WOLVES

Reading from one of the books his mother gave him, 6-year-old Michael couldn’t help but ask a question upon reading a specific passage. He really was quite curious about it.

“Mom, it says here that Green-Singers can connect with plants. What sort of connection does it mean?”

Putting down her own book, Celia bit her lower lip as she pondered the question. She soon nodded to herself and took out her notepad. Flipping to a specific page, she half read off the sheet and half looked as if she was in a trance.

“It’s a two-way connection. A trade, if you want to think of it that way. I connect with the plants and supply it with a continuous stream of Mana to keep it alive under different conditions. In return I get access to some pretty unique abilities. For example…”

Raising her right arm, Celia rolled up the sleeve to present her bare skin to Michael. Gaping, Michael watched as numerous long spikes started growing out of the skin. No blood was visible so it wasn’t a puncture, and the spikes were much too long to ordinarily be kept under the skin anyways.

“One of my connections right now is with a Cactus. A special plant that can grow in the harsh deserts around Illan. The abilities it allows me to harness is greater water retention and the ability to protect myself by growing spines. Nice right? There are many plants in the world, meaning the combinations are endless.”

“Then are there plants that are legendary?”

Still a child, Michael started to get daydreams about connections with really rare and powerful plants. Maybe some will give him wings? Allow him to create armour out of thin air? Maybe some will even make him turn into a giant!

“There are some legendary plants. But they have either died off or haven’t been found. They’re usually guarded by something strong and getting it has a risk of losing your life. You have no idea how many people go into the forest to get that Silven Pl-”

Looking sharply at Michael, Celia tried to see if he caught her mutters. Michael however, appeared absorbed in whatever daydream he was in now and she sighed in relief. She didn’t want Michael get ideas about searching for those legendary plants. Especially with them being guarded by...

Of course, Michael heard what she had said, and had no real desire to ignore it. Instead her words had lit a fire under him. A legendary plant was in the nearby forest; if he found it, he would be able to connect with it. Just the thoughts about what it could do, what it will do, made him unable to sleep for the night. Instead, he lay there and planned a way to get into that forest.

“Dad, can I go and hunt outside the walls for a few days?”

Spitting out his daily cup of iced lemon tea, Aaron choked and coughed a few times as he processed what Michael said.

“W-why would you want to do that? Isn’t regular training fine?”

“It’s… fine. But I want to see how I would do against the rabbits or foxes. I’m 6 years old and the only enemies I’ve fought are the dummies.”

Michael ignored the rising images of Grant and Ken and fought to still his shaking hands. Aaron caught the shaking though and he noticed a brief flash of pain. Softening his stance, Aaron decided that the boy could do with some live fights.

“...fine. As long as you take Valerie with you for protection. There are more bandits roaming around these days. And I’ve been hearing rumours about a large band of wolves around here. You have to be careful and follow what she says, ok?”

It only took a second of thinking before Michael nodded in acceptance. He forgot about the larger dangers out in the world and Valerie would be a good guard. Plus, he didn’t really know her all that well. She may be trusted to protect everyone in the family, but Michael had maybe seen her twice in the last year.

“I’ll go and pack then!”

Dashing away, Michael sported a happy grin that grew larger as he went back into his daydreams about the plant. Aaron’s grin slipped after his son left and a frown slowly replaced it.

“Valerie, you have to protect my son. That band of wolves is more like an army, even I wouldn’t last against that. If you come across the group of them, run. Understood?”

“Yes sir.”

Nodding at the invisible voice, Aaron stood up from his chair and headed up to the third floor. He would to give the real and fitted weapons to Michael. Sending him off with training or oversized weapons would be suicidal.

To the east of Bellen, beyond the forest and near the flat rolling plains, an army loped out of the mountains before stopping halfway through the plains. Numbering in the thousands, the wolves were a sea of dark fur and each of them was large, experienced, and not hesitant in killing. With the confidence that came from numbers, the wolves wouldn’t run even when a mage confronted them with fire and lightning. Instead they would rush and destroy their enemies; a rolling tidal wave, washing away all opposition.

At the forefront of the army was the brother commander wolves. Brown and grey, the two were both larger than any wolf in the army, including the Dire Wolf elite forces. Although they are ‘Leader’ to the pack, to each other they are Fang and Blood.

What are the Leaders thinking? We are too far from home, with mountains separating the territories. There is no point in a battle here.

