Duplicolor paint shop molten red metallic
First time playing. Going in blind. Just beat the 4th Palace here is my 4th wave of way off predictions.
2023.05.29 22:44 jhk84 First time playing. Going in blind. Just beat the 4th Palace here is my 4th wave of way off predictions.
First persona game. I'm going in semi-blind just cheating on class answers and confidant responses. I just beat the 4th palace and saw the results with Medjed. Things are starting to come into focus and the dots are starting to connect. Still waiting for the plot twist.
I tried to keep it short (I failed) but this what I have so far. Some things contradict each other or would introduce huge plot holes if both were true but I'm just throwing every Idea I have out there. There are some opinions and random facts that I think are important but not sure where to fit them yet.
Please no spoilers for any Persona games as I plan on picking up 3 and 4 later on.
palace one predictions : https://www.reddit.com/Persona5/comments/13odesi/first_time_playing_going_in_blind_my_horribly/
palace two predictions : https://www.reddit.com/Persona5/comments/13q3q9j/first_time_playing_going_in_blind_just_beat_the/
palace three predictions : https://www.reddit.com/Persona5/comments/13sl0vp/first_time_playing_going_in_blind_just_beat_the/
Futaba /Alibaba and somehow Morgana
Wakaba, Shido and the Owls
Twins / Butterfly Lady
The number of new confidants that unlock after the 3rd palace was a bit overwhelming but It did give me plenty of chances to watch the new confidant unlock scenes. I was a little too hung up with her voice to really pay attention.
Sae and Sajiro conversation
was going to have a huge section here but most of my questions got answered after the 4th palace I typed up my initial thoughts right after the convo took place I'll leave it here since it was part of my thought process but this can be mostly ignored.
submitted by jhk84 to Persona5 [link] [comments]
I tried to keep it short (I failed) but this what I have so far. Some things contradict each other or would introduce huge plot holes if both were true but I'm just throwing every Idea I have out there. There are some opinions and random facts that I think are important but not sure where to fit them yet.
Please no spoilers for any Persona games as I plan on picking up 3 and 4 later on.
palace one predictions : https://www.reddit.com/Persona5/comments/13odesi/first_time_playing_going_in_blind_my_horribly/
palace two predictions : https://www.reddit.com/Persona5/comments/13q3q9j/first_time_playing_going_in_blind_just_beat_the/
palace three predictions : https://www.reddit.com/Persona5/comments/13sl0vp/first_time_playing_going_in_blind_just_beat_the/
Futaba /Alibaba and somehow Morgana
- The squid girl from the movie finally gets a name.
- Futaba's mom is the curry lady!
- The phone call Sojiro had about a printer makes so much sense now. When I thought he was taking care of an old lady I was like what is she printing out pictures of snowball or something.
- 2nd person two get the metaverse nav before awakening their persona. How does Igor know?
- the images that Futaba sees are the metaverse bleeding in or ... shes just plain nuts.
- translated some of the binary on the walls of her palace in to ASCII looking for a secret message but they were just the same odd symbols that were on the doors and such.
- Futaba picked Alibaba as her hacker alias. before we get to see the whole Egypt /pyramid theme of her palace it seemed like a really odd choice.
- It could be just a cool name that the writers picked but "Chekhov's gun" states that every element introduced in a story should be necessary to the plot. If the gun isn't going to be fired then the audience doesn't need to see it being loaded - or something like that.
- It got me thinking and for sure I remembered the name Alibaba but had forgotten the details of the story. I did a quick search and was able to find the story pretty easily.
- Short version: Alibaba was a dude who stole a bunch of riches from some thieves. Alibaba is living the good life when the thieves track him down and make plans to kill him. The plans are stopped by Alibaba's slave who kills the thieves.
- Also Alibaba's slave was named...... Wait for it....... Morgiana! Mind effing blown! If I'm not reading too much into that then its a friggin huge easter egg. It's way too similar not to be important.
- Morgana is a slave of the big bad. Slaves can be freed.
- Since I haven't seen the relationship between Futaba and Morgana develop yet it could just be she treats Morgana like a slave.
- this one is a bit of a stretch but the creature Alibaba uses in chat kind of looked like a "dark Morgana" it could just be the style that the artist uses for all creatures.
- Morgiana was female. Early in the game Ann ask Morgana if it's a boy or a girl. It says of course it's a boy, but it also says that it is human. (it's def still not). Morgana might be the Male version of Morgiana but this throws it's gender into question too. It's not like anyone had checked between it's legs as far as I can tell. (also where does it do it's business I haven't seen a litter box).
- Morgiana killed the thieves going after Alibaba. The big bad will take control of Morgana at one point and we will have to fight Shade / Evil / Controlled Morgana (not a shadow this will be different) to get the cat back.
- Was almost thinking Morgana could be the one who betrays us but no one can understand him and even Akechi would have trouble selling the whole "my informant is a cat" thing to Sae.
Wakaba, Shido and the Owls
- The curry lady finally gets a name.
- The bald glasses man gets a name .
- In ancient Egypt owls were associated with death and mourning. Will be referring to the Agents as Owls for now on because I think it makes a great name for a secret organization.
- Wakaba discovered the metaverse independent from the government.
- She was working on a way to enter the metaverse without the use of the metaverse nav.
- The Owls that killed her work for Shido and Sae's boss.
- Not only did the owls deliver the news to Fatuba (mourning) but they also were the people who killed her (death)
- The owls killed Wakaba to keep her silent and then stole her research which they hoped would let them make a metaverse nav of their own
- The black mask user is an owl.
- Do owls eat butterflies ?
- We learn medjed it's not so much of an international organization but rather was started by Futaba and then a bunch of posers co-opted the name.
- One of the owls came up with the medjed plan. They had leverage on a member or had a mole, informant etc.
- Sae's boss has a conversation about it where he mentions he didn't think *he* could come up with the plan on their own. he = Akechi
- Igor came up with the plan and told Akechi.
- The Owls couldn't expose the PT without exposing the metaverse. Sae's boss says something like if they (PT) keep this up then the public may find out about the metaverse.
- He called it the metaverse and not the cognitive world. Could be the writers didn't want to confuse the player by introducing a new term with no context. Could be that the Owls initially learned about the metaverse from an otherworldly being.
- The plan was to use the threat of an economic crash to get the PT crew to expose themselves and using misdirection to make them think it was medjed.
- additional benefit was to cause social unrest allowing Shido to make his power grab.
- They were going about the metal shutdowns slowly at first (Sae mentioned it has been going on for 2-3 years) messing things up so that certain government officials would resign in shame. After the PT crew became active they had to accelerate their plans to stay ahead of the curve or such.
- Akechi says hes a psychic. He comes off as joking but in the same convo you can strait up tell him that Ryuji is a PT. Could be he is telling the truth and just expects no one to believe it. this would be his special "gift" that allowed him to hear Morgana. +1 for Akechi is good
- Akechi clearly puts the idea that the PT are involved in the mental shutdowns in Sae's head. +1 for Akechi being bad.
- Actually starting to trust him after spending some time with him. +5 Akechi is bad.
- At this point Akechi knows who the PT are. not 100% but hes like 95% sure. He's playing the long con and trying to get on Jokers good side.
- He got super pissed when he saw the PT made the 3rd change of heart happen. We already know he doesn't like them but he was PISSED.
- He cares too much about fame and the PT crew are stealing his thunder.
- I was told I can't sit on the fence with Akechi lol. My gut says he's bad but the cynic in me says the writers are setting him up for a plot twist.
- If I'm forced to pick one then Akechi is bad. I thought they were setting Sae's boss (really with I knew his name) up to look bad but be really good, but every palace there is another scene with him scheming. I don't think the writers are going to go for such a cheap plot twist with Akechi.
- Akechi being bad also is also now needed for one of my Kasumi theories to work so I'm firmly planting my feet in the Akechi is bad camp.
- Knows Akechi because her dad works at a TV station. Could be a lie. Every owl needs a cover story.
- Said she had a sister that was killed.
- Never had a sister it was her other personality.
- At the casino heist when she says My weak self depended on you that all ends today line that was the "sister" talking and Kasumi is the weak self she mentions.
- At some point it will be mentioned that she has no pictures of her sister.
- Her sister was an owl but had a change of mind (would say change of heart but that would be confusing ). regarding the agency and was going to leave / rebel / expose them / take them down etc. so they owls had her "killed"
- When her sister "died" it was actually Maruki suppressing her other personality.
- Her sister was the gymnast. Being an agent for the owls would require tons of training Gymnastics would be easy for someone like that. Her slump only started when her sister "died".
- Only has 5 star confidant rank. The other 5 will be with her sister.
- Kasumi started off as an owl but joined a group that opposes them. She was captured and then brainwashed by Maruki
- should have been a red flag earlier. new girl transfers and a month later her doctor gets assigned to her high school. Given what we know about the principle and his connection to Sae's boss this is more then just a happy coincidence.
- after the incident with Kamoshida the owls were worried that the personality suppression didn't take so they sent him to keep a close eye on Kasumi.
- After the 2nd exam he calls you into his office for a little chat. the whole feel of this was different than the others I've had with him.
- It was like there was a sense of desperation under his statements. He was like how do you think people will react when someone fails to meet expectations after being given special treatment desperate people to crazy things. There's some misdirection here since the two girls in the hall were talking about Kasumi's exams being moved up a week. The writers want you to think he's talking about Kasumi and all the expectations the school put on her. but that makes no sense why would he be asking about what two random girls were talking about in the hall. He was actually talking about himself and the expectations the Owls put on him .
- The owls are putting pressure on him to complete some project and hes going to make a mistake when he rushes to meet the deadline they set for him.
- someone he knows is really depressed or has some other crippling emotional trauma. this was his original motivation but has since warped.
- wants to save people by fixing their hearts in a scientific way. want to go above counseling and actually remove/repair bad emotions.
- cognitive psience will be involved. he already knows about it and is almost done with his device/gizmo/doodad that will allow him to fix hearts. The conversations he's had with joker so far is his way of asking for "permission" to set his plan in action. He even says he wished he had the powers that the PT have.
- is it better to feel nothing than to feel pain? could see this being his "I really think I'm still a good guy" logic
- plan is to use his gizmo to turn every into emotional zombies where no one feels anything. This is what Shido meant when he was talking about his ideal society.
Twins / Butterfly Lady
The number of new confidants that unlock after the 3rd palace was a bit overwhelming but It did give me plenty of chances to watch the new confidant unlock scenes. I was a little too hung up with her voice to really pay attention.
- I am thou, thou art I" - we are one and the same
- thou hast acquired a new vow. - you just unlocked a new confidant. to quote Jose "Good Job!"
- It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. - butterflies have wings also still talking about Joker "thy chains of captivity". Joker is like a caterpillar and when he obtains his true power he will become a butterfly (not literally). the chains could be a the cocoon that the butterfly breaks out of.
- With the birth of the Fortune Persona I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power - creatures with wings (like a butterfly) ride the wind. She is now referring to herself in this line "I have obtained..."
- The butterfly lady is our persona or at the very least out power levels are connected.
- Part of the butterfly lady's power is sealed in joker. Was not intentional but will be the key to rejoining the twins.
- When there is a fusion alarm the twins do this adorable back stretch where one kicks her legs. They then do this weird like side stretch that looks like the fusion dance from Dragon Ball Z.
- the recarm ability has a blue butterfly reviving the party member. butterfly = rebirth ?
- Is in the opening movie both the heist scene and the smash the city part. Will be joining up.
- Ran in to her in the hall at the star of the game she was labled as a senior
- Riding in a limo. daddy is loaded.
- At the park cleanup she asked Mishima for the bottle cap so they can be used for medicine. What we should take away from this scene is she's a really good person.
- We need to know see that she's super duper good because her dad is bad like really bad.
- daddy's money is dirty money and she knows it or at least suspects.
- We will change daddy's heart and make him admit his evil ways.
- Shido is her dad.
- We don't know when she's going to join up or if the casino heist is her first. Stealing her dad's heart will prob be her first mission so the fact that shes on the comms at the start of the game isn't too much of a problem.
- on 7/29 Morgana says "But it's true that an observant criminal could have a true to reality city in their Palace."
- The opening casino heist wasn't in the real world but was the Shido's heart. His palace just included a 1:1 of the city in it. He also says in the scene at the start of the game where joker has a flashback that he owns the cops. Would make sense that the shadows in his cognition would take the form of the police and security guards. The 2nd palace had two types of shadows (male and female) and the 3rd/4th had people/dogs. Multiple types of shadows is not unheard of
- Also looks like we did manage to steal his treasure but not sure if they were able to get it out.
- We don't actually see joker get taken in by the cops. It's possible that the traitor grabbed us after the shadow cops took us down and turned us in to the real world cops. Doesn't mean the world's can't be merging but my reasoning for it is off.
- One thing that bothers me is when they ask if everyone remembers where they have to meet up. Why was joker separate from the rest of the PT? The PT all leave the metaverse together so far. Could just mean where they're going to meet up near the exit (if there is an exit with the palace being the whole city). Hoping for more clues to clarify this.
- at the meeting for the 2nd palace Ryuji says something like I never even thought there were other worlds besides ours. Morgana responds with eh don't worry too much about it.
- Igor says the Velvet room exist between mind and matter dream and reality
- If the real world is the matter and the metaverse is the mind then the velvet room exist in the place between them
- If there is more than one prison (everyone Igor recruits gets there own) then it's possible that there are other "rooms" in the space between the two worlds
- the big bad is trapped in one of these other rooms. the key and or entrance is located in mementos.
- on 7/19 Igor says "After all, you must hone your powers.... and become a magnificent thief..."
- he is being literal as he needs is to steal the key to the big bad's room.
- before the big bad was imprisoned the metaverse was formless. His presence started the corruption and gave it form. this is the sea of souls that the personas mention then you capture them.
- They are getting pulled out of the collective and twisted into shadows.
Sae and Sajiro conversation
was going to have a huge section here but most of my questions got answered after the 4th palace I typed up my initial thoughts right after the convo took place I'll leave it here since it was part of my thought process but this can be mostly ignored.
- "as long as there's a possibility that cognitive psience can be linked to psychotic breakdowns."
- what is cognitive psience ? did the curry lady make it ?
- Psi as in Psionics ? Mental powers are always cool.
- Curry lady was trying to fix her maternity neurosis but some how created her own metaverse nav.
- Or she never had maternity neurosis and that was just part of the coverup. (Tried to search if maternity neurosis is an actual thing. most links came back to this subreddit so I didn't go any deeper to avoid spoilers) --- got this one right lol
- The tech was stolen by Sae's boss and he had her killed her by doing something in the metaverse that made her jump in front of the car. -- half right (i think)
- The black mask person doesn't work for Igor but used the Curry Lady's device to enter the metaverse.
- Igor not bad or is bad but not affiliated with black mask.
- Makoto - the scene where the lights go out and she grabs jokers leg just made her more endearing. Amazing driving skills the PT would have died after the 4th palace if not for her. She asked joker to be her "fake" boyfriend. she may have had pure intentions but on some level she wanted to gauge his reaction to the idea.
- Futba - who doesn't like a quirky redhead. Her being Boss's adopted daughter is a good thing as he seems to like Joker at this point in the story so he wouldn't have to give him the whole "let me show you my gun collection" talk. Although I'm thinking shes more like the quirky best friend type then best girl material (so sorry Fatuba Fans plesedonthateme)
- Dr.Death - shes a doctor who really cares about her work. Cares more about helping the little girl then getting the credit for it. She basically broke down when she thought the girl was dead. Also SP Adhesives are amazing.
- Kasumi - 100% little sister vibe. The batting cage scene just oozed I want my big bro to be proud of me. Maybe her "sister" is more likeable.
- Chihaya - nice lady with a super power. A bit too gullible. Could totally see her sending all of Joker's savings to a Nigerian prince.
- Chess girl (I know it's not chess) - mid maybe she will get more interesting. If she does I might remember her name.
- Ann - Not even in the running really because She's going to end up with Ryuji. If Ryuji wasn't around I would say shes not the brightest bulb in the pack. shes not dumb and seems to at least have passed her exams but we have honor student Makoto and super nerd Futaba to compare her to. she is empathetic and has a high emotional intelligence. No way shes going to make it as an Actress with her (lack of) skills I cringe every time she tries. She would make a great councilor though with how she relates to people and to seems to be able to get along with everyone. Alternatively she could end up in professional sports with her throwing arm. She launched Morgan like she was shooting off a rocket after the 4th palace.
- Kawakami - Yes she's ranked lower than someone who's not even in the running. First off she lied about her sister WTF! She just seems like a mess. Her clothes don't fit and her hair is never brushed. Shes going to end up as a cat lady. She is forever in "the help" tier doing my laundry and making me coffee.
- Ryuji - dude is our bro 100% He's the bad influence with a heart of gold and will stick with Joker to the end. He's the Ron Weasley to Joker's Harry Potter. He would be the most fun to go drinking with.
- Yusuke - you will only ever be his 2nd best friend. His true loyalty lies with art. If Joker was hanging off the side of a cliff and Yusuke had to make the decision to save Joker or paint the perfect sunset it would be a real nail biter to see what he decides
- Sojiro - Ok so not our bro but the Boss-Chief is the man. He took us in feeds us and is teaching us how to pick up chicks with coffee. He took in Fatuba because he felt guilty about not preventing her mother's death (even though chances are if he tried to help the owls would have killed him too). Would take a bullet for Joker and his friends and would die with a smile knowing he saved someone (may this never happen). Would not be surprised if he is the get away driver when the PT crew breaks Joker out.
- Akechi - he's too full of himself and his sweater is dumb. Hanging out with him you would only ever be "Akechi's friend"
- Mishima - such a wimp physically and emotionally. We just chilled at the park after he got picked on at the Diner. Unless he can fix his issues without the help of the PT crew then he's bottom tier for sure.
- Snowball - he didn't deserve to go out like that.
- Morgana - is a spy and slave of the big bad. Also needs stop hitting on Ryuji's girl or it's desires are gonna get all warped and it won't be able to summon it's persona.
2023.05.29 21:46 Beneficial_Suspect52 Dark Mech inspiration please
so i got a thanathar calix and a few other constructs but cant decide on how to paint them anny suggestions ? been thinking about scemes for eternety, thi9nking maybe green metallic plate with red pinkish tinted trim
THanks in advance fellas
submitted by Beneficial_Suspect52 to Warhammer30k [link] [comments]
THanks in advance fellas
2023.05.29 20:54 MADDL007 H: Weapons, Plans, UNY Armor W: Apparel, Masks, Enclave Flamer Mods, UNY/AP/WWR scout armor pieces
Willing to bundle for the items I want.
GT: MADDL007
——Weapons for trade——
AA/50crit/25 Plasma Rifle
AA/50crit/25 Crossbow {mule}
B/E/Break The Dragon 3% Explosive 419 Range (Legacy) {mule}
B/50crit/15crit The Fixer
B/50crit/15crit Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/15crit Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/25 Handmade [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
B/E/1A Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/25 Radium Rifle
B/50crit/25 Railway Rifle {mule}
B/50crit/FR Railway Rifle
B/E 50 Cal Machine Gun (2 Star) {mule}
B/50crit/Break Gatling Plasma {mule}
B/50crit/25 Harpoon Gun
B/E Light Machine Gun (2 star) {mule}
B/FSS/Break Chainsaw
B/FSS/1S Death Tambo {mule}
MUT/E/25 Handmade
Q/E/DRWA The Fixer
Q/AP/25 Handmade
Q/E Handmade (2 star)
Q/E Handmade (2 star) {mule}
Q/E/Stealth Handmade
Q/50crit/FMSWA Railway Rifle {mule}
Q/E Railway Rifle (2 Star)
Q/FFR Tesla Rifle (2 Star)
Q/50crit/25 Flamer {mule}
Q/E/1P Gatling Gun {mule}
TS/50vhc Alien Blaster (2 Star)
TS/AP/Stealth Alien Blaster {mule}
TS/LD/Break Alien Blaster
TS/E Handmade (2 star)
V/FFFR Alien Blaster
V/FF25 Gatling Laser
V/E Light Machine Gun (2 star)
V/BASH/FMSWA Minigun {mule}
V/25DAM/1S Chainsaw {mule}
V/40PA/Block Chainsaw
V/AP/RW Chainsaw
Enclave Plasma Rifle #1 w/ Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #2 w/ Stabilized Splitter, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #3 w/ Aligned Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Standard Sights
Enclave Plasma Rifle #4 w/ True Flamer Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight x2
Enclave Plasma Rifle #5 w/ Stabilized Flamer Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #6 w/ True Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight {mule}
Fancy Pump Shotgun AA/LD/DRWA
Fancy Revolvers: Assassin, Berserker, Executioner, Mutant x2, Troubleshooter x3
Tesla (no scope) Level 50 {mule}
Dross, Pearly Peepers, Red Fireworks Mine, Troglocide
——Plans & Recipes for trade——
Plan: Assault Rifle {mule}
Plan: Backpack Armor Plated Mod {mule}
Plan: Backpack High Capacity Mod {mule}
Plan: Backpack Insulated Mod
Plan: Backpack Refrigerated Mod
Plan: Barbed Walking Cane {mule}
Plan: Bear Arm
Plan: Bear Arm Heavy Mod
Plan: Camo Backpack
Plan: Deathclaw Gauntlet {mule}
Plan: Hatchet Electro Fusion {mule}
Plan: Large Ultracite Shard {mule}
Plan: Nuka-World Cowboy Duster {mule}
Plan: Pitchfork Flamer {mule}
Plan: Poker Set {mule}
Plan: Protective Lining Raider Underarmor
Plan: Radioactive Barrel
Plan: Scorchbeast Queen Plushie
Plan: Sheriff’s Hat
Plan: Shielded Lining Marine Underarmor {mule}
Plan: Spiked Walking Cane {mule}
Plan: Tomb Stones
Plan: TV Aquarium {mule}
Plan: T-60 BOS Elder Paint
Plan: Ultracite Calibrated Shocks
Plan: Vintage Water Cooler
Plan: Wild West Show Entrance Sign
Recipe: Cutting Fluid {mule}
Recipe: Formula P {mule}
Recipe: Fried Scorpion On A Stick {mule}
Recipe: Healing Salve (Mire) {mule}
Recipe: Nuka Cola Dark {mule}
Recipe: Stimpak Diffuser {mule}
——Armor & Other items for trade——
UNY/1L/WWR Metal Chest Piece 51DR 11ER {mule}
UNY/1L/WWR Urban Scout Armor Chest Piece {mule}
UNY/1P/WWR Urban Scout Armor Right Arm {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/1S/WWR Leather Left Leg 21DR 51ER {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Combat Armor Right Leg 27DR 37ER {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Forest Scout Armor Right Leg [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Urban Scout Armor Right Leg [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
UNY/HungeWWR Urban Scour Armor Left Arm {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
W/AP/WWR Raider Left Leg 17DR 8ER
Ultracite Jet Pack Helmet Level 50 {mule}
50K+ Ultracite 5.56 Ammo
All 8 Holotape Mini Games
All Non-Rare apparel available - just ask
Misc Items: ask me for my list
———
———
——Items I want——
B/50crit/25 Fixer or Handmade
Q/E/25 Fixer or Handmade or Railway
TS/50crit/15crit Alien Blaster
TS/50crit/25 Alien Blaster
V/40PA/40PA Chainsaw (Will consider other third star: prefer Break, 90rw, or any of the +1)
Baseball bats level 45 - indigo, pink, yellow
Enclave Plasma Gun Aligned Flamer Barrel Mod (one or multiple)
UNY/AP/WWR Forest Scout Armor Chest Piece, Left Arm
UNY/AP/WWR Urban Scout Armor Left Leg and Right Arm
Plan: Meat Tenderizer
Asylum Worker Uniform Forest
Asylum Worker Uniform Red
Asylum Worker Uniform Yellow
Blue Ridge Caravan Gas Mask (will pay caps)
Blue Ridge Caravan Uniform (will pay caps)
BOS Jumpsuit
Fasnacht Brahmin Mask
Fasnacht Buffoon Mask
Fasnacht Crazy Guy Mask
Fasnacht Deathclaw Mask
Fasnacht Demon Mask
Fasnacht Fiend Mask
Fasnacht Hag Mask
Fasnacht Loon Mask
Fasnacht Raven Mask
Fasnacht Winter Man Mask
Forest Camo Jumpsuit
Forest Scout Armor Mask
Leather Coat
Prototype Hazmat Suit Level 50
Radicals Face Mask
Responder Fireman Helmet
Responder Fireman Uniform
Tattered Field Jacket
Traveling Leather Coat
Urban Scout Armor Mask
White Powder Jumpsuit
I’m really only after the items listed above, make me an offer. No caps, flux, or junk offers please.
submitted by MADDL007 to Market76 [link] [comments]
GT: MADDL007
——Weapons for trade——
AA/50crit/25 Plasma Rifle
AA/50crit/25 Crossbow {mule}
B/E/Break The Dragon 3% Explosive 419 Range (Legacy) {mule}
B/50crit/15crit The Fixer
B/50crit/15crit Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/15crit Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/25 Handmade [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
B/E/1A Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/25 Radium Rifle
B/50crit/25 Railway Rifle {mule}
B/50crit/FR Railway Rifle
B/E 50 Cal Machine Gun (2 Star) {mule}
B/50crit/Break Gatling Plasma {mule}
B/50crit/25 Harpoon Gun
B/E Light Machine Gun (2 star) {mule}
B/FSS/Break Chainsaw
B/FSS/1S Death Tambo {mule}
MUT/E/25 Handmade
Q/E/DRWA The Fixer
Q/AP/25 Handmade
Q/E Handmade (2 star)
Q/E Handmade (2 star) {mule}
Q/E/Stealth Handmade
Q/50crit/FMSWA Railway Rifle {mule}
Q/E Railway Rifle (2 Star)
Q/FFR Tesla Rifle (2 Star)
Q/50crit/25 Flamer {mule}
Q/E/1P Gatling Gun {mule}
TS/50vhc Alien Blaster (2 Star)
TS/AP/Stealth Alien Blaster {mule}
TS/LD/Break Alien Blaster
TS/E Handmade (2 star)
V/FFFR Alien Blaster
V/FF25 Gatling Laser
V/E Light Machine Gun (2 star)
V/BASH/FMSWA Minigun {mule}
V/25DAM/1S Chainsaw {mule}
V/40PA/Block Chainsaw
V/AP/RW Chainsaw
Enclave Plasma Rifle #1 w/ Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #2 w/ Stabilized Splitter, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #3 w/ Aligned Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Standard Sights
Enclave Plasma Rifle #4 w/ True Flamer Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight x2
Enclave Plasma Rifle #5 w/ Stabilized Flamer Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #6 w/ True Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight {mule}
Fancy Pump Shotgun AA/LD/DRWA
Fancy Revolvers: Assassin, Berserker, Executioner, Mutant x2, Troubleshooter x3
Tesla (no scope) Level 50 {mule}
Dross, Pearly Peepers, Red Fireworks Mine, Troglocide
——Plans & Recipes for trade——
Plan: Assault Rifle {mule}
Plan: Backpack Armor Plated Mod {mule}
Plan: Backpack High Capacity Mod {mule}
Plan: Backpack Insulated Mod
Plan: Backpack Refrigerated Mod
Plan: Barbed Walking Cane {mule}
Plan: Bear Arm
Plan: Bear Arm Heavy Mod
Plan: Camo Backpack
Plan: Deathclaw Gauntlet {mule}
Plan: Hatchet Electro Fusion {mule}
Plan: Large Ultracite Shard {mule}
Plan: Nuka-World Cowboy Duster {mule}
Plan: Pitchfork Flamer {mule}
Plan: Poker Set {mule}
Plan: Protective Lining Raider Underarmor
Plan: Radioactive Barrel
Plan: Scorchbeast Queen Plushie
Plan: Sheriff’s Hat
Plan: Shielded Lining Marine Underarmor {mule}
Plan: Spiked Walking Cane {mule}
Plan: Tomb Stones
Plan: TV Aquarium {mule}
Plan: T-60 BOS Elder Paint
Plan: Ultracite Calibrated Shocks
Plan: Vintage Water Cooler
Plan: Wild West Show Entrance Sign
Recipe: Cutting Fluid {mule}
Recipe: Formula P {mule}
Recipe: Fried Scorpion On A Stick {mule}
Recipe: Healing Salve (Mire) {mule}
Recipe: Nuka Cola Dark {mule}
Recipe: Stimpak Diffuser {mule}
——Armor & Other items for trade——
UNY/1L/WWR Metal Chest Piece 51DR 11ER {mule}
UNY/1L/WWR Urban Scout Armor Chest Piece {mule}
UNY/1P/WWR Urban Scout Armor Right Arm {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/1S/WWR Leather Left Leg 21DR 51ER {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Combat Armor Right Leg 27DR 37ER {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Forest Scout Armor Right Leg [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Urban Scout Armor Right Leg [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
UNY/HungeWWR Urban Scour Armor Left Arm {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
W/AP/WWR Raider Left Leg 17DR 8ER
Ultracite Jet Pack Helmet Level 50 {mule}
50K+ Ultracite 5.56 Ammo
All 8 Holotape Mini Games
All Non-Rare apparel available - just ask
Misc Items: ask me for my list
———
———
——Items I want——
B/50crit/25 Fixer or Handmade
Q/E/25 Fixer or Handmade or Railway
TS/50crit/15crit Alien Blaster
TS/50crit/25 Alien Blaster
V/40PA/40PA Chainsaw (Will consider other third star: prefer Break, 90rw, or any of the +1)
Baseball bats level 45 - indigo, pink, yellow
Enclave Plasma Gun Aligned Flamer Barrel Mod (one or multiple)
UNY/AP/WWR Forest Scout Armor Chest Piece, Left Arm
UNY/AP/WWR Urban Scout Armor Left Leg and Right Arm
Plan: Meat Tenderizer
Asylum Worker Uniform Forest
Asylum Worker Uniform Red
Asylum Worker Uniform Yellow
Blue Ridge Caravan Gas Mask (will pay caps)
Blue Ridge Caravan Uniform (will pay caps)
BOS Jumpsuit
Fasnacht Brahmin Mask
Fasnacht Buffoon Mask
Fasnacht Crazy Guy Mask
Fasnacht Deathclaw Mask
Fasnacht Demon Mask
Fasnacht Fiend Mask
Fasnacht Hag Mask
Fasnacht Loon Mask
Fasnacht Raven Mask
Fasnacht Winter Man Mask
Forest Camo Jumpsuit
Forest Scout Armor Mask
Leather Coat
Prototype Hazmat Suit Level 50
Radicals Face Mask
Responder Fireman Helmet
Responder Fireman Uniform
Tattered Field Jacket
Traveling Leather Coat
Urban Scout Armor Mask
White Powder Jumpsuit
I’m really only after the items listed above, make me an offer. No caps, flux, or junk offers please.
2023.05.29 20:16 OldtigWelder Tig Welding in a sheet metal shop
As a TIG welder for the past 35 years, retirement is growing closer. A few more years and I'll be retired and leave this feild for others. In one's 60's it's harder to do physical labor and welding is just a part of the workplace requirements. Grinding, sanding, drilling, etc. are parts one does in a metal shop. The key is enjoying what you do for a job. That makes it more fun and less work. Unfortunately you can't always wear a mask or divert air flow to avoid breathing in bad fumes. Sheilding gases would be diverted also and the weld needs sheilding gas, and a mask can impair your vision by fogging your lens. Keeping notes also helps because every job has it's tricks. Remembering them by writing them down speeds up for the next time you do that type of job. Also wear leathers when possible to avoid burns. A leather apron can help and also shoes that keep molten metal from damaging your feet. Don't try to go beyond a safety point of speed. Haste makes waste comes to mind. Haste can also cause injury's. Hopefully you can use what I posted here.
submitted by OldtigWelder to u/OldtigWelder [link] [comments]
2023.05.29 19:36 Obecny75 Body shop
 | Anyone have any recommendations for a body shop in/around Naperville? submitted by Obecny75 to Naperville [link] [comments] The Target employee chipped the paint on my 3 month old SUV and left lovely red paint when she let go of the drive up basket/cart and it rolled into my vehicle. Honestly, I could probably just do it myself with a dupli-color kit, but I'd prefer to have my vehicle not look like shit as long as I can. |
2023.05.29 19:17 MarlynnOfMany Double Duty
It’s a rare day when I have to squint at the sight of a house, but this one was shiny. A giant ball woven out of the brightest metal wires I’d seen in a while, all gold and copper in complex patterns. It made my head hurt to look at. Probably imitation metals, because surely that would be impractical and expensive to use actual gold. But what did I know? Not my species.
I squinted as I walked up with the package, wondering if that was rude of me. My little human eyes probably always looked like I was squinting though, compared to the big bug eyes of the Mesmer who lived there.
And the one walking beside me. Zhee was nodding quietly to himself while he took in the sight, with his vibrant purple praying-mantis exoskeleton looking right at home. If I hadn’t known that one of his people lived here, somehow I feel like I would have guessed. It was flashy in the extreme.
And so was the walkway, a glittering stripe of vivid red that curved through a garden full of alien flowers that probably didn’t bite. I didn’t like the looks of the local butterfly analogues, though; they had stingers I could see from here. I was glad they were keeping their distance.
Zhee reached the door first — a solid slab of bronze with an inlaid galaxy of gemstones, naturally — and he found the doorbell while I ducked under another butterfly. The chime was a brief melody from an instrument I couldn’t identify. It sounded like a violin invented by people whose earliest music was made by rubbing their legs together.
The door pulled inward and slid to the side, showcasing the homeowner who must have been waiting right there for us. Up close, the side of the house had window space visible between the weave, ideal for peeking out but not being seen until you were ready for your close-up.
“Good greetings!” announced the Mesmer woman who towered over both of us, a spectacle of metallic rose-gold coloring. Surely that couldn’t be natural. I’d never seen a Mesmer yet with metal tones; this had to be like full-body nail polish. But I sure as heck wasn’t about to say a peep about it now. I’d ask Zhee later.
“Greetings,” Zhee returned, urging me forward. “Your package.”
I handed it over, wondering if I’d get to see how the thing opened. It was one of the plastic puzzle box dealies that had been a popular way to ship valuables lately. There was one button on top and no visible seams.
Even with that thought, I was surprised when she grabbed it with her pincher arms, kicked a side table into view with one leg, then set it down and tapped out a rhythm on the button. The box split open to dramatically reveal the custom stained-glass lamp that we’d delivered in perfect condition, thankyouverymuch.
