This story needs to be told. Those who have suffered must understand why. It’s not as simple as some have made it to be, which is why it needs to come from the person most responsible… me.
It began when I was least expecting it. But then don’t things always seem to happen that way?
***
“I’m tellin' ya, doc, people just don’t understand,” Frederick said while rocking back and forth in the chair.
“What exactly don’t they understand?” I said, trying to look more relaxed than I felt.
“There’s just something that takes over. You can’t stop it.”
“Impulse control?”
“What’s that mean?” Frederick said, struggling against his straight jacket, trying to get comfortable.
“It means that when you want to do something, you try your hardest not to. It means you try to control or suppress the urge to do things you know are bad.”
Frederick’s mouth lolled open. He narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“Why would I want to do that?”
I suppressed the urge to sigh.
“Because that’s what people do,” I said. “They think about doing bad things, but then they control themselves and don’t do them because those things are wrong and could hurt other people.”
“Hurting people is wrong?” he said.
“Yes, Frederick, hurting people is wrong.”
He shook his head as if he were trying to shake away a fly that was annoying him.
“Why?”
“Why is hurting people wrong?”
“No, why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re saying I’m bad,” he said trying to rise from his chair. “You’re saying I didn’t need to hurt those people. That I’m a bad person.”
I got up from my chair and started backing toward the heavy metal door.
“I’m not bad!” he yelled at me. “You’re bad!”
I knocked on the door and the orderly opened it as Frederick got to his feet.
I slipped through the door as it slammed shut from the impact of his body slamming into it.
“Bad, bad, bad,” he screamed.
“Badbadbadbadbadbadbadbad!”
Spit flew from his mouth landing on the small observation window with metal grates embedded in it.
“You ok, doc,” the orderly said, startling me.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”
I turned and walked down the white hallway, hoping the orderly wouldn’t notice the quickness in my step. I ignored the sound of Frederick beating on the door. I ignored all the sounds I heard. I just wanted to get away.
It was a long walk to my office, through many security gates. At each one, the nurse buzzed me through and gave me an acknowledging look that used to be a smile.
I suppose this place gets to everyone eventually.
I finally reached my office, closed and locked the door behind me, and collapsed into my chair. I breathed out a sigh of relief at reaching relative safety. I turned and looked out my window to the beautiful flowers blooming on the trees in the courtyard. I looked up at the tree stretching toward the sky.
I remember when they planted those.
I turned back to my center, my means of solace, the only thing that mattered in this cruel, unfair world. I picked up the picture of my lovely wife and smiled. She was the one who kept me sane all these years. She kept me seeing the best in people. Or at least trying. Sometimes there was no good to see—especially in my patients.
It takes a special kind of doctor to care for the mental needs of those who have done heinous things that are so bad they don’t even bother sending them to prison. They send them to me.
I’m like the dumpster for the dregs of society. Just drop them in the asylum and forget about them.
I kissed my wife and set her back on the bare desk, then turned on my computer and added notes from today’s session. There was never a recommendation for release. Once patients came here the only way they left was in a body bag. There was no curing them, only trying to make them docile until they left.
Oh, there were experiments. That was a large part of how we were funded. Companies would pay for certain tests to be done. Some might call it torture, but we called it research.
I finished typing my notes and leaned back in my seat. The diplomas and degrees stared down from their perches on the bare walls, mocking me. Demanding why I hadn’t gotten a better job.
As usual, I didn’t have an answer.
My office suddenly felt stuffy. I closed down my computer and left. Driving down the packed freeway, all I could think about was collapsing on the couch beside my lovely Elizabeth. Not telling her about my day until she dragged it out of me, then listening to her encourage me to help those who have been left in my care, because I’m the only hope they have.
Traffic was bumper to bumper and not helping my overall opinion of humanity much. Especially when a car that was swerving from lane to lane, nearly sideswiped me. It kept going on in front of me, nearly hitting several other cars.
The driver and passenger seemed to be having a disagreement about how to drive the car and it looked like it was about to come to blows.
Fortunately, they were soon out of sight, and someone else’s problem.
For the next few miles, I kept watching the side of the road waiting to see the offending car sitting in a ditch. However, they surprised me. They must’ve turned off to go terrorize some neighborhood streets with their reckless driving.
I hummed to myself, not wanting to have whatever dreck was on the radio forced on me.
When I was nearly to my exit, my phone rang. I immediately recognized the number as work. I contemplated answering it for a moment, then thought better of it. There had never been a time when work called with good news. And I was in no mood for bad news.
I hummed a little louder, trying to drown out the sound of the ring before it finally stopped.
The closer I got to home the less I thought about work and the more I thought about Elizabeth. Until I turned off at my exit, I had nearly forgotten work altogether. Maybe I would take tomorrow off and go do something with my wife. We hadn’t been out for a while. The weather had been lovely and I know she would adore a walk down by the lake.
My thoughts were interrupted when I turned down our driveway and saw a car in front of the house. It wasn’t quite in the driveway, it was sitting at an angle halfway in the front yard.
I parked my car and slowly got out. Something struck me about this car, but I hadn’t figured out what. I approached the driver’s side to have words with the person still sitting at the wheel.
“Excuse me,” I said staying a few steps back from the driver’s door.
He didn’t answer me.
“Excuse me,” I said a little louder.
Still no answer.
I tapped on the window and he ignored me.
I opened the door.
“Okay, look… “ I said.
But it was I who would do the looking. The man fell out of the car, thudding on the grass. The inside of the car was covered in blood. I looked down and the man’s throat had been cut.
“Oh my God!” I said jumping back.
I watched to see if the man was breathing, but the way his neck was bent at an unnatural angle against my yard told me everything I needed to know.
I glanced through the car but didn’t see the passenger.
It was then my eyes drifted to my front door.
It was open.
I stepped through the shrubs and up onto the porch, walking in a daze. The surrealness of the moment had yet to sink in. I was going inside to check on my wife and make sure everything was ok.
It didn’t strike me as anything more than that.
‘Oh, she just left the door open, that’s all.’
My mind kept trying to tell me that. I wanted desperately to believe it. Even though she had never been that careless during the entire time we’d been married. I had pushed aside all reason and common sense in favor of pure denial.
Everything was going to be ok. With Elizabeth, everything was always ok. She could literally light up a room with her positivity. She was the best person I ever knew. I have no idea how I got so lucky as to know her, let alone be her husband.
I floated in through my front door on my cloud of denial and looked for my wife.
It didn’t take me long to find her.
There was one wall of the living room she was constantly redecorating. She always said it looked bare and empty no matter what she did with it.
She was hanging from that wall, naked, her beautiful body desecrated by slices and rips. Her throat had been slit and blood still poured from it.
I ran to her.
Tried to take her down.
Screamed her name.
And then it was my turn to scream.
I looked down and saw a knife blade sticking out from my abdomen. It was part of the cutlery set I had gotten for Elizabeth three Christmases ago.
I screamed as I slowly turned to face my attacker.
“What’s up, doc?” Frederick said wearing a maniacal grin.
The shock had punched a hole in my reasoning. I saw him standing there, but I couldn’t accept it any more than I could accept my beautiful wife strung up like a macabre painting hanging on our living room wall.
My eyes tried to focus on his face. To make me recognize him as a threat.
“How’s that impulse control workin’ for ya, doc?”
He ripped the knife out of my back.
The pain, along with his arrogance woke me from my shock-induced stupor.
“Now do you understand?” he said, as he shoved the knife into my belly.
I did understand. I understood at that moment that I was already as dead as my wife. I knew that this piece of human garbage had taken something beautiful from this world. I knew I had to do something about it before there was nothing I could do. Before my body succumbed to injuries and I was unable.
I grabbed him by the throat. He tried to laugh, but my grip was fueled by desperation.
He tried to free himself but couldn’t. He began stabbing me over and over. I refused to release him. I carried him by his neck over to the kitchen counter and began bashing his head off the marble.
I was rewarded with spots of his blood. I knew at least I had made him bleed and that made me smile. His eyes grew wide as my grin grew maniacal. I smashed him repeatedly, crushing him against the sink, breaking the faucet, and causing water to spray into the air.
His eyelids fluttered as he lost his grip on the knife.
He was nearly gone. I would take him with me and that would be my parting gift to the world, removing something so evil.
Suddenly, my body wouldn’t obey commands. My grip loosened. I tried to tighten it, but I had lost all control. I looked down and I was standing in a pool of my own blood.
His eyes fluttered open and he coughed.
‘Nonononononono!’ I thought. ‘He can’t live. He can’t win. I had him.’
He stood as I sank to the floor.
“Looks like maybe you do understand, doc,” he said from what seemed like miles away. “Too bad you won’t be around to discuss it. We could have a session and evaluate how it makes you feel.”
His foot came down on my spine. I felt a crack. He started kicking me in the side repeatedly. Splashing water and blood on me as I felt my ribs crack.
I fought with everything I had.
My body didn’t even twitch.
‘Nooooo!,’ I screamed. ‘It can’t end like this.’
I heard a sizzling sound and then there was darkness.
***
I could feel movement.
Wasn’t I dead?
Was this what happened after?
It was still dark.
‘Hello?’ I tried to say.
Nothing. Just the sensation of movement.
Am I in a body bag? Am I on my way to the morgue or the grave? Please don’t let me be buried alive.
But I’m not alive, am I?
I don’t feel any pain. That’s a good thing, but not a good sign. The last thing I remember was lots of pain.
Suddenly there’s light and my movement stops.
I look up from the floor of a house I don’t recognize.
‘Where the hell am I?’
I’m on the floor next to a wall, looking up at an electrical outlet. Nothing around me seems familiar. I try to stand but it feels weird. It isn’t difficult, and there’s still no pain, it just carries an odd sensation with it. Like my body is just relearning things. Just like when I was a toddler. I teeter back and forth as I rise, but eventually, I’m upright.
My first few steps are tentative, but after that, I gain confidence with each stride.
Aside from the strange surroundings, there’s a sensation, like ants crawling all over me.
I pass a bathroom and glance inside. The reflection in the mirror draws me back. I slowly approach it, seeing something unique and terrifying.
It looks like someone drew an outline of a human form using a lightning bolt. The electricity shimmers and crackles as it races around the empty form of the being.
I wonder if it will hurt me.
Not sure if I want to test the limits of my newfound lack of pain, I hesitantly reach for this creature. It reaches for me at the same time. I’m mesmerized by this mutual curiosity.
My hand is about to touch the electric pulse shaped like its hand. I tremble with anticipation and fear as we touch.
Surprisingly, I don’t feel any pain. I don’t feel anything except a hard surface.
I move my hand back and forth. The creature does the same. I make quicker movements, and so does it.
Finally, out of frustration, I reach back and strike at the creature.
My hand strikes the hard surface and it splinters. There are now multiple creatures staring back at me.
I step back and come to the horrible realization.
I am the creature.
***
One month later…
“And police have been unable to find any credible leads in the string of brutal killings that began shortly after the patient escaped from the mental hospital last month,” the handsome anchorman stated from behind his desk. “They are asking people to call in if they know the whereabouts of Frederick Winston, now known as, ‘The Mangler’.”
“In other news, the Larsan Electric Company has issued a statement that the recent power surges are no cause for alarm. These surges seem to be random in people's homes and certain businesses. An LEC spokesman stated that there appears to be no pattern to the surges and that so far no one has reported them causing any harm. LEC is tracking down the problem and should have it under control soon.”
The anchorman shifted in his seat and turned to another camera.
“And on a lighter note, with Halloween months away, it seems that reports of ghosts are on the rise,” he said, wearing a half grin. “Several area residents have reported what they call a ghostlike figure, outlined in light, visiting them. Reports vary as to the duration and location of the visits, but they do seem to have a few things in common. The visits are usually short. In fact, most people say that if they blink the figure is gone. No one has reported the ghost doing any harm. And it seems like anyone within close proximity feels a tingling sensation and their hair standing on end.”
“Maybe I should be visited instead of my next hairdresser’s appointment,” the attractive woman anchor said with a laugh.
“Schedule me a visit too,” the male anchor said smiling. “And that’s our news for the evening, good night.”
Jimmy switched the channel.
“Gimme a break,” he said to the TV. “Ghosts? Who’s playing what? This’s some marketing scheme to sell Halloween crap. Like that stunt they pulled a few years back with the clowns hanging around the schools to promote that stupid movie.”
He switched off the TV and rolled over in his bed.
It wasn’t long before his breathing slowed. But before sleep could take him, he noticed a glow in the hallway. He didn’t remember leaving any lights on when he came to bed. Living alone had its advantages. If he heard someone in his apartment, he knew they weren’t supposed to be there. He slowly reached over to the bedstand and pulled out his Glock 9mm handgun, then held it close and listened.
He watched as the glow moved. It seemed like someone was looking around. But for what? He didn’t really have anything aside from his TV, phone, and video games. If anyone wanted those, they would be in a world of hurt. He had been lucky to get this apartment. If he was honest with himself, it cost more than he could afford, but when he had the chance he took it. It was too bad the opening came because the person who lived there before him was one of The Mangler’s victims. That’s probably why he was able to rent the place so quickly and get the price down to where he could almost afford it.
Maybe the glow was one of the street people who were stupid enough to see if there was an empty apartment to claim. That wasn’t gonna fly either. Jimmy had jumped on this apartment to get away from the dingy rat hole he used live in on the other side of town. And there was no way he’d let some bum come in here and take what was his.
The glow crept closer. He could feel the hairs on his arms raise. There was a sound too. It wasn’t loud, almost felt more than heard. A soft crackle, like electricity when it sparked.
The sensory input was almost too much for Jimmy to take. He pointed the gun in the direction of the glow and saw the barrel was shaking. His resolve, that he could deal with anyone as long as he had his gun, was beginning to fade.
The glow became so bright that it finally took form.
Jimmy’s eyes widened. It was the form of a person, just like the news had said.
It seemed to look around the room, then settle its gaze on the bed. Jimmy began to sweat as it approached and stared into his eyes.
It was the oddest thing, staring into what should be eyes, but nothing was there. The flashes of mini lightning bolts formed shapes that looked almost human, but it was just an outline, there was nothing inside what should be the body.
He shoved the shaking gun out from under the blanket and pointed it at the glowing figure.
The figure noted the presence of the gun, then continued to advance.
“S… stop,” Jimmy said. “I’m w… warning you.”
The figure ignored the warning.
Jimmy squeezed the trigger, setting off a deafening shot that went right through the face of the figure.
It acted as though nothing had happened, continuing to advance. The ringing in Jimmy’s ears made all sound seem muffled.
The figure stopped two inches from Jimmy’s face.
“Mangler… “ it said, sounding less like a voice and more like a transmission over an old staticky radio.
“I… I’m not the Mangler,” he said. “The person who used to live here was killed by him.”
It seemed to ponder this for a moment.
“Find Mangler… “ it said.
“I d… don’t know where to find him.”
It moved an inch closer. As the flashes of electricity arced, licked hungrily at Jimmy’s face.
“Find… him… “
“Ok, ok, I’ll find him,” Jimmy said, feeling the heat from the electricity.
The figure seemed to consider that for a moment then backed away. It moved toward the bedroom wall. Then, like someone had turned on a vacuum, it was sucked into an electrical outlet and disappeared.
Jimmy laid back in bed, breathing hard. His eyes darted left and right all around the room. But the only evidence of the figure that remained was the bullet hole in his bedroom wall.
***
The trips through the electrical conduits had become easier. There were still times when I came out someplace I didn’t intend to, but I was usually able to recover quickly and get to where I wanted to go.
But where did I want to go? At first, I wandered around, lost in this new form I found myself trapped inside. It was only after I had overheard a news report about the serial killer they called The Mangler that I gained my purpose.
Of course, Frederick was going to keep killing. Of course, they weren’t going to be able to catch him. He’d been inside away from his victims before and he didn’t like it. Not being able to torture and kill innocents was like a normal person not being able to breathe. Not that I know much about normal or breathing anymore.
I suppose on some level I should thank him. I thought about it for a long time and the only thing that makes any kind of sense is when we were fighting, somehow the water and blood I was laying in got splashed into the electrical socket. Instead of killing me, it bonded with me, making me able to become the electrical current. To ride it like a wave to wherever I wanted.
I became faster than any person ever was. And yet, I wasn’t a person anymore. I have no idea how I retained my consciousness, let alone my memory. But somehow…
I justify it by the old adage, ‘I think therefore I am.’
My life has become an endless hunt for the person who destroyed me, the person I must destroy. I don’t even know what I’ll do when I find him. But I will find him. I will stop him. This time, I won’t fail. I’ll end him like I should’ve before.
I owe it to the people he’s tortured and killed since my failure. Most of all, I owe it to my wife. I know she wouldn’t approve of my bloodlust. She would say there must be some other option. But if she would be able to see her dead body hanging naked from our living room wall, I think she just might change her mind.
My thoughts are interrupted as I arrive at my next destination, another victim’s house. I’m not sure what I’ll find that the police haven’t, but I have to try. Maybe I can pick up his scent somehow. A plan almost assuredly doomed to failure since I lost all sense of smell in the transformation.
I’m surprised though that I can still see and hear. I suppose waves of light and sound somehow intersect with my electrical body and it senses them. I don’t question it. I’ve learned to just go with it.
On the plus side, I don’t have to worry about eating, drinking, or using the bathroom. I guess there’s an upside to everything. Elizabeth would be so proud of me.
I arrive at the room where the victim was murdered. Looking around there’s still blood everywhere, along with evidence markers where they took pictures.
The sheer amount of blood tells me he took his time. He desecrated this girl in her own room. Her parents must’ve been out because there’s no way they didn’t hear the struggle. There were books on the floor, a chair overturned, and blood everywhere. The room was a disaster. It looked like she fought him. I wish she would’ve succeeded where I had failed.
But then, I wish I hadn’t failed, and this girl was still alive.
There’s nothing I can do now except find him and end him.
Finding him was proving more difficult than I thought. I had unlimited access to anywhere with electricity, but I couldn’t use a computer or a GPS. I was limited to transportation only through electricity. Granted that still made me the fastest being alive. I say being because I don’t think I qualify as human anymore. But I was limited to traveling to a place and then trying to find out where I was and if he was there.
If he knew I was searching for him all he would have to do is live the rest of his days in a cabin in the woods with no electricity. I’d never be able to reach him.
I believe two things worked in my favor with that theory.
First, I don’t think he’s that smart, and second, I don’t think he knows I’m looking for him. I believe that surviving our fight only further empowered him to kill. When someone feels invincible, they’re bound to make a mistake.
An officer walked into the room and I ducked back into an outlet. I was able to hang on where I was and watch from inside the outlet without being transported somewhere else.
The officer looked startled and stared at the empty air that I had just vacated. She looked like she was unsure if she trusted what her eyes had seen in the instant before I vanished.
She slowly stepped over to the corner and bent down to peer into the outlet. For a moment I wondered if she could see me, and what exactly she would see. But then her radio squawked calling her to another scene. When I heard the voice on the radio say the address and that they might have the killer cornered, I didn’t waste any time.
It was maybe fifteen seconds until I was across town at the address I’d heard. There was a lot of screaming and crying going on. I came out of the outlet and saw blood on the floor beside a body that wasn’t moving.
There was a girl being beaten by a man with his back to me. He turned to take another swing and I knew my search was over.
“My psychiatrist used to tell me I needed to work on my impulse control,” he said calmly as he slapped her. “I think I’m doing pretty good. I’ve been here ten whole minutes and you’re still alive.”
I shot across the room and knocked him to the floor. He jumped back up and looked around for what had hit him.
“What the hell?”
I saw the fear in his eyes when he saw me. I know Elizabeth would’ve been ashamed, of me, but I was enjoying his anxiety. After all he had done to me and so many others, I drank it in like an elixir.
He started edging toward the door. I was there in a heartbeat. His eyes darted back and forth between where I used to be and where I now stood. The panic in his eyes doubled.
I wanted to make him suffer, but I didn’t want to make the same mistake I’d made before and let him escape with his life.
I lashed out with a bolt that used to be my arm. The energy slashed through his shirt and fried a hole in his shoulder.
He screamed in pain and horror as he looked at the smoking hole in his skin. He tried to run but in an instant, I was there in front of him firing another bolt and searing the skin across his waist to his jeans.
His screams of pain and rage were only matched by the feral desperation in his eyes.
Not knowing what do to, he went with the familiar. Attack the innocent. He grabbed the girl who had been crawling away from the scene.
He grabbed her again and held her in front of him like a human shield.
What a waste of skin.
I fired a bolt into a ceiling light beside me which ricocheted and hit him full force in the leg, nearly severing it.
He went down like a ton of bricks, trying to hold on to his hostage, but she was fighting to get away from him. She broke free and he crumpled to the floor.
“What do you want?” he screamed at me.
With everything that is within me, I wanted to tell him who I was, what he had taken from me, and what I was about to take from him.
But I didn’t want to give the satisfaction. I wanted to give him only uncertainty and fear to cling to.
I could feel the seconds ticking away. I knew I had to make the most of this opportunity or he would get away again. And after this, I might never find him.
I unleashed every ounce of energy at him. I couldn’t even see him, he was only a smoking pillar of frying skin.
Just then, the police burst through the door.
“FREE… “ the first officer started then the shock of what he was seeing stole the rest of the word from his mouth.
He stood there, mouth agape when the female officer stepped in behind him. She looked at me and her wide eyes narrowed as she put two and two together and recognized me from the last crime scene.
I had no reason to fear. I didn’t know if I could even be harmed in my current state. But when you see that blue uniform burst through a door with a gun aimed at you, all rational thought takes a vacation.
I dove for the outlet and was gone. I didn’t even care where I was going. I knew I had done what I wanted to. The monster was destroyed.
Something felt different. Was it pride at finishing my crusade? Was it shame knowing Elizabeth wouldn’t have wanted me to do it?
I don’t know but there was something else. It was like there was added weight to my existence. I guess you can have a conscious in whatever you’d call this existence.
I appeared in the place that made the most sense, ironically. It was my old home. The one where everything I loved died, including me. It was where I took on this unintended new existence.
Is that why I felt this extra weight? Was it some cathartic aftereffect of my search for revenge that was finally over?
I looked around the charred debris of what used to be my home. In my mind's eye, I didn’t see the burned-out shell of what was left. I saw it as it was when we first moved in. When Elizabeth and I started decorating. When the interior was finally finished and I turned to her and said, “For now.” Knowing she would decide to change everything at some time in the future when she was bored, just like all women seem to do.
I remember getting a paintbrush across the mouth for that comment. I smiled remembering kissing her with my freshly painted mouth and ending up in the bedroom.
As I turned toward where I’d entered the house, my smile quickly faded. For some reason, I was still connected to the outlet. That had never happened before.
Another curiosity arose when I noticed the color of my electrical body was now tinged purple. It had always been blue before.
The tail of what had yet to come out of the outlet was red. As I pulled and it came the rest of the way out, it merged with me and turned purple.
“What the hell?” I heard someone say.
I whipped around but no one was there.
“Where am I?” the voice said.
“Who are you?” I said to the air.
There was a long silence.
“Doc?” the voice said.
As far as I knew it wasn’t possible for my spine to turn to ice, since I no longer had a spine, but the feeling seemed the same.
“Frederick?” I said.
“What happened?” he said. “This crazy electric thing attacked me and now… wait a minute. How am I talking to you? You died months ago.”
My shock gave way to utter despair. My enemy was now part of me.

