Sonos wireless surround sound
Cryptid Chronicle - Chapter 30
2023.05.28 05:00 Kazevenikov Cryptid Chronicle - Chapter 30
A special thanks to u/bluefishcake for the wonderful original story and sandbox to play in.
A special thanks to my editors LordHenry7898, RandomTinkerer, Swimming_Good_8507, CatsInTrenchcoats, and KLiCKonthat.
And a big thanks to the authors and their stories that inspired me to tell my own in this universe. RandomTinkerer (City Slickers and Hayseeds), Punnynfunny (Denied Operations), CompassWithHat (Top Lasgun), CarCU131 (The Cook), and Rhion-618 (Just One Drop)
Hy’shq’e Ay Si’am (Thank you noble friends)
Chapter 30: A Promise Kept
Kalai stepped off the shuttle to the Vaida’s headquarters and into a running tackle-hug from Sitry. “Oh Kalai, I could kill you right now! You got to see the Great Barrier Reef in person, you bitch!” Sitry’s cheerful voice was muffled from where she was still buried in her chest. Kalai staggered backwards a pace or two, happy to be back from her whirlwind adventure around Earth with her father.
Naranjo and Papa Rhaxiid were there on the platform to welcome her back too, but their welcomes were more sedate.
“Not to mention you got out of work for half our damn trip. Ugh, it’s so not fair!” Naranjo huffed as Kalai gave him a sisterly hug.
Papa Rhaxiid reached up and chucked her chin before turning to lead the way back inside from the forested platform. “Welcome back, sweet-sprout, we’ve missed you. Come on, we’ll get you settled again and off to work. There’s quite a bit you need to catch up on if you want your credits.”
The chuckles from the twins behind her were full of sibling malice, but she knew how to shut the pair of them up. “Papa Rhaxiid? I’ve got the paper on Biodiversity in the Reef you asked for, along with the dissection report and stomach content analysis of the tuna we caught. I want to put the finishing touches on it and do a final proofread first before I send them to you.” The man turned and gave her a warm smile as they entered the building.
“Good, why don’t you go take your things back up and say hello to Andy? I’ll give you an hour and a half to get freshened up, then I want you to report to Aquarium 12 with Dr. Sor’ansa. You can put your snorkeling practice to work there.” Papa Rhaxiid walked the three of them to the residential elevator. “I’m heading back to my office. Andy’s been requested by Maetro Pae’ella to work the kitchens for something called ‘Bison burgers'. Apparently it’s a type of indigenous bovine that the eastern Bands raise. That and something from Europe called ‘French Fries’.”
Kalai couldn’t help but get excited as she and her siblings piled into the elevator back to their little shared apartment. Sure the food she’d had all over the place was good, but so far nothing had been able to compare to Andy and his Salishian cooking.
“Nerd, I can’t believe you cheated and did work on your vacation." Naranjo broke the silence of the elevator after a little bit and stuck his tongue out at her.
“Spit to windward, you vain little weed. Don’t hate me because I’m awesome.” Kalai’s riposte caused Naranjo to fold his arms and huff. Sitry simply ambushed her with an ear flick.
The elevator door opened to their floor before Kalai couldn’t bear the silence from Sitry any longer. “So, did you bag him yet, you lucky bitch?”
“No she hasn’t!” Naranjo’s singsong mockery of his sister interrupted Sitry’s response. “Papa hasn’t let Sitry even NEAR Andy without one of them around!”
“Rub it in, you snitch, besides, he did kiss me first,” Sitry preened happily as she playfully shoved Kalai’s shoulder.
Kalai pretended to stumble and almost caught Sitry’s foot, but she was just a hair too slow. “Yeah, and then you gave him a black eye, you clod.”
“Will you let it go? It was an accident!”
“It’s not even the only one he got either." Naranjo’s interjection stopped her right in front of their door.
“Wait, what? Who hurt him this time?” Kalai let her bag thunk to the floor as she turned to look accusingly between Sitry and Narny.
Sitry folded her arms and her ears twitched back as she shot a dark look at their door. “He ‘fell down’ yesterday while out at one of the Hatcheries we gave to the Hwatcoms. Mrs. Toloui nearly had a fit! She said she could smell another human on him and that he was covered in blood!”
Narny nodded primly as Kalai tried to process what they were telling her. “WHAT? Did she call out the militia? Track down whoever hurt him?”
“No, and he refused treatment and insisted that no one did it to him! When papa tried to talk to him, Andy said some stupid human macho shit about pain healing and birds liking scars. I don’t know, sometimes humans… they’re frickin’ insane!”
The door shot open and there stood Andy. His left eye was an angry puffy yellow and blue mess, and there were three points on his lips where a dark cinnabar line marked a crack. Kalai and her siblings stood in wide eyed shock at his sudden appearance and the only sound was the music emanating from the common room behind him.
Andy looked up and down at the three without saying a word. He cocked an eyebrow and snagged Kalai’s bag before any of them could react and cleared the doorway for them.
Kalai sputtered at the impropriety but Naranjo and Sitry just shrugged and walked in after Andy. “Femboys, am I right?” Narny whispered to Kalai as he passed. Kalai followed behind and was greeted by the white fluff-ball, Puck, who hopped up and down, whining for attention. She bent down and started scratching his ears and back. While Puck rubbed up against her hands, Andy settled back down at the table where his omnipad was hooked up to a keypad. Her heart started to sink a bit and Kalai shot Sitry a jealous look before the music came to a sudden halt and Andy interrupted the beginnings of her pity party.
“Ok, Kem’ira, I got the pics now and I’m telling you to declare yourself to the farmers first! I guarantee if you tell them you’re with the new DNR and you’re there to kill all the Scotch Broom in their pasture lands, they’ll stop trying to shoot you for trespassing!”
Kalai’s mood jumped up a bit. It’s not that he doesn’t care to see me, he’s in a meeting!
“No, no I’m not coming out to talk this over with them, I’ve got my own work to do! Either you start talking to folks like I showed you how, or ask the militia to give you one of their armored catsuits to wear under your uniform… Uh-huh, good luck." Andy hung up on the call and leaned back as Puck scampered over and hopped up in his lap.
Andy rubbed his temples before shaking his head. He seemed to relax a bit and Puck slid off to follow Sitry to the kitchen. Andy looked over and gave Kalai a happy smile that made her flush. “Welcome back! So how was the land down under? That tuna was fan-frickin’-tastic, if you aren’t sick of seafood I’ll do something fancy with it tomorrow to celebrate your coming back. Can’t tonight though, I got volun-told to be head chef tonight and I… Oh damnit! I’m late! Come to dinner, burgers and fries Indian style tonight. Gotta run!” With that, Andy went dashing out the door with Puck barking and scrambling along after him.
Kalai felt her heart sink back down again, as he left. “Andy I-” She started but he was gone.
“Yeah, it’s been like that for the whole week. The only time we get to hang out is dinner.” Sitry commiserated as she took Kalai’s bag into their room. “On the other hand, we might get to catch up during the family meal tonight.”
The dinner was delicious, though a bit weird. It tasted alright, but there was a certain aftertaste on the sandwich that just didn’t sit right with Kalai. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. The french fries more than made up for it though, and Mama Sakalbi had to hold a science trivia contest to see who got the last little handful.
Kalai and Narny were already silently plotting with each other for their revenge against their sister who had won and refused to share the last few matchsticks when Andy finally joined their table. He was sweaty and he smelled of woodsmoke and french fries. Kalai jumped up and offered him a seat next to her with a nervous smile. He took it gratefully and seemed to sag a bit as he gulped down a glass of water.
“Andy, I think you may be finding your calling as a culinary ambassador,” Mama Aftasia beamed. “A toast to the chef!”
Andy gave a shy smile and looked down as Kalai and the rest of the family gave a hearty ‘Here, here!”
“It’s a simple enough recipe; it’s just using bison instead of cow, that’s all, and I don’t know anyone who’d turn down hand cut fresh fries. It’s kind of hard to screw up.”
“Young man, you are speaking to a woman who found a way to take cold water and dried wumpa flakes and wind up with a Class-4 fire. Cooking has always seemed like ‘blight mysticism’ to me, and these foods? These flavors? Nothing short of a Greenwood miracle in my opinion." Mama Aftasia continued her praise of Andy, which only caused him to shrink even lower in his seat.
“To be honest, I like your salmon better,” Kalai said, and the whole table went silent. Kalai held her ground though, and was rewarded with a tired but genuine laugh from Andy that brought him back out of his shell.
“You know, I do too. My Clan were fisherpeople, not buffalo chasers.” Andy gave Kalai a cheeky grin, which she returned happily, her heart glowing. Mama Aftasia and Mama Sakalbi both blinked in bemusement at Andy’s statement while Sitry just giggled.
“Speaking of which, Andy, I received a call from Elder Alex Hwatcom.” Papa Rhaxiid’s change of subject instantly perked Andy up, and he stared silently, waiting. “He extended an invitation to our family to attend his family gathering this Friday-”
“Alex said that? He used those words?” Andy shook his head in shock as he interrupted Papa Rhaxiid. The table went quiet and everyone held their breath as they looked between the two men.
Papa Rhaxiid adopted as good an impression of the human Elder as he could. “I’d like to extend an invitation for you and your family to be guests at our family gathering this saturday up at the White… something… lodge-”
“The White Ram Lodge?” Andy sat forward, interjecting again as the color drained from his face.
“Yes, that’s the one! I asked if we could bring anything since the last time they hosted us they put on that wonderful spread. He said if we could bring a few salmon for the family, that would be wonderful.”
Andy leaned back and took another sip of ice water before holding the glass to his blackened eye. “Alex Hwatcom… just invited you… to a gathering… and he told you to ‘bring a few salmon’? Do you realize what a huge honor this is?”
Rhaxiid looked from his wives to his children with mild concern. “Um, I thought it was only dinner, but your reaction tells me there’s more significance to this than I originally thought. I was thinking about our stocks of adult Sockeye, but then I remembered in his story how important King Salmon are. Of course, I’d like to defer to you for the choice since you know these animals and the cultural expectations with this invitation better than we do.”
Andy was silent for a moment before he put the glass down. “I’d recommend a ‘hard no’ to all your clone stock!” Now it was the Vaidas’ turn to be shocked, as each of Kalai’s Erbian family’s jaws dropped in synch. Before anyone could say anything, Andy continued, “You need to bring wild-caught. Farm-raised salmon wouldn’t… well we can tell, and you can taste the difference between them. We need to go fishing!” Kalai leaned towards Andy slightly as he lowered his head and started mumbling to himself. She was just able to make out what he was saying to himself as Mama Sakalbi and Mama Aftasia began whispering to each other. “...need to get the Gillnetter out of storage, check what’s running and select the mesh. I’m gonna need a deckhand too.”
Kalai reached a hand out but stopped short of touching him. “Andy?”
He popped up and spoke for the whole table to hear. “I need a shuttle to the mainland and a waiver against the fishing ban. I’ve got to get my boat and the drum ready for sea ” Rhaxiid and Aftasia sputtered in confusion, but Mama Sakalbi had a shadow fall over her, and her ears pulled back.
“Do you mean to say you want to go out on the water? Risk the ecological balance for… dinner?”
Andy looked Sakalbi dead in the eye and gave her a firm nod. “Why don’t you come out and see how we did this before you got here. Think of it as a chance to see the way we’ve fished for the last hundred or so years, and then I can explain the way we used to fish before that.”
