The painted horse winery and vineyards

Hi so I need some help. I ordered a painting from uniquely your down under in December for a birthday gift in February. I understood it would take longer becouse off Chinese New Year and Christmas but figured I shouldn’t have a problem as the site didn’t say anything about delays, that there processing time was ten days and that shipping time was 3 months. Ok cool gift might be a little late but I also new this is a unicorn painting for this person and they would just be happy to have it in there collection. I had also been dying to check out there site and so bit the Bulit so to speak. So when nothing had changed by late January like the item hadn’t even processed I contacted them and got a response that they had been on vacation and that there suppler was celebrating Chinese New Year. Ok cool. So on February 27th I contacted them again like what is going on as the package still hasn’t even processed, I was told that they had ordered the item and I would have shipping details as soon as they had the that was a month ago the item still hasn’t even processed. Is this normal for this company? Like i really uncomfortable about this and I don’t really understand what’s going on, iv gotten diamond painting derectly from china that didn’t take what 4 months? Im really confused about what’s happening here and wondering if this is just how there company is and if so why dosent it say that on the site? Any help will be appreciated thank you.

A while back I saw the MrBeast advice about taking all the money you earn, and reinvesting it in your YouTube channel the next month.
I started doing this a while back but I am running out of things to buy so I am asking you what some good investments were that you made. I mostly want digital products, because my physical setup at the moment is good enough.
I'll go first, some of the best investments I made:

• Premiere Pro silence remover plugin (automatically cuts silent parts from your audio/video, saves me a lot of time)
• All the Finzar packs (especially the smooth transitions and effect presets, make my video look more professional)
• Epidemic Sound background music (helps set the proper mood for the video)

Some of the things I am looking into:

• Paying an artist to make a drawing of my face for a logo, instead of the two letters I put together in paint right now
• An editor who cuts my videos into shorts/tiktok clips

I am not earning that much money yet so I don't need suggestions like "make a mobile game based on your YouTube channel", that is something that is on my roadmap but I don't have the budget yet for really big moves. I am talking mostly about small things like editing presets or plugins.

https://ai.talkslay.com
I developed an automated site that mines pictures myself.
Automatically uploads 2 paintings every 3 minutes.(Quality is guaranteed)
However, we need support for server maintenance.
If you look around and donate, you can remove blur and download unlimitedly.
* Sponsorship
patreon.com/Aibeautifulgirls402
If you patreon at site, i will send you login information through the Patron site messenger.
However, if multiple accesses are discovered by distributing login information to others, the account may be suspended.Enjoy the infinitely generated pictures only for you who sponsored. : )

https://ai.talkslay.com
I developed an automated site that mines pictures myself.
Automatically uploads 2 paintings every 3 minutes.(Quality is guaranteed)
However, we need support for server maintenance.
If you look around and donate, you can remove blur and download unlimitedly.
* Sponsorship
patreon.com/Aibeautifulgirls402
If you patreon at site, i will send you login information through the Patron site messenger.
However, if multiple accesses are discovered by distributing login information to others, the account may be suspended.Enjoy the infinitely generated pictures only for you who sponsored. : )

https://ai.talkslay.com
I developed an automated site that mines pictures myself.
Automatically uploads 2 paintings every 3 minutes.(Quality is guaranteed)
However, we need support for server maintenance.
If you look around and donate, you can remove blur and download unlimitedly.
* Sponsorship
patreon.com/Aibeautifulgirls402
If you patreon at site, i will send you login information through the Patron site messenger.
However, if multiple accesses are discovered by distributing login information to others, the account may be suspended.Enjoy the infinitely generated pictures only for you who sponsored. : )

It’s a quote by a painter called Pierre-Auguste Renoir that deserves to be much more famous than it is: “The pain passes, but the beauty remains.” I felt that one in my bones when I first heard it. Stirred something deep inside me.
See, Renoir was a great painter. But for the last fifteen or so years of his life, he was struck with arthritis that crippled him. His bones grew deformed, his hands gnarled, his fingers crooked and his spine a poor imitation of man’s anatomy. He was in severe pain, almost with every movement. His family expected him to retire… but he kept painting. He kept creating beauty.
Nearing the end of his life, the elderly artist needed his assistant to place the brush gentle in his hands, and navigate his dying, tortured body towards the canvas. And still he painted. Beautifully. He could have gone to bed, drank some sweet wine, eaten some tasty food, and closed his eyes. He could have passed away, gently, and left behind his earthly remains. No more pain. Just, let go… but Renoir didn’t want to let go. He wanted to make beauty that would survive him. Even if the price he had to pay for creating that beauty, was terrible pain and discomfort