“Exquisite,” she said, holding it up to let the light shine through all the aquas and teals. “Just what the blue room needs.” She looked at us. “I have one of each color, you know.”
Zhee nodded like that was normal and admirable. “Excellent.” He held out the electronic payment pad without being so gauche as to mention it out loud, and the customer chattered away about her house as she set down the lamp and paid.
“…The yellow room was the biggest hassle, of course, but I’m most pleased with the rainbow room. I have art, rare plants and a few select exotic animals in there. Those have been a different type of challenge, especially the new one.”
That caught my attention. As I was wondering how best to ask what kind of animals she kept, Zhee beat me to it.
“Animals, you say?” He gestured theatrically toward me. “Robin is an expert in animal care, if you need a consult.”
I turned my head to stare at him with my best what-did-you-just-volunteer-me-for expression, which he could certainly see, given those eyes’ range of vision. He didn’t react.
“I would appreciate a look, now that you mention it,” the large alien said. “My prize oil-slick tentacle has stopped eating, and has begun shaking in a strange way when I get near.”
Zhee immediately haggled for a consultation fee while I wracked my brain for any knowledge of this alien whatsit. I was going to have words with Zhee afterward.
But apparently I was going to look at this thing first. The customer agreed to the price, payable afterward, and led us both into the house. It was just as multicolored as expected. Like each room had been given to a different child to design, with the instructions to use as many expensive jewel tones as possible.
The rainbow room was actually a relief, surprisingly enough. There were darker accents to make the furniture and murals stand out. And the various terrariums were clear glass. I looked between feathers and shells and flowers for anything that could be described as a tentacle.
“It’s over here,” she said, leading me toward a glass case under a spotlight. “I haven’t had it very long, but it was eating before, and I just don’t know why. The medi-scanner says it’s not ill. Perhaps I need a new scanner. What do you think?”
Feeling like the spotlight was aimed directly at me, I stepped up for a look at the thing curled up in the corner. It was, as expected, iridescent like an oil slick. But those scales were familiar.
I moved around it to get a look at the head, then smiled and stood up straight. “That’s a sunbeam snake! My favorite kind!”
“Okay, but what’s wrong with it?” the alien woman asked. “When I give it food, it hisses at me and shudders!” She waggled a pincher arm in imitation.
“It’s trying to scare you away,” I said. “They shake their tails like rattlesnakes do, though they don’t have rattles or venom.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that,” she said with a huff. “Why is it doing that? I’ve been more than kind to it!”
“I’m afraid you’ve given it nowhere to hide,” I explained gently, spreading my hands at the tank with a black floor and only a small water dish in the center. Little blobs of meat littered the area. Images of plants had been painted into the corners, but that did less than nothing to help a burrowing animal. “This type of snake needs several inches of plant life or loose soil to dig into. For one this size, I’d say at least this deep.” I held my hands six inches apart.
“It digs?” the customer asked. “They didn’t tell me that!”
“It spends most of its time hidden,” I said. “Or at least, it’s meant to. This one is extremely stressed by being out in the open like this.”
I was a little worried how she’d take the news, given that this was her prize specimen with all the lights aimed to showcase its rainbow scales. But to her credit, she listened while I suggested framing a good photo of the snake outside the tank, then only watching it during mealtime. Any visiting friends could be told how exotic and special the animal was, and how lucky they would be to even catch a glimpse of it.
“Yes,” she said, clearly thinking. “Yes, I can work with that. I’ll arrange for the adjustments to the enclosure. You said this much ground cover?” She held her pincher arms apart.
“Right, at least that much,” I agreed. “Ideally you’ll also want to bury a few things for enrichment, like rocks and bark and sections of tubing, and have a couple of those on the surface for it to hide under when it comes up for food.”
We ended up going into a different room where she could take notes, which did more to put me at ease about the snake’s future care. I waved at it as I left, wishing it well. I’d always liked sunbeams. Good thing I remembered the specifics of their care needs.
“You’ll also want a bigger water dish, so it can slither through it,” I said. “And the tank should be both warm and very humid…”
The customer took lots of notes while Zhee alternated between standing there looking smug and casting an appraising eye at the room’s gaudy features. This was the purple room, and he blended right in.
Finally we’d covered all the important points. Zhee tactfully brought out the payment pad again, then we strolled back to the front door.
“I will recommend your service to all of my friends,” the customer said as she closed up the lamp case. “Quality parcel delivery, with bonus animal care! That is hard to beat.”
“My pleasure,” I said honestly.
Zhee thanked her as well, and we exited into the garden. Zhee was still looking smug as the door closed behind us. “I am very glad I spoke up.”
I shook my head with a rueful smile. “I’m glad it was an animal I’m actually familiar with, not some independently crawling tentacle.”
“Those do exist, you know.”
I let out a deep sigh. “Of course they do. Guess I’d better do some research in case she does tell all her friends.”
Zhee strode forward with pride. “It will be good business! Captain Sunlight will be pleased.”
“It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure.” I thought of the crewmates who had tentacles of their own. “Mur will probably think it’s funny.”
“Oh, he’ll think it’s terrifying. The mobile tentacles are from his planet; they’re a venomous parasite.”
“Of course they are. Remind me to bring gloves on our next delivery, just in case.”
~~~
The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come!
Cross-posted to Tumblr and HumansAreSpaceOrcs.
submitted by MarlynnOfMany to HFY [link] [comments]
I squinted as I walked up with the package, wondering if that was rude of me. My little human eyes probably always looked like I was squinting though, compared to the big bug eyes of the Mesmer who lived there.
And the one walking beside me. Zhee was nodding quietly to himself while he took in the sight, with his vibrant purple praying-mantis exoskeleton looking right at home. If I hadn’t known that one of his people lived here, somehow I feel like I would have guessed. It was flashy in the extreme.
And so was the walkway, a glittering stripe of vivid red that curved through a garden full of alien flowers that probably didn’t bite. I didn’t like the looks of the local butterfly analogues, though; they had stingers I could see from here. I was glad they were keeping their distance.
Zhee reached the door first — a solid slab of bronze with an inlaid galaxy of gemstones, naturally — and he found the doorbell while I ducked under another butterfly. The chime was a brief melody from an instrument I couldn’t identify. It sounded like a violin invented by people whose earliest music was made by rubbing their legs together.
The door pulled inward and slid to the side, showcasing the homeowner who must have been waiting right there for us. Up close, the side of the house had window space visible between the weave, ideal for peeking out but not being seen until you were ready for your close-up.
“Good greetings!” announced the Mesmer woman who towered over both of us, a spectacle of metallic rose-gold coloring. Surely that couldn’t be natural. I’d never seen a Mesmer yet with metal tones; this had to be like full-body nail polish. But I sure as heck wasn’t about to say a peep about it now. I’d ask Zhee later.
“Greetings,” Zhee returned, urging me forward. “Your package.”
I handed it over, wondering if I’d get to see how the thing opened. It was one of the plastic puzzle box dealies that had been a popular way to ship valuables lately. There was one button on top and no visible seams.
Even with that thought, I was surprised when she grabbed it with her pincher arms, kicked a side table into view with one leg, then set it down and tapped out a rhythm on the button. The box split open to dramatically reveal the custom stained-glass lamp that we’d delivered in perfect condition, thankyouverymuch.
“Exquisite,” she said, holding it up to let the light shine through all the aquas and teals. “Just what the blue room needs.” She looked at us. “I have one of each color, you know.”
Zhee nodded like that was normal and admirable. “Excellent.” He held out the electronic payment pad without being so gauche as to mention it out loud, and the customer chattered away about her house as she set down the lamp and paid.
“…The yellow room was the biggest hassle, of course, but I’m most pleased with the rainbow room. I have art, rare plants and a few select exotic animals in there. Those have been a different type of challenge, especially the new one.”
That caught my attention. As I was wondering how best to ask what kind of animals she kept, Zhee beat me to it.
“Animals, you say?” He gestured theatrically toward me. “Robin is an expert in animal care, if you need a consult.”
I turned my head to stare at him with my best what-did-you-just-volunteer-me-for expression, which he could certainly see, given those eyes’ range of vision. He didn’t react.
“I would appreciate a look, now that you mention it,” the large alien said. “My prize oil-slick tentacle has stopped eating, and has begun shaking in a strange way when I get near.”
Zhee immediately haggled for a consultation fee while I wracked my brain for any knowledge of this alien whatsit. I was going to have words with Zhee afterward.
But apparently I was going to look at this thing first. The customer agreed to the price, payable afterward, and led us both into the house. It was just as multicolored as expected. Like each room had been given to a different child to design, with the instructions to use as many expensive jewel tones as possible.
The rainbow room was actually a relief, surprisingly enough. There were darker accents to make the furniture and murals stand out. And the various terrariums were clear glass. I looked between feathers and shells and flowers for anything that could be described as a tentacle.
“It’s over here,” she said, leading me toward a glass case under a spotlight. “I haven’t had it very long, but it was eating before, and I just don’t know why. The medi-scanner says it’s not ill. Perhaps I need a new scanner. What do you think?”
Feeling like the spotlight was aimed directly at me, I stepped up for a look at the thing curled up in the corner. It was, as expected, iridescent like an oil slick. But those scales were familiar.
I moved around it to get a look at the head, then smiled and stood up straight. “That’s a sunbeam snake! My favorite kind!”
“Okay, but what’s wrong with it?” the alien woman asked. “When I give it food, it hisses at me and shudders!” She waggled a pincher arm in imitation.
“It’s trying to scare you away,” I said. “They shake their tails like rattlesnakes do, though they don’t have rattles or venom.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that,” she said with a huff. “Why is it doing that? I’ve been more than kind to it!”
“I’m afraid you’ve given it nowhere to hide,” I explained gently, spreading my hands at the tank with a black floor and only a small water dish in the center. Little blobs of meat littered the area. Images of plants had been painted into the corners, but that did less than nothing to help a burrowing animal. “This type of snake needs several inches of plant life or loose soil to dig into. For one this size, I’d say at least this deep.” I held my hands six inches apart.
“It digs?” the customer asked. “They didn’t tell me that!”
“It spends most of its time hidden,” I said. “Or at least, it’s meant to. This one is extremely stressed by being out in the open like this.”
I was a little worried how she’d take the news, given that this was her prize specimen with all the lights aimed to showcase its rainbow scales. But to her credit, she listened while I suggested framing a good photo of the snake outside the tank, then only watching it during mealtime. Any visiting friends could be told how exotic and special the animal was, and how lucky they would be to even catch a glimpse of it.
“Yes,” she said, clearly thinking. “Yes, I can work with that. I’ll arrange for the adjustments to the enclosure. You said this much ground cover?” She held her pincher arms apart.
“Right, at least that much,” I agreed. “Ideally you’ll also want to bury a few things for enrichment, like rocks and bark and sections of tubing, and have a couple of those on the surface for it to hide under when it comes up for food.”
We ended up going into a different room where she could take notes, which did more to put me at ease about the snake’s future care. I waved at it as I left, wishing it well. I’d always liked sunbeams. Good thing I remembered the specifics of their care needs.
“You’ll also want a bigger water dish, so it can slither through it,” I said. “And the tank should be both warm and very humid…”
The customer took lots of notes while Zhee alternated between standing there looking smug and casting an appraising eye at the room’s gaudy features. This was the purple room, and he blended right in.
Finally we’d covered all the important points. Zhee tactfully brought out the payment pad again, then we strolled back to the front door.
“I will recommend your service to all of my friends,” the customer said as she closed up the lamp case. “Quality parcel delivery, with bonus animal care! That is hard to beat.”
“My pleasure,” I said honestly.
Zhee thanked her as well, and we exited into the garden. Zhee was still looking smug as the door closed behind us. “I am very glad I spoke up.”
I shook my head with a rueful smile. “I’m glad it was an animal I’m actually familiar with, not some independently crawling tentacle.”
“Those do exist, you know.”
I let out a deep sigh. “Of course they do. Guess I’d better do some research in case she does tell all her friends.”
Zhee strode forward with pride. “It will be good business! Captain Sunlight will be pleased.”
“It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure.” I thought of the crewmates who had tentacles of their own. “Mur will probably think it’s funny.”
“Oh, he’ll think it’s terrifying. The mobile tentacles are from his planet; they’re a venomous parasite.”
“Of course they are. Remind me to bring gloves on our next delivery, just in case.”
~~~
The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come!
Cross-posted to Tumblr and HumansAreSpaceOrcs.
2023.05.29 19:17 MarlynnOfMany Double Duty
It’s a rare day when I have to squint at the sight of a house, but this one was shiny. A giant ball woven out of the brightest metal wires I’d seen in a while, all gold and copper in complex patterns. It made my head hurt to look at. Probably imitation metals, because surely that would be impractical and expensive to use actual gold. But what did I know? Not my species.
I squinted as I walked up with the package, wondering if that was rude of me. My little human eyes probably always looked like I was squinting though, compared to the big bug eyes of the Mesmer who lived there.
And the one walking beside me. Zhee was nodding quietly to himself while he took in the sight, with his vibrant purple praying-mantis exoskeleton looking right at home. If I hadn’t known that one of his people lived here, somehow I feel like I would have guessed. It was flashy in the extreme.
And so was the walkway, a glittering stripe of vivid red that curved through a garden full of alien flowers that probably didn’t bite. I didn’t like the looks of the local butterfly analogues, though; they had stingers I could see from here. I was glad they were keeping their distance.
Zhee reached the door first — a solid slab of bronze with an inlaid galaxy of gemstones, naturally — and he found the doorbell while I ducked under another butterfly. The chime was a brief melody from an instrument I couldn’t identify. It sounded like a violin invented by people whose earliest music was made by rubbing their legs together.
The door pulled inward and slid to the side, showcasing the homeowner who must have been waiting right there for us. Up close, the side of the house had window space visible between the weave, ideal for peeking out but not being seen until you were ready for your close-up.
“Good greetings!” announced the Mesmer woman who towered over both of us, a spectacle of metallic rose-gold coloring. Surely that couldn’t be natural. I’d never seen a Mesmer yet with metal tones; this had to be like full-body nail polish. But I sure as heck wasn’t about to say a peep about it now. I’d ask Zhee later.
“Greetings,” Zhee returned, urging me forward. “Your package.”
I handed it over, wondering if I’d get to see how the thing opened. It was one of the plastic puzzle box dealies that had been a popular way to ship valuables lately. There was one button on top and no visible seams.
Even with that thought, I was surprised when she grabbed it with her pincher arms, kicked a side table into view with one leg, then set it down and tapped out a rhythm on the button. The box split open to dramatically reveal the custom stained-glass lamp that we’d delivered in perfect condition, thankyouverymuch.
“Exquisite,” she said, holding it up to let the light shine through all the aquas and teals. “Just what the blue room needs.” She looked at us. “I have one of each color, you know.”
Zhee nodded like that was normal and admirable. “Excellent.” He held out the electronic payment pad without being so gauche as to mention it out loud, and the customer chattered away about her house as she set down the lamp and paid.
“…The yellow room was the biggest hassle, of course, but I’m most pleased with the rainbow room. I have art, rare plants and a few select exotic animals in there. Those have been a different type of challenge, especially the new one.”
That caught my attention. As I was wondering how best to ask what kind of animals she kept, Zhee beat me to it.
“Animals, you say?” He gestured theatrically toward me. “Robin is an expert in animal care, if you need a consult.”
I turned my head to stare at him with my best what-did-you-just-volunteer-me-for expression, which he could certainly see, given those eyes’ range of vision. He didn’t react.
“I would appreciate a look, now that you mention it,” the large alien said. “My prize oil-slick tentacle has stopped eating, and has begun shaking in a strange way when I get near.”
Zhee immediately haggled for a consultation fee while I wracked my brain for any knowledge of this alien whatsit. I was going to have words with Zhee afterward.
But apparently I was going to look at this thing first. The customer agreed to the price, payable afterward, and led us both into the house. It was just as multicolored as expected. Like each room had been given to a different child to design, with the instructions to use as many expensive jewel tones as possible.
The rainbow room was actually a relief, surprisingly enough. There were darker accents to make the furniture and murals stand out. And the various terrariums were clear glass. I looked between feathers and shells and flowers for anything that could be described as a tentacle.
“It’s over here,” she said, leading me toward a glass case under a spotlight. “I haven’t had it very long, but it was eating before, and I just don’t know why. The medi-scanner says it’s not ill. Perhaps I need a new scanner. What do you think?”
Feeling like the spotlight was aimed directly at me, I stepped up for a look at the thing curled up in the corner. It was, as expected, iridescent like an oil slick. But those scales were familiar.
I moved around it to get a look at the head, then smiled and stood up straight. “That’s a sunbeam snake! My favorite kind!”
“Okay, but what’s wrong with it?” the alien woman asked. “When I give it food, it hisses at me and shudders!” She waggled a pincher arm in imitation.
“It’s trying to scare you away,” I said. “They shake their tails like rattlesnakes do, though they don’t have rattles or venom.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that,” she said with a huff. “Why is it doing that? I’ve been more than kind to it!”
“I’m afraid you’ve given it nowhere to hide,” I explained gently, spreading my hands at the tank with a black floor and only a small water dish in the center. Little blobs of meat littered the area. Images of plants had been painted into the corners, but that did less than nothing to help a burrowing animal. “This type of snake needs several inches of plant life or loose soil to dig into. For one this size, I’d say at least this deep.” I held my hands six inches apart.
“It digs?” the customer asked. “They didn’t tell me that!”
“It spends most of its time hidden,” I said. “Or at least, it’s meant to. This one is extremely stressed by being out in the open like this.”
I was a little worried how she’d take the news, given that this was her prize specimen with all the lights aimed to showcase its rainbow scales. But to her credit, she listened while I suggested framing a good photo of the snake outside the tank, then only watching it during mealtime. Any visiting friends could be told how exotic and special the animal was, and how lucky they would be to even catch a glimpse of it.
“Yes,” she said, clearly thinking. “Yes, I can work with that. I’ll arrange for the adjustments to the enclosure. You said this much ground cover?” She held her pincher arms apart.
“Right, at least that much,” I agreed. “Ideally you’ll also want to bury a few things for enrichment, like rocks and bark and sections of tubing, and have a couple of those on the surface for it to hide under when it comes up for food.”
We ended up going into a different room where she could take notes, which did more to put me at ease about the snake’s future care. I waved at it as I left, wishing it well. I’d always liked sunbeams. Good thing I remembered the specifics of their care needs.
“You’ll also want a bigger water dish, so it can slither through it,” I said. “And the tank should be both warm and very humid…”
The customer took lots of notes while Zhee alternated between standing there looking smug and casting an appraising eye at the room’s gaudy features. This was the purple room, and he blended right in.
Finally we’d covered all the important points. Zhee tactfully brought out the payment pad again, then we strolled back to the front door.
“I will recommend your service to all of my friends,” the customer said as she closed up the lamp case. “Quality parcel delivery, with bonus animal care! That is hard to beat.”
“My pleasure,” I said honestly.
Zhee thanked her as well, and we exited into the garden. Zhee was still looking smug as the door closed behind us. “I am very glad I spoke up.”
I shook my head with a rueful smile. “I’m glad it was an animal I’m actually familiar with, not some independently crawling tentacle.”
“Those do exist, you know.”
I let out a deep sigh. “Of course they do. Guess I’d better do some research in case she does tell all her friends.”
Zhee strode forward with pride. “It will be good business! Captain Sunlight will be pleased.”
“It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure.” I thought of the crewmates who had tentacles of their own. “Mur will probably think it’s funny.”
“Oh, he’ll think it’s terrifying. The mobile tentacles are from his planet; they’re a venomous parasite.”
“Of course they are. Remind me to bring gloves on our next delivery, just in case.”
~~~
The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come!
Cross-posted to Tumblr and HFY.
submitted by MarlynnOfMany to humansarespaceorcs [link] [comments]
I squinted as I walked up with the package, wondering if that was rude of me. My little human eyes probably always looked like I was squinting though, compared to the big bug eyes of the Mesmer who lived there.
And the one walking beside me. Zhee was nodding quietly to himself while he took in the sight, with his vibrant purple praying-mantis exoskeleton looking right at home. If I hadn’t known that one of his people lived here, somehow I feel like I would have guessed. It was flashy in the extreme.
And so was the walkway, a glittering stripe of vivid red that curved through a garden full of alien flowers that probably didn’t bite. I didn’t like the looks of the local butterfly analogues, though; they had stingers I could see from here. I was glad they were keeping their distance.
Zhee reached the door first — a solid slab of bronze with an inlaid galaxy of gemstones, naturally — and he found the doorbell while I ducked under another butterfly. The chime was a brief melody from an instrument I couldn’t identify. It sounded like a violin invented by people whose earliest music was made by rubbing their legs together.
The door pulled inward and slid to the side, showcasing the homeowner who must have been waiting right there for us. Up close, the side of the house had window space visible between the weave, ideal for peeking out but not being seen until you were ready for your close-up.
“Good greetings!” announced the Mesmer woman who towered over both of us, a spectacle of metallic rose-gold coloring. Surely that couldn’t be natural. I’d never seen a Mesmer yet with metal tones; this had to be like full-body nail polish. But I sure as heck wasn’t about to say a peep about it now. I’d ask Zhee later.
“Greetings,” Zhee returned, urging me forward. “Your package.”
I handed it over, wondering if I’d get to see how the thing opened. It was one of the plastic puzzle box dealies that had been a popular way to ship valuables lately. There was one button on top and no visible seams.
Even with that thought, I was surprised when she grabbed it with her pincher arms, kicked a side table into view with one leg, then set it down and tapped out a rhythm on the button. The box split open to dramatically reveal the custom stained-glass lamp that we’d delivered in perfect condition, thankyouverymuch.
“Exquisite,” she said, holding it up to let the light shine through all the aquas and teals. “Just what the blue room needs.” She looked at us. “I have one of each color, you know.”
Zhee nodded like that was normal and admirable. “Excellent.” He held out the electronic payment pad without being so gauche as to mention it out loud, and the customer chattered away about her house as she set down the lamp and paid.
“…The yellow room was the biggest hassle, of course, but I’m most pleased with the rainbow room. I have art, rare plants and a few select exotic animals in there. Those have been a different type of challenge, especially the new one.”
That caught my attention. As I was wondering how best to ask what kind of animals she kept, Zhee beat me to it.
“Animals, you say?” He gestured theatrically toward me. “Robin is an expert in animal care, if you need a consult.”
I turned my head to stare at him with my best what-did-you-just-volunteer-me-for expression, which he could certainly see, given those eyes’ range of vision. He didn’t react.
“I would appreciate a look, now that you mention it,” the large alien said. “My prize oil-slick tentacle has stopped eating, and has begun shaking in a strange way when I get near.”
Zhee immediately haggled for a consultation fee while I wracked my brain for any knowledge of this alien whatsit. I was going to have words with Zhee afterward.
But apparently I was going to look at this thing first. The customer agreed to the price, payable afterward, and led us both into the house. It was just as multicolored as expected. Like each room had been given to a different child to design, with the instructions to use as many expensive jewel tones as possible.
The rainbow room was actually a relief, surprisingly enough. There were darker accents to make the furniture and murals stand out. And the various terrariums were clear glass. I looked between feathers and shells and flowers for anything that could be described as a tentacle.
“It’s over here,” she said, leading me toward a glass case under a spotlight. “I haven’t had it very long, but it was eating before, and I just don’t know why. The medi-scanner says it’s not ill. Perhaps I need a new scanner. What do you think?”
Feeling like the spotlight was aimed directly at me, I stepped up for a look at the thing curled up in the corner. It was, as expected, iridescent like an oil slick. But those scales were familiar.
I moved around it to get a look at the head, then smiled and stood up straight. “That’s a sunbeam snake! My favorite kind!”
“Okay, but what’s wrong with it?” the alien woman asked. “When I give it food, it hisses at me and shudders!” She waggled a pincher arm in imitation.
“It’s trying to scare you away,” I said. “They shake their tails like rattlesnakes do, though they don’t have rattles or venom.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that,” she said with a huff. “Why is it doing that? I’ve been more than kind to it!”
“I’m afraid you’ve given it nowhere to hide,” I explained gently, spreading my hands at the tank with a black floor and only a small water dish in the center. Little blobs of meat littered the area. Images of plants had been painted into the corners, but that did less than nothing to help a burrowing animal. “This type of snake needs several inches of plant life or loose soil to dig into. For one this size, I’d say at least this deep.” I held my hands six inches apart.
“It digs?” the customer asked. “They didn’t tell me that!”
“It spends most of its time hidden,” I said. “Or at least, it’s meant to. This one is extremely stressed by being out in the open like this.”
I was a little worried how she’d take the news, given that this was her prize specimen with all the lights aimed to showcase its rainbow scales. But to her credit, she listened while I suggested framing a good photo of the snake outside the tank, then only watching it during mealtime. Any visiting friends could be told how exotic and special the animal was, and how lucky they would be to even catch a glimpse of it.
“Yes,” she said, clearly thinking. “Yes, I can work with that. I’ll arrange for the adjustments to the enclosure. You said this much ground cover?” She held her pincher arms apart.
“Right, at least that much,” I agreed. “Ideally you’ll also want to bury a few things for enrichment, like rocks and bark and sections of tubing, and have a couple of those on the surface for it to hide under when it comes up for food.”
We ended up going into a different room where she could take notes, which did more to put me at ease about the snake’s future care. I waved at it as I left, wishing it well. I’d always liked sunbeams. Good thing I remembered the specifics of their care needs.
“You’ll also want a bigger water dish, so it can slither through it,” I said. “And the tank should be both warm and very humid…”
The customer took lots of notes while Zhee alternated between standing there looking smug and casting an appraising eye at the room’s gaudy features. This was the purple room, and he blended right in.
Finally we’d covered all the important points. Zhee tactfully brought out the payment pad again, then we strolled back to the front door.
“I will recommend your service to all of my friends,” the customer said as she closed up the lamp case. “Quality parcel delivery, with bonus animal care! That is hard to beat.”
“My pleasure,” I said honestly.
Zhee thanked her as well, and we exited into the garden. Zhee was still looking smug as the door closed behind us. “I am very glad I spoke up.”
I shook my head with a rueful smile. “I’m glad it was an animal I’m actually familiar with, not some independently crawling tentacle.”
“Those do exist, you know.”
I let out a deep sigh. “Of course they do. Guess I’d better do some research in case she does tell all her friends.”
Zhee strode forward with pride. “It will be good business! Captain Sunlight will be pleased.”
“It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure.” I thought of the crewmates who had tentacles of their own. “Mur will probably think it’s funny.”
“Oh, he’ll think it’s terrifying. The mobile tentacles are from his planet; they’re a venomous parasite.”
“Of course they are. Remind me to bring gloves on our next delivery, just in case.”
~~~
The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come!
Cross-posted to Tumblr and HFY.
2023.05.29 19:15 PSHoffman Pacifist: 6 - Hrutskuld Don't Have Orphanages
<< First < Prev Next >
***
Caly and Olm followed the dust storm out of the city and down into the scrublands, passing the scattered parade of repulsor bikes and homesteader trucks and old sandcutter boats that were so laden with luggage they didn’t hover, so much as drag along the sand. Eventually, the scrublands gave way to even scrubbier lands, and it was just Caly and Olm alone. The hills no longer grew with an abundance of weeds, only patches of sharp-looking grass, and twists and clumps of gnarled cacti. Pipes of stiff plants cast shadows down the ridges of the hills, looking every bit like people standing along the red cliffs, raising their hands to beg for a ride.
Coordinates ticked away on the corner of her visor, routing their path to the orphanage. The tails of the storm showered the hills with dust, dust, and more dust. But when it came to the cracked flats, its fury dried up, and it spread into a tan haze across all that empty land. You couldn’t ask for better terrain. Caly leaned forward in the stirrups and Olm squeezed tighter around her waist. She throttled on, and the bike reared and screamed as it plunged into the haze, leaving a sandy vortex in their wake.
They thundered across the desert. Her legs went numb, and even then, she kept going.
A shift, on the horizon was the only warning. A gap rose up out of nowhere, a massive canyon deeper than it was wide. She yanked on the brakes, and shoved the repulsor hard against the sand as she tried to halt the bike’s forward movement. Not soon enough. Caly cursed and threw the bike into a turn until they sped along the edge of the cliff.
“Sorry,” she growled. She hadn’t seen the canyon until they were practically staring down into it.
Olm didn’t say anything about their near miss, no criticism, no disapproving intake of breath. She was quietly grateful for that.
Both of them stayed seated in silence for a long moment, taking in the view. Entire cities could’ve fit down there, and no one would know. Plants grew in the cracks and shelves down the cliff faces, and one enterprising old tree had found enough dirt to make a home on a rocky outcropping jutting halfway across the canyon. Far below, the glint of brown water suggested that a creek might be down there, hidden in shadow and dry, tangled brush.
Olm grunted. Caly turned her head to follow his gaze, down the other side of the canyon. At first, she thought she was looking at some huge shadow cutting across the canyon. Her helmet zoomed in on a structure, black and metallic, that jutted from one end of the gap to the other. Spikes large enough to spear a spacecraft jutted up from its twisting form. The structure, which looked more like the intertwined roots of some moon-sized tree, growing through the stone.
“What is that?”
“Only the Dead Ones know,” Olm said.
Like the Spirines of the Independent Cities, the root bridge was made of that black, glittering substance favored by the Dys. Not quite metal. Maybe, once, it dammed the river, but the river had cut beneath it, and kept on its winding trail, so the Root looked more like an exposed, planet-sized rib.
“Let’s head South,” Olm said. “We’ll find another crossing.”
“That thing looks sturdy enough.”
“It’s Dyss.”
“So? We’re just passing over it. Bike won’t even touch the thing.”
Olm rumbled his discomfort.
“You think the human crossed somewhere else?” Caly cocked her head, a challenge.
Olm grunted, as if to say “Fine.”
The Bridge grew at an angle. While the opposing side rose smoothly to the top of the cliff, their side began with a bit of a drop. “Hang on,” she said, as she lined up the bike and revved the repulsors. They flew off the cliff, and she pulled up hard to keep the heavy nose level as they fell toward the Dyssian dam, or whatever it was. They crunched on impact. And then, her stomach dropped as the repulsor almost slid off the smooth, mottled-black structure. Then, it was smooth riding. They hovered a foot or two above the Bridge, but even so, Olm’s hands crushed her shoulders under his anxious grip. Normally, he hated when she pulled the throttle, so she was surprised when he leaned forward and spoke in a tense voice, “Faster.”
She had to resist ramping off the other side. With sand once more under their feet, Olm let go of her, leaned back in the saddle, and gave a loud sigh. She glanced in the mirror, and saw him squeezing his eyes shut, the cracks in his skins glowing a dull red.
“Need a rest?” she asked.
“I thought we were trying to catch up to him.”
“No sense going in unprepared. Be ready, or be ready to die, right?”
“I am always ready for death.” Olm sniffed. Looked back at the Bridge, its gnarled spines standing sentry over the canyon. “But let’s not camp here.”
They rode until the air was so chill, Caly couldn’t feel her fingers. Her visor’s heaters struggled to keep up without fogging up her helmet, so they dismounted and built a small camp in the shadow of a rocky berm. Olm set out his pocket fire, a small spherical device that gave off a warm, blue glow. They used the bike and their own bodies to shield the light from any far off watchers. The sunset lit up a torn tuft of cloud. It looked like the last, falling petal of a fiery rose.
As the sun waned, one of Nowhere’s moons seemed to gain strength. Caly spotted the Hyperlane not far off, a string of double lights spread across the sky like a constellation of twin arrows, side by side.
When the Hyperlane started to glow, Caly stood up.
She watched it, for a long moment. Gathering light, going from a pale fuzz to full blue and into white as all that pent-up energy flushed out. And then, it was just those two strings of light once more.
“More Auran Arais,” Caly said.
“Floaters? How can you tell?”
“Helmet caught their IDs. That’s the second batch of freighters this week. Headed out to the new belts, I’d guess.”
Olm looked up, though his hands stayed hovering over the pocket fire, said, “More and more these days. Wonder why?”
The Hyperlanes were not one way to cross the systems of the Synod—they were the only way. Without them, the Synod was nothing more than a series of isolated planets, separated by millions of light years. Once, Caly had asked her mother, “Why don’t we just build more?”
“We didn’t build them,” her mother said, disgusted that her own child would ask such an inane question. “We only discovered them. It was the Dyss who set all this in motion.”
The Synod’s ability to power the lanes was severely limited. Getting passage to the Synod’s core (where everyone wanted to be) was more expensive than going out. So the only people who came all this way, to New Nowhere—the last junction on the furthest frontier—were prospectors, fortune seekers, families in dire need, dreamers or fools (which were the same thing), the odd adventurer and thrill seeker, and, of course, the exiles. Like Olm. Like me.
Out here, there was only one hyperlane, and the Synod was not keen on wasting the reserves to keep it running. Even the Auran Arais—those patient masters of interstellar industry—only sent the odd mega-freighter to work the belts beyond. If the lane was lighting up again, twice in one week, something big was happening back home.
But what? And why now? The Couran Unity was still gathering their support in the Councils, both Mass and Crown. It would be decades before their plans went into motion.
She stared up at the hyperlane, as if she could demand answers from it. She stood, forgetting how cold and tired she was, until Olm tugged on her sleeve, and offered her a piece of dried biscuit and a clod of cheese so cold it was almost frozen. Caly flipped her visor open, and wolfed it down.
As they settled in for the night, she scanned the horizon one last time, searching for lifeforms. Her visor illuminated only the strange, urchin-like plants that grew in clusters along the shadowed parts of the desert. Feathery fronds stuck out of the spines and waved in the wind, catching airborne microbes, or whatever it was they did for food.
“Thank the stars for the Synod’s Finest,” Olm said, as he pulled out a couple of emergency packs and bedrolls from the top trunk of the enforcer’s bike. Caly took a bedroll, the metallic fabric crinkling as she laid it out. She curled as close to the pocket flame as she could without melting her bedroll, and willed herself to relax. She started to dim her visor to block out the light from the stars, when Olm muttered something from the bedroll next to hers.
“What?” Caly turned over.
“Can’t stop thinking about him,” Olm grumbled.
“The human?”
Olm rolled over and propped himself up on a huge elbow, “One second, he was there. The next—you saw it, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t see anything. There was too much dust.”
“Exactly. How fast did he get up to your tower?”
“Maybe the human’s got a double. Like Split Agasgar?”
“No,” Olm said. “It was only him.”
They both sat in silence.
She’d never seen him like this. There was something about Olm’s quiet contemplation that dampened her enthusiasm for the new plan. Tomorrow’s problem.
