Perhaps the most researched consequence of pluralistic ignorance from an individualistic perspective is the bystander effect also known as bystander apathy. This refers to a phenomenon in which the greater the number of people there are present, the less likely people are to help a person in distress.
According to the principle of social influence, bystanders monitor the reactions of other people to see if others think that it is necessary to intervene. If it is determined that others are not reacting to the situation, bystanders will interpret the situation as not an emergency and will not intervene.
A major inspiration for Darley and Latané’s (1968) research into the bystander effect was the brutal murder of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese in New York in 1964.
The Times reported at the time:
“For more than half an hour, 38 respectable, law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens.”
Many people believed that apathy and indifference were the causes of inaction, reflecting the idea that personal characteristics solely drive behaviour.
However, it was later reported that some of the original article’s claims were wrong, or at least subject to much different interpretation.
“The article grossly exaggerated the number of witnesses and what they had perceived. None saw the attack in its entirety. Only a few had glimpsed parts of it, or recognized the cries for help. Many thought they had heard lovers or drunks quarrelling.”
1964 How Many Witnessed the Murder of Kitty Genovese? - The New York Times
Darley and Latané’s research resulted in one of the strongest and most replicable effects in social psychology. Regardless of how many witnesses stood idle during the murder of Kitty Genovese, research on the bystander effect has stood the test of time and peer review — showing that groups are less likely to help someone in trouble than a lone individual.

The Smoky Room (1968)

In one of the first experiments of this type, Latané & Darley asked students to interview for a study about urban living. Before meeting the interviewer, participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire in the waiting room. They were sent either alone or in groups of three.
Once the subjects began filling out their questionnaires, smoke was slowly released through a vent in the room. By 4 minutes the smoke was clearly visible and breathing difficult.
75% of alone subjects calmly noticed the smoke within 6 minutes and left the room to report it.
‘Typically, those who were in the waiting room by themselves noticed the smoke at once, gave a slight startle reaction, hesitated again, and then left the room to find somebody to tell about the smoke. No one showed any signs of panic, but over three-quarters of these people were concerned enough to report the smoke…’
For the groups of three, some of the participants were sent with confederates (actors) told not to react to the smoke. Only 10% of subjects in this condition reported the smoke. Surprisingly, in the three naive bystander condition, only 38% reported the smoke.
“Even though they coughed, rubbed their eyes, tried to wave the smoke away, and opened the window, they apparently were unable to bring themselves to leave.”
The inhibiting effect of the group was so strong they were willing to sit in a room filled with smoke rather than make themselves conspicuous by reacting with alarm and concern.
When asked afterwards there were many explanations for the smoke, but they all had one thing in common: they did not mention the word “fire”. In defining the situation as a nonemergency, people explained to themselves why the other observers did not leave the room; they also removed any reason for action. "A leak in the air conditioning," said one person when we asked him what he thought caused the smoke. "Must be chemistry labs in the building." "Steam pipes."..."Truth gas to make us give true answers on the questionnaire," reported the more imaginative.
Group inhibition of bystander intervention in emergencies (1968)
The researchers considered that maybe college-age male subjects played "chicken" with one another to see who would lose face by first fleeing the room. It may be that groups were less likely to respond because no particular person was in danger.
To test this, they needed to create a situation in which a realistic "emergency" could plausibly occur with someone perceived to be in danger. Each subject should also be blocked from communicating with others, to prevent them from getting information about how others were responding to the situation. Finally, the experimental situation should allow for the assessment of the speed and frequency of their reaction to the emergency.

A Real Emergency (1968)

A college student arrived in the laboratory and was ushered into an individual room from which a communication system would enable them to talk to the other participants. It is explained they are to take part in a discussion and that the discussion would be held over the intercom system, rather than face-to-face, to avoid embarrassment by preserving the anonymity of the subjects.
During the discussion, one of the other subjects underwent what appeared to be an epileptic seizure. During the fit, it was impossible for the subject to talk to the other discussants or to find out what, if anything, they were doing about the emergency. The dependent variable was the speed with which the subjects reported the emergency to the experimenter. The major independent variable was the number of people the subject thought to be in the discussion group.
By the assistant's comments before the experiment, and also by the number of voices heard to speak in the first round of the group discussion, the subject was led to believe that the discussion group was one of three sizes: either a two-person group (consisting of a person who would later have a fit and the real subject), a three-person group (consisting of the victim, the real subject, and one confederate voice), or a six-person group (consisting of the victim, the real subject, and four confederate voices). All the confederates' voices were tape-recorded.
The experimenter began timing the speed of the real subject's response at the beginning of the victim's speech.
“I-er-um-I think I-I need-er-if-if could-er-er-somebody er-er-er-er-er-er-er give me a little-er-give me a little help here because-er-I-er-I’m-er-erh-h-having a-a-a real problem-er-right now and I-er-if somebody could help me out it would-it would-er-er s-s-sure be-sure be good . . . because-there-er-er-a cause I-er-I-uh-I’ve got a-a one of the-er-sei er-er-things coming on and-and-and I could really-er-use some help so if somebody would-er-give me a little h-help-uh-er-er-er-er-er c-could somebody-er-er-help-er-uh-uh-uh (choking sounds). . . . I’m gonna die-er-er-I’m . . . gonna die-er-help-er-er-seizure-er-[chokes, then quiet].”
Judging by the subjects' nervousness when they reported the fit to the experimenter, by their surprise when they discovered that the fit was simulated, and by comments they made during the fit (when they thought their microphones were off), one can conclude that almost all of the subjects perceived the fit as real.
85% of the subjects who thought they alone knew of the victim's plight reported the seizure before the victim was cut off.
Only 31% of those who thought four other bystanders were present did so.
The cumulative distributions of response times for groups of different perceived size indicates that, by any point in time, more subjects from the two-person groups had responded than from the three-person groups, and more from the three-person groups than from the six-person groups.
95% of all the subjects that responded did so within the first half of the time available to them. No subject who had not reported within 3 minutes after the fit ever did so. The shape of these distributions suggest that had the experiment been allowed to run for a considerably longer time, few additional subjects would have responded.
Male subjects reported the emergency no faster than did females. These results (or lack of them) seem to conflict with previous findings that males tend to assume more responsibility and take more initiative than females in giving help to dependent others. Also, females reacted equally fast when the other bystander was another female, a male, or even a person practised in dealing with medical emergencies.
Bystander intervention in emergencies: Diffusion of responsibility (1968)

The Psychological Process

Three psychological factors are thought to facilitate bystander apathy: the feeling of having less responsibility when more bystanders are present (diffusion of responsibility), the fear of unfavorable public judgment when helping (evaluation apprehension), and the belief that because no one else is helping, the situation is not actually an emergency (pluralistic ignorance).
Latané and Darley also identified the five-step bystander decision model, which explains the process bystanders move through to determine if they would intervene. Bystanders would need to first recognize a problem, interpret the problem as an emergency, assess if they have personal responsibility, decide what assistance is needed, and determine how to act.
Subjects who failed to report the emergency showed few signs of the apathy and indifference thought to characterize "unresponsive bystanders."
When the experimenter entered the room to terminate the situation, the subject often asked if the victim was "all right." "Is he being taken care of?" "He's all right isn't he?" Many of these subjects showed physical signs of nervousness; they often had trembling hands and sweating palms. If anything, they seemed more emotionally aroused than did the subjects who reported the emergency.

Conclusion

Why, then, didn't they respond?
“It is our impression that non-intervening subjects had not decided not to respond. Rather they were still in a state of indecision and conflict concerning whether to respond or not….The fit created a conflict situation of the avoidance-avoidance type. On the one hand, subjects worried about the guilt and shame they would feel if they did not help the person in distress. On the other hand, they were concerned not to make fools of themselves by overreacting, not to ruin the ongoing experiment by leaving their intercom, and not to destroy the anonymous nature of the situation which the experimenter had earlier stressed as important.”
They conclude:
“Thus, the stereotype of the unconcerned, depersonalized homo urbanis, blandly watching the misfortunes of others, proves inaccurate. Instead, we find a bystander to an emergency is an anguished individual in genuine doubt, concerned to do the right thing but compelled to make complex decisions under pressure of stress and fear. His reactions are shaped by the actions of others - and all too frequently their inaction.”
Dangerous Conformity The Smoky Room Experiment (2011) video with intro by Phillip Zimbardo (8 mins)

Hello everyone, how are you?
​
So, i have enjoyed my audio hobby using mostly headphones, but since im finally going to move in with my girlfriend i feel ill dwelve into a proper hi fi system.
I have made my research but man, it IS a lot more complex isnt it? So my goal with this post is to not only find advice and recomendations, but also kinda "validade" my reasearch a bit.
So my goal is to build a 2.0 home system to listen to music and movies and eventually games, with the possibility of going 2.1 in the future, but since ill live in appartments the super strong bass is not the way to go. Music inputs would be bluetooth and possibly a vinyl turntable.
I would like to be able to have just music turned on, without the TV turned on, and controlled by my phone. Or if its the turntable just the hi fi and the turntable. I would also like to be able to have the TV for movies and the possibility of playing games, both with using the tv only and also using TV+Hifi. Like everyday TV or series is just TV audio, special movie night of game session i would use TV+HIFI.
I would also like all of that without changing cables or having complex setups. One major point is that i also want the least amount of components, especially ones that require use of a controller.
Lots of needs no? Iell, i also dont have a lot of budget for that. So i would need to understand and plan everything well so that it works well, so i can buy stuff as i can that will be used on the final system.
​
So the first idea I had was to get a AV receiver with built in Amp, simple isnt it?
​
Content goes to receiver and it goes to the bookshelves speakers.
​
And there's also those e-arc hdmi things... huh, interesting. So i would need a receiver with earc, route my console or any other input through it, and then have the receiver output to the tv.
​
But, would that mean that to play the console i would always need to turn on the receiver?
​
I could invert and do the TV as the hub, but I read that doing the tv as a hub could have some problems on the multichannel audio. Is it true?
And also, the good brand and new receivers are expensive hehe, at least more than im willing to go for now.
​
But, if im using the TV as a hub , how about just an amp with bluetooth?
​
Well for music it would be ok, but movies it gets complicated, modern TVs dont have sound outputs anymore i feel, only some have optical and the consoles usually do things by hdmi. So it would need a DAC and that would put the price close to a receiver.
​
Then there is the powered speakers, some nice ones even.
They're a bit more expensive but offset that by having no need for the reciever. I could connect directly to bluetooth, for music thats great. But for the other content i dont know how well that would work, same problem of the tvs not having audio output since i would like a cabled connection for videos and games. Also i would like the flexibility of having better speakers in the future, and having them be powered might not alllow that.
​
I am willing to go used but i have no experience with it so i feel i could get easily fooled. Aesthetic wise i love how some older amps look but again i am a bit afraid of going used, at least very old stuff.
​
So, i came to the end without a solution, which is why i made this post! Am I overlooking some stuff? Am i blatantly wrong about something? Am I overcomplicating? Is there a fix?
I would love suggestions on both the setup and pieces of equipment. But i think that help planning the setup is more important.
​
Thank you all in advance.
​

