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Expedition report from Rift Group 4
Report carried out by Lieutenant Marvin Bailey
Report states: Peaceful contact with the local town of Una has ended in failure. Upon nearing the gates, the elves demanded RG-4 to identify themselves and after identification, they opened fire on with bows, crossbows, and scorpions. RG4 retaliated by opening fire with its 50mm chain gun, destroying parts of the wall, killing an unknown number of defenders, and destroying their heavy defenses. The initial shock from the chain gun froze the defenders, allowing RG-4 to vacate the area with minimum damage and no losses taken. This was the first unsuccessful interaction with the local populace since the beginning of the expedition and the Rift Group program and it shows that not all natives will be pleased with REC's arrival.
Other news: The enemy force on the other side of the North Alston river has not shown any signs of movement. Moreover, drone footage shows a number of the local populace leaving the Meilume capital and Una across the river, further suggesting that the Imperial army wishes to fortify and wall off the area between the two Alston rivers with the intention of boxing the REC before attacking. CIA sources can confirm this is the case. As far as the Rosian vassal kingdoms are concerned, RG-1, upon making successful contact with the border town of Afa, has sent a platoon, led by lieutenant James Wilson, to the Alston capital of Olinor where they made contact with the king of Alston, Thavok Zorgen. After a number of debates, king Thavok has agreed to accompany the platoon to the duchies of Zirith, Dothen, and Elarith, as well as the kingdom of Opherin to convince the dukes and kind Ostontul to attend a meeting with ambassador Eugene Anderson. Additional transportation will be provided should it be necessary.
30th day of late yellow season
Elyana, Empire of Light
"So.", said the chained human, "Is it my turn to pick the nail or yours?". The torturer responded by punching him in the face. The prisoner spat out a piece of his tooth before answering, "C'mon, you're supposed to be consistent. It's nail, nail, cut, punch. The teeth come later when all the nails are gone. Everyone knows that.". The torturer punched him again. "There you go again, messing up the consistency. I think I know why you work in this shit hole now."
The torturer wanted to hit him again, but a voice stopped him, "Enough!". A moment later, two elves walked into the room.
"Great General Laeroth.", the torturer said as he bowed.
"How is the questioning, Maul?", Laeroth asked.
"Not well, my lord. This human is proving to be a greater challenge than I had anticipated. All I got was a name. Jack Mitchell."
Laeroth sighed as he approached the chained-up human. His body was cut in several places and half of his fingernails have been removed. In addition, he was missing two teeth and bleeding from his mouth and nose. Yet he still denies Maul. As much as it pained Laeroth to admit it, he was impressed. Any Rosian or even elf would have broken by now. What made this human different?
"Jack Mitchell.", Laeroth said, making Jack lift his head and smile.
"What's up?", Jack asked.
"The ceiling.", Laeroth answered, making Jack laugh. "What is humorous?"
"Maul over there said the same thing.", Jack replied as he wheezed, "You sure you're not related? You got the same shade."
This made Maul mad as he grabbed his hammer, "You insolent savage!"
"Calm yourself.", Laeroth said, "I still need this human alive. High mage Gunru, you have my permission.".
"Yes, general.", said Gunru. He was one of the seven high mages of the empire in North Altia, second only to the grand mage Ishton. Each high mage is able to use more than one type of magical ability. Usually, a mage is only able to use one ability from a single spirit. The mages of Vita can be healers or they can use their power to give life to made objects. This way they can create their own army, however, the mage has to remain alive in order for the creature to remain alive, and if the creature is destroyed the life will return back to its source. The mages of Elendi can use one of the various elements, such as wind, fire, water, and so on. One other ability the high mages possess is 'Mind read'. By focusing their spiritual energy on the mind of the target, they can visualize their knowledge.
"What the hell are you doing?", Jack asked as Gunru grabbed his head with both hands, "I mean I'm flattered but I'm into women, just so you know."
Gunru closed his eyes and white energy started appearing from his hands. That energy went into Jack's head, which remained perfectly still as this occurred. Gunru entered his mind and began to project Jack's memories, thoughts, and knowledge around him. Laeroth just watched. He himself couldn't see unless Gunru gave the knowledge to him. But he did see something that disturbed him. Gunru began to twitch. A twitching that turned to shake as his eyes opened and quickly pulled back while panting and holding his head as though he had a headache.
"Gunru.", Laeroth called, "Tell me, what have you seen?"
Gunru shook and could barely grasp the words to speak, "T-T-Terrible things. A mistake. All of this was a mistake."
"Show me."
"No!", Gunru yelled immediately, "You must not. I could not get all the details myself. You will go insane."
"I must know our enemy. Even if it is a little, I must know. Gunru, you must show me."
Gunru greatly hesitated and opposed this. But at the same time, he knew if anyone was able to take the strain, it was Laeroth, the most loyal servant of the empire. "Very well. I shall show you as much as I can. Forgive me."
As Gunru placed his hands on Laeroth's head, the same energy went into it. Laeroth opened his eyes and found himself on a field of battle. Two sides were fighting, humans. One side had blue clothing and the other was red, both fighting with cannons and boomsticks, but nothing else. The blue-clothed soldiers appeared to be winning and they charged the red ones, all while carrying a flag. Red and white stripes with stars. It was brutal. What could it mean?
Night turned to day over and over again, until another battle occurred. Same thing, broomsticks, and cannons, but they fought each other. Once again, there was a flag with stars and stripes but now there were two. A civil war? Hundreds of thousands of men died all for what?
Fast forward, Laeroth appeared in another field, but considerably more terrifying. It was a field of black mud, ash, and blood as far as the eye could see. Thousands upon thousands of bodies piled up around giant cannons that fired and destroyed castles. He could see waves of soldiers running forward at their dug-in enemies. They fell by the dozen until a few lucky ones reached the line and engaged in a brutal brawl. The fighting kept escalating until a massive white cloud filled the battlefield and everyone caught in started choking and dying.
Once the smoke cleared, Laeroth could see hundreds of thousands, no, millions of soldiers and armored beasts marching across a field. They fought another gigantic army, one Laeroth thought could never exist. Millions of troops met on the battlefield and slaughtered one another as the metal monsters spat fire and thousands of iron wyverns fought in the air. Massive ships of steel fired enormous cannons of steel at one another as hundreds of iron rods fell from the sky and flattened the cities below.
Closing and opening his eyes one more time he saw a city. A large city with towers of stone and glass that pierced the clouds. But then he saw it get destroyed as it was engulfed in a literal sea of flames. All of those people were dead in an instant, and in place of the city was a gigantic cloud in the shape of a mushroom.
The day turned to night again as Laeroth was lifted into the air and observed the world change. The nations fought one another while also existing in peace. Cities became massive and their armies even more powerful. But then, the fires came. The great cities turned to a smoldering pile of ash as they turned on one another in the name of 'salvation'. War, disease, poverty, entire civilizations were whipped out and empires started to fall. But in this chaos, something was born. The petty rivalry of the great powers vanished and united they led their armies and pulled the corruption by its roots. It took them decades but they did it. And now united, they rebuilt their homes. The world was not at peace but they made the most of it. At least until they showed up. The rift opened, the invasion failed and now an angered giant prepares to take its vengeance and punish them for their crimes.
Gunru stopped sending energy into Laeroth's mind and let go of his head. Laeroth bent over and panted. His heart was racing and his nose bleeding. He could not believe what he saw. Was there really no hope? Was this war lost before it even began? How was he to win? He wasn't, but he knew he couldn't just give up. His pride as a warrior and a soldier wouldn't let him. But more than that, it was Canus. His maniacal nature coupled with fear will only make things worse if he were to find out. Furthermore, the Inquisition will most likely pull strings and keep the war going for their sick and twisted games. Laeroth knew he had to come up with something, otherwise, the empire will crumble.
"General, are you alright.", Maul asked.
"I am fine Maul.", Laeroth answered, "Take the human back to the cell and treat his wounds. I will let you know what I want with him next later."
"Yes, my lord.", Maul said as he gestured to the guards to help him.
"Gunru."
"Yes, general?", Gunru answered.
"You must not speak of this to anyone. Not even the emperor. This stays between us. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, general."
"Good. Now excuse me, I must clean myself and prepare for the future.". Laeroth left the torture chamber and climbed up the steps to the halls. On his way to his personal chamber, he could feel a strange sensation run down his spine. The effects of the mind read? No, this was something else. He made a random turn and walked down a narrow hallway. After taking a few steps, he prepared a knife and waited. Soon, a cloaked individual suddenly appeared from behind the corner and started running away. Laeroth immediately gave chase, signaling the guards in front to stop him. Two guards formed up with shields, which made him stop for a moment. After a moment Laeroth threw his knife at his back. He yelled in pain as he fell over and the guards moved in.
"Leave him!", Laeroth shouted as he grabbed the man and pulled the cloak down. It turned out to be a woman. "Who sent you!? Talk!". His words fell on deaf ears as the woman's head twitched and a thick purple foam-like substance oozed from her mouth. Laeroth groaned and let her go, "Burn the body. Speak nothing of this.". The guards nodded and carried the body outside.
'Gilshor.', Laeroth thought, 'I will not let you turn this war into your own personal puppet show. The darkness will not rule the light.'
---
(Meanwhile)
Upper level of the Imperial palace
Lilyth Camilla Agorix was always a strange girl. While the other girls took care of their hair, she took care of the armor forged specifically for her. While the other girls practiced knitting and read poetry, she expressed an interest in politics and philosophy. This behavior wasn't particularly accepted by her father. Her mother, on the other hand, empress Alruna Flavia Agorix, greatly supported her. It was thanks to her effort that women were allowed to join the army, and at the moment, a tenth of the army is female. Alruna wasn't named the Lioness for anything, and Lilyth tries to live up to her expectations.
But some members of the family aren't as hard-working as her. Her brother Armas is the biggest and most disgusting slob. She could hear him and his hooligans laugh in his chamber. Trying her best to ignore them, she walked past, but as Armas exited the room he called her over, "Hey sister! Come on in. We have room."
Lilyth groaned, "I have more important matters to attend to than entertain a room full of children."
Armas laughed, "Oh come on, loosen up. The slaves taught me that."
"Armas, if mother finds out-"
"What? What will she do? These slaves were given to me and I can do whatever I want with them."
"Is that so?", spoke a mature womanly voice, "Tell me, Armas, what exactly have you been doing?"
"M-Mother?", Armas uttered. Next to her was the second youngest daughter, Khelsa, along with the captive human girl, Amy. The two became friends after Amy arrived and while Alruna didn't support it at first, she learned that a child is a child, and her being from a supposedly savage land is irrelevant. "Nothing. Just questioning these captives with my soldiers."
"You mean raping women with your hooligans.", Alruna said as she walked into his room. The stench and sight made her sick. "Guards! Take these women to my chambers and bring along some maids. Clean them, feed them, and dress them properly." Guards did just that, pushing away the thugs who grunted in response.
"Khelsa?", Amy asked, "Is that your brother?"
Khelsa sighed in response, "Yes. I'm sorry you had to see this."
As the guards took the women out, Armas protested, "Mother, this is unfair. These women are my slaves. Furthermore, they are savages from a barbaric land. They should consider themselves lucky to even be in my presence. Father says-"
Alruna slapped him, stopping his sentence, "Your father may be the emperor, but I know him better than anyone else. He is narrow-minded and frightened, only seeing what is right in front of him, and never bothering to properly assess anything. We may be the chosen bringers of light, but if we act as barbaric as our adversaries then we are no better than them. Now, get this room cleaned and then yourself. You are royalty, act like it." With that Alruna and Lilyth left, leaving Armas to bicker and throw tantrums.
"Thank you, mother.", Lilyth said, "I must go now."
"Go, my daughter.", said Alruna. Lilyth bowed and entered her chamber.
"Fenris.", she spoke, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes, princess.", Fenris said, "The savage stands before you in chains and the scribe has prepared the parchment."
"Excellent. Scribe, you are to document any and all findings. Listen carefully. Do you understand?"
"Yes, princess.", answered the scribe.
"Let us begin.", Lilyth said as she walked to the captive, "What is your name?"
"You know that.", he answered and received a back-handed slap. After moving his head back, he answered, "Brian O'Neil."
"Where are you from?"
"My mom.", to which he received a punch in the stomach. It didn't hurt a lot, considering he was a large man. "The United States of America."
"Tell me more about it."
"It's a unity of fifty-two states with three hundred and fifty million people."
This shocked Lilyth but she didn't show it, "Are there more countries?"
"Many more. My country isn't even the biggest one."
"So there are more empires in your world."
"No, there aren't any."
Lilyth paused for a moment, "Then what?"
"We are a republic. We elect our leader and that leader represents us. He doesn't have all the power and all of his decisions are put to a vote. Empires and kings are a thing of the past."
"You expect me to believe that? A nation cannot function without a centralized figure controlling it."
Brad chuckled, "We use to think that, too. But we found out that the opposite is true. One person can control a city, or maybe a small nation. But the bigger a nation gets and the more powerful it gets, the more strain appears on a single person. This is why our nations are governed by dozens of people and we have careful systems for governance. A single person is not enough. He would only bring ruin."
This shocked Lilyth more. A system like this was always theorized by politicians and philosophers, but nothing was ever tested because the emperors abolished it, saying that it goes against the path of light. "You say that. But our empire has grown powerful and spread across the world. We have become its rulers and spreaders of wisdom, knowledge, and civilization."
"There used to be an empire in my world that thought just like you. They wanted to conquer the entire world and make it so that only their ways exist. Do you want to know what happened?"
"What?"
"They became too big. There was too much ground. Their forces were spread thin and could be picked off by united barbarians who didn't like their ways. War stopped and since their economy depended on it, it crumbled. Their politicians became corrupt and power-hungry. They stole from and even killed each other. Eventually, they fell beneath the force of the united kingdoms they called savages and were wiped out. This is why no one can truly conquer the world. No matter how hard you fight, the world always wins."
Lilyth clenched her fists and stared at Brad with an angered look, "You say that we will end up the same?"
"If you refuse to change, then yes.".
After staring at him for a few moments, she spoke, "Fenris! Take him back to his cell. We will continue this tomorrow."
"At once, princess.", Fenris said and grabbed Brad by the arm.
As they were walking out the door, Brad turned his head to Fenris, "You know she likes you, right?".
Fenris looked at him for a bit before pushing him forward. Lilyth was left to ponder Brad's words. There is still much for her to learn.
---
(That night)
Somewhere between Meilume capital and Una
Being a prisoner is never good. Your rights are taken away and the ones who captured you can do anything they want to you. They could kill you, sell you or worse. This was the predicament the Belus family found itself in. Out of the two hundred soldiers that accompanied them, only one soldier remained, the others were killed and fed to the welfen and leanoids. The Belus family was in a cage with the last soldier, Klaus, and a servant, Lia. The five of them were all sitting with their hands tied behind their backs, wondering what will happen next. Taria was still grieving over the death of Aego, not even lifting her head.
"Bellon.", Nimriel whispered, "What will happen to us?"
"Do not worry.", Bellon said, "We will alright."
"Stop lying, father.", Taria said, still with head lowered, "These people will first rape us, torture us and then demand ransom from the empire."
"Hush, my lady.", Lia said, "Don't say such things."
"What? The truth?"
"You should listen to the little girl.", said a rogue elf as he crouched in front of the cage. Behind him was the fire in the center of the camp with four more rogues, two leanoids, and one welfen. Most of the bandits were asleep, only over a dozen stayed awake. "The money we'll get from you will make us set for life. Sure, we might have lost more than half our men, but that just means more for the living."
Taria spat, "Open this cage and I'll show you a little girl."
The rogue chuckled, "Quite a fighter. I saw you kill that leanoid. You're good. Why don't you come with us?"
"Why would I join a bunch of good-for-nothing traitors? You know nothing of honor, duty or the light."
The rogue laughed, "They still teach that shit? The light is nothing but a made-up excuse the first emperor made so we can take these lands. People like us? We see the truth. And all of you are being manipulated."
"You dare mock the path of light?", asked Bellon.
"Shouldn't a bad joke be mocked?"
Taria and Bellon gritted their teeth. This is why rogues are killed on sight. They know nothing but greed. As Taria stared at the rogue, something appeared in the corner of her vision. A man in green armor held a black boomstick and aimed it at the bandits by the fire. She looked around and saw six more. Are they insane? If they fire it, it will alert everyone. But when they fired them, only a slight sound was heard. Enough for the rogue in front of her to turn around. He saw his mates dead, but couldn't call for help as his neck was ripped out by a welfen. The Belus family was in shock as the welfen opened the cage.
"Don't be afraid.", he spoke, "I'm with the Americans."
This confused the family. "Who?", Taria asked.
Soon after, a soldier in green got to them, "My name is Lieutenant Caden Roberts of RG-3. We're here to rescue you.". He cut their ropes and waved his hand to signal the rest of his men. As they moved, Taria saw the dead bodies of the bandits and when they got out of the camp she could see that only fifteen soldiers, including two tribals, came to rescue them.
