Im 18 and he was 69. He died in his sleep Wednesday night. I found out last night during my final exams. I’m devastated. I had hoped to have more years with him. I can’t stop crying and there’s this sick emptiness in his stomach. I’m going over to his place to clean some stuff with my mom , uncle and my moms friend.
He made me a bag and he was repairing it at the time. I was going to visit him today. I’m so happy I wasn’t the one who found him. I’m so sad I miss him already I keep texting his number. I hope he knew I loved him and I miss him so much already. It’s so unreal I can’t believe he’s dead. I just wanted a few more years with my daddy but he’s gone. I’m happy he got to go to my graduation and 18th birthday before he died. He died. It feels so weird saying that. He’s dead. I’m never going to speak with him again. Or show him my exam results. We had planned to go on holidays this summer to visit my half siblings in Canada go camping etc I’m so sad I was so looking forward to spending that time with him. Now my half siblings are coming here to help arrange the funeral or assess whatever. I’ve set his face as my wallpaper and I keep texting him. At least when my grandmother died I knew she was sick.
I knew she was going to die but this was so sudden. He was found. The police called. My mom told me. The police came. They say he was in bed with the duvet over him so hopefully that means his death was peaceful. I hope he died without even knowing it. He had heart attacks before even during my infancy he was recovering from a massive heart attack. He smoked like a train but he was trying to cut down. His breathing was tough and had a cough he went for a chest scan. Maybe if the results came back sooner he’d still be alive. My daddy would be here. Maybe if I visited him on Wednesday I could’ve seen something and saved him.
My last message to me was telling me he was confident I’ll do well with a minion clapping gif.
I’m so devastated. I’ll never see my daddy again I don’t know what to do. I miss my daddy so much already. He had a son who died as an infant and a brother who died of an overdose. I just hope he’s with them and one day I can be too. I can’t believe this has happened. Daddy why didn’t you wait for me to see you one last time. I never got to say goodbye or I love you properly. Last time I saw him we had a mini fight but we made up. The morning I left his apartment I sat in his lap for a while and hugged him. I don’t know the last time I told him I loved him but I hope he knew I did very much.

Rabbit, Fortune's Favorite

Yup I’m late. So late I’m not posting this to be part of the contest. Just wanted to put the tag to indicate this was my idea for the return prompt for May’s contest. I wasn’t happy with my concept and so didn’t post it. To be honest I’m still not happy with a lot of Rabbit’s kit. But I still want to share it. I am not too sure how healthy or realistic an idea like this would be for league, but I just wanted to have some fun.

Return:

The idea was a return in the sense of *Return on investment*. You riskingly (foolishly?) bet gold to potentially gain more. That’s right, Rabbit uses gold to cast abilities! And her abilities have a way to give her a return of gold. I think the idea is a fun idea but once again I’m not too sure if this would ever be implemented as it’s not too healthy for the game.

Role:

The only way I see this working even a little is if the champ is a support, where they can be successful even with minimal gold. So that’s why Rabbit is a support. Her classification is an enchante specialist.

Appearance:

Rabbit is a female Vastayan Rabbit-human hybrid. She wears clothing like this: Clothing
But her anatomy is more like this: haru from beastars
I don't own these images btw, just for reference.
I also see her right foot replaced with a wooden prosthetic.
Lore: (very basic)
A Vastayan rabbit hybrid, who was the sole survivor of a bombing in which she lost her clan and her right foot. She was later blessed by the gods with good fortune for her kind heart. Now she roams Runeterra, travelling as much as she can since she knows good things constantly happen wherever she goes now. She is able to channel her Luck within herself and to anyone that holds onto her severed Rabbit’s foot. Her mission is to help the poor and weary by giving them good fortune.

Innate: Fortune’s Favor

Rabbit is blessed by the Gods of Fortune, as such she consumes gold to cast abilities. Rabbit also converts bonus Mana and mana regen into Gold per second.
Rabbit’s gold per second generation starts at 1:05 (minion spawn) instead of the normal 1:50.

Passive/innate: Swift Rabbit’s Foot

Rabbit starts the game with an exclusive Swift Rabbit’s Foot item.
The Swift Rabbit’s Foot can be used on a target ally champion to designate them as Rabbit’s Lucky Charm.
The following effects become active while Rabbit and her Lucky Charm are within 600 units of each other:

• Rabbit’s abilities mark enemies with *Rotten Luck* for 4 seconds.
• Rabbit gains 4/5/6/7 gold in her saving account when her *Lucky Charm* successfully kills a minion marked with *Rotten Luck*.
• Rabbit is granted 25/50/75/100 bonus gold when an enemy champion marked with Rotten Luck is killed by Rabbit’s Lucky Charm or a Blessed Ally champion.
• When either Rabbit or her Lucky Charm gain gold or consume gold they are granted 7.5%/10%/12.5%/15% bonus movement speed.

The bonus movement speed does not stack and ends upon receiving damage. This effect does not apply to gold gained via gold-per-second.
Rabbit can purchase a Swift Rabbit’s Foot for free from the shop to redesignate her Lucky Ally

Skill 1Q: Magnanimous Avarice (Cost: Varies)

Active: Rabbit begins charging for up to 2 seconds, slowing herself by 15% during the charge. While charging she stores gold within a small bag, 10/15/20/25/30 gold for every 0.5 seconds she charges. Additionally, the size of the bag increases by 25% for every 0.5 seconds charged.
Recast: Rabbit tosses the bag of gold to the target location, dealing damage equal to the gold stored in the bag to enemies it passes through, then it lasts for up to 4 seconds at the target location.
If the bag is intact at the end of its duration, the bag bursts open, exploding gold outwards in a circle. Enemies the gold passes through are dealt 50/80/110/140/170 (+80% AP) magic damage (increased by 10% for every 1 health healed - max 50%).
The bag of gold has 6/7/8/9/10 health (receives 1 damage from enemy ranged basic attacks, 2 melee, 3 abilities, 1 DoT, 10 from turret). Rabbit’s and her Lucky Charm’s basic attacks heal the bag of gold by 1 health. The gold within the bag increases by 10% for every 1 health healed this way (max 50% increase).
When the bag of gold reaches 0 health, it is destroyed and the gold within the bag disappears. \
Enemies marked with Rotten Luck are charmed for 1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5 seconds, slowly walking towards the centre of the spilled gold (bag’s location).
Rabbit or Rabbit’s Lucky Charm can walk over the spilled gold to collect the spilled gold.

Skill 2W: Wave of Fortune/Misfortune (30 Gold)

Passive: When Rabbit shields an ally she also blesses them while the shield holds.
Bless: Gain 5%/10%/15%/20%/25% bonus gold from all sources
Active: Rabbit sends forth a wave of Fortune forward in the target direction in a line. Allied units the wave passes through are shielded from 60/100/140/180/220 (+60% AP) Damage for 2 seconds.
Rabbit’s bag of gold immediately bursts open with gold if the wave of Fortune passes through it.
Recast: Rabbit calls her wave to return back to her, now as a wave of Misfortune, dealing magic damage to enemies it passes through.
Enemies marked with Rotten Luck that are hit by the wave of Misfortune are rooted for 1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5 seconds.
Rabbit gains 15 gold when she successfully bursts open a bag of gold with this ability. Additionally rooting at least 1 enemy champion with this ability grants Rabbit 15 gold.
Minions and jungle monsters are only healed at 25% effectiveness.
Cooldown: 12 seconds.
Range: 1000

Skill 3E: Providence’s Blessing (Cost: 30 Gold)

Active: Rabbit blinks to her Lucky Charm or to her bag of gold gaining different effects afterwards depending on where she blinked.
Lucky Charm: Rabbit’s Lucky Charm becomes Fortunate for 4 seconds. While fortunate, Rabbit’s Lucky Charm gains 20%/30%/40%/50%/60% attack speed and their basic attacks against enemy champions grant Rabbit 3/4/5/6/7 gold on-hit.
Bag of gold: Rabbit picks up her bag of gold if it is still intact, gaining 50% of the gold within it. (The other 50% disappears)
Cooldown: 18/17/16/15/14 seconds
Range: 600 units

Skill 4R: Four-Leaf Clover Turnover (Cost: 100 Gold)

Active: Rabbit summons a large 600 unit range four-leaf clover around herself for up to 4 seconds. Ally champions (including herself) within the Four-Leaf clover at the time of cast are immediately granted a 80/160/240 (+40% AP) damage shield lasting for 4 seconds. Afterwards, all Ally champions generate a 10/20/30 (+5% AP) damage shield every 0.5 seconds while they remain within the four-leaf clover.
This ability can be recast within 4 seconds and will automatically do so at the end of the duration.
Recast: Rabbit fires the four-leaf clover’s leaves in all four directions simultaneously (in a cross) dealing 50/100/150 (+40% AP) magic damage to all enemies it passes through.
Rabbit gains 10 Gold for every enemy champion she damages with this ability.
Cooldown: 150/135/120 seconds
Projectile range: 1000 units

Thoughts:

I’m sure the numbers need to be adjusted and the concept itself isn’t healthy or sustainable, but I wanted to have some fun and I tried to do my best to keep things fair. Let me know what you think! If you had to, how would you make a champ that uses gold to cast abilities?
- maGeDNA

Hi guys, does anyone have the vladimir wallpaper of "Adam and God", the one where he touches fingers with a minion. Kindly appreciate it if you could link it!

Source: https://www.bungie.net/7/en/News/Article/destiny-2-g-games-23-twab
This week at Bungie, we’re getting ready to dive into the deep with some new art while also peeping some fresh rewards on the horizon for those Guardians that have a soft spot for Trials of Osiris.
Before jumping into this week’s TWAB, let’s take a quick look back at last week:

• Trials community map vote: Rusted Lands, Convergence, and Disjunction.
• Strand updates for Season 21.
• Artist reference collection updates (heads up, cosplayers!).
• Community Artist Exotic Ornament winner: GGs Witherhoard players.
• Adopt-a-Pet bundle time!

For this week:

• Guardian Games and Guardian Games Cup are live!
• Season of the Deep first look:
  
  • Key art and launch date/time reveal.
  • Details on our three new Strand Aspects.
  • Recapping big changes coming with abilities.
  • New Exotic armor focusing and stat roll details.
  • Upcoming economy and crafting updates.
  • A note on upcoming Season Passes.
  • Trials of Osiris updates
    • Sneak peek at new rewards and weapon changes.
    • Learnings from Trials Labs.
    • Updated Trials intro quest.
    • Changes to Passages of Wealth and Mercy.
    • Dominion as the new core mode.
    • Flawless gilding update.
    • New emblem reward.
    • Trials map voting results.
• New Prime Gaming gear.
  
• Getting our Oprah on (again) with more wallpaper.
  

All set? Let’s get started with Guardian Games 2023!

One Class to Rule Them All, or to at Least Get Bragging Rights...

It’s that time, Guardians! Time to show off that class pride and show other Guardians what you’re made of. Or collect Medallions because ooh, shiny! We’re not here to judge.
In case you missed it, we dropped all the info you could possibly want about this year’s Guardian Games right here. If you’re in a rush (we get it), here’s what you may have missed.
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The spirit of competition is alive and well with that familiar podium and daily crest seen at the Tower in all their glory... and Ms. Eva Levante. You simply can’t forget about Space Grandma. You know the drill by now: deposit Medallions like your life depends on it for select activities and hope your fellow class dwellers are doing the same. Whichever class has the most Medallions at the end of this year’s Guardian Games is the class that gets their tribute made in the Tower and the pride of knowing they’re simply the best. At least for this year.

Rollin' in the Deep With a Season 21 First Look

Who doesn’t love a good teaser, amiright? Here’s our first look at what Season of the Deep will have to offer starting on May 23, at 10 AM Pacific.
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And a version without text because come on, this art is dang pretty:
Image Link^imgur
We’ve got plenty to share over the coming weeks, and a lot to dive into today. Including…

We Couldn’t Strand Waiting Any Longer to Talk About Three New Aspects

Hey, Guardians. Combat Gameplay team here to spill the tea on the three new Strand Aspects that will become available when Season 21 launches. Our goal with these Aspects is to strengthen the existing Strand kits and expand the gameplay options of each class. You’ll be able to acquire these Aspects as part of a new pursuit after visiting the Pouka Pond in Neomuna’s Hall of Heroes. Let’s get into it.
Hunter Aspect: Threaded Specter
Activate your class ability to leave behind a decoy woven from Strand matter that draws the attention of nearby combatants.
After taking significant damage or when combatants approach, the decoy detonates, dealing damage and releasing Threadlings that seek out and attack nearby foes.
Pesky Cabal gunfire have you pinned down? Need a quick distraction so you can revive a teammate? Have you ever thought about what a bunch of Threadlings in a trench coat looks like? The new Threaded Specter Aspect for the Hunter Threadrunner might just be what you're looking for.
When players activate their dodge, they leave behind a decoy woven from Strand matter that draws the attention of enemies on the battlefield. Enemies will shoot at the Threaded Specter until it’s destroyed or expires, giving the Hunter and their fireteam enough time to get to safety. When destroyed, a Threaded Specter explodes into two Threadlings. Threaded Specter gives Hunter players access to Threadling generation and a new way to control the battlefield.
Titan Aspect: Flechette Storm
While sliding, activate your charged melee ability to leap into the air, knocking nearby targets away and dealing damage. While airborne, activate your charged melee again to launch a cluster of damaging, Unraveling projectiles. Repeatedly activating melee will chain additional throws.
Berserker Titans are known for their unbridled aggression. While sprinting headfirst into battle is often the best way to deploy Berserker abilities, we want to provide players with a tool that allows for more potency at range and gives Titans easier ways to unravel enemies. This is where Flechette Storm comes into play.
With Flechette Storm, Berserkers have access to a powerful new slide-melee attack that quickly launches them up into the air and blasts away any nearby enemies. While still airborne, press the melee button again to fire a cluster of tracking projectiles that deal heavy damage and unravel enemies.
Flechette Storm provides the Berserker with a ranged melee option while keeping with the spirit of their fast-paced gameplay.
Warlock Aspect: The Wanderer
Tangles you throw attach to enemies and detonate into a suspending burst. Threadling final blows create a Tangle.
Since the Warlock Broodweaver is a Strand minion master, it felt natural to explore additional ways the Broodweaver might weave life into the world around them. Enter The Wanderer—a sentient Tangle woven from Broodweaver brilliance.
When Warlocks equipped with this Aspect pick up a Tangle, they weave the Tangle into The Wanderer. When thrown, The Wanderer travels through the air, seeking targets. Once it finds a target, it soars towards them, latches on, and explodes into a Suspending detonation that deals damage and suspends any nearby enemies. To round out the gameplay loop, The Wanderer also enables Threadling final blows from any source to generate a Tangle.
The Wanderer gives Broodweavers another way to upgrade their Tangles and grants access to the suspend effect without needing a Shackle Grenade.
We’re pretty excited to get these new Strand Aspects in the game, and we hope you enjoy them when Season 21 launches. We’ll be monitoring their performance across the game and will continue to balance them over time.

Stasis, Strand, and Light Subclasses Get Their Glow-Ups for Season 21

Earlier this week, you may have seen a new blog post from our friendly Combat Gameplay team. The team dove into ability tuning changes that Guardians can look forward to with Season 21, including changes to roaming Supers that we think are pretty spiffy. From Fragment budget to a breakdown of both Stasis and Strand changes on the horizon, here’s a handy TL;DR for your viewing pleasure:

• Tuning changes to Supers, including a nice buff to damage resistance and damage dealt in PvE.
• A class-by-class breakdown in Season 21 changes.
• What we’re doing to beef up Stasis.
• How subclass keywords are evolving for Arc and Solar players.

You can read the full blog post right here to learn more about what’s around the riverbend (come on, at least one ‘90s animation fan had to sing that last part).

Economy Changes? In This Economy?! Wait...

Let’s talk about the in-game economy, shall we? We’ve got a few things to go over, including changes to our power band, crafting economy changes, Exotic armor focusing, and even more:

• For the first time, we will not be increasing the power bands in Destiny 2 in Season 21.
  
  • Power Floor (1600), Soft Cap (1750), Powerful Cap (1800), and Pinnacle Caps (1810) will not change over the course of Season 21.
    • If players hit the Pinnacle Cap during Season 20, they will remain at the Pinnacle Cap in Season 21.Exotic Armor Focusing and Decryption

We touched on this in the past but it’s worth repeating regarding Exotic armor focusing and decryption coming to Rahool at the start of Season 21:
Focusing Options
Standard Decryption

• Allows players to decrypt engrams for free.
• Players receive random drops from standard Exotic engram loot pools.
• No additional cost.

Exotic Focusing Tier 1

• Focus an engram to receive a random roll of an Exotic from the associated expansion.
  
  • Red War: Exotic Helms
  • Red War: Exotic Arms
  • Red War: Exotic Chests
  • Red War: Exotic Legs
  • Forsaken: Exotic Armor
  • Shadowkeep: Exotic Armor
  • Beyond Light: Exotic Armor
  • The Witch Queen: Exotic Armor
  • Lightfall: Exotic Armor focusing will be coming in a future Season!
• Requires ownership of the associated expansion as well as having previously acquired all armor pieces within the engram for your class.
  
• It will cost:
  
  • 1 Exotic engram.
  • 30,000 Glimmer.
  • 1 Ascendant Shard.

Exotic Focusing Tier 2

• Focus Specific Exotic Armor for high cost.
• Requires ownership of the associated expansion as well as having previously acquired that piece of armor.
• It has a higher cost:
  
  • 1 Exotic engram.
  • 60,000 Glimmer.
  • 3 Ascendant Shards.
  • 1 Exotic Cipher.

