In my opinion, the BLU G72 Max smartphone is a high-performing device that comes equipped with impressive features, including a powerful MediaTek Helio G37 processor, a long-lasting 5000mAh battery, 4GB RAM, and a large 6.8-inch screen. The device offers a smooth and impressive performance, making it an excellent option for individuals who use their phones for extended periods.
One of the standout features of the BLU G72 Max and my personal favorite is its 6.8-inch IPS LCD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. The high refresh rate makes scrolling and navigating through the phone's interface smoother and more responsive. Additionally, the 720 x 1600-pixel resolution and 20:9 aspect ratio provide a clear and vibrant display.
The BLU G72 Max is powered by a MediaTek chipset with an Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) processor and a PowerVR GE8320 GPU. This setup makes the device capable of running demanding apps and games smoothly. With 128GB of internal storage, the phone also offers ample space to store all your files and media.
The BLU G72 Max features a triple camera setup with a 13 MP primary camera that comes equipped with autofocus and an LED flash. The camera also supports 1080p video recording at 30fps. For selfies, the phone has an 8 MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording capabilities. Overall, the camera performance of the BLU G72 Max is impressive for its price point.
In conclusion, the BLU G72 Max is a reliable and high-performing smartphone that offers an excellent user experience. Its powerful processor, long-lasting battery, large screen, and impressive camera setup make it a great option for anyone looking for a budget-friendly device with top-of-the-line features.

Online, the only option for the IVAR cabinet is the 12"; the 20" seems to have disappeared. I imagine that if this had to do with supply chains, it would simply be shown as OSS. Considering their open IVAR modular unit shelves are still available in 20", have they really gotten rid of the cabinet? The 12" would look strange, being 8 inches more narrow in a 20" unit.

Today I ran into a guy who claimed to be an employee of Doordash. He was picking up an order at On The Border but said that he didn’t work through the Doordash Dasher app. He was suited in a Doordash t-shirt and khakis and said he once had a hat (he claimed to have lost it).
He told me that he was “possibly quality control” but that he wasn’t 100% sure but he knew that he was for sure not a Driver as he didn’t pick up orders under the “Doordash Driver” app. He scolded me for wanting to inform the employee of the restaurant to make sure they knew I picked up the order before leaving, even though he never asked for my name (and was alarmed to find I was a Top Dasher and have a rating of 4.98 (last I checked)). He was driving in a Chevy Malibu that was like a 2010 or so that I saw… (I drive a 2019 Toyota Corolla, idk if that matters at all!)
He also said he was paid $15 an hour, an hourly wage secured by Doordash. To be clear, this is in Arkansas where we have no guaranteed pay for Dashers. I make about $12 an hour as a driver in town (I drive about 30 hours a week, and make around $12 hours per hour a week — less if you consider costs by gas costs, car depreciation, and such).
He was also under the impression that drivers make $30 an hour per week (lol I’ve been a full time driver (-ish, 30-40 hours a week) since May 2022 and NEVER HAVE I EVER made $30 an hour per week, even in LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA!!!) so I’m convinced he wasn’t lying, based on that romanticised view of dashing where I live.
Has anyone run into someone like this? It’s wild and I’ve dashed in somewhere around 20 states and never met someone like this before today… let me know!

8 Month Female, 22 lbs 7 ounces, 28.5 inches
My baby hit her chin on the hard rim of the pack and play while trying to walk in dad's hands (she hit the hard, metal rim part and it snapped her jaw closed). She took a step on her own and the next one, she went down hard. She has no teeth and from what she'll let me see, I don't see any mouth trauma. She immediately cried hysterically but after 5 or so minutes, she calmed down and is currently hiccupping and just cranky.
I think there's a bruise developing (redness and swelling) but no visible bleeding. Her eyes are dilating and she never lost consciousness.
Should I take her in just in case, or is this more of a "wait and see" case? Thank you for your help.

The last 4 cars I’ve owned have all constantly had chronic left rear tire pressure problems. First it was a 09 Chevy Aveo, then a 17 VW Jetta, then a 19 Ford Fusion and now it’s a 20 Ford Escape. Each of these cars I’ve had to fill that tire up about twice a month. No other tires do it, which leads me to believe it’s user error? I don’t drive fast or erratic, I don’t ever have my cars overloaded with weight or loaded awkwardly so that it’s heavier once side. Any ideas what could be causing this? Freaky coincidence? Dumb user error?

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I finally got all my parts for my new aquarium together! But… initially I was going for a ten gallon tank and decided to go with 20. I ordered a 20 pound bag of sand for the 10 gallons. I finally have all my parts and want to start right away tomorrow but am second guessing now on having 1 inch substrate. I am getting back into having an aquarium so I will not be having any live plants at the moment. After cycling I want 4-6 cories, snail, 2-3 killi or guppies. Should I order an additional 20 pound bag of the same sand and delay a few days? Also any tips on rinsing products before I assemble the tank would be appreciated (especially the sand). I heard 5 gallon buckets work good. If I ever decided to have live plants would I need a thicker substrate? How would I add more sand to an established tank? Thank you!

Just got chapter 3 finished. For this spring, I'm going to be aiming for a chapter every couple of weeks until my workload eases this summer. This is partly due to scheduling in other areas of life, but also because I'm aiming for fewer chapters but with a longer average word count. Good news is this gives me more time to bang out some of the details so hopefully I'll put that to good use.
As always, this story is available to read on fanfiction and AO3 with the links to the current chapter below:
Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14198757/3/Land-of-the-North-Wind
AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45067345/chapters/115658854
Recruited
While the days were quickly getting shorter, the sun was still in the sky far more often than not. It would be weeks until the equinox and then from there the north country would start getting colder, and colder, and colder still until the land more resembled a glacier than the rolling hills. Shadow was the first to rise, having enjoyed a well-earned rest on the first soft bed in weeks. Getting fully dressed, Shadow took a minute to look out from the back window of the room. Above the walls in the far distance rose those mountains. They looked similar and yet so very different from the forested mountains of home in her youth.
“Get out of here, you’ve caused enough trouble.” The words came back to her as a bad memory, one she had tried to shake countless times. But even the slightest hint of home would bring those cutting last words of her family back to her. The cause was all over her body, the black fur and the hints of even blacker spots covered every inch of skin.
“But I didn’t do it…” Those were her last words to her mother and siblings. There was no goodbye, no “I love you.” Just stern faces and weapons at the ready. It had been five long years since that fateful day, no one would have guessed how far Shadow would travel since then, not even her. But, like Connor, Shadow sensed that being out here was a chance to start over. No guilds, no templar, just people curious and cautious of some strange outsiders. She’d always need to be careful, just like any keidran, but with the right connections she’d be as safe as anyone. Especially if Connor joined the city guard. Speaking of the gathering in the great hall was going to start soon.
“Hey guys, it’s time!” Shadow said, loud enough to wake everyone but still with a gentle tone. Connor groaned and, after ruffling Asher’s hair, stretched his arms and legs in bed. All that walking and riding was catching up with him now, and he could feel the tight muscles complaining about having to move yet again. Liz was quick to rise, having slept like a rock half the day. Asher was the most sluggish, the poor kid just wanted to sleep in. But, without warning, Connor was quick to scoop him up off the bed and put Asher down on his feet. The basitin wobbled on unsteady legs that weren’t ready to bear their weight, but Connor propped him up while fetching the kid’s shirt and jumper so that he could get dressed. Zephyr, just like a cat, got up from her spot on the window sill, the sun having moved on from where she fell asleep.
“So what are we doing?” Liz asked, rubbing eyes while fetching her jacket.
“There’s a meeting in the great hall and I thought we ought to go over there and get to know some of our new neighbors. Also, I’ve been thinking about a work offer and should follow up on it.”
“Really? And what is it?” Liz questioned.
Connor walked over to the corner and picked up his father’s sword, unsheathing it slightly to see the glinting steel exposed from its home inside the scabbard.
“Sam, Gerrick’s son, said I should join the town guard.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Asher said, finally awake enough to be listening.
“It’s a lot safer than being on the sea, and it pays more than a lot of the labor around here. Besides, especially in the winter there can’t possibly be that many hazards to worry about.”
“Well, if you think that’s the right thing, I guess I can’t argue. We’re going to need money to buy supplies for winter.” Liz said.
“My thoughts exactly.” Shadow added. “Besides, I’ve seen Connor in action, your brother can handle himself.”
“Oh come now Shadow, I’m far from being a confident fighter.”
“What about that guy in the fighting pits?”
“The what?” Liz asked. She hadn’t heard all the details yet.
“Shadow! You know I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Connor, you were in a fighting pit?”
“Uh… yeah. Like I was saying earlier Liz, it’s a very long story and not all of it is pleasant. Look, if we’re all ready, we had better get going.”
Tightening the sword’s belt around his waist, Connor donned his long black cloak and followed everyone out of the inn and into the street. The citizens were indeed making their way over to the great hall. Well, a lot of people anyway, plenty of others couldn’t care less. Following the crowd, Connor made sure that everyone stayed together, even grabbing Asher’s hand so that he wouldn’t get lost in the crowd.
Walking through the giant wooden doors, they all looked up to a hall lined with chandeliers made of caribou antler and brass candle holders. In the middle was a long, raging fire in a pit extending most of the length of the main room. The place reeked of smoke and sweat, but the seat of power was unmistakable. At the far end of the room, on a platform, were several well-built chairs behind a long table. Older folks were seated along the large tables that extended the length of the room while others stood. Shadow found everyone a spot to watch about halfway down the hall and near one of the large supports.