https://ai.talkslay.com
I developed an automated site that mines pictures myself.
Automatically uploads 2 paintings every 3 minutes.(Quality is guaranteed)
However, we need support for server maintenance.
If you look around and donate, you can remove blur and download unlimitedly.
* Sponsorship
patreon.com/Aibeautifulgirls402
If you patreon at site, i will send you login information through the Patron site messenger.
However, if multiple accesses are discovered by distributing login information to others, the account may be suspended.Enjoy the infinitely generated pictures only for you who sponsored. : )

Hey hey!, nice to meet ya, the names Kacper (if you have trouble pronouncing it just think of casper from casper the friendly ghost XD), Oh right, I'm a 19yo student from Poland and I'm hoping to get into English philology and voice acting down the line
In my free time I like playing video games, (would be nice if we could play together), especially if you can carry XD. I also enjoy listening to music, a little too much tbh. I do quite a lot of writing, along with that I also enjoy reading, watching anime, reading manga and painting from time to time
As for me I have long dark brown hair and brown eyes, I'm pretty tall at 187cm tall and average weight
As for what I'm looking for, would prefer someone around my age, a girl or more feminine guy, somebody that can hold a convo as I can be pretty anxious, but most importantly somebody I can be comfortable around, I can be myself, not pretend that i like certain things I dont and vice versa for things I don't like.
Anyhow I hope to hear from you soon and I hope you have a great day!

https://ai.talkslay.com
I developed an automated site that mines pictures myself.
Automatically uploads 2 paintings every 3 minutes.(Quality is guaranteed)
However, we need support for server maintenance.
If you look around and donate, you can remove blur and download unlimitedly.
* Sponsorship
patreon.com/Aibeautifulgirls402
If you patreon at site, i will send you login information through the Patron site messenger.
However, if multiple accesses are discovered by distributing login information to others, the account may be suspended.Enjoy the infinitely generated pictures only for you who sponsored. : )

Hey hey!, nice to meet ya, the names Kacper (if you have trouble pronouncing it just think of casper from casper the friendly ghost XD), Oh right, I'm a 19yo student from Poland and I'm hoping to get into English philology and voice acting down the line
In my free time I like playing video games, (would be nice if we could play together), especially if you can carry XD. I also enjoy listening to music, a little too much tbh. I do quite a lot of writing, along with that I also enjoy reading, watching anime, reading manga and painting from time to time
As for me I have long dark brown hair and brown eyes, I'm pretty tall at 187cm tall and average weight
As for what I'm looking for, would prefer someone around my age, a girl or more feminine guy, somebody that can hold a convo as I can be pretty anxious, but most importantly somebody I can be comfortable around, I can be myself, not pretend that i like certain things I dont and vice versa for things I don't like.
Anyhow I hope to hear from you soon and I hope you have a great day!

We all know that SSO doesn't give a horse dropping about the user experience related to bugs and broken quests. Sending queries to their Support does nothing, you get either a fancy corporate way of telling you to go f yourself or gaslit so hard victorian london streets are jelous. But my GF noticed that when you repeatedly spam their social media, they tend to actually do something. I'm sure this is related to their public image, since companies like these don't really belive in "Word of mouth" but do care about PR. So how about we start to spam their IG, FB and whatever with the issues their Support doesn't help us? Maybe that could force them to do something to not look like dicks toward their paying customers?

Need a painting company you can trust? Look no further than Budget Pro Painter. With years of experience and a commitment to quality, we're the go-to choice for homeowners and business owners in Des Moines.
​
https://budgetpropainter.com/
​
#PaintingCompanies #PaintingDesMoines #BudgetProPainter

Wow, From Here to There is a great mod.
But there are some issues.
For some objects they are just red wireframes and are painted on top of other objects. I can see for instance the object below me on a lower level of the map. I can interact with them. So probably missing textures.
Another issue is with the battery you get from underneath the vehicle and have to bring to the room to connect in the console (where the holiday items have to be gathered for the suitcase).
I can pick the battery up but when walking upstairs to get to the large room having the portal device, I can not keep it in my hands. At the moment I walk into the large room, the battery falls from my hands on the stairs. When throwing the battery into the room it just disappears and can not be found again.
So it seems I have to validate or re-download the mod. I have downloaded all needed related stuff as given in the info. But how to check and download the missing stuff?
Should I just unsubscribe to the mod and subscribe again?