The chill bit into her suit and she sank deeper into her crinkly bedroll and shoved her hands under her arms. Her thoughts turned from the new plan to old plans gone awry. To friends, become enemies. And then, as always, to Caspian, and to the dream of a life, long left behind.
Olm woke her before the sun of dawn spilled its golden blood over the horizon. They saddled up, this time with Olm riding pilot, and Caly leaning back in the cushy passenger seat. When they crossed a rough mountain pass, they found themselves in an ocean of gray and green grass. In the foothills, some enormous mass of cacti crowded out the grass, and created impassable mounds covered in spikes and tall-sprouting stems that waved heavily with bright-colored fruit. Almost like the plants were tempting them to come closer. A herd of scave boars chewed thoughtfully on the outer edges of the cacti mounds, their tongues thicker than the plates of thorny cacti could penetrate. One of them watched Caly and Olm hovering through grass and thorn with bored interest, just watching and chewing.
The foothills descended into a valley, carved by a few slow-moving streams of brown water. Majestic cliffs lined the valley walls, steep and painted with hundreds of segments, each one a different shade of red. Caly found herself wondering how those pathetic little streams could carve something so beautiful. They rode into the narrow beneath the cliffs and, even with the sun high overhead, the light failed to reach them, failed to warm the chill of the shadows.
There was a silhouette at the end of the canyon, standing still with its head upturned and enrobed in sunlight. Caly pointed it out, and Olm slowed the bike to a humming crawl.
“Wait. It’s just rocks,” she said, “Thought it was someone waiting for us.”
But Olm kept the bike tuned low, moving carefully and as soundlessly as he could, the water barely rippling under the repulsor. Even when they passed the stack of rocks (or wind-carved stone, or whatever it was), he kept his form hunched low and his eyes cast up at the increasingly-cracked canyon walls.
“Olm?”
“Dyss,” he said.
“How do you know?”
“I smell it,” Olm sniffed meaningfully.
They turned the last bend of the canyon, and looked down upon a forest of black stone, sprouting from the red sand. No, not stone, Caly thought, as she gazed over the labyrinths of glittering spires and obsidian fangs jutting up from the sand. This is the work of the Dead Ones. Sweeping statues of that ancient, brushed metal stood watch like misshapen sentinels, twisting up from the stone. They marched along the ridge like the backplates of some enormous reptile. Black arches marched up the sides of the valley and when the wind blew through them, it made a sound like a mournful choir, ten thousand voices.
“They walked here, once.” Olm said, wrinkling his nose. His shoulders were so tense, they almost reached his ears. His eyes scanned the black towers and arches and jagged scales bursting from the earth, all that obsidian metal glittering in the rising sun.
“Should we turn back?” Though they were alone, Caly felt the need to whisper, as if something about this place would know they had come. The Bridge was one thing, but even she could feel that gentle, insidious tug in her chest. It was those singing voices in the wind.
“No. You were right the first time. Let fear guide your way, and you will never find your glory.”
Olm leaned over (making the bike tip slightly) and grabbed a fistful of red dirt. He threw it up, letting it shower on his head as muttered some hrutskuld prayer for safe passage, though not in those exact words. It was more like asking Death to turn a blind eye while they crossed, in exchange for a more gruesome end at a later date.
Meanwhile, the wind sang through the blades and arches. An itch grew between her shoulder blades.
“Coordinates say the orphanage is through this valley.” She said.
“What kind of orphanage would be in a place like this?”
“Well,” Caly said, raising her helmet’s volume to be heard over the choir of dead voices, “If the human made it through here, then we can too.”
Olm made a doubtful rumble in his throat. But he pushed the bike forward, and they began the long, winding trek through the maze.
They rambled through jagged teeth and curving towers, around bends of treacherous cliffs. Rainpaths crisscrossed the sands and smooth slabs of rock, tinted red with iron or white from limestone powder. Olm kept blinking, like he was trying to clear his vision, and at one point he asked Caly, “Did you say something?”
“No.”
“Thought I heard … never mind.”
“Let me drive,” Caly said. Olm didn’t argue. He slid back, and started massaging his temples, and muttered something about how it would be better if the dead remembered to stay dead.
The sooner they left this place, the better.
On one sheer cliff, someone had hammered stakes into the rock to use as handholds, but only one stake still remained. There was a cave where a tattered rucksack hidden in the shadows.
“Someone lived here,” she said.
“Must’ve been mad.”
“Or desperate.”
“Or both.”
When the ground became too treacherous, Olm had to lead the bike on foot, slowly hovering behind him as he pulled it with a rope tied around his waist. They had to pull it through a bend, scraping the metal on stone, when a sound up high made them both stop. Stones and pebbles slid down the cliff and skittered over their path, but Caly saw nothing above them.
She turned her scanners on full power, and left them running, even though it drained her suit. She could make up the charge later.
By midday, the Dead One’s ruins dwindled to knee-high shapes, so the sun struck the sharp rocks and the whole valley radiated with its heat, until even Olm was sweating. There wasn’t enough power for Caly’s fans, and her suit stuck to her every time she moved. She took off her gloves, and peeled back her sleeves, but kept her helmet in place.
They trudged up a steep slope with Olm dragging the bike, each footstep only gave a handful of centimeters, each breath leaving her lungs wanting more. At the top, they gasped and drank in the thin air.
Far below, there was a creek, muddy and brown and small enough in some places that Caly thought she might simply step over it. As it rolled down the valley, it collected dozens of other small streams and yet, it never seemed to grow any wider. But there were trees—actual trees—growing along the rocky bank. Some were sheltered in the cliffs, though even they drove their gnarled roots down to the creek. They looked like shriveled old men, bent by the dry centuries. But further up the creek, a copse of trees stood proud and tall above the rest—dark green steeples of the highland pines, fencing in the white-barked guardia trees with their broad leaves arranged like a wall of bright, yellow shields to shade their branches.
Caly’s helmet pinged. It took her a moment to see it, beneath the trees: a fort, with red walls so old, they crumbled seamlessly into the red sand. A single parapet lifted from the walls, shrouded by branches and yellow leaves.
“You ever see an orphanage like that?” she asked.
“Hrutskald don’t have orphanages,” he said, “Only barracks.”
“Oh, right,” Caly said, as if she had known that.
In a way, she supposed courans were the same. If you didn’t have a House, you didn’t have anything. You got sent wherever the ruling Houses sent you, and the rest of your life was written.
She chewed her lip, trying to plan their next move. “If I were a bandit, I’d hole up in there.”
“They do love their trees. Especially ones you can hang people from.”
The fort was quiet and still. Only the trees swayed in the breeze. She could shoot from a distance all day, but this—this was unknown. Caly swallowed, her throat suddenly thick.
A true Cavalier must face far worse than this.
“Think he’s in there?” Olm asked.
Caly put every ounce of her bravado into her reply, “Only one way to find out.”
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***
Caly and Olm followed the dust storm out of the city and down into the scrublands, passing the scattered parade of repulsor bikes and homesteader trucks and old sandcutter boats that were so laden with luggage they didn’t hover, so much as drag along the sand. Eventually, the scrublands gave way to even scrubbier lands, and it was just Caly and Olm alone. The hills no longer grew with an abundance of weeds, only patches of sharp-looking grass, and twists and clumps of gnarled cacti. Pipes of stiff plants cast shadows down the ridges of the hills, looking every bit like people standing along the red cliffs, raising their hands to beg for a ride.
Coordinates ticked away on the corner of her visor, routing their path to the orphanage. The tails of the storm showered the hills with dust, dust, and more dust. But when it came to the cracked flats, its fury dried up, and it spread into a tan haze across all that empty land. You couldn’t ask for better terrain. Caly leaned forward in the stirrups and Olm squeezed tighter around her waist. She throttled on, and the bike reared and screamed as it plunged into the haze, leaving a sandy vortex in their wake.
They thundered across the desert. Her legs went numb, and even then, she kept going.
A shift, on the horizon was the only warning. A gap rose up out of nowhere, a massive canyon deeper than it was wide. She yanked on the brakes, and shoved the repulsor hard against the sand as she tried to halt the bike’s forward movement. Not soon enough. Caly cursed and threw the bike into a turn until they sped along the edge of the cliff.
“Sorry,” she growled. She hadn’t seen the canyon until they were practically staring down into it.
Olm didn’t say anything about their near miss, no criticism, no disapproving intake of breath. She was quietly grateful for that.
Both of them stayed seated in silence for a long moment, taking in the view. Entire cities could’ve fit down there, and no one would know. Plants grew in the cracks and shelves down the cliff faces, and one enterprising old tree had found enough dirt to make a home on a rocky outcropping jutting halfway across the canyon. Far below, the glint of brown water suggested that a creek might be down there, hidden in shadow and dry, tangled brush.
Olm grunted. Caly turned her head to follow his gaze, down the other side of the canyon. At first, she thought she was looking at some huge shadow cutting across the canyon. Her helmet zoomed in on a structure, black and metallic, that jutted from one end of the gap to the other. Spikes large enough to spear a spacecraft jutted up from its twisting form. The structure, which looked more like the intertwined roots of some moon-sized tree, growing through the stone.
“What is that?”
“Only the Dead Ones know,” Olm said.
Like the Spirines of the Independent Cities, the root bridge was made of that black, glittering substance favored by the Dys. Not quite metal. Maybe, once, it dammed the river, but the river had cut beneath it, and kept on its winding trail, so the Root looked more like an exposed, planet-sized rib.
“Let’s head South,” Olm said. “We’ll find another crossing.”
“That thing looks sturdy enough.”
“It’s Dyss.”
“So? We’re just passing over it. Bike won’t even touch the thing.”
Olm rumbled his discomfort.
“You think the human crossed somewhere else?” Caly cocked her head, a challenge.
Olm grunted, as if to say “Fine.”
The Bridge grew at an angle. While the opposing side rose smoothly to the top of the cliff, their side began with a bit of a drop. “Hang on,” she said, as she lined up the bike and revved the repulsors. They flew off the cliff, and she pulled up hard to keep the heavy nose level as they fell toward the Dyssian dam, or whatever it was. They crunched on impact. And then, her stomach dropped as the repulsor almost slid off the smooth, mottled-black structure. Then, it was smooth riding. They hovered a foot or two above the Bridge, but even so, Olm’s hands crushed her shoulders under his anxious grip. Normally, he hated when she pulled the throttle, so she was surprised when he leaned forward and spoke in a tense voice, “Faster.”
She had to resist ramping off the other side. With sand once more under their feet, Olm let go of her, leaned back in the saddle, and gave a loud sigh. She glanced in the mirror, and saw him squeezing his eyes shut, the cracks in his skins glowing a dull red.
“Need a rest?” she asked.
“I thought we were trying to catch up to him.”
“No sense going in unprepared. Be ready, or be ready to die, right?”
“I am always ready for death.” Olm sniffed. Looked back at the Bridge, its gnarled spines standing sentry over the canyon. “But let’s not camp here.”
They rode until the air was so chill, Caly couldn’t feel her fingers. Her visor’s heaters struggled to keep up without fogging up her helmet, so they dismounted and built a small camp in the shadow of a rocky berm. Olm set out his pocket fire, a small spherical device that gave off a warm, blue glow. They used the bike and their own bodies to shield the light from any far off watchers. The sunset lit up a torn tuft of cloud. It looked like the last, falling petal of a fiery rose.
As the sun waned, one of Nowhere’s moons seemed to gain strength. Caly spotted the Hyperlane not far off, a string of double lights spread across the sky like a constellation of twin arrows, side by side.
When the Hyperlane started to glow, Caly stood up.
She watched it, for a long moment. Gathering light, going from a pale fuzz to full blue and into white as all that pent-up energy flushed out. And then, it was just those two strings of light once more.
“More Auran Arais,” Caly said.
“Floaters? How can you tell?”
“Helmet caught their IDs. That’s the second batch of freighters this week. Headed out to the new belts, I’d guess.”
Olm looked up, though his hands stayed hovering over the pocket fire, said, “More and more these days. Wonder why?”
The Hyperlanes were not one way to cross the systems of the Synod—they were the only way. Without them, the Synod was nothing more than a series of isolated planets, separated by millions of light years. Once, Caly had asked her mother, “Why don’t we just build more?”
“We didn’t build them,” her mother said, disgusted that her own child would ask such an inane question. “We only discovered them. It was the Dyss who set all this in motion.”
The Synod’s ability to power the lanes was severely limited. Getting passage to the Synod’s core (where everyone wanted to be) was more expensive than going out. So the only people who came all this way, to New Nowhere—the last junction on the furthest frontier—were prospectors, fortune seekers, families in dire need, dreamers or fools (which were the same thing), the odd adventurer and thrill seeker, and, of course, the exiles. Like Olm. Like me.
Out here, there was only one hyperlane, and the Synod was not keen on wasting the reserves to keep it running. Even the Auran Arais—those patient masters of interstellar industry—only sent the odd mega-freighter to work the belts beyond. If the lane was lighting up again, twice in one week, something big was happening back home.
But what? And why now? The Couran Unity was still gathering their support in the Councils, both Mass and Crown. It would be decades before their plans went into motion.
She stared up at the hyperlane, as if she could demand answers from it. She stood, forgetting how cold and tired she was, until Olm tugged on her sleeve, and offered her a piece of dried biscuit and a clod of cheese so cold it was almost frozen. Caly flipped her visor open, and wolfed it down.
As they settled in for the night, she scanned the horizon one last time, searching for lifeforms. Her visor illuminated only the strange, urchin-like plants that grew in clusters along the shadowed parts of the desert. Feathery fronds stuck out of the spines and waved in the wind, catching airborne microbes, or whatever it was they did for food.
“Thank the stars for the Synod’s Finest,” Olm said, as he pulled out a couple of emergency packs and bedrolls from the top trunk of the enforcer’s bike. Caly took a bedroll, the metallic fabric crinkling as she laid it out. She curled as close to the pocket flame as she could without melting her bedroll, and willed herself to relax. She started to dim her visor to block out the light from the stars, when Olm muttered something from the bedroll next to hers.
“What?” Caly turned over.
“Can’t stop thinking about him,” Olm grumbled.
“The human?”
Olm rolled over and propped himself up on a huge elbow, “One second, he was there. The next—you saw it, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t see anything. There was too much dust.”
“Exactly. How fast did he get up to your tower?”
“Maybe the human’s got a double. Like Split Agasgar?”
“No,” Olm said. “It was only him.”
They both sat in silence.
She’d never seen him like this. There was something about Olm’s quiet contemplation that dampened her enthusiasm for the new plan. Tomorrow’s problem.
The chill bit into her suit and she sank deeper into her crinkly bedroll and shoved her hands under her arms. Her thoughts turned from the new plan to old plans gone awry. To friends, become enemies. And then, as always, to Caspian, and to the dream of a life, long left behind.
Olm woke her before the sun of dawn spilled its golden blood over the horizon. They saddled up, this time with Olm riding pilot, and Caly leaning back in the cushy passenger seat. When they crossed a rough mountain pass, they found themselves in an ocean of gray and green grass. In the foothills, some enormous mass of cacti crowded out the grass, and created impassable mounds covered in spikes and tall-sprouting stems that waved heavily with bright-colored fruit. Almost like the plants were tempting them to come closer. A herd of scave boars chewed thoughtfully on the outer edges of the cacti mounds, their tongues thicker than the plates of thorny cacti could penetrate. One of them watched Caly and Olm hovering through grass and thorn with bored interest, just watching and chewing.
The foothills descended into a valley, carved by a few slow-moving streams of brown water. Majestic cliffs lined the valley walls, steep and painted with hundreds of segments, each one a different shade of red. Caly found herself wondering how those pathetic little streams could carve something so beautiful. They rode into the narrow beneath the cliffs and, even with the sun high overhead, the light failed to reach them, failed to warm the chill of the shadows.
There was a silhouette at the end of the canyon, standing still with its head upturned and enrobed in sunlight. Caly pointed it out, and Olm slowed the bike to a humming crawl.
“Wait. It’s just rocks,” she said, “Thought it was someone waiting for us.”
But Olm kept the bike tuned low, moving carefully and as soundlessly as he could, the water barely rippling under the repulsor. Even when they passed the stack of rocks (or wind-carved stone, or whatever it was), he kept his form hunched low and his eyes cast up at the increasingly-cracked canyon walls.
“Olm?”
“Dyss,” he said.
“How do you know?”
“I smell it,” Olm sniffed meaningfully.
They turned the last bend of the canyon, and looked down upon a forest of black stone, sprouting from the red sand. No, not stone, Caly thought, as she gazed over the labyrinths of glittering spires and obsidian fangs jutting up from the sand. This is the work of the Dead Ones. Sweeping statues of that ancient, brushed metal stood watch like misshapen sentinels, twisting up from the stone. They marched along the ridge like the backplates of some enormous reptile. Black arches marched up the sides of the valley and when the wind blew through them, it made a sound like a mournful choir, ten thousand voices.
“They walked here, once.” Olm said, wrinkling his nose. His shoulders were so tense, they almost reached his ears. His eyes scanned the black towers and arches and jagged scales bursting from the earth, all that obsidian metal glittering in the rising sun.
“Should we turn back?” Though they were alone, Caly felt the need to whisper, as if something about this place would know they had come. The Bridge was one thing, but even she could feel that gentle, insidious tug in her chest. It was those singing voices in the wind.
“No. You were right the first time. Let fear guide your way, and you will never find your glory.”
Olm leaned over (making the bike tip slightly) and grabbed a fistful of red dirt. He threw it up, letting it shower on his head as muttered some hrutskuld prayer for safe passage, though not in those exact words. It was more like asking Death to turn a blind eye while they crossed, in exchange for a more gruesome end at a later date.
Meanwhile, the wind sang through the blades and arches. An itch grew between her shoulder blades.
“Coordinates say the orphanage is through this valley.” She said.
“What kind of orphanage would be in a place like this?”
“Well,” Caly said, raising her helmet’s volume to be heard over the choir of dead voices, “If the human made it through here, then we can too.”
Olm made a doubtful rumble in his throat. But he pushed the bike forward, and they began the long, winding trek through the maze.
They rambled through jagged teeth and curving towers, around bends of treacherous cliffs. Rainpaths crisscrossed the sands and smooth slabs of rock, tinted red with iron or white from limestone powder. Olm kept blinking, like he was trying to clear his vision, and at one point he asked Caly, “Did you say something?”
“No.”
“Thought I heard … never mind.”
“Let me drive,” Caly said. Olm didn’t argue. He slid back, and started massaging his temples, and muttered something about how it would be better if the dead remembered to stay dead.
The sooner they left this place, the better.
On one sheer cliff, someone had hammered stakes into the rock to use as handholds, but only one stake still remained. There was a cave where a tattered rucksack hidden in the shadows.
“Someone lived here,” she said.
“Must’ve been mad.”
“Or desperate.”
“Or both.”
When the ground became too treacherous, Olm had to lead the bike on foot, slowly hovering behind him as he pulled it with a rope tied around his waist. They had to pull it through a bend, scraping the metal on stone, when a sound up high made them both stop. Stones and pebbles slid down the cliff and skittered over their path, but Caly saw nothing above them.
She turned her scanners on full power, and left them running, even though it drained her suit. She could make up the charge later.
By midday, the Dead One’s ruins dwindled to knee-high shapes, so the sun struck the sharp rocks and the whole valley radiated with its heat, until even Olm was sweating. There wasn’t enough power for Caly’s fans, and her suit stuck to her every time she moved. She took off her gloves, and peeled back her sleeves, but kept her helmet in place.
They trudged up a steep slope with Olm dragging the bike, each footstep only gave a handful of centimeters, each breath leaving her lungs wanting more. At the top, they gasped and drank in the thin air.
Far below, there was a creek, muddy and brown and small enough in some places that Caly thought she might simply step over it. As it rolled down the valley, it collected dozens of other small streams and yet, it never seemed to grow any wider. But there were trees—actual trees—growing along the rocky bank. Some were sheltered in the cliffs, though even they drove their gnarled roots down to the creek. They looked like shriveled old men, bent by the dry centuries. But further up the creek, a copse of trees stood proud and tall above the rest—dark green steeples of the highland pines, fencing in the white-barked guardia trees with their broad leaves arranged like a wall of bright, yellow shields to shade their branches.
Caly’s helmet pinged. It took her a moment to see it, beneath the trees: a fort, with red walls so old, they crumbled seamlessly into the red sand. A single parapet lifted from the walls, shrouded by branches and yellow leaves.
“You ever see an orphanage like that?” she asked.
“Hrutskald don’t have orphanages,” he said, “Only barracks.”
“Oh, right,” Caly said, as if she had known that.
In a way, she supposed courans were the same. If you didn’t have a House, you didn’t have anything. You got sent wherever the ruling Houses sent you, and the rest of your life was written.
She chewed her lip, trying to plan their next move. “If I were a bandit, I’d hole up in there.”
“They do love their trees. Especially ones you can hang people from.”
The fort was quiet and still. Only the trees swayed in the breeze. She could shoot from a distance all day, but this—this was unknown. Caly swallowed, her throat suddenly thick.
A true Cavalier must face far worse than this.
“Think he’s in there?” Olm asked.
Caly put every ounce of her bravado into her reply, “Only one way to find out.”
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2023.05.29 19:03 gtccabs Explore Delhi By Taxi
 | submitted by gtccabs to u/gtccabs [link] [comments] Taxi Service in Delhi Exploring Delhi by taxi is a convenient and popular way to navigate the city and visit its various attractions. Delhi, the capital of India, is a bustling metropolis with a rich history, vibrant culture, and numerous landmarks. Here are some places you can explore in Delhi by taxi:
Remember to carry a city map or use a navigation app to track your route and ensure you're heading in the right direction. Delhi can be crowded and chaotic at times, so patience and awareness are essential while traveling by taxi. Enjoy your exploration of Delhi's rich history, cultural treasures, and vibrant atmosphere! How To Book Taxi in Delhi Booking a taxi in Delhi is a relatively straightforward process, and there are several options available to do so. Here are a few common methods to book a taxi in Delhi:
Best Taxi Service in Delhi There are several reputable taxi services in Delhi, and the "best" service can vary based on individual preferences and requirements. However, here are a few well-known and reliable taxi services in Delhi that you can consider:
Please note that while I provide information based on general knowledge, it's always a good idea to check the current offerings, availability, and customer reviews of each taxi service directly through their websites or apps to ensure the most up-to-date information. |
2023.05.29 18:24 OnlyFG PC on this plz ohne
 | submitted by OnlyFG to ohnePixel [link] [comments] |
2023.05.29 18:22 Jerry_217 [H] Back 4 blood, BIOMUTANT, Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT, Talisman complete set, Warhammer 40k Chaos Daemonhunters, Aliens Fireteam Elite, Dark Pictures: Man of Medan&Little Hope, Fable Anniversary, Injustice 2 Legendary ED, ABZU [W] Paypal, amazon, TF2KEY, Gem, wishlist
If you traded with me before, you can chat with me directly. Or else, please comment first, then send me a message or chat, thank you.
Region is NA, Full WISHLIST
My REPs: 200+ successful trades, 0 dispute.
#########################################################My Wishlist:
Rocket LeaguePoker night
poker night 2
NBA 2k16
NBA 2k17
Persona 5 Royal
Hell let loose
Crusader kings 3
Spiderman remaster
F1 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2012, 2011
A Hat in Time
monster hunter rise
fight in tight space
phoenix wright
LOOT RIVER
Hell let loose
satisfactory
crusader kings 3
Gotham Knights
Vrising
DOOM Eternal
Deep Rock Galactic
LegionTD 2
Dead by Daylight
quantum break
Maybe:
Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf special edition
slay the spire
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
deep rock galactic
#########################################################
My games for trade:
Added recently:
Beneath OresaDragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Tainted Grail: Conquest
Dicey Dungeons
Talisman: The complete collection (54 game+dlc)
Back 4 blood (EU)
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc)
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
Ragnarock
Super Star (delisted, 18+)
Source of Madness
MAY choice:
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Builder Simulator
Operation Tango
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
The Invisible Hand
Windjammers 2
APRIL choice:
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Founders' Fortune
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Revita
Rollerdrome
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
MARCH choice:
BIOMUTANT
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
EDGE OF ETERNITY
ROGUE LORDS
HERO'S HOUR
GOLDEN LIGHT
Demon Turf
List A: I don't own them yet myself.
A Plague Tale: InnocenceABZU
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
AMID EVIL
Anuchard
Armello
Astronarch
Beneath Oresa
Big Pharma
BIOMUTANT
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition
Boundless
BPM: Bullets Per Minute
Children of Morta: Complete Edition
Construction Simulator (2015) Deluxe Edition
Cultist Simulator
Demon Turf
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
DEATHLOOP
Depraved
Desperados III
Destroy All Humans
Dicey Dungeons
Dishonored Definitive Edition
Distant Worlds Universe
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
Dungeons 2 - Complete Edition
Dusk
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc, 97% positive rating)
EDGE OF ETERNITY
Encased
ENDLESS Space 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Fable Anniversary
Flynn: Son of Crimson
Full Metal Furies
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
GOLDEN LIGHT
GREEDFALL
GRID Ultimate Edition
Hedon Bloodrite
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
HERO'S HOUR
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
IRIS and the Giant
Jack Move
Joggernauts
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
Just Cause 4 Complete Edition
Last Oasis
Late Shift
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Metro Exodus
Mini Metro
Mini motor Racing EVO (delisted)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Monster Train + Monster Train: The Last Divinity
Moving Out
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl
Obduction
Offworld Trading Company
OLLIOLLI WORLD - RAD EDITION
Othercide
Outward The Soroboreans DLC + soundtrack (no base game)
Paint the Town Red
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Royal Ascension DLC
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - The Wildcards DLC
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition
Per Aspera
Planet zoo
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Port Royale 3 Gold
Port Royale 4 - Extended Edition + Port Royale 4 - Buccaneers DLC
Project CARS
Project Wingman
Propnight
Proteus
Quantum Break
Ragnarock
Risen 2: Dark Waters, Sacred 2: Gold Edition, Saints Row 2, and Saints Row: The Third! (all 4 together in one key)
ROGUE LORDS
Rollerdrome
Rubber Bandits
Ryse: Son of Rome
Sakura Alien, 18+
Sakura Dungeon, 18+
Sakura - Forest Girls set, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 2, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 3, 18+
- Sakura Knight, 18+
- Sakura Knight 2, 18+
- Sakura Knight 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO, 18+
- Sakura MMO 2, 18+
- Sakura MMO 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO Extra, 18+
- Sakura Succubus, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 2, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 3, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 4, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 5, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 6, 18+
Sam & Max: Devil's Playhouse
Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer
Severed steel
Ship Graveyard Simulator
Sid Meier's Civilization VI : Platinum Edition
Sniper Elite 3
Sniper Elite 4
Source of Madness
Spirit Hunter: NG
Starbound
State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition (steam gift)
Strange Brigade
Sunset Overdrive
Super Star (delisted)
Superliminal
Surviving The Aftermath
Tainted Grail: Conquest
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos
The Gardens Between
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
The Long Dark
The Stanley Parable
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (Gift)
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Total War: Empire - Definitive Edition
Total War: Medieval II - Definitive Edition
Total War: Napoleon- Definitive Edition
Tribes of Midgard
Twilight Struggle
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
WASTELAND 3
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Edition
Yakuza Kiwami 2
List B: I already own.
112 Operator911 Operator
Aarklash: Legacy
Agent in Depth
Alchemist's Castle
Aliens vs. Predator Collection ( includes Aliens vs. Predator + Aliens vs Predator Swarm Map Pack + Aliens vs Predator: Bug Hunt Pack)
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs + Amnesia: The Dark Descent (one key)
Among Us
Armello
Army Men RTS
Assault Suit Leynos
Backbone
Battlecruisers
Beat Hazard 2
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Behold the Kickmen
Between the Stars
Bezier
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Blade Assault
Blood And Zombies
Brawlout
Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
[email protected]
Calico
Call of Juarez Gunslinger
Cats in Time
Chicka Wars Chicken Meat (delisted)
CivCity: Rome
Click and Slay
Conan Chop Chop
Concept Destruction
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Corridor Z
Cosmic Express
Cosmonautica
Crayon Physics Deluxe
CROSSBOW: Bloodnight
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
Dead Age
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death Squared
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Disciples: Liberation
Double Cross
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Driftland: The Magic Revival
Due Process
EarthX
El Hijo
Eldest Souls
Emily is Away <3
Epic Chef
Fallout
Farming Simulator 17
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue
First Class Trouble
Five Dates
Fling to the Finish
Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
Forged Battalion
Fortissimo FA INTL Ver
Founders' Fortune
Frick, Inc.
Full Throttle Remastered
Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
GameGuru Classic
Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
Geometric Sniper
Ghost 1.0
Go Home Dinosaurs!
Going Under
Golf Gang
Grow: Song of the Evertree
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
Guns & Fishes
Guts and Glory
Hack 'n' Slash bundle (including Hack 'n' Slash + Hack 'n' Slash Soundtrack + Spacebase GIFT)
Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition
Heart Fragment - Book Two: Belief Fragments (Shannon & Lana)
Helheim Hassle
Hellbound
Hello Neighbor
Hexologic
Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire
Hidden & Dangerous: Action Pack
Hokko Life
Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?!
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Hydrophobia: Prophecy
Hyper Gunsport
I’m not a Monster
In Sound Mind
INDUSTRIA
Internet Cafe Simulator
Interplanetary: Enhanced Edition
Into the Pit
Intruders: Hide and Seek
Iris and the giant
Iron Danger
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Joggernauts
JYDGE
Killsquad
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning FATE Edition (including Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Soundtrack + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fatesworn)
Knights of Pen and Paper +1
Labirinto 2
Last Word
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Legend of Keepers
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry
Let Them Come
Lighthouse Keeper
Little Orpheus
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Lust for Darkness
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Maid of Sker
Mainlining
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Mekabolt
Meow Express
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Moon Hunters
Moonlighter
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
Moving Out
Murder by Numbers
Must Dash Amigos
My Time At Portia
N++
NecroWorm
NeuroVoider
Neverinth
Neverout
Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition
Non-Stop Raiders
Of Orcs And Men
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Override
Overture
Papo & Yo
Paradise Lost
Partial Control
Pathfinders: Memories
Pathway
PAYDAY 2
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Pilgrims
Pill Baby
Pixplode
Pixross
Planet TD
PlataGO!
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Popup Dungeon
Post Void
PowerBeatsVR
Project Chemistry
Project Nimbus: Complete Edition
Propagation VR - Co-op
Proteus
Pumped BMX +
Quadrata
Radio Commander
Railroad Corporation
Railroad Tycoon 3
Raji: An Ancient Epic
Rebel Galaxy
Rebound Dodgeball Evolved
Re-Legion
Remnants of Naezith
Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Revita
RIOT - Civil Unrest
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Roboquest
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
RPG Maker VX
Rym 9000
Say No! More
ScourgeBringer
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice
Shady Part of Me
shapez - Puzzle DLC
Shing!
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
Skullgirls 2nd Encore
Slinger VR
Smile For Me
Sorcerer King: Rivals
Soul Searching
Soulblight
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Spellcaster University
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
Stacking
STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic
Starpoint Gemini Warlords
Stick Fight: The Game
stikir
Stirring Abyss
Strange Brigade
Strider
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sunlight
Super Chicken Catchers
Super Magbot
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE
Surviving the Aftermath
Sword Legacy Omen
SYMMETRY
System Shock 2
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Telefrag VR
The Amazing American Circus
The Beast Inside
The Deed II
The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR
The Inner World
The Next Penelope
The Serpent Rogue
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Ticket to Ride
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
TOEM
Tools Up!
Tooth and Tail
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Traffic Jams
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Turmoil
Underland: The Climb
UnMetal
Vanishing Realms
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War
WARSAW
We Were Here Too
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
White Noise 2
Worms Rumble
WRC 7
WWE 2K BATTLEGROUNDS
XCOM 2
X-COM: Complete Pack (including X-COM: UFO Defense + X-COM: Apocalypse + X-COM: Enforcer + X-COM: Interceptor + X-COM: Terror from the Deep)
XEL
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (including X-Morph: Defense + X-Morph: Defense - European Assault + X-Morph: Defense - Survival Of The Fittest + X-Morph: Defense - Last Bastion)
Yoku's Island Express
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition (including + Zombie Driver HD + Zombie Driver HD Apocalypse Pack + Zombie Driver HD Burning Garden of Slaughter + Zombie Driver HD Tropical Race Rage + Zombie Driver HD Brutal Car Skins + Zombie Driver HD Soundtrack)
ΔV: Rings of Saturn
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (ORIGIN key)
DOOM 64 (Bethesda key)
Liberated (GOG key)
STAR WARS: Squadrons (Origin)
Wanderlust Travel Stories (GOG key)
Dishonored 2 (GOG)
#########################################################
Full WISHLIST
2023.05.29 18:22 Jerry_217 [H] Back 4 blood, BIOMUTANT, Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT, Talisman complete set, Warhammer 40k Chaos Daemonhunters, Aliens Fireteam Elite, Dark Pictures: Man of Medan&Little Hope, Fable Anniversary, Injustice 2 Legendary ED, ABZU [W] Paypal, amazon, TF2KEY, Gem, wishlist
If you traded with me before, you can chat with me directly. Or else, please comment first, then send me a message or chat, thank you.
Region is NA, Full WISHLIST
My REPs: 200+ successful trades, 0 dispute.
#########################################################My Wishlist:
Rocket LeaguePoker night
poker night 2
NBA 2k16
NBA 2k17
Persona 5 Royal
Hell let loose
Crusader kings 3
Spiderman remaster
F1 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2012, 2011
A Hat in Time
monster hunter rise
fight in tight space
phoenix wright
LOOT RIVER
Hell let loose
satisfactory
crusader kings 3
Gotham Knights
Vrising
DOOM Eternal
Deep Rock Galactic
LegionTD 2
Dead by Daylight
quantum break
Maybe:
Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf special edition
slay the spire
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
deep rock galactic
#########################################################
My games for trade:
Added recently:
Beneath OresaDragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Tainted Grail: Conquest
Dicey Dungeons
Talisman: The complete collection (54 game+dlc)
Back 4 blood (EU)
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc)
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
Ragnarock
Super Star (delisted, 18+)
Source of Madness
MAY choice:
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Builder Simulator
Operation Tango
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
The Invisible Hand
Windjammers 2
APRIL choice:
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Founders' Fortune
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Revita
Rollerdrome
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
MARCH choice:
BIOMUTANT
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
EDGE OF ETERNITY
ROGUE LORDS
HERO'S HOUR
GOLDEN LIGHT
Demon Turf
List A: I don't own them yet myself.
