Dearest nihilists, let's make NNN great again!

2024.11.25 15:00 911nihilist Dearest nihilists, let's make NNN great again!

Dearest nihilists, let's make NNN great again! submitted by 911nihilist to NihilistNewsNetwork [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 Bomtd0416 Bleeding

I got the copper IUD on Wednesday. My doctor said I might have spotting that would stop "in a few days." It's now Monday, so 5 days, and I'm still spotting. Granted, I have had sex like 5 times lol, but when will this end? I know the periods are supposed to be heavier, but I don't want to spot the entire time. Should I call my doctor? Going to try to stop sex and see if that helps haha.
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2024.11.25 15:00 Charokol Airbnb bible opened to Nehemiah 13ish?

I was staying at an Airbnb in Florida earlier this week, and right in the entrance was a countertop with a Bible opened to Nehemiah 12:44 - 13:27. Is there anything relevant in these passages that the homeowner may be purposefully trying to convey by leaving the book open to this page, or is it more likely random?
submitted by Charokol to AskBibleScholars [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 GurApart2075 20[M4F] #ireland Lets get to know each other and see what happens

I'll just be honest,Im lonely and I assume you are too if youre reading this.I'd love to just get to know someone and see where it takes us
I'm just your average,nothing special 20 year old college student.Lifes been kind of kicking my ass lately and I guess I just want someone to be close to
I have anxiety so its hard for me to talk to people on the best days.Just basic social events can scare me to no end sometimes
I spend most of my time playing games and reading comics.I plan to start working my way through every issue of the Amazing Spider-Man soon.I mainly play Nintendo games but I play other stuff as well,some of my favourites include Stardew Valley,Persona 5,Fire Emblem Three Houses and Sonic Generations
Im not looking for anything in particular other than a friend,although it would be nice to have a cuddle buddy too.I've been wanting to just cuddle on the couch with someone a lot lately
Im open to pretty much anyone.My only limit is drugs,no drug users.Im open to anyone 18-35.Im mostly looking for friendship right now but if at one point we both decide we want more than thats cool
submitted by GurApart2075 to r4r [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 IndividualComplete59 The Prince of Wales and Prince Theyazin bin Haitham of Oman 🇬🇧🇴🇲

The Prince of Wales and Prince Theyazin bin Haitham of Oman 🇬🇧🇴🇲 The Prince of Wales and Prince Theyazin bin Haitham of Oman have become Co-Patron of the "Jewel of Arabia Expedition" . They attended the launch of the "Jewel of Arabia Expedition" at Royal Geographical Society in London today.
The project is to help promote and highlight British-Omani connections. The Expedition aims to raise awareness amongst young people both in and outside of Oman of the value of the country's natural heritage and biodiversity as well as environmental challenges.
submitted by IndividualComplete59 to RoyalsGossip [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 Dry_Cream_7785 Room information at Ulienstede green tower

Hii! I am enrolled as an exchange student at the VU for the Spring 2025 semester and need to book my room through ROOM.nl in less than 24 hours. My options do include many rooms and floors in the green tower on Ulienstede campus, and I was wondering if anyone had insight on some specific rooms / floors that may be better than others, specific characteristics of the green tower itself, etc. Thanks!!
submitted by Dry_Cream_7785 to StudyInTheNetherlands [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 Jude-Rita-Tuan Is this true that everyone has a different degree of glory in Heaven?

I think it is possible because our glory can't be the same as Mary or some saints, and even saints have different degrees of glory, let alone we will be saints in the end. Let me know your opinion.
submitted by Jude-Rita-Tuan to Catholicism [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 PowerfulReaction2456 Help

Hey, actually i dont have student main and I wanna explore azure but my card if of Rupay I can't sign in as azure only accept visa and mastercard and I can create a azure account without any charges with student mail. Please help if anyone can share with me
submitted by PowerfulReaction2456 to bugbounty [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 Degermark [The Arcane Paladin] Chapter 57 - Time to Go to Work

