I recently got gifted a new pair of Audioengine A2+ speakers. This is so far my most expensive speakers and I do not have any experience in this field so I would like to ask your opinion about the following issue.
I really enjoy their sound but when nothing is playing I can hear some quiet static noise coming from the speakers. It is hard to notice it during the day because there is always some noise (mostly cars) coming from the street. But it gets more prominent in the evening when less noise is happening.
I googled and read various posts from audio specific forums and even here on Reddit but the suggestions are all over the place. Some say this is normal, some say it is because Audioengine uses cheap components or that it is defective or something is interfering with them. I am still in the return period so now I am debating if I should send it back or not. I will also attach a link to a video showcasing the noise.
I tried the minijack and bluetooth inputs, plugged into various different sockets around the house but the noise persisted. Also it seems like it volume knob does not effect the intensity because to me it seems like it is the same on low and high volume levels.
I planned to use these as always on speakers but right now I am turning these off in the evening because it is a tad annoying to hear this constant quiet noise. I am sitting approximately 80cm far from them.
Thank you in advance for any advice you are giving to me.

Since 1900, the DNC has been hosted in: Kansas City, St. Louis, Denver, Baltimore, San Francisco, New York City, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Miami Beach, Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, and Milwaukee (repeats excluded)
Since 1900, the RNC has been hosted in: Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland, Kansas City, San Francisco, Miami Beach, Detroit, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, San Diego, New York City, Saint Paul, Tampa, and Charlotte (repeats excluded)
IMO, Nashville, Phoenix, and San Antonio would all be good options for both major parties.

If this country is truly about to fall off a cliff in the next decade, at least we have a few HBO shows that track the post-9/11 collapse.
The Sopranos shows the decline of America through the eyes of a mob family in suburbia.
The Wire shows the decline of America through the eyes of a city, and all the intersections of institutions, politics, social life, media, unions, public schooling, and organized crime.
And now Succession shows the decline of America through a media family, and how the emptiness of these people spiral into real life consequences of politics and our access to information and entertainment.
A scene that portrayed this well in the finale was Karl and Frank joking they should have killed Tom in the cradle, acknowledging their part in helping coronating this new empty suit by not speaking up and underestimating him. It reminds me of Tony’s disappointment with the decay of the mob code and feeling like the older generation was much more impressive, the generation below are clowns, and he is the fulcrum point allowing this downward trend. In The Wire this idea is expressed through Marlo’s savage, undignified tactics on the streets. The old heads who came up with Avon look on with shame and disappointment as the game they helped build descends into chaos without a true street code. And a law enforcement arm who cares about statistics than quality policing of neighborhoods.
Logan was the toxic engineer of Waystar, allowing horrible behavior to happen behind the scenes. Yet you can’t help but feel that despite all his flaws, the next iteration of the company will not be as strong. A foreign billionaire keen on breaking down the company for parts installs a “clumsy interloper” to be his pain sponge and sadistic lapdog while trying to bang his wife. Somehow, the company is left in an even more fraught, toxic place than it was with Logan, who seems like a pillar of business competence at times in this final season compared to the state of the company now. The election results are a mere afterthought to the egos of these people. The future is not bright. Logan already determined his kids weren’t up for the challenge, but he did think the Matsson had something. Turns out he likes sending blood bricks to employees — essentially a modernized cruise ship scandal. Whatever tornado of abuse Logan brought to the story will now be filled by Matsson, and the cycle continues.

Looking for recs for a wedding photographer based in New Orleans! Our budget isnt anything crazy. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. Wedding will be funky, informal, outdoors, crawfish boil, etc.- so looking for someone who would be a good fit for this kind of vibe. Thanks in advanced!

Hello! I've read that the 7/4 Fireworks are incredible, and I am curious if any hotels have river facing balconies? I want my family (w/ very young children) to enjoy the views, safely from our hotel room. I have seen the Four Seasons and the Hilton, but I would like to know if there are any river facing balconies? It seems when searching for New Orleans balconies, the only available are street facing for Mardi Gras. Thank you for any suggestions!

Lore

When he first came to the mortal world, he had no form, and was nothing more than a mass of flesh; he hid himself away from the humans and burrowed deep underground beneath Noxus.
As time passed, he began to feel his hunger grow more insatiable and he was eventually forced to crawl out from underground to feed, slinking through the darkness and shadows to fight the perfect prey.
During the dark of the night he found a lone man exit a tavern and begin staggering his way home down the empty streets, and something about him made the demon's hunger go wild; when he stopped to relieve himself in an empty ally way he snuck up behind him and quickly enveloped him, wrapping his formless body around him and devouring him.
With the man's body added to his own he began to go through a sort of metamorphosis, his body began to gain form; long and gaunt legs and arms, a body that malnourished, and a head with a face that looked eerily like that of the man he consumed, but with the harrowing lack of eyes and nose.
Before he could become accustomed to his new form he smelt something from across the city, a scent similar to his first victim; he followed it and was eventually lead to another man, a soldier that was still dressed in his armor.
He didn't sneak up on him this time, and instead approached him with confidence as his hunger began to grow again; the guard spotted him, and horrified by his appearance he drew his sword and pointed it at him, demanding him to stay back.
Psevdis quietly laughed, and out of what felt like instinct he began to sing a deep harrowing melody, and for some unknown reason, the man lowered and sheathed his sword, as if he had just forgot about him.
When he was close enough, he stopped singing and the guard turned to him, screaming loudly in sheer horror for a mere moment before Psevdis opened his mouth, his neck extending above the soldier, and bit down on him, crushing and breaking through his collarbone as he tore off his head and neck, devouring it before quickly consuming the rest of his body.
When he finished, he went through another metamorphosis as his body grew larger and a second head and neck grew in place of his right arm; as he examined his new form another man came from around the corner, dressed in a black cloak and wielding a lantern who's light shown with him just out of it's reach.
He called out, demanding to know who was there, and claiming he was armed and unafraid, and with that, Psevdis' hunger flared up again and he finally discovered what it was that brought it upon him; the lies and deceit of others.
He started singing his harrowing song again as he approached the man, stopping when he was close enough and quickly devoured him as well, sprouting a third head in place of his left arm; he took the cloak the man was once wearing and dressed himself with it so he could hide in plain sight and wonder the world, sniffing out and hunting down the Liars of Runeterra so he could feed upon them without needing to wait for them to come to him.

Stats

Fighter / Assassin

• Health: 590 - 2120 ^{+90 P/L}
  
• Mana: 360 - 1210 ^{+50 P/L}
  
• Attack Damage: 63 - 131 ^{+4 P/L}
  
• Movement Speed: 350 UpS
  
• Attack Speed: 0.686 - 1.00 ^{+2.75% P/L}
  
• Health Regen: 5 - 39 ^{+2 P/L}
  
• Mana Regen: 10 - 44 ^{+2 P/L}
  
• Armor: 40 - 74 ^{+2 P/L}
  
• Magic Resist: 35 - 56.25 ^{+1.25 P/L}
  
• Attack Type: Melee
  
• Attack Range: 250 Units
  

Abilities

P Flesh to Flesh

When ever Psevdis executes an enemy champion he'll devour them and add their flesh to his own, increasing his size by 5% and his attack range by 10 units as well as heal himself for 5% - 15% (+0.002% Bonus Health) of their Maximum Health

• Every 5 kills causes him to sprout an additional head, allowing him to cast Harrow Maw and Unending Reach an additional time within 5 seconds before the ability goes on Cool Down

Killing Large Minions and Large and Small monsters restores 1% (+0.0002% Bonus Health) of Psevdis Maximum Health while Epic Monsters Restore 5% (+0.002% Bonus Health) of his Maximum Health

• Health Restored (Champion): 5% Target Maximum Health (+5% at levels 7 / 13)

Q Harrowed Maw

Passive
If Harrowed Maw kills an enemy champion while not holding a Minion or Neutral Monster, Psevdis will devour them, permanently increasing his AD by 1% and increasing the ranges of Harrowed Maw and Unending Reach by 50 Units
Active
Psevdis extends his arm forwards from beneath his cloak, revealing the disfigured head at the end of it as he strikes enemies in front of him

• If he strikes an enemy Minion or Small Monster he'll devour it, holding it in the mouth of the head for up to 8 seconds
  
• • If he strikes an enemy with Harrowed Maw while holding a Minion or monster, he'll deal 50 - 150 (+80% AD) Physical Damage, knock them back 200 units and stun them for 0.5 Seconds
• • When he reals his arm back he can recast Harrowed Maws to throw the Minion or Monster in a straight line, dealing 75 - 275 (+110% Bonus AD) Physical Damage to the first Enemy Champion and all non-champion enemies it hits
• If he strikes an enemy Champion without hitting a Minion or Small Monster, he'll bite them, dealing 100 - 300 (+90% AD) Physical Damage
  

