Marvels: 91 (11pm), Eternals: 266 (7pm), Black Widow: 239 (5pm), and Venom 2: 131 (6pm) (May 20).)
  
• TheFlatLannister ($150M locked imo. Don’t really see under $30M for previews and a 6x multi gets it to $180M OW. With GOTG 3 early reception I think $200M becomes a real discussion (May 22). $44.36M Dune 2 Day 2 comp. Pretty ridiculously strong day 2. Sold more tickets on T-65 than Dune 2 did in its final day of presales. $22.42M THU GOTG3 Comp. Considering this thing is 60+ days out, I'd say day 2 was amazing (May 21). Sold around 1k tickets in the last 8 hours. Keep in mind this is not T-X so once I switch to T-X 30+ days from now, comp will probably be well over $30M for GOTG. Thinking ~8k seats sold by T-30 for ~$37M comp with GOTG vol 3. DON'T TAKE THESE THU COMPS (Dune+APES+GxK) SERIOUSLY: $46.33M. Rollout is pretty insane. Has almost 200 more showings than Inside Out 2. Sold more tickets than Dune 2 did as of T-1 (Dune 2 finished with 13.6k on T-0). Also surpassed Godzilla tickets sold as of T-0. Half way finished collecting data on Deadpool for Florida and it's nearly tripled Dune 2 first 24 hours of sales and data is still flowing in. Passed GOTG3, ATSV, Dune 2 (First 24 hours) in about 3 hours. I think we can put the under $100M OW discussion to bed. To the shock of no one, this is blowing up. First 24 hours update should have average comps near $35M (May 20).)
  
• Tinalera (Toronto having an especially good run on pre sales- overall sales looking healthy (May 27). For a movie this far out, yea presales are doing well in Vancouver and Calgary. Its hard as very few movies open this early, but its healthy when we are getting between 5-10 percent sales for a movie not due out for 2 months (May 24).)
  
• vafrow (Comp: $37.8M THU. Growth not quite as high as I'd like for a full week, but I'm pretty sure I had a miscount for one of the big IMAX screens that probably has thrown off the numbers. I've kept comps in, but I'm really stretching the utility (June 1). 12% over two days is pretty strong once the rush passes. We're not at the bottom of the curve yet it seems (May 24). 8% growth at this stage is very positive. I expect another drop tomorrow, but I'm probably not going to touch this until the weekend at this stage. I'm comping high, and without a proper MCU comparison (Marvels doesn't count), it's hard to gauge, but I feel this is just doing really well here (May 22). 20% growth on day 2 when it had a really strong first day is impressive. Ahead of T-1 for Dune Previews to officially be the highest selling film I've tracked since I switched to the 5 theatre radius (May 21). MTC4 has really jacked up plf prices in the last year or so, and D&W is skewed heavily towards PLFs in my track. I'm not sure how many trackers are doing price adjustments, but lack of good MCU comps in the last year could see a big price impact. Watching L&T comps in particular because being a rare adult skewing July MCU film seems to be the most ideal (May 21). Solid jump over the course of the day. Dolby sales jumped up the most, potentially as good IMAX screens got taken. Not sure what happened for the East coast this morning, but sales seemed to have rebounded. A little hit and miss in different markets, but that's what I'd assume for that region. There's some small communities. Not sure why it took so long for sales to hit when southern Ontario was hot off the mark. People may have assumed 9:00 am eastern time. Numbers pulled around 11:00 am, so two hours worth of data. Chain is pushing 3D for the ticket premium. Exception is IMAX showings, where I think they know people just want the 2D experience. 60% of sales being those four IMAX showings. 40 minutes into presales for my area. Almost triple Dune 2 on my first measurement for that, which was Day 2. Bit ahead of my first measurement for The Marvels, which was T-21, and I think about a week into sales. They're really leaning into 3D showings. I get the desire for theatres to get the extra premium, but I can't see a lot of people wanting to see this in 3D. Has been up for sale on the Canadian East coast, presumably from 9:00 local time. I did a sweep of all showtimes on MTC4, but there's been zero sales so far (May 20).)
  
