[IC] BLEAK

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The citizens of Helston, a sleepy town in the Neutral Zone, witness an attack from the skies that is unlike any they have ever seen before. The local resistance forces are quick to respond and investigate. The Mayor of the town issues a general alertness for his citizens. Some of the locals join the resistance forces just outside of town to see what is going on and if they need assistance. What they find is a conflict that might be out of their element. It is here that the fate of a group of citizens intertwine. As the newly discovered threat spreads, they must follow.

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★ Keep posts at around a thousand words. A little more or less depending on what happens in the post. If posts extend far beyond, nearing two thousand words, consider splitting the post into two separate ones.

★ Collaborations and past interactions can be completed through Flashbacks. You simply split your post into additional timelines of past and present. This should prevent long waiting times and make the in-character thread feel more active.

★ If you use several timelines, the thousand word guideline is per timeline. However, one should still consider several posts rather than an incredibly extensive one.

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[Mirandae]

_{HELSTON ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER}
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It was just like any other morning. A thousand of the same kind had come and gone time and time again. One never expected that particular day to be different from the one before. It was late October. The warm winds of summer had since long gone to rest. The brisk air of autumn had fallen upon the lands, but it was not awfully cold just yet. The Festival of the Quiet was just around the corner. It was the best time of the year for some. Such was the case for Alice Darina. The late moths of the year were her favorites. They were so colorful and silent. The early morning stroll to work became a delight. She could see every breath in a playful swirl of mist. A thick scarf was rolled around her neck in addition to the typical attire. This Friday was going to be better than all the others, she thought.

Alice was one of the few who were up and about at this hour of the morning. It was her duty to open the supermarket this day. It was a rather large space in a downtown building. From the front entrance there was a nice view of center square parking lot and main street. The rising sun broke through the misty clouds above. It still had a fair bit of warmth to it. Alice took a moment to bask in its energy with a tiny smirk on her lips. Her kind had a special relationship with that glowing, celestial orb. It was one that she never really cared to mention unless asked about it. However, back in High School it was a big deal among the students. Alice’s kind had existed for all time, yet it remained a mixed feelings kind of issue for many.

The lights flickered on. The store was empty and quiet. Alice made her way to the staff offices. She booted up all the systems they needed every day. The power cell for the week still had juice in it left over. While things were warming up, she slipped out of her jacket and put her work clothes on. There was not much to it, really. It consisted of a warm, bright-red jacket and black gloves. Alice was on stocking duty today and store management. That is, she did not have to be nice and pretty at the checkout. Twenty minutes later, the coworkers began to pour in. There was about ten people working at the store at any one time. The supermarket had just about anything one could ever need at home, so everyone, including Alice, had their own little area of knowledge. Alice’s specialty was the gardening section of the store. Growing things was a bit of a hobby of hers, anyway.

Typical shooting of the breeze always happened in the morning. Alice just put herself on autopilot and remained polite. At least her coworkers appreciated it, or they did not know any better as to what Alice actually thought. The tiny chatter lasted a few minutes with most of the staff. The owner of the store, Mr. Watson, was in good spirits as always. He was a true veteran of Helston. Life before the unions was something that many of the staff asked about when speaking with him. Alice enjoyed listening to his old stories as well. However, today was not one of those days. Everyone simply found their way to their duties. Alice had already begun to count the hours. She got off early on Fridays, around two in the afternoon. Plans for the weekend had already been made. She was going to have dinner with the family in the evening. The next day, she would spend time downtown for the Lunar Hail. And on Sunday, the Festival of the Quiet would begin. Everything was set for a comfy weekend. Alas, something tragic would interfere.

It was just half an hour before quitting time for Alice that it happened. A bright light from outside briefly illuminated the streets and parts of the store inside. Alice was stocking items close to the exit and all of the front windows. She was able to quickly turn around and see the object fall from the sky. The light faded just seconds later. People at the checkouts moved towards the windows with curiosity. A distant explosion pop followed by quite serious tremors ensued, which rattled the windows something fierce. It was unlike what they had felt before. This was no ordinary missile attack. Everyone began to call their friends and family. Usually there would be an air raid siren sounding, but this time around it had been silent. Helston had a couple of sirens for different purposes. One of them was for incoming attacks, another for citizen call to arms, and a third for general alertness. A coworker named Lina approached Alice.

“What was that? The unions at it again?” Lina asked while observing the sky outside the front windows of the supermarket.
“I’m not sure. Missiles surely don’t light up the sky like that,” Alice said while stepping down from a tiny ladder, which she used to reach the top shelves.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. But, what do you think? Call to Arms or Gen-Alert?” Lina asked as if they were betting on which siren that would follow the incident.
“Gen-Alert, probably.” Alice began to make herself ready to quit for the day, putting the ladder and pricing tagger away.
“You going to respond to it?”
“Maybe. I could use some extra cash,” Alice remarked before leaving her coworker to it.

Surely enough, ten minutes later the general alertness siren sounded throughout Helston. It was an order usually issued by the Mayor. Its purpose was for citizens to be alert of danger and either protect the town or join the resistance forces in defense efforts. The latter usually resulted in a reward if the citizen made significant contributions or displayed excellence. The resistance forces were usually quick on their feet when responding to sudden threats. They had a dedicated radio frequency for non-sensitive information, but also closed channels over the Net that only citizens had access to. Alice checked her phone as she came out of the supermarket. The coordinates for the impact was already posted on the Net channel. It was just outside of town, near a ranch that provided Helston and Eastbourne with various goods.

Alice hurried back home. All of the gear that she needed for participating in General Alertness calls were there. She would change as quickly as possible, and then take her car out to the coordinates posted on the closed Net channel.

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QUEST STEPS: Introduce your character. React to the meteor impact. Respond to the General Alert siren. The Resistance coordinates will take you outside of town. At most, end your first post with being on the way there.

[Sync]

Korvo Granetti

HELSTON ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER

_{--I remember now. We held hands under the cherry blossoms once. At that juncture I didn't know what to think, but your eyes captivated something special. At that moment, it felt as if I truly saw the stars for the first time.}

The dimness of morning wasn't what woke him to straddle himself once more to his work. Hands crossed and head tumbling on the weight of his helmet, the annals of a bitter-sweet dream lingered on the back of his eyelids. He fell asleep again on the seat. Eyes trailed to nowhere before realizing how early it has been. Hands attempted to message the eyes, but were met with the surface of his helmet. Slowly pulling back, he witnessed his palm shiver, not due to the chilly winds of the morning's air, but due to something else. Half of the cup of noodles sat before him. He went to sleep on a half empty stomach. An almost silent sigh, his shoulders slumped a bit. Mind began to regain full consciousness... The memory of a dream began to surface at the canvas of his palm, it was hazy, unclear and details began to shift. But he remembered a tree, a cherry blossom, perhaps or was it a Magnolia? But there was something that didn't escape him and it was those eyes. A light in the dark, a star in the night. A slow form of the hand to a grip, almost as if crushing the thought on his grasp. A metaphorical gesture to force him to continue on with his time. Tracing his fingers to his wrist, a pad began to surface its widgets. A couple of clicks before the time and date were displayed on the LED in his helmet. 5:03 A.M. It was already ingrained in him, before the alarm the helmet gave out; Korvo had already finished his routine. Venito is nowhere to be seen, but more the reason to leave the home. If it garnered a mean look to come in announced, it was worse to stay unrequited. The October winds sent a chilling air down his spine, he wasn't home and he didn't feel the need to return anytime today, either. He would just go to the site and download the schematics of the latest project, and start melding the pieces. Melding was the worst process, and he could use the extra hours after last night's pay. And so as such was what much of the morning composed of for Korvo. The sweat that bothered him like every other day peered itself on work hours, the temperatures for the melding room were like a hot day on the center of a volcano. Hazmat suits were used to prevent scalding and radioactivity. The laser needed to use a peculiar power-cell that leaked out upon noticed wear and tear. This one is old and functional, but it's three years due for changing. However, these cells are expensive and a parsimonious boss couldn't see the difference between the dangers and the whole it would create in his pockets if some would to contract radiation. As such, only a handful of employees have access to these terminals in these rooms. Korvo's helmet had to undergo several upgrades for such too.

And so, slowly, but surely more and more men gathered to witnessed the shelves and bolts were already finished before 7:00 A.M. "Tank, no doubt. Already up, like always. Well, no horsing around, boys. Get your asses to building!" Much of the morning was spent melding the necessary items into form, shaping them into creation with duteous precision. Before this old, hunched bearded man. Eyes of cornflower blue and wrinkled to no end patted his shoulder. "Morning, Tank."

"Grandpa, morning." The man's hazmat hid much of his features, the only other that would appear at this hour to meld alongside his co-worker. They call his grandpa, due to the many years he has given to the company. He has seen many come and go on is time, and has been made rather cynical due to age. However, being Korvo's trainer the young adult has manifested some type of patience for the old coot. "Ya got up bright an' early as always. How far in are ya at with the blueprint parts?" Korvo didn't pay much head to what the elder was doing behind his back; the sounds typing were faint due to the lazer's screams. "For the first it should be about done by the next hour. I programmed the rest of the machines to start on the other projects already, but one of them is leaking. I placed it under restriction and decided to unplug the thing entirely. We need the power-cell." Grandpa sighs, Korvo leaves the rest up to him, convincing the boss would take initiative and gumption, but it the old man would take the dive if needed be.

"Best join me then." Korvo nodded, and so this was the procedure until sometime in the afternoon, lacking the notion of time, Korvo had already made it into the work showers. He was given the rest of the day, and although he would prefer the extra credits, he was also rather tired. Tomorrow was the Luna Hail.. He'd probably spend it working, and Sunday was the Festival of the Quiet... What would he do? He took a long glance at his arms, noting the snake tattoo which adorned the many scars which embellished his skin. A time where he could try out for peace, but neither Sybil nor Ashwin were going to make it this time. Many of the employees would go with their families, and much others would probably spend it with each other. But Korvo on the other hand... He didn't-- A tremor woke his sense up, a shiver under his heels and a sight of luminescence peered just outside the ceiling windows. Another attack? No, it was too subtle and the resounding explosion was too tame. The siren would make its blare soon. Finishing, Korvo decided to participate now that he had the rest of the day with him. Placing his helmet once more, the sounds of booting began to register on his ears, the oh so familiar teal color text responding to his retinas, a clean welcome screen peered in an instant before demonstrating the scenery before him. He would go home now, and retrieve his things. The notice has been sent, it was time to head out to the location.

[TrippyNightmare]

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𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚞𝚙, 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎. 𝙸𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚒𝚊 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚛 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏. 𝙼𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 '𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚚𝚞𝚎' 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚙 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚎𝚞𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚊𝚙. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏, 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚒𝚊 𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 - 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢, 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕.

𝙷𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚒𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚙𝚎. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎! 𝙷𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚢𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔, 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎, 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚣𝚢? 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚞𝚗𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚢. 𝙷𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚢 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛.

𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝙱𝙻𝙴𝙰𝙺 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢, 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍. 𝙰𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜, 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔'𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚐𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚊𝚣𝚎. 𝙼𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚍, 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚣𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚎-𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢.

𝙸𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚝𝚑 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚞𝚡𝚞𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙲𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚞𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔, 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍. 𝙰 𝚝𝚢𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚗-𝚞𝚙 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍-𝚎𝚜𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝙱𝙳𝚄𝚜. 𝙵𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎, 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚜.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚠𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 - 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚛𝚎-𝚊𝚌𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔'𝚜 𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚜𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚓𝚘𝚋 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚛𝚎-𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢. 𝙾𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎, 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚒𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗. 𝚁𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚒𝚝, 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚗𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚕𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚝.

𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚜, 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛. 𝙰 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝙰-𝟷𝟸 𝚊 𝟷𝟶 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚢 𝙷𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚝 𝙰𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚕. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚜𝚎. 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚜𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝙱𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔'𝚜 𝚐𝚞𝚗𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎, 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚞𝚗𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛.

𝚂𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚋𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚋𝚢 𝚌𝚞𝚙𝚋𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚔𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎. 𝙿𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚊 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚞𝚖𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚄𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗-𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚞𝚖𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚄𝚆 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎. 𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚎𝚝 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝚂𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙, 𝚊 𝚐𝚎𝚗-𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗.

𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚙𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚙𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚍. 𝙷𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚍𝚘 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚞𝚙. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚡 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎, 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕-𝚑𝚘𝚐 𝚊 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚢𝚌𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗. 𝚂𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕, 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚓𝚘𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚗. 𝙷𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚏, 𝚣𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚜. 𝙰𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚊𝚙𝚊, 𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚝-𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚢.

[Aeolian]

_{H E L S T O N | F R I D A Y | O C T O B E R 2 6 ★}
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Mundane. BLEAK. Humdrum. These are words that could accurately be used to describe Helston on a day-to-day basis. The weather wasn't particularly interesting either, a light mist shrouding the small town like a blanket, though this was relatively typical, waters brought over from the eastern gulf no doubt. The soft glimmer of sunlight was beginning to slowly make waves throughout the quiet town. Everything seemed normal, in Helston standards.

The town certainly couldn't compare to the normal of Dadena City--a city with scrapers that reached far beyond the clouds. At least, these were the exaggerated tales that were told. It was situated way up north past Eastbourne and Mineral Grove. Not an easy or particularly safe trek to take, but worth it for some. Dadena City was unlike any other. Bustling with life, dazzling colours, and a cathartic cacophony that only the city folk could actually appreciate for all its glory. Yet the city life certainly didn't come without its flaws. Underground weirdos and the ever-present attempts of the unions were always something to keep on the mind.

Even still, this was certainly something our dear Luca always missed. A day didn't go by that he didn't miss the city and the underground world that pervaded below it. Looking out over the rooftop was unlike anything else. An experience that was difficult replicate in the flat land that was Helston. And yet, here he was, doing just that. The town was beginning to move, early-birds preparing for their equally early work. A number of individuals in the quiet neighborhood had gathered around a large tree(common to this region), their gaze look up towards the canopy. The wind of gentle this morning, creating a soft whisper amongst the branches and the leaves.

"Should we wake him?", someone said. "Leave em. He's here like this often". An older stout woman gasped, "But what if he falls?". Her husband pulled her away, "He won't. He never does." Another woman shook her head in disbelief, "I found him upon me rooftop the other morning. As sound as a rock I tell ya." The stout woman gasped again at this remark, her husband fighting harder to drag her along.

This was indeed true though. High up near the canopy was Luca, his tall lanky figure awkwardly sprawled out upon a large protruding branch. His arm was dangling off the side and his snore was like a cat. Surprisingly nimble for someone of his height. The murmurs from below broke him from his slumber. The hard bark to him as comfy as any silk comforter was to another. though perhaps this was less of the feeling and more of the experience. This was as close as he could get to the rooftops of Dadena City.

Luca's eyes opened wistfully as he sat up and yawned, his legs dangling over the side. Seeing him wake up, the small crowd began to disperse, "Be careful where you lie kid. I reckon you might fall and break your neck next time." Luca shook his head, refuting the statement in a rather unbothered kind of manner, "I am not a kid." he said, surprisingly deft in the manner that he kicked off the branch and landed softly on the dew covered soil below. The man stared at Luca, though the latter was paying the man little attention as he wiped himself off, "Completely missed the point" the man muttered, walking off.

---

Back inside the house, Finnes, his personal attendant and she's basically my mother figure was laying out plates on the table, an iron spatula in her hand full of meatless spud(a potato mix, usually with meat. A popular breakfast in Halston). "Come come. Sit before your breakfast gets cold." she said, motioning towards the empty chair at the table. The 21 year old Luca crossed his arms and pouted as Petra came stomping down the stairs, followed by her twin Petyr who was trying to consolidate her.

"How was I supposed to know that you liked him?"

"Umm...because I told you!" Petra yelled at her twin.

Finnes looked up from filling the last plate with spud, her face vexed, "What the hell is going on?"

"You knew I liked him and you kissed him anyways."

"I did not. He kissed me first!" Petyr retaliated.

"That's beside the point!"

"Hellooo!!!" Finnes snapped, grabbing their attention at last. "Both of you sit down please. We can discuss this later"

Petyr shrugged as Petra glared at him, but they both inevitably took a seat opposite of eachother. Looking back to Luca, Finnes rolled her eyes, "Now what are you pouting about?"

Before he could respond, a loud explosion could be heard from outside, a fair distance away from where they were. The light brought on by the explosion seeped through the windows as a tremble rippled through the house. Everyone stood still and remained very quiet until the trembling came to cease. Petra was the first to rush to the window, gazing out towards the distance. "And here I thought we moved out of Dadena City to get away from all this bull" she snarked.

Finnes put the iron spatula in the sink and wiped off the dried spud that had got on her hands, walking over to the window to look out beside her, "We came here to keep Luca safe." she said matter factly, looking over to Luca and giving him a motherly wink. Luca smiled as he fiddled with his fingers, "What could that have been?" he asked, his essence bubbling with curiosity. Petyr seemed rather unphased by it as he stuffed his face with a spoonful of luke-warm spud, "Probably just typical union fodder. The resistance can handle it I'm sure."

Petra snapped, "That was no typical explosion. And that light? No way!"

And then the siren went off and Petra immediately moved to grab her gear from out of the closet, "Gen-Alert" she said bluntly, latching something to her waist. "Wait wait wait!" Finnes stepped in, but Petra pulled out her phone and shoved the screen in her face, "Look. The coordinates of whatever the hell created that light and tremor have already been posted on the Net channel. The resistance is gonna need all the help they can get." Putting the device back in her pocket, she moved towards the door. Petyr finished slurping down the last of his spud and moved towards the closet to get his own equipment, "I'm in." he stated, prompting a simple nod of approval from Petra.

Luca watched as they opened the front door, "Wait for me!" he said in an exuberant hurry. Thrilling things like this always got him exhilarated. The potential danger took a backseat to his own curious inner workings and what may lie out there. This type of chaos reminded him of the city. He always sought it whenever it came to him.

Finnes made a zag towards him and stood in the way, "No the hell you're not." Luca pulled away from her, "Yes I am! And you know you can't stop me."

This was true and Finnes knew it. She watched as Luca went to grab his own gear, frowning, but knowing there wasn't anything she could do to stop him. "Fine! I'm coming too then." Petra raised an eyebrow and looked at her in shock, "Seriously Fin?".

"Yes, seriously!" she insisted, grabbing some gear she had stowed in a drawer, "If Luca is going, then I'm going too."

Petra looked at Finnes with a crossed expression, "Luca may seem awkward, but we personally trained him. He can hold his own. Plus he's special like me and Petyr. You know we can do certain things that you can't. And for something of this magnitude, you should probably stay back and keep us posted if anything happens within the town."

Finnes didn't respond. She simply brushed past them as she began towards the coordinates that had also popped up on her phone as well. "Are you coming or not?" she said curtly, not looking back at the three of them. Luca, Petra, and Petyr all looked at each other and shrugged.

"Wait..." Petyr said suddenly, a grin forming on his face, "Aren't we gonna take the car?"

[GodOfWar]

V E N S E R S I T O L

_HELSTON | _FRIDAY | _{26 OCTOBER}
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Brisk night air danced around Venser as he huddled in his jacket, a muggy, wet sense of autumn rising from the cityscape. The wind was saturated with that familiar melancholic tone; a calm that held no storm. Fall had always been his favorite season for this reason, this soft murmur of subtlety and indifference contrasting the constant whir of machines and thoughts and people.

"My mind wanders too much." the ginger said aloud, responding to his own stream of introspective consciousness. It was really more of a brackish river at this point, though, his awareness swelling beyond its banks with an empowering down-pour of insomnia. His eyes had been glazed yet alert all night; Restlessness drove him to grab his thick wool coat and head to this place in the dead twilight. His breath felt warm against his snug face mask; his hair flowed like a waterfall out of his loose beanie. He gave a quick glance to the display on his phone; 3:02 AM. The perfect time for late-night thoughts on the rooftop of a grocery store. At least, it was for Venser. He unlocked the device with a quick, rhythmic sequence of taps on the screen, and pulled up the text he had sent to Ezi. It was more of a habitual, time-wasting check than an actual examination of what he wrote.

______________________

^{1:15 am}
I went out while you were asleep. Taking a break. Keep a watch on the tappers,
focus only on picking up resistance shit pls. Don't mess around while I'm gone.

^{1:16 am}
The gun and extra power cells are in my top bedroom drawer.

______________________

Ezi would see the messages in the morning, their contents secure between him and his guardian; private servers in Dedana and Venser's own make-shift brand of VPNs made sure of that. Careful attention to detail in the process of ensuring anonymity was Venser's work, after all. It was also the reason he couldn't sleep a lot of nights, so many nebulous variables and ongoing projects crowding his mental space. Night terrors, of increasing frequency, didn't help either. They were the reason he sat out there, looking out into a dim and messy skyline of Helston. He stared at those stout buildings to rid himself of that shaky feeling that comes from waking up in a cold sweat. It was like washing your hands after butchering beef; grease and blood scrubbed off of Venser's mind by the fall air. Silence was therapeutic to the red-head.

And in the dead quiet that deep night brings, Venser found himself becoming drowsy. Lost sleep culminated its debts and pushed them upon the ginger, his eyelids becoming heavy as he gazed out into a blurry, tranquil night. He laid down on the cold, course roof and closed his eyes for a few minutes, the minutes soon expanding into a prolonged rest that covered hours.

______________________

A dull, electronic buzzing aroused Venser from his slumber, the overcast sky above casting patchy shadows across his body as he brought himself up to a sitting position. He reached into his baggy pockets, taking out his phone and revealing Ezi to be the one calling him. He answered quickly, greeting his companion with a groggy "Is there a problem?"

