Just want some feedback on the writing and story of my first chapter, like if the prose work, if the characters are interesting, does the story hook you, some critiques, etc.
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"The Winds Howled.
Its song sang loud and proud through the streets of Bline city. A melody or symphony, in harmony with the breathing of Lee Mills, as he aired out mist spelling out lyrics of the skies. He lived through the endless musical of the heaven’s, and as he stopped in his step, so did the tune.
A flier. Deep and red with a sinister mask at its center, it spoke out to him. Flew to his foot as he walked. The mask covered half of the face like a deathly veil. It was smooth, cold, and bone-like. It absorbed the light and glowed eerily with an otherworldly hue. Holding the mere flier gave an unease inside Lee’s stomach like moths biting at his insides.

Its piercing eyes penetrated his soul, they were human yes but also not. Elements of man lived inside those eyes but something else did else did as well. They conveyed a level of hidden malice or hatred. It showed the true horror was not the mask but the wearer behind it. A reminder for Lee and his people that they had beings beyond them. Not just gods or men, or even Magic. But Him. As he continued his walk, a beast sat beside him, filling him with dread. A beast with a slick, black body and imposing wheels. It gleamed with metal chrome and a menacing glare. And inside? An older man sat. His pet pured low and ominous at Lee making his teeth chatter, but he couldn’t hold back the want to stare. Before he even touched it the owner roared. "Get your blue hands ass off my car, you Hellbourne!" Soon enough they were gone like they were never there. Lee could pay no attention to the man’s words for he had something better ahead than any beast. A protest. A protest for change. A protest for his people. And in the end, a protest for him. 

​
Back and forth he went. His rusted cherry wood rocking chair creaking as it brushed against the flooring, and him. A gaze unforgettable as he stared deep into the flame of his fireplace, firelight flickering in his disheveled hair. Memories of days gone by consumed his soul, and he was left with a skeleton of himself. A fallen shadow.
His hands clasped tight, holding on. He was lost in a world that only he could draw, one only he could imagine and live in, one of a lost time. The creaking of the chair and crackling of the fire, combined with the ticking of the grandfather clock, made time only slip faster away from him.
"She's not dead,"
He whispered in a voice that was low and strained. His mind was a storm, with winds of grief unchained. Consumed by sadness, the storm raged outside, with rain beating against the windows in a mournful tide. Tears of the heavens.
The curtains billowed in the night, and the winds howled. They howled lowder and lowder until nothing but the thunder clapped at the windows could overpower them. But he still rocked, lost in his own thoughts, a beacon of grief with his soul's power wrought.
His gaze was intense, his body with inner strife, as if he were channeling the forces of life. His soul was a storm, its power untamed, until the rocking of the chair came to an end.
"She's not dead," he whispered, his voice a mournful rhyme.
The man’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden gust of wind that rattled the windowpanes and sent a chill down his old spine. The winds of the outside howled stronger and stronger as rain beated against the window with a ferocity that seemed almost personal, as if the elements themselves were determined to find a way inside. A way to take him from his chair. To take him from his thoughts.
The window panes shook and rattled with each gust of wind, the rain splattering against the glass in a never-ending deluge. Inside the living room it was dark and quiet, the only sound was the howling winds and the battering of the rain.
A clap of thunder struck from the storm outside at his home shattering the windows. But he didn’t move. Not a single response but the rocking of his chair and his single sentence. “She’s not dead.” This storm was one of his own turmoil. A storm of his own creation setting him in a never-ending loop of grief. Again and again he rocked as outside grew stronger with each second past. His eyes glowed with a bright intensity, the lightning storm raging within his own depths. His pupils were dilated, the irises were deep, glowing blue that seemed to pulsate with Magic.
He was the storm.
His gaze was focused, intense, and seemed to cut through the darkness of the room like a beacon. As he sat there, lost in thought, the man seemed almost otherworldly, as if he were channeling the power of the storm itself. Or more it was channeling him. His body was tense, his muscles coiled like a spring as he sat perfectly still, other than the rocking of the chair.
Then the chair stopped. She’s not dead. A knock from the front door echoed throughout the home with the storm still raging on. The man got up from his seat and walked his way over to answer, a storm still brewing in his eyes. Opening the door everything stopped as the outside world returned to a fair and clear day. The man’s pupils returned as he stared down at another man standing on his porch.
“Rowan.”
​
​

Andrew stood in the courtyard. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he stared deep into the gold chains on the man who stood before him. The figure's stance was unforgettable. Watching Andrew without a single movement. He showed no weakness or emotion no matter what he threw at him. From volcanic flames to teleporting daggers from the heaven’s this man dodged it all and came back ten times stronger. The strong pungent smell of blood filled his nostril as he took off for the man ready to try a different technique. He threw fist after fist but the man dodge after dodge. The lack of fear in the man’s eyes. The lack of a threat, it boiled Andrew from the inside out. His blood was like a stew or soup. He had to win. There was no other way. Steel chains ripped from the earth and sprang onto the man pulling him down to his knees and his hand’s back as Andrew stood before him. 

“Checkmate.”
The man gave Andrew not a word but a single chuckle before a burst of energy exited his body like a field of radiation. Andrew was pushed back in the harsh cold iron gates of the courtyard. A awful ringing in his ear came as his head hit the metal, and all he could now see was the man standing before him.
“Checkmate.”

The man reached out his hand pulling Andrew up and patting his back. “Fine. You win.” Andrew said to the man cold and with a scent of spite in his voice. “Ok, yes but you’ll get me next time. You got me down didn’t you?” “I didn’t keep you down.” “Well, let’s not focus on that. You’ve done good today, and well in all our training brawls. You have won a fair amount recently, don’t let this loss get you down.” “You say that Jal, but I have too. You know my father expects me to be the best of the best and good or ok won’t work.” “We’ll get there Andrew, we’ll get there.” “Hey if you say so.” “Agreed, now on the topic of your father, I have a meeting with him, royal advisor stuff.” “Well, don’t keep him waiting any longer. He hates when someone’s late.” “Oh don’t worry I’ll get going now, I wouldn't wanna keep him waiting.” 

​

Jal traveled down the halls of the great Bline Castle whistling a silent tune from his lips. The gold doors to the throne room sat before him, and as he stepped inside so did The King. Immediately Jal kneeled, praising his very presence. “You request me, my great king?” “Indeed such. It’s nothing much. I just would like to be informed on Andrew’s training for this week.” “I would say well. He’s on track to being a master before his 30s, possibly in his early 20s. That is a incredible– Can he beat you?” “Eh, it depends. He has a recent strong track record but has a tendency to be headstrong. I think I would like to connect to him on a deeper level, maybe understand the boy.” “Jal, you’ve trained him since he was 11, you know him enough. Now, from what I’m hearing, he’s losing.” 

​

“Not necessarily.” “No. I don’t wanna hear excuses for my son, I want you to make him a warrior stronger than you, or anyone in the Bline empire. He must be as strong as me eventually so when I pass he can take on this role as The Bline King. Understand?” “I understand sire.” The doors of the throne room burst open with a soldier panting as he dripped with sweat. “Dear god what is it?” “Magicborn. There’s a protest downtown, hundreds of them. I don’t believe it’s become violent but it is becoming a disturbance.” “Even if it was not a disturbance it goes against federal law for Magicborn to hold a protest under Kinland grounds. Lead a few soldiers to take them all out.” The soldiers left but Jal remained with The King. “Don’t you believe more soldiers should be sent out for such a mass threat.” “What threat?” “You heard the man, hundreds of Magicborn. Even without physical weapons they have access to natural Magic Gifts. Don’t we see that as any threat?” “No we don’t. See Jal, let me give you a lesson on Magicborn and the soil you stand on.” “Well this is exactly wooden flooring but– These Hellbournes, who do you believe to be stronger? A human army of soldiers with multiple systems of human Magic taught and mastered by The Kin. Magic that could turn a Magicborn to dust and bones with a single rune? Magic that The Kin himself used to build our great Kinlands? Or Magicborn gifts?” “Us. My mistake sir I was just trying to be prepared for the worst.” “Well maybe instead of focusing on your personal opinion you can train my son and well, be my goddamn royal advisor! You're dismissed.” “Yes, My sire.” 

Frenzied voices ices and echoes of chaos traveled through the city streets as Lee arrived at the protest. Their voices shook the foundation of the city, a cacophony of anger. For change. He stood there with a strange sensation climbing his spine. The voices around him went muffled until they were completely incoherent. Trapped. Trapped inside himself with no doors or windows to leave. Stuck in a space unescapable. His freedom's put away in a little box, locked away from him. A cold sensation washed over him, but he was sweating as if it was boiling hot. He broke down to his knees, as he breathed in and out harder and harder. The fog came in and the crows flew back as the darkness attacked, and the world flashed before him. Magicborn fell on the concrete. Blood rivers through the streets. Imprints of runes carved into the bodies.
Finally the flashing stopped as a Magicborn stood before him, blade in hand. He fought a Bline soldier off with incredible swordsmanship. All Lee could make out though was the clashing of The Magicborn’s steel sword against the soldier’s armor. It made no dent. No matter how hard or where he hit the soldier made not a single flitch.
“You use a poor man's metal, Hellbourne.”
The soldier began to draw a rune into space. A painting of death in the air that could leave a Magicborn dust and bone. As the drawing came to a complete it lit up like fire, a shining star in the midnight sky. Then it sprang off the man’s fingertips and into the Magicborn’s skull.

The Magicborn felt a burning sensation begin to manifest in his skull, then climbing through all areas of his body. He burnt at the start but then became cold to the touch. His skin began to peel from the bone as he hyperventilated and his eyes glowed up gold. Finally, he felt lifeless, a combination of bones stuck together with patches of flesh glued on. And through all of that Lee stood watching moving not a mere muscle. He was frozen solid, his face engraved in fear. The soldier turned over to him telling him to kneel. All Magicborn who attended this protest would die because of it. So Lee lifted up his arm throwing it back like a baseball bat and launched his fist into the Soldier's shoulder. The man tossed back and into the concrete dropping his own blade. Looking back for Lee the soldier saw blank space. Lee took off running." 

Willow Wood

11th moon, 200 AC
The flow of people did not cease. Since the invasion of the Riverlands, the smallfolk of Pinkmakden and other keeps close to the Westerlands were forced east in order to escape the increasing wrath of Lannister forces. At first they were a few couple - families here and there carrying what possessions they had on their backs, or should they be lucky enough, on the backs of donkeys and the like. However that little trickle had long ago transformed into a cascade - a cascade of people that were increasingly frightened and horrified.
"Everything! They destroyed everything…" one of the smallfolk gathered at the walls of Willow Wood would proclaim to any willing to listen. Another would quickly follow him up - in turn this woman brought her tale. "Raiders came forth to my village as well - any who did not escape…gods…they killed everyone who stayed behind."
"Everything is gone. The houses. The people. Even the little critters. All of it. All of it…"
These words were present with Lady Shireen Ryger as she stared out from the battlements at the growing field of tents around the walls of Willow Wood. The keep itself was formidable - built into the hill, the battlements worked together with the earth to form a hard climb to any army wishing to take the walls. Unfortunately for Shireen - all the men she had were sent off to march, left with refugees; old men, women, children and the sickly. Hardly an army capable of repulsing the Lannisters.
The Ironborn…what of them…
The woman felt drained and exhausted - the past few days filled with worry had drained her energies. On one hand, she held the Lannister's letter - one which demanded their neutrality or submission to the lion. Then there was the worry of the Ironborn - who were eerily silent.
Willow Wood has been changed to repulse the Ironborn…but to repulse Lannister men!? Would it be wiser to simply accept the conditions of the letter…
Stupid honor…
Still, there was honor to consider. Shireen would also lie to herself if she didn't admit that she was a woman with a weak heart. She had a duty to her family to remain in place while the lot of them went off to fight - but she was left with only the most vulnerable of the masses. What did they expect her to do!?
Time and time again she'd considered simply accepting the conditions of the parchment - of sending for her family's armies to return home. Of informing Joss - likely to be met with furious anger. In the end though, her weak heart held.
Shireen did not respond to the message from the Lannister. Willow Wood would fall silent.
The woman could only hope that her choice was the right one.
The masses didn't stop coming - throughout the entire morning alone, hundreds would come from the Whispering Wood - having crossed over through the river or fleeing from that place itself. Their faces were drained and exhausted - eyes baggy, stomachs rumbling and a few even had marks from the smoke and smog after fleeing burning villages.
They've come for refuge. I can only hope that this refuge will last…
Yet the sight of them didn't make her just uneasy. It made her angry. Who were these Lannisters to come and pillage everything they'd worked for!? Nothing but monsters. Monsters.
Monsters which needed to be destroyed.
If only I had the men, I'd ride across the Whispering Wood and give them a piece of their own medicine! Bastards!
We did nothing to them! Nothing!
The woman would eventually turn away from the battlements - vanishing back into the keep. Still, with trembling hands, she kept the Lannister letter in her firm hold. A reminder of the enemy. A reminder of the bastards who had turned the world upside down. She could only pray the gods were good…and that they'd get their punishment.
Preferably with fire. One day they'll get the same treatment they've dealt us…
Still, the pit in her stomach continued to twist - she wasn't a strong woman. She, like the people huddled against and within the keep, was a woman filled with fear that given enough pressure - would also crack in the end. But for today they'd endure the fear - and pray for a better tomorrow.