• YM! (Sold ~10.6x Furiosa's T-6. One theater makes up a sizeable percentage of most mid-sized Marvel's T-2 in a span of hours. Such a strong start. Definitely feels like we got a potential 25m previews/150m+ opener. Still don't buy 200m OW but am starting to see 30m previews/175m+ OW as a strong possibility. On its first day has sold over 10x Furiosa T-6 here in SE Wisconsin. At North Shore, 70% of Shang-Chi’s and Venom 2’s T-2, 47% of Homecoming’s T-2, and 41.25% of Thor: Ragnarök’s T-2 - just using DP&W’s T-66! At half of Furiosa’s T-4 sales here in the past ten minutes in just two of the theaters PLF shows (May 20).)
  

Domestic Calendar Dates (last updated May 23):
JUNE

• (June 3) Opening Day [MON: Spider-Man No Way Home Re-Release]
  
• (June 5) Presales Start [Despicable Me 4]
  
• (June 6) Presales Start [Twisters]
  
• (June 6) THU Previews [Bad Boys: Ride or Die + Watchers]
  
• (June 8) 1-SAT Re-Release (1st day) [LotR: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition]
  
• (June 9) 1-SUN Re-Release (1st day) [LotR: Two Towers Extended Edition]
  
• (June 10) 1-MON Re-Release (1st day) [LotR: Return of the King Extended Edition]
  
• (June 10) Social Embargo Lifts [9PM PT Inside Out 2]
  
• (June 12) Review Embargo Lifts [12PM PT Inside Out 2]
  
• (June 13) THU Previews [Inside Out 2]
  
• (June 14) Presales Start [MaXXXine]
  
• (June 15) 1-SAT Re-Release (2nd day) [LotR: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition]
  
• (June 15) Inside Out 2 Funko Family Event (SAT)
  
• (June 16) 1-SUN Re-Release (2nd day) [LotR: Two Towers Extended Edition]
  
• (June 17) 1-MON Re-Release (2nd day) [LotR: Return of the King Extended Edition]
  
• (June 20) THU Previews [Bikeriders + Janet Planet]
  
• (June 22) 1-SAT Re-Release (3rd day) [LotR: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition]
  
• (June 23) 1-SUN Re-Release (3rd day) [LotR: Two Towers Extended Edition]
  
• (June 24) 1-MON Re-Release (3rd day) [LotR: Return of the King Extended Edition]
  
• (June 27) THU Previews [Blue Lock + Daddio + Horizon: Chapter 1 + A Quiet Place: Day One]
  

JULY

• (July 1) Presales Start [Fly Me to the Moon + Longlegs]
  
• (July 2) Opening Day [WED: Despicable Me 4]
  
• (July 4) Opening Day [THU: Possum Trot]
  
• (July 4) THU Previews [MaXXXine]
  
• (July 11) THU Previews [Fly Me to the Moon + Untitled New Line Horror movie]
  
• (July 17) EA [Twisters]
  
• (July 18) THU Previews [Twisters]
  
• (July 25) THU Previews [Deadpool and Wolverine (including 1 PLF fan show at 3 PM) + Didi + Fabulous Four]
  
• (July 29) Presales Start [Alien: Romulus + It Ends With Us]
  

AUGUST

• (August 1) THU Previews [Harold and the Purple Crayon]
  
• (August 5) Presales Start [Borderlands]
  
• (August 8) THU Previews [Borderlands + It Ends With Us + Cuckoo + The Fire Inside + Trap]
  
• (August 12) Presales Start [Alien: Romulus]
  
• (August 15) THU Previews [Alien: Romulus + Horizon: Chapter 2 + Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure]
  
• (August 22) THU Previews [Blink Twice + The Crow + The Forge + Slingshot]
  
• (August 29) THU Previews [City of Dreams + Reagan + They Listen]
  

Presale Tracking Posts:
May 11
May 14
May 16
May 18
May 21
May 23
May 25
May 28
May 30
Note: I have removed most tracking data that has not been updated for 2 weeks. I think there is value in keeping data for a week or two but at a certain point they start to lose their value and should not be treated the same as more recent tracking data.