"Nah, its good news this time Ven. Not like last time." Ezi chimed, the wheezing of machines and hardware audible in the background. "We finally got some stuff coming from the resistance. Radar information; they're tracking the trajectory of something pretty high up. Or, I assume thats what all these degree signs mean." the boy continued, the typing sounds of a keyboard joining the cacophony of noise originating from Venser's phone. "Alright, download the info as it comes up and," the ginger rubbed his temples as his grogginess began to fade, "and I guess start sending it over to Foxtrot 11. He pays us by the gig, so this should nab us a few credits."

"Did you sleep well Ven?"

"As well as I can. You?"

"Fine. You're getting too good at slipping out without me noticing, though."

"You're 12. Don't keep tabs on me," Venser concluded, quickly ending the call and stuffing the phone into his pocket. It was around noon now, the sun high in the sky but still soaked up by a thick blanket of whispy, mist-like clouds. Down below, the grocery store had now begun filling with a moderate crowd of customers, the community of Helston waking from its catatonic state to serve the needs of the individual. Posters clung to the establishment's broad, white front wall. Many advertisements were present, but none as recognizable as the ones publicizing both the Lunar Hail and its accompanied Festival of the Quiet. Venser thought that perhaps he should attend these popular, city-wide celebrations this year; at the very least to capitalize on cheap drinks and food. Perhaps Artemis would like to join him, since she's been rather cooped up in that bakery lately. It might do them both some good.

Venser thought of many little things like that as he descended from the roof and blended into the crowd below, his lanky form slowly strolling through into the concrete and metal mass of the supermarket. At around 1:15 Venser had satisfied himself with his idol window-shopping and finally procured all he was interested in; a pack of cells, little enough to power a phone or small radio, and some chewing gum for Ezi. Both were nearly dropped when the building began to shake, an unexpected jostle that rocked shelves and emphasized the sudden, dramatic flare of light seen outside. Hanging lights swayed overhead as small screams and gasps came from those around Venser, the impact fading as quickly as it had come. Regaining his composure, Venser began to stalk towards the front of the store as others around him discussed this curiosity with an air of worried gossip.

“What was that? The unions at it again?”

“I’m not sure. Missiles surely don’t light up the sky like that,”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. But, what do you think? Call to Arms or Gen-Alert?”

Venser's phone buzzed once again, a quick text from Ezi conveying a simple message:

______________________

^{1:30 pm}
Resistance is preparing a Gen-Alert. Active in 10 min. What the fuck was that?

______________________

^{1:33 pm}
I don't know. I'm gonna use the gen-alert to my advantage. Go out and see what it was, maybe bring back some cash. Hold the fort down and keep downloading all the shit you can while the resistance is pumping it out.

______________________

^{1:34 pm}
Alright. Be careful Ven.

______________________

An excited Venser hastily began walking out of the supermarket, his jacket pockets laden with power cells that had been extracted from their now disabled, alarm-triggering packages. He held his phone in his right hand, texting one last person before he visited Venito and asked to borrow his hand-pistol.

______________________

^{1:38 pm}
Hey Artemis, you coming?

______________________

[Mirandae]

_{HELSTON OUTSKIRTS ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER}
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Alice scurried down the streets. Every now and then she would bump into other people that were a bit riled up, as well. They were most likely on their way to work or home. General Alerts was rather standard for Helston. It happened a couple of times a month. The call was usually issued due to union incursions or ballistic attacks. However, this particular alarm was different. Its unknown natured caused a little bit of chaos in the neighborhood. Alice jogged past a daycare center, where she could see parents turning heel at the front door. Some of the independent shopkeepers had already bunkered down and closed early. The otherwise mundane Friday had become one of the most unique Helston had known in long time.

After about a five-minute jog, Alice arrived at the apartment building in which she lived. The top floor of the three story quarters was hers, although shared with two neighbors. One of them was an old lady, who loved everything about guns and shooting them. The other was an ordinary couple with three, small children, which Alice occasionally babysat on date nights. However, Alice did not mind them at this time. She was all focused on getting her gear and be out the door again. She threw her vest on that was stocked with a couple of extra magazines. Elbow and knee protection were attached in a jiffy along with reinforced gloves. The weapon of choice today was an Elkoss Carbine—a lightweight, tactical firearm with a lot of attachment potential. Alice had a forward grip and holographic sight equipped on it, which would have to do, as she did not have time to change anything. The last thing she grabbed before heading out again was her scarf mask.

Her car was parked in an underground lot underneath the building. Residents of the house received a spot along with their apartment. Alice’s spot was right next to the bomb shelter entrance. The door was massive and the shelter itself could easily fit every person living in the building. There were enough supplies in there to last them a week. The steps of her sneakers were silent within the garage. The only thing that could be heard was when the key slid into the door handle of the car. The vehicle was an old model, cheap, but good enough for Alice. She had received it as a gift from her parents after graduating High School. Alice’s father always said that ‘the first car that someone owns is not supposed to be fancy’. She could agree with him to some extent. If everything inside the car was functional, then it did not have to look nice.

The GPS on her phone led the way. The Netrunners of the neutral zone were able to hack the signals of the union satellites, which allowed people to use functions such as GPS. The drive out of town took about half an hour. A few other vehicles were headed in the same direction. Alice could only assume that they had responded to the General Alert as well. Upon arriving, the location revealed a forward base of operations by both resistance factions. They had set things up by an old, abandoned construction facility. A massive dust cloud trailing upwards towards the canopy of the world could be seen in the distance. Sounds of gunfire and explosions could be heard. The overcast from the morning hours had disappeared and the sun shone through clear skies. Alice parked her car close to where others had lined up theirs. She grabbed her weapon from the back seat and locked things up.

The hastily put together makeshift camp was teeming with life. Alice could not count them all, but she guessed that there was at least upwards of a thousand resistance members there already, and more were pouring in by the minute. However, many of them seemed distraught, nervous, and hectic. Alice tried to ask one of them where she could find a sergeant for orders, but the guy did not even look at her. He simply stocked more ammunition into his bag and took off. His clothes were covered in blood, which was baffling. Union attacks were not usually this violent. This was surely something else. After looking around for a bit, Alice finally found a sergeant instructing a few other—what appeared to be—citizen volunteers. Apparently, the strategy was to assault the ‘invaders’ in waves, but he did not explain who these invaders were when asked. The small crowd broke off after being given instructions. The assault would commence in ten minutes.

“Excuse me, Sergeant? I’m a sensitive. Is there anything in particular that I can do?” Alice asked after modestly approaching the middle aged man with a salute. She used the term ‘sensitive’ to describe her unique condition. There were quite a few nicknames and words for Aeons in the world, some more flattering than others. Alice personally liked ‘Children of the Sun’ the most.

“Thank the Godmother that you are here. We need all the Aeons that we can get. This enemy is unlike anything we’ve fought before,” the Sergeant said with a hint of relief but also despair in his voice.

“What exactly is this enemy? It doesn’t seem like it’s any of the unions.” Alice was cautious, but also abusing her status for just a bit.

“We don’t know, but they are not human. When the assault begins, we’re packing things up here and going back to Helston. This area will be swarmed and we need to prepare the town’s defenses, and evacuate everyone southwards, to Halos City.” The sergeant spoke hurriedly, already packing his things together.

“So, these people here are more or less charging into their deaths?” Alice asked, but the sergeant did not respond. It became apparent that the assault was to buy resistance commanders time to fall back and mobilize what they could find in Helston. “Sergeant?” She calmly uttered.

“Yes and no. We don’t know anything of what this is or where it will end,” the man paused with a sigh. “If you want to help, make sure that these people make it back. Find others like you and team up. When you get back to town, report back to me and we’ll figure things out.” The man took his bag and weapon and headed off towards the command vehicle. The last thing Alice observed about him was his name tag, which said ‘Cermak’.

Alice remained confused, but focused. The assault would soon begin and they would ride into the fray just beyond the facility. The enemy was not human, which could only mean that the thing that fell out of the sky was some kind of vessel from space. Aliens? If there were godly beings slumbering within planets, then Alice figured that aliens were a certainty. But why now? Why here? There were so many questions dancing within her mind.

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QUEST STEPS: Arrive at the forward base. Prepare and join the assault. At the most, end your post with riding the personnel carriers just beyond the facility.

[Sync]

Korvo Granetti

HELSTON OUTSKIRTS ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER

Interaction: @Prisk

---

---

Survival was the first tactic. There were many object on the home, upon the dust and debris were remnants of unuse and destruction... The creeks of the door, the tumble of the knob even to the color of the walls were all condemned to wear and tear. Rust upon zinc ceiling and noted signs of entry could be sought with the footprints and broken glass. An unlocked home is an invitation, of course, to all of those who trail the streets with prying eyes. Intuition was the blend of such tactic. A ransacked home becomes territory of the world. It losses all purpose of value, the home is composed of objects and people and without the objects such functionality is lost, yet what thrives upon a home are the souls upon them. And so, the welcoming nature of Korvo's home was but a simple ruse to invite intrigue and much to their demise, to find disappointment. Korvo's home had not a thing of value, the lights were inoperable, the distant a droplet hitting bouncing onto a liquid surface continuously surface among silence. Cunning was the result of tactic, his foot continued down a muddied hall. And a bulb of light shone from the side of his helmet, upon reaching a room the door was twisted, torn and broken. But it would be too much to say that this was a means done by strangers, no... of course not. His hands traced upon the pad on wrist. Soon a light shone which enveloped the room and a small compartment on the outer wall facing away from the entrance. There, an automated voice welcomed the youth upon the screen on the inner helm, before the reveal of his weapons and armor were upon full display. A building, destroyed holds no value to those who have all. Therefore this mess, this chaos was intentional. To avert the eyes of the myriad, to avoid the eyes of thieves of both livelihood and goods. His home was a garage, nothing more, nothing less. The compartment was small, only Korvo could fit and shift from one side to the next. First was the protective gear.

The knee pads and boots demonstrated signs of use. The distinctive scratches enveloped its designed and told the story of battle. Perhaps he ran across a mountainous region and fell, or a foe bested his defenses and managed to connect on them. The breast plate, as it would, was one more commonly seen upon militarized personnel. It was rather simpler however, perhaps it wasn't as protective as well. However it enabled movement, it allowed for ease on the joints and core. Getting it on was not the problem, but righting its tightness was. Perhaps he has gained much more pass on the passing months, or maybe even lost a few. The weapons, a single brief case that was at the end of the small compartment. Standardized pistol and combat knife. Not much to go on, a couple of ammo stocks for the road. He didn't know the danger of the situation but similarly he wouldn't underestimate. Sign of such would leave to quick death, and much more to a death of other people. Korvo assumed he wouldn't be on this alone, of course he wouldn't. The alarm was sent, much would rush for the opportunity... and the credits. And finally, a hooded shawls. Nicely kept and black, nothing fancy at all. Simply to add to his mystery. In a world where everything is so over exposed, keeping a secret held much value. And he didn't feel the need to expose much of himself.