We have also taken a pass at the Exotic armor stat packages, so your Exotics should roll consistently higher stats, and with more frequent individual stat spikes starting in Season 21. You can expect the average stats to be in the mid-60s!
Lastly, since we are not raising the Pinnacle Cap in Season 21, the need for many Pinnacle Legendary rewards has dropped significantly. To help make playing in our evergreen ritual playlists more worthwhile, we are changing the rewards for the basic ‘complete activities’ challenges to a focusable Powerful Exotic engram. This gives most players 3 to 9 free, achievable, and deterministic weekly Exotic engrams, ready for focusing.
But yes, you will be losing some pinnacle drops, so reaching the Pinnacle Cap will be a bit slower for everyone. We are hoping the need for less pinnacle drops continues in future Seasons, but we will be looking at feedback and analytics, and are ready to adjust as necessary!
Other sources of focusable Exotic engrams:

• Random world drops
• Season Pass paid and free tracks (6 paid, 2 free per Season)
• Vendor reputation tracks (one each reset after the first)

You can expect additional focusable Exotic engram sources in future Seasons! Now, let’s set our sights on Deepsight activation and other crafting changes on the way.

Deepsight Activation and Crafting Economy Changes

In Season 21, we will be adding the ability to electively activate Deepsight on weapon instances to obtain pattern progress. This capability will be accessible through a new mod slot in the weapon details screen for eligible weapons.

• To perform a Deepsight activation on a weapon, you will need a new Deepsight Harmonizer currency. Non-raid weapons will cost 1 Harmonizer, while raid weapons will require 15 Spoils of Conquest in addition to the 1 Harmonizer cost.
• This Deepsight Harmonizer currency can be obtained from Season pass rank rewards, 3 in the free ranks and another 3 in the paid. This will be the sole source of this currency for the initial rollout of the feature. Additionally, only one Harmonizer can be stored in the inventory at any time—this currency does not stack.
• Not all weapon instances will be compatible with Deepsight activation:
  
  • You will be prevented from activating Deepsight for a weapon that has already had its pattern unlocked.
  • Weapons that previously had Deepsight will be ineligible. You cannot activate Deepsight on a weapon instance which had originally been acquired with Deepsight, nor can you activate Deepsight multiple times on a single weapon instance.
  • Weapon instances purchased from raid vendors will be ineligible, however weapons purchased from Xûr and the Gunsmith will support Deepsight activation.

Crafting costs will also see a change in Season 21:

• Legendary Shard costs will be removed from all crafting components. Glimmer and Enhancement Core costs will remain untouched.
• Enhanced weapon costs are based on weapon Masterwork costs, and thus will still require Legendary Shards as we are not yet modifying the weapon Masterwork economy in Season 21. ##Quality-of-Life Updates That We Think You'll Enjoy

Coming in Season 21, we have a number of quality-of-life updates we are excited to share with you! First up, let’s take a look at raid Triumphs.07-
Image Link.png)^imgur
Over the last year, the Raid and Dungeon team has added Triumphs to new raids and dungeons—Duality, Spire of the Watcher, and Root of Nightmares—which give a boosted chance to receive the Exotic weapon drop for that raid or dungeon once completed. In Season 21, we’re adding boosted Triumphs to legacy content with randomly dropped Exotic weapons to bring them up to our standard for raids and dungeons. We added them to existing Triumphs and are retroactive, so if you already have done the requisite Triumphs, you immediately start getting a boost!
Last Wish: One Thousand Voices

TRIUMPH	RATE BOOST
Petra's Run	+3
The New Meta	+2
Thunderstruck	+1
Sunburn	+1
Night Owl	+1
Habitual Wisher	+1
Challenges:Coliseum ChampionSummoning RitualStrength of MemoryKeep OutForever Fight	+1 per (5 total)

Deepstone Crypt: Eyes of Tomorrow

TRIUMPH	RATE BOOST
Survival of the Fittest	+3
Freezing Point	+1
Control Group	+2

Challenges:
Red Rover
Copies of Copies
Of All Trades
The Core Four+1 (4 total) Complications:
Resource Contention
5 Seconds to Paradise
Short Circuit
Ready, Set, Go!+1 per (4 total)
Vow of the Disciple: Collective Obligation

TRIUMPHS	RATE BOOST
Risen from the Deep	+3
Master Difficulty "Vow of the Disciple"	+2
Together in the Deep	+1

Challenges:
Swift Destruction
Base Information
Defenses Down
Looping Catalyst+1 (4 total) Complications:
On My Go
Handle With Care
Glyph to Glyph
Symmetrical Energy+1 per (4 total)
Vault of Glass: Vex Mythoclast

TRIUMPHS	RATE BOOST
Flawless Vault of Glass	+3
Master Glasser	+1

Challenges:
Wait For It...The Only Oracle For YouOut of Its WayRabid RelicEyes on Antheon+1 per (5 total) Complications:
Dragon's Den
Take Cover
Tempered Teleport
Strangers in Time
Ensemble's Refrain
+1 per (5 total)
Kingsfall: Touch of Malice

TRIUMPHS	RATE
Crux of the King	+3
One True King	+1

Challenges:
The Grass is Always GreenerDevious ThieveryGaze AmazeUnder ConstructionHands Off +1 per (5 total) Complications:
Overzealous
Brand Busters
Taking Turns
The Floor is Lava
Overwhelming Power +1 per (5 total)Finest Matterweave and Rainmaker Deprecation
As part of our ongoing efforts to simplify the economy of Destiny 2, it's time to say goodbye to the Finest Matterweave and Rainmaker consumable items. Starting in Season 21, these items will no longer drop from any source in the game. In any instance where players would have received a Finest Matterweave, they will receive 1 Enhancement Core instead. And whenever players would have gotten a drop of a Rainmaker, they will instead earn 3,000 Glimmer.
Furthermore, all existing instances of these items in players’ inventories can be consumed to directly grant their associated materials.

• All existing instances of Finest Matterweave can be Dismantled for 1 Enhancement Core each.
• All existing instances of Rainmaker can be dismantled for 3000 Glimmer.Vanguard Bounty Updates

We haven't made wide-ranging updates to Vanguard bounties in a while, so we took a pass to make them friendlier!
Daily Bounties
Existing daily bounties requiring you to get a specific type of kill—grenade, headshot, or any of the Special or Heavy weapons—now require twice as many kills to complete but can be done anywhere in the game, with increased progress in Vanguard Ops or Nightfalls. If you only plan on doing these in Vanguard activities, you should see no change in behavior.
We also added a number of new bounties:

• Killing elites, mini-bosses, and Champions.
• Kills with elemental abilities, with bonuses for killing with a subclass verb.
• Complete 2 Vanguard activities.

Regarding repeatable bounties: all enemy-type kill bounties (Hive, Vex, Taken, Cabal, Fallen, Scorn) have significantly increased requirements, but can be advanced by killing any combatant in a Vanguard activity, with significantly increased progress for killing the correct type of combatant.
We also added one new repeatable bounty—one for getting fireteam kills in a Vanguard activity.
Good Boy Protocol
Archie is returning in Season 21! Now that we’ve found him a permanent home in the Tower, we are re-introducing the Good Boy Protocol stat tracker and moving it to the Account/Career category. Your previous progress from Season 19 will also carry over!
[Asset]
Important Season Pass Info Starting with Season 21
As our teams continue to invest in crafting compelling Seasonal experiences for the year of Lightfall, there’s a heads-up we wanted to give regarding a small increase in the standalone Season Pass price, beginning with Season of the Deep. Here’s what you can expect:

• Season Pass: 1,000 Silver -> 1,200 Silver
• Season Pass + 10 Ranks Bundle: 2,000 Silver -> 2,200 Silver

This will be the new pricing for Season Passes in Lightfall’s year for those looking to maximize their rewards with each new Season, and we’ll be evaluating new approaches to post-launch content in the year of The Final Shape.
Pricing will remain unchanged for the Lightfall standard edition (which includes access to the current live Season at the time of purchase) and Lightfall + Annual Pass edition (which includes access to Seasons 20-23).

Trials: These Rewards Are Flawless and Weapon Changes on the Way

Season 21 will be here before you know it, and luckily for Trials fans this means new rewards to earn are just around the corner. Next Season, Guardians will have a chance to unlock new Exotic cosmetic rewards when opening the Lighthouse rewards chest.
Hero’s Wake Exotic Ghost Shell
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Valiant Memory Exotic Ship
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Survivor’s Journey Exotic Sparrow
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But that’s not all. We also have a new shader on the horizon called Glorious Patina that players will unlock the first time they open the Lighthouse rewards chest in Season 21.
Image Link^imgur
This shader, and any shaders released in the future for Trials of Osiris, will be permanently unlocked once acquired. Transmog to your heart’s content, this beauty can be applied to any piece of equipment. Just as a head’s up: Glorious Patina will only be available to players who go Flawless during Season 21. Future Seasons will see the return of older Trials shaders (that were previously exclusive to Adept weapons) as rewards for completing the first Seasonal Flawless Ticket, and they will now be fully accessible and usable as on all your transmog-hungry gear.

SHADER NAME	SEASON AVAILABLE AS FLAWLESS REWARD
Glorious Patina	Season 21
Bloodline Feud	Season 22
Vizier Regalia	Season 23

For Season 21, here is what’s being added to Trials loot pool:
The Messenger High-Impact Kinetic Pulse Rifle
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Unexpected Resurgence Adaptive Arc Glaive
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The Adept version of Unexpected Resurgence will be first available on the weekend of June 9, while the Adept version of The Messenger will be available on the weekend of June 16.
The following weapons will be removed from the standard loot pool in Season 21, but the non-Adept versions will be available via legacy focusing with Saint-14:

• The Inquisitor Shotgun
  
• Whistler’s Whim Bow
  

  Let's Talk About Labs

In Week 8, we ran a Trials Labs to test a new style of matchmaking for Trials of Osiris. Overall, the new system worked mostly as intended, but we did discover an issue with the Lobby Balancer which was causing high-skill solo players to often feel like matches were stacked against them. For some background, since we moved to using ticket-based matchmaking years ago, we have not been tracking skill in Trials and have not been utilizing any sort of skill-based lobby balancing either.
The new matchmaking system allows us to match based on card-state and track skill, which we were planning to use for analytics purposes. Preemptively, we believed we had disabled the skill-based lobby balancing, as the intent of the new system was to maintain the randomized nature of the lobbies present in previous iterations of Trials. Unfortunately, this turned out to not be the case, and the previously latent lobby balancer came back online as soon as player’s skill values started to solidify over the weekend.
We were able to identify this issue through player reports in a timely manner and we have implemented a fix for Season 21, which will overwrite everyone in the Challenger pool’s skill with the same value, effectively randomizing the lobby balancing for all players pursuing Flawless. This fix will not be present in the Week 11 Labs during Season 20, but we will continue to monitor player feedback on the new system to make sure everything else is working as intended.
A second issue that came to our attention with the Week 8 Labs was that we did not communicate properly that, starting Sunday at reset, players who had already been Flawless could still farm Adept rewards on any 7-win card (even Flawed cards), like they could when the Flawless pool was active. For the Week 11 labs, we will be activating this feature starting as soon as Trials goes live on Friday. What this means is that, once you go Flawless, you can continue to play on that same 7-win card for the rest of the weekend (even if it is Flawed) and any win has a chance to grant you the Adept weapon for the week.
Because we have removed ticket-based matchmaking, if you want to help a friend get to the Lighthouse after you have already been, you do not need to reset your card, as the number of wins on it no longer influences the difficulty of the matches you will face. We believe this will make getting Flawless feel significantly more rewarding and should help to alleviate the friction between farming Adepts and helping other players to go Flawless.
Overall, the two soft pools system worked well, blending as needed to ensure connection quality stayed high and matchmaking times were fast, and the farming and stomp protection features both also functioned as designed in the Practice pool. For the Labs, we set the farming protection values aggressively, both to make sure they worked and to make sure that if anyone was attempting to farm, we would be able to catch them quickly before they could potentially cause issues. As stated, the intent of the system is to prevent nefarious people from attempting to abuse the Practice pool, not to prevent normal players from engaging with it if they choose to do so.
We believe we have captured the data we need to make accurate assessments, so we will be tuning the values for Season 21 to make it far less likely that any standard players get caught up by farming protection (we estimate less than 1% of the Trials population will even be eligible to trigger it moving forward, compared to approximately 5% during the first Labs weekend). This should allow the performance-based matchmaking used in the Practice pool to provide a high-quality experience for all players who choose to participate.
Anyway, enough about that. The real question is, “What is changing in Season 21 for Trials?” Glad you asked.

Trials of Osiris Intro Quest, Dominion, and More

We want to make the Trials introductory quest more of an actual introduction to Trials and less of a “do a time-consuming thing before you can play Trials.”
In Season 20, new players are currently asked to get 50 Crucible kills, raise their Power level, and reset their Valor rank once. The last step is asking a lot and serves more as a barrier to entry for the mode than we’d like, in addition to not really preparing a player for the type of experience that Trials offers. New players are also not given any real reward for completing the quest outside of Trials access, which can feel bad given the time commitment required to complete it.
As such, we have made the following changes to the introductory quest for Trials:

• Step 1
  
  • Complete your Competitive placement matches (helps to get players introduced to 3v3 and revive game modes in an environment where they will be matched against similarly skilled opponents).
  • Get 50 kills in Competitive.
  • Raise your Power level.
• Step 2
  
  • Pick up a Trials Passage.
  • Play a game of Trials.
  • Win 1 round of Trials.
  • Get 1 elimination in Trials.
• Reward
  
• A roll of the Astral Horizon Trials Shotgun!Triages Passages
  

As mentioned earlier in the Season, we are also updating a couple of our Trials Passage offerings to provide a better experience in the new system.

• Passage of Wealth
  
  • Previously granted increased reputation on wins 3, 5, and 7 on a card.
    • This is at odds with a system that wants you to continue playing on a 7-win card to get the most efficient progress and best rewards.
  • In Season 21, this passage will grant +75 Trials rep for every win, along with an additional bonus for your current major rank in Trials, up to +150 total.
    • This encourages players to stay on the same card and take advantage of the system granting more reputation for wins later in the card.
• Passage of Mercy
  
  • In Season 21, this passage will forgive 2 losses if you have not yet been Flawless for the week.
  • After going Flawless if you reset your card, it will revert to forgiving a single loss on each card.
  • This will give all players a better chance of going Flawless for the first time each week, and for those players who can go Flawless without using both Mercies, it will give them additional opportunities to play for extra rewards while their first card remains Flawless.Dominion

In Season 21, we will be moving to Dominion as the core game mode for Trials. This is not a change we are making lightly, but after several Seasons of testing it in Trials Labs and analyzing both the positives and negatives, we believe this shift is in the best interest of Trials as a whole, for several reasons.

1. Offers a choice between playing Elimination and playing an objective.
   
   1. Offering an objective for players to focus on outside of kills can allow more types of players to contribute to winning.
2. On average, games are 15% faster than standard Elimination games.
   
   1. The prevailing strategy for most Elimination games has devolved over the years to focus on passive play, waiting on someone to make a mistake and get picked, or just simply waiting for the zone to come up at the end of the round anyways.
   2. By spawning the zone earlier, it creates pressure for players to engage and fight earlier in the round and puts extreme passivity at a disadvantage.
3. Objectives promote more varied engagements on the maps, as the zones direct players around the map and establish multiple defined fronts.
   
   1. Most engagements in standard Elimination happen at a single central location, generally centered around where the overtime zone will spawn.
   2. Having multiple zones allows for different permutations of rounds, based on team and zone spawn locations, which makes gameplay less static and pushes players to experience different engagement arenas on each map.
4. Promotes a healthier sandbox variety in both weapons and subclasses.
   
   1. On weekends where we run Dominion, we see less consolidation around the general strongest elements in the sandbox and success is spread out amongst more weapon and subclass types.
   2. We have been hesitant to balance parts of the sandbox around a game mode that only rotated into Trials on occasion, but moving to it as the core mode will allow us to better focus on its sandbox and address the outliers in effectiveness that do exist.
5. Provides us with more balancing levers to change the gameplay experience.
   
   1. If a map plays poorly in standard Elimination, there is little we can do to alter it.
   2. With Dominion, we have a larger number of levers we can use to modify how a map plays to provide the best and most balanced experience possible. For example, in Season 21 we will be changing the initial player and zone spawn locations on Burnout based on feedback from the first Season 20 Trials Lab.
      1. Teams will no longer spawn at Hall inside and East Yard outside, now both teams spawn between Tumbler and Yard on the East and West sides, and the zones will run down the center of the map at Middle Yard, Center, and Altar.
   3. Having multiple zones means we can make changes to maps more quickly to address concerns about flow or balance, allowing us to better manage asymmetrical maps.

We understand that switching to Dominion may make carrying other players to the Lighthouse a more difficult challenge due to the increased premium placed on solid teamwork, but it is important to note that those experiences must be weighed against the bulk of all player experiences in the playlist when we make decisions on what changes to implement.
Gilded Flawless
We wanted to make some changes to gilding Flawless to better align it with the difficulty of gilding the Glorious title, and to focus more on rewarding players for their dedication and individual and team skill in the game mode.
The gilded Flawless requirements in Season 20 were as follows:

• Get 180 kills.
• Collect 100 Rewards.
• Go Flawless with one of the Seasonal Exotic weapons equipped.
• Carry 2 players to Flawless.
• Win 7 games on a 7-win ticket.

In Season 21, the requirements will change to the below:

• Get 500 kills.
• Earn 16 Trials ranks (reset Trials reputation once).
• Go Flawless and get 50 kills with one of the Seasonal Exotic weapons equipped.
  