“I can’t see anything!” Asher exclaimed with frustration. Looking down, Connor rolled his eyes before hoisting the kid up onto his shoulders to watch.
“Better?”
“Much better, thank you.”
“Alright, but I can’t do that forever. You’re heavier than you look.”
“Are you calling me fat?” Asher teased.
“No, but you are growing up quick, so enjoy the view while you can.”
Almost as if on cue, men came out from a back room and took their places along the fancy chairs behind the big table. After all were sat down, the one on the right, but closest to the wooden throne, stood and held up his hands. At once, people began to quiet down. Then the Jarl came out from the back room. He wasn’t dressed as nicely as Connor would have thought. His clothes weren’t much different from the commoners, just a little better quality and with some muted colors.
For a moment, the Jarl paused to look out at his people before sitting down with one arm gripping each of the throne’s armrests. He wasn’t particularly old, perhaps in his thirties. Hair with just slightest hints of grey hung down to meet a beard that was several inches long. Winter was approaching and this apparently was the look of most men. Upon taking a good look at the crowd gathered, the Jarl began to speak.
“Harald, glad to see you could make it in time.” The Jarl greeted one of his friends, who raised a cup to his lord. “And Evan, how is your father?”
“He is improving, my lord.”
“Very good, be sure to send him my regards. Now then, lawspeaker, what is our agenda tonight?”
The man to his right cleared his throat before speaking out in a booming voice. “My lord, we are here to discuss preparations for winter.”
“Excellent. Do we have any news from the port on supplies?”
One of the freemen in the crows stood up. “The harbor master has informed me that there will be two more ships that are scheduled to arrive in the next month, and after that there’s no guarantee that the river will remain open to the coast.”
“We’ll have to put together some able-bodied men who can run the river then. It’s going to be a harsh one, just as my father predicted before his passing. Callow will need all the supplies we can muster.” The Jarl said, issuing his decision.
“Very good, my lord” the lawspeaker said. “Gerrick, I trust that you can assemble the necessary men and boats?”
Gerrick then stepped out so that he could be better seen. “Yes, my lord. So long as the weather holds, this should be a fairly simple task.”
The Jarl nodded, “then make it so, Captain. What is next?”
Another man stood up in the crowd to address the assembly, but waited to speak until the lawspeaker acknowledged him. “My lord, us loggers have been having a wolf problem.”
“Oh? And what is the nature of this problem?”
“You see, my lord, the local snow wolves say that we haven’t been abiding by our treaties. No one has been hurt yet, but they don’t want us venturing further into the forest.”
“This will have to be addressed when the representatives of the Snow Wolf clans arrive in a few days. Until then, are you going to need security to carry out your tasks?”
“No, my lord. We’ve cut about as many trees as we can handle before winter, so it is just a matter of processing what we already have. I should be able to keep my men out of trouble by telling the wolves that this is all the timber we’ll need to stay warm this winter.”
“Good, but that will only be a temporary fix. Lawspeaker, I’ll need to see those treaty documents again before our guests have arrived.”
The lawspeaker was quick to nod in understanding at the Jarl’s command and satisfied the logging foreman sat down. Opening the floor up for others to speak, a mining boss stood up to fill the void.
“Winston, any news from the mines?” the Jarl asked.
“Yes, my lord. This summer we hit a new vein of iron that we’ve been able to trace. It seems to go under the river and into Ditter’s Ridge. The problem is we won’t be able to access the iron from our current mine entrances, so next spring we are going to need permission from the wolves to expand into that section of land.”
“I think we can get that done; those wolves don’t seem too attached to the ridge.”
“Of course, my lord. But if we start mining this new vein, we are going to need even more timber and labor next spring.”
“And I’m sure that can be arranged, Winston. Did you have anything else to report.”
“Yes sir, it is with great sadness that I have to announce an accident in the mine two days ago cost us a dozen lives and made several weeks of work for my men. The families have all been notified of the loss.”
The crowd’s energy cooled at this news. It seemed the lost men were well-known by many people. The Jarl picked up on this.
“That was indeed a tragedy, Winston, but I know you and your men did all you could to get them out. Give me the names of the families after the meeting and I’ll see to it that our treasurer is able to give them compensation and supplies to make it through the winter. When spring comes, we’ll be sure to add onto the memorial.”
Connor was somewhat surprised by this. He hadn’t heard of a king, or even a local lord for that matter, taking such steps for people in the throes of grief. If only one such lord had been in Maine. As each member of the assembly spoke of their news, Connor noticed Gerrick and they locked eyes. A smile formed across the man’s face, and he nodded in approval for Connor.
Liz was watching the meeting from a few feet away when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Turning her head, she smiled to see Sam standing there right behind her. In a hushed voice, she said “hello.”
“Liz, right?”
“Yeah.”
“The name is Sam.”
“You were that guard looking at me earlier when I rode into town, aren’t you.”
Sam looked down trying not to show his embarrassment. “Yes, sorry about that. It’s just, we don’t get a lot of outsiders around here, especially not a proper lady like yourself.”
“Well now, I wouldn’t say I’m exactly proper. You know Connor is my brother, right?”
“Oh yes. I hope he and I will be fast friends.”
“Well, you should probably know, he’s a bit overprotective of his kin. Long story, maybe he’ll tell you some time.”
“I’m certain, Liz, that your brother wants you to build a life here. That’s going to include courting a boy or two.”
“And is that why you’re here Sam, to court me?” Liz asked with a hint of sass in her voice.
“Oh, well, I wouldn’t call it that. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I just—”
“I never said I didn’t like it, Sam. Just want to give you enough warning to do things the right way if you want me to give you a chance.”
“So, what is the ‘right way’? I’m a little new to this.”
“Like this…” Liz then reached in a pecked Sam’s cheek, blood rushing to the boy’s face. He couldn’t even muster a word.
“Come see me at the inn sometime. I certainly don’t need my brother’s permission.”
“Oh, okay then. Well, I suppose I’ll see you soon.”
Liz winked at Sam as he disappeared into the crowd. She then looked over to see that Connor hadn’t noticed any of that conversation. He was too focused on the meeting. Oh, but Shadow noticed. She gave Liz a nod and a wink, so at least the only other girl in the family had her back.
Connor was starting to let his mind drift when he saw Gerrick step forward.
“My lord, there was one last piece of business to discuss, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh? Then go-ahead Gerrick, please speak.”
“We had some new visitors today.”
“We get visitors all the time Gerrick, so what about them?”
“Well, I guess I should call them residents. A new family has joined our town, Connor, could you please step forward?”
This took Connor by surprise, but he did as he was asked. Taking Asher off his shoulders and making sure Shadow had a hold of him, Connor stepped through all the people and between two of the long tables until he was visible to the whole room. He was nervous, having all this attention on him. But the Jarl smiled as Connor gave a small bow to show respect, not quite knowing the proper etiquette.
“So, this young man is Connor?”
“Y-yes, my lord.”
“Hey, you’re okay, please don’t be afraid. If Gerrick is correct, you plan on being part of this community anyway. Is your father here?”
“He… I’m sorry to say, my lord, but my father died.”
“Oh? Your mother then?”
“She… she has passed as well.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Connor. So who are you with.”
“Well, my lord, I’ve come here with my sister, Liz, my keidran friend, Shadow, a basitin named Asher, and my dragon, Zephyr.”
The crowd went silent for a moment before everyone burst with laughter. The Jarl wasn’t as amused though.
“Now boy, it’s rude to lie to your lord, you’re old enough to know that. Now, who are you actually here with?”
“He speaks the truth.” Gerrick confirmed, motioning for the rest of the family to step forward. Sure enough, Liz, Shadow, and Asher stepped toward the roaring fire in the middle of the hall while Liz flew down from the rafters and landed on Connor’s shoulder. The assembly gasped and gawked at this unlikely band of friends.
The Jarl was slack jawed for a moment before coming back to reality. “So, you are telling the truth. You have a basitin and a dragon with you?”
“Yes, my lord. Asher here, the basitin, I adopted him after the ship we were on sank in a storm. We’ve come up here so that he could be with other basitin. And Zephyr, well, she was an egg stored on that ship.”
Zephyr’s eyes glowed before jumping to the rim of the fire and bowing to the Jarl, instantly connecting everyone’s mind with her innate magic. “Yes, my lord, I am the last daughter of Nora.” The resemblance and visions were enough to convince everyone in the room. Some held their heads as the vision ended, not in pain, but because the unfamiliar intrusion.
“What? I-I didn’t know dragons could do that.”
“Apologies, my lord.” Connor said while shooting Zephyr a stern look. “She didn’t mean to cause discomfort, that’s just how dragons communicate… apparently.”
“I see. And this dragon, Zephyr, is yours? Like a pet?”
“No, my lord, of course not. She merely wanted to continue traveling with my party so that she could learn more about the world. Like Nora, she seems quite interested in humanity.”
“Well, anyways, on behalf of everyone here, welcome to Callow. We certainly are not strangers to oddities. If there is anything you need of me, you need only to ask.”
“Well, my lord, there is one thing.” Connor then motioned for his family to melt back into the crowd. “I am in need of employment, and as you can see, I have several mouths to feed. Captain Gerrick’s son, Sam, said that you could always use more people for the town guard.”
“Gerrick, can you confirm this?” the lawspeaker asked while looking at the captain of the guard.
“Yes, sir! My son tells me he’s a good lad. And just look at him, he’s young and strong, quite trainable, and he’s even brought his own sword.” Gerrick then pointed at the long scabbard hanging from Connor’s hip.
“May I see the blade, Connor?” The Jarl asked.