As Kyle and Carl devise a plan to make Chris feel like one of the guys, a visit to a vineyard continues to strengthen Ciara and Danielle‘s friendship; the girl’s night turns sour for Lindsay.

Hello fellow artists! I just did something that I feel I might regret later, so I would love to have some feedback. English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes.
So here is the thing, I make earrings and the process of painting them while holding the with my hand was very bad, because I would get paint on my fingers and while trying to put the piece down I would always stain the piece with the paint from my fingers. I decided to use some cork and unbaked clay to hold the piece in place so I could only hold the cork thing (usually from a wine bottle). It was working great! But when I was painting the side that was hold in place by the unbaked clay (which I totally forgot about), the paint crearly showed the stain? that the unbaked clay left. I'm not sure if it's a problem or if it's just humidity.
I rubbed some acetone on it to get rid of it, and then sanded that side of the piece; painted it again. But it still shows, and I'm scared it's actually unbaked clay and I have to restart the whole process again??
I was going to glaze them with resin but now I'm scared. I feel like I'm not making any sense but hopefully you can help me. Thank you so much!

I just saw a post about PETA declaring that the horses used in the LOTR prequel were mistreated and one horse ended up dying. I decided to read the comments in the post and everyone was so mad about the show, saying animal abuse is so terrible and they were praying and crying for the horse. The article was in Portuguese and in my home country Portugal only 0.7% of the people are vegan and all the other ones are big on eating meat and fish every meal.
I answered the article and asked some people if they were vegan, especially one that said "I cannot deal with animal abuse, these people should be criminalized", and they all said "no, thats too hard and animals are meant to be eaten".
I cant, for the love of God, understand whats going on with these peoples animal distinctions. One horse dead is a crime, millions and millions of pigs, cows, chickens, goats... are okay and "natural". Ive been vegan for almost 7 years and tried to talk and understand this point of view, cause i thought talking would be the only way of changing minds. But Im starting to give up, people only see what they wanna see and its so freaking frustrating

Obviously "who is he?" refers to the Prisoner. But let's recap. Why does the Prisoner release the signal from the eye of the universe?
When I asked that to myself firstly, I just thought he was younger and more curious than the rest, so he did it just to see what would happen or because he thought it would be a good idea for some reason... But yesterday I saw something they added to Echoes of the Eye recently:
https://preview.redd.it/vmmtcu34egqa1.png?width=756&format=png&auto=webp&s=19bbd64c9ef16f832ba0fc29302ecec1d5efae51
This is at the burned house around the Starlit Cove, which it's supposedly the Prisoner's house cos there's that kind of telescope we also find at the vault where he's sealed, because there's an eye's symbol as burned house decoration and because it's a burned house... And what other house would they burn apart frome the house of the one they also locked up in a vault.
So obviously that picture means that the Eye of The Universe represents death, but also live. But I'm not sure about the Prisoner knowing this, or just imagining it.
So I went to see the slides where the Owls scan the Eye to realize that the Eye means the death of everything, and the Owl that scans the Eye drops the staff before seeing the flower, but we can actually see the flower starting to grow up inside the skull. So they knew about this? Or they lost that information just by dropping the staff just too early because of their disappointment?
After that, just looking for info in the slides I saw that slide where the Owls cry looking at a picture of their moon and I realized one of them had a horn missing (The Prisoner). So I started to look at the slides but paying attention to the horns... So let's look closely at the horns:
This is the Owl that detects the Eye for the first time:
https://preview.redd.it/siz9dy7uagqa1.png?width=445&format=png&auto=webp&s=5a326fcac3ea1e02da31d423f485838cc0f42ba9
And this is the one who scans it after traveling to our solar system.
https://preview.redd.it/1gxrlvbwagqa1.png?width=442&format=png&auto=webp&s=64259435208c2741a8b5d022ff9597f39b11e3fa
Okay it's the same Owl, a pretty coincidence but not that impressive... But not only that. This is the Prisoner:
https://preview.redd.it/f4re651ibgqa1.png?width=445&format=png&auto=webp&s=39981d676eed5490a1096f5d4c5fb2446a661dad
It's the same one.
(In the original slide this image appears flipped, I had to edit it to mirror mode)
Makes sense to me for the Prisoner being also the one who discovers the Eye because we find a picture of him inside a house, outside their dream.
https://preview.redd.it/mjuszt1wfgqa1.png?width=734&format=png&auto=webp&s=c63db129bc45f586d8b8ac29d3e9f3c4383b4933
And that house has painting decorations around it, just like other important buildings, like the ones with the projectors or the ones where the Owls sleep. So why else would the prisoner's house be that important apart from being him who discovers the Eye?
I love this because it means that when we meet the Prisoner at the Eye of the Universe it's like the reason why the story started and the reason why it ended meeting each other.
(IDK if all I said was already known, I apologize if that's the case)
But he actually saw that flower growing in the skull, but didn't understand the meaning of it until he released the signal? Or he never saw that because he dropped the staff, and they never scanned the Eye again? He noticed the flower while being in the dream? How could he re-scan the Eye inside the dream? And why the hell did he lose his horn? A horn-missing Owl already appears when they cry after knowing the Eye wasn't what he expected while looking a picture of their own moon. Maybe it's just something like someone being angry at him because he is the reason why they did all that and broke his horn?
What are your thoughts about this?