A Plague Tale: InnocenceABZU
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
AMID EVIL
Anuchard
Armello
Astronarch
Beneath Oresa
Big Pharma
BIOMUTANT
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition
Boundless
BPM: Bullets Per Minute
Children of Morta: Complete Edition
Construction Simulator (2015) Deluxe Edition
Cultist Simulator
Demon Turf
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
DEATHLOOP
Depraved
Desperados III
Destroy All Humans
Dicey Dungeons
Dishonored Definitive Edition
Distant Worlds Universe
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
Dungeons 2 - Complete Edition
Dusk
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc, 97% positive rating)
EDGE OF ETERNITY
Encased
ENDLESS Space 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Fable Anniversary
Flynn: Son of Crimson
Full Metal Furies
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
GOLDEN LIGHT
GREEDFALL
GRID Ultimate Edition
Hedon Bloodrite
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
HERO'S HOUR
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
IRIS and the Giant
Jack Move
Joggernauts
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
Just Cause 4 Complete Edition
Last Oasis
Late Shift
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Metro Exodus
Mini Metro
Mini motor Racing EVO (delisted)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Monster Train + Monster Train: The Last Divinity
Moving Out
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl
Obduction
Offworld Trading Company
OLLIOLLI WORLD - RAD EDITION
Othercide
Outward The Soroboreans DLC + soundtrack (no base game)
Paint the Town Red
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Royal Ascension DLC
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - The Wildcards DLC
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition
Per Aspera
Planet zoo
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Port Royale 3 Gold
Port Royale 4 - Extended Edition + Port Royale 4 - Buccaneers DLC
Project CARS
Project Wingman
Propnight
Proteus
Quantum Break
Ragnarock
Risen 2: Dark Waters, Sacred 2: Gold Edition, Saints Row 2, and Saints Row: The Third! (all 4 together in one key)
ROGUE LORDS
Rollerdrome
Rubber Bandits
Ryse: Son of Rome
Sakura Alien, 18+
Sakura Dungeon, 18+
Sakura - Forest Girls set, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 2, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 3, 18+
- Sakura Knight, 18+
- Sakura Knight 2, 18+
- Sakura Knight 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO, 18+
- Sakura MMO 2, 18+
- Sakura MMO 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO Extra, 18+
- Sakura Succubus, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 2, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 3, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 4, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 5, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 6, 18+
Sam & Max: Devil's Playhouse
Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer
Severed steel
Ship Graveyard Simulator
Sid Meier's Civilization VI : Platinum Edition
Sniper Elite 3
Sniper Elite 4
Source of Madness
Spirit Hunter: NG
Starbound
State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition (steam gift)
Strange Brigade
Sunset Overdrive
Super Star (delisted)
Superliminal
Surviving The Aftermath
Tainted Grail: Conquest
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos
The Gardens Between
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
The Long Dark
The Stanley Parable
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (Gift)
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Total War: Empire - Definitive Edition
Total War: Medieval II - Definitive Edition
Total War: Napoleon- Definitive Edition
Tribes of Midgard
Twilight Struggle
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
WASTELAND 3
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Edition
Yakuza Kiwami 2
List B: I already own.
112 Operator911 Operator
Aarklash: Legacy
Agent in Depth
Alchemist's Castle
Aliens vs. Predator Collection ( includes Aliens vs. Predator + Aliens vs Predator Swarm Map Pack + Aliens vs Predator: Bug Hunt Pack)
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs + Amnesia: The Dark Descent (one key)
Among Us
Armello
Army Men RTS
Assault Suit Leynos
Backbone
Battlecruisers
Beat Hazard 2
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Behold the Kickmen
Between the Stars
Bezier
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Blade Assault
Blood And Zombies
Brawlout
Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
[email protected]
Calico
Call of Juarez Gunslinger
Cats in Time
Chicka Wars Chicken Meat (delisted)
CivCity: Rome
Click and Slay
Conan Chop Chop
Concept Destruction
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Corridor Z
Cosmic Express
Cosmonautica
Crayon Physics Deluxe
CROSSBOW: Bloodnight
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
Dead Age
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death Squared
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Disciples: Liberation
Double Cross
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Driftland: The Magic Revival
Due Process
EarthX
El Hijo
Eldest Souls
Emily is Away <3
Epic Chef
Fallout
Farming Simulator 17
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue
First Class Trouble
Five Dates
Fling to the Finish
Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
Forged Battalion
Fortissimo FA INTL Ver
Founders' Fortune
Frick, Inc.
Full Throttle Remastered
Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
GameGuru Classic
Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
Geometric Sniper
Ghost 1.0
Go Home Dinosaurs!
Going Under
Golf Gang
Grow: Song of the Evertree
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
Guns & Fishes
Guts and Glory
Hack 'n' Slash bundle (including Hack 'n' Slash + Hack 'n' Slash Soundtrack + Spacebase GIFT)
Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition
Heart Fragment - Book Two: Belief Fragments (Shannon & Lana)
Helheim Hassle
Hellbound
Hello Neighbor
Hexologic
Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire
Hidden & Dangerous: Action Pack
Hokko Life
Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?!
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Hydrophobia: Prophecy
Hyper Gunsport
I’m not a Monster
In Sound Mind
INDUSTRIA
Internet Cafe Simulator
Interplanetary: Enhanced Edition
Into the Pit
Intruders: Hide and Seek
Iris and the giant
Iron Danger
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Joggernauts
JYDGE
Killsquad
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning FATE Edition (including Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Soundtrack + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fatesworn)
Knights of Pen and Paper +1
Labirinto 2
Last Word
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Legend of Keepers
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry
Let Them Come
Lighthouse Keeper
Little Orpheus
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Lust for Darkness
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Maid of Sker
Mainlining
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Mekabolt
Meow Express
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Moon Hunters
Moonlighter
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
Moving Out
Murder by Numbers
Must Dash Amigos
My Time At Portia
N++
NecroWorm
NeuroVoider
Neverinth
Neverout
Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition
Non-Stop Raiders
Of Orcs And Men
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Override
Overture
Papo & Yo
Paradise Lost
Partial Control
Pathfinders: Memories
Pathway
PAYDAY 2
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Pilgrims
Pill Baby
Pixplode
Pixross
Planet TD
PlataGO!
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Popup Dungeon
Post Void
PowerBeatsVR
Project Chemistry
Project Nimbus: Complete Edition
Propagation VR - Co-op
Proteus
Pumped BMX +
Quadrata
Radio Commander
Railroad Corporation
Railroad Tycoon 3
Raji: An Ancient Epic
Rebel Galaxy
Rebound Dodgeball Evolved
Re-Legion
Remnants of Naezith
Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Revita
RIOT - Civil Unrest
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Roboquest
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
RPG Maker VX
Rym 9000
Say No! More
ScourgeBringer
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice
Shady Part of Me
shapez - Puzzle DLC
Shing!
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
Skullgirls 2nd Encore
Slinger VR
Smile For Me
Sorcerer King: Rivals
Soul Searching
Soulblight
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Spellcaster University
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
Stacking
STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic
Starpoint Gemini Warlords
Stick Fight: The Game
stikir
Stirring Abyss
Strange Brigade
Strider
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sunlight
Super Chicken Catchers
Super Magbot
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE
Surviving the Aftermath
Sword Legacy Omen
SYMMETRY
System Shock 2
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Telefrag VR
The Amazing American Circus
The Beast Inside
The Deed II
The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR
The Inner World
The Next Penelope
The Serpent Rogue
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Ticket to Ride
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
TOEM
Tools Up!
Tooth and Tail
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Traffic Jams
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Turmoil
Underland: The Climb
UnMetal
Vanishing Realms
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War
WARSAW
We Were Here Too
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
White Noise 2
Worms Rumble
WRC 7
WWE 2K BATTLEGROUNDS
XCOM 2
X-COM: Complete Pack (including X-COM: UFO Defense + X-COM: Apocalypse + X-COM: Enforcer + X-COM: Interceptor + X-COM: Terror from the Deep)
XEL
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (including X-Morph: Defense + X-Morph: Defense - European Assault + X-Morph: Defense - Survival Of The Fittest + X-Morph: Defense - Last Bastion)
Yoku's Island Express
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition (including + Zombie Driver HD + Zombie Driver HD Apocalypse Pack + Zombie Driver HD Burning Garden of Slaughter + Zombie Driver HD Tropical Race Rage + Zombie Driver HD Brutal Car Skins + Zombie Driver HD Soundtrack)
ΔV: Rings of Saturn
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (ORIGIN key)
DOOM 64 (Bethesda key)
Liberated (GOG key)
STAR WARS: Squadrons (Origin)
Wanderlust Travel Stories (GOG key)
Dishonored 2 (GOG)
#########################################################
Full WISHLIST
2023.05.29 18:22 Jerry_217 [H] Back 4 blood, BIOMUTANT, Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT, Talisman complete set, Warhammer 40k Chaos Daemonhunters, Aliens Fireteam Elite, Dark Pictures: Man of Medan&Little Hope, Fable Anniversary, Injustice 2 Legendary ED, ABZU [W] Paypal, amazon, TF2KEY, Gem, wishlist
If you traded with me before, you can chat with me directly. Or else, please comment first, then send me a message or chat, thank you.
Region is NA, Full WISHLIST
My REPs: 200+ successful trades, 0 dispute.
#########################################################My Wishlist:
Rocket LeaguePoker night
poker night 2
NBA 2k16
NBA 2k17
Persona 5 Royal
Hell let loose
Crusader kings 3
Spiderman remaster
F1 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2012, 2011
A Hat in Time
monster hunter rise
fight in tight space
phoenix wright
LOOT RIVER
Hell let loose
satisfactory
crusader kings 3
Gotham Knights
Vrising
DOOM Eternal
Deep Rock Galactic
LegionTD 2
Dead by Daylight
quantum break
Maybe:
Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf special edition
slay the spire
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
deep rock galactic
#########################################################
My games for trade:
Added recently:
Beneath OresaDragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Tainted Grail: Conquest
Dicey Dungeons
Talisman: The complete collection (54 game+dlc)
Back 4 blood (EU)
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc)
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
Ragnarock
Super Star (delisted, 18+)
Source of Madness
MAY choice:
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Builder Simulator
Operation Tango
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
The Invisible Hand
Windjammers 2
APRIL choice:
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Founders' Fortune
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Revita
Rollerdrome
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
MARCH choice:
BIOMUTANT
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
EDGE OF ETERNITY
ROGUE LORDS
HERO'S HOUR
GOLDEN LIGHT
Demon Turf
List A: I don't own them yet myself.
A Plague Tale: InnocenceABZU
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
AMID EVIL
Anuchard
Armello
Astronarch
Beneath Oresa
Big Pharma
BIOMUTANT
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition
Boundless
BPM: Bullets Per Minute
Children of Morta: Complete Edition
Construction Simulator (2015) Deluxe Edition
Cultist Simulator
Demon Turf
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
DEATHLOOP
Depraved
Desperados III
Destroy All Humans
Dicey Dungeons
Dishonored Definitive Edition
Distant Worlds Universe
Dragon Knight (delisted, 18+)
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragonia (delisted, 18+)
Dungeons 2 - Complete Edition
Dusk
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + 18DLCs (19 game+dlc, 97% positive rating)
EDGE OF ETERNITY
Encased
ENDLESS Space 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Fable Anniversary
Flynn: Son of Crimson
Full Metal Furies
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
GOLDEN LIGHT
GREEDFALL
GRID Ultimate Edition
Hedon Bloodrite
Hell Girls (delisted, 18+)
HERO'S HOUR
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition
IRIS and the Giant
Jack Move
Joggernauts
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
Just Cause 4 Complete Edition
Last Oasis
Late Shift
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season (incl. Mascot Bundle DLC)
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Metro Exodus
Mini Metro
Mini motor Racing EVO (delisted)
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Monster Train + Monster Train: The Last Divinity
Moving Out
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl
Obduction
Offworld Trading Company
OLLIOLLI WORLD - RAD EDITION
Othercide
Outward The Soroboreans DLC + soundtrack (no base game)
Paint the Town Red
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Royal Ascension DLC
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - The Wildcards DLC
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition
Per Aspera
Planet zoo
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Port Royale 3 Gold
Port Royale 4 - Extended Edition + Port Royale 4 - Buccaneers DLC
Project CARS
Project Wingman
Propnight
Proteus
Quantum Break
Ragnarock
Risen 2: Dark Waters, Sacred 2: Gold Edition, Saints Row 2, and Saints Row: The Third! (all 4 together in one key)
ROGUE LORDS
Rollerdrome
Rubber Bandits
Ryse: Son of Rome
Sakura Alien, 18+
Sakura Dungeon, 18+
Sakura - Forest Girls set, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 2, 18+
- Sakura Forest Girls 3, 18+
- Sakura Knight, 18+
- Sakura Knight 2, 18+
- Sakura Knight 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO, 18+
- Sakura MMO 2, 18+
- Sakura MMO 3, 18+
- Sakura MMO Extra, 18+
- Sakura Succubus, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 2, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 3, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 4, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 5, 18+
- Sakura Succubus 6, 18+
Sam & Max: Devil's Playhouse
Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer
Severed steel
Ship Graveyard Simulator
Sid Meier's Civilization VI : Platinum Edition
Sniper Elite 3
Sniper Elite 4
Source of Madness
Spirit Hunter: NG
Starbound
State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition (steam gift)
Strange Brigade
Sunset Overdrive
Super Star (delisted)
Superliminal
Surviving The Aftermath
Tainted Grail: Conquest
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos
The Gardens Between
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
The Long Dark
The Stanley Parable
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (Gift)
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Total War: Empire - Definitive Edition
Total War: Medieval II - Definitive Edition
Total War: Napoleon- Definitive Edition
Tribes of Midgard
Twilight Struggle
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
WASTELAND 3
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Edition
Yakuza Kiwami 2
List B: I already own.
112 Operator911 Operator
Aarklash: Legacy
Agent in Depth
Alchemist's Castle
Aliens vs. Predator Collection ( includes Aliens vs. Predator + Aliens vs Predator Swarm Map Pack + Aliens vs Predator: Bug Hunt Pack)
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs + Amnesia: The Dark Descent (one key)
Among Us
Armello
Army Men RTS
Assault Suit Leynos
Backbone
Battlecruisers
Beat Hazard 2
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Behold the Kickmen
Between the Stars
Bezier
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Blade Assault
Blood And Zombies
Brawlout
Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
[email protected]
Calico
Call of Juarez Gunslinger
Cats in Time
Chicka Wars Chicken Meat (delisted)
CivCity: Rome
Click and Slay
Conan Chop Chop
Concept Destruction
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Corridor Z
Cosmic Express
Cosmonautica
Crayon Physics Deluxe
CROSSBOW: Bloodnight
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC
Dead Age
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Death Squared
Detached: Non-VR Edition
Disciples: Liberation
Double Cross
Doughlings: Arcade
Doughlings: Invasion
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Driftland: The Magic Revival
Due Process
EarthX
El Hijo
Eldest Souls
Emily is Away <3
Epic Chef
Fallout
Farming Simulator 17
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue
First Class Trouble
Five Dates
Fling to the Finish
Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
Forged Battalion
Fortissimo FA INTL Ver
Founders' Fortune
Frick, Inc.
Full Throttle Remastered
Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
GameGuru Classic
Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
Geometric Sniper
Ghost 1.0
Go Home Dinosaurs!
Going Under
Golf Gang
Grow: Song of the Evertree
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload
Guns & Fishes
Guts and Glory
Hack 'n' Slash bundle (including Hack 'n' Slash + Hack 'n' Slash Soundtrack + Spacebase GIFT)
Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition
Heart Fragment - Book Two: Belief Fragments (Shannon & Lana)
Helheim Hassle
Hellbound
Hello Neighbor
Hexologic
Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire
Hidden & Dangerous: Action Pack
Hokko Life
Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?!
How to Sing to Open Your Heart
Hydrophobia: Prophecy
Hyper Gunsport
I’m not a Monster
In Sound Mind
INDUSTRIA
Internet Cafe Simulator
Interplanetary: Enhanced Edition
Into the Pit
Intruders: Hide and Seek
Iris and the giant
Iron Danger
Izmir: An Independence Simulator
Joggernauts
JYDGE
Killsquad
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning FATE Edition (including Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Soundtrack + Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - Fatesworn)
Knights of Pen and Paper +1
Labirinto 2
Last Word
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Legend of Keepers
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry
Let Them Come
Lighthouse Keeper
Little Orpheus
Lost Planet 3 Complete Pack
Lust for Darkness
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Maid of Sker
Mainlining
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Mekabolt
Meow Express
MirrorMoon EP
Monaco
Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
Moon Hunters
Moonlighter
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
Moving Out
Murder by Numbers
Must Dash Amigos
My Time At Portia
N++
NecroWorm
NeuroVoider
Neverinth
Neverout
Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition
Non-Stop Raiders
Of Orcs And Men
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Override
Overture
Papo & Yo
Paradise Lost
Partial Control
Pathfinders: Memories
Pathway
PAYDAY 2
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Pilgrims
Pill Baby
Pixplode
Pixross
Planet TD
PlataGO!
Plebby Quest: The Crusades
Popup Dungeon
Post Void
PowerBeatsVR
Project Chemistry
Project Nimbus: Complete Edition
Propagation VR - Co-op
Proteus
Pumped BMX +
Quadrata
Radio Commander
Railroad Corporation
Railroad Tycoon 3
Raji: An Ancient Epic
Rebel Galaxy
Rebound Dodgeball Evolved
Re-Legion
Remnants of Naezith
Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Revita
RIOT - Civil Unrest
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Roboquest
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
RPG Maker VX
Rym 9000
Say No! More
ScourgeBringer
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice
Shady Part of Me
shapez - Puzzle DLC
Shing!
Sid Meier's Railroads!
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
Skullgirls 2nd Encore
Slinger VR
Smile For Me
Sorcerer King: Rivals
Soul Searching
Soulblight
Space Crew: Legendary Edition
Spellcaster University
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
Stacking
STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic
Starpoint Gemini Warlords
Stick Fight: The Game
stikir
Stirring Abyss
Strange Brigade
Strider
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Sunlight
Super Chicken Catchers
Super Magbot
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE
Surviving the Aftermath
Sword Legacy Omen
SYMMETRY
System Shock 2
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Telefrag VR
The Amazing American Circus
The Beast Inside
The Deed II
The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA TOUR
The Inner World
The Next Penelope
The Serpent Rogue
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Ticket to Ride
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
TOEM
Tools Up!
Tooth and Tail
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Traffic Jams
Train Station Renovation
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Turmoil
Underland: The Climb
UnMetal
Vanishing Realms
War for the Overworld
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War
WARSAW
We Were Here Too
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
White Noise 2
Worms Rumble
WRC 7
WWE 2K BATTLEGROUNDS
XCOM 2
X-COM: Complete Pack (including X-COM: UFO Defense + X-COM: Apocalypse + X-COM: Enforcer + X-COM: Interceptor + X-COM: Terror from the Deep)
XEL
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (including X-Morph: Defense + X-Morph: Defense - European Assault + X-Morph: Defense - Survival Of The Fittest + X-Morph: Defense - Last Bastion)
Yoku's Island Express
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition (including + Zombie Driver HD + Zombie Driver HD Apocalypse Pack + Zombie Driver HD Burning Garden of Slaughter + Zombie Driver HD Tropical Race Rage + Zombie Driver HD Brutal Car Skins + Zombie Driver HD Soundtrack)
ΔV: Rings of Saturn
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (ORIGIN key)
DOOM 64 (Bethesda key)
Liberated (GOG key)
STAR WARS: Squadrons (Origin)
Wanderlust Travel Stories (GOG key)
Dishonored 2 (GOG)
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Full WISHLIST
2023.05.29 18:16 SoCuteBear [SELL][CANADA to USA & Canada][PERFUME] tons of goodies to be found!
[SELL][CANADA to USA & Canada][PERFUME]
$15 Minimum Please!TAT 3 calendar days or less
SHIPPING TO USA:$11 without tracking and $15.75 with tracking. I'm shipping from Canada.
SHIPPING TO CANADA:For samples only, $4. With tracking, it starts at $15. Tracked shipping price in Canada varies by region.
All samples or decants, unless marked as FS.
All purchased new, unless marked as RIS.
ALL PRICES ARE IN USD. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTRID
- ALCHEMY & SURF, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $4.25: Aquatic ozone, metallic gold accord, vetiver, rosemary, benzoin, fig, and moss.
- AQUAMARINE, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $4.25: Peach blossom, cucumber, water lily, green cognac, a blend of citrus, blue musk, Japanese peppermint, and sunny sea water accord.
- COVER, 1/4 Bottle, RIS, $6: An enveloping blanket of rice flower, sandalwood, cream, and a touch of cooling bergamot mint.
- FLOATING ON THE WAVES FOREVER AND EVER, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $4.25: Honeydew melon, aquatic ozone, jasmine, lemon, and wild lilies.
- MERCI #27, decant in a thick vial, $2.75, RIS: Lotus, orchid, banana, tropical ivy, and torrential rain accord
- RAIN ON THE OCEAN, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $4.25: Aloe, salt water accord, juniper, pale patchouli, white musk, eucalyptus, and a whisper of spearmint.
- SPELLCASTING ON THE ROCK, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $4.25: Sun-warmed wood, sand, amber, rose geranium, and patchouli.
- A WINTER'S WALK IN THE CEMETERY, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $5.5: Lilith’s lavender and my Dorian on a rambling walk through soft, sweet grass, cypress trees, piles of maple leaves, and bright bouquets of lilies and roses.
- CYCLING FOR PLEASURE, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $5.5: Sea water, sea salt-dusted cypress, pink carnation, oakmoss, and white vetiver.
- O HUSHED OCTOBER MORNING MILD, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $5.5: Dried forest pansy leaves, grape vine, grass, lavender buds, thyme, creeping fig, paw-squished soil, and a whiff of coffee drifting down from the kitchen.
- RING OF LIGHT, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $5.5: Radiant pale musk, artemisia, white lavender, neroli, white pepper, and zingy white aldehydes.
- SKATE PUNKS, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $5.5: Crabgrass, dandelion sap, white clover, purslane, and soil unsettled by skateboard wheels.
- SURPRISE EJACULATION, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $5.5: White pear, white champaca, pink grapefruit, and effervescent white musk.
- THE LAST SYLLABLE, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $5.5: Photos pinned to cool plaster walls, discarded papers, a web of strings, a mirror, a doll, singed straw, scattered books, and unfurled magnetic tape.
- UPSLOPE FOG, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $5.5: Moist clouds rolling lazily up and down low hills of wild grasses, sagebrush, and wildflowers, curling gently around gnarled oaks, majestic pines, and craggy stones.
- URBAN UNDINE, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $5.5: Ocean spray, sea salt, ambergris accord, and lavender.
- WATER OF NOTRE DAME direct , $3.5: Aquatic
- AD ASTRA, $2.5: Sunflowers in a field, under a night sky, gentle wind, softest earth, and wheat.
- ADAM $2: Cedar, balsam, warm skin musks, teak, bergamot, coriander, pepper, tonka bean, and earth.
- ALCUIN, $2.75: White musks and white amber, the pale greens and grays of his marque, with moss and a chypre accord and a base of soft wood.
- AQUARIUS $2: a blend of air with an undercurrent of water, topped with sparkling aldehydes.
- HOMESICK, $2.75: Dogwood, wisteria, tulips, sunflowers ocean air.
- INSOMNIAC, $2.75: white nightgowns, clean sheets, lavender buds, a drop of chamomile, wood floors, skin musks
- JEUNE SAINTE AU LYS $2: pale skin, muted notes of polar, pine, and wood, pale white lilies
- MASTER OF THE STRAITS, $2.75: Stormy sea water, driftwood, bay rum, oakmoss and a couple of drops of hyacinth.
- MOULIN ROUGE, $2.75: a frou-frou of red satin, a frisson of velvet, wooden floorboards, blonde tobacco, red wine, and a drop of absinthe.
- MY GIRLFRIEND’S GIRLFRIEND, $2.75: white musk forms the base. Heart notes of jasmine, soft rose, freesia, lily and black currant. Top notes of pink grapefruit, bergamot and mandarin orange.
- NERVE, $2.75: Blue musk, green clover, soft grey suede, jet fuel, and, white peach tea
- OCTOBER RUST, $2.75: "Cool rusting metal, the last of the maple leaves, black agarwood, crisp air, incense, bonfire smoke, blonde woods, and dark amber."
- SECOND SKIN, $10 (almost half left in 15 mL Bottle): Cold skin, fog, combat boots, cashmeran, metal accord, raindrops, wet stone
- SEVEN STARS, $2.75: Midnight blue sky, sparkling stars, rice, white cedar, and, Buddha’s Hand Citrus
- SILKWORM, $2.75: Silk threads, mulberry leaves, fruit, and branches, salt tears
- SNOW WHITE, $2.75: Clean white musk, blood-red roses, ebony wood, and a touch of the forest, and that infamous apple.
- TALENT, $2.75: Crisp linen, beeswax coated silken threads, Alban rose, and Earl Grey tea.
- WATER ME, $2.75: coconut, dark amber, skin musks, clean water, and satin sheets
- BUNE: Damp subterranean air, nagarmotha, smooth cave walls, davana, a cold marble altar, & glittering green dragon scales
- COYOCAN, $2: Desert wind, sweet nectar, cool stone, Mexican vanilla, creosote, hibiscus, sage
- KUPALA: Morning dew, davana, fern flower, bonfire smoke, birch leaves, warm summer air
- STOLAS: Bluebells, an unburnt cedar offering, cool night air, lavender, soft owl feathers, blueberries, & a hint of dark chocolate
- COUNT CHOCO, Ajevie Slink, $4: Count ChocoCocoa Absolute of Persia, India and the West Indies, Cocoa liquor, Wheat, Cocoa Powder, Vanilla Powder, Mallow and Chocolate Soy Milk.
- DEEP HEALING, 1.15 ml, $3.5: Deep ocean water, bracing wind, cold clary sage, and fresh rain-drenched greens.
- DENDROPHILIA - THE LOVE OF TREES, 1.15 ml, $3.5: The love of Trees.Moss-covered deadfall, birchwood and pine, lingering resins and sunlight through the leaves, a trace of woodsmoke, the memory of vetiver and cedar.
- FROST GIANT , 1.15 ml, $3.5: Himalayan cedar, towering oak, nagarmotha, frozen sage, moss-covered stone, cucumber, and fog.
- GREY WOLF, 1.15 ml, $3.5: White sandalwood, black amber, icy sage, cashmere, stone musk, lichen, softly smoked birchwood, grey suede, mountain springwater, and white peppercorn.
- MERFOLK, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials), $3.75: The mineral scent of sand, salt, and shells upon the mist, ambergris accord, turquoise musk, warm orris, olive trees, and neroli.
- ORNITHOPHILIA - THE LOVE OF BIRDS, 1.15 ml, $3.5: A wistful effusion of angelica, kava kava, elderflower, linden, mugwort, saffron, acacia wood, purple heliotrope, and mugwort.
- 4 SEASONS OF SUMMER: Bamboo, silk, Japanese incense, a hint of water, and fresh green shoots, and a small introduction of sandalwood in the mix to send a cooling breeze your way.
- ALASKA: the chill in the air, but also the perfume of the riot of summer blossoms as they race the sun every year.
- ARC OF VENUS, FS, Brand New Never Used, $16: Sexy sandalwood base, black lavender, calendula, “abstract” musk, sharp grey musk
- BERENICE: Champagne musk, pink grapefruit, a dash of lemon zest, a veil of dragons' blood
- BIRTH OF VENUS: jasmine, aquatic blend, light citrus blend
- BRIDAL CHORUS, FS, Brand New Never Used, $16: a lot of Hawthorne here, a very sugary musk, a kiss of a ""silky musk"" and it's all about silky skin
- DANCE WITH ME, FS, Brand New Never Used, $16: A classy variation of everyone's favorite lavender vanilla but substituting grapefruit for lavender and under-girding it with white musk.
- FASCINATOR: sparkling, very high-key bright crystalline musk, emollient backup musk, sandalwood, cedar and rosewood.
- FLYING HORSE: Bamboo, grated ginger, green tea, luan wood, white floral note
- FROG PRINCESS: To an aquatic base, subtle hints of coconut and mint are added.
- HATSHEPSUT: Bitter beautiful galbanum pairs with the smoothness of labdanum, a bit of oude gum, and a very small amount of the best skin amber.
- HEATHCLIFFE AND CATHERINE EARNSHAW: Heather of the moors, lavender of English, a drop of wildness, oude
- HYLAS AND THE NYMPH: pooled water, lush vegetation, and sneaking scent of sex
- ISABELLA: rose are combined with a light resin, white tea leaf and a rare honey/milky/cream musk. A light dusting of familiar spices.
- LOLA MONTEZ: green of Irish grass accord, deeply green aquatic note, dark and thick labdenum, tonka infusion, animalic musk.
- LOTUS OF THE NILE: The lotus is the prime fragrance in the bouquet, but it is followed by bits of roseate beauty, a sort of dark incense which has been winnowed through the air, and faint aquatic background scent.
- SHIP OF FOOLS: tang of the sea and added a bit of refined leather to get things started, a roll of key lime zest and a goodly portion of faux ambergris.
- SWAN: cool with a light kiss of olive leaf, a blend of three blue musks (from light to dark and a mid tone one), a bit of cork (!) extract, a small amount of osmanthus.
- TERRA NOCTURNA: violet, vetiver, leather, ozone, pepper, sugar, and a crystal musk
- THE WATER BURNS: The essence of earth and high greenery--a hint of smoke but smelled from far away, boxwood, galbanum, and a light hint of Mysore sandalwood.
- XUONG CUONG: A cold green leaf bats against a ghost wood, a lash of green chlorophyll and crystal musk, a bit of luan wood, and a soft ambient earth scent, finished off with sandalwood and yuzu, the latter adds an air of almost black walnut and nutwood-like nuance to the whole.
- ALL IS BRIGHT Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials). $4: Quiet snowfall, brisk winter ozone, warm peppermint tea, tightly laced ice skates on a glistening frozen pond
- ALL IS BRIGHT, $5: Quiet snowfall, brisk winter ozone, warm peppermint tea, tightly laced ice skates on a glistening frozen pond
- ANDROCTONUS AUSTRALIS, $5: Rum, wild fig, dry papyrus, sweet tobacco, oud
- AQUILA, $5: Juniper, chilld white tea, mountain laurel, soft cotton, airy musks
- AQUILA, $5: Juniper, chilld white tea, mountain laurel, soft cotton, airy musks
- AQUILA, $5: Juniper, chilld white tea, mountain laurel, soft cotton, airy musks
- BEAUTIFUL. POPULAR. LOVED. FEARED. Ajevie 2020 Half Slink, $1.5: Moonflower, tiare, bitter almond, blond woods, heat lightning, asphalt
- BEFANA, $3.5 (decanted into a thicker vial that’s approximately 2/3 full but measured to be around 1/5 of a bottle): Black currant and dried fig, black pepper, forest berries, pressed flower petals, creamy amber, winter spices
- BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, Ajevie Slonk (cute screw-top vials). $4: Dusty magic shop shelves, dried sage leaf, crystal ball, darkened amber musks, a puff of smoke
- BOOK OF STARS, $3 (decanted into a thicker vial that’s approximately 1/4 full): The smell of space (meteor dust, ozone, metal, ethyl formate) blended with grounding white sandalwood, papyrus, & earthy musks.
- CHILLED CHAMPAGNE, $3.5 (decanted into a thicker vial that’s approximately 2/3 full but measured to be around 1/5 of a bottle)
- CHIROMANCY, $5: Orris, worn leather, ink, porcelain, black truffle
- COCONUT FLAN, FREE (original bottle with a few drops left) - just ask!
- FOOL FOR LOVE, $5: Leather jacket, chipped black nail polish, burning roses, bad poetry
- GRETA, $5: Frosted glass, chilly aldehydes, citrus blossom, elderflower, snow accord
- GRASS HARP, $3.5 (decanted into a thicker vial that’s approximately 2/3 full but measured to be around 1/5 of a bottle): Orange blossom, clover, hyacinth, ruby red grapefruit, sweet basil
- HELIOPHOBIA, decant in chonky vial, $3: Climbing ivy, faded magnolia blooms, moonlit vines, cracked solarium glass, splintered wood, peeling wallpaper, humid air, fog & shadow, feral musk
- I AM ATREYU!, $5: The hopes of all Fantasia: Luck dragon fur, glimmering gold and worn suede, sumac, fire, equine musk
- I AM ATREYU!, $5: The hopes of all Fantasia: Luck dragon fur, glimmering gold and worn suede, sumac, fire, equine musk
- LOUISE, Direct, $5: Sultry amber, red ink, black kohl, night blooms, Tonkin musk (synthetic), wormwood, soft suede, glistening strands of pearls
- LYCANTHROPE, Direct, $5: Monkshood, warm fur, tuber, elm bark, artemisia, galbanum, weathered rock, silver moonlight
- LYCANTHROPE, Direct, $5: Monkshood, warm fur, tuber, elm bark, artemisia, galbanum, weathered rock, silver moonlight
- LYRA, $5: Misty aldehydes, mandora blossom, spring hyacinth, forsythia, new leaves, melted snow
- MIDWINTER DUSK, $5: Chilled evergreen boughs and bunches of mistletoe, a blanket of evening frost, distant sleigh bells, the soft glow of gas lamps on snowy cobblestone streets
- MIDWINTER DUSK, $5: Chilled evergreen boughs and bunches of mistletoe, a blanket of evening frost, distant sleigh bells, the soft glow of gas lamps on snowy cobblestone streets
- SAVE FERRIS, Ajevie Slink, $3.5: "Funnel cakes & lemonade from Wrigley field, salted pretzels, bright blue skies, cool Lake Michigan breeze, Bueller… Bueller… "
- SINTERKLAAS, $3.5 (decanted into a thicker vial that’s approximately 2/3 full but measured to be around 1/5 of a bottle): Cake flour and sugared dough, royal icing, mulled wine, foil-wrapped candies, speculaas cookies, a cozy hearth
- SOLSTICE BONFIRE, $5: Dark rum, grey ash, black amber, firewood bales, pine needle, charcoal, cedar, & billowing smoke on crisp winter air
- TALIA, $5: Vanilla, moss, ivy, soft musk, stone
- THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, RES BATCH, half decant in a thicker vial, $3.5 (decanted into a thicker vial that’s approximately 2/3 full but measured to be around 1/5 of a bottle): Tuberose absolute, soft skin musk, oakmoss, fresh earth, vanilla, iris
- THE NOTHING, $5: The emptiness that’s left: Black clouds, stormy winds, broken mirrors, deep water, rock dust, I will just sit here and let it take me away too
- TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT, $5: Swirls of tranquil incense, flickering farolitos, piñon and juniper wood, far-off carols drifting on desert wind
- TURTLE DOVES, Ajevie Slink, $3.5: Frasier fir, frozen sidewalks, snowy park benches, twinkling fairy lights and silver bells, a flurry of soft feathers, warm mittens, a wooden toy chest, delicate porcelain musk
- VILLAINS, $5: Candle soot, pine rosin, blood red pomegranate, howling forest winds, darkened crystals, sacred herbs
- VULPECULA, $5: Pools of rainwater, soaked pebbles, tomato leaf, decaying tree bark, wild brambles, dusty fur
- WAKING IN WINTER, half decant in a thicker vial, $3.5 (decanted into a thicker vial that’s approximately 2/3 full but measured to be around 1/5 of a bottle): fir needle, hemlock, soft snow, pale woods, delicate mint, frost-blanketed leaves, cold metal, distant hearthsmoke
- A PARTY OR SOMETHING, $1: Marigolds, yellow cake, white chocolate, pistachio buttercream, Iso E Super, Cashmeran
- WHAT BIG EYES YOU HAVE, $2.75: Immortelle absolute, lemon meringue pie, pearlescent vanilla musk
- ENCHANTED DEW DROPS, 4.5 mL Roller, $9.5: (dew/jade/light smoke/stone moss) - A glowing vial containing healing dew from the misty peak of treacherous Mount Eumedes (will appear in rain during spring equinox if an acceptable offering of fire is made).