The teen did as he was instructed and removed the sword from its sheath before gently holding it out in front of him across both of his hands, then kneeling at the foot of the throne, sword held high above his head. The Jarl slowly got up from his seat and stepped down the stairs before gently taking up the sword in his own hands. The Jarl admired the blade in the dim light, running his fingers down it.
“This is a very fine blade, young man. How did you come across it?”
Connor looked up at his new lord, “It was my father’s, sir. He was a man-at-arms in his younger years.”
“Then perhaps service of this kind runs in the family. Go ahead Connor, bow your head down and don’t move.”
Connor felt the cold steel of the blade gently tap his head followed by his right and left shoulders. He then saw the lord’s hand extend down to his face.
“Kiss the ring, child, and you’ll declare your loyalty to me and this town.”
Connor gently grabbed the Jarl’s hand and kissed the ring.
“Rise up lad. What was your full name?”
“It’s Ulstad sir, Connor Ulstad.”
“Then by the powers invested in me as Jarl of Callow, I hereby make you, Connor Ulstad, a member of the town guard. Now, go back to your family and see Gerrick after the meeting.”
“Thank you, my lord, I won’t disappoint.”
“I have every confidence you’ll make a fine guardsman, now take your father’s blade and run along.”
The assembly then began to slam their fists on tables and clap. It was a basic ceremony, but it wasn’t common to have such a thing in the middle of a town meeting like this. Usually it was only with the lord, the captain of the guard, and a handful of others present. Once back with his family, Connor could barely stand. Just like that, he was hired as a guardsman.
The meeting was over soon after. First the Jarl stood up and exited, followed by his counsel. Next, the freemen and the elderly were allowed to exit, then everyone else. Walking out into the brisk night, Gerrick called Connor’s name. With a nod, Connor let Shadow escort Liz and Asher back to the tavern while Zephyr opted to stay perched on the teen’s shoulder.
“You made the right decision Connor. We’ll find permanent quarters for your kin, and you’ll get paid both with money and food.”
“Thank you, sir, I can’t begin to pay you back for this opportunity.”
“Do your best, boy, and you’ll pay me back a hundred times over. Now then, get a good night’s rest after your travels, and come by mid-morning tomorrow. We’ll start training you immediately and we’ll get you fitted with basic armor and weaponry.”
“Again, thank you sir. Would you mind of Zephyr joined?”
“Of course not. A dragon would be a great honorary addition to the guard. You should bring your sword too. I can tell you don’t have much experience with that one.”
“No sir, I don’t. In fact, most of my skill is in the bow, and even then, it’s just good enough to hunt.”
“Not to worry, lad, we’ll get you into fighting shape and give you some proper tools. Now go on and be with your family. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The sun rose early, far earlier than Connor would have liked. Still, he was up and out of the inn with Zephyr by his side, taking care to be quiet as a mouse so as to not wake up the others. Strolling down to the great hall. As per Sam’s instructions, Connor found the headquarters for the town guard and walked in to find that Gerrick was already going about his work for the day.
“Ah, Connor! You’re here early, I like the spirit lad! Now then, follow me and I’ll see to it that you have all the equipment you need, then you’ll start your training.”
Following Gerrick, Connor found himself in the armory. Boiled leather, wool, and chainmail. The bitter cold would make any plate armor a death sentence for the wearer. A belt and a seax were also provided. All the clothing gave the teen’s lean frame more weight, though there were certainly pockets of space where muscles would eventually fill in. The armorer offered Connor a sword, but he opted instead to keep his father’s blade.
Paperwork, and signing a new contract followed. Connor made sure to read every word to ensure that no one from his family would be taken to be worked in his place should he ever die. Afterward was another tour, but this time pointing out all the defensive structures, the locations of supply stashes in case of attacks, the station that Connor would man in case of a siege, and where everything was inside the guard buildings. Finally at the end of all the tedious work, Gerrick brought Connor up to the wall to shadow Sam.
“Connor, you remember Sam?”
“Of course sir!” The teen shot a hand to shake his new colleague.
“Glad to see you in uniform Connor! It suits you.”
“Well… I’ll get used to it I suppose. Not used to wearing armor much.”
Another guard cleared his throat, which made Sam realize he was forgetting someone.
“Oh yes, and this here is Smith. His family came here a few months ago and, like you, he chose to take the cloak.”
“Smith, eh? Where did you come from in Mekkan, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Riverton, sir.”
“No shit? I’m from Maine, myself. Just across the strait. And by the way, the name’s Connor, not sir.”
“Sure thing, I think we’ll get along just fine.”
“Indeed.”
“With pleasantries out of the way,” Sam said, “it’s time we start the route.”
“Don’t let me keep you boys.” Said Gerrick as he excused himself.
“Alright Sam, so what are we doing here?”
“Connor, what we are going to be doing is patrolling the walls. We’ll spend an hour on top of the wall, and hour outside the wall, and an hour inside. A total shift is twelve hours, and we do a full week in four days. Think you can handle it?”
“Well, my last job was 16 hours every day on the sea, so I’m just happy to be on solid ground this time.”
“Just wait until winter comes…” Smith said. Of course, he and Connor both knew that being near the coast afforded them a childhood of wet, but mild winters. Out here on the tundra it would be different. Their shift would continue for hours. Mostly, they sat in silence as befitting of guards tasked with keeping the town safe and peaceful. Of course, the occasional joke or short conversation would come up. Finally, as the sun was settling toward the western horizon, two guards came to relieve the trio.
“Alright gentlemen, back to the guard house.” Sam said to his two newer colleagues.
“Oh man, I can’t wait to get out of this armor.” Smith said with relief in his voice.
“You know Smith, you don’t have to wear every piece of armor you get issued. Connor over here is doing things right.”
“What do you mean?” Connor asked, mildly confused. After all, he had only worn what he was told to.
“The chainmail and wool makes for a far more comfortable shift than wearing thick plate armor. We typically just use that stuff when under attack.”
“Under attack? By whom?”
Sam explained, “The wolves, of course. In the early days, my dad said that the first settlers here would come under attack by the local snow wolves. It makes sense if you ask me, I’d be kind of pissed too if someone just decided to make my backyard their home.”
“Yeah, but we haven’t had problems lately.” Smith was quick to point out.
“True, but that was because Tostig’s father, the previous Jarl of Callow, brokered peace and made treaties. Just between us fellas, Tostig has been ignoring his father’s advice. The snow wolves are already mad about all the timber we’ve been harvesting and the new iron mines going up.”
“Really? I haven’t noticed a lot of tension.” Connor replied.
“I’m surprised, I would think you of all people would be able to feel the tension in the air.” Sam said.
“How so?”
“Well, you’re the only one of us who hangs out with a keidran. Heck, you seem to treat her like an equal. Most of the keidran in Callow are either laborers or slaves, only the snow wolves are free. They aren’t stupid you know, those wolves know that if humans gain too much of a foothold, it will be game over for them too.”
“I see. I guess that explains why so many of the town-folk were looking at Shadow when we rode in. She is a free keidran. I’m not her master, nor her employer. I’ll have to start paying more attention.”
“Best not let that fall on the wrong ears, Connor. There are some slavers out here too.”
“Smith is right, though I’m sure Shadow will be fine as long as she stays with your kin. The slavers are going after stray wolves mostly. That said, it’s especially important to pay attention to the snow wolves that come here to trade. While Tostig hasn’t told the guard to spy on visitors, we’re the eyes and ears of the town. If there is something brewing, we need to know about it.”
“Noted. Well, looks like we’re back at HQ.”
“Finally! I’m ready for a good ale after hiking around in all this armor.”
“Then let’s head in guys.” Sam led the way, motioning for Smith and Connor to follow. Gerrick was inside and ending his shift as well when his son and two recruits came inside.
“Ah, right on time lads! Connor, how was your first shift?”
“Uneventful sir, but I’m grateful to be stationed with a couple of decent guys.”
“Very good. You and Smith will be doing weapons training tomorrow before joining Sam, so I hope you two rest up tonight.”
“Yes sir!” Both teens replied.
“Oh, and Smith, why are you wearing so much armor?”
“I was, uh… I guess I just overdressed.”
“Well, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but you’re going to give yourself a heart attack if you try to lug all that around when winter comes. Just use mail and padding like the rest of us, okay?”
“Yes, sir…” Smith said before the trio walked passed Gerrick and headed to the armory to turn in their gear for the night. Truth be told, Connor was exhausted. Sure, he had rode and walked all the way across the continent with family in tow, but he didn’t have to wear sixty pounds of gear. Once out of his armor, Connor bid farewell to his two colleagues and made his way back to Anna Marie’s.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a large uv lamp to use for my uv resin?? I use a nail one so it’s about 8 inches x 5 inches. It was great when I didn’t have much orders but it’s been SO time consuming using it lately and having to do 20+ orders at once. Thanks in advance!

It’s been a couple months now that I’ve been trapped in this complex. The rules here are simple and few, but there’s a lot more lessons here than anything else. Countless unspoken knowledge of this place and its residents. One of the few lessons that I’ve learned is that a lot of things in here have almost a polar opposite or even an equal. Winthorp and the complex, Him and Her and the elevator and the stairs to list a few. I’ve noticed that my room moves from time to time. At first it was simple. Room #224, second floor, 12th door on the right when I first got here. Days later it was further down and a few days after that it was on the left side. Rooms near mine that matched the number sequence have changed from mixing and adding numbers to also adding letters and now sometimes display a text I can’t comprehend or something else altogether after the complex got comfortable with me.