"Who are you people?", Taria asked.
"We're the Rift Expeditionary Force from the United States of America.", said the lieutenant as he pressed a small metallic box which caused the entire bandit camp to get engulfed in flames. The bandits burned and screamed, some ran out of the camp but got shot by the green soldiers. Their camouflaged armor, repeating broomsticks, and fire magic puzzled Taria greatly. She couldn't even see their faces from their masks and eyewear. Who are they? Her questions had to wait a little longer, as iron carriages moved from behind them and opened.
"Lieutenant, is it go time?", spoke the man from one of the carriages.
"Yeah.", said the lieutenant, "Let's go, I'll get them to the MRAP. Come on.". He led the five of them to the middle carriages through its back door. It looked like it was completely made of metal and that it could take a cannon shot. This just further confused them. As the carriages started moving, they noticed that it was going at high speeds, even faster than horses.
"Who are you?", Bellon asked, "What do you want from us?"
The soldiers in front of them looked at each other before taking their masks and helmets off, revealing their pale faces. It wasn't anything sinister and they didn't look like they intended to harm them.
"I am sergeant Jeff Parker.", spoke one of them.
"I am staff sergeant Liam Cook.", spoke the other one, "Over here is Lioba, our feelian, and Olaf, our friendly welfen."
"It's welfen that attacked us.", Klaus spoke.
"Do not speak as if they are of my kind.", said Olaf in an angered tone, "Those beasts lost their meaning in life."
"What do you mean?", Jeff asked.
"Each wolf lives for the pack. For the tribe. He fights for it, provides for it, and dies for it. These wolves, they've abandoned their blood and chosen the life of a wild animal. They're no better than the ferals."
"I see. We have those too. We call them deserters. They flee the army and abandon their brothers. And so we hunt them down and punish them."
"As you should."
After some silence, Klaus spoke, "Forgive me. I meant no disrespect.". Olaf nodded.
"Are you taking us home?", Nimriel asked.
"No.", Liam said, "We're taking you to Galdush. Our lieutenant-general wishes to speak with you. Well, lord Bellon more specifically." The five went silent. This was the enemy from the rift, and now they're taking them to their leader.
"Are we to become your slaves then?", Taria asked.
Jeff and Liam chuckled a bit. "No no, of course not. That kind of thing is in the past for us. Our lieutenant-general only wants to speak with you. After a nice conversation, we will personally bring you back to the Meilume capital."
"How do you know its name?", Bellon asked.
"We have our ways. Now sit back and enjoy the ride.", Liam said as he pulled some blocks out of his pocket. When he opened it, it was gray and seemed to be food. After offering it to Lia, he spoke, "Hungry?". After some hesitation, Lia took it and tasted it. It was quite delicious. As she ate the whole thing, Liam chuckled as he opened a bag, "Don't strain yourself, I have enough for everyone."
---
(Several hours later)
Fort Galdush
"My lady.", said Lia as she shook Taria, "My lady, wake up, we've arrived."
Taria woke up, "What? How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours, my lady."
This was surprising, to say the least, "We're already here?". She looked out the window and saw their fort as well as their machines. The M2 battle tanks rolled over the hills and fired at the targets, blasting through them. She saw soldiers shooting their guns and groups running in a circle. At the gate, the lieutenant introduced himself and the convoy continued. Inside, they could see soldiers clad in thick, metal armor carrying large boxes and as they got out of the MRAP they saw the Invictus ACs flying in the air. All of this overwhelmed them. To them, these were otherworldly monsters. To the rangers, it was a normal everyday occurrence.
Lieutenant Roberts stood in front of his men, "Alright. I will take lord Bellon Belus to lieutenant-general Coleman. Parker, Cook, you take the rest to their temporary residents."
"Yes sir.", both of them said as they saluted, "Okay, let's go. I promise it's nothing bad."
Taria, Lia, Nimriel, and Klaus went with Jeff and Liam to their residence while Caden took Bellon to the lieutenant-general. The two of them went into the central command building.
"Lieutenant Caden Roberts of Rift Group 3 here to see colonel Andrew Marshal and lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman.", he said to a woman who worked as a secretary.
After some delay, the woman nodded, "Go down the hall to meeting room two."
"Thank you. Come on.". Bellon followed Caden through the hall. He admired how it was crystal clear and pearl white like they were made of pure marble. As they walked they reached the meeting room and entered. Inside were two men who stood up immediately.
"Good morning.", said the first man, "I am lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman of the Rift Expeditionary Corp. And this is our logistics officer, colonel Andrew Marshal."
"Nice to meet you.", Andrew said, "You are the lord of Meilume, Bellon Belus, correct?"
Bellon stuttered, "Y-Yes I am. Great general, you have my eternal gratitude for saving my life, and my family.", he said as he bowed.
"Please.", Patrick spoke, "No need to bow. And please call me Patrick. Sit down."
"Thank you, Patrick.", Bellon said as he sat down, Caden next to him.
"While I accept your gratitude, I'm going to need to ask something else of you?"
'Of course. What was I expecting?', Bellon thought, "And what would that be? If it is gold I assure you the emperor will pay a decent sum for my family and me."
"Oh no, god no. I'm not asking for money. I need something from you that only someone of your status within the empire can provide."
'Someone of my status'. "What exactly?"
"As you know, your empire opened a rift in our country and attacked without warning and unprovoked. We beat the invasion force and the force than came after it. You lost two armies in less than a month, or, a moon cycle as you call them."
"Yes, I am aware of this. What does that have to do with me? I didn't send those armies."
"We know. But you have a connection with the person who did. And we want you to send a message to him for us."
'A message?' "And what kind of message?"
"We would like an audience with a representative to negotiate peace."
This stunned Bellon. 'Peace?'
---
(Meanwhile)
Jeff and Liam brought the four to an empty army barracks, reserved for these situations. "Okay.", Liam spoke, "You'll be staying here until the lieutenant-general orders otherwise. Don't worry, you'll be comfortable." They entered the barracks and it was clean, with several beds, a fridge, desks, and lights, which Jeff turned on, surprising the 'guests'.
"Make yourselves at home.", Jeff said, "I'll bring you some breakfast soon.". He left and closed the door, leaving the four to talk.
"What do you think will happen, Klaus?", Nimriel asked.
"I don't know, my lady.", he answered, "But we shouldn't do anything to anger them. I think we should wait and see what is to come."
Taria looked out the window and saw the tanks and LAVs driving past as well as soldiers marching in unison. "Incredible. All this power. They could have destroyed Meilume before we even had the chance to escape. And yet here we are. In their fortress, waiting for them to bring us food. They want something."
"Well.", Lia said, "That man who offered me the sweet food was nice. I think they're not that bad."
"They are the enemy, Lia. Enemies should never be trusted. It might seem like they are good, but they are using us. They want us here so we can witness their power and use us to spread fear through the rest of the empire. Clever."
"I think you are thinking too much about it, my lady. Perhaps you need to sit down, and rest."
Taria sighed. She walked to a nearby desk and observed the notebooks, pens, and pencils. She sat down and opened a notebook, immediately noticing how the paper is milk-white with lines to help her writing. Picking up one of the pens, she observed how smooth it was and made of spotless, thin metal, but also how it didn't have a tip. Then she noticed the round top and remembered how the lieutenant pressed his metal box. Pressing down the top, the pen clicked and the tip appeared. Amazed, she clicked it several more times before starting to write.
"Taria?", Nimriel asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm writing down what I saw."
At that moment, Jeff opened the door and brought several white cardboard boxes, "I brought breakfast. I hope it's to your liking."
Each of them took one and Jeff put the last one on Taria's desk. She looked at him and asked, "Can you show me more of your fortress?"
Jeff hesitated a bit, "Why?"
"I'm curious. I wish to learn."
"So you can write it down and give the information to the army?". Taria sat silently. This wasn't untrue. "Look, we're not your enemy. Our commanding officer is talking to your father about peace. Truth is, we don't want war.". Taria paused to think about that. "But if I get permission, I'll show you around."
"I would appreciate it. Thank you."
​
End of chapter 10
​
---
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Expedition report from Rift Group 4
Report carried out by Lieutenant Marvin Bailey
Report states: Peaceful contact with the local town of Una has ended in failure. Upon nearing the gates, the elves demanded RG-4 to identify themselves and after identification, they opened fire on with bows, crossbows, and scorpions. RG4 retaliated by opening fire with its 50mm chain gun, destroying parts of the wall, killing an unknown number of defenders, and destroying their heavy defenses. The initial shock from the chain gun froze the defenders, allowing RG-4 to vacate the area with minimum damage and no losses taken. This was the first unsuccessful interaction with the local populace since the beginning of the expedition and the Rift Group program and it shows that not all natives will be pleased with REC's arrival.
Other news: The enemy force on the other side of the North Alston river has not shown any signs of movement. Moreover, drone footage shows a number of the local populace leaving the Meilume capital and Una across the river, further suggesting that the Imperial army wishes to fortify and wall off the area between the two Alston rivers with the intention of boxing the REC before attacking. CIA sources can confirm this is the case. As far as the Rosian vassal kingdoms are concerned, RG-1, upon making successful contact with the border town of Afa, has sent a platoon, led by lieutenant James Wilson, to the Alston capital of Olinor where they made contact with the king of Alston, Thavok Zorgen. After a number of debates, king Thavok has agreed to accompany the platoon to the duchies of Zirith, Dothen, and Elarith, as well as the kingdom of Opherin to convince the dukes and kind Ostontul to attend a meeting with ambassador Eugene Anderson. Additional transportation will be provided should it be necessary.
30th day of late yellow season
Elyana, Empire of Light
"So.", said the chained human, "Is it my turn to pick the nail or yours?". The torturer responded by punching him in the face. The prisoner spat out a piece of his tooth before answering, "C'mon, you're supposed to be consistent. It's nail, nail, cut, punch. The teeth come later when all the nails are gone. Everyone knows that.". The torturer punched him again. "There you go again, messing up the consistency. I think I know why you work in this shit hole now."
The torturer wanted to hit him again, but a voice stopped him, "Enough!". A moment later, two elves walked into the room.
"Great General Laeroth.", the torturer said as he bowed.
"How is the questioning, Maul?", Laeroth asked.
"Not well, my lord. This human is proving to be a greater challenge than I had anticipated. All I got was a name. Jack Mitchell."
Laeroth sighed as he approached the chained-up human. His body was cut in several places and half of his fingernails have been removed. In addition, he was missing two teeth and bleeding from his mouth and nose. Yet he still denies Maul. As much as it pained Laeroth to admit it, he was impressed. Any Rosian or even elf would have broken by now. What made this human different?
"Jack Mitchell.", Laeroth said, making Jack lift his head and smile.
"What's up?", Jack asked.
"The ceiling.", Laeroth answered, making Jack laugh. "What is humorous?"
"Maul over there said the same thing.", Jack replied as he wheezed, "You sure you're not related? You got the same shade."
This made Maul mad as he grabbed his hammer, "You insolent savage!"
"Calm yourself.", Laeroth said, "I still need this human alive. High mage Gunru, you have my permission.".
"Yes, general.", said Gunru. He was one of the seven high mages of the empire in North Altia, second only to the grand mage Ishton. Each high mage is able to use more than one type of magical ability. Usually, a mage is only able to use one ability from a single spirit. The mages of Vita can be healers or they can use their power to give life to made objects. This way they can create their own army, however, the mage has to remain alive in order for the creature to remain alive, and if the creature is destroyed the life will return back to its source. The mages of Elendi can use one of the various elements, such as wind, fire, water, and so on. One other ability the high mages possess is 'Mind read'. By focusing their spiritual energy on the mind of the target, they can visualize their knowledge.
"What the hell are you doing?", Jack asked as Gunru grabbed his head with both hands, "I mean I'm flattered but I'm into women, just so you know."
Gunru closed his eyes and white energy started appearing from his hands. That energy went into Jack's head, which remained perfectly still as this occurred. Gunru entered his mind and began to project Jack's memories, thoughts, and knowledge around him. Laeroth just watched. He himself couldn't see unless Gunru gave the knowledge to him. But he did see something that disturbed him. Gunru began to twitch. A twitching that turned to shake as his eyes opened and quickly pulled back while panting and holding his head as though he had a headache.
"Gunru.", Laeroth called, "Tell me, what have you seen?"
Gunru shook and could barely grasp the words to speak, "T-T-Terrible things. A mistake. All of this was a mistake."
"Show me."
"No!", Gunru yelled immediately, "You must not. I could not get all the details myself. You will go insane."
"I must know our enemy. Even if it is a little, I must know. Gunru, you must show me."
Gunru greatly hesitated and opposed this. But at the same time, he knew if anyone was able to take the strain, it was Laeroth, the most loyal servant of the empire. "Very well. I shall show you as much as I can. Forgive me."
As Gunru placed his hands on Laeroth's head, the same energy went into it. Laeroth opened his eyes and found himself on a field of battle. Two sides were fighting, humans. One side had blue clothing and the other was red, both fighting with cannons and boomsticks, but nothing else. The blue-clothed soldiers appeared to be winning and they charged the red ones, all while carrying a flag. Red and white stripes with stars. It was brutal. What could it mean?
Night turned to day over and over again, until another battle occurred. Same thing, broomsticks, and cannons, but they fought each other. Once again, there was a flag with stars and stripes but now there were two. A civil war? Hundreds of thousands of men died all for what?
Fast forward, Laeroth appeared in another field, but considerably more terrifying. It was a field of black mud, ash, and blood as far as the eye could see. Thousands upon thousands of bodies piled up around giant cannons that fired and destroyed castles. He could see waves of soldiers running forward at their dug-in enemies. They fell by the dozen until a few lucky ones reached the line and engaged in a brutal brawl. The fighting kept escalating until a massive white cloud filled the battlefield and everyone caught in started choking and dying.
Once the smoke cleared, Laeroth could see hundreds of thousands, no, millions of soldiers and armored beasts marching across a field. They fought another gigantic army, one Laeroth thought could never exist. Millions of troops met on the battlefield and slaughtered one another as the metal monsters spat fire and thousands of iron wyverns fought in the air. Massive ships of steel fired enormous cannons of steel at one another as hundreds of iron rods fell from the sky and flattened the cities below.
Closing and opening his eyes one more time he saw a city. A large city with towers of stone and glass that pierced the clouds. But then he saw it get destroyed as it was engulfed in a literal sea of flames. All of those people were dead in an instant, and in place of the city was a gigantic cloud in the shape of a mushroom.
The day turned to night again as Laeroth was lifted into the air and observed the world change. The nations fought one another while also existing in peace. Cities became massive and their armies even more powerful. But then, the fires came. The great cities turned to a smoldering pile of ash as they turned on one another in the name of 'salvation'. War, disease, poverty, entire civilizations were whipped out and empires started to fall. But in this chaos, something was born. The petty rivalry of the great powers vanished and united they led their armies and pulled the corruption by its roots. It took them decades but they did it. And now united, they rebuilt their homes. The world was not at peace but they made the most of it. At least until they showed up. The rift opened, the invasion failed and now an angered giant prepares to take its vengeance and punish them for their crimes.
Gunru stopped sending energy into Laeroth's mind and let go of his head. Laeroth bent over and panted. His heart was racing and his nose bleeding. He could not believe what he saw. Was there really no hope? Was this war lost before it even began? How was he to win? He wasn't, but he knew he couldn't just give up. His pride as a warrior and a soldier wouldn't let him. But more than that, it was Canus. His maniacal nature coupled with fear will only make things worse if he were to find out. Furthermore, the Inquisition will most likely pull strings and keep the war going for their sick and twisted games. Laeroth knew he had to come up with something, otherwise, the empire will crumble.
"General, are you alright.", Maul asked.
"I am fine Maul.", Laeroth answered, "Take the human back to the cell and treat his wounds. I will let you know what I want with him next later."
"Yes, my lord.", Maul said as he gestured to the guards to help him.
"Gunru."
"Yes, general?", Gunru answered.
"You must not speak of this to anyone. Not even the emperor. This stays between us. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, general."
"Good. Now excuse me, I must clean myself and prepare for the future.". Laeroth left the torture chamber and climbed up the steps to the halls. On his way to his personal chamber, he could feel a strange sensation run down his spine. The effects of the mind read? No, this was something else. He made a random turn and walked down a narrow hallway. After taking a few steps, he prepared a knife and waited. Soon, a cloaked individual suddenly appeared from behind the corner and started running away. Laeroth immediately gave chase, signaling the guards in front to stop him. Two guards formed up with shields, which made him stop for a moment. After a moment Laeroth threw his knife at his back. He yelled in pain as he fell over and the guards moved in.
"Leave him!", Laeroth shouted as he grabbed the man and pulled the cloak down. It turned out to be a woman. "Who sent you!? Talk!". His words fell on deaf ears as the woman's head twitched and a thick purple foam-like substance oozed from her mouth. Laeroth groaned and let her go, "Burn the body. Speak nothing of this.". The guards nodded and carried the body outside.
'Gilshor.', Laeroth thought, 'I will not let you turn this war into your own personal puppet show. The darkness will not rule the light.'
---
(Meanwhile)
Upper level of the Imperial palace