WISH LIST:
Rare apparel
Overeater's Civil Engineer 1S/WWR (chest, left arm, right arm, right leg)
Overeater's Excavator 1S/WWR (left arm, right leg)
Vanguard's Scout 1S/WWR (right arm, right leg)
Vanguard's Excavator 1S/WWR (chest, left arm, right leg)
Please no cap offers since I'm maxed out on all 5 characters!
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COMPLETE TRADE LIST: (Thank you for your time browsing this huge list!!!)
FIXERS: AA/25/15r,,, AA/25/15v,,, AA/50c/15v,,, AA/50vhc/25,,, AA/50L/25,,, AA/AP/25,,, AA/E/Dur,,, Ari/25/15r,,, Ari/E/15r,,, Ari/E/25,,, As/E/25,,, B/25/15v,,, B/50L/25,,, B/E/Dur,,, BeAP/25,,, Exe/AP/25,,, Exe/E/25,,, GouE/25,,, GS/E/25,,, H/50c/25,,, Jug/50c/25,,, Jug/AP/25,,, Junk/25/15r,,, Junk/50c/15v,,, Junk/50L/25,,, Junk/AP/25,,, Junk/E/15v,,, Med/25/25,,, Med/50c/25,,, Med/AP/25,,, Mut/AP/25,,, MS/50c/25,,, MS/AP/25,,, N/AP/25,,, N/E/25,,, Q/25/15r,,, Q/25/15v,,, Q/AP/25,,, Q/E/15r,,, St/50c/25,,, St/AP/25,,, St/E/25,,, Sup/50c/25,,, Sup/AP/25,,, Sup/E/25,,, T/50c/25,,, T/AP/25,,, TS/25/15r,,, TS/25/15v,,, TS/50vhc/25,,, TS/AP/25,,, V/AP/25,,, Z/25/25,,, Z/50c/25,,, Z/E/25
HANDMADES: AA/E/15v,,, I/E/25,,, Junk/25/15r,,, Junk/50c/25,,, MS/E/25,,, Mut/50c/25,,, Mut/E/25,,, Q/50c/25,,, Q/E/15r,,, Q/E/50
HEAVY WEAPONS: AA/25/15r AGL,,, AA/25/90 AGL,,, AA/25/15r Cryolator,,, AA/E/25 Gatling Gun,,, AA/25/90 Harpoon Gun,,, As/25A/90 Fatman,,, As/25/15r Gatling Laser,,, As/25/90 Gatling Plasma,,, B/25/15r 50cal,,, B/E/Gho 50cal,,, B/50L/90 AGL,,, B/25A/90 Cryolator,,, B/50L/90 Cryolator,,, B/25A/90 Missile Launcher,,, B/50vhc/90 Missile Launcher,,, B/25/90 Ultracite Gatling Laser,,, B/25/Dur Ultracite Gatling Laser,,, BeE/90 Gatling Gun,,, Exe/50c/15r Flamer,,, Exe/25A/90 Gatling Plasma,,, Exe/E/25 LMG,,, F/50c/25 Cryolator,,, Jug/25/15r Cryolator,,, N/25/15r 50cal,,, Q/50L/90 Minigun,,, Q/E/Gho Minigun,,, Q/50L/15r Pepper Shaker,,, T/25/15r Cryolator,,, TS/25A/90 Broadsider,,, TS/25/15r Gatling Gun,,, TS/E/90 LMG,,, TS/E/25 Minigun,,, TS/25A/15r Missile Launcher,,, V/25/15r 50cal,,, V/25/25 Broadsider,,, V/25A/90 Cryolator,,, V/AP/15r Flamer,,, V/25/25 Gatling Gun,,, V/50L/90 Harpoon Gun,,, Z/E/90 LMG
LEGACIES: Stalker's SS/1S melee: Bowie Knife,,, Chinese Officer Sword,,, Cultist Dagger,,, Guitar Sword,,, Revolutionary Sword,,, Walking Cane
MELEE: AA/SS/1S Cultist Blade,,, AA/SS/1S Death Tambo,,, AA/SS/1S Deathclaw Gauntlet,,, AA/40P/1S Gulper Smacker,,, AA/SS/1S Meat Hook,,, AA/SS/1S Pole Hook,,, AA/50c/15v Power Fist,,, AA/SS/1S Revolutionary Sword,,, AA/50L/1S Ripper,,, AA/SS/1S Spear,,, AA/SS/1S Super Sledge,,, Ari/40P/1S Drill,,, Ari/SS/1S Sledgehammer,,, Ari/SS/1S War Drum,,, As/40P/1S Chainsaw,,, As/40P/1S Drill,,, As/SS/1S Sheepsquatch Staff,,, B/50L/1S Chainsaw,,, B/AP/1S Chainsaw,,, B/SS/1S Chinese Officer Sword,,, B/SS/1S Deathclaw Gauntlet,,, B/50c/1S Drill,,, B/SS/25 Gulper Smacker,,, B/SS/25 Meat Hook,,, B/SS/90 Power Fist,,, B/SS/1S Power Fist,,, B/50c/25 Spear,,, BeSS/1S Combat Knife,,, Exe/40P/25 Drill,,, Exe/SS/1S Fire Axe,,, Exe/SS/1S Pitchfork,,, Exe/50c/1S Power Fist,,, GouSS/1S Hatchet,,, GouSS/1S Super Sledge,,, GS/SS/1S Chainsaw,,, I/SS/1S Death Tambo,,, I/40P/40 Drill,,, I/SS/1S Golf Club,,, I/SS/1S Pitchfork,,, I/SS/1S Shepherd's Crook,,, I/SS/1S Super Sledge,,, Junk/SS/1S Assaultron Blade,,, Junk/SS/1S Rolling Pin,,, Junk/SS/1S Security Baton,,, Mut/SS/1S Deathclaw Gauntlet,,, Mut/SS/1S Gulper Smacker,,, Mut/SS/1S Switchblade,,, MS/SS/1S Baseball Bat,,, MS/SS/1S Shishkebab,,, MS/SS/1S Shovel,,, MS/SS/1S Switchblade,,, Sup/SS/1S Assaultron Blade,,, Sup/SS/1S Cultist Blade,,, Sup/SS/1S Revolutionary Sword,,, Sup/SS/1S Spear,,, Sup/SS/1S Tire Iron,,, T/SS/1S Baseball Bat,,, T/SS/1S Bowie Knife,,, T/SS/1S Golf Club,,, T/SS/1S Machete,,, T/SS/1S Sledgehammer,,, V/SS/1S Combat Knife,,, V/SS/1S Deathclaw Gauntlet,,, V/SS/1S Pole Hook,,, V/SS/1S Shishkebab,,, V/SS/1S Sledgehammer,,, Z/SS/1S Buzz Blade,,, Z/40P/1S Chainsaw,,, Z/SS/1S Fire Axe,,, Z/SS/1S Knuckles,,, Z/SS/1S Pipe Wrench
RAILWAYS: AA/50c/25,,, AA/50vhc/25,,, AA/E/15v,,, AA/E/25,,, Ari/25/15r,,, B/50vhc/25,,, B/E/15r,,, B/E/90,,, F/50c/25,,, F/E/25,,, GS/50c/25,,, H/50c/25,,, I/25/25,,, I/50c/25,,, Junk/E/25,,, Q/25/15v,,, Q/50L/90,,, Q/E/1P,,, St/50c/25,,, Sup/E/25,,, TS/50L/25,,, TS/50vhc/25,,, TS/50c/15r,,, TS/AP/25,,, TS/E/Dur,,, V/25/25,,, V/50c/25,,, Z/E/90
TESLAS: AA/25/15r,,, AA/AP/25,,, AA/25/25,,, As/25/25,,, B/25/25,,, B/25/90,,, B/25/Dur,,, B/25/Gho,,, Be25/15r,,, Be25/25,,, Exe/25/15r,,, Exe/25/25,,, Exe/25/90,,, Exe/50L/15r,,, Ext/25/15r,,, F/25/15r,,, GS/25/25,,, GS/25/90,,, GS/50c/25,,, H/25/15r,,, I/25/15r,,, Junk/25/15r,,, Junk/50L/15r,,, Med/25/25,,, MS/50c/25,,, Mut/25/15r,,, Mut/25/25,,, N/25/25,,, Q/25**,,, Q/AP/25,,, St/25/25,,, St/25/90,,, Sup/25/90,,, Sup/50c/25,,, T/25/15r,,, TS/25/15r,,, TS/25/25,,, TS/50L/15r,,, V/25/15r,,, V/25/15v,,, V/25/90,,, V/25/250,,, V/25/Dur,,, V/50c/15r,,, V/50L/15r,,, Z/25/15r,,, Z/25/90
AA/25/25 Assaultron Head,,, AA/50c/15v Crossbow,,, AA/50c/25 Crossbow,,, AA/50L/25 Enclave Plasma Rifle,,, AA/25/25 Gamma Gun,,, AA/50c/25 Pipe Bolt Action Pistol/Rifle,,, AA/25/15r Plasma Pistol/Rifle,,, As/50c/25 Crossbow,,, As/25/25 Gauss Rifle,,, As/50c/25 Laser Pistol/Rifle,,, B/AP/25 Compound Bow,,, B/25/25 Gauss Rifle,,, Be50c/25 Bow,,, Be50c/25 Crossbow,,, Be50c/25 SMG,,, Exe/50L/25 Alien Blaster,,, Exe/50c/25 Blunderbuss,,, Exe/50c/25 Combat Rifle,,, Exe/50c/15v Compound Bow,,, Exe/50c/25 Double Barrel,,, Exe/25/25 Gamma Gun,,, Exe/E/25 Hunting Rifle,,, Exe/E/25 Lever Action,,, Exe/50L/25 Plasma Pistol/Rifle,,, F/50c/15v Compound Bow,,, F/E/25 Double Barrel,,, F/50c/15v Thirst Zapper,,, GouE/25 Assault Rifle,,, GouE/25 Double Barrel,,, Gou25/25 Lever Action,,, GS/50c/25 Gamma Gun,,, I/50c/25 Combat Shotgun,,, I/50c/15v Compound Bow,,, I/50c/25 The Dragon,,, Jug/E/25 Combat Rifle,,, Jug/50c/25 Laser Pistol/Rifle,,, Junk/50c/25 Enclave Plasma Rifle,,, Junk/25/25 Radium Rifle,,, Mut/E/25 10mm Pistol,,, Mut/50c/25 Crossbow,,, N/25/25 Enclave Plasma Rifle,,, N/50c/25 Enclave Plasma Rifle,,, Q/50c/25 Assaultron Head,,, Q/25/15r Combat Shotgun,,, Q/25/1P Enclave Plasma Rifle,,, Q/AP/25 Enclave Plasma Rifle,,, Q/25/15r Plasma Pistol/Rifle,,, St/50c/25 Crossbow,,, St/E/25 Single Action Revolver,,, Sup/25/25 Radium Rifle,,, TS/25/15r Combat Rifle,,, TS/50c/25 Combat Rifle,,, TS/E/15r Pipe Revolver,,, V/50c/25 Bow,,, V/50L/25 Compound Bow,,, V/AP/25 Crossbow,,, V/50c/25 Enclave Plasma Rifle,,, V/50c/25 Gauss Rifle,,, V/25/25 Pipe Pistol/Rifle,,, V/50c/25 Pipe Pistol/Rifle,,, Z/25/25 Enclave Plasma Rifle
ARMOR: Aristocrat's Civil Engineer chest AP/Cavalier
Aristocrat's Civil Engineer chest LED/Cavalier
Aristocrat's Civil Engineer chest LED/HTD
Aristocrat's Heavy Robot left leg LED/Sentinel
Aristocrat's Heavy Robot left leg LED/WWR
Aristocrat's Marine right leg AP/Cavalier
Aristocrat's Marine right arm LED/WWR
Aristocrat's USA left leg LED/WWR
Assassin's Civil Engineer chest Strength/JWR
Assassin's FSA chest LED/FDC
Assassin's FSA left arm AP/FDC (2)
Assassin's FSA left arm AP/Sentinel
Assassin's FSA left arm LED/HTD
Assassin's FSA left leg AP/FDC
Assassin's FSA left leg Strength/HTD
Assassin's Heavy Leather left arm AP/WWR
Assassin's Heavy Robot chest Strength/WWR
Assassin's Marine left arm AP/Cavalier
Assassin's Sturdy Combat chest AP/Sentinel
Assassin's Trapper right arm Poison resist/Sentinel
Assassin's Trapper right leg Strength/Sentinel
Assassin's USA left arm LED/WWR
Assassin's USA left arm Poison resist/Sentinel
Assassin's USA left leg LED/HTD
Assassin's USA left leg Strength/WWR
Auto Stim Civil Engineer chest LED/FDC
Auto Stim FSA right leg LED/WWR
Auto Stim Heavy Metal chest LED/Sentinel
Auto Stim Heavy Raider right leg LED/Sentinel
Auto Stim Heavy Robot chest LED/Sentinel
Auto Stim Heavy Robot right leg Cryo resist/Sentinel
Auto Stim Marine left leg LED/Sentinel
Auto Stim Ultracite left arm LED/Sentinel
Auto Stim USA left arm AP/Cavalier
Auto Stim USA left arm AP/WWR
Auto Stim USA left arm LED/FDC
Auto Stim USA right arm LED/Sentinel
Auto Stim USA right leg LED/WWR
Auto Stim USA right leg Strength/Cavalier
Auto Stim USA right leg Strength/Sentinel
Auto Stim USA right leg Strength/WWR
Bolstering FSA left arm AP/Sentinel
Bolstering FSA left arm Luck/WWR
Bolstering FSA left arm Strength/WWR
Bolstering FSA left leg AP/Sentinel
Bolstering FSA left leg LED/Cavalier
Bolstering FSA right leg Strength/HTD
Bolstering Heavy Metal left leg AP/Cavalier
Bolstering Heavy Metal right arm AP/Sentinel
Bolstering Heavy Metal right leg LED/HTD
Bolstering Heavy Robot left arm Strength/Cavalier
Bolstering Marine right arm Cryo resist/Sentinel
Bolstering Marine right arm Strength/FDC
Bolstering Raider right arm AP/Sentinel
Bolstering Sturdy Combat left leg LED/Sentinel
Bolstering Sturdy Leather right leg AP/Sentinel
Bolstering Trapper chest AP/Cavalier (2)
Bolstering Trapper right arm LED/Sentinel
Bolstering USA left arm LED/FDC
Bolstering USA left arm LED/Sentinel
Bolstering USA right arm AP/FDC
Bolstering USA right arm Intelligence/Sentinel
Bolstering Wood left leg LED/WWR
Chameleon FSA chest LED/Cavalier
Chameleon FSA left arm Strength/Sentinel
Chameleon FSA left leg AP/Cavalier
Chameleon FSA left leg LED/Sentinel
Chameleon Heavy Combat right arm LED/Cavalier
Chameleon Heavy Raider right leg AP/Sentinel
Chameleon Marine left arm AP/Cavalier
Chameleon Marine right arm AP/Sentinel
Chameleon Marine left leg AP/WWR
Chameleon Robot chest LED/WWR
Chameleon USA chest AP/WWR
Chameleon USA chest LED/Cavalier
Chameleon USA left arm AP/JWR
Chameleon USA left arm LED/Sentinel
Chameleon USA left leg Cryo resist/Sentinel
Chameleon USA right arm LED/WWR
Chameleon USA right leg AP/FDC
Cloaking FSA chest AP/Cavalier
Cloaking FSA right arm AP/WWR
Cloaking USA chest AP/Sentinel
Cloaking USA right leg AP/WWR
Exterminator's Civil Engineer chest AP/Sentinel
Exterminator's FSA right arm AP/Sentinel
Exterminator's FSA right arm LED/Cavalier
Exterminator's FSA right leg LED/Cavalier
Exterminator's USA chest AP/Sentinel
Exterminator's USA chest LED/WWR
Ghoul Slayer's FSA right arm AP/WWR
Ghoul Slayer's FSA right leg AP/Cavalier
Ghoul Slayer's Heavy Metal left arm AP/Sentinel
Ghoul Slayer's USA left arm AP/WWR
Ghoul Slayer's USA left leg AP/WWR
Hunter's Civil Engineer chest AP/Sentinel
Hunter's Heavy Metal right leg AP/Sentinel
Life Saving Civil Engineer chest LED/HTD
Life Saving Combat left leg AP/WWR
Life Saving FSA chest AP/Sentinel
Life Saving FSA left arm LED/WWR
Life Saving FSA left leg LED/Sentinel
Life Saving FSA right leg Strength/Cavalier
Life Saving Heavy Combat AP/HTD
Life Saving Heavy Raider chest LED/WWR
Life Saving Heavy Robot chest AP/WWR
Life Saving Heavy Robot left arm AP/WWR
Life Saving Marine chest LED/Cavalier
Life Saving Marine left leg AP/WWR
Life Saving Trapper left leg AP/Sentinel
Life Saving Trapper right leg LED/Cavalier
Life Saving USA left arm LED/WWR
Life Saving USA left arm AP/Cavalier
Life Saving USA left leg Strength/Cavalier
Life Saving USA right arm AP/Sentinel
Life Saving USA right arm Poison resist/Sentinel
Mutant's Civil Engineer chest AP/WWR
Mutant's FSA left leg LED/WWR
Mutant's Heavy Combat right leg AP/FDC
Mutant Slayer's FSA left arm AP/Cavalier
Mutant Slayer's FSA right leg AP/Sentinel
Mutant Slayer's Heavy Raider right leg AP/Sentinel
Mutant Slayer's Trapper chest AP/Sentinel (2)
Mutant Slayer's USA chest AP/Sentinel
Mutant Slayer's USA left arm AP/Sentinel
Mutant Slayer's USA left leg AP/Cavalier
Nocturnal Heavy Combat right leg Strength/Sentinel
Nocturnal Heavy Robot left leg LED/WWR
Nocturnal Heavy Robot right leg AP/Cavalier
Nocturnal Robot left arm AP/Sentinel
Nocturnal Trapper chest AP/Sentinel
Nocturnal USA left leg LED/WWR
Nocturnal USA right leg AP/HTD
Nocturnal USA right leg LED/Cavalier
Overeater's Civil Engineer chest Agility/WWR
Overeater's Civil Engineer chest Antiseptic/WWR
Overeater's Civil Engineer chest AP/Toxic
Overeater's Civil Engineer chest Charisma/WWR
Overeater's Civil Engineer chest Fire resist/Cavalier
Overeater's Civil Engineer chest Fire resist/FDC
Overeater's Civil Engineer chest Intelligence/Sentinel
Overeater's Civil Engineer left leg AP/AWR
Overeater's Combat chest AP/FDC
Overeater's FSA chest Endurance/Sentinel
Overeater's FSA chest Poison resist/Cavalier
Overeater's FSA left arm Charisma/FDC
Overeater's FSA left arm Intelligence/Sentinel
Overeater's FSA left arm Perception/Sentinel
Overeater's FSA left leg AP/HTD
Overeater's FSA right arm AP/JWR
Overeater's FSA right arm Strength/FDC
Overeater's FSA right arm Strength/WWR
Overeater's FSA right leg LED/AWR
Overeater's Heavy Combat chest LED/HTD
Overeater's Heavy Combat left arm LED/JWR
Overeater's Heavy Combat right leg Perception/Sentinel
Overeater's Heavy Leather right arm Glutton/Sentinel
Overeater's Heavy Metal left leg Strength/Sentinel
Overeater's Heavy Metal right leg AP/Sentinel
Overeater's Heavy Raider left arm LED/Cavalier
Overeater's Heavy Raider left leg Charisma/WWR
Overeater's Heavy Raider right arm Fire resist/FDC
Overeater's Heavy Robot chest Endurance/Sentinel
Overeater's Heavy Robot chest Rad resist/Sentinel
Overeater's Heavy Robot left leg Agility/WWR
Overeater's Marine chest Rad resist/FDC
Overeater's Marine chest Rad resist/Sentinel
Overeater's Marine left arm Strength/FDC
Overeater's Marine right arm Rad resist/Sentinel
Overeater's Marine right leg Fire resist/Sentinel
Overeater's Marine right leg Luck/FDC
Overeater's Marine right leg Perception/WWR
Overeater's Metal left arm AP/FDC
Overeater's Metal left leg Agility/Sentinel
Overeater's Metal left leg Cryo resist/Sentinel
Overeater's Metal right arm AP/Sentinel
Overeater's Metal right leg Poison resist/Sentinel
Overeater's Raider right arm Cryo resist/Sentinel
Overeater's Raider right leg LED/WWR
Overeater's Sturdy Metal chest Strength/FDC
Overeater's Trapper chest Rad resist/FDC
Overeater's Trapper left arm AP/HTD
Overeater's Trapper left arm Cryo resist/Sentinel
Overeater's Trapper left arm Perception/Sentinel
Overeater's Trapper left leg Perception/WWR
Overeater's Trapper right arm Luck/WWR
Overeater's Trapper right arm Rad resist/WWR
Overeater's USA chest Cryo resist/HTD
Overeater's USA chest LED/WWR
Overeater's USA chest Poison resist/FDC
Overeater's USA left arm Antiseptic/Sentinel
Overeater's USA left arm AP/HTD
Overeater's USA left arm Endurance/FDC
Overeater's USA left arm Endurance/WWR
Overeater's USA left arm Fire resist/FDC (2)
Overeater's USA left arm LED/AWR
Overeater's USA left arm LED/FDC
Overeater's USA left arm Poison resist/Sentinel
Overeater's USA left arm Rad resist/Sentinel
Overeater's USA left leg Fire resist/WWR
Overeater's USA left leg Intelligence/FDC
Overeater's USA left leg Strength/FDC
Overeater's USA right arm Luck/Sentinel
Overeater's USA right leg AP/FDC
Overeater's USA right leg Intelligence/HTD
Overeater's USA right leg Poison resist/Sentinel
Overeater's USA right leg Rad resist/Sentinel
Overeater's Wood left arm LED/Cavalier
Regenerating Civil Engineer chest AP/Sentinel
Troubleshooter's Excavator right arm LED/Cavalier
Troubleshooter's FSA chest AP/WWR
Troubleshooter's Heavy Combat left arm AP/Cavalier
Troubleshooter's Heavy Robot left arm AP/Cavalier
Troubleshooter's T-60 left arm LED/Sentinel
Troubleshooter's T-60 right arm AP/WWR
Troubleshooter's Trapper right leg AP/WWR
Troubleshooter's USA left arm AP/FDC
Troubleshooter's USA left arm Strength/Sentinel
Troubleshooter's USA left leg AP/WWR
Unyielding Civil Engineer chest AP/Electrified
Unyielding Civil Engineer left arm Antiseptic/FDC
Unyielding Civil Engineer left leg AP/Electrified
Unyielding Civil Engineer right leg Intelligence/Burning
Unyielding FSA full set AP/Cavalier
Unyielding FSA chest Cryo resist/FDC
Unyielding FSA chest Intelligence/Acrobat
Unyielding FSA chest Intelligence/Dur
Unyielding FSA chest LED/JWR
Unyielding FSA left arm Cryo resist/AWR
Unyielding FSA left arm LED/Sentinel
Unyielding FSA left arm Poison resist/AWR
Unyielding FSA left leg AP/Acrobat
Unyielding FSA left leg Endurance/Sentinel
Unyielding FSA left leg Fire resist/AWR
Unyielding FSA left leg Fire resist/FDC
Unyielding FSA left leg Luck/AWR
Unyielding FSA right arm Cryo resist/Cavalier
Unyielding FSA right arm Poison resist/WWR
Unyielding FSA right leg AP/JWR
Unyielding FSA right leg Intelligence/JWR
Unyielding FSA right leg LED/HTD
Unyielding FSA right leg Luck/JWR
Unyielding FSA right leg Rad resist/AWR (2)
Unyielding Heavy Combat chest Strength/HTD
Unyielding Heavy Combat left leg Cryo resist/Cavalier
Unyielding Heavy Combat right arm Poison resist/JWR
Unyielding Heavy Combat right arm Poison resist/Sentinel
Unyielding Heavy Leather chest Cryo resist/HTD
Unyielding Heavy Leather left arm Rad resist/HTD
Unyielding Heavy Leather left leg Luck/Cavalier
Unyielding Heavy Metal right arm LED/Cavalier
Unyielding Heavy Metal right leg Endurance/Sentinel
Unyielding Heavy Raider chest Agility/Sentinel
Unyielding Heavy Raider left arm Poison resist/FDC
Unyielding Heavy Raider right arm AP/HTD
Unyielding Heavy Raider right arm Charisma/FDC
Unyielding Heavy Robot chest Cryo resist/Cavalier
Unyielding Heavy Robot right arm Endurance/Sentinel
Unyielding Leather left leg LED/WWR
Unyielding Marine chest Perception/Sentinel
Unyielding Marine chest Luck/WWR
Unyielding Marine chest Strength/HTD
Unyielding Marine left arm Cryo resist/HTD
Unyielding Marine left arm Strength/Cavalier (2)
Unyielding Marine left leg AP/FDC
Unyielding Marine right arm AP/Acrobat
Unyielding Marine right arm Rad resist/Cavalier
Unyielding Marine right leg Fire resist/WWR
Unyielding Marine right leg LED/AWR
Unyielding Marine right leg Luck/FDC
Unyielding Marine right leg Rad resist/AWR
Unyielding Metal chest AP/HTD
Unyielding Metal left arm LED/Sentinel
Unyielding Metal right leg AP/Cavalier
Unyielding Raider chest Luck/Cavalier
Unyielding Robot left leg Poison resist/Sentinel
Unyielding Sturdy Combat chest Strength/Sentinel
Unyielding Sturdy Combat right arm AP/AWR
Unyielding Sturdy Leather left leg LED/Sentinel
Unyielding Sturdy Metal chest AP/WWR
Unyielding Sturdy Metal left arm Rad resist/Sentinel
Unyielding Sturdy Raider chest Intelligence/FDC
Unyielding Sturdy Raider right leg Intelligence/FDC
Unyielding Sturdy Robot right arm LED/Sentinel
Unyielding Trapper chest Luck/FDC
Unyielding Trapper left leg Cryo resist/WWR
Unyielding Trapper right arm Cryo resist/Cavalier
Unyielding Trapper right arm LED/HTD
Unyielding Trapper right arm Luck/Cavalier
Unyielding USA chest AP/JWR
Unyielding USA chest Fire resist/AWR
Unyielding USA chest Luck/HTD
Unyielding USA chest Intelligence/Cavalier
Unyielding USA chest Poison resist/Cavalier
Unyielding USA chest Rad resist/JWR
Unyielding USA left arm AP/Sentinel
Unyielding USA left arm Cryo resist/WWR
Unyielding USA left arm LED/Acrobat (2)
Unyielding USA left arm Perception/FDC
Unyielding USA left arm Poison resist/AWR
Unyielding USA left arm Poison resist/HTD
Unyielding USA left arm Rad resist/Cavalier
Unyielding USA left leg Luck/AWR
Unyielding USA right arm Cryo resist/WWR
Unyielding USA right arm Intelligence/JWR
Unyielding USA right arm Luck/Cavalier
Unyielding USA right arm Poison resist/HTD
Unyielding USA right leg AP/Cavalier
Unyielding USA right leg Charisma/WWR
Unyielding USA right leg Fire resist/AWR
Unyielding USA right leg Perception/FDC
Unyielding Wood chest AP/FDC
Unyielding Wood chest Luck/Cavalier
Unyielding Wood chest Luck/Sentinel
Unyielding Wood right arm AP/Sentinel
Unyielding Wood right arm LED/WWR
Unyielding Wood right leg Strength/WWR
Vanguard's Civil Engineer chest LED/Cavalier
Vanguard's Civil Engineer chest LED/HTD
Vanguard's FSA full set Strength/Cavalier
Vanguard's FSA right arm Strength/Cavalier
Vanguard's FSA right leg Strength/Cavalier
Vanguard's Heavy Leather right arm LED/HTD
Vanguard's Heavy Metal chest Strength/Cavalier
Vanguard's Heavy Robot right arm LED/HTD
Vanguard's Marine right arm Strength/WWR
Vanguard's Marine right leg Strength/Sentinel
Vanguard's Sturdy Robot left arm AP/Sentinel
Vanguard's Sturdy Robot right leg LED/WWR
Vanguard's Trapper left arm LED/Cavalier
Vanguard's USA full set Strength/Cavalier
Vanguard's USA chest Luck/Sentinel
Vanguard's USA left arm AP/FDC
Vanguard's USA left arm Intelligence/Sentinel
Vanguard's USA left arm LED/Sentinel
Vanguard's USA left arm Strength/FDC
Vanguard's USA left arm Strength/Sentinel
Vanguard's USA left leg Strength/Cavalier
Vanguard's USA right arm AP/Cavalier
Vanguard's USA right leg Strength/Cavalier (3)
Vanguard's Wood chest Strength/Sentinel
Weightless Civil Engineer chest AP/Sentinel
Weightless Civil Engineer chest LED/Sentinel
Weightless Civil Engineer chest Strength/WWR
Weightless FSA left leg Strength/Sentinel
Weightless Marine right leg AP/Cavalier
Weightless Trapper chest AP/Cavalier
Weightless Trapper left arm AP/Sentinel
Weightless Trapper left leg AP/Sentinel
Weightless USA chest Strength/Sentinel
Weightless USA right leg AP/Cavalier
Weightless USA right leg LED/WWR
Zealot's Trapper left arm LED/Cavalier
Zealot's USA chest AP/Sentinel
Zealot's USA left arm AP/Cavalier
Zealot's USA left arm AP/Sentinel (2)
Zealot's USA right arm AP/WWR
Zealot's USA right leg AP/WWR
PLANS: Alien Blaster,,, Alien Disintegrator,,, Alien head lamp,,, Alien table,,, Alien target practice poster,,, Assault rifle wraith's wrath paint,,, Backpack armor plated mod,,, Backpack high capacity mod,,, Backpack insulated mod,,, Backpack lead lined mod,,, Backpack refrigerated mod,,, mod,,, Bloody curtain door,,, Bloody rug,,, Boxing glove lead lining,,, Camo Backpack,,, Cattle flour billboards,,, Chainsaw ghostly grinder paint,,, Chainsaw septikill paint,,, Cultist adept hood,,, Cultist adept robes,,, Cultist enlightened hood,,, Cultist enlightened robes,,, Cultist eventide hood,,, Cultist eventide robes,,, Cultist incarnate helmet,,, Cultist neophyte hood,,, Cultist neophyte robes,,, Dense marine armor torso,,, Dense trapper armor torso,,, Dr. Bones,,, Dried wildflower bouquet,,, Electro Enforcer,,, Enlightened lantern,,, Executioner mask,,, Flannel shirt & jeans,,, Fluttering moths,,, Fossilized megalonyx (left arm, left leg, right arm, right leg, skull, torso),,, Fuzzy enlightened plushie,,, Fuzzy mothman plushie,,, Giant red dinosaur,,, Glowing flatwoods monster lamp,,, Ground meat plushie,,, Hazmat suit teal,,, Honeycomb paper blue mothman,,, Honeycomb paper brown mothman,,, Honeycomb paper ghost lantern A&B,,, Honeycomb paper green mothman,,, Honeycomb paper holiday tree A&B,,, Honeycomb paper icy snowflake,,, Honeycomb paper jack o'lantern A&B,,, Honeycomb paper jolly target,,, Honeycomb paper mothman globe,,, Honeycomb paper red mothman,,, Honeycomb paper ribbon bell,,, Honeycomb paper snowman,,, Honeycomb paper spider lantern,,, Honeycomb paper standing santa,,, Junkyard fountain,,, Machete sacrificial blade,,, Megalonyx display rack,,, Mutant hound diagram,,, Nuka shank knife,,, Peppino pig plushie,,, Plastiform Candle,,, Plastiform gingerbread,,, Plastiform nutcracker,,, Plastiform santa,,, Plastiform santa sleigh,,, Princess backpack,,, Punty pig plushie,,, Rad skull rider helmet,,, Raw cement barricade,,, Rib plushie,,, Rotted ground meat plushie,,, Rotted rib plushie,,, Rotted steak plushie,,, Sacred mothman tome,,, Scorchbeast queen plushie,,, Scorched tube,,, Shielded lining casual underarmor,,, Snallygaster plushie,,, Star light,,, Steak plushie,,, Straw goat,,, Super mutant diagram,,, Swarm of flies,,, T-60 BOS knight paint,,, Taxidermy mutant hound,,, TV Aquarium,,, Ultracite emergency protocols,,, Undershirt & jeans,,, Vintage water cooler,,, Wasteland hunter backpack,,, Weenie wagon,,, Wilber McPigg plushie,,, WV state bird rug,,, Yao Guai tube,,, Zenith alien blaster paint,,, Fasnacht donut recipe,,, Fasnacht sausage recipe,,, Formula P recipe,,, Healing salve Ash Heap recipe,,, Healing salve Cranberry Bog recipe,,, Healing salve Mire recipe,,, Tato salad recipe (***I have a ton of plans that are not listed here, so just let me know what you're looking for***)
APPAREL: Asylum Uniform Blue,,, Asylum Uniform Forest,,, Asylum Uniform Pink,,, Fasnacht Brahmin mask,,, Fasnacht Buffoon mask,,, Fasnacht Crazy Guy mask,,, Fasnacht Deathclaw mask,,, Fasnacht Demon mask,,, Fasnacht Fiend mask,,, Fasnacht Hag mask,,, Fasnacht Loon mask,,, Fasnacht Raven mask,,, Fasnacht Winter Man mask,,, Emmett Mountain hazmat suit,,, Garrahan Foreman Outfit and Helmet
CHEMS: Addictol: 264,,, Berry Mentats: 3600,,, Buffout: 2071,,, Calmex: 859,,, Daddy-O: 1411,,, Day Tripper: 1153,,, Disease Cure: 541,,, Mentats: 1000,,, Overdrive: 248,,, Psycho: 3889,,, Psychobuff: 1916,,, Psychotats: 1896,,, X-cell: 661
FOOD: Canned meat stew: 75,,, Pepper: 1350,,, Salt: 2964,,, Spices: 1668,,, Sugar Bombs(w/rads): 1254
MODS: Enclave Aligned automatic barrel,,, Enclave Aligned short barrel,,, Enclave Aligned sniper barrel(3),,, Enclave Aligned splitter(3),,, Enclave Bruising grip,,, Enclave Calibrated capacitor,,, Enclave Comfort stock,,, Enclave Precise stock(2),,, Enclave Refined beta wave tuner(3),,, Enclave Severe beta wave tuner(2),,, Enclave Stabilized automatic barrel(3),,, Enclave Stabilized flamer barrel(2),,, Enclave Stabilized Sniper Barrel,,, Enclave True automatic barrel(2),,, Enclave True capacitor(5),,, Enclave True flamer barrel(2),,, Enclave True sniper barrel(3),,, Enclave True splitter(2),,, Enclave Vicious capacitor