Please could someone have a look at the short story I wrote below and give it a rough mark out of 40 (or any feedback at all)? The question is from a specimen paper (Don't Ask Jack by Neil Gaiman). Thank you.
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Question: Write a story about a toy that comes to life. [40 marks]
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With a fierce alacrity that fuelled her muscles with a powerful flame, she jolted up from her bed; she knew what she had to do. She felt as if she had been slapped in the face with the Hand of Truth: no longer did she view the world as if afflicted with some type of terminal glaucoma that dimmed her eyes every second. No, now she saw everything as it truly was, and so, flicking the light switch on, she furiously fumbled for the Bible on her bed-side table. "Dust returns to the ground it came from," she sneered mockingly, as she opened the sacred book, tearing to tatters the pages of what she had once revered.
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Now there remained another task, one of much greater importance, yet one which sent a shockwave of spasmodic terror through her body. Her anxiety choked her, but she ignored it; she grabbed the doll, and left the bedroom. Down the stairs she clattered, her heart throbbing like a drum, her legs twitching with adrenaline, her brain aching with angst. Opening the front door, she left the house, not bothering to close the door behind her; perhaps she knew she would return.
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The streets were pitch black, darker even than the curtain of ignorance that blinded the residents of the town; nevertheless, she had lived there long enough now to manoeuvre her way through the litter that had piled up through public carelessness. Beside her, the river tried to follow its course, but it was clogged with plastic bags that slackened its flow, so that it appeared a grey sludge. Its delightful aroma wafted into the woman's nose as she raced across the bridge, into the field. There, at the heart, was a great shed, which had fallen into abeyance in spite of the vehement protestations of the public.
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As she trudged through the tall grass of the fields towards that shed, it manifested itself more clearly. Four windows. A wooden door. A roof of thatch. Moss and weeds in every nook and cranny. A sea of grass encircling it. Its withering state did not deter her: with a frenzied haste, perhaps to make up time the grass had robbed of her, she kicked down the door of the building (if so it may be called). Out of her pockets, she drew a torch, turned it on. With the torch in one hand and the doll in the other, she proceeded to conduct a search of the room. A plywood table, draped in dust. A shelf with countless jars of bolts and nails. Garden tools. Leaves and twigs. Nothing of use. What about under the table? Surely nothing. But regardless, she dived onto the floor, and to her arrant surprise, her face lit up. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, she thought. That was it. The key, the solution, the gateway: a power supply. She hugged the doll, caressed it with affection. She whispered to it, "Oh, darling. I won't be long, I promise. Soon, very soon, we shall speak again."
​
But presently she collected her thoughts; now was not the time for sentimentality. Not now. Not at this critical moment. She connected the doll to the power supply with two crocodile clips and switched it on to its maximum voltage. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, she waited, her mouth contorting into a smile at the allusion. But unlike the hubristic doctor, she would love the doll with all her heart; she would take responsibility for it as if it were a precious piece of jewellery of ineffable worth. Pressing her ears against the heart of the doll, she sought to hear a pulse, anything. After what seemed a lifetime to her, there came a lub dub. Lub dub, lub dub, lub dub. She was overcome by a swoon of relief, but instead of falling to the ground, she clutched tightly onto the doll. "My baby, my child," she whispered softly, tears trickling down her face, tears of unadulterated joy. "Thank the Lord!" she cried. Several minutes of silence ensued, during which the woman whispered to the animated doll with affection. Then, after that period had elapsed, she unplugged the doll from the power supply, slowly so as not to cause any harm to it.
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A sigh of relief. The baby doll still breathed; its little heart still pumped; it was still alive. With the utmost degree of care, she took the baby from the plywood table and tore through the door of the shed. To her, neither the maze of grass nor the claggy mud were obstacles: she bolted through the field, over the bridge, down the street, straight into her front door. She slammed the door behind her, and sprinted up the stairs, not checking if anyone had entered the house, not even taking her filthy shoes off. No, into her room she went, gently placing the baby onto her bed. Breathe. She exhaled deeply, knowing now that she was safe, that everything was in order again. It was very late: her watch said five minutes past two. There were probably still some shops open for baby food, but she opted instead to wait tomorrow, fearing what would happen if she were to leave her golden prize alone. Her thoughts drifted back to her infant, and she gazed adoringly at it as it slept there on her bed, as quiet as a doll. She walked over to the bed, and gently stroked it. Oddly, there was no reaction. She spoke softly to it. No reaction. She nuzzled its hair. No reaction. She touched it again. No reaction. Desperately now, she felt its pulse; there was none. A hideous scream came from the woman, piercing through the window, all the way through the neighborhood, through the town, through the country. It must have been heard even in Berlin amidst the celebrations of the Fall.
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The world was indeed godless.

“you are a skilled rower capable of rowing at a velocity v on a lake in your hometown. Today, you plan to row on a straight section of the river Thames, which is flowing out to sea with a velocity of x. Your rowing routine involves covering a distance of y meters from the boathouse and then turning around to row back.”
The full question is here

The story of our National Holiday to memorialize fallen service members is one of division, retaliation and reconciliation and as much as any in the aftermath of the American Civil War.
Memorial Day as a formal date set aside to decorate war graves started in the South to honor Confederate dead; or both sides, depending on who was doing the decorating. In Columbus Georgia, Mary Anne Williams was war widow to Colonel Charles J. Williams (CSA) who had died at home of illness that he caught on campaign. The family decorated Charles' headstone with flowers and the young kids went on to keep decorating all the graves around. Mary was inspired by her children to have all the graves decorated annually. Active in several aid organizations, she leveraged her connections to call that every cemetery in the South decorate their war graves on April 26, 1866. This date was when General Joseph Johnston (CSA) surrendered the Army of Tennessee in 1865 and flowers are in bloom at this time.
*By the flow of the inland river,
Whence the fleets of iron have fled,
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,
Asleep are the ranks of the dead:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the one, the Blue,
Under the other, the Gray*
Mary Anne Williams didn't intend for Northerners to be included, and signed her letter not by name but with "Southern Ladies". About 10 major Southern cities, and more small ones, had their official commerations between April and June. And not without confrontation and condemnation.
*Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Broidered with gold, the Blue,
Mellowed with gold, the Gray*
The Confederate Memorial services of April-June 1866 made headlines in the North. General John A. Logan (USA) headed the Grand Army of the Republic, the Union veteran's organization. In July 1866, he gave a fiery speech to his followers. He seethed that "...traitors in the South have their gatherings, day after day, to strew garlands of flowers upon the graves of Rebel soldiers." He wrote passionate articles to Northern papers that they should have their own day to dress their war dead, which came to be called "Decoration Day" on May 30, 1868.
*Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day,
Wet with the rain, the Blue
Wet with the rain, the Gray*
And so there were 2 competing days to decorate war graves, often time in the same space. The overwhelming majority of Union war graves are in the South because that's where the war was. Also, not all Southerners were secessionists. Every Southern State except S. Carolina raised multiple regiments of volunteer Union troops, plus Southerners who joined Northern units, local militias, guerillas and spies. Sometimes Union graves were blocked from being treated to flowers. The earliest memorializations, when the only regular, formal events were in the South, were physically intervened by former Confederates who saw it as their holiday only. This new blockade didn't escape the press:
The New York Times in 1868 opined: "The ladies of the South instituted this memorial day. They wished to annoy the Yankees; and now the Grand Army of the Republic in retaliation and from no worthier motive, have determined to annoy them by adopting their plan of commemoration." But not every memorial decoration was a chance to re-fight the war.
*Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgement-day;
Under the roses, the Blue,
Under the lilies, the Gray*
During the war Columbus (Mississippi, this time), was a small railroad town that became a large Confederate hospital encampment following the battle of Shiloh. Thousands of dead, including both sides, were buried in a common cemetery. In April 1866, heeding Mary Anne Williams' call to action, the local women adorned those thousands of headstones in flowers. They would not let the Union graves be bare so they treated those headstones as well. This exceptional gesture caught the attention of (Northerner) Francis Miles Finch who was observing the event. The spirit of reconciliation to decorate both sides inspired his poem, one of the most famous to come from the Civil War: "The Blue and The Gray".
*No more shall the war cry sever,
Or the winding rivers be red;
They banish our anger forever
When they laurel the graves of our dead!
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day,
Love and tears for the Blue,
Tears and love for the Gray*

Dreamt of you. Have plenty of dreams about you. This one was different. I went to grab something I needed. I pulled up the back and saw your vehicle . Felt my heart racing, vision stated to blur, hands shaking, started getting dry mouth. Walked in the back room and scanned hoping to see you. No one around. I peaked thru the back door window and there you were. Sitting talking with a smile on your face. Wasn’t sure what was happening felt my body going numb. Vision blurry again. Palms sweaty. Pulled the door and walked in. Need to grab what I needed without paying too much attention. Walked across the the floor to grab what I needed. Felt like I had a frog in my throat. Stumbling over my words. I turned around and starting walking back towards the door. Everything slowed down my steps, my body movement, sound came to a halt, only things speeding up was my heart rate. Then it happen I locked eyes with you. Everything came to a stop, everything around blurred but you. Your eyes I missed how beautiful they looked. Locked eyes and felt you deep in my soul. Decided to head your way to say hi. But I couldn’t think straight. Nothing else mattered. It like you had a bright glow around you. Made my eyes squint. Came to say hi then it happen I felt you hand on me. Flowing endorphins feeling flowing free, destroying the damn wall coming out. The pulse of electricity running over my body my skin my hands my fingers my face. You make my world stop make my heart pound in excitement . Then like a sci-fi movie I was ripped out of the dream and woke up. I smiled but sad at the same time. First time in while I had that feeling. I know it’s still there. Shit why can’t I have this every day, what can’t I see your eyes every day, why can’t I feel the touch of skin, the softness of your lips, why can’t enjoy a big smile every time I see you, why can’t I just have you right now, why can’t I call you my love of my life. Shit!!!!! Hate feeling empty and loss. Hate feeling dark inside. Hope one day I’ll have you. Maybe one day I can see you.
This all came because I did come by, I did see your car parked outside, I did and look thru that window and saw you sitting there. Glowing feeling your vibe. But like a coward I walked out. Wasn’t sure what you would say. Wasn’t sure if I could still get that vibe. Felt like I would still be a distraction. Felt like things would get worse. I drove off upset. Looked in rear view hoping to see you. No one fault but my own. Fuck me!!! Wish things were different. Wish I had one more time with you.
I guess I’ll just keep torturing myself, I’ll keep destroying what’s inside, put everything back in the dark, lock the door and throw away the key.
Wish I had one more chance to hold you close and tell you I love you.
Missing you. Love you ❤️❤️😘🥰❤️❤️

Dreamt of you. Have plenty of dreams about you. This one was different. I went to grab something I needed. I pulled up the back and saw your vehicle . Felt my heart racing, vision stated to blur, hands shaking, started getting dry mouth. Walked in the back room and scanned hoping to see you. No one around. I peaked thru the back door window and there you were. Sitting talking with a smile on your face. Wasn’t sure what was happening felt my body going numb. Vision blurry again. Palms sweaty. Pulled the door and walked in. Need to grab what I needed without paying too much attention. Walked across the the floor to grab what I needed. Felt like I had a frog in my throat. Stumbling over my words. I turned around and starting walking back towards the door. Everything slowed down my steps, my body movement, sound came to a halt, only things speeding up was my heart rate. Then it happen I locked eyes with you. Everything came to a stop, everything around blurred but you. Your eyes I missed how beautiful they looked. Locked eyes and felt you deep in my soul. Decided to head your way to say hi. But I couldn’t think straight. Nothing else mattered. It like you had a bright glow around you. Made my eyes squint. Came to say hi then it happen I felt you hand on me. Flowing endorphins feeling flowing free, destroying the damn wall coming out. The pulse of electricity running over my body my skin my hands my fingers my face. You make my world stop make my heart pound in excitement . Then like a sci-fi movie I was ripped out of the dream and woke up. I smiled but sad at the same time. First time in while I had that feeling. I know it’s still there. Shit why can’t I have this every day, what can’t I see your eyes every day, why can’t I feel the touch of skin, the softness of your lips, why can’t enjoy a big smile every time I see you, why can’t I just have you right now, why can’t I call you my love of my life. Shit!!!!! Hate feeling empty and loss. Hate feeling dark inside. Hope one day I’ll have you. Maybe one day I can see you.
This all came because I did come by, I did see your car parked outside, I did and look thru that window and saw you sitting there. Glowing feeling your vibe. But like a coward I walked out. Wasn’t sure what you would say. Wasn’t sure if I could still get that vibe. Felt like I would still be a distraction. Felt like things would get worse. I drove off upset. Looked in rear view hoping to see you. No one fault but my own. Fuck me!!! Wish things were different. Wish I had one more time with you.
I guess I’ll just keep torturing myself, I’ll keep destroying what’s inside, put everything back in the dark, lock the door and throw away the key.
Wish I could hold you one more time and tell you I love you
Missing you. Love you ❤️❤️😘🥰❤️❤️