Preparations were as complete as they could be. The compartment closed and the youth was met with the other half of a destroyed home, removing the bed, he took the cellar to the outside, hiding his pace from any who would attempt to follow. Finding himself to the world, the helmet gave the signs of the compartment door closing. A sigh, a look upon the sky and a long walk to the destination. Perhaps getting a ride would be the next thing he would do, provided the credit were enough.

Time slipped through his fingers, and Korvo found that there was transport. A small bus ride allowed him and other members of Helston to arrive. But the visage of everything seemed grim. People were scouring and trembling in their boots. Other ran on the other direction and already signs of blood and death permeated the seams. What had happened? Korvo pressed his fingers on the side of the helmet; nothing of use was posted on the notice boards or anything of the like. Something was terribly odd, different. A myriad of possibilities began to surface, but the best option that would resolve his query was to ask an official. Seemingly, he wasn't alone in such a thought. Before long he began to search of a captain a lieutenant or someone in charge. To no avail, the sounds of men and women in distraught and the insipid chatter continuously began to plague the area. Korvo figured, they were bait at this junction. "Sergeant?"

A faint chatter, not so distant caught his ear. A youth spoke to a man who fidgeted on his step, he couldn't make out the details and so he pursued him, to realize he had made his way beyond the perimeter. "Hey, wait!" Korvo attempted to reach him, and only found himself standing next to the young woman who was previously speaking to the man. A nod, and a turn, not all was lost on this moment. A better look on her features, although much of what Korvo interpreted was seemingly the eyes. They held a softness to them, peculiarly so. Shoulder length hair, and a complexion which soothed the flair of her cheeks. "Did he say anything? About the situation we have?"

[Lionhearted]

A R T E M I S C H A S E

◄ HELSTON ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER ►

The sunrise was Artemis’ favorite part of the day—symbolizing a fresh start, while casting a faint, yet fervent, crescendo of warmth after a chilling night. The mornings were calming for her, savoring each glorified moment with meditative appreciation, even in the coming of the colder seasons. Her morning routine buried her past with tranquility, pacifying the darkness placed carefully in the back of her mind with the aid of habitual movements: making coffee with her breakfast, doing yoga after her workout, making sure Meredith takes her medication, etc. Artemis prefered the early start, which made it all the more easier for her to open up the bakery and welcome in the morning regulars.

Artemis’ apartment shared the same building as the bakery, being just above it, in fact, located on a corner with heavy foot traffic, thus welcoming all the employees of the neighboring businesses. Some come and go within seconds, grabbing a quick coffee while others requested their pastries heated or their sandwiches modified. Artemis catered to the public pleasantly, rather enjoying it since it beat her previous work with it’s more innocent gratifications. The rush continued smoothly, resembling a typical busy morning which was seemingly redundant, but all the while, satisfying for her. The business had large windows that allowed the sun to light up the shop, adding to it’s cozy ambiance with delicious-looking pastries and the scent of comforting coffee. As time continued, the sun’s morning glow transitioned into its afternoon rays, signaling the end of the morning rush and the start of a midday break. A familiar face walked in, the bells on the door rustling together to sound his entry.

“Jayce, how are you doing today?” Artemis spoke softly with a glimpse of a smile. She averted her eyes to him for a quick moment, remembering that same, grey long sleeve that he wore two weeks ago, paired with tan joggers that he hasn’t washed since the stain from drops of coffee he accidentally spilt days ago. He copped a very skaterish fashion, dressing up his otherwise casual outfit with silver chains and expensive jewelry.

Jayce always eyed Artemis before he would actually respond to her welcome, unaware that people could notice his eyes carefully scan over her appearance. She ignored it though. Jayce had that wide smile that he couldn’t seem to rid of in the presence of her, “I’m well! How is Ms. Artemis?”

“Oh you know,” she paused, wiping crumbs from the countertops into her hands, clearly tired of answering the same question all day, “Same thing, different day.”

Jayce chuckled, “I think the phrase goes ‘same shit, different day’.”

Artemis released the crumbs in her hand into the trash, turning quick on her heel and responding abruptly, “Well, I like to keep my language appropriate for the sake of my customers.” She mimicked his smile for a second, showing off her comeback with a little attitude.

He shook his head, “Naw. I think it’s just that you don’t get angry. You’re too sweet for your own good.”

“Being angry is a waste of time,” Artemis retorted, uninterested in his dispute. She quickly poured his usual cup of coffee and handed it over the counter to him.

Jayce reached over to take the offered coffee, “Yeah, well try saying that when someone comes at you with a knife.” After pulling her hand away, he quickly grasped it. Although it was with playful intentions, the comment attached made it darker, causing it to stir her mind with unease and irritation that was protruding from it’s shackles, yet she somehow subdued any defensive maneuvers that she would otherwise perform. Jayce chuckled, trying to lighten the moment from watching her expression fall into concern, “Relax, hun. I’m only messing with you.” He set down a large amount of cash for the small coffee.

“Watch out,” Artemis replied, coldly, “You might lose that hand next time.”

Jayce leaned in with a smirk, whispering seductively under his breath, “Feisty. I kinda like it when --.”

In that moment, the ground shook with tremors. Ones that Artemis’ combative mind could only identify as a possible sign of invasion. The luminous light shined through the bakery, tinting it’s insides with color, but Artemis saw the hues coat everything with signs of danger, but also opportunity. In seconds, she removed her apron, moving to open the door to escort Jayce out of the shop. “Will I see you to--” she interrupted his question with the slam of the door. She locked it, turning over the open/close sign, and lowered all of the blinds so that the inside was well-hidden.

Artemis rushed to shut off the appliances, running to the back to follow stairs up to the apartment. The T.V. played faintly in the background as Meredith rocked back and forth in her chair with knitting needles in hand. Rushing through to her bedroom closet, Artemis began to pull clothes out that buried a safebox with an intricate locking system. Unlocking it hastily to reveal expensive twin pistols that shined with luxury and intensity despite it’s cracks and scrapes from use. Beneath it lied a suit that had specific Devlon technology that aided in defense while being adorned with gadgets that went unnoticed by most viewers. Unfolding the incredible material, she eyed it’s thick fabrics with it’s thin, yet very protective, plating. Artemis took a moment to quickly suppress the playbacks that swarmed her mind from just the mere look of the previously used battle outfit. Artemis changed into it without dwelling on the memories, hiding the suit beneath a flexible, black turtleneck and black, cargo pants. As she looked herself over in the mirror, she only prayed that her attire wouldn’t become damaged enough that it would reveal the union colors of the suit.

“Meredith,” Artemis called out, stuffing clips of ammunition in her pockets while fast walking towards the living room, “I’m going to be heading out there.”

Meredith, calmly placed in her rocking chair and unshaken by the alert that sounded through the atmosphere, turned to Artemis with a look of concern, her hands still knitting away with ease, “You’re going to go out there? You normally decide to stay.”

The expression on Meredith’s aging face portrayed innocence and worry, but Artemis knew what she had to do. Artemis moved in closer, kneeling down to grasp her frail hands gently, stopping her from her swift knitting, “I know. I just--I need to do this. The reward could be big enough to pay everything off.”

“It’s not worth putting yourself in danger. The bakery will provide just fine,” she insisted, rubbing Artemis’ callused hands with assurement.

“I’ll be just fine, don’t you worry.” Artemis spoke with the same tone, holding a gentle smile before pressing her lips against the back of Meredith’s hand. Artemis knew that the bakery wasn’t providing enough income for Meredith’s medical bills, so she felt that she could repay a great debt by providing to Meredith what she provided for her.

“My dear,” Meredith paused, “I can see the fire that lies behind your eyes. It’s been there since the day I met you. I’m just afraid of what might happen when it surfaces. I don’t worry for your safety, I worry for your mind.”

Her words were metaphorical, but nonetheless true. She had a way of speaking with wisdom, and what she speaks is truth. The truth of it was worrying, since Artemis hadn’t faced battle since her retreat from the union. Artemis pursed her lips, taking in the statement as best she could before pressing on, “I’m going to give you this,” Artemis moved to place one of her pistols on the nightstand beside her, “I will try to be as quick as I can.”

Meredith chuckled lightly, “Don’t underestimate me dear. You know I can hear them coming from a mile away.”

Artemis returned the chuckle with a hopeful smile. Meredith did have a strange sense of knowing when anybody was coming. As if she could hear them even before their footsteps, no matter how quiet they would try to be.

Artemis took her phone out, opening a message from someone she now considers her ally: Venser. She replied.

______________________

^{2:10 pm}
I’ll be there soon.

______________________

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Artemis’ motorcycle roared as she sped through the streets. Her blonde ponytail whipped behind her with the tails of her olive green scarf that covered her face up until her crystal eyes. She felt a strange sense of home--within her union armor, rushing into the heat of battle with the enemy unknown. Although, she chose to bury that lifestyle for good reason.

Upon reaching the site, she felt an anchor in her gut, similar to the one she felt during her betrayal to the unions. Artemis ignored it. She needed to do this for the sake of the reward so she casted the apprehension away and gazed off into the horizon towards the sounds of battle. Each gunshot brought back a ounce of her shackled being, while every explosion withdrew haunting memories of her past. It was hard for Artemis to find the balance between the woman she wanted to be, and the soldier she used to be. She shook her head.

Eying the crowd, the amount of people were intimidating and it was almost guaranteed that none of them knew of Artemis since she laid low in Helston. After she reveals herself to the resistance and puts her abilities to use, she’ll potentially become recognized. Who knows what would be made of her afterwards. Her decision to participate with the resistance was quick, and she didn’t think the entire thing through--but Artemis had good instincts and everything would generally fall together in the end. Her hopes were still high.

______________________

^.
I’m ready to do this. I need some sort of game plan. Where are you at? I just parked by the facility. I’m by my motorcycle. Haven’t approached anybody yet.

______________________

She waited for Venser, hoping that he would help her in a plan to engage. Unsheathing her pistol, she held it in hand, trying to get familiar to its weight again, and trying to find comfort in using her talents again.

[Aeolian]

_{H E L S T O N | F R I D A Y | O C T O B E R 2 6 ★}
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Traffic had already begun to back up as they took off down Pebble 82. The streets were lit with an unfamiliar energy and vitality of its residents. Some cascading towards the highways, while others far more inclined to bunker down in their homes. It was quite an unusual sight indeed. Gen-Alerts were a regular occurrence, but the magnitude that this incident had caused during the mid-morning bustle brought a level of suspense and urgency that was unprecedented. The light of the sun had begun its dance for those outside, the usual perpetual mist waning a bit from its normally oppressive nature as it retreated back into the stratosphere.

And when mist eased up, as did a bit of the tension on the road. This certainly made things easier for those who were heading out in droves to the great beyond, heading out to confront something they had yet to understand. Yet it was this very mystery that tantalized Luca's senses. It was scary how little he feared, how uninhibited he was. Most people had their reservations when it came to the particulars, yet Luca hardly had any. Each occurrence and experience was yet another way for him to delve into the crevices of the matter and extract whatever it was that he could.