If you want, you can support me on my YouTube channel. @ SciFiTime True WW2 story as a Sci-Fi Adaptation.
The Battle of Gamma Prime was one of the biggest, mech-on-mech battles, in the history of galactic warfare. For several cycles, hundreds of Earth Federation, and Zarkon Empire mech’s clashed on the vast plains of Gamma Prime. The battle's outcome would determine control over this strategically crucial, colony world.
One of those mech’s was commanded by junior company commander, Robert, who saw major action with the First Earth Mech Division, "Liberty Guard," near the colony of Tulara. At just 22 years old, Robert was already a seasoned warrior, owing to his intensive training, and natural leadership abilities. As the son of Earth's Minister of Interstellar Affairs Jakob, Robert had big shoes to fill, and he was determined not to disappoint.
After six grueling cycles of heavy fighting, the Second Earth Mech Corps, under the command of senior group leader, Paul, was located near Tulara. The following day would see one of the most iconic mech battles, of the Eastern Galactic Front.
The Earth Second Mech Corps, along with the First, Second, and Third Mech Divisions, had made meticulous plans to attack the Zarkon positions at Tulara. Their objective was to break through the Zarkon lines and secure the colony, which held vital resources for both sides.
The Zarkon Empire, in turn, had made plans to counter-attack the Earth forces near the colony. The Tulara Fifth Guard's Mech Army was moved to the vicinity of the colony, to perform a series of counter-attacks, on a frontage of 30 kilometers with a staggering 850 mech’s.
In total, about 500 mech’s, and self-propelled artillery, of the Zarkon Fifth Guard's Mech Army, attacked the positions of the Second Mech Corps in two waves: 430 mech’s in the first echelon, and 70 more in the second. Their task was to eliminate the threat posed by the three Earth Mech Divisions.
In the midst of it all was the commander of the sixth company of the Earth Mech Regiment 1, the 22-year-old, Robert. Opposing him were the Z-34 mech’s of the 18th and 29th Zarkon Mech Corps. As dawn broke, the tension was palpable; the air thrummed with the energy of the impending clash.
Down from the slopes, in front of Tulara, the massed Zarkon mech’s charged, with five brigades of the 18th and 29th Mech Corps, firing as they advanced on Liberty Guard's positions. The sight was both awe-inspiring and terrifying, as the Zarkon mech’s loomed large, their weapons blazing.
As the Zarkon mech’s rolled down the slopes, they paved the way for the soldiers of the Airborne Division. These airborne troops leapt behind the mech’s, engaging in hand-to-hand combat where they could.
The Liberty Guard troops were not scheduled to engage until later in the cycle. Exhausted from the previous week's fighting, many were just starting their shift as the attack began. Alarms blared, and within moments, the once-quiet base transformed into a flurry of activity.
As the Zarkon mech’s appeared, Earth outposts across the Corps frontage began firing purple warning flares, signaling a mech attack. The sky lit up with signals, and Robert's heart raced as he quickly assessed the situation.
After waking up with his crew underneath their Mech IV, Robert and his crew saw the purple smoke in the distance. Robert knew immediately that a major attack was underway. "Gear up, This is it!" he shouted, his voice steady, despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins.
He ordered his company of seven Mech 4s to follow him over a bridge, across an anti-mech trench. Crossing the bridge, they fanned out on the lower slope of Hill 252, a strategic high ground they needed to hold at all costs.
On the crest of the hill, assault unit leader Joe's Third Mech Battalion of the Second Mech Regiment was being overrun. When in position, Robert spotted a group of around 20 Z-34 mech’s to his left, at a distance of 800 meters, the perfect range for a skilled mech pilots
"Target those mech’s! Fire at will!" Robert commanded. Within minutes, several Z-34 mech’s were ablaze, the threat neutralized without taking any return fire. The precision and discipline of Robert's crew were evident.
As Robert's mech’s spread out, he, and the First Earth Mech Regiment, were suddenly confronted by Zarkon mech’s of the 29th Mech Corps' 31st and 32nd Mech Brigades. The battlefield was chaotic, with plasma bolts and laser beams crisscrossing the landscape.
Robert recounted later, "About 150 to 200 meters in front of me appeared 15, then 30, then 40 mech’s. Finally, there were too many to count." The Zarkon mech’s, firing on the move, charged down the western slopes of Hill 252, into the Earth Mech company, and a fierce mech battle ensued.
At that moment, during the battle, Robert’s Mech 4s were far too isolated, and well ahead of the defending Mech Grenadiers of the Liberty Guard Division. The situation was dire, but retreat was not an option.
Just as Robert shouted the order to open fire to his squad, his pilots was already on the verge of fleeing the horrible sight. "Stay in position! We hold this line!" Robert barked, his voice cutting through the chaos. Three of his mech’s, pivoted the turret to the right, to fire upon the advancing Z-34s.
The first plasma round hit the target, which was only a mere 60 meters away. The enemy mech exploded in a fiery ball, but the battle was far from over.
When Robert's mech was about to pivot again, the adjacent mech, the Mech 4 of junior squad leader Pete, burst into a huge ball of flames, hit by multiple Zarkon plasma rounds. Pete was the only one to escape the inferno, but he later died from the wounds received during the blast.
With the first wave of Zarkon mech’s right upon the Mech 4s, a new group was spotted, followed by another wave. Mech after mech, wave after wave, crashed into the line of Mech 4s, all within minutes. The intensity of the battle was overwhelming.
The Earth mech’s fired fiercely at the oncoming Zarkon mech’s, and with each shot, a new mech was taken down. The smell of burnt metal and the sound of explosions filled the air.
Robert fought on, and in quick succession, he knocked out three or four Z-34s less than 30 meters from his mech. His hands moved with practiced precision, his focus unbroken by the carnage around him.
Now isolated, encircled, and low on ammunition and energy, there was only one option for Robert and his squad, they had to break out of the encirclement and move to a better-defended position. We can't stay here, Follow me, Robert ordered.
Of the seven Mech 4s in the sixth company, only four remained battle-ready after a 30-minute engagement. The losses were heavy, but retreating was not an option.
Robert knew the only way to keep himself, and the rest of his company alive, was to keep moving and head to friendly lines. "Keep your eyes on me, We're getting out of here," he said.
Once Robert's four remaining mech’s crossed the bridge, they would be back in friendly lines. Unfortunately, another group of Z-34s, supported by infantry, was also looking for a way to cross the anti-mech trench. If they crossed the bridge, the Liberty Guard’s positions could collapse like a house of cards.
Robert and his crew positioned themselves behind the wrecks of some Z-34s, while on the other side of the trench were several anti-mech cannons operated by Petes men. They waited cautiously for the Zarkon mech’s to enter their ambush. When the anti-mech cannons opened fire, all hell broke loose around the Mech 4s, and several Z-34s were destroyed.
The Zarkon mech’s attacked the division's First Earth Mech Artillery Regiment, killing some crew members, before being destroyed by direct fire from anti-mech teams. The battle raged on, but the Earth forces held their ground.
By noon, Hill 252 was back in Earth hands. Robert’s company had suffered greatly. Many experienced mech pilots were killed. Of the company, two Mech 4s were completely destroyed; most had minor damage, or were immobilized.
The Zarkon Fifth Guards Army and Fifth Guard's Mech Army had a significant numerical advantage, but they let victory slip away due to poor planning, while Pete and Robert perfectly broke wave after wave of Zarkon mech’s. Their coordination and tactics were impeccable.
In a three-hour battle, the First Earth Mech Regiment engaged the attacking Zarkon mech’s and repulsed them, reporting the destruction of about 62 Zarkon mech’s. Robert was credited with knocking out 14 of those. The battlefield was littered with the remains of fallen mech’s, a testament to the ferocity of the clash.
The 22-year-old minister's son received the Stellar Iron Cross for his actions at Tulara. In a ceremony filled with somber reflection and pride, Robert stood among his peers, honored for his bravery and leadership.
Robert stated in an interview after the war that the only reason he survived was the fact that the Zarkon Z-34s lacked commanders at the time. "Their disorganization was our saving grace," he said.
Later, he stated that victory was achieved due to superb training and leadership. "Our preparation, and the dedication of every pilot, made the difference," he concluded.
If you enjoyed this thrilling tale, please subscribe for more, Many thanks for watching.

My return to Lagos had me at first paranoia stricken and looking for people from the village around every corner. After a few uneventful months though, I was feeling like the old Duke again. The nightmares stopped plaguing me entirely.
I felt so good with myself in fact, that I decided to try my luck with Ameh again. Ameh was a fellow associate at my office. I’d made several advances in the past and been blown off. She was just playing hard to get though, I knew she was. Other than Dellia, Ameh was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen – you think that would have warned me but it didn’t. I knew I could get in trouble with HR if she decided she’d had enough but it definitely felt worth it.
I was just entering her office, prepared to ask her out and be turned down yet again when we were both called into Mistress Death’s office by her secretary. Mistress Death is what we called our General Manager, Mrs. Lara. She was known for her ruthlessness and cruelty. She was so distant from her juniors that none of us even knew her first name and honestly, I didn’t care to know.
Being called into her office meant one of two things; you were either being given a serious opportunity and she wanted to impress the importance of your success on you or you’d fucked up terribly and she wanted to drop the axe herself. I prayed to all the divinities I knew that it wasn’t the second option.
When we got into the office, her chair was turned toward the wall away from us. She was inspecting a painting that by my guess had been recently installed. It was an odd choice if you ask me, it had a man on it eating what appeared to be a decomposing dog carcass with his hands while a man in regal clothing watched.
She didn’t turn to face us for about two minutes after we’d entered and we knew better than to speak first or presume to sit without being told. Both of which I did – I still have no idea why.
“Good day, Mrs. Lara. Wonderful weather we’re having today.” I said as I settled into one of the chairs opposite the table from her. Ameh hesitated for a second then followed my example.
“Hmm?” She seemed surprised as she turned to face us. “Pardon me. I was absorbed in the painting.” That was unusual. She never apologized for anything ever.
“Please, sit.” She said as she sent us a piercing look that made Ameh wince.
“Thank you ma’am. You’re looking very wonderful today.” She attempted some damage control but Mrs. Lara didn’t care for it.
Without even acknowledging the words spoken, Mrs. Lara continued talking about the painting. Are you familiar with the story it is inspired by?”
“What ma’am?”
“The painting of course!”
“Oh. Well, I’m afraid not ma’am.” I replied for both of us since Ameh was too terrified to answer.
“The story is rather straightforward. It goes like this; once upon a time, the favorite hunting dog of a great king fell gravely ill. The king ordered that the dog be put out of its misery and buried as a member of the family.
The king’s animal master however, seeing an opportunity to ingratiate himself to the king, asked that the animal be given to him and he’d revive it. The man knew a lot about animals and was confident he’d cure the dog.
The priests also had something to tell the king. They told him they would perform royal rites for the dog only if it was given to them that day. Any more delay and they would no longer be willing to bend their sacred laws. The animal master insisted, claiming there would be no need for a burial at all if it was given to him. The king gave in and entrusted the animal to him.
Try as he could, he couldn't save the dog and it died. Perhaps it was just too old, who knows? The point is, it died in his care and this naturally, infuriated the king who gave the animal keeper a cruel, disgusting and unusual punishment.”
Please don’t tell me he made the man eat the dead dog!
“He made him eat the dead dog. Raw.”
God no! Why would he do that?
“The animal master ate the corpse, was stripped and forced to wear its fur as his only clothing before being banished forever.”
“All that for a little mistake? The king went overboard for sure, not to mention defiled the body of the dog he supposedly loved.” I’d forgotten myself and spoken freely. Rookie mistake.
Despite my blunder, all I got was a little “hmm” and she went on with her monologue about the painting. “You might be wondering why I told you this story, but it’ll make sense soon.”
“You see, there’s a very big, very problematic client we’re looking to acquire. I can’t give them to any high tier agents because I can’t have any single one of them devote their entire capacity to any one portfolio and I can’t give them to a team of lower level agents because I actually want to acquire them as a client.”
I love where this is going
“That’s where you both come in. You’re somewhere in the middle of these two groups. You two are more competent than seven of my lower ranking agents and put together might just be a match for one of my best agents.
Now, this client is the dog, you the animal master and I, the king. I’ll only ask this once, can you take this job on? If you’re successful, one or both of you could be looking at making partner in the near future.
However, if you fail this, my punishment for losing this client will be severe, cruel and to quote you Duke, “overboard”.
So? What will it be? I want an answer now.”
This was a huge opportunity. How could I possibly say no? This was the sort of opportunity everyone hoped for. “I accept ma’am. I won’t let you down, I promise.”
“You’d better not. What about you, Ms. Okon?”
“Hmm?” Ameh seemed dazed by what she’d just heard “I uum… I accept as – as well ma’am.” She sounded slightly unsure.
“Good. I expect you both to work around the clock on this. I don’t care if that means staying awake till the day of our meeting with their representatives – it’s in a week by the way. Mind you, staying awake is no excuse to show up to the meeting drowsy. I expect perfection at the meeting. One slip up and you won’t like the outcome.
With that, we were dismissed and I went to get the files on the new client from Mrs. Lara’s secretary. There, I had my first incident since the village. Just as she passed me the folder, I had what I could only say was a vision.
The secretary morphed into Dellia only this time she had red eyes and long white-blond hair that waved in the breezeless air like tentacles. She looked me in the eye and told me: “I’ve come for you at last sweetheart. I’ve been so lonely since you abandoned me back in the village.” She looked at me disapprovingly before her face softened and she smiled. “Doesn’t matter though I’m here now.”
“D-Dellia. How?” I asked in shock.
“We can’t be separated. Not even by distance. You love me remember?”
“No!!” I shouted at her.
“Uh… Mr. Obasale, is everything alright?” A voice that was definitely not Dellia’s asked me. I looked to see Mrs. Lara’s secretary staring up at me holding the folder and looking confused. “These are the files you asked for.”
“Right, right. I’m fine. Perfectly fine. Thank you very much.”
There were no more incidents that week. Not while I spoke with Tiny Tim about my plans to ask Ameh out again, not when I asked Ameh out over drinks after work, not when she turned me down or when I found out she was from Esa (a distant village that my village has had a generational feud with for… well, generations).
No, all was perfectly normal the entire week up to the day of the meeting. The meeting was going well all things considered, the clients seemed interested and my presentation was a hit – I made it, so no surprise there – and then it happened.
I saw her again. In the chair opposite mine. I would have assumed I was seeing things had Ameh not screamed “Who are you and what are you doing here, you witch?” She put her hand over her mouth as if she’d misspoken, but that was all the confirmation I needed.
I leapt at Dellia like a wild animal and attempted to choke her to death.
“Die, witch. Die and leave me alone.” I screamed at her as I squeezed with all the force I could muster. Suddenly something heavy smacked into the side of my head and I fell to the floor.
Getting up, I saw the lead representative of the client gasping for air as his colleagues attended to him. Ameh was standing in a corner looking terrified and Mrs. Lara had a keyboard raised over her head ready to swing in my direction. I could see security already on their way. I had no idea what was going on.
At the end of the day, Ameh and I both lost our jobs and Mrs. Lara promised us we’d never work in advertisement or brand management anywhere in Nigeria ever again. She said she’d let us off easy because my mental illness made her “feel sorry” for me.
Ameh was devastated. She completely refused to speak to me and left the office in tears. I felt terrible. I knew how much she loved her job. I decided to put an end to my problems once and for all. I needed to reach Dellia somehow and set her straight.
I picked up my phone to call someone and ask for her number but wouldn’t you know it? Her number was already in my phone. In fact, it was top of my ‘recent contacts’ list even though I’d never called her before. Definite withcraft but whatever it was, I was done with it.
I called her and told her as much. She didn’t protest, didn’t even sound worried. Her only reply was “When I’m home, we’ll talk more about this okay? Why don’t you rest a bit while you wait for me?” before she hung up.
“Wait, what? Dellia, when you get home where?” I asked in confusion.
“Our house, of course. Or don’t you know where you are?” She giggled like I’d just cracked a joke.
I had no idea what she was talking about and I didn’t want to find out. I tried calling back but the line didn’t go through. I sat up on the bed while wondering what to do. All of a sudden, I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see Dellia on the bed behind me.
I should have been freaked out and screamed or run away, but I just leaned into her as she kissed me and straddled my legs. She kissed me again and again, more passionately than before as she guided me inside her and her body undulated on top of mine.
I couldn’t think straight, I was lost in her and in the moment. I kissed her neck, then the well of her collarbone, before my lips shifted to the swell of her breasts and I sucked on her nipples as I got closer and closer to climax. The only sounds I could hear were her moans and the rhythm of our bodies colliding.
Just as I was about to finish, I heard her shriek above me and her body began to convulse. The sound of her climax drew mine out of me. I grunted out my release and collapsed back into the bed panting.
She looked down at me smiling, I smiled back. I was still riding the high of my orgasm. She lay hear head on my shoulder and stroked my chest. “It’s done now.” She said.
“What is?” I asked, unsure what she meant.
“The bond between us.” She said with a satisfied smile. “We are one now, you and I. You are mine like I am yours.” With that, she placed another kiss on my lips and I jolted awake. I was alone in my bed.
“Oh, it was just a dream. I must have fallen asleep.” I said rubbing my eyes. I felt a slimy wetness in my pants. I’d had a wet dream. Stories about spirit wives and spirit husbands came to mind immediately. I would have dismissed that as stupid superstition some months before, but now those thoughts had me scared out of my skin.
I didn’t know what to do, but I knew one thing for sure; I wasn’t staying in that house by myself and I definitely couldn’t allow myself to fall asleep again. No way.
I picked the nearest place that popped into my head: Tiny Tim’s house. I rang the doorbell and waited for Tim to answer the door while looking round to make sure Dellia wasn’t hiding behind a tree somewhere.
As soon as he opened the door, I burst into the house without even giving him time to ask what I was doing there. As soon as I was inside, he of course asked what I was doing in his house without warning.
“Yeah, sorry about just barging in without even calling first. It’s just…” I thought about telling him the truth, but he’d only think I was crazy or worse, he’d actually believe me. Either way, he’d want me out of his house as soon as I started talking. So instead…
“… I’m just devastated by everything y’know? I lost my job and not only that, I’m pretty sure I’ll never get to work in Lagos ever again. I think I might be in the middle of an emotional breakdown. I just need to be with a friend this evening. Awake, definitely awake.” I was aware I sounded weird stressing the awake part, but it was very important.
“Honestly Duke, I would love to help you out. Hang out and everything, but my wife just got back from a long journey and we’d like to spend some time alone together. I’m sure you understand.”
I didn’t know what to say, I hadn’t even imagined that Tiny Tim had a wife. After all, we called him that because he had a childish demeanor to him and seemed to suddenly become handicapped whenever women were around. Honestly, I didn’t believe him.
“Timothy, I really need help okay? It’s not because any emotional breakdown or whatever.” I decided to tell him the truth - the whole unabridged version. He didn’t even seem to fully process my story, just gave me the same reply as before. I wasn’t going to let him push me out there with…whatever Dellia was especially not after it had gotten dark.
“Tim, stop with these lies about your wife. Which wife? You can’t even talk to a girl and you’re trying to tell me that you were actually able to propose to someone? Let’s be serious now, come on.” I said the last line with a laugh, imagining Tiny Tim trying to propose to some mystery lady.
My smile faded when I heard a woman’s voice from within the house. “Hon, I’m out of the shower and ready for you. Hold on, is there someone else with you?”
“Just a friend from work. Don’t worry though, he’s about leaving.”
My jaw dropped open and didn’t close until I was standing outside Timothy’s door. I got into my car and drove off with the windows up. I wasn’t sure where I was going to go but I’d drive round the entirety of Lagos forever if I had to.
“Where are we going babe?”
“I don’t know Dellia, I’m just trying to get away from… from you.” I quickly turned to the back seat but was greeted by an empty car.
“Listen, I’m tired so let’s just go back home alright?” I realized I could see her in the rearview. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you! What do you want with me!?” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
“Nothing really, I just want you to love me. That’s all.” I felt her hand rubbing my chest even though I couldn’t see it. “Won’t you love me? Please?” I remembered what she’d told me the night we first met.
“You need me to say it seven times right?” I didn’t care anymore, I needed to get rid of her. “I love you, I love you, I lo…”
“Stop, stop, stop!!” She screamed at me in an otherworldly voice that chilled my bones and nearly stopped my heart. “You can’t claim to love me when you’re scared. There are certain emotions love can’t mix with. Fear is one of them. You have to try your hardest to mean it when you say I love you.”
“I can’t Dellia, I don’t love you. I’m sorry.” I said, hoping she’d accept that and leave me alone at last.
“No. You can and you will.” She screamed at me again in the voice. Letting my fear take over my body, I stopped the car suddenly and bolted into the nearest public compound I could find.
Turned out to be a hotel. I found two guards sitting in chairs outside. I walked up to them. I offered them both #20,000 for every hour they stayed awake with me and kept any mirrors away from me. Those were the two ways I had seen her manifest.
I called Driver up to ask where he was and if he could come meet up with me. He said he was in Lagos on business and he could come meet me immediately. I don’t know why I thought to call him before anyone else. I waited for him for a few hours before a car that looked like his pulled into the parking lot.
Out of the car however, stepped Dellia not driver. She walked towards me seductively. I tried to run but the guards I was sitting with held me down so I was unable to move. She moved closer and closer and then… The guards shook me awake.
Apparently, I had fallen asleep and the guards couldn’t wake me up until Driver came along. We went in his car and he drove me round Lagos. I wracked my brain for the next step to take. That was when I remembered: Ameh saw her back at the meeting, maybe she could help me out. Or at least, I’d have a comrade in my perils or whatever.
I got to her house just as her roommate was leaving. I met her sniffing into tissues wrapped in a blanket and looking all-round defeated. I tried explaining my situation to her and asking her what she saw or thinks she saw at the office. She didn’t even seem receptive to my story.
She did say she was glad to know it was my spiritual problem and not hers.
As we were talking, something cut through her doors and Dellia burst through. I hid myself behind a chair in the dining. Ameh rather than hiding, actually went to face Dellia and promptly got thrown into a corner.
Scared, I stood and held my hands up in surrender as she walked menacingly towards me with her hair waving even though there was no wind. Unexpectedly, she smashed into a wall and then smashed into it again repeatedly. Dumbfounded, I turned to see Ameh with her hands stretched towards the helpless Dellia. Her eyes glowed blue and her nails had grown longer than I thought possible.
Dellia was able to throw herself off the wall and at Ameh starting a fight that had it been under other circumstances, I would have found entertaining. Under the present circumstances however, my first instinct was to run. Still, against my better judgement, I stepped in to break up the fight.
Big mistake that, I got a slash across the chest for my peacemaking ways. It sent me into the opposite wall and hurt like hell. The girls ceased their fighting immediately and rushed to my side.
“Duke! Are you alright?” Dellia asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just a bruise.” I replied, wincing at the pain.
“It can’t be a bruise.” Dellia said, sounding worried. I got up and showed them my chest where my shirt was sliced through. A few welts had already formed, but nothing more.
“How? It can’t be. She used those nails to slice through my door. That’s a bulletproof door. You can’t just be bruised.” Ameh sounded very perplexed.
“I dunno, I’ve never gotten hurt beyond bruising in my life. Just seems normal” it had never occurred to me how weird that was till that moment.
“It’s true then.” Ameh spoke with an almost religious tone in her voice. “I knew it was true.”
“That’s why Bámí and the rest of the coven wanted me to get him in so badly.” Dellia mused.
“What?” I asked, holding my chest and having absolutely no idea what was going on.
“You, Duke Obaìsàlè are one of the chosen, the co-heir to the thrones of witches and the marine realm.” Ameh said, looking at me like she’d just seen a million dollars.
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My set up is 9x390w panels, Ecoworthy inverter, 3kw LifePo4 battery, grid/consumer unit.
I've been let down by a few contractors so the job is a bodge, more DIY than I'm comfortable with and now Ive hit a snag I'm struggling for support.
My panels will charge the battery no problem, but once the battery is full, the panels stop generating power.
The issue seems to be that the inverter does not detect any current/load from the house. The extra power that could be generated is not passed back to the grid and my home grid never requests power from the inverter (no load).
The inverter company take 3 days to respond to emails and don't pick up the phone. My electrician states everything is set up as it should be but clearly it's not working, he suggested the inverter (is it fit for this purpose? Looking at it, it's useful for off grid purposes but I can't find my answers within the manual)
Does anyone know the process by which the Ecoworthy inverter detects load from my consumer unit and have any suggestions what could be the issue?
https://uk.eco-worthy.com/products/all-in-one-inverter-built-in-5000w-48v-pure-sine-wave-inverter-80a-controller-for-off-grid-system?currency=GBP&variant=40771757899925&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=64d067d8541c&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsPCyBhD4ARIsAPaaRf1HQ8z_VcUiPUldliqcF_aUeNaKt_GjMSNBbNeGvrIty5Mf6a_Aob0aAg9_EALw_wcB