As the pack of Black Wolves swarmed the Wendigo, Elincia and I crawled behind the ferns trying to get away from the fight. Part of me knew I was being a burden to Elincia. With her night vision and elvish agility, she could probably break through the circle of Black Wolves.
The fight intensified, the chaotic barking of the wolves was deafening and the screeching cries of the Wendigo filled the valley as it clawed and crushed the lesser monsters in its wake.
Suddenly, a Black Wolf landed in front of us. Elincia's eyes were wide open and her face blanched, devoid of the little color it naturally had. The Black Wolf was wounded, its hind legs broken and its ribs exposed like white knives protruding through its skin. Elincia nocked an arrow but she wasn’t fast enough. The wolf let out a long howl before the arrow landed between its eyes.
Elincia’s eyes reflected pure and distilled terror as the Wendigo leaned over the ferns, just by our side, with its eyes fixed on the corpse of the Black Wolf. For a brief moment, the moon lit up the body of the monster. It was a tall bipedal creature with leathery slate-black skin. Its limbs were long and gnarled, and ended in long brackish claws. Its face was covered by an ivory deer-like skull. The slits in the skull revealed two bloodshot eyes that surveyed the surroundings with ill intent.
The System description said that the Wendigo was once a powerful shaman who got turned into a monster by corrupted mana. A shiver ran down my spine as I wondered what kind of unholy metamorphosis had created such a creature.
The Wendigo waded the fern bed, just above our hideout. I could hear the Wendigo’s heavy breathing above my head. The smell of rot was almost unbearable. Elincia covered her mouth with both hands as the creature’s arm touched the ground a few centimeters from my leg. I changed the weight of my body and tried to fold my leg. A twig broke under my hand.
[Awareness]: You have been spotted.
The Wendigo’s eyes snapped directly to Elincia and before I realized what I was doing, I pulled the trigger, shooting point blank directly into the creature’s head. The muzzle flash lit the forest for an instant and my ears rang. The Wendigo stumbled back, burying its claws on a tree to not fall. The creature clung there as the blood poured from its shattered skull.
“Gottem!” I yelled, thinking the Wendigo was as good as dead.
Elincia grabbed the neck of my jacket and pulled me back through the ferns just as the Wendigo raked its claws in a deadly arc just a few centimeters from my face. The creature screeched in anger.
“How in the flying spaghetti monster is that fucker’s alive?!” I said as Elincia pushed me behind a boulder, out of the Wendigo’s reach.
“I don’t know what spell you just used, but stay put.” The woman yelled but her voice came muffled under the insistent ringing in my ears. Luckily, [Awareness] helped piece together what she had said.
Without waiting for any confirmation she turned around and ran through the forest, putting some distance between herself and the Wendigo. Elincia’s bright emerald eyes shone behind the bushes as she nocked an arrow and pointed at the creature. I noted a surge of mana emerging from the woman's body and the arrow head shone with a silvery gleam. She let go and the arrow whistled with an unnaturally high pitch, burying deep into the wendigo's calf.
Piercing Arrow. [Identify] Basic archery skill that improves the projectile’s piercing capacity.
The Wendigo’s screech rocked my spine and I knew I needed to put an end to the fight quickly. If the creature had enough defense to withstand a point blank shot, it should also have similar offensive capabilities.
Ignoring Elincia’s commands, I peeked over the boulder. The forest was pitch-black and the skeletal figure of the Wendigo blended with the trees.
“Come on, Robert, use your head.”
I hoped Elincia’s night vision didn’t make her eyes too sensitive to bright lights.
Pushing the mana out of my body I conjured a cold blue flame in the palm of my hand that illuminated the forest around me. Shredded corpses of a dozen Black Wolves covered the landscape.
The Wendigo stopped in its tracks and turned its head towards the flame of mana in my hand.
“Crap.”
Without hesitation, I raised the muzzle of my shotgun and fired. The spray of metal shredded through the Wendigo’s spidery arm, leaving it hanging from a single tendon. The wound was gruesome but it wasn’t enough to stop it. The Wendigo glared at me and crossed the distance between us in a heartbeat.
With no time to reload, I dropped the shotgun and reached for my knife.
My hand closed around the handle of my knife and set my mana free. A swirl of shining blue particles surrounded me and turned the small knife into a blazing shortsword that lit the forest around me.
[Swordsmanship] injected information directly into my brain. Distance, speed, trajectory. The Wendigo tried to tear me apart but I sidestepped to the right just in time to dodge, then, I hacked diagonally but the mana sword bounced off the Wendigo's healthy arm, leaving only a small scratch.
It was harder than the Elder Black Wolf.
My mana sword was enough to cut the skin of the creature, I only needed more power. I poured even more mana into my knife turning it into a blue beacon in the dark casting the shadows of the forest away. The mana blade grew until it was the length of a two handed sword.
Blood stained the Wendigo’s cracked skull and its wounded arm flailed around lifelessly. It might not be weak to buckshot but it was weak to magic. And I had a lot of magic. The Wendigo followed me with its gleaming red eyes. Its movements were cautious but I didn’t let my guard down. I had to fight defensively. If the monster reached me once, it was over.
Suddenly, an arrow bounced off the Wendigo’s skin. The creature seemed to forget about me because it turned around and bolted towards Elincia. Just as the Black Wolf had attacked me back in the ravine, the Wendigo seemed to prioritize the weaker combatant.
“Run, now!” Elincia yelled at me. She stood her ground, nocking a second arrow and aiming at the three meter tall creature running her way.
“You run!” I replied as I ran behind the Wendigo while [Awareness] fed a stream of information directly into my brain. I couldn’t let it reach Elincia.
There was no time to retrieve and reload my shotgun and no time to experiment with [Mana Manipulation]. I remembered my new skill. [Stun Gaze].
Without even reading the skill’s description, I looked at the Wendigo and activated [Stun Gaze]. The spell hit the creature and bounced back at me. A stabbing pain shot through my eye, and into my brain. I let out a grunt of pain and pressed my free hand against my face.
Skill failed! Wendigo Lv.39 cannot be stunned. [Identify] Your level is too low to perform this action successfully.
[Stun Gaze] seemed to anger the Wendigo because it tried to stop its frantic race towards Elincia, stumbling on its ruined arm and crashing against a tree. I pumped even more mana into my knife and the blade got longer, broader, and heavier. Part of my brain wondered why a mana blade could have weight if the mana itself was weightless, but the wounded screech of the Wendigo silenced my thoughts.
I couldn’t allow fear to paralyze me if I wanted to save Elincia.
[Awareness]: Frightened status, resisted.
I let my mana flow free, further increasing its length until it was hard to wield. Suddenly, I felt as if I had been thrown into an ice-cold pool. A shiver ran down my spine and I knew I couldn’t sustain my technique for long. My mana pool was getting dry.
You have obtained Mana Depletion (Advanced). Temporary
I ignored the system prompt. The Wendigo towered over me and tried to reach me with its sharp claws. I blocked with my mana sword and with a furious strike, I shredded the Wendigo’s claws. The creature staggered back as I waved the sword around like a giant torch on its face.
Another shiver ran down my spine, threatening to lock my joints in place, and I knew I didn’t have much mana left at all.
I used [Stun Gaze] again and braced for the pain. The spell ricocheted back at me and I felt a stabbing sensation in my eye. This time, the Wendigo froze for a millisecond, just enough for my [Swordsmanship] to find an opening. I slashed downward from left to right, putting all my strength in a single attack.
The blade sliced through the Wendigo’s skin, meeting more resistance as it went deeper into the creature’s body until it lodged deep within its chest. Instinctively, I tried to retrieve the sword but it was stuck. I closed my eyes and waited for the Wendigo’s claws to shred my body. But the blow didn’t arrive.
Dark crimson bloom of blood stained the Wendigo's hide, illuminated by the fading light of the mana blade. The Wendigo produced one last weak screech and fell to the ground just as the light of my blade failed.
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
You have obtained Mana Depletion (Critical). Temporary
My vision blurred and my legs faltered, the only thing that kept me on foot was the mana sword stuck in the Wendigo’s spine. When my last speck of mana was burned, the blade disappeared and I fell back but before I could hit the ground, Elincia caught me.
“We fucking did it!” Elincia said with a frenzied smile on her face. Then, she wrapped me in a tight hug that pushed all the air out of my lungs. I couldn’t help but notice how strong her arms were.
If I had to guess, she had leveled up a couple of times.
I didn't want the embrace to end but Elincia pushed me back and helped me sit on the forest bed. The moonlight shone a hole in the canopy, casting silver sparkles on her hair. She smiled enthusiastically and patted my back with a little too much strength.
“I swear I thought we were dead, but then you raised the metal thingy and bam! One arm less! You were pretty cool out there.” Elincia beamed. Her chest went up and down at an alarming rate and she had to take a moment to calm down. “I think I’m still a little deaf.” She added with a smile from ear to ear.
Leveling up was a hell of a drug.
“Praise me more.” I rasped as I let out a weak laugh. Both my body and my mana pool felt like a piñata at a children’s party.
Elincia’s expression suddenly became serious and a shadow of embarrassment flirted with her face. “Thanks for not ditching me back there, and I’m sorry if I was too harsh with you. You are a good man, Robert Clarke.”
I didn't know how to answer. It had been quite a while since I had received a compliment and my brain was too tired after being overfed by [Awareness]. I mumbled something unintelligible. Not even [Master of Languages] could help me to find the right words, however, I didn’t have to search more because a sudden prompt slapped my field of vision.
New title acquired!
Hot for Teacher. [Identify] Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad, I’m hot for teacher.
“I’m not a pathetic dude who falls for the first girl that talks nice to me…” I stuttered as my consciousness slowly slipped away. The edges of my sight slowly blurred.
You have obtained Denial Lv.1. Temporary.
“Oh, fuck off.”
Elincia’s worried face floated in front of me. “Rob? Are you okay? If you talk in your weird language I can’t understand.” She said with a hint of panic in her voice.
It might come off as judgmental and foolish, but I didn’t believe in love at first sight. It seemed too frivolous to me. No matter how cute, funny, and caring Elincia was, there was no way I was falling for her. And there was the fact she had a kid and, probably, a husband.
You have obtained Denial Lv.2. Temporary.
I wanted to fight back, fight against the idea I was falling in love, but my mouth couldn’t move anymore. The world around me darkened and my body became too heavy to sit straight. Elincia tried to keep me awake, first softly hitting my cheeks then shaking my shoulders. I tried to growl but no sound came through my lips.
“Rob? Rob? Don’t close your eyes, Rob.” Elincia said.
But I was so tired.
Elincia frantically searched her pouch for a small vial of translucent liquid. She pulled the cork and smelled the contents. Whatever scent she was looking for, it seemed to make the grade. Elincia opened my mouth and poured a drop beneath my tongue. I felt the effects of the potion spreading through my body, filling the hole inside my mana pool if only a little bit.
“Rob?”
The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Elincia’s concerned voice.
* * * * * *
I woke up with the first rays of sunlight next to the remains of a campfire. More specifically, my [Awareness] skill awakened me with a stream of information filling my brain. The sound of the birds, the position of the sun, my bodily condition. I ignored it all. I felt drained. If a creature wanted to eat me I couldn’t do much to defend myself.
No. I had made the decision to stay in this world, now I had to face the consequences of my actions. Begrudgingly I opened my eyes just to find Elincia sitting on the other side of the campfire, by her side there was my shotgun and my knife.
“Morning.” I greeted, stiffly sitting up and taking a long sip from my water bottle.
“Morning, hero.” She greeted me with one of her mischievous smiles. However, this time I noted a hint of mistrust in her voice.
“Something happened?” I cautiously asked. After receiving that silly title from the System I had dropped like a sack of potatoes. I glanced at Elincia, searching for answers, and I couldn’t help but notice both my weapons were on her side of the campfire.
“Look, I’m not accusing you of lying or anything, but you are not a Scholar.” Elincia said with a conflicted tone. “After what you did to the Wendigo last night I know you have a fairly high level. What are you really? A Runeblade? A Spellblade?”
“What do you mean?” I asked cautiously.
Elincia’s bow rested on her lap.
“Killing a Wendigo isn’t a feat a low level Scholar could achieve, I’m not that dumb. So tell me what those skills were.” Elincia replied pointing at my weapons. “Your explosive spell pierced through the Wendigo’s skin but Scholars can’t learn Elemental magic. Much less such powerful spells. Same goes for your [Mana Blade]. That’s a Spellblade skill, not a Scholar skill.”
I stretched my back and drank another sip from my water bottle while [Awareness] filled my brain with information. Elincia’s accusations revealed that she couldn’t peek into my status screen. It was a relief to know the System had some sort of privacy settings in place considering my last title, but privacy also made things more difficult.
“The artifact you have next to you is called a shotgun. It is a non-magical item that shoots high speed metal pellets created by a… Tinkerer.” I explained but Elincias facial gesture still showed doubts. “You probably tried to use it but it doesn’t have ammo in it. You can’t shoot a bow without an arrow nor can you shoot a shotgun without one of these.” I added pulling one of the remaining two shells from my pocket.
“Explain.” She said.
Next, I proceeded to explain how to operate the shotgun. Elincia opened the barrels and I explained how the explosive powder sent the pellets through the barrel at ridiculously high speeds.
“I’m not going to perform a demonstration because I only have two shells left. Without ammo, a shotgun is as good as a club.” I said as Elincia tried the mechanism without a shell inside the chamber. Bow and arrow safety might be similar to trigger discipline because Elincia kept the muzzle away from any of us and only put the finger on the trigger when she was going to shoot.
“What about the [Mana Blade]? There is no way your knife is a magic item, no matter how much mana I poured into it I couldn’t make it work.” Elincia continued with the interrogation.
“What do you mean? That was [Mana Manipulation].” I replied, summoning a small mana knife in the palm of my hand with the leftover magic power I had. Elincia’s mouth gaped.
“You are mana depleted! You are not supposed to be able to do that!” The half-elf woman jumped on her feet. “You can’t materialize a magic blade without the proper skill!”
I shrugged my shoulders and shaped a second mana knife.
I already suspected that my mana pool was something out of the ordinary and now I knew to what degree. The amount of mana I had was probably thanks to the System. The thought of telling her about my world crossed my mind. A world without magic, without classes, and without skills. A world where one had to practice for years and years to become minimally proficient at any task. I wanted to tell Elincia about the marvels of the modern world but I feared she took it as the words of a madman.
People who claimed to have traveled to other dimensions were deemed crazy back on Earth. In these lands it couldn't be much different. For Elincia, a systemless world might sound like a thing from fantasy.
In another situation I would’ve dismissed the allegations calling them baseless, however, deep down I wanted Elincia to believe in me. I scratched my chin, deep in thought. Actually, there was something I could try that might prove that I was a Scholar.
I used [Identify] on her.
Name: Elincia Rosebud, Half-Elf (Light-Footed, Night Vision).
Class: Alchemist Lv.26
Titles: Governess, Wild Child, Bad Reputation, Loner, Copper Alchemist, Favorite Teacher (5).
Passive: Archery Lv.3, Tracking Lv.5, Farsight Lv.1, Foraging Lv.5, Purify Water.
Skills: Potion Crafting Lv.3, True Shot Lv.1, Piercing Shot Lv.1.
Elincia’s potion pouch hit my face before I could react, breaking the skill contact and vanishing her character sheet.
“Hey! Are you identifying me?” She said in an unusually high pitch.
The half-elf cheeks were fiery red, contrasting with her usual paleness. While her hand searched for another projectile to throw in my direction, I pondered about my findings. Elincia’s skills and passives were fairly low level compared to her class level. It was possible both numbers were independent from each other. Class level might rise by gaining experience from monsters while passives and skills might grow by mastering said skills.
A twig hit my forehead, crashing my train of thought. At least I had discovered the etiquette regarding identifying other people. Despite the fact I would’ve died of shame if someone saw my titles, I tried to identify Elincia one more time as vengeance for the twig.
“Okay, okay, okay! You are a Scholar, I believe you! I’ll fulfill my part of the bargain. I’ll take you to Farcrest.” Elincia said, trying to regain some composure. She was still red as a beet. “But that doesn’t mean I completely trust you, hero.”
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Discord Royal Road