The offer snapped Rhaxiid out of his confusion and he brightened. “A learning experience? Wonderful, we’ll make a day of it!” His hands shot out to grab both his wives’ and Kalai could feel the vibrations in the floor from where he was excitedly tapping his feet.
“If you don’t mind hard, smelly work. Uncle Willy always called it ‘the worst desk in the prettiest office.' It’ll be a bit cramped, but I’ve got room on the boat for a few guests and observers; four I think would be ok. She’s a working boat, not a pleasure cruiser,” Andy explained. That sent the whole lot of them excitedly talking among themselves.
Kalai was about to lean in to talk to Mama Aftasia, but Andy caught her attention first. “I don’t suppose you’d want to go back out on the water, given you just got back from pleasure-boating-”
Kalai’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. “I wouldn’t miss it for my own colony planet!”
--------------------
Kalai stood on the pier, bundled in her thermal sailor’s coat. It was still dark and the wind blew from the north in a cold little morning breeze. Kalai took a deep breath and reveled in the smell of the fresh sea air. The soft chattering of Mama Sakalbi’s teeth broke the silence. “It’s a bit chillier than it said it was going to be.”
“The water always does that. It’s never as warm as the lubbers say it’ll be,” Papa spoke as he handed her back her thermos of hot chocolate.
Papa stood next to Kalai and nudged her with his elbow. Even in the dark, Kalai could see him smile up at her and jerk his head at the shivering Erbian. He was also wearing a thermal sailor’s coat, and his hands were stuffed in his pockets to keep them warm, just like Kalai’s. “Landswoman,” he whispered to her and the two of them shared a knowing smile. It was strange, but welcome when she'd told Papa about her upcoming day fishing with Andy, and he’d politely requested to join them. Papa Rhaxiid had graciously given his spot up to accommodate her birth father. Narny was all for it until Andy had explained what they were going to do, but then surrendered his challenge to the fourth guest space, not wanting to go anywhere NEAR anything that could see him come face to face with a Lion’s Mane Jelly. Sitry had done a happy little dance when she found out, but only yesterday had come down with Thistle Fever, and was bundled off to bed by her parents. It left Kalai, Mama Sakalbi, and Papa to accompany Andy on his fishing trip.
The water brushed against the shore behind them quietly. In the gloom, Kalai could just barely make out the outline of the nearest island mountain, but only because the stars had disappeared behind it. It was almost four in the morning, but Kalai had managed a catnap on the shuttle to the empty little lot that had been the boat launch. Aside from the water, the world was silent. Even the breeze made almost no noise and a sense of peace surrounded them. Everything was so calm, Kalai felt like she didn’t have a care in the world.
In the distance, a low rumbling sound of a motor rose from being almost imperceptible to a rolling drum of thunder. From around the point, two green floating lights sped through the darkness, and a spotlight turned on. The beam of light moved jerkily until it came to rest on the pier where they were standing and Kalai started waving her arms. Sakalbi’s omnipad rang, and Andy’s voice shouted over the speaker and the background noise for them to shine a light on the edge of the pier to help him park the boat.
Kalai and Papa moved closer and turned their omnipad flashlights on and waved them as the boat swung gracefully around and glided in alongside them. Kalai caught the rope that flew over the railing of the boat and she heard more than saw Andy moving around on the deck as she tied off on one of the mooring cleats. Several lights clicked on and the deck was bathed in light enough for Kalai to get a clear view of the boat they’d be spending the day on.
Andy hadn’t lied. Kalai saw that this little vessel was a working boat with no frills at all. When he’d told her they’d be going fishing, she’d envisioned something like the charter boat papa had taken her on out of Nantucket. Sporty, fast with a nod to comfort and function. This was not that at all. A giant wheel as wide as Kalai’s outstretched arms that looked like a sideways spool of thread was secured to the deck amidships and dominated the deckspace. Wrapped around it was a fluorescent green tangle with a line of oblong white and yellow corks and rope. There was a covered hatchway sitting behind the drum in front of the raised step to the enclosed cabin. Two large windows let the light out to two children’s bunks, a little table with a booth seat and a raised captain’s chair in front of the helm and engine controls. Andy shut down the engine and that peaceful stillness returned.
“Oway there!” Kalai called, “ship oway! Request permission to come aboard.” Kalai gave the traditional greeting of a Shil’vati sailor.
“Permission granted! Anyone need a stepstool?” Andy finally stepped into the light and Kalai got a look at him. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and the same bright orange coveralls she’d seen the fishmongers wearing on their date.
“I wouldn’t mind a hand, Mr. Shelokset.” Papa He’osforos braced a foot on the railing of the boat and Andy pulled him up.
“Just call me Andy, Doc, and welcome aboard. Jackie should be along any minute now with the day’s groceries, and the cabin’s out of the cold. You can get yourself set wherever you find comfortable.” Papa nodded and disappeared around the other side of the wheel moving towards the bow.
Kalai helped Mama Sakalbi into the boat next, and she quickly ducked into the cabin that took up the entire stern section save for a little ledge that ran along the outside. Andy gripped Kalai’s hand and she smiled as he pulled her deftly aboard. The boat rocked a little on its mooring, and Kalai almost fell into Andy, who wordlessly put his arms around her waist to catch her as she lost her balance. She flailed for a moment before she steadied herself against him.
“Gotcha,” Andy smiled, and Kalai could see him flush almost as much as she could feel herself doing as their noses almost touched. Those big dark brown eyes surrounded by white orbs drew her in and she felt she could lose herself in them. Kalai started as Andy danced her around him and moved her towards the cabin door.
“It might be a little cramped for you in there, but the Mary Jean wasn’t built for pleasure boating, she’s a working girl. Sit tight, I gotta check a few things in the back.” Andy patted the railing affectionately before he hopped up and scooted along the outside of the cabin towards the stern. Kalai couldn’t help the little longing groan that came out as he left her there on the little tiny quarterdeck. Her heart was hammering in her chest as half formed fantasies danced at the edges of her mind.
“I saw that, little minnow.” Papa’s voice was soft, but his tone and the sudden broken silence nearly gave her a heart attack.
Kalai could only stammer as her father stared at her with a cocked eyebrow. A thump from the cabin window behind saw an amused Mama Sakalbi daintily sipping at her thermos with her ears twitched forward in interest, staring out at her. “Papa I… he-”
Papa moved carefully around the covered hatchway to stand next to her, leaning back against the cabin window and heaved a sigh. “I must say I’m surprised. This lovely man’s got good clean lines and is very well cared for. It speaks well of his Skipper.”
It took a full minute for Kalai’s brain to process that he was talking about the boat and not Andy. “And the way Andy brought him in smooth in near complete darkness? It gives me confidence in his abilities.”
Kalai breathed a silent sigh of relief and exasperation. Although she was happy to be spending more time with her father, bringing him on what she’d hoped would be a sailing date wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind for ‘family time’. He wants me to find a nice young man and spend time with him on a boat, but the first chance I get Papa decides to clam-jam me.
From up on shore, the sound and lights of a large human vehicle screeching to a halt heralded the last of their party to arrive. Kalai heard the clomping footsteps coming down the pier and moved to the railing to lend a hand.
“Ahoy Mary Jean! Raggedy Andy, you there?” Kalai stared with wide eyed surprise to see a human female, loaded down with plastic bags and sporting two human weapons on her shoulder. The two of them locked eyes, and while Kalai didn’t understand everything the girl shouted in surprise, she had caught and understood the phrase, “What the fuck?”
“Easy now, they’re my guests, and the one inside is the boss!” Andy appeared on the pier instantly before either Kalai or the woman could react further.
“Ya didn’t tell me we were having pur-” The woman glared at Kalai and her father. She had switched to Vatikre thankfully, but her tone was hostile as she dropped everything but her weapons. “I mean, hwun’eetums, aboard. A gal could get the wrong idea pretty quick in the dark when there’s no warning.”
“Knock it off Jackie. Let’s get the grub aboard and shove off.” Andy picked up some of the bags and took the guns as Kalai offered a helping hand over the railing. “Oh, Kalai, this is Jackie. Jackie? Kalai. That’s her dad over there, Doc He’osforos. He saw and treated Kay Tee a few years back.” Andy jerked his head towards the direction of Kalai’s father as she held out a hand to the human girl. On a quick inspection, she appeared to be about the same age as her and Andy. She had a round face and was about as dark complected as Andy was. She was shorter, only a few inches taller than Papa, but when Jackie grabbed Kalai’s hand to hop up onto the rail, she could feel the strength and the compact muscle hidden by the baggy sweatshirt and pants.
“Wait a minute, did you say Mini-Me over there saw Kay Tee? You’re fuckin’ with me!” Jackie stumbled a bit as she hopped down onto the deck with a loud thunk and advanced on Papa who shrank away at her advance. “You saw li’l Kay Tee? Where the fuck is he? Is he alright? Is he still fighting the good fight?”
“Last I saw, yes, he was ‘fighting the good fight.’” Papa looked over at Andy with a slightly worried expression. Andy smacked the girl in the back of the head, causing her to flinch and she opened the door to the cabin for Andy to go inside.
Jackie rubbed the back of her head and laughed. “Well that’s a little bit of alright, innit? Maybe today’s gonna be a good day after all!”
“Jackie, get suited up and get on the bow. I need a good pair of eyes on the roller horns,” Kalai heard Andy shout from the cabin, followed by a whole lot of thumping and banging from cabinets being opened and closed.
“You got it, ol’ man. We going to your place or mine?” Jackie sidestepped in and opened a tiny little closet and pulled out a set of rain gear that was identical to what Andy was wearing. Kalai collected herself and stood in the doorway next to her father as they both leaned in.
“Mine; Chuck said the Yaw’much are running from the South. We’ll do a set nor’west of Lummi in the Rosario and see if we can get some Fraser Kings,” Andy replied as he turned the engine back on and the vessel roared to life.
“Chuck? Isn’t that one of your cousins? I didn’t know he could keep track of the movements of Salmon, may I ask how he does it?” Mama Sakalbi perked up as she pulled a set of earplugs out of a pocket and inserted them.
Andy prevaricated a bit, looking from Jackie back to Sakalbi then to Kalai and Papa. “I’d rather not answer that-”
“Breakin’ the law, breakin’ the law! Breakin’ the law, breakin’ the law!”
Jackie began singing a human song, and Andy threw her the dirtiest of looks as she finished getting into the orange coveralls. Mama Sakalbi sputtered as Andy shrugged apologetically.
“Make a hole!” Jackie called, and she and Andy came back out as Kalai and Papa made room for them. Andy hopped back onto the dock to cast off while Papa ducked into the cabin.
“Can I help?” Kalai offered as Andy shoved the vessel off and leapt the gap over the black water below.
“You want to be useful? Come forward! I could use an extra set of eyes!” Jackie called back, and Kalai felt a slap on her shoulder from the boisterous human woman.
------------------
Andy stood at the helm, watching Jackie and Kalai as he leaned to get a better view of them past the Net drum. The bow was lifting up again, and the gentle little swells became like speed bumps, jostling them up and down in a predictable bouncing rhythm.
“Are you sure you couldn’t slow down, Andy? It’s a bit rough, don’t you think?” Sakalbi was hanging on to the table and her thermos with a worried expression on her face.