Lilyth Camilla Agorix was always a strange girl. While the other girls took care of their hair, she took care of the armor forged specifically for her. While the other girls practiced knitting and read poetry, she expressed an interest in politics and philosophy. This behavior wasn't particularly accepted by her father. Her mother, on the other hand, empress Alruna Flavia Agorix, greatly supported her. It was thanks to her effort that women were allowed to join the army, and at the moment, a tenth of the army is female. Alruna wasn't named the Lioness for anything, and Lilyth tries to live up to her expectations.
But some members of the family aren't as hard-working as her. Her brother Armas is the biggest and most disgusting slob. She could hear him and his hooligans laugh in his chamber. Trying her best to ignore them, she walked past, but as Armas exited the room he called her over, "Hey sister! Come on in. We have room."
Lilyth groaned, "I have more important matters to attend to than entertain a room full of children."
Armas laughed, "Oh come on, loosen up. The slaves taught me that."
"Armas, if mother finds out-"
"What? What will she do? These slaves were given to me and I can do whatever I want with them."
"Is that so?", spoke a mature womanly voice, "Tell me, Armas, what exactly have you been doing?"
"M-Mother?", Armas uttered. Next to her was the second youngest daughter, Khelsa, along with the captive human girl, Amy. The two became friends after Amy arrived and while Alruna didn't support it at first, she learned that a child is a child, and her being from a supposedly savage land is irrelevant. "Nothing. Just questioning these captives with my soldiers."
"You mean raping women with your hooligans.", Alruna said as she walked into his room. The stench and sight made her sick. "Guards! Take these women to my chambers and bring along some maids. Clean them, feed them, and dress them properly." Guards did just that, pushing away the thugs who grunted in response.
"Khelsa?", Amy asked, "Is that your brother?"
Khelsa sighed in response, "Yes. I'm sorry you had to see this."
As the guards took the women out, Armas protested, "Mother, this is unfair. These women are my slaves. Furthermore, they are savages from a barbaric land. They should consider themselves lucky to even be in my presence. Father says-"
Alruna slapped him, stopping his sentence, "Your father may be the emperor, but I know him better than anyone else. He is narrow-minded and frightened, only seeing what is right in front of him, and never bothering to properly assess anything. We may be the chosen bringers of light, but if we act as barbaric as our adversaries then we are no better than them. Now, get this room cleaned and then yourself. You are royalty, act like it." With that Alruna and Lilyth left, leaving Armas to bicker and throw tantrums.
"Thank you, mother.", Lilyth said, "I must go now."
"Go, my daughter.", said Alruna. Lilyth bowed and entered her chamber.
"Fenris.", she spoke, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes, princess.", Fenris said, "The savage stands before you in chains and the scribe has prepared the parchment."
"Excellent. Scribe, you are to document any and all findings. Listen carefully. Do you understand?"
"Yes, princess.", answered the scribe.
"Let us begin.", Lilyth said as she walked to the captive, "What is your name?"
"You know that.", he answered and received a back-handed slap. After moving his head back, he answered, "Brian O'Neil."
"Where are you from?"
"My mom.", to which he received a punch in the stomach. It didn't hurt a lot, considering he was a large man. "The United States of America."
"Tell me more about it."
"It's a unity of fifty-two states with three hundred and fifty million people."
This shocked Lilyth but she didn't show it, "Are there more countries?"
"Many more. My country isn't even the biggest one."
"So there are more empires in your world."
"No, there aren't any."
Lilyth paused for a moment, "Then what?"
"We are a republic. We elect our leader and that leader represents us. He doesn't have all the power and all of his decisions are put to a vote. Empires and kings are a thing of the past."
"You expect me to believe that? A nation cannot function without a centralized figure controlling it."
Brad chuckled, "We use to think that, too. But we found out that the opposite is true. One person can control a city, or maybe a small nation. But the bigger a nation gets and the more powerful it gets, the more strain appears on a single person. This is why our nations are governed by dozens of people and we have careful systems for governance. A single person is not enough. He would only bring ruin."
This shocked Lilyth more. A system like this was always theorized by politicians and philosophers, but nothing was ever tested because the emperors abolished it, saying that it goes against the path of light. "You say that. But our empire has grown powerful and spread across the world. We have become its rulers and spreaders of wisdom, knowledge, and civilization."
"There used to be an empire in my world that thought just like you. They wanted to conquer the entire world and make it so that only their ways exist. Do you want to know what happened?"
"What?"
"They became too big. There was too much ground. Their forces were spread thin and could be picked off by united barbarians who didn't like their ways. War stopped and since their economy depended on it, it crumbled. Their politicians became corrupt and power-hungry. They stole from and even killed each other. Eventually, they fell beneath the force of the united kingdoms they called savages and were wiped out. This is why no one can truly conquer the world. No matter how hard you fight, the world always wins."
Lilyth clenched her fists and stared at Brad with an angered look, "You say that we will end up the same?"
"If you refuse to change, then yes.".
After staring at him for a few moments, she spoke, "Fenris! Take him back to his cell. We will continue this tomorrow."
"At once, princess.", Fenris said and grabbed Brad by the arm.
As they were walking out the door, Brad turned his head to Fenris, "You know she likes you, right?".
Fenris looked at him for a bit before pushing him forward. Lilyth was left to ponder Brad's words. There is still much for her to learn.
---
(That night)
Somewhere between Meilume capital and Una
Being a prisoner is never good. Your rights are taken away and the ones who captured you can do anything they want to you. They could kill you, sell you or worse. This was the predicament the Belus family found itself in. Out of the two hundred soldiers that accompanied them, only one soldier remained, the others were killed and fed to the welfen and leanoids. The Belus family was in a cage with the last soldier, Klaus, and a servant, Lia. The five of them were all sitting with their hands tied behind their backs, wondering what will happen next. Taria was still grieving over the death of Aego, not even lifting her head.
"Bellon.", Nimriel whispered, "What will happen to us?"
"Do not worry.", Bellon said, "We will alright."
"Stop lying, father.", Taria said, still with head lowered, "These people will first rape us, torture us and then demand ransom from the empire."
"Hush, my lady.", Lia said, "Don't say such things."
"What? The truth?"
"You should listen to the little girl.", said a rogue elf as he crouched in front of the cage. Behind him was the fire in the center of the camp with four more rogues, two leanoids, and one welfen. Most of the bandits were asleep, only over a dozen stayed awake. "The money we'll get from you will make us set for life. Sure, we might have lost more than half our men, but that just means more for the living."
Taria spat, "Open this cage and I'll show you a little girl."
The rogue chuckled, "Quite a fighter. I saw you kill that leanoid. You're good. Why don't you come with us?"
"Why would I join a bunch of good-for-nothing traitors? You know nothing of honor, duty or the light."
The rogue laughed, "They still teach that shit? The light is nothing but a made-up excuse the first emperor made so we can take these lands. People like us? We see the truth. And all of you are being manipulated."
"You dare mock the path of light?", asked Bellon.
"Shouldn't a bad joke be mocked?"
Taria and Bellon gritted their teeth. This is why rogues are killed on sight. They know nothing but greed. As Taria stared at the rogue, something appeared in the corner of her vision. A man in green armor held a black boomstick and aimed it at the bandits by the fire. She looked around and saw six more. Are they insane? If they fire it, it will alert everyone. But when they fired them, only a slight sound was heard. Enough for the rogue in front of her to turn around. He saw his mates dead, but couldn't call for help as his neck was ripped out by a welfen. The Belus family was in shock as the welfen opened the cage.
"Don't be afraid.", he spoke, "I'm with the Americans."
This confused the family. "Who?", Taria asked.
Soon after, a soldier in green got to them, "My name is Lieutenant Caden Roberts of RG-3. We're here to rescue you.". He cut their ropes and waved his hand to signal the rest of his men. As they moved, Taria saw the dead bodies of the bandits and when they got out of the camp she could see that only fifteen soldiers, including two tribals, came to rescue them.
"Who are you people?", Taria asked.
"We're the Rift Expeditionary Force from the United States of America.", said the lieutenant as he pressed a small metallic box which caused the entire bandit camp to get engulfed in flames. The bandits burned and screamed, some ran out of the camp but got shot by the green soldiers. Their camouflaged armor, repeating broomsticks, and fire magic puzzled Taria greatly. She couldn't even see their faces from their masks and eyewear. Who are they? Her questions had to wait a little longer, as iron carriages moved from behind them and opened.
"Lieutenant, is it go time?", spoke the man from one of the carriages.
"Yeah.", said the lieutenant, "Let's go, I'll get them to the MRAP. Come on.". He led the five of them to the middle carriages through its back door. It looked like it was completely made of metal and that it could take a cannon shot. This just further confused them. As the carriages started moving, they noticed that it was going at high speeds, even faster than horses.
"Who are you?", Bellon asked, "What do you want from us?"
The soldiers in front of them looked at each other before taking their masks and helmets off, revealing their pale faces. It wasn't anything sinister and they didn't look like they intended to harm them.
"I am sergeant Jeff Parker.", spoke one of them.
"I am staff sergeant Liam Cook.", spoke the other one, "Over here is Lioba, our feelian, and Olaf, our friendly welfen."
"It's welfen that attacked us.", Klaus spoke.
"Do not speak as if they are of my kind.", said Olaf in an angered tone, "Those beasts lost their meaning in life."
"What do you mean?", Jeff asked.
"Each wolf lives for the pack. For the tribe. He fights for it, provides for it, and dies for it. These wolves, they've abandoned their blood and chosen the life of a wild animal. They're no better than the ferals."
"I see. We have those too. We call them deserters. They flee the army and abandon their brothers. And so we hunt them down and punish them."
"As you should."
After some silence, Klaus spoke, "Forgive me. I meant no disrespect.". Olaf nodded.
"Are you taking us home?", Nimriel asked.
"No.", Liam said, "We're taking you to Galdush. Our lieutenant-general wishes to speak with you. Well, lord Bellon more specifically." The five went silent. This was the enemy from the rift, and now they're taking them to their leader.
"Are we to become your slaves then?", Taria asked.
Jeff and Liam chuckled a bit. "No no, of course not. That kind of thing is in the past for us. Our lieutenant-general only wants to speak with you. After a nice conversation, we will personally bring you back to the Meilume capital."
"How do you know its name?", Bellon asked.
"We have our ways. Now sit back and enjoy the ride.", Liam said as he pulled some blocks out of his pocket. When he opened it, it was gray and seemed to be food. After offering it to Lia, he spoke, "Hungry?". After some hesitation, Lia took it and tasted it. It was quite delicious. As she ate the whole thing, Liam chuckled as he opened a bag, "Don't strain yourself, I have enough for everyone."
---
(Several hours later)
Fort Galdush
"My lady.", said Lia as she shook Taria, "My lady, wake up, we've arrived."
Taria woke up, "What? How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours, my lady."
This was surprising, to say the least, "We're already here?". She looked out the window and saw their fort as well as their machines. The M2 battle tanks rolled over the hills and fired at the targets, blasting through them. She saw soldiers shooting their guns and groups running in a circle. At the gate, the lieutenant introduced himself and the convoy continued. Inside, they could see soldiers clad in thick, metal armor carrying large boxes and as they got out of the MRAP they saw the Invictus ACs flying in the air. All of this overwhelmed them. To them, these were otherworldly monsters. To the rangers, it was a normal everyday occurrence.
Lieutenant Roberts stood in front of his men, "Alright. I will take lord Bellon Belus to lieutenant-general Coleman. Parker, Cook, you take the rest to their temporary residents."
"Yes sir.", both of them said as they saluted, "Okay, let's go. I promise it's nothing bad."
Taria, Lia, Nimriel, and Klaus went with Jeff and Liam to their residence while Caden took Bellon to the lieutenant-general. The two of them went into the central command building.
"Lieutenant Caden Roberts of Rift Group 3 here to see colonel Andrew Marshal and lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman.", he said to a woman who worked as a secretary.
After some delay, the woman nodded, "Go down the hall to meeting room two."
"Thank you. Come on.". Bellon followed Caden through the hall. He admired how it was crystal clear and pearl white like they were made of pure marble. As they walked they reached the meeting room and entered. Inside were two men who stood up immediately.
"Good morning.", said the first man, "I am lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman of the Rift Expeditionary Corp. And this is our logistics officer, colonel Andrew Marshal."
"Nice to meet you.", Andrew said, "You are the lord of Meilume, Bellon Belus, correct?"
Bellon stuttered, "Y-Yes I am. Great general, you have my eternal gratitude for saving my life, and my family.", he said as he bowed.
"Please.", Patrick spoke, "No need to bow. And please call me Patrick. Sit down."
"Thank you, Patrick.", Bellon said as he sat down, Caden next to him.
"While I accept your gratitude, I'm going to need to ask something else of you?"
'Of course. What was I expecting?', Bellon thought, "And what would that be? If it is gold I assure you the emperor will pay a decent sum for my family and me."
"Oh no, god no. I'm not asking for money. I need something from you that only someone of your status within the empire can provide."
'Someone of my status'. "What exactly?"
"As you know, your empire opened a rift in our country and attacked without warning and unprovoked. We beat the invasion force and the force than came after it. You lost two armies in less than a month, or, a moon cycle as you call them."
"Yes, I am aware of this. What does that have to do with me? I didn't send those armies."
"We know. But you have a connection with the person who did. And we want you to send a message to him for us."
'A message?' "And what kind of message?"
"We would like an audience with a representative to negotiate peace."
This stunned Bellon. 'Peace?'
---
(Meanwhile)
Jeff and Liam brought the four to an empty army barracks, reserved for these situations. "Okay.", Liam spoke, "You'll be staying here until the lieutenant-general orders otherwise. Don't worry, you'll be comfortable." They entered the barracks and it was clean, with several beds, a fridge, desks, and lights, which Jeff turned on, surprising the 'guests'.
"Make yourselves at home.", Jeff said, "I'll bring you some breakfast soon.". He left and closed the door, leaving the four to talk.
"What do you think will happen, Klaus?", Nimriel asked.
"I don't know, my lady.", he answered, "But we shouldn't do anything to anger them. I think we should wait and see what is to come."
Taria looked out the window and saw the tanks and LAVs driving past as well as soldiers marching in unison. "Incredible. All this power. They could have destroyed Meilume before we even had the chance to escape. And yet here we are. In their fortress, waiting for them to bring us food. They want something."
"Well.", Lia said, "That man who offered me the sweet food was nice. I think they're not that bad."
"They are the enemy, Lia. Enemies should never be trusted. It might seem like they are good, but they are using us. They want us here so we can witness their power and use us to spread fear through the rest of the empire. Clever."
"I think you are thinking too much about it, my lady. Perhaps you need to sit down, and rest."
Taria sighed. She walked to a nearby desk and observed the notebooks, pens, and pencils. She sat down and opened a notebook, immediately noticing how the paper is milk-white with lines to help her writing. Picking up one of the pens, she observed how smooth it was and made of spotless, thin metal, but also how it didn't have a tip. Then she noticed the round top and remembered how the lieutenant pressed his metal box. Pressing down the top, the pen clicked and the tip appeared. Amazed, she clicked it several more times before starting to write.
"Taria?", Nimriel asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm writing down what I saw."
At that moment, Jeff opened the door and brought several white cardboard boxes, "I brought breakfast. I hope it's to your liking."
Each of them took one and Jeff put the last one on Taria's desk. She looked at him and asked, "Can you show me more of your fortress?"
Jeff hesitated a bit, "Why?"
"I'm curious. I wish to learn."
"So you can write it down and give the information to the army?". Taria sat silently. This wasn't untrue. "Look, we're not your enemy. Our commanding officer is talking to your father about peace. Truth is, we don't want war.". Taria paused to think about that. "But if I get permission, I'll show you around."
"I would appreciate it. Thank you."
End of chapter 10
​
---
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I think I’m driving in circles. I’m a Safety Officer at a college full time, family oriented full time, gamer part time, soon to be a father full time.
Tried to start a family, but that fell apart. So now I’m wondering if I can try again.
Though I work full time, my job isn’t nearly as strenuous as it may sound. I have way more free time than is obvious. My work finds me awake during the night, but hopefully that will change in time.
Just got back into online gaming with my cousin, I only run a PS4 for now, and my gaming usually runs through survival genres, such as Ark, Conan Exiles, and recently I got back into Breakpoint. My solo stuff follows along closely, such as Fallout, Elder Scrolls, maybe some AC.
I’m into fantasy/sci fi stuff, particularly WotC LOTR, and some cryptid related things like SCP. I’m just an old geek.
My family matters to me probably more than it should, I wouldn’t have stayed alive without them, and I owe them dearly and proudly.
I do like to wander the wilderness on occasion, as it rejuvenates the spirit.
My faith is important to me. As a pagan, I find a certain comfort in communing with my gods, and I hope that they are always with me.
I’m a white male, with a red beard, and an unfortunate dad bod, but I keep it strong. I’m 5’ 11” and My hair runs wild for the moment, but when it gets longer, I will be trying some hairstyles if I can.
As I said above, I’m looking for a woman who maybe wants to attempt starting a family, somewhere between 25-31, who wants to be a mother, maybe a little more traditional than is average, but I am certainly not one to limit my partner to the house. Just to be a little picky, a shorter woman would be nice, beyond that, bonuses would be red hair and glasses, those always blow my mind. Big and tall, don’t be shy, I ain’t no spring hair, I know what I’m doing😉
If any of this sounds interesting, feel free to DM me.