Fool, do you want to tell them that yourself? I wouldn’t even be surprised if they give you to the dire wolves for fun. Just shut up and follow orders.

Those type of thoughts were commonplace in the army. Thousands of miles from their regular lands, the pack had no real idea why they had run this far. Prey had been abundant for the most part, but the mountains earlier had been stark and they had become hungry and angry. Only the presence of the large dire wolves kept them at bay. That, and also the 20 odd Mages that were on their backs. One Mage wasn’t anything to fear when in an army, not even 4 Mages were scary anymore. 23 Mages though… 23 Mages could decimate most of the army. To risk that would mean to gamble with your life, your friend’s life, and your family’s life.

Still, the complaints weren’t only formed by the lesser wolves.

Brother Fang, why are we here? I have barely seen any territory that matched our lake, and only a few packs dared to oppose us on the way here. We have spent many sun cycles travelling, and the pack is growing weary.

You know why we are here Brother Blood. Brother Gerald begged us to come here. He saved your life and this is the first time he has ever made such a request. What honor would we have if we spurned our brother away? Besides, this will be an easy task. Brother says the enemy is much smaller than us. We will be finished here and heading back before you know it.

If it was so easy, why did Brother Gerald send those… those… things along with us.

At the uneasy tone of the grey wolf, the two turned slightly to stare at the Mages. Riding with an awkward grace, the dark clothed men and women were speaking in hushed tones to one another. Even to wolf eyes, they couldn’t make out the features under those hoods and that disconcerted not only them, but the dire wolves and the rest of the pack.

Grrrrr, I do not know why. They are maybe a backup plan. Either way, if they join then the battle will be over even quicker. You do not need to-

A BACKUP PLAN? Does our Brother think so little of us?

You know that is not true! Why do you speak like such about your saviour.

Brother, you always seem to take his side. Leave the attack to me then, I’ll finish this quickly, without resorting to those beings.

Fine. Keep your temper in check, Brother Gerald approaches.

The first monster Michael faced in the forests was a Rabbit. Tiny, fluffy, and more than a little cute, it was standing there, staring at him. Obviously not used to human confrontation, it only glanced at Michael before searching the ground for anything interesting. Michael readied his small throwing knives and changed his stance. Crouching on the spot, Michael kept the rabbit in his eyes and, slowly, he cocked back his arm and threw it when the rabbit’s head went down to the ground for another look. The sound of struck flesh made Michael pale a little bit, but he had prepared himself for this. Somewhat.

Walking towards his first kill, Michael was amazed at the amount of blood that soaked the ground. For such a little creature, he wondered where all the blood had come from. Michael reached out a hand to the still warm body and poked it to make sure it was dead. He then reached out to take back his knife slowly, flinching when some of the blood weakly squirted onto his hands and face. With a grimace, Michael cleaned and then sheathed the knife. He took out a bag and deposited the corpse inside. It would take several days before disappearing, and putting it inside a bag made the raw material his.

Only after it was all done did Michael finally sag to his knees. He found that he had stopped breathing and carefully took large breaths. The stink of the corpse also entered him then and this time he felt the bile rise in his stomach. Breathing using only his mouth this time, Michael rested for a few minutes before rising to continue his journey, steeling himself for any future confrontations.

Although he had travelled for most of the day, Michael had only made a few kilometres worth of travel. To make matters more disappointing, Valerie had stated she would protect him within the shadows and disappeared from sight. So much for them bonding. Michael reached out, tugged another branch out of his way, and continued his exploring.

When night came, Michael made a checklist of what had happened. Only a few animals had entered his sight, rabbits and deers for the most part. He had dispatched them much more easily than the first rabbit but still had trouble handling the smell and the feel of the warm blood. He left the deer since it was too heavy, regretting the waste of killing it for no reason.

Michael took out his supplies and made a tent large enough for him and Valerie. It was one of the odd trainings he had received and he made it sufficient for one night. Valerie appeared for the meal he made from the rabbits he hunted earlier. He had no cooking experience, but he did have pre-made soup mixes and instructions on how to make a broth. They both ate the meal with a loaf of crisp bread and Michael got ready to turn in afterwards.

“You can use the whole tent. I’ll keep watch during the night.”

“Can you wake me up for my watch?”

“...fine.”

Happy at the thought of a serious adventure, Michael went into his tent to sleep. Valerie jumped up into the trees and kept her vigil. Her only company was the dying flames and the sounds of the forests.