  • You do not need to get 50 kills with the weapon itself, you just need to have it equipped while you get 50 kills.
• Skill of the One – While on a ticket with 0 losses with the Light for the Lost emblem equipped:
  
  • Win 20 games.
  • Acquire the following medals.
    • Double Kell (rapidly eliminate 2 opponents) – 10x.
    • Skull Breaker (deal the most total damage to opponents in a match) – 5x.
    • The Beginning (land the first elimination of a match) – 5x.
• Strength of the Many – While on a ticket with 0 losses with the Flawless Empyrean Emblem equipped:
  
  • Win 20 games.
  • Acquire the following medals.
    • Flight of the Pigeon (win a match in which your team never trailed) – 10x.
    • Paradoxically Perfect (as a team, win a round in which each player eliminates a different opponent, and no opponent is revived) – 10x.
    • Time Trials (as a team, win a round within 20 seconds) – 5x.

We believe these changes better reflect the spirit of the game mode and show a level of core competency that is worthy of gilding the Flawless title.

Yo, Dawg, Got Any More of Those Emblems?

For this new iteration of Trials, we wanted to provide a special, deterministic reward to allow players to prove their skill above and beyond simply going Flawless. This emblem will be rewarded to players when they open the Flawless chest at the Lighthouse if they did not trail during any of their wins on their Flawless run (meaning you must get a Flight of the Pigeon medal for every win). Highly skilled players may be able to achieve this feat on their first Lighthouse run, but for others, it may be a significantly more challenging achievement, and we hope the emblem will be something players are proud to show off that they have earned.
Image Link^imgur

Speaking of Trials...

Map voting results here. Too soon to call now, but Rusted is in the lead.
Guardians voted and the results are in. Go out there and make ‘ol Saint-14 proud with Rusted Lands. For those personally invested in the results of this (which… we get it), here’s how Convergence and Disjunction fared in the voting polls:

• Disjunction 30%
• Convergence 29%
• Rusted Lands 41% ##Free Prime Gaming Gear? Free Prime Gaming Gear. Let’s Do This.

Now time for some freebies. It’s that time again, time for players with Prime Gaming to snag some free gear with a new Destiny 2 bundle that’s up for grabs. Here’s what you can get for May’s drop:
Image Link^imgur

• Hit the Bag Exotic Emote
• Phalanx Exotic Ghost Shell
• Alton’s Ambus Legendary Sparrow
• Pumping Iron Legendary Ghost Holo Projection

For any Guardians that may want a refresher on what Prime Gaming even is, it is a program with Amazon Prime that offers players a select few Exotics and Legendary goodies to unlock. It’s super easy to use too. Just sign up for your Prime Gaming account and link it to your Bungie.net account. (If you have Amazon Prime, congrats! You also have Prime Gaming.) Once signed in, you can select the spiffy cosmetics link to claim them, and then they’ll be waiting for you in the Tower with Rahool the next time you log in.

You Get Free Wallpaper, You Get Free Wallpaper, Everybody Gets Free Wallpaper!

You know the drill, let’s just drop some freebie wallpaper for you to enjoy. Your computer can’t compute if it ain’t cute.
Desktop Guardian Games Wallpapers
Image Link^imgur
Image Link^imgur
Image Link^{imgur** Mobile-Friendly} Wallpapers**
Image Link^imgur
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Image Link^imgur

Player Support Report

This year’s official DPS endorsement goes to the Warlocks.
Image Link^imgur
The games are live and so is our updated Known Issues list. Our wonderous Player Support team is back with more updates on the state of the game and what’s coming down the immediate pipeline.
Known Issues List Help Forum Bungie Help Twitter
GUARDIAN GAMES
Guardian Games has returned and will run from May 2 until May 23 at the weekly reset. Check out our Guardian Games help article for more information on the event and how to compete for your team!
HOTFIX 7.0.5.2
Hotfix 7.0.5.2 was released earlier this week on Tuesday, May 2. Players can view the full list of fixes and updates that are now live in the 7.0.5.2 Patch Notes.
UPGRADED EVENT CARD
Players who purchase the upgraded Event Card should ensure that they have opened the Guardian Games Event Pack bundle, located in their Wrapped Items or Consumables Inventory, in order to claim the instant-unlock items. Players who do not claim the bundle from the Event Card prior to the end of Guardian Games will not receive their items.
KNOWN ISSUES
While we continue investigating various known issues, here is a list of the latest issues that were reported to us in our #Help Forum.

• The node for normal Supremacy matchmaking is missing its description.
• Some Guardian Games quests are only progressing with Bronze medals, or medals from the recreational Vanguard Guardian Games playlist.
• Wish-Ender does not penetrate extended Phalanx or Hydra shields.
• In the Lake of Shadows Nightfall, wiping in the final boss room will cause some enemies and Champions in a previous room to respawn, blocking Platinum rewards.
• The Vexcalibur catalyst Triumph is not completing.
• Some gilded titles are no long

I understand movie contracts, deals, etc. They can happen but I keep seeing the namor wallpaper and wonder to myself: Why didn't they rework him? This goes for every character that's old without an update and new skin for that matter. Its not like we're going to get to see it. At this rate I wouldnt be surprised to see an alt skin for the hand minions but yet again zero rework. This logic just confuses me. its not like you can even use the alt skin as an icon either.
Anyway, just a hater here getting confused by bad decisions.

Hey, does anyone have a insane vladimir wallpaper for pc? Either one that looks really sick and clean, or a troll one of vladimir touching fingers with minions

Is there some kind of imgur link/repository of all/a bunch of the card art anywhere? I don’t mean the card pngs I mean the actual artwork of the spells/minions? I really like the mech cards and would love some of their full art as wallpapers

So last night in my dream I looked up to the sky and saw the outer space with 4 planets? moons? wach with different sizes. I didn't know where I was at though but the place was dim with a faint purple or pinkish hue. One of the biggest planets that I saw had a lot of craters and looks dark but a wee bit reddish. All of the planets are dark like facing the opposite direction of the sun. I first guessed the biggest one as Mars and the other as Jupiter? Saturn? Moon? Surprised I can think a bit properly in my dream. There's a dream about the space viewwith me in a tiny spaceship(i think) with other people(i think) that I don't recognised in the outer space. The view is phenomenal with a thick line of pink, purple and a bit of blue dust. I was really a big fan of space when I was young but I don't really have much feeling of exitement now.
The next scene of my dream I have forgot most of it but I remember it consisted of popcorns and minion toilet doors wallpaper with quotes.

Dunk & Egg & Graphic Novels

• https://georgerrmartin.com/the-hedge-knight-comes-to-comics/

In short: the author has collaborated closely to make the product as close to his vision as possible, and, as long as it does not contradict the books and I can get clear and precise measurements, I have decided to take it as a guide.
​

Of Dunk & Egg & Company

Ser Duncan the Tall

Dunk was hugely tall for his age, a shambling, shaggy, big-boned boy of sixteen or seventeen years (no one was quite certain which) who stood closer to seven feet than to six, and had only just begun to fill out his frame.
The Hedge Knight

​

He might be a lunk, but he was big. Sometimes it seemed as though he'd thumped his head on half the doors in Westeros, not to mention every beam in every inn from Dorne up to the Neck. Egg's brother Aemon had measured him in Oldtown and found he lacked an inch of seven feet, but that was half a year ago. He might have grown since. Growing was the one thing that Dunk did really well, the old man used to say.
(…).
If Dunk was shy an inch of seven feet, (…).
(…).
"You are seven feet of stubborn."
"Less an inch."
&
She smiled a smile that made him wish she were plainer. "I saw you standing with him. You're taller by a hand, or near enough. It has been a long while since Ser Lucas met anyone he could not look down on. How old are you, ser?"
"Near twenty, if it please m'lady." Dunk liked the ring of twenty , though most like he was a year younger, maybe two. No one knew for certain, least of all him.
The Sworn Sword

​

"Seven feet if he's an inch, I'd wager. What a mighty crash he'll make when he comes tumbling down." Dunk felt color rising to his face. You'd lose your wager, he thought. The last time he had been measured, Egg's brother Aemon pronounced him an inch shy of seven feet.
The Mystery Knight
&
Then there came a brown-haired girl slender as a spear who stood on the tips of her toes to kiss the lips of a young knight as tall as Hodor.
ADWD-Bran III

Our Dunk measures 6.11 ft [2.11 m] at 16 or 17 in The Hedge Knight. He measures the same, confirmed by Aemon Targaryen, at 18 or 19 in The Sworn Sword. And he measures the same in The Mystery Knight. And if the author sets Hodor's height at 7.0 ft [2.13 m], Dunk will grow that missing inch (as the text seems to suggest).
​
Lucas Inchfield

"Sam Stoops says the castellan at Coldmoat is as big as you are. Lucas Inchfield is his name, but he's called the Longinch for his size. Do you think he's as big as you are, ser?"
"No." It had been years since Dunk had met anyone as tall as he was.
(…).
Inchfield was a lance beside him, stiff and straight and very tall… though not so tall as Dunk. Six feet and seven inches, Dunk judged, and each inch prouder than the last.
(…).
She smiled a smile that made him wish she were plainer. "I saw you standing with him. You're taller by a hand, or near enough. It has been a long while since Ser Lucas met anyone he could not look down on. How old are you, ser?"
The Sworn Sword

Lucas Inchfield is 6.7 ft [2.01 m] of height.
​
Ser Lyonel Baratheon the Laughing Storm

"Six," said Dunk in wonder, pointing. A knight was entering the paddock, his squire leading his charger behind him. "The Laughing Storm." A head taller than Ser Raymun and almost of a height with Dunk, Ser Lyonel wore a cloth-of-gold surcoat bearing the crowned stag of House Baratheon, and carried his antlered helm under his arm. Dunk reached for his hand. "Ser Lyonel, I cannot thank you enough for coming, nor Ser Steffon for bringing you."
"Ser Steffon?" Ser Lyonel gave him a puzzled look. "It was your squire who came to me. The boy, Aegon. My own lad tried to chase him off, but he slipped between his legs and turned a flagon of wine over my head." He laughed. "There has not been a trial of seven for more than a hundred years, do you know that? I was not about to miss a chance to fight the Kingsguard knights, and tweak Prince Maekar's nose in the bargain."
The Hedge Knight

The Laughing Storm measures the massive height of 6.10 ft [2.08 m].
And for those who say no: if Duncan considers Lucas Inchfield [6.7ft/2.01m] is not his close in height, it is because, in effect, Ser Lyonel is taller.
​
Ser Raymun Fossoway

"Six," said Dunk in wonder, pointing. A knight was entering the paddock, his squire leading his charger behind him. "The Laughing Storm." A head taller than Ser Raymun and almost of a height with Dunk, (…).
The Hedge Knight

The Fucking Boss Ser Raymun Fossoway is 6.1 ft [1.85 m] of height.
​
Rohanne Webber

It was the girl he had seen earlier at the archery butts. She had a quiver of arrows on one hip, and held a longbow that was just as tall as she was, which wasn't very tall. If Dunk was shy an inch of seven feet, the archer was shy an inch of five. He could have spanned her waist with his two hands. Her red hair was bound up in a braid so long it brushed past her thighs, and she had a dimpled chin, a snub nose, and a light spray of freckles across her cheeks.
The Sworn Sword

Rohanne Webber is 4.11 ft [1.50 m] of height.
​
Egg

Sometimes Egg could be as wise as any maester, but other times he was still a boy of ten.
(…).
Beneath his wide-brimmed straw hat, his face was smudged and dirty, his eyes large and dark. He was ten, not quite five feet tall. Of late he had been sprouting fast, though he had a long long way to grow before he'd be catching up to Dunk. He looked just like the stableboy he wasn't, and not at all like who he really was.
(…).
"Are you the Red Widow?" Egg asked, astonished. "I'm near as tall as you are!"
The Sworn Sword

Our Egg measures 4.10 ft [1.47 m] with 10 years in The Sworn Sword.
​
Steely Pate

A stumpy man, the smith was no more than five feet tall, yet wide as Dunk about the chest and arms. He had a black beard, huge hands, and no trace of humility.
The Hedge Knight

Steely Pate is 5.0 ft [1.52 m] of height.
​
Tanselle

"M'lord?" she said, with a sideways glance and a half-smile. She was a head shorter than he was, but still taller than any other girl he had ever seen.
&
The girl nodded. "Give me the shield. I'll paint it this very night, and have it back to you on the morrow."
Dunk handed it over. "I am called Ser Duncan the Tall."
"I'm Tanselle," she laughed. "Tanselle Too-Tall, the boys used to call me."
"You're not too tall," Dunk blurted out. "You're just right for. . ." He realized what he had been about to say, and blushed furiously.
"For?" said Tanselle, cocking her head inquisitively.
"Puppets," he finished lamely.
The Hedge Knight

And Tanselle Too-Tall is 6.2 ft [1.88 m] of height.
​

Of the House Targaryen & Related

Baelor Targaryen

"Aerion is here. He is a better lance than Daeron in any case, if it is the tourney that concerns you." Dunk could see the speaker now. He was seated in the high seat, a sheaf of parchments in one hand, Lord Ashford hovering at his shoulder. Even seated, he looked to be a head taller than the other, to judge from the long straight legs stretched out before him. His short-cropped hair was dark and peppered with grey, his strong jaw clean-shaven. His nose looked as though it had been broken more than once. Though he was dressed very plainly, in green doublet, brown mantle, and scuffed boots, there was a weight to him, a sense of power and certainty.
(…).
The tall man studied him. "Then you will remember the Grey Lion's true name, I have no doubt."
(…).
"So he is," said the tall man pleasantly, "and he enters the lists on the morrow." He rattled the sheaf of papers in his hand.
(…).
A tall knight stood above him, in black armor dinted and scarred by many blows. Prince Baelor. The scarlet dragon on his helm had lost a head, both wings, and most of its tail. "Your Grace," Dunk said, "I am your man. Please. Your man."
"My man." The black knight put a hand on Raymun's shoulder to steady himself. "I need good men, Ser Duncan. The realm . . ." His voice sounded oddly slurred. Perhaps he'd bit his tongue.
(…).
Dunk saw something red and wet fall out of the helm. Someone was screaming, high and terrible. Against the bleak grey sky swayed a tall prince in black armor with only half a skull. He could see red blood and pale bone beneath and something else, something blue-grey and pulpy. A queer troubled look passed across Baelor Breakspear's face, like a cloud passing before a sun. He raised his hand and touched the back of his head with two fingers, oh so lightly. And then he fell.
The Hedge Knight
&
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/rQxuAzTpyPIzDlcgzFGue1vfB7jz95L_RjlG5FuroJAcFreNUGaO-UXMSQaIW7GNR-qK-Fxe3dqo=s0

I have nothing. In the books there is only the quote above the head and that he is quoted as being a tall man and in the comics his dimension is imprecise (in one vignette he is, in armour, exactly one head taller than Ser Raymun and in the next one he is, in armour, one to two inches taller than Steely Pate on a stool).
In my personal canon I have him at the perfect elven height of 6.0 ft [1.83 m], in case you like it and find it useful.
​
Valarr Targaryen

Valarr, the Young Prince, stood vigil at the foot of the bier while his father lay in state. He was a shorter, slimmer, handsomer version of his sire, without the twice-broken nose that had made Baelor seem more human than royal.
&
"No." The black knight lifted the visor of his helm. "I did not think to enter the lists at Ashford, my lord, so I brought no armor. My son was good enough to lend me his." Prince Baelor smiled almost sadly.
The Hedge Knight

5.11 ft [1.80 m], for me. What is clear is that he is an inch shorter than his father, whatever the height of the last one.
​
Maekar Targaryen

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/RxS_Wk-nc2zbZCC7A5TUMrRYEqPdZNE-Mi2XYKjAsO8PK-7J0bDEwqrXb_6gtbZvNY3UxXuHS3IR=s0

In the second vignette it can be appreciated that Maekar is exactly one foot shorter than Dunk.
Therefore, Maekar Targaryen measures 5.11 ft [1.80 m].
​
Aerion Targaryen

"Not clever enough?" The speaker wore a black cloak bordered in scarlet satin, but underneath was raiment bright as flame, all reds and yellows and golds. Slim and straight as a dirk, though only of middling height, he was near Dunk's own age. Curls of silver-gold hair framed a face sculpted and imperious; high brow and sharp cheekbones, straight nose, pale smooth skin without blemish. His eyes were a deep violet color. "If you cannot manage a horse, fetch me some wine and a pretty wench."
The Hedge Knight