First | Previous |
Wiki | RoyalRoad
Cover Art & Travis Portrait by Pedro Puglisi
Fan Art of Seleyna! - By KyrionDraws
Journal Entry # 39
Got my first set of leathers today, and even better, they won’t get added to my indenture!
Turns out the witch and orc had a set commissioned for me using varmint hide and chitin from that sallipede. It doesn’t offer much protection outside of preventing scrapes and cuts, but anything is better than the current linens I’ve been wearing. I was worried that I’d stick out even more like a flaring beacon when a monster uses mana sight, but the witch promised to teach me a technique to blend into the overgrowth in the future, assuming that I join her coven.
I’m still on the fence with her offer. On one hand, I’d get to learn how she does some of her more impressive feats (like how she can scout out a monster den without being detected), but on the other, I’m not sure if I want to pledge fealty to them.
There’s a Cleric of Ignitious in the fortress I’ve been wanting to meet. I don’t exactly worship the god, but maybe he can help me make a more informed decision.
---
Reidar
Windsday, the 9th of Ninethmonth
Loggercliff Fortress – Assembly Yard
“Quit petting the horses Private and get them hitched!” Staff Sergeant Julien commanded with a shout that any Spartan Drill Instructor would nod in approval of. “Private Abner, put that crate down this instant! You are still on light duty; I’ll hogtie you to the bench myself if I catch you again. We are scheduled to leave in thirty minutes corpsmen, and I will not be the one telling the princess of all people that we failed in our duty!”
Reidar sipped on his latte, enjoying the fresh taste of huckleberries Varguk mixed in this morning as he watched the Logistics Corps make final preparations for the expedition. His battalion wasn’t the only one setting out today. Another composed of just knights and a single mage for each squad was going to take a more eastern route parallel to his, a regular contingent of soldiers would be patrolling the main trade route to secure the harvest transports, and two squads of marines were sent to bolster Captain Sampson and his crew aboard the Warden’s Hammer as they sailed to the rendezvous point.
And those were only the groups leaving this morning. Other battalions had already assembled earlier in the week, a formidable number of hunters, witches, paladins, and clerics were going on final hunts before winter set in, and there was a rumor being spread last night that a Royal Knight and their squad recently passed through to investigate a possible shell dragon sighting
A shadow crested over him, and Reidar turned to see Lancel standing next to him. The Packer knight looked exhausted, with deep bags underneath his bloodshot eyes, a firm posture that seemed more forced than natural, and a dozen minor blemishes suggesting that the bare minimum was done to prepare himself this morning. He was also paradoxically twitchy, hyper-aware of his surroundings, but failing to notice he was standing next to someone.
“Is something wrong Lancel?”
“What?” The bronze-skinned knight startled, “Oh, uh… no, I’m fine. I uh… had a difficult time falling asleep last night, that’s all.”
Reidar gave a single nod of understanding, “Yes, the celebration did go late into the night, it was a genuine surprise to me that I awoke before first call.” He took another sip of his latte, then gestured with the drink, “Varguk was still brewing stimleaf when I left the Main Hall twelve minutes ago. If you catch him before he packs up, I’m positive he’ll be happy to prepare a double-strength drink for you.”
“Oh, uh… thanks. I’ll… I’ll go do that.” Lancel shook his head in an attempt to wake himself, then locked onto the lodge before marching in its direction.
Reidar watched him leave with an odd suspicion that Lancel might have just lied to him. He didn’t have much to go off, but he did see the man exhausted only a few days ago, the day they left Union, and they hadn’t looked nearly as unkempt or distracted as they did now.
‘I wonder if he’s sick?’
He’d been warned that knights could be just as stubborn as spartans when it came to reporting an injury or infection since they didn’t want to be seen holding back the group or potentially miss out on a military operation. Reidar would normally call their actions foolish, but even he struggled during his medical training on prioritizing his own safety over his patient’s, so at least he had an understanding over how someone could get trapped in that mindset.
He debated whether to use his authority as a medic to compel Lancel into an examination but decided to observe for now and report to his superior if his symptoms worsened. Besides, Knight Lieutenant Karianne Bjornstad was far more knowledgeable on diseases and infections, making her a better judge if Lancel was compromised. As an added bonus, she also outranked Lancel, that would save him from the potential awkwardness of having to order around one of his few friends.
“Hold on, if nearly all the civilians here live underground, how did you prevent people from accidentally mining into the spring?”
Reidar’s thoughts were rerouted by an approaching Travis accompanied by Drozuk and Jarl Cliffwell, already deep into conversation.
“Well,” the jarl replied with a sigh, “the short answer is that we didn’t. The long answer is that we have a witch’s coven now to ensure it doesn’t ever again.”
Travis gave a knowing nod to the jarl, then silently waved a greeting to Reidar, letting Drozuk ask the next question.
“The crown doesn’t object to letting a witch coven oversee critical infrastructure in your fortress?”
“The flood happened two eras ago (192 years), back when the underground was still an iron mine, and Sigurd the Archmage’s Academy had only been graduating students for about a cycle; there weren’t any mages to send. Thorns, I think it would have taken over a month just to send a message to the capital back then. The Jarl at the time, umm… Eliab Cliffwell, didn’t have much for options, so instead of letting the legacy our ancestor created fall to ruin, he agreed to let an offshoot of the Hidden Gully Coven build a covenstead here in exchange for repairing the spring. Mind you, this was recently after that coven’s soaring reputation plunged into the manure pit for not eliminating a necromancer in their ranks, so it was a controversial decision at the time.”
The old Lakelander grinned, “Thankfully, it all worked out. The newly founded Wellwatcher’s Coven restored the spring and helped our fortress become one of the first to have indoor plumbing. They’ve also been sending a steady stream of mage candidates to the capital, many of whom my clan recruits, including my own mother.”
Drozuk cautiously opened his mouth to ask for a follow-up but got cutoff before any sound escaped.