“I could, but we’ll miss the morning set. We want to bomb out the buoy right when the tide changes. If we’re lucky, then we’ll get around seventy or eighty by slack tide this afternoon and call it a day.”
“How do you know where to fish?” Dr. He’osforos was making a good show of standing and maintaining his balance with his hand on the booth.
“Well, there’s two ways you know. The first is you fish the spots your family’s fished since time began. Every family has about two or three different secret spots that we know there’s fish in, and we’re pretty defensive about their locations. The second is by smell. Right now it’s the tail end of the King season, and you can smell them in the water.” Andy turned and saw the incredulity etched on the faces of the two aliens.
“No, I’m serious! King Salmon slime is really pungent, and you can smell them when they’re close to the surface. We get to the fishing spot and take a deep whiff. If we smell them, we’ll set the nets.” Andy laughed at the disbelief on their faces as the GPS on his omnipad beeped and he turned to sail around the last buoy and head for the fishing ground.
“I’ve never noticed that in any of the Kings we’ve raised-”
Andy suppressed a laugh as they caught a larger swell as they left the lee of Lummi Island. Andy reveled in the feeling of weightlessness as the deck rose up and fell out from underneath their feet, leaving everyone suspended for a moment in midair before falling back down. A massive spray of water rose and washed over the deck, drenching Kalai and Jackie, who were still forward. “Cloned and farmed Kings don’t have that same smell. Wild ones smell and taste different, I’m telling you!” Andy pulled back slightly on the throttle as they climbed the next swell. “Brace!” he called as they climbed and fell once again.
There was a look of fear on Sakalbi’s face as she gripped the table for dear life, but to Andy’s surprise, the Doctor looked completely unfazed, and was handling the rise and fall of the deck like an old salt. “You look like you’ve done this before, Doc.”
“I’ve done a stint or two at sea before,” he spoke, in the same tone Andy would have used when trying not to sound too confident, and Andy smiled.
“Kalai keeps talking about loving the sea and sailing. Did you teach her to sail?”
“Yes, me and her mothers. When they were home, we would take the family yacht out in the Vaascon Straits and sail around the Occidiens. Kalai practically spent all her early childhood on a sailboat.”
“And almost every waking moment on one in Junior Academy. I swear you couldn’t dig her out with a trowel when she wanted to go sailing,” Sakalbi managed to add in a word as the boat slowed, and the dramatic rise and fall of the deck slowed with it.
“What about you, Mr. Shelokset, did your father teach you to sail too?”
“I was too young before he passed. My Great Uncle Willy taught me after I came home, and Grandma took me out to the family fishing sites when she wasn’t busy with the Council. For the first two or three years after they let us come home, fishing was the only way to feed our families, but the Militia and the Cambrians would try and sink our boats or arrest us whenever we tried to go out.”
“And that’s why you’re so good at maneuvering your vessel in the dark with no instruments?” Mrs. Vaida had folded her arms, and her voice twinged with that imperious tone she’d had when they’d first met.
Andy huffed a dry laugh. “I did what I had to for me and my people and to survive, Ma’am. I don’t like breaking the law or dodging lasers and gunfire, but there’s a lot of poor families that need to eat.”
The GPS beeped, and Andy gave Mrs. Vaida a slightly defiant look to counter her furrowed brow. “We’re here,” he said as he threw the engine in neutral and opened the cabin door.
Andy walked out and took a deep breath, but all he could smell was the net and the exhaust from the engine. “HEY JACKIE! WE SMELL MONEY?” Andy yelled out as he took stock of the sky. The first signs of sunrise were chasing all but the morning stars away and a light fog was rolling in from the north.
“FUCK YEAH I CAN SMELL ‘EM, ANDY! LET’S BOMB OUT AND GET BREAKFAST GOING!” Jackie looked slightly manic as she smiled brightly. Kalai, on the other hand, looked wet and miserable as she shivered, arms wrapped around herself. Andy gave his cousin a disgusted look as he pieced together what had happened. Every deckhand learned when to duck behind the raised bow and the roller horns that guided the nets so as not to get a faceful of spray when cutting through a swell. It was also a classic hazing trick for Senior Deckhands to let Junior Deckhands learn this the hard way.
Andy moved forward to stand in front of the two of them. Kalai was trying to squeeze her coat dry, but Andy knew it wouldn’t do much good until the sun came out. Jackie at least had the sense to look a little remorseful. “Kalai, why don’t you go sit in the cabin and get out of that wet coat. It’s cold enough out here even for us-”
“No way, Andy. Junior deckhand Kally here wants to impress you and get her dainty soft hands dirty! She’s been bragging about being a sailorwoman and wants to learn to fish ‘your way!” Jackie gave Kalai’s shoulder a wet slap as the poor alien woman went blue. Out of cold or embarrassment, Andy couldn’t tell.
All Andy could do was shake his head and huff. “Ok then! Secure the buoy and sling on my mark. I’ll get us in position!” Andy couldn’t help but chuckle as he heard Jackie start ordering Kalai about. Andy went back into the cabin and looked in the closet/bathroom to see if there was anything hanging up that he could give Kalai. There was only the one rain slicker and a few of Andy’s old sweaters from when he was a lot smaller. Well, looks like I’ll just be cold today. He quickly stripped out of his sweatshirt and grabbed the slicker before throwing a switch on the main control. Dr. He’osforos and Mrs. Vaida threw him quizzical looks as he went back outside wearing less than when he came in. He was down to a sleeveless shirt and his coveralls, and the morning breeze cut right through him and he braced his jaw to keep it from chattering.
“We’re ready to go- Andy, why are you practically naked from the waist up?” Kalai was staring wide eyed at him as he approached her and Jackie was on the bow. Jackie had everything ready; the buoy line was strung through the horns and ready to toss out. A giant orange and blue beach ball sized float hung at the end of the line to mark the end and make it easier to pick up later.
“Trade me your coat for these. If Jackie’s putting you to work, you’ll need these to keep warm.”
“I’m alright, I can-”
“I’m the Skipper of this boat, and I’m ordering you to take off that wet coat and put these on; and Jackie?” Andy gave his cousin a long and piercing look. “Give her the elbow gloves, not the halfsies.”
The scoff and the muttered Salishian profanities meant he’d read the next prank she’d had in mind right. She was planning on giving her the cloth gloves with only the palms and fingers coated in rubber. While perfectly fine for fishing, Andy knew they tended to get soaked through very quickly and did nothing to keep jellyfish stingers and fish slime off your hands. Kalai sputtered for a moment before she complied gratefully and she accepted the dry clothes and rain slicker.
Andy saw Jackie give him a strange look before looking back at Kalai, but he paid it no mind. He walked back to the controls on the drum and switched off the hydraulics, placing the mechanism in neutral. “SLING IT!” Andy called as he took the small jerry rigged steering wheel and threw the boat in reverse. Kalai jumped as the line started unspooling the net into the water at a rapid pace.
Andy set an ‘S’ bend in the quarter mile long net, zigzagging backwards until they came to the end of the line. Andy stopped the boat as Jackie tied off the other large buoy and tossed it over the side, unstringing the cork-line from the roller horns in the process. He pulled hard over and put a bit of distance from the net before shutting the engine down. The line of white and yellow corks marking the net bobbed lazily with the swells as silence settled over the water again. The waves rocked the boat gently as Andy found his sea legs again.
“Alright, I’ll get breakfast going. Jackie, Kalai? Post the watch for seals,” Andy called as he walked back into the cabin to fire up the tiny little gas stove.
Sakalbi, having found the confidence to stand at last, poked her head out of the cabin and stood on by the hatch to the fish hold. “Seals? Why would you need to watch for seals?”
Andy grit his teeth and looked over from where he was cracking open and scrambling eggs. “They’re the spawn of Satan and we hate their guts!” Andy bit out. Jackie came back and pulled the two shotguns and a pair of binoculars from the closet. Andy reached over to a side cabinet and pulled out a box of shells for them. Both his boss and the Doctor’s eyes got wide.
“Seals are the enemy of our blood. Were it not for the invasion, our unending war against these vermin would continue to this day!” Jackie growled as she loaded one for herself and rested the other on Andy’s seat at the helm.
The look of growing horror on Sakalbi’s face towards their facetious declarations caused Andy to chuckle a bit, before launching into an explanation. “We’re not fans of the species because they’ll wait until a fish gets caught in the net and then they’ll steal it, costing us a fish AND ripping a big hole in our nets that we then have to take time to repair. We use the shotguns and buckshot to give them a nice welt and convince them not to hang around, because they’ll wait up on the surface and watch the buoys, just like us. A single seal can and will take between five and ten fish. The worst is when they start getting full, they’ll just bite out the bellies of a salmon in the net. We can’t really do anything with that fish once it’s ‘seal-bit’. So yes, as fishermen, we hate them.”
“Learned opportunism in apex predators as a response to human activity… I think I’ll go see this behavior for myself!” Sakalbi practically rushed out the door towards the bow where Jackie was sitting on the roller horns explaining to Kalai how to spot the bastards, leaving Andy alone in the cabin with the Doctor while he cooked breakfast for them all.
Dr. He’osforos sat down heavily in the booth and pulled out his omnipad. “I’ve had a word with my friend in the Interior. She’s pulled the warrant for your brother, and I’ve withdrawn the charges I filed.”
Andy froze and turned around slowly. The only sound was the sizzle and pop of the eggs and chorizo that he’d added to them in the skillet. “You mean… it’s done? He can come home?” A wave of light headed euphoria swept over Andy and he swayed with the gentle rocking of the boat. “I will pay you back, Doc-”
The doctor held up his hand and stopped Andy. “We’ll call it even, but there’s something… I was able to get my hands on this,” Andy watched as the doctor swiped something towards his omnipad and it dinged. “What is it if I may-”
“Are you really asking an Indian to tell you a story? Because it’s going to be a long one if you are.” “I’m Sevastutavan, young man; we invented long stories.”
Andy froze and stared at the screen of his omnipad. The Vatikre was heavily accented, and Andy had a bit of trouble with the unfamiliar accent, but centered in the frame in a hospital room, sitting in a wheelchair, was a Salishian boy. Andy blinked in surprise as he stared at the screen. “Is that-”
“I am Ikw’is’hi’ehlah, and this bearer is… of the Orca Clan Sheloksets. I drove our Haida enemies onto the rocks and took many heads when they attacked our winter village on Orcas Island. I signed the Treaty with the Great White Father and I fought against the slavers of the south-”
Andy wanted to grab the omnipad but the smell of overcooking eggs brought his attention back to breakfast and Andy stirred and scrapped the food quickly, trying to save it.
“I asked her for any materials she could give me on your brother. Pictures, recordings, anything. This is what she gave me. It's the last known recording of your brother during an interrogation conducted by a Navy Commissar prior to his escape. It seems he made friends with a Pod of Deaths Head Commandos. Quite a bit of the recording has been redacted, but… there are portions of it where he talks about his family and his history. I thought you might like to have it.”
Andy hurriedly pulled out paper plates and a slice of bread for everyone and scooped a heaping portion of the chorizo eggs onto them. He handed the doctor his before leaning out the cabin door. “Slop’s on, come and get it!”
Andy sat down after moving the shotgun out of the way and started the video over again as the three women came back to grab their plates and lost himself watching his brother start telling his story.
“What’s that?” Andy heard Kalai ask over his shoulder, and he paused the video.
“That’s my brother! That’s Kay Tee!”