So tired with all these situationship or no-label relationships. I'm looking for something serious. Di na tayo bata chz haha
About me: I'm 26 chinita. Wears glasses and short haired. Femme but not too much, saks lang. Working professional. I live near disu. Chubby but I'm trying to lose weight na (samahan mo ko mag gym pls haha) let's talk on tg if u want to know me more
About you: 26-30. Not choosy sa looks but i want someone who's feminine. Working professional din sana. Single pls ayoko maging kabit chz. Manila area. Someone who won't ghost me 💀
Hmu on my dm 🫰🏻

Watonga City, Mothers realm
April 3rd, 2291
8:30 pm
Diana landed outside the city, Frank disembarked and explained why the bloodthirsty creature was not a threat, all the while Wendy watched. She had felt something off about Oklahoma as soon as they neared its borders, her ears rang at random times, and she had nightmares of mutants. She had kept these things to herself as she had not wanted to worry Frank but now, they were becoming unbearable, her ears rang as Frank stood there calming the crowd but then suddenly stopped.
"Welcome, we've been expecting you two!"
Wendy looked to see a woman in her Middle Ages approaching her the crowd.
"I'm so sorry for the crowd we don't often get visitors around here."
"It's alright. But what do you mean you have been expecting us?"
"You're Sarah’s little boy toy, right?"
Frank stood up straight upon hearing Sarah’s name.
"I'm Victoria...I'm somewhat in charge around here. Please come in. And bring that thing in here..."
Frank turned to Wendy and nodded towards her. Wendy took the reigns and tapped Diana slightly to go forward. However, the griffon did not budge. She did it again and once more nothing.
"Diana come on."
The griffon sat down and shook Wendy off of it before unfurling its wings and flying up into the sky.
"HEY WAIT!"
Frank ran over to Wendy who sat on the ground.
"Hey you hurt?!"
"Why would she do that?"
"I don't know maybe she's not used to cities being full. Look we can find her after. This is the destination."
"Wait what?"
"We made it."
Frank helped Wendy off the ground and led her to the small gate that surrounded the city.
"I'm so sorry for the trouble of you coming here...we tried to make the trip to you but there were....complications."
"So, I take it you know about her?"
"Yes, she's a psyker...as am I and many others here."
Wendy looked up at the woman.
"You're a psyker too?!"
"Yep, I can influence people with my voice. It's how I got honcho here to trust me so easily at first."
Wendy turned to Frank who now realized just how relaxed he was earlier.
"We call it harmonic influentia..you have electrokinesis it's a rare trait here...but out west more common."
Wendy looked around the city, everything was so clean and pristine. These people were thriving, and Frank even seemed to agree.
"So, where's this training facility of yours?"
"It's by the capital building, we call it the chapel."
("Frank so what now?")
Frank shrugged.
"So do you guys get a lot of issues from Texas?"
"The occasional border skirmish with them but we can charm them away mainly. We are very isolationist...we tend to keep to ourselves and so we do not tolerate violence much. We have few guns to be honest. Only our army and guards carry them."
"I can respect isolationism but only trusting weapons in the hands of certain individuals is an issue."
Frank smelt a small nudge and turned to his left. Wendy mouthed to him.
*Shut up*
"No, it's fine, we're all our own individuals after all."
"How did you?"
"Oh, and would you look at that we’re here already."
Wendy looked at the building, it was large and covered with lavish ornaments.
"So why do you call it the chapel?"
"We worship our mother here."
"Mother?"
"Yes, she grants us ideas, instructions and much more. I will lead a sermon tomorrow if you wish to see more."
"You wouldn't happen to know of a Dorkin's would you?"
"Dor....oh the apostate.... yes he was a good man, but he grew radical wanted to create a society ruled by mother. We banished him almost a decade ago, I heard he established his own branch of our church in Utah."
"We had a few run ins with his men just...curious if you were connected."
"No, you're safe...we're not as radical in our beliefs."
Victoria led them up the stairs and into the chapel throwing the golden doors open.
"Welcome....this is our, training ground and your new home Wendy"
"Wait home?"
"Yes, you are staying with us, right?"
"I...I..."
Wendy turned to Frank and looked at him.
"Can he stay too?"
Victoria's eyebrows frowned for a second.
"Of course.....he's more than welcome to."
"I can stay...still need to clear my name back in NCR anyway, bastards still think I'm a murderer."
"Then that settles it, the rooms are up the stairs and to the left, they're all empty right now as school is out of session so you can pick one for the time being then come join us for dinner."
Frank and Wendy thanked Victoria before walking off to find two rooms.
"I'll pick whatever is closest too your room got it?"
"Yeah...hey so how are we going to find Diana?"
"We won't have to, she's right outside."
Frank walked over to a window and pointed up to the sky. A large creature flew in the silhouette of the moon.
"She refuses to come in, so she'll probably just be in the area hunting local fauna, you made her promise not to eat random people, right?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Alright well...leave your stuff and let's go eat dinner, chef Kingly can take a break."
Wendy chuckled as she opened the door and threw the bag onto the small bed. The room was small and cozy, there was a sink and a bar of soap. A small toilet was on the other side of the room surrounded by more luxurious items.
"I could get use to this."
As Wendy touched the counter her head throbbed, and her ears rang. She closed her eyes tightly as the pain hit her head. She groaned and grabbed at her head trying everything to make the pain go away. Then the smell hit her, it was horrendous, her stomach curled, and she grew nauseous.
"Wendy you alright?!"
A image flashed in her mind, a giant conglomerate of flesh and machinery held together by old wire and sinew. She opened her eyes and screamed out in horror Frank stood over her as she lay there.
"Hey kid you alright?!"
He looked at her worried.
"What happened?"
"You passed out. I heard you fall and came in here. Picked you up and placed you on the bed. You almost fried me, what happened, did you hit your head?"
"I..."
The image of gore flashed in her mind.
"I... yeah...I hit my head on the counter."
"Well be more careful......do you still want to eat dinner? I can tell them to bring the food here."
"No, I'm fine.... let's go..."
Wendy got up off the bed and wiped the drool from her mouth.
"I am no doctor...but you had a seizure.... I think we should-"
"I said let's go!"
Wendy tied her hair back into a ponytail and threw water on her face quickly cleaning up before walking towards the door.
"If you insist."
* 15 minutes later
Frank and Wendy sat down at the table with Victoria. The dining room was luxurious, it was clean solid metal and gold.
"How do you guys afford this stuff?"
"It's all just stuff we've found in and around our city, Morgana has put it to good use. You guys must be hungry."
Victoria clapped her hands and a Mr. Handy appeared from another room holding 3 trays of food.
^{"Your dinner sir and misses."}
“So, where is everybody else?”
“As I have said they are out on break usually I teach the classes and hold dinner but right now it's just us three.”
Wendy looked at her plate.
“What is this?”
“Salmon from the shores of Texas.”
“Salmon?”
“Have you never seen a fish before?!”
Frank said tearing and cleaning the fish tail of any meat.
“Locked in a cage remember?!”
“Oh yes, those damn brutes in the NCR. I swear they have no manners; it must have been awful having all those tests done on you. I experienced a similar fate before the war. All those damn lab coats, poking and prodding at me.”
“Wait before the war?! How...how old are you?”
Frank looked up from the fish and looked back and forth at Wendy and Victoria.
“Cannot say really. I like to think I am young, but my age occasionally shows Morgana is the beautiful one. But at my best guess I am around 226.”
Wendy sat mouth open as she looked at the woman who just shrugged off immortality.
“So, you can’t die or age?!”
“Age, no. Die, we very much can... its mother that keeps us this young, she uses her abilities to influence our cells to prevent the ones we love from dying, by natural means.”
“Oh, well what happened?”
“Hmmm?”
“You said you were in a lab how did you escape?”
“Ahh yes...the great war, it short circuited the power to our cages.... we escaped and... we banished the scientists to the waste.”
Frank cleaned his hand as he looked upon the conversation, he was not a psyker so he simply sat quietly as the two talked.
“So, Wendy when did you learn to control your abilities? Sarah mentioned you struggled at first to close your mind to other thoughts.”
“I struggle slightly but I have managed to prevent it most of the time. I learned it when I was around 6. Then there was pyrokinesis at 8, and electrokinesis was more recent around a month ago now, and even closer was my ability to talk to beasts hence the griffon.”
“Interesting...”
Frank set his fork down.
“You could make fire this entire time and you’ve been making me struggle for 5 minutes to turn on an old stove every day!?”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to be our damn cooking tool.”
Frank sighed as he continued to eat. He was out of his league and so he quickly finished his meal and excused himself. He walked the halls for a bit, they were old slightly rusted but articulated well. Then he saw her. A woman in purple standing on a balcony smoking a cigarette.
“Hello there handsome.”
Frank felt worried then suddenly at ease.”
“Victoria had said it was just us 3 tonight. I take it you are not supposed to be here.”
“I go where I please, I designed this grand hall after all.”
“You must be the lovely Morgana then.”
“I see V mentioned me.”
“She did...she left out how beautiful you were though.”
“You outsiders really know how to flatter a girl.”
“I should, seduction is a trait I practiced well o-”
“Oh, there you are Frank, who's this?”
Frank blinked his eyes quickly then looked behind him to see Wendy standing there holding a small cup.
“When did you...never mind this is... Morgana....shes the designer of this grand hall...”
“A pleasure to meet you...but I must be going now...so see you soon.”
Downstairs
“I thought she ordered you to seduce him?!”
“I tried, that little rat showed up. The reports were right Lysander, she is powerful, her mere presence broke my hold on him.”
“Not to worry. V still has a plan.”
“That girl is more powerful than any of us could have imagined, Dorkin's is right she’s better off dead even if it's not what mother wants.”
Lysander and Morgana opened the door to V’s room
“AND WHO WILL WE USE INSTEAD MORGANA?!”
Victoria shouted at her from behind before pushing them both in.
“HMM? YOU?!”
“No, V it's just...so many have died for one gir-”
V walked over to the desk in the room as she stared at Morgana
“They have died for the Putrescent mother. If I hear more of this talk, I will have you killed for treason! Since you did not seduce and have the guardian fall in love with you, I must alter my plan to make him wish to stay, Lysander!”
“Yes?”
“From my conversation with the vessel I have learned that her guardian is one with a strategic mind. In the morning show him one of our pleasant arms factories, but do not harm him. I cannot convince the vessel by force; she must do it willingly for the ritual to be complete.”
“I will do as told.”
“Why must we convince the guardian?”
“Her attachment to him is too strong. And she will not believe him just leaving so we must make it seem like he loves it here, so when we offer her the chance to bring prosperity her mind dwells on him not us.”
“I understand, V please allow me to try again. You must keep the vessel distracted long enough to-”
“No! You had your chance and unless he fails you shall live with that guilt, or you can join the Dowagers!”
“I understand...V I don’t like what you’ve become...”
“I’ve become what mother needs of me to become.”