- KING MOONRACER, Doll Size, $3: Oceanic musk, cool night air, sea salt, pu-erh tea and night-blooming jasmine.
- OGOPOGO, Doll Size, $3: Cool Rippling lake, water lily, seaweed and snake skin.
- OPALINE, Mini Roller, $3: Iridescent and heavy stones of opalized amber, birds of paradise, frozen yucca and lacquered teak[pearl-stone/opal-amber accord/birds of paradise/cold yucca/camphorous teak]
- PÊCHE IMMORTELLE, 4.5 mL Roller, $9.5: Saturn peach and aged cognac enclosed in humid jade glass, unearthed after midnight alongside dewy blooms of star jasmine and clary sage
- PEEL, Mini Roller, $3: Spiraled peels of heaven scent Valencia orange, lumia lemon and perfectly ripe strawberries and banana[orange/strawberry/banana/fruity ozone/lemon]
- PICKEREL FROG (LITHOBATES PALUSTRIS), 4.5 mL Roller, $9.5: Night blooming jasmine, wet grass, algae, and tomato leaf.
- POTTED CHIPTUNIA, YellingCat Decant, $1.5: (petunia/leaf/fresh soil/clay/static) - A refreshing, inhibiting flower, grown and engineered in Chiptown.
- REVERIE, Doll Size, $3: Frozen pollen, prickly gooseberry vine, raw cashmere wool and midnight blooming primrose[aldehydic-powdery floral musk/gooseberry fougere/cashmere/wild primrose]
- SCAREDY CATS, 4.5 mL Roller, $9.5: Sheet white marshmallow, midnight sugar cookies and an extinguished candle squares on a hot rainy day.
- SOLAR CROAKUS, Mini Roller, $3: An inner effervescence heightened by notes of warm patchouli, bronze crocus, dry sandalwood, sun flare ozone and warm skin musk[patchouli/sandalwood/bronze crocus/warm ozone/skin musk]
- TOTALLY IN LOVE 4.5 mL Roller, $9.5: Soft purple and glowing from within; raspberry cotton candy with a delicate bouquet of jasmine, rose and heliotrope while shadows dance at sunset.
- UNHOLY WATER, Mini Roller, $3: Barbed wire and rust, sacrificial blood orange, cursed saffron licked by flames of a burning chapel.
2023.05.29 17:24 Panasit Multiple Fatalities at Haunted/cursed Objects Exhibition
The haunted/cursed objects exhibition which featured items that had caused gruesome deaths of their owners or anyone else that got close to them was another stunt by Professor Melvin.
Professor Eric Melvin was one of those professors who thought he was too good for this little community college in Shady Grove, Maryland. I took his art history class, which he never shied away from telling everyone he had no time for. I was shocked to see that his teaching slides were just blurry photos that he took of the pages from a textbook with his phone.
What Melvin had time for were stunts. His goals were to get the attention of the Gazettes or be trending on social media. His earlier exhibition which featured only blowup prints of a screencap of a dating app profile made the front page of the Style section, and that was all that mattered.
Unlike his other stunts, the haunted/cursed object exhibition involved me.I worked as a student assistant at the college’s Art Department. My jobs consisted of making photocopies, answering phones, and taking turns with other assistants to guard the gallery until 8 pm.
Melvin asked us assistants to help with the setting up of the haunted/cursed objects show. We all politely declined, which annoyed Melvin a bit. He stared at me with the just-you-wait look.
I came from a superstitious culture where there was always someone who knew someone who had fallen victim to dark magic. No one could pay me enough to touch those literally cursed things.
As I was watching the delivery guys carrying the objects into the gallery, I was surprised by how modern the haunted/cursed objects were. I was expecting a creepy painting or a scary doll. Instead, there was,
a plasma TV
a recliner armchair
a turquoise necklace
a miniature fire station
and even an animatronic singing fish.
Without additional decor, the exhibit looked more like a yard sale.The owner of the objects had a list of rules, but Melvin never bothered to look at it. He handed me a still-sealed envelope. I read the rules aloud so that Melvin, my supervisor, and other student assistants could hear them too.
Dear Professor Melvin.
Melvin scoffed and said, if the exhibit ends without incident, where’s the fun in that? Melvin then turned to me, hoping to get a reaction. I was taken aback. What was that supposed to mean? Did he just say he wanted something bad to happen? What are you planning, Melvin?The letter continued,
The dean shook her head and just told me that if I was so scared then don’t break any of the rules. For the first time working there, I felt less like a student talking to a well-meaning professor, and more like an employee whose concern was being brushed off by an apathetic employer.
The first night with the haunted/cursed objects inside the gallery I was guarding them with another student assistant. We behaved just like any other night as we just sat in the mailroom and watched YouTubers play Dead by Daylight. We could see what was going on in the gallery next door through the CCTV monitor.
At 7.30, both of us heard a very loud thud coming from the gallery. I didn’t see anything abnormal on the CCTV, so the other assistant and I both walked over to the gallery to check.We both saw a squirrel with its neck broken lying dead in front of the plasma TV. I didn’t know how it got inside. That was enough for me to creep me out and want to call it a night, even if it was a bit early.
Something I hadn’t thought about until then was that I had to turn off the lights, but the switches were at the far end of the gallery. I would have to walk out of the gallery in the dark, breaking rule number 1.
To avoid breaking the rule, I told the other student assistant to keep the door open and light the room up a bit with her phone’s flashlight. It was a good thing that we both came from a culture that believe in curses and hauntings, so I didn’t have to work too hard to convince her. I shut off all the lights and ran out.
The other student assistant asked me what I would do the next night when I would have to guard the gallery alone. I told her I would probably just leave the gallery’s lights on for one night.I got to the mailroom the next day at around 10.00 AM and there was a commotion.
One of the haunted/cursed objects, a turquoise necklace, was missing. I asked my supervisor bluntly if it was our fault, but one of the professors said he saw it early that morning, which meant that it wasn’t stolen overnight. Since this had nothing to do with me, I just went to class.
In the evening, it was time for me to guard the gallery alone and I started the night by just watching people play Dead by Daylight to pass the time. In between one of the matches, I looked over at the CCTV monitor and saw a lanky man in ragged clothing staring at the plasma TV.
Normally, a strange person walking into a gallery would not be a cause for concern. I mean, that was the point of having an exhibition. But, two things made me run to the gallery. One, I could see that the man had a flickering glow on his face, which meant that the TV was turned on. The TV wasn’t supposed to be plugged in and turned on until the official opening ceremony on Friday. And two, he was changing the channel.
The man did not notice me despite me asking him repeatedly to step away from the TV so that I could switch it off. I considered just pulling the plug, but the man looked scary. What if the moment I unplugged the TV he decided to jump me?
The man kept staring at the plasma TV with his mouth slightly opened, seemingly in a trance. Up close, I could see that he was unshaven and his eyes were bloodshot red. His fingers kept pushing the button that changed the channel, despite the screen only showing static.
I did not know what to do. The man technically wasn’t doing anything wrong since we didn’t announce the rules to the public. There wasn’t any sign that said don’t touch the TV and don’t change the channel. I can’t tell the security guard to kick him out just because of his disheveled appearance. This is a public college, so he has the right to be there as much as anyone else. I decided to go back to the mailroom to watch more YouTube videos, hoping that he would leave on his own before closing time.
When it was 8 pm and he was still doing the same thing. I called my supervisor to ask her about my options. She said to ask the security guards at the front of the school for help.
I brought two security guards back with me to the gallery. Once we arrived, we found the man seemingly strangling himself on the floor in front of the plasma TV. The TV screen showed a very old black-and-white POV shot of a person being strangled by another man who had a sadistic glee on his face.
One of the security guards rushed in to help the man while the other one radioed his superior to call for an ambulance. I was horrified by what I saw. The face on the screen of a smiling man started out staring downward at the person he was strangling. But after a while, he looked up right at the camera like he was looking at me.
As I was backing away from the chaos, an elevator next to the gallery made a sound. Someone was coming down from the fourth floor? No one should have been upstairs since this was already past 8 pm, and our building did not have any night classes.
Once the elevator door was opened, a cleaning lady who was inside turned around. Her eyes were gouged out and there was blood all over. She held her hands up and ran out of the elevator toward me. She tried to grab onto my shirt collar but her hands missed, and she collapsed on the ground. She was wearing the missing necklace.
I was so scared, I was on the floor and didn’t even remember falling. The security guards, who looked shocked and traumatized themselves, told me that I didn’t have to wait for the paramedics with them. And so, I just bolted home.
I had a hard time sleeping that night, with the image of the cleaning lady without her eyes rushing toward me burning into my brain.
I decided to go back to the college the next day to rip everyone a new one. The dean, my supervisor, and especially Melvin for allowing this to happen. I also just wanted to get some updates on the cleaning lady and the man.
On my way to the department building, a pregnant woman was walking right beside me. As we got closer to the entrance of the art building, I realized she was about to go through an entrance close to the gallery. Remembering the rules about pregnant women, I stopped her.
I politely asked her what was she there for. She seemed annoyed and answered that Professor Melvin asked her to meet with him for an acting job. She was going to be in his experimental films. He asked her to wait for him inside the gallery.
There was no doubt in my mind, Melvin was deliberately challenging the rules. I asked the woman to wait and called the other student assistant to ask if Melvin was in. She said Melvin never showed up to his morning class and could not be reached.
Before I hung up, the student assistant told me that the man who strangled himself died but the cleaning lady survived. The cleaning lady told the police at the hospital that she didn’t steal the necklace. Melvin paid her 50 dollars to wear the turquoise necklace for a day as part of his experimental film.
I turned to the pregnant woman she was not allowed to go into the building, and to go shop at the bookstore in a different building instead. I will tell Melvin to meet her there. She seemed angry, and in hindsight, I probably used the wrong words and should have tried a bit harder to convince her. But, I was about to storm the office and didn’t have time to tell her about the haunted/cursed objects and the exhibition’s rules.
I saw that my supervisor was also at the dean’s office. Before I could yell at both of them, the dean sheepishly turned her computer monitor for me to see. It showed Melvin installing something behind the TV and also plugging the TV in. The dean said that it was something that would allow Melvin to turn the TV on or off remotely.
I was livid! Did Melvin plan this? I reminded everyone about the rules, then angrily told the dean about the pregnant woman I had just met and how Melvin was trying to break another rule by using her. Both the dean and my supervisor were speechless. I wanted to find Melvin right now, seriously considering slapping him.
But nobody knew where Melvin was. People had been trying to contact him since last night. Then, Melvin’s wife called the dean.Professor Melvin was found dead on the stairs last night. He fell and broke his neck. She said his body was contorted in an unnatural way, with his legs twisted and wrapped around the stairs’ railings. He died with his eyes wide open, filled with fear, glaring intensely at the front door.
The dean and my supervisor were both stunned. They turned to me, trying to see if I was going to join them in being shocked. No, I was still angry, and partly at them, for allowing this to happen. The dean then avoided any more eye contact with me. I think that by that point she was a believer.
Suddenly the pregnant woman from earlier appeared behind me. She had her hands on her hip and her face was full of defiance. She quickly turned to sneer at me before approaching the dean. She said that I dared told her that she was not allowed to enter the building, confident that this would get me in trouble.
She went on a rant about how she paid taxes and that she had the right to be in any place that was public’. She then asked where is Professor Melvin and that she was ready for the job he promised.
The dean, my supervisor, and I just looked at her, stunned. Her confidence started to slowly fade from the woman’s face as she was wondering what was going on. Suddenly, a little beeping sound broke the silence. It was coming from the gallery. The little lights on the front of the miniature fire station started to blink.
submitted by Panasit to Ruleshorror [link] [comments]
Professor Eric Melvin was one of those professors who thought he was too good for this little community college in Shady Grove, Maryland. I took his art history class, which he never shied away from telling everyone he had no time for. I was shocked to see that his teaching slides were just blurry photos that he took of the pages from a textbook with his phone.
What Melvin had time for were stunts. His goals were to get the attention of the Gazettes or be trending on social media. His earlier exhibition which featured only blowup prints of a screencap of a dating app profile made the front page of the Style section, and that was all that mattered.
Unlike his other stunts, the haunted/cursed object exhibition involved me.I worked as a student assistant at the college’s Art Department. My jobs consisted of making photocopies, answering phones, and taking turns with other assistants to guard the gallery until 8 pm.
Melvin asked us assistants to help with the setting up of the haunted/cursed objects show. We all politely declined, which annoyed Melvin a bit. He stared at me with the just-you-wait look.
I came from a superstitious culture where there was always someone who knew someone who had fallen victim to dark magic. No one could pay me enough to touch those literally cursed things.
As I was watching the delivery guys carrying the objects into the gallery, I was surprised by how modern the haunted/cursed objects were. I was expecting a creepy painting or a scary doll. Instead, there was,
a plasma TV
a recliner armchair
a turquoise necklace
a miniature fire station
and even an animatronic singing fish.
Without additional decor, the exhibit looked more like a yard sale.The owner of the objects had a list of rules, but Melvin never bothered to look at it. He handed me a still-sealed envelope. I read the rules aloud so that Melvin, my supervisor, and other student assistants could hear them too.
Dear Professor Melvin.
Thank you for taking an interest in my collection.
All of these objects have caused numerous misfortunes and deaths in the past. It is my sincere wish to not add any more tragedy to the collection’s history. Please follow these rules carefully and may your show conclude without incident.
Rule 1: Never be in the same room with any of these objects when the lights are off.
Rule 2: Do not allow pregnant women anywhere near the haunted/cursed objects.
Rule 3: The cursed pieces of jewelry have the power to entice people to wear them. Please make sure you have a system in place where people won’t be able to touch them.
Rule 4: Do not connect any device to the TV.
Rule 5: Do not change the channel on the TV. If you or someone else did, you must change the channel back to channel 33.
Rule 6: This should not happen if the above rules were followed, but if the little light on the gate of the miniature fire station starts to blink and makes a sound, run as far away as possible and call me directly.
Melvin scoffed and said, if the exhibit ends without incident, where’s the fun in that? Melvin then turned to me, hoping to get a reaction. I was taken aback. What was that supposed to mean? Did he just say he wanted something bad to happen? What are you planning, Melvin?The letter continued,
My collection contains both cursed objects and haunted objects. Haunted objects are possessed by spirits and can cause fear, while cursed objects are deadly to anyone who interacts with them. The plasma TV is both, and is, therefore, the most dangerous. Please be extra careful around it.I took my concern about the assistant’s safety to the dean, whose office was right next to the gallery. The dean laughed and asked me if I believe in curses and ghosts. I said that in Thailand, there was a phrase that said “Not believing is fine, but don’t disrespect just in case,” and that was my stance.
The dean shook her head and just told me that if I was so scared then don’t break any of the rules. For the first time working there, I felt less like a student talking to a well-meaning professor, and more like an employee whose concern was being brushed off by an apathetic employer.
The first night with the haunted/cursed objects inside the gallery I was guarding them with another student assistant. We behaved just like any other night as we just sat in the mailroom and watched YouTubers play Dead by Daylight. We could see what was going on in the gallery next door through the CCTV monitor.
At 7.30, both of us heard a very loud thud coming from the gallery. I didn’t see anything abnormal on the CCTV, so the other assistant and I both walked over to the gallery to check.We both saw a squirrel with its neck broken lying dead in front of the plasma TV. I didn’t know how it got inside. That was enough for me to creep me out and want to call it a night, even if it was a bit early.
Something I hadn’t thought about until then was that I had to turn off the lights, but the switches were at the far end of the gallery. I would have to walk out of the gallery in the dark, breaking rule number 1.
To avoid breaking the rule, I told the other student assistant to keep the door open and light the room up a bit with her phone’s flashlight. It was a good thing that we both came from a culture that believe in curses and hauntings, so I didn’t have to work too hard to convince her. I shut off all the lights and ran out.
The other student assistant asked me what I would do the next night when I would have to guard the gallery alone. I told her I would probably just leave the gallery’s lights on for one night.I got to the mailroom the next day at around 10.00 AM and there was a commotion.
One of the haunted/cursed objects, a turquoise necklace, was missing. I asked my supervisor bluntly if it was our fault, but one of the professors said he saw it early that morning, which meant that it wasn’t stolen overnight. Since this had nothing to do with me, I just went to class.
In the evening, it was time for me to guard the gallery alone and I started the night by just watching people play Dead by Daylight to pass the time. In between one of the matches, I looked over at the CCTV monitor and saw a lanky man in ragged clothing staring at the plasma TV.
Normally, a strange person walking into a gallery would not be a cause for concern. I mean, that was the point of having an exhibition. But, two things made me run to the gallery. One, I could see that the man had a flickering glow on his face, which meant that the TV was turned on. The TV wasn’t supposed to be plugged in and turned on until the official opening ceremony on Friday. And two, he was changing the channel.
The man did not notice me despite me asking him repeatedly to step away from the TV so that I could switch it off. I considered just pulling the plug, but the man looked scary. What if the moment I unplugged the TV he decided to jump me?
The man kept staring at the plasma TV with his mouth slightly opened, seemingly in a trance. Up close, I could see that he was unshaven and his eyes were bloodshot red. His fingers kept pushing the button that changed the channel, despite the screen only showing static.
I did not know what to do. The man technically wasn’t doing anything wrong since we didn’t announce the rules to the public. There wasn’t any sign that said don’t touch the TV and don’t change the channel. I can’t tell the security guard to kick him out just because of his disheveled appearance. This is a public college, so he has the right to be there as much as anyone else. I decided to go back to the mailroom to watch more YouTube videos, hoping that he would leave on his own before closing time.
When it was 8 pm and he was still doing the same thing. I called my supervisor to ask her about my options. She said to ask the security guards at the front of the school for help.
I brought two security guards back with me to the gallery. Once we arrived, we found the man seemingly strangling himself on the floor in front of the plasma TV. The TV screen showed a very old black-and-white POV shot of a person being strangled by another man who had a sadistic glee on his face.
One of the security guards rushed in to help the man while the other one radioed his superior to call for an ambulance. I was horrified by what I saw. The face on the screen of a smiling man started out staring downward at the person he was strangling. But after a while, he looked up right at the camera like he was looking at me.
As I was backing away from the chaos, an elevator next to the gallery made a sound. Someone was coming down from the fourth floor? No one should have been upstairs since this was already past 8 pm, and our building did not have any night classes.
Once the elevator door was opened, a cleaning lady who was inside turned around. Her eyes were gouged out and there was blood all over. She held her hands up and ran out of the elevator toward me. She tried to grab onto my shirt collar but her hands missed, and she collapsed on the ground. She was wearing the missing necklace.
I was so scared, I was on the floor and didn’t even remember falling. The security guards, who looked shocked and traumatized themselves, told me that I didn’t have to wait for the paramedics with them. And so, I just bolted home.
I had a hard time sleeping that night, with the image of the cleaning lady without her eyes rushing toward me burning into my brain.
I decided to go back to the college the next day to rip everyone a new one. The dean, my supervisor, and especially Melvin for allowing this to happen. I also just wanted to get some updates on the cleaning lady and the man.
On my way to the department building, a pregnant woman was walking right beside me. As we got closer to the entrance of the art building, I realized she was about to go through an entrance close to the gallery. Remembering the rules about pregnant women, I stopped her.
I politely asked her what was she there for. She seemed annoyed and answered that Professor Melvin asked her to meet with him for an acting job. She was going to be in his experimental films. He asked her to wait for him inside the gallery.
There was no doubt in my mind, Melvin was deliberately challenging the rules. I asked the woman to wait and called the other student assistant to ask if Melvin was in. She said Melvin never showed up to his morning class and could not be reached.
Before I hung up, the student assistant told me that the man who strangled himself died but the cleaning lady survived. The cleaning lady told the police at the hospital that she didn’t steal the necklace. Melvin paid her 50 dollars to wear the turquoise necklace for a day as part of his experimental film.
I turned to the pregnant woman she was not allowed to go into the building, and to go shop at the bookstore in a different building instead. I will tell Melvin to meet her there. She seemed angry, and in hindsight, I probably used the wrong words and should have tried a bit harder to convince her. But, I was about to storm the office and didn’t have time to tell her about the haunted/cursed objects and the exhibition’s rules.
I saw that my supervisor was also at the dean’s office. Before I could yell at both of them, the dean sheepishly turned her computer monitor for me to see. It showed Melvin installing something behind the TV and also plugging the TV in. The dean said that it was something that would allow Melvin to turn the TV on or off remotely.
I was livid! Did Melvin plan this? I reminded everyone about the rules, then angrily told the dean about the pregnant woman I had just met and how Melvin was trying to break another rule by using her. Both the dean and my supervisor were speechless. I wanted to find Melvin right now, seriously considering slapping him.
But nobody knew where Melvin was. People had been trying to contact him since last night. Then, Melvin’s wife called the dean.Professor Melvin was found dead on the stairs last night. He fell and broke his neck. She said his body was contorted in an unnatural way, with his legs twisted and wrapped around the stairs’ railings. He died with his eyes wide open, filled with fear, glaring intensely at the front door.
The dean and my supervisor were both stunned. They turned to me, trying to see if I was going to join them in being shocked. No, I was still angry, and partly at them, for allowing this to happen. The dean then avoided any more eye contact with me. I think that by that point she was a believer.
Suddenly the pregnant woman from earlier appeared behind me. She had her hands on her hip and her face was full of defiance. She quickly turned to sneer at me before approaching the dean. She said that I dared told her that she was not allowed to enter the building, confident that this would get me in trouble.
She went on a rant about how she paid taxes and that she had the right to be in any place that was public’. She then asked where is Professor Melvin and that she was ready for the job he promised.
The dean, my supervisor, and I just looked at her, stunned. Her confidence started to slowly fade from the woman’s face as she was wondering what was going on. Suddenly, a little beeping sound broke the silence. It was coming from the gallery. The little lights on the front of the miniature fire station started to blink.
2023.05.29 16:59 MADDL007 H: Weapons, Plans, UNY Armor, Legacy BE50bs Dragon W: Apparel, Masks, Enclave Flamer Mods, UNY/AP/WWR scout armor pieces
Willing to bundle for the items I want.
GT: MADDL007
——Weapons for trade——
AA/50crit/25 Plasma Rifle
AA/50crit/25 Crossbow {mule}
B/E/Break The Dragon 3% Explosive 419 Range (Legacy) {mule} [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
B/50crit/15crit The Fixer
B/50crit/15crit Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/15crit Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/25 Handmade [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
B/E/1A Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/25 Radium Rifle
B/50crit/25 Railway Rifle {mule}
B/50crit/FR Railway Rifle
B/E 50 Cal Machine Gun (2 Star) {mule}
B/50crit/Break Gatling Plasma {mule}
B/50crit/25 Harpoon Gun
B/E Light Machine Gun (2 star) {mule}
B/FSS/Break Chainsaw
B/FSS/1S Death Tambo {mule}
MUT/E/25 Handmade
Q/E/DRWA The Fixer
Q/AP/25 Handmade
Q/E Handmade (2 star)
Q/E Handmade (2 star) {mule}
Q/E/Stealth Handmade
Q/50crit/FMSWA Railway Rifle {mule}
Q/E Railway Rifle (2 Star)
Q/FFR Tesla Rifle (2 Star)
Q/50crit/25 Flamer {mule}
Q/E/1P Gatling Gun {mule}
TS/50vhc Alien Blaster (2 Star)
TS/AP/Stealth Alien Blaster {mule}
TS/LD/Break Alien Blaster
TS/E Handmade (2 star)
V/FFFR Alien Blaster
V/FF25 Gatling Laser
V/E Light Machine Gun (2 star)
V/BASH/FMSWA Minigun {mule}
V/25DAM/1S Chainsaw {mule}
V/40PA/Block Chainsaw
V/AP/RW Chainsaw
Enclave Plasma Rifle #1 w/ Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #2 w/ Stabilized Splitter, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #3 w/ Aligned Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Standard Sights
Enclave Plasma Rifle #4 w/ True Flamer Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight x2
Enclave Plasma Rifle #5 w/ Stabilized Flamer Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #6 w/ True Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight {mule}
Fancy Pump Shotgun AA/LD/DRWA
Fancy Revolvers: Assassin, Berserker, Executioner, Mutant x2, Troubleshooter x3
Tesla (no scope) Level 50 {mule}
Dross, Pearly Peepers, Red Fireworks Mine, Troglocide
——Plans & Recipes for trade——
Plan: Assault Rifle {mule}
Plan: Backpack Armor Plated Mod {mule}
Plan: Backpack High Capacity Mod {mule}
Plan: Backpack Insulated Mod
Plan: Backpack Refrigerated Mod
Plan: Barbed Walking Cane {mule}
Plan: Bear Arm
Plan: Bear Arm Heavy Mod
Plan: Camo Backpack
Plan: Deathclaw Gauntlet {mule}
Plan: Hatchet Electro Fusion {mule}
Plan: Large Ultracite Shard {mule}
Plan: Nuka-World Cowboy Duster {mule}
Plan: Pitchfork Flamer {mule}
Plan: Poker Set {mule}
Plan: Protective Lining Raider Underarmor
Plan: Radioactive Barrel
Plan: Scorchbeast Queen Plushie
Plan: Sheriff’s Hat
Plan: Shielded Lining Marine Underarmor {mule}
Plan: Spiked Walking Cane {mule}
Plan: Tomb Stones
Plan: TV Aquarium {mule}
Plan: T-60 BOS Elder Paint
Plan: Ultracite Calibrated Shocks
Plan: Vintage Water Cooler
Plan: Wild West Show Entrance Sign
Recipe: Cutting Fluid {mule}
Recipe: Formula P {mule}
Recipe: Fried Scorpion On A Stick {mule}
Recipe: Healing Salve (Mire) {mule}
Recipe: Nuka Cola Dark {mule}
Recipe: Stimpak Diffuser {mule}
——Armor & Other items for trade——
UNY/1L/WWR Metal Chest Piece 51DR 11ER {mule}
UNY/1L/WWR Urban Scout Armor Chest Piece {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/1P/WWR Urban Scout Armor Right Arm {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/1S/WWR Leather Left Leg 21DR 51ER {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Combat Armor Right Leg 27DR 37ER {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Forest Scout Armor Right Leg [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Urban Scout Armor Right Leg [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
UNY/HungeWWR Urban Scour Armor Left Arm {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
W/AP/WWR Raider Left Leg 17DR 8ER
Ultracite Jet Pack Helmet Level 50 {mule}
50K+ Ultracite 5.56 Ammo
All 8 Holotape Mini Games
All Non-Rare apparel available - just ask
Misc Items: ask me for my list
———
———
——Items I want——
B/50crit/25 Fixer or Handmade
Q/E/25 Fixer or Handmade or Railway
TS/50crit/15crit Alien Blaster
TS/50crit/25 Alien Blaster
V/40PA/40PA Chainsaw (Will consider other third star: prefer Break, 90rw, or any of the +1)
Baseball bats level 45 - indigo, pink, yellow
Enclave Plasma Gun Aligned Flamer Barrel Mod (one or multiple)
UNY/AP/WWR Forest Scout Armor Chest Piece, Left Arm
UNY/AP/WWR Urban Scout Armor Left Leg and Right Arm
Plan: Meat Tenderizer
Asylum Worker Uniform Forest
Asylum Worker Uniform Red
Asylum Worker Uniform Yellow
Blue Ridge Caravan Gas Mask (will pay caps)
Blue Ridge Caravan Uniform (will pay caps)
BOS Jumpsuit
Fasnacht Brahmin Mask
Fasnacht Buffoon Mask
Fasnacht Crazy Guy Mask
Fasnacht Deathclaw Mask
Fasnacht Demon Mask
Fasnacht Fiend Mask
Fasnacht Hag Mask
Fasnacht Loon Mask
Fasnacht Raven Mask
Fasnacht Winter Man Mask
Forest Camo Jumpsuit
Forest Scout Armor Mask
Leather Coat
Prototype Hazmat Suit Level 50
Radicals Face Mask
Responder Fireman Helmet
Responder Fireman Uniform
Tattered Field Jacket
Traveling Leather Coat
Urban Scout Armor Mask
White Powder Jumpsuit
I’m really only after the items listed above, make me an offer. No caps, flux, or junk offers please.
submitted by MADDL007 to Market76 [link] [comments]
GT: MADDL007
——Weapons for trade——
AA/50crit/25 Plasma Rifle
AA/50crit/25 Crossbow {mule}
B/E/Break The Dragon 3% Explosive 419 Range (Legacy) {mule} [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
B/50crit/15crit The Fixer
B/50crit/15crit Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/15crit Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/25 Handmade [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
B/E/1A Handmade {mule}
B/50crit/25 Radium Rifle
B/50crit/25 Railway Rifle {mule}
B/50crit/FR Railway Rifle
B/E 50 Cal Machine Gun (2 Star) {mule}
B/50crit/Break Gatling Plasma {mule}
B/50crit/25 Harpoon Gun
B/E Light Machine Gun (2 star) {mule}
B/FSS/Break Chainsaw
B/FSS/1S Death Tambo {mule}
MUT/E/25 Handmade
Q/E/DRWA The Fixer
Q/AP/25 Handmade
Q/E Handmade (2 star)
Q/E Handmade (2 star) {mule}
Q/E/Stealth Handmade
Q/50crit/FMSWA Railway Rifle {mule}
Q/E Railway Rifle (2 Star)
Q/FFR Tesla Rifle (2 Star)
Q/50crit/25 Flamer {mule}
Q/E/1P Gatling Gun {mule}
TS/50vhc Alien Blaster (2 Star)
TS/AP/Stealth Alien Blaster {mule}
TS/LD/Break Alien Blaster
TS/E Handmade (2 star)
V/FFFR Alien Blaster
V/FF25 Gatling Laser
V/E Light Machine Gun (2 star)
V/BASH/FMSWA Minigun {mule}
V/25DAM/1S Chainsaw {mule}
V/40PA/Block Chainsaw
V/AP/RW Chainsaw
Enclave Plasma Rifle #1 w/ Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #2 w/ Stabilized Splitter, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #3 w/ Aligned Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Standard Sights
Enclave Plasma Rifle #4 w/ True Flamer Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight x2
Enclave Plasma Rifle #5 w/ Stabilized Flamer Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight
Enclave Plasma Rifle #6 w/ True Automatic Barrel, Stabilized Stock, Reflex Sight {mule}
Fancy Pump Shotgun AA/LD/DRWA
Fancy Revolvers: Assassin, Berserker, Executioner, Mutant x2, Troubleshooter x3
Tesla (no scope) Level 50 {mule}
Dross, Pearly Peepers, Red Fireworks Mine, Troglocide
——Plans & Recipes for trade——
Plan: Assault Rifle {mule}
Plan: Backpack Armor Plated Mod {mule}
Plan: Backpack High Capacity Mod {mule}
Plan: Backpack Insulated Mod
Plan: Backpack Refrigerated Mod
Plan: Barbed Walking Cane {mule}
Plan: Bear Arm
Plan: Bear Arm Heavy Mod
Plan: Camo Backpack
Plan: Deathclaw Gauntlet {mule}
Plan: Hatchet Electro Fusion {mule}
Plan: Large Ultracite Shard {mule}
Plan: Nuka-World Cowboy Duster {mule}
Plan: Pitchfork Flamer {mule}
Plan: Poker Set {mule}
Plan: Protective Lining Raider Underarmor
Plan: Radioactive Barrel
Plan: Scorchbeast Queen Plushie
Plan: Sheriff’s Hat
Plan: Shielded Lining Marine Underarmor {mule}
Plan: Spiked Walking Cane {mule}
Plan: Tomb Stones
Plan: TV Aquarium {mule}
Plan: T-60 BOS Elder Paint
Plan: Ultracite Calibrated Shocks
Plan: Vintage Water Cooler
Plan: Wild West Show Entrance Sign
Recipe: Cutting Fluid {mule}
Recipe: Formula P {mule}
Recipe: Fried Scorpion On A Stick {mule}
Recipe: Healing Salve (Mire) {mule}
Recipe: Nuka Cola Dark {mule}
Recipe: Stimpak Diffuser {mule}
——Armor & Other items for trade——
UNY/1L/WWR Metal Chest Piece 51DR 11ER {mule}
UNY/1L/WWR Urban Scout Armor Chest Piece {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/1P/WWR Urban Scout Armor Right Arm {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/1S/WWR Leather Left Leg 21DR 51ER {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Combat Armor Right Leg 27DR 37ER {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Forest Scout Armor Right Leg [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
UNY/AP/WWR Urban Scout Armor Right Leg [high end apparel bundle or armor from my want list only please]
UNY/HungeWWR Urban Scour Armor Left Arm {mule} [armor from my want list only please]
W/AP/WWR Raider Left Leg 17DR 8ER
Ultracite Jet Pack Helmet Level 50 {mule}
50K+ Ultracite 5.56 Ammo
All 8 Holotape Mini Games
All Non-Rare apparel available - just ask
Misc Items: ask me for my list
———
———
——Items I want——
B/50crit/25 Fixer or Handmade
Q/E/25 Fixer or Handmade or Railway
TS/50crit/15crit Alien Blaster
TS/50crit/25 Alien Blaster
V/40PA/40PA Chainsaw (Will consider other third star: prefer Break, 90rw, or any of the +1)
Baseball bats level 45 - indigo, pink, yellow
Enclave Plasma Gun Aligned Flamer Barrel Mod (one or multiple)
UNY/AP/WWR Forest Scout Armor Chest Piece, Left Arm
UNY/AP/WWR Urban Scout Armor Left Leg and Right Arm
Plan: Meat Tenderizer
Asylum Worker Uniform Forest
Asylum Worker Uniform Red
Asylum Worker Uniform Yellow
Blue Ridge Caravan Gas Mask (will pay caps)
Blue Ridge Caravan Uniform (will pay caps)
BOS Jumpsuit
Fasnacht Brahmin Mask
Fasnacht Buffoon Mask
Fasnacht Crazy Guy Mask
Fasnacht Deathclaw Mask
Fasnacht Demon Mask
Fasnacht Fiend Mask
Fasnacht Hag Mask
Fasnacht Loon Mask
Fasnacht Raven Mask
Fasnacht Winter Man Mask
Forest Camo Jumpsuit
Forest Scout Armor Mask
Leather Coat
Prototype Hazmat Suit Level 50
Radicals Face Mask
Responder Fireman Helmet
Responder Fireman Uniform
Tattered Field Jacket
Traveling Leather Coat
Urban Scout Armor Mask
White Powder Jumpsuit
I’m really only after the items listed above, make me an offer. No caps, flux, or junk offers please.
