Cv axle boot tool
BSOD on computer with new parts installed
2023.06.01 19:24 tempest-_- BSOD on computer with new parts installed
Hello! I've been posting on this subreddit these past few weeks because of BSOD's I kept getting. I figured it might have been a hardware issue so today I replaced my motherboard and my RAM. Booted up the computer and I still get the same BSODs. I have created a USB stick with Windows installation through Media Creation Tool but I get the bluescreens before I manage to get to the installation. I'm completely lost now and don't know what to do. I will list some of the BSOD error messages I keep getting in hopes of someone being able to help me.
SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION
KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL
submitted by tempest-_- to WindowsHelp [link] [comments]
SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION
KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL
2023.06.01 19:07 Straight-Audience-91 Cowboy boots and hats are work tools.
If you wear a cowboy hat and/or boots and don't actually work with cattle and horses, you're actually just a poser. Cowboy boots are designed to use with stirrups, the toe is to allow easy access to the stirrups and the heel is there to prevent a slip-through. Hats are made to shelter the wearer from the sun as well as to channel rain away from the collar.
submitted by Straight-Audience-91 to unpopularopinion [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 19:02 Consistent_Opinion59 [Help] Magisk Twrp Error 1
I own a Poco F3 to date I have always managed to install CUSTOM ROM without problems.
This morning I wanted to install the stock ROM with my flash tool to start from a "clean" situation. The problem I encounter is the following.
- I FASTBOOT boot TWRP v6.3_A12-alioth-skkk;
- ADB SIDELOAD CUSTOM ROM (Specifically SparkOS latest May release)
- REBOOT INTO RECOVERY (I specify that it restarts the same one with which I booted - keep this thing in mind)
-adb sideload magisk 26.1, this operation ends with ERROR 1 in red
-DATE FORMAT
Now at the end of this process the custom ROM starts, and magisk is not installed.
The first thought now to install magisk is to reflash the latter, but ANY recovery that I try to load from this moment on does not start, the phone shuts down directly.
Where am I wrong and how can I fix it?
submitted by Consistent_Opinion59 to Magisk [link] [comments]
This morning I wanted to install the stock ROM with my flash tool to start from a "clean" situation. The problem I encounter is the following.
- I FASTBOOT boot TWRP v6.3_A12-alioth-skkk;
- ADB SIDELOAD CUSTOM ROM (Specifically SparkOS latest May release)
- REBOOT INTO RECOVERY (I specify that it restarts the same one with which I booted - keep this thing in mind)
-adb sideload magisk 26.1, this operation ends with ERROR 1 in red
-DATE FORMAT
Now at the end of this process the custom ROM starts, and magisk is not installed.
The first thought now to install magisk is to reflash the latter, but ANY recovery that I try to load from this moment on does not start, the phone shuts down directly.
Where am I wrong and how can I fix it?
2023.06.01 18:50 Necrolancer96 Summoning Kobolds At Midnight: A Tale of Suburbia & Sorcery. 84
Chapter LXXXIV
Somewhere, West Virginia, USA.
"Oaf! You couldn't have stated it in a less vulgar manner?!" The head butler snapped up at the Colonel.
"If you had just gotten to the point I wouldn't have!" The Colonel snapped back. The two goblinoids glared at one another as Morty choked on his drink.
"Wha *cough\* what was it you *wheeze\* wanted again?!" Morty tried to speak as he coughed up burning liquor from his lungs.
The Colonel turned away from the head butler with a snarl before looked at Morty.
"As I said. I desire to mate."
Morty caught a breath and spoke.
"Yeah I got that much! Look, I know it's a common trope to be a little curious and experiment when you go to college or uni. But I wasn't one of those types... Though Archie from Chem DID brush up against me once and I wasn't ENTIRELY against it-"
The Colonel looked red and aghast.
"N-n-n-no General! I didn't mean with you!"
The head butler snickered.
"Maybe if you had pointed that out before-"
"And maybe if you hadn't wasted so many words-"
"SHUT UP!!!" Morty snapped.
The two goblinoids ceased speaking, though they continued to glare at one another. Morty sighed as he collected his thoughts. The sisters trying, and failing, to hold in their laughter didn't help.
"So... YOU desire to HAVE A mate?"
The Colonel nodded. Morty pointed to the head butler.
"And you want the same I presume?"
The head butler just shrugged his shoulders.
"Not me personally no, Master. However, many of the staff, as well as other intellectually minded goblins, have been feeling new needs and wants. I have no doubt that those same feelings are what have affected the Colonel here as well as the Red Caps."
"So you both have been getting the itch? If so then what does that mean for our future workforce?" Morty asked.
Both goblinoids shuffled uncomfortably. It was the Colonel that spoke first though.
"The training of new Red Caps has had... decreasing results as of late General."
"As has the serving staff, and those that have higher intellectual capacity. The number of us able to become as advanced as we are is decreasing with every spawn. Where the number of us that have grown certain organs has risen. I'm sure you can link the two."
"You'll no longer be able to just spawn and train others anymore. You're going to have to do it the old fashioned way." Morty stated. He assumed as much when he first saw the female goblin maid. But now this just confirms it. But something was still worrying him.
"What about the other goblins? Or the dragues?"
"They remain the same. They haven't the mental capacity nor proper conditioning to advance biologically as we. They are still the same goblins they were many weeks ago." The head butler stated, with the Colonel agreeing with an affirmative grunt.
That's one problem he didn't have to deal with, Morty thought. His Goblin Wave tactic could still work then. Though his already limited number of Red Caps just got more limited. Though they've been fortunate that their deaths were pretty rare, only a handful have died since they first "ascended".
Same could be said for the smart goblins/house goblins. He should really come up with a proper name for them one of these days. Fatalities were practically non-existent among them!
Though that probably also has to do with their new "tools" and mental conditioning rewiring their brain chemistry. Can't be so quick to death and violence when you can't just pop out of a mint green puddle.
"Then it's not a complete change of plans, we'll just have to be extra careful when it comes to your assignments. But first, what was this about wanting a mate?"
The Colonel's tannish colored skin turned a reddish hue as the topic returned to his personal request turned faux pas.
"Yes, uhm. As I mentioned-"
"Poorly." The head butler pointed out.
"AS I MENTIONED, I desire a mate and am currently courting a young woman in town, and I desire that should the time come. That I may be allowed to engage in..." The Colonel paused as his face turned redder.
"Coitus? Sexual Intercourse? Baby Making? Fucking?" Morty asked with a creeping smile, each word turning the Colonel redder and redder until his face was more red than tan.
"Y-y-y-yes General."
Morty stared at the Colonel for an uncomfortably long moment. After feeling he embarrassed him enough, Morty spoke.
"Sure have at it."
The Colonel looked both relieved and shocked.
"Truly, General?!"
"Sure! Who am I to get in-between true love! Go have fun you crazy kids! And don't do anything I wouldn't!" Morty replied glibly.
The Colonel eagerly saluted Morty and fumbled a few more words of thanks before turning away and leaving Morty alone with the head butler, and the two sisters who still waited outside the room.
"So now what Jeeves?" Morty asked.
"Well Master. That was all that was both of note and pressing to inform you about." The goblin head butler, now dubbed Jeeves, stated.
"If that's all then, get back to work." Morty dismissed Jeeves with a wave of his hand as he turned to focus on paperwork.
Jeeves bowed and left. Leaving Morty alone to go over finances and logistics for when his mining, foresting, and masonry gets up and running. He was debating on if he should send the resources into town and get them worked on, thus giving the town a boost in greatly needed income. Or to keep it in-house.
Sure the former would be great for the town that he wished to control. BUT the latter was ALREADY in his control. Not only that but the current population of Somewhere weren't exactly loyal to him. The goblins on the other hand were.
The Noble Goblins, that could work, were actually pretty good tinkerers. He could get them to work the iron, lead and stone themselves. With the confirmation that they can now breed like normal creatures, he could start having them making babies with the locals! The Red Caps seem to already be doing that. But he could also send some pretty little maid goblins to start intermingling with the local population!
It would tie the locals closer to him by blood, sorta, and the future generations would be loyal to him! Then again this is all assuming that a goblin and a human can have kids. If not, then he could just outright repopulate the town with Noble Goblins and Red Caps. With their eagerness for violence lessened they would make a decent general population to rule over. Hell, he does it already.
Well, he had time. All he had to do was wait for nature, and biology, to take its course and he'll have confirmation in a few weeks, or months. Then he can go from there.
Though that thought process got him thinking about something else.
"Orga. Urga. Can you get pregnant from me?"
The two sisters looked at one another then back at Morty and shrugged their thick shoulders.
"We don't know. We never mated with a human before."
"What about other ogre tribes?"
"We haven't heard anything from anywhere else either."
"Well, if you can. How, or when, will you know?"
"We'll know." Was the infuriatingly simple answer.
"What do you mean you'll know?"
"We'll know if we are or if we aren't." Orga stated to which her sister nodded.
"That's not helpful."
"Like we said. We never mated with a human before. We don't know if or when any more than you do."
That actually made him nervous. He had kinda been shoving it to the back of his mind for some time now. But now the idea was front and center. There was a possibility that he'll be a father now. He was careful before with other women he brought home. Probably for the same reason that his father probably resented him for.
Morty got bits and pieces over the years. He assumed that the reason his father hated him was because when his mother, and soon himself, came along. His grandfather forced him to "man up" and become a family man. No more parties and boozy evenings, no more string of ladies of the night following him along to his bed to take his money, among other things.
That all, mostly, stopped when he married. His grandfather put the boot down. Either he would settle down and become a proper family man befitting the Duval name, or he wouldn't see a penny ever again.
So that's what his father did. He married and Morty came into the world soon after, and hated and resented him, his mother, and grandfather since. The anger and resentment bled into the staff. They held their tongues when in the presence of his grandfather, but when his mother passed and he got sick they made no secret how little they thought of both him and his mother. She was an opportunistic whore that snagged a higher class family scion, and he was the offspring that just barely avoided being born out of wedlock.
Now the idea that he was possibly in the same situation as his father was years ago came to his mind. Only this time, he didn't have HIS father around to browbeat him into being a decent dad.
Morty might be a lot of things, but there was one thing he would be hellbent on being. A better father than his own. He smiled at the thought of seeing his kids running and screaming through the halls. Then that smile faded. If they were even half as big as their mothers they were going to need some heavy-duty diapers!
-----
As night neared, the Colonel marched briskly towards the pawnshop. His uniform was freshly pressed and his boots were shined. They were always shined but he made sure they sparkled a little more for tonight.
He slowed as he neared the door to the shop. He took a moment to calm himself and make sure he looked presentable for the evening. Once done, he went to enter the shop. Only to find it locked up and closed. Being informed by one of the guards nearby, he ascended the stairs to Molly's apartment above her shop.
Once there, he knocked on the sturdy metal door. He heard a muffled call from inside answer. A moment later it opened to reveal the pawnbroker. She wasn't wearing the prom dress from the night before. Instead, she wore some comfortable jeans and a thick coat and hat to ward off the chill of the night.
"Sorry! I forgot the time!"
"I-i-i-it's quite alright! I would've waited longer if I had to." The Colonel said with a pinch of nerves in his voice.
Her face blushed a little.
"Well, aren't you a gentlemen! Would you have waited all night, even if it meant that you might've been stood up?"
He nodded.
"Even if it meant waiting here for days or even weeks, I would have done so without a second thought!"
"Aw! It's words like that that'll make a girl swoon! But that's for later when we're not near a set of stairs." She said and the Colonel led her down said stairs. Getting to the bottom and holding out a hand to help her off the last steps, as is proper.
Her smile reached her eyes at how far he was going to be a proper gentleman. A great improvement over her usual suiters. The two walked slowly along the lit streets. Just looking around at the town as it had changed over the few weeks. Some places were boarded up and vacated. Some looked more than a little run down because of the economic collapse the town was in.
The only decent part of town was closer to City Hall and the parts under Morty's control. Though Morty's part of town had more to do that they were well protected from the ferals that seemed to infest the town worse than rats or cockroaches!
Molly's heard that City Council put a freeze on bills for the time being. Can't be ruling a town that didn't exist anymore. So they decided and the Mayor, grudgingly, agreed to put a hold on bills until they could come up with a solution to the economic problems.
While they walked the Colonel was making an effort to distract her from the nearby signs of his men at work. He didn't think that her seeing a feral goblin getting its brains bashed in would be very romantic, nor proper for a woman like her to witness.
Though it was hard as even though he tried to talk a bit louder, the cries and sickening crunches still bled out into the night air. If she noticed, she didn't say anything.
The Colonel could only hope that it didn't put a damper on the mood. Though from her smile he didn't think it did. But he still led her to the less active parts. They would greet goblins on patrol, and they even spotted a couple of other Red Caps that had similar ideas and were either on walks of their own with their chosen dates or were dining with them in one of the local establishments.
Eventually their walk came to an end though. It was getting late and the Colonel didn't want to keep the young woman out too late. She turned around and faced him with a bright smile.
"I had a lovely evenin'! Thank you for the nightly stroll!"
"It was my pleasure to do so!"
"How about next time you come over and stay for dinner? My treat?" She asked a little nervously.
"I would enjoy that. Though it would be more proper for I to treat you."
"It may be more proper, but just wait until you try my tuna casserole!"
The Colonel chuckled and assented. She bit her lip a little before kissing the Colonel. It was a long, romantic kiss. One that he returned with eagerness and that ended with the two parting a little out of breath. Both more than a little red from the exchange. She smiled and went into her apartment while the Colonel marched back to the manor with a smile of his own on his face.
[First] [Prev] [Next]
submitted by Necrolancer96 to HFY [link] [comments]
Somewhere, West Virginia, USA.
"Oaf! You couldn't have stated it in a less vulgar manner?!" The head butler snapped up at the Colonel.
"If you had just gotten to the point I wouldn't have!" The Colonel snapped back. The two goblinoids glared at one another as Morty choked on his drink.
"Wha *cough\* what was it you *wheeze\* wanted again?!" Morty tried to speak as he coughed up burning liquor from his lungs.
The Colonel turned away from the head butler with a snarl before looked at Morty.
"As I said. I desire to mate."
Morty caught a breath and spoke.
"Yeah I got that much! Look, I know it's a common trope to be a little curious and experiment when you go to college or uni. But I wasn't one of those types... Though Archie from Chem DID brush up against me once and I wasn't ENTIRELY against it-"
The Colonel looked red and aghast.
"N-n-n-no General! I didn't mean with you!"
The head butler snickered.
"Maybe if you had pointed that out before-"
"And maybe if you hadn't wasted so many words-"
"SHUT UP!!!" Morty snapped.
The two goblinoids ceased speaking, though they continued to glare at one another. Morty sighed as he collected his thoughts. The sisters trying, and failing, to hold in their laughter didn't help.
"So... YOU desire to HAVE A mate?"
The Colonel nodded. Morty pointed to the head butler.
"And you want the same I presume?"
The head butler just shrugged his shoulders.
"Not me personally no, Master. However, many of the staff, as well as other intellectually minded goblins, have been feeling new needs and wants. I have no doubt that those same feelings are what have affected the Colonel here as well as the Red Caps."
"So you both have been getting the itch? If so then what does that mean for our future workforce?" Morty asked.
Both goblinoids shuffled uncomfortably. It was the Colonel that spoke first though.
"The training of new Red Caps has had... decreasing results as of late General."
"As has the serving staff, and those that have higher intellectual capacity. The number of us able to become as advanced as we are is decreasing with every spawn. Where the number of us that have grown certain organs has risen. I'm sure you can link the two."
"You'll no longer be able to just spawn and train others anymore. You're going to have to do it the old fashioned way." Morty stated. He assumed as much when he first saw the female goblin maid. But now this just confirms it. But something was still worrying him.
"What about the other goblins? Or the dragues?"
"They remain the same. They haven't the mental capacity nor proper conditioning to advance biologically as we. They are still the same goblins they were many weeks ago." The head butler stated, with the Colonel agreeing with an affirmative grunt.
That's one problem he didn't have to deal with, Morty thought. His Goblin Wave tactic could still work then. Though his already limited number of Red Caps just got more limited. Though they've been fortunate that their deaths were pretty rare, only a handful have died since they first "ascended".
Same could be said for the smart goblins/house goblins. He should really come up with a proper name for them one of these days. Fatalities were practically non-existent among them!
Though that probably also has to do with their new "tools" and mental conditioning rewiring their brain chemistry. Can't be so quick to death and violence when you can't just pop out of a mint green puddle.
"Then it's not a complete change of plans, we'll just have to be extra careful when it comes to your assignments. But first, what was this about wanting a mate?"
The Colonel's tannish colored skin turned a reddish hue as the topic returned to his personal request turned faux pas.
"Yes, uhm. As I mentioned-"
"Poorly." The head butler pointed out.
"AS I MENTIONED, I desire a mate and am currently courting a young woman in town, and I desire that should the time come. That I may be allowed to engage in..." The Colonel paused as his face turned redder.
"Coitus? Sexual Intercourse? Baby Making? Fucking?" Morty asked with a creeping smile, each word turning the Colonel redder and redder until his face was more red than tan.
"Y-y-y-yes General."
Morty stared at the Colonel for an uncomfortably long moment. After feeling he embarrassed him enough, Morty spoke.
"Sure have at it."
The Colonel looked both relieved and shocked.
"Truly, General?!"
"Sure! Who am I to get in-between true love! Go have fun you crazy kids! And don't do anything I wouldn't!" Morty replied glibly.
The Colonel eagerly saluted Morty and fumbled a few more words of thanks before turning away and leaving Morty alone with the head butler, and the two sisters who still waited outside the room.
"So now what Jeeves?" Morty asked.
"Well Master. That was all that was both of note and pressing to inform you about." The goblin head butler, now dubbed Jeeves, stated.
"If that's all then, get back to work." Morty dismissed Jeeves with a wave of his hand as he turned to focus on paperwork.
Jeeves bowed and left. Leaving Morty alone to go over finances and logistics for when his mining, foresting, and masonry gets up and running. He was debating on if he should send the resources into town and get them worked on, thus giving the town a boost in greatly needed income. Or to keep it in-house.
Sure the former would be great for the town that he wished to control. BUT the latter was ALREADY in his control. Not only that but the current population of Somewhere weren't exactly loyal to him. The goblins on the other hand were.
The Noble Goblins, that could work, were actually pretty good tinkerers. He could get them to work the iron, lead and stone themselves. With the confirmation that they can now breed like normal creatures, he could start having them making babies with the locals! The Red Caps seem to already be doing that. But he could also send some pretty little maid goblins to start intermingling with the local population!
It would tie the locals closer to him by blood, sorta, and the future generations would be loyal to him! Then again this is all assuming that a goblin and a human can have kids. If not, then he could just outright repopulate the town with Noble Goblins and Red Caps. With their eagerness for violence lessened they would make a decent general population to rule over. Hell, he does it already.
Well, he had time. All he had to do was wait for nature, and biology, to take its course and he'll have confirmation in a few weeks, or months. Then he can go from there.
Though that thought process got him thinking about something else.
"Orga. Urga. Can you get pregnant from me?"
The two sisters looked at one another then back at Morty and shrugged their thick shoulders.
"We don't know. We never mated with a human before."
"What about other ogre tribes?"
"We haven't heard anything from anywhere else either."
"Well, if you can. How, or when, will you know?"
"We'll know." Was the infuriatingly simple answer.
"What do you mean you'll know?"
"We'll know if we are or if we aren't." Orga stated to which her sister nodded.
"That's not helpful."
"Like we said. We never mated with a human before. We don't know if or when any more than you do."
