Oh what a day. I kept having one thought go through my head at work. I want to quit. That was the thought. I just wanted to quit. I felt like I was done, and I can't do it anymore, but I stuck in there and finished the day. Will It feel like that tomorrow? Probably, I don't see anything changing from today to tomorrow. We added another employ, so I have now lost 35 more minutes to my day to get things done. That is the length of time I have to give out breaks to this person, that is on top of the other people I have to give breaks to as well. It's great that we are busy, and that we are working, but my workload has increased dramatically. I don't even get to take a break to eat my lunch now. I just take it and sit and watch over a machine while I eat. I have to get up constantly to take care of what is going on with that machine, and try to get my lunch in while I'm doing it. If I don't do that, and take a break, there is a very good chance, and when I say a good chance, I mean a 100% chance, that something will go wrong with the machine. I can eliminate that problem from happening, by sitting there while I eat. It saves me one less problem, but it also takes away any time I would have to just sit and relax while I eat. No one notices this, because I don't complain, but I'm quickly approaching a breaking point. I'll just have to see how long it lasts before I snap.
To top of the bad experience of the day. I had to stop at the bank to get some money out to pay for my guitar lessons. I pulled up to the bank, got out of my car and walked up to the ATM. I slide my card in, and I hear someone yelling at me, "Hey you, I know you heard me." I turned to see a guy that had just pulled his truck up. I asked him what he was talking about. He told me that he was waiting for the ATM and that I jumped in front of him. He was in a truck parked 50 feet away, how was I supposed to know he was waiting for the ATM? I told him I didn't hear him, and that I would just cancel it out, and he could go ahead. He wanted to complain more and told me not to, but it was too late, I already pulled my card out, and walked away and stood and waited for him to take his slow walk up to the ATM and then take his time, all the while still complaining that I had, "busted in on him". I wanted to just tell him to let it go, and that he got what he wanted, but I just sat back and kept my mouth shut. I didn't see any reason to create a scene over an ATM machine. He drove off still mad, despite that fact that I basically rewarded him for being lazy and not standing in line, all because it was raining. If I still drank, this would have been a good day for it.
The latest video for the PR is up and running, and I just published the blog. I didn't feel like waiting until the morning, so I just hit publish on it. I did the proofread and fixed a couple of small errors and put it up. I realized I forgot one element in the video. I usually put the address of the location in the video, and I forgot to do it. I'll have to remember that in the future. I did post links for the place in the blog, so it can be found if you put a little extra work into it. I doubt anyone wrote down the address from the video anyway, but it is a nice feature to have in there. It looks a little more professional.
We are going to have a drive for the next location. This will be the furthest we will go, as far as I know. It's at the very end of the county, and it's beachside. I just looked up their website and their Facebook page, let's see if my partner does his job, and does his research for the place.
That reminds me. I was proven right today about something. I have been telling my partner to post our videos and/or blogs on the Facebook pages of the places we have gone to, if they have one. He has failed to do this for any of them. One of our locations, posted it themselves today. How do I know this? Well, remember when I said I was just going to not look at the numbers anymore? I have been doing that for a little while now, and today was the first time I saw the numbers for the PR. I noticed a huge uptick in traffic, and wanted to know why. I looked at the posts, and there it was, one of the locations had all the numbers going to it. I checked their webpage, and there was nothing there. I checked their Facebook page, and there it was, a link to our little blog. They posted our review, and our traffic skyrocketed. I told my partner that this would happen, but he fought me on it for some reason, and now he sees I was right. I kept telling him, that those places have a built in audience that will look at something they post. If he posts it on their page, they will share it so that everyone that follows them can see it. If we keep doing that, we will eventually get subscribers, and that is what we want in the long run. He always fails to see the full picture. I say full, because, It think he sees the big picture, but he only focuses on the end result, and not everything it takes to get there. Its a, can't see the forest for the trees sort of thing. It's there, he knows its there, he just doesn't want to see any of the details surrounding the thing that's there. I'm fretting over all the details, and I'm going to stop doing that. He is going to have to start seeing them. I'm just going to look at it like this from now on, I'm production, I don't worry about anything else. I film, I edit, I write, and I do that little intro thing on the other side of the camera.
Enough about that. I have a ton of things to watch this weekend. Kimmy Schmidt has a new season. Trollhunters has a new season. The final episode of David Letteman's show has Howard Stern as the guest. I still need to start on Santa Clarita Diet's new season. I need to get Clone Wars into my queue and start watching it. When will I have the time to get all of this viewing pleasure in. I think there is even more, that I haven't remembered, but when I go on Netflix tomorrow night, I will figure it all out. Oh yeah, I have to write a new chapter for The Patchwork Knight at some point, and since I'll be doing the PR on Saturday, I may have to do that tomorrow night, or maybe Saturday morning. Morning sounds like a horrible idea, but who knows. I don't think I will have the time to hit the deadline if I try to do it after the PR. Lately, my partner has wanted to just lounge around these places, and I just want to get out, and start working on edits or writing. I'm not hanging out on Saturday, I have a lot of stuff to get to.
That's it for tonight. If you want to see the video, it's on YouTube. If you want to read the blog, well you know where that is too. See, I'm just production, I can do this. Peace in and goodnight.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Video Is Done And AGT Started Tonight
I have Sunday's video done and uploaded. It is ready to go at 6 AM on Sunday morning. It's not the video I intended to make. I went for another Remember When, and when you see this one, you will see why I had to do this one now. There was a bit of a time crunch in order to do this one, so it had to be done. I will do that other video eventually, but that is one of those videos that I can do anytime. It's a back pocket idea. I have a few of those, and they won't be brought out until I need them, and it turns out, that I didn't need it this week.
I've decided to wear the GoPro when I ride in in the morning, for at least a little while. I might just come up with something I want to talk about when I'm going to and from work, so if anything comes to mind, I'll blurt it out, and make a video of it. This is just a new way of thinking, so If it works, then you will have content to look at, and if it doesn't, then I'll try something else.
It's only going to be a four day week for me, and then I have to do another PR on Saturday. The video for the latest one that we have done, will go up on Thursday evening, and the blog will go up the following morning. I hope you give it a view and a read, since we didn't get much push on the last one. I'm at a loss now, for how to get more viewers. We hit a mark on one of them, and I thought that was going to be a turning point, but it's gone downhill from there. I enjoy the process, but I hate the waiting to see something happen. I think from now on, I'm just going to post it, and then leave it alone. I won't check the numbers or anything. It will live or die on it's own, and I will be none the wiser until I have to post something new, and wander across the numbers at that time.
America's Got Talent started anew tonight, and they had some really good acts on. I'm getting tired of Simon's schtick though, so I could do without him, but the acts were good. There was one in particular that caught me. It's wan't the golden buzzer act, but in my eyes, it deserved to be. It was a trio of siblings, that were singing a song about their mother who had passed away a year or so before, due to cancer. You don't get to see the video piece that the show did for them prior to their performance, but I can fill you in a bit. From the time their mother was diagnosed, they only had 4 months of time left with her, so her passing was tough on them. They found an old journal of their mother's in the attic, that documented her own mother passing when she was young, and it let the kids know that she understood what they were going through, since she was having the same feelings then. The song they wrote is from the perspective of their mother saying goodbye to them, in the final month of her life. I am also making this my Favorite Song of the Week. It's that good. Here is We Three with "Heavens Not Too Far Away".
There wasn't a dry eye in that auditorium after that performance, and I'm suspecting that your eyes are a bit wet as well. After they were finished, the judges remarked about how great the singers voices were, and they were great, but no one seemed to notice that the drummer was also playing keyboard. How do you just gloss over that fact. For that alone, they should have gone through to the next round, everything else should have garnered them the golden buzzer. Maybe the judges felt they can do it on their own. If they keep playing songs like that, they will.
Short one tonight, I really don't have much to talk about, that's the problem with an uneventful holiday, it doesn't lead to any good stories. Peace in and goodnight.
I've decided to wear the GoPro when I ride in in the morning, for at least a little while. I might just come up with something I want to talk about when I'm going to and from work, so if anything comes to mind, I'll blurt it out, and make a video of it. This is just a new way of thinking, so If it works, then you will have content to look at, and if it doesn't, then I'll try something else.
It's only going to be a four day week for me, and then I have to do another PR on Saturday. The video for the latest one that we have done, will go up on Thursday evening, and the blog will go up the following morning. I hope you give it a view and a read, since we didn't get much push on the last one. I'm at a loss now, for how to get more viewers. We hit a mark on one of them, and I thought that was going to be a turning point, but it's gone downhill from there. I enjoy the process, but I hate the waiting to see something happen. I think from now on, I'm just going to post it, and then leave it alone. I won't check the numbers or anything. It will live or die on it's own, and I will be none the wiser until I have to post something new, and wander across the numbers at that time.
America's Got Talent started anew tonight, and they had some really good acts on. I'm getting tired of Simon's schtick though, so I could do without him, but the acts were good. There was one in particular that caught me. It's wan't the golden buzzer act, but in my eyes, it deserved to be. It was a trio of siblings, that were singing a song about their mother who had passed away a year or so before, due to cancer. You don't get to see the video piece that the show did for them prior to their performance, but I can fill you in a bit. From the time their mother was diagnosed, they only had 4 months of time left with her, so her passing was tough on them. They found an old journal of their mother's in the attic, that documented her own mother passing when she was young, and it let the kids know that she understood what they were going through, since she was having the same feelings then. The song they wrote is from the perspective of their mother saying goodbye to them, in the final month of her life. I am also making this my Favorite Song of the Week. It's that good. Here is We Three with "Heavens Not Too Far Away".
There wasn't a dry eye in that auditorium after that performance, and I'm suspecting that your eyes are a bit wet as well. After they were finished, the judges remarked about how great the singers voices were, and they were great, but no one seemed to notice that the drummer was also playing keyboard. How do you just gloss over that fact. For that alone, they should have gone through to the next round, everything else should have garnered them the golden buzzer. Maybe the judges felt they can do it on their own. If they keep playing songs like that, they will.
Short one tonight, I really don't have much to talk about, that's the problem with an uneventful holiday, it doesn't lead to any good stories. Peace in and goodnight.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
A Man And His Wookie
I nearly forgot that I had to write tonight. My schedule is a little off, since I don't have to work tomorrow due to Memorial Day. As you may remember, there is a person at work, trying to get me fired. I had set my resolve that I didn't care what happened, and I wouldn't let him get to me. Well, he became his own headache. When he finally realized that he wasn't going to be able to get in to my head, he lost it, and created problems for himself, because he was beside himself with anger. It was great. I highly recommend doing this to someone who perceives you as an enemy. It's a lot of fun.
You may or may not have noticed, that I did manage to get everything done Friday night. I wrote a chapter of The Patchwork Knight, and also put together a short video, which I believe is rather important. You already have an idea what it is about if you read Thursday nights post, so I won't bother giving you the run down. This was a simple video to make technically, because it is a one take talking video, with a couple of little things added with title boards and that kind of stuff. I didn't do this like my normal videos. There is no music with it, and I didn't do any of the end screen promotions for it. I wanted this video to stand alone. It is not for promoting me or the channel, it is a way for someone to get help. That is the goal, if this video helps just one person, then it did it's job.
If you know anyone that cold benefit from this video, please pass it on to them, or just the information within it. I don't care about view or minutes watched or anything like that on this video, I just want to get the information out there that can help someone that needs it.
I got all of this done, so that I would have Saturday free for seeing Solo the latest Star Wars movie. That is exactly what I did. I really liked it. I thought they could have done a little better job writing Lando Calrissian. I enjoyed learning the little ins and outs of Han and Chewies relationship. It's a fun movie and I hope you check it out. They do set up for either a sequel or another potential movie. I'm leaning towards it being another movie and not a sequel, but who knows what the studio will do. The early numbers haven't been promising, so maybe a sequel is out of the picture.
The friend that I went with, is the same one that told me of that blog platform called Medium. We talked more about it, and I'm still thinking about how I'm going to move The Patchwork Knight over there, and she brought up something I hadn't thought about. That would be maybe posting twice a week. That would bring the time down quite a bit from what is now 29 weeks of posting before I get to where I am now, to half that time. That does change things a bit, but I still have the problem of what do I do in the meantime. Do I stand back and wait for it to catch up and then begin writing again? Do I continue to write it and post it here, or do I write it somewhere else that won't be posted until it is time for it to go up? That last one has the largest potential of working, but since I'm writing in a way that I never have before, I could conceivably bear the burden of a long break before picking it up again. This is why I say that. I would normally write nightly, and for hours each day. This time I am only writing the day that I post it. I don't even think much about it until I sit down to write. Sure there is a little bit here and there, of what the next chapter is going to be, but that is it, and that normally happens on the same day as when I sit down to write. Normally hours before I begin. It is a quandary, but a good one to have.
The whole reason she wants me to go to this new platform, is for more exposure. She believes I could get more readers on that platform, because is promotes things. That would be a huge help, but what is more important, is to have the support of someone like that. Someone who truly believes in what I'm doing with The Patchwork Knight. That, that is invaluable. If nothing else comes out of this, then that is enough for me.
It's not raining right now, despite the fact that the news said it was going to be raining all weekend, so I'm going to try to get out and shoot a video tomorrow for next Sunday. This could be a fun one. I told my friend about this idea, and she liked it, so look forward to it this Sunday. If I can't get out tomorrow morning, then I'll try during the week or maybe next Saturday, but I do have to go eat pizza for the PR on Saturday. The burden of a second job, am I right.
Speaking of the PR. I just finished the upload and getting the end screen add ons in place, so it is ready for it's Thursday evening release. I'll write the blog post Thursday evening after the video goes live, and it will go up on Friday morning, so you have a lot of things to look forward to at the end of this week. I'm going to go and sit back and get some rest. I think I've earned it. Peace in and goodnight.