Time stamp: https://imgur.com/a/ixeWAm2

1. FN 14.7 button midlength barrel, rock river arms A2 upper, skinny midlength hand guards, A2 flashider pin and welded for Nfa compliance. Comes with Wilson combat BCG and milspec charging handle - $850
   
2. Surefire M600U with American Defense Mfg QD Auto Lock Mount and Surefire ST07 Tape Switch. ADM mount is a little rough as shown in photo but everything works 100% as it should. - $300
   
3. Colt square forge detachable carry handle - $90
   
4. Onyx arms M-Lock Stubby vertical Grip - $50
   

I'll start by saying I'm not new to mushrooms, but it's been a pretty long time since I've had an even moderately strong trip. Probably my last "real" trip was back in college, 20 years ago. Due to circumstances in my life, not the least being my gender identity and trying to navigate that, a pending divorce, suffice it to say I've been stuck in an existential crisis/void for the better part of a year now. I decided to take another look at psychedelics for spiritual healing as opposed to recreation and started to grow them.
I used GordoTek and the spores he sent me were the Pan Cyan TTBVI strain. While I didn't lab test mine, Gordo tested his and they're upwards of 5% active alkaloids by weight. These are not like cubes and Gordo's claims that they're 3-4 times more potent than most mushrooms floating around out there is not an exaggeration. After my first flush I took a 0.6g test does to see what they were like. Shockingly I had moderate visuals and light "trippyness" for a good 3 hours. I was shocked that just over a half a gram would even be a threshold dose.
Fast forward my soon to be ex wife (we love each other and it's amicable, but she didn't sign up to be with a trans person) and kids are away for a week and I planned for yesterday to be the "big day". I spent some time getting in the right head space and was pretty nervous before starting my journey. The plan was to take 2 grams, which for Pan Cyans is a pretty heavy dose. Now, I haven't yet powdered and homogenized/capsulated them, so the potency between flushes is obviously varied. After 1.5 hours on 2 grams I was a bit disappointed in the strength so I said fuck it and went back to my original flush jar of dark blue mushrooms and downed another 3 grams.
20 minutes later....lift off. It came on like a freight train. As I sat on my front porch bench smoking a cigar, waves and patterns flashed across my lawn. I could see "networks" of patterns connecting everything. Living in SoCal, the neighborhood is flush with colorful flowers, swaying palms, wildflowers on the hills. They visuals got stronger and stronger. Looking across the street at my neighbor's garden, her bright red tree came alive. The leaves getting 4-5 times bigger, then smaller, then opening up and reaching out seemingly halfway across the street. Things were really starting to get intense and at this point the visuals were significantly stronger than anything I've ever experienced in my life. And I've eaten an 8th of P. Azurescens back in the day which were truly insane. Already, a half hour into this second dosing I had drastically exceeded my previously strongest trip.
I went back inside and looked in the mirror. half of my face turned into my deceased father's face, the other half still me. My face flashed from one face to the next, a skull, my own face melting off, another skull bit different, rot and decay, death, extreme sadness in missing my dad, I broke down into a blubbering sobbing mess. Reality was slipping away and I had no grip on it. I remember telling myself to let go and surrender.
I phoned my brother, who lives back on the east coast to try to get grounded. He knew what I was up to and told me he'd be available. It helped talking to him but as we talked my ability to discern reality completely vanished. I slumped over the ottoman in my living room and melted into it, a complete puddle. I was drooling, snotting, sobbing, laughing hysterically, crying again, laughing. I was incoherent but I remember my brother saying, "if there was a venn diagram of you and an infant, it would be one circle". I asked my brother if my eyes were open or closed and he laughed saying "how the fuck would I know lol".....I kept asking him if it was dark or light out. I had no idea.
I couldn't formulate any words or thoughts, only groans, moans, jibberish, slobbering and drooling all over the place, calling out colors and shapes that I could hear and taste. Fairly certain my eyes were closed at this point I entered a realm of never ending impossible fractals. I remember purple being a dominant color and then I saw her. I've heard of people meeting entities on DMT and on extreme doses of mushrooms but I was dubious until I met her yesterday. Without word being spoken she showed me everything. I knew everything there was to know. Not in any sort of granular way. I didn't know astrophysics equations, I simply didn't even need to know that math. My knowledge of reality and the universe transcended all of it. "I" was gone. Completely. There was no Jamie anymore. I was the air, the ether, the beings I saw. I was my dog, the galaxy, my deceased father.
A demon arose in the fractal world but rather than run from it I ran into it and understood it was only serving a purpose. It dissipated and any fear of it was gone. The purple goddess returned, sitting in a lotus yoga pose made out of endlessly impossible changing fractals. It was like this for a while. An hour? A day? A year?
I regained a bit of my ego, and remember calling out "everything is perfect and exactly as it should be".
As I slowly became aware of my existence as Jamie again the trip entered another difficult stage. I knew I was in my living room, but everything looked so extremely distorted and strange. I watched my dogs eyes pulsate to the size of silver dollars and his jowls seep into the hardwood floors joining the woodgrain that flowed like rivers. Mentally, I was on a higher plane. I knew everything but started to feel like I wanted to stop. Knowing it doesn't work that way I tried to keep calm but I was pretty certain it would just never end. I did the same thing a thousand times, but I'm not sure if I did. I lived the same 20 minutes over and over and over again in a seemingly hopelessly endless time loop. I was certain I died, perhaps overdosed on mushrooms and that I was now stuck in this house like it was an island. I knew I couldn't OD on mushrooms. I must have choked to death on them then. Either way, I was dead. I'd never see my wife or kids again. If they did come home from their vacation, I wasn't sure they'd be real. I figured, most likely, as soon as they'd come home I'd restart this trip all over again. I'd live in this purgatory forever. I thought once I come down and go back to the office and get back in my routine, I'd never be able to trust it. If you've ever seen the move "1408", this was my new reality.
I went back into my bedroom to try to relax. I have a really big beautiful abstract painting and phillips Hue lights all over the room. I watched my painting dance, the colors and patterns changing, blending in a visual display that was breathtakingly gorgeous. Still, I thought it would never end. I was mixed between enjoying the color show and wanting my mind back. Slowly over the next few hours things came back together.
A few hours later after the trip stopped I was watching TV and got a sudden second onset of fairly strong visuals, but with little to no mind games. This afterglow lasted a while and I felt intensely comfortable and relaxed, happy.
All in all, the only way to describe this experience was that it was the absolutely most extreme experience of my life. It was profound, deep, beautiful, a bit scary, challenging. Overall I'd say I got exactly what I needed out of it.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience. The universe is nothing but pure love and beauty and it's in all of us. Journey on, fellow travelers, perhaps we'll meet on another plane.

Hey Everyone! I'm thrilled to share my latest violin cover with all of you. 🎻🎶
I recently recorded a captivating violin rendition of "River Flows In You" by Yiruma, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Here's the link to the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeSHsmYTVJ0
Feel free to watch the video, leave a comment, and let me know what you think. If you enjoy it, I would be grateful if you could give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends who appreciate the beauty of violin music.
Thank you for taking the time to listen, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts! 🎵❤️
Alisa
#violinmusic #riverflowsinyou #youtubemusic #musicvideo #violincover

Updated May 2023
I recently changed Reddit accounts and it's been about a year, so it seemed prudent to repost this for visibility. :)

Link to the Below Zero guide

https://subnauticamap.io/ - This is an interactive map of the crater. However, be warned that it will show the general location of things you need to find. This can be toggled but if you have zero point of reference for the places mentioned in this guide, this map should provide one.

General tips are at the bottom, however, they rely on you having played at least part of the way through the game so I don't recommend checking them until at least part 3, AKA "Going Traveling"

Subnautica is a game primarily about exploring your environment while overcoming the trepidation that the game sets up in you over doing so. Although there isn't a perfect guide to being able to clear the game, there also isn't an unambiguous path of progression for the player, either.
Consequently new players often find themselves at an impasse in terms of progression and where to go. The following is a no-nonsense, straight to the point guide on how to progress, but it's not a bible. You can do most of this just by exploring and wandering around.
A blind playthrough is critical to the first time player experience. This is often true of every game but for Subnautica it makes or breaks the whole story - you need to have no idea what the hell is going on the first time you clear the game. If you spoil it for yourself you will regret it, please believe me in this. This guide is meant to give you a nudge when you find you don't know where to go next, it's not really meant as a walkthrough, even though it can be used as one. Do yourself a favor friends, don't go wandering /subnautica or the wiki too much and this guide will not lead you astray. It is written specifically for brand new players.

The Beginning

When you first arrive on 4546b, you find yourself with basically nothing. You're hungry, thirsty, your lifepod is broken and your cookies are gone. The Aurora is burning (and you nearly did too) but despite all that, you're alive and this planet is about to get some Ryley in it.
The environment around you has most of what you need to get started. The metal scrap strewn around the shallows provides an easy source of Titanium while you can break limestone and sandstone to get the minerals you need for your starting tools. You'll want the quartz you find for glass.
Although you have a number of options for making equipment, at this stage I don't recommend using resources for the air pump or pipes. Truth is they don't really have much use; they create a breathing line from the surface for when you're diving, but they're expensive and there's better alternatives in your near future.
Once you have a scanner and knife, take the time to scan everything you can. All the local wildlife can be scanned and most of the flora.
Your objective at this point is to build a repair gun, knife, seaglide, flashlight and scanner.

Branching Out

Now that you've got your basic tools and you can get around a little, it's time to begin exploring. At this point you've seen the deeper waters on the edges of the kelp forest.
It's time to go take a look.
The red grassy plains have what you need to progress to deeper waters. You'll want to explore the wrecks there. There are four grassy plains surrounding the shallows at compass points and cave systems exist in three of them which will become relevant later, but are largely out of your reach for now. It is out here that you will find fragments necessary for an important task you must complete soon. Raiding the aurora will require the laser cutter you learn to make here. You'll also want a propulsion cannon, which you can find the fragments to near the side of the Aurora. DO NOT GO AROUND THE BACK OF THE AURORA. SERIOUSLY. You are not prepared for that level of giggling insanity yet.
By now you've fixed the radio and may have triggered the sunbeam event, in which case you will want to go follow that. Give yourself the full span of time to go to the island and explore unless you'd prefer to explore after the event, but don't let yourself get distracted by what you find there and miss the ship arriving. The signals you've been getting are important prompts and need to be checked out when possible, so make sure you take the time to do that. Also, when you go to either island DO NOT PARK YOUR SEAMOTH NEAR THE BEACH. DO NOT PARK YOUR SEAMOTH NEAR THE BEACH. There is a real risk of it phasing through the ground and becoming inaccessible and then you'll end up on this subreddit asking how to get it back like the other 5 guys a week. Seriously.
Also note that bringing an ion cube to the top of the mountains caves will let you do something interesting up there, but I won't be specific. A scanner room at this spot is ideal not just to track the reaper leviathan on the eastern side of the island but there is quite a lot of shale and lithium here as well, which is probably something you're gonna want.