This story needs to be told. Those who have suffered must understand why. It’s not as simple as some have made it to be, which is why it needs to come from the person most responsible… me.
It began when I was least expecting it. But then don’t things always seem to happen that way?
***
“I’m tellin' ya, doc, people just don’t understand,” Frederick said while rocking back and forth in the chair.
“What exactly don’t they understand?” I said, trying to look more relaxed than I felt.
“There’s just something that takes over. You can’t stop it.”
“Impulse control?”
“What’s that mean?” Frederick said, struggling against his straight jacket, trying to get comfortable.
“It means that when you want to do something, you try your hardest not to. It means you try to control or suppress the urge to do things you know are bad.”
Frederick’s mouth lolled open. He narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“Why would I want to do that?”
I suppressed the urge to sigh.
“Because that’s what people do,” I said. “They think about doing bad things, but then they control themselves and don’t do them because those things are wrong and could hurt other people.”
“Hurting people is wrong?” he said.
“Yes, Frederick, hurting people is wrong.”
He shook his head as if he were trying to shake away a fly that was annoying him.
“Why?”
“Why is hurting people wrong?”
“No, why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re saying I’m bad,” he said trying to rise from his chair. “You’re saying I didn’t need to hurt those people. That I’m a bad person.”
I got up from my chair and started backing toward the heavy metal door.
“I’m not bad!” he yelled at me. “You’re bad!”
I knocked on the door and the orderly opened it as Frederick got to his feet.
I slipped through the door as it slammed shut from the impact of his body slamming into it.
“Bad, bad, bad,” he screamed.
“Badbadbadbadbadbadbadbad!”
Spit flew from his mouth landing on the small observation window with metal grates embedded in it.
“You ok, doc,” the orderly said, startling me.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”
I turned and walked down the white hallway, hoping the orderly wouldn’t notice the quickness in my step. I ignored the sound of Frederick beating on the door. I ignored all the sounds I heard. I just wanted to get away.
It was a long walk to my office, through many security gates. At each one, the nurse buzzed me through and gave me an acknowledging look that used to be a smile.
I suppose this place gets to everyone eventually.
I finally reached my office, closed and locked the door behind me, and collapsed into my chair. I breathed out a sigh of relief at reaching relative safety. I turned and looked out my window to the beautiful flowers blooming on the trees in the courtyard. I looked up at the tree stretching toward the sky.
I remember when they planted those.
I turned back to my center, my means of solace, the only thing that mattered in this cruel, unfair world. I picked up the picture of my lovely wife and smiled. She was the one who kept me sane all these years. She kept me seeing the best in people. Or at least trying. Sometimes there was no good to see—especially in my patients.
It takes a special kind of doctor to care for the mental needs of those who have done heinous things that are so bad they don’t even bother sending them to prison. They send them to me.
I’m like the dumpster for the dregs of society. Just drop them in the asylum and forget about them.
I kissed my wife and set her back on the bare desk, then turned on my computer and added notes from today’s session. There was never a recommendation for release. Once patients came here the only way they left was in a body bag. There was no curing them, only trying to make them docile until they left.
Oh, there were experiments. That was a large part of how we were funded. Companies would pay for certain tests to be done. Some might call it torture, but we called it research.
I finished typing my notes and leaned back in my seat. The diplomas and degrees stared down from their perches on the bare walls, mocking me. Demanding why I hadn’t gotten a better job.
As usual, I didn’t have an answer.
My office suddenly felt stuffy. I closed down my computer and left. Driving down the packed freeway, all I could think about was collapsing on the couch beside my lovely Elizabeth. Not telling her about my day until she dragged it out of me, then listening to her encourage me to help those who have been left in my care, because I’m the only hope they have.
Traffic was bumper to bumper and not helping my overall opinion of humanity much. Especially when a car that was swerving from lane to lane, nearly sideswiped me. It kept going on in front of me, nearly hitting several other cars.
The driver and passenger seemed to be having a disagreement about how to drive the car and it looked like it was about to come to blows.
Fortunately, they were soon out of sight, and someone else’s problem.
For the next few miles, I kept watching the side of the road waiting to see the offending car sitting in a ditch. However, they surprised me. They must’ve turned off to go terrorize some neighborhood streets with their reckless driving.
I hummed to myself, not wanting to have whatever dreck was on the radio forced on me.
When I was nearly to my exit, my phone rang. I immediately recognized the number as work. I contemplated answering it for a moment, then thought better of it. There had never been a time when work called with good news. And I was in no mood for bad news.
I hummed a little louder, trying to drown out the sound of the ring before it finally stopped.
The closer I got to home the less I thought about work and the more I thought about Elizabeth. Until I turned off at my exit, I had nearly forgotten work altogether. Maybe I would take tomorrow off and go do something with my wife. We hadn’t been out for a while. The weather had been lovely and I know she would adore a walk down by the lake.
My thoughts were interrupted when I turned down our driveway and saw a car in front of the house. It wasn’t quite in the driveway, it was sitting at an angle halfway in the front yard.
I parked my car and slowly got out. Something struck me about this car, but I hadn’t figured out what. I approached the driver’s side to have words with the person still sitting at the wheel.
“Excuse me,” I said staying a few steps back from the driver’s door.
He didn’t answer me.
“Excuse me,” I said a little louder.
Still no answer.
I tapped on the window and he ignored me.
I opened the door.
“Okay, look… “ I said.
But it was I who would do the looking. The man fell out of the car, thudding on the grass. The inside of the car was covered in blood. I looked down and the man’s throat had been cut.
“Oh my God!” I said jumping back.
I watched to see if the man was breathing, but the way his neck was bent at an unnatural angle against my yard told me everything I needed to know.
I glanced through the car but didn’t see the passenger.
It was then my eyes drifted to my front door.
It was open.
I stepped through the shrubs and up onto the porch, walking in a daze. The surrealness of the moment had yet to sink in. I was going inside to check on my wife and make sure everything was ok.
It didn’t strike me as anything more than that.
‘Oh, she just left the door open, that’s all.’
My mind kept trying to tell me that. I wanted desperately to believe it. Even though she had never been that careless during the entire time we’d been married. I had pushed aside all reason and common sense in favor of pure denial.
Everything was going to be ok. With Elizabeth, everything was always ok. She could literally light up a room with her positivity. She was the best person I ever knew. I have no idea how I got so lucky as to know her, let alone be her husband.
I floated in through my front door on my cloud of denial and looked for my wife.
It didn’t take me long to find her.
There was one wall of the living room she was constantly redecorating. She always said it looked bare and empty no matter what she did with it.
She was hanging from that wall, naked, her beautiful body desecrated by slices and rips. Her throat had been slit and blood still poured from it.
I ran to her.
Tried to take her down.
Screamed her name.
And then it was my turn to scream.
I looked down and saw a knife blade sticking out from my abdomen. It was part of the cutlery set I had gotten for Elizabeth three Christmases ago.
I screamed as I slowly turned to face my attacker.
“What’s up, doc?” Frederick said wearing a maniacal grin.
The shock had punched a hole in my reasoning. I saw him standing there, but I couldn’t accept it any more than I could accept my beautiful wife strung up like a macabre painting hanging on our living room wall.
My eyes tried to focus on his face. To make me recognize him as a threat.
“How’s that impulse control workin’ for ya, doc?”
He ripped the knife out of my back.
The pain, along with his arrogance woke me from my shock-induced stupor.
“Now do you understand?” he said, as he shoved the knife into my belly.
I did understand. I understood at that moment that I was already as dead as my wife. I knew that this piece of human garbage had taken something beautiful from this world. I knew I had to do something about it before there was nothing I could do. Before my body succumbed to injuries and I was unable.
I grabbed him by the throat. He tried to laugh, but my grip was fueled by desperation.
He tried to free himself but couldn’t. He began stabbing me over and over. I refused to release him. I carried him by his neck over to the kitchen counter and began bashing his head off the marble.
I was rewarded with spots of his blood. I knew at least I had made him bleed and that made me smile. His eyes grew wide as my grin grew maniacal. I smashed him repeatedly, crushing him against the sink, breaking the faucet, and causing water to spray into the air.
His eyelids fluttered as he lost his grip on the knife.
He was nearly gone. I would take him with me and that would be my parting gift to the world, removing something so evil.
Suddenly, my body wouldn’t obey commands. My grip loosened. I tried to tighten it, but I had lost all control. I looked down and I was standing in a pool of my own blood.
His eyes fluttered open and he coughed.
‘Nonononononono!’ I thought. ‘He can’t live. He can’t win. I had him.’
He stood as I sank to the floor.
“Looks like maybe you do understand, doc,” he said from what seemed like miles away. “Too bad you won’t be around to discuss it. We could have a session and evaluate how it makes you feel.”
His foot came down on my spine. I felt a crack. He started kicking me in the side repeatedly. Splashing water and blood on me as I felt my ribs crack.
I fought with everything I had.
My body didn’t even twitch.
‘Nooooo!,’ I screamed. ‘It can’t end like this.’
I heard a sizzling sound and then there was darkness.
***
I could feel movement.
Wasn’t I dead?
Was this what happened after?
It was still dark.
‘Hello?’ I tried to say.
Nothing. Just the sensation of movement.
Am I in a body bag? Am I on my way to the morgue or the grave? Please don’t let me be buried alive.
But I’m not alive, am I?
I don’t feel any pain. That’s a good thing, but not a good sign. The last thing I remember was lots of pain.
Suddenly there’s light and my movement stops.
I look up from the floor of a house I don’t recognize.
‘Where the hell am I?’
I’m on the floor next to a wall, looking up at an electrical outlet. Nothing around me seems familiar. I try to stand but it feels weird. It isn’t difficult, and there’s still no pain, it just carries an odd sensation with it. Like my body is just relearning things. Just like when I was a toddler. I teeter back and forth as I rise, but eventually, I’m upright.
My first few steps are tentative, but after that, I gain confidence with each stride.
Aside from the strange surroundings, there’s a sensation, like ants crawling all over me.
I pass a bathroom and glance inside. The reflection in the mirror draws me back. I slowly approach it, seeing something unique and terrifying.
It looks like someone drew an outline of a human form using a lightning bolt. The electricity shimmers and crackles as it races around the empty form of the being.
I wonder if it will hurt me.
Not sure if I want to test the limits of my newfound lack of pain, I hesitantly reach for this creature. It reaches for me at the same time. I’m mesmerized by this mutual curiosity.
My hand is about to touch the electric pulse shaped like its hand. I tremble with anticipation and fear as we touch.
Surprisingly, I don’t feel any pain. I don’t feel anything except a hard surface.
I move my hand back and forth. The creature does the same. I make quicker movements, and so does it.
Finally, out of frustration, I reach back and strike at the creature.
My hand strikes the hard surface and it splinters. There are now multiple creatures staring back at me.
I step back and come to the horrible realization.
I am the creature.
***
One month later…
“And police have been unable to find any credible leads in the string of brutal killings that began shortly after the patient escaped from the mental hospital last month,” the handsome anchorman stated from behind his desk. “They are asking people to call in if they know the whereabouts of Frederick Winston, now known as, ‘The Mangler’.”
“In other news, the Larsan Electric Company has issued a statement that the recent power surges are no cause for alarm. These surges seem to be random in people's homes and certain businesses. An LEC spokesman stated that there appears to be no pattern to the surges and that so far no one has reported them causing any harm. LEC is tracking down the problem and should have it under control soon.”
The anchorman shifted in his seat and turned to another camera.
“And on a lighter note, with Halloween months away, it seems that reports of ghosts are on the rise,” he said, wearing a half grin. “Several area residents have reported what they call a ghostlike figure, outlined in light, visiting them. Reports vary as to the duration and location of the visits, but they do seem to have a few things in common. The visits are usually short. In fact, most people say that if they blink the figure is gone. No one has reported the ghost doing any harm. And it seems like anyone within close proximity feels a tingling sensation and their hair standing on end.”
“Maybe I should be visited instead of my next hairdresser’s appointment,” the attractive woman anchor said with a laugh.
“Schedule me a visit too,” the male anchor said smiling. “And that’s our news for the evening, good night.”
Jimmy switched the channel.
“Gimme a break,” he said to the TV. “Ghosts? Who’s playing what? This’s some marketing scheme to sell Halloween crap. Like that stunt they pulled a few years back with the clowns hanging around the schools to promote that stupid movie.”
He switched off the TV and rolled over in his bed.
It wasn’t long before his breathing slowed. But before sleep could take him, he noticed a glow in the hallway. He didn’t remember leaving any lights on when he came to bed. Living alone had its advantages. If he heard someone in his apartment, he knew they weren’t supposed to be there. He slowly reached over to the bedstand and pulled out his Glock 9mm handgun, then held it close and listened.
He watched as the glow moved. It seemed like someone was looking around. But for what? He didn’t really have anything aside from his TV, phone, and video games. If anyone wanted those, they would be in a world of hurt. He had been lucky to get this apartment. If he was honest with himself, it cost more than he could afford, but when he had the chance he took it. It was too bad the opening came because the person who lived there before him was one of The Mangler’s victims. That’s probably why he was able to rent the place so quickly and get the price down to where he could almost afford it.
Maybe the glow was one of the street people who were stupid enough to see if there was an empty apartment to claim. That wasn’t gonna fly either. Jimmy had jumped on this apartment to get away from the dingy rat hole he used live in on the other side of town. And there was no way he’d let some bum come in here and take what was his.
The glow crept closer. He could feel the hairs on his arms raise. There was a sound too. It wasn’t loud, almost felt more than heard. A soft crackle, like electricity when it sparked.
The sensory input was almost too much for Jimmy to take. He pointed the gun in the direction of the glow and saw the barrel was shaking. His resolve, that he could deal with anyone as long as he had his gun, was beginning to fade.
The glow became so bright that it finally took form.
Jimmy’s eyes widened. It was the form of a person, just like the news had said.
It seemed to look around the room, then settle its gaze on the bed. Jimmy began to sweat as it approached and stared into his eyes.
It was the oddest thing, staring into what should be eyes, but nothing was there. The flashes of mini lightning bolts formed shapes that looked almost human, but it was just an outline, there was nothing inside what should be the body.
He shoved the shaking gun out from under the blanket and pointed it at the glowing figure.
The figure noted the presence of the gun, then continued to advance.
“S… stop,” Jimmy said. “I’m w… warning you.”
The figure ignored the warning.
Jimmy squeezed the trigger, setting off a deafening shot that went right through the face of the figure.
It acted as though nothing had happened, continuing to advance. The ringing in Jimmy’s ears made all sound seem muffled.
The figure stopped two inches from Jimmy’s face.
“Mangler… “ it said, sounding less like a voice and more like a transmission over an old staticky radio.
“I… I’m not the Mangler,” he said. “The person who used to live here was killed by him.”
It seemed to ponder this for a moment.
“Find Mangler… “ it said.
“I d… don’t know where to find him.”
It moved an inch closer. As the flashes of electricity arced, licked hungrily at Jimmy’s face.
“Find… him… “
“Ok, ok, I’ll find him,” Jimmy said, feeling the heat from the electricity.
The figure seemed to consider that for a moment then backed away. It moved toward the bedroom wall. Then, like someone had turned on a vacuum, it was sucked into an electrical outlet and disappeared.
Jimmy laid back in bed, breathing hard. His eyes darted left and right all around the room. But the only evidence of the figure that remained was the bullet hole in his bedroom wall.
***
The trips through the electrical conduits had become easier. There were still times when I came out someplace I didn’t intend to, but I was usually able to recover quickly and get to where I wanted to go.
But where did I want to go? At first, I wandered around, lost in this new form I found myself trapped inside. It was only after I had overheard a news report about the serial killer they called The Mangler that I gained my purpose.
Of course, Frederick was going to keep killing. Of course, they weren’t going to be able to catch him. He’d been inside away from his victims before and he didn’t like it. Not being able to torture and kill innocents was like a normal person not being able to breathe. Not that I know much about normal or breathing anymore.
I suppose on some level I should thank him. I thought about it for a long time and the only thing that makes any kind of sense is when we were fighting, somehow the water and blood I was laying in got splashed into the electrical socket. Instead of killing me, it bonded with me, making me able to become the electrical current. To ride it like a wave to wherever I wanted.
I became faster than any person ever was. And yet, I wasn’t a person anymore. I have no idea how I retained my consciousness, let alone my memory. But somehow…
I justify it by the old adage, ‘I think therefore I am.’
My life has become an endless hunt for the person who destroyed me, the person I must destroy. I don’t even know what I’ll do when I find him. But I will find him. I will stop him. This time, I won’t fail. I’ll end him like I should’ve before.
I owe it to the people he’s tortured and killed since my failure. Most of all, I owe it to my wife. I know she wouldn’t approve of my bloodlust. She would say there must be some other option. But if she would be able to see her dead body hanging naked from our living room wall, I think she just might change her mind.
My thoughts are interrupted as I arrive at my next destination, another victim’s house. I’m not sure what I’ll find that the police haven’t, but I have to try. Maybe I can pick up his scent somehow. A plan almost assuredly doomed to failure since I lost all sense of smell in the transformation.
I’m surprised though that I can still see and hear. I suppose waves of light and sound somehow intersect with my electrical body and it senses them. I don’t question it. I’ve learned to just go with it.
On the plus side, I don’t have to worry about eating, drinking, or using the bathroom. I guess there’s an upside to everything. Elizabeth would be so proud of me.
I arrive at the room where the victim was murdered. Looking around there’s still blood everywhere, along with evidence markers where they took pictures.
The sheer amount of blood tells me he took his time. He desecrated this girl in her own room. Her parents must’ve been out because there’s no way they didn’t hear the struggle. There were books on the floor, a chair overturned, and blood everywhere. The room was a disaster. It looked like she fought him. I wish she would’ve succeeded where I had failed.
But then, I wish I hadn’t failed, and this girl was still alive.
There’s nothing I can do now except find him and end him.
Finding him was proving more difficult than I thought. I had unlimited access to anywhere with electricity, but I couldn’t use a computer or a GPS. I was limited to transportation only through electricity. Granted that still made me the fastest being alive. I say being because I don’t think I qualify as human anymore. But I was limited to traveling to a place and then trying to find out where I was and if he was there.
If he knew I was searching for him all he would have to do is live the rest of his days in a cabin in the woods with no electricity. I’d never be able to reach him.
I believe two things worked in my favor with that theory.
First, I don’t think he’s that smart, and second, I don’t think he knows I’m looking for him. I believe that surviving our fight only further empowered him to kill. When someone feels invincible, they’re bound to make a mistake.
An officer walked into the room and I ducked back into an outlet. I was able to hang on where I was and watch from inside the outlet without being transported somewhere else.
The officer looked startled and stared at the empty air that I had just vacated. She looked like she was unsure if she trusted what her eyes had seen in the instant before I vanished.
She slowly stepped over to the corner and bent down to peer into the outlet. For a moment I wondered if she could see me, and what exactly she would see. But then her radio squawked calling her to another scene. When I heard the voice on the radio say the address and that they might have the killer cornered, I didn’t waste any time.
It was maybe fifteen seconds until I was across town at the address I’d heard. There was a lot of screaming and crying going on. I came out of the outlet and saw blood on the floor beside a body that wasn’t moving.
There was a girl being beaten by a man with his back to me. He turned to take another swing and I knew my search was over.
“My psychiatrist used to tell me I needed to work on my impulse control,” he said calmly as he slapped her. “I think I’m doing pretty good. I’ve been here ten whole minutes and you’re still alive.”
I shot across the room and knocked him to the floor. He jumped back up and looked around for what had hit him.
“What the hell?”
I saw the fear in his eyes when he saw me. I know Elizabeth would’ve been ashamed, of me, but I was enjoying his anxiety. After all he had done to me and so many others, I drank it in like an elixir.
He started edging toward the door. I was there in a heartbeat. His eyes darted back and forth between where I used to be and where I now stood. The panic in his eyes doubled.
I wanted to make him suffer, but I didn’t want to make the same mistake I’d made before and let him escape with his life.
I lashed out with a bolt that used to be my arm. The energy slashed through his shirt and fried a hole in his shoulder.
He screamed in pain and horror as he looked at the smoking hole in his skin. He tried to run but in an instant, I was there in front of him firing another bolt and searing the skin across his waist to his jeans.
His screams of pain and rage were only matched by the feral desperation in his eyes.
Not knowing what do to, he went with the familiar. Attack the innocent. He grabbed the girl who had been crawling away from the scene.
He grabbed her again and held her in front of him like a human shield.
What a waste of skin.
I fired a bolt into a ceiling light beside me which ricocheted and hit him full force in the leg, nearly severing it.
He went down like a ton of bricks, trying to hold on to his hostage, but she was fighting to get away from him. She broke free and he crumpled to the floor.
“What do you want?” he screamed at me.
With everything that is within me, I wanted to tell him who I was, what he had taken from me, and what I was about to take from him.
But I didn’t want to give the satisfaction. I wanted to give him only uncertainty and fear to cling to.
I could feel the seconds ticking away. I knew I had to make the most of this opportunity or he would get away again. And after this, I might never find him.
I unleashed every ounce of energy at him. I couldn’t even see him, he was only a smoking pillar of frying skin.
Just then, the police burst through the door.
“FREE… “ the first officer started then the shock of what he was seeing stole the rest of the word from his mouth.
He stood there, mouth agape when the female officer stepped in behind him. She looked at me and her wide eyes narrowed as she put two and two together and recognized me from the last crime scene.
I had no reason to fear. I didn’t know if I could even be harmed in my current state. But when you see that blue uniform burst through a door with a gun aimed at you, all rational thought takes a vacation.
I dove for the outlet and was gone. I didn’t even care where I was going. I knew I had done what I wanted to. The monster was destroyed.
Something felt different. Was it pride at finishing my crusade? Was it shame knowing Elizabeth wouldn’t have wanted me to do it?
I don’t know but there was something else. It was like there was added weight to my existence. I guess you can have a conscious in whatever you’d call this existence.
I appeared in the place that made the most sense, ironically. It was my old home. The one where everything I loved died, including me. It was where I took on this unintended new existence.
Is that why I felt this extra weight? Was it some cathartic aftereffect of my search for revenge that was finally over?
I looked around the charred debris of what used to be my home. In my mind's eye, I didn’t see the burned-out shell of what was left. I saw it as it was when we first moved in. When Elizabeth and I started decorating. When the interior was finally finished and I turned to her and said, “For now.” Knowing she would decide to change everything at some time in the future when she was bored, just like all women seem to do.
I remember getting a paintbrush across the mouth for that comment. I smiled remembering kissing her with my freshly painted mouth and ending up in the bedroom.
As I turned toward where I’d entered the house, my smile quickly faded. For some reason, I was still connected to the outlet. That had never happened before.
Another curiosity arose when I noticed the color of my electrical body was now tinged purple. It had always been blue before.
The tail of what had yet to come out of the outlet was red. As I pulled and it came the rest of the way out, it merged with me and turned purple.
“What the hell?” I heard someone say.
I whipped around but no one was there.
“Where am I?” the voice said.
“Who are you?” I said to the air.
There was a long silence.
“Doc?” the voice said.
As far as I knew it wasn’t possible for my spine to turn to ice, since I no longer had a spine, but the feeling seemed the same.
“Frederick?” I said.
“What happened?” he said. “This crazy electric thing attacked me and now… wait a minute. How am I talking to you? You died months ago.”
My shock gave way to utter despair. My enemy was now part of me.