“Sorry, I got stuck rambling, didn’t I? To answer your question, there’s been an unofficial agreement that as long as no one’s creating any problems, then the queen doesn’t need to get involved.” Jarl Hezekiah gave Drozuk a friendly back slap, “That was one of the first pieces of advice I gave to your pa when he got elected.” He paused to chuckle to himself, “Didn’t expect him to translate that as ‘declare that there is a problem and ask the queen to get involved’, but he’ll probably end up vindicated once you lot clear out the infections that have been festering. I know my patience with Svend was down to the last leaf, nearly every caravan going to Glacier’s Edge gets attacked nowadays, and the villages north of here under my jurisdiction have reported a few close calls.”
The orkish mage responded with a solemn acknowledgement, leaving an open lull in conversation. Hezekiah, the master socialite he was, took the opportunity to greet Reidar with a hearty half salute, using his right arm to convey that this was an informal meeting of equals.
“Ah, a good morning to you young spartan! I expect you must be as eager as your brethren to end the pomp and circumstance and finally get to work.”
Reidar switched his latte to his left, then in a move that raised the eyebrows of everyone nearby, balled his right hand into a fist, then slapped his right forearm parallel to his chest to give a half-salute in return, “No, the less work for me, the better. Work for me is stopping my comrades from bleeding to death, or reassembling their innards back into the correct configuration. I’d prefer to have fun killing monsters and protecting the citizens of the kingdom for the rest of our mission. It will be a nice stress reliever after this past week.”
Hezekiah slapped him on the pauldron, giving him a friendly shake as the jarl belted out a laugh, “Almost thought you weren’t a real spartan for a heartbeat there.”
Travis grinned along, bringing delight to Reidar that his friend enjoyed his attempt at humor, “As pleasant as your company has been jarl, I’m afraid I’m in the same boat as Reidar. Eliminating monsters along the western hunter trail is a straightforward objective compared to ‘promote inter-kingdom relations between the capital and fortresses and inspire future generations to become knights and mages of the kingdom.’”
The Jarl of Loggercliff Fortress exhaled deeply with a shake of his head, “Wish I had your attitude when I was your age, probably would have taken training more seriously.” He patted his right leg, “Took a nasty monster spine to the knee when I was still a soldier, entire thing was torn to pieces. A Wood Mage by some miracle was able to fully heal it, but… well… I’ll skip ahead and say that the day I turned Thirty-one, I was given two choices; join the house guard or move here and study under my predecessor so I could help preserve the family legacy.”
Reidar could only return a grim nod after hearing the jarl’s story. Healing magic wasn’t kind to someone without a mana tolerance. Not sure how to continue the conversation, he turned to look at Travis and Drozuk, but they seemed to be just as much at a loss.
Thankfully, it wasn’t needed.
Hezekiah grinned and gave a head tilt to a woman outside the Main Lodge, “Well, it’s been nice chatting with you kids, but I’m getting the stink-eye from one of my clerks. You three and your entire battalion will always be welcome here in Loggercliff.”
The trio watched the jarl leave, then turned back to the frantic corpsmen when a fifteen-minute warning was shouted.
Travis gave his orkish friend a nudge, “Excited to finally head out?”
Drozuk shrugged, “Eh, more weirded out than anything. I mean look at me now, a novice mage, about to march down Coldspring’s notorious western trail with three dozen other mana users, and… everyone’s acting like this is a standard mission for the Fall Purge. When I was a kid, I was constantly warned about how dangerous the local hunter trails were, and that I was absolutely forbidden from even entertaining the thought of going down one alone. I guess I never thought that this would be my life someday.”
Reidar wasn’t sure if he could relate. For him, becoming a spartan was a heavy burden off his back, an assurance that he’d forever be accepted in their ranks as a brother, and trusted by the queen herself to defend the kingdom. Perhaps he could find common ground elsewhere?
“Was there anything you know about the route not included in the briefing?”
“Hmm… I guess there’s a few historical tidbits that weren’t covered. The trails still connect to many of the villages, including a few that are nothing but ruins, but they stopped being used by civilians when the trade road was built. I think back when our route was fully maintained, you could make it on foot from here to Coldspring in about three to four days, and to Lake Swallowsnest in another five. Oh, and it’s more a rumor than confirmed fact, but it’s believed that The Insatiable Cauldron was created by Oskar, Chosen of Apheros, to destroy the hideout of the slavers that attacked Adifel’s expedition.”
A foreign sense of smug satisfaction crept into the back of Reidar’s skull through his connection to Apheros, confirming that the fortress-sized sinkhole was indeed created by Oskar. His gaze shifted to the Aelder tree looming over the nearby rooftops, wondering if he too would someday create such a tangible impact on the world.
---
Arc
Ugh, not sure if I made any progress on my mapping ability at all last night. When I tried to pullup a blueprint of the local lodge this morning, the more mana dense materials got stretched and the low mana density materials shrank, leaving me with a funhouse mirror version of a building. I’ll have to try a different approach next time.
Mentally sighing to myself, I quadruple-checked my surroundings for any suspicious activity, maneuvered my focus over to the cause of my paranoia, and… immediately felt guilty. Lancel is clearly not doing well, and I doubt drinking that double espresso is doing him any favors. I watch him grimace with disgust after each sip and decide that maybe I should sneak in a talk with him to see if I can break the ice and alleviate a few worries.
“Not a fan of huckleberries?”
“No… it’s too—” Lancel froze, then swiftly darted his head around to check his surroundings to ensure he was alone, “Arc… why are you talking to me? What if someone sees us?”
“They won’t notice if you stop making a scene.” I sternly replied, then switched to a more calming tone, “Take a deep breath and exhale, you’re wound up tighter than a fully pumped crossbow.”
Lancel did the breathing exercise as advised, but instead of calming down he began to grow irritated.
Okay, not off to the best start, but I can work with this, assuming he’s directing his anger at me like he should be and not at himself.
“There, now put your helmet on and scramble your private Message channel.