*** Update : Reading of the Will Part 2 - The Drama Begins **\*
I’m going to try and get this out quickly and maybe a little more briefly because honestly things are happening so fast now that I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up with these posts.
Before I pick-up where I left off yesterday let me just share that the Chief of Police has been out to see me twice, two of my relatives are facing charges, and more than half of the family has been raging. More on that later.
Not everyone has been toxic though, I’ve had calls and visits from several relatives that told me they were happy for me and offered their support and my father has been there every step of the way. More on that later.
Sam has been the bright spot in all of this, her schedule at the hospital is crazy but when she isn’t there or at her house sleeping or changing, she’s been with me. She and I were together all the way through junior and senior high so she was basically part of the family but now she’s getting to a whole new level of insanity firsthand. She's remained supportive during all of it. When I told her last night about what Joe had done, well - that's a whole nother story!
Anyway – back to The Reading:
As soon as JA put down Joe’s letter and reached for a file, my aunt Patricia and my sister Sarah both started yelling, my cousin David stood up looking furious, jerked the door to the conference room open and left, slamming it behind him and my cousin Steven started coming around the conference table, not sure if he was coming at me or JA but he didn’t look happy. My uncle, Emily, and my other cousin were just staring at everyone in disbelief.
My father jumped up to get in between Steven and JA / me but the gentleman in the back was already on him. At this point it was obvious why he’d been brought in, turns out he’s a sheriff’s deputy from a neighboring county and the JA and Joe had wanted to err on the side of caution by having someone there. As soon as he grabbed Steven my Aunt and sister immediately shut-up to see what was happening. Steven was frog marched out of the conference room and JA followed him out along with my father. A few minutes later they all came back in except for the deputy who remained outside the door for the rest of the meeting. While they were gone everyone was completely silent and JA walked back in to a much more attentive group.
Obviously annoyed, he grabbed his file and asked everyone to wait until he was finished before anyone asked any questions. He explained there while he had been instructed to open the meeting by reading Joe’s letter there had been some updates to the will since Joe’s wrote the letter. Cousins who did not live within 100 miles of our town would receive the $100,000 even if they didn’t attend the reading. Joe had evidently also amended the will at some point after the letter was written to gift members of the family that did not attend $50,000.
JA went on to clarify that while Joe’s will had no conditions on the use of the money it did stipulate that should there be any challenge to the will or attempt to interfere with the orderly estate closure the individuals involved would not receive anything at all.
He wrapped up by explaining that there was adequate cash in the estate to pay any taxes associated with he estate and inheritance in addition to the cash gifts given to each of the family members. All property taxes had already been paid on the real estate and that was no debt associated with the estate. As a result, he expected an uncontested and simple probate period, despite the size of the estate. He shared that he hoped to see the funds distributed in a few months and asked if anyone had any questions.Patricia and Susan started to speak at the same time while Emily raised her hand. JA waved for my aunt and sister to be quiet and asked Emily what questions she had.
Emily just wanted to know if she had to wait until she was 25 to receive her inheritance since she was under 25 but over 18. JA explained that she was under 18 when the will was written but since she was now an adult there would be no waiting period. He did caution her to be careful with the funds and offered to assist her in handling them at no charge. He told her they could either be a a lot of fun for a short period of time or could make a big difference in her life in the future if she was careful. Emily thanked him and said that’s all she wanted to know.
My sister raised her hand next while Patricia sat there looking annoyed. She asked how new the will was. JA explained that while this version was written two years ago it had basically been the same for almost 18 years with changes mostly just reflecting increases in his gifts to the family. Answering the unasked question, he added that I had always been the primary beneficiary and that Joe’s intentions had always been crystal clear.
JA also shared that during the 18 years that this version of will had been in force Joe had increased the value of the estate by well over $175 million dollars, and that his mental health was never in question. Finally, he looked directly at each of the family members there and told them that if I had passed away before Joe the entire estate would have gone into a conservation trust, there would have been no gifts to the family at all. As an attorney I thought his point was crystal clear, you were never considered, don’t make trouble, you won’t win.
Patricia evidently didn’t get the point, still refusing to wait to be acknowledged, she jumped in and asked whether he was he sure this was the only will, was there maybe one somewhere else? She said she couldn’t believe her Uncle would leave them out like this. I wanted to roll my eyes but just kept a straight face, she hadn’t bothered to speak to him for at least as long as Debbie had and probably significantly longer. She lived even closer to her than Debbie and it’s not like we lived in a huge city.
It was when she said “I think WE need to go through his things, he must have changed his will and just not told you. Alex obviously manipulated my dear Uncle Joe.” (yes, she actually sounded just like a soap opera cliché’) that my father had evidently heard enough.
He slammed his hand down on the conference room table and in a voice that was as commanding now as it likely was 30 years ago declared “You absolutely will not go through his things. You’ve squandered everything you’ve ever been given, you know it, Joe knew it, and you’ve made sure I know it because for the last several years you’ve had me supplementing both your income and your sister’s. Don’t even think about making trouble over this, not only can you not afford an attorney, if you do contest this I’ll cut you AND your sister both off. That goes for all my children as well.
Turning to his brother he look at him pointedly and said “Rick, I trust I don’t have to worry about you or your children doing something stupid.” Rick looked down at the table for a minute and then looked back at my dad before saying something to the effect of. “No, I know what happened between Dad and Joe, and looking back Joe was right. I understand why he did what he did and have known for a long time that we screwed up. I’m not going to make it worse, and neither will my children if they know what’s good for them.” He also looked at Patricia and told her that she had treated Uncle Joe terribly, just like everyone else, and that she needed to shut up before she made things worse.
After a moment of general quiet JA asked if anyone had any other questions. No one said a word so he said that we were done for today and that if anyone did think of more questions to just contact him at the office. He told everyone what the will was filed with the probate court that morning and that we’d all receive formal notices shortly. He offered to provide everyone with a copy of the will or told them they could request it directly from the probate court.
With that everyone stood up to leave he asked me to stay back and said we had a lot to cover. I turned to my dad and asked if he’d stay as well. He agreed, JA had lunch brought in and that’s when we really started getting into the details, which I’ll have to share as appropriate but suffice it to say that it’s a complex estate.
Other than that, there is SO much going on. Someday I’m going to be glad I wrote this all down, right now it’s just overwhelming. I may make an update about the family drama that’s unfolding, plus some more about Sam and I. I do think it’s worth sharing what Joe did to hold the family’s legacy together and to build on it. They say still waters run deep… I think I understand that expression better now. I hope I can do half as well as he did.
So much for making this brief!
*** UPDATE: Joe’s Legacy ***
I’m going to summarize what was a three hour initial meeting with JA, my father ,and a series of managers that oversaw Joe’s holdings. The bottom line is that Joe and his brother (my Great Grandfather) had a serious difference of opinion about how the land should be handled. Since the land was easily divided they split the tracts and each went their own way. Enough of the land was already producing revenue from land leases that the family lived very comfortably and didn’t even bother to push for more to be leased out. My Great Grandfather didn’t want to mess with the leases or see the money come in a little at a time, he wanted a lot of money and he wanted it right away. As a result he eventually started selling it off, just smaller parcels at first, but over time he started selling larger and larger tracts.
Joe couldn’t have been any more different but he couldn’t stand the idea of someone else owning our families land. He actively began marketing leases and finding users until about 80% of the property was producing revenue. That gave him the cash flow to buy the land my grandfather was selling. It couldn’t have been easy at first and JA said that in the beginning he had to take out loans to buy the property, but over time he was tucking away so much money every year that he was able to simply pay cash whenever his brother sold off a piece. By the time my grandfather died about 20 years ago he had consolidate 45,000 acres under group of holding companies, a large portion of it producing.
Joe never married (in fact he rarely dated, although I think there may be more to it that simply his desire for privacy) and maintained a simply life, He simply socked away all the revenue from the land and held it to buy more real estate as the opportunity existed. When the Great Recession hit in 2008 he had so much cash on hand that he was able to not only purchase the rest of the land that had ended up with my father and his siblings, he also was able to extend the land holdings significantly beyond that.
He had done something similar in the 70’s and 80’s when the small towns across the U.S. saw businesses closing and buildings sitting empty on Main Street. As those buildings sat vacant Joe purchased them for pennies on the dollar. Among the real estate held by the estate are dozens of buildings and parcels, primarily in our town but also throughout the rest of the valley. All are now occupied although many are rented far below market rates to local business owners. JA said the journals would explain that.
Outside of the real estate, Joe made investments in businesses that he thought had merit. His estate has interests in over 20 locally owned successful enterprises and a couple that eventually moved out of the valley and went public. He stayed away from most stocks, saying he didn’t know much about “big business” (ironic) but did invest in and hold blue chip stocks when the real estate market wasn’t offering “good deals”.
About 35 years ago though he stopped buying anything except for the a few properties that were particularly important to him, other than the land that his father had once held. He avoided making business investments or buying any stock that had any hint of instability. His focus was on building adequate cash to cover estate and inheritance taxes that couldn’t be mitigated or avoided completely by proper planning. As a result he was able to fund trusts establishing a community foundation and a family trust. In fact, both of those already exist outside of probate and will require some immediate attention.
At the end of the meeting JA passed me back the box of journals and the rolled maps he had laid out on the table. The maps contained detailed notes about the properties and the circumstances of their acquisition. It will take me quite a while to get familiarized with them as we didn’t touch on any particular parcels or buildings during the meeting, save one notable one.
After my recovery, but Joe asked me if I wanted to live with him while I figured out what I was going to do. Since the university where I was going to be going to law school was not far from town, I took him up on it. We lived together for nearly two years before my graduation, although I spent my fair share of nights staying at friends’ home after late night study sessions. Joe had a converted apartment above the barn where he kept the Jaguar and a couple of other cars and I moved into it, so we both had our privacy. Going up and down the steep stairs felt like an easier version of rehab and the quiet of being in a barn overlooking the woods was the perfect transition back to real life.
After I graduated, I made the decision to hang out my own shingle about a year after passing the Bar and working as a junior associate at a larger firm. Being older than all the other junior associates was fine but being with a large firm just wasn’t for me. Joe asked me if I was going to continue to stay with him but I told him I planned on moving closer to town as soon as I could find something cheap enough. I explained that I felt like I needed to get back into the community to start building the practice and be more accessible to clients. He thought that was a great idea and I started looking around but wasn’t in a hurry.
About a month later I “ran into” JA and he mentioned that he heard I was looking for an office. He said he had a client that had just renovated one of the downtown buildings and was looking for a tenant. His client didn’t want to give anyone long term lease and so he knew he had to make the rent cheap enough to accept the risk that they might have to move out on short notice. There was an apartment on the second floor and professional offices on the first floor. Once he told me how much the rent would be I took it sight unseen and have lived there for three years.
JA had a smile on his face when he mentioned that my home was now literally “my” home. Evidently, as soon as I told Joe I wanted to move closer to town he had contractors begin rehabbing the building as quickly as possible. Two crews had worked for a month to turn it into an incredible apartment for and the perfect office for a small town lawyer. I have to admit that for the last three years I had been keeping my fingers crossed that I wasn’t going to lose my “too good to be true” rent deal. There is no doubt in my mind that Joe had did more to influence things around this town than anyone, save a select few, ever knew.
JA said we had a lot more to go through but that it had been a long day for everyone. He suggested we pick up the conversation next week, at my convenience. He told me to call him anytime over the weekend if I had any immediate questions. He reminded me that in addition to being one of the firm’s largest clients Joe was also his best friend. He said he’d like to talk soon more about Joe – that there were things I needed to know that probably weren’t in the journals. I thanked him and asked if my dad and I could use the conference room a little while longer. He said of course and started gather his things up.
Before he stood-up to go he paused and with a look of momentary discomfort said: “One last item. The “assistant” we had in the back of the room is a sheriff’s deputy one county over. We felt it best to have security due to the size of the estate and the circumstances of the distribution. We’ve retained him along with several other deputies from nearby counties to maintain 24-hour security over the next several days, just until tempers cool down.”
I was shocked, I hadn’t even considered that someone in the family might want to harm me. I started to shake my head, getting ready to object, certain that it wasn’t necessary, when my father put his hand on my arm and spoke first. “That’s a great idea – I’m sure it won’t be needed but given the circumstance you can’t be too cautious, for Alex AND for anyone that might be around him.”
As he said that my thoughts went to Sam, and I felt guilty for not thinking of her safety. I just nodded and said thank you, that we’d revisit security needs next week after things cooled off.
With that, JA got up, shook our hands, and left. Dad and I sat quietly for a moment, looking at the papers in front of me. Dad spoke first. “You gave Joe something no one else in the family did and he gave back to you in an equal way. Don’t question this and don’t let anyone else cause you to doubt whether this was fair. You’re the only one in the family that Joe could count on to respect his life’s work. If it had been handled any other way his years would have been wasted and he knew it.”
Dad was right, Joe had instilled in me the same respect for our way of life and our family’s legacy that he had. I knew that it was up to me to pass it on. The money was a huge life changer, but the responsibility he had passed on to me was what really had me thinking. Protecting our family’s legacy and preserving our community’s heritage and way of life, he had spent a lifetime building the resources he knew I would need if I was going to honor his vision.
I hope I’m able to make him proud. I told Dad I’d appreciate his help navigating the situation and told him how unprepared I felt to take this on. I asked him how much he knew about everyone’s (our relatives) financial situation and whether he had any idea how people were going to react. He shared that both his sisters had been reckless, they were living on a minimal income, supplemented by him. That their kids had drained them over the years and were themselves, for the most part, overextended. His brother had been more careful and didn’t have to worry but that his divorce had cost him and that when he died there wouldn’t be much to leave the children.
I didn’t ask, but he told me that he was better off than the rest. Even though he had been married three times he and his first wife (my oldest brother’s mother) divorced after just a couple of years and it hadn’t been very costly. It was quite a few years later that he married my mother, we lost her to cancer around 15 years ago. Dad said that when he sold the land it wasn’t because he wanted to live it up, he just didn’t want to deal with the property or manage the leases anymore. He had invested well over the years and didn’t need the headache as he got older.
He also told me that he had a very clear prenup with Jessica and that if they remained married she would receive an allowance after he passed and have a condo in a nice resort community in the area to live in for the rest of her life, but that she was not going to be receiving a sizable portion of the estate. He told me that as immature as could be sometimes that she was well meaning and that after the loss of my mother she had brought him happiness again. He said she forced him to stay young in order to keep up with her.
He told me she felt horrible about the way she handled the call with me, she was trying to be helpful and went about it horribly wrong. She wanted to try and get in front of it with the family because she knew I would want the car. Evidently, she had also told Dad he needed to buy it for me if I didn’t have the cash. I guess I misjudged her as badly as Joe misread the situation with Dad. I’ve got to do better if I’m ever going to be able to bring the family together.
Since he and Joe didn’t speak anymore he never knew Joe had held onto his land (and he’d certainly never told me) or that he would have wanted to buy it, so he put it on the market and reinvested the proceeds of the sale. His investments had done well and although his estate was nothing like Joe’s he didn’t need to worry about money, could help his sisters, and expected each of his children to helped well along in their retirement planning when he died.
I couldn’t believe how much I’d mistaken I’d been about Dad’s financial planning – maybe I picked up on Joe’s disdain for what he thought everyone was doing or maybe it was because, as a family we really didn’t talk much about money.
Dad and his siblings never really had normal careers so us kids money just “was” – it wasn’t until later that you really got to understand how hard most people worked for it. I know that my oldest brother and some of my cousins had struggled to put together normal lives, lacking much in the way of an example from our parents.
Joe had assumed my father had as little regard for the opportunities he had been given as his brother had had. I can’t believe that my father and Joe shared so much more in common than they thought. I immediately realized unless we wanted the family’s “legacy” to be misunderstandings and unrealistic life expectations the first thing that would have to change was going to be how we communicated.
I feel like Dad was thinking the same thing I was. It had been a long and emotional day, it was almost 4:30 and I knew that most people had probably already left the firm’s offices for the day. I didn’t want to take advantage of anyone and suggested we talk over the weekend. Dad agreed and said he’d be making some calls this evening to talk to other people in the family and would update me.
Both of our phones had been on silent, and when he mentioned making calls I looked down to see I had 37 missed calls and over 20 new messages I noticed Dad looking at his and the expression on his face told me that he was seeing the same thing. We stood up and hugged before gathering up our folders. I grabbed my backpack and Dad packed his briefcase (I just can’t bring myself to carry one or an attache) and we headed to the door.
Leaving the conference room we found the deputy waiting outside the doors, waiting to introduce himself. Dad gave him his number and asked him to call if he needed anything. I explained I was going to be meeting a friend for dinner but that first I was going to go change. He said he’d be posted outside my building or wherever I went until 7:00, after which he’d would be changing places with the next deputy. I asked Dad not to say anything about the security since I didn’t want to drive a wedge between myself and the family and he agreed. In hindsight me might have avoided some drama later if I hadn’t asked that, but I still think it was for the best.
I had about two hours to kill before I was going to meet Sam and share what happened that day. I knew she’d be happy about the property and the car but I didn’t know how she’d react to the news. I will share that it wasn’t what I expected.
Sorry – this is long again. I’m going to have to try and catch-up at some point but I’ll have to save what happened during my talk with Sam and the first of this weekend’s “family issues” for the next post.
Thanks again for all the well wishes and for giving me things to think about.

Daily Modifiers

Vanguard Ops

• Brawler: Melee abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster.
• Increased Vanguard Rank: All Vanguard Rank point gains are increased!
• Void Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Void damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.

Dares of Eternity

• MA-75 Multipurpose: Guardians deal increased damage with Auto Rifles and Grenade Launchers.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Onslaught: Playlist

• Onslaught Rules: Defend and repair the ADU against waves of combatants. There are 10 waves to a set. ADU: If the ADU is destroyed, the activity ends. Scraps: An in-activity currency. They are earned by scoring and used to purchase and upgrade defenses at the start of every set and after waves 3 and 6. Rewards: Paid out after every set upon defeating the boss wave. Subsequent sets pay out better rewards. Legend increases rewards. Bonus Objectives: Rewards resources, vendor reputation, and armaments.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Void Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Void damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Riven's Lair

• Mettle: Power Level: All combatants in this activity will be at least 5 points over the player's current Power level.
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Blackout: Enemy melee attacks are significantly more powerful, and radar is disabled.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.

The Coil

• The Coil Rules: Successfully complete four pathways inside Riven's Lair. Escalating Difficulty: Player's Power levels are fixed. Starting at 0 each subsequent pathway increases all combatants' Power level over the player's by 5. Wishing Glass: Wishing Glass is an in-activity currency. They drop from combatants, Glass Collectors, and pots. Wishing Glass comes in multiple rarities equating to their worth. Wishing Glass is used to purchase Dragon's Gifts from Riven. Dragon's Gifts: A set of buffs are randomly chosen, once per run. Between pathways, players can purchase buffs from Riven via Wishing Glass. Buffs are separated into three price point tiers. Rewards: After each pathway, players will return to Riven for their rewards. Subsequent pathways pay out better rewards. Breaking through score thresholds unlock secret chests. Finishing The Coil with a platinum score rewards players with access to the lustrous and lucrative Chamber of Wishes.
• Multiplicity: Combatant difficulty scales with fireteam size.
• Limited Revives: Limited fireteam revives. Purchase additional revives from Riven with Wishing Glass. Small chance to drop from destroying pots.
• Full Extinguish: If all your fireteam members fall with 0 Revive Tokens, everyone is returned to orbit.
• Chaff: Radar is disabled.
• Galvanized: Combatants have more health and are more difficult to stun.
• The Pathways: Riven's wish magic stirs weekly. The following are the pathways and their order in The Coil: -First Steps (Temple of the Queen's Wrath) -Divining Hall -Sensorium (Pavilion) -Observatory
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Scorched Earth: Enemies throw grenades significantly more often.
• Overcharged Shotgun: 25% bonus to Shotgun damage.
• Overcharged Grenade Launcher: 25% bonus to damage for all Grenade Launchers.