She tugs at my arm, and I follow her, ducking through the frame of the small door my forehead likes so much and then up a creaking staircase. The air is alive up here. It moves through the shards of light that have navigated past the cracks—specks of dust bob like a buoy in a calm sea. A draught follows the sunlight; I can feel it hit her skin. She’s shivering. I glance down at her wrapped around my arm. She looks up at me, looking down at her, and we giggle. Sit down, she says without moving her lips and pulls me again. Her father’s old suitcases rest in a pile in one corner, and they rock a little as we hop on. I no longer have to look down; she’s at eye level. I’d do anything to have her stay there for the rest of our lives. A streak of light cuts her face in two, but her eyes don’t squint; they breathe it in as if it might be the last time. In this light, her features look like a figure skater among holiday skaters: mesmerising. How do they do that? I ask myself. Her eyebrows are the canopy shading the jungles below. These two round jungles of hers are unforgiving, casting glances you’ve no chance to navigate or understand. These jungles are wild places. Filled with beauty, rage, worry and confidence, my eyes fall to her nose before losing my way. The freckles that climb onto it scatter themselves messily. I wonder: are they climbing for recreation or survival? The ridge is bent, distorting the straight line that was intended. It’s a happy accident or a bold choice. Either way, it’s decidedly more beautiful than anything I’ve seen. I think it’s the light, but similar thoughts have come to me under grey clouds, dully lit dorms and twinkling stars. It’s just her; I correct myself. She has my hand now; we’re talking about converting the attic into something special. A studio or a home gym? My glances move again. I’m looking at her cheeks; they’re soft skin and delicate designs. If I look for too long, will their surface crumple into a million pieces under the weight? Something so fine has to have a weakness. They are works of art, pinks, reds and creams layered to perfection. I’ve said something to make her laugh, and she giggles more than usual, bringing her hands to her mouth. She pulls them away, and I’m left with her smiling lips, both corners pinned in place. She hates it when I look at her lips, or at least in that direction. Her self-consciousness comes calling, and she lifts her hand again. But they are addicting; they’re responsible for the words I admire, the laughter I crave, and the kisses I adore. I’m only human. Stop looking at my lips, she says, and I do. We’re still at eye level, and we’re still talking about ideas for the attic. I return to the jungles, but something grabs me and yanks me in: I can hear their sounds: squawking, singing and hissing. There are scents, too; wildflowers, moss, fresh air, and somewhere in the distance, the sea. I’m lost, so I sit perched on the suitcases until she lets me go.