The Packer growled, but obliged and put his helmet on. His face then briefly changed to show confusion, “Uh… scramble my channel?”
“Bump up the frequency so it’s no longer synced with Mattius.”
Lancel did as he was told, letting me copy the now private channel with a fresh batch of Wind Mana.
“Perfect, now no one will suspect a thing.”
“Won’t they get curious as to why I’m not talking to someone in person?”
I made an audible sigh, “Lancel, you’re a young knight who just learned his first spell yesterday. It’d be suspicious if you weren’t finding every excuse to use it.”
He gritted his teeth, forcing air out in a huff, “Fine. Now, was there something you wanted to say? The call to assemble should be going out any minute now.”
“Well, I figured that you and I should have a private conversation now that Travis shared his secret. There’s also something important I need to say to you.”
Lancel crossed his arms, “I have no intention of betraying Travis’ trust if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“That’s great to hear, but not what I was about to say.” I mentally took a breath, “Lancel, I’m sorry. I witnessed you dedicate countless hours to trying to become a knight and did nothing to help.”
A crack formed on Lancel’s stern expression, “I… appreciate the apology, but it’s not needed.”
I stared down the man with my focus, not believing him in the slightest.
“Really? You’re not jealous of Travis? If I included you in on the training, you would have become a knight much earlier.”
“Of course I’m jealous.” Lancel growled, “An all-seeing observer with inexhaustible mana sight? You’re the perfect trainer.” He let out another huff, dropping his aggression, and let his shoulders sag, “It’s for the best that you didn’t though. I would have been forced to exile Travis from his home. I doubt he’d ever forgive me.”
I wanted to say Travis wouldn’t do that, but even that kid’s rational mind wasn’t infallible, especially when it came to his parents.
A pause formed between Lancel and I, and I wasn’t sure what to say next, or if there even was anything to say. I dredged up this topic so we could address it and move forward, but maybe this was a bad idea? Lancel seemed at a loss as well, staring blankly out towards the wagons as the horses all lowered their heads in prayer, idly sipping from his coffee-substitute despite clearly finding it disgusting.
“Hey, maybe you can explain it to me, why doesn’t anyone get creeped out when horses gather to worship their god?”
Lancel paused mid-sip, raised an eyebrow, then slowly lowered his mug before replying, “They’re venerating 1, the mother of their entire species. Why would anyone find that strange? Even my people pay homage to her shrines. 1 taught us not only how to ride, but to fight in unison atop her foals, forever making calvary the spear to our footmen’s shield.”
“You don’t find it unsettling that they’re smart enough to worship her in the first place?”
“No…” Lancel’s face scrunched up as the gears inside tried to find purchase, “horses are known for their intelligence. It’s why they’re man’s best friend.”
“It should be dogs…” I muttered, annoyed that I was the only sane person on this planet.
Lancel shook his head, and to my delight, cracked his signature grin, “I guess a Northman could make that argument, but by that metric Lakelanders would argue cats are man’s best friend and Ashmen would counter with ravens.”
“Okay, I’ll allow cats, but only because they’re proper snuggle critters. Horses and birds though? C’mon…”
The voice of Captain Adaline buzzed from the other side of Lancel’s helmet, “Squads One and Two, report to the assembly yard for departure.”
Lancel forced down the rest of his drink and tossed the disposable ceramic mug in the trash, “We’ll have to resume our conversation another time.”
“Or… you can keep your private channel private, and I can ask you questions while we’re on the march. I’ve been making a list!”
I watched Lancel’s grin fade, no doubt worried that he’ll have a hard time acting casual, but he manned up for the challenge.
“Umm… I guess I can answer a few.”
---
Travis
Shivering Hawk Trail – Marker 192
Hurry up and wait. Hurry up and wait. It only took twelve minutes to assemble and complete roll call, but we spent an hour of standing at attention before finally marching. We then make it down the hill, only to immediately stop and let a caravan pass. Finally, we started our fast march along the hunter’s trail, but we have to hold position almost every twenty-four minutes for Squad 2 to clear a road obstacle. And as if to add insult to injury, since Squad 2 is taking point, both varmint swarms we’ve encountered have only attacked them, leaving my squad with nothing to do but form a defensive blockade each time for a nonexistent enemy.
At least the terrain here was gorgeous. It alternated between dense coniferous woods and stretches of open plains as we meandered between rocky hills. Shallow streams added variety, as well as rocky gullies cleaving open wounds into the land and tiny swamps collecting water in bowl-shaped depressions. It was a refreshing reversal from the academy, but the prolonged peace and calm smothering me was almost overbearing.
“Company… HALT!”
Ugh… what is it now?
“Varguk,” Captain Adaline ordered, “assist the corpsmen in serving lunch. Everyone else, remain on high alert. Reports from local hunters suggest that there will be an increase in deadlier monsters further ahead.”
Lunch? Okay, I won’t say no to stopping for that.
Varguk and a pair of corpsmen quickly worked to open two of the crates in the rear wagon, pulling out wax-paper wrapped MRE’s and mason jars filled with what Lancel called “soldier chow”, a thick mixture of meats, potatoes, carrots, onions, and other vegetables, all drenched in a thick brown gravy. The stew was cold, but a simple heating enchantment would fix that in the time it took for me to fully exit the line and regroup with my squad. Drozuk came in behind me, and I caught him looking downcast at his meal after he saw that Seleyna, Vesril, and I were about to enjoy ours hot.
“Want me to heat that up for you?”
“If you don’t mind.” Drozuk set his jar on top my offered palm and watched with interest as it soon came to a gentle boil. “Is that a hard enchantment to learn? I never really dabbled with Fire Mana much.”
Vesril, to my surprise, chimed in, “‘Can’t keep their own tea hot’ is a common phrase to use when you want to insult an elf’s intelligence.”
Seleyna snorted, “And if you want to imply that they’re an impotent lay-about as well.”
The elven mage chuckled, looking out into the distance, “That it does. I still remember the time I goaded Kyrenic Kelkalyn, he’s the second son of Earl Kelkayln, into proving me wrong.” Vesril had to pause and get his laughter back under control. “His father refused to let him make a public appearance for the next six years, even when the semi-cyclical archery games were hosted at their castle.”