I’ve also learned that the elevator seems to be friendly. It will always bring you to the floor where your room is despite it traveling around. The buttons in the elevator sometimes change from a standard elevator panel to displaying my unknown neighbors gibberish languages or even changing control panels entirely. The elevator’s interior is caged in a gold metal framework with a red and gold intertwining pattern carpet to match the hotel hallways that never change. However, no matter what button you press it will always bring you to the floor your room is on. I noticed this when I accidently pressed floor 20 instead of 22 when my room decided to ascend 20 floors up after a couple weeks in. Yet, when the doors opened to my mistaken early floor I saw my room number just a few doors down on the left. I thought I was mistaken until I entered and surely enough it was my room. Back when it housed a normal standard 1 queen mattress hotel room. Before I was punished for my destructive mental breakdown and given an empty trashed room.
The stairs however were not as kind as the elevator. I made the mistake of taking the stairs once to get in some form of cardio since my entrapment. I knew something was wrong when I noticed on what should have been floor 11 and 12, there weren't even doors. I went up a couple more floors and saw either random locked doors that didn’t match or more blank corners. I had enough and turned back to go back to floor 1 to leave. I was already somehow on the bottom floor just after running 2 flights back down. The ground floor’s door has also changed into a medieval time door with interlocking chains and a big padlock in the center holding them all together. I began cursing at myself. It was at this point that I remembered something Winthorp said when I first checked into this place.
I was given 2 keys and a garnet colored leather book when I first checked into this place. A dirty old gold key that was for my room and my room alone and a bright shiny new silver key that opens everything else, I was told. At first I thought this meant a closet, cabinets, side room or any other doo lock in my room, but after a few days I noticed there weren’t any other locks for this other key in my room. I always kept both keys linked on a key reel and on me just in case, but left the book in my room since it was filled with blank pages anyways. I took out the silver key and went to try it on the padlock, but when I looked up it was gone. I heard what sounded like a jingle of some kind echoing down from floors above. I looked up through the center gap in between the flights of stairs and saw that they seemingly go up infinitely. I stared up and could barely see what looked like someone looking down at me from about 20 floors up.
I suddenly felt my right foot drop a foot or less and looked down to notice there’s more floors beneath me now that also descend what looked infinitely. I heard the jingle again and turned back up and saw that whatever was looking down at me is now already a few floors lower. I got a better look at it from this distance. It looked like someone wearing a jester's cap. It leaned back out of sight and peaked out again to look back down like it descended 4 floors down in what felt like moments. Its face was loose and saggy like it was wearing it to pretend to be human. Its makeup is thrown on randomly and dripped down from the excess application. That jingling noise were bells that tipped the hat’s extensions. I descended the stairs as fast as I could. Desperate to find the next door. That’s when I heard its laughter. It was deep and loud like a talking child's toy with dead batteries. I can hear it getting closer and closer as I ran as fast as possible. At one point the stairs shifted to spiral in the reverse pattern to throw me off.
A few floors after that it shifted again to be ascending instead of descending and I fell face first onto the square cut stone steps. With my face and nose now bleeding I continued running up the steps on all fours when I saw a big red wooden door and had no time to hesitate. I grasped the handle and turned to see if it was locked and in that second I felt it was I already had the silver key heading for the key hole with my opposite hand. The stairwell jester was just a floor or two below me now and I could hear that deep echoing laugh and jingling rounding the stairwell behind me when I got the door open. I turned to slam the door in its face. Its limbs were as long as a man on stilts. It had 6 long limbs. Each with giant hands that had too many long fingers. It’s draped in an old clown's costume that seemed to be made for it. I can see now that it is in fact wearing a decrepit human’s face like a mask and its real face is too far in to be seen in the dim lights.
When I caught my breath to continue on I noticed that I’m not in what I was expecting to be a hallway in the complex, but what looked like a classic kid’s entertainment center. A warehouse sized building with brightly colored decor, furniture and a massive playground for kids that takes up about half of the building and is even connected to the ceiling to maximize the space. Long tables and chairs that can seat several large sized kids parties are covered in old moldy pizzas and cakes from being abandoned. The playground had long plastic windowed tubes and ball pits with trails of what looked like old dried up blood being dragged into them. My suspicions of this were confirmed when I saw the colored carpets had finger nail drag marks following the blood stains. There were so many drag marks. The plastic air filled balls in the pit began to shift.
Like something breaching the surface of water the balls parted towards the edge in my direction. Hard plastic slaps from something deep inside the giant tubes can also be heard in unison. I began running in the opposite direction towards a revolving door I can see in the distance that looked like an exit. Several Carnival-like music played loudly over each other behind me as I tripped over a pulled up rug. I turned back while getting up to see emerging from the ball pit, exiting the tubes and some already in full sprint behind me were old furry childrens animatronics of different animal and themed variety. Like a zoo from hell itself they were all pushing and running over each other to get to me. Each either playing its own music or shouting their own individual catchphrases and slogans. They’re covered in dried blood and missing patches of fur from most likely their victims desperately fighting back. I began running again towards the revolving door in the distance. If it wasn’t for their personal greed, one of them would’ve easily caught me due to their colossal sizes.
The revolving door’s windows were replaced with mirrors and I could see they weren’t far behind me in the reflection. I looked around quickly to find the lock. The horde was gaining on me fast. A giant dark brown animatronic beaver reached me first and desperately tried chomping hard at me. Its big head and arm got wedged in the door’s frame. I saw the keyhole in the center of the revolving door and turned my key inside of it, but the beaver’s big mechanical head and arm were stopping me from turning my exit. I tried kicking its face away aiming for the big cold dead plastic eyes and in my panic I missed on my 3rd kick and threw my leg into its maw stupidly. Its metal buck teeth took the opportunity and bit down hard on my mid shin. Immediately shattering my bone in two and pulled. My calf muscles tried to desperately keep my leg together. I was holding onto the handles on the revolving door tightly when the beaver was violently pulled back by a goliath sized green gorilla animatronic and took everything below my right knee with it. They began fighting like starving beasts.
Luckily I was leaning back on the revolving door and when the beaver was pulled away I fell back and through my exit. There was no more sound of carnival music or cheesy catchphrases with a murderous spin on them anymore. With no time to waste I was bleeding out fast and my body was still in shock so I couldn’t feel the pain, yet. I took off my shirt and tore it into long bands and tied my thigh as tight as I could. After the first tight makeshift bandage I did that 3 more times to try and stop the bleeding as best as I could. I heard a loud snap through the silence nearby and turned to my right. That’s when I noticed my surroundings. I seemed to be deep inside a heavy forested area. Sunlight is blocked by the tall foliage filled trees making it dark, but not unseeable. Like a well moonlit night.
Another snap was heard behind me and I saw something lean back behind a tree to hide from my view. I was looking around in panic when I noticed that the revolving door was also gone. I was surrounded by nothing but thick heavy forest and its occupants. Of course, I finally escape the complex and I die by being handicapped in a predator filled forest. I gave up and yelled for whatever was out there to come get me. There’s no way I can win or get out of this. My screams were a mix of impatience, sadness and anger. I just wanted this to finally be over. In the distance in front of me I can see a figure with glowing white eyes. Like that of a cat's eyes reflecting light. I turned up my wrists and hung my head low to just get this over with when suddenly I got asked if I’m okay.
I confusingly asked, what, and looked up. There in front of me was a small man wearing a long fur and leather trench coat and a cornucopia on his head. The man had tired sunken circles around his eyes and was pale from the lack of sunlight. I was stunned at the sighting of another person. Even if it was some whacko hermit. I rambled on like a madman about what I just went through in sobs. The stairwell, the clown man, the bloody playroom, me losing my leg and the complex I just escaped from. The man then stopped and corrected me. I was still in The Pandemonium Complex. This was a tenant and I was in his room. A part of me died again almost as soon as I saw hope. I told the thing to just kill me. I was in his room after all. I give up.
He reached inside of his coat and started pulling out whatever he was going to use to end me. I closed my eyes and held my head down again in defeat. He held something in front of my face and told me to eat it. It looked like an old dried up orange and purple striped pepper. Whatever this was, I didn't care anymore. Anything to just end me and my misery. I ate the strange fruit and my right thigh burned with intense pain. My right thigh got twice as thick and popped the bandages right off from the force. I held my prized pumpkin sized thigh in pain and something shot out. I screamed and cursed the thing that was torturing me only for me to suddenly realize that I can wiggle my right toes again. I looked down and saw a mucus covered leg that matched my old leg perfectly. My face was no longer cut and bruised.
I looked back up at the tenant and thanked him. He told me it was a ghurotabia (gor-o-ta-bae) fruit. He’s had it for a few years and was saving it for emergencies since it is extremely rare. It can heal and luckily humans are extremely simple in biology compared to his kind. The man introduced himself as Gunter. He was a Fae, an Akras to be exact, but was rejected by his kind. Humans believe Akras to be a single god fae, but they are actually a type of fae that control fertility, turnips, beans, peas, cabbage, flax, and hemp. Gunter however controls wood and summons fruit. I asked if that’s why he was casted out and he corrected and explained it was because he summoned a chunfrue (ch-oon-fru) fruit by accident and left it in a field. A fire fruit that bursts into flames when rotten and accidently burnt down half of the forest. He can summon all fruits, but can’t control which one he summons. It’s random, but luckily he has knowledge of all the fruits and wood he sees and knows which ones are safe to eat.