Twelve days after the invasion
Grand war court, Elyana
Laeroth Leobell was no fool. He didn't become the general of the first army as well the commander in chief of the Chosen legions by giving in to his desires. Out of the Grand five, he was the most cunning and brutal, which is why in over three hundred cycles, no one managed to get close to replacing him. Especially that fool Ylindar. The only reason he became one of the Grand five was that his family was of royalty. But Laeroth didn't have that luxury. At the war council, emperor Canus originally wanted to send the II army with general Nasir Quinvalor, but Laeroth objected and demanded Ylindar be sent.
Laeroth knew the beginning of this invasion would be the most challenging part. He knew better than to underestimate an unknown enemy. He wasn't blinded by the emperor's paranoia, the dwarves' greed, and his lessers' lust for war. If this war was to be victorious, there needed to be sacrifices. So he hand-picked the invasion force, not just the elven, but also the vassal army. Ylindar was an annoying thorn in his side that needed to be removed. Bardek Leadmaster and Balmin Bronzering commanded the wildest dwarves that could prove a liability should this war go south. Bylnar's actions however caused a problem. While the other two dwarf kings are greedy and always jump at the opportunity to make a profit, Bylnar was a calm and collected individual. Something admirable, but a hindrance nonetheless. Him not sending his army both weakens the invasion and bolsters his power to rebel. But it could be worked over.
As for the Rosians, he had to take one-seventh of their total army so as to not cause suspicion. For their leadership, he assigned the various nobles of the kingdoms and duchies. The Rosians are an emotional bunch. Killing their officers would wound their army, but killing their most prized children would anger them and make them seek revenge against the enemy. On the plus side, that boy Bodin Zorgen has also become a nuisance. His grudge against the empire would be a potential problem for future generations.
With all these problems gone, he could focus on the true invasion. Already he organized the VII army under general Drannor Crax and placed them in Kuruk. The leftover halves of the two dwarven armies were in Imslone and a force of twenty thousand more auxiliaries have been assigned in Oms. All three of these cities are close to each other and could coordinate an attack on Galdush. The enemy would have to get past them, Fort Mundus, or go south to the Kingdom of Alston. No matter how he looked at it, he had them surrounded, and with Ylindar serving as a distraction he had time to organize a proper invasion force. At least that is what he thought and hoped.
The rift in the sea would cause problems however, but Laeroth knew he could trust the first admiral Gondan Titus to deal with it. The western XV, XVIII, XIX, and XX armies should be sufficient enough to hold the enemy. The Tubal mountains gave him some reassurance, however. They were a natural border with the west, very difficult to cross. Any major shipment would have to go by sea, so the west was out of his control. Still, he had more than he wanted and needed on his plate. Despite everything though, Laeroth felt a sensation he hadn't felt in a while. A real war was coming. No more would his soldiers be mere decorations for the capital. They would finally taste glory.
As he was going over the battle plans with his captains, a messenger came bursting through the door. "General!", he yelled, "General I have urgent news!"
"Calm yourself soldier.", Laeroth said.
"I... I apologize my lord. I galloped as fast as I could to Meilume and flew over here. My wyvern almost died from exhaustion."
"Well, no more stalling. Tell us."
The soldier first caught his breath and spoke slowly, "The invasion force sent to the other side of the rift has been destroyed. And..."
After a moment of silence, Laeroth asked, "And what? Speak soldier."
Trying to keep his composure and hold back his fear, he answered, "They were wiped out in less than a day. There are only a few hundred, maybe a thousand in total of us left."
This came as an utter shock to everyone in the room, including the general. He knew Ylindar would fall, as well as the other forces sent, but in a single day? With only a handful of survivors? Just how powerful is this enemy?
"What kind of nonsense are you spewing?!", yelled the third captain.
"Do you take us for fools? No army is that powerful.", said the fifth captain.
"But if it is true, we must advance our plans.", said the second captain.
"Indeed.", said Laeroth, "How many captives?"