That actually made him nervous. He had kinda been shoving it to the back of his mind for some time now. But now the idea was front and center. There was a possibility that he'll be a father now. He was careful before with other women he brought home. Probably for the same reason that his father probably resented him for.
Morty got bits and pieces over the years. He assumed that the reason his father hated him was because when his mother, and soon himself, came along. His grandfather forced him to "man up" and become a family man. No more parties and boozy evenings, no more string of ladies of the night following him along to his bed to take his money, among other things.
That all, mostly, stopped when he married. His grandfather put the boot down. Either he would settle down and become a proper family man befitting the Duval name, or he wouldn't see a penny ever again.
So that's what his father did. He married and Morty came into the world soon after, and hated and resented him, his mother, and grandfather since. The anger and resentment bled into the staff. They held their tongues when in the presence of his grandfather, but when his mother passed and he got sick they made no secret how little they thought of both him and his mother. She was an opportunistic whore that snagged a higher class family scion, and he was the offspring that just barely avoided being born out of wedlock.
Now the idea that he was possibly in the same situation as his father was years ago came to his mind. Only this time, he didn't have HIS father around to browbeat him into being a decent dad.
Morty might be a lot of things, but there was one thing he would be hellbent on being. A better father than his own. He smiled at the thought of seeing his kids running and screaming through the halls. Then that smile faded. If they were even half as big as their mothers they were going to need some heavy-duty diapers!
-----
As night neared, the Colonel marched briskly towards the pawnshop. His uniform was freshly pressed and his boots were shined. They were always shined but he made sure they sparkled a little more for tonight.
He slowed as he neared the door to the shop. He took a moment to calm himself and make sure he looked presentable for the evening. Once done, he went to enter the shop. Only to find it locked up and closed. Being informed by one of the guards nearby, he ascended the stairs to Molly's apartment above her shop.
Once there, he knocked on the sturdy metal door. He heard a muffled call from inside answer. A moment later it opened to reveal the pawnbroker. She wasn't wearing the prom dress from the night before. Instead, she wore some comfortable jeans and a thick coat and hat to ward off the chill of the night.
"Sorry! I forgot the time!"
"I-i-i-it's quite alright! I would've waited longer if I had to." The Colonel said with a pinch of nerves in his voice.
Her face blushed a little.
"Well, aren't you a gentlemen! Would you have waited all night, even if it meant that you might've been stood up?"
He nodded.
"Even if it meant waiting here for days or even weeks, I would have done so without a second thought!"
"Aw! It's words like that that'll make a girl swoon! But that's for later when we're not near a set of stairs." She said and the Colonel led her down said stairs. Getting to the bottom and holding out a hand to help her off the last steps, as is proper.
Her smile reached her eyes at how far he was going to be a proper gentleman. A great improvement over her usual suiters. The two walked slowly along the lit streets. Just looking around at the town as it had changed over the few weeks. Some places were boarded up and vacated. Some looked more than a little run down because of the economic collapse the town was in.
The only decent part of town was closer to City Hall and the parts under Morty's control. Though Morty's part of town had more to do that they were well protected from the ferals that seemed to infest the town worse than rats or cockroaches!
Molly's heard that City Council put a freeze on bills for the time being. Can't be ruling a town that didn't exist anymore. So they decided and the Mayor, grudgingly, agreed to put a hold on bills until they could come up with a solution to the economic problems.
While they walked the Colonel was making an effort to distract her from the nearby signs of his men at work. He didn't think that her seeing a feral goblin getting its brains bashed in would be very romantic, nor proper for a woman like her to witness.
Though it was hard as even though he tried to talk a bit louder, the cries and sickening crunches still bled out into the night air. If she noticed, she didn't say anything.
The Colonel could only hope that it didn't put a damper on the mood. Though from her smile he didn't think it did. But he still led her to the less active parts. They would greet goblins on patrol, and they even spotted a couple of other Red Caps that had similar ideas and were either on walks of their own with their chosen dates or were dining with them in one of the local establishments.
Eventually their walk came to an end though. It was getting late and the Colonel didn't want to keep the young woman out too late. She turned around and faced him with a bright smile.
"I had a lovely evenin'! Thank you for the nightly stroll!"
"It was my pleasure to do so!"
"How about next time you come over and stay for dinner? My treat?" She asked a little nervously.
"I would enjoy that. Though it would be more proper for I to treat you."
"It may be more proper, but just wait until you try my tuna casserole!"
The Colonel chuckled and assented. She bit her lip a little before kissing the Colonel. It was a long, romantic kiss. One that he returned with eagerness and that ended with the two parting a little out of breath. Both more than a little red from the exchange. She smiled and went into her apartment while the Colonel marched back to the manor with a smile of his own on his face.
[First] [Prev] [Next]
2023.06.01 18:47 BananaBread_047 So we've got 4 alternative weapons for each class...
How about alternative traversal tools? What if each class got a traversal tool side grade that alters the way it works but is not designed to be better or worse than the standard variant?
Please bear in mind I play mainly Engi and Gunner. Driller and Scout are my least played so if I propose something stupid for their alternatives I am sorry.
Engineer: Foam-Flinger Mark-7
R&D has been working on this one for a while now. By hammering the pressure chamber and firing mechanism they have altered the delivery method of the plascrete foam. Instead of firing in contained projectiles, the Foam-Flinger Mark-7 sprays a continuous stream of foam that hardens on contact with surfaces allowing for more dynamic and versatile deployment of platforms and bridges. As a side effect of this, the formula has been changed to harden slower to prevent the nozzle from getting clogged.
- Produces a stream of plascrete foam instead of self-contained platforms
- More versatile but slower to use. Foam will take longer to harden and become solid.
Gunner: VertiLink Ascender
After many request forms and more broken ankles, R&D has made some changes to the Zipline launcher. This update allows the zipline to be fired straight up or down with some deviation and provides a soft landing feature if a dwarf were in a rush to be at the bottom of a hole. A slight caveat to the changed mounting system means the lines can no longer be shot too far horizontally but to compensate for this R&D has beefed up the motor allowing ascension and descension to be speedier. If multiple lines were also within distance of each other they can be manually connected together to create one long line.
- Fires ziplines vertically instead of horizontally but maintains the same range and deviation angle as the standard zipline gun.
- Faster traversal speed to compensate for lack of horizontal movement.
- Can connect multiple lines together for more vertical cave layouts and to extend the range if necessary.
Driller: VorTex Cannon
Some of the older miners might be reluctant to put down their drills but R&D have assured it gets the job done just as well. The VorTex cannon is a result of further research into Ommoran Heartstone as a power source. Using a sizeable chunk left over from a lab accident as a power source, the VorTex Cannon can be charged up and release seismic shocks through terrain and reduce it to dust, leaving a nice hole behind. Due to the huge amount of recoil from a charged shot, the user must be locked in place upon firing or else end up bottom over beard. The VorTex is calibrated to be used on terrain but in a pinch, pointed at any bugs, it can send them flying in the opposite direction.
- Functions more like a gun. Can be charged or fired without charging.
- Quick shots don't bore a tunnel as large as a charged shot but doesn't lock you in place
- Charged shots lock you in place after a shot is half charged and uses more ammo, but it bores a significantly longer tunnel.
- Will ragdoll and deal significant knockback to smaller glyphid grunt units and flying enemies. Will temporarily stun praetorians and oppressors and has no effect on stationary units, Dreadnaughts and Crassus Detonators.
Scout: AeroBoost GlidePack
After some study in the Cave Angel species, R&D has come up with a more dwarven alternative. This contraption can be deployed at any time and can glide in the air the same way a Cave Angel does. R&D couldn't figure out how to make it flap though, so they strapped some Aeroboosters on it. Using the onboard fuel supply, the glider can launch from the ground and boost to zoom around like a fester flea. The pack can also enter a stationary hover mode leaving the user's hands free to mine but this guzzles the fuel like a dwarf does beer. As a safety measure, the boosters will shut off before they become too hot. The paperwork during testing was a nightmare.
- Controls like a cave angel but the user has complete control over direction and orientation. Also stays in first person.
- Boost also has an overheat mechanic like the driller's drills so all the fuel isn't consumed all at once.
- Hover mode works similarly to the hover boots perk but lasts as long as the boosters have fuel or until they overheat.
- If the boosters overheat or run out of fuel the user can still glide without propulsion until they touch down.
There we have it. If you guys have any thoughts please do tell.
I tried to balance out certain upsides and downsides of each tool compared to their standard variants but take into account from a gameplay perspective numbers can be tweaked and changed. That's why I didn't bother to include any. I'm not a game designer so I won't pretend I know how to balance things like this.
submitted by BananaBread_047 to DeepRockGalactic [link] [comments]
Please bear in mind I play mainly Engi and Gunner. Driller and Scout are my least played so if I propose something stupid for their alternatives I am sorry.
Engineer: Foam-Flinger Mark-7
R&D has been working on this one for a while now. By hammering the pressure chamber and firing mechanism they have altered the delivery method of the plascrete foam. Instead of firing in contained projectiles, the Foam-Flinger Mark-7 sprays a continuous stream of foam that hardens on contact with surfaces allowing for more dynamic and versatile deployment of platforms and bridges. As a side effect of this, the formula has been changed to harden slower to prevent the nozzle from getting clogged.
- Produces a stream of plascrete foam instead of self-contained platforms
- More versatile but slower to use. Foam will take longer to harden and become solid.
Gunner: VertiLink Ascender
After many request forms and more broken ankles, R&D has made some changes to the Zipline launcher. This update allows the zipline to be fired straight up or down with some deviation and provides a soft landing feature if a dwarf were in a rush to be at the bottom of a hole. A slight caveat to the changed mounting system means the lines can no longer be shot too far horizontally but to compensate for this R&D has beefed up the motor allowing ascension and descension to be speedier. If multiple lines were also within distance of each other they can be manually connected together to create one long line.
- Fires ziplines vertically instead of horizontally but maintains the same range and deviation angle as the standard zipline gun.
- Faster traversal speed to compensate for lack of horizontal movement.
- Can connect multiple lines together for more vertical cave layouts and to extend the range if necessary.
Driller: VorTex Cannon
Some of the older miners might be reluctant to put down their drills but R&D have assured it gets the job done just as well. The VorTex cannon is a result of further research into Ommoran Heartstone as a power source. Using a sizeable chunk left over from a lab accident as a power source, the VorTex Cannon can be charged up and release seismic shocks through terrain and reduce it to dust, leaving a nice hole behind. Due to the huge amount of recoil from a charged shot, the user must be locked in place upon firing or else end up bottom over beard. The VorTex is calibrated to be used on terrain but in a pinch, pointed at any bugs, it can send them flying in the opposite direction.
- Functions more like a gun. Can be charged or fired without charging.
- Quick shots don't bore a tunnel as large as a charged shot but doesn't lock you in place
- Charged shots lock you in place after a shot is half charged and uses more ammo, but it bores a significantly longer tunnel.
- Will ragdoll and deal significant knockback to smaller glyphid grunt units and flying enemies. Will temporarily stun praetorians and oppressors and has no effect on stationary units, Dreadnaughts and Crassus Detonators.
Scout: AeroBoost GlidePack
After some study in the Cave Angel species, R&D has come up with a more dwarven alternative. This contraption can be deployed at any time and can glide in the air the same way a Cave Angel does. R&D couldn't figure out how to make it flap though, so they strapped some Aeroboosters on it. Using the onboard fuel supply, the glider can launch from the ground and boost to zoom around like a fester flea. The pack can also enter a stationary hover mode leaving the user's hands free to mine but this guzzles the fuel like a dwarf does beer. As a safety measure, the boosters will shut off before they become too hot. The paperwork during testing was a nightmare.
- Controls like a cave angel but the user has complete control over direction and orientation. Also stays in first person.
- Boost also has an overheat mechanic like the driller's drills so all the fuel isn't consumed all at once.
- Hover mode works similarly to the hover boots perk but lasts as long as the boosters have fuel or until they overheat.
- If the boosters overheat or run out of fuel the user can still glide without propulsion until they touch down.
There we have it. If you guys have any thoughts please do tell.
I tried to balance out certain upsides and downsides of each tool compared to their standard variants but take into account from a gameplay perspective numbers can be tweaked and changed. That's why I didn't bother to include any. I'm not a game designer so I won't pretend I know how to balance things like this.
2023.06.01 18:30 Late_Response_5040 Diagnose this noise
 | I’m guessing it’s the CV axle. Father thinks transmission. I took a shot in my driver side front end last race. You can hear a bad clicking noise when I max out the turn to the left. You hear no noise when the wheels are straight. 2004 Acura TL. Thanks for any input and your time. submitted by Late_Response_5040 to MechanicAdvice [link] [comments] |
2023.06.01 18:28 IsayDamar CS graduate looking to land a job offer
Hi, I'm from Mexico, looking to land a job, just graduated and haven't been having luck getting an interview, any advice?
https://preview.redd.it/n9j21q3lnf3b1.jpg?width=791&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6cffa085f460ed930305e3871a7abe408df28f2b
submitted by IsayDamar to EngineeringResumes [link] [comments]
https://preview.redd.it/n9j21q3lnf3b1.jpg?width=791&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6cffa085f460ed930305e3871a7abe408df28f2b
2023.06.01 18:25 maybe_a_corpse NVME RAID MODE Not working
I was working in my pc when it a bluescreen hit my face. After several restarts and even more bluescreens I saw that my nvme ssd was no longer available, nor in the bios nor in the installation tool. I enabled nvme raid mode to try and fix that but nothing came out of that. The next day, I see in the bios nvme raid configurations available (never seen before even the raid mode was enabled all the time), the ssd recognized and after exiting it booted like normal. THE VERY NEXT DAY, AFTER I RESTART IT, IT CAME BACK TO SQUARE 1, WHERE THE NVME RAID MODE IS JUST A COSMETIC. At this point I don't know what to do, any ideas?
submitted by maybe_a_corpse to buildapc [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 17:55 Aiming_Dave Besties divorce causing issues in my marriage
I AM NOT OOP. Original post by u/chattykathy87 in relationships.
Trigger warning: Infidelity, past domestic violence and child abandonment
Mood spoilers: OOP does the right thing for herself
Note: This BoRU was from two posts that were removed but later preserved by u/SomaliMN in the April 2022 Edition of “Looking for a Post?” I edited only to fix typos and dividing up paragraphs for ease of reading.
---------------------------------------
Besties divorce causing issues in my marriage (was removed, reposted here) April 22, 2022:
My (40F) best friend (38F) is going through a divorce with her husband (44M). We’ll call them Alice and Ken. My husband (37M) and I have been together for 10 years and have always been close with Ken and Alice. Alice and I have been friends since long before we meet either of our partners. My husband and Ken have become good friends over the years and they hang out just the 2 of them semi-frequently.
About a month ago, Ken told Alice he wanted a divorce. She told me for the last 6 months they’ve been having issues. According to her, the problems stem from Kens issues with her job. 3 years ago she accepted a promotion at her company. The promotion required her to travel 3 to 4 months out of the year and she works A LOT even when she isn’t on assignment. She’s always been insanely ambitious and successful. I think it’s important to note that Ken works full time as a tradesmen. He works out of his shop (metal work) on their property and stays pretty busy. She makes more than he does, but I wouldn’t call her the “breadwinner”.
Alice has a daughter (12F) from a previous relationship. Bio dad isn’t in the picture and Ken has been her “dad” since she was 4.
According to her Ken has been asking her to either take a position that requires less hours and responsibility or find a new job that doesn’t require any travel. She’s been telling him she will but has been putting it off thinking he’d drop it eventually. This has been going on for a while (she didn’t tell me how long exactly).
It all came to a head when she extended a business trip (while on the trip) and forgot about a family vacation they had planned for when she got back. She didn’t consult him about extending her business trip before agreeing to it. She apologized and promised to make it up to him (and their daughter). She said she didn’t have a choice when it came to extending the business trip…..whether that’s true or not I have no idea. Ken was upset but didn’t blow up. When she got home though, his stuff was packed and he’d moved most of his shop and tools into storage. He hadn’t told her any of this and was acting like everything was fine till this point.
She called me and was crushed. She kept saying “I didn’t think he’d do it” over and over. What was at first sadness on her end quickly became resentment/anger when Ken made it clear there was no getting back together.
Ken and my husband were in contact during this whole ordeal. Husband knew they were having issues but didn’t know the extent of it till after Ken left Alice. Ken told my husband that Alice had been checked out of the relationship ever since she took the new position. They don’t do anything as a family anymore. Alice doesn’t make time for them to talk when she travels. I guess he asked her for some nudes and “sexy dirty talk” a few times and she rejected him but had time to go out with coworkers. They don’t have sex anymore. He’d voiced these issues numerous times and she blew him off according to Ken.
Everything became much worse after a particular incident that is hard to even type without cringing. Ken and Alice had been separated for about 3 weeks. Their daughter was bouncing back and forth between kens apartment and their old home that Alice was staying in. It was Ken’s weekend with their daughter. He brings her back Sunday evenings. Well….Alice went on a bender and literally forgot what day it was she was so fucked up (this isn’t like her). She thought it was Saturday. It was Sunday. Ken shows up with their daughter and walks in on a shitshow. Alice had 2 younger men there. They were drunk and in the hot tub. They weren’t in the act, but it was clear what was going on. She started freaking out. Calling Ken names. Screaming that it wasn’t Sunday yet. Ken kept their daughter in his truck so she didn’t see the worst of it. They left. The next day she had no idea what had happened. She had texted Ken horrible things while she was fucked up. I only saw them because Ken sent my husband screenshots. I won’t say word for word what they said…..but it was really personal shit.
Since this, Ken is going nuclear. He wants the house. He wants custody (he adopted their daughter long ago). He wants child support…..he’s “taking her to the cleaners” as they say.
I know this isn’t Alice. She’s going through shit. She needs friends right now and I’m literally all she has. Her own daughter would rather stay with Ken. I’m not going to cut my best friend out over this.
The issue? My husband wants me to cut her out. He’s said some really terrible things about her. He’s called her a shitty mother (I know she loves her daughter). He’s called her self-absorbed fucking b***h. He says he doesn’t want me getting sucked into her drama and behavior. When I insist she’ll turn it around and she just needs help right now he shuts it down saying this is who she really is and he doesn’t know why I want to associate with “people like her.” I know a lot of this is just shit that Ken has told him and he’s defending his buddy. I’m not excusing her behavior but I think it’s unreasonable for him to want me to cut my best friend out. She asked me to go out with her a few times and I went once without telling my husband because I knew what he’d say….i just wanted to talk to her in person. After I told him we meet up he went ballistic and repeated that If I don’t cut her out or we’d have issues too.
Any advice navigating this would be appreciated.
TLDR: Best friend going through a hard time. Husband left her. Husband wants me to end the friendship because of her behavior.
Edit: I made this post on lunch break. On mobile now.. The responses are overwhelming.....and eye opening. I've seen recurring sentiment that I haven't said anything positive about Alice. I re read my post and realized you're correct. So ill just say this....She wasn't always this way and her behavior (drinking excessively, shrugging off family, work obsessed) is relatively new. She used to be a good mother. We used to have fun family outings. Her and Ken were happy. When she took the promotion, all that changed gradually until this shitshow happened. Maybe I'm blinded to her behavior now because I know once upon a time she wasn't this person. I plan on talking to her tonight and having an "intervention". AND I WILL LET MY HUSBAND KNOW. Thank you for your responses....the good and the bad.
---------------------------------------
Top comment (1.4k) by u/Frodo_noooo**:**
This woman is your bestie, and you didn't say one good thing about her, which to me kind of shows that either you know deep down she's not a good person, or you don't really know her as well as you think you do. You state a few times that she doesn't give you full details as well, which is odd, since you're besties.