The moon is at it’s peak. Do we start now?

It’s not really a surprise attack anymore, I saw movements in the trees earlier. They will be ready.

Nonsense. You worry over nothing Brother Gerald. I’ll handle this quickly. Just give me the word Brother Fang.

...go ahead.

“AROOOOOO”

The deep howl of Blood signaled a group of 500 wolves to swarm into the forests. The large man, Gerald, was between the two brothers and seemed content to stay there and watch the battle. The smaller man from before was with the Mages. His own bodyguard, another magic user, were the last two members of the Mage group.. Their Platoon was on loan by Gerald’s employer, and were there as a backup.

On their positions near the back of the army, the pack leaders and the Magic group heard the first sounds of battle. Only it didn’t seem to go as expected. Instead of a furious snarling from two different groups, it seemed more like a slaughtering of one side. Even Gerald frowned when he heard that. There scouts were accurate; 200 enemy wolves. Even if they were outnumbered, it was impossible for their side to accrue no losses. Yet it sounded like that was happening now. Gerald waved his bodyguard and apprentice forward.

“Boy, what do you see in the forests?”

Shaking his head, the younger man didn’t even bother to try.

“Ya overestimate me abilities Master. I cannot see through this night gloom and the trees there would have blocked me sight anyways. I can’t hope to- Wait. There. One of the wolves is running back.”

The boy wasn’t as experienced as Gerald in being a Beast Whisperer, but he had his own unique abilities. One was senses even better than wolves making him the ideal bodyguard.

The wolf was finally seeable and was rushing out of the woods. Bounding with long strides it cleared the trees and was running back towards the army when the shadows moved. Pitch black beasts erupted from the ground around it and bit into several areas of the wolf. With a loud whine, the wolf was dragged back into the forest.

A rustle went through the army at the sight. What manner of beasts were they facing? How many of them died? How many did they even kill? Did they travel all this way for a suicidal battle?

Three distinct howls cut through the sounds of the army, and they all looked to their pack leaders. The two deep sounds of the lead wolves was accompanied smoothly by the melodic tone of Gerald and the army regained its discipline. The army then accompanied their leaders and their howls cut the night air and served to tell the enemy that they would not back down. The army’s morale rose and they lost their fear of their enemy.

When everything died down though, the leaders looked at each other with worry. Finally, Gerald called out to the Mages.

“Marcus, come- … Please come here.”

Changing his tone of voice to something more polite, Gerald called over the leader of the Mages and his employer’s representative. Marcus’ skinny body and rich robes didn’t do much to turn people’s eyes away from his disgusting features. This time though, those ugly features were filled more with fear than with confidence and he didn’t even try to look Gerald in the eye.

“W-what do you want? We still hired you by contract so don’t even think about trying to get out of this.”

“Shut up and listen. Will your Mages help or are they just there to make you look shorter?”

“Wh-you-How dare yo- Hmph. They will help if needed. We may have employed you but we do not wish for you to fail.”

With the successful goading of his height, Marcus lost his initial fright and rushed back to his mages. With a smile, Gerald turned back to the wolves and continued his communications.

What do we do now? Even if we move the pack into the forest, none of us can guarantee we would win.

Grrr, Brother Gerald has a point. Brother Blood, we will not sacrifice the pack this way. Let us wait and see if they will come out.

FINE! Such cowardly ways...

This is better than fighting an unknown fight. At least this way, we will have the moon to light up our enemies.

I said FINE! Brother Fang, hurry up and tell the pack. They are getting restless.

Moving forward, the brown wolf went down to his second in commands and relayed the orders. Gerald and his adopted brother stood awkwardly, both facing opposite directions and purposefully not meeting each other’s eye. Gerald spoke into the silence, his voice tight with sadness.

What do you find that is so repulsive about me? I saved your life, yet it seems more like I killed your love or something.

Don’t you dare say anything more. I put up with you far too often. If only my brother could see how useless you really are. Only one member in your pack and you think you are our equal.

The grey wolf snarled at the intruder and sat where he was. His mind started to wander after time passed and he started to think of the past.

In the forests of western Gaia, two pups were playing with each other. Brothers in blood, and partners in thought, the two were never separated from one another for very long. Their mother was keeping a close eye on them and making sure they didn’t wander off. She was kicked out of her pack for her previous actions and was hoping to raise her sons without problems.