Thrown Minions and Monsters can not pass through Terrain

• Cast Time: 0.5 Seconds
  
• Cast Duration (Arm): 1.25 Seconds
  
• Projectile Range (Arm): 800 / 150 Units
  
• Projectile Speed (Arm): 700 UpS
  
• Projectile Range (Minion / Monster): 700 / 150 Units
  
• Project Speed (Minion / monster): 1000 UpS
  
• Cost: 60 Mana (+10 P/R)
  
• Cool Down: 15 Seconds
  
• Physical Damage (Strike): 50 (+25 P/R)
  
• Physical Damage (Bite): 100 (+50 P/R)
  
• Physical Damage (Throw): 75 (+50 P/R)
  

W Unending Reach

Psevdis raises his two heads and slams them down, striking enemies in front of him dealing 25 - 125 (+90% AD) Physical Damage

• For the next 8 seconds afterwards his Basic Attacks will gain an additional 200 Units of Attack Range and will strike a second time as well as an additional time for each head he's gained from Flesh to Flesh, he'll also gain 20% Bonus Attack Speed which stacks every time he uses Unending Reach

His additional attacks against Minions and jungle monsters instead deals 100% of his AD as Physical Damage

• Cast Time: 0.75 Seconds
  
• Effect Range: 400 / 150 Units
  
• Cost: 70 Mana
  
• Cool Down: 15 Seconds
  
• Physical Damage: 25 (+25 P/R)
  
• Second Attack Damage Scaling: 20% AD (+10% P/R)
  

E Forget Me Not

Psevdis begins singing a harrowing melody that alters the minds of enemies that hear it

• While singing, enemies will forget about him, causing him to become invisible and untargetable to them while they're facing away

If Psevdis casts another ability, his ultimate, or if he Basic Attacks while Forget Me Not is active, he'll pause its effects, becoming visible to enemies that aren't facing him for 2 seconds
Pesvdis can not be seen by wards of any type while Forget Me Not is Active

• Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
  
• Effect Range: 600 Units (+100 P/R)
  
• Cost: 5% Maximum Mana P/Second (-1% P/R)
  

R As above, So Below

Psevdis digs his arms into the ground and extends them to a targeted location over 2 seconds, once they arrive they burst forth, knocking up enemies they strike for 1.25 seconds and dealing 150 - 450 (+80% AD) Physical Damage

• Afterwards, he'll grab hold of every enemy he knocked up and drag them under, removing them from the map for 1 second as he brings them back to himself

The location that Psevdis' arms will emerge from becomes visible to enemies 1 second before they fully emerge

• Cast Time: 1.5 Seconds
  
• Cast Duration: 5.75 Seconds
  
• Cast Range: 800 Units
  
• Effect Radius: 175 Units
  
• Cost: 100 Mana
  
• Cool Down: 160 Seconds (-35 P/R)
  
• Physical Damage: 150 (+150 P/R)
  

I had a full time remote job and was only making 44k and was struggling to make ends meet, especially when I found out I owed taxes in April. My manipulative mom who is very mentally ill kept offering to give and loan me money but was then angrily demanding immediate favors and errands during my work hours. I was really stressed so I kind of frantically started applying for part time and full time jobs.
I heard back from part time jobs first and took a job for a cashier at the grocery store across the street. They hired me over the phone and I went in for orientation, she said she would call me in a day or two but I didn’t hear back from her for a week until I called her.
She thought this would be my new full time job and that I was not working at all but didn’t seem in a hurry to give me hours. In the meantime I interviewed and received a new full time job working in office. Then I got my schedule for the grocery store after a couple training shifts and I was scheduled to work Thursday through Sunday while I was still working my remote job and starting my new office job that Monday. I hadn’t gotten any of my clothes shopping for the new job yet, they are really strict business professional and I didn’t have anything.
I was really stressed and worked the grocery store Thursday after my remote job, Friday after my remote job, then Saturday and Sunday and went in to the new office job feeling a bit unprepared Monday. I had a horrible headache after my first day of the new job and went home to sleep since I barely slept the night before. Tuesday after my new job I ran around to several stores (3) getting clothes. Wednesday I was supposed to work at the the grocery store after work, but my house was turned upside down and I was so behind on chores and I forgot my phone at home all day. I get off at 4:30 and was supposed to be at the grocery store at 5 but I was so tired I just went home and didn’t go. I was also supposed to go there Friday and I didn’t go either. I had a birthday party after work for a niece Thursday and plans with my boyfriend I hadn’t seen in two weeks Saturday and Sunday and also I hadn’t been able to do my dishes or clean the litter box or do laundry and the house was a wreck, it stunk.
I am an idiot and really over scheduled myself. I feel awful for not showing up at the grocery store. I really don’t want the job… I feel ashamed because my family and boyfriend knew I started the grocery store job. And they’re going to ask about it.
I’m sure I’m fired since I didn’t show up for 2 shifts. I really think it was too much because I was supposed to work 5-10 after work and then go into the office the next morning and I knew I wouldn’t have slept enough and would have been emotionally and mentally exhausted because I already am exhausted with learning a whole new office job.
Also, this store I found out is more dangerous than I thought, a manager recently got her car stolen, during my 5 shifts there there’s been a couple of thefts, and also the store next door gets robbed a lot, once on a shift my coworkers were shouting about someone stealing a big armful of clothes and running out the door, and also one of the managers there is really u hinged, calling a worker the B word, and yelling a lot in an unhinged way and getting super angry. It just seemed like not a good place to work.
What should I do? I’m feeling really guilty. I’ve never not showed up to a job before. I’m really ashamed of myself.
TLDR: I got a new part time grocery store cashier job in the midst of starting a new full time office job, and got overwhelmed and didn’t show up the last two shifts for the grocery store job. I feel really guilty and ashamed. What should I do?

Today I went to see a car I'm thinking of buying, so I see the car and test drive it, the salesman tells me to turn it off and to take the keys so I can give it to him. As I go to do this he left to find me a new battery for the car, I put them in my pocket and head to the office. We talk shop for 15 minutes and settle on a price we both agree on. He offers me a ride to the nearest train station. AFTER I get back home I'm emptying my pockets and I see the car key, initiate panic, self hate, self blame Mode. Here in Germany he could easily call the police because we last left the car in the street and he could even report them as stolen. luckily he was quite nice and told me that he has spare keys so all is good now.