Aerion Targaryen is 5.8 ft [1.73 m] of height.
​

Of the White Swords

Ser Roland Crakehall & Ser Donnel

By the time Dunk left the stable, Lord Ashford had escorted his princely guests into the hail, but two of the Kingsguard knights in their white armor and snowy cloaks still lingered in the yard, talking with the captain of the guard. Dunk halted before them. "M'lords, I am Ser Duncan the Tall."
"Well met, Ser Duncan," answered the bigger of the white knights. "I am Ser Roland Crakehall, and this is my Sworn Brother, Ser Donnel of Duskendale."
The Hedge Knight
&
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9vtZn2PKHztUUSzY-ghMVZo5l38lsLpoEfcaJdDDuapGEeZ_r7L7ylvoOwhPx8VlZn5QJdBg9pxQP0sLmo8Q2jASuKRNPx0LpTI5R3VtHTzCdCw8LLzQ8To9i1ek8lXHdYKQ2W4NQ=s1600?rhlupa=MjAwMTo2N2M6MjY2MDo0MjU6MTo6Mjhk&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKFdpbmRvd3MgTlQgMTAuMDsgV2luNjQ7IHg2NCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNTM3LjM2IChLSFRNTCwgbGlrZSBHZWNrbykgQ2hyb21lLzEwNC4wLjUxMTIuMTAyIFNhZmFyaS81MzcuMzYgT1BSLzkwLjAuNDQ4MC44NA
&
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/xbqmgm3iT0VlkhRzMgjjiEGhOnzFU5G5ksX-4-a1b0VqWZBpQ4i3Wp-osn8MJT52jQyG3m0KoBYLh6fGocHv__tXuOATQiVPMiv53iC-73hTlC8o0_AibpdmAJtqklYupSEmeKVHog=s1600?rhlupa=MjAwMTo2N2M6MjY2MDo0MjU6MTo6Mjhk&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKFdpbmRvd3MgTlQgMTAuMDsgV2luNjQ7IHg2NCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNTM3LjM2IChLSFRNTCwgbGlrZSBHZWNrbykgQ2hyb21lLzEwNC4wLjUxMTIuMTAyIFNhZmFyaS81MzcuMzYgT1BSLzkwLjAuNDQ4MC44NA
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VKOclKCasHoUF3B3MBFC83zN8KdEOMN7kPa_6qJXHktgwCf1sPLaM1cTLllCLCcdI9c_WHJE156hXDKCz9ImIxVXv5QAsPZt0JyhxmZwbyLyI4XMdOvTc0jZ2v2iIy2ScRQscJUUg=s1600?rhlupa=MjAwMTo2N2M6MjY2MDo0MjU6MTo6Mjhk&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKFdpbmRvd3MgTlQgMTAuMDsgV2luNjQ7IHg2NCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNTM3LjM2IChLSFRNTCwgbGlrZSBHZWNrbykgQ2hyb21lLzEwNC4wLjUxMTIuMTAyIFNhZmFyaS81MzcuMzYgT1BSLzkwLjAuNDQ4MC44NA
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/mAHtTZdHpxeYhHqAgtgpLU3fBhgoEZr0DvUpSBp1k9yrm3W6NwJJhzR2Y2o_mBS92N5cFkisfgjDhv50085UqAMNsz40tpXdjNVnQsRpkM5LZvJ5ewGvxsUFkEWROmAYNJoXasj22A=s1600?rhlupa=MjAwMTo2N2M6MjY2MDo0MjU6MTo6Mjhk&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKFdpbmRvd3MgTlQgMTAuMDsgV2luNjQ7IHg2NCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNTM3LjM2IChLSFRNTCwgbGlrZSBHZWNrbykgQ2hyb21lLzEwNC4wLjUxMTIuMTAyIFNhZmFyaS81MzcuMzYgT1BSLzkwLjAuNDQ4MC44NA
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/5-zDF1csD7_n-OxcFBam34bef1DaXB6q-a1N1au_6hdPWUuBXzpNJ6ejPBWpI_qnqoKYApbO-xpwRe1GH2EL0evazKOJnVpjOYoxB-YlQ-rUPpduvljlvq7D2-o4PGCn2qc5gaTnVA=s1600?rhlupa=MjAwMTo2N2M6MjY2MDo0MjU6MTo6Mjhk&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKFdpbmRvd3MgTlQgMTAuMDsgV2luNjQ7IHg2NCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNTM3LjM2IChLSFRNTCwgbGlrZSBHZWNrbykgQ2hyb21lLzEwNC4wLjUxMTIuMTAyIFNhZmFyaS81MzcuMzYgT1BSLzkwLjAuNDQ4MC44NA

In the fifth vignette it can be appreciated that Ser Roland is exactly one foot shorter than Dunk, this dimension is maintained in the vignettes of the remaining images (1st-4th; 1st & 5th; 1st & 4th; and 5th).
Therefore, Ser Roland Crakehall measures 5.11 ft [1.80 m].
And Ser Donnel measures 5.10 ft [1.78 m].
​

Heights Based On Amok Portraits

• https://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Targaryen_Kings
• https://winteriscoming.net/2010/03/18/interview-with-asoiaf-artist-amok/amp/

Amok is one of the few artists with whom the author has worked closely to illustrate his world (the rest are at the beginning). In my opinion, this makes part of the portraits as close to his vision as possible and, as long as it does not contradict the books and respect the author's vision, I have decided to take it as a guide.
​
Aegon Targaryen IV

AEGON IV. Aegon the Unworthy. He began his realm when he was young and handsome, and ended it old and corrupt. To provide some variety in the portraits, let us go with the older Aegon. By the end he was bloated, fat, corrupt. His eyes almost lost in the fat of his face, his legs too weak to support his belly, his mouth small and mean. His clothing should be silk and satin, bright and rich, and he would have lots of gold and gemstones about him; a chain, rings, etc. A big beard, meant to help hide his round cheeks and double chin (it doesn't). The Henry VIII of Westeros. His crown is a new one, huge and heavy, red gold, each of its points a dragon's head with gemstone eyes.
https://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Targaryen_Kings
Six feet tall, (…).
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VIII-king-of-England

From what I have researched, Henry VIII of England measured the height of 6.0 ft [1.83 m].
Therefore, Aegon Targaryen IV measures 6.0 ft [1.83 m].
​
Naerys Targaryen

She was a wisp of a woman, smaller even than Dany (to whom she bears a certain resemblence), (…).
https://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/1463/

Our queen Naerys Targaryen measures a maximum of 4.9 ft [1.45 m].
And about Prince Aemon the Dragonknight it's sad because I couldn't find anything.
​
Sandoq the Shadow

Sandoq the Shadow had come from Lys with Lady Larra, a gift from her father the Magister Lysandro. Black of skin and black of hair, he stood almost seven feet tall.
&
It was a different sort of music that Sandoq the Shadow played at the gates of Maegor’s Holdfast, as Ser Amaury’s guardsmen rushed at him with sword and spear. That night his chosen instruments were a tall black shield of nightwood, boiled hide, and iron, and a great curved sword with a dragonbone hilt whose dark blade shone in the torchlight with the distinctive ripples of Valyrian steel. His foes howled and cursed and shouted as they came at him, but the Shadow made no sound save with his steel, sliding through them silent as a cat, his blade whistling left and right and up and down, drawing blood with every cut, slashing through their mail as if they had been clad in parchment. Mushroom, who claims to have seen the battle from the roof above, testifies that “it did not look so much like a swordfight as like a farmer reaping grain. With every stroke more stalks would topple, but these stalks were living men who screamed and cursed as they fell.” Ser Amaury’s men did not lack for courage, and some lived long enough to strike blows of their own, but the Shadow, always moving, caught their blades upon his shield, then used that shield to shove them backward, off the bridge onto the hungry iron spikes below.
Let this be said of Ser Amaury Peake: his dying did not disgrace the Kingsguard. Three of his men were dead upon the drawbridge and two more were twisting on the spikes below by the time Peake slid his own blade from its scabbard. “He was clad in white scale armor under his white cloak,” Mushroom tells us, “but his helm was openface and he had not brought a shield, and sorely did Sandoq make him answer for these lacks.” The Shadow made a dance of it, the fool says; betwixt each fresh wound he dealt Ser Amaury, he would kill one of his remaining minions before turning back to the white knight. Yet Peake fought on with stubborn valor, and near the end, for half a heartbeat, the gods gave him his chance when the last of the guards somehow got his hand around Sandoq’s sword, and ripped it from the Shadow’s grasp before he went tumbling off the bridge. From his knees, Ser Amaury staggered back to his feet and charged his unarmed foe.
Sandoq tore Viserys’s battleaxe from the wood where the prince had buried it and split Ser Amaury’s head and helm in half from crest to gorget. Leaving the corpse to topple onto the spikes, the Shadow paused long enough to shove the dead and dying from the drawbridge before retreating inside Maegor’s Holdfast, whereupon the king commanded the bridge to be raised, the portcullis lowered, and the gates barred. The castle-within-the-castle stood secure.
And so it would remain for eighteen days.
Fire & Blood: The Lysene Spring and the End of Regence

And Sandoq the Shadow measures the massive height of 6.11 ft [2.11 m].
Please George, make the Shadow to be the master-at-arms of the Dragonknight in Blood & Fire.
​

Of the Conquerors & the Sons of the Dragon

https://web.archive.org/web/20130720040559im_/http://www.en.amokanet.ru/netcat_files/154/154/h_95c14fc003d229ff1b8252135885de65
https://web.archive.org/web/20100119040356/http://en.amokanet.ru/gallery/wallpapers/martin/
AEGON I. Aegon the Conquerer. The prototypical Targaryen. A warrior, tall, powerful, broad shouldered.
AENYS I. A weakling. As tall as his father Aegon, but softer looking.
MAEGOR I. Maegor the Cruel. Another warrior. A big man, even taller than his father Aegon, bull-like, heavy shoulders, thick neck, huge arms.
https://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Targaryen_Kings

I was going to do it by measuring their crowns on the base of Visenya's middle finger, the problem is that not knowing the measurement of any of them it was useless (but if anyone is curious, I do).
What we know, Aenys Targaryen I is as tall as his father. And Maegor Targaryen I is taller than his father.
The other, and more canonical, way is based on their Dark Sword Miniatures figures. If anyone is also curious about the height of the conquerors, place their figures next to Melisandre's; Loras Tyrell's; Jaime Lannister's; or Renly Baratheon's; and take a picture of them with the same method.

• https://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/visenya-targaryen/
• https://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/aegon-targaryen-the-conquere
• https://www.darkswordminiatures.com/shop/rhaenys-targaryen/

​

Of the Great Bastards

https://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/The_Great_Bastards/
Brynden Rivers
His sigil is a white dragon (one-headed) with red eyes. (Elio has a version of it, I believe). He is a shade under six feet tall and very thin, gaunt, with a grim unforbidding aspect and a sinister reputation as a sorcerer and spymaster. Although he bears the Valyrian blade Dark Sister than once belonged to Aegon's Visenya, his favorite weapon is a tall bone-white weirwood longbow. He is an expert bowman. His longbow is weirwood, and should be white.
Daemon Blackfyre
Targaryen on both side, Daemon had all the hallmarks of his house; the silver-gold hair, the deep purple eyes, fine features of almost inhuman beauty. Daemon's friends and supporters often remarked on how much he resembled Aegon the Conquerer (or at least his likeness, since none of them had ever seen Aegon in the flesh), and indeed there was a certain similarlity, though Daemon wore his hair long, flowing down to his shoulders in a silvery-gold mane. He went clean-shaved, with neither beard nor mustache. Daemon looks every inch the warrior; broad shoulders, big arms, a flat stomach, but he was also a man of considerable charm. I'd give him a warm smile. He made friends easily, and women were drawn to him as well.
Aegor Rivers
Younger than Daemon Blackfyre, older than Bloodraven. Bittersteel was also a warrior, and looked the part. He was only half Tagaryen, so he got the purple eyes, but his hair was black. As a adult he wore a beard, cropped very short, little more than a shadow on his face and jaws. Somewhat of a Conanesque look to him, but not the Frank Frazetta Conan and definitely not the Arnold Conan, more the Barry Windsor-Smith version, or the one described by REH -- he is tall and well made, but lean and lithe as a panther. And angry. No smiles here. Bittersteel was pissed off all his life, and had a special loathing for Bloodraven and his mother, who had displayed his own mother as the king's favorite.
&
If you are going to include the Great Bastards in a group shot, Daemon and Bittersteel should both be taller and more imposing than Bloodraven, the scrawny one of the lot.

Regarding Barry Windsor-Smith's version of Conan, I have not been able to find anything (if anyone knows it put it in the comments, and so we have another height for Bittersteel).
But regarding the original Conan by Robert E. Howard I have found this gem:

https://rehguide.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/conan-and-the-cormac-fitzgeoffrey-fallacy/
At Vanarium he was already a formidable antagonist, though only fifteen. He stood six feet and weighed 180 pounds, though he lacked much of having his full growth.
— letter to P. Schuyler Miller, March 10, 1936

Extrapolating, Aegor Rivers measured the height of 6.0 ft [1.83 m] (& weighed 180 pounds) at the age of 15. And perhaps Daemon Blackfyre too.
And here is the picture:

https://web.archive.org/web/20120111225819im_/http://www.en.amokanet.ru/netcat_files/154/154/h_a68f1d4b1fd26afab9efc21094fdbdc8
https://web.archive.org/web/20100119040356/http://en.amokanet.ru/gallery/wallpapers/martin/

I have done this by measuring the difference between the crowns on the base of Bloodraven's ring finger (I have chosen that one, but all measure the same). A metric finger is 1.905 cm or 3/4 of one inch. That said, let’s get started.
A finger of Bloodraven [5.11 ft/1.80'34 m] measures 0.1 cm.
The difference between Brynden Rivers’ crown and Aegor Rivers’ one is 0.7 cm, which gives me: 1.93'675 cm. And we approximate to close the full inch: 6.4 ft [1.93 cm].
And the difference between Bloodraven’s crown and Daemon Blackfyre’s one is 0.8 cm, which gives me: 1.95'580 cm. And we approximate to close the full inch: 6.5 ft [1.96 cm].
Therefore, Ser Aegor Rivers measures the mighty stature of 6.4 ft [1.93 m].
And Daemon Blackfyre I measures the magnificent stature of 6.5 ft [1.96 m]. A height worthy of the greatest warrior of all A Song of Ice and Fire. An anomaly in terms of talent.
​
​
And that would be all, of course I had to end with the Great Bastards.
I hope you liked it and that it wasn't too hard to read. And that it helps you to visualise the characters better and to immerse yourself better in the story, as it does with me.
English is not my mother tongue, and I've written it from my mobile, if I've made any mistakes let me know in the comments.
​
​
Final Table:

Gregor Clegane: 7.11 ft [2.41 m]; Range of 7.7-7.11 ft [2.31-2.41 ft]. Gregor Clegane 2.0 is 8.0 ft [2.44 m] or maybe more.
Greatjon Umber & Hodor: One of two, 6.11/7.0 ft [2.11/2.13 m].
Smalljon Umber: One of three, 6.10-7.0 ft [2.08-2.13 m].
Sandor Clegane: 6.7 ft [2.01 m]; or 6.6 ft [1.98 m], whichever you prefer.

​

Robert Baratheon: 6.6 ft [1.98 m].
Yohn Royce: 6.7 ft [2.01 m]; or 6.6 ft [1.98 m], whichever you prefer.
Lyle Crakehall: 6.7 ft [2.01 m]; or 6.6 ft [1.98 m], whichever you prefer.
Stannis Baratheon & Selyse Florent: Range of 6.1-6.7 ft [1.85-2.01 m].
Melisandre: 5.10 ft [1.78 m].
Davos: 5.8 ft [1.73 m].
Marlon Manderly: 6.5 ft [1.96 m].
Godry Farring & Tycho Nestoris: 6.4 ft [1.93 m].
Renly Baratheon & Garlan Tyrell: 6.1 ft [1.85 m].
Brienne Tarth: 6.6 ft [1.98 m].

​

Tywin Lannister: 6.0 ft [1.83 m].
Jaime Lannister: 6.1 ft [1.85 m].
Tommen: 3.9 ft [1.14 m] at ACOK-Sansa I; a minimum of 3.10 ft [1.17 m] at ASOS-Sansa III; and 4.1-4.2 ft [1.24-1.27 m] at the time of his wedding at AFFC-Cersei III, and thereafter.
Cersei Lannister & Taena: 5.10 ft [1.78 m].
Joffrey: Range of 5.7-5.9 ft [1.70-1.75 m].
Osmund Kettleblack: 6.6 ft [1.98 m].
Tyrion Lannister: 3.9 ft [1.14 m].
Shae: 5.0 ft [1.52 m].
Ilyn Payne: Minimum of 6.1 ft [1.85 m].

​

Mace Tyrell: Maximum of 5.11 ft [1.80 m].
Loras Tyrell: 5.10 ft [1.78 m].
Margaery Tyrell: Range of 5.7-5.9 ft [1.70-1.75 m].

​

Arianne Martell: 5.2 ft [1.57 m].
Arys Oakheart: 5.11 ft [1.80 m].
Balon Swann: Maximum of 5.10 ft [1.78 m].
Archibald Yronwood: 6.6 ft [1.98 m].
Meris: 6.0 ft [1.83 m].

​

Victarion Greyjoy & Moqorro: Range of 6.1-6.7 ft [1.85-2.01 m].
Aeron Greyjoy: Maximum, within the minimum, of 6.0 ft [1.83 m].
Euron Greyjoy: Range of 5.10-6.0 ft [1.78-1.83 m], based on his figure.

​

Daenerys Targaryen: 4.10 ft [1.47 m] with 13 & 14 in the first book. Range of development of 4.11-5.6 ft [1.50-1.68 m] up to adulthood.
Drogo: Minimum of 6.9 ft [2.06 m].
Jorah Mormont: 6.0 ft [1.83 m].
Rhaegar Targaryen: Range of 6.0-6.1 ft [1.83-1.85 m].
Arthur Dayne & Gerold Hightower: 6.3-6.4 ft [1.90'5-1.93 m].
Barristan Selmy: Minimum of 6.1 ft [1.85 m].

​

Eddard Stark: 5.10 ft [1.78 m].
Catelyn Tully: 5.8 ft [1.73 m].
Robb Stark (15 AGOT-Catelyn X) & Lysa Tully: 5.7 ft [1.70 m].
Sansa Stark: 5.6 ft [1.68 m] with 12 & 13 ASOS-Sansa III & AFFC-Alayne I; and 5.3 ft [1.60 m] at the beginning of the story.
Arya Stark: 4.0 ft [1.22 m] by the time of ASOS and in ADWD she is growing.
Brandon Stark: Minimum of 5.11 ft [1.80 m].
Lyanna Stark: Maximum of 5.6 ft [1.68 m].
Jon Snow: 5.10 ft [1.78 m] from A Feast for Crows [2005] with 15 or already 16 years old; at the beginning of the story Jon has a range of 5.3-5.6 ft [1.60-1.68 m]. The same for Robb at the beginning.
Ygritte: Range of 4.9-5.0 ft [1.45-1.52 m].
Osha: Range of 6.0-6.3 ft [1.83-1.90'5 m]. Or 6.4 ft [1.93 m], if Robb is already grown.
Mance Rayder: 5.8 ft [1.73 m].
Dacey Mormont: 6.0 ft [1.83 m].
Edmure Tully & Brynden Tully: 6.5 ft [1.96 m].
Tytos Blackwood: Range of 6.6-6.10 [1.98-2.08 m] ft (Based On AWOIAF.WESTEROS.ORG).