She even claimed "i didn't think he'd do it". What do you think that means? She knew he had told her that they'd get divorced if she didn't change. She literally tried to deflect until he forgot about it. It's very obvious she cares about her career more than her family.
Honestly, the vacation would have been the end for me too. What a horrible feeling for both the husband and daughter to know she'd rather work than spend time with her family.
Your husband is right to be concerned. You tried defending her in your post, but again, there's nothing redeeming that you said.
If you truly insist on helping your friend, then you need to make sure your husband feels comfortable and safe. Ken has been saying things to your husband, yes, but they're probably not that far from the truth, even if he's embellishing. Again, your own bestie doesn't tell you everything, so it's very possible she's been banging younger dudes in the hottub more often than you'd think.
My advice, if you want to keep your friend and not upset your family, is to get a little distance until it blows over. Don't introduce negativity in your relationship just because you want to help someone through theirs. Your family comes first
---------------------------------------
(UPDATE) Besties divorce causing issues in my marriage (was removed, reposted here) April 25, 2022 (3 Days Later)
It wouldn’t let me post an update without mentioning the ages/relationships again so the people involved are:
Me (40F) My husband (37M) married 10 years.
My best friend Alice (38F) and her husband Ken (44M). Married roughly 8 years.
This is not a happy update.
Alice and I made plans to get together on Saturday morning. I was going to get us coffee and help her with a few things around her house before she left for a business trip Monday. My intention was to tell her that we (her family & mine) are worried about her and we all want to see her happy but her behavior was worrying us. I was hoping we’d have a heart to heart. I was hoping I’d see my friend again. I was hoping she’d agree to see a therapist. I was hoping she’d take a step in the right direction.
None of that happened.
She was combative from the second I showed up at her place. Almost like she knew what my intentions before I even said anything. When I told her I was worried about her she said she was fine and has just been blowing off steam and having some fun. She said she works hard and can do whatever she wants now that Ken left her. She talked about how ungrateful Ken was over the years for all her hard work and everything she’s paid for and done for him….it made me cringe but I bit my tongue. For the record, Ken is a hardworking guy who didn’t need her money. He was the breadwinner when they first got together. She makes quite a bit more then him now but in no way was he dependent on her.
Some of you pointed out it was likely that Alice was cheating on Ken. I asked her and she got extremely defensive. She gave me the whole “I can’t believe you’d even ask me that” attitude. I reminded her about the hot tub incident and the optics of it all. She blew it off and swore she’d never cheated. I asked who the guys were. Turns out they were interns at her company. When I asked how old they were she simply said “they were legal”. The way she said it made me wonder if that’s how dirty old men talk about younger women. It was gross. Whether or not she was cheating before the break up….I don’t know. I don’t really know anything about this woman anymore.
Here’s where things took an unexpected turn.
As we chatted she was packing for her business trip. I asked her where she was going this time. She said Dallas. I didn’t think anything of it…she’s gone to Dallas for business dozens of times. What did strike me as odd was what she was packing. Long pants, sweat shirts, a beanie, jackets, hiking boots….it was all fall attire and not what she’d be wearing in Dallas this time of year. I don’t think I even saw her pack work clothes. But the weirdest thing? A random Seattle Mariners jersey. She doesn’t follow baseball. She never has. I thought about saying something but kept my questions to myself. It was all just….odd.
I felt like she was preoccupied with packing and her daughter coming over soon so I decided to head out. We hugged. I told her I loved her and want her to be happy. I told her I hope she considers seeing a therapist when she gets back. She said “I’ll think about it.” Things did seem to end on a positive tone.
When I got home hubby and I were talking about how things went and I told him about the clothes she was packing and the random Seattle Mariners jersey. He thought it was odd too. But, other than it just being odd, we didn’t think anything of it at the time. But then hubby went full internet detective…..and guess who lives in Seattle and has a facebook profile picture of himself at a Mariners game? Her daughter’s biological father. My heart sank. When I checked the Mariners schedule they do have home games next week. I called her immediately and asked her if she was really going to Dallas.
She responded “yeah why?”
I asked if she was sure she wasn’t going to see (exes name) in Seattle.
She got quiet. There was probably a full minute of silence. I told her she better not lie to me and that I’d find out. She came clean. She said she had gotten in contact with him right after Ken left her and they’d been talking more and more. She said he was a different man now and has turned his life around…..blah blah blah.
I didn’t talk about her baby daddy in the last post because it wasn’t relevant. But just know this man is a piece of shit human being. He cheated on her while she was pregnant and kicked her out when she confronted him. He’d slap her around. Call her terrible names. This fucking guy said he wanted nothing to do with their child also. I flew to Seattle, picked her up and brought her home. She lived with me for a bit. She met Ken shortly after having her daughter and within a year of dating they moved in together.
I told her that of all the shit she’s pulled recently this was by far the worst thing she could do. I told her I was disappointed in her. I couldn’t believe she would ever speak to that man after what he did to her and how he treated her. She kept saying it was years ago and she’s changed and……HE WANTS TO MEET HIS DAUGHTER ONE DAY.
I started screaming and yelling into the phone so loud I think I blew out my voice. I told her I was done with her. I told her if she gets on that plane to Seattle to not bother contacting me ever again. I hung up on her. She called back and texted once but I ignored it. I didn’t have the energy for her anymore. I just sat on the couch crying all night while my husband held me. He didn’t rub it in. He didn’t give me attitude. He just let me cry and told me he was sorry.
Alice texted me this morning. She said she’s sorry for lying to me but she’s a big girl now and can look after herself. I asked her if she’s still going to Seattle….she said yes. I blocked her.
It’s over. I told Ken everything. He was upset but not surprised. He said he knew how close Alice and I were and he was sorry I’d lost my friend. I told him I was sorry he’d lost his wife.
You guys were right. I feel like a fucking idiot. Maybe it's a little selfish of me....but i feel betrayed.
TLDR: My friend is ruining her life and going back to the man who abandoned her while she was pregnant. I've been defending her and acting as her advocate hoping she'd get better. Not anymore.
---------------------------------------
Reminder - I am not the original poster.
submitted by Aiming_Dave to BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]
Trigger warning: Infidelity, past domestic violence and child abandonment
Mood spoilers: OOP does the right thing for herself
Note: This BoRU was from two posts that were removed but later preserved by u/SomaliMN in the April 2022 Edition of “Looking for a Post?” I edited only to fix typos and dividing up paragraphs for ease of reading.
---------------------------------------
Besties divorce causing issues in my marriage (was removed, reposted here) April 22, 2022:
My (40F) best friend (38F) is going through a divorce with her husband (44M). We’ll call them Alice and Ken. My husband (37M) and I have been together for 10 years and have always been close with Ken and Alice. Alice and I have been friends since long before we meet either of our partners. My husband and Ken have become good friends over the years and they hang out just the 2 of them semi-frequently.
About a month ago, Ken told Alice he wanted a divorce. She told me for the last 6 months they’ve been having issues. According to her, the problems stem from Kens issues with her job. 3 years ago she accepted a promotion at her company. The promotion required her to travel 3 to 4 months out of the year and she works A LOT even when she isn’t on assignment. She’s always been insanely ambitious and successful. I think it’s important to note that Ken works full time as a tradesmen. He works out of his shop (metal work) on their property and stays pretty busy. She makes more than he does, but I wouldn’t call her the “breadwinner”.
Alice has a daughter (12F) from a previous relationship. Bio dad isn’t in the picture and Ken has been her “dad” since she was 4.
According to her Ken has been asking her to either take a position that requires less hours and responsibility or find a new job that doesn’t require any travel. She’s been telling him she will but has been putting it off thinking he’d drop it eventually. This has been going on for a while (she didn’t tell me how long exactly).
It all came to a head when she extended a business trip (while on the trip) and forgot about a family vacation they had planned for when she got back. She didn’t consult him about extending her business trip before agreeing to it. She apologized and promised to make it up to him (and their daughter). She said she didn’t have a choice when it came to extending the business trip…..whether that’s true or not I have no idea. Ken was upset but didn’t blow up. When she got home though, his stuff was packed and he’d moved most of his shop and tools into storage. He hadn’t told her any of this and was acting like everything was fine till this point.
She called me and was crushed. She kept saying “I didn’t think he’d do it” over and over. What was at first sadness on her end quickly became resentment/anger when Ken made it clear there was no getting back together.
Ken and my husband were in contact during this whole ordeal. Husband knew they were having issues but didn’t know the extent of it till after Ken left Alice. Ken told my husband that Alice had been checked out of the relationship ever since she took the new position. They don’t do anything as a family anymore. Alice doesn’t make time for them to talk when she travels. I guess he asked her for some nudes and “sexy dirty talk” a few times and she rejected him but had time to go out with coworkers. They don’t have sex anymore. He’d voiced these issues numerous times and she blew him off according to Ken.
Everything became much worse after a particular incident that is hard to even type without cringing. Ken and Alice had been separated for about 3 weeks. Their daughter was bouncing back and forth between kens apartment and their old home that Alice was staying in. It was Ken’s weekend with their daughter. He brings her back Sunday evenings. Well….Alice went on a bender and literally forgot what day it was she was so fucked up (this isn’t like her). She thought it was Saturday. It was Sunday. Ken shows up with their daughter and walks in on a shitshow. Alice had 2 younger men there. They were drunk and in the hot tub. They weren’t in the act, but it was clear what was going on. She started freaking out. Calling Ken names. Screaming that it wasn’t Sunday yet. Ken kept their daughter in his truck so she didn’t see the worst of it. They left. The next day she had no idea what had happened. She had texted Ken horrible things while she was fucked up. I only saw them because Ken sent my husband screenshots. I won’t say word for word what they said…..but it was really personal shit.
Since this, Ken is going nuclear. He wants the house. He wants custody (he adopted their daughter long ago). He wants child support…..he’s “taking her to the cleaners” as they say.
I know this isn’t Alice. She’s going through shit. She needs friends right now and I’m literally all she has. Her own daughter would rather stay with Ken. I’m not going to cut my best friend out over this.
The issue? My husband wants me to cut her out. He’s said some really terrible things about her. He’s called her a shitty mother (I know she loves her daughter). He’s called her self-absorbed fucking b***h. He says he doesn’t want me getting sucked into her drama and behavior. When I insist she’ll turn it around and she just needs help right now he shuts it down saying this is who she really is and he doesn’t know why I want to associate with “people like her.” I know a lot of this is just shit that Ken has told him and he’s defending his buddy. I’m not excusing her behavior but I think it’s unreasonable for him to want me to cut my best friend out. She asked me to go out with her a few times and I went once without telling my husband because I knew what he’d say….i just wanted to talk to her in person. After I told him we meet up he went ballistic and repeated that If I don’t cut her out or we’d have issues too.
Any advice navigating this would be appreciated.
TLDR: Best friend going through a hard time. Husband left her. Husband wants me to end the friendship because of her behavior.
Edit: I made this post on lunch break. On mobile now.. The responses are overwhelming.....and eye opening. I've seen recurring sentiment that I haven't said anything positive about Alice. I re read my post and realized you're correct. So ill just say this....She wasn't always this way and her behavior (drinking excessively, shrugging off family, work obsessed) is relatively new. She used to be a good mother. We used to have fun family outings. Her and Ken were happy. When she took the promotion, all that changed gradually until this shitshow happened. Maybe I'm blinded to her behavior now because I know once upon a time she wasn't this person. I plan on talking to her tonight and having an "intervention". AND I WILL LET MY HUSBAND KNOW. Thank you for your responses....the good and the bad.
---------------------------------------
Top comment (1.4k) by u/Frodo_noooo**:**
This woman is your bestie, and you didn't say one good thing about her, which to me kind of shows that either you know deep down she's not a good person, or you don't really know her as well as you think you do. You state a few times that she doesn't give you full details as well, which is odd, since you're besties.
She even claimed "i didn't think he'd do it". What do you think that means? She knew he had told her that they'd get divorced if she didn't change. She literally tried to deflect until he forgot about it. It's very obvious she cares about her career more than her family.
Honestly, the vacation would have been the end for me too. What a horrible feeling for both the husband and daughter to know she'd rather work than spend time with her family.
Your husband is right to be concerned. You tried defending her in your post, but again, there's nothing redeeming that you said.
If you truly insist on helping your friend, then you need to make sure your husband feels comfortable and safe. Ken has been saying things to your husband, yes, but they're probably not that far from the truth, even if he's embellishing. Again, your own bestie doesn't tell you everything, so it's very possible she's been banging younger dudes in the hottub more often than you'd think.
My advice, if you want to keep your friend and not upset your family, is to get a little distance until it blows over. Don't introduce negativity in your relationship just because you want to help someone through theirs. Your family comes first
---------------------------------------
(UPDATE) Besties divorce causing issues in my marriage (was removed, reposted here) April 25, 2022 (3 Days Later)
It wouldn’t let me post an update without mentioning the ages/relationships again so the people involved are:
Me (40F) My husband (37M) married 10 years.
My best friend Alice (38F) and her husband Ken (44M). Married roughly 8 years.
This is not a happy update.
Alice and I made plans to get together on Saturday morning. I was going to get us coffee and help her with a few things around her house before she left for a business trip Monday. My intention was to tell her that we (her family & mine) are worried about her and we all want to see her happy but her behavior was worrying us. I was hoping we’d have a heart to heart. I was hoping I’d see my friend again. I was hoping she’d agree to see a therapist. I was hoping she’d take a step in the right direction.
None of that happened.
She was combative from the second I showed up at her place. Almost like she knew what my intentions before I even said anything. When I told her I was worried about her she said she was fine and has just been blowing off steam and having some fun. She said she works hard and can do whatever she wants now that Ken left her. She talked about how ungrateful Ken was over the years for all her hard work and everything she’s paid for and done for him….it made me cringe but I bit my tongue. For the record, Ken is a hardworking guy who didn’t need her money. He was the breadwinner when they first got together. She makes quite a bit more then him now but in no way was he dependent on her.
Some of you pointed out it was likely that Alice was cheating on Ken. I asked her and she got extremely defensive. She gave me the whole “I can’t believe you’d even ask me that” attitude. I reminded her about the hot tub incident and the optics of it all. She blew it off and swore she’d never cheated. I asked who the guys were. Turns out they were interns at her company. When I asked how old they were she simply said “they were legal”. The way she said it made me wonder if that’s how dirty old men talk about younger women. It was gross. Whether or not she was cheating before the break up….I don’t know. I don’t really know anything about this woman anymore.
Here’s where things took an unexpected turn.
As we chatted she was packing for her business trip. I asked her where she was going this time. She said Dallas. I didn’t think anything of it…she’s gone to Dallas for business dozens of times. What did strike me as odd was what she was packing. Long pants, sweat shirts, a beanie, jackets, hiking boots….it was all fall attire and not what she’d be wearing in Dallas this time of year. I don’t think I even saw her pack work clothes. But the weirdest thing? A random Seattle Mariners jersey. She doesn’t follow baseball. She never has. I thought about saying something but kept my questions to myself. It was all just….odd.
I felt like she was preoccupied with packing and her daughter coming over soon so I decided to head out. We hugged. I told her I loved her and want her to be happy. I told her I hope she considers seeing a therapist when she gets back. She said “I’ll think about it.” Things did seem to end on a positive tone.
When I got home hubby and I were talking about how things went and I told him about the clothes she was packing and the random Seattle Mariners jersey. He thought it was odd too. But, other than it just being odd, we didn’t think anything of it at the time. But then hubby went full internet detective…..and guess who lives in Seattle and has a facebook profile picture of himself at a Mariners game? Her daughter’s biological father. My heart sank. When I checked the Mariners schedule they do have home games next week. I called her immediately and asked her if she was really going to Dallas.
She responded “yeah why?”
I asked if she was sure she wasn’t going to see (exes name) in Seattle.
She got quiet. There was probably a full minute of silence. I told her she better not lie to me and that I’d find out. She came clean. She said she had gotten in contact with him right after Ken left her and they’d been talking more and more. She said he was a different man now and has turned his life around…..blah blah blah.
I didn’t talk about her baby daddy in the last post because it wasn’t relevant. But just know this man is a piece of shit human being. He cheated on her while she was pregnant and kicked her out when she confronted him. He’d slap her around. Call her terrible names. This fucking guy said he wanted nothing to do with their child also. I flew to Seattle, picked her up and brought her home. She lived with me for a bit. She met Ken shortly after having her daughter and within a year of dating they moved in together.
I told her that of all the shit she’s pulled recently this was by far the worst thing she could do. I told her I was disappointed in her. I couldn’t believe she would ever speak to that man after what he did to her and how he treated her. She kept saying it was years ago and she’s changed and……HE WANTS TO MEET HIS DAUGHTER ONE DAY.
I started screaming and yelling into the phone so loud I think I blew out my voice. I told her I was done with her. I told her if she gets on that plane to Seattle to not bother contacting me ever again. I hung up on her. She called back and texted once but I ignored it. I didn’t have the energy for her anymore. I just sat on the couch crying all night while my husband held me. He didn’t rub it in. He didn’t give me attitude. He just let me cry and told me he was sorry.
Alice texted me this morning. She said she’s sorry for lying to me but she’s a big girl now and can look after herself. I asked her if she’s still going to Seattle….she said yes. I blocked her.
It’s over. I told Ken everything. He was upset but not surprised. He said he knew how close Alice and I were and he was sorry I’d lost my friend. I told him I was sorry he’d lost his wife.
You guys were right. I feel like a fucking idiot. Maybe it's a little selfish of me....but i feel betrayed.
TLDR: My friend is ruining her life and going back to the man who abandoned her while she was pregnant. I've been defending her and acting as her advocate hoping she'd get better. Not anymore.
---------------------------------------
Reminder - I am not the original poster.
2023.06.01 17:42 Any-Assignment-1844 My idea for a sequel
This is kind of just scattered thoughts, not a step by step.
It would stituate around Zelda researching the “old hylian ways” and rediscovering the Triforce. Demise would come back, drain the Master Sword of it’s power and curse Link (reset) and then throw him off far into the distance leaving us separated from Zelda again. We’d wake up west of the entire Hyrule map in the ruins of Holodrum or Labrynna. I think the castle town ruins here would be the tutorial area. (EDIT: I think there’s something to be said for maybe Holodrum to be thriving and full of people [as a reflection of the barely rebuilt Hyrule] instead you’re injured body is brought in and treated by their Princess and you reach the shrine through her castle.) You’d have your paraglider from the very beginning, so it’s way more rudemintary. Only one shrine, and it’s more of a mini-dungeon. Here, you will get your first “dungeon item” (details on those later.) After beating the shrine, you’ll recieve a call on your Purah pad (imagine Metal Gear Codec,) it’s from Zelda and she regails you with how the new champions rescued her and that she’s safe. For all intents and purposes now you have access to a “Zelda Companion,” of sorts where she’ll provide flavor text for things you examine or take a picture of. Nothing hand holdy, all flavor. You’ll be asked to use your new item to climb a nearby tower, from there we’ll scan the first area, get some sweet words from Zelda and a title screen looking out towards Hyrule (you can see Death Mountain and the Floating Hyrule Castle from here.) This is where your journey truly starts. Only one item in this even bigger world. Starting out with the Freedom of the new Zelda beginnings and the limitations of the old. You’ll be able to discover one or two other dungeon items to help and you’ll have to rely on horses a lot more (Your horse will always appear when you call.) Kinda of like a Witcher 3/Zelda hybrid. More large settlements. Completely reconstructed Castle Town.