You may or may not have noticed, that I did manage to get everything done Friday night. I wrote a chapter of The Patchwork Knight, and also put together a short video, which I believe is rather important. You already have an idea what it is about if you read Thursday nights post, so I won't bother giving you the run down. This was a simple video to make technically, because it is a one take talking video, with a couple of little things added with title boards and that kind of stuff. I didn't do this like my normal videos. There is no music with it, and I didn't do any of the end screen promotions for it. I wanted this video to stand alone. It is not for promoting me or the channel, it is a way for someone to get help. That is the goal, if this video helps just one person, then it did it's job.
If you know anyone that cold benefit from this video, please pass it on to them, or just the information within it. I don't care about view or minutes watched or anything like that on this video, I just want to get the information out there that can help someone that needs it.
I got all of this done, so that I would have Saturday free for seeing Solo the latest Star Wars movie. That is exactly what I did. I really liked it. I thought they could have done a little better job writing Lando Calrissian. I enjoyed learning the little ins and outs of Han and Chewies relationship. It's a fun movie and I hope you check it out. They do set up for either a sequel or another potential movie. I'm leaning towards it being another movie and not a sequel, but who knows what the studio will do. The early numbers haven't been promising, so maybe a sequel is out of the picture.
The friend that I went with, is the same one that told me of that blog platform called Medium. We talked more about it, and I'm still thinking about how I'm going to move The Patchwork Knight over there, and she brought up something I hadn't thought about. That would be maybe posting twice a week. That would bring the time down quite a bit from what is now 29 weeks of posting before I get to where I am now, to half that time. That does change things a bit, but I still have the problem of what do I do in the meantime. Do I stand back and wait for it to catch up and then begin writing again? Do I continue to write it and post it here, or do I write it somewhere else that won't be posted until it is time for it to go up? That last one has the largest potential of working, but since I'm writing in a way that I never have before, I could conceivably bear the burden of a long break before picking it up again. This is why I say that. I would normally write nightly, and for hours each day. This time I am only writing the day that I post it. I don't even think much about it until I sit down to write. Sure there is a little bit here and there, of what the next chapter is going to be, but that is it, and that normally happens on the same day as when I sit down to write. Normally hours before I begin. It is a quandary, but a good one to have.
The whole reason she wants me to go to this new platform, is for more exposure. She believes I could get more readers on that platform, because is promotes things. That would be a huge help, but what is more important, is to have the support of someone like that. Someone who truly believes in what I'm doing with The Patchwork Knight. That, that is invaluable. If nothing else comes out of this, then that is enough for me.
It's not raining right now, despite the fact that the news said it was going to be raining all weekend, so I'm going to try to get out and shoot a video tomorrow for next Sunday. This could be a fun one. I told my friend about this idea, and she liked it, so look forward to it this Sunday. If I can't get out tomorrow morning, then I'll try during the week or maybe next Saturday, but I do have to go eat pizza for the PR on Saturday. The burden of a second job, am I right.
Speaking of the PR. I just finished the upload and getting the end screen add ons in place, so it is ready for it's Thursday evening release. I'll write the blog post Thursday evening after the video goes live, and it will go up on Friday morning, so you have a lot of things to look forward to at the end of this week. I'm going to go and sit back and get some rest. I think I've earned it. Peace in and goodnight.
Saturday, May 26, 2018
The Patchwork Knight (Chapter 29)
We rode for the rest of the day. It was slow going with the carts and wagons full of sick and wounded, but we were fortunate enough not to come across any Raiders. We arrived at an old abandoned village. There were no walls, but the buildings were still intact. This must have been one of the villages where everyone left rather than tried to fight. We had remained silent for the ride, for no other reason other than to not call any more added attention to a column of sick and wounded traveling through the countryside.
We put those who needed help into a large common building. It looked like a gathering hall for the community. After they were settled, the horses were detached from the wagons, then fed and watered. Although here were plenty of cabins and huts, most of us chose to stay outside under the stars. It was more suited to being prepared for anything or anyone that may arrive. I selected a spot under a tree near the trail. From where I was, I could see both directions, and would be ready if anything came along that trail. Sir Jacob approached me from the village. He was no longer wearing his chain male, but only a pair of trousers and a white tunic with the Targen Knights sigil emblazoned on it.
"Do you mind if I have a seat?"
"Please, be my guest."
"I took some time and talked to the men of he fort. They said that if it wasn't for you, they wouldn't have stood a chance. It was your planning and direction that won the day."
"I only did what I could to help out. It was Sir, ahem, Lord Kendall that was the real hero."
"You speak highly of him, but I truly know him. He has leadership qualities, but he lacks courage. If he could overcome that, he might be something some day. You on the other hand. It appears that you have both, and you know when to be humble, so as not to spook the horse."
"It's true. I saw that he was losing face with his men, and I chose a story that would stop a execution. Those men were enraged that he stayed hidden. I saw his face when I went back to find him. He had a look of pure terror on his face. I told them what I needed to, in order to save his life."
"You did well, Pitre. It is no wonder to me, now that Sir Wallace spoke so highly of you. He was enthused to say the least on you pending arrival at the Academy, but then all this madness began."
"Do you know where Sir Wallace's body is lain?"
"I do not know exactly, but Sir Salvor would."
"I would like to go there to pay my respects to him some day. He was a very kind and noble man."
"That he was. He was truly the best of us. He trained me to be a Knight. I wouldn't be half the man I am today if it wasn't for him. When we get to the Palace, I will have you meet with Sir Salvor. I'm sure you will want to hear his story for yourself."
"I would like that. Very much."
"I was wondering Pitre. Would you like to spar for a bit? Nothing brutal, just a light round. I would like to see what it is that Sir Wallace spoke about. He said that you were wildly advanced for you age, and that you had improved beyond Princess Alma in only a few months. If what those men over there said was true. You have advanced even further than that."
"That would be wonderful. I haven't trained or sparred with anyone in years. It was my favorite thing to do, and Sir Wallace was a fantastic swordsman. If he trained you, then you should be as well."
"Do you mind if we use sticks? No need to draw our blades for a friendly bout."
"Choose your weapon then."
We both went of in search of suitable sticks to use as swords. When we did, we both met under the tree again. We squared off, as was traditional in sparring. I stood with my right leg back, and held the stick to my side pointing down. Sir Jacob stood with a similar stance with his sword held in front of him. He lunged forward, and I utilized Movement one to brush his stick away and advance on him. I pivoted to his right, and tapped him on the back of the neck.
"Was that Movement one? I've never seen it done with such grace. I barely had time to even see you move."
"I've had a lot of time to practice."
"You would have had my head in seconds. I'm a good swordsman, but you. You are unworldly. Sir Wallace understated your prowess with a sword. Can we go again?"
"Of course. On your ready."
Sir Jacob tried a different tactic. He lunged forward that feigned a strike as he leapt back and to the left. He dropped down and began to sweep his leg. I jumped over his sweep and towards him. Before he could stand I tapped him on his head.
"Incredible. That is a move that I have one a number of sparring sessions with. There isn't a man over there, that can beat me when I use that move on them."
A few of the men were taking notice of what was going on, and began walking over to get a closer look.
"I'm not sure I should ask for this, but could you attack me. I'm less concerned for my safety than I am for my ego."
"Ready yourself again, and I will attack this time."
Sir Jacob put his guard up, by this time, a dozen men had made a semi-circle around us. I stood with my right leg back and my side to Sir Jacob. I held me stick down and to my side. Sir Jacob signaled that he was ready. I nodded and began. I made a small leap forward, and as I landed, I pivoted on my left food and sank down. I stepped my right foot behind me and spun. I raised my stick and thrust it straight at Sir Jacob's midsection. I watched as his hand moved too late to block the strike and a pulled short of stabbing him with the sticking. I merely brushed his tunic enough that he would feel the stick. His sword hand continued down. I withdrew my thrust, and spun my stick past my left side and brought the stick up and around and rested it on his neck. There was a roar from the men spectating. Sir Jacob looked at me with eyes full of astonishment.
"I don't think I even had time to take a breath. Were you holding back with Sir Wallace? That is the only way he wouldn't have told us about your ability."
"A bit, on my father's orders. Sir Wallace was a fair match for me when I saw him last. I couldn't defeat him every time."
"I dare say, that you could now. Sir Wallace was remarkable, but I've never seen anything like what you can do. I would have to say, that it is true what those men said they saw you do, during the battle at the fort. You don't need any training to be a Knight. I'd say that you are one. I'm sure that the King would want to see for himself. I am the Commanding Knight with Sir Wallace gone, and if you are up for it, I would like to hold the ceremony right now. What do you say men? Would you like to see a new member knighted into the Targen Knights?"
Once again, a roar went up from the men.
"Pitre, will you hand me your sword, and take a knee?"
I drew my sword and handed it over to Sir Jacob, and knelt in front of him. He held the sword and admired it for a moment.
"Who made this sword Pitre?"
"My father made it for me. It is the same sword I used in the tournament. He sharpened it once we returned to the village."
"It is an impressive weapon. The balance is perfect and it feels like it was meant for my hand even though I know it wasn't. Pitre, do you swear to protect the Realm from all that would do it harm?
"Yes."
"Do you swear to uphold the laws of your King, and protect his people in times of war?"
"Yes."
"Do you swear that even in times of peace you will uphold the honor of the Targen Knights, and be a light in the Realm for all to see."
"Yes."
"Then I Sir Jacob dub the, Sir Pitre of the Targen Knights.'
Sir Jacob tapped me on either shoulder with the flat of the blade and then tapped me on my head."
"Rise Sir Pitre. The Realm awaits you."
I stood and Sir Jacob handed my sword back to me. All the men cheered, and one in the back called out, "He looks more like Sir Patchwork with all those different pieces of armor on him." The crown went hush at the statement. I held my sword up, and declared, "I'm Sir Pitre, The Patchwork Knight.". With that everyone burst out into laughter, and I joined along with them.
We put those who needed help into a large common building. It looked like a gathering hall for the community. After they were settled, the horses were detached from the wagons, then fed and watered. Although here were plenty of cabins and huts, most of us chose to stay outside under the stars. It was more suited to being prepared for anything or anyone that may arrive. I selected a spot under a tree near the trail. From where I was, I could see both directions, and would be ready if anything came along that trail. Sir Jacob approached me from the village. He was no longer wearing his chain male, but only a pair of trousers and a white tunic with the Targen Knights sigil emblazoned on it.
"Do you mind if I have a seat?"
"Please, be my guest."
"I took some time and talked to the men of he fort. They said that if it wasn't for you, they wouldn't have stood a chance. It was your planning and direction that won the day."
"I only did what I could to help out. It was Sir, ahem, Lord Kendall that was the real hero."
"You speak highly of him, but I truly know him. He has leadership qualities, but he lacks courage. If he could overcome that, he might be something some day. You on the other hand. It appears that you have both, and you know when to be humble, so as not to spook the horse."
"It's true. I saw that he was losing face with his men, and I chose a story that would stop a execution. Those men were enraged that he stayed hidden. I saw his face when I went back to find him. He had a look of pure terror on his face. I told them what I needed to, in order to save his life."
"You did well, Pitre. It is no wonder to me, now that Sir Wallace spoke so highly of you. He was enthused to say the least on you pending arrival at the Academy, but then all this madness began."
"Do you know where Sir Wallace's body is lain?"
"I do not know exactly, but Sir Salvor would."
"I would like to go there to pay my respects to him some day. He was a very kind and noble man."
"That he was. He was truly the best of us. He trained me to be a Knight. I wouldn't be half the man I am today if it wasn't for him. When we get to the Palace, I will have you meet with Sir Salvor. I'm sure you will want to hear his story for yourself."
"I would like that. Very much."
"I was wondering Pitre. Would you like to spar for a bit? Nothing brutal, just a light round. I would like to see what it is that Sir Wallace spoke about. He said that you were wildly advanced for you age, and that you had improved beyond Princess Alma in only a few months. If what those men over there said was true. You have advanced even further than that."
"That would be wonderful. I haven't trained or sparred with anyone in years. It was my favorite thing to do, and Sir Wallace was a fantastic swordsman. If he trained you, then you should be as well."
"Do you mind if we use sticks? No need to draw our blades for a friendly bout."
"Choose your weapon then."
We both went of in search of suitable sticks to use as swords. When we did, we both met under the tree again. We squared off, as was traditional in sparring. I stood with my right leg back, and held the stick to my side pointing down. Sir Jacob stood with a similar stance with his sword held in front of him. He lunged forward, and I utilized Movement one to brush his stick away and advance on him. I pivoted to his right, and tapped him on the back of the neck.
"Was that Movement one? I've never seen it done with such grace. I barely had time to even see you move."
"I've had a lot of time to practice."
"You would have had my head in seconds. I'm a good swordsman, but you. You are unworldly. Sir Wallace understated your prowess with a sword. Can we go again?"
"Of course. On your ready."
Sir Jacob tried a different tactic. He lunged forward that feigned a strike as he leapt back and to the left. He dropped down and began to sweep his leg. I jumped over his sweep and towards him. Before he could stand I tapped him on his head.
"Incredible. That is a move that I have one a number of sparring sessions with. There isn't a man over there, that can beat me when I use that move on them."
A few of the men were taking notice of what was going on, and began walking over to get a closer look.
"I'm not sure I should ask for this, but could you attack me. I'm less concerned for my safety than I am for my ego."
"Ready yourself again, and I will attack this time."