“Holy shit, what?” Jackie nearly shoved Kalai into Andy as she jammed her bread slice down her gullet and crowded in to see the screen.
Andy started the video over a second time and they watched in silence. “God, that brings back memories. Back when mom was still alive and before we broke up the warband. I can’t believe that slippery little punk ghosted a pod of Commandos for two fucking years! Holy shit, that’s badass!”
Before Andy could say anything, Sakalbi started coughing and brought the binoculars up. “Uh, Andy? Jackie? What do we do about sharks?”
Jackie looked at Andy in confusion. “Sharks? There’s nothing but Dogs around here.”
“Well those are shark fins and they’re charging the net!” Sakalbi pointed and Andy looked up to see dorsal fins charging the center of the net.
Andy looked at Jackie and spoke the same words in tandem, “Oh shit!”
First:
https://www.reddit.com/Sexyspacebabes/comments/yz0u3h/the_cryptid_chronicle_chapter_1/
Previous:
https://www.reddit.com/Sexyspacebabes/comments/13nh0oe/cryptid_chronicle_chapter_29/
Next:
To be posted 6/4/23
submitted by Kazevenikov to Sexyspacebabes [link] [comments]
A special thanks to my editors LordHenry7898, RandomTinkerer, Swimming_Good_8507, CatsInTrenchcoats, and KLiCKonthat.
And a big thanks to the authors and their stories that inspired me to tell my own in this universe. RandomTinkerer (City Slickers and Hayseeds), Punnynfunny (Denied Operations), CompassWithHat (Top Lasgun), CarCU131 (The Cook), and Rhion-618 (Just One Drop)
Hy’shq’e Ay Si’am (Thank you noble friends)
Chapter 30: A Promise Kept
Kalai stepped off the shuttle to the Vaida’s headquarters and into a running tackle-hug from Sitry. “Oh Kalai, I could kill you right now! You got to see the Great Barrier Reef in person, you bitch!” Sitry’s cheerful voice was muffled from where she was still buried in her chest. Kalai staggered backwards a pace or two, happy to be back from her whirlwind adventure around Earth with her father.
Naranjo and Papa Rhaxiid were there on the platform to welcome her back too, but their welcomes were more sedate.
“Not to mention you got out of work for half our damn trip. Ugh, it’s so not fair!” Naranjo huffed as Kalai gave him a sisterly hug.
Papa Rhaxiid reached up and chucked her chin before turning to lead the way back inside from the forested platform. “Welcome back, sweet-sprout, we’ve missed you. Come on, we’ll get you settled again and off to work. There’s quite a bit you need to catch up on if you want your credits.”
The chuckles from the twins behind her were full of sibling malice, but she knew how to shut the pair of them up. “Papa Rhaxiid? I’ve got the paper on Biodiversity in the Reef you asked for, along with the dissection report and stomach content analysis of the tuna we caught. I want to put the finishing touches on it and do a final proofread first before I send them to you.” The man turned and gave her a warm smile as they entered the building.
“Good, why don’t you go take your things back up and say hello to Andy? I’ll give you an hour and a half to get freshened up, then I want you to report to Aquarium 12 with Dr. Sor’ansa. You can put your snorkeling practice to work there.” Papa Rhaxiid walked the three of them to the residential elevator. “I’m heading back to my office. Andy’s been requested by Maetro Pae’ella to work the kitchens for something called ‘Bison burgers'. Apparently it’s a type of indigenous bovine that the eastern Bands raise. That and something from Europe called ‘French Fries’.”
Kalai couldn’t help but get excited as she and her siblings piled into the elevator back to their little shared apartment. Sure the food she’d had all over the place was good, but so far nothing had been able to compare to Andy and his Salishian cooking.
“Nerd, I can’t believe you cheated and did work on your vacation." Naranjo broke the silence of the elevator after a little bit and stuck his tongue out at her.
“Spit to windward, you vain little weed. Don’t hate me because I’m awesome.” Kalai’s riposte caused Naranjo to fold his arms and huff. Sitry simply ambushed her with an ear flick.
The elevator door opened to their floor before Kalai couldn’t bear the silence from Sitry any longer. “So, did you bag him yet, you lucky bitch?”
“No she hasn’t!” Naranjo’s singsong mockery of his sister interrupted Sitry’s response. “Papa hasn’t let Sitry even NEAR Andy without one of them around!”
“Rub it in, you snitch, besides, he did kiss me first,” Sitry preened happily as she playfully shoved Kalai’s shoulder.
Kalai pretended to stumble and almost caught Sitry’s foot, but she was just a hair too slow. “Yeah, and then you gave him a black eye, you clod.”
“Will you let it go? It was an accident!”
“It’s not even the only one he got either." Naranjo’s interjection stopped her right in front of their door.
“Wait, what? Who hurt him this time?” Kalai let her bag thunk to the floor as she turned to look accusingly between Sitry and Narny.
Sitry folded her arms and her ears twitched back as she shot a dark look at their door. “He ‘fell down’ yesterday while out at one of the Hatcheries we gave to the Hwatcoms. Mrs. Toloui nearly had a fit! She said she could smell another human on him and that he was covered in blood!”
Narny nodded primly as Kalai tried to process what they were telling her. “WHAT? Did she call out the militia? Track down whoever hurt him?”
“No, and he refused treatment and insisted that no one did it to him! When papa tried to talk to him, Andy said some stupid human macho shit about pain healing and birds liking scars. I don’t know, sometimes humans… they’re frickin’ insane!”
The door shot open and there stood Andy. His left eye was an angry puffy yellow and blue mess, and there were three points on his lips where a dark cinnabar line marked a crack. Kalai and her siblings stood in wide eyed shock at his sudden appearance and the only sound was the music emanating from the common room behind him.
Andy looked up and down at the three without saying a word. He cocked an eyebrow and snagged Kalai’s bag before any of them could react and cleared the doorway for them.
Kalai sputtered at the impropriety but Naranjo and Sitry just shrugged and walked in after Andy. “Femboys, am I right?” Narny whispered to Kalai as he passed. Kalai followed behind and was greeted by the white fluff-ball, Puck, who hopped up and down, whining for attention. She bent down and started scratching his ears and back. While Puck rubbed up against her hands, Andy settled back down at the table where his omnipad was hooked up to a keypad. Her heart started to sink a bit and Kalai shot Sitry a jealous look before the music came to a sudden halt and Andy interrupted the beginnings of her pity party.
“Ok, Kem’ira, I got the pics now and I’m telling you to declare yourself to the farmers first! I guarantee if you tell them you’re with the new DNR and you’re there to kill all the Scotch Broom in their pasture lands, they’ll stop trying to shoot you for trespassing!”
Kalai’s mood jumped up a bit. It’s not that he doesn’t care to see me, he’s in a meeting!
“No, no I’m not coming out to talk this over with them, I’ve got my own work to do! Either you start talking to folks like I showed you how, or ask the militia to give you one of their armored catsuits to wear under your uniform… Uh-huh, good luck." Andy hung up on the call and leaned back as Puck scampered over and hopped up in his lap.
Andy rubbed his temples before shaking his head. He seemed to relax a bit and Puck slid off to follow Sitry to the kitchen. Andy looked over and gave Kalai a happy smile that made her flush. “Welcome back! So how was the land down under? That tuna was fan-frickin’-tastic, if you aren’t sick of seafood I’ll do something fancy with it tomorrow to celebrate your coming back. Can’t tonight though, I got volun-told to be head chef tonight and I… Oh damnit! I’m late! Come to dinner, burgers and fries Indian style tonight. Gotta run!” With that, Andy went dashing out the door with Puck barking and scrambling along after him.
Kalai felt her heart sink back down again, as he left. “Andy I-” She started but he was gone.
“Yeah, it’s been like that for the whole week. The only time we get to hang out is dinner.” Sitry commiserated as she took Kalai’s bag into their room. “On the other hand, we might get to catch up during the family meal tonight.”
Kalai and Narny were already silently plotting with each other for their revenge against their sister who had won and refused to share the last few matchsticks when Andy finally joined their table. He was sweaty and he smelled of woodsmoke and french fries. Kalai jumped up and offered him a seat next to her with a nervous smile. He took it gratefully and seemed to sag a bit as he gulped down a glass of water.
“Andy, I think you may be finding your calling as a culinary ambassador,” Mama Aftasia beamed. “A toast to the chef!”
Andy gave a shy smile and looked down as Kalai and the rest of the family gave a hearty ‘Here, here!”
“It’s a simple enough recipe; it’s just using bison instead of cow, that’s all, and I don’t know anyone who’d turn down hand cut fresh fries. It’s kind of hard to screw up.”
“Young man, you are speaking to a woman who found a way to take cold water and dried wumpa flakes and wind up with a Class-4 fire. Cooking has always seemed like ‘blight mysticism’ to me, and these foods? These flavors? Nothing short of a Greenwood miracle in my opinion." Mama Aftasia continued her praise of Andy, which only caused him to shrink even lower in his seat.
“To be honest, I like your salmon better,” Kalai said, and the whole table went silent. Kalai held her ground though, and was rewarded with a tired but genuine laugh from Andy that brought him back out of his shell.
“You know, I do too. My Clan were fisherpeople, not buffalo chasers.” Andy gave Kalai a cheeky grin, which she returned happily, her heart glowing. Mama Aftasia and Mama Sakalbi both blinked in bemusement at Andy’s statement while Sitry just giggled.
“Speaking of which, Andy, I received a call from Elder Alex Hwatcom.” Papa Rhaxiid’s change of subject instantly perked Andy up, and he stared silently, waiting. “He extended an invitation to our family to attend his family gathering this Friday-”
“Alex said that? He used those words?” Andy shook his head in shock as he interrupted Papa Rhaxiid. The table went quiet and everyone held their breath as they looked between the two men.
Papa Rhaxiid adopted as good an impression of the human Elder as he could. “I’d like to extend an invitation for you and your family to be guests at our family gathering this saturday up at the White… something… lodge-”
“The White Ram Lodge?” Andy sat forward, interjecting again as the color drained from his face.
“Yes, that’s the one! I asked if we could bring anything since the last time they hosted us they put on that wonderful spread. He said if we could bring a few salmon for the family, that would be wonderful.”
Andy leaned back and took another sip of ice water before holding the glass to his blackened eye. “Alex Hwatcom… just invited you… to a gathering… and he told you to ‘bring a few salmon’? Do you realize what a huge honor this is?”
Rhaxiid looked from his wives to his children with mild concern. “Um, I thought it was only dinner, but your reaction tells me there’s more significance to this than I originally thought. I was thinking about our stocks of adult Sockeye, but then I remembered in his story how important King Salmon are. Of course, I’d like to defer to you for the choice since you know these animals and the cultural expectations with this invitation better than we do.”
Andy was silent for a moment before he put the glass down. “I’d recommend a ‘hard no’ to all your clone stock!” Now it was the Vaidas’ turn to be shocked, as each of Kalai’s Erbian family’s jaws dropped in synch. Before anyone could say anything, Andy continued, “You need to bring wild-caught. Farm-raised salmon wouldn’t… well we can tell, and you can taste the difference between them. We need to go fishing!” Kalai leaned towards Andy slightly as he lowered his head and started mumbling to himself. She was just able to make out what he was saying to himself as Mama Sakalbi and Mama Aftasia began whispering to each other. “...need to get the Gillnetter out of storage, check what’s running and select the mesh. I’m gonna need a deckhand too.”