A couple bullet points: - The Oracles will tie in - Fi maybe comes back and helps with the Master Sword’s reempowerment - Link will gain the Triforce of Courage(possibly affecting in-game battle; a timed power up maybe) this would be affected by the open ended story progression just like the Master Sword quests from the previous two - The Triforce will be key to defeating Demise - Hylia makes a genuine appearance
Potential Dungeon Items: - Hookshot I think this is pretty obvious. With no runes or arm abilities anymore we need something to make climbing more bearable. You can grapple on any surface (minus things like shrine walls.) Some shrines might be larger “mini-dungeon” types that give you a longshot upgrade. And maybe a regular dungeon for a dual hookshot upgrade. - Iron Boots Contentious I’m sure, but hear me out. They’re ancient Hylian magic iron boots that do slow you down when outside the water, but when you’re in the water you walk and run normally. Dual utility for easy underwater exploration and above ground wind puzzles. Maybe you could switch the function even. (Obviously I’m implying there’s way more to do underwater now. With swimming vertically as well.) - An Instrument Wether it’s the OoT itself, the Goddess Harp, or an original. It would do things like change the weather, open specific doors, raise and lower tides. Important/powerful songs are found in dungeons, while more niche effects could be found organically in the world (Like from Kass or the Rito singer girls, or the Troupe Musicians.) - A tool Kit This would act as a substitute for fuse. Enough said.
As far as mechanics go, I’d like a way to favorite weapons and clothes I use frequently, and have a button to change clothes from a quick bar; or swing the other way and make it more punishing by requiring sleep to change clothes. Just make weather a bit more forgiving if you do that. In lieu of a realistic way to use a tool kit on the fly, perhaps we can craft our own arrows.
Hope these ideas pique someone’s interest.
submitted by Any-Assignment-1844 to tearsofthekingdom [link] [comments]
It would stituate around Zelda researching the “old hylian ways” and rediscovering the Triforce. Demise would come back, drain the Master Sword of it’s power and curse Link (reset) and then throw him off far into the distance leaving us separated from Zelda again. We’d wake up west of the entire Hyrule map in the ruins of Holodrum or Labrynna. I think the castle town ruins here would be the tutorial area. (EDIT: I think there’s something to be said for maybe Holodrum to be thriving and full of people [as a reflection of the barely rebuilt Hyrule] instead you’re injured body is brought in and treated by their Princess and you reach the shrine through her castle.) You’d have your paraglider from the very beginning, so it’s way more rudemintary. Only one shrine, and it’s more of a mini-dungeon. Here, you will get your first “dungeon item” (details on those later.) After beating the shrine, you’ll recieve a call on your Purah pad (imagine Metal Gear Codec,) it’s from Zelda and she regails you with how the new champions rescued her and that she’s safe. For all intents and purposes now you have access to a “Zelda Companion,” of sorts where she’ll provide flavor text for things you examine or take a picture of. Nothing hand holdy, all flavor. You’ll be asked to use your new item to climb a nearby tower, from there we’ll scan the first area, get some sweet words from Zelda and a title screen looking out towards Hyrule (you can see Death Mountain and the Floating Hyrule Castle from here.) This is where your journey truly starts. Only one item in this even bigger world. Starting out with the Freedom of the new Zelda beginnings and the limitations of the old. You’ll be able to discover one or two other dungeon items to help and you’ll have to rely on horses a lot more (Your horse will always appear when you call.) Kinda of like a Witcher 3/Zelda hybrid. More large settlements. Completely reconstructed Castle Town.
A couple bullet points: - The Oracles will tie in - Fi maybe comes back and helps with the Master Sword’s reempowerment - Link will gain the Triforce of Courage(possibly affecting in-game battle; a timed power up maybe) this would be affected by the open ended story progression just like the Master Sword quests from the previous two - The Triforce will be key to defeating Demise - Hylia makes a genuine appearance
Potential Dungeon Items: - Hookshot I think this is pretty obvious. With no runes or arm abilities anymore we need something to make climbing more bearable. You can grapple on any surface (minus things like shrine walls.) Some shrines might be larger “mini-dungeon” types that give you a longshot upgrade. And maybe a regular dungeon for a dual hookshot upgrade. - Iron Boots Contentious I’m sure, but hear me out. They’re ancient Hylian magic iron boots that do slow you down when outside the water, but when you’re in the water you walk and run normally. Dual utility for easy underwater exploration and above ground wind puzzles. Maybe you could switch the function even. (Obviously I’m implying there’s way more to do underwater now. With swimming vertically as well.) - An Instrument Wether it’s the OoT itself, the Goddess Harp, or an original. It would do things like change the weather, open specific doors, raise and lower tides. Important/powerful songs are found in dungeons, while more niche effects could be found organically in the world (Like from Kass or the Rito singer girls, or the Troupe Musicians.) - A tool Kit This would act as a substitute for fuse. Enough said.
As far as mechanics go, I’d like a way to favorite weapons and clothes I use frequently, and have a button to change clothes from a quick bar; or swing the other way and make it more punishing by requiring sleep to change clothes. Just make weather a bit more forgiving if you do that. In lieu of a realistic way to use a tool kit on the fly, perhaps we can craft our own arrows.
Hope these ideas pique someone’s interest.
2023.06.01 17:28 peppe998e Windows 10 crashes and prevents PC from booting for several mins
Hi, I have a "new" problem with my W10 installation.
My PCs disks are configured as follows: - One NVME (Samsung SSD 980) as primary disk: it has EFI partition and W10 partition; - One SSD (Samsung SSD 860 EVO) with ArchLinux installed (which also mounts the NVME disk, for the EFI partition, at boot); - One HDD (Seagate Barracuda 2.5 5400`), NTFS formatted, for game files.
Since a few days I can no longer use W10: when I boot the OS I can use it for a while, but after a few minutes the PC shuts down without any BSOD and also prevents me from booting it for several minutes. Initially I thought it was a power supply problem, but ArchLinux runs smoothly; so I thought it was the CPU, but I tried a stress test and nothing happened; the last thing I tried was a more intensive use of the GPU, but as before, nothing...
Does anyone have any idea how to find what is not working?
P.S: I have also used a linux tool (smartctl) that checks the health, apparent dare I say, of the disks, but none of the three report errors.
submitted by peppe998e to techsupport [link] [comments]
My PCs disks are configured as follows: - One NVME (Samsung SSD 980) as primary disk: it has EFI partition and W10 partition; - One SSD (Samsung SSD 860 EVO) with ArchLinux installed (which also mounts the NVME disk, for the EFI partition, at boot); - One HDD (Seagate Barracuda 2.5 5400`), NTFS formatted, for game files.
Since a few days I can no longer use W10: when I boot the OS I can use it for a while, but after a few minutes the PC shuts down without any BSOD and also prevents me from booting it for several minutes. Initially I thought it was a power supply problem, but ArchLinux runs smoothly; so I thought it was the CPU, but I tried a stress test and nothing happened; the last thing I tried was a more intensive use of the GPU, but as before, nothing...
Does anyone have any idea how to find what is not working?
2023.06.01 17:25 ilikebreaddoyou Outerplane Game Improvements Suggestions
This game has many features that I have come to enjoy. Among the ones that stand out are; likeable characters and background stories, engaging main story with hidden references, wonderful VA work in several languages, great art animations and music. Like any game there's always room for improvement that I would like to touch on as well as hear the opinions of others. This is an invitation for open discussion to add to what you feel the game could benefit from or respectfully disagree with explanation. Wall of text warning
submitted by ilikebreaddoyou to outerplane [link] [comments]
- -New player leniency- As any gacha new players are bound to suboptimally use their early game resources and run into issues. Only well seasoned gacha players seem to still be in a good position with the current resources allocated including the extras from promotional events. I think players need a sizable increase to account for this to not get bottlenecked so early on, especially for those who are down 300k from creating a guild.
- -Saved select summon- Having the ability to save one previous roll in select summon in hopes of drawing a better one would bode well with players. I'm all for what satisfies their starting experience and gets them into the game sooner.
- -Feature 2* drop rates on banners- Players that have unfortunate luck of not getting the characters they like on a rather high pity banner should at least get the consolation of transcending a usable 2* character a couple times.
- -Redesign guild chat, global chat, add friend chat- There is no reason that guild chat logs should not be saved and global chat not have a filter option for hero pulls. As it stands these chats are entirely unused and it would be nice to be able to discuss the game with friends, our guilds and server in game.
- -Saved sorting in hero list and equipment- Having these reset to default every time you reopen it is rather tedious, especially when players are often searching for the same thing. A very simple fix to keep it locked and have a restore to default option.
- -Claim all button in menus- Another unnecessary time consuming feature of having to select each individual reward. Allow players to save on time, one button please.
- -Abridged ultimate animations- I'm on the fence about including this option but it's a rather harmless suggestion shared by other gacha players. Anything that saves on time should be to the players benefit, although this would raise the devs budget and require quite a bit of extra work. In the end it's more friendly to low end devices meaning more players can enjoy the game.
- -Increase low power mode- Limiting battery use is always a welcome feature but I think a bit more can be done than just blackening the screen. Drop the audio down 70% as well.
- -Add buff, debuff, and statuses description in help menu- Just improvements on tool tips and additional information that players may be looking for inside of the game. Help them have a better understanding of the game mechanics.
- -Increases global gold gain- We have; daily log in, daily shop, shop bundles, promotional events, guide quest, story mode, expeditions, anti-partical generator, guild board, achievements, battle pass, challenges, all these sources and players are still running out of gold. I don't think the solution is having more redundant sources of income, just give us more gold plain and simple.
- -Sustainable stamina gain- So far about half of the players stamina has been coming from promotional events. We get pitiful amounts from the daily log in times and a bit more from the shop. This needs a bump for when the events are no longer abundant. As well as having the timed ones dropped in the mail box for 12-24 hrs, there's no reason to encourage to break sleep or disrupt work to collect on this.
- -More basic skill manuals- Basic skill manuals are so scarce in comparison to the higher tier ones because of the sheer volume needed among heroes. Only the ones often used have their skills upgraded with the blue and red ones so their amount is sufficient, but players need hundreds of greens to upgrade the current pool of heroes. A viable way to obtain more regularly would be appreciated.
- -Comment and rating on heroes- Relying on guides and tier lists outside of the game is all well and good until they're outdated and misinforming players. Having the ability to review who is liked, why and when keeps reliable and relevant information accessible to players.
- -Saved gear sets- This oversight gets on players nerves rather quickly. Not having to transfer each piece at a time should be intuitive to developers because I can't imagine it's fun for them. A list of saved sets excluding weapons and accessories would be welcome.
- -Increase gear set bonuses- Life steal set 2: 10% - 14% 4: 5% - 6%, it's very weak in comparison to the other bonuses and has no way to be increased outside of this. Counter set 2: 12% - 18% 4: 8% - 12%, it's an abysmal chance in the shadow of 50% hp and there is no reason that 2 pieces should be eclipsed by a single accessory that can be further upgraded. Accuracy and Evasion set 2: 10% - 12% 4: 5% - 6%, why can an entire 4 piece set be achieved in a single sub stat? Make in viable for heroes that don't have these natural growth stats.
- -Raise ticket limit of BH, BC and USR- If the consensus is two tickets per day is enough for players then that's fine but please allow us to stockpile a few days worth and cut down on tedious work. It's not even necessary to clear these to get the daily completion rewards. x/2 - x/6 makes is so when players clear it they know they have enough resources to upgrade something, not to mention it makes more sense for the Veronica pack that gives 3 per day.
- -Lengthen expeditions- Really gonna make us log in every 3 hours to not miss out on resources? I don't care what your job is or whether or not you have one, this is annoying. Went through this crap with Food Fantasy. Stop it, it pleases no one. Make it 3, 6, 12 or 18 hours to collect on rewards. It's not like the heroes are unusable during the time they're on expeditions, zero purpose behind having it so frequent.
- -Increases sweep ticket drop rates- If the game wasn't so restrictive behind meta heroes and the auto battle used skills and chain skills more tactically, I wouldn't mind the small amount given. But doing stages like Chimera hunt manually and having it take 15 - 20 mins a run because you're characters can't auto battle it sucks. Speed set is clearly the most valuable set in the game so why make obtaining it insufferable by lack of tickets?
- -Adjust base shop prices - This is about on par with the current real world inflation crisis. 1.5 mil for an unupgraded 6* epic piece. That's nearly two weeks of gold. There is a dry well of gold and this is madness, someone ought to be kicked for this.
- -Shared exp overflow- A very loved and appreciated feature among far too few games. When a max level hero is in your party, the exp that would have gone to them is split evenly among the heroes that still require it.
- -Retry stage option- I wish not to be booted back two menus every time a battle is going poorly. A quick retry is all that is asked.
2023.06.01 16:22 EquivalentGrand7273 How Safe is it to Go on a Ladakh Bike Trip, Especially for Solo Travelers? 🏍️🌄😊
 | submitted by EquivalentGrand7273 to u/EquivalentGrand7273 [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/sycfoz1h1f3b1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b51a73be62f1ee78f02edadce06dd4cb424a30e0 "Embrace the thrill of the journey, but prioritize safety first - a solo Ladakh bike trip is an adventure worth experiencing with caution!" Introduction: Embarking on a Ladakh bike trip is a dream come true for many adventure enthusiasts. The rugged terrain, breathtaking landscapes, and the thrill of riding through the Himalayas make it an unforgettable experience. However, safety should always be a top priority, especially for solo travelers. In this blog, we'll explore the safety aspects of going on a ladakh bike trip and provide valuable tips to ensure a secure and enjoyable journey. Let's rev up those engines and delve into the topic! 1. Assessing the Safety Factors:
You can also check this :- https://www.universaladventures.in/state/Ladakh?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=refferal&utm_id=26 Safe travels and enjoy the thrill of the open road! 🛣️✨👍 |
2023.06.01 15:11 KeKeFTW Developers to Players 11/05/2023
11/05/2023
Feedback:Title: About Power Crystal ShopReply: We have no plans to upgrade the skins obtainable from the Fragment Shop. Thank you for your suggestion.
add starlight emblem upgrade on Power Crystal shop so player can upgrade their chosen skin that already bought on fragment shop. 100 crystal can only upgrade 1 skin.
Title: Change hayabusa's exorcist skin sword backReply: Hayabusa uses the Exorcist Sword to seal Yamata no Orochi in the lore of the Exorcist series. Therefore, the weapon he uses in this skin is the Exorcist Sword. Thank you for your suggestion.
Make hayabusa's exorcist skin keeps the Katana, just like that in the survey. I think people will like that more since it's a katana which fits (I think) better to the exorcist series. Thanks.
Title: New Helcurt Epic skinReply: We have plans to make a new skin for Helcurt in 2024. Thank you for your suggestion.
Create a new Helcurt epic skin because he doesn't have much
Title: Aurora KOF skin - skill color adjustmentReply: The skill color was the current design when the skin was first released. Thus, we will not modify the skin anytime soon. In 2024, we have a plan to revamp Aurora. We will also make the adjustments during the revamp. Thank you for your suggestion.
So, this is the default color theme for Aurora, the mage. Blue for her normal skills and purple when her passive is activated. Who's genius idea was it to reverse those two colors for her KOF skin ? Change it back to normal because it's very confusing.
Title: Badang needs to be nerfed a bitReply: We will try to make some adjustments to Badang soon. Please stay tuned.
Its literally impossible deal with him with every hero that is not “tanky”. He just dash with cc immunity, and get you PERMANENT STUN in his wall. Its ok to be “stunned” during his ult, but ITS NOT OK to be permanent stunned when he just press basic attacks and get you permanent stunned against every possible wall. The stun he gets you trough every wall with his basic attacks MUST BE NERFED.
Title: Tough bootsReply: In the current battlefield, there are indeed too many control skills. While we will not adjust Tough Boots for now, we will consider using other methods to balance this. Thank you for your suggestion.
Pls buff tough boots this meta there has been alot of annoying cc so I would suggest buff the tough boots anti cc duration above 30% (35% or 40% or 45% base on your preference) or maybe 50%
Title: Physical type Support HeroReply: This is a very interesting idea. We will record this and put it into consideration if there is a suitable opportunity arises. Thank you for your suggestion.
Please create physical type support hero. Since most of it Magical Damage type heroes and only Minotaur does Physical. I think its gonna be fun and unique to have a physical type healer.
*Just wanna break the doctrine
Title: Buff War Axe for more usabilityReply: In the full server update in May (patch 1.7.82), we enhanced War Axe. We will continue to pay attention to the performance of this equipment on the battlefield. Thank you for your suggestion.
I like its attribute 10%CD and 550HP, good choice for semi-tank build.
But what I dislike: - expensive, 2100 takes a while compared to other option like BoD (1950) - low base damage, starts at 35 - the stack increment has delay, cant quickly reach max stack - stack duration too short, 3s can disappear easily while kiting My suggestion: make it cheaper, or increase the base ATT while reduce the ATT from stack, for ex: 55 ATT base and 7 ATT each stack. after 3s, stack not reset but gradually removed. Same like Fredrinn stack.
Title: PhoveusReply: In the full server update in May (patch 1.7.82), we reduced the animation delay of Phoveus's ultimate skill Demonic Force. You may try the adjustment in the battlefield to experience it. Thank you for your suggestion.
I noticed that 1 sec slow delay when phoveus was about to slam to the ground after he jumps on top of the enemy pls reduce the delay or foreswing of that because dash heroes can still escape him seems like
Title: Revamp Cecilion and Carmilla's Valentine skinsReply: Although they are skins from the same series, the production standard of Fanny and Claude's Valentine skins is higher than that of Cecilion and Carmilla. Their price is also higher. Thank you for your suggestion.
Improve the effects. The skins are normal compared to what you gave us with Claude and Fanny's skins. The passive effects doesn't even change for both
Title: nerf arlottReply: We have no plans to modify the casting speed of Arlott's skills for the time being. However, some adjustments will be made to his damage and HP recovery. Please stay tuned.
in short nerf arlott but i suggest for his nerf to: - slow his animation a bit, to increase counterplay. sometimes his cc is so disorienting, no one can follow what the hell is going on until theyre dead - decrease his base damage plenty, because his tank build can solo backlines quickly despite 0 attack items but i also dont agree to nerf him to the extent of uselessness or irrelevance. so he should come with a buff like: - less s1 cooldown the above suggestion is just an idea of how to nerf him. tbh i dont really care how its done. the fact of the matter is that he is overtuned, and he needs to be nerfed
Title: Damage calculation is wrongReply: In the death replay, all the damage caused by each hero to you will be displayed, as well as the three highest sources of damage received, instead of all. Therefore, there will be inconsistencies in the summation of the damage. We will add relevant descriptions to this interface later. Thank you for your suggestion.
Two things First If ur calculating system has a problem fix it asap cause look at the results the damage description shows a 800 a 900 and a 700 damage what is the total of that (4k+)? really? Idk sec is about cheat IF this is cause of cheating like the player has actually dealt 1k damage but cause of the damage hack tool the damage I get becomes 4k Well congratulations to u, this is how u can find damage hacks, make system sensitive to damage calculation during matches So when a players' damage output is always wrong and have too much extras ban them easy This will take like, max a month with that many scripters u have Just pause the COSMETICS And u find enough time and resources to fix the game
Title: Differentiating mythic ranks betterReply: We already have plans for this. Thank you for your suggestion.
Loading screen gem stones above player portraits should be different colour for Mythic, Mythical Honour and Mythical Glory Eg M = Emerald, MH = Sapphire, MG = Ruby At the moment, they're too similar looking except MH
Title: Do more with exp/levelsReply: Adjusting the rewards will affect the overall balance of resource production. We have no plan to adjust the system rewards anytime soon. Thank you for your suggestion.