Sir Jacob put his guard up, by this time, a dozen men had made a semi-circle around us. I stood with my right leg back and my side to Sir Jacob. I held me stick down and to my side. Sir Jacob signaled that he was ready. I nodded and began. I made a small leap forward, and as I landed, I pivoted on my left food and sank down. I stepped my right foot behind me and spun. I raised my stick and thrust it straight at Sir Jacob's midsection. I watched as his hand moved too late to block the strike and a pulled short of stabbing him with the sticking. I merely brushed his tunic enough that he would feel the stick. His sword hand continued down. I withdrew my thrust, and spun my stick past my left side and brought the stick up and around and rested it on his neck. There was a roar from the men spectating. Sir Jacob looked at me with eyes full of astonishment.
"I don't think I even had time to take a breath. Were you holding back with Sir Wallace? That is the only way he wouldn't have told us about your ability."
"A bit, on my father's orders. Sir Wallace was a fair match for me when I saw him last. I couldn't defeat him every time."
"I dare say, that you could now. Sir Wallace was remarkable, but I've never seen anything like what you can do. I would have to say, that it is true what those men said they saw you do, during the battle at the fort. You don't need any training to be a Knight. I'd say that you are one. I'm sure that the King would want to see for himself. I am the Commanding Knight with Sir Wallace gone, and if you are up for it, I would like to hold the ceremony right now. What do you say men? Would you like to see a new member knighted into the Targen Knights?"
Once again, a roar went up from the men.
"Pitre, will you hand me your sword, and take a knee?"
I drew my sword and handed it over to Sir Jacob, and knelt in front of him. He held the sword and admired it for a moment.
"Who made this sword Pitre?"
"My father made it for me. It is the same sword I used in the tournament. He sharpened it once we returned to the village."
"It is an impressive weapon. The balance is perfect and it feels like it was meant for my hand even though I know it wasn't. Pitre, do you swear to protect the Realm from all that would do it harm?
"Yes."
"Do you swear to uphold the laws of your King, and protect his people in times of war?"
"Yes."
"Do you swear that even in times of peace you will uphold the honor of the Targen Knights, and be a light in the Realm for all to see."
"Yes."
"Then I Sir Jacob dub the, Sir Pitre of the Targen Knights.'
Sir Jacob tapped me on either shoulder with the flat of the blade and then tapped me on my head."
"Rise Sir Pitre. The Realm awaits you."
I stood and Sir Jacob handed my sword back to me. All the men cheered, and one in the back called out, "He looks more like Sir Patchwork with all those different pieces of armor on him." The crown went hush at the statement. I held my sword up, and declared, "I'm Sir Pitre, The Patchwork Knight.". With that everyone burst out into laughter, and I joined along with them.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Within A Millisecond Of A Moment
I walked out the door into a day that was framed by a clear blue sky. I had resolved myself to believing that no matter what the day would bring, I would be good. That was until that car pulled out in front of me.
Before we get to that moment, we have to go back a little, to why I had that resolve. There is someone at work, doing their very best, to get me fired. I doubt they will be able to do it, because my work ethic and record is rather excellent, but anything can happen. Why are they trying to get me fired? It's simple really, I called them out for being late, and they got upset about it, so much so, that they are now sabotaging me. I saw through their little plan, and covered my tail, so that it will take a great deal of work on their part to make it happen. I wish them luck. That is why I had that resolve.
The day was clear, and the rain that was supposed to be here for the next two weeks, was nowhere in sight. That meant that Saki and I were going to ride. I loaded up my backpack, and pulled Saki into the driveway. The weather was perfect. I was a half mile or less from work, when I saw a car slowly pull onto the road I was traveling down. I was coming to a stop sign, so there was no worry yet. The car had ample room ahead of me. I was three car lengths away from it, when it turned off that road, towards another one. I didn't need to slow down, since they were turning off, and I was in the clear. The car was on the other side of the road as I approached the rear corner of it. At the very last second, the car abruptly turned back and into my lane. I had to panic brake, and I had to do it fast. I stomped on the rear brake, and then grabbed the front. As I was doing all of that, I also had a hand full of clutch, and was downshifting. The rear tire came off the ground as I gripped that front brake as hard as I could. The car must have noticed their mistake, and was starting to veer to the side they had just came from. The bike was stopping in time, and only a foot or so away from where the car would have been had it not turned away. The rear tire came down hard, but somehow I never had to put my feet down. I balanced the bike on two wheels, as I saw a guy poke his head out the window and then wave me by. I tried to go, but I had shifted into neutral, which is probably why the bike didn't stall on me, even though I had the clutch gripped tight. I quickly shifted into first and took off, looking back at them wondering how the decided that sudden turn was a good idea.
It was at that moment, that I knew, no matter what my resolve was, today was going to suck. I was going to stick with it though. I wouldn't let whatever was going to happen to get me down. That person, tried everything to get under my skin, but I laughed it all off. I laughed it off so much, that they got upset instead. That did make things a little better. The day was plagued with problems, with a single machine. It was acting up so much, that I'm exhausted from the effort I had to put in. Swinging a hammer is not fun when you are doing it for a half hour straight, and then having to do it again for another half hour straight a few hours later. My shoulder has had it with me, and it is ready for a long Memorial Day weekend. I have one more day of work this week, and it appears that it should be similar to today. I'll get through it, and I'll probably make that person upset again, which will make my day a little better again.
I did manage to finish 13 Reasons Why last night. The last episode for this new season, was remarkable. It was just brilliant all around, and they set up a third season flawlessly. I won't say what happened, but they resolved the issue of going to the well too many times. They changed the well. It was an ending that I didn't expect, and that is something that I normally can't say. I'm pretty good at reading where something is going to go. It could be the writer in me, and seeing things from that perspective, or it could be that too many movies and shows are formulaic. Whatever it is, it doesn't happen often that something can catch me off guard, and they did it. Bravo to the writers and performers of 13 Reasons Why. You put out another incredible season. As I've said every time I've talked about this. Watch it, but don't watch it alone, especially if you suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts. This season didn't have the normal triggers, for me, but the last two episodes did, and I could feel some old feelings come creeping back into my head, that is another reason why I had that resolve this morning. I wasn't going to let those thoughts drag me down either, and they didn't. I won this round.
Tomorrow I write the next chapter of The Patchwork Knight, so that I'll have it ready for a Saturday release, as I spend the day in Orlando watching Solo. I also plan on doing a motovlog to get ready for the Sunday morning release, I'm hoping that the weather will hold like it did today. If so, I will get it in after I go to the bank. I'll tell you what I'm going to talk about in this one. I'm going to talk about 13 Reasons Why. It will be a little about what I wrote above, with a little more added to it. I also want to highlight the suicide prevention hotline, so that I might be able to help someone out, if they are feeling on the edge. I'm going to keep it short like the latest videos have been, but I want this one to have a deeper message in it. I hope that you enjoy it when you see in after it goes live.
That's it for me, with the exception of what to title this. By now you will already have read it, but trust me, I have no idea what I'm putting up there. I'll give it a go once I've previewed what this looks like on the blog page. I need to go rest this shoulder now. Peace in and goodnight.
Before we get to that moment, we have to go back a little, to why I had that resolve. There is someone at work, doing their very best, to get me fired. I doubt they will be able to do it, because my work ethic and record is rather excellent, but anything can happen. Why are they trying to get me fired? It's simple really, I called them out for being late, and they got upset about it, so much so, that they are now sabotaging me. I saw through their little plan, and covered my tail, so that it will take a great deal of work on their part to make it happen. I wish them luck. That is why I had that resolve.
The day was clear, and the rain that was supposed to be here for the next two weeks, was nowhere in sight. That meant that Saki and I were going to ride. I loaded up my backpack, and pulled Saki into the driveway. The weather was perfect. I was a half mile or less from work, when I saw a car slowly pull onto the road I was traveling down. I was coming to a stop sign, so there was no worry yet. The car had ample room ahead of me. I was three car lengths away from it, when it turned off that road, towards another one. I didn't need to slow down, since they were turning off, and I was in the clear. The car was on the other side of the road as I approached the rear corner of it. At the very last second, the car abruptly turned back and into my lane. I had to panic brake, and I had to do it fast. I stomped on the rear brake, and then grabbed the front. As I was doing all of that, I also had a hand full of clutch, and was downshifting. The rear tire came off the ground as I gripped that front brake as hard as I could. The car must have noticed their mistake, and was starting to veer to the side they had just came from. The bike was stopping in time, and only a foot or so away from where the car would have been had it not turned away. The rear tire came down hard, but somehow I never had to put my feet down. I balanced the bike on two wheels, as I saw a guy poke his head out the window and then wave me by. I tried to go, but I had shifted into neutral, which is probably why the bike didn't stall on me, even though I had the clutch gripped tight. I quickly shifted into first and took off, looking back at them wondering how the decided that sudden turn was a good idea.
It was at that moment, that I knew, no matter what my resolve was, today was going to suck. I was going to stick with it though. I wouldn't let whatever was going to happen to get me down. That person, tried everything to get under my skin, but I laughed it all off. I laughed it off so much, that they got upset instead. That did make things a little better. The day was plagued with problems, with a single machine. It was acting up so much, that I'm exhausted from the effort I had to put in. Swinging a hammer is not fun when you are doing it for a half hour straight, and then having to do it again for another half hour straight a few hours later. My shoulder has had it with me, and it is ready for a long Memorial Day weekend. I have one more day of work this week, and it appears that it should be similar to today. I'll get through it, and I'll probably make that person upset again, which will make my day a little better again.
I did manage to finish 13 Reasons Why last night. The last episode for this new season, was remarkable. It was just brilliant all around, and they set up a third season flawlessly. I won't say what happened, but they resolved the issue of going to the well too many times. They changed the well. It was an ending that I didn't expect, and that is something that I normally can't say. I'm pretty good at reading where something is going to go. It could be the writer in me, and seeing things from that perspective, or it could be that too many movies and shows are formulaic. Whatever it is, it doesn't happen often that something can catch me off guard, and they did it. Bravo to the writers and performers of 13 Reasons Why. You put out another incredible season. As I've said every time I've talked about this. Watch it, but don't watch it alone, especially if you suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts. This season didn't have the normal triggers, for me, but the last two episodes did, and I could feel some old feelings come creeping back into my head, that is another reason why I had that resolve this morning. I wasn't going to let those thoughts drag me down either, and they didn't. I won this round.
Tomorrow I write the next chapter of The Patchwork Knight, so that I'll have it ready for a Saturday release, as I spend the day in Orlando watching Solo. I also plan on doing a motovlog to get ready for the Sunday morning release, I'm hoping that the weather will hold like it did today. If so, I will get it in after I go to the bank. I'll tell you what I'm going to talk about in this one. I'm going to talk about 13 Reasons Why. It will be a little about what I wrote above, with a little more added to it. I also want to highlight the suicide prevention hotline, so that I might be able to help someone out, if they are feeling on the edge. I'm going to keep it short like the latest videos have been, but I want this one to have a deeper message in it. I hope that you enjoy it when you see in after it goes live.
That's it for me, with the exception of what to title this. By now you will already have read it, but trust me, I have no idea what I'm putting up there. I'll give it a go once I've previewed what this looks like on the blog page. I need to go rest this shoulder now. Peace in and goodnight.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Hey, Do You Remember When?
Since there hasn't been a mass shooting that I've heard of today, we can get to the normally scheduled program. That means you are going to have to sit through my newest video. It's a new series that I came up with. I'm not completely sure how many of these I will be able to do, but I'm hoping to get maybe ten out of it. This is the first one in the series.
I'm going to use the music in that video, in every one of the successive videos in the series. I haven't decided where I will go next. There are several places right in that area, that I can do. I may go to another part of the area first before I go back there. There are plenty of places right here in good ol' Rock Vegas that I can hit. I am going to keep them all short, right around the 5 minutes mark at most. My hope is that you get a little idea of what it was like growing up where I live. Just a little look back to a simpler time.
I started watching the second season of 13 Reasons Why, and I'm really liking it. I was wondering how they were going to do it, when I heard that Katherine Langford was going to be back, but they are making it work. I saw a headline that spoiled what is going to happen, but it is what I thought it would be, and don't worry, I'm not going to spoil it for you. I will say this though. they are telling the same story, form a different perspective, which is a pretty inventive idea to do a second season, but I think they will go to the well too many times if they try this for a 3rd season. I think 2 is all we are going to get out of this series. I'm up to episode 9, and if it's like the first season, there will be 13 episodes, so I have some more to go. I'll watch them this weekend.
Speaking of seasons of series on Netflix. I am happy to announce, that I got a notification today, that season 4 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is coming on May 31. I am so happy that they did another season of that show. I hadn't heard anything, and thought that they were thinking about cancelling it, but it's coming back. I can't wait for this one. I need more Kimmy and more Titus Andromedon.
I went out on Sunday and watched Deadpool 2. It was hilarious. They pulled off the thing that everyone said they couldn't do. The made a great sequel to a movie that all the critics said, would just be a remake of the first one with slightly different gags. Yeah, they have some of that, but the brilliance of the Deadpool character, is that he is the only comic book character that realizes he is a comic book character. He shatters the fourth wall, and because of that, he can make fun of himself, and everything within the genre. That wall being down, opens up doors for things that any normal movie can't do, and I'm truly hoping that they do a 3rd one. The movie has tons of cameos in it. Not just big A-list stars, but also A-list nerdy stars. I'll tell you all of them if you want, but I won't do it here. I even pegged one of the stars that the director and producer were proud that no one figure out during advanced screenings. Ok, I didn't know exactly who it was, but I recognized the voice as being familiar, and new it was someone that was big. I looked it up as soon as I got home to confirm my suspicions, and was right. You don't have to stay to the very end of the credits, but there is a small scene that might be the best part of the movie, that falls right after the opening of the end credits. They even threw cameos in that part of the movie too.