Going traveling

At this point you should have a seamoth, your basic tools, a laser cutter, propulsion cannon and lead suit. You are prepared. It's time to go to the Aurora... but only if you've gotten the communication from Alterra with the captains door code. Otherwise, you must wait for that radio event. You can go explore the ship anyways of course, but not having the code means you can't get into the captains room, requiring you to go back and get it later. So it's up to you. You can open the door anyways if you get the code off the internet or something but since the game gives it to you anyways, you can always wait for the prompt. If not, the door code is 2679
If you have a cyclops I don't recommend taking it, since reapers hang out at the front and back ends of the ship. However, a seamoth is small enough to fit through the broken superstructure of the ship at the front and thus avoid this danger. There are two ways to access the ship and although it seems impossible, you CAN in fact climb up to access the open one. Otherwise, you can use the prop cannon to move the debris out of the way of the door near water level. Be sure to take the time to explore inside and use the carry-all bags to leave stuff you want to keep from the ship out the front so you can come back and pick it all up later. There's lots of useful stuff in there.
As a side note here, the leech-like things that annoy you in the reactor room are called Bleeders. I hate Bleeders personally, but I noted that if you grab one with the propulsion cannon and fling it into the wall out of sheer spite then other bleeders will be attracted to the body, which makes grabbing and doing the same to them quite easy. Clearing the entire room of those little #*([email protected]'s only takes a couple minutes.
You can get the codes for various rooms inside from the PDA's you find. Also note that some doors can only be opened once you repair them. Sometimes the Aurora glitches and these repair sections don't work but because the ship has two entrances, you can always go around the back to clear the whole thing, which is... annoying. If you don't mind being patient, leaving the Aurora and doing other things for awhile will reset the wreck, allowing you to come back later and potentially be able to repair the doors then.
The codes for the ship are:
Cabin No. 1: 1869
Captain's Quarters: 2679
Cargo Bay: 1454
Lab Access: 6483

Time to go down

With the Aurora repaired you have the ability to wear things other than the lead suit, so it's time to chuck that in the trash 'cuz you won't need it again. It's time to get the outer wrecks in the zones beyond the shallows and hoo boy ain't that gonna be an experience.
The cyclops is your friend here. But what's this, you don't have a cyclops? Well, that's okay. You may have found one of the engine fragments on the aurora in the cargo bay but if you missed it, it's not really a big deal. Your next objective to build one is to go explore mushroom forest and the underwater floating islands for the fragments you'll need. If you've been following your radio signals you've probably been to the aurora rendezvous point by now, but if not, take the time to go thoroughly explore that island. One of the PDAs you need to find the next place is not at the degasi base, but on one of the paths of the island near an arch of rock. You'll need to explore the island thoroughly to find it. Make sure to scan everything and bring back plant samples if you have a seabase. You can use plant pots to keep food trees on your cyclops for easy access to food without worrying about curing everything all the time.
Once you have the cyclops, you need to take the time to upgrade your seamoth to depth so you can explore the various wrecks, supplement your PDA database and establish yourself properly for long-term operations. At this point in the game you should be aiming for or already have:
A seabase, even a basic one. A couple corridors with lockers are invaluable for storage and operations and the scanner room is MISSION CRITICAL. If you haven't built one yet, get on that!
A seamoth, either at or being upgraded to 500m depth
Knife, flashlight, repair gun, seaglide, scanner, laser cutter, propulsion or repulsion cannon, rebreather
Be sure to check everything, then check it again! It's easy to miss things on the island. Be sure to check the buildings on the tops of the hills there too. Although it would be nice to be able to plant land beacons (hint hint, Unknown Worlds), it's not feasible for marking out the precursor gate on the floating island so unfortunately, it's not of much use unless you have your base on one island or the other. I don't recommend the floating island for this for reasons which will become apparent later in the game.

Looking into the abyss

If you've explored most of or all of the wrecks and no longer have missing technology, it's time to go deeper. If you've been following your PDA signals you need to check out the degasi bases and follow their story, as they lead you to a large, deep cave which is the path to deeper places you need to explore.
There are several inlets to the place you need to reach. Northern Bulb Zone where it meets Mountains has a large entrance. Blood Kelp Zone and Trench both have entrances. The last one is in deep grand reef, where the final Degasi base is. I personally recommend either Deep Grand Reef or Bulb Zone but the latter has the most accessibility.
Raiding the final Degasi Base before exploring this cave system will get you the orange precursor key which you'll need to access something hidden at the southern end of the caves near blood kelp trench's entrance. While working down here I strongly recommend making liberal use of beacons as navigational guides if you're new to this place. It is VERY confusing and looks very same-y if you haven't spend a lot of time here.
Deep inside the caves you'll come upon a chamber with a massive skull sitting on a chunk of land in the middle and access to a slightly lower part of the cave system which is not green. This is the Cove Tree Cave and the brine there will not hurt you the way the green brine does. This leaves you able to free dive there to gather materials without needing to rely on your prawn.
This chamber with the skull is, in fact, the central chamber of Lost River. It is an excellent place for building a scanner station and the entire area is ludicrously rich in resources. It's a perfect place to stock up and catch up any upgrades, tools or devices you may be lacking so far. You'll want the resource stocks for later and honestly, it's just a really cool place to have a base in general.
The Disease Research Facility is in the north-eastern arm of Lost River, accessible through the Bulb Zone entrance. A juvenile ghost leviathan guards the path but as with most leviathans, operating in silent running and staying above or below it while sticking to the cave walls will get you by without any issue. If they do notice you, just pop a decoy, go full speed for about 5-8 seconds and then drop the engine to low and stay in silent running until you get far enough for the big ugly to stop bothering you.
The southern part of Lost River holds a large chamber with a ghost leviathan juvenile and houses another rather large skeleton. This area in particular is rich in large ore deposits and crystallized sulfur that you'll be needing for some big upgrades.
By the way, remember the cyclops shield? By now you're probably noticing that using the auxiliary functions on the cyclops eats a lot of power. Redundant power cells are your friend and if you feel you're worried about power costs while exploring, you lose nothing by having a buttload of spare power cells. It can pay off, being able to spam the shield for awhile and run away.
You'll want that shield for what's coming next.

Once More Unto The Deep

By now you've probably explored Lost River a bit and you're wondering where to go from here. If you've built a scanner room in the central chamber, you'll have noticed that the scanner, when at full range, shows a chamber below Lost River.
This is the inactive lava zone and it is here your answers lay.
You have two access points to reach this chamber. The North-east arm past the disease research facility and the cove tree caves. Both entrances are equally difficult to get through but the first one feels more open, if you don't mind the ghost leviathan circling around above the opening.
This chamber is rich with even more valuable resources, if you somehow haven't got enough already. The cove tree cave entrance leads to the western part of the ILZ chamber. The North-east entrance leads to the north edge of the chamber. The chamber itself is rather oval-shaped, with the western edge of it relatively empty and the eastern part containing a massive lava bubble.
If you wander around down here long enough the PDA will prompt you to take a look at that bubble a bit more closely. You will need two purple precursor keys to access the facility inside. Now that you're down here you'll notice there's a fair number of warpers, crimson rays (who are harmless) and leech-like things which will attach to the hull of your ship and drain power. That sounds like a problem, doesn't it?
Don't worry though, we got you covered. Once you're down here, go grab some kyanite and you can build the cyclops thermal reactor which pretty much eliminates the whole running out of power problem. The shield is a great way to get the leeches off your hull at the same time.
As for the leviathan, the sea dragon isn't actually a whole lot of threat. It might spit fire at you and is capable of picking up and biting the prawn but will mostly ignore you if you don't go hanging out in front of it.
With that said, treat it like any other leviathan while in the cyclops. Drive slow, keep an eye on it and if it gets curious, drop a decoy and move away ASAP. Cutting your engines once you've gotten a little distance will almost always make them lose interest.

But Wait, There's More!

If you've explored the inner depths of the lava bubble, then you have the blue key, ion battery plans and have opened the portal to the QEP. Great! Now coming down here in the prawn isn't a big deal and you don't have to drive the cyclops all the way down here to go grab resources. A small scanner base down here would be great for quickly finding what you need.
As you can probably guess, there's an even deeper chamber than this, which is the active lava zone. You can find the entrance by following the lava flows around the ILZ and keeping an eye on the floor. You'll find a large space big enough for the cyclops to lower down into.
Down here you'll find 2 sea dragons to avoid, so don't you get conservative with your power. By now you'll probably have built ion power cells and those can run your shield and sonar together for a full 5 minutes with silent running going so don't be shy about using them!
Getting into the alien base down here will require two blue keys, one for accessing the facility, the other for accessing the inner facility. It is here you will find the ion cube fabricator which requires the prawn. You can use this to open the warp gates in the facility. Six ion cubes in total are required for this. Four for the warp gates on the upper floor and two in the Sea Emperors tank. One of these leads back to the upper floor, if you find you're struggling to get back out. This gate in particular is about halfway up the tank at the back and sits on a large ledge. An ion cube is provided to activate it, giving you a way to walk out of the tank if you find you're struggling to get out.
And... that's pretty much it, really. After that encounter you'll know where to go and what to do. The paths laid out for you in the final facility lead you to the places you need to go to find the things you require.

Tips and tricks

• Keep floaters in your cyclops. When you're operating above 500m, running out of power, floaters will allow you to passively bring your ship to the surface without power expense so that you can resupply it. This is pretty much a last ditch move but it never hurts to be prepared.
  
• You can fit up to 8 basic plant pots in an observatory, which will grant you twice the amount of growing space as an indoor grow bed for the same amount of floor space while also making the crops more easily accessible.
  
• The engine comparment of the cyclops has a lower deck behind the vehicle bay which everybody ignores, but it's a great spot for plant shelves and marble melons for food security.
  
• Load your vehicles. Dedicate storage in them to supplies. Water, food, medkits, beacons, flares (bonesharks and crabsquids react to them) and spare power supplies for the vehicles. Keep this kit supplied and you will never be caught unprepared for an 'oh crap' situation.
  
• Okay, so you don't want to give up inventory space for your vehicles. The next best thing is then to fill a watertight locker or two with food, water, medpacks and maybe a couple spare batteries and power cells, then drop them someplace with a beacon next to them. Do this a dozen times in random spots around the map as you travel and now you have emergency caches you can access if you get into trouble.
  
• When you reach the point where materials gathering is easy, consider creating vehicle-creation drop points. 2-3 spots on the map with a mobile vehicle bay, a couple lockers with everything you need for a new seamoth and some basic supplies. If you lose your vehicle, it's a lot easier to make a replacement and get the mats than to get the mats to make a replacement.
  
• The propulsion gun is your friend. Use it to grab items to pick up, use it to grab cave crawlers and yeet them into low orbit, use it to pick up rocks and fling them at things you particularly don't like. Use it to collect gas pods from gasopods without getting hit by the cloud. Use it to move debris in wrecks. Bring a spare battery specifically for it because flinging things around uses a lot of power but the sheer utility of the tool makes it worth the cost.
  
• You'll be tempted to deck your seamoth out with all the toys but the truth is once you have the prawn, it's obsolete. Don't fall into the temptation of continuing to build tons of upgrades for it unless you plan to use it for a fast-fetch vehicle for things you need from far away. However, with that said, the seamoth is really the superior vehicle for wreck-diving.
  
• Keeping a second air tank in your inventory and swapping them mid-dive is a perfectly viable option. However, the tanks only refill when wearing them, so make sure to switch again once you're back in breathing space. This can and will save you when wreck diving and two ultra high quality tanks equals 450 seconds of air in total, or 7m30s of air.
  
• Speaking of air, you can use the air bladders alternate use key (F on PC - the same button for self-scanning) to get a few seconds of air out of it into your tank. It's not much - 20 seconds or so - but sometimes, that little bit extra can save your life if you're just out of reach of your vehicle.
  
• You can collect flora and fauna samples as you progress through the game and have a garden base specifically for growing plant samples from around the crater. Obviously this looks really nice (creepvine in an alien tank under the floor provides the room in your base with a nice golden glow) but is also useful later.
  
• SCANNER ROOMS. SERIOUSLY PEOPLE. If you're struggling to find the magnetite, go to Jellyshroom. If you're struggling to find Jellyshroom, always remember that lifepod 17 is directly next to one of its exit points. The range upgrades are incredibly important and the HUD chip makes the whole thing work.
  
• Farm supplies! You don't need to work or power anything to grow crops. Consider dropping a foundation with some growbeds, a beacon and your farmables (gel sack, creepvine seeds, creepvine samples, acid mushroom, blood oil and deepshrooms). Now you can stock up on things like batteries, rubber, lubricant, benzene, polyaniline. Keep a few of these crops in your cyclops for planting in new spots and never run out of the stuff you need while keeping your home base nice and lag free.
  
• Creature decoys can be deployed both by hand and by prawn propulsion arm, which lets you pull items out of your inventory to 'throw'. You can also do this with the propulsion cannon by using the F key (the alternate tool use button, the same one you use to self-scan, for all you console folks).
  
• Turning off your engines greatly reduces the chance of a leviathan damaging the cyclops, even if it's right on top of you. Moving is what gets their attention. If one is swimming near the sub, cut all engines and just wait patiently for it to get a little distance, then silent running and max speed for a few seconds. Pop a decoy for good measure if you want to make absolutely sure.
  
• You can access the right side of the Aurora relatively safely by going south to Crag Zone and then banking east into the deeper parts of crash zone. Most of the reapers are up by the ship, sticking to the bottom will keep you relatively safe and net you as much titanium as you will ever need.
  
• Blood kelp zone, the sea treader wreck and the meteor crater in Dunes all have secrets that you may find interesting.
  
• Remember the Bleeders in the reactor room of the Aurora? Bring a grav trap along - they're cheap, it's disposable - and enter through the top door by climbing along the wreckage up there. Pop the grav trap in the reactor room and kill one of them with the propulsion cannon - the others will come for the body and be stuck in the trap, making picking them off much, much easier than it would be trying to find them all individually. You can just leave the trap behind. If you have the stasis gun, you can wait for them to stack up in the grav trap, stun them, then drop gas pods amidst the several bleeders and watch them get bodied.
  