After testing my new leg and standing up I thanked him for his kindness again and asked where the exit was. He stopped me and told me nothing is free to the fae and he needs my help in return for healing my leg and eating his extremely rare fruit. Of course I should've known. Gunter has actually been trapped in his own room for many years. At first his room was an open field with a few trees, but the complex gave him a packed forest over the years and accidentally turned his room’s door into one of these trees. Creating a new door isn’t the problem. Gunter controls wood and can just make a new door, no matter how many times he tries the door is always locked. When he first arrived in the complex Winthorp gave him 2 things. A travel box full of assorted toothpicks with different types of wood and a key made of an unknown dead vine. I asked to see his key and it was the size of a grown man’s hand. It was woven together in dead vines and didn’t resemble a key in the slightest, but was told it was. Even Gunter said he doesn’t know what this vine is or anyone he’s ever asked when he was free. It never even worked on his room’s door so he always left it unlocked and barely anything in the complex is stupid enough to enter another’s room willingly.
Gunter also said leaving your door unlocked can stop it from moving around the complex wildly which is a big plus. I told him about my silver key and how I got here. I then asked him to turn one of these trees into a door so we could leave. He refused and said he can control wood, but will never harm a living thing. How would you feel if someone who controls flesh and blood turned you into a door? He explained. I apologized for any offense and asked what we should do. He pulled out the box of toothpicks and before my eyes took one out and kept pulling on it. Pulling and shaping it over and over like it was clay until before us was a red oak colored door with frame and vine patterns. I was in awe and told him that was amazing. He blushed a little at my compliment and unconvincingly told me to stop. I put my key inside and turned. We opened the door and stepped forward confidently towards our freedom. What we stepped into though was nothing but complete darkness.
The room we stepped inside of was almost fully black. Skies darker than anything I’ve ever seen before, like vantablack. A night sky with two yellowish moons and stars spaced out varying in shapes and shines, but nothing illuminated below them. We looked around but all we could see was the light coming from Gunter’s room behind us illuminating our backs. Then suddenly complete darkness. Just like the revolving door in Gunter’s room our exit was gone. As we turned around a blue rippling wave flowed away from our steps. The little light from Gunter’s room must’ve hidden this when we stepped in. The floor had about just a half an inch of this liquid that held some kind of bioluminescence algae. Every step made a small wave and lit the floor around us with a bright blue. Gunter giggled at this beauty and danced in the lit up water. He lightly tapped and laughed for just a moment of happiness before I put my hand on his shoulder and quietly told him to stop. We were not alone.
The waves kept flowing away from us into an endless void and in the distance were figures also standing in the shallow waters. The blue light wave continues and with it more and more differently shaped figures become visible by the light. Some tall, some short, some humanoids and some creatures I’ve never seen before. They all stood motionless looking up into the night’s sky. More and more became visible. Features were still unknown due to the darkness, but outlines of the things were displayed by the bioluminescence. When the second round of waves hit their feet they twitched, then on the third they moved slightly, the fourth caught their full attention. One seemed familiar to me and I hope I was wrong. We need to leave, I told Gunter. Make another door, now! The waves of Gunter’s dance from earlier displayed a familiar figure in the distance. A tall white skin reflected the light more than the rest. An apex predator, with rotten features, few thinning long hairs and big clouded eyes with no eyelids. That’s when I looked up and noticed.
Those moons are cracked with red and the few stars begin moving in unison towards each other into place under the moons. Waves of the bioluminescent water flowed toward us. The creatures in the distance began their approach. The familiar figure is exactly what I thought it was, a wendigo and a familiar one at that. I screamed at Gunter to hurry and make another door. He was already pulling and forming one as we spoke. I looked up into the sky and the stars formed their place while the moons began to turn towards each other. Looking closer I noticed the stars in the sky were actually teeth. All from a different thing. The moons had big spots of black that were turning completely around. Blacker than anything I’ve seen before, but I have seen this before. The teeth formed into a familiar smile that almost went on forever and The sky looked down at us. We were inside her room. We were inside of Her.
Her victims were slow at first and started getting faster towards our direction till they were charging at us. The floor was bright with blue light as her army stampede towards her trespassers. Gunter yells, done! I turned towards our exit and put my key in and turned. We jumped through not knowing where we were going, but anywhere is better than here. Gunter barely slammed the door behind us in time.
We were completely submerged in deep fresh water. We held our breaths and the water was so clear that we were able to look around easily. Once again, no door in sight, but we were somehow in what looked like a deep ocean. I know better than to think that though. Gunter swims towards me and gets close. He pulls out another toothpick and starts his craft again. This time he makes a small boat and we both hold on as we begin to rise. We both look down and see something massive and long below in the depths. Deep enough to not be fully illuminated by the light, but massive enough to look like it was a giant sea creature just a few feet away. We breach the surface and both of us gasp for air. We turned the boat over and got on. Gotta love cedar, Gunter jests. Gunter rubs his bald head and then suddenly starts looking around the boat desperately for something. He reaches over and from the waterside yells, Ah ha!, holding up his cornucopia and plops it back on his bald pale head with a big satisfied smile. We look around at this seemingly endless ocean. How big are these damn rooms?! I yell. Turns out some of these rooms can be on a planetary scale for some of its tenants, Gunter explains.
I asked Gunter if he knows where we are and he says he thinks he knows this tenant. A Kraken named, he then made a series of clicks and screeches. Apparently a Kraken is a massive squid octopus hybrid that has the body of an octopus, but the head of a squid giving them 16-18 limbs in total. It can be the size of an island if it wanted to or as small as the wolfi octopus. They can fly as well as they can swim, but prefer the cold dark depths. They can communicate telepathically, but if it does while it’s too big it can scramble a basic brain. The one he knows is nice by nature and could maybe help us get home. The artificial ocean we were floating on was as calm as a glass of water and the only waves emanated were from our boat. Gunter looked over the boat and into the depths while I scanned the surface. I saw a human shaped figure that was far out, but close enough to make out some features if I squint. Is that…? I whisper. This caught Gunter’s attention. That’s Winthorp! Unmistakable, straw boat hat and all. I yell out to him again and again while waving. He must be here to take us back to the complex. Why else would he be here? I thought.
It was Gunter this time to put his hand on my shoulder and quietly tell me to stop. He was wrong. This wasn’t The Kraken’s room like Gunter originally thought. Not Winthorp started to get closer and fast, but something big was behind him. Something massive that was breaching the ocean sized water was right behind the fake bellhop. Gunter began frantically patting his pockets saying no, no, no over and over again. I watched as the titan got closer and became more visible as it surfaced. A long stem that matched the blue of the sky and ocean was connected to the doppelganger god that bent far and back into the water. I yelled at Gunter to make another door, but he yelled saying he lost his picks. I looked back and breaching the water looked like a colossus angler fish with an eel body that was impossibly long. Massive long sharp translucent teeth the size of steel beams filled its mouth. Its head emerged with many lures that each resemble someone I loved in the past. What the hell is that?! I screamed.
A Leviathan! Gunter answers. I looked down into the water below us and saw Gunter’s picks floating around and away from the boat. I moved as quickly as I could, fishing them out and holding one behind me while using my other hand to fish out as many others as I could. Gunter grabs the one I held behind me and works his magic while I desperately grab any within reach. Waves from the behemoth tenant reached the boat and started pulling the picks away from me. I leaned out to grab more fast while Gunter leaned back on his side to balance the boat. Gunter used his two feet to hold onto my new right foot’s ankle so I didn't fall in, all while forming our escape. I looked up and couldn’t see anything beyond the giant maw of the beast in the water. Its huge ribbed throat had more rows of teeth going in like a funnel of death, like a megamouth shark’s. The boat shifted hard and I looked back to see that Gunter finished. He threw the door into the water and already jumped onto it. I braced myself and jumped, but didn’t take the waves into account and fell deep into the tenant’s watery domain.
I looked back again like a fool only to see we’re pretty much already in the giant's mouth. I looked down into the depths below and saw the teeth rising fast. Suddenly I’m pulled up with ease out of the water and onto the door by Gunter. He slaps me hard and yells, hurry! I pull out my key and shove it into the door’s lock. I turn the lock and knob simultaneously and suddenly we fall through hard. As we fall in gravity shifts towards the new floor and I land hard on my face while Gunter luckily lands hard on his back. We both groan in pain on a grassy bed and begin to laugh at our great escape. Gunter asks how many picks did I save and I hand him the small handful. Not much, I regretfully say. We analyze our new surroundings.
We were just on the side of a stone cut pathway just next to a long staircase. Surrounding us were bright pink and white cherry blossom trees with red spider lilies on the floor. On one side the pathway extends to a blank stone wall. The other goes up the staircase to a red torii. Gunter was in awe when I jokingly asked if we fell into an anime. Of course he didn’t understand the joke. What a waste. I asked if he knew where we were this time. Gunter had no idea. Do you hear that? Gunter asked quietly. I listened and at first I heard nothing, but then it slowly became louder for me to be able to hear. It sounded like a fast drum roll, but with more than one drummer. It became louder and louder. It was coming from up the steps. We looked up towards the torii.
A gigantic semi truck sized noh mask emerged from the top and looked down at us. We were frozen in fear knowing that as fast as that thing emerged there was no way we could run or make another door in time before it caught us. Gunter broke the silence first after a minute with a light, hello and wave. The noh mask went around the torii in an instant and down the 3 story tall flight of stairs in a matter of seconds. We now see what was making that sound from earlier. This thing's body was long and with countless legs of an insect. Its body was a gigantic centipede and moved with the ease of a natural born predator. It eclipsed us in its shadow and stared us down in silence for a minute. It asked in a loud female whisper. Why are you here? I answered and explained it was by accident and we didn’t mean to intrude. Gunter apologized too and told her we were lost and asked if she’d show us the way out.