Currently in level 100 and exp and levels literally became super useless except for the celestial chest things which just gives out bad rewards. I hope there's gonna be plans to add rewards or something new to make it interesting to level up
Title: leaderboard system suggestionReply: We hoped that the increment and decrement of MMR and team binding will encourage players to pursue team wins rather than individual performance. A series of support mechanisms have been implemented, such as MVP bonus points for the losing team and AFK teammate protection, to minimize the bad experience when teammates perform poorly.
increase power by grade instead of round result (win/lose), judging by grades will be more fair because the power system judges a person, not a team, if you are doing soloq, powers won't be accurate because you're judging a random team's potential instead of a person's potential. Increase power when you get gold/mvp defeat in a losing match, and decrease power when you get bronze in a winning match, honestly it will make the system more accurate and fair for everyone
Title: Make enemy battle spells pingable (like in Wild Rift)Reply: This is a great suggestion. We will consider adding the communication function of this kind of information in the second half of 2023. Thank you for your suggestion.
Would be useful for pinging enemy flickepetrify/retri/flameshot etc when they use it so teammates know it's on cooldown
Title: “Low Mana, Retreat” Quick ChatReply: We plan to continue optimizing quick chats and shortcut signals in the second half of 2023. Thank you for your suggestion.
Could you please add this quick chat back? It is so useful and I often find myself having to type that out after recalling or after a team fight to explain why I couldn't participate fully. It would be really helpful to have and make my life a lot easier.
Title: Quick chat and turretsReply: We plan to continue optimizing quick chats and shortcut signals in the second half of 2023. We will also consider whether to set quick chats in these specific scenarios. Thank you for your suggestion.
Add at least 5 more quick chat sections cause it is the fastest and easiest way with no sacrifice to communicate with allies And add quick chats like: . Stall them i still the lord . Stop unnecessary team fights . Play safe . Dont chase enemy . Just Lock base or just attack base (And in settings just keep the advanced joy stick and teach players about locking turets) I am tired of telling allies to attack base for the life of me instead of clearing the minion wave or attacking the enemy hero cause they are kill hungry
Title: Request for More Quick Chat Sections in Mobile LegendsReply: We plan to continue optimizing quick chats and shortcut signals in the second half of 2023. Recommendations for relevant signals based on specific scenarios are also one of our directions. Thank you for your suggestion.
Dear Mobile Legends developers, I am writing to request a small improvement to the game that I believe will make a big difference in player communication. I would love for you to add at least 5 additional sections to the quick chat so that players can have different messages depending on the lane they are playing. As an avid Mobile Legends player, I have noticed that each lane has its own set of communication needs. For example, if I am playing as support, I need to be able to quickly indicate to my lane partner when I am ready to heal or help secure a kill. If I am playing in the jungle, I need to be able to quickly signal priority targets or ask for help from my teammates for a gank. I am sure many other players will share this opinion, and I hope you will consider my request. Adding these additional sections to the quick chat will improve players' ability to communicate and coordinate more effectively, which in turn will make the game more exciting and engaging for everyone. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Title: Cote I'm d'Ivoire flagReply: We will consider adding it. Thank you for your suggestion.
We want our country flag Côte d'Ivoire in the game
Title: Fix In game chatReply: After investigation, it was caused by the wrong judgment of our non-standard text masking model. The model is currently in the testing and optimization stage. Thank you for your feedback. Based on the case you provided, we will discuss the optimization plan for relevant scenarios.
Please. Do something about the in game chat warning system. You can get a violation for calling lag dumb. You can get muted for saying an innocent word like TUCK. Fix it.
Title: bad wordsReply: Regarding the issue of wrongful judgments, we are trying to optimize the judgment conditions to reduce the rate of errors as much as possible. Thank you for your feedback and support.
can u make a list of words we cant use cause i truly cant figure out what the bad word is in this sentence these are very normal words to use in a game like this
Title: CensorshipReply: We have made adjustments to the relevant blacklist keyword database. We will also optimize the Russian blacklist keyword database in the future. Thank you for your feedback.
Fix the chat censorship, I can't write normally in Russian, I write: I wanted to (Я хотел) or something to you(Тебе то), blade armor(Шиповка), a warning comes, and there are many such examples.
Title: Penalties for reported playersReply: Under the current rules, players can only join MCL if they have a Credit Score of 100 or above. Meanwhile, only those with a Credit Score of 90 and above can join rank games. Thank you for your suggestion.
A strong suggestion for players who have been penalized due to bad performance, ban mcl and less bp will be the penalty on low credit score, change it to ban from rank match in 2 days instead of ban from mcl some players dont play in mcl and mcl just happens 1x a week its useless to give penalties like this banning them to play rank match is much effective so they will improve they playing and be less cancer due to strict rules for fair gameplay
2023.06.01 15:05 Angiol [LFA] Soulknife Kobold
![[LFA] Soulknife Kobold](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/3g6sZ0wAbo0I310Hp2N7yi7uB0Cesd-NiOZ0kLdGjPA.jpg "[LFA] Soulknife Kobold") | Hi everyone, i'm looking for help for Kobal. Kobal is a little Rogue Soulknife Kobold. He is an outcast for his family beacuse of his power and was bring away from his former Master and Teacher, a professional Hired Killer. After being trained Kobal start to doubt the morality of his Master work and after a confrontation with him, he secretly go away and joined a kind of good knight order. submitted by Angiol to characterdrawing [link] [comments] Kobal is 15 yo but Kobold are mature a 6, male, quite small and with high dexterity but also quite weak in term of strenght, with the surprise of none his scale color is a Cobalt Blue with i like to imagine as the same of his psyonic dagger that he use from hiding in the shadow. Nothing really particular about his gear since he doesn't need to carry weapons, just his precious thieves's tools, a regular studded leather armor with boots and a Dark Blue mantle with a hood to better hide himself I'm really not good in drawing art or in understand how to make it, so feel free to take some liberty. https://preview.redd.it/yulxki0rne3b1.png?width=812&format=png&auto=webp&s=72c5a011d07e9d936872f842f5c509cce5738c7e |
2023.06.01 14:16 CT-KravGuy Another weird noise
Anyone experience a crunching/grating sound during slow deceleration? It sounds like pebbles in the rocker panel sliding around but it’s not. It’s not the actual brakes, it happens before they engage during regenerative braking. Wondering if it might be a suspension component or the cv axle. I’m going to take it in to the dealer but wanted to know if anyone else experienced something similar. Thanks in advance!
submitted by CT-KravGuy to KonaEV [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 14:00 AutoModerator Monthly Getting Started / Web Dev Career Thread
Due to a growing influx of questions on this topic, it has been decided to commit a monthly thread dedicated to this topic to reduce the number of repeat posts on this topic. These types of posts will no longer be allowed in the main thread.
Many of these questions are also addressed in the sub FAQ or may have been asked in previous monthly career threads.
Subs dedicated to these types of questions include cscareerquestions/ for general and opened ended career questions and learnprogramming/ for early learning questions.
A general recommendation of topics to learn to become industry ready include:
HTML/CSS/JS Bootcamp
Version control
Automation
Front End Frameworks (React/Vue/Etc)
APIs and CRUD
Testing (Unit and Integration)
Common Design Patterns (free ebook)
You will also need a portfolio of work with 4-5 personal projects you built, and a resume/CV to apply for work.
Plan for 6-12 months of self study and project production for your portfolio before applying for work.
submitted by AutoModerator to webdev [link] [comments]
Many of these questions are also addressed in the sub FAQ or may have been asked in previous monthly career threads.
Subs dedicated to these types of questions include cscareerquestions/ for general and opened ended career questions and learnprogramming/ for early learning questions.
A general recommendation of topics to learn to become industry ready include:
HTML/CSS/JS Bootcamp
Version control
Automation
Front End Frameworks (React/Vue/Etc)
APIs and CRUD
Testing (Unit and Integration)
Common Design Patterns (free ebook)
You will also need a portfolio of work with 4-5 personal projects you built, and a resume/CV to apply for work.
Plan for 6-12 months of self study and project production for your portfolio before applying for work.
2023.06.01 13:16 draenei_butt_enjoyer La voi cum e cu on-call?
Un lucru cu care am 0 experienta e on-call. Nici nu-s sigur cum se scrie. Nu o trebuit niciodata. Primele joburi, clientu era reaponsabil pt infra si whatever.
Al treilea job, baietii astia nu au habar ce vor sa faca. Tot facem pt ei soft care numa nu vede lumina zilei, ca se razgandesc, ca reprioritizeaza.
Apoi ne pica in poale un sistem Legacy live care cica are nevoie de mentenanta minima. Nu mai are echipa de o luna si nimeni nu se PREA streseaza. Dar cica tre sa fiim on-call.
Eu am apnee de somn, schimb prioritati in viata. Am refuzat categoric. Cred ca scap. Dar sunt curios. Orice echipa de devi tre sa aiba cineva on-call mereu pt orice soft deployat? Majoritatea problemelor o sa fie de infra, cat timp nu face cineva update la cv tool, presupun.
E normal? Nu sant echipe de dev ops care sa faca on-call? Trebuie sa fie mereu developarii? In alte locuri cum se practica?
submitted by draenei_butt_enjoyer to programare [link] [comments]
Al treilea job, baietii astia nu au habar ce vor sa faca. Tot facem pt ei soft care numa nu vede lumina zilei, ca se razgandesc, ca reprioritizeaza.
Apoi ne pica in poale un sistem Legacy live care cica are nevoie de mentenanta minima. Nu mai are echipa de o luna si nimeni nu se PREA streseaza. Dar cica tre sa fiim on-call.
Eu am apnee de somn, schimb prioritati in viata. Am refuzat categoric. Cred ca scap. Dar sunt curios. Orice echipa de devi tre sa aiba cineva on-call mereu pt orice soft deployat? Majoritatea problemelor o sa fie de infra, cat timp nu face cineva update la cv tool, presupun.
E normal? Nu sant echipe de dev ops care sa faca on-call? Trebuie sa fie mereu developarii? In alte locuri cum se practica?
2023.06.01 13:16 itesonline Image Annotation: What is it & How to Get it Right?
Have you ever wondered how machines ‘see’ and ‘interpret’ things like humans do — through image annotation? It is the process of adding tags and descriptions to the input image datasets used to teach Machine Learning algorithms through supervised training. These labels help in identifying and understanding different objects within an image.
For instance, you learned what a dog was at some point in time when you were a child. After seeing so many dogs, you gradually learned about the different breeds of dogs and how a dog was different from a cat, a cow, or other animals. Similarly, machines need examples to detect, identify, and interpret different things in their surroundings — image annotation provides these examples in a computer-comprehensible language.
Read here the originally Posted Blog: https://www.atoallinks.com/2023/image-annotation-what-is-it-how-to-get-it-right/
submitted by itesonline to u/itesonline [link] [comments]
For instance, you learned what a dog was at some point in time when you were a child. After seeing so many dogs, you gradually learned about the different breeds of dogs and how a dog was different from a cat, a cow, or other animals. Similarly, machines need examples to detect, identify, and interpret different things in their surroundings — image annotation provides these examples in a computer-comprehensible language.
Image Annotation for Machine Learning Prerequisites
Image annotation project requirements vary according to AI/ML model’s future use cases. But overall, there are some basic requirements that are the building blocks of every successful data annotation project. These are:- Assorted Data
- Skilled Resources
- Adequate Infrastructure
- Data Quality and Relevance
Types of Image Annotation
On a broader note, there are three types of image annotation as listed here:- Image Classification: Here, the entire image is assigned a single label. The thumb rule is that ‘classification’ is applicable to images with only one object — where you only need to identify the general category of an image. For example, if you have a dataset of flower images, you might label each image as ‘rose,’ ‘lotus,’ ‘hibiscus,’ or ‘tulips.’
- Object Detection: Object detection is the practice of identifying and localizing different objects in an image. Unlike image classification, where an entire image is tagged with a label, object detection involves labeling different objects in an image. For example, if you have an image of a busy street, you’ll assign different labels to different objects such as ‘traffic signal,’ ‘vehicle,’ ‘pedestrians,’ etc.
- Segmentation: Segmentation is a step ahead of image classification and object detection. An image is sectioned into multiple segments where a label is added to each segment. In simple words, segmentation is the process of pixel-level classification and labeling. It is used for complex tasks that need more developed precision.
Image Annotation Techniques
Getting a firm grip on some of the most common image annotation techniques is important. You understand your project needs better and can identify what kind of annotation tool to use to address the requirements.- Bounding Boxes
- Cuboid Annotation
- Polylines
- Polygons
- Key Points
Going Forward
Image annotation is the fuel that powers Computer Vision, Deep Learning algorithms, and other such AI/ML-based models. Its advantages are non-negotiable and this process is essential for industries including security, healthcare, agriculture, and autonomous vehicles to name a few. It helps machines to detect and identify images accurately, making it possible for businesses across B2B and B2C domains to automate processes and go for resource optimization. As the demand for image annotation increases, it is imperative to choose a reliable and experienced image annotation company that makes the process easier for you.Read here the originally Posted Blog: https://www.atoallinks.com/2023/image-annotation-what-is-it-how-to-get-it-right/
2023.06.01 13:01 Wholesale-Safety-S What is the distinction between puncture resistant and cut resistant?
The terms "puncture resistant" and "cut resistant" are frequently used to describe various materials or devices that defend against certain threats. While there may be some overlap in some circumstances, the two have unique characteristics.
Puncture Resistance: The ability of a material or product to resist the penetration of sharp objects or puncture threats is referred to as puncture resistance. Its primary goal is to keep items like nails, needles, or sharp equipment from piercing the material. Puncture-resistant materials are intended to distribute or absorb the force exerted by a sharp item, thereby reducing the danger of penetration. Puncture-resistant gloves, boots, and protective barriers are examples of puncture-resistant goods used in a variety of industries.
Cut Resistance: Cut resistance, on the other hand, refers to the ability of a material or product to withstand the action of sharp-edged devices like knives, blades, or other cutting tools. It assesses a material's ability to withstand cuts or slashes. Cut-resistant materials are designed to be exceptionally durable and to act as a barrier against sharp edges, lowering the chance of lacerations or injuries. In businesses where workers handle sharp materials or conduct cutting operations, cut-resistant gloves, sleeves, aprons, and clothing are widely employed.
Key Differences: The primary distinction between puncture resistance and cut resistance is the type of danger addressed. Puncture resistance is concerned with preventing sharp things from penetrating the material, whereas cut resistance is concerned with preventing cuts and slashes from sharp-edged objects. Although both include resistance to acute threats, the strategies employed to produce that resistance differ.
It should be noted that a material or product can have variable degrees of puncture and cut resistance. A material with great cut resistance, for example, may also have some puncture resistance, depending on its manufacture and composition. Specialized products, on the other hand, may be specifically created to excel in one element while providing less protection in the other.
When choosing personal protective equipment (PPE) or materials for specific applications, it is critical to assess the potential hazards and choose goods that provide enough resistance against the specific risks present, whether they are puncture or cut related.
Check the best Cut Resistant Equipment here: https://www.wholesalesafetysupply.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=909\_942\_945
#wholesaleonlinegroup #wholesaleworkwearsupply #wholesalesafetysupply #wholesale #wholesalevendors #workwear #safetywear #safetysupply
submitted by Wholesale-Safety-S to u/Wholesale-Safety-S [link] [comments]
Puncture Resistance: The ability of a material or product to resist the penetration of sharp objects or puncture threats is referred to as puncture resistance. Its primary goal is to keep items like nails, needles, or sharp equipment from piercing the material. Puncture-resistant materials are intended to distribute or absorb the force exerted by a sharp item, thereby reducing the danger of penetration. Puncture-resistant gloves, boots, and protective barriers are examples of puncture-resistant goods used in a variety of industries.
Cut Resistance: Cut resistance, on the other hand, refers to the ability of a material or product to withstand the action of sharp-edged devices like knives, blades, or other cutting tools. It assesses a material's ability to withstand cuts or slashes. Cut-resistant materials are designed to be exceptionally durable and to act as a barrier against sharp edges, lowering the chance of lacerations or injuries. In businesses where workers handle sharp materials or conduct cutting operations, cut-resistant gloves, sleeves, aprons, and clothing are widely employed.
Key Differences: The primary distinction between puncture resistance and cut resistance is the type of danger addressed. Puncture resistance is concerned with preventing sharp things from penetrating the material, whereas cut resistance is concerned with preventing cuts and slashes from sharp-edged objects. Although both include resistance to acute threats, the strategies employed to produce that resistance differ.
It should be noted that a material or product can have variable degrees of puncture and cut resistance. A material with great cut resistance, for example, may also have some puncture resistance, depending on its manufacture and composition. Specialized products, on the other hand, may be specifically created to excel in one element while providing less protection in the other.
When choosing personal protective equipment (PPE) or materials for specific applications, it is critical to assess the potential hazards and choose goods that provide enough resistance against the specific risks present, whether they are puncture or cut related.
Check the best Cut Resistant Equipment here: https://www.wholesalesafetysupply.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=909\_942\_945
#wholesaleonlinegroup #wholesaleworkwearsupply #wholesalesafetysupply #wholesale #wholesalevendors #workwear #safetywear #safetysupply
2023.06.01 12:37 Beadson Puss in boot Knife Lanyards Beads brass paracord rope pendant DIY Tool EDC For Spyderco SAK
 | submitted by Beadson to beadson [link] [comments] |
2023.06.01 11:23 WaveOfWire One Hell Of A Vacation - Chapter 87
First Prev Next Royal Road Patreon
u/KieveKRS and u/coldfireknight providing the Trash certification of quality! Everyone thank CFK for their contribution!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Are you sure about this?” Comms called through the short-wave, Willin’s headset crackling only slightly louder than the pouring rain. It was distorted and covered the timbre of his voice, but it worked.
He checked the batteries on his guns, both pistol and rifle topped off. The pistol was secured into the holster on his hip, the rifle slung across his chest over the heat-plate designed to dissipate any plasma that might hit it. His armour wouldn’t do the best against kinetic armaments—it was never designed to go against a railgun—but military personnel were rarely given those anyway. Too inefficient.
“As sure as I can be,” he replied, checking his harness. Two spare batteries, four ration packs, water, the transmitter that fed into his headset, some assorted tools for unlikely scenarios, and a knife tucked into his boot. The footwear was typically used for traversing hostile environments or boarding operations—the material thick and cumbersome—but it worked just fine for him. He had gotten used to wearing it.
He opted not to bother with the helmet. It would limit his senses in a place like this, the EW field making even the most basic function disorienting. Tech adjusted the physical scope on her rifle, though her favourite weapons were the two Compact Anti-personnel and Rapid Discharge systems she had attached to her hips—the CARDs being designed to switch between rapid-shot clusters to suppress a wide area, and a single-fire mode better suited to more precise requirements. The larger weapon was mostly for show—there was hardly a reason to carry an Anti-Material Rifle to begin with—but it didn’t hurt to counter possible armour.
The purple-furred female’s true weaponry rested both on and under her armour, her augments and the equipment linked to them making her a mobile Electronic Warfare platform. Though much of her abilities would be limited in scope here, she was still more than capable of supporting him. He would be relying on her to dissuade any action against them, as well as using her modifications to keep them in the loop.
She looked like an oddly-coloured female, but she was closer to a walking EMP and scanner rolled into one.
“Short-wave is stable, if a bit distorted,” Willin continued, flicking some of the water off his fur. “Tech will try to keep the signal clean, but no promises. Comms, Nav, you two are keeping the craft warm and ready.”
“Understood, Leader,” Nav replied, their androgynous voice warbling slightly. “Estimated time-frame?”
“Long enough for you two to figure out the ration-packets.”
Comms laughed over the headset. “Nav would rather lick the floors.”
“Just don’t get too distracted with each other while we’re gone,” Willin teased through his smirk, Tech rolling her eyes at him.
“The same could be said for you, Leader. Don’t get too caught up making ‘friends’ with the locals.”