• Gas pods 'o doom also work against leviathans. They work against EVERYTHING. You just need a lot of them, but getting a lot of them is really easy with the propulsion cannon (which can fire them too, by the way).
  
• Reefback barnacles are a good source of copper and silver, but beware the tiger plants on their backs. If you have a reinforced dive suit, tiger plants can't hurt you, but without one they're a pain. You can yeet them with the propulsion cannon. That trick works for drooping stingers too.
  
• Beacons everywhere. No seriously, everywhere. You'd be amazed how few people use them as much as they ought to be used.
  
• Eastern red grass plains has deep caves with a type of plant which can only be found in a few select spots on the map. Bulb Zone's lifepod has caves with some nearby and the Dunes also has some, but a Reaper is guarding them. If you do manage to find the spot though, it's GREAT for rubies!
  
• Scanner room cameras are a good way to keep track of nearby leviathans. They also force the terrain to load, which is required for the scanner room to actually pick things up. Stalkers will snag the cameras and move them around, but they're pretty useful for quickly getting the scanner room working right. The wildlife ignores the cameras too, so if you want a really nice picture of some creature you really hate getting close to, they're a great way to get it.
  
• Breed some stalkers, release them outside your base next to a pile of metal scrap and never worry about finding teeth for glass again. Barring that? Drop a random beacon in the kelp forest and wait for a stalker to collect it, follow it back to their stash and drop a grav trap.
  
• Light sticks can be good for wreck diving, as are flares. Flares provide much better lighting in large open spaces than the flashlight or seaglide. It makes them a good alternative to the flashlight in the early game.
  

• DO NOT PARK YOUR SEAMOTH NEAR THE BEACHES. DO NOT PARK YOUR SEAMOTH NEAR THE BEACHES. DO NOT PARK YOUR SEAMOTH NEAR THE BEACHES.

• The following is a list of zones where one can find particular ores. It isn't a complete list, but will allow you to find everything you need in a timely fashion:
  

Lithium - Jellyshroom, Bulb Zone, Mushroom Forest, Lost River
Loose Lithium - Mushroom Forest, Mountains, Grand Reef, Shale, lost river
Magnetite - Jellyshroom is the only biome with large nodes
Loose Magnetite - Jellyshroom, mountains, cove tree cave, blood kelp zone, lost river
Rubies - Dunes, Spare Reef Caves, Lost River, Grand Reef, Underwater Islands
Diamonds - Lost River, Shale, Inactive Lava Zone, Sea Treader Path, sometimes caves
Table Coral - Shallows, Lost River
Copper - Mushroom forest, blood kelp zone, bulb zone, lost river, limestone, Inactive Lava Zone
Silver - Crag Zone, Mountains, Lost River, sandstone, Inactive Lava Zone
Gold - Jellyshroom, Blood Kelp Zone, Lost River, sandstone, shale
Lead - Sandstone, mountains, crash zone, lost river, Inactive Lava Zone
Titanium - Crash Zone, Dunes, Limestone, Lost River, Inactive Lava Zone
Metal Salvage - Crash Zone, Crag Zone, Kelp Forest
Kyanite - Inactive Lava Zone
Crystalline Sulfur - Lost River
Nickel - Lost River
Uraninite - Blood Kelp Zone, Blood Kelp Trench, Lost River, Inactive Lava Zone, Grand Reef
Quartz - Dunes, Crag Zone, Lost River, Inactive Lava Zone, Red Grassy Plains
If you're reading this guide and have any suggestions for additional information, feel free to share them for the next iteration.

Good luck, survivor!

Hey Everyone! I'm thrilled to share my latest violin cover with all of you. 🎻🎶
I recently recorded a captivating violin rendition of "River Flows In You" by Yiruma, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Here's the link to the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeSHsmYTVJ0
Feel free to watch the video, leave a comment, and let me know what you think. If you enjoy it, I would be grateful if you could give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends who appreciate the beauty of violin music.
Thank you for taking the time to listen, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts! 🎵❤️
Alisa
#violinmusic #riverflowsinyou #youtubemusic #musicvideo #violincover

I think everybody has walked past this lady in the middle of the main room in the garudo shelter, she always says to leave her alone. I and if u go down the hole next to her you will see bottles flowing down the river. I thought i would bring a bottle back and see what she would do, I find that if you do that she will say that you are her true love and if you follow her she will go to a cooking pot and start cooking 1 creamy heart soup every day. A little detail that I loved and wanted to share for anybody that didnt know.

Elvis isn’t dead, he just went home.
Exploratory scout DSX862-QQ1 was cruising along at approximately 80% of lightspeed on an outer spiral arm of the galaxy it was native to. Its mission, issued by the Greater Council Exploratory Committee, was to seek out new life, new civilizations, points of scientific interest, and potential future colonies.
80% of the speed of light was a tremendous pace, even for a craft built by a galactic community as ancient as the Greater Council, but its particle shield was more than up to the task, and it allowed the scout to scoop interstellar dust and hydrogen to refuel itself, slowly charging its drives for the next pinch-jump. Each jump would catapult the little craft a hundred light years forwards, followed by another sub-light cruise to analyse, recharge and listen. It wasn’t expected to find much out here. Life had evolved in the warm, bright galactic core, entire civilizations meeting within decades of reaching orbit of their respective home worlds. Resources were plentiful, many of them had been talking for centuries before meeting face to face, with only years of communications lag, instead of the decades or centuries between the species evolving further out, in the colder reaches.
Out here, on the arm, everything was cold. Even the search for possible colony sites and resources was more a formality, record keeping for the sake of the endless bureaucracy that infested the Council.
So, it had come as a tremendous surprise to the scouts simple intelligence when it picked up the ghostly whisper of a deliberate radio signal.
Pulses, blips, zaps, hisses, all were the normal background noise of the cosmos, but this was a firm BUZZ. Soon followed by strings and knots of beeps. The scout rotates, following its radio antenna ‘nose’ to lock in a direction towards the noise. It spooled up its pinch-drive, and jumps, a few lightyears, not enough to drain its energies, but just enough to allow it to triangulate. Then jump again, to get a third point. A fourth, a fifth.
A yellow star, a few billion years old, spectral and gravitational indications speaking of gas giants, rocky and icy bodies, and a potential habitable zone with a world skimming just along the outer edge of the habitable zone. The source of the signals.
The scout spooled its pinch-drive once more, preparing to make the thirty something lightyear jump to close with the noisy world.
It also began the process of waking up its Commander.
++++++++
Kevin Karl and the Karlsons wound down their last song of the evening, sweating under the stage lights and bathed in the adoration of the crowd. This was IT, the high they had all dreamed of, had chased through bars, opening acts, and finally, after just a few years, headline act of a whole show!
They’d bopped along to the other acts on that night, friends all, they’d been on tour together for weeks across the entire USA and would be playing two more shows before wrapping up for the year.
Off-stage, past the cheering, singing, breathless fans of rock and roll, brought together by the joy of the new genre that seemed to defy boundaries and break the locks of society. When they played, no-one saw the colour of their skin, Joeys scars, Mikes club foot. The band couldn’t make out individuals in the crowd. They saw humanity, united and beautiful, wrapped in the music they played.
One of the opening acts were gathered back stage, still bouncing, and their singer passed over a reefer cigarette. Kevin took a drag, feeling the smoke sooth his nerves as he passed it on, then he choked and laughed. “That was some show, could you feel them?”
The other singer, Jack ‘Wabbit’ let out a howl, “Hell yeah baby, felt like lightning, smooth lightning all through… wait, that gives me an idea for a song!”
He was off, crouching awkwardly as he pulled a pencil and notebook from somewhere and started scribbling.
Kevin chuckled, took a beer from Joey, and started walking towards the car. While far from brand new, it was big enough to take the band in relative comfort, while the instruments and gear followed in trucks. He climbed in back, sprawling across the bench, and closed his eyes. It was a thousand miles to the next venue, they were already running late to start getting organised, but he needed just a moment.
He was woken by a nudge. “Hey, Kev, you want a ride down to Jacksonville? Wabbit says his cousin has a plane, can take you both to Florida, rest of us will come down with the trucks, faster then the Catalina can get us there.”
Kevin blinked, groggy, but hanging on to getting to the next stop in comfort.
“Damn, yeah, I’m in! No way I’m passing up a planeride in comfort!”
++++++
The commander of DSX862-QQ1 listened to the sounds of the boisterous world her small ship had discovered. To say it was barely habitable was an understatement. Plenty worlds had higher gravity, but not the weather extremes this one had. Others had far worse weather but lacked the deadly pathogens that were detectable in the outer reaches of the atmosphere. Others still had some version or variation of every horrific threat this single world had, but never so many of them wrapped into one pristine appearing blue and green ball of life that seemed determined to survive by any means necessary.
She was impressed that life had evolved to multicellular levels at all, never mind to the point where it had achieved radio broadcast, powered flight and, if the latest scans were accurate, atomic power, weaponry, and the rudiments of space flight under development.
This world was only a few centuries from needing a first contact delegation, she could sense it.
If they survived. She’d seen plenty of far more peaceful civilisations wipe themselves out before achieving their full potential after all, and the light-delayed data her ship had gathered on the way in indicated that the primary species of this world **really** liked to fight one another.
Well, it wasn’t as if the Greater Council was perfect. A few hundred worlds, usually half at odds with the other half, or outright warring with the non-aligned groups surrounding them. Over what, she could hardly imagine, resources weren’t scarce, habitable worlds almost common, matters of religion seemed pointless to her.
Rather than be caught up in the endless squabbling, she’d worked to be assigned a scout ship, and only went ‘home’ when the databanks were full or the hull degraded.
She flipped idly through the signals her ship was pulling in. Mostly simple vocal signals, some barely encrypted, likely military, the rest completely in the clear. For a while there had been a simple video signal modulated as well, the computers now busy going through it to compile a useable language interface.
Her digit stopped, as one transmission caught her attention. There was a voice there, the words as yet unintelligible, but it was laced through, interwoven with, strung around a **sound**.
It wasn’t the first she’d heard of music from this world, nor even the first she’d heard following this particular set of musical rules, but there was something about **this** voice… It reached inside her, and she felt her soul reach out to embrace it.
It was memetic, the warning symbol now flashing on her display confirming what she already knew, but memetics were weapons, hazards, dangers to be filtered and avoided, while this?
It spoke of pain, it sang of loss, and heartbreak and joy and unity and togetherness. It sent her thoughts on strange tangents where her actions saved worlds, brought together warning species, enabled peace…
She shook off the effects as the music faded out and a smooth voice mumbled something, before the next song started. That too, touched her, yet lacked the sheer power of the first, and she was able to shut off the recording with a shaky digit.
She fumbled the ships controls, aligning with the source of the original transmission. A rickety looking steel tower with several high-powered emitters inside a small building next to it. Clearly not the source of the music itself, merely a civilian broadcast station, the music an entertainment medium.
She turned her attention then, to discovering what, or who, had created such a wonder.
++++++
Kevin stared at the airplane. It looked fresh, but old.
“War surplus, picked her up for a song when she was gonna be dumped out in a desert!” Wabbits cousin was a skinny boy, barely out of his teens, but with the quick and sure motions of an expert when he touched his beloved machine. “I heard you guys playing last night, gotta say, it changed my mind about black folks. Always thought to myself, to each their own right? And the laws are that way too, it made sense, but man, the way you sang, how the band played, I wanted to meet you, to say, you got me to see more. Like how the world looks from way up high, we’re all just one piece of something, right? And I think the world might be less ugly that way. So, I said to my cousin, man, I want to help out, my folks left me a pile of cash, I have my baby here, and if you want, I’ll take you where you gotta go.”
He stopped, looking at the ground, and although Kevin was tempted to accept the offer on the spot, but the kid was offering to sideline everything to ferry around his ass?
“Well, damn, listen man, thanks, and I’m grateful you’re giving us a ride to Jacksonville, but lets take it easy right? See how you feel after the flight and if you want to come to the show, sure, I’ll get you in. I can’t pay for regular flights though, I’m already paying for my car! Besides, as much as I need to get down there and make sure everythings golden, I can’t go leaving my band behind every time!”
“Oh, right, no it’s cool, if they want a ride too its all good. I want to make a change, and helping you out helps me do that, right? If you want to talk money, heck, I could bankroll a few shows, take a percentage in return, but its not about the money. Man you changed me, in a good way. I think you could do the same for people like me! You, uh. I stopped hating, you know? Feels good.”
Kevin started to wonder if he shouldn’t have just curled back up on his car bench and stayed asleep. “Okay, I’m on board, if you want to take the rest of my guys too, that’s great, we all get to our next stop on time, you get a show, and if you still want to help us out, we can look at more shows after the tour. Sound fair?”
They shook hands. Pete, as he turned out to be named, started fussing with his airplane again, and removing what he termed ‘junk’ from the hold and other parts of the craft, which to Kevins untrained eye all looked vaguely important, but were ‘heavy’.
He boarded with his band, and Wabbit, who had his own guitar with him, and as the airplane started taxying, amidst the reefer smoke, and snippets of song Wabbit was working on, they settled down for the flight.
++++++
DSX862-QQ1’s commander was hampered in her efforts to locate the origin of the music she had heard by the lack of any real information link between radio and physical locations. There was undoubtably ground-based cable she couldn’t tap, but there was no evidence of a wide area data network, and given the technology of the ‘Humans’ she wasn’t surprised.
Just frustrated.
Nonetheless, she was able to identify the singer, and his ‘band’ who played the instruments that had so perfectly twinned with his voice. She wondered how a purely non-verbal species would have received his music. Would they have felt what she felt just through the radio signal? Something she would learn, in time. Her plan was simple, she’d locate her subject, and deploy a drone to follow him. Wherever he played, her drone would invisibly follow, recording his music in perfect fidelity.
She’d return home, and share his music. Something no-one had heard before, had never experienced, and perhaps, it would make them see, and feel, what she had when hearing it.
The ship pinged, it had located a small heavier than air craft that had a high probability of carrying her quarry. It was moving at less than a third of the local speed of sound, but was being strangely buffeted. The computer flashed warning symbols on sections of the craft. Simple, but not primitive, the craft was perfectly designed for the task it was meant to perform, very good engineering had gone into creating it.
Yet it was failing, structurally, air pressures flowing over it far in excess for which it had been designed, one of this worlds unique weather phenomenon threatening to rip it apart.
Amidst the horror of realizing she was about to witness the death of those individuals who had touched her very soul, she recognized the craft was operating in excess of two hundred percent its designed stress ratings.
It was a toughness that bought a few seconds of thought. Of decision, and rash, perhaps illegal, action.
Digits brushed controls, summoning a hum from the depths of her ship. The fuel capture system was not meant for rescue, in fact, using for anything other than non-living mass was considered a breach of several laws. First and foremost, it was a very focusable disintegration array, making it a terrifying weapon. Secondly, it could collect the energy released by the disintegration and funnel it into storage cells to fuel the engines.
Thirdly, and this was the illegal part, her scoutships sensors could record exactly how the disintegrated matter had been arranged, down to the subatomic level, and the array could be reprogrammed to then reverse the process to convert the captured energy back into the original thing.
Used on an interesting rock, this was fine. On a living being it was murder at best and non-consensual cloning at worst.
Her digit pressed down firmly on the energize symbol that appeared below her hacked override code.
++++++
The aircraft finally surrendered to the windsheer pulling at it, fragmenting in a shimmering cloud of metallic fragments that erupt in a fireball as unspent aviation fuel is ignited.
Of the passengers and pilot, no trace was ever found, their deaths mourned by millions, in part for the loss of young people who had given the world such wonderful music, but also the sense of loss at the music they would now never be able to play. A pilot who had changed his beliefs and committed himself to promoting the ones who changed him for the better, a brilliant young singer and songwriter, and a band who could touch souls, lost forever.
The great changes they had been about to unleash would not take place. Or at least, not take place as quickly. The seeds had been planted, as other young people took up their instruments, raised their voices in song, and set out to change hearts and minds their own way.
Over the course of the centuries before Humanity could reach the stars as a single family, a steady stream of visitors dropped by the musical ball of rock. To observe, to listen, to rescue, when the opportunity arose.