Kalai reached a hand out but stopped short of touching him. “Andy?”
He popped up and spoke for the whole table to hear. “I need a shuttle to the mainland and a waiver against the fishing ban. I’ve got to get my boat and the drum ready for sea ” Rhaxiid and Aftasia sputtered in confusion, but Mama Sakalbi had a shadow fall over her, and her ears pulled back.
“Do you mean to say you want to go out on the water? Risk the ecological balance for… dinner?”
Andy looked Sakalbi dead in the eye and gave her a firm nod. “Why don’t you come out and see how we did this before you got here. Think of it as a chance to see the way we’ve fished for the last hundred or so years, and then I can explain the way we used to fish before that.”
The offer snapped Rhaxiid out of his confusion and he brightened. “A learning experience? Wonderful, we’ll make a day of it!” His hands shot out to grab both his wives’ and Kalai could feel the vibrations in the floor from where he was excitedly tapping his feet.
“If you don’t mind hard, smelly work. Uncle Willy always called it ‘the worst desk in the prettiest office.' It’ll be a bit cramped, but I’ve got room on the boat for a few guests and observers; four I think would be ok. She’s a working boat, not a pleasure cruiser,” Andy explained. That sent the whole lot of them excitedly talking among themselves.
Kalai was about to lean in to talk to Mama Aftasia, but Andy caught her attention first. “I don’t suppose you’d want to go back out on the water, given you just got back from pleasure-boating-”
Kalai’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. “I wouldn’t miss it for my own colony planet!”
--------------------
Kalai stood on the pier, bundled in her thermal sailor’s coat. It was still dark and the wind blew from the north in a cold little morning breeze. Kalai took a deep breath and reveled in the smell of the fresh sea air. The soft chattering of Mama Sakalbi’s teeth broke the silence. “It’s a bit chillier than it said it was going to be.”
“The water always does that. It’s never as warm as the lubbers say it’ll be,” Papa spoke as he handed her back her thermos of hot chocolate.
Papa stood next to Kalai and nudged her with his elbow. Even in the dark, Kalai could see him smile up at her and jerk his head at the shivering Erbian. He was also wearing a thermal sailor’s coat, and his hands were stuffed in his pockets to keep them warm, just like Kalai’s. “Landswoman,” he whispered to her and the two of them shared a knowing smile. It was strange, but welcome when she'd told Papa about her upcoming day fishing with Andy, and he’d politely requested to join them. Papa Rhaxiid had graciously given his spot up to accommodate her birth father. Narny was all for it until Andy had explained what they were going to do, but then surrendered his challenge to the fourth guest space, not wanting to go anywhere NEAR anything that could see him come face to face with a Lion’s Mane Jelly. Sitry had done a happy little dance when she found out, but only yesterday had come down with Thistle Fever, and was bundled off to bed by her parents. It left Kalai, Mama Sakalbi, and Papa to accompany Andy on his fishing trip.
The water brushed against the shore behind them quietly. In the gloom, Kalai could just barely make out the outline of the nearest island mountain, but only because the stars had disappeared behind it. It was almost four in the morning, but Kalai had managed a catnap on the shuttle to the empty little lot that had been the boat launch. Aside from the water, the world was silent. Even the breeze made almost no noise and a sense of peace surrounded them. Everything was so calm, Kalai felt like she didn’t have a care in the world.
In the distance, a low rumbling sound of a motor rose from being almost imperceptible to a rolling drum of thunder. From around the point, two green floating lights sped through the darkness, and a spotlight turned on. The beam of light moved jerkily until it came to rest on the pier where they were standing and Kalai started waving her arms. Sakalbi’s omnipad rang, and Andy’s voice shouted over the speaker and the background noise for them to shine a light on the edge of the pier to help him park the boat.
Kalai and Papa moved closer and turned their omnipad flashlights on and waved them as the boat swung gracefully around and glided in alongside them. Kalai caught the rope that flew over the railing of the boat and she heard more than saw Andy moving around on the deck as she tied off on one of the mooring cleats. Several lights clicked on and the deck was bathed in light enough for Kalai to get a clear view of the boat they’d be spending the day on.
Andy hadn’t lied. Kalai saw that this little vessel was a working boat with no frills at all. When he’d told her they’d be going fishing, she’d envisioned something like the charter boat papa had taken her on out of Nantucket. Sporty, fast with a nod to comfort and function. This was not that at all. A giant wheel as wide as Kalai’s outstretched arms that looked like a sideways spool of thread was secured to the deck amidships and dominated the deckspace. Wrapped around it was a fluorescent green tangle with a line of oblong white and yellow corks and rope. There was a covered hatchway sitting behind the drum in front of the raised step to the enclosed cabin. Two large windows let the light out to two children’s bunks, a little table with a booth seat and a raised captain’s chair in front of the helm and engine controls. Andy shut down the engine and that peaceful stillness returned.
“Oway there!” Kalai called, “ship oway! Request permission to come aboard.” Kalai gave the traditional greeting of a Shil’vati sailor.
“Permission granted! Anyone need a stepstool?” Andy finally stepped into the light and Kalai got a look at him. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and the same bright orange coveralls she’d seen the fishmongers wearing on their date.
“I wouldn’t mind a hand, Mr. Shelokset.” Papa He’osforos braced a foot on the railing of the boat and Andy pulled him up.
“Just call me Andy, Doc, and welcome aboard. Jackie should be along any minute now with the day’s groceries, and the cabin’s out of the cold. You can get yourself set wherever you find comfortable.” Papa nodded and disappeared around the other side of the wheel moving towards the bow.
Kalai helped Mama Sakalbi into the boat next, and she quickly ducked into the cabin that took up the entire stern section save for a little ledge that ran along the outside. Andy gripped Kalai’s hand and she smiled as he pulled her deftly aboard. The boat rocked a little on its mooring, and Kalai almost fell into Andy, who wordlessly put his arms around her waist to catch her as she lost her balance. She flailed for a moment before she steadied herself against him.
“Gotcha,” Andy smiled, and Kalai could see him flush almost as much as she could feel herself doing as their noses almost touched. Those big dark brown eyes surrounded by white orbs drew her in and she felt she could lose herself in them. Kalai started as Andy danced her around him and moved her towards the cabin door.
“It might be a little cramped for you in there, but the Mary Jean wasn’t built for pleasure boating, she’s a working girl. Sit tight, I gotta check a few things in the back.” Andy patted the railing affectionately before he hopped up and scooted along the outside of the cabin towards the stern. Kalai couldn’t help the little longing groan that came out as he left her there on the little tiny quarterdeck. Her heart was hammering in her chest as half formed fantasies danced at the edges of her mind.
“I saw that, little minnow.” Papa’s voice was soft, but his tone and the sudden broken silence nearly gave her a heart attack.
Kalai could only stammer as her father stared at her with a cocked eyebrow. A thump from the cabin window behind saw an amused Mama Sakalbi daintily sipping at her thermos with her ears twitched forward in interest, staring out at her. “Papa I… he-”
Papa moved carefully around the covered hatchway to stand next to her, leaning back against the cabin window and heaved a sigh. “I must say I’m surprised. This lovely man’s got good clean lines and is very well cared for. It speaks well of his Skipper.”
It took a full minute for Kalai’s brain to process that he was talking about the boat and not Andy. “And the way Andy brought him in smooth in near complete darkness? It gives me confidence in his abilities.”
Kalai breathed a silent sigh of relief and exasperation. Although she was happy to be spending more time with her father, bringing him on what she’d hoped would be a sailing date wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind for ‘family time’. He wants me to find a nice young man and spend time with him on a boat, but the first chance I get Papa decides to clam-jam me.
From up on shore, the sound and lights of a large human vehicle screeching to a halt heralded the last of their party to arrive. Kalai heard the clomping footsteps coming down the pier and moved to the railing to lend a hand.
“Ahoy Mary Jean! Raggedy Andy, you there?” Kalai stared with wide eyed surprise to see a human female, loaded down with plastic bags and sporting two human weapons on her shoulder. The two of them locked eyes, and while Kalai didn’t understand everything the girl shouted in surprise, she had caught and understood the phrase, “What the fuck?”
“Easy now, they’re my guests, and the one inside is the boss!” Andy appeared on the pier instantly before either Kalai or the woman could react further.
“Ya didn’t tell me we were having pur-” The woman glared at Kalai and her father. She had switched to Vatikre thankfully, but her tone was hostile as she dropped everything but her weapons. “I mean, hwun’eetums, aboard. A gal could get the wrong idea pretty quick in the dark when there’s no warning.”
“Knock it off Jackie. Let’s get the grub aboard and shove off.” Andy picked up some of the bags and took the guns as Kalai offered a helping hand over the railing. “Oh, Kalai, this is Jackie. Jackie? Kalai. That’s her dad over there, Doc He’osforos. He saw and treated Kay Tee a few years back.” Andy jerked his head towards the direction of Kalai’s father as she held out a hand to the human girl. On a quick inspection, she appeared to be about the same age as her and Andy. She had a round face and was about as dark complected as Andy was. She was shorter, only a few inches taller than Papa, but when Jackie grabbed Kalai’s hand to hop up onto the rail, she could feel the strength and the compact muscle hidden by the baggy sweatshirt and pants.
“Wait a minute, did you say Mini-Me over there saw Kay Tee? You’re fuckin’ with me!” Jackie stumbled a bit as she hopped down onto the deck with a loud thunk and advanced on Papa who shrank away at her advance. “You saw li’l Kay Tee? Where the fuck is he? Is he alright? Is he still fighting the good fight?”
“Last I saw, yes, he was ‘fighting the good fight.’” Papa looked over at Andy with a slightly worried expression. Andy smacked the girl in the back of the head, causing her to flinch and she opened the door to the cabin for Andy to go inside.
Jackie rubbed the back of her head and laughed. “Well that’s a little bit of alright, innit? Maybe today’s gonna be a good day after all!”
“Jackie, get suited up and get on the bow. I need a good pair of eyes on the roller horns,” Kalai heard Andy shout from the cabin, followed by a whole lot of thumping and banging from cabinets being opened and closed.
“You got it, ol’ man. We going to your place or mine?” Jackie sidestepped in and opened a tiny little closet and pulled out a set of rain gear that was identical to what Andy was wearing. Kalai collected herself and stood in the doorway next to her father as they both leaned in.
“Mine; Chuck said the Yaw’much are running from the South. We’ll do a set nor’west of Lummi in the Rosario and see if we can get some Fraser Kings,” Andy replied as he turned the engine back on and the vessel roared to life.
“Chuck? Isn’t that one of your cousins? I didn’t know he could keep track of the movements of Salmon, may I ask how he does it?” Mama Sakalbi perked up as she pulled a set of earplugs out of a pocket and inserted them.
Andy prevaricated a bit, looking from Jackie back to Sakalbi then to Kalai and Papa. “I’d rather not answer that-”
“Breakin’ the law, breakin’ the law! Breakin’ the law, breakin’ the law!”
Jackie began singing a human song, and Andy threw her the dirtiest of looks as she finished getting into the orange coveralls. Mama Sakalbi sputtered as Andy shrugged apologetically.
“Make a hole!” Jackie called, and she and Andy came back out as Kalai and Papa made room for them. Andy hopped back onto the dock to cast off while Papa ducked into the cabin.