The tenant looked towards the blank stone wall on the path behind us and explained that she was sealed inside her room by another rival tenant during their petty squabble years ago. Turns out you can’t break rule 5 if you just made something disappear. Can’t damage what’s no there. She can’t leave even if she wanted to and neither shall we. She then asked if we brought tribute. I can see the mandibles inside the mask's mouth and are drooling with hunger. The bulging veins from the giant porcelain mask connect to the insect's exoskeleton pulsate with anticipation. She’s getting impatient for us to say we don’t have an offering.
She is an Omukade and demands something in return for allowing us to breathe in their presence or our souls will be forfeit. Gunter started patting down his person and pulled out a red pear shaped fruit with white swirls from the left inside of his coat. He said no and tossed it back. Reached into the other side and pulled out a black watermelon with orange spots and set it down gently. Definitely not, he states with a yeesh facial expression. The Omukade and I watched him patiently do this a couple times with so many different kinds of fruit that I’ve never seen before. One looked like it was even made of water and another exploded into small pits like a grenade when it hit the ground far behind us. He began pulling from the cornucopia and on the 19th try pulled out a bundle of banana looking fruit that were brown and shriveled like they were old and rotten. Each had 3 red spots that formed into different facial expressions. Perfect, said Gunter with satisfaction.
The Omukade’s eyes became wide and she lunged towards Gunter. Gunter barley pulled back in time and the noh mask’s mouth cracked and split wide open revealing her massive fanged mouth as she ate the bundle of fruit in one bite. A loud audible gulp was heard from her and her neck got wide. The mass inside her traveled downwards inside her deeper and her exoskeleton popped when the mass passed. It looked like a snake eating a big round meal. She let out a sigh and said that it was satisfactory. I asked Gunter what that was and he said I’m better off not knowing. The now full Omukade seemed a lot more patient and asked how we got here since entering or leaving is impossible. We introduced ourselves and asked for her name. She explained Omukade’s don’t have names and if we wish to give her one we may. The way she looked when she ate the fruit reminded me of one of my favorite fighters from a 2-D fighting game I used to play. I named her Mila. Hard to tell, but I think she liked the name.
I let Gunter do the talking and he explained everything from me finding him to now in detail. I tagged in after and explained everything before that. Mila explained that I’m lucky that the stairs only released 1 minor creature and that I even had means to escape. Mila then asked to see our keys since she has knowledge of most artifacts that don’t predate her and we showed them to her. She analyzed them and told Gunter first that she’s never seen his kind of key before and that it must be older than ancient, he then sadly put his key away. Mine however she recognized as a reforged unstable skeleton key that has been reshaped into a common silver house key to put it simply. She explained that my key opens all doors, but what’s on the other side is random. For example, if I use this key even on my room’s door my room will never be the one on the other side. Perfect for a quick escape, but you don’t know if wherever you go next may be worse and seems to be now bound to the complex. There’s a shrine at the top of her room that has a door we could use instead of using another toothpick, but we’d just be gambling again.
She also asked to look at the golden room key that was also on the key ring. She stared for a while and stated that it seemed like a normal house key, but there’s something else there that basic eyes can’t see. Gunter stared at it too for awhile and agreed that there’s like some kind of hum coming from it. They asked about its origins and when I told them that Winthorp gave them to me they asked what were his instructions word for word, do not abbreviate. “The gold key was for my room and my room alone and the silver key can open everything else.” That’s it. They both stared at me. Humans either read too far into things or not far enough. Barely ever do we get a complete understanding from verbal communication.They didn’t say a word; Mila turned and proceeded up the steps and Gunter slapped me across the head before following behind her.
I asked them constantly what happened while following them. We got to Mila’s run down wood shrine and they told me to use the gold key on the sliding door and instead of the silver. I told them it won’t work on any door but mine. I paused for a minute, I’m an idiot, I whispered out loud. I put the key in, unlocked the door and entered into my room. My mattress had cheap sheets and a bed frame now. My laptop sat next to my gifted book on a basic wooden desk and with a matching wooden chair rested beneath. I invited my 2 guests to enter with me. Mila shrunk her size to enter. Gunter wows in awe at my room when he entered next. Your room sucks, Gunter states loudly while Mila agrees. We finally were free and I was home, but this makes me wonder. My book and Gunter’s key are still a mystery and I doubt Winthorp will give us any answers. I’ve made 2 new friends and learned a few more lessons, but I know this is just the beginning. We still know almost nothing about our mysterious gifts, our god Winthorp and his playground, The Pandemonium Complex.

It’s been a couple months now that I’ve been trapped in this complex. The rules here are simple and few, but there’s a lot more lessons here than anything else. Countless unspoken knowledge of this place and its residents. One of the few lessons that I’ve learned is that a lot of things in here have almost a polar opposite or even an equal. Winthorp and the complex, Him and Her and the elevator and the stairs to list a few. I’ve noticed that my room moves from time to time. At first it was simple. Room #224, second floor, 12th door on the right when I first got here. Days later it was further down and a few days after that it was on the left side. Rooms near mine that matched the number sequence have changed from mixing and adding numbers to also adding letters and now sometimes display a text I can’t comprehend or something else altogether after the complex got comfortable with me.
I’ve also learned that the elevator seems to be friendly. It will always bring you to the floor where your room is despite it traveling around. The buttons in the elevator sometimes change from a standard elevator panel to displaying my unknown neighbors gibberish languages or even changing control panels entirely. The elevator’s interior is caged in a gold metal framework with a red and gold intertwining pattern carpet to match the hotel hallways that never change. However, no matter what button you press it will always bring you to the floor your room is on. I noticed this when I accidently pressed floor 20 instead of 22 when my room decided to ascend 20 floors up after a couple weeks in. Yet, when the doors opened to my mistaken early floor I saw my room number just a few doors down on the left. I thought I was mistaken until I entered and surely enough it was my room. Back when it housed a normal standard 1 queen mattress hotel room. Before I was punished for my destructive mental breakdown and given an empty trashed room.
The stairs however were not as kind as the elevator. I made the mistake of taking the stairs once to get in some form of cardio since my entrapment. I knew something was wrong when I noticed on what should have been floor 11 and 12, there weren't even doors. I went up a couple more floors and saw either random locked doors that didn’t match or more blank corners. I had enough and turned back to go back to floor 1 to leave. I was already somehow on the bottom floor just after running 2 flights back down. The ground floor’s door has also changed into a medieval time door with interlocking chains and a big padlock in the center holding them all together. I began cursing at myself. It was at this point that I remembered something Winthorp said when I first checked into this place.
I was given 2 keys and a garnet colored leather book when I first checked into this place. A dirty old gold key that was for my room and my room alone and a bright shiny new silver key that opens everything else, I was told. At first I thought this meant a closet, cabinets, side room or any other doo lock in my room, but after a few days I noticed there weren’t any other locks for this other key in my room. I always kept both keys linked on a key reel and on me just in case, but left the book in my room since it was filled with blank pages anyways. I took out the silver key and went to try it on the padlock, but when I looked up it was gone. I heard what sounded like a jingle of some kind echoing down from floors above. I looked up through the center gap in between the flights of stairs and saw that they seemingly go up infinitely. I stared up and could barely see what looked like someone looking down at me from about 20 floors up.
I suddenly felt my right foot drop a foot or less and looked down to notice there’s more floors beneath me now that also descend what looked infinitely. I heard the jingle again and turned back up and saw that whatever was looking down at me is now already a few floors lower. I got a better look at it from this distance. It looked like someone wearing a jester's cap. It leaned back out of sight and peaked out again to look back down like it descended 4 floors down in what felt like moments. Its face was loose and saggy like it was wearing it to pretend to be human. Its makeup is thrown on randomly and dripped down from the excess application. That jingling noise were bells that tipped the hat’s extensions. I descended the stairs as fast as I could. Desperate to find the next door. That’s when I heard its laughter. It was deep and loud like a talking child's toy with dead batteries. I can hear it getting closer and closer as I ran as fast as possible. At one point the stairs shifted to spiral in the reverse pattern to throw me off.
A few floors after that it shifted again to be ascending instead of descending and I fell face first onto the square cut stone steps. With my face and nose now bleeding I continued running up the steps on all fours when I saw a big red wooden door and had no time to hesitate. I grasped the handle and turned to see if it was locked and in that second I felt it was I already had the silver key heading for the key hole with my opposite hand. The stairwell jester was just a floor or two below me now and I could hear that deep echoing laugh and jingling rounding the stairwell behind me when I got the door open. I turned to slam the door in its face. Its limbs were as long as a man on stilts. It had 6 long limbs. Each with giant hands that had too many long fingers. It’s draped in an old clown's costume that seemed to be made for it. I can see now that it is in fact wearing a decrepit human’s face like a mask and its real face is too far in to be seen in the dim lights.
When I caught my breath to continue on I noticed that I’m not in what I was expecting to be a hallway in the complex, but what looked like a classic kid’s entertainment center. A warehouse sized building with brightly colored decor, furniture and a massive playground for kids that takes up about half of the building and is even connected to the ceiling to maximize the space. Long tables and chairs that can seat several large sized kids parties are covered in old moldy pizzas and cakes from being abandoned. The playground had long plastic windowed tubes and ball pits with trails of what looked like old dried up blood being dragged into them. My suspicions of this were confirmed when I saw the colored carpets had finger nail drag marks following the blood stains. There were so many drag marks. The plastic air filled balls in the pit began to shift.