"I've counted them all, sir.", said the soldier, "In total, we have taken ninety-seven humans captive."
"Humans?"
"That is what they call themselves. A captain of the Opherin army has taken ten to the Rosian vassals and the surviving dwarves have taken thirty, fifteen for each kingdom."
"That leaves us with fifty-seven. Where are they now?"
"They should be going to Meilume and after that to Kuruk."
"Alright, listen to me carefully. Take a fresh wyvern and ride to Kuruk. Once you get there, tell general Drannor to take his army and march to Meilume. Once they finish questioning the captives, scatter them across the empire, but bring several here. I want to see these humans for myself."
"Yes, sir.". With that, the soldier left the general and captains to ponder this new discovery.
"Could this really be true?", asked the first captain, "How should we proceed?"
"What do you think will happen to the dwarves?", asked the tenth captain.
"They will fight for us.", said the fifth captain, "They know what will happen if they don't. There is too much for them to lose so their greed will keep them loyal."
"And the Rosians?", asked the ninth captain.
"We can hope they will attack the enemy in rage upon hearing about the deaths of their people.", said the second captain.
"The die has been cast.", said Laeroth, "We knew something like that would happen. It just came earlier than anticipated. The plan remains the same. The VII army will engage the enemy while we prepare a larger force. I need the ten of you to go to ten various generals and relay my message. The enemy has arrived and we must not let them endanger the empire. And one more thing. The emperor cannot know. Do whatever you need to do to stop this from reaching his ears. Understood?"
"Understood sir.", said the fourth captain, "But what will you do?"
After letting out a long sigh and taking a sip of strong liquor from his flask, "I will let my prized pupil know about our future strategy. Perhaps his youthful mind might give us an insight."
With that, the captains left the chamber and carried out their duties. The enemy was at their gates and it needed to be stopped. If the visions hold any truth to them, this will be the greatest war in the history of this world.
---
After the meeting
A secret chamber within the palace
The Inquisition was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Built to protect the empire from the shadows, eliminate rogues and uphold the imperial faith in the spirits, it is its protector and stalker. The inquisitors themselves were something completely different than normal soldiers. Each held the authority of an officer but would rarely do anything in plain view. Such things were for the preachers. Each of the six regions had its own lord inquisitor who oversaw everything that was going on in his or her region. Nothing happened without them knowing.
The same went for the capital and the grand inquisitor who had the highest of responsibilities. The empire might have the crown, but it was he who held the power. Still, he couldn't simply take the throne. Well, he could, but it would cause too much unrest and problems. Worst case scenario, a full-blown civil war bursts and tares the empire apart. Such a nuisance. This is why work in the shadows is more simple. You don't know what dirty deeds occur in it, all you know is that the light stays clean. And this time around, the light needed some thorough cleaning.
The grand inquisitor was quietly praying in his own chamber. Behind him, he heard a distinct knocking pattern, one known only by a handful of people.
"Come in.", he said while kneeling.
A female elf in dark robes slowly entered the room. "Grand Inquisitor Gilshor. I have a most intriguing report for you."
"Speak.", Gilshor replied with a deep and cold voice.
"The enemy beyond the rift has defeated the invasion force. General Laeroth Leobell discussed the future battle plans with his captains and heard this from one of the few survivors."
"And why should this be of any interest to me? Matters of war are for those who serve in the light."
"The general told his captains to keep this a secret from the emperor. He will also let the emperor's eldest son, Hagmar, know about the battle plans soon."
Gilshor tilted his head and let out a sigh of interest, "That is intriguing. You have done well."
"Thank you, my lord.", she said as she knelt.
"Keep an eye on general Laeroth and report back to me about your findings. Do not mention this to the emperor."
"Yes, my lord.", she stood up and left the room.
Gilshor chuckled to himself. "Things are finally getting interesting. More enemies for the darkness to swallow."
---
A day earlier
Capital of Olinor, Kingdom of Alston