A rustling of a nearby bush alerted the she-wolf, and she quickly moved towards her cubs. Sensing their mother approach, the cubs turned to greet her, only to see her fall to the side, three large arrows embedded in her side. Her last movement before succumbing to her wounds was to tell them to run. Both brothers took off in different directions, fear being the one thing that finally overrode their bond with each other.

Running in fear, the two pups ended up lost in the forests. One pup manages to exit the forest and is miraculously saved by a wolf pack. The other wandered closer to the center of the forest. He entered the domain of the cannibalistic forest wolves and is forced to join their pack.

Initially hoping to fatten him up for a future meal, the pack was surprised to see that the young wolf was more vicious and larger than their own young. Eating a disappointing pup instead, the pack adopts the new pup for his promising future. The pup survives off a hope of meeting his brother in the future.

Taking the name of Blood, the young wolf grows up in an environment of fighting and killing. Years pass and his dream of meeting his brother becomes an obsession as he viciously fights his way to the top of his pack. With him as the head, the pack becomes less cannibalistic but more deadly. They fight surrounding territories and the pack swells. Their territory becomes the entire forest and they become well known as a deadly force.

The other pup takes up the name Fang and adapts to the kind pack easily. He was close to forgetting his brother and instead rises through the pack as a trusted wolf. Succeeding the old leader, Fang leads his pack to absorb surrounding packs through force of will. His territory being the plains and hills, Fang leads a large and strong pack. He soon hears of the deadly forest Pack and leads his pack to battle. There is no need for two large packs so close together.

Hearing that invaders are coming, Blood gathered his own army and met the enemy at the border. When the two packs met, they competed with one another in howling and snarling. Surprisingly equal in power, the two forces split to reveal their leaders. Both larger than average, the two wolves moved to confront one another.

Upon meeting one another though, they find that the other’s scent is one from a long ago memory. Blood remembers it as his brother, soon raised to a deified status in his mind, while Fang remembers it as the only real family he had. The two brothers step forward and surprises their own pack as they greet one another with joy. Blood, because of his obsession with his brother, calls off the battle and suggests to merge the two packs into a colossal one. Fang expresses his happiness at finding his only kin and agrees. Thus, the two become co-leaders of the most powerful force in the area.

Absorbing surrounding territories at a frightening pace, the pack is dealt a blow during one battle. Blood is singled out as a target and has to run to avoid being killed. Soon surrounded, Blood is ready to kill some of his enemies before dying. He is saved, however, by the most unlikely of beings. A human boy timely shows up and throws rocks as a distraction for the wolves, his hits interrupting their attacks and allowing Blood to stay alive, long enough for his brother to come to his rescue. Saving Blood, Fang repays the boy by creating a blood bond with him. Brothers now, the three are always together.

Blood however, is horrified at having another brother. He has only ever needed Fang, and does not like the idea of sharing with this… human. He does know, however, that Fang likes the Human so he leaves the boy alone.

Time goes by and the pack grows. Soon the boy becomes a man and begs his brothers to accept a Human deal. Hunt down a far off pack and retrieve what they guard, and humans will never intrude on their territory again. Fang is joyful at the news, and agrees as he does not understand why Blood would say no. Blood however, is not happy. His entire life was one of struggle and humans were just one part. Losing the joy of hunting the ones who killed their mother…

The pack is gathered and the journey starts. The inclusion of Mages further infuriates Blood and soon he finds that Fang listens to… Gerald more. His anger reaches a boiling point and only killing would help. Now that they are so close…

Howls warned the army and shook Blood from his reminiscence. Fang had long rejoined his brothers and all three of them watched as their enemies loped out of the woods.

The wolves they saw were pitch black, with red or white eyes and quiet steps. The wind carried no scent and the wolves were unnaturally silent as they spilled out of the forests. They were all much bigger than any of the regular wolves in the pack, close to approaching the size of the dire wolves.

Fear crept back into the pack and the wolves start their whispers once more. This time though, their fear disappeared with the movements of the dire wolves. Bigger, stronger, more deadly than the other wolves, the Dire Wolf force moved to the forefront of the pack, ready to lead them all in the battle.

With a single howl from Blood, half of their forces descended on their foes. Joyful to see their enemies stand their ground instead of hiding in the forests, the pack rushes at the enemy they had been seeking for a long time. The dire wolves were the first to reach the enemy and they pounce, ready to draw first blood in the large battle.