“Can I help?” Kalai offered as Andy shoved the vessel off and leapt the gap over the black water below.
“You want to be useful? Come forward! I could use an extra set of eyes!” Jackie called back, and Kalai felt a slap on her shoulder from the boisterous human woman.
------------------
Andy stood at the helm, watching Jackie and Kalai as he leaned to get a better view of them past the Net drum. The bow was lifting up again, and the gentle little swells became like speed bumps, jostling them up and down in a predictable bouncing rhythm.
“Are you sure you couldn’t slow down, Andy? It’s a bit rough, don’t you think?” Sakalbi was hanging on to the table and her thermos with a worried expression on her face.
“I could, but we’ll miss the morning set. We want to bomb out the buoy right when the tide changes. If we’re lucky, then we’ll get around seventy or eighty by slack tide this afternoon and call it a day.”
“How do you know where to fish?” Dr. He’osforos was making a good show of standing and maintaining his balance with his hand on the booth.
“Well, there’s two ways you know. The first is you fish the spots your family’s fished since time began. Every family has about two or three different secret spots that we know there’s fish in, and we’re pretty defensive about their locations. The second is by smell. Right now it’s the tail end of the King season, and you can smell them in the water.” Andy turned and saw the incredulity etched on the faces of the two aliens.
“No, I’m serious! King Salmon slime is really pungent, and you can smell them when they’re close to the surface. We get to the fishing spot and take a deep whiff. If we smell them, we’ll set the nets.” Andy laughed at the disbelief on their faces as the GPS on his omnipad beeped and he turned to sail around the last buoy and head for the fishing ground.
“I’ve never noticed that in any of the Kings we’ve raised-”
Andy suppressed a laugh as they caught a larger swell as they left the lee of Lummi Island. Andy reveled in the feeling of weightlessness as the deck rose up and fell out from underneath their feet, leaving everyone suspended for a moment in midair before falling back down. A massive spray of water rose and washed over the deck, drenching Kalai and Jackie, who were still forward. “Cloned and farmed Kings don’t have that same smell. Wild ones smell and taste different, I’m telling you!” Andy pulled back slightly on the throttle as they climbed the next swell. “Brace!” he called as they climbed and fell once again.
There was a look of fear on Sakalbi’s face as she gripped the table for dear life, but to Andy’s surprise, the Doctor looked completely unfazed, and was handling the rise and fall of the deck like an old salt. “You look like you’ve done this before, Doc.”
“I’ve done a stint or two at sea before,” he spoke, in the same tone Andy would have used when trying not to sound too confident, and Andy smiled.
“Kalai keeps talking about loving the sea and sailing. Did you teach her to sail?”
“Yes, me and her mothers. When they were home, we would take the family yacht out in the Vaascon Straits and sail around the Occidiens. Kalai practically spent all her early childhood on a sailboat.”
“And almost every waking moment on one in Junior Academy. I swear you couldn’t dig her out with a trowel when she wanted to go sailing,” Sakalbi managed to add in a word as the boat slowed, and the dramatic rise and fall of the deck slowed with it.
“What about you, Mr. Shelokset, did your father teach you to sail too?”
“I was too young before he passed. My Great Uncle Willy taught me after I came home, and Grandma took me out to the family fishing sites when she wasn’t busy with the Council. For the first two or three years after they let us come home, fishing was the only way to feed our families, but the Militia and the Cambrians would try and sink our boats or arrest us whenever we tried to go out.”
“And that’s why you’re so good at maneuvering your vessel in the dark with no instruments?” Mrs. Vaida had folded her arms, and her voice twinged with that imperious tone she’d had when they’d first met.
Andy huffed a dry laugh. “I did what I had to for me and my people and to survive, Ma’am. I don’t like breaking the law or dodging lasers and gunfire, but there’s a lot of poor families that need to eat.”
The GPS beeped, and Andy gave Mrs. Vaida a slightly defiant look to counter her furrowed brow. “We’re here,” he said as he threw the engine in neutral and opened the cabin door.
Andy walked out and took a deep breath, but all he could smell was the net and the exhaust from the engine. “HEY JACKIE! WE SMELL MONEY?” Andy yelled out as he took stock of the sky. The first signs of sunrise were chasing all but the morning stars away and a light fog was rolling in from the north.
“FUCK YEAH I CAN SMELL ‘EM, ANDY! LET’S BOMB OUT AND GET BREAKFAST GOING!” Jackie looked slightly manic as she smiled brightly. Kalai, on the other hand, looked wet and miserable as she shivered, arms wrapped around herself. Andy gave his cousin a disgusted look as he pieced together what had happened. Every deckhand learned when to duck behind the raised bow and the roller horns that guided the nets so as not to get a faceful of spray when cutting through a swell. It was also a classic hazing trick for Senior Deckhands to let Junior Deckhands learn this the hard way.
Andy moved forward to stand in front of the two of them. Kalai was trying to squeeze her coat dry, but Andy knew it wouldn’t do much good until the sun came out. Jackie at least had the sense to look a little remorseful. “Kalai, why don’t you go sit in the cabin and get out of that wet coat. It’s cold enough out here even for us-”
“No way, Andy. Junior deckhand Kally here wants to impress you and get her dainty soft hands dirty! She’s been bragging about being a sailorwoman and wants to learn to fish ‘your way!” Jackie gave Kalai’s shoulder a wet slap as the poor alien woman went blue. Out of cold or embarrassment, Andy couldn’t tell.
All Andy could do was shake his head and huff. “Ok then! Secure the buoy and sling on my mark. I’ll get us in position!” Andy couldn’t help but chuckle as he heard Jackie start ordering Kalai about. Andy went back into the cabin and looked in the closet/bathroom to see if there was anything hanging up that he could give Kalai. There was only the one rain slicker and a few of Andy’s old sweaters from when he was a lot smaller. Well, looks like I’ll just be cold today. He quickly stripped out of his sweatshirt and grabbed the slicker before throwing a switch on the main control. Dr. He’osforos and Mrs. Vaida threw him quizzical looks as he went back outside wearing less than when he came in. He was down to a sleeveless shirt and his coveralls, and the morning breeze cut right through him and he braced his jaw to keep it from chattering.
“We’re ready to go- Andy, why are you practically naked from the waist up?” Kalai was staring wide eyed at him as he approached her and Jackie was on the bow. Jackie had everything ready; the buoy line was strung through the horns and ready to toss out. A giant orange and blue beach ball sized float hung at the end of the line to mark the end and make it easier to pick up later.
“Trade me your coat for these. If Jackie’s putting you to work, you’ll need these to keep warm.”
“I’m alright, I can-”
“I’m the Skipper of this boat, and I’m ordering you to take off that wet coat and put these on; and Jackie?” Andy gave his cousin a long and piercing look. “Give her the elbow gloves, not the halfsies.”
The scoff and the muttered Salishian profanities meant he’d read the next prank she’d had in mind right. She was planning on giving her the cloth gloves with only the palms and fingers coated in rubber. While perfectly fine for fishing, Andy knew they tended to get soaked through very quickly and did nothing to keep jellyfish stingers and fish slime off your hands. Kalai sputtered for a moment before she complied gratefully and she accepted the dry clothes and rain slicker.
Andy saw Jackie give him a strange look before looking back at Kalai, but he paid it no mind. He walked back to the controls on the drum and switched off the hydraulics, placing the mechanism in neutral. “SLING IT!” Andy called as he took the small jerry rigged steering wheel and threw the boat in reverse. Kalai jumped as the line started unspooling the net into the water at a rapid pace.
Andy set an ‘S’ bend in the quarter mile long net, zigzagging backwards until they came to the end of the line. Andy stopped the boat as Jackie tied off the other large buoy and tossed it over the side, unstringing the cork-line from the roller horns in the process. He pulled hard over and put a bit of distance from the net before shutting the engine down. The line of white and yellow corks marking the net bobbed lazily with the swells as silence settled over the water again. The waves rocked the boat gently as Andy found his sea legs again.
“Alright, I’ll get breakfast going. Jackie, Kalai? Post the watch for seals,” Andy called as he walked back into the cabin to fire up the tiny little gas stove.
Sakalbi, having found the confidence to stand at last, poked her head out of the cabin and stood on by the hatch to the fish hold. “Seals? Why would you need to watch for seals?”
Andy grit his teeth and looked over from where he was cracking open and scrambling eggs. “They’re the spawn of Satan and we hate their guts!” Andy bit out. Jackie came back and pulled the two shotguns and a pair of binoculars from the closet. Andy reached over to a side cabinet and pulled out a box of shells for them. Both his boss and the Doctor’s eyes got wide.
“Seals are the enemy of our blood. Were it not for the invasion, our unending war against these vermin would continue to this day!” Jackie growled as she loaded one for herself and rested the other on Andy’s seat at the helm.
The look of growing horror on Sakalbi’s face towards their facetious declarations caused Andy to chuckle a bit, before launching into an explanation. “We’re not fans of the species because they’ll wait until a fish gets caught in the net and then they’ll steal it, costing us a fish AND ripping a big hole in our nets that we then have to take time to repair. We use the shotguns and buckshot to give them a nice welt and convince them not to hang around, because they’ll wait up on the surface and watch the buoys, just like us. A single seal can and will take between five and ten fish. The worst is when they start getting full, they’ll just bite out the bellies of a salmon in the net. We can’t really do anything with that fish once it’s ‘seal-bit’. So yes, as fishermen, we hate them.”
“Learned opportunism in apex predators as a response to human activity… I think I’ll go see this behavior for myself!” Sakalbi practically rushed out the door towards the bow where Jackie was sitting on the roller horns explaining to Kalai how to spot the bastards, leaving Andy alone in the cabin with the Doctor while he cooked breakfast for them all.
Dr. He’osforos sat down heavily in the booth and pulled out his omnipad. “I’ve had a word with my friend in the Interior. She’s pulled the warrant for your brother, and I’ve withdrawn the charges I filed.”
Andy froze and turned around slowly. The only sound was the sizzle and pop of the eggs and chorizo that he’d added to them in the skillet. “You mean… it’s done? He can come home?” A wave of light headed euphoria swept over Andy and he swayed with the gentle rocking of the boat. “I will pay you back, Doc-”
The doctor held up his hand and stopped Andy. “We’ll call it even, but there’s something… I was able to get my hands on this,” Andy watched as the doctor swiped something towards his omnipad and it dinged. “What is it if I may-”
“Are you really asking an Indian to tell you a story? Because it’s going to be a long one if you are.” “I’m Sevastutavan, young man; we invented long stories.”
Andy froze and stared at the screen of his omnipad. The Vatikre was heavily accented, and Andy had a bit of trouble with the unfamiliar accent, but centered in the frame in a hospital room, sitting in a wheelchair, was a Salishian boy. Andy blinked in surprise as he stared at the screen. “Is that-”
“I am Ikw’is’hi’ehlah, and this bearer is… of the Orca Clan Sheloksets. I drove our Haida enemies onto the rocks and took many heads when they attacked our winter village on Orcas Island. I signed the Treaty with the Great White Father and I fought against the slavers of the south-”
Andy wanted to grab the omnipad but the smell of overcooking eggs brought his attention back to breakfast and Andy stirred and scrapped the food quickly, trying to save it.