I am back after a break with another reimagining, and I thought this time I would tackle another movie that fell disappointingly short of expectations... Sarkar. Sarkar released to huge expectations after the success of both Thuppakki and Kaththi, but the film failed to deliver on its promise of a Mudhalvan-like political fantasy; I have to admit though, the movie is a guilty pleasure of mine which I do often revisit. That being said:
WARNING: I am not claiming to be a better writer than any of the people involved in the film and this is not a criticism of their ability.
The movie begins with a boarding meeting at one of the companies in Canada that GL (Sundar's company) is about to acquire. The members of the board nervously waiting for the arrival of their new boss, the media is waiting outside and we get the hype up for Sundar's eventual mass intro. After a build a of tension, a Rolls Royce pulls up and the camera follows as a man wearing pair of Tom Ford shoes exits the vehicle and walks into the elevator in the building as the media tries to snap some pics of him. The members of the board continue to wait impatiently, as the elevator doors open to reveal Sundar Ramaswamy (Vijay). He basically walks in doesn't say a word and sits at the head of the table. Sundar's lawyer drops the paperwork on the table, each member of the board takes their turn signing the document. Finally the document comes back to Sundar who flicks his signature onto it and gets up to leave, but one of the board members stops him to ask, "How do you feel after ruining the livelihood of 3,000 employees?". Sundar turns around and smiles at the board before doing the signature 'Vijay gum flick' and walking away in slow motion, queue the 'CEO in the House' song as Sundar heads out to celebrate acquiring the company. The scene is to establish Sundar as a proper overconfident and cocky 'corporate monster' instead of just telling us that he is a 'corporate monster'.
From there the movie continues pretty similarly with Sundar coming back to India to cast his vote, even though he takes his job very seriously he is still a patriot at heart and has a soft corner for his people. Same as the movie, someone else casts his vote and he begins organising lawyers meetings and press conference to get his vote back. All goes pretty much the same until the point Sundar's driver tells him about the atrocities done by the government and the family that set themselves on fire, Sundar is genuinely quite unaware of all this. Similar to the movie, he directs his convoy to go to the colony where the little girl is. Unlike the movie, we have one long take where the camera follows Sundar from behind as he gets out his car and walks through the local area, through the alleys and slums, observing the common folk; this is to show how out-of-touch he really is with reality. He finally comes to the little girl's house, and the camera finally pans to reveal Sundar's somber face; this scene is crucial as this paints his actions for the rest of the movie, it is important that we spend time showing how this incident impacts him. Unable to look at the girl's burnt face Sundar turns around and walks away, he signals his PA to sort the family out with treatment for the little girl.
From here, we go to the scene with Rendu (Radha Ravi) at the hotel; this will go pretty much exactly how it did in the movie. The only difference here is, going into the hotel Sundar is slightly solemn, but his expression slowly changes with Rendu's speech and we get the scene with the 'Topu Tuckeru' BGM as Sundar smokes. The following events also unravel similar to the film with the action block and the 'Simtaangaran song'; these are commercial filler compromises that must be made, its also a staple of the ARM-Vijay combo movies. The following scene is also similar with Sundar instigating the court case to stop Masilamani's inauguration, the key difference though is that Sundar doesn't speak in the court he silently watches from the stands as his lawyer does the arguing. Once the ceremony is stopped, he gets up, does the 'Vijay gum flick' and walks away in slow motion with the 'CEO in the House' BGM; this mirrors the opening scene where Sundar finesses the board room, but this time he's finessed the government. The election is postponed by 10 days.
Meanwhile, Masilamani is furious by what Sundar started, he encourages his party members to start rioting and to find where Sundar is. The riots go on for 2 days, but there is no sign of Sundar anywhere. Masilamani grows impatient and starts seeking advice from Pappa (Varalaxmi), who says that they shouldn't have tried instigated or started beef with him in the first place, saying that she will be back in Chennai within the next day or so. While this is happening, media crews have gathered outside Masilamani's house which confuses him. Rendu goes outside and asks them why they are here, for which they respond: 'Sundar told us to meet him here'. Both Rendu and Masilamani are shocked. Suddenly a convoy of youngsters on bikes arrive with a Rolls Royce travelling at the centre of the party. Sundar gets out of the Rolls Royce and he is followed by his lawyers. Sundar asks for permission to enter, for which Masilamani obliges. The two sit down and face each other, with Masilamani asking what Sundar wants. Sundar responds with this:

1. "I've got 750 youngsters who are ready to work for this party."
2. "I've got 40 crores in hard cash."
3. "I've got the tag of GL CEO."
4. "Will you let me join your party?"