American Aires Inc. (CSE: WIFI) a provider of scientifically-proven EMF modulation technology, provides an update to investors on its activities and important developments that took place in 2022 following the recent announcement of the revocation of the Ontario Securities Commission's Cease-Trade Order and the resumption of trading of the Company's shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange.
EMF/EMR EFFECTS EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH Scientific research has shown that electromagnetic fields from your electronic devices impact your health by acting as a stressor on your nervous system. AGGRAVING IMPACT Scientific research into the long-term impacts of the rapid increase in technology has not been conducted. INCREASE OF ELECTRONICS In the last 20 years alone, there has been an exponential increase in the amount and prevalence of technology in your daily life. PROACTIVE PROTECTION As research is conducted to inform further regulation, we have developed a solution so you can proactively protect your long-term health and well-being.
During Q3/2022, the Company continued to enjoy the tailwinds from the marketing strategy revamp which commenced in August 2021 and remained on track for a continuous and gradual increase in advertising spend. Based on preliminary and unaudited financial results, the Company continued to build on the strength in demand and realized 2022 sales of $5.8 million, a 128% increase on a year-over-year ("YOY") basis. Advertising expenses increased 57% YOY during 2022 to $4.8 million. The Company achieved record monthly sales surpassing CAD$900,000 (up 124% YOY) in November 2022, despite facing inventory challenges during the last two quarters of the year. Advertising expenses increased 91% YOY in November 2022. The gross profit margin during 2022 was 60% versus 39% a year ago.
We are incredibly proud of our team's resilience and determination to achieve its sales numbers, particularly during the crucial Q4 period, despite the supply challenges. Consumer demand, even during out-of-stock situations, attests to the genuine market need for our product offerings. This accomplishment highlights our capacity to evolve and innovate. Our success in this period underscores the team's commitment to our vision and further bolsters management's confidence in our ability to drive growth in a challenging and volatile market landscape," said Josh Bruni, CEO.
In addition, along with the Company's long-term strategy of disciplined geographic expansion, sales during 2022 continued to benefit from the launch of fulfillment centres in Australia and Europe in Q1 and Q2, respectively. Through reduced fulfillment time and cost, the new fulfillment centres had a net positive impact on sales in the respective regions. The Australian location helped open up the Oceania geography while the location in Poland, having a much smaller footprint, still added to the growth in sales by increasing the Company's exposure to the European market.
Additionally, in Q4 2022, the Company launched its latest product, the FLEX, which expands the Company's EMF modulation technology lineup, known as Lifetune. The FLEX is a versatile addition to the current range of 4 products, carefully positioned to bridge the gap between personal protection and area protection categories. The FLEX builds on the Company's existing technology and its design allows for flexibility, serving as both a personal and area protection solution by offering a larger field of protection while maintaining a smaller size, making it ideal for use as a wearable.
"We are thrilled to unveil the FLEX as a data-driven design that enhances the Lifetune lineup. The FLEX integrates our powerful C28S microprocessor into a compact and durable form factor. The FLEX meets our customers' demands for advanced EMF protection on the go and underscores our commitment to continuous expansion of revenue streams and revenue growth," said Chief Product Officer, Dimitry Serov.
for more details read the press release ->
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-aires-inc-provides-corporation-114500922.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHjinDQat5DR-C95ZSuCjB5AhSIkxAdariJq9QAMdVdRDivEIYONKGDqfzC0gk1GpJUTF-zY22l2KJuS0w4Mq_AUFmiaDVeqbvCYnY7tk25zsuHZmCykl9IyXa8QhnW6-2uFpfxB41rOxiiaAVX7a7vSavtZCYC4DZdo5IdmO2_n
or visit the company home page airestech.com