Read Chapter 25 Here: https://www.reddit.com/saw/comments/13kih9q/legacy_from_the_book_of_saw_chapter_25_the_final/
____________________________________________________
*** CHAPTER 26 **\*
Traveling to the warehouse, Logan felt relieved knowing Melissa was in good hands, but his momentary comfort was quickly replaced with apprehension when he arrived at Hoffman’s lair. Checking his surroundings, Logan was unfamiliar with this place, despite living here for over a decade. Stopping the car, he tilted the visor down and looked at the photo of his wife.
Through the security camera positioned outside, Hoffman watched Logan enter the parking lot and smiled. He grabbed the bottle of chloroform that sat next to the aqua green box and a cloth from the table, then switched on the furnace. Walking towards the entrance, he turned off all the lights except the one shining on Elanor, who sat unconscious beneath the aluminum dispenser.
Walking towards the entrance, Logan removed a tactical knife from his pocket and held it surreptitiously. Finding the door unlocked, he breached the doorway and stepped into the building, his chest full of anxiety. Logan shuffled through the inoperable machines, boxes, and various tools until he found Elanor under the strobe light. On the floor, he noticed the chrome pool of aluminum that had dried and discovered the dispenser above her. Quickly pulling the chair out of reach, he removed the gag from her mouth just as the liquid started to pour.
Slipping out of the darkness, Hoffman watched as Logan attempted to cut through the ropes that bound Elanor, and while he was distracted, Hoffman slammed the grip of his gun into the back of Logan’s head with traumatic force. Falling to the floor, rattled and disoriented, Hoffman used this moment to render him unconscious with a considerable dose of chloroform.
***
Seth’s body is brought to the triage center, where the on-call doctors get to work. They extract the bullet from his neck and clean the wound. Then, fill several vials with his coagulating blood and immediately begin several tests. It doesn’t take long for them to find something unusual in his blood. The pathologist examines the results and calls the precinct.
Waiting to hear from Agent Kullen, Lincoln left a message for Autumn and contacted the patrol unit, which was watching over her. They spoke briefly and assured him she would be brought to the station as soon as possible.
With her safety guaranteed, he reached out to the crew sent to Gavin Beck’s residence. They informed him that an officer was found in the garage with his arms, legs, and mouth wrapped in duct tape, but he was still alive, suffering from a major contusion on his head. He was currently being transported to the hospital for evaluation.
Fixing his posture, Lincoln loosened the cilice, providing a moment of comfort, and sank into his chair. Through the window, he caught another glimpse of the remaining survivors. Obstructing his view and thoughts, Marlow entered his office.
“Linc,” he says, “I’ve been in touch with Agent Webb. She’s in recovery and would like updates on the case. Additionally, I’ve been in contact with Dr. Steward’s wife and son. They’re both okay. Presumably an empty threat. The same for Renee’s family.”
Lincoln squints his eyes, contemplating, and suggests, “They didn’t fit the code.”
Marlow shrugs and is about to speak when a call comes through, “Detective,” the pathologist says, “Please come to the triage center at once. There’s something you should see.”
Taking his jacket from the chair, they leave the room hastily and head next door, cutting a path through the other corpses, beelining for Seth’s cadaver. The site of the body hits Lincoln in the gut. They shared a long history, and this wasn’t how he imagined their friendship would end. Saddened by the loss, Lincoln backed away and placed his hands in his pockets.
Inside, he found the last canister of Nitrous Oxide, which he had forgotten about. Already inserted into the cracker, it was taunting him. With the pain of losing another friend, Lincoln’s urge to use was returning, and he felt he would never escape its grasp. Checking for an exit, Lincoln was about to give in to his compulsion when he caught sight of the pathologist using a centrifuge.
Detailing her findings into a computer, she greets Lincoln, “Thank you for coming.”
“What did you find?”
Moving around the device, she grabs a portfolio and takes a blood-filled vial from the rack. She hands the vial to Lincoln and says, “When we ran the first test, I found Seth’s blood was contaminated with some sort of bacteria.”
Holding up the vial and looking closely, “Agent Kullen said he was sick….” Lincoln explains.
Her expression is one of doubt, “I checked that too, but these cells reacted differently than a common cold. It’s microbial.”
Turning a page in the portfolio, she removes another vial from the rack that is filled with green fluid.
“Do you recognize this?” She asks.
Swapping vials, Lincoln shakes the cylinder and watches the fluid splash against the walls.
The pathologist elaborates, “It was confiscated from Dr. Gordon’s apartment.”
“So?”
“Well, Detective, my theory is that poison not dissimilar to this was injected into Seth’s body. I’m certain we will find an entry point with a little more time.”
Handing the vial back to the pathologist, Lincoln displays concern.
He says, “Have Logan assist you with the autopsy. Find the entry point and get back to me.”
Confusion drapes the pathologist, “Logan isn’t here, Detective. I thought you knew that.”
“Fine, get Elanor on it immediately.”
“I’m sorry, Lincoln, but she’s not here either.”
Marlow looks worried, and Lincoln says, “What are you talking about?”
“The on-call Doctors are here because Logan and Elanor never came in. I assumed they requested a break….”
Lincoln pushes past the physician, and Marlow tries to keep up. “Get a unit to Logan and Elanor’s addresses.” He says, “If you can’t get in touch with anyone, I want an APB out within the hour.”
“Chief Savino?”
“My orders, just do it.”
They enter the precinct, and Lincoln breaks off from Marlow, heading to his office while Marlow requests the attention of the other officers. Perched in the seats, eyes fixed, they await instructions. He explains, “Two of our colleagues are missing, Logan Nelson and Elanor Bonneville. Logan was last seen leaving the precinct between 7 pm and 8 pm last night. We must track them down as soon as possible.”
Listening to Marlow in the distance, Lincoln paces his office, trying to call Autumn. He leaves another message and fidgets with the Nitrous Oxide in his pocket. Needing a distraction, he contacts Agent Kullen.
**\*
Outside the Convention Center, Agent Kullen acquired an identical parking slip to the one they procured from Seth. He stood beside his vehicle, surveying the surroundings, taking mental notes of the area, including the security cameras and the construction site for the museum across the street then headed inside.
At the front desk, he finds two staff members and security personnel. Flashing his badge, he requests to see the surveillance footage taken from the last forty-eight hours. They informed him that a power outage corrupted the data, and the footage was essentially erased. Incensed by the revelation, Kullen shows them a picture of Seth Steward and asks if they’ve seen him on the property. The security guard holds the photo close to his face and recognizes the man. He saw him the night before, smoking in the parking lot, but he never entered the building.
Kullen’s stomach churned, and his hand twitched as he exited the convention center. Retrieving his medication from the car, Kullen consumed two pills and evaluated his surroundings once more. Walking towards the street, he looked up and down the road diligently.
Near the shoulder, across the street, he saw something glistening off the sun. About to head over, a call rang through his cell, “Kullen,” he said, still curious about the object.
“It’s me.”
Hearing the Detective's unsettled tone, Agent Kullen asks, “Lincoln, what’s going on?”
“Elanor and Logan are missing. Marlow is pursuing leads. Where are you?”
Crossing the street, Kullen discovers the reflective object to be a broken padlock. He carries the item towards the gate and says, “I’m near the Convention Center.”
He stops at the entrance and discovers that a new padlock has replaced the broken one. Suspicious, he looks to the Convention Center and then back to the gate.
Overwhelmed by his sudden emotions, Lincoln pushes through a fog of anxiety and asks, “Have you found anything?”
Kullen tilts the new lock in his direction and discovers a keyhole. “Send a team to the museum, now.”
Quickly returning to his vehicle, Kullen starts the ignition and drives towards the parking lot's exit. He waits anxiously for the road to clear before pulling out onto the street. When he reaches the gate, he makes a sharp turn and slams his foot into the accelerator. Crashing through the barrier, he speeds toward the construction site.
Pedestrians outside the Community Center observe the unexpected breach and appear excited and perplexed, with at least one individual phoning 9-1-1.
*** CHAPTER 27 **\*
Sitting at his workstation, watching the news, Hoffman can hear Elanor’s muffled cries for help. In front of her, she could see the limp body of Logan, handcuffed to a metal fixture that Hoffman bolted to the floor below the aluminum faucet. Pleading for him to wake up, she quivered in fear.
Unaffected, Hoffman increased the volume of the television. Showing footage of the National History Museum from a helicopter, it was reported that a new game had been discovered. In the video, Hoffman saw several cop cars and news vans positioned outside the building. They revealed that triggers and tripwires had been placed throughout the museum, preventing safe entry.
Photos of the victims flash on the screen, and Hoffman sees Renee Walsh, a test subject of John Kramer, who he had captured over a decade ago. For her game, John requested an eye for an eye, forcing her to remove the organ with a sharpened spoon. Unbeknownst to Jigsaw, Dr. Gordon provided a numbing agent for Renee that would aid her in the endeavor.
Hoffman’s eyes glazed over, and the memories of previous games rushed to his mind. Staring through the television, he heard a voice.
Hovering over his shoulder was the rotting corpse of Amanda Young, who said, “Hello, Mark….”
“You’re dead,” he replied calmly.
Watching the news, Amanda folded her pale arms and said, “I know it’s hard to concentrate.”
Having been haunted by these hallucinations since he escaped the bathroom, Hoffman felt exhausted and tortured, “Why?” He said, his voice drained of emotion. “Why are you still here?”
Amanda stared out the window while Hoffman watched the blood ooze from her neck, and she said, “By creating a legacy, by living a life worth remembering, you become immortal.”
“When this is over, you’ll be gone….”
Smiling, Amanda responds defiantly, “Somehow, I doubt that.”
Photos of John Kramer are displayed on the television, followed by images of Dr. Gordon.
Seeing the pictures, Hoffman remembered sending letters to various news stations, hospitals, and local law enforcement, implicating Lawrence Gordon as an accomplice. For many years, he had planned his revenge on the Doctor, which started by exposing his true identity. However, with Gordon’s upstanding reputation, the implications were deemed a slanderous rumor, and nothing ever came of it.
Now with Gordon gone, only one obstacle remained; there was only one accomplice left; Logan Nelson.
*** CHAPTER 28 **\*
The sun is chased out of the sky by a flurry of dark clouds, creating a reddish-black horizon. An aft beautiful sight, if not for the crowd that has formed outside the precinct. Families of the deceased Jigsaw victims have led a throng of supporters to the parking lot, where they demand an end to Jigsaw’s legacy and the police department that has allowed this to go on for so long.
Among the swarm of bodies are the ex-husband and children of Sarah Harper.
Inside, Chief Savino preps a SWAT team on the situation at the museum, reminding them to be wary of traps, and displays a picture of Hoffman on the television for each of them to memorize. He insists that no one enter the museum until all the traps have been disarmed.
After the speech, Lincoln is informed that Autumn has arrived at her house and is collecting her belongings. The officer estimates that they will reach the precinct within the hour. With one problem solved, Lincoln allows himself a moment of comfort. When he is about to leave, Marlow approaches with more good news.
“We just spoke to Cameron, Logan’s Mother-in-Law,” He says, “She has Melissa, they’re fine, and Logan left around 7 am this morning.”
“Did she say where he was going?”
“He said he was going to work but to contact you if there’s trouble. Chances are he’s inside the museum with the others.”
Lincoln considers the possibilities and says, “Let’s retrace his steps. He took his vehicle, right? I don’t care how long it takes, pull CCTV, check gas stations in the vicinity, schools, everything. If we can triangulate his phone, do it. Find him."
“I will, sir,” Marlow says, without moving, "What about him?"
Lincoln glances at Daniel inside the Infirmary, “He doesn't leave my sight," he says.
“Sir?"
“What other options do we have? I'm not losing anyone else."
Forgoing his apprehension, Marlow said, “It’s your call, Lincoln.”
Within twenty minutes, Lincoln arrives at the museum with a SWAT team. Staring at the building, he feels a sudden surge of anxiety, dread, and a strange sense of relief, knowing this will all be over soon.
“Are you okay?” a voice asks.
His eyes move to the rearview mirror, and Lincoln can see Daniel Matthews in the back seat. Still awaiting a response from Autumn, Lincoln checks his cellphone and re-reads his message to Lynn.
“I'm ready for this to be over,” he said, tightening the cilice around his waist.
Looking through the window at the commotion outside the museum, Daniel responds, “This isn't your fault, Detective.”
Reminded of his conversation with Seth Steward, Lincoln ignores the words, "Let's go."
Both men exit the vehicle, and Marlow joins them.
"Kullen is sending in a bomb squad," Marlow said, "We've set up an observation terminal towards the south entrance. I'll move the witness there."
As the men separate, Daniel, notices the news crews positioned themselves just outside the parking lot. He stares at them approvingly.
Lincoln waded through his grief and reached Agent Marlow, who was relaying a message via radio.
“Get it done,” Kullen said.
Standing with the Agent, Lincoln asks for a breakdown of the situation.
“Come with me.”
Lincoln follows Kullen towards a police car, and the Agent removes the museum floor plans from his pocket. He lays the map on the car's hood and specifies the trap locations.
“The entrances are blocked off,” he said, “There’s no way through. Now, I’ve got a team working to deactivate the traps, but it’s going to take some time.”
“Have you had any communication with the survivors?”
Drawing a line on the map with his finger, Kullen says, “Not yet, but I’ve spoken with the construction crew, and they’re building an expansion right over here.”
***
TO BE CONTINUED