2023.05.29 15:50 Ethereal_Stars_7 Flight of the War Witch: Part 023: Patron of the Arts
Part 1 of the Evil That Lies Within arc begins.
[Previous] Part 022 [Next]
<==--------===-=-===--------==>
/- - Flight of the War Witch - - \
\ =>>>>><0> 023 <0><<<<<= /
\ - - - Patron of the Arts - - - /
=----=====----=
Voice Log Entry number: 81-3, Timestamp: 02-15 (estimated (guesstimated)(aintgotacluestimated))
Bit into the -second- year here. Yeah. Still getting used to that. Think I am going to just start counting days as they pass here rather than doing the mental gymnastics needed to convert fifty hour days and two-hundred day seasons into Earth days and years. A 'season' here being about four-hundred and sixteen days long. Give or take a few days. Considering everything else on this world is artificial - I have a feeling the variance in the season timing is intentional and probably oscillates. Not enough pattern data yet to know for sure.
Still no handle on why time feels... compressed here? I have settled into a sleep schedule of about sixteen of the twenty-five hour night - and it feels like a restful eight hours. The dragon folk tend to sleep twenty hours. I use the extra time to practice with my magic sword. My MAGIC SWORD! yeaaaaaah!
This Grand Bazaar is so fun! It is like an enormous ren-fair if ren-fairs were into greeco-roman fashions. Speaking of. Baroness Clade was all ga-ga over some new dresses from the outer ring of the gathering. These were pretty interesting as the floor length skirts billowed out. This was pulled off by weaving the whole thing from wire mesh instead of chain-mail. Or used metal struts connected to a belt to give the garment shape. Just more example of how their textiles diverged from ours due to the radically different materials on hand. No mammals, no wool, a ridiculous abundance of metals. Oh yeah. And freaking magic.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is all on an enormous scale. It takes me about three hours to walk the outer ring. (oh-so much longer because we are window-shopping...) My walk speed is forty-eight kph. So yeah. Its big. And this thing lasts a ten-day. Though the tenth day is when alot of folk start packing up. Some far earlier if they sold out their wares quicker.
Found out what the wigs are made from. Dragon hair. Found a stall selling wigs and turns out dragons with nice hair use a hair growth spell to grow it out and harvest it regularly. Can not do it frequently. Something about needing time to replenish. But it is a business here for dragons who like other hair colors.
If you are willing to hang around a few days there are crafters and brewers who can whip up during the event some basic magic items. Mostly little widgets that do not do a whole lot. Or quick-craft stuff like arrows with basic targeting enhancement enchantments. Potions can be gotten in a day. I nabbed a few "Healing Potions" because they should work on my nominally organic parts. Least that was what I expected. Guess what? That's right. I'm WRONG! Kinda-sorta... Its Complex!!!
We swung around the Druid section of the magic ring at Ghinda's request and got the lowdown on the problems of fixing me up as it had apparently unbeknownst to me, been prying on her mind ever since we met. She would prod me now and then at the keep to do some 'tests', but never said what for?
This for...
She had been talking at length with one of the higher ups in the rankings of nature lovers. This guy looked ancient! Yet strong at the same time. My chest and veins felt a little tingly near him. Guessing that was the more plant based parts of me responding? In any case he was blood red and had these curly corkscrew horns like a ram. Rings everywhere! Fingers, horns, tail. Don't wanna know where else! And holding this staff that was like twenty meters tall! Wood. Like a whole tree. Topped with a turquoise orb and an, ahem, orbiting ring of, er, rings with different elements in the rings where a finger would go. Standard Earth, Air, Fire, Water. But between those were Magma, Smoke, Ice (how'd he get that even???), and Mud. Really impressive looking. The length of the staff was carved with arcane runes and banded in gold. Guy really liked his ring motif huh?
So first glance at me is that dismissive "Fuck off technology." attitude and I'm like "ooooh Imma gonna -show- him somethin!"
But then he does a double-take and starts to look at me funny. Like he is looking -through- me, inside me?
Then he starts to get excited.
Then really excited.
Then -oh fuck! What did I do this time?- excited.
Turns out he could clearly sense all the plant-life inside me comprising my life support systems. A fifteen meter tall enclosed micro-ecology. He was just ooohing and ahhing at the near perfect balance of my internal workins. And so an hour or more passed while I tried to explain in fantasy terms the incredible effort that went into the CyberDyne project and the botanist who made the breakthrough in sealed life support systems. They read it all as a neo-Druid creating a self sustaining eco-system. Something Druids of this world consider a work of art or a religious experience in a way. Due to how the whole world is in a way just that. Self contained and perpetual.
He was really interested in the mini forest that makes up my lungs. Probably because they are not of this world and at a guess are pinging his nature sense. He asked me if he could get a clipping. And I said "Not on the first date."
He got all purple in the face and then laughed and laughed.
So he confirmed that basic healing incantations like [Balm of Life] will kinda-sorta work on me. But due to my, ahem, Golem nature and my botanic parts, I'd get more oomph from a simple [Repair] incantation for my cybernetics and [Botanica's Blessing] for my plant based systems. A healing potion was going to do me little good then - and would be only a -third- as effective. argh! ah well. I can use it in the others in an emergency. Stuff makes triage look like leeches and poultices. hmph. Magic.
From all this I did though get some advice. Mainly to look up a Master of Alchemy to whip up some specialized healing draughts. Cost a bit more. But better than needing the magic equivalent of a Pit Crew to heal me up. Not like I intend to get perforated again. But with these Coalition jokers out there. I have a bad feeling I am going to be in the eye of the storm. Least they pointed me at someone here to talk to about that.
Noon will be dinner with the local nobility. The Baroness suggested I dress well so I guess I will be stowing the Regalia and going formal. Good thing packed the clothes for this. Kinda nervous. Aside from meeting the mayor of Dynamiton City, I have never really had to deal with the higher ups.
Forescout Valkyria signing out.
=----=====----=
Valkyria, with much assistance from Roscida, disengaged her Regalia and a few plates to slim down to a less aggressive profile. Then her ward helped her to get dressed and don her wig. Together they met up with Dasos and she resupplied more goggles to sell and for the morning the Gorgon swapped out with the Ki-rin girl so Dasos could do a little shopping herself.
Wandering the stalls and merchants she was updated on the sales of the goodies and stoning potions. "huh, more sold than I expected?"
Dasos nodded while munching on a glazed tyra leg as she walked beside the War Witch. "The Grand Bazaar is an opportune time to sell and spread word. And word is spreading."
She glanced sidelong at the Gorgon. "Feels good to be making a difference?"
This got an emphatic nodding. "Very much so. The look on peoples faces. Especially the expressions when learning the low cost. After thousands upon thousands of days we are not shunned and driven off."
"In time the cure will be found and you all can go back to living normal lives."
Dasos was keen to buy a new dress for herself after a lifetime of living in rags and whatever they could scrounge or steal. Well the metal equivalent of rags. Dragon clothing was very durable overall.
-<>-
As noon rolled around they saw the Gorgon back to her stall and Roscida joined Valkyria in meeting Baroness Clade at the castle gates. The structure was tremendous and some of the taller minarets reached high into the sky perhaps a quarter of a kilometer. The gate guards were armored and looked alot like silver versions of Valkyria. Though without the stiff wing covers. Each was armed with a huge halberd, a pole arm some twenty meters long with a spike pointing upwards, an axe head facing forward and a hook facing back.
Baroness Clade did the introductions and then they were escorted inside by an attendant and Valkyria got to gawk at the decorations, all on a cyclopean scale. Fifteen meter tall statuary adorned some halls. tapestries and stained glass windows were common and there were quite a few paintings. The elder Clade encouraged the guide to elaborate on some of the depictions.
"Here is show the mounted battle of the Phantom Swamps some two-hundred thousand days past."
The white and gold cyborg ran a quick calculation and figured that to be over a thousand years ago by Earth time. "So you even domesticated a thunder lizard?" She was looking at the huge diplodocus that was being ridden like an elephant and was about as large.
"The diplo in the center? Yes. They are native to the great swamps of the lowlands. A few daring souls have trained them for war. But they are difficult to manage. Bron are even harder to tame and for reasons unknown once every few seasons a bull will ascend the plateaus and go on a rampage until either driven off or put down." So explained the attendant.
Valkyria studied this for a time, taking into account the gigantic scale of this battle depicted. Spells were flying, knights with glowing weapons were cleaving into each-other, and a pair of trebuchets mounted on the diplodocus were lobbing stones at some sort wall of earth some mage had called up. The painting had tiny little details in it down to links in armor and little fine inscriptions on weapons and standards. "Who are they fighting? Looks formidable? Are those a pair of Golems? I see hinged joints?" she questioned.
"Indeed m'lady. Ta Matia tis Mageías, The Eyes of Vraja, were a mageocrocy that formed formed around a renowned vraja college of Solomonari to the west between here and the Ki-rin lands. They grew in power and then began expanding. They employed Golems and Elementals in large numbers and were a force to be reckoned with. The painting depicts the final battle on the borders of what would become the Principalities." pointed out the attendant.
"So what became of them?"
Baroness Clade answered that. "Everyone turning against them and internal fraction caused the eventual collapse as they suffered a series of defeats after some initial victories. A faction within the Eye was against violence and secretly aided the unified people opposing the expansion and so inside and out the cracks formed. Finally they could take no more and sued for peace when they realized the horrible loss of knowledge that was happening as one after another fell. They reorganized and police themselves rigorously now as a true college of study and wisdom. That was all some half a million days ago."
The War Witch gawked as she did some calculations. Over two-thousand eight-hundred Earth years ago. "And it is still going today?"
A nod from the elder dragoness. "Indeed. I myself studied there for six-thousand days and graduated well in my class."
Valkyria did not comment on needing to go to magic school for thirty-five years before getting out was a bit mind blowing. "Seems all that study payed off!"
"Twas not that long. Curricula has advanced since those early days. Back then one was expected to study for a full ten-thousand says!" the Solomanari waved it off as if decades meant little in the greater scheme.
This got the cybernetic human in a draconic looking variable frame to wondering just how long these people lived. Something she would have to ask later. She had some clues already based on the ages of Roscida and the younger Clade, which reminded her. "So will Clade and the Baron be arriving in two days?"
"Correct. My husband and daughter wish to do some shopping while the event is close."
After that they met up with Princess Lykofos. This woman was tall and a rich royal purple with blue scale trim. She was dressed in an ebony gown set with hundreds of diamonds so it looked like a starry night twinkling as she moved. Her long hair was a night blue with a streak of lighter blue like a comet trailing down one side. "Ahh. So this is the mysterious stranger I have heard so much about in so short a span?" she addressed the War Witch with a pleasant rumbly voice.
"That is probably me if it is something weird yea, M'lady." she replied.
The Princess' smile grew. "I would not call selflessly aiding the people of the land weird Lady Valkyria. You have performed a deed long thought impossible in bringing back to us our brethren thought forever lost. That alone is worthy of high praise. I also hear you were instrumental in completing my cousin's elemental collection, yes?"
Valkyria looked from one to the other questioningly. "Cousin? So you two are related?"
Baroness and Princess shared a laugh. "Oh indeed. Though Procidens here takes more after her seaside blood while I take more after our inland kin." she then walked along with the group and plied the cybernetic visitor with questions. "I observed you on the streets yesterday. But you were much bulkier and not dressed?"
"Yes. I removed my Regalia as it is cumbersome for formal affairs."
That got a smile from the Princess. "We have lost a few chairs to knights insisting on attending in full dress armor. So your mercy upon my furniture is appreciated!" Glancing at the figure of the strange being she asked. "I understand that you are lost and far from home, with no hope of ever returning. Let me assure you on behalf of the Principalities of the Comet as a Princess of my realm that you are more than welcome in our lands. I wish only that you might have seen us in less troubling times..."
"I would like to think the same if one of you ever ended up in my world. And sadly I am no stranger to troubling times back home. It is how I became as you see me now." So replied the War Witch in thanks to her gracious benefactors. Then she was treated to a lavish dinner and various deserts afterwards. The main course were various soups, some meat stock and some vegetable, all with tyra egg mixed in like a sort of egg-drop soup. Then there were roast uta in some sort of glaze and seasoning with no Earth equivalent. It was faintly sweet. A rarity for dragon cuisine she had learned over the course of her stay. Sugar producing plants were rare in the qualities needed to make it even remotely viable. So she guessed what she was tasting was probably honey.
This got her musing as to what sorts of bugs were in the environment. But she had thus far held off on that question. She certainly had not seen any other than a little flitting thing she guessed was a dragonfly the size of an Earth eagle. A speck at her scale; and butterflies, or the prehistoric equivalents of, with bright single colors in stripes rather than patterns. The wing edges were flat rather than rounded.
As usual she got some amusement from the reactions to her eating. "So how bad has the Coalition been in the last season? I hear the realms bordering on the Coalition have had a few incursions. But nothing big since that ambush on Clade?"
Princess Lykofos nodded contemplatively. "Not officially no. But there have been two attacks deeper into the Principalities that were not made public."
"To keep the enemy guessing what happened to the squads?"
"Correct. Your case was impossible to keep quiet on. That and it was agreed that the nature of your advent would perplex and confound the Coalition well and good. The various Princes and Princesses have been quietly deflecting inquiries about you ever since. And keeping abreast of who is asking these questions. We have designated you a War Witch, though it is rather obvious your nature and incantations function outside the norm. Obvious to those of us with a broader knowledge of the mystic arts."
Valkyria nodded between tossing trees dipped in some manner of broccoli-esque sauce into her maw and munching. "Figured that would be the case really. Trying to mesh what I can do with what you people can had been a challenge to put it mildly." she admitted.
"We appreciate the effort on out behalf. Were I pressed to classify you, based on the information thus far gathered, I would probably lean to that of the Fusillade. An as yet rare outgrowth of Artifice focused on long range strikes. Alchemists are another calling that is much better known due to it's utility." so described the Princess.
"I will stick to War Witch for now to keep the enemy guessing" so smiled slyly said War Witch while taking a bite from a uta drumstick. After that she tried some pie which was remotely similar in flavor to a lemon meringue pie. Made from a thick rinded fruit called a citron. They were about the size of grapes to her and looked like yellow fragment grenades. The actual usable part was the size of a pea inside. "Somewhere on Earth an agriculturist is having fits over the quantities needed to eat round here." she chuckled. Apparently the rinds were fed to styra as they loved it.
After dinner the party retreated to sealed chambers with guards posted round. The Princess sat down in a comfy looking chair and her demeanor got notably more serious. "Now for the more pressing matter we invited you to visit today. There has been a death at the Grand Bazaar."
Baroness Clade looked concerned. "Another?"
Princess Lykofos nodded solemnly. "Another inventor of enchanted items."
This seemed to be an ongoing thing so the white and gold dragoness asked. "I take it that this is one of several? How many?"
"Six thus far. All crafters working on some new wonder. All found dead of what appear to be natural causes. But their inventions missing and soon to show up in Coalition hands. This can not be coincidence. We have tried communing with the spirits of the dead. But to date none have ever seen their slayer and thusly can not place name to this mysterious spy in our midst. We would like to ask if you can assist us in any way with this mystery. Perhaps someone outside the problem can uncover a clue we are missing?" The Princess then laid out the six assumed murders so far.
"The first was several seasons ago. About one-thousand days. An inventor working on a repeating ballistia was found dead in his home and the prototype missing. less than a season later the Coalition is being armed with a new repeating ballistia. The shape is different. But the function and timing are suspect." she sighed and then continued. "Next was a craftsman who was working to produce a more refined healing draught. Found dead and the formula gone. We suspect the Coalition is now issuing it to their soldiers. Third was a friend of mine that I had patroned for years. She was working on a new armor enchantment for the Lightning Knights. Found hanged in her bedroom. Apparent suicide. I -know- better. Tellingly. We questioned her spirit and she remembered nothing of that and was as perplexed as we were. This invention has not yet surfaced in the Coalition to our knowledge. The next three have each coincided with a Grand Bazaar and yesterday we found another crafter dead. No vraja residue and incantations to detect poisons showed nothing. His creation is missing."
"Is the body still on hand?" asked the War Witch.
"Yes. Though we checked thoroughly." replied the Princess. "Also the Ruling Prince sent us an investigator who has been following the case since the second occurrence. He is here now. We wished to speak to you alone before bringing them in."
"If vraja showed no traces then we have to think outside the box. And working with a professional would be a boon I bet. They know vraja?"
The purple and blue dragoness bowed her head and so they retreated to the castles equivalent of a morgue. "Yes they are a practitioner of the arts. "We checked for signs of covert violence. Assassination is rare, but not unheard uf in some less reputable kingdoms."
Here she was introduced to a male red dragon with black scale trim. He looked curiously at Valkyria as she looked over the body laid out on a stone slab pending last rites or other arrangements. "M'lady. I was not expecting you to come down so late." he deferred to the Princess.
Valkyria took some samples and ran some basic tests with her onboard analysis systems. These were not medical grade. But she took some readings anyhow just in case something showed up. "No foreign elements in the blood. But there is an elevated carbon trade in the lungs. hmmmmm." She redid her tests and focused them as an idea began to percolate to the fore. "Has anyone tried contacting the spirit since you have that option?"
"Not yet. It is a taxing incantation and requires five special candles to perform. We have some in stock but supply is limited and the dead tend not to answer exactly coherently. And you can not use the incantation on a spirit again till many days have passed." so explained the red dragon.
"Got it. Makes sense then. Lets see. Here's the results on the test and... ah-hah. Well I can save you some candles."
"Oh?" Both the Princess and the Baroness asked as one.
"Exotic tallow fume traces in the lungs. Someone used that communicate with the dead incantation ahead of you. Maybe to prevent you from finding out something? Or just waste limited resources?" explained the mechanical visitor.
The investigator nodded thoughtfully. "Though that does not explain the lack of clues as to cause of death?"
"Right. But we know from this that the spy is versed in the arts and is using it to cover their tracks. huh. Question. Would an incantation to cure poison work on a corpse? And would it leave any traces of vraja?" she asked thoughtfully.
"A [Counter Poison] incantation would leave faint traces of vraja in the system."
"Ok. Are there any incantations that mask vraja presence?" she followed up.
This surprised the gathered practitioners of the art. "Why no? How would that even work? To use vraja to conceal vraja. That would leave traces itself."
"Would it though?" mused the cyborg. Then she waved it off. "Just a thought. Was there any vraja trace found on the one that hung herself?"
"Why... no there was not?" and a dawning horror of realization shone in the Princess' eyes. "You mean..."
The War Witch looked down at the cadaver and then to those gathered.
"Yeah. Your spy is an inventor too."
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/- - Flight of the War Witch - - \
\ =>>>>><0> 023 <0><<<<<= /
\ - - - Patron of the Arts - - - /
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Voice Log Entry number: 81-3, Timestamp: 02-15 (estimated (guesstimated)(aintgotacluestimated))
Bit into the -second- year here. Yeah. Still getting used to that. Think I am going to just start counting days as they pass here rather than doing the mental gymnastics needed to convert fifty hour days and two-hundred day seasons into Earth days and years. A 'season' here being about four-hundred and sixteen days long. Give or take a few days. Considering everything else on this world is artificial - I have a feeling the variance in the season timing is intentional and probably oscillates. Not enough pattern data yet to know for sure.
Still no handle on why time feels... compressed here? I have settled into a sleep schedule of about sixteen of the twenty-five hour night - and it feels like a restful eight hours. The dragon folk tend to sleep twenty hours. I use the extra time to practice with my magic sword. My MAGIC SWORD! yeaaaaaah!
This Grand Bazaar is so fun! It is like an enormous ren-fair if ren-fairs were into greeco-roman fashions. Speaking of. Baroness Clade was all ga-ga over some new dresses from the outer ring of the gathering. These were pretty interesting as the floor length skirts billowed out. This was pulled off by weaving the whole thing from wire mesh instead of chain-mail. Or used metal struts connected to a belt to give the garment shape. Just more example of how their textiles diverged from ours due to the radically different materials on hand. No mammals, no wool, a ridiculous abundance of metals. Oh yeah. And freaking magic.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is all on an enormous scale. It takes me about three hours to walk the outer ring. (oh-so much longer because we are window-shopping...) My walk speed is forty-eight kph. So yeah. Its big. And this thing lasts a ten-day. Though the tenth day is when alot of folk start packing up. Some far earlier if they sold out their wares quicker.
Found out what the wigs are made from. Dragon hair. Found a stall selling wigs and turns out dragons with nice hair use a hair growth spell to grow it out and harvest it regularly. Can not do it frequently. Something about needing time to replenish. But it is a business here for dragons who like other hair colors.
If you are willing to hang around a few days there are crafters and brewers who can whip up during the event some basic magic items. Mostly little widgets that do not do a whole lot. Or quick-craft stuff like arrows with basic targeting enhancement enchantments. Potions can be gotten in a day. I nabbed a few "Healing Potions" because they should work on my nominally organic parts. Least that was what I expected. Guess what? That's right. I'm WRONG! Kinda-sorta... Its Complex!!!
We swung around the Druid section of the magic ring at Ghinda's request and got the lowdown on the problems of fixing me up as it had apparently unbeknownst to me, been prying on her mind ever since we met. She would prod me now and then at the keep to do some 'tests', but never said what for?
This for...
She had been talking at length with one of the higher ups in the rankings of nature lovers. This guy looked ancient! Yet strong at the same time. My chest and veins felt a little tingly near him. Guessing that was the more plant based parts of me responding? In any case he was blood red and had these curly corkscrew horns like a ram. Rings everywhere! Fingers, horns, tail. Don't wanna know where else! And holding this staff that was like twenty meters tall! Wood. Like a whole tree. Topped with a turquoise orb and an, ahem, orbiting ring of, er, rings with different elements in the rings where a finger would go. Standard Earth, Air, Fire, Water. But between those were Magma, Smoke, Ice (how'd he get that even???), and Mud. Really impressive looking. The length of the staff was carved with arcane runes and banded in gold. Guy really liked his ring motif huh?
So first glance at me is that dismissive "Fuck off technology." attitude and I'm like "ooooh Imma gonna -show- him somethin!"
But then he does a double-take and starts to look at me funny. Like he is looking -through- me, inside me?
Then he starts to get excited.
Then really excited.
Then -oh fuck! What did I do this time?- excited.
Turns out he could clearly sense all the plant-life inside me comprising my life support systems. A fifteen meter tall enclosed micro-ecology. He was just ooohing and ahhing at the near perfect balance of my internal workins. And so an hour or more passed while I tried to explain in fantasy terms the incredible effort that went into the CyberDyne project and the botanist who made the breakthrough in sealed life support systems. They read it all as a neo-Druid creating a self sustaining eco-system. Something Druids of this world consider a work of art or a religious experience in a way. Due to how the whole world is in a way just that. Self contained and perpetual.
He was really interested in the mini forest that makes up my lungs. Probably because they are not of this world and at a guess are pinging his nature sense. He asked me if he could get a clipping. And I said "Not on the first date."
He got all purple in the face and then laughed and laughed.
So he confirmed that basic healing incantations like [Balm of Life] will kinda-sorta work on me. But due to my, ahem, Golem nature and my botanic parts, I'd get more oomph from a simple [Repair] incantation for my cybernetics and [Botanica's Blessing] for my plant based systems. A healing potion was going to do me little good then - and would be only a -third- as effective. argh! ah well. I can use it in the others in an emergency. Stuff makes triage look like leeches and poultices. hmph. Magic.
From all this I did though get some advice. Mainly to look up a Master of Alchemy to whip up some specialized healing draughts. Cost a bit more. But better than needing the magic equivalent of a Pit Crew to heal me up. Not like I intend to get perforated again. But with these Coalition jokers out there. I have a bad feeling I am going to be in the eye of the storm. Least they pointed me at someone here to talk to about that.
Noon will be dinner with the local nobility. The Baroness suggested I dress well so I guess I will be stowing the Regalia and going formal. Good thing packed the clothes for this. Kinda nervous. Aside from meeting the mayor of Dynamiton City, I have never really had to deal with the higher ups.
Forescout Valkyria signing out.
=----=====----=
Valkyria, with much assistance from Roscida, disengaged her Regalia and a few plates to slim down to a less aggressive profile. Then her ward helped her to get dressed and don her wig. Together they met up with Dasos and she resupplied more goggles to sell and for the morning the Gorgon swapped out with the Ki-rin girl so Dasos could do a little shopping herself.
Wandering the stalls and merchants she was updated on the sales of the goodies and stoning potions. "huh, more sold than I expected?"
Dasos nodded while munching on a glazed tyra leg as she walked beside the War Witch. "The Grand Bazaar is an opportune time to sell and spread word. And word is spreading."
She glanced sidelong at the Gorgon. "Feels good to be making a difference?"
This got an emphatic nodding. "Very much so. The look on peoples faces. Especially the expressions when learning the low cost. After thousands upon thousands of days we are not shunned and driven off."
"In time the cure will be found and you all can go back to living normal lives."
Dasos was keen to buy a new dress for herself after a lifetime of living in rags and whatever they could scrounge or steal. Well the metal equivalent of rags. Dragon clothing was very durable overall.
-<>-
As noon rolled around they saw the Gorgon back to her stall and Roscida joined Valkyria in meeting Baroness Clade at the castle gates. The structure was tremendous and some of the taller minarets reached high into the sky perhaps a quarter of a kilometer. The gate guards were armored and looked alot like silver versions of Valkyria. Though without the stiff wing covers. Each was armed with a huge halberd, a pole arm some twenty meters long with a spike pointing upwards, an axe head facing forward and a hook facing back.
Baroness Clade did the introductions and then they were escorted inside by an attendant and Valkyria got to gawk at the decorations, all on a cyclopean scale. Fifteen meter tall statuary adorned some halls. tapestries and stained glass windows were common and there were quite a few paintings. The elder Clade encouraged the guide to elaborate on some of the depictions.
"Here is show the mounted battle of the Phantom Swamps some two-hundred thousand days past."
The white and gold cyborg ran a quick calculation and figured that to be over a thousand years ago by Earth time. "So you even domesticated a thunder lizard?" She was looking at the huge diplodocus that was being ridden like an elephant and was about as large.
"The diplo in the center? Yes. They are native to the great swamps of the lowlands. A few daring souls have trained them for war. But they are difficult to manage. Bron are even harder to tame and for reasons unknown once every few seasons a bull will ascend the plateaus and go on a rampage until either driven off or put down." So explained the attendant.
Valkyria studied this for a time, taking into account the gigantic scale of this battle depicted. Spells were flying, knights with glowing weapons were cleaving into each-other, and a pair of trebuchets mounted on the diplodocus were lobbing stones at some sort wall of earth some mage had called up. The painting had tiny little details in it down to links in armor and little fine inscriptions on weapons and standards. "Who are they fighting? Looks formidable? Are those a pair of Golems? I see hinged joints?" she questioned.
"Indeed m'lady. Ta Matia tis Mageías, The Eyes of Vraja, were a mageocrocy that formed formed around a renowned vraja college of Solomonari to the west between here and the Ki-rin lands. They grew in power and then began expanding. They employed Golems and Elementals in large numbers and were a force to be reckoned with. The painting depicts the final battle on the borders of what would become the Principalities." pointed out the attendant.
"So what became of them?"
Baroness Clade answered that. "Everyone turning against them and internal fraction caused the eventual collapse as they suffered a series of defeats after some initial victories. A faction within the Eye was against violence and secretly aided the unified people opposing the expansion and so inside and out the cracks formed. Finally they could take no more and sued for peace when they realized the horrible loss of knowledge that was happening as one after another fell. They reorganized and police themselves rigorously now as a true college of study and wisdom. That was all some half a million days ago."
The War Witch gawked as she did some calculations. Over two-thousand eight-hundred Earth years ago. "And it is still going today?"
A nod from the elder dragoness. "Indeed. I myself studied there for six-thousand days and graduated well in my class."
Valkyria did not comment on needing to go to magic school for thirty-five years before getting out was a bit mind blowing. "Seems all that study payed off!"
"Twas not that long. Curricula has advanced since those early days. Back then one was expected to study for a full ten-thousand says!" the Solomanari waved it off as if decades meant little in the greater scheme.
This got the cybernetic human in a draconic looking variable frame to wondering just how long these people lived. Something she would have to ask later. She had some clues already based on the ages of Roscida and the younger Clade, which reminded her. "So will Clade and the Baron be arriving in two days?"
"Correct. My husband and daughter wish to do some shopping while the event is close."
After that they met up with Princess Lykofos. This woman was tall and a rich royal purple with blue scale trim. She was dressed in an ebony gown set with hundreds of diamonds so it looked like a starry night twinkling as she moved. Her long hair was a night blue with a streak of lighter blue like a comet trailing down one side. "Ahh. So this is the mysterious stranger I have heard so much about in so short a span?" she addressed the War Witch with a pleasant rumbly voice.
"That is probably me if it is something weird yea, M'lady." she replied.
The Princess' smile grew. "I would not call selflessly aiding the people of the land weird Lady Valkyria. You have performed a deed long thought impossible in bringing back to us our brethren thought forever lost. That alone is worthy of high praise. I also hear you were instrumental in completing my cousin's elemental collection, yes?"
Valkyria looked from one to the other questioningly. "Cousin? So you two are related?"
Baroness and Princess shared a laugh. "Oh indeed. Though Procidens here takes more after her seaside blood while I take more after our inland kin." she then walked along with the group and plied the cybernetic visitor with questions. "I observed you on the streets yesterday. But you were much bulkier and not dressed?"
"Yes. I removed my Regalia as it is cumbersome for formal affairs."
That got a smile from the Princess. "We have lost a few chairs to knights insisting on attending in full dress armor. So your mercy upon my furniture is appreciated!" Glancing at the figure of the strange being she asked. "I understand that you are lost and far from home, with no hope of ever returning. Let me assure you on behalf of the Principalities of the Comet as a Princess of my realm that you are more than welcome in our lands. I wish only that you might have seen us in less troubling times..."
"I would like to think the same if one of you ever ended up in my world. And sadly I am no stranger to troubling times back home. It is how I became as you see me now." So replied the War Witch in thanks to her gracious benefactors. Then she was treated to a lavish dinner and various deserts afterwards. The main course were various soups, some meat stock and some vegetable, all with tyra egg mixed in like a sort of egg-drop soup. Then there were roast uta in some sort of glaze and seasoning with no Earth equivalent. It was faintly sweet. A rarity for dragon cuisine she had learned over the course of her stay. Sugar producing plants were rare in the qualities needed to make it even remotely viable. So she guessed what she was tasting was probably honey.
This got her musing as to what sorts of bugs were in the environment. But she had thus far held off on that question. She certainly had not seen any other than a little flitting thing she guessed was a dragonfly the size of an Earth eagle. A speck at her scale; and butterflies, or the prehistoric equivalents of, with bright single colors in stripes rather than patterns. The wing edges were flat rather than rounded.
As usual she got some amusement from the reactions to her eating. "So how bad has the Coalition been in the last season? I hear the realms bordering on the Coalition have had a few incursions. But nothing big since that ambush on Clade?"
Princess Lykofos nodded contemplatively. "Not officially no. But there have been two attacks deeper into the Principalities that were not made public."
"To keep the enemy guessing what happened to the squads?"
"Correct. Your case was impossible to keep quiet on. That and it was agreed that the nature of your advent would perplex and confound the Coalition well and good. The various Princes and Princesses have been quietly deflecting inquiries about you ever since. And keeping abreast of who is asking these questions. We have designated you a War Witch, though it is rather obvious your nature and incantations function outside the norm. Obvious to those of us with a broader knowledge of the mystic arts."
Valkyria nodded between tossing trees dipped in some manner of broccoli-esque sauce into her maw and munching. "Figured that would be the case really. Trying to mesh what I can do with what you people can had been a challenge to put it mildly." she admitted.
"We appreciate the effort on out behalf. Were I pressed to classify you, based on the information thus far gathered, I would probably lean to that of the Fusillade. An as yet rare outgrowth of Artifice focused on long range strikes. Alchemists are another calling that is much better known due to it's utility." so described the Princess.
"I will stick to War Witch for now to keep the enemy guessing" so smiled slyly said War Witch while taking a bite from a uta drumstick. After that she tried some pie which was remotely similar in flavor to a lemon meringue pie. Made from a thick rinded fruit called a citron. They were about the size of grapes to her and looked like yellow fragment grenades. The actual usable part was the size of a pea inside. "Somewhere on Earth an agriculturist is having fits over the quantities needed to eat round here." she chuckled. Apparently the rinds were fed to styra as they loved it.
After dinner the party retreated to sealed chambers with guards posted round. The Princess sat down in a comfy looking chair and her demeanor got notably more serious. "Now for the more pressing matter we invited you to visit today. There has been a death at the Grand Bazaar."