Masilamani and his partymen are shocked, he asks Sundar 'Why should I let you?". Sundar basically responds by saying:

"Your party's image is in shambles, even if you pay people to vote for you, they won't do it. You're guaranteed to lose this election and there's nothing you can do about it. I'm here to offer you the winning card, I will do everything to ensure your party retains. All I ask for is 70cr in campaigning funds and that you give me 2 MLA seats and take in the 750 youngsters that I have brought as party members. If your party loses, I will pay you twice what you paid me as a penalty but regardless of the outcome you can't raise this to the media or I will sue your ass. If you agree, sign the contract. You can let your lawyers read over it, but you have nothing to lose."

Masilamani is shocked by this offer and looks over the contract, he doesn't know how to read so he passes it to his lawyer who verifies it and says that it's legit. Rendu proposes that they wait for Pappa before signing, but Sundar says "if you don't accept this within the next 1 hour, I will take it to the opposition party". Masilamani is properly checkmated now, but what could he possible have to lose? He smiles and signs it, Sundar smiles and shakes his hand. Sundar walks out with a cigarette in-hand, the 'Oru Viral Puratchi' guitar rift rolls in the background.
INTERMISSION
Going into the second half, we have a few questions:

• Why did Sundar join Masilamani's party if they are the losing side?
• Where was Sundar in the two days during the riots?
• How did Sundar get the backing of all these youngsters?
• How does Sundar plan on making the party win and how does this benefit him?