He sat in the back seat of the family jeep as they turned on Highway A, his long legs somehow crossed onto each other, the window down and his fingers lightly tapping the top of the window seal. He gleamed out at the others cars that were heading their direction when the sound of the live news suddenly resonated throughout the vehicle.

"This is Candice Little of the Helston Public News. We come to you with a live update on the current situation plaguing our small town. Sources tell us that an encroaching force looms on the horizon. Details of the explosion that shook our town remain a mystery, but reports indicate that the unions are not at fault. We repeat, the unions are not at fault. Resistance officials have yet to give word on the perpetrators, but we will certainly be the first to let you all know as the situation unfolds. Please remain safe during these uncertain times.

Candice Little, Helston Public News."

Finnes was driving, though the sudden shock of the situation almost made her swerve. Her mouth was practically to the car floor, "Not the unions? How is that possible?", she said, looking over to Petra who sat in the passenger seat beside her. One could easily tell that Petra was perplexed by the sudden news, she groaned loudly, her fingers massaging the vanes that had formed on her temples, "It's not...". Petyr remained in contemplative silence, his pensive gaze focused on the passing terrain. It was sometimes difficult to dissect what was going on in his brain. He was always the most adaptive and analytical of their group, always one step ahead.

Luca seemed unperturbed however. He simply minded his time, using his breath to draw ephemeral shapes upon the window.

---

The makeshift campsite came upon them quicker than they had anticipated. A mass of movement from an amalgamation of resistance members, military personnel, and resident Helston volunteers flooded the area. They parked near a motorcycle, Luca being the first to evacuate the vehicle after taking a keen interest in the sounds of the not-too-distant combat looming off somewhere in the distance. He looked around curiously as he always did while Petyr and Petra retrieved their weapons from the trunk--Finnes came upon him, clasping her hands together nervously and looking out to the crowd as Luca was. She couldn't help but shake the unsettling feeling that crept up on her ever since the news report on the radio. Not the unions? The idea still vexed her spirit.

Petra appeared behind them, a long gun like device strapped to her back, its frame so large it stuck out over her shoulder like a long sword and was well past the length of her own body. "You gonna be alright Fin?" she asked the Union refugee, lightly tapping her arm. Startled from her thoughts, Finnes's body tensed up to an abrupt jolt. She rested her hand gently upon her chest once she noticed it was just Petra, a deep sigh of relief escaping her lips, "Oh...you startled me. Yes, yes. I'll be alright. I just...I don't understand."

"Whatever it is, we'll handle it. We always do. Right Luca?" , Petra said to Finnes, though addressing Luca simultaneously. Luca turned to her with a smile, holding up an exuberant thumbs up and nodding in agreement, "Mhmm!"

Petyr was the last to join the gang, coming up to stand alongside his twin sister and Luca. He looked out to the crowd as well, examining everyone who was there, grasping for some kind of signal that things were to commence shortly. He was analyzing every detail. From the people, to the sounds, to the setting, and the resources laid out before them. Whoever their adversary may be, he would devise a strategy of applicable extermination. Though he preferred the expression, Hatching a Devil's Egg--thank you very much.

Petra looked at him knowingly. She could already hear his brain ticking away like clockwork.

[TrippyNightmare]

---

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚘𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚢𝚌𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚔-𝚘𝚏-𝚊𝚗-𝚎𝚢𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚛𝚋𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝-𝚐𝚘𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚣𝚎𝚛𝚘, 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚐 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝.

𝙴𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚛-𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚄-𝚆𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛, 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝? 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚒𝚌 𝚒𝚗 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚍𝚎𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜 - 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢. 𝙲𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗, 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 - 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 & 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚜.

𝙾𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚖-𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚠 𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔'𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚛 '𝙷𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎' 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍. 𝙳𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚠 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚐 𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚠 𝚋𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍, 𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 '𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚕', 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚍𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚎'𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍.

𝚁𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗, 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚎𝚍 - 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 - 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢, 𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚗'𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢, 𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐.

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"Balcove's Pass, sometime ago."

𝚂𝙺𝙸𝚁𝙼𝙸𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝚃 𝙱𝙰𝙻𝙲𝙾𝚅𝙴'𝚂 𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚂

𝙰𝙽 𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙻𝙰𝚆 𝙶𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙿 𝚃𝙰𝙺𝙴𝚂 𝙾𝙽 𝙰 𝙷𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙰𝚃 𝙰𝚁𝙼𝙾𝚁𝚈 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚅𝙾𝚈 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝙳𝙾𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝙱𝙰𝙻𝙲𝙾𝚅𝙴'𝚂 𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚂.

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"𝙳𝚞𝚍𝚎, 𝚐𝚘𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚒-𝚐𝚘𝚍𝚜 𝚟𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍. 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎, 𝚐𝚘𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚍𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 - 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚓𝚊𝚣𝚣 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜."

𝙺𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 '𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚍', 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙺𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛 - 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝙷𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢. 𝙰 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝙳𝙸-𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚕𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊-𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚘. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚞𝚙, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 - 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏.

𝙰𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚞𝚗-𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚕𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝, 𝚒𝚗 𝙷𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝-𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚘 𝚗𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖. 𝚃𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚐-𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚢𝚕𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚊𝚌-𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝟻'𝟺 𝙺𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚗 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚣𝚢.

𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚊 𝙷𝙰 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝙷𝙰 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚑, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝙳𝚎𝚟𝚕𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚗 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚊𝚢𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚝, 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝙺𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍. "𝙿𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚢." 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜. 𝙺𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚝.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚔𝚎, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚜, 𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚙 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚐𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚝 𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚖.

"𝙻𝚘𝚊𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚁𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎 𝙸 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚘𝚊𝚍!" 𝙱𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎 𝙹𝚛 𝚞𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚂𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒-𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚐𝚞𝚗. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚢. "𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚎, 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚙𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑!" 𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚜. 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙼! 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚎𝚊𝚛-𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝙰 𝚃𝚊𝚗𝚔, 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐-𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚔'𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝙰 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍-𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝙳𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚜. 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝙷𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜, 𝙺𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚏𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚑𝚊-𝚢𝚞𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢, 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚛-𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍. 𝙷𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚌𝚒𝚛𝚌𝚕𝚎, 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝙳𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝙳𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚓𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚜.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚔, 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚈𝚞𝚖𝚊 𝙵𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢, 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚊 𝟷𝟶𝟻𝚖𝚖 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛-𝙺𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚢. 𝙰𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚓𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚢, 𝚊𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙳𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝙳𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜. 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚢 𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚍.

𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝙾𝚞𝚝𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝙴𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝙺𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚝.

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𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚛 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍. 𝙴𝚡𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑-𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝙷𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚋𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 - 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚕 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚔. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚌 "𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚞𝚙, 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗?"

[GodOfWar]

V E N S E R S I T O L

_HELSTON | _FRIDAY | _{26 OCTOBER}
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Venser glided through the fluster and rush of Helston like a snake through tall grass. The patter of thick boots on pavement, the occasional cock and test-fire of a fire-arm in the distance; it was a potent hum-drum that blanketed the city almost as thickly as the smog. Capable and willing people had been mobilized, tromping like cattle that had just felt the singe of a brand. Venser noticed crowded buses barge ahead of personal vehicles on major roads; little toy soldiers were already being shipped out to those magical coordinates that had lit up everyone's phones only minutes before. The mystery of what was there, however, had visibly bolstered the swarm of civilian militants. That dramatic flare of light attracted everyone like moths.

Through the grunge of that alley way, under the wires and barbed fencing of that street-corner, and Venser had come upon the bunker-like residence of Venito. Stained concrete walls possessed a mouth of solid, varnished wood. It was a simple door that sported a greasy brass knob and basic geometric patterning; almost as stout and oily as the tenant that lived behind it. Venser rapped the door and listened as it responded with the heaving stomps of a man fueled by annoyed curiosity. Not even his wide, heavy door could fully muffle the sound of Venito's own grumblings. Venser took off his face mask, loosened his shoulders, and started counting out his currency. The quick fwish of the door's spotting hole heralded Venito's appearance.

"Who the fuck is knoc- oh, its just you shorty. Why the fuck are you out? Shouldn't you be cooped up in that house of yours?" Venito growled, his eyes bulging out towards Venser as the red-head made eye contact. "Thought I'd take a walk, maybe go down to the circus they're setting up outside of town. Said you need some fire-arms to get in though; tickets won't cut it." The ginger responded, hoisting a handful of silvery coins towards the slit in the door. "Psh. Must be the end times if you're finally getting your ass up to respond to a Gen Alert. All I got is my revolver and shotgun; submachines are for me." Venito stated, his meaty paw scooping the money up and slamming the spotting hole with a casual air of business. After a moment of hearing Venito sort through certain drawers and the likes, the door was unlocked and swung open as the barrel-chested man thrust the weapons and ammunition into the arms of Venser. "Alright, you got your shit, now go on and get yourself killed." The large man retorted, beginning to close his bulky front door before Venser's foot stopped it from meeting the wall.

"You still have my bike back in that garage of yours?"

"Its collateral, pay the part of the debt like we talked about and you get it back."

"I think I'll be able to do that; give me till tonight and I'll pay you that and a little something."

"Fuck off kid. I'm not giving you the bike, just leave an-"

"All the cash I make off working this Gen Alert gets wired to you. You'll get it as it rolls in; Ezi's working the computers anyways."

Venser watched as Venito's face made an inquisitive expression, one half-way between distaste and tantalization. The ginger could feel the weight of quiet thought as the stocky man pondered his proposition. Venito's hand let go of the door knob, plunged into his pocket, and brought out a gold-colored set of motorcycle keys. "Five silver down, right now. Don't fuck me over Ven, I know where you live." Venser chuckled at the threat; it was one of Venito's favorites. The broad man quickly clutched the coins, and the short red-head swiftly swiped the keys.

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Tight alleyways and streets turned into the narrow gaps between cars and buses in congested traffic. Pebble 82 was a mess, a blob of noisy vehicles and regular wrecks that Venser was lucky enough to speed through. Soon the sight of the resistance front come within view; a make-shift camp crawling with excitable civilians and overworked officers. Venser could smell the scents of burning power cells, sweaty adrenaline and smoky gunshots before he even arrived. The wild frontier of Helston.

Venser's motorcycle screeched to a halt outside the camp, musty dust coming up in a flaky plume around him as he hopped of his bike and began checking his weaponry. He breathed in deep through his face-mask; the air was so much cleaner outside of the main city. The ginger wiped off his fire-arms and began inserting stolen power-cells and ammunition into their respective ports, feeding the metal beast just like Venito had shown him the first time he rented a weapon. At ten years old, his stubby fingers were barely able force the shells down into the revolver.

The ginger tied his hair back, smothered it with his beanie, and drew a pair of round sun-glasses over his face. The pump-action shotgun was slung over his zipped-up jacket, the mammoth of a handgun holstered on his belt. He scoffed a bit at the gear that other people surrounded him with; vests and leg-guards and helmets that made the red-head feel under-dressed. He'd have to do with just a thick pair of jeans and three layers. As long as the situation stayed free of union influences and excluded any projectile shots foreign to the resistance, Venser felt this was worth it. Foxtrot 11 would pay big bucks to get front line photos of whatever the hell was going on at Helston. The red-head would have Artemis to guide him through, anyways.