​

Duncan: 6.11 ft [2.11 m] at 16 or 17 in The Hedge Knight. He measures the same, confirmed by Aemon Targaryen, at 18 or 19 in The Sworn Sword. And he measures the same in The Mystery Knight. And if the author sets Hodor's height at 7.0 ft [2.13 m], Dunk will grow that missing inch (as the text seems to suggest).
Lucas Inchfield: 6.7 ft [2.01 m].
Lyonel Baratheon: 6.10 ft [2.08 m].
Raymun Fossoway: 6.1 ft [1.85 m].
Rohanne Webber: 4.11 ft [1.50 m].
Egg: 4.10 ft [1.47 m] with 10 years in The Sworn Sword.
Steely Pate: 5.0 ft [1.52 m].
Tanselle: 6.2 ft [1.88 m].

​

Aegon Targaryen IV: 6.0 ft [1.83 m]; Based On Amok.
Naerys Targaryen: Maximum of 4.9 ft [1.45 m]; Based On Amok.
Sandoq: 6.11 ft [2.11 m].
Baelor Targaryen: 6.0 ft [1.83 m], based on my personal canon.
Valarr Targaryen: 5.11 ft [1.80 m], based on my personal canon.
Maekar Targaryen: 5.11 ft [1.80 m], based on The Hedge Knight: The Graphic Novel.
Aerion Targaryen: 5.8 ft [1.73 m].
Roland Crakehall: 5.11 ft [1.80 m], based on The Mystery Knight: The Graphic Novel.
Donnel: 5.10 ft [1.78 m].
Brynden Rivers: 5.11 ft [1.80 m].
Aegor Rivers: 6.4 ft [1.93 m]; Based On Amok.
Daemon Blackfyre I: 6.5 ft [1.96 m]; Based On Amok.

Time inside the memory was unique. Some of the things Yesleta and Zùgi saw played out as if they were present when the memory was created. Others were like a slide of frames that passed them by. But every single one had one thing in common. It showed a young Gab`riel with his new friend. A young Loxodonta female by the name Zuruskan. It was surprising seeing how the two got into trouble when Gab`riel’s father, Vicente, was able to make clones of himself to watch over the two. What surprised Yesleta and Zùgi the most was when the first accident happened and how easy it was for Gab`riel to lift Zuruskan and escape before his father’s clones found them. Only after Zuruskan’s father and mother, Vabardoren and Usjodona, joined Vicente did the two young kits' escapades begin to dwindle, only a little.
Right now, what Yesleta and the silent Zùgi were watching was Gab`riel and Zuruskan getting scolded by their parents inside their resort room.
“But Pa!”
“No, but! Do you know how much trouble you are in right now!?”
“Young lady, I hope you are ready for the consequences of your actions.”
“Mother! We were just playing!”
“Your mother is right, my child. What you both did wasn’t childish play. As such, you will be grounded until the Stadium is rebuilt.”
“Father!”
“If you wish to continue, young lady, I can make it, so you stay here after the stadium is rebuilt.”
Yesleta saw Zuruskan move the tentacle-like appendage or her trunk in annoyance. The young Loxodonta clearly wanted to continue arguing but held her tongue. Unlike her human friend.
“But Pa, those assholes had it coming. They were making fun of Zuruskan!”
“Gabriel! Did you forget what your mother and I have taught you!? What do you do when someone is instigating you?”
“if de asshahle keep combing, keck deir asre!”
“Por el amor de dios, dega de copiar lo que dice tu madre! Esta pinche Freya y su pendejadas siempre….pinche miermasdfagasdf. You are grounded!”
“Why am I grounded when I was defending my friend!?”
“Gabriel destruiste el maldito estadio!”
Vicente’s voice shook the room. The rage the Human male had was something that Yesleta could relate to. She sighed. Just remembering what had happened gave her a headache.
After the two young kits had escaped from their parents' sensors-like eyes, they rode a Transport out of the planet's orbit with the sandy white beach and flew toward a planet covered by a stadium to “play.” The same stadium meant to hold the Worlds Cup. Once they reached the orbital station and got permission to enter, they went to one of the islands to play.
Of course, the act of playing wasn’t what led to the destruction of the stadium. It was what Gab`riel did. After arriving at the Island, the two young kits began playing with what Yesleta believed to be a light construct ball that radiated some type of light and changed sizes depending on whoever had it. As the two young kits played, she saw how Gab`riel used his feet to control the ball. He danced with it as he dodged and weaved around Zuruskan. Zuruskan, on the other paw, was trying her best to tackle Gab`riel to the ground. One would think that the much smaller and agile Human kit could easily dodge the much larger Loxodonta. Yet still, the young Loxondonta female was much faster than her appearance would dictate, which sometimes led to the young female kit taking the ball away from Gab`riel, who was sent flying by a tackle.
As the two young kits play, another group of young Human kits arrives. At first, the group Gab`riel and Zuruskan played together, but a conflict arose. One of the young Humans kits said something to Zuruskan, which led to Gab`riel saying, “Me le pela tu hermana y tu puta madre pinche pendejo!” after that, a fight broke out, which led to Gab`riel kicking the light construct ball and smacking several young kits on the face. The force of the ball smacking them sent the young kits flying several miles away. Other kits try to attack Zuruskan, but her massive size works in her favor as she sends the other kits flying with her trunk. Their commotion gets the attention of the Human guards that, up to this point, had let the young kits play in peace. Soon enough, the Human guards grab the kits and end the fight.
Parents are called, and the young kits are led to one of the holding areas. This part of the memory made Yesleta and Zùgi shake their head in disbelief.
As the young kits were being taken away, one of the kits called the young Gab`riel out. And as if she could see the future, she saw the young Gab`riel kick the light construct ball. The Human guard did try to stop Gab`riel, but they were too close for the guard to do anything. The ball flew straight towards the young kit’s face, knocking him down to the grown. As Gab`riel laughed and the guards were helping the young kit, they all failed to notice where the light construct ball flew off. The ball was a missile flying at speeds that surpassed any round fired from any rifle her Empire had. The ball found itself flying into an opening no bigger than its own. It kept going down the opening, which led to a massive engine that powered the stadium. Either by luck or Gab`riel’s unique affinity to fuck things up, the ball hit the right spot creating a feedback loop of power inside the engine. Soon after, alarms shriek to life, and warnings to evacuate the stadium wail out.
After the stadium evacuation and its destruction, it was discovered what had led to the destruction of the stadium. Again be it by luck or Gab`riel's unique abilities, no charges were brought against the young Gab`riel. As what he did, was, as the investigators said, one in a billion Googolplex chances of happening. Still, even if that was told to Vicente, the Human male was furious. His son had destroyed a planet.
“Ahy, what is goin ahn 'ere?”
A very accented Human female’s voice calls out to the large room. Everyone in the room turned toward the voice. Yesleta and Zùgi see a Human female standing by the room’s door, wearing what was clearing a high-ranking uniform from the Human military. A fiery red mane that looked as if it was on fire was neatly tight up in a bun. Her skin was as white as snow, and her green neon eyes scanned everything in the room.
Yesleta could tell that this female was a warrior. A very deadly warrior.
“Moomoo!”
A kit-size missile flew toward the Human female, and the sound of a small collision rang across the room. Yesleta saw the Human Female not move an inch or even notice the force of the impact. Looking down, the Human Female saw the young Gab`riel and smiled.
“Look at you! Me wee man sure gaht strahnger since de last time I saw you!”
The Human female leaned to pick up the young Gab`riel. The joy and happiness the young Gab`riel radiated when the Human female picked him up flooded Yesleta's mind. The feelings she felt were a carbon copy of her feelings whenever her father returned home from his long cycles away due to his work.
“Moomoo, you made it! How long can you stay!? Can you take me to see your ship!? Can I pilot a tank!? Can I fire the Blackhole cannons!?”
“Don’t even think you will escape your punishment just because your mother is here, young man.”
Yesleta saw Vicente move with ease next to his mate, and she noticed how Gab`riel's mother's eyebrow rose when she heard Vicente’s comments. After giving a kiss to her mate, Gab`riel’s mother spoke.
“What ded ya do, Gabriel?”
The young Gab`riel flinched when he heard his mother’s question and noticed his mother’s gaze was focused on him. Turning his head away from his mother, he spoke.
“Nothing.”
Yesleta and Zùgi saw the face that the young Gab`riel was making. His eyes looked to the side, avoiding his mother, and his lips were also turned to the side. It was clear that the young Gab`riel was a terrible liar. Now both his parent’s gazes were focused on him, and the young Gab`riel started to sweat.
“It’s that so? How about I refresh your memory by telling your mother about your little adventure and the stadium's destruction?”
Vicente’s words got a heavy grunt out of the young Gab`riel, and Yesleta could see young Gab`riel’s eyes pop. Putting everything together, Gabriel’s mother spoke.
“So you're de reasahn why de fleet was called 'ere. Wee man, you dahn't know 'ow moehch trooehble you are in!”
For the first time ever, Yesleta saw fear in Gab`riel’s eyes.
After Vicente introduced Vabardoren and Usjodona to his mate, each mated pair took their young kits and headed to their private area, where Zuruskan and the young Gab`riel were being scolded. Yesleta and Zùgi saw how fierce Gab`riel’s mother was when she was enraged after his scolding, Gab`riel was sent to his room. Once Gab`riel was inside the room, Yesleta and Zùgi’s surroundings changed. The memory around them slowly turns, replacing everything in a darker shade.
The night’s mantle covered the world around them, and a very stealthy Gab`riel was making his rounds. Yesleta sighed. Even after this scolding, he was up to something. Slowly flying across the large room, the young Gab`riel was making his way to the kitchen. With his goal in sight, he landed in front of it. Reaching with his left paw, the young Gab`riel opens a silver door. Light floods the dark room, and Yesleta sees food as far as her eyes can see. With practice sleuth, the young Gab`riel entered and began eating his fill. Moving closer Yesleta saw the inside of the large food storage and was surprised by what she saw. The storage was the size of one of the hangars of Emperor's Wish, which would be impossible as she knew what was on the other side of the kitchen; a hallway. Looking around, Yesleta was amazed by how much food was inside the storage. There was enough food to feed the entire crew of the Emperor's Wish for a whole rotation. The sound of glass clinking gets her attention, and she sees the young Gab`riel carrying several containers of something with him. Again moving slowly and stealthily, the young Gab`riel made his way back to his room.
As they follow the young Gab`riel, Yesleta and Zùgi hear whispers. At this first, they could tell it was a male speaking, but as they got closer, they could recognize the voice; it was Vicente, and he sounded worried.
“Amor, are you sure?”
“Vicente, you know I dahn't jahke abooeht dis. dey are gettin clahser to ooehr territahries, even after we keck deir arses in andrahmeda and pegasoehs.”
“Mierda! those damn Xeno and their idiotic beliefs! Why can’t they just leave us alone!”
“Ssshh me lahve, keep yooehr voice down, and you shooehld know de answer to dat. everythin we are is an oehpfrahnt to deir beliefs.”
“Sorry, Amor, it that those damn Xenos and their damn superiority complex, their belief to rule over everything, to enslave anything different from them, gets under my skin.”
“Ahy, me lahve, we…wait, I' ear sahmethin. Gabriel de foehck you doin oehp!”
The thunderous voice of Gab`riel’s mother, Freya, made both Yesleta and Zùgi jump to attention as if they were back at Academy. As they stood at attention, the sound of several items hitting the floor echoed across the dark room, and a very frightened young Gab`riel flew toward his room. As Yesleta and Zùgi stood there at attention, they looked at each other. Gab`riel’s mother was most definitely a fierce woman.
A month had passed since the destruction of the stadium. Since then, Yesleta and Zùgi have seen how a Human family spent time together or how Vicente prevented his mate and young kit from destroying the resort they were in. After rescuing Gab`riel from a unique form of training that Freya called “DODGE!” Vicente carried the tired Gab`riel to a table where Zuruskan and her family waited.
“Is he going to be ok?’”
Zuruskan asked with concern. The young Loxodonta’s question got a slight chuckle out of Freya.
“Ahy, 'e'll. de lettle man joehst needs to learn 'ow to dahdge.”
Freya's response got an annoying sight out of Vicente.
“He will be fine after he eats. He just needs some energy back in his system.”
His reply seems to relieve some of the concern the young Loxodonta had.
“Then let us eat. I am sure that young Gabriel would appreciate that.”
The one speaking now was Zuruskan’s father, Vabardoren. Vicente only nodded in agreement and helped his tired son. Soon everyone began eating, and the once tired Gab`riel returned to his usual hyperactive self. With their food done, the two young kits started to play on the beach, leaving their parents behind.
“I see you stahp kessin ooehr arse now. Take it you 'ave learned we aren't gahds?”
“Freya!”
Vicente exclaimed. Clearly angry by his mate’s rude comment. A bolstered and deep laugh resonates across the beach.
“Hahaha, yes, I have learned. Thank you, Vicente, for inviting my family and me. In the time I have spent with your family, I have seen that Humans, with all the power you will, you aren’t any different from us.”
As Vabardoren spoke, he watched his daughter and the young Gab`riel play together. Yesleta saw the massive Loxodonta’s eyes tear up a little. Seeing his daughter play with the young Gab`riel brought back a memory to the male Loxodonta. Wiping the tears away with his trunks, the male Loxodonta spoke again.
“You may not call yourself Gods, but your kindness is divine.”
“And 'ere I dooehght you learned sahmethin. You stell kessin ooehr arse.”
A sigh of annoyance escaped Vicente. He was getting annoyed by his mate.
“Freya, can you at least try to show some decency?”
Freya laughs at Vicente’s comment.
“Aren't I wearin clahthes, me lahve?”
Vicente said nothing and closed his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose. It was clear to Yesleta where Gab`riel got his humor from.
“As my Vabar said, Thank you, Vicente. Our child and we had a great time.”
Vicente opened his eyes and lowered his paw.
“You don’t have to thank me, Usjodona. I had the extra tickets, and when I saw your daughter's colors, I thought all of you might like to join us.”
“ahh, shoeht oehp, Vicente. You joehst wanted to teach dis beeg elephant dat we weren't Gahd. I said it wahrked sahmewhat.”
An annoyed grunt and bolstered laughter echo around the beach.
“Hahaha, yes, I would say my husband has learned his lesson, and stop listening to ridiculous and baseless rumors.”
The Human adults and Loxodonta continue to laugh and talk while their young kits play on the sandy white beach. What Yesleta saw brought memories of when she spent with her family; It was a happy memory. Joyful laughter pulls Yesleta out of her thoughts. Turning to the laughter, she sees a young Gab`riel looking at his family and Zuruskan’s family.
“What are you laughing at?”
Ask Zuruskan. The young Gab`riel turned to his friend and spoke.
“Your dad is getting scolded, hahaha.”