Drozuk side-eyed me as he took back his steaming stew, then leaned in to whisper, “Would you be willing to teach me after we make camp? I’ve already publicly humiliated myself once this year, I’d rather not go through that again.”
I gave him a friendly nudge with my elbow, “Only if you don’t mind having Lancel as at fellow student.”
Our quick chat didn’t last much longer, and we were soon on the march again. Well… except for the continued frequent stops. It was only an hour later that I finally took notice of Arc’s uncharacteristically long bout of silence.
---
Lancel
Shivering Hawk Trail – Marker 379
‘How has Travis not gone insane?’
Arc was a dozen curious toddlers fused together and cranked up to thirteen.
How different was your childhood from Travis? What was the Military Preparatory Academy like? Have you ever travelled outside of the capital before becoming a guard? Ooh, what are the Southern Plains like? Wait, how many uncles and aunts do you have? Did you camp out on the prairie in tepees? What do you mean not all Packer tribes did that?
And those were only the non-personal questions.
What’s your favorite color? What animal do you consider yourself personality-wise? Who was your biggest role model growing up? Where do you see yourself in five years? How many boyfriends have you had? Did you and Trent ever…?
Thankfully, he didn’t need to bare his soul for the day-long march, and the chatty sword was willing to take a growl for an answer, but Lancel was hitting the limits of his tolerance. Maybe he should try again at asking a question of his own?
“What exactly did you do for a job?”
“Huh? Oh… uh, I… helped merchants advertise their products.”
“What kinds of products?”
“Umm… clothes, perfume, cologne… other things. Oh, that reminds me, what is your favorite scent, and why is it sandalwood and bourbon?”
Hmm… Travis wasn’t lying when he said that Arc was holding his shield firm when it came to his past. He didn’t get the sense that they were lying, but the constant non-answers with minimal details made it apparent that Arc was carefully stepping around an important fact he didn’t want anyone to know. Given how clueless they were about Packer culture and history, Lancel was growing confident that Travis was right about Arc being ancient.
Could they have been a Sky Dwarf? Or something even older? Orkish history before their people migrated here was a mystery. If he wasn’t human, that would explain a few things.
“Hey! Are you listening?”
“Sorry, what was the question?”
“I was asking what color the flowers on that bush were.”
“Uh…” Lancel turned to check, “yellow.”
“Thanks. Now, back to our earlier topic, cake… or pie?”
Lancel felt a strong urge to slam his head into his shield, but got saved by the grace of Torbolt when Raven Four reported in, “Campsite is compromised. Six visible monsters… bear body, bird head with hooked beak, talons on forepaws, Metal Mana…”
“Crowbears.” Arc whispered in a clinical tone, “Bulky creatures with durable feathers resistant to slashing and bludgeoning along their neck, spine, and outer limbs, but have soft underbellies susceptible to goring. Fully matured specimens have been known to pry open low-grade steel with their infused talons and beaks, and will nest high along cliff walls using aforementioned weapons to carve deep rends into the stone. Hunters recommend that you never encounter one in its den, and to only attack after isolating it from the pack.”
Lancel chuffed as the battalion was ordered to a halt and to prepare for combat, “Not surprised they’d use that tactic.”
“Why is that?”
“Hunters have to make a profit off their kills, so they rarely have more than four members in their party.”
“Oh? Is there a better strategy?”
“Bait and flank. Crowbears are apex predators, so prey scattering before them won’t draw any suspicions.”
Their conversation was cut as Lancel moved into position with his squad and assembled within earshot of Captain Aguk.
“The convoy will remain here under the protection of the commandos while Squads One and Two secure the campsite. Mages, any suggestions on how we should proceed?”
‘Why would a captain ask— oh… right…’
He almost forgot the main reason he was out here babysitting. His brother-in-law Hector was an excellent instructor, but no amount of yard exercises can replace field experience. Last he checked; mages didn’t even have a squire program to act as a half-step.
Travis stepped forward with a salute, “Sir, I suggest we draw the crowbears into an open field, then use a bait and flank maneuver to target their vulnerable areas.”
The half-orc grinned with approval before engaging with the other mages to expand on the plan, but Lancel couldn’t help narrowing his eyes at the sword hanging from Travis’ hip.
“Did you tell Travis what formation to use?”
“Uhh… if I say no, will you believe me?”
Lancel could only sigh in response.
---
The bright rusty orange rock of the cliff outlined the shadowy recesses of the unnatural caves, making them easy to spot as Squad 2 crept forward to initiate the plan. Travis and Drozuk launched the opening salvo, splashing [Water Bolts] at the cave mouths followed by Princess Seleyna sending [Fire Bolts] further in. Deep gravely caws echoed out in response, and it didn’t take long for the lumbering shadows to appear. Vesril made his move then, freezing the wet surfaces with Ice Magic, and sending the monsters tumbling from their own fortresses.
Seleyna fired an arrow of opportunity at one target before retreating behind Lancel and the other knights, searing a hole cleanly through the belly. It sadly wasn’t a deathblow, due to the wound getting cauterized, but given that the goal of this first phase was to merely rile up the monsters, things were going better than expected.
Not wanting to linger (or get rundown by the spartans following him), Lancel moved quickly, dashing through a copse of trees and onto a rocky sloped ledge, then deftly leapt over and around the traps set by Squad 2.
A series of thuds, followed by “pained moans” from the spartans faking helplessness signaled the start of phase two. The fooled crowbears, confident they were about to rush in for the kill, broke right through the thin sheets of stone, then cried out in pain as the hidden spikes impaled their legs. Squad 2 then leapt out from cover, bolstering Squad 1’s spartans with their own, and cutting off the only easy escape route for the monsters with their knights and mages.
The rest of Squad 1 kept their heads down as they crept along the hidden trail hanging off the premade edge courtesy of the mages. Lancel could barely keep up with Travis as the kid all but flew across the outcropping, nearly losing his footing at one point, but didn’t let it stop him from leaping back up onto the shelf and bringing his shield forward to intercept anything that might harm the mages. Now at an optimal attack angle, Drozuk and Travis pelted the monsters along their heads and feet, casting bolt after bolt to disorient the crowbears, and opening up Vesril and Seleyna to use their more potent spells.