Just as the title says I’m in the market for my first boat. I’d like a multipurpose boat that will accommodate 7 or 8 ppl for watersports and general use but that I can also use for myself and 2-3 friends to take fishing occasionally. Will be used mainly on lakes but occasionally on the Arkansas River in western Arkansas. I’ve been looking at deck boats in the 19-23ft range, with inboard 5.0-5.7 liter engines. An acquaintance that had past ownership in a boat dealership said that Crownline was a good brand but I’m not finding many for sale. I’d like to spend under $15k as I don’t know how much we’ll really use it (wife and kids say “every weekend” but history says otherwise).

All I want is Malfeasance, and yes I'm aware the problem is I enjoy a game not made to play solo but I'm trying here. I have for hours tried to solo this strike. But the miniboss in the arena has so much health, mixed with his own tether, never ending eyes spawning and nothing but air around the arena to send you into delta airlines style. The real problem is if I don't get it first try the checkpoint spawns you in a place where you cant farm ammo or abilities to try again. I'm currently having the most success with void lock but I haven't even gotten him halfway, are there any tips out there to help? Also yes the butthurt flows strongly.

Looking to move a few knives today, willing to make a deal on somebody taking them all and saving me from shipping out 8 different packages. I can take more photos of any particular knife if you guys need. No trades at this time please.
https://imgur.com/a/Qn4xhbi
I can take more specific pictures if you need. I prefer F&F but will do G&S if you cover fees. No matter how many you buy, shipping will not happen until next Friday or Saturday. Going out of town for the week and PO is closed today.

1. CRK Small Inkosi Insingo w/ Natural Micarta Inlays. Has some snail trails on the scales and the clip, nothing new with their Ti finish. In excellent shape, solid lock up as always. Asking $385
   
2. North Arm Skaha 2 in S35VN. Catch and release for me, nothing wrong with it just not the size of knife I like carrying. Action is what you’d expect out of the Skaha’s. No scratches or markings on this one. Asking $160.
   
3. Peña Apache in M390 w/ Micarta scales. Honestly one of my favorite knives. Perfect action, flip, and lock up. Carried a couple times but never sharpened, still razor sharp from the factory. Asking $160.
   
4. Boos TM2 Ti w/ custom factory pivot. Didn’t like the all Ti look so I got ahold of Boos and they sent me a blue ano’d pivot screw. Sweet knife, bought it brand new a few years ago and it’s time to left someone else try it out. Asking $110.
   
5. Custom Mini Bugout. Orange ano’d hardware with Flytanium all Ti scales. Perfectly centered and all around a sweet little knife. Carried a couple of times but still in extremely good shape; no scratches, never sharpened. Asking SOLD
   
6. GEC 14 in Golden Sawcut Bone. Cool little Slipjoint, just prefer to carry my 68’s and 15’s over this one. Light scuffs on the bolsters but can be polished out with some Flitz if you prefer, if not it would be a great longtime gentleman’s user. Asking $130.
   
7. Bark River UP EDC 1st Production in Black Linen Micarta. Have multiple Barks now and this one doesn’t seem to make it out hunting with me anymore. Field dressed a deer with it last year and it’s sat ever since. Makes for a great skinner. Sheathe is practically spotless, looks brand new. The blade has a nice and even but light patina. Asking $150.
   
8. Olight Warrior Mini 2 Ti Fire Edition. Brand new, never carried. Can’t find the box for this one but it’s sat in my safe since I’ve bought it. I’ll keep looking for the box. Will obviously throw in a charger. Asking $80.
   

First / Previous / Next
I was furious.
The Aviens and Mariens in charge here thought they could control us with the gift of a false translator. They watched our arrival with glee probably. Our power is self evident and were relying on naïveté in order to control us.
As I strode along towards the administration building, Ava, Fer'resi and Mei'la struggled to keep up; I was walking with purpose. "Melody!" Ava called out. "If you slow down, we can walk with you and it will look more like a precession than some retainers struggling to keep up!"
I stopped. She had a point. I dressed like this and applied my mantle in order to impress. Empresses never rushed. Everything waited for them. We took a moment to get our bearings and look around.
Maybe I shouldn't have stopped.
Everyone was watching us, staring. They weren't running, but shops put shutters down, and were bringing chairs and tables closer to exits. Nobody left but people were making sure they were behind something sturdy while still having a view of the promenade.
Interestingly, the children were not frightened. I saw a small school of kids - all different types - who were peering owlishly through an open door. I met their eyes and spread my wings just a tiny bit and ruffled them. They all laughed and cheered. I don't expect them to know who I am or what I am doing, but when a women dressed in a beautiful outfit and a crown and wings made of light waves to you, it's a great day when you're 4.
We start walking again, this time at a slightly more sedate pace. While I walk, I'm trying out things. I'm trying to grill my Nanites for information. Does this starbase have an AI?
No, Builders tended to run their own Starbases. They had no need for AI.
While we're walking, I turn back. "What do you think everyone?"
Ava's head is on a swivel, with wide eyes and a big grin. "This is amazing Melody, it's so much... more than any Starbases back home. I wonder if they have shopping?" She gasps. "How do they do money? I wonder if they still have currency or is it all digital? I can't wait to see.
"Mei'la looks thoughtful. "They sure are wasteful with power here. I wonder if they just have that much of a surplus or if we could bring some efficiencies in and help people.
"Fer'resi just looks worried. "I understand why you brought me Em-er, Melody, but I must admit I am not looking forward to this confrontation."
I scoff gently. "Confrontation? We're just going to go to the administrative offices, explain that we are willing to look at what happened as a mistake and ask for a proper translator. I'm sure it'll be fine." When I say it out loud, I realize that it probably won't go that way. But, I don't want to worry him.
That is worrying him more.
It'll be fine.
As we rounded the final corner to the administrative building, I saw it. There were barricades set up around the building, and a mix of Mariens and Aviens were standing guard every meter or so, facing out, weapons free, but not being pointed at anyone.
Uh oh.
When we got about 3 meters away, the closest one called out. "Halt! The Administrative offices are closed by order of the Regents. You must come another day."
Really?
I put my hands on my hips and looked at them. I spread my golden wings just a bit to look larger. The Aviens who spoke the order looked at me, very nervous."Thank you citizen." I say kindly. "I appreciate your loyalty to your supervisor, it is to be commended. Now that you have completed your task, step aside and allow us to pass. No harm will come of you - you followed your orders to tell us to leave. We will not harm you." I gesture back to my team. "As you can see, we are unarmed."
He laughed weakly. "No Builder is truly unarmed."
I nod, when you have a voice that people can be compelled to obey, he's right. I sigh. He's going to make me say it isn't he?
He wants to experience it as much as he wants to be able to say he tried to resist when his supervisor reprimands him.
Ugh, Fine.
S̴̢͖̪͍̟̟̼͓͉̫͎̯̈́́̌̄̚ͅț̴̨̧̛̠̝̙̬̪̖̽́͐̎̾̊̒̒̋͐̀͘̕͜͜͝ͅe̸̹͐̈́̈́̈̑̉͗͘͠p̶̣͓̂̏͐̉̍̎̄̆̚͝ ̷̨̡̱̦̫̘͎̘̙̭̘̟̮̣̲̣̹͛͒͋̉̔̔͝Ā̴̧̡̝̰̦̫̱̬͍̞̘̞͓̝̲̣͒̋̀͌̎̐̊̈́̍͝ş̷̧̤͈̲̺̮̬̩̜̣̗̯̹́͊́͛ͅị̵̒̂̚ḓ̶͙̳̏͌̉ḙ̵̛̩͇̰̰̺̹̥̺̥̠̲̜̀̈́̐͊̉́͂̋͌͂̅͐̕ͅ.̸̢̛̬̫̙̺̟̟̜̪̯̹͚̯̼̔̀̊̑̄̿̓̔̎̚͜͜͜͝͠
I say it as gently as I can. As one, every Aviens and Mariens moves two steps away from the barricade. The one who spoke to me shudders and sighs happily.
"Ew" I say out loud.
"What is it? Ava asks, looking towards me.
"That one-" I point to the Aviens I've been talking to "-liked it when I ordered him around."
"I mean, I get it." Ava said, blushing.
I looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. She blushed harder. "I'm just saying that lots of people really like it when a powerful, beautiful woman orders them around, they don't even have to have the Voice that compels people for them to like it."
"Like, a sex thing?" I ask, confused.
"It can be, but it doesn't have to be" Ava replied, slightly defensively.
"Do you want to be ordered around by me?" I asked. Why did I ask that? I don't know which answer I wanted to hear.
She looked away "I wouldn't... mind it." She said.
Huh. Okay.
As we walk in, once again we're in the large, open, impressive vestibule. Over in a corner is a desk where one of the insect people - I really need to learn their names - is sitting looking bored I think. They have a book open and were reading. I stride up to them."Hello. Please tell me where I can find Starlight on a Moonless Evening or Vivvex please." I try not to use the voice this time.
Incredibly, they look over at me and their expression does not change. They are utterly unimpressed. "The Regents are in a meeting and have stated that they are not to be disturbed. I can take a message if you would like, they will reply to you by runner within one standard month."
Amazing. They are utterly unfazed. We should keep this one when we sit upon the throne. They have a skill.
"That's not necessary." I say brightly. "Can you direct me to where the Regents are meeting?" I attempt to put just a little bit of the voice into the request.
I needn't have bothered. "They're in meeting room 345. It's on the third floor, sunward side."I bow very slightly and the glowing wings dip just a bit. "Thank you friend. What is your name?"
"I am Fel."
"Well Fel, please don't go far. I feel that I'll have a use for you very soon."
"Yes, Empress."I blink. "Wait, how did you know I'm the Empress?"
"You were able to get the guards out front to stand down with a word, you are dressed in a very complicated outfit, you look like the statue out front and you have glowing wings and a glowing crown"
Yes. We like this one.
"Er yes. When you explain it like that it does make sense, Thank you Fel."
"Empress." He turns back to the book he was reading.
Up the stairs and down the hall until I'm front of a room with 345 written on a placard to the side. Next to the door I can read a little slider. One one side is "OCCUPIED" and I slide it the other way and it reads "OPEN". Offices really are the same everywhere. Huh. I feel disappointed learning that.
I try the door, and it's not even locked. Opening it, I step in and...
"I'm telling you, there's nothing to be worried about." Starlight on a Moonless Evening and Rapid River Roaring and talking to Vivvix and Zemmlin. Nobody is facing the door.
"I'm convinced they don't even know what they are" Zemmlin says. "They don't have the air of Builders, even if they look like them."
"I agree" Rapid River Roaring says, taking a sip of something from a steaming mug. "They don't have the organs for the hard work of ruling."
"If that's the case, then let the 'translator' that I gave them do its work. The problem will solve itself." Ottarn is talking over a screen from somewhere else.
I lean back out of the office - they really haven't noticed me yet - and look to Ava, Mei'la and Fer'resi and wink. Ava grins wickedly, Mei shakes her head and Fer'resi looks nervous.
With some concentration, I turn up the imperial regalia. The crown glows more intently, the wings look a little more elaborate and they start to flutter as if they are being rusted by a breeze that doesn't exit.
C̸̰̽͜e̷̡͌̀a̴̱̗̿ṡ̶̼̲̽ë̴͔̙ ̶͈͕͋̑y̶̥̓̃ö̷̪͈ù̶̢̠r̸̖̩͠ ̷̪̩͑c̵̝̾͝h̷̠̻͂a̶͇̐t̵͓͕͗t̸̯̖̋e̵̺͒r̴͈͑̕ ̶̡̟͋̎ä̴̻̝t̴̝̙̂ ̴̡̡͝o̷̢̐n̵̟̰͋ć̵̜̩̋e̵̥͕͊̔.̵͔͔̾̈́
As if I pressed the mute button, they all stopped talking. Horrified, they turn to face me. I step out so that Ottarn can see me. Interesting. I wonder if Ottarn is compelled to stop speaking, or if they're just startled. I bet the Voice doesn't work over a radio signal.
"You think us weak? You think us meek?" I lay it on thick. Ava is reveling in it. "You realize you were visited by Builders who did not yet know their true nature and you choose to hide it from them? To attempt to use them for your own ends? To further your own power? The moment I spoke the Holy Words to you, you knew your days ruling this place were numbered.
"I look up at the screen. "And you. Giving my linguist a false translator when all he wanted was to better understand you and be understood. He has received his lesson he understands you better than you know. Ottarn, speak. Tell me your location."
"I-I-I am aboard our ship, Holy One The Sea-Light."
"Disembark at once and return to this building. I will await your return.
"I turn to face the ones in the room. I have not given them permission to speak and they are staring at me with wide eyes, shaking with fear.
Good.
I point to Rapid River Roaring. "You. Fetch three working translators. Speak to no one."He stands up so quickly his chair falls over. Ignoring the toppled chair he practically runs out of the meeting room.
I jab a finger at Vivvex. "You. Speak. Where is the Throne in this Starbase."
The what? What am I asking about?
The Throne is where you rule. All Starbases have one. When you visit any Starbase, that's your main location. They are usually near the docks, though not always.
"There is an entrance in the promenade, Empress. We don't know how to open it though. I swear Empress, it was the others, Rapid River Roaring and Starlight on a Moonless Evening who conspired to keep you from your right. We were nothing but unwitting pawns!"
Oh, they called me Empress instead of Holy One.
They see the writing on the wall. They are trying to save themselves. Pitiable.
Just then, Rapid River Roaring returns, out of breath. I do believe they ran the entire way. In his clawed hand are three translators on little black straps. They're meant to be worn around the waist with a subdermal connection on the throat to facilitate speaking without having a constant din of both languages. I concentrate at them for a moment and my eyes flare yellow orange.
They are true translators, Empress.
I take them from him without comment, and turn to my team. "Here. This is how you wear them. I reach over to Ava and she blushes again as I fasten it around her waist, and then paste the subdermal to her neck and put a bone conductive dot behind her ear. "Try it."
"Okay, how do I sound? Can these..." She sneers "Sapients understand me?"
I look at them. Rapid River Roaring nods and said "Yes, we understand you perfectly, Builder."
I go to Mei'la and Fer'resi and help them put their own translators on as well.
"This is so neat!" Ava looks at me and smiles. "I swear Melody. If this Empress thing doesn't work you can make some real money in the High Mars orbitals or the Outer Planet Alliance doing dom work. You've got an unrealized gift.
"Now that she's understood, both of the Aviens feathers flutter in titillated embarrassment at what she just said of their Empress. I raise an eyebrow at them and they immediately look down and start to cower.
"No, don't cower. It grows so tiresome. Where is Ottarn?" Their looks of frightened confusion tell me they don't know either. I have a hunch. I radio FarReach. "FarReach, this is Melody, can you tell me if any of the ships in dock have moved?"
"Actually yes, Melody." FarReach answers "One of the mid sized ships opposite us blew their umbilical in a shower of dust and seems to be attempting to run."
Gene adds, They're having engine problems though. Their power output is very low. I don't think we'd have any trouble stopping them."
Hmm. "How long do you estimate before they reach the Gate?"
"More than a day at their current speed. Maybe even two."
"Okay, watch them, and if they get close to the point where you can't catch up to them let me know."
"Uh okay, Melody, if the Captain is fine with it."
"She will be, Gene."
"Hmm." Gene sounds less sure than me.
"I turn back to the Avien and Mariens in the room. "You compatriot has abandoned you. They feel they will have better luck trying to outrun my Starjumper in their creaky old ship. Enough of this. They will receive my full attention soon enough. Lead me to the Throne.
"They get up from their chairs and wordlessly leave the room. We follow them.
First / Previous / Next