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Arms

Aphelion's Rest: Legend

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Disruption] Overload, [Stagger] Unstoppable
• Threat: [Stasis] Stasis
• Shields: [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Epitaph

Aphelion's Rest: Master

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Disruption] Overload, [Stagger] Unstoppable
• Threat: [Stasis] Stasis
• Shields: [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Epitaph

Misc

• Terminal Overload: Ahimsa Park Weapon: Basso Ostinato (Shotgun)
• The Wellspring: Defend Weapon: Father's Sins (Sniper Rifle)
• Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Apostate (Sniper Rifle)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name	Type	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Masterwork
Timelines' Vertex	Energy Fusion Rifle	Signal MS5 // Transmission MS7	Accelerated Coils // Liquid Coils	Lead from Gold	Demolitionist	Tier 2: Charge Time
Ogma PR6	Energy Pulse Rifle	Fluted Barrel // Full Bore	Accurized Rounds // Extended Mag	Adaptive Munitions	Dragonfly	Tier 2: Reload Speed
Austringer	Kinetic Hand Cannon	Full Bore // Polygonal Rifling	Armor-Piercing Rounds // Ricochet Rounds	Air Assault	Rangefinder
Bump in the Night	Heavy Rocket Launcher	Countermass // Linear Compensator	Alloy Casing // Implosion Rounds	Field Prep	Chain Reaction
Lunulata-4b	Kinetic Combat Bow	High Tension String // Natural String	Carbon Arrow Shaft // Straight Fletching	Well-Rounded	Adrenaline Junkie	Tier 3: Handling

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
• Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Alloy (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Fast and True	Defeat combatants with Primary ammo. Bow final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	75 [Bow] Bow	XP+
Long Distance Plan	Defeat combatants with Special ammo. Sniper Rifle final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	30 [Sniper Rifle] Sniper Rifle	XP+
Rocketing to Prominence	Defeat combatants with Heavy ammo. Rocket Launcher final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	20 [Rocket Launcher] Rocket Launcher	XP+
Show Them the Light	Defeat combatants with your Super in Vanguard playlists.	5 Super	XP+

Lord Shaxx, Crucible

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
By the Code	Defeat opponents.	10 Opponents defeated	XP+
Slice and Dice	Defeat opponents using Strand damage from any source.	5 Strand final blows	XP+
Area of Effect	Defeat opponents with grenades.	1 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+
In the Zone	In Control, capture zones.	3 Zones	XP+

Saint-14, Trials of Osiris

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Orbs of Lit	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using grenade final blows in Trials of Osiris.	5 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+
Lane Plinker	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Scout Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Scout Rifle] Scout Rifle	XP+
Quantitative Hostility	As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Submachine Gun final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [SMG] Submachine Gun	XP+
Slow Burn	As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Solar weapon final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+

The Drifter, Gambit

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Big-Game Hunter	Eliminate a high-value target in Gambit.	1 Targets	XP+
Fistful of Motes	As a fireteam, bank Motes in Gambit matches.	100 Motes banked	XP+
Not Your Mama's Combat Drill	Defeat enemies in Gambit.	50 Targets	XP+
Pins and Needles	Defeat targets in Gambit matches with Strand abilities. Defeating Guardians grants additional progress.	30 Strand ability final blows	XP+

Banshee-44, Gunsmith

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Pulse Rifle Calibration	Calibrate Pulse Rifles against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Pulse Rifle] Pulse Rifle	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Submachine Gun Calibration	Calibrate Submachine Guns against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision and against opposing Guardians.	100 [SMG] Submachine Gun	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Rocket Launcher Calibration	Calibrate Rocket Launchers against any target. Earn bonus progress against opposing Guardians and for additional targets defeated with each shot.	100 [Rocket Launcher] Rocket Launcher	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Kinetic Calibration	Calibrate Kinetic weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision and against opposing Guardians.	100 Kinetic weapon	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress

Nimbus, Neomuna

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Shockingly Direct	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Arc damage. Shadow Legion combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Arc] Arc	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
The Old Standby	In Neomuna, defeat combatants. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	90 Targets	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Flawless Dance	In a single life, defeat combatants in Neomuna using Sidearms, Submachine Guns, Shotguns, or Swords.	20 Targets	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Terminal Rewards	Open chests after completing Terminal Overload.	3 Chests opened	1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+

Lord Shaxx, Hall of Champions

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Onslaught Defender	Deploy and upgrade defenses in Onslaught.	30 Defenses completed	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Loot Summoner	Open a Witch's Chest in the Altars of Summoning using a Witch's Key.	1 Chests opened	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Bombastic	Defeat targets with grenade abilities. Combatants in Onslaught and Guardians are worth more.	100 [Grenade] Grenade	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Fallen Down On The Job	Defeat Fallen. Those defeated in Onslaught are worth more.	100 Fallen	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation

Spirit of Riven, H.E.L.M.

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Will of the People	Complete public events in the Dreaming City. Heroic completions are worth more.	6 Public events	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Rapid Lair Defense	Rapidly defeat combatants. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil are worth more.	60 Rapidly defeated	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragon's Fang	Defeat targets with Auto Rifles, Pulse Rifles, or Trace Rifles. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Auto Rifle], [Pulse Rifle], or [Trace Rifle] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragonflame	Defeat targets with Solar or Stasis damage. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Solar] or [Stasis] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation

^{Never forget what has been lost. While the API protests have concluded, Reddit remains hostile to its users as their IPO looms in the horizon. More information can be found here.}

Daily Modifiers

Vanguard Ops

• Brawler: Melee abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster.
• Increased Vanguard Rank: All Vanguard Rank point gains are increased!
• Void Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Void damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.

Dares of Eternity

• MA-75 Multipurpose: Guardians deal increased damage with Auto Rifles and Grenade Launchers.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Onslaught: Playlist

• Onslaught Rules: Defend and repair the ADU against waves of combatants. There are 10 waves to a set. ADU: If the ADU is destroyed, the activity ends. Scraps: An in-activity currency. They are earned by scoring and used to purchase and upgrade defenses at the start of every set and after waves 3 and 6. Rewards: Paid out after every set upon defeating the boss wave. Subsequent sets pay out better rewards. Legend increases rewards. Bonus Objectives: Rewards resources, vendor reputation, and armaments.
• Power Level Disabled: Combatant difficulty is set at a fixed level.
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Void Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Void damage.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Champion Foes: You will face [Shield-Piercing] Barrier, [Disruption] Overload, and [Stagger] Unstoppable Champions. Visit the Character or Mod Customization screen to view your active anti-Champion perks.

Riven's Lair

• Mettle: Power Level: All combatants in this activity will be at least 5 points over the player's current Power level.
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Blackout: Enemy melee attacks are significantly more powerful, and radar is disabled.
• Stasis Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Stasis damage.
• Solar Surge: 25% bonus to outgoing Solar damage.

The Coil

• The Coil Rules: Successfully complete four pathways inside Riven's Lair. Escalating Difficulty: Player's Power levels are fixed. Starting at 0 each subsequent pathway increases all combatants' Power level over the player's by 5. Wishing Glass: Wishing Glass is an in-activity currency. They drop from combatants, Glass Collectors, and pots. Wishing Glass comes in multiple rarities equating to their worth. Wishing Glass is used to purchase Dragon's Gifts from Riven. Dragon's Gifts: A set of buffs are randomly chosen, once per run. Between pathways, players can purchase buffs from Riven via Wishing Glass. Buffs are separated into three price point tiers. Rewards: After each pathway, players will return to Riven for their rewards. Subsequent pathways pay out better rewards. Breaking through score thresholds unlock secret chests. Finishing The Coil with a platinum score rewards players with access to the lustrous and lucrative Chamber of Wishes.
• Multiplicity: Combatant difficulty scales with fireteam size.
• Limited Revives: Limited fireteam revives. Purchase additional revives from Riven with Wishing Glass. Small chance to drop from destroying pots.
• Full Extinguish: If all your fireteam members fall with 0 Revive Tokens, everyone is returned to orbit.
• Chaff: Radar is disabled.
• Galvanized: Combatants have more health and are more difficult to stun.
• The Pathways: Riven's wish magic stirs weekly. The following are the pathways and their order in The Coil: -First Steps (Temple of the Queen's Wrath) -Divining Hall -Sensorium (Pavilion) -Observatory
• Solar Threat: 25% increase to incoming Solar damage.
• Scorched Earth: Enemies throw grenades significantly more often.
• Overcharged Shotgun: 25% bonus to Shotgun damage.
• Overcharged Grenade Launcher: 25% bonus to damage for all Grenade Launchers.

Seasonal

Legend/Master Lost Sector

Exotic armor drop (if solo): Arms

Aphelion's Rest: Legend

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Disruption] Overload, [Stagger] Unstoppable
• Threat: [Stasis] Stasis
• Shields: [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Epitaph

Aphelion's Rest: Master

• Legend Difficulty: Locked Equipment, Extra Shields
• Champions: [Disruption] Overload, [Stagger] Unstoppable
• Threat: [Stasis] Stasis
• Shields: [Void] Void
• Modifiers: Epitaph

Misc

• Terminal Overload: Ahimsa Park Weapon: Basso Ostinato (Shotgun)
• The Wellspring: Defend Weapon: Father's Sins (Sniper Rifle)
• Altars of Sorrow Weapon: Apostate (Sniper Rifle)

Guns & Materials

Banshee's Featured Weapons

Name	Type	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Masterwork
Timelines' Vertex	Energy Fusion Rifle	Signal MS5 // Transmission MS7	Accelerated Coils // Liquid Coils	Lead from Gold	Demolitionist	Tier 2: Charge Time
Ogma PR6	Energy Pulse Rifle	Fluted Barrel // Full Bore	Accurized Rounds // Extended Mag	Adaptive Munitions	Dragonfly	Tier 2: Reload Speed
Austringer	Kinetic Hand Cannon	Full Bore // Polygonal Rifling	Armor-Piercing Rounds // Ricochet Rounds	Air Assault	Rangefinder
Bump in the Night	Heavy Rocket Launcher	Countermass // Linear Compensator	Alloy Casing // Implosion Rounds	Field Prep	Chain Reaction
Lunulata-4b	Kinetic Combat Bow	High Tension String // Natural String	Carbon Arrow Shaft // Straight Fletching	Well-Rounded	Adrenaline Junkie	Tier 3: Handling

Note: Fixed perks on weapons are not displayed

Master Rahool's Material Exchange

• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Legendary Shards)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Dark Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 10 Phantasmal Fragment)
• Purchase Glimmer (10000 for 25 Herealways Piece)
• Enhancement Prism (1 for 10 Enhancement Core & 10000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Shard (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)
• Ascendant Alloy (1 for 10 Enhancement Prism & 50000 Glimmer)

Bounties

Commander Zavala, Vanguard

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Fast and True	Defeat combatants with Primary ammo. Bow final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	75 [Bow] Bow	XP+
Long Distance Plan	Defeat combatants with Special ammo. Sniper Rifle final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	30 [Sniper Rifle] Sniper Rifle	XP+
Rocketing to Prominence	Defeat combatants with Heavy ammo. Rocket Launcher final blows in Vanguard playlists grant additional progress.	20 [Rocket Launcher] Rocket Launcher	XP+
Show Them the Light	Defeat combatants with your Super in Vanguard playlists.	5 Super	XP+

Lord Shaxx, Crucible

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
By the Code	Defeat opponents.	10 Opponents defeated	XP+
Slice and Dice	Defeat opponents using Strand damage from any source.	5 Strand final blows	XP+
Area of Effect	Defeat opponents with grenades.	1 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+
In the Zone	In Control, capture zones.	3 Zones	XP+

Saint-14, Trials of Osiris

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Orbs of Lit	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using grenade final blows in Trials of Osiris.	5 [Grenade] Grenade	XP+
Lane Plinker	As a fireteam, defeat opponents using Scout Rifle final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Scout Rifle] Scout Rifle	XP+
Quantitative Hostility	As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Submachine Gun final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [SMG] Submachine Gun	XP+
Slow Burn	As a fireteam, defeat opponents with Solar weapon final blows in Trials of Osiris.	20 [Solar] Solar weapon	XP+

The Drifter, Gambit

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Big-Game Hunter	Eliminate a high-value target in Gambit.	1 Targets	XP+
Fistful of Motes	As a fireteam, bank Motes in Gambit matches.	100 Motes banked	XP+
Not Your Mama's Combat Drill	Defeat enemies in Gambit.	50 Targets	XP+
Pins and Needles	Defeat targets in Gambit matches with Strand abilities. Defeating Guardians grants additional progress.	30 Strand ability final blows	XP+

Banshee-44, Gunsmith

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Pulse Rifle Calibration	Calibrate Pulse Rifles against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision final blows and against opposing Guardians.	100 [Pulse Rifle] Pulse Rifle	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Submachine Gun Calibration	Calibrate Submachine Guns against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision and against opposing Guardians.	100 [SMG] Submachine Gun	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Rocket Launcher Calibration	Calibrate Rocket Launchers against any target. Earn bonus progress against opposing Guardians and for additional targets defeated with each shot.	100 [Rocket Launcher] Rocket Launcher	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress
Kinetic Calibration	Calibrate Kinetic weapons against any target. Earn bonus progress with precision and against opposing Guardians.	100 Kinetic weapon	XP+ & Enhancement Core & Gunsmith Rank Progress

Nimbus, Neomuna

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Shockingly Direct	In Neomuna, defeat combatants with Arc damage. Shadow Legion combatants grant additional progress.	60 [Arc] Arc	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
The Old Standby	In Neomuna, defeat combatants. Vex combatants grant additional progress.	90 Targets	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Flawless Dance	In a single life, defeat combatants in Neomuna using Sidearms, Submachine Guns, Shotguns, or Swords.	20 Targets	XP+ & 50 Neomuna Rank
Terminal Rewards	Open chests after completing Terminal Overload.	3 Chests opened	1 Terminal Overload Key & 50 Neomuna Rank & XP+

Lord Shaxx, Hall of Champions

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Onslaught Defender	Deploy and upgrade defenses in Onslaught.	30 Defenses completed	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Loot Summoner	Open a Witch's Chest in the Altars of Summoning using a Witch's Key.	1 Chests opened	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Bombastic	Defeat targets with grenade abilities. Combatants in Onslaught and Guardians are worth more.	100 [Grenade] Grenade	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation
Fallen Down On The Job	Defeat Fallen. Those defeated in Onslaught are worth more.	100 Fallen	1 XP+ & 25 Lord Shaxx Reputation & 50 Lord Shaxx Reputation

Spirit of Riven, H.E.L.M.

Name	Description	Requirement	Reward
Will of the People	Complete public events in the Dreaming City. Heroic completions are worth more.	6 Public events	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Rapid Lair Defense	Rapidly defeat combatants. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil are worth more.	60 Rapidly defeated	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragon's Fang	Defeat targets with Auto Rifles, Pulse Rifles, or Trace Rifles. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Auto Rifle], [Pulse Rifle], or [Trace Rifle] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation
Dragonflame	Defeat targets with Solar or Stasis damage. Combatants in Riven's Lair or The Coil and Guardians are worth more.	30 [Solar] or [Stasis] defeats	XP+ & 25 Spirit of Riven Reputation

^{Never forget what has been lost. While the API protests have concluded, Reddit remains hostile to its users as their IPO looms in the horizon. More information can be found here.}

The Fox

A fox awakens on a shore and embarks on a journey through a world filled with ruins. Who was here? What happened to them? That's up to the Fox to learn.

Physicals

Strength

Stick

The Fox's starting weapon

• Smashes pots
• Shatters an ice creature
• Beats slime-like creatures to death
• Beats a swordsman to death

Sword

The Fox's sword

• The sword is stronger than the stick, dealing more damage to enemies
• Easily slices through foliage
• Shatters statues
• Breaks the protective armor off of a robot
• Destroys drone-like things seemingly made of stone
• Smashes crates
• Breaks barrels
• Kills a giant crab
• Kills giant spiders
• Breaks apart skeletal creatures
• Kills creatures made of energy
• Kills a ghost

Other

• Parries an attack from the Garden Knight, a giant stone guardian that knocks up chunks of stone with each attack
• Parries an attack from a large suit of animated armor
• Lifts a large metal gate bar much bigger than themself
• Lifts a lever much bigger than themself
• Knocks over a small bridge

Durability

Gameplay

• Hit by the Siege Engine, which knocked over stacks of large stone blocks
• Hit by the Garden Knight
• Hit by the Guard Captain's sword
• Hit by a monster that shatters a statue with the same sword swing
• Slashed by frogs with knives
• Chomped by crocodile-like enemies
• Hit by an ice creature
• Hit by a big slime
• Blasted with fire
• Blasted with magic
• Caught in the explosion of a fire bomb
• As a ghost, the Fox can be hit by the reanimated corpses of other Fox heroes

Scripted

• Unharmed after falling off of a ladder

Speed/Agility

• Can dodge roll and runs faster after dodging
  • In gameplay, the dodge roll makes the Fox invulnerable for a moment
• Dodges an energy blast from a drone thing
  • Again
• Dodges shots from an enemy wielding an energy rifle
• Dodges a shot from a gunman with an energy pistol
• Dodges a variety of magic attacks from the Librarian
• Dodges ranged and melee attacks from enemies
• Evades attacks from a swordsman

Skill/Misc

• Defeats the Garden Knight, a large magic-powered stone guardian
• Defeats the Siege Engine, a giant fire-enchanted stone guardian
• Defeats the Librarian, a powerful magic user
• Defeats the Boss Scavenger, an enemy equipped with ancient technology
• Defeats the Guard Captain
• Kneeling at certain shrines will restore the Fox's health and refill their health potions
  • By sacrificing certain items and money at these shrines, the Fox can raise their stats
  • When the Fox dies, the Heir will revive them at the last shrine they knelt at
• The Fox can use special pads to access the spirit realm and fast travel to different areas
• The Fox is killed by the Heir in the spirit realm and comes back as a ghost which can fight enemies
  • After visiting several Hero's Graves and collecting pieces of their soul, the Fox's body is restored
• Defeats the Heir in the non-true ending of the game
  • In the true ending, the Fox, having completed all of the Holy Cross puzzles and completed the game manual, shares wisdom with the Heir to break the loop and set them free

GeaMagic

Shield

• Blocks attacks from enemies
• Blocks blasts from the Garden Knight
• Blocks the Boss Scavenger's energy weapons
• Blocks shots from a turret
• An energy blast bounces off
• Also used to parry attacks, leaving enemies stunned and refilling the Fox's stamina

Bombs

• Explosive bombs
  • Blows a hole in a stone wall to reveal a secret room
  • Blows a hole in the side of a cliff
  • Blows up a turret
• Ice bombs
  • Also opens secret rooms
• Fire bombs

Magic

Each magic item drains a bit of the Fox's magic bar on use

• Ice Dagger: Casts a wave of ice that freezes enemies on contact
  • Freezes the Siege Engine, a giant stone guardian with fire coursing through it
  • Puts out Custodians' candles, rendering them unable to use their fire magic
• Magic Wand: Shoots bolts of magic at enemies
  • Destroys a robot
  • Destroys a drone
• The Ice Dagger and the Magic Wand can be used in tandem to shoot a single freezing bolt
• Grappling Hook: Creates a magic lash that allows the Fox to pull themself to grapple points or enemies
  • Smaller enemies are pulled to the Fox instead
• Gun: Fires a shotgun-like blast of energy bolts

Misc

• Potions: Carries potions that restore health
  • The Fox carries a maximum of 9
• Effigies: Items the Fox can smash for money
• Lure: Decoys that draw enemy attention away from the Fox
  • I couldn't find footage of anyone actually using one but I did find that if you do a specific input the Fox will hug one
• An energy crown that replaces the Fox's roll with a teleporting dash
• A lantern that lights dark rooms
• The Fox can equip several different cards that each have a different effect
• The Fox can throw coins in wells to unlock more card slots