As the title suggests I’m looking for a series relationship. If you’re close, or you live in an other state or country I don’t mind the long distance. I think I’m ready to start sharing my life with someone else, someone who I can send funny videos too, share music, watch movies together, stream games while on a call, just absolutely nerd out for whatever we find fascinating.
About me - Mexican-American -5’7” Im not short just suffer of height deficiency - Short brown hair, brown eyes - Average build -Full time worker
Hobbies - Gaming (PS5, mostly play whatever I catch’s my eye the most) - Reading (Favorites generes are action thrillers or fantasy. Favorite series are the Mitch Rapp books, and the terminal list series) - Working out There’s more but gotta have a bit of mystery right.
About you it would be nice if you were around my age. Would be nice if we had similar interests, if not it fine just expect a lot of questions. This is a big one I am looking for something serious so please be single I don’t want to be the other guy.
If this happens to catch your eye I look forward to meeting you if not no trouble best of luck in your search of finding the one.

Hey all,
Looking to get a car in Finland, where they notoriously keep records of all oil changes and maintenance. However, this is a costly purchase. My North American brain tells me to ensure the car is near 100K, for 15K Euros, but most of these cars are closer to 150K , for 17K Euros.
How many KM is too much for a Toyota Auris or Toyota Auris Hybrid? Note, I do not see myself driving 20K a year, I work remotely and may do roadtrips once or twice per year.