I guess I should mention that I got another response on Match. It was another polite rejection, but at least it was a response. The weird thing about it though, is that she took another look at my profile a day later. Maybe it was just to confirm her lack of desire to go on a date with me. Oh well, I only have a couple more months of this before I delete that profile.
The PR is going to be back in action again tomorrow, but this time, I will have a week and a half to get everything done. I'm pretty excited about that. I think I will upload the video to the computer tomorrow night, and then not even touch it until Sunday. I think I mentioned that I'm going to see Solo this Saturday, so I have to get a few things done at other times this week. Maybe I didn't mention that, since I dealt with the names of the victims on Sunday. Anyway, going to Solo, can't write that day because of it, so The Patchwork Knight is going to be written on Friday night, and I will post it before I leave for Orlando. Oh yeah, I'm going to Orlando to watch the movie with a friend of mine, and one of those theaters where the seats recline and stuff. It's going to be amazing. I still have to get a vide together for Sunday. I guess I could do another Remember When, but I think It's too early for that. The other problem is all the rain we have been getting. We are scheduled for rain for the next two weeks. There are moments where it is clear, which is how I got the video done on Saturday for the one you saw above. I'm going to need to put something together. I might get to get it done on Friday too, but I'm thinking I might do it before that. I don't know, I'll just wait and see how things work out.
This is where I would normally have Favorite Song of the Week, but to be honest, I don't have a FSOTW this week. Nothing is really standing out to me this week, so I'll give you a break from it for a week. Please watch that video up there, and maybe share any old fun memory you have. Leave it in the comments below, or do it on the YouTube page. I still need subscribers, comments and likes over there. Any little bit helps out. Although I'm going to keep making videos that I think are fun regardless of if I get subscribers or views. The whole reason I started, was to show you what I couldn't fully explain, and the new series is a great example of that. I could tell you those stories, but I think seeing where they took place, and what has become of those places now, makes it a little more interesting. Reading about it is one thing, but my hope is that seeing it and how things have changed, has an impact, big or small, as long is it's an impact.
I am now yawning like an open cave, so I better head of to sleep. Peace in and goodnight.
I'm going to use the music in that video, in every one of the successive videos in the series. I haven't decided where I will go next. There are several places right in that area, that I can do. I may go to another part of the area first before I go back there. There are plenty of places right here in good ol' Rock Vegas that I can hit. I am going to keep them all short, right around the 5 minutes mark at most. My hope is that you get a little idea of what it was like growing up where I live. Just a little look back to a simpler time.
I started watching the second season of 13 Reasons Why, and I'm really liking it. I was wondering how they were going to do it, when I heard that Katherine Langford was going to be back, but they are making it work. I saw a headline that spoiled what is going to happen, but it is what I thought it would be, and don't worry, I'm not going to spoil it for you. I will say this though. they are telling the same story, form a different perspective, which is a pretty inventive idea to do a second season, but I think they will go to the well too many times if they try this for a 3rd season. I think 2 is all we are going to get out of this series. I'm up to episode 9, and if it's like the first season, there will be 13 episodes, so I have some more to go. I'll watch them this weekend.
Speaking of seasons of series on Netflix. I am happy to announce, that I got a notification today, that season 4 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is coming on May 31. I am so happy that they did another season of that show. I hadn't heard anything, and thought that they were thinking about cancelling it, but it's coming back. I can't wait for this one. I need more Kimmy and more Titus Andromedon.
I went out on Sunday and watched Deadpool 2. It was hilarious. They pulled off the thing that everyone said they couldn't do. The made a great sequel to a movie that all the critics said, would just be a remake of the first one with slightly different gags. Yeah, they have some of that, but the brilliance of the Deadpool character, is that he is the only comic book character that realizes he is a comic book character. He shatters the fourth wall, and because of that, he can make fun of himself, and everything within the genre. That wall being down, opens up doors for things that any normal movie can't do, and I'm truly hoping that they do a 3rd one. The movie has tons of cameos in it. Not just big A-list stars, but also A-list nerdy stars. I'll tell you all of them if you want, but I won't do it here. I even pegged one of the stars that the director and producer were proud that no one figure out during advanced screenings. Ok, I didn't know exactly who it was, but I recognized the voice as being familiar, and new it was someone that was big. I looked it up as soon as I got home to confirm my suspicions, and was right. You don't have to stay to the very end of the credits, but there is a small scene that might be the best part of the movie, that falls right after the opening of the end credits. They even threw cameos in that part of the movie too.
I guess I should mention that I got another response on Match. It was another polite rejection, but at least it was a response. The weird thing about it though, is that she took another look at my profile a day later. Maybe it was just to confirm her lack of desire to go on a date with me. Oh well, I only have a couple more months of this before I delete that profile.
The PR is going to be back in action again tomorrow, but this time, I will have a week and a half to get everything done. I'm pretty excited about that. I think I will upload the video to the computer tomorrow night, and then not even touch it until Sunday. I think I mentioned that I'm going to see Solo this Saturday, so I have to get a few things done at other times this week. Maybe I didn't mention that, since I dealt with the names of the victims on Sunday. Anyway, going to Solo, can't write that day because of it, so The Patchwork Knight is going to be written on Friday night, and I will post it before I leave for Orlando. Oh yeah, I'm going to Orlando to watch the movie with a friend of mine, and one of those theaters where the seats recline and stuff. It's going to be amazing. I still have to get a vide together for Sunday. I guess I could do another Remember When, but I think It's too early for that. The other problem is all the rain we have been getting. We are scheduled for rain for the next two weeks. There are moments where it is clear, which is how I got the video done on Saturday for the one you saw above. I'm going to need to put something together. I might get to get it done on Friday too, but I'm thinking I might do it before that. I don't know, I'll just wait and see how things work out.
This is where I would normally have Favorite Song of the Week, but to be honest, I don't have a FSOTW this week. Nothing is really standing out to me this week, so I'll give you a break from it for a week. Please watch that video up there, and maybe share any old fun memory you have. Leave it in the comments below, or do it on the YouTube page. I still need subscribers, comments and likes over there. Any little bit helps out. Although I'm going to keep making videos that I think are fun regardless of if I get subscribers or views. The whole reason I started, was to show you what I couldn't fully explain, and the new series is a great example of that. I could tell you those stories, but I think seeing where they took place, and what has become of those places now, makes it a little more interesting. Reading about it is one thing, but my hope is that seeing it and how things have changed, has an impact, big or small, as long is it's an impact.
I am now yawning like an open cave, so I better head of to sleep. Peace in and goodnight.
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Thoughts And Prayers Have Failed. It's Time For Something New.
Glenda Perkins
Cynthia Tisdale
Chris Stone
Aaron McLeod
Kimberly Vaughan
Shana Fisher
Angelique Ramirez
Christian Garcia
Jared Black
Sabika Sheikh
Those are the of the fallen from Houston, Texas. Once again I'm writing names that need to be remembered, when the media is posting the name of the vile that is responsible for them no longer being on this earth. Don't worry though, thoughts and prayers will once again go out from our politicians in an effort to stop the next mass shooting. That plan of action has worked so well since Sandy Hook. They continue to get their money from lobbyists, and more and more people die daily.
This is the 22nd school shooting this year. Not since Sandy Hook, or since records have been kept, This is the 22nd school shooting this year, and we are only 20 weeks into this year. If we keep at that average, then there will be about 60 school shootings before the year is out. Is that what we want as a nation. We shouldn't be accepting 1 school shooting a year, much less 60. Lobbyist for gun manufacturers will say that we need more guns in schools, and the politicians will take the millions that they hand out, and no laws will go in to affect to enact common sense gun laws. After Sandy Hook 96% of the country wanted universal background checks, but the politicians voted against what he people wanted. They should no representation for their constituents, they only showed representation for their own bank accounts.
I should be writing fun little blog about what I did this weekend, and my reviews on what I watched, and post the video that I made, but instead, I am once again listing the names of people who were killed in another mass shooting. In honor of them, this piece tonight is only in service to them, there will be no fun update, no reviews, and no video for you to watch. This is a call for you to contact your local officials, and tell them that you want them to do their job, and put forth some kind of bill that will change things for the better. Something that will attempt to end these senseless shootings. Something that will save lives. These adults and young students didn't need to die this week. They should be preparing for what they are going to do for the summer with their families. They should be thinking about what the next school year has to offer them. They should be having fun and living their lives, instead, because of the failure of politicians to do anything. Let me say that again, the failure of these politicians to do ANYTHING. They have sat back, they have taken tax payer and lobbyist money, they have lined their pockets and increased their bank accounts, and they have let more people die. Contact them, and tell them what you want, and if they don't do anything once again, find out when they are up for reelection and vote them out.
They need to know that their jobs aren't permanent, just as the lives of the people that they let die weren't. They need to know, that the money train stops when they don't do their job. They need to know, that they will become pariahs in their own communities for their failures. If they fail to act this time, then their time as public officials is over. Don't worry, they can go to work for those very lobbyist that paid them those handsome sums for votes that went their way. They have failed this country, they have failed all those victims, and they have failed you. You may be the next victim of gun violence, and I'm sure that the politicians will say thoughts and prayers for you, but once you are the victim, do those thoughts and prayers mean anything? Peace in and goodnight.
Saturday, May 19, 2018
The Patchwork Knight (Chapter 28)
The gate was repaired, but it wouldn't hold back much more than an angry goat. Sir Kendall had retired to his quarters, he had lost the faith of his men. I had created a story, that I told him to stay behind and only come out if he was absolutely needed. I don't think his men believed it. There were mumblings of him being a coward. His men set up a watch detail, not to protect him, but everyone else in the fort. Two archers were on watch at all times, with 5 men at the ready if anything was a to arise.
The night was uneventful, but at first light, a call of riders on the horizon went up. I climbed the nearest archer tower to see what was coming. It was riders, and they were coming fast, but from a different direction than the Raiders. It appeared to be a band of 10 riders, maybe more. They carried a banner with them, but in the early morning light it was darkened by shadow. I told a runner to wake everyone up, and tell them to be ready to fight within a few minutes.
After only seconds, I could hear the fort bang to life. Small pots were clanging to wake the sleeping from their slumber, and shouts of "Riders" were called out. All able men lined up at the gate in a short time. Tired but ready for another fight. They were better armed now, since they took the weapons from the Raiders that had fallen the night before. The weapons were poor quality, but they were better than what the villagers had before.
"It's the Targen Knights!" exclaimed the other archer on watch. I had turned to watch the men ready themselves and had kept my attention away from the threat that was riding up our trail. When I turned I saw the pale blue flag with the lion and sword sigil on it.
"Stand down, but hold ready. The Targen Knights are riding up the trail, but it could be Raiders with a banner, until we are sure, we should stay on our toes."
I climbed down from the tower, and went to the gate. It had been barricaded with a couple of trees that we cut down early in the night to hold the gate since it had been smashed by the Raiders. I helped the men pull the trees away, and opened the gate.
"Go get Sir Kendall and tell him that the Knights have arrived."
"Let him wallow in his failure."
"I told you what had happened. He is in charge here, and he must meet the Knights when they arrive at the gate. He made the call to them, and he should be here to greet them."
The man shook his head, but ran off in the direction of Sir Kendall's quarters. I watched as the two men came running back to the gate. Sir Kendall still looked sallow, but he had more energy to him this morning.
"Pitre, I heard what you told the men. Thank you. I don't know what came over me yesterday. It won't happen again."
"I don't think they believe the entire story. If you want to retain the men's respect, you need to lift your head and meet these Knights the same we you met me yesterday. It doesn't matter why you held back yesterday, what matters is how you carry yourself from this day forward."
"Yes, you are right. Where did you learn to be a Knight? You don't wear normal armor, nor do you have any sigil upon you, but you definitely carry yourself like a Knight."
"I'm no Knight. I was supposed to go to the academy, but my village was attacked by Raiders before I could go. I was the only survivor. My father taught me how to fight, but that is all. I trained for many years on my own, before I rode out to find the Kingdom, and try to accept my place in the academy."
"That is a sad story, but you are clearly a Knight, maybe not one from the academy, but you saved this fort yesterday. If it wasn't for you, everyone here would be dead, and those Knights would be potentially be riding into an ambush. You are on the right path to the Kingdom, when you leave, if you go the way that those Knights ride from, you will reach the Kingdom, but I'm not sure you will be allowed in the academy."
"My appointment was from the King himself, why would they not allow me in?"
"You are too old. The academy is only open to children from year 10 to 16. "
"I'm only 14 years. When I get to see the King again he will grant me permission."
"You're 14 years? Are you fooling me? No welp of 14 years can fight like you can, and you are the size of a horse."
"I promise you, I have only seen 14 years."
"14 years, and you fight faster and stronger than any fully grown man that I have seen. You don't need the academy Pitre, you need a full suit of armor and a warhorse.
The riders began to slow, and they wore the full armor of the Targen Knights. This was no troop of Raiders. This was 15 Targen Knights on their warhorses. They came to a full stop about fifteen feet before us. The horses breathed heavy and clopped restlessly. There was a large Knight in the lead, and he dismounted in a single grateful move.
"Lord Kendall, I am Sir Jacob. We came as soon as we could. The King has moved to the Crystal Palace at the lake in the mountains. He wants all the noble families to make their way there, to hold the Realm."
"Wait, what are you talking about Sir Jacob. We called for reinforcements. Villages have been burned and razed to the ground. We have refugees and survivors here that need help. Why would the nobles go the Crystal Palace?"
"The Kingdom is in ruins. It fell two days ago to the Raiders. They came in numbers that haven't been seen since the Blind Wars. The King and Princess Alma are at the Palace with as many people that could leave the Kingdom. Bring what people you have, we will escort you to the Palace."
"The Kingdom has fallen? I'm supposed to go to the Knights Academy."
"You, you are a grown man. There is no place at the academy for you. Who are you?"