This is going to be one of my more serious, long posts, so strap in, as they say (though I cannot possibly detail out everything you might need to know. That would require at least three posts). To quote -- and set the stage through -- Dostoevsky (from Notes from Underground):
'Is it [history] many-coloured? May be it is many-coloured, too: if one takes the dress uniforms, military and civilian, of all peoples in all ages--that alone is worth something, and if you take the undress uniforms you will never get to the end of it; no historian would be equal to the job. Is it monotonous? May be it's monotonous too: it's fighting and fighting; they are fighting now, they fought first and they fought last--you will admit, that it is almost too monotonous.
In short, one may say anything about the history of the world--anything that might enter the most disordered imagination. The only thing one can't say is that it's rational. The very word sticks in one's throat. And, indeed, this is the odd thing that is continually happening: there are continually turning up in life moral and rational persons, sages and lovers of humanity who make it their object to live all their lives as morally and rationally as possible, to be, so to speak, a light to their neighbours simply in order to show them that it is possible to live morally and rationally in this world. And yet we all know that those very people sooner or later have been false to themselves, playing some queer trick, often a most unseemly one.
Now I ask you: what can be expected of man since he is a being endowed with strange qualities? Shower upon him every earthly blessing, drown him in a sea of happiness, so that nothing but bubbles of bliss can be seen on the surface; give him economic prosperity, such that he should have nothing else to do but sleep, eat cakes and busy himself with the continuation of his species, and even then out of sheer ingratitude, sheer spite, man would play you some nasty trick. He would even risk his cakes and would deliberately desire the most fatal rubbish, the most uneconomical absurdity, simply to introduce into all this positive good sense his fatal fantastic element. It is just his fantastic dreams, his vulgar folly that he will desire to retain, simply in order to prove to himself--as though that were so necessary--that men still are men and not the keys of a piano, which the laws of nature threaten to control so completely that soon one will be able to desire nothing but by the calendar.'
-
I would only add that he was rather harsh on the soldier and his general. Many-coloured, is he! The eternal shine of the ten million blades, the wooden hilt; the forgotten hammer, the ships of our forefathers. Ah! Such a pity to see nought in it but blood and sand -- now, that is monotonous. If man is to mean anything at all, it must be finding some honour in life... and death. War, it must be known, is the great stage-play of time. Surely, then, the warrior is the greatest (male) part to play? Otherwise, it's all for nought!
If you're going to, as the author, gift your setting a military and its honour, you have to actually put yourself inside the mind of the general, the trooper, the law-maker, the wife at home, the child in the street; otherwise, it's going to be a hollowed-out system, a mere mote. It does not matter to me if you believe in war or not, or if all war is just (certainly, it's not): what matters is that you do your setting and peoples justice, regardless of what they may find themselves. After all, this is your job as the writer, as the artist. It's your job to let your characters and their stories free, and follow them, as to see where they may lead.
I'm not even going to dig into the elements at play, such as brotherhood, inter-national conflict resolution, national defence, social structure, and physical fitness. These elements ought to be known to you all: they are some of the clear benefits to warfare and boot camp/training, in general. I have not yet found a defeatist army, for example -- or yet a nation without some kind of guarder force, vast or not. (Note: there are some claims that actual warfare did not exist until around 9,000 BC, but I find this very difficult to believe, and have seen some counter-evidence. For example, Jane Goodall and de Waal find that chimps go to war (raiding parties, sometimes wiping out entire tribes); and there are strong indications that pre-historic human tribes were war-driven, just on smaller scales, and often using wooden weapons (thus, no direct evidence is found). We know that modern hunting (and fire-making, and related matters) existed at least 1.5-2 million years ago, according to the books I own and more recent research. That's the entire history of humanity, ultimately. There is no way these spears and slings were not used against man.)
Well, a big part of space opera is, indeed, warfare (typically in relation to defence of the Good [nation] and psychomachy). Anyway, without further ado, I give to you...
Part One: A Brief History of Battles, Great and Small
Let's begin with Alexander the Great, because why not (though I could have started with Sargon of Akkad many years prior). Alexander's army was a powerful, fast-moving, and relatively small force of 40,000 men (equal to a Napoleonic corps or so). Often credited with inventing genius 'shock' tactics (the so-called hammer and anvil tactic) to overwhelm equally-sized forces. He even managed to break up, and then defeat, the vast Persian army under King Darius III (around 1500,000 strong). Alexander the Great's army is as close to the cinematic glory of 300 (2006) as you're likely to find. Soon after, Alexander was crowned King of Asia in a lavish ceremony.
Moving forward a few hundred years, at its peak, the Roman military possibly had over 500,000 soldiers across its regions (around 0.5% of citizens -- which is a fairly reliable standard across history) by 306 AD during the reign of Constantine I. Compare this to the Roman conquest of Britain under Plautius, with just a 40,000-man force (four legions and 20,000 auxiliary troops, including Thracians) in 43 AD. (It's also worth mentioning, if you're in a long-term space war, individual companies, legions, or otherwise could stay outfitted for as long as 500 years at a time without issue. The Roman Legion, Legio IX Hispana, for example, existed for at least 150 years, and led the conquest of Britain. And, within the Warhammer 40,000 universes, a single Space Marine sees battle for about 400 years before he's KIA (killed in action).)
During the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD, each side only had upwards of 5,000-8,000 men (around 15,000 in total). This was actually a common trend, from what I found: equally common was the notion of 'law of war' and related, which meant that each side wanted to be roughly equal to the other side. This is one of the most profound discoveries of my life (more on this later). (The Japanese invasion of China, for example, taught me that having too much control over your enemy leads to madness -- there must be an innate drive to some sense of honour, fair challenge in war-making. When men are without equals, they become titans, as it were. And, if you know anything about some of the Greek titans: they were not very friendly or sane.)
Around this time (960-1279 AD), the Song Dynasty of China had a remarkable standing army of over two million men, and made use of tank-like carts and newly-invented 'grandes' (known as 'thunder crash bombs'). However, this was financially exhausting, but it was sometimes capable of fighting against invading Khitans, Jurchens, and Mongols, largely thanks to the great iron industry. Individual battles, however, were quite small.
By the time of the First Italian War (1494 AD), Europe was really starting to take its modern shape, and there were hundreds of what are ultimately power struggle wars and rebellions across Europe as we moved out of the Middle Ages. This was the opening phase of the Italian Wars, which existed between 1494 and 1559 AD. The Battle of Marignano was the last major engagement of the War of the League of Cambrai (aka the wars between 1508 and 1516 AD, within the Italian Wars. The main participants were the French, Papal States, and Republic of Venice) and took place in 1515 AD, southeast of Milan. The Battle of Marignano pitted the French army, led by Francis I and the best heavy cavalry and artillery in Europe, against the Old Swiss Confederacy (within the Holy Roman Empire -- this was the precursor of the modern state of Switzerland), whose mercenaries until that point were regarded as the best medieval infantry force in Europe. The French had German landsknechts (mercenaries famed for pike and shot formations) on their side. The French won and suffered just half the losses, and did so with a fairly stronger force -- possibly 35,000 men compared to 22,000 on the Swiss side. This led to the Treaty of Fribourg, which established the 'Perpetual Peace', and ensured good relations between the two nations for nearly 200 years. This event is largely what led to Switzerland's world-famous diplomatic autonomy and militaristic neutrality. Nonetheless, this battle -- and countless others at the time -- saw similar numbers to centuries past: roughly 20,000 on each side.
Part Two: An Introduction to Military Divisions & the Numbering System
Enter Maurice de Saxe circa 1710 AD, whom you can thank, at least in part, for the modern military system, largely due to the major increase in soldiers by the 18th century, and his advanced thinking in response. A major battle felt by a young de Saxe was the Battle of Malplaquet during the War of the Spanish Succession. Battles pressed on in this manner, and at some point, de Saxe began to write about it. He wrote Mes Reveries, a profound work on the art of war, which was published after his death in 1757 AD.
He had the grand idea of reshaping the regiment system into large 'legions' (modern divisions), so that the effective officers were not wasted on smaller, single regiments. These divisions would consist of four regiments and would have a more even mix of veteran soldiers and new recruits, as well. On top of this, he -- along with some other key theorists at the time -- had the idea of simply numbering the divisions and regiments, replacing the traditional system of naming them by their commanders or by locations/regions: because that's a very temporary, rigid system that only works for small, tight-knit groups. The divisional system also allowed soldiers to climb the ranks, and effectively learn from the veterans.
The regimental system shatters command structure and weakens mobility, despite the fact you have smaller, often lighter units. Too many small, separate, disorganised units is highly ineffective when you're dealing with large armies, and quite an advanced enemy (be it the British or Prussians, in this case). What de Saxe noticed was a failing system of rigid tradition. He also hated this sort of grenadier mentality of the 17th and 18th centuries, as it displaced all the strongest and most experienced soldiers. Of course, de Saxe was not against the existence of grenadiers: the strongest soldiers, leading the assaults, such as storming fortifications. He simply wanted to evenly spread them out across all the regiments, and legions, so that every single unit was an effective tool. (This grenadier concept actually survives to this day, as a grenade launcher specialist of a typical four-man fireteam (traditionally, sharing much in common with WWII-era shock troops), and you see it all the time in movies, where he is still typically the biggest, strongest of the team.)
Battles were increasingly crossing the 100,000 mark in terms of soldier count; whereas, not long ago (that is, around 1650 AD), the numbers were more likely in the range of 20,000 for most battles, other than a few outliers.
Then, de Saxe died before he had the opportunity to actually implement his system, though the Duke de Broglie led some successful experiments with it during the Seven Years War, but it took until the French Revolution for the 'division' concept to be enforced, systematically. This ultimately fell at the hands of the French Revolutionary Army.
Enter Lazare Carnot. Like de Saxe, Carnot saw that some regiments were full of veterans, whilst others -- namely, the new revolutionary brigades -- were filled with barely-trained recruits. And, like de Saxe, his solution was to separate out the veterans and embed them within these new brigades. More importantly, he embraced de Saxe's idea of the 'division'. The new demi-brigades (regiments, as the Revolutionary Government hated and removed the term regiment) would be combined into brigades, and brigades would be combined into divisions. Later, under Napoleon, divisions themselves were combined into corps (which is and has always been the highest level of operational units for actual combat, with all units larger than corps being purely administrative, with a clear exception being Napoleon's Armee (i.e. modern field army), and a few other, smaller army groups).
This wonderfully created an intermediate level of control between the general and the brigade commanders. The Revolutionary Army became at once an army of mass and mobility. This allowed the army to move faster and more decisively than their enemies, who were still commanding at regiment or brigade level.
Full implementation of the divisional system was not realised until the French Revolutionary Government, in their centralising and anti-aristocratic ways, when they decided to entirely remove the old system of naming regiments after their commanders. They saw all of this as part of the 'ancien regime' (i.e. 'the System' or 'old system', language also used by Hitler in relation to what he called the 'Weimar Republic'. Not uncommon language from any new system). The second factor at play was that the French Revolutionary Government also didn't like the idea of merely naming regiments after regions of France. The final factor was scale: the Army was larger than ever, which made it very difficult to give specific names.
As a result, the Government began numbering their units by the late-1700s. Although the Roman legions themselves had been numbered, and de Saxe argued for it many years prior, some scholars believe that this was purely an administrative decision. (Obviously, your naming convention can be more on the religious/traditional or seculamodern side, depending on just how the entire system is set up. Warhammer 40,000 is a good example of a more Roman-inspired system, despite its far-future nature, so it's not uncommon to find very traditional, religious naming conventions within Warhammer 40,000, coupled with simple, administrative systems. And, again: Nazi Germany and other 20th-century powers, such as America and England, also shifted towards numbered and/or lettered systems for pretty much everything. Not shockingly, this is heavily featured in sci-fi, as well.)
Part Three: Napoleon & the Birth of Modern War:
Although the concepts of the 'corps' and 'battalion carre' (that is, four corps) existed, they were also not implemented until the time of Napoleon in the early-1800s. He began grouping divisions into corps, making the largest units in history -- equal to entire armies of older periods (three divisions and some cavalry regiments, for upwards of 30,000 men). He commanded dozens of these corps (I think, around 20 of them for his Grande Armee when he invaded Russia in 1812 AD -- or, 500,000-600,000 men, equal to the entire core Roman military at the height of its power).
Napoleon's genius -- despite his supreme failure to invade Russia -- was ensuring that these corps were typically independent fighting units. This meant they were self-sufficient armies unto themselves. This allowed for a vast force, without the whole system becoming sluggish and disorganised. Of course, as with Alexander the Great before him, this ultimately led to major decentralization and failure once the leader is defeated; thus, without a singular ruler, and without endless success, the entire system breaks down (unless there is something else binding them).
Nonetheless, by now, all the European powers had adopted the divisional system. The first British divisions were established by Arthur Wellesley in 1809 AD, for example. The Napoleonic corps system then became standardised, as well.
On the other hand -- and other side of the world -- the U.S. had its own 'legion', wholly separate from the European divisional evolution. They were independent units for the western wilderness, not sub-elements of a larger army. The U.S. finally adopted a more European system by WWI, however. (Mostly because the U.S. was simply not a large enough force yet, though it did have some major battles and unit examples.)
Regardless, the primary building block for all was still the regiment or division. This remained true through WWII and beyond.
Part Four: The Four Spatial Forms of Sci-fi
I shall skip modern history, because it's -- shockingly -- not much different to older history. This further tells me that there are some universal themes and elements to warfare, unless something changes beyond measure. As of 2023 AD, the basic building block of most armies is still the regiment or division, and 'shock' tactics, of smaller units are back in style, and have been since the 1960s or so. (I do have a few things to say about WWI and beyond, but I cannot fit it in this post, and it's not required reading.)
Technically, there is a fifth: space warfare proper (an admixture). But, we shall simply focus on the four primary. I use the term 'spatial forms' because I don't know a better term. See below.