Shock ran through all of them as their enemies move swiftly and with coordination to dispatch them. One enemy targets the neck, two more hit the limbs, the last tackles the dire wolf. Not even dealing one death, the dire wolves are completely destroyed after their reckless charge. To cause further confusion, the enemy transforms into humanoid forms and attacks with black swords, spears, and bows. With claws and fangs, weapons and shouts, the enemy rips through the pack with ease and the leaders become frightened.

This is a disaster! What kind of monsters are these? Brother Gerald! WHAT HAVE YOU LED US TO?

Distraught at the scene, Fang screamed and snarled at his brother. The pain in his eyes asked why this is happening and Gerald quickly turned to the Mages.

“Hurry! MAGES DO SOMETHING!”

The Mages closed their eyes and raised their hands. Moving their arms for almost a minute, the battlefield quickly changed as the enemy is assaulted with sudden waves of lightning. Paralyzed, the enemy is swarmed by the pack and taken down by many wounds that the wolves cause. The enemy finally suffers their first casualties in the battle.

With the help of the Mages, the enemy forces dwindle quickly. Joy surges through them all as they see only a few dozen of the enemy are left and the last thousand members of the pack rushes forward with eager eyes. A human scream pierces the growls and snarls of the battle.

The three leaders quickly turn around to a scene that nearly caused them to lose all hope. One gigantic white wolf was tearing through the Mages with ease. Balls of fire, tendrils of lightning, bullets of earth. All hit but the monster shrugged off the damage and continued its carnage. Before Marcus could even use his potions, he got ripped in two. After the bloodbath, the monster turned his head to regard the leaders and the battle.

With a loud growl, the monster walked forward to them. when it reached the middle it turned into a fully human shape. Short and thin, the man before them was handsome, but seemed to exude a deadly presence.

“Fools. Coming into our domain. Hunting what we have guarded for the last thousand years. You may have killed most of my pack, but I will protect it to my last breathe.”

Stating its resolve, the man turned back into a wolf and pounced.

“Boy! You’re going to help us. Now stay on your toes and distract it!”

Communicating with both his apprentice and his brothers, Gerald used his fists and legs to attack and distract the monster long enough for his brothers to sink their fangs in it. His attacks were completely ignored though and Gerald swore at the lack of weapons he had. He and his apprentice began to concentrate on distracting the enemy but mostly failed as they were too weak.

Fang and Blood had a difficult time themselves. The white wolf was much bigger than either of them and very fast. If it wasn’t for the distractions of the other two, then the wolves would have been taken out very early. As it was, they wouldn’t be able to last to the end. Watching the enemy’s body close, Fang saw the monster ready an all out attack.

WATCH OUT

With that shout, the brothers all backed away from the monster. Gerald’s apprentice though, didn’t understand the command and was still close.

“No! Get out of-”

A loud roar from the white wolf and it blurred on the spot. Shifting between two forms, the monster grabbed the boy and ripped him to pieces. Gerald stared at the head of his apprentice as it was eaten and almost charged the monster. Fang held him back though with a tackle. Blood snickered at the antics.

He was a fool. Like yourself. We need to deal with him properly, not rush to our deaths.

Quiet yourself Brother Blood. Follow my plan. Gerald, you will continue the distraction and we will continue our attacks. I know they are useless, calm down. When I say so, Gerald, you will grab him and hold him for a short period. We will kill him then.

Both nodding at Fang’s plan, the brothers separated and charged the waiting enemy. The fight resumed and Gerald continued his useless blows. With the loss of a distracter, the wolves had even more trouble holding off the enemy’s blows. After an attack that went wide, Gerald finally heard the signal.

DO IT NOW

With a heave, Gerald jumped on the wolf and gripped its head. He screamed as the claws of the enemy gouged his sides and arms, but he held on. His brothers did not miss the chance and they both attacked. Fang aimed for the back legs, to disable his movements, while Blood went for the throat. They both successfully hit and were then knocked out by a powerful blow from the monster. Fang’s left arm was completely shattered and Blood was bleeding from his jaw and ears. They watched as the monster toppled forward and Gerald slid to the ground.