American Aires Inc. (CSE: WIFI) a provider of scientifically-proven EMF modulation technology, provides an update to investors on its activities and important developments that took place in 2022 following the recent announcement of the revocation of the Ontario Securities Commission's Cease-Trade Order and the resumption of trading of the Company's shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange.
EMF/EMR EFFECTS EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH Scientific research has shown that electromagnetic fields from your electronic devices impact your health by acting as a stressor on your nervous system. AGGRAVING IMPACT Scientific research into the long-term impacts of the rapid increase in technology has not been conducted. INCREASE OF ELECTRONICS In the last 20 years alone, there has been an exponential increase in the amount and prevalence of technology in your daily life. PROACTIVE PROTECTION As research is conducted to inform further regulation, we have developed a solution so you can proactively protect your long-term health and well-being.
During Q3/2022, the Company continued to enjoy the tailwinds from the marketing strategy revamp which commenced in August 2021 and remained on track for a continuous and gradual increase in advertising spend. Based on preliminary and unaudited financial results, the Company continued to build on the strength in demand and realized 2022 sales of $5.8 million, a 128% increase on a year-over-year ("YOY") basis. Advertising expenses increased 57% YOY during 2022 to $4.8 million. The Company achieved record monthly sales surpassing CAD$900,000 (up 124% YOY) in November 2022, despite facing inventory challenges during the last two quarters of the year. Advertising expenses increased 91% YOY in November 2022. The gross profit margin during 2022 was 60% versus 39% a year ago.
We are incredibly proud of our team's resilience and determination to achieve its sales numbers, particularly during the crucial Q4 period, despite the supply challenges. Consumer demand, even during out-of-stock situations, attests to the genuine market need for our product offerings. This accomplishment highlights our capacity to evolve and innovate. Our success in this period underscores the team's commitment to our vision and further bolsters management's confidence in our ability to drive growth in a challenging and volatile market landscape," said Josh Bruni, CEO.
In addition, along with the Company's long-term strategy of disciplined geographic expansion, sales during 2022 continued to benefit from the launch of fulfillment centres in Australia and Europe in Q1 and Q2, respectively. Through reduced fulfillment time and cost, the new fulfillment centres had a net positive impact on sales in the respective regions. The Australian location helped open up the Oceania geography while the location in Poland, having a much smaller footprint, still added to the growth in sales by increasing the Company's exposure to the European market.
Additionally, in Q4 2022, the Company launched its latest product, the FLEX, which expands the Company's EMF modulation technology lineup, known as Lifetune. The FLEX is a versatile addition to the current range of 4 products, carefully positioned to bridge the gap between personal protection and area protection categories. The FLEX builds on the Company's existing technology and its design allows for flexibility, serving as both a personal and area protection solution by offering a larger field of protection while maintaining a smaller size, making it ideal for use as a wearable.
"We are thrilled to unveil the FLEX as a data-driven design that enhances the Lifetune lineup. The FLEX integrates our powerful C28S microprocessor into a compact and durable form factor. The FLEX meets our customers' demands for advanced EMF protection on the go and underscores our commitment to continuous expansion of revenue streams and revenue growth," said Chief Product Officer, Dimitry Serov.
for more details read the press release ->
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-aires-inc-provides-corporation-114500922.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHjinDQat5DR-C95ZSuCjB5AhSIkxAdariJq9QAMdVdRDivEIYONKGDqfzC0gk1GpJUTF-zY22l2KJuS0w4Mq_AUFmiaDVeqbvCYnY7tk25zsuHZmCykl9IyXa8QhnW6-2uFpfxB41rOxiiaAVX7a7vSavtZCYC4DZdo5IdmO2_n
or visit the company home page airestech.com

I've fucking had it with this company and their products. They just don't fucking work.
Literally every sensor I've used stops working in 24 hours. They don't fall off, I apply them to the back of the arm as suggested. They work great for that 24 hour period and then I get a "signal loss" error, and when I scan the sensor it says "your sensor is not working". Every fucking time. Every sensor I've tried in the past 12 months has done this.
But you know, I had resolved to just deal with it. I'd stopped bothering with having Abbot replace them because I was tired of the hassle. But I decided that this time when it happened I'd call Abbot about it and see if there was anything that could be done.
I call customer support, some mushmouthed customer service rep picks up, asks for my reader's serial number and the event logs of when this month's two sensors stopped working. I give him my name and address, the serial number of my reader, the error codes in the event log for the two broken sensors, and then...
Nothing. Literally. The guy just stops responding. I sit on the line for 10 minutes, asking if he's still there. I can hear the air conditioning in the background of the call so I know he's still on the line. But nothing. He just never responds. I don't even hear him typing on the computer like usual and there's no hold music playing. I can only guess that the guy saw it was me, calling for the dozenth time, and just put the phone down. Previously I'd had no trouble with Abbot's customer support so I'm just flabbergasted.
What the fuck is going on? I have not had a single sensor last for more than a day in over a year now. I've just given up and the dogshit customer support is salt in the wound.
I don't fucking care if YOU have not had a problem with Libre 2 sensors. I'm happy for you if they work for you. They worked for me, once upon a time! But they don't work for me and havent in over a year. Additionally, I cant get a prescription for another brand of CGM like Dexcom so I'm stuck with Abbot.
Maybe this post is against this subreddit's TOS or whatever but I don't care. I'm using the fire and fury I have in my heart for this fucking product and company to say that if you're a diabetic and you're considering trying out a CGM to stay away from Abbot. Their products fucking suck and apparently so does their customer support now.

Old Dominion Old Dominion @ Virginia Virginia
Game Start Time: 4:45 PM ET
Location: Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, VA
Watch: ACC Network

Team	Coach(es)	Offense	Defense
Old Dominion Old Dominion	icy_soil_	Air	3-3-5
Virginia Virginia	muckmohiomtate	Spread	3-4

Old Dominion Old Dominion

Total Passing Yards	Total Rushing Yards	Total Yards	Interceptions Lost	Fumbles Lost	Field Goals	Time of Possession	Timeouts
0 yards	0 yards	0 yards	0	0	0/0	0:00	3

Virginia Virginia

Total Passing Yards	Total Rushing Yards	Total Yards	Interceptions Lost	Fumbles Lost	Field Goals	Time of Possession	Timeouts
0 yards	0 yards	0 yards	0	0	0/0	0:00	3

Clock	Quarter	Down	Ball Location	Possession	Playclock	Deadline
7:00	1	1st & 10	-1 Virginia	Virginia	03/23 08:40 AM EST	04/01 08:40 AM EST

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Virginia	0	0	0	0	0
Old Dominion	0	0	0	0	0

Unable to generate play list
Waiting on a response from icy_soil_ to this comment.
^{Admin: Restart Edit Old Dominion Edit Virginia Rerun play Pause Chew Abandon}

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there is a lot to say about the new nuzlocke modes but lets start with your starter.
Starter: for your starter in nuzlocke just pick the one you like the most or take crystle who is the tankiest. as for randomlocke... this is much harder, i would suggest resetting till you get 1 of the following. a temtem with only 1 vulnerability who has 2 types like Ganki/Zephyruff etc or a temtem with 2 vulnerabilities but lots of resistances. or u can be lucky like me and get a valiar who has effective denial and not worry about a vulnerability at all. the reason your looking for a 2 type temtem is just so your chance of getting a stab move is greater, if you see a toxic or air type starter you can grab them to see if they have stab starter move as those types only have 1 vulnerability to begin with.
Other than their types they also need a good stab move within the first 20 levels or so, you want a move with around 12-16stamina cost that has at least 70+ base damage so it will be decent for the whole game but also not cost a ton of stamina so you can use it a lot. my valiar got telekinetic shrapnel as his first move and its still his hardest hitting attack at level 83. you starter will carry you if you reset looking for these things.
Quests: so there are some quests out there that require you to give the person a specific temtem. some of these quests will just give you the temtem you need on the spot and some won't, i think they just forgot for some of them because most do. the one that annoyed me the most was the quest that wanted me to get a gyalis egg, but it didn't give me an egg to hand in making the quest 100% impossible as you cannot breed in nuzlocke. also there are a few quests that need you to beat shrines like the sweatband equipment that you have to beat the crystal shrine for, shrines still req you to only use that type of temtem only. so if you plan on doing the shrines keep that in mind.
Technique Courses: So technique courses in nuzlocke work differently. they are only usable ONE TIME they will not disappear right away but you still can't teach the move to more tem it looks like it works if you try but they do not learn the move.
Moves: A temtem can have 4 moves at max normally when you learn a new move your old moves are moved to the right side of the screen and you can relearn them at will, this does not happen in randomlocke (not sure about normal nuzlocke) which means that any move you replace is lost forever. also temtem does not have confirmations for overriding or cancelling learning a new move because you didn't lose them forever in temtem unlike pokemon so it was not needed. but i've already screwed up learning moves a few times by right clicking and canceling learning the new move by mistake.
"Unbeatable" Fights: in normal temtem there are fights where your expected to lose like the first fight against max or general X, these have all been nerfed and are only slightly harder than the other fights in that area so don't worry too much about it.
Capturing Temtem: just adding this as a reminder, you get TWO temtem per area instead of the normal 1 like pokemon, don't forget to capture that second temtem. Play it safe with wild tem, they will never kill themselves with stamina usage but if you hit them and they use a move that would have consumed their life till they are really low they will die, delay turns and just rest let them bring themselves to low hp. Also you will always encounter just 1 temtem if you still have captures left in that area, i assume they did this to cut down on the dupes so try to get into fights in different bushes so you can get different tems.
Gifted Temtem: there are temtem that you are given in the game or temtem you can trade for, these temtem already have names and can't be renamed but it will still ask you to rename them. you will have to alt f4 out of the naming menu as this is a soft game lock. Make sure you do the quest for the kid who wants to work on the airship before you leave the first island and make sure you talk to him on the ship and say NO YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY ME. if you take his money he will not give you his temtem which is a very very good SV temtem with 3 50's.
TV/SV: SV's which are what the temtem has from birth and TV which are the ones they earn from defeating temtem are important, even moreso in nuzlockes. finding a temtem with really good SV's can make all the difference. once you unlock the second island there is a fruit vendor there who sells fruit that increase/decrease temtem TV's which saves a lot of farming time in exchange for money.
Items: Unless you are doing a no item run make sure you stock up on consumables balms/ethetonics are life savers in hard battles and make sure you get a ton of tem cards.
That is all i can think of for now, if you have any questions or want to add your own tips please leave a message below! Thanks for reading and good luck out there!