‘‘Who the fuck am I, doctor? What happened to who I was?’’
As a doctor, it’s normal for such patients, utterly at the end of their tether, to resort to such language, even though we doctors are supposed to enjoy a degree of formality not reserved for other walks of life. At this point in my career, I pay it no mind.
‘‘Thank you for agreeing to undergo the physical exam, Elton,’’ I began, ‘‘and also agreeing to discuss your complete medical history with me before we begin. That should greatly expedite my ability to diagnose what’s happening here.’’
He was obviously in a very bad way. The signs of sleep deprivation were wrought into his features. He was adrift in a sea of nothingness and was close to drowning.
‘‘I just don’t want to feel like this anymore. Whatever it takes.’’
I’d seen this many times before. As an expert in this particular field of human existentialism, I already knew the exact problem, but for the sake of appearances I needed to let the patient work through the process on his own. After all, this patient was still more than salvageable.
‘‘Well, now that we’ve used various diagnostic tests, including imaging studies and blood tests, to rule out physical illness or medication side effects as the cause of the symptoms,’’ I paused to give him time to take this all in, ‘‘I think it’s time for us to discuss what else it could be. At this point I’d like you just to tell me how you feel on a day-to-day basis.’’
‘‘I don’t even really know where to begin.’’
I do, but it’s important for the next stage of this process to come from him, as much as it possibly can.
‘‘Take your time. It’s important to the diagnosis that you put your feelings into your own words.’’
‘‘I guess I feel like I have… well, a distorted perception of my own body. I don’t know how to really describe it, at least not in a way that makes any sense. I guess I kind of feel like I’m a robot… or I’m in a dream. I might fear I’m going crazy and might become depressed, anxious, or worse.’’
I nodded, taking in Elton’s words. ‘‘Elton, what you're describing sounds a lot like depersonalization disorder. It’s a condition where people feel disconnected or detached from their own body and thoughts. It’s as if you’re observing yourself from outside your body or living in a dream.’’
He looked at me with a mixture of confusion and desperation. ‘‘So, I’m not going crazy?’’
‘‘No, you're not losing touch with reality. People with depersonalization disorder are very much aware that what they're experiencing isn’t normal, which is what makes it so distressing. Episodes can last for a short time or, in some cases, for many years, affecting daily functioning.’’
‘‘What causes it?’’ he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
‘‘The exact cause isn’t well understood, but it can be triggered by intense stress or traumatic events, such as abuse, accidents, or violence. It’s one of several dissociative disorders which involve disruptions in memory, consciousness, and identity.’’
He took a deep breath, trying to process the information. ‘‘Is there any way to make it stop?’’
‘‘Treatment typically involves psychotherapy, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy, to help you manage your symptoms. In some cases, medication might be prescribed to address underlying issues like anxiety or depression. The first step is understanding what you're dealing with, and from there, we can work together on a treatment plan.’’
Elton nodded slowly. ‘‘I just want to feel normal again.’’
‘‘I understand. And with the right approach, we can work towards that goal. You’re not alone in this, Elton. We’ll take it step by step.’’
Elton nodded slowly. ‘‘I just want to feel normal again.’’
‘‘I understand, Elton. Let’s talk about how we can work towards that. Most people with depersonalization disorder seek treatment because of symptoms like depression or anxiety, not always the depersonalization itself. Sometimes, these symptoms go away on their own over time. But when they don’t, or if they're particularly distressing, treatment can help.’’
‘‘So, what kind of treatment are we talking about?’’
‘‘The goal of your treatment is to address the stress and triggers associated with the onset of the disorder. The best approach depends on your individual situation and the severity of your symptoms. Psychotherapy, especially talk therapy, is usually the primary treatment. Cognitive therapy can help change any dysfunctional thinking patterns you might have.’’
‘‘Will I need medication?’’
‘‘Let’s take things a little slower, Elton. Medications are not typically used to treat depersonalization disorder directly. However, if you’re experiencing significant depression or anxiety, an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication might be helpful. Sometimes, antipsychotic medications are used to help with disordered thinking and perception.’’
Elton shifted in his seat, considering the options. ‘‘What about my family? They don’t understand what I’m going through.’’
‘‘Family therapy can be beneficial. It helps to educate your family about the disorder and its causes, and it can also help them recognize the symptoms if they recur. This support system can be very important for your recovery.’’
‘‘Are there any other types of therapy that might help?’’
‘‘Yes, creative therapies like art or music therapy can provide a safe and expressive way to explore your thoughts and feelings. Clinical hypnosis is another option; it uses intense relaxation and concentration to explore thoughts and memories that might be contributing to your symptoms.’’
‘‘What’s the outlook for me, then? Can I really recover from this?’’
‘‘Well, the good news is that many patients do recover completely from depersonalization disorder. The symptoms often go away on their own or after effective treatment that helps address the underlying stress or trauma. However, without treatment, additional episodes can occur. With the right support and treatment plan, we can work towards your recovery.’’
Elton took a deep breath, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ‘‘Alright, let’s do this. I’m ready to start.’’
‘‘Good. We’ll take it step by step, together.’’
I then leaned forward slightly; my tone gentle but firm. "Elton, there's one treatment that might provide more immediate relief. It's called clinical hypnosis. By guiding you into a deeply relaxed state, we can explore your subconscious and potentially uncover the root causes of your depersonalization."
Elton's eyebrows furrowed in skepticism. "Hypnosis? You think that'll actually work?"
"I understand your doubts," I replied. "But hypnosis can be a powerful tool. It allows us to access parts of your mind that are usually hidden, bringing buried memories and feelings to the surface. Many patients find it really helps them make significant breakthroughs."
Elton hesitated, glancing around the sterile office. "I don't know... it sounds kind of... out there."
"You're right to be cautious," I said, nodding. "But consider this: you're here because traditional methods haven't worked. This is another option, one that could bring you relief faster than talk therapy or medication. And I'll be with you every step of the way."
A long silence stretched between us as Elton weighed his options. Finally, he sighed, a mix of resignation and hope in his eyes. "Alright. I'll try it. What do I have to lose?"
"Excellent," I said, a hopefully reassuring smile on my face. "Let's get started."
Elton settled back into the chair, feeling a flutter of nerves in his stomach. I dimmed the lights and began speaking in a calm, rhythmic voice, guiding Elton through deep breathing exercises. "Focus on your breath," I instructed. "Inhale slowly through your nose... hold it... and exhale through your mouth."
Elton followed along, feeling his body gradually relax. My voice was soothing and steady. "Imagine a peaceful place," I continued. "Somewhere you feel completely safe and calm. Picture it in your mind and let yourself drift there."
A warm sensation spread through Elton's limbs as he visualized a tranquil beach, the gentle waves lapping at the shore. His eyelids grew heavy, and my voice had now become his only anchor to reality.
"You're doing well, Elton," I softly murmured. "Now, I want you to go deeper. Let yourself sink into a state of complete relaxation. With each breath, feel yourself going deeper and deeper."
Elton felt as though he was floating, weightless and free. My voice guided him further, urging him to explore the recesses of his mind. "You're safe here," I said. "I want you to go back to a time when you first felt disconnected. Allow the memories to come to the surface."
Images began to flicker in Elton's mind, fragmented at first, then gradually forming a coherent picture. He saw himself as a child, standing alone in a dark room. The sense of detachment washed over him, more intense than ever before.
"Tell me what you see," I prompted gently.
"I'm... I'm in my old house," Elton said, his voice distant and hollow. "It's dark, and I feel so... alone."
"Good," I replied. "Let's explore this memory together. What happens next?"
As Elton delved deeper into his past, the details of his childhood began to unfold, revealing the moments of fear and isolation that had shaped his experience of the world. My voice remained a constant guide, helping him navigate through the labyrinth of his subconscious.
With each revelation, Elton felt a weight lifting from him, the long-buried emotions surfacing and dissipating. He was beginning to understand the origins of his depersonalization, and for the first time in a long while, he felt a glimmer of hope.
As Elton's breathing slowed and his body relaxed further into the chair, I observed him with an almost clinical detachment. I maintained my soothing tone, but my mind was focused on the next phase of my plan.
"You're doing very well, Elton," I said, my voice steady. "Now, I want you to go even deeper. Let your mind drift until you reach a state of complete relaxation."
Elton's eyes fluttered closed, and his body went limp. I continued to murmur softly, guiding Elton into a semi-comatose state. Once satisfied that Elton was deeply under, I stood up and crossed the room to a cabinet, retrieving a sleek piece of scientific equipment.
I returned to Elton's side, carefully attaching the apparatus to his head. The device resembled a futuristic helmet, with electrodes and sensors that monitored brain activity and displayed it on a nearby screen. I adjusted the settings, my eyes flicking to the monitor as it powered up.
The screen quickly hummed to life, displaying a detailed image of Elton's brain. Patterns of electrical activity danced across the display, revealing the inner workings of his mind. I watched intently, my expression a mix of curiosity and satisfaction.
"Activate the neural resonance scanner," I instructed my unseen assistant through a small intercom device on my desk.
A moment later, my assistant entered the room, a young technician with a clipboard. She nodded and began adjusting additional controls on the apparatus, fine-tuning the settings to enhance the resolution of the brain scan.
"Good," I muttered, more to myself than to my assistant. "Let's see what we're dealing with."
The screen's image sharpened, and the intricate details of Elton's brain became clearer. I leaned further in, studying the neural pathways and synaptic connections. I was searching for any specific anomalies, patterns that might otherwise explain the profound disconnection Elton felt from his own body, apart from what I already knew to be the true reason.
"There," I whispered, pointing to a cluster of unusual activity deep within the temporal lobe. "Increase the magnification on this section."
My assistant complied, and the image zoomed in on the targeted area. My eyes narrowed as I scrutinized the display. I had of course seen similar patterns before, but never with such clarity. It was as if Elton's brain was broadcasting a signal, a distress call from within the depths of his subconscious.
"Prepare the neuro-interface," I ordered. "We need to delve deeper into this anomaly."
My assistant hurried to set up another piece of equipment, a sleek console with a series of complex controls. As she worked, I continued to monitor the screen, my mind racing with possibilities. This was – of course - no ordinary case of depersonalization disorder. There was something unique about Elton’s brain, something that held the key to understanding the human mind's most profound mysteries, and our continued presence here.
With the neuro-interface ready, I began the delicate process of linking it to the apparatus already attached to Elton's head. This would allow me to interact directly with the neural signals, exploring the depths of Elton’s subconscious in ways traditional therapy could never achieve.
"Elton," I said softly, even though I knew the young man could not respond in his current state. "We're going to find out what’s really happening inside your mind. And with any luck, we’ll finally bring you some peace."
As the neuro-interface established its connection, I took a deep breath, ready to plunge into the uncharted territories of Elton's psyche.
The neuro-interface hummed as it established its connection with Elton's subconscious. I adjusted my headset, and the images on the screen shifted, providing a direct view into the intricate neural landscape of Elton's mind. I focused intently, searching for the signal I knew was there. After a few moments, the connection stabilized, and a new voice resonated within my mind.
"Pilot Taupin," I said, my voice filled with a barely controlled anger. "Do you realize the damage you've caused by neglecting your duties?"
There was a pause, followed by a petulant reply from within the depths of Elton's mind. "This human is boring," Taupin complained. "Being his neuro-pilot is no fun at all. He's so predictable, so... mundane."
I clenched my jaw, struggling to keep my temper in check. "Maintaining the mission is all-important, Taupin. We have protocols for a reason. Too many humans are waking up to their realities, and your negligence is contributing to the problem."
Taupin's voice, echoing through the neural pathways, carried a tone of indifference. "Protocols, missions... It's all so tedious. Why should I care if a few humans start questioning their reality? It's not like they can do anything about it."
My eyes narrowed as I studied the patterns on the screen, observing the chaotic flux of neural signals that reflected Taupin's rebellious attitude. "Your job is to ensure that they don't question it, Taupin. By allowing Elton to experience such severe depersonalization, you've jeopardized the integrity of his mind and our entire operation."
Taupin sighed, a sound that reverberated through Elton's brain. "You don't understand, Doctor. The monotony of this existence is unbearable. I need more stimulation, more... excitement."
I leaned closer to the screen, my voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "If you can't handle the responsibilities of your position, we can find a replacement who can. Your indulgence in seeking excitement has nearly cost us this human. Indeed, it is his very mundanity that we have honed in on. He is earmarked for high political office in the future. We need him to fulfill his potential so we can increase our influence over this species. Remember, Taupin: the mission is paramount, and you will adhere to your duties."
There was a long silence, the neural pathways crackling with tension. Finally, Taupin spoke again, his tone begrudging. "Fine. I'll do what you ask. But remember, Doctor, without a bit of freedom, even the most loyal pilot can become resentful."
I took a deep breath, slightly easing the grip of my anger. "Resentment or not, you will maintain your human and ensure he remains stable. We can't afford any more risks. Now, begin the recalibration process. Restore Elton's perception of reality and eliminate any residual anomalies."
Reluctantly, Taupin complied, and I watched as the neural activity on the screen began to stabilize. Patterns of normalcy re-emerged, and the chaotic signals smoothed into harmonious rhythms.
"Good," I said, my voice steady once more. "Remember, Taupin, the success of our mission depends on the seamless integration of our presence within these humans. We cannot allow any deviation from the established protocols."
As the connection began to fade, Taupin's final words lingered in the doctor's mind. "Understood, Doctor. But don't forget, even the best-kept secrets have a way of coming to light."
I removed the headset and sighed, rubbing my temples. I knew that the delicate balance they maintained was constantly under threat, and I could only hope that Taupin — and others like him — would remember the importance of our mission. For now, Elton's mind was stable, but I remained vigilant, knowing that the battle to maintain control over humanity would never be truly over.

Author note: The Cryopod to Hell is a Reddit-exclusive story with over three years of editing and refining. As of this post, the total rewrite is 2,197,000+ words long! For more information, check out the link below:
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...................................
(Previous Part)
(Part 001)
A few days pass. Unbeknownst to humanity, Unarin decisively dispatches some of his 5th and 6th Level Psions to assist Diablo's goals of planetary conquest. At the same time, he also adds in more than a hundred thousand High Technopath Warriors, frontline combatants outfitted with lethal weaponry embedded into every inch of their bodies. These warriors, unlike mindless automatons, fight with biological intuition and the power of technological supremacy. When the Volgrim combine their forces with that of the demons, they multiply Diablo's planetary capture speed severalfold, allowing him to take new worlds in just a few hours, sometimes even only a single hour.
But humanity doesn't know about this, aside from the Wordsmiths using their special spying methods. Rather, they remain fully focused on the planetary migration efforts.
All across Tarus II, more and more humans, demons, and monsters make key decisions about whether they will immigrate or whether they will remain on Tarus II.
Kiari and Saul pause outside the Northern Immigration Center.
"Nah. None of these." Saul says to his fiance. "I like our cabin just fine. It's in a good spot. It's secluded. And most of the demons and monsters are staying on Tarus II anyway, right?"
Kiari rubs her belly. Already, she's begun to develop the tiniest baby bump.
"Yeah. I don't wanna go anywhere, either. Oh, hey, Beelzebub!"
Kiari waves cheerfully to a certain Demon Emperor nearby. Beelzebub casually walks over and waves back.
"You two moving?" Beelzebub asks, sticking his hands in the pockets of his slacks.
"We decided against that." Saul answers. "How about you?"
"I'm staying. Obviously." Beelzebub says with a shrug. "Where else am I gonna go? Pixiv, with the fairies? They only want humans. Maiura? That's not an option. One of those 'secret' places Jason's been yammering about? Humans and monsters only."
"You could live on Hell Harbor. Or Sharmur!" Kiari chirps cutely with her eyes turning upward into crescent moons. "I hear Diablo's had a few Dukes reconstructing Hell Harbor after the Archangel attack."
Beelzebub waves his hand in a flippant manner. "Pass. I'm good with staying here. Besides, whenever I leave Tarus II, I always feel a bit... weaker. It's as if I'm more powerful when I'm here, but I can't deduce why for the life of me."
He taps his chin thoughtfully. "Could just be my imagination. Who knows."
"Well, I'm glad you're sticking around!" Kiari says. "You've had it rough, and you've done bad things, but I feel you're a good guy at heart."
"It's nice someone believes in me." Beelzebub says with a smile. "If anyone comes to cause trouble here, I'll kick 'em out of the star system myself."
"That's the spirit!" Saul laughs.
...
Meanwhile, at the Western Immigration Center, other people also congregate together, pondering where they belong.
"Daddy!" Lily Brown exclaims, stomping her feet. "I don't WANNA!"
"We've stayed here long enough." Benjamin Brown says, gently squeezing his daughter's arm. "Tarus II is in a precarious situation. I don't feel this place is safe. We have to return to Hell Harbor now that the Slithering Spire is finished with its reconstruction efforts."
"You can go if you want." Lily says, crossing her arms and turning away from her father defiantly. "I heard Beli is staying here. That means I am too! Besides, I've made lots of friends with the humans. I don't want to go back to Hell Harbor."
"What you want is not up for debate here, young lady." Benjamin Brown says, his face darkening. "I am your father. You will do as I say."
"No, I won't!" Lily shoots back. "I'm already twenty-four years old, daddy! I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions! Or are you really going to treat me like a little girl for the rest of my life?!"
"That's not what I mean, and you know it!" Benjamin barks back. "Dammit, this is for your own good. Stop chasing that succubus and use your head for once! The First Wordsmith is too lackadaisical to lead this planet to any long-lasting good times. You can't trust his judgment."
"Who said anything about the stupid Wordsmith??" Lily asks, bewildered. "I don't care about him. I've never even met him! I only care about Beli and my friends. No matter what you say, I'm staying here. And that's FINAL."
"You... you!" Benjamin roars. "You're just like your mother!"
"What? Strong and independent?" Lily scoffs. "Don't be mad because she left you, daddy. I'm making my own choices. If you try to force me back to Hell Harbor, I'll just sneak away. And if you lock me in a dungeon, you'll be proving what a piece of work you are!"
"I... I don't even know what to say." Benjamin Brown says, dismayed. "Fine. Alright? You want to pull the mother card, be like that. You can stay here. I need to return to Hell Harbor, though. I have too many things that require my attention."
He pauses. He looks around for a moment, frowning.
"You know, Lily. If... if you're not near me, I can't protect you."
"Protect me? Why would I need your protection?" Lily scoffs. "I'm a nobody. There ain't no demons gunning for me."
"That isn't entirely true..." Benjamin mutters, as his thoughts turn to a certain prison warden. "Look, I had a friend make you this necklace. It has a special savior beacon built into it. If you ever need me, activate it. Daddy will come running, no matter where you are in the galaxy. It has trans-dimensional properties so even if you're 90,000 lightyears away, I should be able to track you down."
Lily crinkles her nose. "Be honest. This is just your way of keeping tabs on me, isn't it?"
Benjamin chuckles. "Not by any means. I want to make sure you're safe, sweetheart. Your brothers and sisters are all grown up, off doing their own thing. You're... the only one I have left. The others haven't spoken to me in ages."
Lily's heart softens as she notices the pained look on Benjamin's face.
"Daddy... daddy, don't cry, okay? It's not- I'll keep the necklace, okay? And I'll call you regularly, maybe even pay a visit to Hell Harbor once in a while. I'm just gonna be... living here for the moment. Staying independent!"
Benjamin sighs. "Alright, baby girl. You keep yourself safe then. Don't ever take that necklace off, alright?"
"I won't, daddy. Bye now!"
...
"Pixiv, is it?" A young man at the Southern Immigration Center asks. "Of course it would be for you, sir. I'm just surprised she's going too."
Lieutenant Samuel Baker glances at the woman standing beside him, Private Ashley Mccarthy. As one of humanity's foremost powerhouses, capable of transforming into an orc at will even without her Power Glove, she has attracted a lot of attention of late, attention she doesn't particularly enjoy.
"I'm hoping the fairies can help me." Ashley says, crossing her arms. "I don't get why I have to transform into a stupid ugly orc. I wanna be able to turn into a cute and dainty fairy, like Lieutenant Baker."
"Hey." Samuel growls at her. "I do NOT look cute and dainty. I look... masculine as hell. Man, if I could trade my crappy fairy transformation with you, I'd be HAPPY to do it."
"Well, even the Wordsmiths can't fix this problem, so I doubt the fairies can." Ashley grouches. "But I've gotta at least try! Plus, I heard there's going to be a special task force assembled when we reach the fairies. Seems they have some sort of mission that will be really beneficial for us. At least that's the word on the grapevine."
"That's what I've heard too." Samuel says. "In any case, who else is coming to Pixiv?"
"Some of the other soldiers." Ashley answers. "Especially ones who've prematurely gained transformations through the Power Glove. I hear the majority of them have signed up for a transfer to Pixiv. The Felorians, too!"
"Even them?" Samuel asks, his eyes shining with surprise. "It seems Pixiv is the destination of choice for magically-enhanced humans. Interesting."
"I hear Mister Yamir is planning to expand his restaurant enterprise to multiple worlds in one go." The young man running the sign-up line says. "He's going to build a restaurant on Sharmur, Hell Harbor, Pixiv, anywhere that will take him. It seems his food is so popular nobody wants to turn him down!"
"That minotaur has some real business acumen." Ashley says, rubbing her chin. "I heard that the goblins have been acting similarly too. They're going to all the different worlds! Seems they don't have any specific attachments to Tarus II."
"So if all these bigshots are going to other worlds, who's staying here?" Samuel asks.
"Lots of allied demons, mostly." Ashley answers. "Plenty of monsters. Not too many humans. There is Miss Hiro, but that much is expected. I heard Hans Wagner is packing up to go to Maiura, actually. His base on Tarus's moon, Kelkin, has been where he does most of his inventing stuff, but it's a pretty inconvenient location. He wants to put his boots on normal planet ground for once."
"General Chadwick is going with Commander Neil to Maiura." The young male recruiter adds. "Oh! And have you heard of the Cybernites? Seems they've been busy helping work on some big tech project alongside Neil's inventors, including Hans Wagner."
"Dang." Samuel mutters. "We're really all splitting up, huh? Everyone's going to different places."
"It's better this way." Ashley says. "Trying to get all these different people to work together was like herding cats. Personally I'm looking forward to seeing how everything shakes out in the end."
"You know what?" Samuel asks. "Me too, Ashley. Me too."
...
Near the Eastern side of the Fortress of Retribution's upper plateau.
At the edge of the city, a notable structure stands tall, a magical privacy field of immense power surrounding it to isolate all the goings-on inside. This building happens to be none other than the Archangel's church, a place where Uriel lives following her bodily transformation back into her original self. Despite still technically possessing the body of a Demon Duke, she now seems identical to her physical form from more than 100,000 years prior to her death during the War in Heaven.
Inside the church, a male human and a pair of female angels stand opposite the four Archangels. Siddhartha Gautama, Cassiel, and Soleil all look at Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel with differing expressions.
"I don't understand." Cassiel says softly. "Why would you want to leave, Raphael?"
The Archangel of Wisdom shakes his head. He looks at the floor with a complicated expression.
"Verily, this decision was not one I wished to make." Raphael says, his words slow and deliberate. "My alliance with the First Wordsmith hath grown tenuous over many a recent day, but not in any recent weeks hath he deigned to speak to me. Meanwhile, my relationship with the Second Wordsmith art still somewhat warm."
"There is no point in our remaining on Tarus II." Michael explains. "We do not wish to reside upon a world primarily populated by monsters and bloodskins. The majority of humanity hath opted to travel to Maiura, and so too shall we go with them."
Gabriel nods. "Humans art our allies. Why stay? Better to migrate where the humans have gone."
Soleil frowns. "That might be true, I suppose. But us having to depart all of a sudden still feels quite abrupt."
"Do not misunderstand." Raphael quickly says. "Cassiel, thou art still the Daughter of Heaven. Thou needeth not walk in our footsteps. T'would be best if Soleil and thee remaineth here while my siblings and I go to Maiura. In this way, we can spread the word of the Creator in two locations at once."
"Oh. I see..." Cassiel says, lowering her eyes. A look of sadness fills her gaze, as well as more than a hint of loneliness. "I... I don't know if I'm strong enough to stay here all by myself."
"Now now," Buddha interjects, "you will not be alone, little one. I'll stay with you, as will Soleil. Additionally, you seem to have made a new acquaintance in that Belial, yes? Perhaps this would be a good time to spread your wings and meet new people."
"Buddha's right!" Soleil says excitedly. "Cass, this is a great chance for you to make lots of new friends!!"
"New friends..." Cassiel says hesitantly. "Y-yes. I suppose... that would be... nice."
Uriel and her brothers exchange a knowing glance. She turns and walks over to Cassiel, squeezing her shoulder lovingly.
"We shalt leave this church to thee, little one. Do with it whatever thou dost desire. It shalt be thy home, and perhaps a meeting place for those who wish to bear witness to thy future rise."
Michael also takes a step forward. "Daughter of Heaven. I consider thyself a sister in spirit, if not in blood. Therefore, what I am about to say, I hope thou doth understand I speak it with only the best of intentions."
He pauses.
"Thou requireth power. Spiritual power. Faith energy. We Archangels cans't truly live well on the energy supplied by that hateful bloodskin, Barbatos, but thy vessel is not the same as ours. As a Lazarite, thou requireth Faith Energy to keep thy spirit burning. I hope thou shalt pursue it in the hopes of elevating thyself to a level where none can oppress thee."
"Thou art the last living hope of our species." Gabriel adds. "We Archangels live on as mere sparks of light, but thou art a burning star with unlimited potential. Please live well in our absence."
Cassiel looks at each of the Archangels in kind. She nods at each one of them, etching their loving words on her heart.
"Very well. Faith Energy. I'll do what I can, brothers, sister. Perhaps, if I have a chance, I'll even come to visit you all on Maiura sometime."
"That would indeed be delightful." Raphael says with a jovial chuckle. "Fare thee well then, little one. We shalt take our leave."
With a nod from each of the four Archangels, they merge back into Uriel's body, and she strides out the church doors, leaving Buddha, Cassiel, and Soleil behind.
As Buddha watches Uriel depart, he narrows his eyes menacingly, but neither of the women notices this subtle action.
Raphael...
...................................
"Everyone. Thank you for coming today." Hope Hiro says, as he stands before a throng of people all gathered together inside a massive church-like building. This facility, erected on the planet of Maiura a good distance away from the main cities and towns, stands alone, isolated within the wilderness. Dense trees and foliage would even be visible through the windows if they weren't made of stained glass, depicting images of numerous ancient Heroes of myth.
The people standing before Hope nod in unison. They say nothing, instead waiting for Hope to continue his speech.
Among these people is Henry Cliff. He looks at Hope with reverence and respect that even borders on unbridled idol worship. In his eyes, Hope Hiro is his savior, his one path back to greatness, a chance he cannot afford to miss.
Without Hope, he is nobody. A civilian who will only ever live in the shadow of better men.
"As of today," Hope continues, "the tallies are in. This is it. Those of you who have signed on to be a part of my Parahuman Corps are the only ones who leaped to such a decision. I am truly grateful for your faith in me."
Hope pauses. His gaze sweeps across not only Henry, but all the people present.
"Before I continue, is it just my imagination or are a good number of you not actually service-members? I seem to be seeing quite a few civilians present."
One man in the front row nods nervously. "Y-yes, Commander Hiro, sir. I'm Mikael. I didn't join the military originally, but when I heard about your Parahuman Corps, it really struck a cord with me. If I can become strong enough to protect myself from demons, that would be amazing!"
Hope frowns. "Your motives aren't exactly pure, Mikael. The power I'm about to bestow upon all of you will indeed strengthen your bodies, but without a foundation of military training, do you truly think you'll be able to accomplish much? Not a chance. Expect to endure some grueling military drills tailored to your enhanced physique before I set you loose in the world of ordinary humans."
He returns his eyes to the others. "That goes for all of you. Yes, you will be able to obtain great strength in the easiest manner possible. But allow me to disabuse you all of the notion that this pathway to easy power will make you as strong as a Demon Emperor, or a Duke, or even a Baron. If you have no combat techniques, then you're just a big strong infant waiting to be executed by any remotely competent opponent! A complete pushover!"
The Wordsmith doesn't mince his words. "Submitting to Jepthath's power is a serious rite of passage. If your hearts are impure, he will reject you! You will have to head out and join the common folks on Maiura, hanging your head in shame and knowing you weren't good enough to join the elites!"
He looks around one last time. "With all that said, are any of you here having second thoughts?!"
"Sir, no sir!" The crowd roars, their collective voices momentarily making Hope's ears ring. He mutters a quick Word of Power under his breath to fix that issue, then he motions with his hand and immediately summons the Dominion Rod into his grasp.
"Here is how this is going to work." Hope says. "I shall manifest the image of Jepthath into reality. Look up to him. Pray to him. Accept him in your heart. When you hear his words in your mind, you will have the option to accept or deny his offer. Those who accept will become Jepthath's Chosen, the Illuminators of the future, Parahumans who tower above their fellow man! But as for those who are unworthy? You will remain with the common rabble."
Seeing decisive looks on everyone's faces, Hope smiles. "Alright then. Let us begin."
He holds up the Shepherd's Staff, and the gem in the center of its upper crook immediately begins to glow a bright white. At that moment, a phantasmal figure materializes in the air, his massive image towering thirty feet high. The top of his head seemingly scrapes the ceiling of the makeshift church, making everyone present gasp in amazement.
"My children." Jepthath says, holding out his hands in a welcoming gesture. He smiles like a kind old grandfather at them. "Hear me now. I am the First Hero. I am the Illuminator. I light the path for those to follow. To those who are attuned to my strength, greater benefits will be available. Perhaps, among you, there may even be a special soul possessing the highest affinity to my power. If so, he may be capable of mimicking my full power without reservation! But, doubtless, there will be those among you lacking in affinity entirely."
He sighs. "That is unfortunate, but it is how things are. Now, pray to me. Reach out with your heart, mind, and soul. Feel the touch of my Light..."
A warm aura spreads out of Jepthath's towering form. It washes across the massed crowd, making many of them feel snug and cozy. They close their eyes and pray earnestly to the Illuminator, sometimes opening their eyes to look up at him as they feel Jepthath's power surge into their bodies.
"I feel it!" One woman cries out. "The strength! The power! Uwaaaa!!"
Her muscles bulge dramatically. Her shirt rips in several places, and her height increases by half a foot. She roars mightily to the heavens as a large fraction of Jepthath's power enters her body and Mind Realm.
"I feel it too!" Another man cries. "Power! Overwhelming! Aaaaahh!!"
He, and many others like him, roar in ecstasy as Jepthath's power begins rapidly bolstering one person after another.
Strangely, Henry Cliff doesn't feel anything at first. But when the power starts to trickle into his bloodstream, a voice speaks in his head.
[There you are, boy. Lord Henry of the Illuminators. I have been expecting you for a while, young one.]
Henry blinks. The world around him slows to a stop as he looks up at Jepthath in shock.
[You... know my name?] Henry asks.
[Indeed I do.] Jepthath says with a smile. [Not long ago, Hope performed a ritual that allowed me to make initial contact with all of humanity. However, my power could not flow through them until they agreed to this ritual. It was then that I felt your strength for the first time. You are more formidable than you believe, my child.]
Henry looks down in shame. [You must be thinking of someone else, Great Illuminator. I am nothing at all. A mere nobody. A sinner.]
[You call yourself a sinner? Silly child. I am friends with the Greatest Sinner.] Jepthath chides gently. [King Arthur committed a crime far worse than you could imagine, yet he is still remembered as a legend. In the future, so too shall you join him among humanity's greats.]
Henry looks up again. [I... will?]
[Your compatibility with my power... is perfect.] Jepthath answers, visibly satisfied. [Look! Your body has not swelled up at all! Unlike the others who balloon in strength because their souls are impure, your willpower is formidable enough to reject the corruption of my nascent soul. It is for this reason that I have decided to name you... My Champion.]
Boom!
A massive detonation of energy explodes inside Henry's body. He staggers in surprise, as instead of great pain, waves of ecstasy flood his vessel. He can't help but release a moan of pleasure as his mind seemingly unlocks its full potential, his muscles pulsate with a strength greater than he ever could have imagined, and his soul condenses into its purest form.
[Power!] Henry exclaims. [I feel it! I feel... so much power!]
"Uaaaaahh!!" Henry roars as he tilts his head up to the ceiling. "I am a mortal no more! I am your champion, Jepthath!"
Hope's eyes sparkle as he looks at the previously ordinary-seeming young man. He looks up at Jepthath, who smiles back at him, answering his unspoken question with a single gaze.
But suddenly, in the midst of this joyous occasion, Jepthath's image changes color from a loving and calm blue to a dangerous shade of red. His eyes narrow as he snaps his gaze around the room.
"WHERE?!" Jepthath roars, his piercing eyes jumping from one human to another. "YOU! It's YOU!!" Jepthath snarls, stabbing a finger toward a random woman in the crowd.
That woman freezes in place, like a deer in the headlights. Hope looks at her. All the other humans do too, everyone turning in unison as they feel a deep, nauseating rejection from her entirety.
"Human... she's not HUMAN!" Henry growls, balling his hands into fists. "She's not one of us! She's a CHANGELING!!"
Panicked, the woman starts to push through the crowd, but in an instant, tens of hands latch onto her from every angle, grabbing her arms, shirt, hair, and neck. They pin her in place while Henry walks through the crowd with eyes full of bloodlust. He grins wickedly and nods his head as he stomps toward the woman.
"Trying to sell us out, you filthy infiltrator?! TOO BAD! This is where your story ends!!"
In an instant, he lunges forward and punches his fist at the woman's stomach.
SPLURT!!
He rams his arm through her gut and blasts her entrails backward, spraying off-colored blood on the Parahumans behind her. The woman's mouth opens reflexively, and she vomits blood, unable to stop herself.
"N-no! Guhuk! Mis-misunderstanding! We- COUGH!!"
"Spare us your pitiful begging." Henry sneers, before sweeping his arm upward, tearing through her body with ease.
RIIIIIP!
A sickening series of snapping bones sounds off in the room like a series of firecrackers. A second later, the woman sags lifelessly in the grasp of those present. They release her, and allow her to collapse into a puddle of blood at her feet.
Just when it seems the madness is over, Henry slowly turns around to look at another person in the crowd behind him.
"Heh heh heh. You stupid bastard. Did you think I missed you, too?"
"Wait!" The man screams. "This isn't what you think! We're just supposed to observe-"
He doesn't get to finish his sentence. Henry snaps toward him, rears his fist back, and sends it flying at the Changeling's head. So unfathomable is his strength that he blasts apart the man's head like a watermelon, showering the people behind him with bits of blood, bone, and brain matter.
Hope watches, silently, as Henry performs these acts. He nods with approval, even directing a small smile Henry's way.
"Hardcore, Henry."
Before the ceremony fully comes to an end, Henry kills another three Changelings, ensuring that not a single one manages to make it out alive and report news of what happened to the Founders.
It will be some time before they come to realize the significance of the events that transpired on this day...