“Or Tech,” Nav added dryly. Their tone hovering between annoyance at the jibes regarding Comms and Nav’s occasional fling, and amusement at the suggestion Tech was interested in pursuits of the flesh with the crew at all. She might be, but she had a habit of dropping the thermostat of whichever room belonged to whoever made the comment, so it was safer to just assume she was off-limits.
“Cold room,” Tech responded casually as she adjusted her audio interface, Nav sighing loud enough for it to be picked up. Comms laughed in a way that suggested he was thankful for Tech’s assistance in ensuring Nav would be seeking a warm bed for the moon. Willin shook his head, hoping that they didn’t need to extract in any particular hurry.
It was easier to get in the air when your two remaining crew weren’t otherwise occupied.
“Batteries green. Supplies green. Short-wave sufficient,” he reported, receiving confirmations from Tech. “Operation is to establish communication with local Grand Hunter and receive compliance, information on other packs, and facilitate reintroduction to structure.”
“Alternative is to report pack as non-compliant and pursue other Grand Hunters,” Tech added, repeating what they went over earlier. “My augments are heavily limited, but we should be able to deal with it.”
“Are you sure that you two can manage hostilities?” Comms asked, his voice faltering slightly. Though they had been assigned to the scout craft at random, they had grown rather close as a unit over their time. If it wasn’t for the professional obligations prohibiting it, they might have all decided to move into a den together—they were that intimately familiar with each other. As it was, they would likely be reassigned to serve elsewhere after their current mission was complete.
Such was the life of those like them.
“Tech has more equipment under her fur than our ship has installed—weakened or not,” Willin assured the male. He shot a pointed look at the female. “She’s also under direct order to return in the event things become too dangerous. Alone, if required.”
Tech scowled, but nodded anyway. Comms grunted their understanding. “Leader?”
“Yeah?”
A moment of pause. “Nothing. Come back, okay?”
“Will do my best, Comms. Nav, keep an eye on him.”
“It will be done, Leader. Stay safe.”
He placed a paw to his headset, hovering over the button to cut the transmission. “You too.”
“Ready to go?” Tech asked, slinging her AMR over her back and re-securing her CARDs. Willin double checked his auxiliary equipment, hoping that he didn’t need to use any of it. Nodding, he gestured for her to follow, the two leaving behind the craft to slip into the woods.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Something up?” he asked, raising a brow at Tech. The female was fidgety, restless and scanning their surroundings more than required. She might have heard something, but the thunderous hiss of rain drowned out most everything—it was part of the reason they waited for it.
She wore a reluctant expression, her eyes flickering to the silver and gold trees for a moment. “Prox’ is going wild.”
“Proximity sensor effected?” he queried, feeling the weight of his weapons tug on his body. Tech nodded.
“It’s weak. I think the ‘spike is messing with it—along with everything else—but it’s reporting…a lot.”
“Moving?”
She shook her head, a paw twitching over a CARD. “Not until we go past them.”
He joined her in looking around, shaking off water uselessly. “Wildlife?”
“This stealthy?”
Willin shrugged. “The message mentioned that it was different.”
“Details would have been nice,” she grumbled in return, waving her paw to get him moving again, though she kept one on her weapon.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Visual,” he reported, lowering the rifle from his shoulder. “Anything?”
Tech shook her head, still on a swivel. “Prox’ is still lit up, but at this point it might be less distracting to shut it off.”
“Keep it. Rather have it telling us things are around all the time than miss something big because we got annoyed.”
She sighed, tapping her audio interface twice to change the song she had playing. “What do you see?”
“Low fences, but dense buildings. Lots of traffic despite the weather. Looks like they’re used to it. Think they know we’re here?”
“Doubt it. Gear?”
He shouldered his weapon to look through the scope. “No guns, but lots of melee. Armour seems to be a mix of leather and metal. Can’t say what kind.”
Tech pulled her AMR to look, Willin shifting to keeping lookout. “No guns…” She shot him a look. “I’m not sure if that’s reassuring, or worrying.”
He shrugged. “The less I need to get shot at with, the better.”
“The goal is to not give them reason to.”
“Well, I can’t be perfect all the time.”
Tech laughed, the banter easing her nerves. “You’d have to start, Leader.”
With a roll of his eyes, he patted her shoulder with the back of his paw. “Let’s get moving. Diplomacy doesn’t do itself.”
The purple-furred female sighed, likely biting back another quip as she nodded.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It went better than expected. So far, anyway.
They had approached the settlement proper, received what could be described as a ‘lukewarm’ welcome, then were told to follow several Lilhuns donning black leather and far too many daggers. Their escorts kept a close eye on the guns that they brought, but no one had made any comments about them yet. It was encouraging, but also worrying.
“Still nothing?” he muttered, quiet enough to not be heard by the others, but loud enough for Tech. She seemed hesitant, glancing over to one of the taller structures as they passed through, but gave a subtle shrug.
“Static is messing with my augments,” she grumbled. “Could be none, could be a few snipers. I can’t tell.”
He exhaled heavily. It was a bit of a blessing that her modifications were working at all, but it was easy enough to see that she felt bare without all the little tweaks she had gotten used to.
Willin never actually got the chance to learn all the tricks she was capable of—it was against policy to ask and she never saw fit to talk about it—but of the ones he did know; her proximity sensor, jammer, and ship integration were her favourites.
It was hard to board her ship if she knew where you were, locked up your gun, then spaced the room you were in, all without closing her game. He was pretty sure she was disappointed that she had only gotten to do that once.
“New ones, the Grand Hunter will see you soon,” an escort informed them as they drew near the Atmospheric Entry Craft that acted as a den for the one they were here to meet. They didn’t know the name yet, nor were they given the chance to do more than say why they were there. He had gotten as far as saying he was from the United Military before the people welcoming them scurried off to get someone else.
He busied himself by inspecting the buildings leading up to the AEC, some being a respectable three floors. Newer constructions seemed to differ in method, the beams a charred ashen colour rather than the same odd silver wood. Why they had elected to burn the materials, he didn’t know, but it seemed to be what they decided to do.
A surprising amount of the population carried a curved stick over their shoulder, the ends tied together by a string. Some attached lengths of a similar material to their leathers, one end made with a small loop as it dangled. The catch they carried to what looked to be a hunter’s lodge suggested it was used during their hunting, but he couldn’t fathom how.
Dragging his attention from the crowd, he eyed the large shuttle.
The massive main doors looked to have been damaged, though a structure had been attached since, leaving the stuck-open entrance to seem less like the result of a hard landing. The gentle hum of the internal power generation was absent, the required energy for what was still working being drawn from large solar panels that had been installed into skylights in the ceiling. The cloud-laden weather dimmed the light that illuminated the inside, but it was serviceable enough. Whatever power was produced, it was being funnelled somewhere that wasn’t servicing the majority of the craft.
Wide halls were populated by Lilhuns and spotted with doorways, the majority propped open since they were programmed to shut in the event of a power outage, lest explosive decompression eject whomever was occupying the room—along with anyone nearby in the hallway, should they be so unlucky.
It was customized, that much was obvious. Several rooms that would have been sparsely populated with anything other than beds were instead modified into training rooms and gyms. Densely packed barracks contrasted against large storage areas filled with various goods, pelts and metal weapons lining various shelves. Newer accommodations had been installed for more of those curved staffs, smaller pointed sticks stacked in piles nearby.
They progressed deeper and deeper into the confines of the shuttle, the common sight of the local pack trickling away, none seeming to have business this far in. Gruffer and more observant Lilhuns became the only people they saw while the hallways narrowed into tighter quarters, what might have fit cargo vehicles now only allowing a few shoulder widths, doorways becoming less common. The wary eyes and darkened clothing paired with the occasional dyed fur of those they passed—black seeming to be the dominant colour.
“In here,” an escort grunted, jabbing their jaw towards an isolated door. A paw was held out as they tried to step forward. “Weapons.”
Tech’s paw twitched towards one of her CARDs, the act of Willin relinquishing his pistol and rifle stopping her from snapping it into rapid-fire and burning the air with plasma. She glared at him for a few seconds before doing the same, the escort smirking.
“You will have them returned. The Grand Hunter is not so desolate as to pilfer the possessions of those who come merely to speak.”
He wasn’t worried about it. The guns were coded to them and Tech could fry them if it came down to it. Well, he wasn’t sure if she could do it with the warp-spike messing with things, but the lock should be enough. The knife in his boot went unnoticed, so it wasn’t like he was completely unarmed anyway.
Tech followed suit, subtly glaring at him the whole time. He shrugged, there wasn’t much they could do about it. They were the ones seeking an audience with the most influential person here.
Satisfied, the escort pulled the door open, the quiet whirring of the unpowered servos accenting the air. They revealed a larger office adorned with little but the most base necessity, a wood and steel desk covered in papers, a chair seeming to be the only extravagant item within—though it was purely for the ergonomics, rather than any aesthetic reason—and the male sat upon it was leafing through a collection of documents while twirling an orange needle-like object in his paw.
The distinct lack of any guards to protect the Grand Hunter was surprising, but that took a back seat to the owner of the room.
Dark grey fur, a clouded eye that retained its sharpness, scars peeking beyond the confines of his leather clothing—the thick hides sporting metal scales sewn onto them. An ear flicked in their direction, the membrane cut at several points. He placed down his papers, leaning forward in his chair as he clasped his paws on the desk, a friendly smile donned that failed to convey anything but malice.
“Greetings, new ones,” the male offered in a cheery tone, the low rumble and gravelled texture of his voice carrying both humour and curiosity. He focused on Tech for a moment, his eyes narrowing over the affable expression before he regarded both of them equally. He gestured to the seating opposite of his desk some small distance away. Close enough to meet, yet far enough that it was made abundantly clear who was in charge.
Willin bowed his head politely, walking the distance and sitting where he was provided. Tech followed suit after a brief hesitation, her unfocused eyes snapping to him with frustration. His raised brow was met with a longer blink—her augments were reporting something that made no sense again.
“Now then,” the dark grey-furred male said, moving some of the documents on his desk to a stack. “What might bring you to me?”
“Forgive me, Grand Hunter…” Willin opened, prodding for a name.
The male simply maintained his attentive posture instead of providing. Willin adjusted his sleeve and decided it was more important to continue than dig for information that he could get by asking anyone who lived in the settlement.
“As for why we’re here; we represent the United Military, responding to a distress call. We have forwarded the request and were tasked with ascertaining the state of affairs before the fleets arrive to assist.”
The Grand Hunter nodded. “Yes, that much I could have surmised from your clothing alone.”
Tech raised a brow as the dark green-furred soldier forced a smile. “Of course. More specifically, we would like to speak with you about what you know of the others of your station, as well as discuss the reintegration of your pack.”
The smile of the grey-furred male widened. “You wish to make a deal?”
Tech’s gaze flickered to several points in the room, her brow furrowing as she jettisoned a huff in frustration. Willin took a moment to consider his plan of action, nodding when he didn’t see the harm.
“I believe we can come to an arrangement. Within reason, of course.”
The Grand Hunter chuckled as the needle he was playing with disappeared at a flick of his wrist. “Of course, of course. Deal, agreements, arrangements, contracts.” The emphasis on the final item tickled something in the back of Willin’s mind. “Itemize it. What do you seek of me? It is rather disorganized to ask without quantifying, no? So…messy.”
“We want information on the other packs. Who leads them, number of members, where their settlements are,” Tech stated tersely, ignoring the disapproving glance Willin gave. “We also need to work on integrating those packs back into the UM—preferably with yourself setting precedent.”
The male’s face grew thoughtful. “As well as forgiveness, though that will cost quite the amount.”
Willin frowned. “Forgiveness? For not knowing your name?”
The Grand Hunter returned a blank stare, a dangerous grin spreading slowly. “Tell me, new ones, do you know of Avalon?”
Tech’s face hardened, her answer slow and cautious. “We do, though only through description.”
The male’s voice fell low. Quiet, yet powerful. His elbows on the table suddenly felt like a far greater threat than any armament. “Do you know the debt your superiors have incurred?”
“I don’t believe we have even had the chance to introduce ourselves,” Willin interjected, noticing Tech’s discomfort, her eyes darting around the room nervously.
“You need not,” the Grand Hunter remarked smugly. “You are forbidden from giving your names, no? Locked behind titles of station, merged and scattered at the whims of your masters. Soldiers who do not exist, yet sit within my office.”
Tech pawed for a CARD, forgetting that she had been disarmed at the door. Willin felt the weight of his knife pull on his boot. The male chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.
“But, given that you did not flee, I will give the benefit of the doubt regarding the debt. Though, it will make offering you more than your lives difficult.”
“What debt?” Willin pressed, receiving a flippant wave of the male’s paw.
“It matters not. I have more pressing matters than hearing why I should join the ranks of that which I supersede.”
“Matters such as?”
The Grand Hunter raised a brow. “You are being given the opportunity to leave whole, new one. I advise you to accept.”
Willin shook his head, ignoring Tech’s pointed look. “We need information. From the message we received, not everyone is as well off as you, and we intend to amend that. What can we trade for it?”
The male clasped his paws over his stomach, passively humouring them. “What do you offer? You may seek the details of the others, but I am not inclined to merely supply it.”
“Supplies, priority cooperation when the UM arrives.”
A chortle sounded out. “We are self sufficient. Such matters little.”
“Is there anything you would want?”
The Grand Hunter smirked, placing a paw on the table as the other produced another needle—this one a more yellow hue, the specifics of its shape blurring as it spun between his claws. “Your superiors asked me a favour. Data. How far could they push the Lilhun body before ligaments broke, the mind following shortly after? How twisted can we shape the psyche of kits?”
The temperature of the room seemed to chill, a twitch of the male’s lips pulling his muzzle into a slight snarl.
“They sought my kit to participate, after a time. Unfortunately, her will aligned—despite my reservations. In return, she would be wiped from the records. Ephemeral, never having existed to begin with. Never suffering the whims of those who became drunk on sending my Blades to their end, never finding their other.” The gravel to his voice turned to broken glass. “Yet your betters violated the agreement. Broke the contract. They pulled her into your service, hid the fact from me, and had the gall to fabricate a story to coincide. Were it not for a particular series of favours I was owed, I would have been still planet-side in our system instead of here.”
The dark grey-furred male smirked, his demeanour relaxing. “It seems she has found what she sought. Without need for my meddling, at that. A shame, really. I had several competent males selected—those who could wield what she had become. Those who might give her what her blood-mother failed to gain.” He paused for a moment, a fraction of longing piercing through the scarred exterior. “Regardless, all I would have wanted has been gained. She is content, and I am crafting that which shall accept her when she is ready. Your military will only muddy that which I have achieved, were they to dig their claws into my work.”
“Their actions are separate from ours,” Willin countered, thankful that the impending conflict had seemingly resolved itself.
“Grand Hunter,” Tech addressed the male, an eye flicking to the ceiling for a fraction. “We were able to see that there are a fair number of settlements, but we need the information to do our job.”
“And your task would interfere with my own,” the grey-furred male reiterated, a polite—if bored—expression returned.
“What if we could ensure that it didn’t?”
The disinterest in the male’s eyes slipped into curiosity. “You seek to trade sovereignty for information? You hold such power?”
“We do,” Willin confirmed, surprised that Tech would offer. “Though you would be disregarding the support of the United Military, we could arrange an agreement of territory on this planet. It’s not as if we could populate the entirety of it within several of our lifetimes anyway.”
The Grand Hunter stared, each moment more uncomfortable than the last. Eventually, he smirked. “Information and the disregarding of the sins your betters inflicted upon me, for sovereignty…and a singular favour.”
“Favour?”
“Indeed,” he replied confidently, reaching into his desk to produce writing implements and paper. “You see, my kit has pledged herself to someone of curiosity. I thought him worthless. Weak. Yet he has performed a duty befitting her Sheath, and I suppose I should reward it.”
Scribbling ceased, impeccable penmanship crafting a contract that was slid forward on the tabletop. He continued after gesturing for Willin to approach.
“Seek him last, give him what information you have gathered, then heed his request,” the male said through his smirk. “I do so look forward to seeing what becomes of it.”
The dark green-furred male perused the document, stipulations and all finely articulated, as if the Grand Hunter lived and breathed transaction. A few points needed to be addressed, mostly possible abuse cases within the fine print, but it was surprisingly fair. There was some worry about the otherwise excessive cost of breaking the contract, but Willin figured that it would be reasonable enough considering the circumstances.
Signing, he gestured Tech to do the same as a witness, the two of them representing the UM for all intents and purposes. It was hardly the first time they had made agreements like this, though trading such a large area on a planet they held no prior influence on was a first.
The Grand Hunter confirmed the terms and conditions with them one last time, smiling when they both nodded.
“Good! Now, for what you seek.” The male rummaged through a few drawers, producing a series of papers that were lined over the desk towards them. “The non-aggression treaty, as well as what my Blades have observed from their scouting.”
Willin read over each, the documents sorted by Grand Hunter, then by who they had under them. His brow raised at a few reports, but questions could wait. The male seemed happy to let them read, so he wanted to take advantage of it. Tech scanned over everything when Willin was done, her augments allowing her to commit the information to a digital memory for future reference back on the ship.
“There are quite a few names marked with this,” Tech noted aloud, pointing to a symbol next to several of the Grand Hunters and their extended packs. The grey-furred male nodded.
“Those have been eliminated or subsumed.”
Willin frowned, parsing the documents again. Mi’low, Toril, and a few others were designated as such. Looking through, only about four seemed to be free of the distinction. He looked questioningly to the male, a grin returned with a separate stack of paper, titled with a single name.
Hasen.
The notation was rather dense, though not in information that Willin was expecting. Instead of settlements or High and Low Hunters, it was laden with mentions of those belonging to the previously marked Grand Hunters. His eyes widened as he connected the dots.
“Hasen is trying to be a Master Hunter.”
“Correct,” the male confirmed cheerily. “He is integrating other packs into his command and eliminating those who refuse. It has become quite an issue as of late.”
Though Grand Hunters could be assigned the moniker by owning territory and a willing pack—assuming they have the force required to defend it—a Master Hunter must own magnitudes more. It was typically achieved by integrating Grand Hunter packs and their subservients through mutual benefit, but taking it by force was a lesser used method.
Given that he had already either taken or purged several, it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to assume he would press it to include here.
Willin heard Tech curse under her breath, their promise of sovereignty obligating them to interfere. To allow a member of the military—stranded or not—free action against the grey-furred male’s territory would be the same as endorsing it, now that they were aware. It would be hostility by the UM in all but name, and the consequences that had seemed somewhat extreme before now hung over their heads like an executioner’s axe.
A dark, deep chuckle broke the two of them out of thought. “Contracts, new ones,” the Grand Hunter started, a cold Void pooling in his eyes, “are not to be thought trivial. Do not break them.”
“It was a trap,” Tech snarled, jabbing a claw at the report in her paw. “You set us up.”
“Did I?” the male asked innocently. “You offered self-governance, non-interference, and non-aggression.”
“You withheld information!”
The Grand Hunter smiled, a shiver sent down Willin’s spine. “You agreed without doing proper research.”
Willin held a paw out to stop Tech from storming the male. “The contract is signed, Tech.”
“It’s invalid!” she snarled at him, receiving a cold look in return.
“Do you want to be the one to tell command that we allowed damn near genocide of a crew we were here to assist, just because we were too stubborn to adhere to an agreement?” he countered calmly. “This ‘Hasen’ is wiping almost a year's worth of survival, botanical, and every other specialized knowledge gained, just because he wants to control a section of a planet. This doesn’t change anything, it just means we know what we’re going into.”
“I like him,” the Grand Hunter opined with a grin. “He sees the value that my proposition offers.”
“What’s stopping us from just tearing up the contract right now and leaving you to your fate?” Tech barked.