"My name is Pitre. I'm from a village in the mountains of the borderlands. I was supposed to go 3 years ago, but my village was destroyed by the Raiders, and I had no way to travel to the Kingdom."
"Pitre? The same Pitre that nearly beat Princess Alma in the tournament for the Knights Academy?"
"Yes."
"The King would very much like to see you. We all had reports that you were dead."
"How would you have reports of my death?"
"Sir Wallace was sent to retrieve you when you didn't come at the designated time. His troop was attacked. Only one man made it from the attack alive. He reported that they failed to find you, and that the entire borderland mountain villages were burned to the ground."
"Was Sir Wallace the survivor?"
"No, it was one of his men Sir Salvor. He was in bad shape when he arrived at the Kingdom. He said that Sir Wallace went down fighting and took 20 Raiders with him. There were only six men in Sir Wallace's troop, and they were attacked by 50 men. The only reason Sir Salvor survived, is because he was thrown from his horse mid battle and knocked unconscious. The Raiders thought he was dead, and simply stripped him of his armor and weapons, and left. He counted the 20 men around Sir Wallace's body, and another 20 men scattered about the grounds. All his brothers were stripped bare and left to be eaten by carrion birds. He somehow found the strength to bury his brothers, and walked naked to an abandoned village a few miles from the fight. He found a small bit of food and clothes and rested there for several days in quiet. Hiding from the random scout party of Raiders. Since the village was abandoned, the Raiders let it stand. It seems that they only destroy things that people are actually using."
"I can't believe that Sir Wallace is dead. I trained with him the last time I saw him."
"Sir Wallace spoke of your training. He said that there was a good chance you could beat one of us. He spoke very highly of you."
"Sir Wallace may have understated his skill. Based on what I saw yesterday, there is no man that can best Pitre."
"What happened yesterday?"
"A war party of Raiders attacked the fort. If it wasn't for Pitre and his skill, we wouldn't have survived. Because of him, we didn't lose a man, but the Raiders lost a war party."
"Is this so?"
"Yes sir, but I followed Sir Kendall's orders. He led us to victory."
"Sir Kendall? When did you become Sir Kendall?"
"I felt it was only proper, since I was in my armor."
"Ahem, well, is there any word of any more Raiders."
"We couldn't spare any men to send out scouts. We have had two archers in the towers at all times to watch the trails for riders. That is how we knew you were coming."
"We need to leave as soon as we can then. Get everyone inside ready to travel. We will do our best to escort you all to the Palace."
Sir Kendall walked back into the fort and began telling everyone to get ready to leave the fort. There were sounds of excitement and frustration. They had just won a very big fight, and now they were told that they had to leave the place that had kept them safe, but it was the Crystal Palace that they were going to.
"Pitre, can you fight as he says?"
"Yes, I have spent my time training. My father taught me the 8 movements before he was killed in the attack."
"How did you survive?"
"My father told me to run to a hidden room that he had at his forge in the mountain. Unless you know it's there, you would never find it. I hid there until the next morning, and then walked out to see the destruction of my home. Everyone was either dead or taken. They took all the horses and goats, except a small herd of goats that were up on the mountain. I herded them up and penned them, so that I could use their milk."
"You have had a hard life Pitre. We can't take you to the academy, because it may not even be standing now, but we will gladly have you with us as a Targen Knight if you can fight as you and Lord Kendall say you can. We will get you to the King and he will have final word on this, but I would gladly have you ride beside me as we go the the Crystal Palace,"
"It would be my honor Sir Jacob. I will help the others prepare, and I will join you when we ride out."
I walked back into the fort feeling happy for the first time in a very long time. Finally I was going to be a Knight. I helped load wagons and carts with what we could get in them. I helped the sick and wounded into other wagons. At midday we rode out, and I rode in the rear with Sir Jacob.
The night was uneventful, but at first light, a call of riders on the horizon went up. I climbed the nearest archer tower to see what was coming. It was riders, and they were coming fast, but from a different direction than the Raiders. It appeared to be a band of 10 riders, maybe more. They carried a banner with them, but in the early morning light it was darkened by shadow. I told a runner to wake everyone up, and tell them to be ready to fight within a few minutes.
After only seconds, I could hear the fort bang to life. Small pots were clanging to wake the sleeping from their slumber, and shouts of "Riders" were called out. All able men lined up at the gate in a short time. Tired but ready for another fight. They were better armed now, since they took the weapons from the Raiders that had fallen the night before. The weapons were poor quality, but they were better than what the villagers had before.
"It's the Targen Knights!" exclaimed the other archer on watch. I had turned to watch the men ready themselves and had kept my attention away from the threat that was riding up our trail. When I turned I saw the pale blue flag with the lion and sword sigil on it.
"Stand down, but hold ready. The Targen Knights are riding up the trail, but it could be Raiders with a banner, until we are sure, we should stay on our toes."
I climbed down from the tower, and went to the gate. It had been barricaded with a couple of trees that we cut down early in the night to hold the gate since it had been smashed by the Raiders. I helped the men pull the trees away, and opened the gate.
"Go get Sir Kendall and tell him that the Knights have arrived."
"Let him wallow in his failure."
"I told you what had happened. He is in charge here, and he must meet the Knights when they arrive at the gate. He made the call to them, and he should be here to greet them."
The man shook his head, but ran off in the direction of Sir Kendall's quarters. I watched as the two men came running back to the gate. Sir Kendall still looked sallow, but he had more energy to him this morning.
"Pitre, I heard what you told the men. Thank you. I don't know what came over me yesterday. It won't happen again."
"I don't think they believe the entire story. If you want to retain the men's respect, you need to lift your head and meet these Knights the same we you met me yesterday. It doesn't matter why you held back yesterday, what matters is how you carry yourself from this day forward."
"Yes, you are right. Where did you learn to be a Knight? You don't wear normal armor, nor do you have any sigil upon you, but you definitely carry yourself like a Knight."
"I'm no Knight. I was supposed to go to the academy, but my village was attacked by Raiders before I could go. I was the only survivor. My father taught me how to fight, but that is all. I trained for many years on my own, before I rode out to find the Kingdom, and try to accept my place in the academy."
"That is a sad story, but you are clearly a Knight, maybe not one from the academy, but you saved this fort yesterday. If it wasn't for you, everyone here would be dead, and those Knights would be potentially be riding into an ambush. You are on the right path to the Kingdom, when you leave, if you go the way that those Knights ride from, you will reach the Kingdom, but I'm not sure you will be allowed in the academy."
"My appointment was from the King himself, why would they not allow me in?"
"You are too old. The academy is only open to children from year 10 to 16. "
"I'm only 14 years. When I get to see the King again he will grant me permission."
"You're 14 years? Are you fooling me? No welp of 14 years can fight like you can, and you are the size of a horse."
"I promise you, I have only seen 14 years."
"14 years, and you fight faster and stronger than any fully grown man that I have seen. You don't need the academy Pitre, you need a full suit of armor and a warhorse.
The riders began to slow, and they wore the full armor of the Targen Knights. This was no troop of Raiders. This was 15 Targen Knights on their warhorses. They came to a full stop about fifteen feet before us. The horses breathed heavy and clopped restlessly. There was a large Knight in the lead, and he dismounted in a single grateful move.
"Lord Kendall, I am Sir Jacob. We came as soon as we could. The King has moved to the Crystal Palace at the lake in the mountains. He wants all the noble families to make their way there, to hold the Realm."
"Wait, what are you talking about Sir Jacob. We called for reinforcements. Villages have been burned and razed to the ground. We have refugees and survivors here that need help. Why would the nobles go the Crystal Palace?"
"The Kingdom is in ruins. It fell two days ago to the Raiders. They came in numbers that haven't been seen since the Blind Wars. The King and Princess Alma are at the Palace with as many people that could leave the Kingdom. Bring what people you have, we will escort you to the Palace."
"The Kingdom has fallen? I'm supposed to go to the Knights Academy."
"You, you are a grown man. There is no place at the academy for you. Who are you?"
"My name is Pitre. I'm from a village in the mountains of the borderlands. I was supposed to go 3 years ago, but my village was destroyed by the Raiders, and I had no way to travel to the Kingdom."
"Pitre? The same Pitre that nearly beat Princess Alma in the tournament for the Knights Academy?"
"Yes."
"The King would very much like to see you. We all had reports that you were dead."
"How would you have reports of my death?"
"Sir Wallace was sent to retrieve you when you didn't come at the designated time. His troop was attacked. Only one man made it from the attack alive. He reported that they failed to find you, and that the entire borderland mountain villages were burned to the ground."
"Was Sir Wallace the survivor?"
"No, it was one of his men Sir Salvor. He was in bad shape when he arrived at the Kingdom. He said that Sir Wallace went down fighting and took 20 Raiders with him. There were only six men in Sir Wallace's troop, and they were attacked by 50 men. The only reason Sir Salvor survived, is because he was thrown from his horse mid battle and knocked unconscious. The Raiders thought he was dead, and simply stripped him of his armor and weapons, and left. He counted the 20 men around Sir Wallace's body, and another 20 men scattered about the grounds. All his brothers were stripped bare and left to be eaten by carrion birds. He somehow found the strength to bury his brothers, and walked naked to an abandoned village a few miles from the fight. He found a small bit of food and clothes and rested there for several days in quiet. Hiding from the random scout party of Raiders. Since the village was abandoned, the Raiders let it stand. It seems that they only destroy things that people are actually using."
"I can't believe that Sir Wallace is dead. I trained with him the last time I saw him."
"Sir Wallace spoke of your training. He said that there was a good chance you could beat one of us. He spoke very highly of you."
"Sir Wallace may have understated his skill. Based on what I saw yesterday, there is no man that can best Pitre."
"What happened yesterday?"
"A war party of Raiders attacked the fort. If it wasn't for Pitre and his skill, we wouldn't have survived. Because of him, we didn't lose a man, but the Raiders lost a war party."
"Is this so?"
"Yes sir, but I followed Sir Kendall's orders. He led us to victory."
"Sir Kendall? When did you become Sir Kendall?"
"I felt it was only proper, since I was in my armor."
"Ahem, well, is there any word of any more Raiders."
"We couldn't spare any men to send out scouts. We have had two archers in the towers at all times to watch the trails for riders. That is how we knew you were coming."
"We need to leave as soon as we can then. Get everyone inside ready to travel. We will do our best to escort you all to the Palace."
Sir Kendall walked back into the fort and began telling everyone to get ready to leave the fort. There were sounds of excitement and frustration. They had just won a very big fight, and now they were told that they had to leave the place that had kept them safe, but it was the Crystal Palace that they were going to.
"Pitre, can you fight as he says?"
"Yes, I have spent my time training. My father taught me the 8 movements before he was killed in the attack."
"How did you survive?"
"My father told me to run to a hidden room that he had at his forge in the mountain. Unless you know it's there, you would never find it. I hid there until the next morning, and then walked out to see the destruction of my home. Everyone was either dead or taken. They took all the horses and goats, except a small herd of goats that were up on the mountain. I herded them up and penned them, so that I could use their milk."
"You have had a hard life Pitre. We can't take you to the academy, because it may not even be standing now, but we will gladly have you with us as a Targen Knight if you can fight as you and Lord Kendall say you can. We will get you to the King and he will have final word on this, but I would gladly have you ride beside me as we go the the Crystal Palace,"
"It would be my honor Sir Jacob. I will help the others prepare, and I will join you when we ride out."
I walked back into the fort feeling happy for the first time in a very long time. Finally I was going to be a Knight. I helped load wagons and carts with what we could get in them. I helped the sick and wounded into other wagons. At midday we rode out, and I rode in the rear with Sir Jacob.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
I'm Feeling Good About Things Right Now
I feel like I am almost caught up on sleep. The weekend can't come fast enough. Although, I still have to come up with and idea, and then film said idea, and get said idea edited and then posted in time for Sunday, since I said I was going to post a new video every Sunday. I do have an idea, for what would be a short talking head video, but the weather has been rainy and miserable all week, and there is no end in sight for it. It looks like I'm going to have to do a rainy motovlog in order to get this one done. I'm hoping for a little tiny clearing in the afternoon tomorrow, so that I can get it done, otherwise, I'm going to be doing an oil change, or maybe a Abba Skylift review video. I could do both of those in the lounge. It appears I have options, but options I really don't want to take.
Speaking of videos, I posted the latest PR video today. It is up and live, so of course, I'm going to share it with you here.
I used a few tricks that I learned while doing the last video, and I added the drone footage, to give it that little extra something something. I think this is our best video visually, but as I said Tuesday, it has some audio issues. Watching it on YouTube though, those issues aren't as pronounced, so I think it may be ok, and won't be that bad for viewers. Let me know what you think of it, better yet, go to the YouTube channel and tell me there. Don't forget to hit that like button. Also, don't forget that the blog post will be up by the time you read this, so go over to The Pepperoni Report and give it a read.
Today in my guitar lesson, my guitar teacher and I started working on something that might possible become the theme song for the PR. It is going to be a take on the song that we used for the channel trailer. I need to learn how to play the opening riff, and then we are going to add on to it. Piece by piece until it is built up into a full sounding song. I do have Garage Band on this MacBook, but I really don't know how to use it, so I guess I'm going to learn. I do think it has 8 track capability, so I can conceivably layer and create that full sound. It's going to take multiple riffs from the guitar, and then adding in drums and keyboards, and maybe some other things as well. The fun of this is going to be the learning experience that comes with it. This will either be something I can use for the PR, or it will be a giant failure, either way, I'm going to learn something from it.