It all started 3 days ago, I think, though it could be longer. This thing could've been watching me for ages before then, I just probably didn't know. Oh gosh, where do I start? I just need help! I know it's coming. It comes every night.
I'm going to start from the beginning. It was Friday evening, about 9pm and I was making my way back to my log cabin after a busy day of teaching thirty teenagers how to build a raft. I work at a Summer Camp through the holidays to help me pay for Uni. I remember there being a really eerie atmosphere. The trees surrounding my cabin were casting other-worldly shadows all around me as I walked up to my front door. There were weird noises coming from the bushes and from further into the forest. It just seemed...strange. But it was kind of easy to shrug this off as my over-active imagination as I had been here for over 3 months and not one thing had happened. Tonight was different though.
As I searched through the keys on my fob to find the right one, I caught something in my peripheral. Something strange. Something that moved so quickly, too quickly to be a human, yet having the same distinctive shape of a large man. I stood there, paralysed to the spot staring in the direction of 'the thing', waiting for more movement or a noise or anything. I seemed to be standing for an eternity, just waiting, listening, hoping that nothing else would happen.
After a while, I began to fumble with my keys and the metal clanking pulled me from the almost hypnotic state. I found the right key and quickly entered the cabin and double locked it before taking my first breath in what seemed like a very long time.
It took a lot longer to shrug this fear off. I know humans can't move as quickly as that 'thing' did, and I'm damn sure that there's no animals out there that can move like lightning and look like a 6'6'' man. I mean, I live in the UK. The scariest animal here is a badger! But, as time passed, I was eventually able to jump in the bath and relax, allowing the distant thought to flow further away.
It was around 10pm that the fear came flooding back even more intense than before.
I was just getting out of the bath when I heard a noise from down the hall. It sounded like a metal rubbing against metal with a slight squeak, slowly and quietly.
I froze.
The sound continued as I wrapped a towel around me and nervously approached the bathroom door. Then it stopped. The instant relief of the quiet and empty hallway calmed me as I peered around the door frame.
Man, I'm edgy tonight. I've gotta chill out.
I slowly made my way down the hall in search of what the noise could've been. After a few minutes of cursing myself for insisting that I didn't want a room mate in the cabin and for paying the extra fee to have solitary boarding, I realised that there was only one thing that would make that noise.
The front door handle.
I stepped backwards in realization that someone or something had tried to get in my lodge. An overwhelming urge to run overcame me.
Run where? How? It means I have to go outside and I'm safe in here. Am I?
I walked backwards to my bedroom and jumped on to my bed. I tried to calm myself by insisting that the teenagers were playing tricks on me, but I knew these children were all in bed by now and they weren't your average college type students. These were gifted and well-mannered young boys who were probably tucked up in bed right now listening to David Attenborough audiobooks. Rationalising did however get the better of me after a good half hour of slow breathing and the lack of any other noises.
Somehow that night, I managed to get some sleep because day light soon broke through the gap in my curtains and reminded me that I was safe in the light.
The second instance happened the next evening. This was Saturday night and I was invited to a Staff Camp event after sundown. By now I was dismissing everything that had happened the night before as me just being a scaredy cat and imagining things. It's so easy to do that in the day. As night came, though, I still felt a little uneasy about walking through the woods to the clearing where the campfire had been set up.
As we were celebrating only one week left till the end of Summer Camp, I knew there would be drinking and stuff, so I thought a pre-drink in my cabin would set me on the right path and would also reduce my anxiety about walking to the clearing. It worked.
As I got dressed into my bikini, I stared at myself in the mirror. I really had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Long brown hair with a slight curl to it, big blue eyes...
Ha! No wonder the thing wants me. I'm kinda cute!
I looked at the clock on my bedside table. 10pm. Oh crap, I'm gonna be late! I twirled around and threw an overdress on, before giggling as I slightly stumbled over to the door.
It was then that I saw it.
It was huge. Around 7" tall with long limbs and a long pale face. It had huge eyes that bore a hole through me as it stood at my open front door, watching me.
I screamed and fell back onto the floor in my haste to get away. Then I froze.
I don't think I even breathed as I watched it come closer, almost gliding down the hallway towards me. A putrid smell filled the air as I tried to move my arms to crawl backwards, but couldn't move a muscle. As it came closer, it reached out an arm towards my outstretched leg and traced a line up my shin with its devilishly long finger nails. I tried to scream but no noise escaped my mouth...I couldn't move or react at all.
It's hand moved slowly up my leg till it reached the inside of my thigh. I could hear it breathing deeply, gurgling...was it sneering?
With all my might, I pushed against the floor below me and managed to crawl backwards to the safety of my bedroom, where I frantically searched for something that I could use as a weapon against this freak. I had always thought that I should keep a knife with me in my bedside drawer, however I've never really anticipated that I would need it. Not until tonight anyway.
I quickly scanned the bedroom again. A hairbrush? A hairdryer?
Yeah that's right Carrie, Blow dry it to death...
Panic overcame me and I started to feel the air feeling lighter than it had been before. Everything around me started to turn into black and white splodges and then I passed out.
After I came around, an immediate panic rushed through me. I jumped up and ran towards the hallway, peering out around the frame of my bedroom door.
Had I imagined it?
Everything was in its right place. The front door was still double locked. The hallway was empty. The dull glow from the lamp in the lounge area illuminated the normalness of the cabin. An empty bottle of chardonnay stood beside an empty glass on the hallway desk and I started to feel silly. I don't know if I really believed that I had imagined it, or if it was just easier to think that way, but I somehow convinced myself that alcohol and having the heeby jeebies had made me become an award winning creative director for my imagination.
I didn't go to the campfire that night. I went to sleep. Wine always help induce an easy slumber.
So that brings me to yesterday. Now you may be thinking that I'm either making this up, or that I truly believe it happened but that I was imagining it. But I swear, what happened yesterday will prove that this 'thing' is real. I even have the scars to prove it.
It was raining yesterday and I was so disappointed as it was my day off from teaching the teens. I was hoping to go sunbathing down by the lake, relax and probably read a certain Peter Benchley novel whilst listening to the ripples of the water breaking on the shoreline. I was gutted.
Instead, I thought I'd make the most of the day and watch a couple of films before getting an early night. The idea of going to bed while it was still light outside was very appealing to me, after the weirdness of the past few nights.
As the evening came, I was thoroughly relaxed and eager to get into my fresh sheets and drift off. I had opted for comedies earlier, so I was still giggling to myself about Tucker running away from the wasp nest with a chainsaw like Leatherface when I drifted off into unconsciousness.
I woke with a start. I could feel someone watching me. I was facing away from the window, however I felt such an intense feeling that there was danger on the other side of it. I slowly turned my head and my heart jumped into my throat. The pale faced thing was staring through the gap in my curtains. It's black eyes locked onto mine as mist appeared on the glass from it's heavy breathing.
For the longest moment, I couldn't move. Realisation that the night before was real hit me, along with the terrifying awareness that it was back. I pulled the covers up around me and shouted...
"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
The face disappeared, leaving only the mist on the glass which was shrinking by the second.
I jumped out of my bed and ran towards the front door to check that it was locked. As soon as I reached it, I heard the shattering of glass from my bedroom. I froze and tried to think of what I could do. What I should do. Knowing that the 'thing' was probably in my bedroom, I raced to grab my keys and tried desperately to unlock the door, however my body stiffened as I felt warm breath on my back and heard the throaty gurgles of something that was inches away behind me.
A desperate plea escaped my mouth as tears dropped silently down my cheeks. I didn't dare turn around as I felt a cold sharp fingernail scrape down my back, tearing my silk nightdress and cutting into my skin. I held my breath as it trailed down my spine and then stopped. As my nightdress parted and fell to the floor, I slowly turned my head to the side to plead again for the nightmare to stop, but a cold blunt object pushed my head against the wooden door, preventing me from turning.
It felt like hours that I was stood there, crying and trembling, almost wishing for death over what could have been about to happen to me. But as quickly as the 'thing' had appeared, it had disappeared , and I found myself wondering if it had gone much earlier than my fear had allowed me to recognise.
This takes us to now. Its 9pm and in desperation I thought I could get some advice from you here on Reddit. I can't tell my colleagues here as they will think that I've lost my mind. Hell, I even think I have! In the day I'm completely normal. It seems silly and I make excuses for it. I almost told a friend earlier, but they told me to lay off the drink.
I just know that it comes every night around 10pm, which means that I have about an hour left before it may or may not come,
I'm scared. What should I do?