“I asked her for any materials she could give me on your brother. Pictures, recordings, anything. This is what she gave me. It's the last known recording of your brother during an interrogation conducted by a Navy Commissar prior to his escape. It seems he made friends with a Pod of Deaths Head Commandos. Quite a bit of the recording has been redacted, but… there are portions of it where he talks about his family and his history. I thought you might like to have it.”
Andy hurriedly pulled out paper plates and a slice of bread for everyone and scooped a heaping portion of the chorizo eggs onto them. He handed the doctor his before leaning out the cabin door. “Slop’s on, come and get it!”
Andy sat down after moving the shotgun out of the way and started the video over again as the three women came back to grab their plates and lost himself watching his brother start telling his story.
“What’s that?” Andy heard Kalai ask over his shoulder, and he paused the video.
“That’s my brother! That’s Kay Tee!”
“Holy shit, what?” Jackie nearly shoved Kalai into Andy as she jammed her bread slice down her gullet and crowded in to see the screen.
Andy started the video over a second time and they watched in silence. “God, that brings back memories. Back when mom was still alive and before we broke up the warband. I can’t believe that slippery little punk ghosted a pod of Commandos for two fucking years! Holy shit, that’s badass!”
Before Andy could say anything, Sakalbi started coughing and brought the binoculars up. “Uh, Andy? Jackie? What do we do about sharks?”
Jackie looked at Andy in confusion. “Sharks? There’s nothing but Dogs around here.”
“Well those are shark fins and they’re charging the net!” Sakalbi pointed and Andy looked up to see dorsal fins charging the center of the net.
Andy looked at Jackie and spoke the same words in tandem, “Oh shit!”
First:
https://www.reddit.com/Sexyspacebabes/comments/yz0u3h/the_cryptid_chronicle_chapter_1/
Previous:
https://www.reddit.com/Sexyspacebabes/comments/13nh0oe/cryptid_chronicle_chapter_29/
Next:
To be posted 6/4/23
2023.05.28 04:36 Millsonius MSI Monitor Disconnect Sound
I have a MSI MPG Artymis 273CQR. When I have the USB A to USB B cable plugged in and have the monitor turned off (I use my PC as a media centre attached to my TV when not gaming at my desk), every few minutes the USB disconnect sound will play, followed by the USB connect sound twice. I am on Windows 10.
I dont know if this makes any difference, but I have my wireless headset and mouse plugged into the monitor charging. I have the monitor plugged into my PC using a DP 2.0 cable. I have the monitor power button set to "Standby" as without that setting, my programs shift around when powering on/off the monitor.
The steps I have already taken to resolve this are to turn off the auto input detect, I have it set to DP only. Also I have disabled the USB supsend setting in the Windows power settings. I have updated my BIOS because I read that my motherboards BIOS had a USB chipset bug and thought this was causing the issue.
If anyone has any other troubleshooting steps I could take to attempt to resolve this I would be grateful. If anyone else has had this issue, I would appreciate hearing your experience in resolving the problem.
If it comes to it, I will just disable to connect/disconnect sound. But i would rather resolve the issue properly.
I apologise if the text formatting is bad, I am writing this on mobile.
Thanks.
submitted by Millsonius to MSI_Gaming [link] [comments]
I dont know if this makes any difference, but I have my wireless headset and mouse plugged into the monitor charging. I have the monitor plugged into my PC using a DP 2.0 cable. I have the monitor power button set to "Standby" as without that setting, my programs shift around when powering on/off the monitor.
The steps I have already taken to resolve this are to turn off the auto input detect, I have it set to DP only. Also I have disabled the USB supsend setting in the Windows power settings. I have updated my BIOS because I read that my motherboards BIOS had a USB chipset bug and thought this was causing the issue.
If anyone has any other troubleshooting steps I could take to attempt to resolve this I would be grateful. If anyone else has had this issue, I would appreciate hearing your experience in resolving the problem.
If it comes to it, I will just disable to connect/disconnect sound. But i would rather resolve the issue properly.
I apologise if the text formatting is bad, I am writing this on mobile.
Thanks.
2023.05.28 03:55 Drakolf The Test:
[This is an aftermath sequel to Sanctuary. Please read it for context.]
Humans could get used to anything, given enough time and patience.
Intellectually, I am aware that I used to be Human, that prior to my exit from the dungeon, I'd had an entirely different life, that everything I knew from my past was a convenient lie to keep me trapped and servile.
There are many fanciful tales of Humans being taken, and through sheer willpower recalling their past lives and successfully destroying a dungeon's Core.
I know better, and I tell that to every would-be Adventurer who walks in through those doors.
When we were safely out of danger, John, Jimmy, and myself had come to an impasse on how to proceed. My entire life was gone, I was a monster, pure and simple, and even standing benignly in town got me more than a few terrified looks.
Dungeon Withdrawal is not unlike recovering from an addiction, I had to be locked up in a cell because every now and again, I got violent, demanding a Human to take me to the nearest dungeon.
The irony was not lost on me as I was indeed brought to a dungeon.
They kept me fed on a ration of meat and milk, both of which tasted horrible to me, because a dungeon sustains its monsters through mana, it's why several vicious monsters could coexist without killing each other.
But as it ran its course, the food began to taste better, and though they kept me for a week longer than necessary, once I was fully removed from the dungeon's influence, I was free to go.
John and Jimmy couldn't stay, they still had their own lives to live, and returning home victorious with both their manhoods intact was certainly going to make their lives easier.
They took one fourth of the loot each, at my direction, during one of my more lucid moments, and they ensured the Adventurer's Guild kept my half safe for me.
When I went to the Guild for my loot, it was given to me, coinage exchanged for viable currency, offers made on magic items that I staunchly refused to sell until I knew what I was going to do with my life.
Plus, that dagger is mine, I killed for it.
Because I didn't have any life to return to, the only clue being a letter that meant nothing to me taken from the body of a brother whose memory was utterly gone, save for the fact that my first and only look at him was a split skull and the look of fear in his eyes.
I didn't mention the funerary cannibalism to anyone, even if I didn't have any issue with it, the Humans certainly did and dragged me away from the body before I could even begin to explain.
It was the least I could do for someone who had once meant something to me.
The Guild also offered me a job, Monstrous Adventurers were valuable, they couldn't be taken by a dungeon with the right protections- and I had those protections tattooed beneath my scales- and their innate understanding of how a dungeon worked gave most adventuring parties an edge.
Plus, dungeon Cores were pretty, and could do practically anything if you removed it and bound it to you. Which I did. More on that later.
They had a Grandmaster Wizard try to recall my memories, he couldn't, the letter only indicated an empty house with very little of note or value to me, but since it was mine, I sold it for a modest sum.
It was a pair of brothers who entered the Guild, the sight of them joking and laughing dredging up unpleasantly sad emotions that had nothing attached to them except whatever remained of love for a brother that I had.
"We're here to register." The older of the two called out, completely missing the fact that I was there.
"Do you have an entry fee?" I asked as I climbed the step-ladder to address them. They screamed, I yelled, they screamed even louder. It was good fun, I liked scaring Humans.
"Now that you've sufficiently hurt my ears, do you have an entry fee?"
"It's a little lizard thing!"
"Kobold!" I snapped. "I am a Kobold, and you will stop acting like a bloody arse or I will have you thrown out so you can calm down!" Latent hatred for Humanity aside, I didn't have a particularly good temper, and when stabbing was a more efficient way to get your point across, I wasn't allowed my dagger.
They elected to calm down. Progress. They approached cautiously, as all newcomers do, and said, in a hesitant voice. "We're here to register?"
"Congratulations, you've echoed something I've already heard twice. Allow me to echo something a third time. Do. You. Have. An. Entry. Fee?"
"Entry fee?" He asked.
"Yes. An entry fee guarantees you basic armor and weaponry properly assigned for your roles. Without one, you will have to provide your own. The entry fee is fifty silvers."
"We, uh, we don't have enough for that." The younger said.
"We, uh, also don't have any weapons." The elder added.
"Bloody brilliant. You Humans cease to amaze me. Come this way, I can give you a quick job to earn enough to pay. You're going to need this."
I led the duo to a door, this was my door, because before I got a job here, it did not exist.
"Are either of you familiar with dungeon Cores?" I asked.
"They're really powerful." The eldest said with a nod.
"They create dungeons?" The younger asked uncertainly.
I sighed. I really did not have the patience for this. "Beyond this door is a dungeon. It is my dungeon. I aided a party in destroying a dungeon and claimed the core after giving them free rein on the loot."
I opened the door, which led into a recreation of the dungeon I had once called home. That was largely due to the fact that the same dungeon Core that dwelt in this one had come from that one. "Dungeons are graded based on what they create. This is a Grade 1 Dungeon. It is the safest and easiest of dungeons to survive in, and because it is under my command, this one is even safer."
I paused, making sure they understood.
"This dungeon does not have many monsters in it. This makes it the kind where, if you stay too long inside, you become a monster. This is something I cannot change, and I keep it this way because there are people who simply want a completely fresh start. There are ten Kobolds in this dungeon, they are the ones who did not get out in time, even with my help."
"Why are you showing this to us?" The older brother asked.
"Because it is the most expedient way for you to earn enough to pay for the fee, or to find enough armor and weapons to kit yourself out. The Kobolds in this dungeon are passive, but become hostile if you start taking things. Killing them is allowed, I can resurrect them without issue. But do bear in mind they used to be Humans."
I paused again, they nodded.
"You will experience the beginnings of the dungeon claiming you after one hour inside, this will manifest in growing scaly patches, your limbs becoming non-Human..." I explained the process of being claimed, which I described in exact detail. "After twelve hours, if you fail to return, you will be claimed, your memories utterly destroyed, and your will belonging to the dungeon Core."
I looked at both of them. "Now, would you like to opt for a cleaning job instead?"
"Once you lose your memories, you cannot retrieve them." I warned as I led them through the dungeon. I had given them both a dagger to defend themselves, once they staunchly insisted on doing things the expedient way.
They were going to run this dungeon regardless, but under easier terms.
"I was minutes away from being claimed, and I only got out because I had given a pair of Humans a bag of loot that I was damned and determined to retrieve."
I stopped at the first intersection and turned around. I stomped one of my feet. "Now, unless you want to become Kobolds- which I will happily oblige- you will navigate this dungeon by yourselves. I will be observing you, ensuring you don't die, but I won't prevent you from being injured."
I teleported to the Core, its glossy blue surface growing translucent as I observed the Humans running through the hallways.
I raised the floor a step, causing them both to stumble and fall to the floor. "You have triggered a trap." I said. "You are dead now."
They pushed themselves up and kept going. I set a few traps ahead, non-lethal ones, ones designed to capture and hold. The elder brother fell into a small pit, just high enough that he couldn't climb out on his own. The younger brother immediately helped him out.
"Excellent instinct." I said. "Your survival in a dungeon depends on your capacity to cooperate and protect one another."
I directed a Kobold toward their direction. They weren't mindless, certainly intelligent, but utterly incapable of being removed from the dungeon, even if I tried. Severing them simply killed them, returning their mind and soul to the core.
I told him there were intruders who were after our shinies, he immediately attacked.
They were cognizant of what this dungeon was meant to be, a home for myself, and a place to train Adventurers. They understood this intellectually, but they were fanatical when it came to protecting what the dungeon produced.
Even I still got a little grumpy, seeing Humans grabbing my treasures. Generally, the angrier I was by the end of the run, the better their grade.