A show that I have been waiting for, is finally going to be available to view tomorrow. 13 Reasons Why season 2 is going to be available on Netflix. I don't know if you remember what I said about this series when I finally watched it, but I thought it was magnificent, but I also had a caveat, and that was to not watch it alone. Especially if you are suicidal or suffer from depression. It has a lot of triggers in it, but don't let that stop your from watching this show. Make it an event with friends and family if you have to. I don't know how they are going to do this season, since the whole point of the first season was to tell the story of one particular character. I'm trying to be very vague here in case you haven't seen it yet. The first season comes to a definite conclusion, and it could have stood alone as a one and done season, but they did hint to a possibility to what the second season could be. Then there is the fact that I saw a headline talking about it, and they gave a freaking spoiler in the title. I won't say it here, but the person that wrote that headline, is a total dick.
I'm in the middle of Lost in Space right now, but I may have to put that on the back burner to watch 13 Reasons Why. If you are wondering, yes I will not be following my own suggestion, and I will be watching it alone. Why, because I'm an idiot, and then there is the fact that I would never be able to find anyone that would want to watch it with me, so I really don't have a choice.
Also tomorrow, Deadpool 2 comes out. I'm going to have a really busy weekend viewing wise. I skipped out on the latest Avengers film so far, but I'm not missing Deadpool. This looks like it is going to be way too good to wait until it shows up on TV somewhere. I'll more than likely go see that Saturday sometime. Don't worry, I'm going to do it early, so that I can write the next chapter in The Patchwork Knight. I still haven't made a decision about where or when to move it yet. I'm still mulling over my options, and whether or not to pause writing it while I catch it up on a new platform or what not. I am putting a lot of thought into it. I'm hoping the best course of action will come to me soon. In the mean time, it will stay right where it is, and be posted just as it has been, well not for the whole time, because I moved it to Saturday Knights recently, but you get the idea.
It's time for bed. I have one more day of work, then I'm free for the weekend, which is going to be full of video making, writing, and tv & movie viewing. I hope your weekend is as full as mine is going to be. Peace in and goodnight.
Speaking of videos, I posted the latest PR video today. It is up and live, so of course, I'm going to share it with you here.
I used a few tricks that I learned while doing the last video, and I added the drone footage, to give it that little extra something something. I think this is our best video visually, but as I said Tuesday, it has some audio issues. Watching it on YouTube though, those issues aren't as pronounced, so I think it may be ok, and won't be that bad for viewers. Let me know what you think of it, better yet, go to the YouTube channel and tell me there. Don't forget to hit that like button. Also, don't forget that the blog post will be up by the time you read this, so go over to The Pepperoni Report and give it a read.
Today in my guitar lesson, my guitar teacher and I started working on something that might possible become the theme song for the PR. It is going to be a take on the song that we used for the channel trailer. I need to learn how to play the opening riff, and then we are going to add on to it. Piece by piece until it is built up into a full sounding song. I do have Garage Band on this MacBook, but I really don't know how to use it, so I guess I'm going to learn. I do think it has 8 track capability, so I can conceivably layer and create that full sound. It's going to take multiple riffs from the guitar, and then adding in drums and keyboards, and maybe some other things as well. The fun of this is going to be the learning experience that comes with it. This will either be something I can use for the PR, or it will be a giant failure, either way, I'm going to learn something from it.
A show that I have been waiting for, is finally going to be available to view tomorrow. 13 Reasons Why season 2 is going to be available on Netflix. I don't know if you remember what I said about this series when I finally watched it, but I thought it was magnificent, but I also had a caveat, and that was to not watch it alone. Especially if you are suicidal or suffer from depression. It has a lot of triggers in it, but don't let that stop your from watching this show. Make it an event with friends and family if you have to. I don't know how they are going to do this season, since the whole point of the first season was to tell the story of one particular character. I'm trying to be very vague here in case you haven't seen it yet. The first season comes to a definite conclusion, and it could have stood alone as a one and done season, but they did hint to a possibility to what the second season could be. Then there is the fact that I saw a headline talking about it, and they gave a freaking spoiler in the title. I won't say it here, but the person that wrote that headline, is a total dick.
I'm in the middle of Lost in Space right now, but I may have to put that on the back burner to watch 13 Reasons Why. If you are wondering, yes I will not be following my own suggestion, and I will be watching it alone. Why, because I'm an idiot, and then there is the fact that I would never be able to find anyone that would want to watch it with me, so I really don't have a choice.
Also tomorrow, Deadpool 2 comes out. I'm going to have a really busy weekend viewing wise. I skipped out on the latest Avengers film so far, but I'm not missing Deadpool. This looks like it is going to be way too good to wait until it shows up on TV somewhere. I'll more than likely go see that Saturday sometime. Don't worry, I'm going to do it early, so that I can write the next chapter in The Patchwork Knight. I still haven't made a decision about where or when to move it yet. I'm still mulling over my options, and whether or not to pause writing it while I catch it up on a new platform or what not. I am putting a lot of thought into it. I'm hoping the best course of action will come to me soon. In the mean time, it will stay right where it is, and be posted just as it has been, well not for the whole time, because I moved it to Saturday Knights recently, but you get the idea.
It's time for bed. I have one more day of work, then I'm free for the weekend, which is going to be full of video making, writing, and tv & movie viewing. I hope your weekend is as full as mine is going to be. Peace in and goodnight.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
The Enigma Of Sadness
The latest video for the PR is uploading as I write this. It will go live on Thursday at 5 PM New York time. I think this is our best video, visually, but we ran into some audio problems. There is a strange hum on the second part of the video, and it muffles my voice in particular. I have a slight idea what it is that caused this, but I can't be certain. On the suction cup mount that we use for that camera, there is a mount that I can click the GoPro Session into. On that mount, there is a small rubber, let's call it a gasket, that keeps everything in place. It's possible, that I didn't put that gasket in place, and that left it less then snug, and that could have created some sort of vibration. I guess I will only really know when we do the next review. I will make a conscious effort to make sure that I put that gasket in place. If it doesn't make that sound, then that was the culprit.
It's been a long couple of days. I'm really burying the lead on this, by writing about the PR first. Sunday night, going into Monday morning, I had a family emergency. I won't go into details, because it isn't my story to tell, but I can tell you, that I was in the Emergency Room from 2:30 to 6:30 in the morning. That alone caused me to call out of work. I then had to make a doctor appointment for my family member and get them there to really find out what was wrong. The ER shipped them out after it wasn't what we thought it was with a prescription for a high powered pain killer. I decided not to fill that prescription. It just seemed to me, like it was going to cover up whatever the problem was. When we got to the doctors office, I asked about that and told them what I thought, and they told me I was right. It wasn't needed, and it could have created worse problems, due to dizziness, and a possible fall. This is the problem with ERs. It seems sometimes, that they think you are simply there to get prescriptions for pain killers so you can get high, and they seem more than willing to prescribe them. I don't know if it is because of some big pharma kickback, or what, but this happened to me years ago. I had to go to the ER, because I got glass in one of my eyes. They flushed it out, and then gave me a prescription for Vicodin. Vicodin is a very powerful pain killer. I told the doctor that I was fine and didn't need it, but he insisted that I take it. I did, and as I was walking out of the exam room, I balled it up and threw it in the garbage as I walked out. I wanted nothing to do with that stuff. It was kind of the same thing this time. The good news is, that my family member is doing much better without the painkiller. It truly wasn't necessary.
Because of the lack of sleep from that night, I think I'm still behind. I'm really tired right now, but it is that tired where you can't really go to sleep. I really dislike that, but as soon as I'm done here, I'll give it the old college try.
Since I'm tired, and I really don't have much to say, let's just get to Favorite Song of the Week. I have been using this band as my wake up music for the past week, and the one song that they are known for, is the song I've chosen for you tonight. I say they, despite the fact, that I really didn't know anything about he artist that created this song, back when it was a huge hit. That is due to the fact that the people responsible for it, didn't want to have their names on the album, so that people could come up with their own interpretations, that is their own words, give or take a word or two. They wanted it to be a project that transcended any preconceived notions, about what it should be. They mixed all kinds of world beats, with Gregorian chants, and jazzed up with some solid dance drum tracks. It was a massive hit for the single off the first album titled MCMXC a.D. I can remember buying the cassette tape, and loving the uniqueness of the sound. It was a whole new world to me, and even though I haven't listened much until lately, it is one of those albums I can always go back to and enjoy. Since the artist really didn't want their names on the album, and they went under pseudonyms, I'm only going to use the name that the group project was called. Here is Enigma with "Sadness (Part I).
That song is just as good today, as when it came out. It just relaxes me, and when it comes on in the morning to wake me up, it's like a gentle nudge. Look up the album and give it a listen, whether it be for the first time, or just refreshing an old memory. Peace in and goodnight.
It's been a long couple of days. I'm really burying the lead on this, by writing about the PR first. Sunday night, going into Monday morning, I had a family emergency. I won't go into details, because it isn't my story to tell, but I can tell you, that I was in the Emergency Room from 2:30 to 6:30 in the morning. That alone caused me to call out of work. I then had to make a doctor appointment for my family member and get them there to really find out what was wrong. The ER shipped them out after it wasn't what we thought it was with a prescription for a high powered pain killer. I decided not to fill that prescription. It just seemed to me, like it was going to cover up whatever the problem was. When we got to the doctors office, I asked about that and told them what I thought, and they told me I was right. It wasn't needed, and it could have created worse problems, due to dizziness, and a possible fall. This is the problem with ERs. It seems sometimes, that they think you are simply there to get prescriptions for pain killers so you can get high, and they seem more than willing to prescribe them. I don't know if it is because of some big pharma kickback, or what, but this happened to me years ago. I had to go to the ER, because I got glass in one of my eyes. They flushed it out, and then gave me a prescription for Vicodin. Vicodin is a very powerful pain killer. I told the doctor that I was fine and didn't need it, but he insisted that I take it. I did, and as I was walking out of the exam room, I balled it up and threw it in the garbage as I walked out. I wanted nothing to do with that stuff. It was kind of the same thing this time. The good news is, that my family member is doing much better without the painkiller. It truly wasn't necessary.
Because of the lack of sleep from that night, I think I'm still behind. I'm really tired right now, but it is that tired where you can't really go to sleep. I really dislike that, but as soon as I'm done here, I'll give it the old college try.
Since I'm tired, and I really don't have much to say, let's just get to Favorite Song of the Week. I have been using this band as my wake up music for the past week, and the one song that they are known for, is the song I've chosen for you tonight. I say they, despite the fact, that I really didn't know anything about he artist that created this song, back when it was a huge hit. That is due to the fact that the people responsible for it, didn't want to have their names on the album, so that people could come up with their own interpretations, that is their own words, give or take a word or two. They wanted it to be a project that transcended any preconceived notions, about what it should be. They mixed all kinds of world beats, with Gregorian chants, and jazzed up with some solid dance drum tracks. It was a massive hit for the single off the first album titled MCMXC a.D. I can remember buying the cassette tape, and loving the uniqueness of the sound. It was a whole new world to me, and even though I haven't listened much until lately, it is one of those albums I can always go back to and enjoy. Since the artist really didn't want their names on the album, and they went under pseudonyms, I'm only going to use the name that the group project was called. Here is Enigma with "Sadness (Part I).
That song is just as good today, as when it came out. It just relaxes me, and when it comes on in the morning to wake me up, it's like a gentle nudge. Look up the album and give it a listen, whether it be for the first time, or just refreshing an old memory. Peace in and goodnight.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
I Was Creepin'
There it is, the latest video. I put a lot of work into that one, and I still think I missed some edits on it. For that 2 minute and 23 second video, I shot 34 clips equaling 2 hours of film. It took me two and a half hours to get the edit to where I was accepting of it, and then I set it to release this morning at 6 AM. That's going to be a thing now. You probably saw that in the very beginning of the video. I'm going to commit to posting a new video every Sunday. That means, I'm going to have to get out and get some filming done during the week from time to time, to be able to get it all in on time.
This week is going to be super tight, since I have to do the PR and have it ready to release fully on Friday. We are shooting that one on Tuesday, and I will try to get the video edit done that night, Wednesday night at the latest. That video will go up Thursday afternoon at 5, with the blog post going up first thing Friday morning. I will have to write that on Thursday after the video goes live so that I can embed it into the piece. I've already filmed the exterior shots that I need. I got all the shots I talked about, and it's more than likely the last shot that I got, that I'm going to use. I got the one with the drone dropping down to reveal the entrance, but it doesn't have the right impact to me, but the final shot does. I start low, and slowly bring it up to get the sign in view, and then speed up as I go ever the building. I think that one has that "wow" factor to it. I'll know for sure when I start putting the video together.
I've been talking to a friend of mine about The Patchwork Knight. She recommended that I go to this new platform called Medium. It's very interesting. It's an open source platform that allows writers to get paid for their content. I don't have to go that route though. I could put it up without being part of the partner program that they have. I have to do quite a bit of thinking on this one. It would be nice to get a little money for my work, but that really isn't the reason that I started writing The Patchwork Knight. I started doing it, because it is an idea that I've had in my head for a very long time, and it has far exceeded my original intent for it so far. There are also a lot of question that I need to answer if I do decide to move it there. First and foremost is, how to a handle the transfer? Do I post one new chapter every couple of days until I catch up? Do I post it once a week as I have been doing until it catches up? I already know that I'm not going to do a mass dump of every chapter at once. That is a bad idea and could turn readers off of it. The other question I have to answer is, do I stop writing until I get caught up to where I am if I move it over? That isn't out of the realm of possibility. The reason why, is that I have never written like this before. In the past I would sit down every day and write, until the story came to an end, or I did. I have been writing this once every week, and I have been able to maintain my consistency. I haven't felt like the time in between writing sessions has diminished the story that I have set out to tell. I could stop for a while until the story catches up on wherever I put it. That of course brings up another question. What about you? The one who is reading every week. When I take time off to get everything in order, will you still be there when it picks up again, and if you are, are you going to remember what happened previously? Yes, you could simply go back and read it again as I post it, but I personally wouldn't want to go back and reread a story before I completed it the first time. I really need your input on this matter specifically, because this affects you. What are your thoughts on this matter? Can you wait until it is call caught up? Will you stick around while this all comes together? Will you read along as I post it in it's new location? I really need answers to these questions, because in the end, I want to do what is best for you. This is your story as much as it is mine, and I want you to have the most pleasant experience reading it as I can provide.