• Space as an ocean (navy propeoceanic)
• Spaceships as submarines (navy/subaquatic)
• Spaceships as tanks (army/ground)
• Space as air with less stuff (air force/air)

You find, and should focus on, one of these as the primary mode (at least). This is true in most combative and non-combative contexts. All are workable and interesting, and have some notable examples, mostly in film/TV and novels. There is much psychology connected to each, and some innate differences to consider; and you have to think about such in relation to your nation/culture, as well, and their pre-spacefaring history.
An interesting, real-world example is America's Space Force. This is fundamentally army-and-naval driven (i.e. Marines), despite its primary air force-like nature in simple terms of the vessels and how it would function in a war. This is evidenced by the fact its ranking system and such is built around the Marine Corps. I guess, that means, going with American Marines (a complex admixture of both soldier and sailor) is not such a bad idea in sci-fi. We all know this is a decent idea, anyway, and it's seen heavily in sci-fi since the 1940s (hence, the term 'space marine'). Other marine forces are fairly in line with this, as well. The typical route here is space as an ocean. The ships are merely carrying the marines to their location (planet or otherwise). You see this with Star Wars' Stormtroopers (though I did not mention such above, I shall now: this stems from late-WWI when Germany created new advanced tactics for storming British trenches. But, most of all, it speaks to Hitler's Stormtroopers, fused with some kind of space marine position; thus, we end up with Lucas' forgetting Stormtrooper force). (Of course, the Rebels of Star Wars and the Empire's TIE Fighters go with the space as air with less stuff trope. And, there is a general sense of both army and navy from the Empire. You rarely get the 'submarine feel', in this case.)
Star Trek (at least, the original) takes the spaceships as submarines trope much of the time (other than the fact, their ships are far too wasteful, volume-wise -- but that's mostly for filming purposes, so I can accept it). I actually love this mode (though I don't care for Star Trek's version so much).
Battlestar Galactica (new series), among others, seems to take a mixed view.
Which form or mode you run with, primarily, really depends upon the exact setting, culture, story, theme, and style you're going with. I suggest figuring out which you want/which fits best, and then trying to stick to that singular vision as much as possible. To get ideas, you can research as much as possible -- both real science/history and fiction.