tldr: FFV is extremely good. Play it.
The middle child of the series’ 16-bit era, Final Fantasy V doesn’t share the same lofty legacy as its immediate predecessor and successor. Final Fantasy IV was a game-changer for the franchise and RPGs on a whole while Final Fantasy VI is still regularly considered one of the greatest games in the series and on the Super Nintendo, but audiences far too often neglect the big bridge between them. Final Fantasy V deserves to be held in the same regard and for good reason. V strikes a perfect balance between the gameplay heavy Job-based titles (I & III) and the denser, story-focused (II & IV) games in a way that neither IV nor VI accomplish.
Philosophically, Final Fantasy V combines the player-driven customization from the odd-numbered entries with the narrative and thematic ambitions of the even-numbered games, albeit not by design interestingly enough. In a 1992 developer interview from Famicom Tsuushin (now Famitsu), series creator and FFV director Hironobu Sakaguchi rejected the idea that V was an intentional culmination of what came before,
“Distilling the essence of Final Fantasy into a single game was not our intention. We created this new job ability system in order to carry forth and further iterate on the good ideas we had in FFIV. In that sense it was a distillation. But rather than summing up all of what Final Fantasy has been, it’s more that we simply wanted to give players a kind of fun they haven’t experienced yet. That doesn’t necessarily imply that we wanted to cut out the good parts from FFIV, though.”
In practice, V takes what works from previous games, but redefines everything to fit its own identity. The Job system has been heavily tweaked to offer greater customization options, while memorable character arcs and dramatic story beats tend to drive the plot forward over pure exploration: it’s the best of III and IV with none of the worst. The kind of “fun [players] haven’t experienced yet” means that everyone will go through the same motions more or less, but no two playthroughs need ever be alike: narrative linearity plays off mechanical flexibility. Even though FFV’s story moves in a fixed fashion like IV, players are afforded an incredible amount of freedom when it comes to building their party courtesy of the revised Job system. The end result is an RPG that will always feel fresh.
The gameplay variety in V is still genuinely impressive to this day. Parties are scaled back down to just four members, but everyone can learn any skill and fulfill any role with enough effort. Every party member starts as a Freelancer who can then be reclassed between 22 Jobs (26 in the GBA port). Party composition is less of a puzzle ala FFIII and treated instead like a proper character building system. Bartz, Lenna, Faris, and Galuf all begin as blank slates, but will very quickly fall into different gameplay roles based on how you choose to train each character. The lack of CP (Capacity Points) also means you can swap Jobs whenever you want.
Party members can actually learn and equip Job specific abilities in V. You can mix and match abilities with different Jobs, essentially creating hybrid classes suited to your gameplay interests. Make mages deal barehanded damage like Monks, Monks who attack eight times in a single turn with Rapid Fire, or singing Summoners whose summons and Bardsongs turn them into full-blown utility characters capable of dishing out heavy damage, restoring health, and changing the flow of battle with buffs & debuffs. Where FFIII encourages you to upgrade Jobs with each Crystal, V wants you to find the Jobs you like most and go wild having fun.
FFV is well designed enough where sticking with a single Job is perfectly viable, even if challenging. There’s no wrong way to play according to V’s Battle System Designer Akihiko Matsui,
“There’s so many different jobs, and we decided to make them all viable. Players are free to make any kind of party they want. Player A and Player B might have completely different parties, but ultimately any party can make it to the last boss. After players beat the game, I recommend trying a party that caters to your aesthetic sense.”
Character and Job levels are still separate like in III, but Jobs have had their level caps reduced from a flat 99 to between 1 and 7 depending on the class. Jobs start at Lv. 0 and level up by earning ABP (Ability Points) from completing battles. How much ABP a Job needs is determined by its current level. Lv. 0 Jobs typically only need 10 for their first level, while fully mastering a Job regularly requires hundreds. Since ABP is earned at a slower rate than EXP, ability progression is a gradually paced process. Early encounters will often only yield 1 ABP despite fighting a full team of enemies.
You’re better off relying on boss battles and mid- to late-game battles to master Jobs as enemies will drop more ABP the further you get into the game. You can grind, but simply following the story and getting the abilities you get by playing naturally saves a lot of time in the long run. It’s smarter to go with the flow than to grind for hours off low ABP encounters. At the same time, ability acquisition gives grinding its own rewarding loop and low ABP drops do mean that you can power-level Jobs without necessarily becoming overleveled. Either play style works just fine without completely curbing the difficulty curve.
Each Job level teaches the assigned party member a command, passive, or innate ability that can then be equipped on the Ability screen in the menu. While every Job learns a diverse enough set of abilities to keep them handy, the goal is ultimately to experiment and synergize your party with different abilities. Party members do not learn new spells or abilities by just leveling up, so you need to make use of Jobs to maintain a sense of permanent character progression. Most Jobs can only equip a single ability alongside their class command, while Freelancers have access to two ability slots and Mimes have three at the expense of needing to equip Attack and Items as proper abilities. Ability limits force you to approach Job combos strategically and carefully consider your party’s many options.
V’s Job variety is frankly nothing short of excellent. Job acquisition is fast-paced and you’ll have access to almost every Job before the halfway point. This gives you plenty of time to experiment and find the Jobs best suited to your preferred play style. V also strikes a healthy balance between Final Fantasy mainstays and creative additions that make the gameplay loop even more diverse. Freelancers learn no new abilities, but can equip anything and inherit innate abilities along with stat benefits from mastered Jobs. A perfect Freelancer can inherently dual wield weapons, spot traps in the level design, be able to sprint with B, and counter attacks automatically. A common goal for the endgame is mastering as many Jobs as possible to create the ultimate Freelancer.
The Wind Crystal unlocks the first set of Jobs. Knights can equip some of the best weapons and gear in the game, letting them function as a primary damage dealer and tank. Knights also automatically redirect attacks to themselves when allies are at low health and learn to two-hand Swords, Katanas, or Axes which inflict double damage at the expense of a Shield. Monks have a narrow equipment spread, but are cheap to outfits, always attack twice, counter enemies when struck, and deal heavy damage even without weapons. Their barehanded ability synergizes particularly well with mages, since it allows them to deal decent damage that circumvents their poor weapons spreads.
Thieves have the highest agility in the game, which often means they’ll move first in battle. They can Steal from enemies, later learning the ability Mug, which lets them deal damage while robbing baddies blind. Thieves can also comfortably flee from most encounters, spot hidden passages in the level design, and sprint inside of dungeons & towns by holding B. White Mages play a primarily supportive role by using White Magic to restore HP, heal status effects, and inflict status ailments. Spells are not learned and instead purchased from stores. Purchased spells do not have to be consumed by individual characters and instead apply to the whole party innately. Each Job Level improves the White Mage’s magic capabilities, which is consistent with all magic-based Jobs. Black Mages are squishier than White Mages, but compensate with powerful Black Magic. They play an offensive role, being able to take advantage of elemental weaknesses and status vulnerabilities.
Blue Mages are a new Job created for FF5. Blue Magic cannot be purchased at stores and must instead be learned during battle. Blue Mages learn an ability called Learning that, when equipped, teaches the party any Blue Magic spells enemies use on them. The one caveat is that the attack must connect for it to be learned. Not every attack can be learned, but several enemy spells are obscenely overpowered. Level 5 Death instakills any enemies with a level divisible by 5 and Aqua Breath deals heavy water damage to all enemies on-screen. Regular Blue Magic acquisition and a great spread of attacks makes the Blue Mage one of the most fun Jobs in FFV.
The Water Crystal unlocks five more Jobs once it shatters, with a sixth locked behind an optional dungeon in the final overworld. Time Mages are another new magic-based Job, but they inherit pre-existing magic from previous games. Spells like Haste, Slow, Comet, Float, Teleport, Return, and Meteor are all now considered Time Magic. In practice, Time Mages can use their wide variety of spells to comfortably deal damage, support the party, and debilitate enemies. Summoners can use a wide range of Summon Magic to fulfill different gameplay roles. Summons can deal elemental damage, heal, inflict buffs or debuffs, and the strongest wipe out most enemy encounters with relative ease. While some Summons can be bought at stores, most are tied to side quests and must be found by exploring the overworld & dungeons.
Red Mages can use low and mid tier White & Black Magic in the same ability slot. The best they can cast are -ra spells, but since the best -ga spells are locked off until closer to the end of the game, Red Mages end pulling their weight for quite a while before falling off. Mastering the Red Mage Job is a lengthy endeavor, but ultimately pays off by teaching Dualcast — a borderline overpowered ability that lets them cast two spells in a single turn. Pairing Dualcast with any type of high level magic is one of the best combos a mage could ask for.
Mystic Knights can buff their weapons with Black Magic or Holy via the Spellblade ability. Once enchanted, Mystic Knights combine magical damage with the regular physical capabilities to take advantage of elemental weaknesses or inflict status ailments without compromising attack power. They also automatically cast Shell on themselves at low health to increase their magical resistance. In the right hands and paired with abilities like Rapid Fire and Two-Handed, Mystic Knights end up extremely powerful. Berserkers are an especially unique Job in that they get no active command slots in exchange for dealing considerably buffed damage. While Berserkers can still equip an ability, they cannot be controlled in battle, which limits their overall utility. Berserkers have a great weapon spread, but they need to synergize with the rest of your party well enough to overcome their lack of command slots.
The Fire Crystal unlocks three Jobs right away and then two more once the party explores Black Chocobo Forest. Ninjas are strong, fast, and can dual wield weapons. The Throw command lets them toss items and elemental scrolls at enemies for extra damage, giving them great coverage in combat. Beastmasters can tame, catch, and control different monsters. Controlling a monster gives you full access to their commands. You can make them damage themselves to death or intentionally teach your party rare Blue Magic. Weakened monsters can also be captured and then released in battle, unleashing different attacks depending on the monster. Geomancers fight by altering the terrain with the command Gaia. Their attack types change based on the environment you’re fighting in, along with the character’s level, giving them an impressive amount of gameplay variety. Having a Geomancer in the party will also save you from falling into pit traps and nullify any damage tiles.
Bards make for fantastic utility characters thanks to their variety of Bardsongs. New songs are learned by speaking with NPCs and playing pianos in different towns (like a proper bard!) Singing can buff the party or damage groups of enemies. Songs like Requiem let you lay waste to undead monsters at the cost of 0 MP. Rangers are bow wielders, which means they can deal full damage from the back row. The Aim command increases their accuracy and overall damage, but unlike Rosa from FFIV, bows no longer need individual arrows as ammo. The main benefit to the Ranger class is its mastered ability Rapid Fire, which deals for weak attacks in one turn and pairs excellently with Monks, two-handers, or dual wielders.
The Earth Crystal unlocks the final four Jobs in the original release (sans Mime). Dancers are weaker than other Jobs comparatively, but get by thanks to their unique Dance ability and great access to accessories. Dancing triggers one of four random effects in battle, either confusing enemies, absorbing MP, absorbing HP, or dealing damage. They’re also the only class besides Freelancers who can innately equip Ribbons, which nullify all negative status effects. Dancers on a whole are reliant on equipment to be functional. Gear like Lamia’s Tiara and Red Slippers help raise the chances of Dancers dancing the Sword Dance, turning them into solid attackers. Dragoons are limited to spears and knives for weapons, but have a great equipment spread otherwise. Their abilities let them function as reliable damage dealers who can survive lengthy battles. Dragoons can Jump to temporarily avoid damage mid-air and attack enemies by landing. Lance also drains enemies MP and HP, which pairs well with Mages.
Samurai learn some of the best commands in the game while having access to powerful weapons and gear. With the right set ups, they can obliterate the difficulty curve. Mineuchi is basically a regular attack that sometimes paralyzes enemies. Zeningage lets you throw Gil to deal massive damage. The more Gil you have and the higher your level, the more damage is dealt. Shirahadori raises evasion, turning your party member into a dodge-tank, and Iainuki simply insta-kills most enemies at the cost of requiring two turns to use. Chemists are great support characters designed all around items. They can brew new concoctions mid-battle by mixing different ingredients to different effects. Your existing items can turn into an attack, heal your party, or temporarily buff everyone’s level. Chemists can also drink special potions that buff their stats, and restore more HP & MP by using Potions & Ethers than other Jobs.
The Mime Job can be unlocked by exploring Walse Tower underwater in the final overworld. Mimes are the core of the Job system condensed into a single Jon. They inherit some mastered abilities innate (not all), and have three ability slots that let you fully customize each party member. You can even remove commands like Attack and Items in favor of other abilities. Mimes can also mimic any move used by the previous party member at no MP cost and without consuming items. The Mime makes a great alternative to Freelancers, especially for magic-oriented characters.
Final Fantasy V Advance introduces four extra Jobs. Three of which are available as soon as you unlock all 12 Legendary Weapons and visit the Sealed Temple, with the last unlocked after defeating the Temple’s boss. Gladiators are powerful melee fighters with access to strong weapons and armor whose commands help them make short work of enemies. Oracles are the strongest magic-based Job in the game, but their main command Condemn has a chance of randomly healing enemies, so they’re not the most reliable beyond their stat benefits. Cannoneers can deal full damage from the back row and can combine ingredients together to make new items and the final Job Necromancer learns unique Dark Art spells from enemies like a Blue Mage with Blue Magic. Albeit fun to play with, the GBA Jobs enter the picture too late to actually have an effect on character building.
Overall, V’s Jobs are incredibly fun to play around with and offer a consistently rewarding gameplay loop that lasts the whole playthrough. The early game encourages you to diversify your party, the mid-game pushes you to mix & match dozens of different abilities, and the endgame rewards you for mastering Jobs by letting you customize Freelancers and Mimes into bonafide powerhouses. The Job system gives FFV an incredible gameplay flow that keeps combat and exploration fresh all the way to the credits.
V’s battles flow at a great pace. The ATB (Active Time Battle) system returns from FFIV, albeit with an on-screen bar for each party member that refills and signifies when they can make a move. Taking turns in real-time lends combat a sense of urgency and pressure, especially in boss fights. The difficulty curve is never so high where you’ll be overwhelmed by lightning fast enemies, but V tends to require more strategy and thought than IV on average — although mainly on a prep level. Battles challenge you to diversify your party’s abilities while rewarding you for experimenting with Jobs. Low EXP payout compared to previous games keeps parties from overleveling. The focus is on earning AP, learning abilities, and creating hybrid Jobs.
Enemies are vulnerable to a lot of different elements and status ailments across all types of magic and abilities. Trying with different spells and debuffs usually pays off. There are more status effects to contend with, with some particularly dangerous ones for the party. Old slowly lowers the affected character’s stats. Dischord halves the target’s level. Zombie turns a character against the rest of the party. Smart Job synergy lets you blitz through most random encounters, but you’ll often run into stronger enemies or packed parties that’ll keep you on your toes. It’s not uncommon to fight an army of weaker enemies battling alongside a considerably stronger monster. FFV doesn’t share I or III’s Vancian Magic system despite being a Job-based game, instead maintaining the MP system from FFII and FFIV. MP still needs to be managed to some extent since the best spells require quite a bit of MP to cast, especially Blue Magic.
Combat’s fast and sometimes frantic pace ends up mirroring the game’s overall progression. Final Fantasy V wastes no time opening up. The status quo is always changing and you unlock new Jobs surprisingly quickly. V cycles through three overworlds just like IV. They’re not as striking as Earth, Underworld, and Moon trio, but feel more cohesive. The game begins on the protagonist Bartz’s world, shifts to party member Galuf’s world, and ends in a merged overworlds that’s an amalgamation of both worlds. The story is fairly linear up until the last world where the game finally lets you explore at your leisure. Most of the final dungeons can even be done in any order, most of which are actually optional. V sports more methods of transportation than the average Final Fantasy and cycles through them often, trapping you in specific areas with unique restrictions.
You ride on a Chocobo, set sail on a ship led on a hydra, fly on a dragon’s back, sail a fire-powered boat, fly a Black Chocobo through the air, pilot an airship, and submerge a submarine underwater. The fact you’re always engaging with the overworld in a new way keeps progression fresh and reminds you that anything can change. Some towns disappear and you lose access to them over the course of the story. Multiple dungeons are one-time trips. There are actual consequences to in-game actions. Once you’re done with an overworld, you’re done. There’s no jumping between worlds like in IV. The world permanently changes and stays changed. The space you’re interacting with and how is always being altered. V isn’t the first Final Fantasy with real consequences, but it’s the first one where those consequences fundamentally reshape your experience beyond just locking away a few key areas.
Towns themselves are packed with colorful NPCs who do a good job at directing you. Ancillary dialogue often sets up later story beats or just fleshes out the world in small yet significant ways. V’s game-long side quests encourage you to talk with everyone and hunt the overworld for secret summons and optional dungeons. V’s towns are generally well designed with enough secrets to keep you exploring, but dungeons are the real star when it comes to level design. FFV’s dungeons aren’t as long as III or IV’s, but they’re a healthy length and set pieces are consistently memorable and engaging. There’s a good mix of traps, gimmicks, and environmental variety. Every dungeon feels creatively distinct.
The Ship Graveyard is an early standout, as you explore debris from ruined ships on open water, jumping from wreckage to wreckage. The Library of Ancients features a prominent bookcase maze. Bookshelves move around as you explore the library, opening up seemingly dead-ends and keeping your own navigation confused and claustrophobic. You have to walk into nooks to let the bookshelves collapse back in, creating new ways to traverse the room. The Phoenix Tower is a 30 floor gauntlet with no save points, you only have seven minutes to explore a sunken Walse Tower before you drown, and the Great Sea Trench is filled with damage tiles and pit traps.
The four Tablet dungeons do a great job at closing out FFV on a fight, with the Pyramid serving as a great introduction to the endgame. You only have three party members at this time, which makes things notably harder, but the dungeon itself is packed with different gimmicks. Branching paths lead to chests with monsters ready to ambush you. Sarcophagi that double as secret passages hiding mummies. Wall switches let you deactivate traps and unlock doors. Spike traps block your path and snakes jump out from walls to trigger battle on contact. Mecha Heads patrol the upper floors, and floor tiles that move around every few seconds drop you down to the floor below if you’re not quick enough. By the time you reach the Rift, you’re ready for everything the final dungeon has to toss at you.
V’s presentation really helps bring different set pieces to life and is a big step up from IV. Environments are rich with detail, playing with depth perceptive to add some welcome spatial depth to the level design and using unique effects that help foster atmosphere. Exdeath’s Castle is overflowing with thick fog, dark areas warp the visuals around you, and knee-deep water rushes through Istory Falls. The game’s spritework is nothing short of fantastic. Enemies are the best they’ve ever looked at this point, and each character has a unique battle sprite for every single Job — all of which play to your party members’ distinct personalities. FFV also sports one of Nobuo Uematsu’s most underrated soundtracks. Lenna’s theme is a beautiful song, Fate in Haze is a haunting dungeon tune, and Clash on the Big Bridge is one of the most blood-pumping battle themes in the series. The score has a wide musical range, and is as emotional as it is energetic and ambient.
The scope of Final Fantasy V’s story isn’t as emotionally charged as IV, but it’s no worse for wear. Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yoshinori Kitase worked on the story together, both leaving their own personality behind in V’s script,
“Sakaguchi was in charge of the overall plot, and because FFV was a relatively serious story, I wanted to be sure to inject spots with a little bit of comic relief and humor.” – Yoshinori Kitase, Scenario Writer The end result is a plot that knows when to be dramatic and when to cut loose a little. Final Fantasy V is just as comfortable letting Bartz and Faris share a tender moment at his parents’ grave as it is having the party’s main rival have a very tongue-in-cheek redemption right before the final battle. V is a Final Fantasy with a sense of humor and a sense of heart.
One particular point in the story’s favor is its modern English localization. While V’s original English translation on PSX left much to be desired (to say the least), the revised Game Boy Advance script plays to the story’s natural charm and stands out as a strong localization altogether. Characters joke around together and interact with each other often, playing off each other’s unique personality traits. Bartz is a few men short of a full crew, Leena is an all-loving princess, Faris is a headstrong pirate with a sensitive side, and Galuf & Krile are usually the game’s go-to when it comes to injecting some humor and pathos into the plot.
Character development is gradual in V, trading IV’s big beats for several smaller interactions amongst the cast that help flesh out their relationships, backstories, and motivations. By the end of the game, V’s party of four feels more defined than IV’s cast of a dozen. Little moments highlight their growth as opposed to life-changing events. Bartz and Galuf build a mutual respect for each other over their journey, and share a man-to-man drink in Regole. Lenna and Faris are two sisters torn apart at birth who reconnect throughout the game and mourn their father together. Krile gets to know the party and forms a bond with everyone before replacing Galuf. Bartz, Lenna, Faris, and Krile feel like a close-knit group of friends when all is said and done.
While the crux of FFV’s story is a fairly traditional “good versus evil” plot, the narrative is bolstered both by strong characterization and some light but tight theming. Nature is dying due to man’s abuse of natural resources. The four Crystals are sapped of their energy, draining the world of its elements. The wind will stop, the air will stagnate, the birds will fall from the heavens and drop dead as seas dry up and fires die out. The fact Exdeath is actually a tree can even be read as nature rejecting humanity and wiping the slate clean as a consequence. The story doesn’t really push the theme beyond the surface level, but that it’s present at all gives the plot a minor layer of depth.
Big gameplay moments to advance the story aren’t as frequent as IV, but they’re as impactful and V has more cutscenes in the grand scheme of things. The Battle at the Big Bridge throws constant enemies at you to build tension during a major turning point for the story. Gilgamesh interrupts a fight with an entirely different boss and superseding their battle theme with his own. Galuf’s death and final duel with Exdeath uses the battle system to emphasize Galuf’s sheer force of will. Exdeath peppers you with powerful attacks, but Galuf refuses to die even at 0 HP. You can feel Galuf’s determination and desperation translated through the gameplay loop as he survives Flare, Holy, and Meteor back to back to back. Watching him fight to the very last inch of his life justifies it when the party can’t help him with Curaga, Raise, Phoenix Downs, or Elixirs. Galuf’s death feels painfully earned narratively and mechanically.
Exdeath is a great villain, both in spite of and because of his outlandishly cartoonish malice. He’s outlandishly cartoonish, laughs maniacally, takes every opportunity to torment the party, and has no real ulterior motives beyond his evil. He’s chaos personified, which is perhaps fitting considering how FFV echoes FFI’s story in several respects. Exdeath also stands out for being an active antagonist whose role isn’t taken over by a last minute villain who was secretly pulling the strings all along. He’s nothing special in the greater context of Final Fantasy villains, but Exdeath serves V’s story well.
Between an incredibly charming story and a fantastic gameplay loop, Final Fantasy V is nothing short of one the best games in the series. It’s a perfect marriage of Final Fantasy’s two distinct styles, combining the character-driven storytelling from II & IV with the gameplay diversity of I & II while giving both halves of the experience enough depth to thrive. The story’s stakes are high, the cast is very likable, and the lighter tone gives the plot a strong identity without undermining its drama. The Job system offers an amazing amount of replay value and is freeform enough where there is no wrong way to play. Impressively memorable dungeon design and an ever-changing status quo lend the impression that you’re on a genuine adventure with real stakes. Addictive, endearing, and brimming with heart, Final Fantasy V is a near flawless RPG and one of Square’s finest 16-bit achievements.
Here's that same write-up with pretty pictures and links: https://goombastomp.com/final-fantasy-5-retrospective/