The two young kits watch their family and laugh. It was truly a happy memory. But unbeknownst to Yesleta, this will be the last normal memory Gab`riel will ever have.
A new planet was brought in, and a Stadium was built on it in a second, kicking off the first game of the Worlds Cup. Massive buildings filled with millions of sentient beings flew across the sky. Their excitement and screams overflow out of the buildings. Yesleta and Zùgi were inside one of the similar-looking buildings flying about the sky. Gab`riel and his family, alongside Zuruskan and her family, sat in a massive room looking over an enormous field, screaming and cheering for the New New Zealand “Players” who “fought” another group of Humans “Players” called South Australia. The Humans fought each other over a similar light ball construct Young Gab`riel and Zuruskan played with. Yesleta and Zùgi were stunned by the destruction they saw when the Human “Players” began to kick the ball across the planet, destroying mountains and creating massive Ocean waves that overshadowed the Emperor's Wish. Alarms wail out, pulling Yesleta and Zùgi out of their stunned amazement. Their training kicks in, and they begin to look around. The world around them moves in slow-motion, They see Gab`riel, Zuruskan, and Zuruskan’s parents startled by the noise and clear confusion on their faces. Slowly panning their heads, they see a desperate Vicente and Freya trying to grab Gab`riel, but before they can do anything, horrendous creatures appear out of thin air and begin attacking the Humans. Vicente blocks one of the disgusting creature's bladed attacks with his right paw. On his left paw, a scatter-round rifle appears, which he uses to blow the appalling creature's head clean off.
Freya had placed herself between the vile creatures and Gab`riel. Any creature that dared approach her was cut into ribbons by the metallic-like claws that extended from her paws, feet, and the extremely evil-looking blades protruding out of her elbows. The two Humans fought the vile creatures with uncontrolled fury, metallic claws, and bladed elbows cutting the creatures down. Scatter-round rifle fire began blowing the despicable creatures to dust—a scream of pain echoes in the large room. Zùgi and Yesleta turn to where the painful cry came from. Zuruskan’s father, Vabardoren, while defending his family, a large, malevolent creature with an axe, had cut him deep. Usjodona, Vabardoren’s mate, saw her mate's injury and tried to protect him. The vile creature brought its axe down. Usjodona was able to block it with her trunk, but the creature was too strong for her to stop. The blade slowly made its way down, cutting into her flesh. Her screams of pain almost deafened Zùgi and Yesleta, and the cries of rage from the young Zuruskan filled the room. The young Loxodonta tries to protect her parents but is kicked away by the vile creature. Seeing her friend in danger, Gab`riel jumps in to try and help her.
“GABRIEL, DON’T!”
Both Vicente and Freya scream. Zùgi and Yesleta saw a wicked smile appear on the vile creature. Pulling its axe out of Usjodona’s shoulder, the despicable creature raised the axe about its head height and brought it down, splitting the building in half and sending everything inside flying out.
Zùgi and Yesleta are sent flying across the blackened sky. Zùgi tried to fly, but the winds were too powerful for her. A paw grabs her. Looking up, she sees Supreme Commander Yesleta flying, using bursts of plasma from her feet to keep herself in the air.
Taking great caution, Yesleta began to descend and look at the world around her. The world around her was apocalyptic. Clouds as dark as the emptiness of space covered the sky. White-hot lightning bolts illuminated the darkened sky, and in the distance, the largest mountain’s peak was spewing black ash. As it spews the black ash, lightning from the dark clouds begins to swirl around it. When the lightning hit the peak, a colossal amount of lava began flying into the sky.
Yesleta felt fear. But it wasn’t her own. The fear was coming from Gab`riel. Something was happening to him.
As they reach the ground, Yesleta and Zùgi hear screams of pain and agony. The horrendous creatures were killing any being inside the other massive buildings. Looking up to one of the buildings close to her, Yesleta saw Humans fighting the vile creatures. With weapons in their paw, the Humans split, cut, rip, and tore the abominations that attacked indiscriminately. The battle is fierce. The Humans are like an unmoveable wall where the horrendous creatures came to crash, yet with all of their might, the Humans could not stop the creatures from killing other beings. Yesleta wanted to do something, anything to help, yet a part of her knew this was a memory. All of this was in Gab`riel’s past. All the life lost could not be safe; there was nothing she could do but watch. Steeling her heart, Yesleta began walking where she felt the greatest fear.
Checking her wings, Zùgi found no damage. After folding them back, she saw Supreme Commander Yesleta walking away. The way her Supreme Commander walked told her how much pain she was in. The pain wasn’t physical; the pain Supreme Commander Yesleta was feeling was the pain of not being able to help those around her. Looking around, she, too, felt that pain. This type of killing wasn’t the same one sees when the Agony Demons attack and kill the innocent. This killing was for joy, for the thrills of seeing the life of someone weaker than them leaving their body. Steeling her heart, Zùgi began to float above the ground and follow Supreme Commander Yesleta.
The two females of the Empire walked with quickened pace, yet they did not want to reach their goal. They knew that the only thing both would see would be unbearable once they reached their destination.
“Hahaha, you Humans. All of you are hypocrites. Even your pups are vicious.”
Yesleta and Zùgi heard the gurgling and disturbing voice of one of the vile creatures.
“It's because we hate assholes like you!”
Yesleta and Zùgi heard the voice of the young Gab`riel and began to run towards it. As they ran, they saw multiple of the vile creature dead, killed by plasma bolts. They soon reached where the young Gab`riel was and were shocked by what they saw. Ashen color flames covered the young Gab`riel healing his injured body. Yet his young body looked ready to drop at any second. He stood defiant, refusing to go down while facing the vile creature that towered over him. Cries of pain and loss pull Yesleta and Zùgi away. Behind a pile of countless dead vile creatures’ bodies were an injured Zuruskan and Usjodona, holding onto the lifeless body of Vabardoren. The despicable creature only laughs when it hears the cries of pain and anguish.
“Hahaha! That's what you get, you ungrateful servants! You thought that your new masters would protect you, yet only a mere Human pup is here.”
An angry growl escaped the young Gab`riel’s lips, and he spoke with a heavy breath.
“Well hah…ha…hah, this pup just whoops your hah hah hah minion’s ass all hah hah hah by himself, while you just hah hah hah were in the back hah hah hah shitting your pants, you fucking puto!”
Gab`riel’s words seem to anger the monstrous creature. The creature rose a blade of dark energy and brought it down on top of the young Gab`riel. Before she knew it, Yesleta ran toward the young Gab`riel. With a plasma bolt ready in her paw, she was about to fire it, but Zùgi stopped her.
“Supreme Commander! We cannot interfere with the memory! We must let it play out!”
“How can you tell me to stop? Look at him! He can’t fight it alone!”
“Supreme Commander! This has already happened! We can do nothing to help!”
Anger boiled inside Yesleta’s heart. She knew it was a memory, all in the past. Yet the anger, pain, and powerlessness she felt coming from Gab`riel were so fresh and vivid. How could she believe it was all in the past?
With an angry growl, she extinguishes her plasma bolt and continues to watch with a heavy heart Gab`riel’s plights.
The young Gabriel could barely dodge the blade of dark energy the monstrous creature wielded. As he dodged, pieces of his flesh were cut by the sword. The ashen color flame heals his wounds, but his stamina is running out. Yet the fire in his eyes never died down; he was looking for something. His eyes widened; he found what he was looking for. The vile creature over-extended its reach. Getting under the creature’s arm, the young Gab`riel used both of his arms to create plasma blades. Opening his arms in an outward fanning motion, the young Gab`riel cut the vile creature’s arm clean off. The creature screams and trashes around as its arm is cut clean off. The young Gab`riel's last attack had drained all of his strength, leaving him defenseless. The large monstrous creature, with its trashing, was able to get a clean hit on the young Gab`riel. The impact sends the young Gab`riel flying, and another painful scream rings out. The creature's tail that had hit the young Gab`riel was missing a large chunk; young Gab`riel had bitten the piece off.
The young Gab`riel landed hard on his face. His body ached, and the ashen color flame covered his body, healing his injured body. Turning around, he spat the chunk of tail he had bitten off from the vile creature. He tries to get up, but his body fails him.
A sickening crushing sound gets the young Gab`riel attention. Heavy steps approach the tired young Gab`riel. He tries to move his body, but nothing answers his call. A powerful claw-like hand grabs him by his ankle and lifts him. The young Gab`riel was now faced to face with a vile creature. The creature laughed when it saw the young Gab`riel.
“Hahaha, this pup is the one that has killed so many fodders and injured Sungrath? Hahaha, I have to thank you, pup. You killing Sungrath’s forces and injuring that pathetic Sungrath made it easy to kill him. Now his breeders and worlds will be mine. As thanks, I’ll be taking your head and your pet's head as trophies.”
The shrieks of Zuruskan and Usjodona pierce the young Gab`riel’s ears. His eyes are barely able to move, yet he is able to see one of the vile creatures cut his friend's head off. Rage rose inside of him. He felt powerless; he wanted to help his friend but could do nothing. Turning his gaze back to the creature that had a hold of him, the young Gab`riel spat on the face of the beast. The creature only laughed and readied its blade.
“You'll make a fine trophy pu..”
The creature's words were blasted apart by a massive boom. The headless body lost all of its strength, the claw-like hand grabbing Gab`riel let go, and he, alongside the headless body, flopped to the ground. As the young Gab`riel felt two powerful arms catching him, opening his eyes, the young Gab`riel saw his father screaming at him.
“Gabriel! Gabriel! Answer me, Gabriel!”
“Vicente, 'e 'as no energy! 'oehrry, toehrn arooehnd!”
Vicente turns to his mate. Freya's metallic-like claw began to spark with energy. Tapping the young Gab`riel’s forehead with one of her metallic fingers, she sends energy into the tired Gab`riel. The energy circulates the young Gab`riel’s body, and soon the energy enters the tiny body waking Gab`riel. Gab`riel flies from his father’s arm and heads toward his friend.
Young Gab`riel landed in front of Zuruskan's and Usjodona's headless bodies and began frantically searching for their heads. Finding their heads, he moves quickly and begins to reattach their heads. The young Gab`riel waited, but nothing happened. He moves their heads slightly; maybe their heads aren’t connected right. Again, nothing happened. No flames covered their bodies. Perhaps they need energy? Like him when he felt tired. Placing a bit of plasma on Zuruskan’s body, he waited for the plasma to be absorbed; the only result he got was the smell of burning flesh. Young Gab`riel did not understand what was going on. He looks to Vabardoren, Zuruskan father. The injuries he received were still open, and his organs were scattered around him. Why!? Why didn’t the flame cover them!? Was it because he didn’t have enough energy? He tries once again to put more plasma.
Yesleta watched the young Gab`riel with her paw covering her mouth. The emotions flowing into her were unbearable, just like the smell of Zuruskan’s burning body.
“Gabriel, stop!”
“Gabriel, stahp!”
The voices of Vicente and Freya stop the young Gab`riel in his tracks. He turns to his parents with tears in his eyes.
“Why aren’t the flames covering them?”
His question was full of pain and sorrow. His parent could feel the pain their kit felt. Getting low, Freya reached out and hugged the crying Gab`riel. She patted his head gently, and with soft words, she spoke.
“Me boyo, de flames ahnly cahver oehs, 'umans. Dey... dey… yooehr friend, she is dead, Gabriel.”
The young Gab`riel just stood emotionless, not understanding what it meant.
“What?”
Was all the young Gab`riel could muster. Kneeling next to his mate and kit, Vicente spoke.
“Gabriel, Zuruskan, she doesn’t have the Will of Humanity, the flames that heal and protect us.”
Again the young Gab`riel could not understand.
“Uncle Ramon! He does weird things! He can heal her! He healed back a dinosaur!”
Vicente gently caressed Gab`riel's cheek and, with tears in his eyes, spoke.
“Your uncle…he can’t, Gabriel. The Xenos that attacked stole something away from Zuruskan, it….”
Vicente didn’t finish his words; he only hugged his son. He embraces his mate, Freya, tighter, bringing the tree closer. He saw his son's face when he told him they could do nothing to get Zuruskan back. His heart was breaking.
Suddenly, Humans wearing armor appeared out of nowhere, carrying long and vicious-looking rifles.
“Vice Admiral Wulff! The 7th fleet has cleared all of the invader Xenos! The Admiral and the other military members are requesting your presence!”
Freya looks at Vicente. Her eyes are full of concern. Vicente only nodded his head. Freya turned to Gabriel and spoke.
“Gabriel me boyo, yooehr moomoo 'as to go. she needs to go and fend de asshahle who ded dis.”
The Young Gab`riel said nothing. He just stood there. Freya’s heart was breaking. She didn’t want to leave her son, yet her duty called her.
“Go. I’ll take him to my parent's home.”
Vicente’s voice pulls Freya out of her indecisiveness. Looking into her mate’s eye, Freya wipes the tears from his face. Turning to Gabriel, she gently caressed his cheek and kissed him on the forehead. Getting up, Freya turns around and begins to float. She begins to fly up to the sky with an ever-growing rage.
Seeing his mate fly away and the marines follow after her. Vicente picked up the young Gabriel and began to fly in the opposite direction. He soon found himself at the edge of the planet’s atmosphere. Vicente changed his direction and headed to one of the many orbital stations. As he flew, he heard small whispers.
“Why? Why? Why? Why?”
Vicente knew what his son was asking, that same question many Humans had asked before.
“It's because they think differently, Gabriel. The belief in freedom, choice, peace, and that everyone has the right to be equals is alien to them. That is why we call them Xenos. Their belief is alien to us.”
Gabriel said nothing and only hugged his father tighter. With an aching heart, Vicente continues to fly to his destination. But Unbeknownst to Vicente, hatred took root in the young Gabriel’s heart.
(Those damn Xenos!)
Everything around them faded away, only leaving a small mirror-like shard.
“Supreme Commander, please grab it.”
Zùgi spoke with fatigue in her voice. Yesleta said nothing and only went to grab the shard. If this was the first memory that made Gab`riel the male he is, she was afraid of what was to come.
Sorry for taking so long friends. a lot of things hit me all at once putting me in a very sad place. I am better now and working on the story now. Like always Thank you Killian_Gillick, and MACDADDY who has begun helping with edits
part 2