Synopsis:

Nine years following the execution of the old Sovereign, the four dukedoms of Augustein teeter on the brink of combustion.
Excess magic ore mining has resulted in unstable regions of shifting trees, violent storms, and a creeping plague of stillness that leaves everything frozen in time. Watchmen struggle to fend off the relentless attacks of Aberrations, while strict regulations on magic ore force aspiring magicians to sacrifice their own finite reserves at the cost of their health and, ultimately, their lives.
Amara is the sole survivor of a series of magic experiments ordered by the old Sovereign. Left with a reduced lifespan and an unnatural magic with the unique ability to progress, Amara is determined to live out the rest of her life to its fullest.
She’s going out like an explosion, and she’ll make sure that no one can look away.
—
This is a character focused, slow-burn high fantasy story with progression and light LitRPG elements that become prominent after the introductory arc, which spans through chapter 20.
It features flawed and morally ambiguous characters, unreliable narrators, and some darker elements, but there are plenty of lighter moments as well!

​
Prologue - End of an Era
Rosenfell Palace, Helisturn, Arcvale Dukedom of Augustein, Year 986
The palace halls glowed in the evening light. The last rays of sunlight filtered through cracked and broken windows, outlining piles of debris in gold. Clouds of dust rose from broken pillars and walls, shimmering as they drifted over cold, limp figures strewn about like fallen leaves. The plush red carpet, once bright and soft as snow, had been torn and shredded beyond recognition. Dark splotches littered its surface, many areas now beginning to dry and crack while still others remained moist to the touch.
A few hours ago, when the sun had still hung suspended in the clear blue sky, the palace walls had been trapped in a flurry of motion. The ringing of metal against metal, the pounding of heavy footsteps, and the shrill sounds of screams had echoed throughout the space as an invading wave of violence swept the pristine halls. Now, in the aftermath, an unnatural stillness had come to replace the rush.
A young man turned the corner, whistling an old folk song to himself as he walked. He wore an electric blue uniform that was crumpled and ripped around its edges. The color was mirrored by the single glove he wore on his left hand. His right hand was bare, and a lingering ultramarine light outlined a string of letters and numbers across his skin.
One particularly large stain covered nearly the entire stomach region of his uniform, a dark rust red that crumbled slightly whenever the man moved. A few stray splotches of the same color dotted his messy hair and tan skin, but the man made no motion to wipe the droplets off. Nor did he move to clean the equally bloodied spear strapped behind his back, the metal glinting in the sunlight. He simply strode forward with the laxness of a casual stroll, his eyes drifting about the ruined hallway and still corpses.
Finally, after he’d passed by shattered portraits and kicked aside a few bodies blocking the way with his boots, the man came to a halt.
“Oh, there it is.”
Crouching down, the man picked up a single glove lying in a dark pool of viscous liquid. He shook it a few times, and the fabric made a squelching noise. He frowned. The glove was so stained that barely any of the original blue color remained, but on closer inspection, the cloth itself seemed to be holding up well enough. Shrugging, the man slid it on, hiding the glowing numbers that were only just beginning to fade from the back of his hand.
​
ALLEN
Magic Reserves: 101,897 / 122,043
Maximum Output: 13
Variability: 6
​
AFFINITIES
Energy: 50% Minor
Motion: 100% Major
Form: 50% Minor
Perception: 25% Basic
Emotions: 50% Minor
Mind: 25% Basic
Time: 0% None
Probability: 0% None
​
1 ACTIVE ATTUNEMENT
​
“Allen!”
The man in question turned at the sound of his name being called. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of a similarly dressed soldier running forward, who halted when he saw the wreckage within the hallway. Henry’s eyes swept across the scattered bodies, and after a moment of hesitation, he continued forward with careful steps.
The two of them had been watchmen in the same area before Allen had been promoted to Duke Valister’s personal guard, and they’d reunited during the coup’s planning stages. The man was rather friendly, even excessively so at times, and he’d always treated Allen with a somewhat uncomfortable degree of reverence despite being older. But then again, magical prowess always trumped age when it came to respect.
Henry came to a stop a few feet away. In comparison to Allen, his uniform, while still stained and rumpled, was in significantly better condition, and his two gloves were a plain brown rather than blue. He frowned when his eyes fell on Allen’s very bloody glove, shuddering slightly.
“Isn’t that uncomfortable?”
Allen stretched his fingers in response, and the gloves made a squishy sound. “Eh, it still works fine.” He took a moment to assess the other man, cocking his head to the side and grinning at Henry’s poorly concealed disgust. “What, you squeamish?”
“I’m not,” Henry insisted, not meeting his eyes. Allen took a step forward. The other man’s fidgeting was even more obvious up close, and now that he paid more attention, his pale skin had taken on a greenish hue. Allen’s eyes briefly swept over the scattered bodies before returning again. He raised an eyebrow.
“Need me to use emotion magic?”
That made Henry’s head snap up, eyes widening in alarm. “I didn’t know you had an affinity—no wait, that’s not the point.” He shook his head and cleared his throat. “I’m fine, I swear! I’m just, uh, more used to fighting Aberrations.” Not humans.
“It’s just a minor affinity, but I’ve gotten pretty good with it.” Allen shrugged. “Fair enough. Anyway, what’re you doing here?”
“We’re supposed to report to the throne room,” Henry explained. “I came to get you.”
Allen hummed in response. He turned and began to slowly head back down the hallway, Henry following at his heels. “So Raymoth’s dead, right?”
Henry’s eyes darted around nervously, as if he was worried a ghost would appear at the mere utterance of the name. He nodded and cleared his throat. “Yeah, uh, I heard Duke Valister and Duchess Rosevale both did it.”
Allen whistled. “Oh really? Figured it’d just be the Duchess.” Then again, Duke Valister’s disdain for the former Sovereign was well known among his guards. Hell, Allen was half convinced the main reason the Duke had joined the alliance at all was to be part of the Raymoth family’s demise.
Turning the corner, Allen continued down a wider hallway that was in significantly better condition than the one they’d just been in. Not as much direct fighting had taken place there, and any that did had been over fast enough to minimize the mess. Allen glanced around as they walked, but he couldn’t see any other soldiers around. He guessed most didn’t want to risk disrespecting the new Sovereign. He didn’t know her very well, but from the few times he’d seen Duchess Rosevale before and during the coup, he’d understood why her soldiers were so convinced of her victory. She moved with a silent, unyielding assuredness, as if she already was the Sovereign.
For a few minutes neither of the two spoke as they continued to weave their way through the admittedly large palace. Allen didn’t even know what half the rooms were for; he’d probably go crazy if he had to live somewhere like this.
Allen could feel Henry’s eyes watching him, and he turned his head back, eyebrow raised. “What?”
The other man coughed and looked away. “Sorry, it’s just…” his voice trailed. “Did you hear about the notes?”
Allen frowned and slowed his pace. “What notes?”
Henry stared at the ground ahead of them uncomfortably. “When they ransacked Sove—Duke Raymoth’s,” he corrected, “—notes, they found some really…disturbing stuff. Something about magic experiments going on in northern Vanstead, kidnapping kids, stuff like that.” He swallowed, voice quieting to barely above a whisper. “But the thing is, they showed the notes to the Duke and Duchess, but they said it didn’t concern them. I heard—I heard Duke Valister even said it’d be interesting to keep an eye on them.”
That sounded exactly like something the Duke would say. The two of them turned another corner. Allen also didn’t doubt for a second that the Raymoths would’ve been involved in something like that. Aldridge Raymoth had gone a bit off the deep end in the past decade, and continued magic experiments on children sounded exactly like the sort of thing he would resort to.
“Do you really think they’re gonna let them continue?” Henry asked, voice visibly distressed. Surely the new regime will be better than that, was the unspoken thought.
Before Allen could respond, however, a third voice interrupted them.
“You’re late.”
The two came to a halt as a new figure stepped forward from behind a pillar. Allen frowned in recognition.
Desmond Reinford was one of the commanding officers of the Rosevales’ troops. He was around the same age as Allen, but the similarities stopped there. His uniform, as opposed to blue, was a deep red color that contrasted against his dark skin and hair. The man stood slightly shorter than average, but had such impeccable posture that he often seemed taller, unlike Allen who perpetually slouched. His uniform was crisp and without a single stain or tear in sight, and the sheathed rapier at his waist looked equally pristine. If Allen hadn’t seen the man during the coup, he would’ve thought that he hadn’t fought at all.
What most stood out, however, were the man’s gloves. They were a pure, stark white that almost seemed to glow in the quickly dimming hallway. Allen stared at them.
“Looks like someone got promoted.”
Henry nudged his elbow, but Allen didn’t stop staring. His friend laughed nervously. “Sorry sir, we, uh, got lost in the hallways?”
“I dropped my glove,” Allen said bluntly. He pointed at the stained glove in question. It was beginning to dry now, and the fabric was a little stiff.
Desmond met his gaze, eyes cold and sharp. Allen heard Henry swallow beside him.
“I see,” the man said. He gestured down the hallway, where the large, heavy throne room doors stood in the distance. Their deep mahogany surface shone, the light highlighting the intricate carvings detailing Augustein’s myths. All three of the major houses’ crests were carved into the wood, though where the banner of the ruling house would normally hang was empty, soon to be replaced with a new dynasty. Allen couldn’t help but wonder if they’d get a new door, one with the Valister’s crest replacing the Raymoths. Coups had happened plenty of times in their history, but never had one of the three major houses been completely decimated like this.
“The Sovereign is giving promotions and rewards to those of us who fought in the coup,” Desmond said. “I suggest you go before all the ore is taken.” Without another word, the man turned and strode away, likely to check the rest of the palace for stragglers, Allen guessed.
Beside him, Henry’s eyes lit up at the mention of magic ore, only to immediately deflate when the rest of Desmond’s words settled. Allen slapped him on the back.
“Don’t worry, they’ve probably got specific ore rations set aside for everyone. No way they’d just let us take them in a free for all.” Allen was frankly impressed that they were giving away ore at all, considering how stingy the nobility was with it.
Henry looked hopeful at that. “You think?”
Allen nodded. “Yeah, don’t worry. He’s just being an asshole.”
The other man winced slightly. His eyes darted around. “Uh, maybe you shouldn’t say that out loud? Especially, especially if he’s a Rose now.”
“Oh he definitely is.” No one wore white gloves but the Roses, the elite soldiers who served the Sovereign directly and were the most effective at combating Aberrations. All of them were certified as court magicians, and they were handpicked by the Sovereign. Considering the old Sovereign was now dead and a significant chunk of the former Roses had gone down with him, Allen guessed Duchess Rosevale was combing through her personal guard for people to promote. As far as he knew, Desmond had already passed the court magician test, so he would’ve been an easy pick.
He cracked his shoulder and sighed. The adrenaline rush from the coup had been fading for a while now, but now that the sun had nearly set fully and the shadows of the hallway had grown to engulf a majority of its surface, a new wave of exhaustion was settling into his bones.
“Come on, let’s hurry up,” he said. Henry nodded and hurried behind him.
As they passed by a tall window, Allen took a moment to glance outside. A few sprays of stars were visible in the darkening sky, and he could see city lights glowing in the distance as the lamplighters made their rounds. It was, by all accounts, a peaceful night, one that continued completely divorced from the happenings in the palace.
Surely the whole city would’ve heard about the coup. Allen wondered if even now, citizens were huddled together in their homes, or if they stood outside straining their necks to see what was happening in the palace. Waiting to learn the fate of the country.
Allen peeled his eyes away, facing forward and continuing down the hallway towards the throne room.
—
Penrith, Vanstead Dukedom of Augustein Year 995
High up in the watchtower, the villagers looked like a dark stream flowing between the buildings and flooding down the dirt road, some running south, others crossing streets for final traveling preparations and goodbyes.
Two nights ago, the forest had swallowed the village north of them. The watchman had seen it happen, had witnessed the ground tremble and the branches snake out, enveloping the homes, growing and then shrinking, twisting and dancing among the perfectly still buildings. He was almost glad no one had been outside, because that way he didn’t have to see the victims. But then, if the residents of those homes were outdoors, perhaps they would’ve managed to escape.
Or maybe he had seen the bodies and simply hadn’t recognized them, hadn’t managed to distinguish them from the twisted trunks and undulating ground. The warping of the forest was no more merciful to any living creatures who stumbled upon it, and the watchman, for all his years observing the shifting trees, couldn’t say with confidence that he’d be able to tell a corpse apart.
The man leaned forward against the wooden railing, peering down at the commotion. Given the speed the forest had moved at, he estimated they had a week at most before this town, too, was consumed. His own single bag lay packed near the front door of his home, ready to be picked up at a moment’s notice. Though he estimated most would be gone within the next three days, maybe excluding some particularly stubborn folks, the watchman didn’t plan on escaping until everyone else was gone first. Useless sentiment though it may be, he still had his pride.
The waves of people finally began to thin down as the current crowd left, leaving behind the remaining villagers. About twice as many people had left that day than the day before, the watchman estimated.
He sighed and shook his head. Now that the chaos had died down, those lingering on the streets continued with their business. His eyes glanced down at his watch, and he realized his shift had ended three minutes ago.
The watchman stepped back from the railing and stretched his arms. Maybe he’d stop by the tavern. Wallace, the owner, was adamant about keeping it open until “the last damn day we got,” which he appreciated. Just as he turned to go, however, a flash of orange caught his eye. He frowned and leaned over the wooden railing to peer further down the streets.
There, entering from the southern gates, a figure moved opposite to the direction the fleeing stream had taken.
A young woman was walking leisurely forward, her short wavy hair glinting as it caught the rays of sunlight. The lack of panic, hurry, or fear in her eyes made the watchman blink. There was only casual curiosity, as though she had simply been on a stroll and ran across an interesting plant. Her medium brown complexion was somewhat rare in northern Vanstead; perhaps she was from the south and hadn’t heard about the forest creeping closer? The watchman didn’t know how else to make sense of someone deliberately choosing to enter the town at such a time.
The closer the woman approached, the more details became evident. The watchman’s eyes widened.
The woman’s bare arms were covered in scars. Long, jagged lines and thin, thread-like marks. Raised bursts and patches of wrinkled and pulled skin. Some scars had an almost systematic pattern to them, neat and intentioned, while others were so chaotically scattered that it was impossible to differentiate where one began and another one ended.
For several moments the watchman simply stared at her, unable to peel his eyes away, when a sudden movement broke him out of his trance. The woman was waving enthusiastically in his direction.
Brow furrowed, the watchman watched as the woman ran up to the base of the tower, moving deceptively fast. She grinned up at him, beaming and utterly uncaring of the twisting forest approaching in the distance or of the half empty village and the stares she was already receiving.
Head tilted back, her green eyes seemed to glow in the light.
“Hey, can you give me some directions?”
​
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Author's Note:

Hello, I hope you're enjoying the story so far! I decided to finally post here after lurking for a while now. I'm planning on slowly posting all the chapters I've already published on Royal Road, one per day so I don't spam the sub.
Fair warning, I absolutely suck at formatting things on Reddit (trying to format this chapter was a struggle), so sorry in advance for any formatting issues.
Thanks for reading!

We're gearing up for a new Cyberpunk RED campaign on StartPlaying, chooms! Check out the deets and get ready to chip in.

Most of the time, when gonks get flatlined in Night City, they stay down for good. End of line. Game over. But even here, there's some people who haven't merely cheated the Grim Reaper. They've flat out laughed in his bony face before taking his lunch money. Some are benevolent, some are bound, and some hate the living with an unspeakable passion. Enough to drag the rest of the world down with them to whatever hell they've got in mind.
Salt lines aren't going to keep them out. Any old or young priests are likely going to need as much technology for an exorcism as they do theology. The ghosts of Night City's past are coming back to haunt the Streets once more. But how do you zero something that's already dead?

ChocoPro 313: Best Bros Birthday Bash While we’re no longer “Under the Apple Tree” (since Mei’s Anniversary Show is now in the history books), ChocoPro isn’t letting the festivities end just yet! Just like in ages long past, the Best Bros will get one of the roughest birthday presents imaginable: a tag team gauntlet! ChocoPro is known for its solid tag division and intense team attacks, due to the rules of the promotion: Team pins & attacks are legal! If you're looking for a good time tomorrow, this episode will probably be wild all the way through with a chaotic variety of combinations presented. Can the Best Bros survive five different teams? Will we see an appearance from the new Trainee? Let’s Go, ChocoPro!
🍫 CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK! ChocoPro 313 🍫 Best Bros Birthday Bash (Special Tag Gauntlet)! It airs TOMORROW at 6 am EDT / 3 am PDT / 11 am BST / 7 pm JST, Live and Free on YouTube!
This link will be updated with a direct one when available

Don't forget to Adjust Your Volume, Wrestling is Loud!

Change the stage, escape the normal! ChocoPro is built different. Find out why wrestlers like it so much: Discover a new home on the bleeding edge. (This is not your regular wrestling show.) Join us for this episode, or check out the back catalog of 17 wonderful Seasons on the Gatoh Move ChocoPro YouTube channel...260+ episodes with stories and pro-wrestling like you've never seen. New to the promotion? It features a roster of skilled veterans, rising stars, and wonderful guests fighting in the ChocoPro Arena: Ichigaya Chocolate Square. Subscribe for more content than just the live matches! (AEW Watch Alongs, Discussions, Interviews, Food Challenges, etc) Even if you can't catch it live, don't sweat it! It will still be available on the channel.