Baroness Clade looked concerned. "Another?"
Princess Lykofos nodded solemnly. "Another inventor of enchanted items."
This seemed to be an ongoing thing so the white and gold dragoness asked. "I take it that this is one of several? How many?"
"Six thus far. All crafters working on some new wonder. All found dead of what appear to be natural causes. But their inventions missing and soon to show up in Coalition hands. This can not be coincidence. We have tried communing with the spirits of the dead. But to date none have ever seen their slayer and thusly can not place name to this mysterious spy in our midst. We would like to ask if you can assist us in any way with this mystery. Perhaps someone outside the problem can uncover a clue we are missing?" The Princess then laid out the six assumed murders so far.
"The first was several seasons ago. About one-thousand days. An inventor working on a repeating ballistia was found dead in his home and the prototype missing. less than a season later the Coalition is being armed with a new repeating ballistia. The shape is different. But the function and timing are suspect." she sighed and then continued. "Next was a craftsman who was working to produce a more refined healing draught. Found dead and the formula gone. We suspect the Coalition is now issuing it to their soldiers. Third was a friend of mine that I had patroned for years. She was working on a new armor enchantment for the Lightning Knights. Found hanged in her bedroom. Apparent suicide. I -know- better. Tellingly. We questioned her spirit and she remembered nothing of that and was as perplexed as we were. This invention has not yet surfaced in the Coalition to our knowledge. The next three have each coincided with a Grand Bazaar and yesterday we found another crafter dead. No vraja residue and incantations to detect poisons showed nothing. His creation is missing."
"Is the body still on hand?" asked the War Witch.
"Yes. Though we checked thoroughly." replied the Princess. "Also the Ruling Prince sent us an investigator who has been following the case since the second occurrence. He is here now. We wished to speak to you alone before bringing them in."
"If vraja showed no traces then we have to think outside the box. And working with a professional would be a boon I bet. They know vraja?"
The purple and blue dragoness bowed her head and so they retreated to the castles equivalent of a morgue. "Yes they are a practitioner of the arts. "We checked for signs of covert violence. Assassination is rare, but not unheard uf in some less reputable kingdoms."
Here she was introduced to a male red dragon with black scale trim. He looked curiously at Valkyria as she looked over the body laid out on a stone slab pending last rites or other arrangements. "M'lady. I was not expecting you to come down so late." he deferred to the Princess.
Valkyria took some samples and ran some basic tests with her onboard analysis systems. These were not medical grade. But she took some readings anyhow just in case something showed up. "No foreign elements in the blood. But there is an elevated carbon trade in the lungs. hmmmmm." She redid her tests and focused them as an idea began to percolate to the fore. "Has anyone tried contacting the spirit since you have that option?"
"Not yet. It is a taxing incantation and requires five special candles to perform. We have some in stock but supply is limited and the dead tend not to answer exactly coherently. And you can not use the incantation on a spirit again till many days have passed." so explained the red dragon.
"Got it. Makes sense then. Lets see. Here's the results on the test and... ah-hah. Well I can save you some candles."
"Oh?" Both the Princess and the Baroness asked as one.
"Exotic tallow fume traces in the lungs. Someone used that communicate with the dead incantation ahead of you. Maybe to prevent you from finding out something? Or just waste limited resources?" explained the mechanical visitor.
The investigator nodded thoughtfully. "Though that does not explain the lack of clues as to cause of death?"
"Right. But we know from this that the spy is versed in the arts and is using it to cover their tracks. huh. Question. Would an incantation to cure poison work on a corpse? And would it leave any traces of vraja?" she asked thoughtfully.
"A [Counter Poison] incantation would leave faint traces of vraja in the system."
"Ok. Are there any incantations that mask vraja presence?" she followed up.
This surprised the gathered practitioners of the art. "Why no? How would that even work? To use vraja to conceal vraja. That would leave traces itself."
"Would it though?" mused the cyborg. Then she waved it off. "Just a thought. Was there any vraja trace found on the one that hung herself?"
"Why... no there was not?" and a dawning horror of realization shone in the Princess' eyes. "You mean..."
The War Witch looked down at the cadaver and then to those gathered.
"Yeah. Your spy is an inventor too."
<==--------===-=-===--------==>
2023.05.29 14:53 Sergey_Preobr Rat
"Pig! Nasty fat pig! - Arthur thought with irritation, leaving the subway, - Squeals, as if she is being cut! Businesswoman! I would put this businesswoman with doggy style right on her huge table and fuck her like a..."
Arthur Lomov was thirty-four and he had everything, like people have - a house, a wife, a child, death ahead, and death inside. He also had a job that he hated. More precisely, the work itself did not cause rejection in him, work as work is no worse than then of others. He did not like the bosses (who likes their?). And not even all the bosses, but only the headmistress, the one whom he was going to "fuck". Sleek and haughty, she spoke to people with undisguised disgust, through her teeth, sincerely and deeply despising the "cattle" that surrounded her. Lomov including. He was nobody for her, a manager, what millions, not even an insect, but a bacterium, office plankton. She has not fired him until now just because there was no case. And then the crisis broke out and rumors about layoffs spread around the office.
And as luck would have it, Arthur mixed up some numbers in the quarterly report. Margarita Nikolaevna called him into the office, and screamed as if he had stabbed and robbed a beggar on the porch of church! Not only did she deduct 30 percent from his salary, she also promised to fire he next time! Yes, he himself would have gone, on the same day! If he had money, real big money, say a million dollars!
Arthur suddenly imagined how he, in an expensive dark gray Versace suit, with a small suitcase in his hand, ignoring the screams of secretary, opened the door with a kick and entered the hated office. How the headmistress's already round stupid eyes are rounded.
"What do you want, Lomov?" She asks.
“I have a business proposal!” He says and puts the case on the table; - I want to fuck you ... Yes, to fuck you now on that table fore million dollars! Behind, you a lustful bitch!
“Yes, you are drunk Lomov, leave my office immediately ...” the headmistress says and the last word gets stuck in her throat, because at that moment Arthur opens the suitcase and she sees tight green bundles with real American money.
The headmistress hardly takes her eyes off the dollars, looks at Lomov, then back at the money. Her primitive brain tries to comprehend the non-standard situation and begins to boil.
"Where did you get this from, Lomov?" she says, swallowing her saliva.
"Who cares? You agree?"
The woman's face is covered with red spots, becomes confused and even somehow miserable.
“This is so unexpected…” she mutters, “what if someone comes in?”
Lomov does not answer anything, and only looks at the headmistress, enjoying her confusion.
Finally, having overcome her excitement, she presses the "selector" button:
“Lena don’t let anyone in to see me! I'm busy!"
Then she raises her eyes to Lomov and begins to unbutton her blouse with trembling fingers, the buttons do not obey her, she throws it, grabs the zipper on her skirt.
At this moment, Lomov slams the suitcase shut and takes it off the table.
"Best wishes!" he says.
"In what sense?" The headmistress asks bewildered.
"I changed my mind!" Arthur calmly answers and, without looking back, leaves the office...
He dreamed so much that he almost fell under the wheels and right on the pedestrian crossing. Some idiot on a tinted "nine" flashed in front of him, Arthur barely had time to bounce, but did not calculate his strength and fell into a puddle.
“No, that’s not good,” he thought, rising to his feet and shaking off the dirt from his jacket, “I need to drink urgently!”
* * *
The pub turned out to be very unpresentable, but this did not bother Lomov. Taking two mugs of beer, he hardly found a free table in the bluish smoke and finally took his first long sip.
- Your headmistress got nitpicking you up, and you are completely innocent of anything? - Arthur heard a dry cracked voice in his ear.
He raised his eyes and saw that a dubious appearanceg peasant with a week-long stubble and two mugs of light beer was sitting at his table. Since the question was purely rhetorical, Arthur merely chuckled vaguely in response.
Now ask me, how do I know this? - the stranger did not want to lag behind.
- What is this?
- Well, the fact that you were fucked by your headmistress for no reason at all?
- Well, how do you know that? - Said Arthur to get rid of the importunate type.
- It's very simple - I'm God! - The stranger said triumphantly. And noticing the bewilderment in the eyes of the interlocutor, he explained:
- Well, the one who created the Earth, the Sky and all this! - He glanced around at the smoky pub.
The life of Artur Lomov developed in such a way that he was not ready for such meetings.
"Yeah, that's exactly how I imagined you!" he chuckled sarcastically.
But the impostor, as it turned out, was not going to joke at all.
- What did you want? I look like this because of you! Because that's how you represent me! And if you were a Hindu, I could now have an elephant's head and a long trunk. What if you were a Mayan...
- Don't, I understand everything, - Arthur stopped him, - Just don't expect me to buy you beer!
- Do not make me laugh! I can create so much beer that it will flood not only your entire Moscow, but the entire planet! And what, not a bad idea - a worldwide beer flood! It is high time! Pathetic little people completely lost their fear, they do what they want! I created such a beautiful planet for you: blue seas, snow-capped mountains, shady forests, crystal waters of rivers! And what did you turn it into?
“Yes, the guy seems to be in trouble with his head!” - thought Arthur, listening to the ravings of an uninvited drinking companion.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
- Well, if you are so omnipotent, could you, just as an entertainment, create for me, let's say a small suitcase with a million dollars? Lomov asked.
“I could,” reply the impostor, not at all embarrassed, “but I won’t. You see, money is such a thing… no matter how much they give you it anyway, very soon you will feel that this is not enough. I'd rather make sure you never need money at all. Is it coming?
Arthur shrugged vaguely.
- I will turn you, well, let's say ... - the stranger thought for a second, - into a rat!
“I don’t want to be a rat,” Lomov suddenly got scared, “they are vile and nasty!”
- No, no, just a rat! Big black rat! But not today, tomorrow. In the meantime, drink your beer!
- Wait! Don't turn me into anyone! - Arthur shouted, but the hanyga had already vanished into cigarette smoke.
* * *
Arthur could not get the key into the keyhole for a long time, and when he finally managed to open the door, he saw his wife in a dressing gown with a crumpled night face.
- Where are you hanging out? – Unkindly asked she, - Do you know what time it is? And why isn't the cell phone answering?
- The phone is dead. Probably ... - Arthur muttered, barely moving his tongue.
- You're l drunk! - The wife said and grimaced in disgust, - And with whom did you get so drunk?
- You will not believe - with God!
- Moron! - said the wife and slapped Arthur on the head with a slipper.
- I am not kidding! I actually drank beer with God and he promised to turn me into a rat! Tomorrow! - He suddenly felt funny, and he began to choke with laughter, - Imagine, tomorrow you wake up, and your husband is a rat, or rather ratman! But it's tomorrow, and now I want to sleep!
- You idiot, take off your shoes! - said the wife and went to the kitchen.
Lomov threw off his shoes with difficulty and went into the bedroom and, without undressing, collapsed onto the bed.
* * *
He dreamed of some nonsense: Margarita Nikolaevna, completely naked, in only shoes, walked around the office, scolded negligent employees, gave valuable instructions. The subordinates listened to her with a serious look and nodded their heads. And only one Arthur could hardly contain the laughter. But when the naked headmistress began to teach the electrician how to properly install the outlet, Lomov could not stand it and literally neighed out loud.
- Lomov, what's the matter with you? - Margarita Nikolaevna asked sternly, - Did I say something funny? By the way, how are you going to compensate for the colossal loss that you caused the company with your mistakes in the report? Do you have a million dollars?
- I have? – Surprised Arthur – Where?
- Then we could cut off your hand! - Suggested Margarita Nikolaevna, - Although wait! Say, are you drinking?
- No!
- It's good that you don't drink, and then we'll take your liver. Or not, better a kidney, because you have two of them!
And then Arthur saw a huge kitchen knife flash in the headmistress's hand. He realized that it was time to run, but his legs suddenly became wobbly and he could not budge...
* * *
Waking up the next morning with a sore head, Arthur first tried to understand why he felt so bad? Obviously, because he got drunk yesterday - that's clear. He strained his brain, and he managed to remember the scandal arranged by the headmistress, as well as the promise to fire him. After such it was a sin not to get drunk! But where? He didn't remember this.
However, there was no time to think, he was already late for work. Taking a sip of cold tea from a cup standing on the table, he quickly dressed and rushed out into the street.
* * *
Despite all the efforts, Lomov was still late for work. As soon as he sat down at his desk and turned on the computer, the secretary called and said that Margarita Nikolaevna urgently wanted to see him. His heart immediately felt ugly and cold.
Arthur honestly tried, following Chekhov, to squeeze a slave out of himself, drop by drop, but somehow it didn’t work out very well. He could convince himself as much as he wanted that the worst thing this woman could do to him was to fire him. Only and everything! But after all, he has arms, legs and a head on his shoulders; he will not die of hunger. But as soon as he was in the director's office, all logical arguments instantly evaporated, and only one animal inexplicable irrational fear remained. That vile, shrill voice pulled things out of the depths of his subconscious that he didn't even know existed. He literally physically felt how he began to decrease in size.
Even now, standing in front of the huge director's desk, like a delinquent schoolboy, he could not get rid of the feeling of his own insignificance.
“Not only are you unable to write an elementary report,” Margarita Nikolaevna’s voice boomed in his ears, “you are also late!” What do you not like about your work? Or do you want to be reduced?
Lomov suddenly imagined that he really was reduced, and at the same moment he saw how all the items in the director's office, including the hostess, began to grow rapidly. He did not immediately guess that in fact no one and nothing is growing, and that he himself is decreasing in size.
- Arthur Valentinovich, what are you doing? – Finally noticed the strange metamorphoses headmistress, - Immediately stop, I order you!
But Lomov was no longer able to stop anything. He was already looking at the edge of the director's table from the bottom up, and after a couple of seconds he realized that his height did not exceed the height of a woman's shoe.
- Rat! - Margarita Nikolaevna suddenly squealed and jumped onto the table with unexpected agility, - Lena, come here soon!
Whistling a few centimeters from his temple, the massive crystal ashtray hit the carpet with a dull thud, and Arthur realized that any delay could cost him his life. With all his might, he rushed under the closet, and a mobile phone and a few obscene words flew after him.
- Where is the rat, Margarita Nikolaevna? - asked the secretary, who came running to the cry.
- She hid under the closet! Call the guard as soon as possible, the closet must be urgently moved away before she runs away!
Realizing that he could not hide here, Arthur began to look for a way out and soon discovered a gap between the plinth and the wall. With difficulty, squeezing through a narrow opening, he found himself in a pier between the main wall and the plasterboard panels with which the office was sheathed. Only now did he feel relatively safe and tried to analyze the situation.
First, he realized that not only had he shrunk in size, but even worse, he had turned into a rat (he never liked rats). This followed not only from the screams of the headmistress (she could call her subordinate and not that way!) but mainly from the long bare tail dragging after him.
And only then Arthur remembered yesterday's visit to the pub and dubious type who called himself God.
It must be said that yesterday he treated his random drinking companion rather lightly, but now, under the pressure of circumstances, he was forced to admit that the impostor was far from being as simple as it seemed to him at first glance. Of course, he is no God, that's clear. But who? For some reason I didn't want to think about it.
Meanwhile, a security guard came and pushed the closet away. They searched for Arthur for a long time and unsuccessfully, but found only a gap in the wall.
- She probably climbed into this hole, - said the guard, - now you can’t smoke her out of there! Or you order to break the wall?
Then the supply manager and some other people came, made noise, moved the furniture.
This bustle tired Lomov, and he dozed off, and when he woke up, there was dead silence. Obviously, the working day has already ended and everyone has gone home. He was terribly hungry, however, not surprising, because he had not eaten anything since yesterday. And then his nostrils caught a delicious smell, it came from the director's office, seeped through the cracks in the wall, penetrated into the brain and caused painful salivation.
Overcoming fear, Lomov cautiously crawled out of hiding and, sniffing the air, moved in the direction of the source of the seductive aroma. Very soon he realized that the smell was coming from the drawer. Using the wires leading to the monitor, he deftly climbed onto the table, but the drawer was closed, and Arthur's weak rat paws were simply unable to pull it out. Luckily, there was a pencil on the table, he pushed it through the slot and, acting as a lever, opened the drawer rather quickly. To his disappointment, he found there only a pile of useless papers and a thick stack of five thousandth bills tied with an elastic band. The impostor did not deceive, now Lomov's money was not at all interested, out of annoyance he even shit on them, but this only increased the hunger.
“Did the devil pull me to ask this idiot for a million dollars?! - he thought, listening to the hungry cramps in his stomach - And yet, where does this smell come from? How can money smell so delicious!”
He rummaged through the entire drawer filled with stupid papers and finally found in the very corner under some kind of contract a small moldy piece of cheese. Well, yes, of course, it was cheese, only he could emit such an attractive aroma.
Arthur ate it in a couple of seconds and of course he didn’t sated a drop. Unable to resist, he even began to gnaw at the contract, soaked with a cheese smell.
- Are you eating contracts? Look, you will earn an ulcer! - Arthur heard a sly voice behind him and turned around. On the edge of the table sat a small but rather pretty white rat.
- Hello! My name is Larisa, - the rat introduced herself, - And you are Arthur from the sales department!
- Exactly, but how do you know me?
- Yes, I used to work in the logistics department; I was fired six months ago.
- Larisa from logistics? I remember you! - Arthur was delighted, - Such a pretty blonde, you still always wore very short skirts, our men just twisted their necks when you walked down the corridor.
- That's why I was fired.
- Wait, are you, too, like I used to be a human?
- All rats were once people, - Larisa remarked philosophically, - but fear turns a person into an animal.
- What kind of nonsense? - Arthur was skeptical.
- No nonsense. British scientists conducted research and came to the conclusion that over the past 40 years, the IQ in rats has increased by 10 points! And at the same time in all rats living in different parts of the globe.
- And what? Rats live next to people and learn all sorts of tricky things from them!
- Let's admit it. Do you know how many people disappear without a trace every year in our country? 80 thousand! A man went out to the nearest store for bread and did not return!
- Do you think they all turn into rats?
- Maybe not all, but many. We have become!
It was difficult to object to such an argument, and Arthur remained silent.
- What are we all talking about? - said Larisa, - you're probably hungry? Come on, I've got something from the New Year's banquet.
Larisa led Arthur to her hole, where a sumptuous dinner was waiting for them: there were half-eaten sandwiches with boiled pork and smoked sausage, and assorted fish, and of course cheese, a lot of cheese.
Satisfying his hunger, Arthur took a closer look at Larisa and suddenly realized that he liked her. And even her long bare tail now did not cause disgust, but rather seemed piquant. And what a wonderful smell emanated from her small, but such a dexterous little body!
Unable to resist the call of the flesh, he approached her from behind and put his paws on her shoulders.
* * *
- Darling! Do you want us to have little rats? - Larisa asked a few minutes later, snuggling comfortably on Lomov's shoulder.
- What? What other rats? Arthur didn't understand.
- Well, how? We didn't protect ourselves! And I am very prolific, in the last litter I brought twelve rats!
- Oh my God! Lomov groaned, “But you can’t do it somehow so that ... well, you understand!”
- Don't you want us to have little rats?
- No, you misunderstood me, that's not the point! It's just all of a sudden...
- What is unexpected? If you don't want little rats, say so!
- It's not that I don't want little rats. You see, this happened to you a long time ago, and in six months you have probably turned into a real rat, you feel like a rat and think like a rat. And I was still a human this morning...
- You were office plankton! - Larisa reminded.
- Okay, so be it! But I walked on two legs, wore a blue suit, a striped tie, and drank Gösser beer.
- You can get beer in the garbage dump, - Larisa suggested, - Sometimes unfinished bottles are thrown there.
- I don't want beer from the dump, damn it! - Arthur got angry, - And I don't want to be a rat! Why on earth should I be a rat? Why, Lord? There are so many real scums around: thieves, robbers, murderers, rapists, child molesters! Well, why me?!
“You and I seem to have such karma,” Larisa sighed sadly, “never mind. Let's sleep better, and tomorrow we'll go to the garbage heap and find you a Gösser beer.
* * *
Lomov fell asleep and had a wonderful dream. In this dream, he was human again.
He was lying in a small bright room on a clean sheet, covered up to his chin with a striped woolen blanket. The gentle spring sun shone through the window, and the soul was light and calm.
He thought that, perhaps, he should go to wash and already threw back the covers, but at that moment voices and noise were heard outside the door. Arthur returned the blanket to its place and pretended to be asleep.
People entered the room, through narrowed eyelids Lomov could only see through the legs and the skirts of white coats.
- But Semyon Arkadyevich, pay attention, a very interesting case! - said the first rather pleasant male voice, - Sick Lomov, he entered yesterday. Hypomanic arousal in an acute form, convinced that he is a rat. When the team arrived, he rushed around the director's office, biting, scratching, trying to hide under the closet, barely managed to calm him down. He was injected with 4 cubes of chlorpromazine. When he wakes up, for some time he will adequately perceive the surrounding reality, but after a few hours the effect of the drug will end.
- Very good! - Answered the second voice, - continue aminazin, add more phenazepam and electroconvulsive therapy. Who's next for us?
- Maklakov, Delirium tremens, entered three days ago...
The voices began to fade, the dream gradually melted away and Lomov found himself again lying in the rat hole. A white rat sat next to him and somehow strangely (with tenderness?) looked at him.
- Larisa? You? - He asked, looking at the animal.
- Well, yes, Larisa, who else?
- You know Larisa, I had such a strange dream here! - Lomov yawned, unable to restrain himself, - As if I had become a man again, I was lying in a clean, bright room, some people in white coats were coming and saying something. It seems like I got sick, I'm in the hospital, and they treat me.
- I, too, at first dreamed of something similar, but then everything went away, - Larisa reassured him, - And it will pass for you too!
- I do not want will pass! Vice versa. Understand - I do not want to be a rat, sleep in this stinking hole, and eat garbage! I want to be human!
- Unfortunately, this is a one-way street.
- In what sense?
- I asked to other rats. There has never been such a case that a rat became a man.
- And what, there is no hope?
- To be honest, not the slightest. Okay, stop talking, let's go have breakfast in the trash, otherwise yesterday we ate up all the supplies!
- I won't go, - Arthur answered and lay down, resting his head on his front paws.
- Okay, lie down. Then I'll bring you something delicious. Do you want rotten herring intestines?
- No.
"Then what do you want I to bring?"
- I do not want anything.
- You can't do that, Arthur. If you don't eat, you'll get sick and soon die!
- That's good, everything is better than this life!
- You know, Arthur, I used to think so too, but then I realized one very simple thing: since we exist as outcasts ...
- Outcasts? Lomov asked.
- Well, yes - rats, cockroaches, crickets and others ... So, since we are exist, then someone needs it!
- To whom? To office plankton? So that they look at us and rejoice that it is not they who have to rummage through the garbage in search of rotten herring intestines?
- Well, yes, at least. And don't forget that at any moment they themselves can be in our place!
- I don't want to be a scarecrow for these one-celled!
- And what do you want?
- Don't know. I don't want to live, that's what!
- We must be careful with desires, - Larisa warned, - they tend to come true!
- Well, let! I want to die and the sooner the better!
- Bad deed is not tricky. There are thousands of ways: you can deliberately climb into a mousetrap, or, for example, go out into the yard in the evening and shout: “Cats are motherfuckers!”
- Faggots! Cretins! Jerks! - Heard the cries of Margarita Nikolaevna from behind the wall, - I will fire you all; you will eat rotten meat in my garbage dump! I told you yesterday to catch a rat! Not only did this bastard gobble up a million dollar contract, but he also pissed off my money!
“Money can be laundered,” the financial director advised timidly, “now many do it!
- Here you take Mark Antonovich and launder this money as you want! And you, Igor Ivanovich, as the head of the security department, urgently take care of the rat! And so that by tomorrow morning I could see her corpse!
- Then I went for mousetraps? Igor Ivanovich asked.
- Go, do something already! Do not stand like idols!
* * *
Arthur not only did not go with Larisa to the trash, but did not even touch the delicacies that she brought him. He spent the whole day lying in the hole, with his head on his paws and staring dully in front of him.
But by evening, when there was no food left, hunger began to make itself felt. Thoughts of suicide disappeared somewhere; he wanted cheese, ham, grain, and most importantly more and more. At first he endured, trying to hide his cowardice, but then he could not stand it.
- Listen Laris, and there you have nothing left to gnaw? - he asked.
- No, I finished everything, you refused! - Answered Larisa, - But I think it's time to visit our headmistress's office. The working day is already over; no one will interfere with us.
Four mousetraps were waiting for them in the office, richly stuffed with cheese, sausage and even lard.
- Give me a pencil! Larisa asked.
Arthur climbed onto the table and brought a pencil. Larisa put it in a mousetrap and it snapped shut, breaking the back of the pencil.
- Well, now you can safely eat cheese! - She said.
While Larisa was fiddling with the next mousetrap, Lomov decided to look for food on his own, and very quickly found a saucer of flour in the corner behind the bedside table. True, the smell of flour was a little strange, but the hunger was so strong that he did not become picky.
- You're so funny! - Larisa giggled when she saw Arthur, - you have a white mustache, and the whole muzzle!
- Yes, I'm here ... I found flour ... - Lomov muttered and began to embarrassedly rub his muzzle with varnishes.
- Wait, are you eating flour? Larisa asked, and her gaze was filled with genuine horror.
- Yes, what wrong? - Arthur spoke slowly, involuntarily infected by her fear.
- I knew it! You could not be left alone for a second; you are like a small child! It's my entire fault!
- Wait a minute, explain plainly what happened?
- There is such an old way of killing rats and mice. Flour is mixed with alabaster and placed in a conspicuous place. Now you will be thirsty, the alabaster will mix with the water, the solution will immediately seize, and you will die a slow and painful death.
- What if you don't drink?
- Then you will die of dehydration. Not a very pleasant ending either.
Wait, you must be wrong! Maybe there was no alabaster in that flour? 'Cause I can't die, I'm so young!
- Okay, let's go; let's look at your flour! - Larissa sighed.
Lomov showed her the saucer; the rat carefully sniffed it and confidently sentenced:
- The smell of alabaster!
- And what will happen now?
- Now you're going begin to die!
- No, it can't be! After all, I have not even begun to truly live, only I was going to! And most importantly - for what?
- I don’t understand where all of a sudden such a thirst for life comes from? Just a few hours ago, you yourself wanted to die!
- I was a fool! And now I understand everything, I want to live! Live by anyone: a blind mole, a cockroach, a worm.
- Whoever you are, sooner or later you would still have to die. Or did you think you'd live forever?
- No, of course, - Arthur was embarrassed, - I just didn't expect everything to happen so quickly and ridiculously. I am not ready!
- Well, get ready, you still have time! I told you - you will go to die for a long time.
- Wait, Laris, it seems it has begun!
- What started?
- Well, what were you talking about. There is something going on inside of me. It feels like... I don't know what to say. It seems like everything is starting to turn to stone!
- I knew it! Well, go to look for your last shelter!
- What other shelter?
- The rat, when it feels that its end is near, leaves its relatives, looks for a secluded place and hides there.
- For what?
- Such is the law - everyone dies alone!
But I don't want to die alone! In fact, I just don't want to die! However, I think I've already said that.
- Of course he did! Come on; crawl away faster while you can still move your paws!
* * *
Arthur wandered for a long time through some basement passageways, crawled into holes, but could not find a quiet place anywhere. There was a rat smell everywhere, or even worse, a cat smell. Finally, he managed to find a seemingly suitable hole, he lay down on a pile of dirty rags, but as soon as he closed his eyes, some devils appeared and dragged him to hell.
"Put me down," he shouted, "I don't want to go to hell! For what? I didn't do anything wrong!"
In response, the devils grinned and were talking among themselves in an incomprehensible language. And when he began to struggle, they twisted his hands (now he had hands!) Behind his back.
But the worst began when they arrived at the place. The devils put a funnel down Arthur's throat and began pouring molten lead into him. However, maybe it was not lead, but silver, platinum, or some other white metal.
Then he vomited with this liquid metal, and then the funnel was inserted again, and everything started all over again. But this was not enough for the devils, and they began to pour the same metal into it only from the other side. His insides were swollen, and it seemed that they were about to burst. Unable to bear the torment, Arthur passed out.
And when he came to himself, he saw a girlish face of angelic beauty bending over him. And suddenly this angelic face approached him and dug into his lips with a passionate kiss.
"Maybe I'm in heaven!" thought Arthur.
- Stop overworking, Lariska, don't you see, he's already recovered! - A rather unpleasant female voice came from somewhere above.
Larisa pulled away and spat.
“I thought he would never recover!” she said, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.
- Where I am? Arthur asked, looking around.
- Where, where, in Karaganda! - Answered the second girl and rolled up with a cheerful laugh, - You better tell us fool, why did you eat cement?
- Cement? So it was cement? – Delighted Arthur, - Definitely not alabaster?
- We have Tajiks doing repairs, - the girl explained, - there are bags of cement in the corridor, so you ate straight from the bag. Dzhamshut came running, complaining, if your patients eat our cement, how can we repair? You had to do a gastric lavage, and out of habit you almost go to hell! Well, Lariska noticed in time, you can say, she saved your life!
The nurses left (he guessed that they were nurses in white caps and gowns) and Lomov began to inspect the room. On the wall, framed under glass, he noticed a rather strange document. Arthur got out of bed, walked over and began to read.
“A reminder to the new arrivals.
Eight levels of hell.
After…"
What awaits the unfortunate then Lomov did not have time to find out - a doctor entered the ward. He felt his pulse, pulled his eyelids back, examined his tongue.
- Well, the patient, I see - your condition has stabilized, it's time for the procedures! - He said in a cheerful voice.
- What other procedures? Arthur asked suspiciously.
- Shock cryotherapy.
- What is this? Never heard of such a thing!
- No wonder, this is my own technique. It consists in the following: the patient is stripped naked and placed in a special chamber, cooled to an extremely low temperature...
- Wait, I can't be frozen, I can't stand the cold! My skin is covered with pimples and starts to beat like a fever!
- Get used to, a person gets used to everything. Moreover, you have eternity ahead of you!
Are you a doctor; are you out of your mind? What the hell is eternity? Are you going to freeze me forever? My heart can't take it, I'll just die!
- It's you who are crazy, - the doctor objected, - and now we will treat you!
- Do not treat me, doctor! Yes, I admit, I was sick, but now I am cured. Believe me, I'm healthy! I adequately perceive the reality around me! For God's sake, let me go!
- Would a healthy person eat cement? - The doctor grinned sarcastically.
The orderlies appeared - Lomov recognized in them the very devils who poured liquid metal into him.
They blindfolded the patient and led him through the endless hospital corridors. Then he was taken for a long time in an elevator, as it seemed to him down, and then again there were corridors.
* * *
- I can't be frozen, - just in case, Arthur warned, when the orderlies suddenly began to pull off his clothes, - I'm allergic to cold. I will die immediately!
- Not anymore! - The orderly assured, continuing to undress Lomov.
- In what sense? - Arthur didn't understand.
- In direct! You probably think you're in a psych ward?
- Yes of course! Where else can they bully people like that?
- Wow, "above the people"! - The orderly chuckled, - But just a few hours ago you considered yourself a rat!
- I was wrong! But now that I have realized my delusions, there is no need to keep me in your terrible hospital!
- I told you, this is not a hospital for you!
- What then?
- The ancient Greeks called this place Hades, the Muslims Sakar, the Buddhists - Naraka, the Christians - underworld or just Hell. Atheists believe that there is no such place at all. Remember that jerk on the tinted nine?
- Wait, what do you want to say? But I managed to jump back!
- As you can see, you didn’t have time! - The orderly grunted sarcastically, - You died before the arrival of the ambulance!
- How did I die? Wait, I'm… - Arthur tried to object, but suddenly he realized that he was talking to himself.
He tore off the bandage from his eyes and saw that he was standing completely alone, naked in the middle of an endless snowy plain, and the icy wind was beating his face, tearing tears from his eyes, which immediately hardened, turning into ice.
There was no strength to stand still, and he went at random, trembling all over and falling into the snow almost up to his knees...
submitted by Sergey_Preobr to libraryofshadows [link] [comments]
Arthur Lomov was thirty-four and he had everything, like people have - a house, a wife, a child, death ahead, and death inside. He also had a job that he hated. More precisely, the work itself did not cause rejection in him, work as work is no worse than then of others. He did not like the bosses (who likes their?). And not even all the bosses, but only the headmistress, the one whom he was going to "fuck". Sleek and haughty, she spoke to people with undisguised disgust, through her teeth, sincerely and deeply despising the "cattle" that surrounded her. Lomov including. He was nobody for her, a manager, what millions, not even an insect, but a bacterium, office plankton. She has not fired him until now just because there was no case. And then the crisis broke out and rumors about layoffs spread around the office.
And as luck would have it, Arthur mixed up some numbers in the quarterly report. Margarita Nikolaevna called him into the office, and screamed as if he had stabbed and robbed a beggar on the porch of church! Not only did she deduct 30 percent from his salary, she also promised to fire he next time! Yes, he himself would have gone, on the same day! If he had money, real big money, say a million dollars!
Arthur suddenly imagined how he, in an expensive dark gray Versace suit, with a small suitcase in his hand, ignoring the screams of secretary, opened the door with a kick and entered the hated office. How the headmistress's already round stupid eyes are rounded.
"What do you want, Lomov?" She asks.
“I have a business proposal!” He says and puts the case on the table; - I want to fuck you ... Yes, to fuck you now on that table fore million dollars! Behind, you a lustful bitch!
“Yes, you are drunk Lomov, leave my office immediately ...” the headmistress says and the last word gets stuck in her throat, because at that moment Arthur opens the suitcase and she sees tight green bundles with real American money.
The headmistress hardly takes her eyes off the dollars, looks at Lomov, then back at the money. Her primitive brain tries to comprehend the non-standard situation and begins to boil.
"Where did you get this from, Lomov?" she says, swallowing her saliva.
"Who cares? You agree?"
The woman's face is covered with red spots, becomes confused and even somehow miserable.
“This is so unexpected…” she mutters, “what if someone comes in?”
Lomov does not answer anything, and only looks at the headmistress, enjoying her confusion.
Finally, having overcome her excitement, she presses the "selector" button:
“Lena don’t let anyone in to see me! I'm busy!"
Then she raises her eyes to Lomov and begins to unbutton her blouse with trembling fingers, the buttons do not obey her, she throws it, grabs the zipper on her skirt.
At this moment, Lomov slams the suitcase shut and takes it off the table.
"Best wishes!" he says.
"In what sense?" The headmistress asks bewildered.
"I changed my mind!" Arthur calmly answers and, without looking back, leaves the office...