“Your companions in your craft—quite the ship, might I add—would be a notable starting point.”
The two of them paused, eyes widened. The dark grey-furred male laughed again.
“Your proximity sensor has been reporting since you landed, no?” he asked, pointing to the equipment on Tech’s harness. “It must have been rather vexing, yes? Is it the warp-spike? Is it some army of the unknown? The uncertainty of never confirming what it tells you. The whispers of doubt that follow.”
“I’m surprised you recognized what it was,” Willin replied with a level tone. He didn’t like where this was going. The male offered a smile.
“Wildlife here is especially elusive. Skittish. Ceasing all motion while predators are near and silencing themselves.” Tech and Willin exchanged a glance as the male waved a paw dismissively. “It makes for rather intensive training for my Blades. To hunt without disturbing them. My kit was a natural in such regard, but others have slowly approached such a threshold.”
He folded his paws on the desk. “Your ship is currently being observed by them now, weaponry trained on the defences you thought so adequate. Surely you noticed the lack of guns, yes?”
“The distress message mentioned the lack of them was due to how urgent evacuation was,” Willin added cautiously.
“Yes, quite. I made sure to lock the armouries after taking enough to establish my power,” the male confirmed with a half-shrug. “Among those were rifles not dissimilar to the rifle that the purple one there brought with her.” He leaned back in his chair. “Sufficient to pierce the hull and whoever occupies the space behind it, no?”
Tech’s eyes unfocused, snapping to Willin with a fear behind them. The Grand Hunter spun his quill, unconcerned by the events.
“Your short-wave has been temporarily disabled. You can not warn them.”
“Threatening us to compliance?” Willin asked without emotion to his tone. He needed to keep things from escalating.
“Ensuring you understand the consequences of your actions,” the male replied plainly. “When one barters with Avalon, know that breaching such is grounds for death. Of you, and whoever I need to send with you.”
“They didn’t sign this,” Tech argued, kept in line by Willin’s demeanour.
“But you did,” the Grand Hunter returned coldly. “Honour your signature, or regret such in the Void.”
Tech took an enraged step forward, stopped when her throat pressed against a dagger that was slipped in from behind. Willin felt the pressure of a knife to his own.
“Patience, new ones.”
“You took advantage of the interference to sneak assassins into the room?” Willin noted.
“No, my Blades were always here,” the male refuted lazily, nodding at Tech. “She noticed, but was unable to trust what her equipment told her.” He chortled for a moment. “Quite the annoyance, proximity sensors. I feel rather blessed to have the warp-spike rendering them little more than meaningless noise.”
“So this is it? You kill us now, our friends when they refuse to cooperate, then steal what we brought?”
The pressure on his neck faded with a wave of the male’s paw, the assassins being nowhere to be seen.
“Of course not!” the Grand Hunter exclaimed, his voice returning to its affable cadence. “You now know how futile it is to go against me. Fear not, I see no merit in hindering you. As long as you honour your portion of the contract, I will honour mine. It is a certainty that Avalon was founded on.”
Tech rubbed her neck, glancing questioningly at Willin. He gave the male a wary glance, but closed his eyes to concede. They were just going to get everyone killed if they tried to back out of something they had already agreed to.
“Then we have come to an understanding,” the dark grey-furred male announced happily. “As a show of faith, do you have any questions where I might provide clarity?”
The two soldiers glanced at each other, Tech begrudgingly giving Willin the floor. He gestured to the smallest stack of papers. “Who is this? There’s next to nothing about him. Are you withholding information against your contract?”
The Grand Hunter smirked. “That, new ones, is all I could gather from my Blades.”
“You have Lilhuns disappearing in the room a moment after holding a knife to our throats, and they couldn’t scout a settlement?”
“Isn’t it interesting?”
“Enthralling,” Tech commented dryly. The male tapped a claw against his head.
“Think, new ones. What might render my Blades little more than a mild inconvenience?”
Willin’s eyes narrowed. “Other Blades? Better Blades?”
The dark grey-furred male held an expectant smile. “None have been seen, save for my kit.”
“Your kit’s mate is the Grand Hunter? I don’t see one Blade deterring this many,” he admitted, flicking through the pages. Overt, covert, and disguised. None got very far.
“Thus why I believe the male is owed a favour,” the Grand Hunter explained. “I gave them four Blades as a gift. They have become more.” A predatory look of elation cracked through the veneer. “There exists no better Sheath than a Blademaster. Let alone one who surpasses my methods. If she is to succeed me, I would rather no other to accompany her.”
“Says here that he’s an alien,” Willin noted aloud, trying not to voice his surprise. “I’m skeptical.”
“Oh, please do be. It will make hearing about what he asks of you that much more amusing.”
“Any ideas what he might look for from us?” Tech spat, still irritated.
“Oh, I might have an idea,” the male answered cryptically, sliding a small tablet of silver wood across the desk. Willin picked it up to inspect it, two foreign scripts scratched into the surface. With a questioning glance, the Grand Hunter nodded, Willin stashing the tablet into a pouch. “He seeks that which others might not, for reasons as foreign as he himself is. I have little doubt that something related to that trinket will be his wish.”
“Then why visit him last?” the purple-furred female pressed.
“Because it will influence his decision.”
“Which is enough reason for us,” Willin declared with a warning scowl at Tech. She held his gaze before looking away in annoyance.
“Then our meeting is finished,” the male announced, gesturing to the door. It opened, the whirring of servos giving way to the distant ambient chatter of the hallway. Two of the black leather-clad escorts entered the room and awaited them.
“Is there anything we should know that may have not made it to the report about him?” Willin asked before leaving, turning naught but an ear for the response.
The Grand Hunter hummed for a moment. “Do mind your manners surrounding his kit,” he offered. “Or do not, it matters little to me if you survive past honouring the agreement.”
Tech stopped at the doorway, glaring at the male as Willin exited. “We never did get your name.”
His brows raised in interest. “You saw my signature.”
“I would rather hear it from you,” she insisted coolly.
A toothy smile spread over the male’s muzzle. “Grand Hunter Trill; Blademaster of Avalon, Sire of Phantom, and—if I remember correctly—the Weighted Scale, Aspect of Balance.”
“’May he who barter with the Void fear its ire,’” she recited, conviction in her words.
“’Yet he who uphold bathes in its blessing,’ yes,” Grand Hunter Trill replied with a knowing look. “Consider it, new one. To be crushed under the obligations you fail to upkeep, or revel in that which you covet. Do be warned; though I let you and your party leave—” his eye gained a sharp edge. “You are never beyond my influence.”
“May the sun treat you well, Grand Hunter,” she replied tersely, spinning on her pad to leave. Willin glanced back as he waited for her to pass him, seeing nothing but the door closing behind her.
Their weapons were returned, each in the same state as they were confiscated, save for a familiar knife. He scowled as he shifted his footing to reveal that the comforting weight had been removed from his boot. He begrudgingly accepted the blade, tucking it back into the sheath as the Lilhun smirked at him, his mirth at the dark green-furred male’s displeasure evident.
They were escorted out of the shuttle, a pause afforded long enough for Willin to flick up his hood before they continued to the outermost edge of the settlement. As soon as they were outside of the fence, their escorts turned and quickly faded into the buildings.
A crackle came over the headset.
“Leader! Tech! We thought something may have happened,” Comms shouted into the earpiece, genuine worry coating his words.
“Were you unsuccessful?” Nav added, the sound of a small distance between speaker and microphone suggesting they were sharing.
Willin adjusted the strap of his rifle and started walking, Tech following after a lingering glance at the settlement. “We got what we came for, but it might have cost us.”
“It was simply a meeting, no?” Comms asked to clarify.
“If you can call being strung along by an Aspect ‘simple,’ then yes,” Tech growled.
“Aspect?”
“Balance,” Willin provided through a sigh. “Weighted Scale.”
“Receive your heart’s desire at a heavy sacrifice,” Nav commented after a moment, likely referencing something. “What did you give them?”
“Sovereignty and a favour to be paid out to another Grand Hunter.”
“That does not seem too unreasonable,” Comms voiced curiously.
“We’ll talk about it when we get back. I have a feeling that the hole was dug too deep to see the bottom quite yet.”
“There’s a battle brewing,” Tech notified the crew, adjusting her audio interface. For once, it was completely silent. “We got dragged into it.”
The short-wave fell silent.
“What do we do?” Comms questioned quietly, the crackle of the distortion pitching his voice slightly.
Willin snorted, exhaling slowly.
“We made a deal with Avalon, Comms. We honour the contract.”
Next
A/N: Folded and made a Patreon. You can do the thing there, but i don't have anything to offer. Gonna move the rare AI Gen character art to it though, since it's the best i can offer.
submitted by WaveOfWire to HFY [link] [comments]
u/KieveKRS and u/coldfireknight providing the Trash certification of quality! Everyone thank CFK for their contribution!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Are you sure about this?” Comms called through the short-wave, Willin’s headset crackling only slightly louder than the pouring rain. It was distorted and covered the timbre of his voice, but it worked.
He checked the batteries on his guns, both pistol and rifle topped off. The pistol was secured into the holster on his hip, the rifle slung across his chest over the heat-plate designed to dissipate any plasma that might hit it. His armour wouldn’t do the best against kinetic armaments—it was never designed to go against a railgun—but military personnel were rarely given those anyway. Too inefficient.
“As sure as I can be,” he replied, checking his harness. Two spare batteries, four ration packs, water, the transmitter that fed into his headset, some assorted tools for unlikely scenarios, and a knife tucked into his boot. The footwear was typically used for traversing hostile environments or boarding operations—the material thick and cumbersome—but it worked just fine for him. He had gotten used to wearing it.
He opted not to bother with the helmet. It would limit his senses in a place like this, the EW field making even the most basic function disorienting. Tech adjusted the physical scope on her rifle, though her favourite weapons were the two Compact Anti-personnel and Rapid Discharge systems she had attached to her hips—the CARDs being designed to switch between rapid-shot clusters to suppress a wide area, and a single-fire mode better suited to more precise requirements. The larger weapon was mostly for show—there was hardly a reason to carry an Anti-Material Rifle to begin with—but it didn’t hurt to counter possible armour.
The purple-furred female’s true weaponry rested both on and under her armour, her augments and the equipment linked to them making her a mobile Electronic Warfare platform. Though much of her abilities would be limited in scope here, she was still more than capable of supporting him. He would be relying on her to dissuade any action against them, as well as using her modifications to keep them in the loop.
She looked like an oddly-coloured female, but she was closer to a walking EMP and scanner rolled into one.
“Short-wave is stable, if a bit distorted,” Willin continued, flicking some of the water off his fur. “Tech will try to keep the signal clean, but no promises. Comms, Nav, you two are keeping the craft warm and ready.”
“Understood, Leader,” Nav replied, their androgynous voice warbling slightly. “Estimated time-frame?”
“Long enough for you two to figure out the ration-packets.”
Comms laughed over the headset. “Nav would rather lick the floors.”
“Just don’t get too distracted with each other while we’re gone,” Willin teased through his smirk, Tech rolling her eyes at him.
“The same could be said for you, Leader. Don’t get too caught up making ‘friends’ with the locals.”
“Or Tech,” Nav added dryly. Their tone hovering between annoyance at the jibes regarding Comms and Nav’s occasional fling, and amusement at the suggestion Tech was interested in pursuits of the flesh with the crew at all. She might be, but she had a habit of dropping the thermostat of whichever room belonged to whoever made the comment, so it was safer to just assume she was off-limits.
“Cold room,” Tech responded casually as she adjusted her audio interface, Nav sighing loud enough for it to be picked up. Comms laughed in a way that suggested he was thankful for Tech’s assistance in ensuring Nav would be seeking a warm bed for the moon. Willin shook his head, hoping that they didn’t need to extract in any particular hurry.
It was easier to get in the air when your two remaining crew weren’t otherwise occupied.
“Batteries green. Supplies green. Short-wave sufficient,” he reported, receiving confirmations from Tech. “Operation is to establish communication with local Grand Hunter and receive compliance, information on other packs, and facilitate reintroduction to structure.”
“Alternative is to report pack as non-compliant and pursue other Grand Hunters,” Tech added, repeating what they went over earlier. “My augments are heavily limited, but we should be able to deal with it.”
“Are you sure that you two can manage hostilities?” Comms asked, his voice faltering slightly. Though they had been assigned to the scout craft at random, they had grown rather close as a unit over their time. If it wasn’t for the professional obligations prohibiting it, they might have all decided to move into a den together—they were that intimately familiar with each other. As it was, they would likely be reassigned to serve elsewhere after their current mission was complete.
Such was the life of those like them.
“Tech has more equipment under her fur than our ship has installed—weakened or not,” Willin assured the male. He shot a pointed look at the female. “She’s also under direct order to return in the event things become too dangerous. Alone, if required.”
Tech scowled, but nodded anyway. Comms grunted their understanding. “Leader?”
“Yeah?”
A moment of pause. “Nothing. Come back, okay?”
“Will do my best, Comms. Nav, keep an eye on him.”
“It will be done, Leader. Stay safe.”
He placed a paw to his headset, hovering over the button to cut the transmission. “You too.”
“Ready to go?” Tech asked, slinging her AMR over her back and re-securing her CARDs. Willin double checked his auxiliary equipment, hoping that he didn’t need to use any of it. Nodding, he gestured for her to follow, the two leaving behind the craft to slip into the woods.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Something up?” he asked, raising a brow at Tech. The female was fidgety, restless and scanning their surroundings more than required. She might have heard something, but the thunderous hiss of rain drowned out most everything—it was part of the reason they waited for it.
She wore a reluctant expression, her eyes flickering to the silver and gold trees for a moment. “Prox’ is going wild.”
“Proximity sensor effected?” he queried, feeling the weight of his weapons tug on his body. Tech nodded.
“It’s weak. I think the ‘spike is messing with it—along with everything else—but it’s reporting…a lot.”
“Moving?”
She shook her head, a paw twitching over a CARD. “Not until we go past them.”
He joined her in looking around, shaking off water uselessly. “Wildlife?”
“This stealthy?”
Willin shrugged. “The message mentioned that it was different.”
“Details would have been nice,” she grumbled in return, waving her paw to get him moving again, though she kept one on her weapon.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Visual,” he reported, lowering the rifle from his shoulder. “Anything?”
Tech shook her head, still on a swivel. “Prox’ is still lit up, but at this point it might be less distracting to shut it off.”
“Keep it. Rather have it telling us things are around all the time than miss something big because we got annoyed.”
She sighed, tapping her audio interface twice to change the song she had playing. “What do you see?”
“Low fences, but dense buildings. Lots of traffic despite the weather. Looks like they’re used to it. Think they know we’re here?”
“Doubt it. Gear?”
He shouldered his weapon to look through the scope. “No guns, but lots of melee. Armour seems to be a mix of leather and metal. Can’t say what kind.”
Tech pulled her AMR to look, Willin shifting to keeping lookout. “No guns…” She shot him a look. “I’m not sure if that’s reassuring, or worrying.”
He shrugged. “The less I need to get shot at with, the better.”
“The goal is to not give them reason to.”
“Well, I can’t be perfect all the time.”
Tech laughed, the banter easing her nerves. “You’d have to start, Leader.”
With a roll of his eyes, he patted her shoulder with the back of his paw. “Let’s get moving. Diplomacy doesn’t do itself.”
The purple-furred female sighed, likely biting back another quip as she nodded.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It went better than expected. So far, anyway.
They had approached the settlement proper, received what could be described as a ‘lukewarm’ welcome, then were told to follow several Lilhuns donning black leather and far too many daggers. Their escorts kept a close eye on the guns that they brought, but no one had made any comments about them yet. It was encouraging, but also worrying.
“Still nothing?” he muttered, quiet enough to not be heard by the others, but loud enough for Tech. She seemed hesitant, glancing over to one of the taller structures as they passed through, but gave a subtle shrug.
“Static is messing with my augments,” she grumbled. “Could be none, could be a few snipers. I can’t tell.”
He exhaled heavily. It was a bit of a blessing that her modifications were working at all, but it was easy enough to see that she felt bare without all the little tweaks she had gotten used to.
Willin never actually got the chance to learn all the tricks she was capable of—it was against policy to ask and she never saw fit to talk about it—but of the ones he did know; her proximity sensor, jammer, and ship integration were her favourites.
It was hard to board her ship if she knew where you were, locked up your gun, then spaced the room you were in, all without closing her game. He was pretty sure she was disappointed that she had only gotten to do that once.
“New ones, the Grand Hunter will see you soon,” an escort informed them as they drew near the Atmospheric Entry Craft that acted as a den for the one they were here to meet. They didn’t know the name yet, nor were they given the chance to do more than say why they were there. He had gotten as far as saying he was from the United Military before the people welcoming them scurried off to get someone else.
He busied himself by inspecting the buildings leading up to the AEC, some being a respectable three floors. Newer constructions seemed to differ in method, the beams a charred ashen colour rather than the same odd silver wood. Why they had elected to burn the materials, he didn’t know, but it seemed to be what they decided to do.
A surprising amount of the population carried a curved stick over their shoulder, the ends tied together by a string. Some attached lengths of a similar material to their leathers, one end made with a small loop as it dangled. The catch they carried to what looked to be a hunter’s lodge suggested it was used during their hunting, but he couldn’t fathom how.
Dragging his attention from the crowd, he eyed the large shuttle.
The massive main doors looked to have been damaged, though a structure had been attached since, leaving the stuck-open entrance to seem less like the result of a hard landing. The gentle hum of the internal power generation was absent, the required energy for what was still working being drawn from large solar panels that had been installed into skylights in the ceiling. The cloud-laden weather dimmed the light that illuminated the inside, but it was serviceable enough. Whatever power was produced, it was being funnelled somewhere that wasn’t servicing the majority of the craft.
Wide halls were populated by Lilhuns and spotted with doorways, the majority propped open since they were programmed to shut in the event of a power outage, lest explosive decompression eject whomever was occupying the room—along with anyone nearby in the hallway, should they be so unlucky.
It was customized, that much was obvious. Several rooms that would have been sparsely populated with anything other than beds were instead modified into training rooms and gyms. Densely packed barracks contrasted against large storage areas filled with various goods, pelts and metal weapons lining various shelves. Newer accommodations had been installed for more of those curved staffs, smaller pointed sticks stacked in piles nearby.
They progressed deeper and deeper into the confines of the shuttle, the common sight of the local pack trickling away, none seeming to have business this far in. Gruffer and more observant Lilhuns became the only people they saw while the hallways narrowed into tighter quarters, what might have fit cargo vehicles now only allowing a few shoulder widths, doorways becoming less common. The wary eyes and darkened clothing paired with the occasional dyed fur of those they passed—black seeming to be the dominant colour.
“In here,” an escort grunted, jabbing their jaw towards an isolated door. A paw was held out as they tried to step forward. “Weapons.”
Tech’s paw twitched towards one of her CARDs, the act of Willin relinquishing his pistol and rifle stopping her from snapping it into rapid-fire and burning the air with plasma. She glared at him for a few seconds before doing the same, the escort smirking.
“You will have them returned. The Grand Hunter is not so desolate as to pilfer the possessions of those who come merely to speak.”
He wasn’t worried about it. The guns were coded to them and Tech could fry them if it came down to it. Well, he wasn’t sure if she could do it with the warp-spike messing with things, but the lock should be enough. The knife in his boot went unnoticed, so it wasn’t like he was completely unarmed anyway.
Tech followed suit, subtly glaring at him the whole time. He shrugged, there wasn’t much they could do about it. They were the ones seeking an audience with the most influential person here.