Stalking around the camp looking for his female companion, Venser soon came within ear-shot of a familiar voice and that of a more dignified, nervous character. Their conversation was distant, but Venser's snooping nature did him well to decipher their dialogue. He could have sworn the woman sounded almost like the grocer from the supermarket he had been at before.

“What exactly is this enemy? It doesn’t seem like it’s any of the unions.”

“We don’t know, but they are not human. When the assault begins, we’re packing things up here and going back to Helston. This area will be swarmed and we need to prepare the town’s defenses, and evacuate everyone southwards, to Halos City.”

“So, these people here are more or less charging into their deaths?”

'Heh, fun. I can't integrate into the insensitives without being made cannon fodder.', Venser thought, looking around at all the non-Aeons that would soon become military-mandated meat shields to some inhuman force. But that was exactly what had Venser thrilled as well as somewhat terrified; that alien enemy. A factor that could ensure his photos became valuable leaks on a potential resistance cover-up, as well as seal a gruesome fate for him if he wasn't careful. Venser quickly patted his jacket for his phone, making sure it was still with him. When he felt it, he reassured himself that this was all worth it. If this evolved into what he thought, Venito would be the one getting the short stack of cash tonight. This was all definitely worth it.

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Only about a moment of time passed before Venser received Artemis' text and double-timed himself over to where she was, shoving through crowds and the like as more people and equipment began to fill the camp. Spotting her from a distance, the ginger quickly zig-zagged through the base until he popped out from behind a corner and nearly surprised her. His greeting was equally sudden and brash, almost complimenting his unexpected materialization from the make-shift militant tents.

"To answer your question, their game plan is to start lobbing non-Aeons at the threat so they can leave. And yeah, we have a threat; inhuman and most likely originating from the meteor. We're fucking with aliens and they want to high-tail it back to Halos City. I say, for now, we act like good little resistance pets until we can get our pay-day. But we do it on the Aeon personnel carriers." Venser spouted, dust kicking up around his boots in small whirls of whispy movements. After his initial spiel, however, he shrugged and looked up at Artemis, adding, "But, I'm not the veteran here." He pointed a single finger at the pistol she still held in her hand.

[Mirandae]

_{HELSTON OUTSKIRTS ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER}
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An amply prepared fellow approached Alice with conversation. He towered well beyond her reaches, but such was the case for most people. Alice was certainly of the shorter kind. The man next to her had sought the attention of the sergeant. However, as the previous conversation with him had proved, the sergeant was half-way panicking and in a terrible hurry. Alice glanced at her new company with an upward tilt. The stylish and quite robust looking helmet reminded the girl of her lack of anonymity. She pulled her scarf mask up over her nose and tightened it firmly in place. Her eyes and forehead were still visible, yet somewhat hidden by her cascading hair.

“He said that what we are fighting isn’t human,” Alice uttered with soft tones as she checked her weapon and returned her gaze from the man. “So, it’s either machines or animals. But, seeing as we were just hit by a meteor, I’m guessing the enemy isn’t even from this planet,” she sighed lightly, thinking about what all of this was going to lead to. “He also said something about this whole area being overrun and this attack basically being pointless, but the sergeant felt confident that we would make it out of here. But, at least the sun is shining,” Alice chuckled and glanced at the man again with modestly smiling eyes.

More people from Helston arrived. There were a couple of odd characters lining up to join the fray, but Alice was not one to judge—at least not now. The only thing that circled within her mind was the sergeant’s plan, if one could even call it a plan. He had most likely just mixed comforting words together that popped up in his head, thinking that Alice was just cannon fodder like everyone else. However, he had a point in trying to find other Aeons out there and team up. Such a thing usually was not necessary given the power they possessed, but these were extraordinary circumstances that called for extraordinary solutions.

Alice gave a half-hearted wave to the guy that said What’s up, people of Helston. It almost felt like a comic relief, as the guy seemed larger than life. A few paces behind them, Alice noticed a tiny clique that seemed to move around like a hive mind together. One of the members, who had soft features much like Alice herself, seemed familiar, but she could not place from where. Beyond the clique, there was a tall looking woman by a motorcycle along with a red-headed fellow. There was no way of telling a normal person from an Aeon, but sometimes a gut feeling was enough. She just thought that these individuals stood out from the rest of the crowd that was getting ready to saddle up. Alice noted their appearances and would keep an eye on them during the attack.

The personnel carriers were firing up. Officers that were still around urged those that were going to join the assault to embark. The vehicles could hold twenty people inside, and there were five of them ready to go. “Here we go,” Alice shrugged and paced towards the convoy. It was a casual invite to the man standing next to her. General Alerts was a great way of meeting new people from the town. Or, well, it was not ‘great’ in the sense of circumstance, but rather in the sense of sharing sweat and tears in something that mattered. The drive over to the incursion site just beyond the facility was quick. It too less than two minutes before a huge crater presented itself along with gunfire flashing through smoke.

Before they knew what happened, the convoy came to a screeching halt. Something had smashed into the front vehicle and flipped it over. An alarm sounded throughout the other vehicles, indicating emergency disembark. The sight that Alice met when exiting the vehicle was unlike anything she could ever describe. An intense rumbling could be felt at her feet from whatever the meteor had brought digging deeper into the ground. Masses of tiny, fast moving creatures swarmed the area in the midst of panicking gunfire. Dust from the impact of the meteor and smoke grenades had enveloped the site in a thick fog that nearly blotted out the sun. Some vile creature could be seen utterly destroying the first personnel carrier of the convoy, the one that had been knocked over.

The tiny, swarming creatures were quite horrid. They had long, twisting limbs that they moved around with at a fast pace. Their leathery skin was riddled with holes that fumed with spores. Their faces were completely blank with long, slithering tentacles connected to it. They seemed to go down fairly easily, but they sure were uncomfortable to look at. When they moved around on all four limbs, their backs barely reached waist height of most people around. However, the creature that had knocked over the personnel carrier was much larger. It stood on two legs with its head reaching well beyond two meters in height, nearly three. Its face was also completely covered except the mouth, which had large, vile teeth. While most of the creature resembled that of a human being in structure, the chest and head was engulfed in tumors and growths that spews forth long, fanatic tentacles of some reddish coloration.

Alice disembarked with the rest of those in the vehicle. The sensory input of this battlefield was quite intense. Gunfire and explosions going off left and right, terrifying screeches and growls coming from the creatures, and that rumbling beneath their feet only made things worse. Alice let loose a couple of rounds towards the tiny swarm creatures. Just a few shots sunk them to the ground completely lifeless. Their blood was pitch black. However, the real threat was that Red Terror of a creature roaming around. It ran and jumped around so fast. Every person that it assaulted and frantically devoured seemed to only make it faster, as if plunging into some kind of frenzy. Alice kept it within her sights, rapidly tracking its movements, as she let bullet after bullet escape the barrel of her carbine, but it only appeared to anger it further.

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QUEST STEPS: Ride into battle beyond the facility. Approach the battle with the 'Red Terror'.

Boss Information

"Red Terror"

Victory Conditions — Fire (element), Ice (element), Beam (attack), Missile (attack), Blast (attack), physical damage from weapons.

Combat — Fast and agile fighter. Its tentacles can rapidly grow in length for lashing attacks, grabbing, and throwing. Hands and feet are reinforced with carapace for stronger hits. Incredibly strong bite that can easily chew through metal. This enemy will escape battle before being killed and becomes stronger/heals after tasting flesh and blood.

[Sync]

Korvo Granetti

HELSTON OUTSKIRTS ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER

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---

Much to his concerns, her words vibrantly reflected his expectations. Yet, behind the detailing of her visage, now hid under the cloth of her scarf, a smile painted itself on the contours of her eyes. The iris displaying the irony and sarcasm of the final statement, or perhaps the lack of thereof. A chuckle brewed out of Korvo... 'But, at least the sun is shining.' Perhaps in slight disbelief or maybe due to how everything seemed so colorless beyond them. Men quivered in their boots, while others gripped their rifled close to their chest. And yet, it was refreshing to know someone held close to their selves. "Nice and bright." Soon after their little exchange, a myriad of faces peered out of their scopes. All of which were oddities themselves. A man who needlessly blared out into the distance of the fray, without much cause of pause he merely allowed the world to beckon at his attention. A cross of the arms, and a deep stare. Korvo did not do much after such, but certainly shifted his view to a slightly familiar visage of a red-haired individual. One of Venito's close contacts or more so, one of the people who Venito owns. Korvo knew only a bit about this kid, but not much to actually strike a conversation. Next to him was a woman of blonde, noticeably different to the male in both aspect and aura. Her mien stapled her lips into a straight line, her brows shaped a grimace toward the myriad. Seemed she wasn't so friendly, but then again, Korvo didn't expect anyone to be as such. Much to the other distance was a youth, perhaps even younger than most. Although fairly tall, his features were an canvas where youth still sprang true. Not much to be said, as this stranger whom Korvo had just interacted with invited him to join her on the vehicle. He agreed, and so the two set forth towards their destination alongside the others who boarded with them.

Perhaps the road paved time for thought, his mind began to drift to the palms of his hands, witnessing the delicacy of his fingers open and close in attempts to grasp a wavering memory. It's been awhile, and some part of him senses a shred of anxiety crawl down his spine in a cold sweat. The heat of the day's sun etched itself on the heat of his arms and he could sense a power, long forgotten, cycle with each beat of the heart. His breath felt constricted, yet there wasn't a moment where any of this felt foreign. This invitation, this moments felt right. Steadiness was key; experience was the guiding map to victory. My feet are strong and able, my hands are sturdy, and the scars are the testament of a past I rather keep behind me. An explosion followed by a sudden stop, the world began to shift before them. Korvo along with the other soldiers rushed off their vehicle to be met with a chaos wrought by creature foreign to him. The bullets flew, screams and blood began to paint the scenery and not before long. The young man, released a breath and pulled out his pistol. Without much time to worry, it was time to settle the score before sun down. His feet propelled him onto the fray beyond the myriad. Every step with prejudice and flair. The quadrupeds where in the many, and would soon overrun their forces. To keep them busy they said, so be it!

~*~
_{"-Remember now, kid. You have to grab your victory's by the balls. It's never easy and there's bitch to pay. Be relentless, for once! Show 'em hell before they do the same to you!}

There's was a sudden sense of realization to Korvo, perhaps it was due to the thought that Venito's voice was the once that pierced through, but more over-- The distance has shortened before himself and the quadruped. It was quick, but predictable. His hand pulled on the knife and with a duck the creature's swing, broad and merciless was brought to a miss. Quick, without pause grasp the extended limb and sustain its weight with your own, pull the knife and stab its most volatile section. A stab to its skull and a screech followed. With his own force, he slammed the body onto the ground and followed up with another stab to the joints that connected shoulder and arm. Disabled, stomping it before it laid motionless on the soil, its brother followed suit. Almost coordinated in their approached. His helmet began to mark the targets before him, the once cyan texts now shifted to blaring crimson. His breath finally released, the pounce was incoming, Korvo invited such and grasped it on flight, the other slashed its brothers back unable to relent after the command was ushered. One gunshot, another and a third were heard at the behest of Korvo's hand. His gun centered at the monster's core before flinging him to the distance, and following suit with the other.