Collected water slid off Vesril’s shield, forming three liquid javelins that froze in tandem with the elf’s clamped fist, then with a thrust of his arm, launched into the nearest crowbear. The trio of icicles dug in deep, making the monster bleed profusely, and slowed its reactions enough for Seleyna to prepare her [Fire Arrow]. The princess drew back her bowstring, then expertly released her payload to target a vital organ this time, and got rewarded with the sight of the crowbear vomiting up blood before collapsing.
Lancel kept his eyes and ears on high alert, listening as Seleyna and Vesril called out their targets, and spotted one of the more intelligent monsters trying to flee. Mattius and the Packer girl were prepared though and stopped the crowbear from advancing by shifting the ground beneath it. The Creeksmith twins then followed up with an explosion of steam, irritating the monster, and forcing it to cover its eyes.
Seeing an open target, Lancel flipped his spear into an underhand grip, breathed in deeply as he pulled his arm back, then threw his spear at the crowbear. His body was like a tightly wound crossbow as the mana in his body snapped, pulsing through his legs past his shifting hips, then into his back and chest as every muscle, tendon, and bone in his body worked in tandem to deliver every ounce of force his body could muster. He exhaled with a loud grunt as his spear left his hand, and was genuinely shocked that he could barely track it as it plunged deep into the crowbear with an audible crack.
The crowbear screeched and howled as it clawed at the ground in a desperate attempt to move, surprising Lancel since he couldn’t have possibly paralyzed it with that attack. His query got answered shortly after when the monster’s struggles tore open its belly, field dressing its innards as it took a few steps before collapsing in death. It turned out that the loud crack he heard was his spear-tip piledriving into the stone. He could only pray to Torbolt and Adamanrion that Franklin’s smithing held up enough to keep his weapon intact.
Bringing his attention back forward, Lancel drew his gladius and almost rushed forward to engage the sole remaining crowbear rushing their way, but held back as Captain Adaline and Lieutenant Fernrod ordered the squad to remain behind. The Lieutenant was light on his feet as he intercepted, flitting in and out of range while lightly jabbing with his spear to distract and trick the monster into overextending, setting up the captain for the kill. She crept along silently, activating an inscription in her spear to engulf the tip in a blazing inferno, and patiently waited for her chance to strike. The moment came soon, and she thrust forward with a devastating blow while its back leg was extended, piercing straight into its lungs and heart via the gut, incinerating everything in its path.
The felled crowbear’s silent death rattle signaled the end of combat, and after confirming that all monsters were killed, Captain Aguk called up the Logistics Corps to handle cleanup.
A few minutes later, Lancel braced himself for the worst as Travis worked their magic to free his spear, then let out a huge sigh of relief that only a few scratches marred the edge.
“Uff-da,” Travis joined in with his own sigh of relief, “thought for sure that you’d need a replacement.”
“Yeah, lucky me. I’ll have to get a new one before the embedded mana leaves though, I doubt this will last into the spring.” Lancel replied before grinning, “Too bad Franklin’s quality has dropped, I heard his spears don’t last nearly as long as they used to.”
“Hey! How was I supposed to know that human-grade steel was better for general use? I thought the Non-Metal Mana was contaminating the steel, not temporarily strengthening it.”
“If only you had an indestructible sword to provide as an example…”
Travis glared at Lancel, earning them both a chuckle from Arc, “Ooh, you’re gonna need some ointment for that burn.”
---
Marceles
Auxiliary Dormitory of the Beardless – Conference Room
The bleary-eyed paladin set the journal down with a groan, cursing his growing headache, and questioning why Apheros gave him this task.
Kolen finished scribing a note, then looked up, “Find something?”
“No, just another reason for the restrictions on teaching us magic. Did you know there was a group of cannibalistic knights at Burmstone that would regularly sacrifice a serf every moonless night?”
“Seriously?”
“Yep, says here that in preparation for their necromantic ritual, the sacrifice would spend a week in ecstasy, feasting on the finest foods, sung to endlessly by minstrels, and comforted in bed by whomever the sacrifice chose. Those monsters convinced the people that it was the highest of honors to be chosen, and that their essence would live on in their ‘protectors’.”
Kolen set his pen down and leaned back into his chair, letting out an elderly grunt of his own, “I’m starting to see why our god waited so long to push this issue, we needed all of the dwarves and elves helping us with unification at the time to die off first.”
Marceles nodded in agreement but had to stop when a sharp pain raced down his neck. He spent the next six minutes massaging out the muscle cramp and dreading the thought of spending another afternoon researching.
“You’ve been cooped up in here for too long. Go take a break and mingle with the kids. Duncan and some of the younger combatants have been pestering me nonstop to let you teach them. You’ll be doing me a favor.”
Marceles raised an eyebrow, “Are we even allowed to train as paladins and clerics now?”
Kolen shrugged, “Eh… not sure, but if anyone asks, just tell them you’re training them as hunters. You’re still registered, right?”
“Uh… yeah, ranked up to Grade Four two summers ago.”
“Perfect.” Kolen’s smile shifted to a contemplative expression, “Rot, we might have to seriously do that. Without funds, we’re not going to be able to stage a protest, let alone feed ourselves.”
“I’ll let you worry about that then.” Marceles chuckled as he moved to exit the room, but stopped before he cleared the threshold, “Oh, which one is Duncan? I can never keep everyone’s names straight.”
“He’s that burly red-haired lad with all the lasses hanging off him.” Kolen joked, then switched to a more serious tone, “Spend some extra time one-on-one with him if you can, it would mean the world to that kid.”
“Oh… uh, okay.” Marceles nodded before exiting, completely missing the cleric shaking his head in exasperation.
submitted by Degermark to HFY [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 Defiant-Sir-9234 Seeking Insight on Narrative Consistency in Open-World Games from Game Designers