Satisfied, the escort pulled the door open, the quiet whirring of the unpowered servos accenting the air. They revealed a larger office adorned with little but the most base necessity, a wood and steel desk covered in papers, a chair seeming to be the only extravagant item within—though it was purely for the ergonomics, rather than any aesthetic reason—and the male sat upon it was leafing through a collection of documents while twirling an orange needle-like object in his paw.
The distinct lack of any guards to protect the Grand Hunter was surprising, but that took a back seat to the owner of the room.
Dark grey fur, a clouded eye that retained its sharpness, scars peeking beyond the confines of his leather clothing—the thick hides sporting metal scales sewn onto them. An ear flicked in their direction, the membrane cut at several points. He placed down his papers, leaning forward in his chair as he clasped his paws on the desk, a friendly smile donned that failed to convey anything but malice.
“Greetings, new ones,” the male offered in a cheery tone, the low rumble and gravelled texture of his voice carrying both humour and curiosity. He focused on Tech for a moment, his eyes narrowing over the affable expression before he regarded both of them equally. He gestured to the seating opposite of his desk some small distance away. Close enough to meet, yet far enough that it was made abundantly clear who was in charge.
Willin bowed his head politely, walking the distance and sitting where he was provided. Tech followed suit after a brief hesitation, her unfocused eyes snapping to him with frustration. His raised brow was met with a longer blink—her augments were reporting something that made no sense again.
“Now then,” the dark grey-furred male said, moving some of the documents on his desk to a stack. “What might bring you to me?”
“Forgive me, Grand Hunter…” Willin opened, prodding for a name.
The male simply maintained his attentive posture instead of providing. Willin adjusted his sleeve and decided it was more important to continue than dig for information that he could get by asking anyone who lived in the settlement.
“As for why we’re here; we represent the United Military, responding to a distress call. We have forwarded the request and were tasked with ascertaining the state of affairs before the fleets arrive to assist.”
The Grand Hunter nodded. “Yes, that much I could have surmised from your clothing alone.”
Tech raised a brow as the dark green-furred soldier forced a smile. “Of course. More specifically, we would like to speak with you about what you know of the others of your station, as well as discuss the reintegration of your pack.”
The smile of the grey-furred male widened. “You wish to make a deal?”
Tech’s gaze flickered to several points in the room, her brow furrowing as she jettisoned a huff in frustration. Willin took a moment to consider his plan of action, nodding when he didn’t see the harm.
“I believe we can come to an arrangement. Within reason, of course.”
The Grand Hunter chuckled as the needle he was playing with disappeared at a flick of his wrist. “Of course, of course. Deal, agreements, arrangements, contracts.” The emphasis on the final item tickled something in the back of Willin’s mind. “Itemize it. What do you seek of me? It is rather disorganized to ask without quantifying, no? So…messy.”
“We want information on the other packs. Who leads them, number of members, where their settlements are,” Tech stated tersely, ignoring the disapproving glance Willin gave. “We also need to work on integrating those packs back into the UM—preferably with yourself setting precedent.”
The male’s face grew thoughtful. “As well as forgiveness, though that will cost quite the amount.”
Willin frowned. “Forgiveness? For not knowing your name?”
The Grand Hunter returned a blank stare, a dangerous grin spreading slowly. “Tell me, new ones, do you know of Avalon?”
Tech’s face hardened, her answer slow and cautious. “We do, though only through description.”
The male’s voice fell low. Quiet, yet powerful. His elbows on the table suddenly felt like a far greater threat than any armament. “Do you know the debt your superiors have incurred?”
“I don’t believe we have even had the chance to introduce ourselves,” Willin interjected, noticing Tech’s discomfort, her eyes darting around the room nervously.
“You need not,” the Grand Hunter remarked smugly. “You are forbidden from giving your names, no? Locked behind titles of station, merged and scattered at the whims of your masters. Soldiers who do not exist, yet sit within my office.”
Tech pawed for a CARD, forgetting that she had been disarmed at the door. Willin felt the weight of his knife pull on his boot. The male chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.
“But, given that you did not flee, I will give the benefit of the doubt regarding the debt. Though, it will make offering you more than your lives difficult.”
“What debt?” Willin pressed, receiving a flippant wave of the male’s paw.
“It matters not. I have more pressing matters than hearing why I should join the ranks of that which I supersede.”
“Matters such as?”
The Grand Hunter raised a brow. “You are being given the opportunity to leave whole, new one. I advise you to accept.”
Willin shook his head, ignoring Tech’s pointed look. “We need information. From the message we received, not everyone is as well off as you, and we intend to amend that. What can we trade for it?”
The male clasped his paws over his stomach, passively humouring them. “What do you offer? You may seek the details of the others, but I am not inclined to merely supply it.”
“Supplies, priority cooperation when the UM arrives.”
A chortle sounded out. “We are self sufficient. Such matters little.”
“Is there anything you would want?”
The Grand Hunter smirked, placing a paw on the table as the other produced another needle—this one a more yellow hue, the specifics of its shape blurring as it spun between his claws. “Your superiors asked me a favour. Data. How far could they push the Lilhun body before ligaments broke, the mind following shortly after? How twisted can we shape the psyche of kits?”
The temperature of the room seemed to chill, a twitch of the male’s lips pulling his muzzle into a slight snarl.
“They sought my kit to participate, after a time. Unfortunately, her will aligned—despite my reservations. In return, she would be wiped from the records. Ephemeral, never having existed to begin with. Never suffering the whims of those who became drunk on sending my Blades to their end, never finding their other.” The gravel to his voice turned to broken glass. “Yet your betters violated the agreement. Broke the contract. They pulled her into your service, hid the fact from me, and had the gall to fabricate a story to coincide. Were it not for a particular series of favours I was owed, I would have been still planet-side in our system instead of here.”
The dark grey-furred male smirked, his demeanour relaxing. “It seems she has found what she sought. Without need for my meddling, at that. A shame, really. I had several competent males selected—those who could wield what she had become. Those who might give her what her blood-mother failed to gain.” He paused for a moment, a fraction of longing piercing through the scarred exterior. “Regardless, all I would have wanted has been gained. She is content, and I am crafting that which shall accept her when she is ready. Your military will only muddy that which I have achieved, were they to dig their claws into my work.”
“Their actions are separate from ours,” Willin countered, thankful that the impending conflict had seemingly resolved itself.
“Grand Hunter,” Tech addressed the male, an eye flicking to the ceiling for a fraction. “We were able to see that there are a fair number of settlements, but we need the information to do our job.”
“And your task would interfere with my own,” the grey-furred male reiterated, a polite—if bored—expression returned.
“What if we could ensure that it didn’t?”
The disinterest in the male’s eyes slipped into curiosity. “You seek to trade sovereignty for information? You hold such power?”
“We do,” Willin confirmed, surprised that Tech would offer. “Though you would be disregarding the support of the United Military, we could arrange an agreement of territory on this planet. It’s not as if we could populate the entirety of it within several of our lifetimes anyway.”
The Grand Hunter stared, each moment more uncomfortable than the last. Eventually, he smirked. “Information and the disregarding of the sins your betters inflicted upon me, for sovereignty…and a singular favour.”
“Favour?”
“Indeed,” he replied confidently, reaching into his desk to produce writing implements and paper. “You see, my kit has pledged herself to someone of curiosity. I thought him worthless. Weak. Yet he has performed a duty befitting her Sheath, and I suppose I should reward it.”
Scribbling ceased, impeccable penmanship crafting a contract that was slid forward on the tabletop. He continued after gesturing for Willin to approach.
“Seek him last, give him what information you have gathered, then heed his request,” the male said through his smirk. “I do so look forward to seeing what becomes of it.”
The dark green-furred male perused the document, stipulations and all finely articulated, as if the Grand Hunter lived and breathed transaction. A few points needed to be addressed, mostly possible abuse cases within the fine print, but it was surprisingly fair. There was some worry about the otherwise excessive cost of breaking the contract, but Willin figured that it would be reasonable enough considering the circumstances.
Signing, he gestured Tech to do the same as a witness, the two of them representing the UM for all intents and purposes. It was hardly the first time they had made agreements like this, though trading such a large area on a planet they held no prior influence on was a first.
The Grand Hunter confirmed the terms and conditions with them one last time, smiling when they both nodded.
“Good! Now, for what you seek.” The male rummaged through a few drawers, producing a series of papers that were lined over the desk towards them. “The non-aggression treaty, as well as what my Blades have observed from their scouting.”
Willin read over each, the documents sorted by Grand Hunter, then by who they had under them. His brow raised at a few reports, but questions could wait. The male seemed happy to let them read, so he wanted to take advantage of it. Tech scanned over everything when Willin was done, her augments allowing her to commit the information to a digital memory for future reference back on the ship.
“There are quite a few names marked with this,” Tech noted aloud, pointing to a symbol next to several of the Grand Hunters and their extended packs. The grey-furred male nodded.
“Those have been eliminated or subsumed.”
Willin frowned, parsing the documents again. Mi’low, Toril, and a few others were designated as such. Looking through, only about four seemed to be free of the distinction. He looked questioningly to the male, a grin returned with a separate stack of paper, titled with a single name.
Hasen.
The notation was rather dense, though not in information that Willin was expecting. Instead of settlements or High and Low Hunters, it was laden with mentions of those belonging to the previously marked Grand Hunters. His eyes widened as he connected the dots.
“Hasen is trying to be a Master Hunter.”
“Correct,” the male confirmed cheerily. “He is integrating other packs into his command and eliminating those who refuse. It has become quite an issue as of late.”
Though Grand Hunters could be assigned the moniker by owning territory and a willing pack—assuming they have the force required to defend it—a Master Hunter must own magnitudes more. It was typically achieved by integrating Grand Hunter packs and their subservients through mutual benefit, but taking it by force was a lesser used method.
Given that he had already either taken or purged several, it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to assume he would press it to include here.
Willin heard Tech curse under her breath, their promise of sovereignty obligating them to interfere. To allow a member of the military—stranded or not—free action against the grey-furred male’s territory would be the same as endorsing it, now that they were aware. It would be hostility by the UM in all but name, and the consequences that had seemed somewhat extreme before now hung over their heads like an executioner’s axe.
A dark, deep chuckle broke the two of them out of thought. “Contracts, new ones,” the Grand Hunter started, a cold Void pooling in his eyes, “are not to be thought trivial. Do not break them.”
“It was a trap,” Tech snarled, jabbing a claw at the report in her paw. “You set us up.”
“Did I?” the male asked innocently. “You offered self-governance, non-interference, and non-aggression.”
“You withheld information!”
The Grand Hunter smiled, a shiver sent down Willin’s spine. “You agreed without doing proper research.”
Willin held a paw out to stop Tech from storming the male. “The contract is signed, Tech.”
“It’s invalid!” she snarled at him, receiving a cold look in return.
“Do you want to be the one to tell command that we allowed damn near genocide of a crew we were here to assist, just because we were too stubborn to adhere to an agreement?” he countered calmly. “This ‘Hasen’ is wiping almost a year's worth of survival, botanical, and every other specialized knowledge gained, just because he wants to control a section of a planet. This doesn’t change anything, it just means we know what we’re going into.”
“I like him,” the Grand Hunter opined with a grin. “He sees the value that my proposition offers.”
“What’s stopping us from just tearing up the contract right now and leaving you to your fate?” Tech barked.
“Your companions in your craft—quite the ship, might I add—would be a notable starting point.”
The two of them paused, eyes widened. The dark grey-furred male laughed again.
“Your proximity sensor has been reporting since you landed, no?” he asked, pointing to the equipment on Tech’s harness. “It must have been rather vexing, yes? Is it the warp-spike? Is it some army of the unknown? The uncertainty of never confirming what it tells you. The whispers of doubt that follow.”
“I’m surprised you recognized what it was,” Willin replied with a level tone. He didn’t like where this was going. The male offered a smile.
“Wildlife here is especially elusive. Skittish. Ceasing all motion while predators are near and silencing themselves.” Tech and Willin exchanged a glance as the male waved a paw dismissively. “It makes for rather intensive training for my Blades. To hunt without disturbing them. My kit was a natural in such regard, but others have slowly approached such a threshold.”
He folded his paws on the desk. “Your ship is currently being observed by them now, weaponry trained on the defences you thought so adequate. Surely you noticed the lack of guns, yes?”
“The distress message mentioned the lack of them was due to how urgent evacuation was,” Willin added cautiously.
“Yes, quite. I made sure to lock the armouries after taking enough to establish my power,” the male confirmed with a half-shrug. “Among those were rifles not dissimilar to the rifle that the purple one there brought with her.” He leaned back in his chair. “Sufficient to pierce the hull and whoever occupies the space behind it, no?”
Tech’s eyes unfocused, snapping to Willin with a fear behind them. The Grand Hunter spun his quill, unconcerned by the events.
“Your short-wave has been temporarily disabled. You can not warn them.”
“Threatening us to compliance?” Willin asked without emotion to his tone. He needed to keep things from escalating.
“Ensuring you understand the consequences of your actions,” the male replied plainly. “When one barters with Avalon, know that breaching such is grounds for death. Of you, and whoever I need to send with you.”
“They didn’t sign this,” Tech argued, kept in line by Willin’s demeanour.
“But you did,” the Grand Hunter returned coldly. “Honour your signature, or regret such in the Void.”
Tech took an enraged step forward, stopped when her throat pressed against a dagger that was slipped in from behind. Willin felt the pressure of a knife to his own.
“Patience, new ones.”
“You took advantage of the interference to sneak assassins into the room?” Willin noted.
“No, my Blades were always here,” the male refuted lazily, nodding at Tech. “She noticed, but was unable to trust what her equipment told her.” He chortled for a moment. “Quite the annoyance, proximity sensors. I feel rather blessed to have the warp-spike rendering them little more than meaningless noise.”
“So this is it? You kill us now, our friends when they refuse to cooperate, then steal what we brought?”
The pressure on his neck faded with a wave of the male’s paw, the assassins being nowhere to be seen.
“Of course not!” the Grand Hunter exclaimed, his voice returning to its affable cadence. “You now know how futile it is to go against me. Fear not, I see no merit in hindering you. As long as you honour your portion of the contract, I will honour mine. It is a certainty that Avalon was founded on.”
Tech rubbed her neck, glancing questioningly at Willin. He gave the male a wary glance, but closed his eyes to concede. They were just going to get everyone killed if they tried to back out of something they had already agreed to.
“Then we have come to an understanding,” the dark grey-furred male announced happily. “As a show of faith, do you have any questions where I might provide clarity?”
The two soldiers glanced at each other, Tech begrudgingly giving Willin the floor. He gestured to the smallest stack of papers. “Who is this? There’s next to nothing about him. Are you withholding information against your contract?”
The Grand Hunter smirked. “That, new ones, is all I could gather from my Blades.”
“You have Lilhuns disappearing in the room a moment after holding a knife to our throats, and they couldn’t scout a settlement?”
“Isn’t it interesting?”
“Enthralling,” Tech commented dryly. The male tapped a claw against his head.
“Think, new ones. What might render my Blades little more than a mild inconvenience?”
Willin’s eyes narrowed. “Other Blades? Better Blades?”
The dark grey-furred male held an expectant smile. “None have been seen, save for my kit.”
“Your kit’s mate is the Grand Hunter? I don’t see one Blade deterring this many,” he admitted, flicking through the pages. Overt, covert, and disguised. None got very far.
“Thus why I believe the male is owed a favour,” the Grand Hunter explained. “I gave them four Blades as a gift. They have become more.” A predatory look of elation cracked through the veneer. “There exists no better Sheath than a Blademaster. Let alone one who surpasses my methods. If she is to succeed me, I would rather no other to accompany her.”
“Says here that he’s an alien,” Willin noted aloud, trying not to voice his surprise. “I’m skeptical.”
“Oh, please do be. It will make hearing about what he asks of you that much more amusing.”
“Any ideas what he might look for from us?” Tech spat, still irritated.
“Oh, I might have an idea,” the male answered cryptically, sliding a small tablet of silver wood across the desk. Willin picked it up to inspect it, two foreign scripts scratched into the surface. With a questioning glance, the Grand Hunter nodded, Willin stashing the tablet into a pouch. “He seeks that which others might not, for reasons as foreign as he himself is. I have little doubt that something related to that trinket will be his wish.”
“Then why visit him last?” the purple-furred female pressed.
“Because it will influence his decision.”
“Which is enough reason for us,” Willin declared with a warning scowl at Tech. She held his gaze before looking away in annoyance.
“Then our meeting is finished,” the male announced, gesturing to the door. It opened, the whirring of servos giving way to the distant ambient chatter of the hallway. Two of the black leather-clad escorts entered the room and awaited them.
“Is there anything we should know that may have not made it to the report about him?” Willin asked before leaving, turning naught but an ear for the response.
The Grand Hunter hummed for a moment. “Do mind your manners surrounding his kit,” he offered. “Or do not, it matters little to me if you survive past honouring the agreement.”
Tech stopped at the doorway, glaring at the male as Willin exited. “We never did get your name.”
His brows raised in interest. “You saw my signature.”
“I would rather hear it from you,” she insisted coolly.
A toothy smile spread over the male’s muzzle. “Grand Hunter Trill; Blademaster of Avalon, Sire of Phantom, and—if I remember correctly—the Weighted Scale, Aspect of Balance.”
“’May he who barter with the Void fear its ire,’” she recited, conviction in her words.
“’Yet he who uphold bathes in its blessing,’ yes,” Grand Hunter Trill replied with a knowing look. “Consider it, new one. To be crushed under the obligations you fail to upkeep, or revel in that which you covet. Do be warned; though I let you and your party leave—” his eye gained a sharp edge. “You are never beyond my influence.”
“May the sun treat you well, Grand Hunter,” she replied tersely, spinning on her pad to leave. Willin glanced back as he waited for her to pass him, seeing nothing but the door closing behind her.
Their weapons were returned, each in the same state as they were confiscated, save for a familiar knife. He scowled as he shifted his footing to reveal that the comforting weight had been removed from his boot. He begrudgingly accepted the blade, tucking it back into the sheath as the Lilhun smirked at him, his mirth at the dark green-furred male’s displeasure evident.
They were escorted out of the shuttle, a pause afforded long enough for Willin to flick up his hood before they continued to the outermost edge of the settlement. As soon as they were outside of the fence, their escorts turned and quickly faded into the buildings.
A crackle came over the headset.
“Leader! Tech! We thought something may have happened,” Comms shouted into the earpiece, genuine worry coating his words.
“Were you unsuccessful?” Nav added, the sound of a small distance between speaker and microphone suggesting they were sharing.
Willin adjusted the strap of his rifle and started walking, Tech following after a lingering glance at the settlement. “We got what we came for, but it might have cost us.”
“It was simply a meeting, no?” Comms asked to clarify.
“If you can call being strung along by an Aspect ‘simple,’ then yes,” Tech growled.
“Aspect?”
“Balance,” Willin provided through a sigh. “Weighted Scale.”
“Receive your heart’s desire at a heavy sacrifice,” Nav commented after a moment, likely referencing something. “What did you give them?”
“Sovereignty and a favour to be paid out to another Grand Hunter.”
“That does not seem too unreasonable,” Comms voiced curiously.
“We’ll talk about it when we get back. I have a feeling that the hole was dug too deep to see the bottom quite yet.”
“There’s a battle brewing,” Tech notified the crew, adjusting her audio interface. For once, it was completely silent. “We got dragged into it.”
The short-wave fell silent.
“What do we do?” Comms questioned quietly, the crackle of the distortion pitching his voice slightly.
Willin snorted, exhaling slowly.
“We made a deal with Avalon, Comms. We honour the contract.”
Next
A/N: Folded and made a Patreon. You can do the thing there, but i don't have anything to offer. Gonna move the rare AI Gen character art to it though, since it's the best i can offer.