I believe I mentioned some time last week about how I need distraction when I write. While I was talking to my friend about all of this other stuff, I mentioned that I had just gotten back from getting writing supplies. That is very much a misnomer. They aren't exactly supplies as much as part of that distraction. Writing is very healthy for me mentally and emotionally, but physically, not so much. When I was writing The Patchwork Knight and Thursday Knights, I couldn't do this all the time. I didn't have the time for it, nor could I just go out and get what I really needed. Here is the list of items that are my supplies. One bottle of Pepsi, a Snicker bar, and a bag of Doritos. See what I mean when I say that it isn't healthy for my physically? No in reality, I don't need any of this, but I am much more focused and my mind does open up a bit more when I have these items with me. I can't say for certain, but I think the mass amount of worthless carbohydrates affect my brain in a positive creative way. Call it a carbo high if you want, but it does allow me to see more possibilities when I'm writing. Take the last chapter for example. In my head when I was planning it, it was going to be another short chapter with not much going on, but as I got into it, it opened up, and more happened, which caused more to happen, so much so that I had to force myself to weave it to a good place to end, so that I wouldn't have too much for you to read. I know that staring at a screen for a length of time, sucks, so I try to keep the chapters relatively short. If this was an actual book, then the paragraph structure and chapter structure would be far greater. My normal chapter would be a sub chapter in a normal book format. See, I really am thinking about your experience while reading it.
Before I call it a night, I have a bunch of pictures for you. First up, is the burger I had yesterday. I went back to Wayback Burger so that I could get their Double Bacon, and it was worth it. It's still not the best cheeseburger that I've had, but it is worth going for, and since the best I've had it a few thousand miles away, I have to take what I can.
There it is. Look how beautiful that is. It's fully dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles, diced onions, ketchup, and mustard. Now, I could have done with out the ketchup and mustard on it, but I wanted it their way. It was good, but I do like an unadorned burger, that means no condiments. With that said, everything was fresh, the patties were handformed, the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions where fresh cut and chopped. The pickles were full of flavor. It was everything I hoped it would be, and I'm glad I had the idea to stop there yesterday.
The other pictures stem from my impromptu photoshoot in that little alleyway that I found. Saki was looking good despite being rather dirty from riding through the rain, but I still wanted to get those shots.
I just couldn't resist. Plus it was a cool location that I hadn't seen before. I might try and go out there some morning, to get that early predawn light. That would make the headlights stand out and maybe get that morning glow on the clouds behind it. It could be a really great shot. I just have to worry about anyone being in that abandoned building. All the doors have been pried off, and it's pretty wrecked inside. The ceiling has collapsed in places, so it's surely not safe for anybody to stay in, but you never know. When people are desperate to get out of the elements, anything is better than nothing. Oh, that might be a great place to get some drone footage. I could see the damage on the rooftop. More thoughts and ideas. I'll definitely have to keep that in mind for a future video.
Time to finish my clothes and prepared for Fear the Walking Dead. Peace in and goodnight.
Saturday, May 12, 2018
The Patchwork Knight (Chapter 27)
The night was quiet as was the early morning, but as daylight broke the night I could hear horses in the distance. It was too thunderous to be only a few. There was an tower in the village center, that didn't take much damage when he Raiders pillaged the area. I climbed to the top of it swiftly. I was right, it was't a few horses, by the dust cloud that was rising from the horizon, it was a few dozen. They were either coming for me head, or they were readying to raid another village.
I climbed down so fast, that it was nearly a jump from the top, while only touching a few of the spans on the way down. I kept my gear on the horses and had them all tied to each other, in a train. I only had to untie the lead horse which would be the one I was riding. I had to get them moving slowly so that there was no sudden stopping or starting that would surprise them or me. Once we were moving, I could get them all going at a fast run.
The first fiery glow of the suns orb broke the trees as we left the outer edge of the burnt village. I rode as fast as I could. At the pace I was going, I would burn out my horse in an hour. Unless I got a big enough lead on the war party, I wouldn't be able to switch out mounts. They would suffer the same problem if they didn't slow their horses either, and unless the extra horses were riderless, they would have to rest their mounts soon.
I was right, as my horse lathered at a rate that it was dripping off it's hide. I turned to see where my pursuers were, I couldn't see the dust cloud. A few hundred yards ahead of me, I could see a pond off the trail. I slowed to a trot, and headed for it. I would have to water the horses quickly and move the lead horse to the rear. I also had to move my pack to another horse, so that one wouldn't get burdened by the wait of it for the entire journey, however long that would be. After the horses were watered and rested somewhat, we headed back along the trail. I left at a trot, to keep the horses fresh as long as I could. When I saw the dust cloud rise behind me again, then I would run the horses. We had gained some ground, and I would take advantage of it as long as I could.
It wasn't until the sun was at it's highest point in the sky, that the dust cloud began to form at my south side. I pushed the horses to a gallop. The air was cool and they had bee trotting for hours, so it would take some time before they lathered at a gallop. The dust cloud grew smaller as we were able to stay ahead of them. The sun was nearing it's rest when I saw a village in the distance. It wasn't much bigger than the one that I stayed the night in. As I got closer, it looked more like a fort than a village. It had wooden staked wall, and some towers for archers at either corner. I could see movement in those towers, so I slowed the horses as I approached. A flaming arrow rose in the air from the tower nearest me, and landed a several yards on the trail in front of me. I dismounted and walked the horses to that point.
"Who approaches?"
"I am Pitre. There is a war party of Raiders riding fast behind me. You need to ready yourself."
"What is your business her Pitre."
"I'm riding to the kingdom, but I would stay and help you fight the Raiders that are coming."
"Walk your horses to the gate."
I walked the horses the hundred yards to the gate, and waited. The wall stood about 13 feet high. It wouldn't be enough to keep this fort safe from what was coming. The gates parted and four armored men came out with swords in their hands. Two stopped at the entrance and the other two approached me.
"Pitre? Is that what you said your name is?"
"Yes."
"Where is it you come from Pitre?"
"I'm from a small village in the mountains. It was destroyed by Raiders a few years ago."
"How did you survive?"
"I hid in a cave. It was hidden from normal view. Once they were gone, I survived on foraging and goats milk."
"What is your business in the Kingdom?"
"You did hear me say that there was a war party riding at my tail didn't you?"
"Yes, we heard that, but we see no signs that that is true, so we need to see what you intentions are before we let you in."
"What is your name sir?"
"My name is Sir Kendall. I am a Targen Knight."
He didn't have the colors or the sigil of the Targen Knights on his armor anywhere. I had seen the Knights ride into the Kingdom after a skirmish in the outlands before, and although they wore no tunics over the armor. The each had a sigil of the Targen Knights etched into the center of their breast plate. This man was lying.
"Sir Kendall. If you truly are a Targen Knight, were is your sigil? I don't see the lion and the sword on your armor, nor do I see it flying over this fort. Why is this?"
"Do you question me?"
"I believe I do."
"I can strike you down were you stand boy. Do you want to test me?"
"I have no desire to test you. I do want to help you fight the Raiders that are coming. I stayed ahead of them, but they should only be a couple of hours behind me, but if you do want to strike me down, I would advise against the attempt."
"Are you mocking me boy? I am not a novice with this sword."
"Nor am I with mine. I really don't think we have time for this, but if you insist. I'll gladly give you a spar."
"Riders approaching in large number!"
"Are these your fellow riders boy?"
"I told you already who they are. They are Raiders, there are at least two dozen of them, most likely more. You need to ready your men for a fight. How many men do you have?"
"I believe the boy Sir Kendall. That dust cloud is large. It is not a normal scout party. We need to get back behind the wall and ready ourselves."
Sir Kendall looked at me a moment longer, before he gave in and tilted his head to follow him. We walked through the entrance and behind the walls. It was larger than the last village, but it was in no shape to defend itself. I could see wounded lying about, The few men that were in armor, were the ones at the gate with Sir Kendall. There were men with swords scattered about, but non look like they had any formal training with their blades. There were two archers to each tower. One at the top shelf and one below ready to climb up when needed. There were also runners for each tower that would fetch arrows from other towers if needed.
"Sir Kendall, where are all your men? If this is it, you are not going to defend this fort."
"This is all that we have. We are waiting for reinforcements, but they have not arrived yet."
"You need to get those wounded people to the center of the fort, to keep them safe for as long as you can. Get all the men that can fight ready. Is there another way into the fort?"
"No, there is only the one gate in and out. All the men are what you can see."
"Gather them up then, and bring them to the area in front of the gate."
"Why?"
"You need to have a plan if you want to survive this. Do you have one?"
"Well, I thought I would let the archers take them down, and when the numbers are thinned, we would rush out and finish the rest."
"That will not work. You will only have two archers in good location to fire upon them. They will not be able to target fast enough to take out the numbers you need. At best, they will take down a half dozen men before the host reaches the gate. Then it is just a matter of time for them to break through. The fort will be overrun in no time."
"What do you suggest?"
"Get your men gathered and I will tell you."
It took a hard stare from me, before Sir Kendall gathered all the men that could fight around. The number totaled 12 common men, and the four armored men of Sir Kendall's party.
"What is your fighting experience?'
The common men said that they had little to none. A few of them had fought at whatever village they were forced from. They were able to survive with the help of their blades, but they were no warriors. Sir Kendall's men also had little experience. Sir Kendall on the other hand, said that he had fought in the skirmishes in the outlands.
"Bring all your archers to the two front facing towers. There is no need for them in the back. Raiders like to rush at things, so they will be useless on towers that won't see any action. Have two on each platform at a time, with them rotating out one at a time. I want six men on either side of the gate, lined up to make an aisle. Sir Kendall I want you men to be the focal point when the gates come down. The Raiders will rush in at them, and not see the other men. The gate will be a choke point, if they remain on horse back, no more than one can get in at a time. If they are dismounted, only three can walk in side by side. You twelve men, will slash and hack at anything that rides or runs by you. Once they are all in, stab anything that doesn't look like you. You armored men, are going to create panic. Even though Raiders like to rush in, they are cowards at heart. If you rush at them with blades raised high, they will cower and try to run. In that split second of panic, you will attack every one of them you can."
"What will we be doing?"
"Well Sir Kendall, we are going to be on the other side of the wall."
"We are?"
"Yes we are. We are going to be hiding in the trees about thirty yards beyond the wall. We will wait for them to pass, and then we will attack from behind. It will create even more panic and cause them to rush into the gate not only from bloodlust, but fear. While the archers are taking the ones in the front, we will be taking them from the back."
"That is pure madness."
"Probably, but that is the fun of it. Are you men ready?"
"YES!"
"Take your positions, if you need water, get it now. You will have no time for thirst when you are fighting. Archers? Can you see the riders yet?"
"Not in number, but in mass. They will arrive within the hour."
"Time for us to get out in the trees Sir Kendall."
A panic mask fell over the man's face, but he settled himself and walked out the gate with me. It closed behind us, and we made our way to a spot in the woods that was thick with brush to hide ourselves.
"How do you know this will work Pitre?"
"I don't, but it is much better than waiting to die. This way, we will take a them with us if we do, but I don't plan on dying today."
I could now hear the thunder of the hooves as the war party approached. It was large, more than the two dozen that I estimated. It looked more like 40 or even 50 men. They had swords drawn as they rode past. They wore dirty brown leather armor that looked thin at best. Their horses were running, but they appeared to be near complete exhaustion. They would not be much in the fight.
The arrows began to fly, and the first four riders fell taking their horses with them as their weight went dead. The falling horses took out two more apiece, and I could hear the cry of riders as they were falling to broken bones and potential death. As the last rider ran past our point, I signaled to Sir Kendall to follow. I broke the brush in a full sprint as I entered the Swordsman's Euphoria. I reached for the aether as I neared the final rider of the party. They had slowed as riders ahead of them crashed into their fallen comrades. I jumped onto the back of the horse, and wrenched the riders neck until I heard it break. The bones crunched and his body went limp. I threw him off, and dismounted the horse, allowing it to run away from the battle that lie before it. I drew my sword and jumped onto the next horse. I pulled my blade across the neck of the rider, and he fell from the saddle. I leapt from that horse to the one beside it. The rider saw me at he last second and raised his sword to block my descend. I kicked the sword out of the way, and stabbed down trough the mans torso. His eyes went blank as his heart stopped beating. We fell to the ground together, but he never felt the impact.
When I stood up, I searched around quickly for Sir Kendall, but he was nowhere in sight. I ran to the next man. The riders were all dismounting and hiding behind their horses, to avoid the archers arrows. I made my way through five, then ten, then 15 men. I heard the crash of the gate as it fell. A tribal yell went up from the riders in the front. That yell turned to screams within seconds. The first of them were tasting the blades of the village men that they had upset from what homes they once lived in. I heard the rally cry of the armored men, as they were clearly making their rush towards the onslaught of Raiders, that were bearing down on them. I had finally made my way to the first of the fallen Raiders, the ones that had fallen to the archers. Raiders, were now turning to face me, as they finally heard the cries of the men behind them. I stopped my advance, placed my sword in my left hand, and drew my father's from my belt. I reached even deeper for the aether. I could see auras from the men in front of me. They were week, but they were there. A feint glow of gold surround each of them, with a slight bluish glow around the archers that I could see above them. I hadn't never seen anyone else with an glow around them, besides Arial and my father. It caused me to pause for a moment. Not long enough though. I went through he men in front of me as if they were standing still. They fell to the blades in my hands with screams. I lost count of the men that I killed as I weaved through panicked horses and Raiders. I did notice an archer at one point with his jaw wide open, and arrow knocked but not drawn. I saw him shake himself out of the trance that he was in, and draw. he was aiming at me. The arrow flew, but I could see each rotation as it neared. I ducked at the last second, and I heard a guttural sound behind me. I turned and saw the shaft and fletching of the arrow sticking out of the neck at a Raider who had snuck behind me. He was the last of them to fall.