W-we did it. Ha…

Getting up slowly, Gerald gave both of his brothers a wide grin and even Blood couldn’t help but show his happiness. Fang and Blood staggered forward to hug their brother when a loud roar cut through their early celebration. Gerald turned and found himself looking at the open maw of the white wolf. With a loud crunch, his head was smashed and ripped free. Fang and Blood could only watch as his body fell and the white wolf gives a small chuckle at their expression before it collapses to the side and dies. The brothers stand where they are, unable to comprehend what had happened.

Gerald... Brother Gerald?

Skeptical of what had happened, Fang slowly walked forward to his brother’s body and prodded it with his nose.

Get up. You saved us once again. We need to repay you back. We need to have our chance at saving you. Please brother. Please get up.

Unable to see his brother in this state, Blood sat on his haunches and gave a low keening howl. It pierced through the night and across the blood soaked plains. None of the enemy was left alive, but none of the pack either. A total decimation of both forces. Blood’s howl would be the only guidance for the souls of the battle.

When the morning light was about to rise, Blood decided it was time to leave and he walked close to his brother.

We need to go. Come. We are the only ones left, we must head back and recover. It's not safe to be out in the open.

NO! Brother Gerald saved us and we have done NOTHING in return. We will complete his task and then head back. This item… This item will be destroyed before I even try to go.

Seeing the anger in his brother’s posture, Blood nodded in acceptance and helps his brother in walking. They both headed into the forest and none of the enemy appeared to stop them.

After an hour passed since the last howling, Valerie relaxed her stance and cleaned the poison from her knives before sheathing them. She jumped from her tree to the next one with a quiet movement and dismantled a few traps she had placed there. Even if the enemy was still out there, it wouldn’t do to keep these level of traps in place, especially in such a life filled forest like this. Not for the last time did she wish she was in a cold and damp dungeon, or even just a closed off area. Her traps were not meant for the large areas in a forest.

After dismantling all the extra traps she placed, Valerie settled back into her branch and restarted her quiet, but effective breathing. She kept her Stealth on, but turned off her Sonar. She didn’t think she would need to rely on two senses to keep watch.

The battle from earlier had kept her on high alert. She could make out the sounds of howling and fighting. As she used Sonar, she could see bits and pieces of a massive battle. When Aaron said to watch out for wolves she thought it would only be a hundred, yet the battle was done by the thousands and she was worried. She planted several large traps in case of an attack, but since the battle was on the opposite side of the forest, on the plains, she doubted it would reach so far. Still...

Looking around constantly, she glanced at the camp, Michael’s tent, and the forests around her. She knew it would be useless, but she prayed a bit to her Mistress’ goddess and hoped that whatever battle had happened during this night would avoid their camp.

StatusNameMichaelAge6Level3Class-Fame0-100Infamy0TitleTarget of EnvyGuild-Health530Mana550Stamina540Stored Rage28

Strength41 + 10Dexterity34Vitality37 + 10Intelligence45Wisdom39Mana Control9Critical Chance0.06%Agility40 + 20Concentration61Willpower18Charisma15 + 20

[p=left]Special Skills and bonuses:

‘Target of Envy’ grants:

+20 to Charisma.

+20 to Agility.

+10 to Strength.

+10 to Vitality.

-100 Fame.[/p]

SkillsStealthBeginner level 1. (21%). Active and Passive skillInstant AnalyzationBeginner level 2. (74%) Active skillLanguage ComprehensionBeginner Level 1. (0%) Passive skillHerbologyBeginner level 4. (66%) Passive skillAlchemyBeginner level 3. (91%) Active skillSword MasteryBeginner level 2. (43%) Active skillDagger MasterBeginner level 1. (89%) Active skillWeapon Throwing MasteryBeginner level 2. (55%) Active skillRage ReleaseBeginner level 0. (80) Active skill

AffinitiesFire1Water1Earth1Wind1Light2Dark2Nature9

Michael now has:

A renowned potion making teacher

Combat lessons from his Expert Ranking father.

Green-Magic lessons from his mother.

You want to go back to school!?!?Ladadida Liera <3

Whew. This is my evil early chapter. Is this Saturday? No it isn't. Blame ShaRose for that :P

Vote and Review! Top 50 is just... so... close...

I had 3 Editors and 4 PRs going through these chapters. In the end, having posts about more mistakes makes me lazy. I fix when I can, but don't hope for much.

So, what do you guys think about the chapter? Thoughts are always appreciated... Still haven't finished Chapter 8, but meh. I have time (not).