He dreamed so much that he almost fell under the wheels and right on the pedestrian crossing. Some idiot on a tinted "nine" flashed in front of him, Arthur barely had time to bounce, but did not calculate his strength and fell into a puddle.
“No, that’s not good,” he thought, rising to his feet and shaking off the dirt from his jacket, “I need to drink urgently!”
* * *
The pub turned out to be very unpresentable, but this did not bother Lomov. Taking two mugs of beer, he hardly found a free table in the bluish smoke and finally took his first long sip.
- Your headmistress got nitpicking you up, and you are completely innocent of anything? - Arthur heard a dry cracked voice in his ear.
He raised his eyes and saw that a dubious appearanceg peasant with a week-long stubble and two mugs of light beer was sitting at his table. Since the question was purely rhetorical, Arthur merely chuckled vaguely in response.
Now ask me, how do I know this? - the stranger did not want to lag behind.
- What is this?
- Well, the fact that you were fucked by your headmistress for no reason at all?
- Well, how do you know that? - Said Arthur to get rid of the importunate type.
- It's very simple - I'm God! - The stranger said triumphantly. And noticing the bewilderment in the eyes of the interlocutor, he explained:
- Well, the one who created the Earth, the Sky and all this! - He glanced around at the smoky pub.
The life of Artur Lomov developed in such a way that he was not ready for such meetings.
"Yeah, that's exactly how I imagined you!" he chuckled sarcastically.
But the impostor, as it turned out, was not going to joke at all.
- What did you want? I look like this because of you! Because that's how you represent me! And if you were a Hindu, I could now have an elephant's head and a long trunk. What if you were a Mayan...
- Don't, I understand everything, - Arthur stopped him, - Just don't expect me to buy you beer!
- Do not make me laugh! I can create so much beer that it will flood not only your entire Moscow, but the entire planet! And what, not a bad idea - a worldwide beer flood! It is high time! Pathetic little people completely lost their fear, they do what they want! I created such a beautiful planet for you: blue seas, snow-capped mountains, shady forests, crystal waters of rivers! And what did you turn it into?
“Yes, the guy seems to be in trouble with his head!” - thought Arthur, listening to the ravings of an uninvited drinking companion.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
- Well, if you are so omnipotent, could you, just as an entertainment, create for me, let's say a small suitcase with a million dollars? Lomov asked.
“I could,” reply the impostor, not at all embarrassed, “but I won’t. You see, money is such a thing… no matter how much they give you it anyway, very soon you will feel that this is not enough. I'd rather make sure you never need money at all. Is it coming?
Arthur shrugged vaguely.
- I will turn you, well, let's say ... - the stranger thought for a second, - into a rat!
“I don’t want to be a rat,” Lomov suddenly got scared, “they are vile and nasty!”
- No, no, just a rat! Big black rat! But not today, tomorrow. In the meantime, drink your beer!
- Wait! Don't turn me into anyone! - Arthur shouted, but the hanyga had already vanished into cigarette smoke.
* * *
Arthur could not get the key into the keyhole for a long time, and when he finally managed to open the door, he saw his wife in a dressing gown with a crumpled night face.
- Where are you hanging out? – Unkindly asked she, - Do you know what time it is? And why isn't the cell phone answering?
- The phone is dead. Probably ... - Arthur muttered, barely moving his tongue.
- You're l drunk! - The wife said and grimaced in disgust, - And with whom did you get so drunk?
- You will not believe - with God!
- Moron! - said the wife and slapped Arthur on the head with a slipper.
- I am not kidding! I actually drank beer with God and he promised to turn me into a rat! Tomorrow! - He suddenly felt funny, and he began to choke with laughter, - Imagine, tomorrow you wake up, and your husband is a rat, or rather ratman! But it's tomorrow, and now I want to sleep!
- You idiot, take off your shoes! - said the wife and went to the kitchen.
Lomov threw off his shoes with difficulty and went into the bedroom and, without undressing, collapsed onto the bed.
* * *
He dreamed of some nonsense: Margarita Nikolaevna, completely naked, in only shoes, walked around the office, scolded negligent employees, gave valuable instructions. The subordinates listened to her with a serious look and nodded their heads. And only one Arthur could hardly contain the laughter. But when the naked headmistress began to teach the electrician how to properly install the outlet, Lomov could not stand it and literally neighed out loud.
- Lomov, what's the matter with you? - Margarita Nikolaevna asked sternly, - Did I say something funny? By the way, how are you going to compensate for the colossal loss that you caused the company with your mistakes in the report? Do you have a million dollars?
- I have? – Surprised Arthur – Where?
- Then we could cut off your hand! - Suggested Margarita Nikolaevna, - Although wait! Say, are you drinking?
- No!
- It's good that you don't drink, and then we'll take your liver. Or not, better a kidney, because you have two of them!
And then Arthur saw a huge kitchen knife flash in the headmistress's hand. He realized that it was time to run, but his legs suddenly became wobbly and he could not budge...
* * *
Waking up the next morning with a sore head, Arthur first tried to understand why he felt so bad? Obviously, because he got drunk yesterday - that's clear. He strained his brain, and he managed to remember the scandal arranged by the headmistress, as well as the promise to fire him. After such it was a sin not to get drunk! But where? He didn't remember this.
However, there was no time to think, he was already late for work. Taking a sip of cold tea from a cup standing on the table, he quickly dressed and rushed out into the street.
* * *
Despite all the efforts, Lomov was still late for work. As soon as he sat down at his desk and turned on the computer, the secretary called and said that Margarita Nikolaevna urgently wanted to see him. His heart immediately felt ugly and cold.
Arthur honestly tried, following Chekhov, to squeeze a slave out of himself, drop by drop, but somehow it didn’t work out very well. He could convince himself as much as he wanted that the worst thing this woman could do to him was to fire him. Only and everything! But after all, he has arms, legs and a head on his shoulders; he will not die of hunger. But as soon as he was in the director's office, all logical arguments instantly evaporated, and only one animal inexplicable irrational fear remained. That vile, shrill voice pulled things out of the depths of his subconscious that he didn't even know existed. He literally physically felt how he began to decrease in size.
Even now, standing in front of the huge director's desk, like a delinquent schoolboy, he could not get rid of the feeling of his own insignificance.
“Not only are you unable to write an elementary report,” Margarita Nikolaevna’s voice boomed in his ears, “you are also late!” What do you not like about your work? Or do you want to be reduced?
Lomov suddenly imagined that he really was reduced, and at the same moment he saw how all the items in the director's office, including the hostess, began to grow rapidly. He did not immediately guess that in fact no one and nothing is growing, and that he himself is decreasing in size.
- Arthur Valentinovich, what are you doing? – Finally noticed the strange metamorphoses headmistress, - Immediately stop, I order you!
But Lomov was no longer able to stop anything. He was already looking at the edge of the director's table from the bottom up, and after a couple of seconds he realized that his height did not exceed the height of a woman's shoe.
- Rat! - Margarita Nikolaevna suddenly squealed and jumped onto the table with unexpected agility, - Lena, come here soon!
Whistling a few centimeters from his temple, the massive crystal ashtray hit the carpet with a dull thud, and Arthur realized that any delay could cost him his life. With all his might, he rushed under the closet, and a mobile phone and a few obscene words flew after him.
- Where is the rat, Margarita Nikolaevna? - asked the secretary, who came running to the cry.
- She hid under the closet! Call the guard as soon as possible, the closet must be urgently moved away before she runs away!
Realizing that he could not hide here, Arthur began to look for a way out and soon discovered a gap between the plinth and the wall. With difficulty, squeezing through a narrow opening, he found himself in a pier between the main wall and the plasterboard panels with which the office was sheathed. Only now did he feel relatively safe and tried to analyze the situation.
First, he realized that not only had he shrunk in size, but even worse, he had turned into a rat (he never liked rats). This followed not only from the screams of the headmistress (she could call her subordinate and not that way!) but mainly from the long bare tail dragging after him.
And only then Arthur remembered yesterday's visit to the pub and dubious type who called himself God.
It must be said that yesterday he treated his random drinking companion rather lightly, but now, under the pressure of circumstances, he was forced to admit that the impostor was far from being as simple as it seemed to him at first glance. Of course, he is no God, that's clear. But who? For some reason I didn't want to think about it.
Meanwhile, a security guard came and pushed the closet away. They searched for Arthur for a long time and unsuccessfully, but found only a gap in the wall.
- She probably climbed into this hole, - said the guard, - now you can’t smoke her out of there! Or you order to break the wall?
Then the supply manager and some other people came, made noise, moved the furniture.
This bustle tired Lomov, and he dozed off, and when he woke up, there was dead silence. Obviously, the working day has already ended and everyone has gone home. He was terribly hungry, however, not surprising, because he had not eaten anything since yesterday. And then his nostrils caught a delicious smell, it came from the director's office, seeped through the cracks in the wall, penetrated into the brain and caused painful salivation.
Overcoming fear, Lomov cautiously crawled out of hiding and, sniffing the air, moved in the direction of the source of the seductive aroma. Very soon he realized that the smell was coming from the drawer. Using the wires leading to the monitor, he deftly climbed onto the table, but the drawer was closed, and Arthur's weak rat paws were simply unable to pull it out. Luckily, there was a pencil on the table, he pushed it through the slot and, acting as a lever, opened the drawer rather quickly. To his disappointment, he found there only a pile of useless papers and a thick stack of five thousandth bills tied with an elastic band. The impostor did not deceive, now Lomov's money was not at all interested, out of annoyance he even shit on them, but this only increased the hunger.
“Did the devil pull me to ask this idiot for a million dollars?! - he thought, listening to the hungry cramps in his stomach - And yet, where does this smell come from? How can money smell so delicious!”
He rummaged through the entire drawer filled with stupid papers and finally found in the very corner under some kind of contract a small moldy piece of cheese. Well, yes, of course, it was cheese, only he could emit such an attractive aroma.
Arthur ate it in a couple of seconds and of course he didn’t sated a drop. Unable to resist, he even began to gnaw at the contract, soaked with a cheese smell.
- Are you eating contracts? Look, you will earn an ulcer! - Arthur heard a sly voice behind him and turned around. On the edge of the table sat a small but rather pretty white rat.
- Hello! My name is Larisa, - the rat introduced herself, - And you are Arthur from the sales department!
- Exactly, but how do you know me?
- Yes, I used to work in the logistics department; I was fired six months ago.
- Larisa from logistics? I remember you! - Arthur was delighted, - Such a pretty blonde, you still always wore very short skirts, our men just twisted their necks when you walked down the corridor.
- That's why I was fired.
- Wait, are you, too, like I used to be a human?
- All rats were once people, - Larisa remarked philosophically, - but fear turns a person into an animal.
- What kind of nonsense? - Arthur was skeptical.
- No nonsense. British scientists conducted research and came to the conclusion that over the past 40 years, the IQ in rats has increased by 10 points! And at the same time in all rats living in different parts of the globe.
- And what? Rats live next to people and learn all sorts of tricky things from them!
- Let's admit it. Do you know how many people disappear without a trace every year in our country? 80 thousand! A man went out to the nearest store for bread and did not return!
- Do you think they all turn into rats?
- Maybe not all, but many. We have become!
It was difficult to object to such an argument, and Arthur remained silent.
- What are we all talking about? - said Larisa, - you're probably hungry? Come on, I've got something from the New Year's banquet.
Larisa led Arthur to her hole, where a sumptuous dinner was waiting for them: there were half-eaten sandwiches with boiled pork and smoked sausage, and assorted fish, and of course cheese, a lot of cheese.
Satisfying his hunger, Arthur took a closer look at Larisa and suddenly realized that he liked her. And even her long bare tail now did not cause disgust, but rather seemed piquant. And what a wonderful smell emanated from her small, but such a dexterous little body!
Unable to resist the call of the flesh, he approached her from behind and put his paws on her shoulders.
* * *
- Darling! Do you want us to have little rats? - Larisa asked a few minutes later, snuggling comfortably on Lomov's shoulder.
- What? What other rats? Arthur didn't understand.
- Well, how? We didn't protect ourselves! And I am very prolific, in the last litter I brought twelve rats!
- Oh my God! Lomov groaned, “But you can’t do it somehow so that ... well, you understand!”
- Don't you want us to have little rats?
- No, you misunderstood me, that's not the point! It's just all of a sudden...
- What is unexpected? If you don't want little rats, say so!
- It's not that I don't want little rats. You see, this happened to you a long time ago, and in six months you have probably turned into a real rat, you feel like a rat and think like a rat. And I was still a human this morning...
- You were office plankton! - Larisa reminded.
- Okay, so be it! But I walked on two legs, wore a blue suit, a striped tie, and drank Gösser beer.
- You can get beer in the garbage dump, - Larisa suggested, - Sometimes unfinished bottles are thrown there.
- I don't want beer from the dump, damn it! - Arthur got angry, - And I don't want to be a rat! Why on earth should I be a rat? Why, Lord? There are so many real scums around: thieves, robbers, murderers, rapists, child molesters! Well, why me?!
“You and I seem to have such karma,” Larisa sighed sadly, “never mind. Let's sleep better, and tomorrow we'll go to the garbage heap and find you a Gösser beer.
* * *
Lomov fell asleep and had a wonderful dream. In this dream, he was human again.
He was lying in a small bright room on a clean sheet, covered up to his chin with a striped woolen blanket. The gentle spring sun shone through the window, and the soul was light and calm.
He thought that, perhaps, he should go to wash and already threw back the covers, but at that moment voices and noise were heard outside the door. Arthur returned the blanket to its place and pretended to be asleep.
People entered the room, through narrowed eyelids Lomov could only see through the legs and the skirts of white coats.
- But Semyon Arkadyevich, pay attention, a very interesting case! - said the first rather pleasant male voice, - Sick Lomov, he entered yesterday. Hypomanic arousal in an acute form, convinced that he is a rat. When the team arrived, he rushed around the director's office, biting, scratching, trying to hide under the closet, barely managed to calm him down. He was injected with 4 cubes of chlorpromazine. When he wakes up, for some time he will adequately perceive the surrounding reality, but after a few hours the effect of the drug will end.
- Very good! - Answered the second voice, - continue aminazin, add more phenazepam and electroconvulsive therapy. Who's next for us?
- Maklakov, Delirium tremens, entered three days ago...
The voices began to fade, the dream gradually melted away and Lomov found himself again lying in the rat hole. A white rat sat next to him and somehow strangely (with tenderness?) looked at him.
- Larisa? You? - He asked, looking at the animal.
- Well, yes, Larisa, who else?
- You know Larisa, I had such a strange dream here! - Lomov yawned, unable to restrain himself, - As if I had become a man again, I was lying in a clean, bright room, some people in white coats were coming and saying something. It seems like I got sick, I'm in the hospital, and they treat me.
- I, too, at first dreamed of something similar, but then everything went away, - Larisa reassured him, - And it will pass for you too!
- I do not want will pass! Vice versa. Understand - I do not want to be a rat, sleep in this stinking hole, and eat garbage! I want to be human!
- Unfortunately, this is a one-way street.
- In what sense?
- I asked to other rats. There has never been such a case that a rat became a man.
- And what, there is no hope?
- To be honest, not the slightest. Okay, stop talking, let's go have breakfast in the trash, otherwise yesterday we ate up all the supplies!
- I won't go, - Arthur answered and lay down, resting his head on his front paws.
- Okay, lie down. Then I'll bring you something delicious. Do you want rotten herring intestines?
- No.
"Then what do you want I to bring?"
- I do not want anything.
- You can't do that, Arthur. If you don't eat, you'll get sick and soon die!
- That's good, everything is better than this life!
- You know, Arthur, I used to think so too, but then I realized one very simple thing: since we exist as outcasts ...
- Outcasts? Lomov asked.
- Well, yes - rats, cockroaches, crickets and others ... So, since we are exist, then someone needs it!
- To whom? To office plankton? So that they look at us and rejoice that it is not they who have to rummage through the garbage in search of rotten herring intestines?
- Well, yes, at least. And don't forget that at any moment they themselves can be in our place!
- I don't want to be a scarecrow for these one-celled!
- And what do you want?
- Don't know. I don't want to live, that's what!
- We must be careful with desires, - Larisa warned, - they tend to come true!
- Well, let! I want to die and the sooner the better!
- Bad deed is not tricky. There are thousands of ways: you can deliberately climb into a mousetrap, or, for example, go out into the yard in the evening and shout: “Cats are motherfuckers!”
- Faggots! Cretins! Jerks! - Heard the cries of Margarita Nikolaevna from behind the wall, - I will fire you all; you will eat rotten meat in my garbage dump! I told you yesterday to catch a rat! Not only did this bastard gobble up a million dollar contract, but he also pissed off my money!
“Money can be laundered,” the financial director advised timidly, “now many do it!
- Here you take Mark Antonovich and launder this money as you want! And you, Igor Ivanovich, as the head of the security department, urgently take care of the rat! And so that by tomorrow morning I could see her corpse!
- Then I went for mousetraps? Igor Ivanovich asked.
- Go, do something already! Do not stand like idols!
* * *
Arthur not only did not go with Larisa to the trash, but did not even touch the delicacies that she brought him. He spent the whole day lying in the hole, with his head on his paws and staring dully in front of him.
But by evening, when there was no food left, hunger began to make itself felt. Thoughts of suicide disappeared somewhere; he wanted cheese, ham, grain, and most importantly more and more. At first he endured, trying to hide his cowardice, but then he could not stand it.
- Listen Laris, and there you have nothing left to gnaw? - he asked.
- No, I finished everything, you refused! - Answered Larisa, - But I think it's time to visit our headmistress's office. The working day is already over; no one will interfere with us.
Four mousetraps were waiting for them in the office, richly stuffed with cheese, sausage and even lard.
- Give me a pencil! Larisa asked.
Arthur climbed onto the table and brought a pencil. Larisa put it in a mousetrap and it snapped shut, breaking the back of the pencil.
- Well, now you can safely eat cheese! - She said.
While Larisa was fiddling with the next mousetrap, Lomov decided to look for food on his own, and very quickly found a saucer of flour in the corner behind the bedside table. True, the smell of flour was a little strange, but the hunger was so strong that he did not become picky.
- You're so funny! - Larisa giggled when she saw Arthur, - you have a white mustache, and the whole muzzle!
- Yes, I'm here ... I found flour ... - Lomov muttered and began to embarrassedly rub his muzzle with varnishes.
- Wait, are you eating flour? Larisa asked, and her gaze was filled with genuine horror.
- Yes, what wrong? - Arthur spoke slowly, involuntarily infected by her fear.
- I knew it! You could not be left alone for a second; you are like a small child! It's my entire fault!
- Wait a minute, explain plainly what happened?
- There is such an old way of killing rats and mice. Flour is mixed with alabaster and placed in a conspicuous place. Now you will be thirsty, the alabaster will mix with the water, the solution will immediately seize, and you will die a slow and painful death.
- What if you don't drink?
- Then you will die of dehydration. Not a very pleasant ending either.
Wait, you must be wrong! Maybe there was no alabaster in that flour? 'Cause I can't die, I'm so young!
- Okay, let's go; let's look at your flour! - Larissa sighed.
Lomov showed her the saucer; the rat carefully sniffed it and confidently sentenced:
- The smell of alabaster!
- And what will happen now?
- Now you're going begin to die!
- No, it can't be! After all, I have not even begun to truly live, only I was going to! And most importantly - for what?
- I don’t understand where all of a sudden such a thirst for life comes from? Just a few hours ago, you yourself wanted to die!
- I was a fool! And now I understand everything, I want to live! Live by anyone: a blind mole, a cockroach, a worm.
- Whoever you are, sooner or later you would still have to die. Or did you think you'd live forever?
- No, of course, - Arthur was embarrassed, - I just didn't expect everything to happen so quickly and ridiculously. I am not ready!
- Well, get ready, you still have time! I told you - you will go to die for a long time.
- Wait, Laris, it seems it has begun!
- What started?
- Well, what were you talking about. There is something going on inside of me. It feels like... I don't know what to say. It seems like everything is starting to turn to stone!
- I knew it! Well, go to look for your last shelter!
- What other shelter?
- The rat, when it feels that its end is near, leaves its relatives, looks for a secluded place and hides there.
- For what?
- Such is the law - everyone dies alone!
But I don't want to die alone! In fact, I just don't want to die! However, I think I've already said that.
- Of course he did! Come on; crawl away faster while you can still move your paws!
* * *
Arthur wandered for a long time through some basement passageways, crawled into holes, but could not find a quiet place anywhere. There was a rat smell everywhere, or even worse, a cat smell. Finally, he managed to find a seemingly suitable hole, he lay down on a pile of dirty rags, but as soon as he closed his eyes, some devils appeared and dragged him to hell.
"Put me down," he shouted, "I don't want to go to hell! For what? I didn't do anything wrong!"
In response, the devils grinned and were talking among themselves in an incomprehensible language. And when he began to struggle, they twisted his hands (now he had hands!) Behind his back.
But the worst began when they arrived at the place. The devils put a funnel down Arthur's throat and began pouring molten lead into him. However, maybe it was not lead, but silver, platinum, or some other white metal.
Then he vomited with this liquid metal, and then the funnel was inserted again, and everything started all over again. But this was not enough for the devils, and they began to pour the same metal into it only from the other side. His insides were swollen, and it seemed that they were about to burst. Unable to bear the torment, Arthur passed out.
And when he came to himself, he saw a girlish face of angelic beauty bending over him. And suddenly this angelic face approached him and dug into his lips with a passionate kiss.
"Maybe I'm in heaven!" thought Arthur.
- Stop overworking, Lariska, don't you see, he's already recovered! - A rather unpleasant female voice came from somewhere above.
Larisa pulled away and spat.
“I thought he would never recover!” she said, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.
- Where I am? Arthur asked, looking around.
- Where, where, in Karaganda! - Answered the second girl and rolled up with a cheerful laugh, - You better tell us fool, why did you eat cement?
- Cement? So it was cement? – Delighted Arthur, - Definitely not alabaster?
- We have Tajiks doing repairs, - the girl explained, - there are bags of cement in the corridor, so you ate straight from the bag. Dzhamshut came running, complaining, if your patients eat our cement, how can we repair? You had to do a gastric lavage, and out of habit you almost go to hell! Well, Lariska noticed in time, you can say, she saved your life!
The nurses left (he guessed that they were nurses in white caps and gowns) and Lomov began to inspect the room. On the wall, framed under glass, he noticed a rather strange document. Arthur got out of bed, walked over and began to read.
“A reminder to the new arrivals.
Eight levels of hell.
- Arbuda-naraka - hell of blisters. On a dark frozen valley, surrounded by cold mountains, there is a constant blizzard and snow storm. The inhabitants of this hell are naked and lonely, and their bodies are covered with blisters from the cold. The time spent in this hell is how long it will take to empty a barrel of sesame seeds, if one grain is taken every hundred years.
- Nirarbuda-naraka - the hell of swelling blisters. This hell is even colder and the blisters swell and explode, leaving the bodies covered in blood and pus.
- Atata-naraka - hell when shaking from the cold.
- Hahava-naraka - the hell of weeping and groaning. When the victim moans from the cold.
- Huhuva-naraka - the hell of chattering teeth. Terrible chills and chattering of teeth.
- Utpala-naraka - the hell of the blue lotus, when the constant cold makes the whole skin turn blue like a lily.
- Padma-naraka - lotus hell. A snowstorm covers the frozen body, leaving bloody wounds.
- Mahapadma-naraka - the great lotus hell. The whole body cracks from the cold, and the internal organs also crack from the terrible frost.
After…"
What awaits the unfortunate then Lomov did not have time to find out - a doctor entered the ward. He felt his pulse, pulled his eyelids back, examined his tongue.
- Well, the patient, I see - your condition has stabilized, it's time for the procedures! - He said in a cheerful voice.
- What other procedures? Arthur asked suspiciously.
- Shock cryotherapy.
- What is this? Never heard of such a thing!
- No wonder, this is my own technique. It consists in the following: the patient is stripped naked and placed in a special chamber, cooled to an extremely low temperature...
- Wait, I can't be frozen, I can't stand the cold! My skin is covered with pimples and starts to beat like a fever!
- Get used to, a person gets used to everything. Moreover, you have eternity ahead of you!
Are you a doctor; are you out of your mind? What the hell is eternity? Are you going to freeze me forever? My heart can't take it, I'll just die!
- It's you who are crazy, - the doctor objected, - and now we will treat you!
- Do not treat me, doctor! Yes, I admit, I was sick, but now I am cured. Believe me, I'm healthy! I adequately perceive the reality around me! For God's sake, let me go!
- Would a healthy person eat cement? - The doctor grinned sarcastically.
The orderlies appeared - Lomov recognized in them the very devils who poured liquid metal into him.
They blindfolded the patient and led him through the endless hospital corridors. Then he was taken for a long time in an elevator, as it seemed to him down, and then again there were corridors.
* * *
- I can't be frozen, - just in case, Arthur warned, when the orderlies suddenly began to pull off his clothes, - I'm allergic to cold. I will die immediately!
- Not anymore! - The orderly assured, continuing to undress Lomov.
- In what sense? - Arthur didn't understand.
- In direct! You probably think you're in a psych ward?
- Yes of course! Where else can they bully people like that?
- Wow, "above the people"! - The orderly chuckled, - But just a few hours ago you considered yourself a rat!
- I was wrong! But now that I have realized my delusions, there is no need to keep me in your terrible hospital!
- I told you, this is not a hospital for you!
- What then?
- The ancient Greeks called this place Hades, the Muslims Sakar, the Buddhists - Naraka, the Christians - underworld or just Hell. Atheists believe that there is no such place at all. Remember that jerk on the tinted nine?
- Wait, what do you want to say? But I managed to jump back!
- As you can see, you didn’t have time! - The orderly grunted sarcastically, - You died before the arrival of the ambulance!
- How did I die? Wait, I'm… - Arthur tried to object, but suddenly he realized that he was talking to himself.
He tore off the bandage from his eyes and saw that he was standing completely alone, naked in the middle of an endless snowy plain, and the icy wind was beating his face, tearing tears from his eyes, which immediately hardened, turning into ice.
There was no strength to stand still, and he went at random, trembling all over and falling into the snow almost up to his knees...
2023.05.29 14:48 Goldsweater67 New to me INT650, initial thoughts and planz
 | After admiring these since they came, I finally pulled the trigger on a 650 twin! Coming from vintage Hondas and a Ducati ST2, I was in the market for something newer, a get on and go bike in my stable, allowing me to properly care for my old bikes while still having something to ride. And the Enfields appealed to me for their classic styling, DIY ownership experience (screw and locknut valve adjustments hell yeah!!) and perfect mid range performance. My favorite roads are 50-60 MPH back roads. Okay, 35 MPH backroads...... where you theoretically could go a little faster.... submitted by Goldsweater67 to royalenfield [link] [comments] Anyway, I recently picked up this used '22 INT650, with just over 3k miles. It's sweeeeeet!! Here's what I love:#1: physical size, ergonomics and styling:ALL of the other bikes in the showroom are huge. Even the modern classic Triumphs seem bigger and not as proportional as the Enfield. I like riding tight back roads, dirt roads, and I love being able to maneuver easily into parking situations. At 6'2" and about 165#, this bike fits me great. Foot pegs could be slightly lower, but they're much better placed than the old CB pegs. Some reviewers complain that the pegs are in the way when they come to a stop and put their foot down, and I frankly have no idea wtf they're talking about. Seemed fine to me??And the weight sounds high on paper, but it feels lighter than my classic Honda CB500k, which is the bike by which I judge all others btw.... #2: Engine!!! Wow it's great. It doesn't have the snap of something like an MT07, but the Enfield sounds better and feels great. Plenty of torque anywhere and you can use ALL the power. Even my humble Ducati, with 82 HP, rarely gets to exercise its engine, at least where I ride. Like my old Honda, you can pin the throttle without going straight to jail. Lots of fun! It also sounds great. I've had it up to about 85 MPH, which is the fastest I would ever go, and it did fine, and felt like there was some more speed to be had. Anything over 75 and it kind of feels like you're abusing it. I think 60-70 is a comfortable sweet spot. #3: Fit and finish is really good. My dad has an '04 Bullet 500, the classic iron barrel one, and it is nothing like this new twin. The paint is beautiful, and it has nicely polished engine cases!! Even the cheesy plastic fenders look good. I thought that would be one of the first things to change, but the silver paint is nice! I love the orange color because it comes with silver wheels, while most of the others come with black wheels. Yuk lol Okay, here are the things I DON'T like. Subjective of course.... #1. Handling is garbage. I mean, at 50 mph gentle curves it's fine. But when you really push it you start to feel the squirliness of the shitty forks and shocks. Or maybe the cheap tires are a big culprit. When they wear out I'll shop for better rubber. I can say it does not handle bumpy roads well at all. I think my terrible old CB500 does better on bumpy surfaces.... So, I will eventually invest in good shocks, and probably a YSS fork kit. I would love to hear people's opinions on the available shocks. Do I have to spend $700 for fully adjustable YSS reservoir shocks, or are there other options people like?? #2. Brakes. Not good. Again, for normal riding, they're just fine. Way better than my vintage bikes. But, when you really stomp on the brakes, especially the rear, the ABS is a bit intrusive and you can feel the pulsations. I was riding at a fairly high speed and braked fast to turn onto another road, and the ABS did not instill confidence. I realize it's not a performance bike, and I was maybe asking too much of it, but that incident made me wish I could turn the ABS off. Can you do that btw??? Um, those are the only "objective" negatives I can come up with. It's a brilliant bike. For 1/2 the price of a Bonneville you get about 80% of the bike (maybe more). Finally, here are some mods and upgrades I'm planning: 1: aforementioned forks and shocks, when I can afford them! 2: exhaust. I'm seriously thinking about the "powerage" full headers and mufflers. Yeah I know, they're cheap. It's a cheap bike!!! I can't wait to weigh the stock system and then the aftermarket one. I bet it's 100#s difference. (ok exaggerating....) One thing about retro bikes is that the exhausts always look disproportional, due to the chambers, dual walls, catalysts, etc. 3: lower handlebars. They're not bad, but I really love the riding position of my CB500k with CB400f bars, which is basically a superbike bar setup. I think I will try the Hitchcock low bars 4: turn signals. Man they are cheesy. Not only are they low quality chromed plastic, they're bulbous and stupid looking. If the US market bikes came with the rectangular ones I've seen, I might not hate them so much. I am going to get the metal rectangular signals from Dime City Cycles. 5: luggage rack. I've already ordered a cheap chrome rear rack from India. I have something similar on my classic Honda. Hopefully it gets me by. If not, I will have to upset the bike's sleek looks with some saddlebags. 6: tank pads. I like the rubber knee pads I'm seeing. They look cool! 7: Air filter kit. I like the cleanable DNA filter and cover eliminator. That's it for now. If you made it through my whole novella, congratulations, and thanks for reading! I hope my initial "review" is somewhat useful, and feel free to chime in with suggestions for the upgrades I mentioned!! https://preview.redd.it/keh85pyuor2b1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=13a0366fba32b0becd2df6caf76d1635e41624e5 |
2023.05.29 14:27 agentlucy Painting over semi gloss?
Hi everyone! I am new here and a total newbie for model cars and most importantly painting.
I'm currently building an Aoshima Skyline 2000 '73. I just primed it using Mr. White Surfacer 1000. I originally wanted to paint it with Mica Red but at last minute I'm feeling to paint it metallic silver.
From what I understand, ideally you should use black coat for metallic silver. Since my primer was white, I was thinking of painting it black with Tamiya semi-gloss black (what I currently have).
So my questions are: 1. Would it look right if I paint the metallic silver on top of the white primer? 2. If I were to decide to coat it with black first, would the metallic silver work on the semi-gloss black?
Thanks so much in advance, so excited for my first build!
submitted by agentlucy to ModelCars [link] [comments]
I'm currently building an Aoshima Skyline 2000 '73. I just primed it using Mr. White Surfacer 1000. I originally wanted to paint it with Mica Red but at last minute I'm feeling to paint it metallic silver.
From what I understand, ideally you should use black coat for metallic silver. Since my primer was white, I was thinking of painting it black with Tamiya semi-gloss black (what I currently have).
So my questions are: 1. Would it look right if I paint the metallic silver on top of the white primer? 2. If I were to decide to coat it with black first, would the metallic silver work on the semi-gloss black?
Thanks so much in advance, so excited for my first build!
2023.05.29 14:22 rohXXX Yamaha Revstar RSE20 Red copper... and it is going back
 | Hi there, submitted by rohXXX to guitars [link] [comments] I just want to share my disappointment. For reference: I have two guitars Ibanez GRGR131EX and Ibanez GRGM21. Both cost a bit above 200 eur and are flawless and I like them both. But I wanted a Gibson scale guitar on a budget that does not weight a ton. So, I bought Epiphone SG Standard Alpine White for 450 eur.... ...and it went back mainly because of ergonomics: - the neck moved to the left screwed with my muscle memory and it was not comfortable to play sitting down - the sharp bridge hurt my hand (more on that later). - also, I was not fond of the shiny white color together with yellowish neck binding So I went to the shop and checked Revstar.. They had only Standard available and I tried it and I liked it! The ergonomy was great for me and it was very pretty. And the bridge was not sharp, but very pleasant. So I ordered red RSE20 for 460 eur because the Standard upgraded features were not worth to me the additional cost. So I got the guitar today.. - the bridge on Element is different from Standard... it is sharp.. I watched hundred videos and I don’t think I heard anybody mentioning it. see the attached pictures from Sweetwater for comparison. Element Standard - the pickup selector switch is wobbly (see https://youtu.be/x3QIECirZi4). My Ibanez that costs half has a better switch. - the push/pull knob is crooked (see https://youtu.be/IvIj_lA0QFM). it's a shame. - there is a stain 1cm in diameter under the paint next to the volume knob. it is visible only when direct light shines on the guitar, but I know about it and it annoys me. No such thing on my low budget Ibanez. ok so Element was just too good to be true and it is going back... I will check the Standard again in the shop but it is outside of my budget and I am a bit pissed on Yamaha now.. But I don't know about better alternative.. |
2023.05.29 13:00 theVeryLast7 Misprint or intentional?
 | Reading Feet of Clay and I’ve noticed this error twice, instead of a lowercase d it’s written with cl next to each other instead. “Nobby squirmecl” page 100, “ancl wiped the inside” page 199. Is this intentional by Sir Terry, or the publisher, or just a printing error? Also wondering if other versions have the same. submitted by theVeryLast7 to discworld [link] [comments] |