King Thavok knew this war was a mistake. Still, going against the emperor's own word is an act of treason, which would force another war. Something he could not allow. Sending his own son to war was not a decision he made as a father but as a king. Bodin did not seem to mind, as he was just as eager to save his kingdom as his father. Still, Thavok's wife, Freeda, was not at all happy with his decision. Even after he explained how he was pressured by the elven generals, she still wouldn't forgive him. He was their eldest son, the future king, and now he could be dead.
Thavok was in his study, reading through old scriptures, desperately trying to find an answer to his predicament. Not being able to help his son with nothing but hopes and prayers made him feel powerless.
'Curse you Canus.', he swore internally, 'I swear to you, one of these days you will meet a fate so gruesome you will wish you were never born.' .At that moment, a guard knocked on his door. "Come in."
The guard entered the study and bowed, "My king, forgive my disturbance."
"It is of no consequence. Speak."
"A captain of the Opherin army by the name of Almer Blazewing has arrived. He claims he is one of the soldiers who was sent to the other side of the rift alongside the prince."
Thavok's heart skipped a beat. He quickly walked in front of the guard, "Is my son with him?"
"No, my king, he is not. My apologies."
Thavok clenched his fists, lowered his head, and grunted before letting out a sigh, "No no, you did nothing wrong. Where is the captain?"
"He is waiting for you in the courtyard along with several of his men and captives from the other side of the rift."
"He brought them here?"
"Yes. He brought ten."
Thavok quickly exited his study and hurried to the courtyard, passing the other guards and servants who bowed to him. If he could get to the captain he could get information about his son. As he got closer he started to hear yelling. A woman's voice. But not just any woman. When he made it to the courtyard he saw his wife and youngest daughter Franka. Freeda was yelling and cursing at the captain while Franka cried.
"I will ask you one more time, Almer!", Freeda yelled, "Where is my son?!"
"Queen Freeda, as I stated before, I do not know.", Almer answered, "He sent me back with two cohorts and ten captives."
"So you bring otherworldly savages to my home but not my son?! What kind of soldier are you?"
Thavok stepped in, "Freeda, please. Let the man go. You must calm down."
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down, Thavok! I want my son back!"
"I want him back, as well. But this will not change anything."
"Father?", Franka called with a worried and soft voice, "Will big brother come home?"
Thavok inhaled but couldn't let out an answer. What was he to say? Yes? He didn't know if he was even alive. No? He couldn't break her little heart. "Guards. Please take my wife and daughter back inside."
A guard put his hand on Freeda's shoulder but she slapped it off and angrily walked back pulling her daughter back. Letting out a sad sigh, Thavok walked to Almer, "My deepest apologies for my wife's behavior."
"There is no need king Thavok. She is a worried mother. I should know, I have one."
"How is your father, baron Lor Blazewing?"
"I have not seen him since the last moon cycle, I can only hope he is well."
"Indeed. Show me to these... otherworlders."
Almer walked with Thavok to the captives from the other side of the rift. There were nine of them. Two men looked elderly, more than fifty cycles old, four women, one of them was pregnant, and three children, two boys and a girl who seemed Franka's age. They were lined up and some holding hands, clearly frightened.
Thavok observed them. Eight of them had pale skin, just like Canus said, but one of the women had a very dark tan. Even darker than the brown skin of the dwarves. He wondered how many different races existed in this world.
"Have you communicated with them?", Thavok asked.
"Yes, king Thavok.", Almer replied, "They speak the imperial tongue and they call themselves humans of a land called America."
This intrigued and surprised Thavok. How could the language of the imperial elves exist in a different world was beyond him. Nevertheless, it meant he could converse with them.
Walking up to them, he cleared his throat and spoke, "Greetings, humans of America. I am king Thavok Zorgen of Alston. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.". The humans didn't reply for a while. This made Thavok worry a little.
Eventually, one of the elders spoke, "I am Richard Brown. I will speak for these people."
Thavok smiled, "Very well, Richard Brown. Will you please follow me into my study, I will make sure these people are not harmed, you have my word."