The bodies of men and horses scattered the ground in front of the gate. Only 5 horses lost their lives in the battle. The rest had run to greener pastures. I cleaned my blades of blood and put them back in their sheaths. I wiped sweat from my brow, but it was pointless, since it was replaced with blood. I ran into the fort to see how the men faired. All of them were standing, with a few cuts and scrapes on them. The armored men were unscathed, but their armor was coated in a thin layer of blood and dust.
"Where is Sir Kendall?"
"I havne't seen him since he left the gates with you."
"Archers, have any of you seen Sir Kendall?"
"He never joined the battle. I never saw him leave the woods. We all saw you, but never him."
I walked back to the area where we had hidden ourselves. I found Sir Kendall still sitting behind the brush.
"You can come out now. The Raiders are all dead."
"I can't face them. I failed all of them."
"Yun never fought in the outlands did you?"
"No, I'm only the son of a nobleman that had enough money to buy armor and a few hired fighters."
"Come on. There is no telling if that was an advanced war party, or if that was the full threat. Either way, we need to get that gate back up, and ready this fort for another attack."
Sir Kendall walked out of the woods with me, with his head held low the entire time. I told the archers and their runners to retrieve as many arrows as they could and had the other men repair the gate as best they could. We would have the night to rest, but there was no telling what was going to happen in the morning.
I climbed down so fast, that it was nearly a jump from the top, while only touching a few of the spans on the way down. I kept my gear on the horses and had them all tied to each other, in a train. I only had to untie the lead horse which would be the one I was riding. I had to get them moving slowly so that there was no sudden stopping or starting that would surprise them or me. Once we were moving, I could get them all going at a fast run.
The first fiery glow of the suns orb broke the trees as we left the outer edge of the burnt village. I rode as fast as I could. At the pace I was going, I would burn out my horse in an hour. Unless I got a big enough lead on the war party, I wouldn't be able to switch out mounts. They would suffer the same problem if they didn't slow their horses either, and unless the extra horses were riderless, they would have to rest their mounts soon.
I was right, as my horse lathered at a rate that it was dripping off it's hide. I turned to see where my pursuers were, I couldn't see the dust cloud. A few hundred yards ahead of me, I could see a pond off the trail. I slowed to a trot, and headed for it. I would have to water the horses quickly and move the lead horse to the rear. I also had to move my pack to another horse, so that one wouldn't get burdened by the wait of it for the entire journey, however long that would be. After the horses were watered and rested somewhat, we headed back along the trail. I left at a trot, to keep the horses fresh as long as I could. When I saw the dust cloud rise behind me again, then I would run the horses. We had gained some ground, and I would take advantage of it as long as I could.
It wasn't until the sun was at it's highest point in the sky, that the dust cloud began to form at my south side. I pushed the horses to a gallop. The air was cool and they had bee trotting for hours, so it would take some time before they lathered at a gallop. The dust cloud grew smaller as we were able to stay ahead of them. The sun was nearing it's rest when I saw a village in the distance. It wasn't much bigger than the one that I stayed the night in. As I got closer, it looked more like a fort than a village. It had wooden staked wall, and some towers for archers at either corner. I could see movement in those towers, so I slowed the horses as I approached. A flaming arrow rose in the air from the tower nearest me, and landed a several yards on the trail in front of me. I dismounted and walked the horses to that point.
"Who approaches?"
"I am Pitre. There is a war party of Raiders riding fast behind me. You need to ready yourself."
"What is your business her Pitre."
"I'm riding to the kingdom, but I would stay and help you fight the Raiders that are coming."
"Walk your horses to the gate."
I walked the horses the hundred yards to the gate, and waited. The wall stood about 13 feet high. It wouldn't be enough to keep this fort safe from what was coming. The gates parted and four armored men came out with swords in their hands. Two stopped at the entrance and the other two approached me.
"Pitre? Is that what you said your name is?"
"Yes."
"Where is it you come from Pitre?"
"I'm from a small village in the mountains. It was destroyed by Raiders a few years ago."
"How did you survive?"
"I hid in a cave. It was hidden from normal view. Once they were gone, I survived on foraging and goats milk."
"What is your business in the Kingdom?"
"You did hear me say that there was a war party riding at my tail didn't you?"
"Yes, we heard that, but we see no signs that that is true, so we need to see what you intentions are before we let you in."
"What is your name sir?"
"My name is Sir Kendall. I am a Targen Knight."
He didn't have the colors or the sigil of the Targen Knights on his armor anywhere. I had seen the Knights ride into the Kingdom after a skirmish in the outlands before, and although they wore no tunics over the armor. The each had a sigil of the Targen Knights etched into the center of their breast plate. This man was lying.
"Sir Kendall. If you truly are a Targen Knight, were is your sigil? I don't see the lion and the sword on your armor, nor do I see it flying over this fort. Why is this?"
"Do you question me?"
"I believe I do."
"I can strike you down were you stand boy. Do you want to test me?"
"I have no desire to test you. I do want to help you fight the Raiders that are coming. I stayed ahead of them, but they should only be a couple of hours behind me, but if you do want to strike me down, I would advise against the attempt."
"Are you mocking me boy? I am not a novice with this sword."
"Nor am I with mine. I really don't think we have time for this, but if you insist. I'll gladly give you a spar."
"Riders approaching in large number!"
"Are these your fellow riders boy?"
"I told you already who they are. They are Raiders, there are at least two dozen of them, most likely more. You need to ready your men for a fight. How many men do you have?"
"I believe the boy Sir Kendall. That dust cloud is large. It is not a normal scout party. We need to get back behind the wall and ready ourselves."
Sir Kendall looked at me a moment longer, before he gave in and tilted his head to follow him. We walked through the entrance and behind the walls. It was larger than the last village, but it was in no shape to defend itself. I could see wounded lying about, The few men that were in armor, were the ones at the gate with Sir Kendall. There were men with swords scattered about, but non look like they had any formal training with their blades. There were two archers to each tower. One at the top shelf and one below ready to climb up when needed. There were also runners for each tower that would fetch arrows from other towers if needed.
"Sir Kendall, where are all your men? If this is it, you are not going to defend this fort."
"This is all that we have. We are waiting for reinforcements, but they have not arrived yet."
"You need to get those wounded people to the center of the fort, to keep them safe for as long as you can. Get all the men that can fight ready. Is there another way into the fort?"
"No, there is only the one gate in and out. All the men are what you can see."
"Gather them up then, and bring them to the area in front of the gate."
"Why?"
"You need to have a plan if you want to survive this. Do you have one?"
"Well, I thought I would let the archers take them down, and when the numbers are thinned, we would rush out and finish the rest."
"That will not work. You will only have two archers in good location to fire upon them. They will not be able to target fast enough to take out the numbers you need. At best, they will take down a half dozen men before the host reaches the gate. Then it is just a matter of time for them to break through. The fort will be overrun in no time."
"What do you suggest?"
"Get your men gathered and I will tell you."
It took a hard stare from me, before Sir Kendall gathered all the men that could fight around. The number totaled 12 common men, and the four armored men of Sir Kendall's party.
"What is your fighting experience?'
The common men said that they had little to none. A few of them had fought at whatever village they were forced from. They were able to survive with the help of their blades, but they were no warriors. Sir Kendall's men also had little experience. Sir Kendall on the other hand, said that he had fought in the skirmishes in the outlands.
"Bring all your archers to the two front facing towers. There is no need for them in the back. Raiders like to rush at things, so they will be useless on towers that won't see any action. Have two on each platform at a time, with them rotating out one at a time. I want six men on either side of the gate, lined up to make an aisle. Sir Kendall I want you men to be the focal point when the gates come down. The Raiders will rush in at them, and not see the other men. The gate will be a choke point, if they remain on horse back, no more than one can get in at a time. If they are dismounted, only three can walk in side by side. You twelve men, will slash and hack at anything that rides or runs by you. Once they are all in, stab anything that doesn't look like you. You armored men, are going to create panic. Even though Raiders like to rush in, they are cowards at heart. If you rush at them with blades raised high, they will cower and try to run. In that split second of panic, you will attack every one of them you can."
"What will we be doing?"
"Well Sir Kendall, we are going to be on the other side of the wall."
"We are?"
"Yes we are. We are going to be hiding in the trees about thirty yards beyond the wall. We will wait for them to pass, and then we will attack from behind. It will create even more panic and cause them to rush into the gate not only from bloodlust, but fear. While the archers are taking the ones in the front, we will be taking them from the back."
"That is pure madness."
"Probably, but that is the fun of it. Are you men ready?"
"YES!"
"Take your positions, if you need water, get it now. You will have no time for thirst when you are fighting. Archers? Can you see the riders yet?"
"Not in number, but in mass. They will arrive within the hour."
"Time for us to get out in the trees Sir Kendall."
A panic mask fell over the man's face, but he settled himself and walked out the gate with me. It closed behind us, and we made our way to a spot in the woods that was thick with brush to hide ourselves.
"How do you know this will work Pitre?"
"I don't, but it is much better than waiting to die. This way, we will take a them with us if we do, but I don't plan on dying today."
I could now hear the thunder of the hooves as the war party approached. It was large, more than the two dozen that I estimated. It looked more like 40 or even 50 men. They had swords drawn as they rode past. They wore dirty brown leather armor that looked thin at best. Their horses were running, but they appeared to be near complete exhaustion. They would not be much in the fight.
The arrows began to fly, and the first four riders fell taking their horses with them as their weight went dead. The falling horses took out two more apiece, and I could hear the cry of riders as they were falling to broken bones and potential death. As the last rider ran past our point, I signaled to Sir Kendall to follow. I broke the brush in a full sprint as I entered the Swordsman's Euphoria. I reached for the aether as I neared the final rider of the party. They had slowed as riders ahead of them crashed into their fallen comrades. I jumped onto the back of the horse, and wrenched the riders neck until I heard it break. The bones crunched and his body went limp. I threw him off, and dismounted the horse, allowing it to run away from the battle that lie before it. I drew my sword and jumped onto the next horse. I pulled my blade across the neck of the rider, and he fell from the saddle. I leapt from that horse to the one beside it. The rider saw me at he last second and raised his sword to block my descend. I kicked the sword out of the way, and stabbed down trough the mans torso. His eyes went blank as his heart stopped beating. We fell to the ground together, but he never felt the impact.
When I stood up, I searched around quickly for Sir Kendall, but he was nowhere in sight. I ran to the next man. The riders were all dismounting and hiding behind their horses, to avoid the archers arrows. I made my way through five, then ten, then 15 men. I heard the crash of the gate as it fell. A tribal yell went up from the riders in the front. That yell turned to screams within seconds. The first of them were tasting the blades of the village men that they had upset from what homes they once lived in. I heard the rally cry of the armored men, as they were clearly making their rush towards the onslaught of Raiders, that were bearing down on them. I had finally made my way to the first of the fallen Raiders, the ones that had fallen to the archers. Raiders, were now turning to face me, as they finally heard the cries of the men behind them. I stopped my advance, placed my sword in my left hand, and drew my father's from my belt. I reached even deeper for the aether. I could see auras from the men in front of me. They were week, but they were there. A feint glow of gold surround each of them, with a slight bluish glow around the archers that I could see above them. I hadn't never seen anyone else with an glow around them, besides Arial and my father. It caused me to pause for a moment. Not long enough though. I went through he men in front of me as if they were standing still. They fell to the blades in my hands with screams. I lost count of the men that I killed as I weaved through panicked horses and Raiders. I did notice an archer at one point with his jaw wide open, and arrow knocked but not drawn. I saw him shake himself out of the trance that he was in, and draw. he was aiming at me. The arrow flew, but I could see each rotation as it neared. I ducked at the last second, and I heard a guttural sound behind me. I turned and saw the shaft and fletching of the arrow sticking out of the neck at a Raider who had snuck behind me. He was the last of them to fall.
The bodies of men and horses scattered the ground in front of the gate. Only 5 horses lost their lives in the battle. The rest had run to greener pastures. I cleaned my blades of blood and put them back in their sheaths. I wiped sweat from my brow, but it was pointless, since it was replaced with blood. I ran into the fort to see how the men faired. All of them were standing, with a few cuts and scrapes on them. The armored men were unscathed, but their armor was coated in a thin layer of blood and dust.
"Where is Sir Kendall?"
"I havne't seen him since he left the gates with you."
"Archers, have any of you seen Sir Kendall?"
"He never joined the battle. I never saw him leave the woods. We all saw you, but never him."
I walked back to the area where we had hidden ourselves. I found Sir Kendall still sitting behind the brush.
"You can come out now. The Raiders are all dead."
"I can't face them. I failed all of them."
"Yun never fought in the outlands did you?"
"No, I'm only the son of a nobleman that had enough money to buy armor and a few hired fighters."
"Come on. There is no telling if that was an advanced war party, or if that was the full threat. Either way, we need to get that gate back up, and ready this fort for another attack."
Sir Kendall walked out of the woods with me, with his head held low the entire time. I told the archers and their runners to retrieve as many arrows as they could and had the other men repair the gate as best they could. We would have the night to rest, but there was no telling what was going to happen in the morning.
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