Hello!
In March 13th, i paid the AppleCare+ for my new AirPods Pro 2nd gen. As always I received the e-mail "Thank you for purchasing AppleCare+." and saying that ill receive the Proof of Coverage in 24 to 48 hours.
Almost 10 days later i didnt receive this e-mail, and today i got the payment refund. And there's more:

1. In the Apple Check Coverage page, that information is that the product are covered by AppleCare+ up to March '25
2. In the Support app, the says that the AppleCare+ covers up to March '24.

Whats going on?

Hi,
I am in the process of getting quotes for a central ducted heat pump system in my home, to replace my old gas furnace. The first quote has come in, and it seems quite reasonable. However, the installer states he will install a Haier 3 Ton GE Connect Air Handler and GE Connect 3 ton cold climate heat pump. We live in Massachusetts, so ensuring my home's heat pump can keep up on extremely cold days is critical. Based on info I've seen online, many posts and threads have advised to go with Mitsubishi Hyper Heat. That is what I want. However, I am seeing in a GE PDF that the GE Connect system is built to work in cold environments, with air temps down to -22F. (This past Feb here it got down to -9F air temp). I also noticed that it looks like this GE pump uses R-410A refrigerant. I was reading online this refrigerant is being phase out by the EPA in the coming years. Is that a concern? Do the mistubishi systems also use this refrigerant? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks for your help!!!