With much hesitation they accepted. Thavok ordered his guards to take them to their own chamber where they will be cleaned and fed. The human known as Richard Brown followed Thavok to his study and they sat down to talk.
"Tell me, Richard Brown.", Thavok spoke while picking up two bottles, "Do you fancy whine or ale?"
"Brandy, actually.", Richard said.
"I do not know what this Brandy is, but I hope this is a good enough substitute.". Thavok poured whine into a glass and placed it in front of Richard.
"I will be blunt with you, king. Why did you bring me here?"
"I wish to know more about the empire's enemies."
"Empire? Are those the blue-skinned, knife-eared bastards who took my son away from me?"
"If you refer to the elves, then yes. They took my son as well. My people have served under them for many generations. We have no other choice."
"Seems like my world has more in common with yours than I thought. Still, you didn't answer my question?"
"I simply wish to learn more about your people so that I may prove to the elves that you are not this great enemy they fear so much. You seem like a good man, so help me make that a reality."
Richard pondered a bit before answering, "Fine. I'll tell you. But you're gonna have to promise me something."
"Of course."
"I want your word that no harm will come to these people."
"I can promise you that for two of them."
"Why?"
"Because two of you will stay within Alston and the rest will be split amongst the kingdom of Opherin and the duchies. I know the king and the dukes personally, they are good men, I will write to them and tell them to watch over your people. But you have to help me first."
Richard hesitated, but it was the best offer he would get, "Fine, you got a deal. What do you want to know?"
---
Hours later
Richard told Thavok everything he knew. About how his world was structured, who ruled, what kind of army they had, how many were there, everything. With each revelation Thavok's jaw dropped, it might as not be there. He had learned that the nation they attacked was one of the most powerful, how they have an army to rival the elves in numbers and dwarf them in power. He learned about how their weapons can kill hundreds if not thousands in seconds. He learned about their long and bloody history, and how many empires rose and fell. He quickly understood the gravity of the situation he was in. But he also learned how the humans changed from war-hungry monsters to peaceful but strong diplomats. This gave him hope that not everything will be destroyed and there is a chance for the vassals to live peacefully.
Richard Brown and Thavok eventually came to an agreement. The two people who will be left in Alston are the pregnant woman, whose name is Brigitte, and the young girl, Cindy. The two boys, Mark and Duncan, and the dark-skinned woman, Alexis, will be sent to the kingdom of Opherin. Richard and his friend Sheldon will go to the duchy of Zirith, a woman named Amy will go to Dothen and a woman named Joana will go to Elarith.
Thavok personally made sure Brigitte and Cindy were treated well after which he went to his study and wrote a message to his fellow king and dukes, explaining in detail about the world on the other side, how they are not the monsters they think they are and that there might be peace. And whatever they do, they mustn't bring harm to the captured humans. For if they do, their nation will strike them down with a great vengeance and furious anger.
Sending the last of the letters he slumped back on his chair and rubbed his eyes. 'I beg of you my friends.', he thought, 'Do not be rash like our fathers.'
---
Forty days since the invasion
Near the Gladush fields, Meilume region of the Empire
Villages were very common in the empire. Hundreds, if not thousands, were scattered around all of North Altia. They could be found virtually anywhere with good soil. These villages can hold hundreds of people, some around major cities even have thousands where all the people are tasked with feeding the city population and providing them with necessities. Of course, all villages are bound by law to pay taxes to the empire.
Each village is led by an elder and defended by a guard militia. These villages are often targets of rogue elves, elves who strayed from the path of the light and chose a life of piracy and selfishness, stray feral orcs, swine, goblins, and even welfen and leanoids attack them for food. For these reasons, many villages unite and form defendable counties with thousands of people led by an elected mayor and elder council, as to mimic the imperial system. One of these counties is located in the Yellow forest between the capital of Meilume and the south Alston river. It was all in all a pretty nice place to live. There weren't many feral attacks and even the attacks that did occur were stopped by the militia. But that wasn't the main problem.