Hi fellow developers!
I am a postgraduate design student focused in Experience Design, currently working on a research project under the direction of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai. My studies focus on player immersion in open-world video games and their narrative consistency.
Though players of open-world games have great freedom, this sometimes makes it difficult to keep a coherent story. My project seeks to investigate:

  1. How creators strike a mix between plot coherence and player agency?
  2. The techniques of design meant to reduce narrative dissonance in such games.
  3. Views on player conduct influencing narrative.
I want to get in touch with game designers, writers, and developers who have worked on open-world games or have knowledge of narrative design issues to help me understand. Should you be willing to share your experience, I would be delighted to probe a few issues via a quick survey or conversation.
Comment below, DM me, or contact me via email [email protected]. I appreciate you giving this some thought; I eagerly await learning from your experience!
Best wishes. Anshika Pundir
submitted by Defiant-Sir-9234 to gamedev [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 Educational-Yard-981 Tele

, i am locking for fun added on my telegram use r@juliya12301
submitted by Educational-Yard-981 to snapsextingonlyFB [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 lss_web_1444 Text post title 303

Text post body
submitted by lss_web_1444 to automationContentCom [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 AutoModerator LCX Weekly Discussion Thread - (November 25, 2024)

Welcome to the LCX Weekly Discussion Thread! In this thread, we encourage discussions, questions, and conversation on LCX and its ecosystem, as well as the wider crypto market as a whole.
Please adhere to the following rules:

Comments will be sorted by newest first.
As long as discussions follow common sense and these guidelines, anything is welcome. Thank you for participating!
submitted by AutoModerator to lcx [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 Critical-System705 School Shenanigans

School Shenanigans submitted by Critical-System705 to Jujutsufolk [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 BrainstormBot 🌎 Chile-Argentina Border Region: Sismo - Earthquake (3.5 Ml, at 14:38 UTC, from www.seismicportal.eu)

🌎 Sismo! Earthquake! 3.5 Ml, registered by CSN, 2024-11-25 14:38:24 UTC (daytime) on land, San Pedro de Atacama, Provincia de El Loa, Antofagasta, Chile (-24.06, -67.79) likely felt 50 km away (www.seismicportal.eu)
2024-11-25T15:00:38Z
submitted by BrainstormBot to EEW [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 AutoModerator Weekly Thread: What are you working on this week?

What projects are you working on right now?

Let's hear about it! Be as vague or detailed as you'd like!
You can include relevant links to ongoing, related work.
submitted by AutoModerator to MusicContentCreators [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 gergination Troubleshooting Help: Fix Emission Vortex constantly stuck in the world

If you end up with the Emission red vortex permanently enabled in your world, these steps fixed the issue for me without having to revert to a save prior to when the issue started.

  1. Start the game but don't load your save file
  2. Set all graphics options to low
  3. Load your save file
  4. Confirm the vortex is gone
  5. Make a new save file
  6. Set your graphics options back to what you want
  7. Restart the game
  8. Good hunting
submitted by gergination to stalker [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 ChoosePain 23F Kiddo baby girl for big browwther

Hwwwiii I’m being little and wanna plawwyyy with bug browwther while mommy and dada are goneee letters tawlkkk and be silly
submitted by ChoosePain to MeetNewPeopleHere [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 MortgageAware3355 How did the open call for & Juliet go?

There was an open call for singers for & Juliet yesterday. If anyone auditioned, I'm curious what the process was like and how it went.
submitted by MortgageAware3355 to torontotheatre [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 BryTupper My Pharaoh kitty

My Pharaoh kitty submitted by BryTupper to VoidCats [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 Zigtrust Ball in a cylinder with water rises up

Hi everybody i once saw a video of an interesting experiment but i can't find the video itself or anything related so i'm asking here.
In the video there was a cave cyilinder half full of water and a ping pong ball floating on top of the water.
Ball diameter was just a bit smaller than the cylinder one. The experiment consisted in flipping the tube and the ball started rising while water flowed down. The interesting thing was that during the whole experiment the ball never descend while having only air under.
If someone rebembers where i can find that video again i would be gratefull.
submitted by Zigtrust to AskPhysics [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 SandwichDistinct You take a shot everytime the auctioneer says "Fair Warning"

You take a shot everytime the auctioneer says submitted by SandwichDistinct to CricketShitpost [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 DiamondOasis Residential Cleaner looking for Clients

Hello I'm a new residential cleaner in miramar fl and I'm currently looking for new clients. All first home cleaning is only $150 for regular cleaning!
submitted by DiamondOasis to Diamondoasiscleanings [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 Unable_Bookkeeper_36 Websites that don’t drag

Looking for a place to get birdseed that doesn’t take a year.
submitted by Unable_Bookkeeper_36 to peyote [link] [comments]

2024.11.25 15:00 JoeXPower Helping college students for a research about special needs clothing

Hello, we are students at the Polytechnic of Turin. We are developing a tightening and locking system that is accessible to people with disabilities or various hand impediments. The goal is to simplify the action for anyone who needs it. We want it to be practical, functional and in line with fashion trends.
https://forms.gle/iyBBMjs3HW5xEYYT7
Your cooperation is very important to help us better understand the needs to design a product.
Responses are anonymous and the questionnaire takes less than 5 minutes!
Thank you for your participation!
submitted by JoeXPower to SurveyZone [link] [comments]

https://yandex.ru/