A few days pass. Unbeknownst to humanity, Unarin decisively dispatches some of his 5th and 6th Level Psions to assist Diablo's goals of planetary conquest. At the same time, he also adds in more than a hundred thousand High Technopath Warriors, frontline combatants outfitted with lethal weaponry embedded into every inch of their bodies. These warriors, unlike mindless automatons, fight with biological intuition and the power of technological supremacy. When the Volgrim combine their forces with that of the demons, they multiply Diablo's planetary capture speed severalfold, allowing him to take new worlds in just a few hours, sometimes even only a single hour.
But humanity doesn't know about this, aside from the Wordsmiths using their special spying methods. Rather, they remain fully focused on the planetary migration efforts.
All across Tarus II, more and more humans, demons, and monsters make key decisions about whether they will immigrate or whether they will remain on Tarus II.
Kiari and Saul pause outside the Northern Immigration Center.
"Nah. None of these." Saul says to his fiance. "I like our cabin just fine. It's in a good spot. It's secluded. And most of the demons and monsters are staying on Tarus II anyway, right?"
Kiari rubs her belly. Already, she's begun to develop the tiniest baby bump.
"Yeah. I don't wanna go anywhere, either. Oh, hey, Beelzebub!"
Kiari waves cheerfully to a certain Demon Emperor nearby. Beelzebub casually walks over and waves back.
"You two moving?" Beelzebub asks, sticking his hands in the pockets of his slacks.
"We decided against that." Saul answers. "How about you?"
"I'm staying. Obviously." Beelzebub says with a shrug. "Where else am I gonna go? Pixiv, with the fairies? They only want humans. Maiura? That's not an option. One of those 'secret' places Jason's been yammering about? Humans and monsters only."
"You could live on Hell Harbor. Or Sharmur!" Kiari chirps cutely with her eyes turning upward into crescent moons. "I hear Diablo's had a few Dukes reconstructing Hell Harbor after the Archangel attack."
Beelzebub waves his hand in a flippant manner. "Pass. I'm good with staying here. Besides, whenever I leave Tarus II, I always feel a bit... weaker. It's as if I'm more powerful when I'm here, but I can't deduce why for the life of me."
He taps his chin thoughtfully. "Could just be my imagination. Who knows."
"Well, I'm glad you're sticking around!" Kiari says. "You've had it rough, and you've done bad things, but I feel you're a good guy at heart."
"It's nice someone believes in me." Beelzebub says with a smile. "If anyone comes to cause trouble here, I'll kick 'em out of the star system myself."
"That's the spirit!" Saul laughs.
...
Meanwhile, at the Western Immigration Center, other people also congregate together, pondering where they belong.
"Daddy!" Lily Brown exclaims, stomping her feet. "I don't WANNA!"
"We've stayed here long enough." Benjamin Brown says, gently squeezing his daughter's arm. "Tarus II is in a precarious situation. I don't feel this place is safe. We have to return to Hell Harbor now that the Slithering Spire is finished with its reconstruction efforts."
"You can go if you want." Lily says, crossing her arms and turning away from her father defiantly. "I heard Beli is staying here. That means I am too! Besides, I've made lots of friends with the humans. I don't want to go back to Hell Harbor."
"What you want is not up for debate here, young lady." Benjamin Brown says, his face darkening. "I am your father. You will do as I say."
"No, I won't!" Lily shoots back. "I'm already twenty-four years old, daddy! I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions! Or are you really going to treat me like a little girl for the rest of my life?!"
"That's not what I mean, and you know it!" Benjamin barks back. "Dammit, this is for your own good. Stop chasing that succubus and use your head for once! The First Wordsmith is too lackadaisical to lead this planet to any long-lasting good times. You can't trust his judgment."
"Who said anything about the stupid Wordsmith??" Lily asks, bewildered. "I don't care about him. I've never even met him! I only care about Beli and my friends. No matter what you say, I'm staying here. And that's FINAL."
"You... you!" Benjamin roars. "You're just like your mother!"
"What? Strong and independent?" Lily scoffs. "Don't be mad because she left you, daddy. I'm making my own choices. If you try to force me back to Hell Harbor, I'll just sneak away. And if you lock me in a dungeon, you'll be proving what a piece of work you are!"
"I... I don't even know what to say." Benjamin Brown says, dismayed. "Fine. Alright? You want to pull the mother card, be like that. You can stay here. I need to return to Hell Harbor, though. I have too many things that require my attention."
He pauses. He looks around for a moment, frowning.
"You know, Lily. If... if you're not near me, I can't protect you."
"Protect me? Why would I need your protection?" Lily scoffs. "I'm a nobody. There ain't no demons gunning for me."
"That isn't entirely true..." Benjamin mutters, as his thoughts turn to a certain prison warden. "Look, I had a friend make you this necklace. It has a special savior beacon built into it. If you ever need me, activate it. Daddy will come running, no matter where you are in the galaxy. It has trans-dimensional properties so even if you're 90,000 lightyears away, I should be able to track you down."
Lily crinkles her nose. "Be honest. This is just your way of keeping tabs on me, isn't it?"
Benjamin chuckles. "Not by any means. I want to make sure you're safe, sweetheart. Your brothers and sisters are all grown up, off doing their own thing. You're... the only one I have left. The others haven't spoken to me in ages."
Lily's heart softens as she notices the pained look on Benjamin's face.
"Daddy... daddy, don't cry, okay? It's not- I'll keep the necklace, okay? And I'll call you regularly, maybe even pay a visit to Hell Harbor once in a while. I'm just gonna be... living here for the moment. Staying independent!"
Benjamin sighs. "Alright, baby girl. You keep yourself safe then. Don't ever take that necklace off, alright?"
"I won't, daddy. Bye now!"
...
"Pixiv, is it?" A young man at the Southern Immigration Center asks. "Of course it would be for you, sir. I'm just surprised she's going too."
Lieutenant Samuel Baker glances at the woman standing beside him, Private Ashley Mccarthy. As one of humanity's foremost powerhouses, capable of transforming into an orc at will even without her Power Glove, she has attracted a lot of attention of late, attention she doesn't particularly enjoy.
"I'm hoping the fairies can help me." Ashley says, crossing her arms. "I don't get why I have to transform into a stupid ugly orc. I wanna be able to turn into a cute and dainty fairy, like Lieutenant Baker."
"Hey." Samuel growls at her. "I do NOT look cute and dainty. I look... masculine as hell. Man, if I could trade my crappy fairy transformation with you, I'd be HAPPY to do it."
"Well, even the Wordsmiths can't fix this problem, so I doubt the fairies can." Ashley grouches. "But I've gotta at least try! Plus, I heard there's going to be a special task force assembled when we reach the fairies. Seems they have some sort of mission that will be really beneficial for us. At least that's the word on the grapevine."
"That's what I've heard too." Samuel says. "In any case, who else is coming to Pixiv?"
"Some of the other soldiers." Ashley answers. "Especially ones who've prematurely gained transformations through the Power Glove. I hear the majority of them have signed up for a transfer to Pixiv. The Felorians, too!"
"Even them?" Samuel asks, his eyes shining with surprise. "It seems Pixiv is the destination of choice for magically-enhanced humans. Interesting."
"I hear Mister Yamir is planning to expand his restaurant enterprise to multiple worlds in one go." The young man running the sign-up line says. "He's going to build a restaurant on Sharmur, Hell Harbor, Pixiv, anywhere that will take him. It seems his food is so popular nobody wants to turn him down!"
"That minotaur has some real business acumen." Ashley says, rubbing her chin. "I heard that the goblins have been acting similarly too. They're going to all the different worlds! Seems they don't have any specific attachments to Tarus II."
"So if all these bigshots are going to other worlds, who's staying here?" Samuel asks.
"Lots of allied demons, mostly." Ashley answers. "Plenty of monsters. Not too many humans. There is Miss Hiro, but that much is expected. I heard Hans Wagner is packing up to go to Maiura, actually. His base on Tarus's moon, Kelkin, has been where he does most of his inventing stuff, but it's a pretty inconvenient location. He wants to put his boots on normal planet ground for once."
"General Chadwick is going with Commander Neil to Maiura." The young male recruiter adds. "Oh! And have you heard of the Cybernites? Seems they've been busy helping work on some big tech project alongside Neil's inventors, including Hans Wagner."
"Dang." Samuel mutters. "We're really all splitting up, huh? Everyone's going to different places."
"It's better this way." Ashley says. "Trying to get all these different people to work together was like herding cats. Personally I'm looking forward to seeing how everything shakes out in the end."
"You know what?" Samuel asks. "Me too, Ashley. Me too."
...
Near the Eastern side of the Fortress of Retribution's upper plateau.
At the edge of the city, a notable structure stands tall, a magical privacy field of immense power surrounding it to isolate all the goings-on inside. This building happens to be none other than the Archangel's church, a place where Uriel lives following her bodily transformation back into her original self. Despite still technically possessing the body of a Demon Duke, she now seems identical to her physical form from more than 100,000 years prior to her death during the War in Heaven.
Inside the church, a male human and a pair of female angels stand opposite the four Archangels. Siddhartha Gautama, Cassiel, and Soleil all look at Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel with differing expressions.
"I don't understand." Cassiel says softly. "Why would you want to leave, Raphael?"
The Archangel of Wisdom shakes his head. He looks at the floor with a complicated expression.
"Verily, this decision was not one I wished to make." Raphael says, his words slow and deliberate. "My alliance with the First Wordsmith hath grown tenuous over many a recent day, but not in any recent weeks hath he deigned to speak to me. Meanwhile, my relationship with the Second Wordsmith art still somewhat warm."
"There is no point in our remaining on Tarus II." Michael explains. "We do not wish to reside upon a world primarily populated by monsters and bloodskins. The majority of humanity hath opted to travel to Maiura, and so too shall we go with them."
Gabriel nods. "Humans art our allies. Why stay? Better to migrate where the humans have gone."
Soleil frowns. "That might be true, I suppose. But us having to depart all of a sudden still feels quite abrupt."
"Do not misunderstand." Raphael quickly says. "Cassiel, thou art still the Daughter of Heaven. Thou needeth not walk in our footsteps. T'would be best if Soleil and thee remaineth here while my siblings and I go to Maiura. In this way, we can spread the word of the Creator in two locations at once."
"Oh. I see..." Cassiel says, lowering her eyes. A look of sadness fills her gaze, as well as more than a hint of loneliness. "I... I don't know if I'm strong enough to stay here all by myself."
"Now now," Buddha interjects, "you will not be alone, little one. I'll stay with you, as will Soleil. Additionally, you seem to have made a new acquaintance in that Belial, yes? Perhaps this would be a good time to spread your wings and meet new people."
"Buddha's right!" Soleil says excitedly. "Cass, this is a great chance for you to make lots of new friends!!"
"New friends..." Cassiel says hesitantly. "Y-yes. I suppose... that would be... nice."
Uriel and her brothers exchange a knowing glance. She turns and walks over to Cassiel, squeezing her shoulder lovingly.
"We shalt leave this church to thee, little one. Do with it whatever thou dost desire. It shalt be thy home, and perhaps a meeting place for those who wish to bear witness to thy future rise."
Michael also takes a step forward. "Daughter of Heaven. I consider thyself a sister in spirit, if not in blood. Therefore, what I am about to say, I hope thou doth understand I speak it with only the best of intentions."
He pauses.
"Thou requireth power. Spiritual power. Faith energy. We Archangels cans't truly live well on the energy supplied by that hateful bloodskin, Barbatos, but thy vessel is not the same as ours. As a Lazarite, thou requireth Faith Energy to keep thy spirit burning. I hope thou shalt pursue it in the hopes of elevating thyself to a level where none can oppress thee."
"Thou art the last living hope of our species." Gabriel adds. "We Archangels live on as mere sparks of light, but thou art a burning star with unlimited potential. Please live well in our absence."
Cassiel looks at each of the Archangels in kind. She nods at each one of them, etching their loving words on her heart.
"Very well. Faith Energy. I'll do what I can, brothers, sister. Perhaps, if I have a chance, I'll even come to visit you all on Maiura sometime."
"That would indeed be delightful." Raphael says with a jovial chuckle. "Fare thee well then, little one. We shalt take our leave."
With a nod from each of the four Archangels, they merge back into Uriel's body, and she strides out the church doors, leaving Buddha, Cassiel, and Soleil behind.
As Buddha watches Uriel depart, he narrows his eyes menacingly, but neither of the women notices this subtle action.
Raphael...
...................................
"Everyone. Thank you for coming today." Hope Hiro says, as he stands before a throng of people all gathered together inside a massive church-like building. This facility, erected on the planet of Maiura a good distance away from the main cities and towns, stands alone, isolated within the wilderness. Dense trees and foliage would even be visible through the windows if they weren't made of stained glass, depicting images of numerous ancient Heroes of myth.
The people standing before Hope nod in unison. They say nothing, instead waiting for Hope to continue his speech.
Among these people is Henry Cliff. He looks at Hope with reverence and respect that even borders on unbridled idol worship. In his eyes, Hope Hiro is his savior, his one path back to greatness, a chance he cannot afford to miss.
Without Hope, he is nobody. A civilian who will only ever live in the shadow of better men.
"As of today," Hope continues, "the tallies are in. This is it. Those of you who have signed on to be a part of my Parahuman Corps are the only ones who leaped to such a decision. I am truly grateful for your faith in me."
Hope pauses. His gaze sweeps across not only Henry, but all the people present.
"Before I continue, is it just my imagination or are a good number of you not actually service-members? I seem to be seeing quite a few civilians present."
One man in the front row nods nervously. "Y-yes, Commander Hiro, sir. I'm Mikael. I didn't join the military originally, but when I heard about your Parahuman Corps, it really struck a cord with me. If I can become strong enough to protect myself from demons, that would be amazing!"
Hope frowns. "Your motives aren't exactly pure, Mikael. The power I'm about to bestow upon all of you will indeed strengthen your bodies, but without a foundation of military training, do you truly think you'll be able to accomplish much? Not a chance. Expect to endure some grueling military drills tailored to your enhanced physique before I set you loose in the world of ordinary humans."
He returns his eyes to the others. "That goes for all of you. Yes, you will be able to obtain great strength in the easiest manner possible. But allow me to disabuse you all of the notion that this pathway to easy power will make you as strong as a Demon Emperor, or a Duke, or even a Baron. If you have no combat techniques, then you're just a big strong infant waiting to be executed by any remotely competent opponent! A complete pushover!"
The Wordsmith doesn't mince his words. "Submitting to Jepthath's power is a serious rite of passage. If your hearts are impure, he will reject you! You will have to head out and join the common folks on Maiura, hanging your head in shame and knowing you weren't good enough to join the elites!"
He looks around one last time. "With all that said, are any of you here having second thoughts?!"
"Sir, no sir!" The crowd roars, their collective voices momentarily making Hope's ears ring. He mutters a quick Word of Power under his breath to fix that issue, then he motions with his hand and immediately summons the Dominion Rod into his grasp.
"Here is how this is going to work." Hope says. "I shall manifest the image of Jepthath into reality. Look up to him. Pray to him. Accept him in your heart. When you hear his words in your mind, you will have the option to accept or deny his offer. Those who accept will become Jepthath's Chosen, the Illuminators of the future, Parahumans who tower above their fellow man! But as for those who are unworthy? You will remain with the common rabble."
Seeing decisive looks on everyone's faces, Hope smiles. "Alright then. Let us begin."
He holds up the Shepherd's Staff, and the gem in the center of its upper crook immediately begins to glow a bright white. At that moment, a phantasmal figure materializes in the air, his massive image towering thirty feet high. The top of his head seemingly scrapes the ceiling of the makeshift church, making everyone present gasp in amazement.
"My children." Jepthath says, holding out his hands in a welcoming gesture. He smiles like a kind old grandfather at them. "Hear me now. I am the First Hero. I am the Illuminator. I light the path for those to follow. To those who are attuned to my strength, greater benefits will be available. Perhaps, among you, there may even be a special soul possessing the highest affinity to my power. If so, he may be capable of mimicking my full power without reservation! But, doubtless, there will be those among you lacking in affinity entirely."
He sighs. "That is unfortunate, but it is how things are. Now, pray to me. Reach out with your heart, mind, and soul. Feel the touch of my Light..."
A warm aura spreads out of Jepthath's towering form. It washes across the massed crowd, making many of them feel snug and cozy. They close their eyes and pray earnestly to the Illuminator, sometimes opening their eyes to look up at him as they feel Jepthath's power surge into their bodies.
"I feel it!" One woman cries out. "The strength! The power! Uwaaaa!!"
Her muscles bulge dramatically. Her shirt rips in several places, and her height increases by half a foot. She roars mightily to the heavens as a large fraction of Jepthath's power enters her body and Mind Realm.
"I feel it too!" Another man cries. "Power! Overwhelming! Aaaaahh!!"
He, and many others like him, roar in ecstasy as Jepthath's power begins rapidly bolstering one person after another.
Strangely, Henry Cliff doesn't feel anything at first. But when the power starts to trickle into his bloodstream, a voice speaks in his head.
[There you are, boy. Lord Henry of the Illuminators. I have been expecting you for a while, young one.]
Henry blinks. The world around him slows to a stop as he looks up at Jepthath in shock.
[You... know my name?] Henry asks.
[Indeed I do.] Jepthath says with a smile. [Not long ago, Hope performed a ritual that allowed me to make initial contact with all of humanity. However, my power could not flow through them until they agreed to this ritual. It was then that I felt your strength for the first time. You are more formidable than you believe, my child.]
Henry looks down in shame. [You must be thinking of someone else, Great Illuminator. I am nothing at all. A mere nobody. A sinner.]
[You call yourself a sinner? Silly child. I am friends with the Greatest Sinner.] Jepthath chides gently. [King Arthur committed a crime far worse than you could imagine, yet he is still remembered as a legend. In the future, so too shall you join him among humanity's greats.]
Henry looks up again. [I... will?]
[Your compatibility with my power... is perfect.] Jepthath answers, visibly satisfied. [Look! Your body has not swelled up at all! Unlike the others who balloon in strength because their souls are impure, your willpower is formidable enough to reject the corruption of my nascent soul. It is for this reason that I have decided to name you... My Champion.]
Boom!
A massive detonation of energy explodes inside Henry's body. He staggers in surprise, as instead of great pain, waves of ecstasy flood his vessel. He can't help but release a moan of pleasure as his mind seemingly unlocks its full potential, his muscles pulsate with a strength greater than he ever could have imagined, and his soul condenses into its purest form.
[Power!] Henry exclaims. [I feel it! I feel... so much power!]
"Uaaaaahh!!" Henry roars as he tilts his head up to the ceiling. "I am a mortal no more! I am your champion, Jepthath!"
Hope's eyes sparkle as he looks at the previously ordinary-seeming young man. He looks up at Jepthath, who smiles back at him, answering his unspoken question with a single gaze.
But suddenly, in the midst of this joyous occasion, Jepthath's image changes color from a loving and calm blue to a dangerous shade of red. His eyes narrow as he snaps his gaze around the room.
"WHERE?!" Jepthath roars, his piercing eyes jumping from one human to another. "YOU! It's YOU!!" Jepthath snarls, stabbing a finger toward a random woman in the crowd.
That woman freezes in place, like a deer in the headlights. Hope looks at her. All the other humans do too, everyone turning in unison as they feel a deep, nauseating rejection from her entirety.
"Human... she's not HUMAN!" Henry growls, balling his hands into fists. "She's not one of us! She's a CHANGELING!!"
Panicked, the woman starts to push through the crowd, but in an instant, tens of hands latch onto her from every angle, grabbing her arms, shirt, hair, and neck. They pin her in place while Henry walks through the crowd with eyes full of bloodlust. He grins wickedly and nods his head as he stomps toward the woman.
"Trying to sell us out, you filthy infiltrator?! TOO BAD! This is where your story ends!!"
In an instant, he lunges forward and punches his fist at the woman's stomach.
SPLURT!!
He rams his arm through her gut and blasts her entrails backward, spraying off-colored blood on the Parahumans behind her. The woman's mouth opens reflexively, and she vomits blood, unable to stop herself.
"N-no! Guhuk! Mis-misunderstanding! We- COUGH!!"
"Spare us your pitiful begging." Henry sneers, before sweeping his arm upward, tearing through her body with ease.
RIIIIIP!
A sickening series of snapping bones sounds off in the room like a series of firecrackers. A second later, the woman sags lifelessly in the grasp of those present. They release her, and allow her to collapse into a puddle of blood at her feet.
Just when it seems the madness is over, Henry slowly turns around to look at another person in the crowd behind him.
"Heh heh heh. You stupid bastard. Did you think I missed you, too?"
"Wait!" The man screams. "This isn't what you think! We're just supposed to observe-"
He doesn't get to finish his sentence. Henry snaps toward him, rears his fist back, and sends it flying at the Changeling's head. So unfathomable is his strength that he blasts apart the man's head like a watermelon, showering the people behind him with bits of blood, bone, and brain matter.
Hope watches, silently, as Henry performs these acts. He nods with approval, even directing a small smile Henry's way.
"Hardcore, Henry."
Before the ceremony fully comes to an end, Henry kills another three Changelings, ensuring that not a single one manages to make it out alive and report news of what happened to the Founders.
It will be some time before they come to realize the significance of the events that transpired on this day...