Like something breaching the surface of water the balls parted towards the edge in my direction. Hard plastic slaps from something deep inside the giant tubes can also be heard in unison. I began running in the opposite direction towards a revolving door I can see in the distance that looked like an exit. Several Carnival-like music played loudly over each other behind me as I tripped over a pulled up rug. I turned back while getting up to see emerging from the ball pit, exiting the tubes and some already in full sprint behind me were old furry childrens animatronics of different animal and themed variety. Like a zoo from hell itself they were all pushing and running over each other to get to me. Each either playing its own music or shouting their own individual catchphrases and slogans. They’re covered in dried blood and missing patches of fur from most likely their victims desperately fighting back. I began running again towards the revolving door in the distance. If it wasn’t for their personal greed, one of them would’ve easily caught me due to their colossal sizes.
The revolving door’s windows were replaced with mirrors and I could see they weren’t far behind me in the reflection. I looked around quickly to find the lock. The horde was gaining on me fast. A giant dark brown animatronic beaver reached me first and desperately tried chomping hard at me. Its big head and arm got wedged in the door’s frame. I saw the keyhole in the center of the revolving door and turned my key inside of it, but the beaver’s big mechanical head and arm were stopping me from turning my exit. I tried kicking its face away aiming for the big cold dead plastic eyes and in my panic I missed on my 3rd kick and threw my leg into its maw stupidly. Its metal buck teeth took the opportunity and bit down hard on my mid shin. Immediately shattering my bone in two and pulled. My calf muscles tried to desperately keep my leg together. I was holding onto the handles on the revolving door tightly when the beaver was violently pulled back by a goliath sized green gorilla animatronic and took everything below my right knee with it. They began fighting like starving beasts.
Luckily I was leaning back on the revolving door and when the beaver was pulled away I fell back and through my exit. There was no more sound of carnival music or cheesy catchphrases with a murderous spin on them anymore. With no time to waste I was bleeding out fast and my body was still in shock so I couldn’t feel the pain, yet. I took off my shirt and tore it into long bands and tied my thigh as tight as I could. After the first tight makeshift bandage I did that 3 more times to try and stop the bleeding as best as I could. I heard a loud snap through the silence nearby and turned to my right. That’s when I noticed my surroundings. I seemed to be deep inside a heavy forested area. Sunlight is blocked by the tall foliage filled trees making it dark, but not unseeable. Like a well moonlit night.
Another snap was heard behind me and I saw something lean back behind a tree to hide from my view. I was looking around in panic when I noticed that the revolving door was also gone. I was surrounded by nothing but thick heavy forest and its occupants. Of course, I finally escape the complex and I die by being handicapped in a predator filled forest. I gave up and yelled for whatever was out there to come get me. There’s no way I can win or get out of this. My screams were a mix of impatience, sadness and anger. I just wanted this to finally be over. In the distance in front of me I can see a figure with glowing white eyes. Like that of a cat's eyes reflecting light. I turned up my wrists and hung my head low to just get this over with when suddenly I got asked if I’m okay.
I confusingly asked, what, and looked up. There in front of me was a small man wearing a long fur and leather trench coat and a cornucopia on his head. The man had tired sunken circles around his eyes and was pale from the lack of sunlight. I was stunned at the sighting of another person. Even if it was some whacko hermit. I rambled on like a madman about what I just went through in sobs. The stairwell, the clown man, the bloody playroom, me losing my leg and the complex I just escaped from. The man then stopped and corrected me. I was still in The Pandemonium Complex. This was a tenant and I was in his room. A part of me died again almost as soon as I saw hope. I told the thing to just kill me. I was in his room after all. I give up.
He reached inside of his coat and started pulling out whatever he was going to use to end me. I closed my eyes and held my head down again in defeat. He held something in front of my face and told me to eat it. It looked like an old dried up orange and purple striped pepper. Whatever this was, I didn't care anymore. Anything to just end me and my misery. I ate the strange fruit and my right thigh burned with intense pain. My right thigh got twice as thick and popped the bandages right off from the force. I held my prized pumpkin sized thigh in pain and something shot out. I screamed and cursed the thing that was torturing me only for me to suddenly realize that I can wiggle my right toes again. I looked down and saw a mucus covered leg that matched my old leg perfectly. My face was no longer cut and bruised.
I looked back up at the tenant and thanked him. He told me it was a ghurotabia (gor-o-ta-bae) fruit. He’s had it for a few years and was saving it for emergencies since it is extremely rare. It can heal and luckily humans are extremely simple in biology compared to his kind. The man introduced himself as Gunter. He was a Fae, an Akras to be exact, but was rejected by his kind. Humans believe Akras to be a single god fae, but they are actually a type of fae that control fertility, turnips, beans, peas, cabbage, flax, and hemp. Gunter however controls wood and summons fruit. I asked if that’s why he was casted out and he corrected and explained it was because he summoned a chunfrue (ch-oon-fru) fruit by accident and left it in a field. A fire fruit that bursts into flames when rotten and accidently burnt down half of the forest. He can summon all fruits, but can’t control which one he summons. It’s random, but luckily he has knowledge of all the fruits and wood he sees and knows which ones are safe to eat.
After testing my new leg and standing up I thanked him for his kindness again and asked where the exit was. He stopped me and told me nothing is free to the fae and he needs my help in return for healing my leg and eating his extremely rare fruit. Of course I should've known. Gunter has actually been trapped in his own room for many years. At first his room was an open field with a few trees, but the complex gave him a packed forest over the years and accidentally turned his room’s door into one of these trees. Creating a new door isn’t the problem. Gunter controls wood and can just make a new door, no matter how many times he tries the door is always locked. When he first arrived in the complex Winthorp gave him 2 things. A travel box full of assorted toothpicks with different types of wood and a key made of an unknown dead vine. I asked to see his key and it was the size of a grown man’s hand. It was woven together in dead vines and didn’t resemble a key in the slightest, but was told it was. Even Gunter said he doesn’t know what this vine is or anyone he’s ever asked when he was free. It never even worked on his room’s door so he always left it unlocked and barely anything in the complex is stupid enough to enter another’s room willingly.
Gunter also said leaving your door unlocked can stop it from moving around the complex wildly which is a big plus. I told him about my silver key and how I got here. I then asked him to turn one of these trees into a door so we could leave. He refused and said he can control wood, but will never harm a living thing. How would you feel if someone who controls flesh and blood turned you into a door? He explained. I apologized for any offense and asked what we should do. He pulled out the box of toothpicks and before my eyes took one out and kept pulling on it. Pulling and shaping it over and over like it was clay until before us was a red oak colored door with frame and vine patterns. I was in awe and told him that was amazing. He blushed a little at my compliment and unconvincingly told me to stop. I put my key inside and turned. We opened the door and stepped forward confidently towards our freedom. What we stepped into though was nothing but complete darkness.
The room we stepped inside of was almost fully black. Skies darker than anything I’ve ever seen before, like vantablack. A night sky with two yellowish moons and stars spaced out varying in shapes and shines, but nothing illuminated below them. We looked around but all we could see was the light coming from Gunter’s room behind us illuminating our backs. Then suddenly complete darkness. Just like the revolving door in Gunter’s room our exit was gone. As we turned around a blue rippling wave flowed away from our steps. The little light from Gunter’s room must’ve hidden this when we stepped in. The floor had about just a half an inch of this liquid that held some kind of bioluminescence algae. Every step made a small wave and lit the floor around us with a bright blue. Gunter giggled at this beauty and danced in the lit up water. He lightly tapped and laughed for just a moment of happiness before I put my hand on his shoulder and quietly told him to stop. We were not alone.
The waves kept flowing away from us into an endless void and in the distance were figures also standing in the shallow waters. The blue light wave continues and with it more and more differently shaped figures become visible by the light. Some tall, some short, some humanoids and some creatures I’ve never seen before. They all stood motionless looking up into the night’s sky. More and more became visible. Features were still unknown due to the darkness, but outlines of the things were displayed by the bioluminescence. When the second round of waves hit their feet they twitched, then on the third they moved slightly, the fourth caught their full attention. One seemed familiar to me and I hope I was wrong. We need to leave, I told Gunter. Make another door, now! The waves of Gunter’s dance from earlier displayed a familiar figure in the distance. A tall white skin reflected the light more than the rest. An apex predator, with rotten features, few thinning long hairs and big clouded eyes with no eyelids. That’s when I looked up and noticed.
Those moons are cracked with red and the few stars begin moving in unison towards each other into place under the moons. Waves of the bioluminescent water flowed toward us. The creatures in the distance began their approach. The familiar figure is exactly what I thought it was, a wendigo and a familiar one at that. I screamed at Gunter to hurry and make another door. He was already pulling and forming one as we spoke. I looked up into the sky and the stars formed their place while the moons began to turn towards each other. Looking closer I noticed the stars in the sky were actually teeth. All from a different thing. The moons had big spots of black that were turning completely around. Blacker than anything I’ve seen before, but I have seen this before. The teeth formed into a familiar smile that almost went on forever and The sky looked down at us. We were inside her room. We were inside of Her.
Her victims were slow at first and started getting faster towards our direction till they were charging at us. The floor was bright with blue light as her army stampede towards her trespassers. Gunter yells, done! I turned towards our exit and put my key in and turned. We jumped through not knowing where we were going, but anywhere is better than here. Gunter barely slammed the door behind us in time.