Please actually read this, I've had too many people only wanting nudes or that live way too far away.
Hey there, just trying this thing out again. I'm Dakota, or Dee if you'd like. Putting it out there right now that I'm on the autism spectrum, so in case you're wondering why I'm weird haha. Anyway, I enjoy horror movies, Disney, musicals, music in general (so many playlists, hmu for suggestions), art, cooking, reading, and half a million hobbies. I adore random facts, and I will talk your ear off about every random thing I learn about, and will go on many tangents lol. I'm a pretty affectionate and clingy person, so be warned I guess haha.
I'm like 5ft7-9?in, a bit chubby, but working on loosing some weight. I currently have messy black hair, and brown eyes. If you actually want to see pics of me, my Instagram is below. (Never use it, so not very up to date)
What I'm looking for is a long term relationship, at least close enough that we could see each other in the near future in Northern California. Of course, I want someone I can be close with, first off. Someone who's kind, patient, and funny. A fellow weirdo, someone to cuddle up with to watch a Nightmare on Elm Street or Disney movie marathon with, and who wouldn't mind watching 100 shows I've been meaning to watch.
If any of that sounds like you, or if I interest you, DM me here, or at one of my accounts below.
TikTok: DeeDabbaDoo Twitter: DeeDabbaDah Insta & Snapchat: DeeDabbaDoo

OP NOTE: This is probably one of my longest EVER birthday stories I've made, but I decided to go all out for the pickle gremlin! Due to shinanigans, had to be delayed but meh! :D
SCENE START
Monaca: Today is the day....finally, I get to go to the school dance!!! I can't wait!!! Monaca thought. She was getting herself tidied up and ready to go. She waited for this moment for so long. She was the happiest she could ever be in her life.
Monaca: Eeeeeek, I'm so excited!
Today couldn't be any better. Today was not only her 16th birthday, but it was also the day of the most popular Hope's Peak dance. She managed to score a date that could meet her at the dance area. His name was Nagisa Shingetsu, the smartest book nerd she knew. They ended up getting close enough to finally get his number! It couldn't get better!
She was mostly adjusted, with her sparkly blue dress on her and fingernails polished to match.
Monaca: Alright, it's 4 P.M! I gotta put on my shoes and tidy my hair!
Monaca moved quickly to her closet and pulled out a golden and pristine box of shoes. Opening it up, she saw the azure short heels that would perfectly fit her feet.
Monaca: Ooh, perfect! They're still clean!!!
Monaca slowly and carefully pulled the shoes out of the box and sat down. Slipping out her own shoes that she lounged in, she put on the beautifully blue heels.
???: Monaca! Come on, it's time to go! The dance is starting at 5, we gotta hit the streets!
Monaca knew that voice. It was her brother.
Monaca: Ah! Coming, Haiji!
Monaca made her way out of her room, clicking and clacking against the floor. She managed to dash past Haiji and asked him something.
Monaca: Hey, big bro! How do I look? Do you think I need some makeup?
Haiji:...Fine. Doing makeup will just feel like you're doing too much. Did you wash your face?
Monaca: Yes!
Haiji: Alright. And do you have everything?
Monaca: Yes, I do! I have my ticket in my pocket!
Haiji: Good. Let's go, we gotta hurry! You look good enough already, we can't waste any more time.
Monaca: Alrighty! Thank you so much, big bro!
With a happy smile, Monaca followed her brother outside so they both could head to the school. While Monaca was being driven, she tried to text him.
Hello, Nagisa! You there yet?
10 minutes
No answer. It was weird for a bit, but she tried to ignore it. He had to be already there.
30 minutes
Haiji was slowing the vehicle down...Monaca still didn't see any response from him.
35 minutes
Haiji: Alright, Monaca. We're here.
Monaca:........
Haiji: Hey, Monaca! Come on, can't have you sleeping on me!
Monaca: Oh! Sorry, Haiji!
Monaca exited the car and walked up to Haiji's window.
Haiji: Make sure to be safe, alright?
Monaca: A-Alright! I'll see you at 8!
Haiji: See ya!
Haiji seemed to be a bit cheered up as he left. Monaca hurried inside and tried to look for him....She passed people and constantly looked for his blue hair, and nothing.
Monaca: Why?! N-Nagisaaaaaaa?!!! Where are youuuuuu?!!!
She kept running quickly through. At least 40 minutes passed with no sight of him anywhere. He still wasn't answering his texts.
She tried her best to stay calm and happy, but she couldn't find him. Her heart was beating quickly with fear that she got abandoned, and she suddenly bumped into someone.
Monaca: A-Ah!
Tumble!
She nearly slipped on her own feet when the guy spoke up.
???: Sheeesh, no date? What, is he late?! Niiishsishishiiii!
Monaca: S-Shut up!
Monaca quickly turned and ran..She didn't care where, she just wanted to escape. Away from people....away from everything....Nagisa wasn't there. She felt betrayed. She felt hurt. She leaned against a wall in the girl's restroom and began to cry.
10 minutes later
Creeeeeeak.....
Monaca heard someone come in.
Monaca: Sniff W-Who's there???
A pink haired girl with the same matching eyes walked up to her.
???: H-Hello? Are you....okay???
Monaca just shriveled into her hold even tighter, sniffling.
???: H-Hey, I don't know what could have happened to you, but you seem very upset.
Monaca: H-He abandoned me....I-I thought he would be here....but he wasn't! N-Now I'm all alone, and I don't have anyone to dance with....I'm just going to be mocked forever....because I was s-stupid....
The teen walked up to her, slowly kneeling down.
???: I can....dance with you....if you'd like.
Monaca: Sniff W-Wah???
Monaca looked up. The girl slolwy smiled as she tried to make out another response.
???: If it helps you feel better, I can dance with you! I'll make sure you have a fun time, I promise! Here, I can help you up!
The next thing the girl did made Monaca's tears slowly stop. She took a bit of paper towel in one hand and held out her other one, requesting to help her off of the ground.
Kotoko: My name is Kotoko Utsugi. What's yours?
Monaca: M-M-My name......is Monaca T-Towa. You're really....going to help me?
Kotoko: Of course. I can't just let you cry in here all alone. I hate seeing people so upset when I can help them, ya know?
Monaca: I-I don't know what to say....
Monaca lifted her hand and accepted Kotoko's, thanking her with a light smile as she was pulled to her feet.
Monaca: T-Thank you, Kotoko. Thank you so much...
Kotoko: No problem, Monaca! It sucks that your person didn't get here....hopefully I can cheer you up while they eventually, and hopefully DO show up.
Monaca: Y-Yeah....you're right...
Kotoko: Well! Dry those tears up and get whatever you have to do out of the way. I'll be outside, right outside the door.
Monaca: O-Okay.
Kotoko waved before stepping outside, letting Monaca's mood improve. Kotoko was there for her like no other, and she knew not to waste this chance.
SCENE END

Hey, my name is Jakub and im a 18 year old guy from Poland. I have dark Brown hair, im 169cm tall and my eyes are Grey/blue. I'm more of a calm and introverted guy so yeah, i have very specific humour. I'm tolerant, so feel free to messege me no matters who you are :)
When it comes to my interests i like playing video games, expecially paradox ones like Stellaris or Hearts Of Iron IV, FPSs from time to time and sandbox/survival games. I like watching movies and shows too, mainly sci fi ones but action/drama or older horrors are cool too. Some things that i watched: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Clone Wars, Apocalypse Now, American Psycho, The Thing, Predator, Alien and many others. Also im a big Star Wars fan :P. I like to read books from time to time too although not that much. When it comes to music i like electronic, rock and pop but i'm fine with anything honestly.
Now, if you think we'll click, send me a messege, say something about yourself first and please be 16-19, and prefferably from Europe so timezones won't be a issue although people from other continents are welcomed too :)

Hey, my name is Jakub and im a 18 year old guy from Poland. I have dark Brown hair, im 169cm tall and my eyes are Grey/blue. I'm more of a calm and introverted guy so yeah, i have very specific humour. I'm tolerant, so feel free to messege me no matters who you are :)
When it comes to my interests i like playing video games, expecially paradox ones like Stellaris or Hearts Of Iron IV, FPSs from time to time and sandbox/survival games. I like watching movies and shows too, mainly sci fi ones but action/drama or older horrors are cool too. Some things that i watched: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Clone Wars, Apocalypse Now, American Psycho, The Thing, Predator, Alien and many others. Also im a big Star Wars fan :P. I like to read books from time to time too although not that much. When it comes to music i like electronic, rock and pop but i'm fine with anything honestly.
Now, if you think we'll click, send me a messege, say something about yourself first and please be 16-19, and prefferably from Europe so timezones won't be a issue although people from other continents are welcomed too :)

Hey, my name is Jakub and im a 18 year old guy from Poland. I have dark Brown hair, im 169cm tall and my eyes are Grey/blue. I'm more of a calm and introverted guy so yeah, i have very specific humour. I'm tolerant, so feel free to messege me no matters who you are :)
When it comes to my interests i like playing video games, expecially paradox ones like Stellaris or Hearts Of Iron IV, FPSs from time to time and sandbox/survival games. I like watching movies and shows too, mainly sci fi ones but action/drama or older horrors are cool too. Some things that i watched: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Clone Wars, Apocalypse Now, American Psycho, The Thing, Predator, Alien and many others. Also im a big Star Wars fan :P. I like to read books from time to time too although not that much. When it comes to music i like electronic, rock and pop but i'm fine with anything honestly.
Now, if you think we'll click, send me a messege, say something about yourself first and please be 16-19, and prefferably from Europe so timezones won't be a issue although people from other continents are welcomed too :)

Hey, my name is Jakub and im a 18 year old guy from Poland. I have dark Brown hair, im 169cm tall and my eyes are Grey/blue. I'm more of a calm and introverted guy so yeah, i have very specific humour. I'm tolerant, so feel free to messege me no matters who you are :)
When it comes to my interests i like playing video games, expecially paradox ones like Stellaris or Hearts Of Iron IV, FPSs from time to time and sandbox/survival games. I like watching movies and shows too, mainly sci fi ones but action/drama or older horrors are cool too. Some things that i watched: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Clone Wars, Apocalypse Now, American Psycho, The Thing, Predator, Alien and many others. Also im a big Star Wars fan :P. I like to read books from time to time too although not that much. When it comes to music i like electronic, rock and pop but i'm fine with anything honestly.
Now, if you think we'll click, send me a messege, say something about yourself first and please be 16-19, and prefferably from Europe so timezones won't be a issue although people from other continents are welcomed too :)

Hey, my name is Jakub and im a 18 year old guy from Poland. I have dark Brown hair, im 169cm tall and my eyes are Grey/blue. I'm more of a calm and introverted guy so yeah, i have very specific humour. I'm tolerant, so feel free to messege me no matters who you are :)
When it comes to my interests i like playing video games, expecially paradox ones like Stellaris or Hearts Of Iron IV, FPSs from time to time and sandbox/survival games. I like watching movies and shows too, mainly sci fi ones but action/drama or older horrors are cool too. Some things that i watched: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Clone Wars, Apocalypse Now, American Psycho, The Thing, Predator, Alien and many others. Also im a big Star Wars fan :P. I like to read books from time to time too although not that much. When it comes to music i like electronic, rock and pop but i'm fine with anything honestly.
Now, if you think we'll click, send me a messege, say something about yourself first and please be 16-19, and prefferably from Europe so timezones won't be a issue although people from other continents are welcomed too :)

Hey, my name is Jakub and im a 18 year old guy from Poland. I have dark Brown hair, im 169cm tall and my eyes are Grey/blue. I'm more of a calm and introverted guy so yeah, i have very specific humour. I'm tolerant, so feel free to messege me no matters who you are :)
When it comes to my interests i like playing video games, expecially paradox ones like Stellaris or Hearts Of Iron IV, FPSs from time to time and sandbox/survival games. I like watching movies and shows too, mainly sci fi ones but action/drama or older horrors are cool too. Some things that i watched: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Clone Wars, Apocalypse Now, American Psycho, The Thing, Predator, Alien and many others. Also im a big Star Wars fan :P. I like to read books from time to time too although not that much. When it comes to music i like electronic, rock and pop but i'm fine with anything honestly.
Now, if you think we'll click, send me a messege, say something about yourself first and please be 16-19, and prefferably from Europe so timezones won't be a issue although people from other continents are welcomed too :)