I had been putting the novellas off for far too long so I decided to just get on with it and see how they turn out to be.
The Hedge Knight was great but I wished I hadn't read WOIAF. It spoiled Baelor's death for me. I loved how insignificant encounters turn out to be important. Like Dunk meeting Daeron in the Inn and then Raymun Fossoway in the Ashford Meadow fighting Steffon Fossoway. Now that I think of it, what happened to Aerion Targaryen's son? We got to see Maekar, Daeron, Valarr, Baelor , Aerion and of course Aegon V. The end was great tho it does make one wonder why Maekar was willing to let his son go with a hedge knight which could very well lead to Egg's death. Also the humour is seriously next level.
The Sworn Sword, was just ok. I didn't like it too much. The humour still holds up pretty well but the story felt mostly dry, especially the part where Bennis trains the recruits. The twist of Eustace being a blackfyre supporter didn't actually take me by surprise. I had kinda expected him to have been one. I also didn't get how Eustace planned to keep his line going seeing as he is too old for heirs. For some reason, Dunk and Egg remind me a lot of Brienne and Pod. Egg and Pod even sound familiar. I should also mention its the second time Dunk defeated someone by slamming his weight and shield against him. Tanselle not ever appearing again makes her part in Dunk's life more sad but Bennis should appear again.
The Mystery Knight was the best of the three. I had yearned to see a Blackfyre rebellion play out(also Bloodraven). Like the Hedge Knight, part of this one was also spoiled by WOIAF. I knew Gormon Peake would be working for a rebellion at the wedding tourney. When John, supposedly a hedge Knight, called Gormon Gormy to his face my suspicions were confirmed. You don't get away with addressing a lord like that unless you are a king. Again, Dunk defeats Tom Heddle by slamming his shield and weight into him. That's kind of becoming the norm for Dunk. But there are a lot of things I didn't understand about the story. How did Gormon Peake get a fake egg in such a short span of time? Was Butterwell's egg legit? If so what happened to it? What happened to Maynard Plumm? Was he Bloodraven? Was the snot-nosed Frey Lord Walder?
Overall it was a breath of fresh air from the conspiring lords to something like this. A self contained story which can be read as a standalone chronicling the adventures of two wandering heroes. Even tho the second one was quite a bit boring, I like the series as a whole. I recall that George confirmed that Brienne is a descendant of Dunk(before I read the novellas ofcourse). I don't understand how this works out. Can't the Kingsguard not marry and have True born children? If Dunk sired a bastard, why would the Evenstar of Tarth or whoever Brienne's mother's house were marry a bastard's descendant?
We are probably never gonna get another D&E but a person can hope.

So im trying to make a simple fighting game ( no combos , no fancy moves , no different characters). I was heavily inspired by the already existing game called Footsies and this old clip from Daigo vs Justin Evo 2004 where he just parries a bunch of consecutive attacks and wanted to know how i should make it fair and fun to play .
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Kuz if every blocked attack can be punished no one will ever throw a punch and if you can just block forever and its too easy the game becomes no fun.
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I wanted to base the game of boxing and HEMA scoring where if you take a hit but land a better one you win but also discourage just tanking hits for no reason by adding like a KO once you've been hit x number of times but now i'm stuck with the conundrum of how long and what distance i want each attach to be.
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I will have a light and heavy version of a high ( anti air ) mid ( neutral ) low ( anti crouch ) and crouch.
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I want heavy attacks to interruptible but not parry-able and lights to be both interruptible and parry-able. (Btw i keep saying parry because i don't think a passive block should just be a part of the game , i think you should have to react to an attack an throw an opposing one within a certain window )
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What my issue is i am new to fighting games. I suck at them but i just love them and i don't know how much windup and recovery each attack should have seeing as there is no passive block so its fully reliant on reaction time and the average human reaction time is 200ms which means like 12 frames at 16fps. But a 12 frame windup on an attack feels huge when i think of street fighter with its 3 frame and 4 frame punches.
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I would appreciate anything i can draw inspiration from , concrete tips or just people telling me its a dumb idea and why it is a dumb idea. Thanks a bunch.

I need help! All our airconditioners smell musty when we turn them on. Not awful or like something died. Just musty and unpleasant. Like old socks? Some aircons slightly worse than others.
We clean the filters regularly, don't see anything unusual and they ALL smell musty not just one.
They work fine both hot and cold air. No issues with them other than this unpleasant smell every time they are on.
I am struggling financially and I cannot afford to get a professional to clean them all if that ends up not even being the problem.
Any help at all would be hugely appreciated.

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Interdimentional Villain Exchange Program -2- The Fall

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Previous
So Here i am, beaten up, stranded in an unknown world, and currently falling to my death in a seemingly endless expanse of an azure sky…
I wonder if it truly is endless. I'm honestly not sure whether I would prefer to fall until I die of thirst, or of abruptly stopping falling. Well, whichever it is is a secondary issue, since I would much rather survive instead.
I looked around, hoping to see one of those floating islands near enough to simply conjure a wind to push me a little before casting a simple [Feather Fall] spell and be done with it, but sadly none were near enough. Although there was one that could be worked with. One of the smaller islands looked barely close enough to give it a shot. A little bit too far for my liking to be honest but far enough down to leave enough wiggle room to work with. It was entirely covered with sparse forest, with the exception of a small pond in the middle.
It would have to do. Although I will have to be a little bit creative to get there.
Normally there would be no problem with crossing the distance that separated me from this island. It was only about six miles after all. A simple [Fly] spell would be more than sufficient to cover many times this distance. And that's not even taking any dimensionalism spells into account
The problem however was, that this isn’t a normal situation. Without any sort of spell focus any complex spell formula I try to use is going to be highly unstable, leaking mana like crazy at best, or completely collapsing at worst. Because of that any advanced, multifunctional spell with a complex formula is out of the question.
My mana reserve is not small by any means, but even I cannot sustain a 5-10% mana efficiency [Fly] spell for long. Not to mention that depending on the mana density around me the spell relatively complex might just collapse, and a backlash from an imploded spell is the last thing my battered body needs at the moment.
That leaves me then only with the First Magic spells at my disposal. They might not be the most powerful or complex, but their incredible casting speed and a spell formula designed to function without a spell focus is just what I need right now.
But after mentally running through all the first magic spells i know i realized i don't quite have anything that could easily get me out of my situation. All the First Magic spells I knew are focused on one of two things, combat utility, mainly disruption and creating distance from my opponent, and making my day to day existence easier.
‘Yeah… Why would I learn [Glide] if I already know [Fly]? A complete waste of time I said… it's much better to learn the [Chill] spell to cool my drinks.’ I lampooned silently.
‘Ok. Focus. There will be time to punch myself in the face later. Now it's time to get creative, not depressed.’
When my mind was still trying to work out what I could do to save myself from death, I suddenly remembered my first ever magic teacher. He was an old cripple who served in the Royal Army until he lost his arm. By now I obviously know that he wasn’t much more than a third rate mage with a forth rate training. However thanks to that he knew the life of the weak and powerless much better than any other teacher i ever had, and although most of his teaching have been lacking in detail, or were straight up incorrect, he taught me two things that other mages not only would not teach me, but did not fully understand themselves.
Those lessons have saved his life numerous times, so he made a point to teach them to me before anything else. And since then they have saved mine over and over again. And it was time to rely on them again.
It only took me a second to come up with a plan. I started casting a [Blink] spell. [Blink] Is a very useful spell. It works by creating a small portal door to a different location within around ten meters, and then dragging the entrance portal through the space that the caster occupies, making the caster appear at the location of an exit portal.
It's the simplest dimensionalism spell, due to its small range and a brief existence of the portal. The degree of mastery that a mage has over this spell however, is often said to be the easiest way to differentiate an amateur from the master of magic.
That's mainly due to the insane versatility this spell has. Sure its most obvious use is to create or close the distance from the enemy combatant, however there is so much more that this spell can do. You can dodge arrows with it, or even redirect them at the enemies. You can cast it anchored to an enemy that is too close to you for your liking and reposition them, and so much more.
Even the advanced dimensionalism spell [Dimensional Shield] is nothing more than a mana construct using [Blink] spells to redirect attacks aimed at the caster towards the attackers.
All of that was possible thanks to the fact that [Blink] created a temporary portal gateway instead of being an instant transmission spell like [Shadow Step] was. Which meant that it allowed the objects transported with it to carry momentum they had before instead of canceling it out.
This was exactly the quality I desired to use right now. Normally the entrance and the exit portals share the same angle of entrance. You would not want to [Blink] only to find out that you are upside down now, right? However with just a small alteration to the spell formula, the exit portal can be angled however you would like. As a result, when i casted the spell, I chose to place the entrance portal under me facing up, and the exit portal above me, facing towards the floating island I was aiming for, which resulted in me shooting towards my goal at terminal velocity, and resetting my falling speed to zero.
What I just did was the result of the first lesson I ever received. A lesson I could still hear today as clearly as the day it was first given.
“Listen to me carefully Young One, because what I'm about to say will not be taught to you anywhere else. Magic allows us to bend reality to our will, and most of us, Mages, pride ourselves on dominating it to do our bidding.” He said with his old, tired voice “Reality however is not your enemy, but your greatest ally. If you learn to walk alongside it on the road to your goals, you are going to achieve much more than if you had to fight it on every step of your way”.
This lesson, although simple, has saved me more times than I could remember. Yet to my shock when i asked about it my next teacher he just scoffed and said that “this is a lesson of a weak and powerless”, and that “a true mage bows to no one, not even the world itself”
I was still young and naive back then so I believed him. After all, He was already systematically pointing out a thousand flaws and imperfections in my spellcraft, and seeing my spellcasting improve by the day I believed him that he was also right about this.
It was only a few years later that I realized how foolish that was. I was escaping from an heir of the Ruderic noble family. He was chasing me through the woods because I dared to attempt to stop him while he was about to have fun with some poor village girl that caught his eye.
I did not know he was a mage himself. and a good one at that. Much better than me back then anyway. I was running for my life, burned in places, sliced others. I managed to evade him for a while. However, I was caught when I mistakenly ran into a small ravine. I had nowhere to run and no one to help me. I was trapped with no escape and no help in sight.
And then he caught up to me. Seeing i was trapped he started to boast about how pathetic i am, and what he is going to do to me before he kills me. Luckily in my moment of panic I remembered the lesson the old man gave me, and spotted an opportunity.
A giant boulder, much more massive than anything I could lift with magic was positioned right above where the nobleman was standing. But I didn't have to lift it. Only then I realized the wisdom of the words I have been told. Don't fight reality. Because if you make it your ally, you will never fight alone. And as the stone hurled down to save me, I swore to myself to never question the wisdom of the weak ever again.
However that was only the first part of the wisdom bestowed upon me that day. And now, in possession of the tremendous speed bestowed to me by my greatest ally, it was time to use the second part.
It's true that I didn't have the perfect spell for the job. But since when is perfection necessary? “It is said that a Great Mage has a hundred spells ready for any situation he encounters” The old man said “But in my opinion a true mark of greatness is the ability to use a single spell in a hundred situations. Do not learn how to stop an arrow in a dozen ways, learn a dozen ways to use an arrow stopping spell”
Once again that wisdom was rebuked by prideful masters, dismissed as the whining of someone incapable of memorizing enough formulas for greatness.
However today I know that they were the ones too stuck in the conventions to achieve anything.
And it proved true once more when I spread my hands and legs while casting a [Mana Shield] spell making it fill up the space between my limbs. [Mana Shield] is an unremarkable spell, useful only due to its extremely simple spell formula, granting it an extremely short casting time even in comparison to other First Magic.
It created a solidified wall of mana that stopped anything from moving through it, be it physical or elemental in nature. Even notoriously difficult to block pure mana projectiles were blocked by it. Its main downsides was relatively low mana efficiency, and possible strength in comparison to more complicated spells. However sometimes you just want a wall in front of you “right fucking now” and all other concerns are secondary.
The main reason I use it now however is the fact that by stopping the air it could serve in a similar way to a wing. This spell can’t extend too far away from my body however, so I could not form those, and I settled on imitating a squirrel-like animal capable of gliding that I once saw at one of the noble houses I burned down and took with me as a pet until it died.
I didn’t have much success at gliding first, until I weakened mana output to the [Mana Shield] allowing it to deform slightly. However after that it only took me a few moments to figure out the kinks of this improvised spell.
But that still would not be enough.
As I closed in on the island I realized that I'm not going to make it. and I watched in horror as the edge of the island moved higher and higher.
However, an inspiration came at the last possible moment when I saw a bird circling above the island.
UPDRAFT!
I need to create an updraft!
And I know just the right spell…
Without wasting any more time I casted [Gust] spell aimed upwards and pumped as much mana as I could into it. After all the spell was created to disperse the fog and smoke type spells or to create a cloud of dust to obscure something if it was casted on sand, not to lift a person upwards, and as such it needed a lot of extra juice to manage.
As the howling wind intensified I could feel the formula of the spell strain under the enormous amount of mana being pumped into it by me. It seemed to almost creek and deform under the pressure, and it seemed as if it was going to shatter. But it would hold.
It had to.
When the part of the formula seemed to falter under the stress I grafted more structural mana onto it, increasing its durability at the cost of mana efficiency.
The formula was breaking, huge amounts of mana were leaking…
…but it was working!
I was slowly but steadily getting closer and closer to the cliff. Just a bit more…
And then, three things seemed to happen all at once.
First, the spell formula finally gave out. It imploded with a thunderous crack sending the excess mana it operated back into its host, shocking every muscle fiber and bone in my body.
Then as the result of the mana backlash from the collapsing [Gust] spell I lost control over the [Mana Shield] spell, causing it to collapse as well. And making me plunge down as a result.
The third thing, and the last thing I remembered before blacking out was the loud THUD sound of me falling to the ground.
‘I made it.’
That was the last thought I had before the unconsciousness took me into its warm embrace.
And I gave in to it.
Safe at last
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