Local pickup available in North East Indy or Carmel, but I will ship if buyer pays. Smoke free home. Games from Kickstarter or any special editions/expansions are noted. I will try to keep this post up to date, so if a game is sitting for a few days feel free to message me and we can work out a deal.

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Matt, if you can hear this I’m still alive. I’m still inside of the simulation. I don’t know how; I don’t know why; but I’m still here. I have no body to return to, I am certain of that. But I am certain of something else as well — Professor Egghead must be stopped.
The slice of bus station pizza that I bought to satiate my hunger sits on my kitchen table. The food has long gone cold and its covering of grease is starting to solidify into a viscous film of white. I have not eaten for over a day and there’s a sharp pain in my stomach to remind me of that, yet instead of picking up the stale smelling junk food I take out my phone. My nailless fingers disagree with the touch screen but eventually I manage to make my way to a delivery app. I tell myself that I’m just getting some groceries, but I know full well that I am preparing for an expedition. With my misshapen thumb I tick the instant delivery option. I ignore the warnings of surge pricing. I am not a poor man.
Some of my developer tools are still active and even one look at this Professor Egghead code is enough to make me sick. He’s not done. He’s trying to spread whatever poison kept us trapped inside of the virtual world as far as he can. You’ve escaped, I’ll make due with my situation, but there’s still others. The moment this code hits an active community, hell, even a beta-test, there’s going to be mass carnage. I’ve tried contacting corporate, I’ve tried getting someone to do something about the spreading virus but it’s like talking to a wall. Something must be done. I know it’s a lot to ask Matt, but I promise you I have exhausted all other options. You need to come back. You need to come back to the virtual world and put an end to this madness.
The delivery boy stares at me like I am a monster. When I see my reflection in the elevator mirror I don’t find myself disagreeing with his judgment. My face is scarred and unshaven, my arms look like they have been pried off a corpse, my whole body stands as if animated by some nefarious force. It takes me multiple trips to get all the bottled water and packages of cereal into my apartment yet the whole unloading affair goes by quicker than the handful of steps needed to reach my closet.
It takes even longer for my shaking hands to open the duffle bag.
The key to defeating the egghead is to destroy his source of power. His touch spreads the corruption but it’s the blue light that is the real danger. Wherever that light is coming from, whatever is holding people trapped in the virtual world — it needs to be destroyed. Disaster is waiting around the corner and you’re the only one that can stop it. Matt, please, do the right thing.
Dried blood and flakes of long-dead skin spill out of the virtual reality gloves. They seem tight, far too tight to fit my bloated hands. With one swift motion, however, they wrap around my digits like a second skin. I hold the white headset long enough for doubt to slither into my mind, yet my inner monologue is impossible to follow with Simon’s voice booming in my skull. I grit my teeth and don my white crown. The plastic presses up against my scars like a puzzle piece falling into place.
Simon’s voice goes quiet. I no longer inhabit the body that could hear him.
Seasons have gone by but it only feels like a moment has passed. The tips of my fingers are black once more and my leg is unwell and I feel the bruises of past battles flare up all across my body. The zipper of my coat is still melted and torn and the gunk of the sex sphynx’s orifice still covers most of my body. The mucus has dried into thick streaks of yellowed white and the moment I move my body they flake off me like long dead skin.
I’m back in the virtual office, but it is ruined beyond repair. The plaster on the walls is scratched and dented and the furniture looks as if it’s been nibbled on by sharp little teeth. Beyond the window the view has changed as well. Long gone is the low polygon parking lot and golden hour sun. All that exists around the virtual office now are blocks of perfectly rendered cement set against a pale snowy sky.
I am back in the Soviet hellscape of Professor Egghead’s Metaverse Adventure.
My headset comes off without any resistance but taking it off still leaves me breathless. The thought of the tenor of danger that I’m exposing myself to strikes me hard enough to reconsider yet Simon’s voice chases it away.
‘The key to defeating the egghead,’ he says, ‘is to destroy his source of power.’
I take a long drink of water, eat a couple handfuls of cereal and urinate. When I return to my living room I make sure that all of my food and drink could be reached by a man ensnared in a digital world. Simon’s ever-repeating plea for help keeps me company as I set up for my expedition.
It’s not until I enter the metaverse a second time that I notice her. Her skin has gone gray enough to fit in with the wallpaper and her hazel eyes are replaced by empty crusted sockets but her bright smile still remains. I try to remind myself that she’s just a collection of code and pixels.
‘Thank you, Sally. I’m sorry it had to be this way,’ I finally say when the thought of her personhood refuses to depart.
Sally’s body lays dead in the corner of my office yet both Simon’s corpse and head remain absent. For a while I search for them, hoping that perhaps he is still alive in some shape or form but I find no evidence to support my claim.
The freezing air of the Soviet hellscape is much easier to bear in an artic coat than in a t-shirt. I exit the office in high-spirits, certain that I will bring an end to the egghead’s reign.
My morale dips somewhat when I realize that I managed to obtain an extreme weather coat but didn’t think of getting gloves. My outlook worsens considerably more when I fail to find any recognizable landmarks among the blocks of cement housing. The visions of the apartment blocks nearby the forest from where the blue light came are no different than the memories of any other blocks in the cement coliseums. Each rondel looks like the last one and I start to wonder whether the simulation isn’t just a constantly repeating sea of brutalist architecture, but then I see a familiar face in the window.
An ugly, sickly face of furious eyes and thin features nestled in a woolen scarf. The woman behind the second story window screams with the same fury she met me with six months prior and her speech remains incomprehensible. Her bony fingers shoot up and point off to the distance in between the presumed curses she throws at me. I take her crooked finger as a sign and as a sign it serves. Within a couple of minutes I find myself standing on the outskirts of the housing projects on a road that leads to the dark forest I had seen the first time I entered the simulation.
The forest beyond the confines of the city looks healthy and bears no resemblance to the field of dead trees from my dreams. In the pale light of an overcast midday sun, however, I start to notice the trees shift. With each step I take the tall green crowns of the woods start to bend and lose their foliage. The change is imperceptible at first, yet as single steps turn into minutes of journey my mind is put at ease. The forest is still a ways off, but it’s starting to look much more familiar. A sublime confidence festers in my heart; soon enough I will find the source of the devilish blue light. Soon enough I will fulfill Simon’s wish and destroy the source of Professor Egghead’s power.
My optimism is quickly undone by an unearthly roar in the sky. Lifted by fleshy wings far too small for its mammoth body flies a familiar beast of perplexing proportions. Its massive breasts hang from its chest like veiny sandbags and they reach the ground well before the rest of the monstrosity. The sex sphynx looks just as discomforting as it always did yet it’s sideways mouth has been torn asunder and has been transformed into uncountable flaps of maimed skin.
‘The egg-shaped academic destroyed my flesh to find you! Him and his terrible minions descended upon me because I offered you aid and what did I get in return? How was my kindness repaid?’ the beast booms in a voice much darker, much viler than before. ‘You disappeared! I traded my aid for an answer to your perplexing riddle and instead of giving me what was promised you disappeared!’
‘I’m sorr—’
‘Your apologies are worthless to me, little traveler. I should bring your life to an end right here for making me wait, but unlike you I am a creature of honor. All I want is an answer to the riddle. I crawl, I crawl on the iron. I will not stop crawling until a reach the hole. What am I?’
My lack of response lights up the creature’s puckered eyes. The snow on the ground around me turns to muddy water. ‘WHAT AM I?’ the sex sphynx screams.
‘That’s not the whole riddle,’ I say, cautiously, when my lack of response visibly infuriates the sphynx.
‘What?’
‘That’s not the whole riddle. I was, uh, waiting for the egghead to leave before I would give you the full version. Would you like to hear the whole riddle now?’
When I reveal to the sphynx that the riddle was incomplete it’s eyes start to sizzle against the skin that encloses them. The monster is furious. It wants me dead. Yet, the moment I offer the riddle the beast calms.
‘Yes please,’ the flabs of skin barely move, the voice of the beast is gentle to the point of begging. ‘Never has there been a riddle I couldn’t solve. I have thought of nothing else since you’ve been…’ the eyes sharpen. The creature remembers itself. The meaty maw flies open with fury and darkness: ‘If you do not tell me the riddle this instant, I will punish you for your trickery. Puny traveler, I will fry you like a slab of bacon and then tear you to shreds if you do not fulfill your end of the bargain. Tell me the riddle at once!’
With closed eyes I search my memory for Simon’s voice. I find it. I recite the riddle and pray that the sphynx will know the answer on its own:
‘I crawl, I crawl upon the iron. I know no other than my mate. I crawl, I crawl, until I reach my hole.’
The monster’s burning eyes grow placid and dim. Under a tender hum the strands of flesh that make up it’s mouth sway like windchimes. The sex-sphynx looks like tranquility personified as it tries to answer the riddle.
I do not.
I am shaking. The words of the riddle fly through my mind as I try to grasp on to some sort of thread of thought that would lead me to an answer.
‘I give up,’ the sphynx says, almost cheerily.
Crawl, Iron, Mate, Crawl, Hole; nothing sticks. The words of the riddle float out of my mind and I am left with nothing but fear.
‘I give up,’ the sphynx repeats, it’s voice growing dark. ‘I give up and I am now ready for the answer to the riddle.’
I try to remember the exact words of the riddle, praying for an answer to come to me but instead I remember something else Simon said:
‘The key to defeating the egghead is to destroy his source of power.’
‘A riddle without an answer, dear traveler, is just poetic nonsense,’ the sex sphynx says, it’s eyes tightening into two balls of burning light. ‘I hope for your sake you have not misled me once more.’
Crawl, Iron, Mate, Crawl, Hole. The key to defeating the egghead…
My eyes spring wide and my voice cracks: ‘KEY!’ I scream. ‘The answer is key!’
The puckered skin around the beast’s eyes loosens enough for them to almost fall out. ‘Yesssss,’ it says, in a voice dipped in rapture. ‘Yesssss, it crawls on the metal, it only has one mate, it only fits into one hole. Yessssss, a key, oh little traveler how you have delighted me.’ Standing up on it’s wrinkled limbs, the creature stretches in pleasure. It continues to purr with satisfaction as its tiny wings begin to flutter.
‘Wait!’ I yell, ‘Don’t go yet.’
The wings continue to flap, but they flap slower. The sex sphynx regards me with a cold curiosity.
‘I am off to defeat Professor Egghead once and for all, but I cannot do so alone. Will you join me?’
‘Join you? Traveler, do not make me laugh. Moments ago I planned to kill you. The riddle has pleased me mightily, but do not delude yourself into thinking your fortunes have shifted that much. Why would I join you on a quest against the egg-shaped academic?’
‘For revenge?’
‘For revenge?!’ the creature wheezes and shudders its body in a way that might suggest laughter, ‘I hold no room in my many hearts for revenge, I only have space for riddles. The professor has, however, maligned me. I will not join you; but aid I will provide.’
The beast’s fleshy maw shivers with a sudden intensity. With a gentle yelp from the beast one of the stands of flesh dislodges from its mouth and falls at my feet. It flops from side to side like a fish struggling for breath and then goes limp. Yellowish puss streaks from the end where it was severed, but eventually the thin strand of flesh turns dry and dormant.
‘What… What is this?’
‘A weapon, dear traveler. May it serve you well in your fight against the egg-shaped academic. Now I must part, for I have more riddles to pose to those less well-versed than you. So long, dear traveler. May your quest fair well.’
Like an aged elephant held up by the wings of a fleshy humming-bird the sex sphynx rises into the pale sunless sky. Soon enough it disappears from sight, but it’s grizzly visage threatens to linger in my memory forever.
At first I don’t know what to do with the strand of flesh that was left to me, yet during my walk toward the dead forest its purpose starts to become clear; it’s a whip. I test my newfound weapon as I walk. A couple of snaps catch me in the arm and legs, but soon enough I’m handling the fleshy whip like a wet towel of locker rooms long forgotten.
When I finally reach the edge of the forest the trees are just as crooked and withered as they had been in my dreams. At first I occupy myself by snapping the whip at tree branches. The satisfying way the wood splinters at the point of impact brings a certain primal pleasure to my walk, yet branch by branch and step by step that feeling of purpose is slowly replaced with discomfort.
Even though the sun is nowhere to be found, there’s still light in the sky. It’s not the air-raid siren or flash of blue light that I fear; it’s not finding the egghead’s source of power. The forest of dead trees stretches beyond me with no end in sight and the wanton destruction of its tree limbs loses its charm quickly. I start to wonder whether I will find what I’m looking for, whether I’ll be able to fulfill Simon’s wishes. I get lost in my thoughts and my resolve starts to flounder but I do not stay lost for long.
I come upon a clearing, a perfectly spherical space without any trees or shrubs divided by a moat of water that smells of infected wounds. In the center of this circle sits an imposing cement shack with rusted metal doors.
It’s nothing about the shack in particular, it isn’t a detail or a smell or a muffled sound or anything else that can be described through the confines of human perception. It’s nothing about the shack in particular, but somehow it feels inherently wrong as if a part of my primal brain knew that nothing good will meet me within its confines. My body wants me to lift off the headset and never return, but I know I have found what I have been looking for.
I know that I have found Professor Egghead’s source of power.