Hey, my name is Jakub and im a 18 year old guy from Poland. I have dark Brown hair, im 169cm tall and my eyes are Grey/blue. I'm more of a calm and introverted guy so yeah, i have very specific humour. I'm tolerant, so feel free to messege me no matters who you are :)
When it comes to my interests i like playing video games, expecially paradox ones like Stellaris or Hearts Of Iron IV, FPSs from time to time and sandbox/survival games. I like watching movies and shows too, mainly sci fi ones but action/drama or older horrors are cool too. Some things that i watched: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Clone Wars, Apocalypse Now, American Psycho, The Thing, Predator, Alien and many others. Also im a big Star Wars fan :P. I like to read books from time to time too although not that much. When it comes to music i like electronic, rock and pop but i'm fine with anything honestly.
Now, if you think we'll click, send me a messege, say something about yourself first and please be 16-19, and prefferably from Europe so timezones won't be a issue although people from other continents are welcomed too :)

i guess it mostly stems from a place of false dichotomy, sort of an all-or-nothing fallacy. and it's a baseline, it's always been there. i live like this because it's all i've ever known; everyone hates me and nothing i can do will ever give anyone a reason not to. every mistake is dire, every success is picked apart by others until it becomes meaningless. the worst part is that it's always in silence, it's always a secret boiling hatred that one can only verbalize when i'm not around -- and they will as soon as they get the chance.
i could argue that the self hate caused the paranoia of being hated, but it could also be argued that the fear of being hated caused the self hate. as if trying to analyze all the ways myself or my intentions could be interpreted negatively has lead me to believe i am the person i fear others perceive me as. again, that's a baseline. i have lived in this headspace for almost as long as i can remember.
​
but to make matters worse, i have a lot of adverse reactions to adderall. if taken in a high enough dose to feel stimmed, i posses impeccable emotional regulation and logical attention to *only* the details that actually matter -- usually followed by a rough comedown plagued with irritation and even rage. sure, it's a double edged sword. but only one edge is serrated. if i only get super powers from a drug's high, and not the drug itself in its therapeutic dosage, then i don't really think it counts as medicine anymore at that point. i'm definitely more of a wreck without the meds, but in different ways.
without meds i lose things, forget everything, and struggle to complete tasks, but when i feel distressed it eventually passes. on the other hand, with the meds, i can keep track of the things i am using, remember which step of a process i was on, and see my tasks through to completion. the drawback here is that i cannot handle minor frustration -- let alone a variety pack of individually wrapped stressors -- and i cannot handle small changes in plans nor disappointment in place of my expectations.
the big shit bow on this shit wrapped shit sandwich is that i cannot shake emotions off once they have made themselves present. once i am sad, i am sad all day. once i am angry, i am angry all day. negative emotions long overstay their welcome, lingering until i can manage to get to sleep, which proves difficult with amphetamine intake and elevated cortisol.
​
all of this crams together to significantly increase my anxiety and suspicions of crowd-hatred. being aware of how it looks and how it affects others only makes me hyperfocus even more on the perceptions people have of me. an endless inner monologue narrating the possible negative thoughts of others brings my self esteem to record-breaking lows daily.
so, as you can imagine, the very first instance in which i catch shade, attitude, or any expression of dislike from another person, the confirmation bias kicks in to barrage me with how right i have been all along. which then continues to fuel whatever negative emotion happens to be caught in my horse-blinded crosshairs -- if i am sad, this awareness makes me very sad. i struggle to see the point in much of anything, and my motivation completely tanks. if i am angry, this awareness makes me feel indignant or even slighted. i begin to feel like everyone just *wants* to hate me, because it's easier that way, because they just don't care, or simply because it's justified.
​
suspicions and potential perceptions come in a wide variety of flavors depending on different variables, such as
environment: feeling that everyone secretly believes i do not belong in my field of work and therefore holds an immediate negative bias towards me for being out of place. also contains the belief that others assume i have ulterior motives by choosing a line of work that is not commonplace for a person of my gender, and that it is made more obvious by my petite stature. hand-in-hand is the belief that no one believes i actually enjoy this type of work or that it's all a front, which alludes to the presence of some weird motive. the fact that women facing more scrutiny in the automotive industry is a real piece of actual reality makes it very difficult to separate my delusion from the real world. this is especially true if i do not find little crumbs of "proof" that i am in an environment that respects me as a technician and my ability to grasp the work and/or the theory that fuels it. proof cannot come in the form of reassurance, compliments, or pats on the back for a job well done. those are mandatory and/or performative words that are "objectively" hollow. proof must be found where it is not being sought. proof is found only in happenings that were not preceded by any form of tip-off.
automotive isn't all of it, though. when i worked retail or food service, the fear was that customers came in and immediately saw me as a failure, a lowlife, or as too stupid to get a real career. this belief was heavily reinforced when the general public tended to behave as though i was beneath them, often talking to me like i'm stupid.
​
age: believing that anyone who is older than me can only regard me as young, naive, and ultimtely stupid beyond redemption, other than time and the wisdom it brings, of course. that i will never be taken seriously by adults and that i just don't "get" it. that anyone who is older than me will hate my music, and believe that i am stupid or tasteless for listening to it. also contains the belief that others hang on every word and every note of any song i play aloud, use its content to judge me, and daydream about stabbing their brain through their ears for every second they're forced to endure such torture. i have this fear about everyone, it's just kind of more prevalent when they're older than i am.
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gender: similar to environment but ultimately different enough. believing that my male friends' girlfriends hate me because they distrust my intentions as his friend. believing that people will write off my emotions and/or reactions to things as "women 🍵" or assume i'm PMSing. assuming that mistakes or shortcomings of any caliber (hitting a curb, mistakes at work, car accidents, inability to lift heavy items or open tight jars, etc) are because of my inferior woman brain. inability to differentiate between when someone is "mansplaining" or simply trying to have a back and forth conversation on a given topic we both know about.
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race: this one can pretty much be summed up with believing people of other races assume i am racist. being aware of this belief becomes a self-fueling fire. because the belief is targeted toward other races, it creates an inner monologue of telling myself i am, in fact, racist -- for believing others are thinking hateful things of me based on their race or mine. it becomes an infinite paradox.
for some reason i worry this with all races other than hispanics -- i assume everyone hyper-analyzes my behaviors to determine if i am racist, yet with hispanics i don't have that suspicion. i get to live in the blissful headspace of those who don't know or even wonder if someone thinks they're racist until it is vocalized. don't ask me why, either. i don't know why.
instead, i live in a headspace where everyone of a different race determines very quickly that i am racist -- either because of my awkward demeanor or solely because of my race -- and hold that fear until it is vocalized otherwise. fearing that eye contact will make a person believe im trying not to seem racist, but also fearing that avoiding eye contact will make a person believe i want to minimize interactions because i am racist.
fearing that struggling to understand someone's accent and/or asking them to repeat themselves multiple times will lead them to believe i am being intolerant of diversity and/or am harboring resentment for their accent/broken english. believing that i cannot bring up race-related topics in conversation with people of that race, for fear that they will assume i am only bringing it up to be performative in my allyship. that i will come off as attempting to be very loud about how Totally Not Racist i am in order to prove a point.
fearing that anti-racist remarks will be seen as performative allyship or that i just want to be seen as a good person, but also fearing that making neutral or dead-end remarks will render me "complacent" or "apathetic." believing that someone's experience(s) with other white people will lead them to believe that i am inherently racist because i am white, even if i don't know it or overtly behave that way. this one can definitely be attributed to all the far "left" spaces online that genuinely believe and seek to prove that all white people are racist even if they don't know it and even if it's on accident. also contains the fear that i am racist and do not know it, and the fear that vocalizing such an obscure concept would surely qualify as "white guilt" and be shamed, laughed at, and ultimately deemed racist. being afraid to ask someone where their accent is from. this is primarily because they probably get asked this question a lot, but also for fear that they will think i am asking because i am bothered by it. inversely, not wanting to say i love someone's accent for the same two reasons.
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relationships: fearing that everything i do is toxic or abusive in some way. standing up for myself becomes equal to invalidating my partner, drawing boundaries becomes equal to being controlling or trying to change them. being unable to tell a partner when i think they are reacting too harshly, because it's still gaslighting even if it's true. this belief stands on the split-hair tightrope of subjectivity, and the belief that one thing can be true for me and untrue for them. fearing that my partner has settled for me, usually because it is quite clear that i am a loyal and long-standing partner, which creates a very Safe place for their heart. also contains the belief that they'd rather their heart be elsewhere but are fearful of losing confidence/certainty in a relationship with someone better. believing that every little thing i do which creates tension, division, or irritation is a slow chisel into the diamond ore of love and that my partner falls out of love with me a little more each time i upset them or inconvenience them. finding the line between compromise and sacrifice to be very blurry; struggling to determine whether one of us is demanding sacrifice under the guise of compromise. believing that any potential partner i have will always wish i had tits, and that they love me in spite of such an irrefutable, fundamental defect.
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hobbies: i cannot enjoy hobbies, especially while in relationships. feelings of inadequacy quickly become feelings of embarrassment for not being excessively or immediately proficient in any given hobby, whether old or new. i cannot stand practicing hobbies in front of others, and i hate doing poorly in video games with others. i have always wanted to create a small, modest pop-up sound studio with which to record high quality audio of my voice, learning to sing and play instruments and eventually start recording music. but even the idea that someone in my home might hear me is enough to make me spend 15+ years refusing to chase that flame. and that's only an after thought. it comes right after battling with the notion that i must be bad at both of them before i can learn to be good at either, and tackling the fear of how long that learning curve is.
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i am very much mentally ill and it seems impossible to put all my symptoms into one category. it is impossible to know what parts of emotional dysregulation can be attributed to medication side effects. it is further impossible to identify which of my perceptions reflect reality and to what extent my delusion has carried me. nearly 100% of the time, my reactions to stress, confrontation, or frustration are a result of one runoff of this larger delusion that propels my life and influences my decision making.
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sometimes i get into my miata and put the top down and blast all the music i'm most ashamed to love, while driving down slow speed roads with lots of red lights, or even while pumping gas. i consider it practice in not caring what other people think, or at least in blocking out the part of my brain that incessantly tries to dissect their thoughts. i try to use the time spent as an opportunity to exercise rational self-talk.

Ms Robinson had always been…eccentric. You wouldn’t notice at first; her wavy brown hair, grey eyes and radiant smile usually set people at ease when they saw her, but sooner or later her quirky nature would always give in.
“Her name is Gertrude, his name is Herbert, and would you please stop flirting with Ruby over there Samuel? You have a boyfriend.”
Seem ordinary? It does, doesn’t it? Until you realize that Gertrude’s the name of the back wall of our classroom, and Herbert is the ceiling. Ruby’s our resident leftie, if you’re wondering. Not my fault there was only one seat available that day.
Most parents would’ve killed to have her removed. Most parents are idiots. Ms Robinson was fun, energetic, and one of the best teachers I’d ever had. You’d be hard-pressed to find another teacher with such a passion for their subject as Ms Robinson, which only further cemented her abilities as a more-than-competent teacher.
Which was one of many reasons I’d always chosen to ignore the less funny facets of her teaching regimen. Such as the near-obnoxious amounts of perfume that was constantly being sprayed around the classroom. You couldn’t enter the place without at least one tear rolling down your cheeks. When I asked her what it was, she just said that the janitorial staff were testing out new cleaning products.
“And they couldn’t have done it in a classroom that wasn’t being used?” I asked, strapping my face mask on.
“Common sense isn’t as common as you might expect,” she muttered, obviously displeased. “You’d think they’d learn the first time.”
When I turned back to ask her what the hell that meant? Ninja-disappearing trick. Never gets old, until it does. And with Ms Robinson, it got old fast. Like, ‘this is the hundredth time this week!’ kind of fast. Every time I tried to ask her about the smell, or the creepy groans, she just vanished.
Oh, I didn’t mention the creepy groans? They happened when I was alone, or when the class was actually silent. Sometimes, when we were really bored and the teachers were out, we’d tell them to shut up or groan back. That usually made them quiet down.
Or, at least, they used to. Now…I’m not so sure. Now, I think I’m noticing patterns that I never knew of before. Strange patterns. I didn’t even notice it at first, until one of my friends pointed it out for me.
“Hey, you haven’t seen Annie at school lately, right?” Stephanie asked, fiddling nervously. My brows furrowed. I hadn’t, actually. Annie and I weren’t close or anything like that, but it was weird of her to skip school for two weeks straight. Even weirder was the fact that, when we checked, nobody knew what was happening.
Apparently, her parents packed up and left in the break or something. We got a new student though. Mark. Ms Robinson had Marky seated to the far back of the classroom, saying that Annie would like the company.
Sometimes I can’t believe how stupid I was. Maybe it was the fact that I’d known Ms Robinson for so long. It felt impossible to me that she might be anything other than good. I keep trying to tell myself it wasn’t my fault. I was a child, trying to survive my high school years.
But that doesn’t stop the memories. It doesn’t stop the pain, the guilt, the shame. It doesn’t stop me from curling up into a ball every time I remember it, screaming until the sounds fade away and the only thing I hear is my own pitiful sobbing.
There’s a storage room in my school that nobody goes to. People say it’s haunted or something, and that’s why everyone, even the janitors, stay far away from it. My friends thought it would be funny if I were to stay back in school.
Obviously, I wasn’t too pleased with the prospect of spending what could’ve been a productive/fun night in the Hellscape we call our second home, but the five thousand bucks they threw in helped sweeten the pot.
The plan was simple. While everyone else left the school, I’d be hanging back in the storage room until six in the morning, at which point I’d head out using my friend’s key (long story that we really don’t have time for). My parents were out of town so it would be fine.
“Careful. I heard there’s ghosts down there,” Jack joked, handing me a bottle of water before he left. I downed it in one gulp.
The storage room was surprisingly comfy, to be perfectly honest. Sure, a little cold, but nothing like I expected. Best of all was the smell, or lack thereof. After spending years being assaulted by ridiculous amounts of perfume, it was a welcome change. I plugged in my earphones and waited to fall asleep, my alarm already set for 6 AM.
It was midnight when I heard the scratching. I tried to ignore it at first. Maybe a cat or something got in? I couldn’t do anything about that, so I just tried my best to fall back to sleep. I failed, and ended up doing a few stretches when I heard something else. Something darker.
“Sam?”
Her voice was distant, and yet so close I could feel her breath on my nape.
“Annie?”
I sat there, waiting for a reply. Possibilities rolled through my mind. A prank? Possible, but unlikely. My friends had a 5-mile radius policy set as soon as school ended. Maybe they put some kind of timed recording?
I looked around the storage room. The place was spartan. Nowhere you could hide a recorder. I sighed, and turned on my phone flashlight. For a moment the light burned into my retina, and I stood against the wall, dizzy and blind.
A few moments passed, and when the spots in my vision began to clear, I felt vertigo hit me like a freight train on steroids. The room had become narrower? Or longer? I wasn’t sure, but something was wrong. I staggered forward, and the room twisted again.
I kept walking, trying my best to make sense of this strange spatial anomaly. Using my phone as a flashlight, I managed to navigate the corridors. I’d have time to wonder what the hell this was about later. Right now, I needed to find a way out.
“Samuel…”
“Sammy?”
“Sam!”
The words kept echoing in the back of my head. I screwed them shut, trying to focus. But it wasn’t working. The world kept turning and changing around me. Sometimes I saw hands crawling out of the walls. Sometimes they came from the floor. Some were skeletal, others were made of decaying flesh and blood.
What was happening?
I must’ve walked for hours. No, tens of thousands of hours. But the nightmare showed no sign of ending. Would I be trapped here forever? Would I never get to see sunlight again, or tell my parents I loved them?
I got my answer when the storage room door opened.
“Samuel?” Ms Robinson asked breathlessly. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I couldn’t answer. I just fell to the ground, too tired to say anything.
When I woke up, the doctors said I’d hallucinated. Apparently my ‘friends’ had drugged me with some kind of hallucinogen, and that’s what caused my hallucinations. I fainted because I’d spent three hours walking in the same room. I’d crashed into the wall at least twice.
The water bottle, I realized.
The rest of the school year was as normal as ever, except my parents freaked out and grounded me for life. That was years ago.
I’m 25 now, and this story had never been of particular importance to me until now. I mean, sure, it’s fun to say at parties: hey, did you know I got drugged that one time? And you thought your story about sharks was scary!
But now, now I don’t want to think about it at all. I thought those voices had been hallucinations. I was wrong. A few weeks ago, the school was being renovated for something. One of the workers apparently fainted on the spot when he saw what was behind one of the walls.
Kids. Hundreds of kids. Some were nothing more than skeletons now. Others were rotting and decayed. And you want to know the worst part? Some of them were still alive. Theirs’ were the most horrifying faces I have ever seen.
The chemicals had been the school’s way of stopping the smell and infections. Those voices? The kids, trying to cry out for help. The walls were thin enough that they could speak, but judging by the state they were in, even breathing would’ve been difficult.
The police still aren’t sure how the hell they did it. Whatever it was, it was designed so that nobody would ever figure it out. Some of the kids weren’t even from our town. All of them matched missing case reports from the last fifty years, ranging from our town all the way to…I don’t even know.
Gertrude Gilbert.
Herbert Jennings.
Annie Myers.
The police have no suspects. No leads. Ms Robinson is gone, along with the rest of the faculty. I have no idea how this hasn’t made national news yet. I’m afraid it never will. Nobody likes to admit when they make mistakes, and trusting Ms Robinson was our greatest mistake of all.