A step forwards and he could sense the energy begin to circle at the center of his core. Like a spiral it began to surface and culminate in the essence of all that surrounded him. Like if the world’s energy itself blessed him with strength. Every single step held purpose, every single movement and kill was calculated. But even so, there was something that kept Korvo focused, it was more than just sustaining this urge to replenish and hold whatever it was that boiled up in his blood. His soul screamed for a push. It’s been awhile, yes. But this feeling still remained fresh. A monstrosity began to shift between the people and tentacles protruded from his chest. Bipedal and swift, Korvo had a difficult time following it, his was larger by a considerable amount to the others, and he was ahead and witnessing it in it full glory. A couple of shots were directed towards it, but it seemed immune to any of such. Its gaping mouth ripping through flesh, blood trailing through its body, devouring men and woman alike without any evidence of a pause.

Korvo gritted his teeth as his gun ran out of bullets way before he realized any of them did any effect, with a leap it utilized its surrounding to gain inertia and rocket itself towards Korvo. The blares on his helmet indicated danger; he rolled towards the side to be met with an eruption of power landing next to him. The young fighter witnessing its height in all its glory and its massive strength, it pulled its hands and swung a second time without pause, a third and a forth. A duck, a twist and a push and Korvo managed to avoid most of it, until one of its tendrils wrapped along his leg and cause him to fall. It came close, closer than ever before. It’s menacing glare, its intimidating nature… A grit of the teeth and the roar of his soul exposed itself. A pulse, began to embellish his sense of creation and power became malleable on his finger tips. His feet traced the earth beneath his feet, a stand and his arms trust forward and open. A final defining swing and another eruption permeated in place, dust clouds began to surface in its wake but now Korvo, surrounded by a spherical barrier of power. Illuminated by the strength which permeated through his finger tips onto creation. Korvo demonstrated his Aeon powers without hesitation.

“…”

Releasing the barrier his feet kicked the earth under his heel to summon four pillar of stone floating above the head of the creature before all coming down in a hurl and slamming themselves in attempt to hit it. However, it displayed its earlier speed once more, noting that such would require more to even hurt it. However the gap has increased between the two now. A crack of the neck, before Korvo extended his hand and closed his palm, with the exception those index and ring fingers were extended. His arm began to swivel back and forth in a pattern, a light soon crackling into creation lead it to form a light that held no control. Lightning, power of the storm at his finger tips, his hands traced before him horizontally, a number of quadrupeds now lining behind its leader, before set finger punctured his gun and energy flowed into its metal.

One shot was enough again, the bipedal alien avoided with much trouble, but the others were swallowed in a small sphere which soon eviscerated them in it clutches. Lightning bolts surfacing briefly from within…

“What happened? Afraid of the light?”

[TrippyNightmare]

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𝙸𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝙰𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚎. 𝚂𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚜 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔'𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝙰𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚂𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎. "𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎." 𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚞𝚢𝚜.

𝙷𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚠 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛. 𝙰𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚑 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚐𝚞𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔. 𝙸𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚎𝚗-𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎, 𝚗𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚙, 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚘-𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘, 𝚜𝚘 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛.

𝙶𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛, 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎 𝙰𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖, 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜, 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛-𝚋𝚞𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕-𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚗. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗.

𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚢, 𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍. 𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝙱𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚝. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍-𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚢𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍, 𝚐𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎. 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚘-𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗.

𝚂𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚍. 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚞𝚙. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚒𝚐, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙, 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚔. 𝚂𝚊𝚍𝚕𝚢, 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚗.

𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚎𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎. 𝙰𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚕-𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗, 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚢, 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚠𝚎-𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚜𝚖 - 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚞𝚢.

𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚞𝚗𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚍 𝚃𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚝-𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚜. 𝙰𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚔, 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚘. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢, 𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚋𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚊 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚋𝚢 𝙲𝚘𝚘𝚕-𝙼𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚐𝚞𝚢'𝚜 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚔, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚊 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚛 - 𝚊 𝚍𝚞𝚘.

𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚔𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎, 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚔𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔'𝚜 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚘-𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚍-𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝-𝚑𝚘𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚞𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏. 𝙷𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚗, 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐
𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍.

𝙸𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚐𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚗𝚊𝚙, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚢. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏-𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛. 𝙰𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛-𝚋𝚞𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝙱𝙳𝚄 𝚙𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚝𝚜, 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚋𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏. 𝙰𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎.

[Lionhearted]

A R T E M I S C H A S E

◄ HELSTON ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER ►

Being lost in a trance of memories wasn’t planned for Artemis, but her crystalline eyes were narrow and spaced. She stared into the distance, towards the booming sounds of battle that somehow called out to her—not to the baker or the caretaker that she portrayed herself to be, but the warrior within that embeds itself beneath her condemning fortitude. She took a breath in, and she tasted the metal and blood again. She furrowed her brows, and she remembered the expressions of war. She blinked her eyes, rapidly to shake her thoughts away, but still, she felt pain.

Venser crept out from the corner of her eye and Artemis gasped, jumping back lightly in surprise and shaking the daze that consumed her. She looks around in confusion, obvious that she was lost in thought. First, Artemis took in her surroundings, eying the gathered fighters and discerning the type of crowd that she’d fight alongside. It was different than what she remembered. They didn’t bear the union colors, they didn’t organize themselves in squads of uniformed militants, they didn’t have strict supervisors instructing their coming suicide. They were a diverse group of simple citizens of Helston, but they bore a bravery that bled more genuine than Artemis had seen within the Unions. A peculiar group formed and Artemis squinted in wonder from the strange aura that they released: a short girl, a masked man, a smoking militant. Beyond the three was another group that appeared incompetent, but somehow released a sense of hidden intimidation. She couldn't pinpoint how the tides of battle would flow.

Artemis looked to Venser, then to the gun in her hand. She sheathed the gun into the holster that scrunched the fabric of her pants around her right thigh. She listened closely to his spiel, becoming reminded again of the lionheart that Venser was—he spoke bluntly and straight to the point, with confidence and certainty. He was a worthy companion to Artemis, and she valued the glimpse of kindness that lied just behind his imposing and cautious demeanor.

She stood in silence, thinking, after he finished speaking. The rundown he gave her stirred her stomach with emotions. Her gut tightened at the thought of inhuman creatures since she prepared more for a union attack in which she’d have more of an upper hand. This reminded her of the difficulty that went hand in hand with every battle, but also her instincts that made her rise. The aeonic fighter within her jostled her body. Artemis swallowed hard before speaking sternly, “We’ll ride into the fray with the rest of them, but refrain from engaging on the enemy until we understand enough about it to initiate some sort of counter-attack. It doesn't look like they're giving us much time to strategize since they're already piling people into the convoys. From the sounds of it, we might be on the wrong side of victory. But maybe Helston will meet it’s saviours today.” Artemis paused, “The sun is bright.”

Artemis walked closer to Venser to truly see the determination in his eyes. She let out a sigh, almost appearing afraid to join the battle, not from the situation at hand, but from the release of restraints that she bore for so long, “Venser. I’m not sure how well you are with a gun, or how well you serve in battle, but,” she stopped herself from becoming emotional or showing weakness, “I know you’re full of surprises, so I’ll try to not picture your dead body at the foot of some alien.” Artemis let out a faint smile before proceeding past him to join the others to board the convoys. Whether he would follow behind her or not, Artemis let her mind scurry back to it’s memories for the short moment that she had left before returning to the battlefield once again. Venser’s smart. Their instincts will work together, Artemis was sure.

* * * * *

As much as Artemis tried to prepare herself mentally for combat again, she found that it still came at her as hard and fast as the red creature did towards the many fighters of Helston. One by one, they met their fate, whether it was as gruesome as being eaten alive or as fast as being thrown an absurd distance towards the concealed horizon. Artemis’ breaths were quick, not from physical exhaustion, but from her slow awakening in the midst of what felt to be a dust storm. The small aliens charged themselves towards her mercilessly and in groups. Her aim was rusty, but she steadied her shots well enough to shoot down the creatures before they got too close.

Artemis felt cowardly, leaning against the convoy for camouflage and safety. The enemy was far too unknown for Artemis to charge in confidently, so she watched from a distance and saved her ammunition. Bullets seemed to have little to no effect on the red creature and it’s speed was impeccable given how strong it was. Helston didn’t deserve to face a creature of this magnitude.

It wasn’t until the reveal of the first aeon that the morale of Helston would increase. He was strong with his abilities and he casted confidently, almost as if the range was his specialty. Artemis, on the other hand, preferred close-quarters, but her fighting techniques were geared towards humans, not aliens. The array of bullets that continued to rain upon the creature wouldn’t allow for her to engage anyway. The masked man hurdled pillars of earth towards the creature—a powerful attack, but too slow in comparison to the creatures high speed. His next attack showed a weakness of the enemy: the light from his ability caused the creature to become cautious.

Artemis saw her chance to dart into close-quarters once the creature became shrouded in a cloud of dust. The gunshots ceased from the enemy being obscured. Artemis bolted forward and unleashed blasts of aeonic power from the heels of her boots, causing her to close the gap between the cloud of uncertainty and her quickly. Within the instance, the trimming of her suit became tinted with blue and yellow as aeonic power flowed through it’s complex material. It was faint beneath her clothes and could only be seen if looking close enough. But with the speed from her blast, she could only be seen hurling herself into melee range and disappearing into the cloud.

Artemis skidded in a circle along the dusty terrain, taking in as much as she could before the creature would notice her close-presence. It was tall and mighty, humanoid looking but with menacing teeth and threatening tentacles that protruded from it’s face. She was now close enough to hear the snarls of it’s wrath and anger, eying it’s body as she skid to try and find any weakpoints, but it’s skin appeared thick and protective, especially in it’s hands and feet which implied knowledge of close-quarter combat. Her scarf barely held on from her speed as she ducked her chin into it’s thick fabric to avoid inhaling the debris, readying herself. The best way to attack in the moment would be to match the speed of the creature, so she clenched her fists as the gloves of her suit hissed with aeonic power. With a jab of her fist, a mix of electricity and extreme force jolted at the creatures stomach. She uppercut with her other fist at the same spot, causing the creature to lift up from it’s feet from the combination of her aeonic strength and her blast attack. The blast caused the the cloud of dust to disperse quickly as strings of lightning flew out with the wind of her enhanced force, revealing the two of them. Assuming that a shower of bullets would follow the reveal, Artemis blasted from her feet again to disengage fluidly. The creature was stunned by her attack, but regained his composure quickly and assumed a stance for his next attack.