From my perch on the thirteenth floor of the Hyatt Hotel, I had an exceptional view of Town Lake and downtown Austin. The sky was clear, a few puffy clouds out near the western horizon. The breeze was warm and inviting, and I could smell the budding flowers planted on the edge of the balcony.
I looked out at the lake. It was before rush hour, so traffic was slow, the movements correspondingly lethargic. I spotted a pair of canoeists paddling under the Congress Avenue Bridge, probably to get a closer look at the home of one of the largest bat habitats in North America. A solitary jogger kept a slow pace on the dirt trail on the far shore, passing a family setting up a picnic on the embankment above him, the mother spreading a floral sheet out beside their parked Volvo station wagon as the father unloaded the goodies. Their three kids had run to the shore, and I could see their mother gesturing for them to return while smoothing down the fabric. The lake was notorious for its water moccasins, though I doubted she knew about that. I leaned over the flower bed and looked directly below to see the diners at the outdoor café.
It was the height of the late lunch rush, which in this part of the country would stretch for hours, occasionally running into dinner. This was typical for a Wednesday in the middle of a Texas spring afternoon, especially in Austin. Most of the people down here didn't place too much emphasis on strenuous work or timeliness. Indeed, the first aspect of my lifestyle I'd had to drop after I left Austin was the propensity to operate on European time, an attribute I was all too willing to give up since I was thrown into a situation where I lived and died on making deadlines. However, from espying the humming activity of hungry diners and harried waiters, I felt a twinge of regret, this disturbing feeling I always had when I lived here that I was on the outside of all the fun everyone else was having.
I stepped back and lit another Camel. I thought that perhaps coming back wasn't such a good idea after all. If I kept obsessing about this, I was going to drive myself crazy.
I went to the telephone and called Eddie to let him know I was in town. An effeminate male voice answered and informed me that Eddie was out. I told the guy my room number and asked that Eddie call when he got in. When I got off I wondered when that would be. Reminded of the diners celebrating the Texas siesta downstairs, I assumed that it might not be for a while.
I opened my overnight bag and unloaded its contents: toiletries in the bathroom, the books I had brought with me on the bed stand, the CDs and Walkman on the bed.
This trip truly began several months back after I called around the Austin-area schools for their annuals from the late seventies as part of my research for my next novel. The yearbooks were a good place to start. Not only did I get a sick kick out of looking at the faces of the rubes I grew up with, I also received inspiration just from looking at the rows of photographs. I always looked for something special - nothing I could really put a finger on per se, just an expression, or lack thereof, that I would take note of and attempt to draw a characterization from. It was also the best way to set an accurate time frame. Styles, visual manifestations of social stratification, and various details of the high school and college experience always find their way into triggering a rush of memories. It was a more accurate approach than looking through magazines; they only reflected individual opinions, not the accurate picture of the past that these slick records of teenage angst and triumph recorded.
I began to receive several of them in the mail. Some replied to my sincere inquiries, others did not, but after a month I had most of the books I had originally requested. At the beginning of my research I was disappointed, especially with the annuals from my old high school. A lot within those pages brought back only bad memories, memories I had made redundant with my last book.
Soon, I realized that this approach was going to be a waste of my time. I was out of ideas for the moment, feeling like the proverbial drowning puppy.
I was thinking I should've known better until I received a 1976 yearbook from my junior high and finally came upon something that startled me. The girl's photograph was on the same page as mine, two rows above. Her piercing eyes gazed out at me from the slightly off-focused photograph framed among the rows on the page. I guessed that the eerie quality of the reproduction was due to poor printing, but this only added a more disturbing gloss to her wounded smile.
I flipped back to the cover. O'Henry Junior High was the feeder school to Austin High, yet I didn't remember ever crossing paths with this girl at either place. I assumed she had moved before then; Austin is a college town with a lot of transient families. Most likely she moved out of the district, which made me feel a little depressed. The girl looked like someone I would have wanted to hang out with during my days of teenage hell. Like nearly everyone back then, she probably would not have given me the time of day.
I stared down at her picture. Her hair was dark and curly, falling past her shoulders with the bangs sloppily cut at her eye brows. The girl's soft, round face called attention to her pale complexion, accentuated by the overexposed one-size-fits-all kind of lighting school photographers are notorious for.
Her expression drew me toward her. Her smile was a thin drab incision cutting across her face, inscrutable yet betraying a knowledge that I could only guess at. It was rare for me to see a portrait so disturbingly out of context.
I looked through the book carefully to see if there were any additional pictures of this girl. After finding none, or any other references to her in the index, I wound up going back over the other books looking for additional photographs of the girl. As I suspected, she wasn't in any of the high-school books, not even in the junior-high one from the previous year. It was as if she came and went abruptly, a dark angel who swept through the eighth grade, made a few passing friends, possibly impressed a teacher or two, and moved on to an unknown fate, perhaps forgotten by everyone who came in contact with her. She was perfect to write about. No need for release forms in this situation.
I thought about the photograph's peculiar effect on me. It seemed to me as if there was something she wanted to say but was not able to. It was chilling, and I could only suspect the number of reasons why her intensity stuck out so. Later that night in New York, I had an experience that crystallized for me why I should return home and solve a particular mystery that heretofore I had given no thought to.
I walked back to the desk and opened my briefcase. I pulled out the annual and had begun to open it when the telephone rang again. It was Eddie, assuring me he would pick me up in a couple of hours. After I hung up, I picked up the book and opened it.
I stared at the girl's photograph. I didn't like the feeling it inspired in me. I pulled out my red spiral notebook and reviewed the notes I had taken over the last few months and slipped out several Xeroxes of articles I had requested from a connection at the Austin newspaper. The more I read, the worse I felt; I could sense a prickling on the back of my neck, and I had long ago given up on scratching to soothe it. As I studied the clippings and my cramped handwriting in the spiral, I was convinced I held the key, so to speak, to solving the mystery that has obsessed me since the moment I first saw the girl's picture. Although on the surface what I had planned was a long shot, I believed that this could be over in a matter of hours.
The sun had set by the time I met Eddie at the lobby elevators. He was with another old running buddy of mine, Johnny Quentin, who came up and slapped me on the shoulder.
"So I'm damned glad to see you after all these years!" he said, reaching for hand.
"Hey, man, you remember I don't do soul handshakes," I replied.
Eddie stepped forward. "God, you're getting fat."
"Thanks a lot, you don't look so good yourself." His six-foot frame was acquiring a potbelly equal to mine, which was not surprising considering all three of us were hitting the high side of thirty and never met a workout we liked. Indeed, even though Johnny's lanky frame remained somewhat intact, he himself was looking worse for wear in the hair department. I wanted to mention that his hairline reminded me of a map of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, but I figured saying it would spoil our reunion at too early a juncture.
"Yeah, we're gettin' old," I said, putting on my best Foghorn Leghorn voice to mask my gloom at having to be so rudely reminded of the creeping of age.
"Yep, no one left us such a goodly heritage," Eddie replied. "C'mon. Let's add to that there spare tire."
"As long as you're paying." In the old days Eddie had always sloughed off the check, usually to me, since I was the one who had steady employment. Now with a business, maybe he had learned responsibility, if not manners.
"No, we're taking you over to the house," Johnny replied. "I some have a ton of leftovers from a party last night. I figured that this is what you wanted."
"You're always a stand-up guy, I guess," I said, a little nervous.
The three of us had known each other since my sophomore year in high school. We had shared just about every experience three underachieving neurotics could have, good and bad. For instance, I was Johnny's best man at his wedding and his suffering roommate when he crashed at my apartment at the time of the divorce - which was caused by his wife having an affair with Eddie. Once, he beat the crap out of me when I wrecked his car and at another time he stopped speaking to me for a while after I fired him from a job. Despite all of this, we somehow managed to maintain a good relationship, while there were many who crossed our paths who ceased to speak to us for lesser sins. I guess our saving grace was that even through the worst we remained pathologically loyal to one another, for whatever that was worth. That was the main reason why I had called both of them up before I came to Austin. I trusted no one else.
"As you probably remember," Johnny explained when we arrived at the house, "the Carlton place was abandoned for several years until this New York developer bought it and began the renovation."
"I'm surprised no one ever tore the place down," I replied. "Damn, now I know why this house always gave me the creeps."
"In this town big money is a major factor in causing mass amnesia," Eddie cracked as he turned off the ignition.
"Don't you know it," said Johnny.
I opened the car door and as I stepped out I looked up at the house. The late-spring wind blew in from the north and I pulled my jacket tighter around me.
The Carlton house gave off little warmth or feeling of home, although I believed my sentiments were colored by the knowledge of its recent history. The building was constructed of solid oak and cedar, which explained its survival of decades of deterioration and abandonment, thus giving a rationale to repair the place. The restoration work on the house and surrounding yard was quite adequate, yet I had found nothing particularly striking or unique. It didn't help that the architecture was the common-variety late Victorian with certain regional flourishes. An enormous front porch skirted the entire front and large captain's windows that jutted out from the facade on the second and third floor were in keeping with the long hot Texas summers. The only extraordinary aspect of the house was a square, dark-tiled steeple-like tower with circular windows that rose above the third floor. If it was any house but this, I wouldn't have given it more than a passing glance if I drove by.
"I believe this is when Johnny is going to tell us that the house is haunted," Eddie cracked while Johnny unlocked the front door. I winced, but held my tongue.
"Not that I know of, really," Johnny replied. "Haven't had any trouble the entire time I've been here."
"But weren't there problems during the construction?" Eddie asked.
Johnny reached out to the panel of switches beside the door and flipped on the interior lights one at a time. "Just the usual you'd expect when various hucksters run out of money or are busted by the IRS. I haven't seen any ghosts of headless drug dealers traipsing down the staircase. Or, for that matter, any mysterious accidents, flying kitchen implements, blood gurgling out of toilets, or unusual swarms of insects gathering in odd corners - we do have roaches and the occasional mouse, however, though none of them have exhibited any of the traits associated with possessed beings or nearby UFO activity."
"Sounds like you've been reading up on the subject Johnny,” I commented.
"I watch The X-Files."
I looked around the room. "This stuff doesn't look authentic by a long shot," I noted. The furnishings resembled a middle-brow interpretation of nineteenth-century interiors and I suspected most of it was purchased at Ethan Allen.
"Consider the source," Eddie said. "You can take them out of the trash...."
"Let's go to the kitchen and pick out what we want warmed up," Johnny said, an edge in his voice. "I'm hungry."
"So, are you ready for tonight?" Eddie asked between mouthfuls of his microwaved roast beef.
"Uh, yeah." I wasn't paying much attention. I stared at my plate, thinking about how much I'd prefer being back with my family in New York. I was already considering giving up on doing this follow-up to the first book. As I cut another piece from my turkey steak I decided that I'd try my hand at science fiction instead.
"Are you going to tell us what the house has to do with your new book?" Johnny was trying to jump-start the conversation. He had already finished his meal and lit a cigarette, tossing the match into the remains of his creamed mashed potatoes. This succeeded in furthering the loss of my appetite and I pushed my plate toward the edge of the table.
"It depends," I replied. "I'm guessing that this is what the audience wants. But I wanted to get the three of us together tonight because I have a few questions to ask about the house."
I looked at Johnny. "Since you're running the place, I'm hoping that you can help me out concerning some information I've found out about it."
Johnny shrugged. "Sure. I'll try to help."
"Good." I reached for the bottle of vodka in front of me and poured another drink. Same old Johnny, I thought. He suffers from that Austin self-deception, confusing open indifference with decisiveness.
I asked Johnny, "I'm dumbfounded - they finally finished the restoration work?" The apparently unending reconstruction and renovation of the house was a standing joke with the locals.
"Oh yeah, a while back - six months ago. The Junior League bought it after The New Yorker went under and finished it up fairly quickly. I got hired through Maggie Wright, remember her?"
"Oh Christ." I was surprised to hear her name. "How did that white-trash princess get to be in the Junior League?" I also wondered if Johnny was sleeping with her.
Eddie interjected, "The usual ladder. She married a city councilman. Ain't no glass ceiling high enough when it comes to the marriage contract."
"Or divorce," I replied, shooting a zinger at both of them. I sipped my vodka and tonic. "So I like what they've done to the place."
"Sure," Johnny replied. "It is really amazing the work that was done to the entire structure. Really wonderful achievement, considering the circumstances."
"Especially considering the circumstances," added Eddie.
"I know," Johnny said. "With the crap involving the S and Ls and the land fraud that went along with it."
I chortled. "That ain't all, brother. Not nearly enough."
"Don't you know it," Eddie replied, not truly meant by my remark.
"I don't think so," I was incredulous. I assumed they hadn't an aware what I idea what I was talking about.
"Do you both know about Huggy Bear?" I asked.
Johnny scratched his chin. "Yeah, kind of. He was the creepy guy running the hippy cult that lived in this house. Went to the loony bin for murdering a rival."
"Yeah, everyone knows that part of the story," I said. "But over the years I did a little research on them. I think both of you will get a kick out of it."
This exercise was annoying them. Johnny groused, "We could have a conversation about more mundane subjects, but the two of you have got me hanging like a bastard."
I blinked and held out my palm. "Easy, easy. I'll tell the whole story."
Johnny gave a furtive glance toward the front door of the house. "Why don't we get on with this? I really hate this dancing-around-the-edges garbage."
Eddie looked at my drink. "You finished with that?"
"I'd like to enjoy it, considering who is paying." My behavior only served to make them more paranoid, so I figured that I might as well take advantage of whatever niceties I could get while I went out of my way to mess with their minds.
"Well, okay," I answered. I turned to Eddie. "When did you move to Austin?"
"In seventy-eight."
"Then that might explain why you might not've heard the full story, though I still can't believe you hadn't. Anyway, back in the mid-seventies the Carlton house was a hippy commune. Really nasty bunch of creeps. I used to avoid them like the plague, more so than the other freaks because, if I remember correctly, they were in some kind of cult."
"Like the power church down in south Austin?" Johnny nervously asked.
"Yeah, kind of sort of. Except these people were really out there. Or at least that's what the paper said."
Eddie bummed a smoke from Johnny and lit it off the end of the one he stubbed out in the ashtray. I noticed his hands were shaking.
I continued, "So there was this dude living there. Huge guy - I think he played football at Austin High a few years before but got acid-damaged in a hurry. Went by the name Huggy Bear, but that was only for his looks."
Johnny rolled his eyes up. "God, if I remember correctly, he was a real mean bastard."
"Indeed he was. For all intents and purposes, he was the leader and the main reason we gave the block a wide berth."
"Wait a minute," Eddie said. From his expression I could tell it was starting to come back to him now. "I think I did hear something about this. Wasn't this a murder case? I once read about this crazy hippy who killed a hitchhiker on trial the summer I moved here."
"Uh-huh," I replied. "That was the other guy, the one who was supposedly in on it with Huggy Bear. But all the strange stuff had happened a couple of years before that. Stuff that never made it into the media."
For the next hour they sat spellbound as I related what I had learned about Huggy Bear and his merry band of Manson wannabes holed up in the then-crumbling Carlton house.
As well as spooking their neighbors with their bizarre occult practices, which included the usual mysterious disappearances of family pets and incessant playing of Tangerine Dream records, the hippies were long rumored to have been involved in manufacturing crystal meth for the local biker gangs. The hippies also paid protection to the cops, which explained why they seemed to be getting away with just about everything under the sun. It was the same old story, replayed in a dozen college towns back then, and it continues to this day with different players.
But as is always the case in these sad tales of cheap decadence and small-town avarice, there was a line to be crossed and Huggy Bear bulled over it with a tractor trailer.
I remember the story all too well. There was a sergeant on the force who let his greed carry him too far. He lost a ton of money in a dope deal that was busted by the Rangers down in Laredo. He supposedly was months behind on the house and car payments and probably the family Neiman-Marcus bill as well. The bum was so far gone he had only one alternative before the repo men came to strip his dream life away.
His way out was to nail the Carlton-House hippies to the wall, above all Huggy Bear, for an extra cool ten grand, which in 1976 money was a lot to working fools like you and me.
The cop believed he had the plan all figured our. As it was, it was a fortuitious time for him to shake down the hippies. The word on the street was that the greasy, smelly cretins at Carlton House had just finished a noxious batch of crank, enough to fry every machine head from Austin to Tyler and points Arkansas. The sleazy bastard enlisted the aid of two of his fellow officers as well as the leader of a rival biker gang based in south Austin. The deal was to hijack the shipment with a "raid" on the premises and hold the whole batch up for ransom and hand over half of it. The south Austin bikers would get the held half of crank as their share and the three cops would split the money they extorted from Huggy.
The sergeant assumed the hippies would have no choice. Whoever they were working with wasn't going to go after a bunch of dirty cops; instead they would take their righteous anger out on Huggy Bear.
What the sergeant didn't count on was Huggy Bear's insanity and misplaced sense of pride, two concepts historically confused in Texas.
The phony raid went off without a hitch. The hippies were in the process of loading their van when the cops held them up. While Huggy and several of his minions were sent off to cool their heels in the city drunk tank, the sergeant drove the load down to south Austin bikerland. The hippies were then released the next morning with a message: Come up with the ten grand or face the consequences of screwing the meanest bunch of white trash on two wheels in central Texas.
Just after sundown the sergeant received his reply from Huggy. Essentially the crazed hippy informed him to return the speed or he would mail the sergeant's darling daughter to him in pieces. To reinforce Huggy's sincere intention to have his crank returned posthaste, the biker involved in the job suddenly appeared dead in front of the police station sans eyes, tongue, and hands. Twisted around the biker's neck was proof they had the girl, the strap of her hand-tooled leather handbag with the stamped personalized initials clearly visible despite the blood stains.
It was obvious that Huggy Bear had gone over the top. I couldn't help but wonder if it was hubris or the fact that he had sampled too much of his wares that led him to sign what turned out to be his own death warrant. Dumping a corpse on the doorstep of cop central was poor modus operandi in a small southern city.
The sergeant had a nervous breakdown and cried to the chief, who freaked out and immediately ordered a raid on the Carlton house. During the frenetic search, the police uncovered an Aquarian House of Usher. Through the pervading stink caused by the hippies' disregard for soap and backed-up toilets, they found several filthy and obviously abused children, a pair of teenage girls chained up in the attic, used as sex slaves for Huggy, a speed lab in the kitchen, and several bales of marijuana in the basement.
The worst they discovered was in the basement, where the stench was so powerful that a couple of the raiders tossed their cookies. One enterprising cop with a sinus problem was able to discover the source: a male corpse stuffed in garbage bags buried under stacks of newspapers and other debris. As it was learned later during the trial, he was an unfortunate who recently had made a poor life choice involving Huggy Bear's business operations.
The irony of the matter was that the sergeant's daughter wasn't even there. She turned up that night at home claiming that her bag was stolen out of her school locker that morning. One of the hippy kids they busted said she took it on orders from Huggy. The hippies claimed they never had the girl to begin with, which made the story all the more absurd.
The adults were carted off to jail and the kids dumped with Youth Services while the cops spent the next several days searching the grounds for more corpses. Aside from a pile of animal bones and the usual cartoon pseudo-satanist paraphernalia, they didn't come up with anything to add to their laundry list of charges. Huggy got slapped with murdering the biker and the basement critter but was judged loony and shipped to Rusk State Hospital. They managed to find one guy competent enough to take the fall, which was the case I remembered reading about. The remainder of the commune from hell either went down for various drug charges or disappeared. Nearly forgotten in all this was the sergeant and the two losers with him. All three pleaded down to felony possession of the crank shipment and vanished into the sunset after parole.
Johnny was stunned. "How come I didn't hear about any of this?"
"I learned the details from a former APD detective who now owns a country-and-western bar in lower Manhattan. Small world, no?"
"I guess that's what happens when human garbage attempts to do something reasonably high-tech," Eddie opined.
I stubbed out another cigarette. "Seems typical for these parts. That's more or less what the old cop told me."
After we cleared off the table and washed the dishes, Johnny led us on a tour through the house. When we entered the library, I felt a twinge in my stomach. My meal hadn't mixed well with the cigarettes and vodka tonics, and that creeping sensation I had been feeling all day returned.
Fortunately, the library's decor was an improvement over the tawdry hideousness of the rest of the main floor. Three walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling mahogany bookcases. I had wondered how the Junior Leaguers had decided to use an actual period shelving instead of Ikea; even so, it was a lucky accident. Although the stuffed chairs and burnished oak rolltop desk didn't match the bookcases, overall the room had a homier feel than the rest of the house.
I walked up to a shelf and stared at the books stacked there. I suspected they were the typical Goodwill by-the-yard garbage, purchased in order to make the room look like an authentic library. Otherwise everything seemed in order, except I had a troubling feeling where I stood. Instinctively, I pushed at the shelf, half expecting it to creak open, exposing a hidden passageway. The surface didn't give. If there was a secret door there, it had probably been boarded up during the renovation. However, I felt a chill, and I remembered something I had read during the course of my research.
"You looking for something?" Johnny asked incredulously. I stepped back. "No, just curious at the titles you have here." "You can take what you want. Nobody notices."
Later we walked up the staircase to the second-floor landing. As we passed each room Johnny opened the door and switched on the lights to show us tacky wallpaper and four-poster beds more appropriate for Graceland than a restored landmark.
"One of the amazing things about this house was that they didn't have to totally gut it," Johnny explained. "The interior walls and floors on the second and third floors are all original."
"I thought you said the cops ripped up the place," Eddie reminded me.
"Only the basement, as far as I know," I replied.
Johnny added, “Also, the crew got sloppy at the end of the job and just replastered and painted the upper floors. You'll notice it when you're in the attic."
"Typical half-ass Austin job." Eddie smirked.
Just as we reached the door to the narrow stairway that led to the attic, I had another attack that took the breath out of me.
I stopped and leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
"What's the matter, man?" Johnny inquired.
"Just getting old." When I caught my breath I decided to get to the point of why I was here.
"Did you guys go to junior high with a Rachel Kyle?"
Johnny and Eddie looked at each other quizzically. Eddie shrugged. “No, the name doesn't ring a bell. What did she look like?"
When I described her Eddie only nodded. Johnny scratched his neck. "To tell you the truth, I can't recall. I might recognize her if I went through my old yearbooks except they're over at my mom's house. Sorry."
“Fair enough. That's why I brought these books along," I replied, patting my black leather briefcase. I still felt weird, though I didn't quite know why.
"O'Henry was a big school," Johnny said.
"Yeah, it was pretty easy to fall through the cracks in that hellhole, just like Austin High," added Eddie. "Anyhow, she left before I moved here."
"I suppose so," I said. "I was only wondering."
"Is she somebody you met up in the big city?" Johnny inquired.
"Yeah. I guess so."
After I called my wife to let her know where I was, Johnny cleared off the coffee table to make room for the yearbooks I had brought.
The three of us stared down at the photograph. "Her picture still doesn't do anything for me," Johnny said. "What does she have to do with this story?"
"It's hard for me to explain," I replied. "But I'll take a stab at it."
Eddie stared at me. "Well, we're all dying to know."
I closed the book and leaned back in the couch. "I think she's buried somewhere in this house."
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Eddie tittered in his seat opposite me while Johnny coughed. After a few moments Johnny nodded his head and leaned over the table. He slid his fingers absently over the cover of the O'Henry yearbook and pulled it toward him.
"Where the hell did you get that stupid idea?" he said. That's the craziest idea I've heard in years."
"I have my reasons," I replied, uncertain about whether or not I should tell them the rest of the story.
I decided to dispense with the strange and went straight for the car crash. "The old detective told me that this girl - Rachel Kyle - had vanished a month before the raid. From what he told me, I'm now convinced the hippies had something to do with her disappearance."
"What, Huggy had another slave girl that got missed in the search?" Johnny nodded with disbelief.
I lit a cigarette. "That might be the case."
Eddie got out of the chair and began to pace around the room. "Man, you're really freaking me out."
"I'm not making any of this up. The cop I talked to filled in the holes, so to speak. For instance, the police gave up awful quick on the search after they found the body in the basement. Also, the girl was a real problem child - a runaway - and wasn't reported missing until after the bust. With all that was going on at the time, Rachel Kyle got lost in the shuffle. It wasn't until I showed the old detective the yearbook that he remembered the case."
"I still don't really get it," Johnny said.
"Just trust me on this," I replied. "I want to take a look around the house."
Eddie leaned against a wall. "What makes you so damned sure of yourself?"
I got up and moved toward the door. "C'mon, I'll show you both what I mean."
After we stopped at a utility closet for an axe and a flashlight, we went downstairs toward the library. When we entered the room I again felt that prickling sensation rising up the back of my neck. I turned toward the bookcase that had attracted my attention before and stepped up to it.
I began to pull out the books. "Help me out here. I want to move this bookcase out."
After a moment's hesitation Johnny and Eddie stepped up and soon we had emptied the shelves. We pulled out the bookcase and dragged it to the side to expose the wall behind it. Although it had probably been painted months before, I could smell the fresh dragged it paint. What I found off-kilter was a crack that had formed length-wise from the ceiling. As if by impulse, I placed my palm flat against the whitewashed surface. When my fingers touched the ridges of the perforation, I was enveloped by a realization that sent me reeling.
After I recovered my balance, I silently stared in horror at my outstretched hand, inches from the spot where I had just touched the crack.
I turned around, holding out my arm. "Give me the axe," I ordered Johnny. After he handed it over, I swung it against the wall with all the force I could muster.
Or through, because the axe crashed through the surface like papier-mâché, enveloping us in a cloud of dust. Although I was barely able to keep my grip, I was able to pull out the handle and hacked several more times at the hole I had made. I then placed the axe aside and peeled away the jagged pieces of plastered Sheetrock, making a hole large enough for us to look in. Johnny came up beside me and flicked on the flashlight.
"What the hell-" I felt Eddie's breath on my shoulder.
"Mother of God," Johnny gasped.
I had expected an empty room, or a small crawl space. Instead, in the glow of Johnny's flashlight we viewed an abandoned fire place shaft. I estimated the shaft to be only three feet wide, running from the roof down to the first floor. When Johnny raised the flashlight we saw a ragged piece of clothesline hanging from a beam above.
Johnny lowered the light toward the floor of the shaft. We gasped in unison when we saw on the ground below us scattered bits of clothing, including a wooden clog and what was later identified as a shredded pair of blue jeans. Unmistakable amid the debris was a skull, its empty eyes filled with cobwebs.
Suddenly we were sent falling to the ground by a burst of cold air that blew in from below. Its force rattled the windows and knocked a lamp onto the floor.
After it passed, Eddie sat up and stared at the gaping wound in the wall. He asked, "How did you know?"
I cleared my throat. "Two simple reasons. One, the house should have had a fireplace and didn't, and two, I felt a draft coming from behind the bookcase," I replied.
Eddie nudged me. "No, I mean about the girl."
I paused. "I was only following up on my instincts," I replied, again avoiding telling the whole story.
We called the police and they spent the next morning recovering the bones from the shaft. Johnny came up with a good explanation as they took our statements: we were looking for hidden hippy treasure, whatever that meant, but Eddie and I went along with it - and so did the police. I didn't blame them - they really screwed up the last time.
I decided it would have been best to get the hell out of town and I took a flight back to New York that night. I arrived at my apartment at one in the morning, in time to see my wife breast-feeding our baby. She understood that I was very disturbed about my trip and thankfully let the subject slide. She kissed me good night after we put the infant in her crib and returned to bed. I went to my desk and carefully typed up the notes I had scribbled furiously in my spiral during the flight home.
It struck me that I was a coward for not telling anyone about how I knew what was behind the library wall at the Carlton house. However, if I dared explain, I'd stand accused of paranoia, or of having the overactive imagination of a skittish author in a desperate search for an adroit scenario to sell.
Both of these explanations were only easy justifications to pacify everyone's distress. In reality, there was much to be examined - all I wish I could conveniently ignore. The conclusions I drew from my thoughts were troublesome, particularly since I returned to the relative safety of homebound normalcy. In retrospect, while my discovery solved this mystery, it only opened more grotesque questions that may never be answered. For instance, the day after I returned to New York, I received a call from Eddie informing me that Huggy Bear was found dead in his room at Rusk - drowned in his toilet. I wasn't surprised; justice has a way eventually working itself out down in Texas, thank God. How, I don't want to find out.
Yet what happened after I returned home was what disturbed me the most, and gave me reason to keep much of what I have experienced to myself. Simply put, when I looked down at my daughter lying in her crib that night I was able to discern significance in the way she stared at me with her dark green eyes.
I picked her up and whispered, "There you go, girl. I did what you asked."
She smiled, a twinkle of gratitude in her expression. And, as it was when I held her in my arms after I first saw the girl's photo graph, I knew what she meant.

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