NOTE: I completely ignored Keerthi Suresh's character as it added nothing to my story.
With 8 days left till the election Sundar sits in his office, he calls his team and GL and tells them to run the ads of him giving the post press conference speech after getting back his vote (as he does in the movie). This creates waves in the media and makes him the poster boy for the coming election. He tells his PA not to organise any press conferences until he says so. Sundar has booked out a small venue where he will be speaking to the 750 youngsters that he has inaugurated into the party, this is where he finally reveals what happened in the last 2 days. We get a flashback and it is revealed that he ultimately did the same as what happened in the movie; to run an internet scan on all the most suitable candidates of each constituency and run interviews like a corporate company (I really like the idea of this), he positions the people he selected as independant candidates in their respective constituency. Sundar has been planning this since the scene with Rendu at the hotel; this all plays as a montage over the first half of 'Oru Viral Puratchi'. After the song we cut back to this speech with Sundar and the youth, where he basically says we are going to infiltrate this party from the inside and then he says the 'branding' dialogue from the movie (which I like the idea of, the mannerism was kinda cringe though).
Following the speech, Sundar enacts his next plan. He identifies Masilamani's candidates who are most likely to win in their respective area and launches a smear campaign through his influence over GL. This forces Masilamani to identify alternate party members to take their place, but Sundar presents Masilamani with the constituency polling data which shows that the independant candidates (that he selected based on the internet scan) are in the lead. Sundar suggests to Masilamani that they buy them out with a salary (also like corporate company), however Masilamani doesn't know that these individuals were planted by Sundar. Masilamani is beginning to get suspicious about Sundar's plan but he still hasn't fully sniffed it out yet given his lack of understanding about technology.
Pappa finally arrives in Chennai from Canada and confronts her dad about everything that has happened, she is shocked to find out that he has basically sold the party to Sundar. She is quickly able to deduce Sundar's plan based on the information given by her dad and Rendu. Pappa also reveals here that her husband was one of the board members from the start of the movie, which explains why she knows so much about Sundar.
Given that Sundar now controls most of the seats in the party, he begins his campaign from the background with candidates doing most of the work ; this plays over the second half of the 'Oru Viral Puratchi' song. As soon as this montage finishes, we find out that Masilamani has died. A confusion has now arisen as to who controls the party, with only 3 days left until the election. Pappa gives an angry press conference saying that Sundar had cheated her dad and stole the party, revealing the contract to the public. She also announces that she and her father's loyal supporters will be joining the opposition party. Based on the sympathy votes gained from her father's death the opposition offers Pappa a significant number of seats. Sundar is shocked to see what has happened, he won't be able to sue Pappa as Masilamani was the one that signed the contract (not sure about legal terms, but lets just go with it), suing her will also only get him more negative press.
Sundar gets a call from the GL board questioning him about his extensive involvement in politics given the bad press around his contract stunt. Cut to the next scene, Sundar is in a press conference and publicly announces his resignation from GL as he is about to leave the stage, he is heckled by one of the reporters on his way down. Sundar has to give up his company assets such as his PA and bodyguards, if he loses this election he still owes Masilamani's family 140crs as per the contract that he signed. For the first time in Sundar's life, overconfidence has led to his downfall. With two days left till the election and no internet influence and power, how is Sundar going to win?
The next day he posts a Facebook live and addresses his plan transparently with the party, this can be the same as the 'Idhu Namma Sarkar' scene from the movie. Sundar explains how he chose his candidates and compares it to the millions of college graduates who get a corporate job, highlighting the need for the government to be qualified. This gets some positive buzz for Sundar but not enough to win the election. As Sundar sits in his office, hopelessly, one of his candidates tells him about 'Saatai' Muthukumar (this plotline will be the same as the movie); this could be the ideal trump card to win the election. This ticks of an idea, given that all Masilamani's loyalists have moved to the opposition along with Pappa all the party assets now reside with Sundar. He hires a corporate auditing team to unpack all the party records and finds all the holes in there records this allows him to unpack the 'Saatai' Muthukumar conspiracy and he has all the evidence ready to go public... but he waits. Sundar contacts Pappa for a meeting and the two sit down, with lawyers present. Sundar reveals everything that he has found from his audit of the party and threatens to go public with it unless she voids their contract where he owes her family 140cr, he also agrees to sign an NDA. Pappa obliges and asks him to burn the evidence in front of her, which Sundar does. On the car ride home, Pappa orders for Sundar to be murdered as she doesn't trust him.
The next morning is the day of the election, similar to the actual movie Sundar begins tweeting from a fake twitter handle about the evidence pulled from the audit, leading the media on a wild easter egg hunt to put the evidence together themselves, this removes any paper trails that lead back to Sundar. Pappa and the opposition party struggle to manage the storm that has been caused by the tweeting, she knows this was done by Sundar but has no evidence to prove it; the only way for her save face is if Sundar confesses to his manipulation for which he needs to be alive, so she cancels the hit on him. It is soon revealed, similar to the movie that the fake twitter handle is associated with that of a dead man, begging the question of who is tweeting? Sundar and his team re-route the IP address of the tweets to the leader of the opposition party and spin the narrative that he did this to tarnish Masilamani's reputation as a leader, which leads to in-fighting. Pappa is furious, as although she knows the truth about Sundar's access to the evidence, she can't speak about it due to the NDA (which would open her up to being sued). With no other option, she plots to have Sundar killed, as it looks like he is going to win. We can insert an obligatory climax fight here, where Sundar overcomes the odds but realising an opportunity, he fakes his own death which increases the votes to his party, leading to a victory in the election.
The following day is the swearing-in ceremony as all the candidates take up their positions. Pappa is also present and she along with everyone else believes Sundar is dead. Just as the first candidate is swearing-in, Sundar arrives and sits right next to Pappa, there is a media frenzy happening outside. There is a small bit of dialog between the two and he explains why he did all this (i.e. reference back to the girl who was burnt outside the collecter's office, etc). He finally tells her that the contract he signed with her father was only for 8 days, so his time has expired and he is no longer part of the party. Sundar gets up and walks away in slow motion as the credit roll.
This is my reimagining of Sarkar, what are your thoughts and what would you do differently? And what movie should I do next?