Artemis tried to flee from his sight, but she noticed the lack of eyes on the creature. She found cover by the convoy as she pondered. She learned two things thus far: it probably senses the presence of them somehow since it can’t see, and it quivered at the conjured light. The fight seemed to take a hopeful turn as Artemis continued to study the creature.

[Aeolian]

_{H E L S T O N O U T S K I R T S | F R I D A Y | O C T O B E R 2 6 ★}
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𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦...𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮(𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺, 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵) 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘸 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 and 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦.

𝘚𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺. 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵, 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. "𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?" 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. "𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯..." 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵. 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴. 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘵, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥. 𝘈 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢. 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯, 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘴, 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 '𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘭' 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳'𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺, "𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵! 𝘐 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵! 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵!"

𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦, "𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦... 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭." 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥, 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴/𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘵, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘌𝘋 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘥, "𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 get in one 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥....𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯". 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴?" he 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘯𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦, "𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 fine. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳."

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺?" 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 j𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰, 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘺, "𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸..." 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. "𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦. 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘢𝘻𝘻. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳.

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵. 𝘖𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧, 𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘜-𝘞𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸.

𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢'𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦, 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘎𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘨. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘦, 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘺. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦-𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢, 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢 minor wound 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮ed 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 and she had a deep gash on her shoulder. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘓𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵, 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 '𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳', 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢'𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸. 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳e 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦.

𝘈 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴...

Ꮦ Ꮒ Ꮛ Ꮢ Ꮛ Ꭵ Ꮥ Ꮑ Ꭷ Ꭵ Ꮭ Ꮭ Ꮼ Ꮥ Ꭵ Ꭷ Ꮑ Ꮆ Ꮢ Ꮛ Ꮧ Ꮦ Ꮛ Ꮢ Ꮦ Ꮒ Ꮧ Ꮑ Ꭶ Ꮛ Ꮧ Ꮢ

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★ Side Note:

For the Helston characters, I just used the Fairy font from this text website. If you guys don't like this tidbit of lore, I can delete it from the end of my post. :)

[Mirandae]

_{HELSTON OUTSKIRTS ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER}
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It did not take long for them to reveal themselves. That thing roaming and wreaking havoc was a formidable foe. Any sensitive would be wise to employ their capacity against it. Alice tried to support her fellow Aeons with hails of bullets when the opportunities presented themselves. The man she had spoken with at the camp turned out to be one of her own kind. His abilities were impressive. They belonged to some categories that Alice herself had not mastered yet. The man with the helmet’s display was followed by the upbeat guy from the camp, the one she had waved to in response to his general greeting of those who were there. His attack on the creature obscured the view of things, which caused Alice to stop firing and find cover by one of the personnel carriers.

Alice ejected the mag and reloaded. It was at this time that the blonde woman from the camp darted forward and gave the creature a good smacking. The energy from her blasts were heavy and emitted quite powerful sounds. Alice tried to find an opening to fire at the beast, but the woman was too fast. The shots were better aimed at the tiny abominations running around, as it would keep the blonde in the clear and avoid being suddenly overwhelmed. When the mag ran dry, Alice changed position while locking ready her last bullets. She moved with rapid but soft steps from cover to cover behind the vehicles of the convoy. The others kept the aggressive monster occupied with storms of Aeonic energy long enough for Alice to reach the ruins of the first carrier.

The tag team was there and alive. Alice took a quick peak inside, and then she drifted her view across the battlefield. Their numbers were thinning at an alarming rate. Many of the regular volunteers were dead or being killed by the second. “Can she move?” Alice asked the boy with the soft features and threw a glance at the woman with the injury being mended by watery energies. “We need to get out of here. Try to move over to the other carrier. It’s just a few meters away,” she continued and let off a couple of shots at approaching abominations. At that instance, the ground began to rumble and vibrate again. It felt much more intense this time around, an assault on the senses to say the least. A loud, deep roar growled in the depths of the crater. A colossal creature of horrid proportions began to crawl towards full view. It towered at the height of skyscrapers, tentacles sprouting from its head clad with myriad eyes, and limbs spearheaded by hoofs. It was incomprehensible to the mind to look at, and it was accompanied by a swarm of the Red Terror that they had just fought. It was, indeed, time to leave. The sergeant back at the camp that Alice had previously spoken to surely did not predict this kind of monstrosity, but he was right nonetheless. There was no chance of victory.

“Come on!” Alice shouted, as she made her way to the second carrier of the convoy. Nearly all of the regular volunteers had been killed. Only the few Aeons that had joined the fray remained, keeping horde at bay. However, they would soon be overrun. Alice opened up the driver seat door and peaked inside to make sure that the rear was unlocked, and it was. She hurried around the back of the carrier and grabbed a spare mag that fit her rifle. With a graceful leap off of the ground, Alice took hold on top of the vehicle. “Come on, it’s time to go!” She shouted again while letting the bullets fly, providing cover for a retreat. The bulk of the swarm and the gigantic monstrosity seemed to just engulf the area in seconds. Routes and possibilities of escape were diminishing quite rapidly.

Her rifle ran dry again. The straps attached to the weapon came around her shoulders for it to rest across her back. Alice began modest gestures with her hands that sparked into existence faint energies of frigid nature. As it charged and grew at an exponential rate, emitting a white-bluish hue, she waited for the survivors of this lost battle to come closer to the carrier. When they were nearly there, Alice catapulted herself off of the roof of the vehicle straight up towards the sky. She extended both arms forward with their fingers folded together. A massive stream of icy energies rushed forward. Half way towards its target, Alice parted her fingers and exposed the palms, which split the giant beam into numerous hails. The bombardment caused explosive sounds to consume the field, each hit bursting into arctic air around its impact. When the survivors were safely close to the carrier, Alice ceased her attack and fell down onto the roof of the vehicle again. “Go, go, go!” She shouted to whoever had taken the driver’s seat.

The way back to Helston was cut off. They only had two options. Either they drove north towards Mineral Grove or Dadena City. Or they had to drive east towards Eastbourne. The driver would ultimately have to decide. However, to Alice’s horror, as she held herself steady on the roof of the carrier, the sky in all directions were clad with falling stars just like the one that had crashed outside of Helston some hours ago—the one whose creatures they had just fought. This was not just some random astral event. This was an invasion.

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QUEST STEPS: Anyone can take the driver's seat. Whoever does will decide where the party goes from here. (suggestion: whoever is first to post after this). Finish up the fight, react to the big monster and swarm of Red Terrors, and retreat to the carrier. React to the multiple falling meteors in the far distance, in all directions (the unions).

[Sync]

Korvo Granetti

HELSTON OUTSKIRTS ▎ FRIDAY ▎ 26 OCTOBER

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There was a moment in time where all seemed to have finally be in their favor. Korvo, who up until recently thought he would be once again the lone wolf in a battle of lions, had been surprised with outcomes of other Aeons coming onto aid. This monstrosity had been pushed, tripped and soon enough snuffed out of existence with so many Aeons in the fray. It was merely a matter of time, witnessing all come to a ear close he knew the casualties would be high, the numbers would be a detrimental loss to Helston, and he would once again had to see more men and woman buried and mourning. But, the silver lining was that, this didn't have to happen anymore. This could be sto- Something was off, victory was on the palm of their hands, but there was a tremor under the heel of his boot, it began to shift the earth ever so faintly yet it grew increasingly potent with every passing moment. The hood of Korvo's shawl dropped, turning to what seemed to be the source that emanated from withing the crater. Behind the mask, Korvo's eyes widen in horror, as a beast peered its ugly presence from within the such, towering above all the people. It's massiveness was enough to halt his movements, awe and fear of what would come rushed throughout his core. A grit of the teeth, damning all that had brought this misfortune. Korvo felt useless and dozens, upon dozens of options came to mind on how to defeat it, all ended up grim. Those who were lost layed on the surface of the earth beneath his feet. Blood, gore and death was what now permeated throughout the scenery. What was once another ordinary day at the construction site had now shifted itself to a walking, breathing nightmare.

The survivors began to ran pass him. The monsters continued the assault, but at this juncture Korvo felt time move slowly. Perhaps-- A voice called out, snapping him away from his trance. The quadrupeds were gaining momentum again, one had leaped towards the youth and was quickly taken care off by another Aeonic blast. The young woman from before began to shout retreat. Korvo turned once more to witness the giant and resorted to run away for now. He darted with no remorse towards the carrier, witnessing the other Aeons do the same, he decided to take the wheel. Dropping the empty mag from his gun, he immediately reloaded and began to open a path towards the carrier's driver seat, a dead man took its place, which Korvo had to remove. A silent apology followed by a tug and push. Replacing the man's position and turning on the engine. It took awhile, perhaps it took too much damage during the skirmish. Korvo began to get frustrated, bite his lip, notably getting angry almost. He opened up a small compartment under, began to shift and twist the vehicles wiring before a spark emanated from such, bringing the carrier back to life. At this point, he heard the woman on the hood once again. "On it! Hold on to your things, I'm not about to be subtle!"

He lifted the handbrake, hit the gas causing the wheels to run in place, shifting the weight of the carrier and turning in place, shifting gears and dropping set brake the carrier lunched at full speed. The monsters began the pursuit. Korvo was not too worried about running them over; some made it to the hood and were quickly disposed off with a couple swerves. His hand pulled out the window and began to shoot at any who were in the near proximity before him. Damn it, where to, the way to Helston was blocked, they had no options but to continue northward, Korvo didn't have much time to think and he decided to get on the highway, from there he took the first exist left and now it seems they were headed towards Dedana City... In this small interval where the distance began to become clearer and the shifting noises of screams and violence had turn to that of road travel. The skies had turned into a fall of meteors much like before; this was no random circumstance of fate... This had turned into a full on war. A lot came to mind; he wondered if an evacuation was ministered on Helston, he wondered if Venito was safe, if grandpa made it out. The circumstances… He should’ve listened to his sense when all this began, but now it was all just a little too late. In their way to Dedana, a single fleeting thought remained. There were far too many people with him, and some didn’t look their best. The beats could be seen ever after such a distance, the monstrosity that skyscraper’d unto the heavens, not concerned about the possibilities of retaliation, it was free to do as it pleased and it was right. None held any power to do anything against it as of yet. Not even at its brightest, the moment nightfall struck, they would lose their powers and become no more useful than a handful of soldiers. Korvo knew his limits, and so… maybe it was time for him to humble himself a bit, maybe it was a time where he needed to ask for assistance. For a moment, Korvo hesitated on making a decision; his helmet blaring red began to slowly change to it more subtle blue, the worse that read “Out of Combat” were almost a mockery to what seemed to be the start of something bigger. A deep inhale, follow by a slow, controlled exhale.

Korvo's hand began to press the touch pad on his wrist, dialing a number which only displayed the name, Emergency Only...

"Ashwin... It's me. I know I haven't called in awhile, but- I need your help, I'm on my way to Dedana. I'll meet you at Aurora's Medical Facility. Get a few rooms up, I bring friends."