Every village has its fair share of troublemakers. And what happens when you get several villages together? You get a lot of troublemakers. Such was Nym, a young boy who likes to run from home way too much. This time he got his friends Cohnal, Hallas, Elsha, and Meara with him. They ran outside of the forest and towards the Galdush fields. A while back they saw the battered imperial soldiers returning from battle and were shocked that so few survived. Whoever the enemy was it was very dangerous. All the more fun.
"Come on you slugs!", Nym shouted, "It's close!"
"Nym, are you sure this is a good idea?", Elsha asked.
"I agree with Elsha.", Hallas said, "I don't think we should be here."
"Oh come on.", Nym said, "You can't tell me you're not at least a little curious."
"Well...", Meara said, "I'm a little intrigued."
"Me, too.", said Cohnal, "But still, we should have come with adults. It would have been safer."
Nym scoffed at that, "I'm not scared. Besides, we're here."
The five of them climbed to the hill and lay down to see the people beyond the rift. As soon as they gazed down upon them, their mouth opened wide and they let out shouts of awe. They saw thousands of strange-looking people, all dressed in green armor and riding in large carriages made of metal with no horses.
"Look over there.", Meara said and pointed towards the people digging holes and placing brown bags near them, "Why are they doing that?"
"Who cares?", said Nym, "Look at those.". He pointed towards the giant carriages with cannons. He knew the dwarven cannons were powerful and he wondered if these were just like that.
"I wonder what those are.", Cohnal said, "They look like wyverns, but they're not moving. I wonder why."
"Look over there.", Elsha said and pointed to the long metal strings, "Somehow they look like thorns. These people are really strange."
"Strange in a good or bad way?", said a voice behind them that made them jump up and shout in fright. There stood a tall man dressed in strange green armor and wearing a mask over his face. His helmet had something stuck to it and he held a strange-looking boomstick. On his shoulder was a mark of a sword with lines. Who or what was he?
"Where are you kids from?", he asked, "Where are your parents?"
"You scaring kids again, Pops?", said another one. Before the children knew they were surrounded by six of them and two more familiar creatures. A lepian and a welfen, the latter of which scared them.
"Let me eat them.", said the welfen, making the kids panic.
"No, I won't let you eat children.", said one of the men, "I gave you two burgers earlier. You said they were good."
"They were.", the welfen said, "But I'm still hungry."
"I'll get you some chicken nuggets.", said a third man in green.
"Are they as good as burgers?", the welfen asked.
"I personally think they're better.", said the man.
"I agree with the wolf.", said the lepian, "We should kill them so no one finds out we're here."
This made the children panic more and Nym pulled out his knife. "Stay back you savages! I know how to use this!"
"Wohoho!", laughed a man in green, "That looks dangerous.". Before Nym knew it, the man jolted towards him and grabbed the knife. As he looked at it, he spoke, "This is not a bad knife. Is it your dad's?"
"Give it back!", Nym yelled as he tried to grab it but got pushed back.
"Look here, kid.", the man spoke, "We're not gonna kill you. All you have to do is go home and not tell anyone you saw us. Can you do that?"
The children all nodded. "I need you to promise me."
"We promise.", they spoke.
"Are you sure? Cause if you break that promise we will know. And we don't like people who don't keep their promises. Ain't that right guys?"
"Yeah.", said the five masked men.
"Here.", the man gave Nym his knife back, "Now run back home and don't turn back.", he finished by patting Nym's shoulder and letting him pass. The children ran back home and didn't turn around, just like the man said.
"Why did you let them go?", the lepian asked.
"Relax.", the man said, "Rook?"
"On it Chief.", said the youngest soldier as he tapped his glass machine, "Got 'em, they're moving northwest, most likely to that forest."
"Nice, let's return to base."
"What was that?", the lepian asked.
"I'll explain on the way back.", said Rook.
End of chapter 5
​
---
First/ Previous / Next
Thank you very much for reading.
If you'd like to support me further feel free to upvote, follow, and check out my Patreon where you can get access to early chapters, a Discord server, and a chance to commission work.
patreon.com/SimpleWrites