Best Bros (Mei Suruga 🍎 & Baliyan Akki ♠️)

VS

Sayaka 👗 & Miya Yotsuba 🍀 , Kaori Yoneyama 🍚 & Minoru Fujita 🐦, EGG TART (Chie Koishikawa 🏵️ & Hagane Shinno ⚔️), Black Comaneci (Tokiko “Otoki” Kirihara 💃 & Antonio Honda 🍯), UMA (Sayaka Obihiro 💙 & kojio 🏰)

Best Bros Birthday Special Tag Gauntlet

We're going to be celebrating the birthdays of both the Best Bros once again! (Both of them were actually born on the same day: May 30th! Keep in mind, we're half a day behind Japan's time zone!) Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga are team with unrivaled chemistry, a pair of rivals turned partners that have risen to the top of the tag division of Ichigaya (in a string of spectacular bouts) and have even taken down some powerful guests! Mei Suruga is a pin specialist and submission connoisseur (not to mention a total goblin), having recently celebrated her Fifth Anniversary (and the appearance of her second Trainee!). Mei is incredibly gifted at pro-wrestling, undoubtedly destined for greatness in the Joshi scene...though she has her eyes set on a different prize: popularity across the world! Baliyan Akki is the Ace of the promotion, a breezy elite level technician who excels at everything that is put in front of him. The way he strings techniques together is truly breath taking. He is at the top of the food chain for a reason, and it is only a matter of time before he holds a belt again! The way these two different mentalities flow together creates a perfect synergy in the ring. Even with their excellent team attacks, individual specializations, and boundless creativity, they will still be in for a brutal challenge.
Just like most celebrations in the Chocolate Square, this one will be quite violent! While there isn’t the threat of a mystery team this time, the random order of enemies makes it hard to prepare. Can they take down five of ChocoPro’s great teams in one go? Can they beat their old score? Will Mei bite someone? Tune in to find out! They will be facing (in no particular order) in 10 minute bouts:
Sayaka & Miya Yotsuba in a first time pairing! Smiling Violence and Ichigaya’s Lucky Charms are both know for their powerful striking ability and tend to compete with one another on how hard they can hit! How will the Bros endure both of the Chocolate Square’s Heavy Hitters in one match?
Kaori Yoneyama & Minoru Fujita, Two of the most frequent guests of the promotion! These two crafty veterans have both held gold in Gatoh Move and together should be an absolute menace. Buckle up for some high technical ability and dirty tricks!
EGG TART (Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno) are one of the longest rivals of the Best Bros! With the speedhouse striker “Ace of the Fourth Generation” Chie and the merciless “Cold Killer” and Super Asia Champ Hagane, this will probably be one of the highest threats in the gauntlet. Expect some spice here!
Black Comaneci (Tokiko “Otoki” Kirihara & Antonio Honda) are entirely unpredictable and could very well show up in a form we’ve never seen. Though this team favors comedic antics, it should be noted that most of the comedy comes in the form of brutal slapstick and shocking weapons. It should be noted that Tokiko kicks very hard. Comaneci!
UMA (Sayaka Obihiro & kojio) represent the invading Monsters in this one. Can the charismatic veteran and the mysterious dark hero utilize their own unnatural chemistry against the Birthday Bros? These two have been impressing with their ability to adapt and overcome setbacks. Also, they are monsters.
Good Luck, Best Bros...and Happy Birthday!
Come and see the wild creativity that produced Two of the Seven AEW Women's World Champions! (Both of which have appeared on ChocoPro!) You'll be wondering if you're seeing future champs, as well. ChocoPro is the Frontier of Pro Wrestling! Match after match of hard hitting, chaotic, fun bouts with a friendly online audience. We're quickly growing, and you're welcome to come along!
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions:

“What is this?”

ChocoPro is a free online promotion run by AEW's Emi Sakura, that takes place in the legendary Ichigaya Chocolate Square! It features a steady pace of live Episode releases, fan interaction, season long story arcs, and much more! A place where the turnbuckles are replaced with 14th floor windows, the ropes are often replaced with fans, unforgiving walls provide creative avenues for skills otherwise unthinkable, and you can take solace in knowing that the referees usually do nothing. While it might be a shocking change at first, the intensity and storytelling will leave you wanting more.

“Why are they fighting in ____?”

Short answer is that it is a cost effective, unique venue with a better availability schedule and allows the roster access for training. Emi Sakura has been using this place for a long time, and you might be surprised at some of the names that have used it (even outside of ChocoPro!). There are a few in-ring Episodes and Gatoh Move has in ring shows with crowds on the YouTube channel. Think of it like the Hart Dungeon but as a promotion, if that helps!

”What are the rules?”

While special match stipulations will usually be explained before the respective matches, the general rules of ChocoPro are simple. Pins only count on the Chocolate Mat and are not broken by the edge or Wall. Submissions usually only count on the Chocolate Mat, and ARE broken by reaching the edge or wall (sometimes ceiling...). Double pins and Double submissions are legal (and encouraged) in ChocoPro Tag matches, meaning cohesive teams will always have the advantage! Count Outs only exist if specified, since many matches stray from the comfort of the Chocolate Square into the streets (and the rest of the building itself!) There is a Time Limit for each bout (based on card placement and importance) and the Referee has discretion (even if they tend to do nothing most of the time!). Every Ref is different, some have different levels of bias and speed.

“How can I support them?”

Watch the show! Even if you can't see it live, the views matter! Like & Subscribe! You can join the Channel's membership for different tiers of perks...but also, you can buy single episode Sponsorship, Digital autographed photos, and more on their shop site as well as purchase shirts from PWTees (which features some great options!) If you'd like to donate or purchase a main wall sponsorship, you can via Paypal or Patreon...and don't forget to cheer for your favorites! (especially if you want to do a superchat!)

”How come there aren’t a lot of comments on the threads?”

ChocoPro is a YouTube show, meaning the discourse happens live...in the chat! Those that comment in the threads on here tend to do so in order to help new viewers that might be intimidated by the fast moving chat. Don’t be afraid to just dive in though, the community is friendly.

“Why are you posting this here? / Are you paid for this?”

This is a wrestling forum, and I'm trying to broaden the horizons of others! There is a lot of good wrestling out there...Plus growing the fan base means more people for me to joke around with! I honestly do believe this is what a lot of fans are looking for, even if it is too different for some! But different tastes are good. Variety is the spice of life. This is a labor of love (it really doesn't take that long) considering how much work they do to put on so many shows...for free!
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me on here or on Twitter, where I’m probably a bit tired! ChocoPro is a Gauntlet again!
Season Tracker: We're 13/18 into Season 18! (Each Season is usually around 18 episodes)

I had a full time remote job and was only making 44k and was struggling to make ends meet, especially when I found out I owed taxes in April. My manipulative mom who is very mentally ill kept offering to give and loan me money but was then angrily demanding immediate favors and errands during my work hours. I was really stressed so I kind of frantically started applying for part time and full time jobs.
I heard back from part time jobs first and took a job for a cashier at the grocery store across the street. They hired me over the phone and I went in for orientation, she said she would call me in a day or two but I didn’t hear back from her for a week until I called her.
She thought this would be my new full time job and that I was not working at all but didn’t seem in a hurry to give me hours. In the meantime I interviewed and received a new full time job working in office. Then I got my schedule for the grocery store after a couple training shifts and I was scheduled to work Thursday through Sunday while I was still working my remote job and starting my new office job that Monday. I hadn’t gotten any of my clothes shopping for the new job yet, they are really strict business professional and I didn’t have anything.
I was really stressed and worked the grocery store Thursday after my remote job, Friday after my remote job, then Saturday and Sunday and went in to the new office job feeling a bit unprepared Monday. I had a horrible headache after my first day of the new job and went home to sleep since I barely slept the night before. Tuesday after my new job I ran around to several stores (3) getting clothes. Wednesday I was supposed to work at the the grocery store after work, but my house was turned upside down and I was so behind on chores and I forgot my phone at home all day. I get off at 4:30 and was supposed to be at the grocery store at 5 but I was so tired I just went home and didn’t go. I was also supposed to go there Friday and I didn’t go either. I had a birthday party after work for a niece Thursday and plans with my boyfriend I hadn’t seen in two weeks Saturday and Sunday and also I hadn’t been able to do my dishes or clean the litter box or do laundry and the house was a wreck, it stunk.
I am an idiot and really over scheduled myself. I feel awful for not showing up at the grocery store. I really don’t want the job… I feel ashamed because my family and boyfriend knew I started the grocery store job. And they’re going to ask about it.
I’m sure I’m fired since I didn’t show up for 2 shifts. I really think it was too much because I was supposed to work 5-10 after work and then go into the office the next morning and I knew I wouldn’t have slept enough and would have been emotionally and mentally exhausted because I already am exhausted with learning a whole new office job.
Also, this store I found out is more dangerous than I thought, a manager recently got her car stolen, during my 5 shifts there there’s been a couple of thefts, and also the store next door gets robbed a lot, once on a shift my coworkers were shouting about someone stealing a big armful of clothes and running out the door, and also one of the managers there is really u hinged, calling a worker the B word, and yelling a lot in an unhinged way and getting super angry. It just seemed like not a good place to work.
What should I do? I’m feeling really guilty. I’ve never not showed up to a job before. I’m really ashamed of myself.
TLDR: I got a new part time grocery store cashier job in the midst of starting a new full time office job, and got overwhelmed and didn’t show up the last two shifts for the grocery store job. I feel really guilty and ashamed. What should I do?