We were completely submerged in deep fresh water. We held our breaths and the water was so clear that we were able to look around easily. Once again, no door in sight, but we were somehow in what looked like a deep ocean. I know better than to think that though. Gunter swims towards me and gets close. He pulls out another toothpick and starts his craft again. This time he makes a small boat and we both hold on as we begin to rise. We both look down and see something massive and long below in the depths. Deep enough to not be fully illuminated by the light, but massive enough to look like it was a giant sea creature just a few feet away. We breach the surface and both of us gasp for air. We turned the boat over and got on. Gotta love cedar, Gunter jests. Gunter rubs his bald head and then suddenly starts looking around the boat desperately for something. He reaches over and from the waterside yells, Ah ha!, holding up his cornucopia and plops it back on his bald pale head with a big satisfied smile. We look around at this seemingly endless ocean. How big are these damn rooms?! I yell. Turns out some of these rooms can be on a planetary scale for some of its tenants, Gunter explains.
I asked Gunter if he knows where we are and he says he thinks he knows this tenant. A Kraken named, he then made a series of clicks and screeches. Apparently a Kraken is a massive squid octopus hybrid that has the body of an octopus, but the head of a squid giving them 16-18 limbs in total. It can be the size of an island if it wanted to or as small as the wolfi octopus. They can fly as well as they can swim, but prefer the cold dark depths. They can communicate telepathically, but if it does while it’s too big it can scramble a basic brain. The one he knows is nice by nature and could maybe help us get home. The artificial ocean we were floating on was as calm as a glass of water and the only waves emanated were from our boat. Gunter looked over the boat and into the depths while I scanned the surface. I saw a human shaped figure that was far out, but close enough to make out some features if I squint. Is that…? I whisper. This caught Gunter’s attention. That’s Winthorp! Unmistakable, straw boat hat and all. I yell out to him again and again while waving. He must be here to take us back to the complex. Why else would he be here? I thought.
It was Gunter this time to put his hand on my shoulder and quietly tell me to stop. He was wrong. This wasn’t The Kraken’s room like Gunter originally thought. Not Winthorp started to get closer and fast, but something big was behind him. Something massive that was breaching the ocean sized water was right behind the fake bellhop. Gunter began frantically patting his pockets saying no, no, no over and over again. I watched as the titan got closer and became more visible as it surfaced. A long stem that matched the blue of the sky and ocean was connected to the doppelganger god that bent far and back into the water. I yelled at Gunter to make another door, but he yelled saying he lost his picks. I looked back and breaching the water looked like a colossus angler fish with an eel body that was impossibly long. Massive long sharp translucent teeth the size of steel beams filled its mouth. Its head emerged with many lures that each resemble someone I loved in the past. What the hell is that?! I screamed.
A Leviathan! Gunter answers. I looked down into the water below us and saw Gunter’s picks floating around and away from the boat. I moved as quickly as I could, fishing them out and holding one behind me while using my other hand to fish out as many others as I could. Gunter grabs the one I held behind me and works his magic while I desperately grab any within reach. Waves from the behemoth tenant reached the boat and started pulling the picks away from me. I leaned out to grab more fast while Gunter leaned back on his side to balance the boat. Gunter used his two feet to hold onto my new right foot’s ankle so I didn't fall in, all while forming our escape. I looked up and couldn’t see anything beyond the giant maw of the beast in the water. Its huge ribbed throat had more rows of teeth going in like a funnel of death, like a megamouth shark’s. The boat shifted hard and I looked back to see that Gunter finished. He threw the door into the water and already jumped onto it. I braced myself and jumped, but didn’t take the waves into account and fell deep into the tenant’s watery domain.
I looked back again like a fool only to see we’re pretty much already in the giant's mouth. I looked down into the depths below and saw the teeth rising fast. Suddenly I’m pulled up with ease out of the water and onto the door by Gunter. He slaps me hard and yells, hurry! I pull out my key and shove it into the door’s lock. I turn the lock and knob simultaneously and suddenly we fall through hard. As we fall in gravity shifts towards the new floor and I land hard on my face while Gunter luckily lands hard on his back. We both groan in pain on a grassy bed and begin to laugh at our great escape. Gunter asks how many picks did I save and I hand him the small handful. Not much, I regretfully say. We analyze our new surroundings.
We were just on the side of a stone cut pathway just next to a long staircase. Surrounding us were bright pink and white cherry blossom trees with red spider lilies on the floor. On one side the pathway extends to a blank stone wall. The other goes up the staircase to a red torii. Gunter was in awe when I jokingly asked if we fell into an anime. Of course he didn’t understand the joke. What a waste. I asked if he knew where we were this time. Gunter had no idea. Do you hear that? Gunter asked quietly. I listened and at first I heard nothing, but then it slowly became louder for me to be able to hear. It sounded like a fast drum roll, but with more than one drummer. It became louder and louder. It was coming from up the steps. We looked up towards the torii.
A gigantic semi truck sized noh mask emerged from the top and looked down at us. We were frozen in fear knowing that as fast as that thing emerged there was no way we could run or make another door in time before it caught us. Gunter broke the silence first after a minute with a light, hello and wave. The noh mask went around the torii in an instant and down the 3 story tall flight of stairs in a matter of seconds. We now see what was making that sound from earlier. This thing's body was long and with countless legs of an insect. Its body was a gigantic centipede and moved with the ease of a natural born predator. It eclipsed us in its shadow and stared us down in silence for a minute. It asked in a loud female whisper. Why are you here? I answered and explained it was by accident and we didn’t mean to intrude. Gunter apologized too and told her we were lost and asked if she’d show us the way out.
The tenant looked towards the blank stone wall on the path behind us and explained that she was sealed inside her room by another rival tenant during their petty squabble years ago. Turns out you can’t break rule 5 if you just made something disappear. Can’t damage what’s no there. She can’t leave even if she wanted to and neither shall we. She then asked if we brought tribute. I can see the mandibles inside the mask's mouth and are drooling with hunger. The bulging veins from the giant porcelain mask connect to the insect's exoskeleton pulsate with anticipation. She’s getting impatient for us to say we don’t have an offering.
She is an Omukade and demands something in return for allowing us to breathe in their presence or our souls will be forfeit. Gunter started patting down his person and pulled out a red pear shaped fruit with white swirls from the left inside of his coat. He said no and tossed it back. Reached into the other side and pulled out a black watermelon with orange spots and set it down gently. Definitely not, he states with a yeesh facial expression. The Omukade and I watched him patiently do this a couple times with so many different kinds of fruit that I’ve never seen before. One looked like it was even made of water and another exploded into small pits like a grenade when it hit the ground far behind us. He began pulling from the cornucopia and on the 19th try pulled out a bundle of banana looking fruit that were brown and shriveled like they were old and rotten. Each had 3 red spots that formed into different facial expressions. Perfect, said Gunter with satisfaction.
The Omukade’s eyes became wide and she lunged towards Gunter. Gunter barley pulled back in time and the noh mask’s mouth cracked and split wide open revealing her massive fanged mouth as she ate the bundle of fruit in one bite. A loud audible gulp was heard from her and her neck got wide. The mass inside her traveled downwards inside her deeper and her exoskeleton popped when the mass passed. It looked like a snake eating a big round meal. She let out a sigh and said that it was satisfactory. I asked Gunter what that was and he said I’m better off not knowing. The now full Omukade seemed a lot more patient and asked how we got here since entering or leaving is impossible. We introduced ourselves and asked for her name. She explained Omukade’s don’t have names and if we wish to give her one we may. The way she looked when she ate the fruit reminded me of one of my favorite fighters from a 2-D fighting game I used to play. I named her Mila. Hard to tell, but I think she liked the name.
I let Gunter do the talking and he explained everything from me finding him to now in detail. I tagged in after and explained everything before that. Mila explained that I’m lucky that the stairs only released 1 minor creature and that I even had means to escape. Mila then asked to see our keys since she has knowledge of most artifacts that don’t predate her and we showed them to her. She analyzed them and told Gunter first that she’s never seen his kind of key before and that it must be older than ancient, he then sadly put his key away. Mine however she recognized as a reforged unstable skeleton key that has been reshaped into a common silver house key to put it simply. She explained that my key opens all doors, but what’s on the other side is random. For example, if I use this key even on my room’s door my room will never be the one on the other side. Perfect for a quick escape, but you don’t know if wherever you go next may be worse and seems to be now bound to the complex. There’s a shrine at the top of her room that has a door we could use instead of using another toothpick, but we’d just be gambling again.
She also asked to look at the golden room key that was also on the key ring. She stared for a while and stated that it seemed like a normal house key, but there’s something else there that basic eyes can’t see. Gunter stared at it too for awhile and agreed that there’s like some kind of hum coming from it. They asked about its origins and when I told them that Winthorp gave them to me they asked what were his instructions word for word, do not abbreviate. “The gold key was for my room and my room alone and the silver key can open everything else.” That’s it. They both stared at me. Humans either read too far into things or not far enough. Barely ever do we get a complete understanding from verbal communication.They didn’t say a word; Mila turned and proceeded up the steps and Gunter slapped me across the head before following behind her.
I asked them constantly what happened while following them. We got to Mila’s run down wood shrine and they told me to use the gold key on the sliding door and instead of the silver. I told them it won’t work on any door but mine. I paused for a minute, I’m an idiot, I whispered out loud. I put the key in, unlocked the door and entered into my room. My mattress had cheap sheets and a bed frame now. My laptop sat next to my gifted book on a basic wooden desk and with a matching wooden chair rested beneath. I invited my 2 guests to enter with me. Mila shrunk her size to enter. Gunter wows in awe at my room when he entered next. Your room sucks, Gunter states loudly while Mila agrees. We finally were free and I was home, but this makes me wonder. My book and Gunter’s key are still a mystery and I doubt Winthorp will give us any answers. I’ve made 2 new friends and learned a few more lessons, but I know this is just the beginning. We still know almost nothing about our mysterious gifts, our god Winthorp and his playground, The Pandemonium Complex.