This is a long one and English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any spelling/ grammar.
My Fiancé and I have been together for nearly 6 years and engaged a few months ago. We’ve lived together for nearly 4 of those years (but not consecutively - year 2 of the pandemic I moved out to have some space as we lived in a 1 bedroom small condo + them working from home + me part time at home) We now live together again, renting a really beautiful historical house.
Since living back together, my frustrations within the relationship have been boiling over. Though we split all bills 50/50 I still end up doing majority of the house hold chores just like when we lived together before. Except this time we are in a house vs. A small condo the amount of cleaning is nearly tripled.
I’ve brought up my concerns with this a few times and am met with “just tell me what to do then.” It makes me want to scream and puts back the labour into me to delegate chores. (Which makes me feel like a mother rather than a partner) Additionally, part of me believes their lack of knowledge in how to do certain chores is them genuinely not knowing and other times, it’s them weaponizing their incompetence. This leaves certain chores done “half assed” and then I’m left to either ask for them to be done again or just do it myself.
Example 1: (this is very passive aggressive of me I know) I wanted to see if they would do just 1 chore unprompted, so I decided to stop sweeping the staircase for nearly 2 weeks. In my mind this is something they walk up and down every day and can see/ feel the dog hair and dust collect. Not once did he initiate picking up a broom. It was not until he saw me finally do it that he acknowledged how dusty the steps were looking.
Example 2: not knowing how to properly wipe the dog’s feet after getting wet, proceeding to dry 2 paws and saying “that’s as good as we’re gonna get” I snatched the towel, replied with a “for god sake”, picked up my dog and proceeded to wipe all 4 paws thoroughly while they left to go sit in the car.
We’ve also had so many conversations regarding their hygiene and the lack their of. I know mental health can play a roll in taken care of one’s self and won’t hold that against them. It again however, makes me feel like a parent rather than a partner; asking them when is the last time they showered / can you please shower. The same goes for their excessive farting and burping (I understand that it can’t be helped sometimes)They’ll make a point to absolutely rip ass and then try to pull me in close for a cuddle. Again making me feel like I’m with a teenager / child. This has also greatly effected our intimacy to the point where if I try to initiate they’ll reply with “I haven’t showered and it’s stinky down there.” And proceed to do nothing about it.
All of these frustrations have also left me to suspect that I too will be taking on the burden of care giver to his elderly parents. With his mom whispering in my ear “you’ll take care of me when I’m old.” as a half joke half serious after we got engaged. Along with navigating care for my estranged parents.(different story and too long to get into)
Bringing up counselling has also gotten me nowhere and I fear if I go through the marriage nothing will change and Regret it.
Feel like I could go on a rant about it all but will summarize:
Outside of this, we do however get along very well and he does make me laugh and is overall very kind. He’s not a bad person but I don’t know/ am struggling if we should be life partners or if I’m over reaching about trivial things.
I struggle with the thought of an ultimatum as these things seems so small in comparison to other posts I’ve been reading.
Do I stay and try to make it work or cut it off over searingly trivial behaviours?

My parents always seem to have hated him. He hates them too. Not even a day goes by when they don’t humiliate him, belittle him. Their hate directed towards him is incomprehensible. This is strange but I have had a dream multiple times, I don’t know where it they came from but I’ve seen him getting adopted in the dream. A strong intuition that he is biologically not my father’s child. It could have stemmed from how I’ve seen them treat him. I know he has been mentally and physically humiliated ever since he was born. All of us kids were, but he got it worst. I don’t know the backstory because I’m 5 years younger to him and I didn’t see him grow up. I was sexually abused by him as a child, and it had a big impact on me. I was about 6 when he made me watch very disturbing sex tape ( It involved pulling out intestines from the anus) I was traumatised. For the next few days I was living in a haze. I would vomit randomly and I turned extremely inwards after that. Then one day he asked me to give him a blowjob (as a game) He said I would get something out of it. I did as he instructed. I was a kid and only years later did I understand what had happened. My elder sister saw this event and ever since hasn’t spoken to him. They are not in talking terms, she hates him too. While it robbed my childhood away but I eventually learned to live with it. I was a silent kid after that. I had lost my innocence and I would feel unending loneliness. Every time my mom left the house for the market, I would sit near the window and wait for her. She was the only person who I could trust. Later on in life I developed severe mental health issues which I think could have come from a traumatic early sexual abuse but I’m not sure. When I had my first psychosis after a breakup and marijuana use he would beat me up unendingly to ‘fix’ my psychosis which only made it worse. I had marks on my hands and he would beat me in front of all my college friends. I was crushed. All my self esteem was gone. My girlfriend would help me getting through all this and I thank her for everything you did for me. When I got better I realised beating is what he had thought the one thing that fixes everything. That is what he learned from my dad since childhood.
Off late he has been living in the comfort of the house for 4 years without actually doing anything. Sometimes I felt like he is depressed, he has a really low self esteem coming from how he was treated as a child. I have supported him these 4 years, I paid up his tuition fees so he gets a job. I took care of all the money that went into his cigarettes and recharges everything.
Since I lived away from him for higher education I eventually forgave him for all of it. Once we moved in together, while we had our differences we were good to each other in general.
But my family would often ridicule him for not finding a job, and once he did find a job, they would belittle him for the little money he was earning. At some point I did not blame my parents either because he would only watch movies all day and night or play games and did not contribute to the household in anyway. Also my parents did not like his smoking in the house which only lead to more altercations in the house. But as an overview I think my parents always thought of him like a dimwitted guy, who did not do good in studies and always treated him like a disappointment. I know he has suffered a lot due to poor parenting which is why I eventually forgave him for all the effect he had on my fucked up childhood. I understand a little bit of psychology and I understand a abused grows up to be an abuser in most cases. I have been the only person who has been talking to him in this family. Sometimes I think my mother actually loathes him. She instigates my father to a point where he does what he does. This is been how it was for most cases. I know she hates him. She has always been partial to him in his diet, in her words and in her actions. I think he interrupted their ‘sex life’ which is why they beat him up so much. I will never know. He had severe self esteem issues and later developed psychogenic impotence. He was so scared that he started to stammer after a point. He talked find to most outsiders, but always stammered when my dad confronted him. He had several issues growing up. He has lost all his hair, his health is fucked up and mind is full of hatred now.
Yesterday a fight broke out over him throwing away food to a dog. I do not understand how it was a big problem because he cares for the street dog. It started with my father bad mouthing him and calling him dimwitted. He was calling him names when my brother started shouting back at him again. My father asked him to lower his voice in a stern, threatening way. This triggered my brother and he got downstairs and said, “I’m going to leave this house soon anyway, do not worry. I will live alone and I will die alone” My father got really angry like he always does. He swiftly rushed and picked up a plastic massaged thing and rushed towards as if he was going to hit him. My brother got down and said come on “hit me old fuck!”. Both of rushed towards each other violently. My mother and I got between them and stopped both of them from blowing punches. My father realised he was not a child anymore. My father is a fragile 60 year old now and my brother is 33 year old powerful guy. I was pretty sure that he would’ve hit my dad then and there. I don’t know what took over me but I shouted at him saying “You beat me up for disrespecting my dad remember? Now you’re acting like this?” While both of them were about to clash I said to my father do not hit him. He’s leaving anyways. He’ll go tonight itself. I asked him leave as soon as possible. Maybe I lashed out because I remembered how he had treated me all these times. I took my parents side ( which I regret now in introspect ) He said “ I know how partial you have been with me all my life. Don’t think I have not seen it. You have always hated me and loved this fucker” and he stormed into his room. He is right about that and I know it. And they know it too. Nobody said anything that night but in the morning my brother packed his bags and left. I have no idea where he went. I have no idea what to do. I could’ve asked him to stop but I could not, I do not know why. I care about him. My father and mother seem to be totally indifferent to his leaving, which is strange.
I find it hard to process that a mother has no sorrow for her son abandoning the house. My parents always only cared about his marks, he’s earning. They never made him feel good about anything. I know he has hurt me in the past and we’ve even landed in fist fights at times but I forgave him because I know that’s what he learned from parenting. My mother has also been physically abusive to me in the past (ended up breaking 3 waist belts hitting me one time while I cried) But ever since my psychosis she has been nice to me. None of us 3 kids feel desire to have a family of our own. We do not know what a family is. My brother has said to me once, that he’ll never have kids because he’s afraid he’ll do what my dad did to him. Poor parenting can really screw things up. My dad is an ex army and studies have reported more child abuse with kids in army families. He had always beat us up as kids but yesterday he was threatening to hit a 33 year old. I know this is a lot of stuff thank you for reading it. I don’t know what should I do now. I know his equation with our parents is beyond repair. At times I worry he’d commit suicide or homicide if he continues to stay in this mess. A part of me knows that outside he’ll be happy. He won’t have a luxurious life but at least he’ll be healthy mentally. I knew this yesterday night too. I have often felt bad for how he was treated all his life. Now that he has spoken about the partial treatment I feel terrible. I do not feel like going too close to my mother again. I feel I’m responsible for this mess. I caused all this. He financially independent but earns very less. He’s moved to a nearby city and as I sit in this room I feel very bad. It didn’t need to end this way. I do not hate him because I understand how childhood trauma works. A part of me hates him for what he has done but forgiveness is my nature. My mother had her first heart attack when I had psychosis. She looks very anxious now I’m worried about her. As the time passes she’s realising that he may never come back again. He is not picking up any of our calls. I don’t know what to do right now. Looking for suggestions desperately.

Have been growing my hair for a while and not too sure what I want to do with it. Does anyone know of a hair stylist/salon that can help me figure out what I want 🥲? Male with wavy/curly hair if that matters
Also is there somewhere I can get a Japanese straightening treatment done?