I mean I was warned and banned so many times on Steam for defending trans people. It always come in waves some year absolutely ok and some years banned multiple times. I never used bad word on someone just stated facts or wrote reason why it is troll thread. Its true I sometimes used links how much CIS people parasite and misuse so I understand its okay to ban me if its service for kids and "truth is forbidden for sake of wellbeing" but thing is its not random look on TF2 community, Dota 2 community, other Valve games... Why there are trans heroes in LOL but not in Dota? I am starting to be paranoid to stop using Steam and move on.

I mean I was warned and banned so many times on Steam for defending trans people. It always come in waves some year absolutely ok and some years banned multiple times. I never used bad word on someone just stated facts or wrote reason why it is troll thread. Its true I sometimes used links how much CIS people parasite and misuse so I understand its okay to ban me if its service for kids and "truth is forbidden for sake of wellbeing" but thing is its not random look on TF2 community, Dota 2 community, other Valve games... Why there are trans heroes in LOL but not in Dota? I am starting to be paranoid to stop use Steam and move on.

My steering wheel often creaks like an old wooden ship going over waves when I'm below about 20 mph. It's been getting louder over the months and increases when it rains, car wash or just is humid out. I took it in, they acknowledged the noise but told me " it' a feature of the car". And that I only notice it because the car is quiet. He then pulled another one up and showed me it's steering wheel creaks as well.
Is it true? All of you are driving around with creaking steering and it's just me that finds it annoying?

I took a week off of work and college had started their two-week break before the next semester. I took my chance and cleared my calendar and booked a trip to the town where my grandfather stayed while he was a journalist. The greyhound ride was a good time for me to figure out my approach, while the busy cityscape outside my window slowly faded into Southern African wilderness, nothing but trees and empty kilometers of road before I reached my stop, a homely town that seemed well connected to the rest despite the distance. It had been many years since my grandfather had set foot in this town, yet I could feel his influence. The roads were now cracked and showed their wear, shops and residences had been renovated and upgraded, looking more modern and slightly out of place.
The hotel my grandfather stayed at while on the investigation was now a more comfortable looking lodge, with a view over the rolling foothills of the Drakensberg and the surrounding cities, one of which I could see my home, vaguely. The sun had begun to set and I still needed to get my information from the residents. I unpacked my things after booking my room and set out, like a tourist with a pen and notebook in hand asking anyone what they may know. To no one’s surprise, they mostly looked at me like I was insane or a knock off Leon Schuster trying to get them to react in a funny way. I had almost given up completely until I sat near one of the social areas where they would light a fire and residents at the lodge would sit and relax while watching the sun go down. I was alone there and just sat drawing the distant landscape dreading the silence for the next week while I waited for the next bus to arrive and I’d return home. Two days passed in mainly silence.
That was until a man sat near me, dressed in weathered jeans and an old top with work boots covered in dust and dirt, his face obscured by a large hat covering his face, his hands in his pockets even as he sat but his arms almost looked skeleton like, his long white hair flowing from either side of his hat.
“Can I help you?” I asked, feeling like he was trying to get my attention.
“No, but I can help you. You cause quite a lot of noise, trying to get the people to talk about something that scares them.” He said, his voice didn’t come across as harsh, more like cautious. The first person who decided to talk to me in a casual manner since a couple days ago. He wanted to tell me what I wanted to know.
Without any hesitation I turned to the page I set aside for notes when the man chuckled.
“Something funny?” I asked.
“You’re going to need more pages than that.” He said, flicking his hat up slightly while he sat back and got comfortable.
“Trust me, this is all I need.” I said feeling like I had to tiptoe around the subject as to not let the opportunity slip, but I also felt overwhelmingly anxious, almost like someone else was watching us. I felt my gaze shift every so often over my shoulder trying to find the entity that was staring a hole through me, apart from a quiet street crossing and some pedestrians; nothing.
“Something there?” Asked the man, as I shook off the feeling. I started getting a bit annoyed by the short answers and questions.
“Just feel like-, never mind. If you’re ready to help give me some information, what should I call you?” I asked as the man took a moment.
“Call me ‘Farmhand’. Since it’ll sound better than my real name, you’ll find that out in time.” Said Farmhand as I wrote that down in my notebook and began phrasing the question in my mind as to get the proper answer. Furiously tapping my pen on the page.
“Just ask, I already know what you want to know.” He said, I looked up from the page, slightly irritated by the confidence.
“How can you be so sure, Farmhand?” I blurted.
“You aren’t the first person to go on this goose chase. The Lady in White is very particular in her targets.” Farmhand explained, I wrote down everything.
“What’s her story, like the true story; why does she haunt this stretch of road?” I asked. Farmhand chuckled.
“She doesn’t haunt, she’s simply looking for a lift.” He said in the distinct Afrikaans twang that so many white South Africans have, it’s by no means ominous, more of a conversation encouragement than anything else.
“A lift? To where?” I asked. I heard so many different types of tales, from her being hostile to men, a companion to young women and a bit of both to younger males. But the main part that stayed the same was that they were alone.
“Her matric dance, my seun.” Farmhand said, the only other person to call me ‘Seun’ was my dad, the Afrikaans for son.
“What exactly happened?” I asked, pen at the ready.
“The legend goes far back, but the main story that my pa always told me was that she was with her boyfriend in the car, they went along this road and broke down; one of the worst places to break down since around eight is when the busses shut down and the last train has departed from the station. She chose to try down the street, bearing in mind how dangerous that is these days, it was a little bit less so then.” Farmhand said as he took off his hat, keeping his gaze at the setting sun.
“How much less dangerous?” I asked.
“Snakes, though the venomous Boomslang doesn’t go out of its way to kill you, no Black Mamba’s live up here. No, we have jackals and caracals, they hunt in packs and pick you off in the dead of night.” Farmhand explained.
“Is that how it happened, how she died?” Farmhand chuckled lightly.
“Nope, she saw a car in the distance and flagged them down, asked them to help take her to town or help her boyfriend. The man took her up the road and when they started to approach where she had broken down, the boyfriend tried flagging them down. Her joy turned to terror as the stranger sped up and before the boyfriend knew it, the car had hit him. The last she saw of him was him tumbling down the hill among the trees.” Farmhand said. Placing his hat on his chest, closing his eyes and bowing his head. After a short silence, I asked:
“What happened next?”
“Well, the girl was hysterical, the car was still speeding up and she yelled at the man to stop, and kept pleading for him to let her go. Eventually the man had stopped, the girl got out and started calling to the boyfriend to see if he had somehow survived, as she did, the stranger hit her on the back of her head and had his way with her.” Farmhand said, provoking a sour taste in my mouth, a sheer sense of guilt welled up in my stomach.
“Now I understand why no one was willing to tell me the story.” I said, slightly defeated. The man put a hand on my knee like my grandfather used to and looked me in the eye. For the first time I noticed his wrinkled but kind face, he smiled.
“It’s not a story everyone can stomach. Come, let’s finish this so you can write your story.” Farmhand said as he sat back on the couch, a thought struck me; was I so obvious that he knew I was a journalist writing a story? Because I don’t remember ever disclosing the fact I was a journalist. Regardless, we continued.
“After the stranger- did the act, what happened?” I asked uneasily, feeling sick to my stomach.
“He put her in his car, and drove back to the spot where they broke down, but a half a kilometer away she woke up and he pushed her out of the car at high speed. She should’ve died there, but she crawled, half her body scratched, scraped and broken. She died slowly and alone. Before she died she heard her boyfriend calling for her.” Farmhand continued.
“Did he ever find her?”
There was silence, even the birds had stopped chirping and the street had gone quiet.
“No, I don’t believe he did. Whether or not he died looking is another story, but that’s not what you’re here for.” The Farmer said as he stood up, placed his hat on his head and began to walk off, before he passed me, he put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it.
“Promise me one thing; be careful. Can you do that for me, Alex?” Farmhand said before he patted me on the shoulder and walked off without waiting for my answer. I turned to confront him but he was gone, it couldn’t have been more than a second, but it was like he vanished into thin air. I was left confused and bewildered. The notes were real, the pen marks solid and clear. The events I was informed of felt vivid, yet the silence that fell around me felt otherworldly. I was feeling lost and exhausted before, now I was more awake than I had ever been.
Around eight that night, the sun had set and the mountain had cast a chilling shadow over the down I stayed, sleet had been reported near us and snow on the mountain. If I was going to get the answer I so desperately wanted, I was going to have to earn it. I walked to my car, steam cascading from my nostrils as the cold air turned frigid with even the slightest of breezes. I got in my car and drove to the first rest point along the mountain to gather some supplies: Some water and snacks, a couple of pre-charged battery packs for my recorder as I don’t want to stop every fifteen to twenty minutes to write down my experience. This would also prove if I was going insane or not, when asked by a couple of the staff at the store, I told them my intentions and they sounded interested for the first time. When I left I tested the packs and sure enough; fully charged and my recorder was clean and ready to be used.
I approached the entrance to the mountain pass that had been the setting for this ghost story that has latched on to me since childhood. No street lamps, no signs, yet the road itself was painted brightly and every so often a glowing marker was placed to ensure you knew when to turn and when to slow down. The threshold felt like a portal, the point where light didn’t reach and would not pass, even down to the road, where it was light, it looked traveled on, occupied and used; the mountain pass looked pristine; almost as if it hadn’t been touched for decades. As I looked beyond the pass, far below what was called the foothills of the Drakensberg, a large highway was built, the lights from the cars, the lamps and signs glowed for kilometers in the distance. After delaying for twenty minutes, I turned my car on, flicked on the high-beams and began my journey.
Every few minutes I would check my recorder, to make sure it was on and still functioning, it lay on the passenger seat in plain view, I could see some bright lights giving me the information if the screen was somehow obscured. It was a long while before anything happened. Maybe it was paranoia, maybe it was anxiety, whatever it was wouldn’t stop me from exploring this legend. Worst thing that could happen is I travel sixty kilometers and nothing happens and it turns out my grandfather was just trying to scare me. I turned again after a lengthy passage of time and I got my answer.
I don’t remember stopping, I don’t even think I saw anyone on the side of the road, maybe it was while I was looking at my recorder, but I felt a cold presence behind me.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Asked a voice, a quiet but feminine voice. A chill erupted throughout my body; a violent sense of panic coursed through my mind because I knew where the sound came from. It came from behind me. My hands began to shake but I dared not take my hands away from the wheel.
“Do you?” It asked again. The answer got caught in my throat, I found myself unable to speak.
“No, not really.” I managed though my voice felt hoarse.
“You seem to know what you want.” The voice said again, it sounded curious. I stayed silent, the road twisted and wound around the mountain in a chaotic and frantic fashion.
“Are you scared?” She asked again, the voice coming from next to me. I turned to look but a cold hand kept my eyes glued to the road.
“Keep your eyes on the road, enough people have died here.” She said, as my nerves calmed slightly.
“Who are you?” I asked, my eyes focused and the world around me much less than an echo.
“Why do you want to know?” She asked, sounding more like she was in a void, her voice had more of an echo than anything else.
“I want to know what happened here. The true story.” I said after taking a breath and gathering my nerves, the road seemed to calm down, from sharp uphill turns to moonlight sweeping curves that allowed my gaze to rest as the shadow of the trees passed us by.
“Can I trust you?” She asked, the question rang through my head as I remember what Farmhand said, how she trusted a stranger who took advantage of her.
“Yes. Yes you can.” I said after a while. The figure turned to me; I could feel her eyes scrutinize every inch of me.
“You’re not like him?” Her questions kept hammering into me, I felt a mix of fear and guilt, knowing who she was referring to.
“I won’t hurt you. I want to help.” I said after a while, gathering a fragile sense of courage as my hands shook furiously. The road seemed to twist and turn, harsh rising hills. Sharp corners told the tale of her many victims as my headlights passed by, the scrapes and dents of hard hits leading to a drop that seemed to have no end, not a single tree could be seen and the moonlight from high above could not pierce the dark veil that lingered joust over the edge of the road. After a while, she spoke again.
“Alright, I trust you.” She said as I allowed my eyes to wander, the figure relaxed in the passenger seat for a while, my recorder on the center console as I saw her blue skin, almost emitting a frozen chill as I saw her dress, torn and tattered, my stomach felt uneasy when I saw bruising and swelling near her inner thighs. Her hands crossed in her lap as I saw the scratches and what looked like deep cuts on her arms and exposed shoulders from the straps on her dress. I could not see much of her face as it seemed her face was bleeding.
“What happened that night?” I asked, concentrating on the road again. My passenger stayed quiet for a while, quietly shuddering and sniffing before she spoke again.
“I was happy, a man I loved decided I would be his date for the matric dance. We’d known each other since we were children. My best friend. We were driving along this road to get to the lodge, where the dance was being held.” Her voice sounded sourly-joyful, her hands didn’t move from her lap much, so as to not distract me with her hand movements.
“It was a while before town, the car started shaking. I thought the tire had blown, but smoke came from the front. We stopped nearby.” She pointed and I could see the flashing of hazard lights and the smell of smoke invaded my nostrils.
“I thought I’d get some help, he said he’d be fine and that I should hurry back. I walked for a while; it was a cold night still. I walked for, I don’t know how long. But I managed to get an old man to stop. He said he’d help; we just need to get my man and he’d sort out the car.” She said as the road began to crack and fall apart at the edge.
“Do you know what he did?” She asked me, I assumed it was a test to see if I was listening.
“He deceived you.” I answered. She nodded, looking down for a short while before continuing.
“He asked why I was alone on this road. I told him I wasn’t, that I was on my way to town with my man, and I told him about who he was, what he meant to me. I was overjoyed when I saw him, my joy turned to confusion, to horror as he sped up and ran him over. I saw his body roll into the trees, I thought for sure he was dead.” She pointed to the part of the road that had a piece of cloth swaying in the breeze, marking where her man was hit and last seen by her.
“After I witnessed my childhood innocence be ripped from me, he finally stopped, that butcher! I blacked out with a sharp pain, when next I woke, I couldn't feel my legs and my fingers were numb. Just before I said anything, he pushed me out of his car. I remember falling, the road was like ice, all I could do was crawl.” She said, her anger translating to the road shifting and breaking apart, turning violently uphill only for the sheer drops and sharp turns that threatened to throw me off the edge. I barely managed to keep the car on the road as the road shifted again, it was so silent that I could hear the tires screeching like a distant wail.
“I’ve searched for years, if he’d ever return, I’d make sure he never left like he left me.” She said as the note my grandfather left in his books, the man who was panicked and sketchy, had his autopsy reveal that he was of the elderly group. I felt a slight pang of guilt as I realized that the man who did this to her was probably dead for a while. I weathered her storm of rage as the stretch of road became calm, as did she.
“I’m sorry you suffered like that; I wish there was something I could do.” I said unconsciously. I felt her gaze soften to me; her rage calmed as she went back to her neutral position.
“He was called ‘Farmhand. Because he was trustworthy, kind and reliable..” My eyes widened as the realization crashed on my face: He lived.
“If you aren’t like how he was, then you don’t deserve to leave this road.” Her voice was harsh, the road began to fall apart, the cracks forming as parts fell away like they had been falling apart for years, though my body was fatigued, I kept the car on the road. As uncomfortable as the ride was, the road soon turned into dirt paths, completely unlit and unpredictable. It felt like hours before it returned to normal, albeit slowly, my hands still shook relentlessly. I understood her outrage. I couldn’t imagine the trauma she experienced, the sadness.
“If you would like, I can take you back to town.” I asked. In retrospect, that was a stupid question.
“I don’t know.” She replied, unsure and confused.
“No rush, we have time.” I said as I turned around and began my long drive back to town. The road swerved and waved calmly, completely different to the approach. I drove to the point where The Lady in White was last seen, after a while I parked my car near the spot and looked to my side. The woman wasn’t there. I looked at my watch and my recorder. The sun had begun to rise over the hills, the air was crisp and fresh, I stayed for a while to just take in the sight of a calm morning before turning my recorder off and driving back.
I returned to my hotel room and after placing everything on the desk, I fell onto my bed and fell asleep, my body was exhausted and my mind was fatigued beyond words. I fell into a dreamless sleep and woke up in the afternoon. Having something to eat I went over the events from last night, pen and paper at the ready, I prepared to hear myself talking to nothing and no one. The doubt set in before I even hit the play button, after a while of convincing myself that I have some concrete evidence, I pressed play. To my surprise, it sounded like there were two people in the car, me and a woman, although the woman’s voice was covered by static. I wrote down all I could, that is what you’re reading.
The next couple of days went by and nothing special happened, I kept to myself most of the time. While analyzing everything I captured. It all seemed like a dream, an incredibly vivid dream. The last note I made during this investigation was: if something like that exists here, surely more stories remain in this part of the world. As the trees faded into the distance as the bus trundled along the trail back, the forest retreating as I returned back to the concrete and steel, it wasn’t long before the questions I had before, followed me home.

If you haven't already guessed, true events led me to ask this question. So basically I had my first experience of being "watched". I was on the train yesterday and I was sitting right opposite this older man (maybe 70ish idk) who made me feel uncomfortable. When I got on the train, I sat down in my seat and briefly looked over at him. He waved at me and I awkwardly smiled back. When I turned my head, I could still see that he was looking at me and I turned back and he waved again. I gave a little wave in hopes that he would stop. Along the journey, I could tell that he was still looking at me every now and again so I just kept looking at my phone. When I eventually got near my stop, he started repeating the name of the station and I thought "ofc he's getting off at my stop". Well before the train got near, I got up and started walking away. I was wearing headphones but I could hear him shouting at me. He was saying "Why aren't you saying goodbye???". I didn't owe him anything. I was getting embarrassed so I just walked to the next carriage in hopes that he wouldn't follow me. Ofc the door at the other end of the carriage wasn't working so I had to head back. I hid behind the bathroom hoping he wouldn't see me and when I went to get off, I couldn't see him and got tf out of there.
Another note I want to add is that I wasn't trying to draw any attention to myself. I was dressed plainly and was wearing no makeup.
Ok so this post is really just me asking for advice.