The Kobold attacked with a dagger. Their duty was to incapacitate and imprison Humans so that they became Kobolds. I let the Humans out, of course, unless they were too far gone by that point, at which point I simply gave them the choice of staying or leaving.
Most people were surprised they elected to leave, though they always came back after they were severed.
The elder brother kicked the Kobold, knocking him down and making him drop the dagger. I watched, and shook my head when they ran.
The Kobold pushed himself up, scooped up his dagger, and went into a side tunnel, moving through the walls and catching up to them. He ambushed them, leaping from the inside of a wall and tackling the younger brother, dagger already jabbing into his side.
The elder brother immediately moved to protect his sibling, and this time, he didn't hesitate to kill.
"The Kobold you just killed is the same one you left alive." I said, the elder brother tensed, horrified. "Understand, you cannot assume you will outrun an enemy, your brother's blood is on your hands, he has paid for your choice."
It was brutal, but it was an important lesson.
I moved a chest and a mimic near them. The mimic was a mindless construct, set to devour or entrap.
The elder brother helped his sibling stand, removing the dagger.
"Congratulations, you have now ensured his stab wound is bleeding freely, in any other dungeon, without any form of healing, this would be a death sentence. Do not remove daggers until you can treat the wound."
He began to panic, looking for anything that would save his brother, likely forgetting I wasn't going to kill them. He spotted the chest and the mimic and rushed over to them. I set up some non-lethal traps, to remind him not to hurry. I even had one resemble a mimic opening up to capture him.
He triggered them all, but managed to avoid getting hit. He hesitated at the chest and mimic.
Good.
He took off one of his boots, letting out a sharp cry of shock as he saw his little toe had transformed. He gingerly touched it, the dungeon Core fed him pleasant sensations to make him want to stay.
Particularly weak-willed Humans would find themselves enjoying the sensations, not realizing that they were becoming monsters, until it was too late.
He pulled his hand back, still unsettled, and threw the boot.
The mimic triggered instantly, grasping at the air in front of it before resetting, taking the boot with it. He took the other boot off, letting out a cry of distress as he saw all of the toes on that foot had already transformed. He threw the boot at the other chest, determined it was safe, and opened it.
The trap struck him in the torso, flinging him backward.
"Remember, your brother is currently sitting on the floor, bleeding, an easy target for the Kobold who's heading in your direction." I said. That was a flat-out lie, but it got him moving. He checked the chest, took out a red potion, and ran for his brother.
He gave the potion to him, the wound sealed shut.
"I'm not evil." I said. "I ensured you would have a means of healing your brother. At the same time, never drink a potion you cannot identify. That could have just as easily been a potion of transformation, or even poison."
"What's a potion of transformation do?" He asked.
"Costs you an hour." I replied. "Outside of a dungeon, it just flat out turns you into a monster. One with memories intact, mind you, but a monster nonetheless."
His brother healed, he led him carefully to the chest and they grabbed the armor within. It was piecemeal, a single pauldron, a breastplate, and a ring.
The younger brother got the breastplate, which shrunk to fit him, the brother wore the pauldron, and picked up the ring. This was a Ring of Binding, it accelerated the process of transformation, it is a cursed item.
I sensed someone entering my dungeon, it was the Guild Master. I teleported him to me. An old man, he was one of the strongest men in the Guild, and that was only because old age had worn him down.
"Prospective members?" He asked.
"Yes, sir." I replied. The older brother stowed the ring in his pocket. "Good instinct, never wear unidentified magic items." They continued, the elder brother removing his ruined socks and going barefoot. They slowed down, started paying attention to their surroundings.
"Do you expect them to survive this?" He asked.
"I do not interfere, Guild Master." I said. "Unless I absolutely have to or it's necessary to teach them a lesson." I looked at him. "The younger brother will absolutely make it out fine, the elder brother might, if he doesn't put on that ring. The moment he puts it on, he would have to run and avoid every threat between him and the exit."
The Guild Master nodded. "I expect-"
That was when the younger brother collapsed.
Dungeonrunning is extremely dangerous, even in this 'tame' one, death was possible.
The younger brother was still alive, but he had certainly fallen unconscious.
"No! Not now!" The elder brother shouted.
"What condition is the younger in?" The Guild Master asked, concerned. I reached out and felt his energy, his soul.
"He has a condition that causes him to faint." I replied. "One that is treatable with medicine, and expensive magic." I shook my head. "He should not have brought his brother with him, now he has dead weight he has to protect.
"Hey! Kobold! Can you help me?" The elder brother asked.
"No." I said. "Interference is not permitted by Guild regulation unless absolutely necessary. Your brother is not dying, he is not in any present danger of death. However, he is along the same level of change as you."
The brother looked desperate. "If I have to rescue him, he will be considered unfit for the job. Indeed, his condition may be serious enough that we could not- in good conscience- put him in anything but a clerical position."
Now, the question remained if the brother was sensible, or stupid.
Given that he almost immediately chose to lift him up and carry him on his back, stupid was the answer.
"A shame." The Guild Master remarked.
I moved some Kobolds in their path, the Guild Master raised his brow. "Are you intentionally sabotaging his progress?" He asked in mock offense.
"It's only sabotage if you intend for them not to succeed." I said. "If he's willing to risk his brother's safety instead of forfeiting his brother's chances of joining the Guild, then he will have to live with the consequences of his actions."
The Kobolds set up an ambush, creating a noticeable fake trap that the elder brother would have to walk around to avoid. To their utter shock, as well as mine, he just ran across it.
"Did he intuit the trap was fake, or was he just that bullheaded?" I asked as the Kobolds moved to intercept. They got ahead of him, prepared an ambush, and the moment he was close, they jumped out, punching and kicking him and cackling with glee.
"I still find it disturbing how monsters delight in Human suffering." The Guild Master remarked.
"Quiet, this is the best part." I said. They tied the elder brother up and dragged the unconscious younger brother into a panel. He screamed out a name. "Daniel!"
"I'm giving him half an hour before I fail him." I said. "That should be enough time to determine his competence."
The elder brother, legs bound together, arms behind his back, began to desperately inch away from where he'd been put, toward the dagger that he had dropped. I nodded approvingly, that was a sensible plan. But then he inched past it and deliberately triggered a trap.
I gaped in absolute shock as the trap sliced cleanly through the ropes, barely missing his wrists. He then got up, grabbed the dagger, and freed himself.
"Resourceful lad." The Guild Master remarked. "Yet his brother has been abducted."
The brother went toward the wall they'd taken Daniel, who was already halfway across the dungeon and heading straight for the holding cells. One of them requested to grab a Transformation Potion to speed things up.
"Reserve that for later." I said. "I want to see how the elder brother handles this."
The brother in question gave up, and began searching around desperately for something. There was a chest nearby with a proper sword and more armor, even a non-cursed magic item and a scroll. He kept searching, keeping his hand along the right wall, until he found it.
"He has an uncanny sense of what he's doing." The Guild Master remarked. "He might be an untrained time mage."
"That would explain the bravado with the fake trap and the willingness to push forward. He might not even be aware of why he's doing what he's doing." I remarked. He threw one of his ruined socks at the chest- "He still had those!?" I yapped- and proceeded to dig through its contents.
By now, his feet were fully Kobold, with his legs beginning to accommodate. He would be off balance for a while.
"Greaves, bracers, a standard short-sword, a werewolf's skin, and a scroll." The Guild Master remarked. "Not a bad find for a dungeon of this caliber."
Werewolf skin was a fun item that turned the wearer into a monster. The effect was effectively the same as being in a newly formed dungeon, and was meant to bring about some diversity to to the monster population.
It was also one of the few ways a monster could return to Human form, if it merged with them.
"Ragnar is a Werewolf, isn't he?" I asked.
"Aye, he is. He's been looking for one of those for his wife."
The brother seemed to know what it was, or at least, what its properties were, and tossed it back into the chest, that's when he pulled out the cursed ring.
"He's going to be sorely disappointed." The Guild Master remarked. "That's a Ring of Binding if I've ever seen one."
The scroll burst into flames, and he looked at the ring, wincing as his mind was filled with knowledge he didn't have before. He stared at the ring in his hand, clearly disappointed by the fact that it was utterly-
"Did he just put it on!?" The Guild Master sputtered. He was right, the brother had put the ring on and was beginning to transform faster. He then opened the wall panel and began following along the path the Kobolds had gone.
"Pull him out." The Guild Master commanded. "You've engineered a desperate situation, and we can clearly see he's not capable of rational thought in such instances."
"No." I said. "Look." The brother was stepping out of the walls, grabbing gear and other items, before going back in. "Kobolds are innately good at dungeoneering. Even in a foreign dungeon, we can figure out where we are in relation to everything else. But in your native one, especially one that's actively claiming you..."
"He's deliberately doing what he can to salvage the situation." The Guild Master remarked. "How much time does he have left?"
"Approximately one hour before the transformation is irreversible, so thirty minutes with the Ring of Binding on." I ran the time in my head. "Even if he manages to rescue his brother in time and gather enough gear for the both of them, by the time we could remove the ring, he would already be a Kobold."
The brother got as much armor on as he could, continued making his way to the holding cells, where Daniel was already bound, the transformation proceeding just as slowly as normal.
His eyes opened, he shifted around on the table, unable to get out.
That's when he began to grow fur.
"He's a Werewolf." I said numbly.
"If his brother doesn't get him out, he'll be a Kobold Werewolf." The Guild Master remarked. "Those are technically among the more powerful of the moderately dangerous monsters, all of the strengths of a Werewolf, plus the innate understanding of a dungeon? Terrifying creatures."
"Don't give me ideas." I said. "Ragnar needs a gift for his wife still, right?"
I moved the chest with the Werewolf Skin over to me and, wincing at the idea of taking it out and removing it from the dungeon, put it into my bag.
The brother was almost there, and Daniel was undergoing a transformation.
"Going unconscious suddenly is a commonality with natural born Werewolves," The Guild Master remarked. "He's still in danger of being claimed by the Dungeon, but this is something he is naturally."
The younger brother broke his restraints, and with a feral growl lunged at the Kobolds, tearing them to shreds and beginning to eat them.
"Ferality, not a good sign." I remarked. "Go get Ragnar ready, I'm on retrieval."
I teleported the Guild Master out, then the elder brother, who looked around in confusion.
"Out. Now. There is an emergency." I said. He ran out of the dungeon, and then I teleported Daniel to the entrance, where he bolted out into the Guild Hall.
I teleported over and saw Ragnar wrestling with Daniel, keeping him pinned to the ground while the older brother stared in confused horror.
"You have ten minutes before your transformation becomes irreversible." I said. He looked at me, "Nine, if you keep staring at me like that."
"What's wrong with my brother? Why is he like that?" He asked.
"Congratulations, you and your brother are natural-born Werewolves, which explains why you had such good flashes of intuition in there, and why you refused to abandon him. Eight minutes."
He held his hand out, but then brought it in, holding it against his chest.
"I don't particularly care if you want to be a Kobold- in fact, I welcome it, we need more Kobolds in this city- but if you do, and you don't want to be, then let me take the ring off."
"I... don't really want to." He said. "All I could think of when I saw the first changes was, I wanted it to go faster."
"Ah." I said. "Well, then. You were doomed from the start. Lovely. Once you're finished with that ring, we'll have it on your brother so he can finish transforming and calm down. Since you're out of the dungeon, you should be relatively safe, but for both of your sakes, we'll need to hold you for a while.
He nodded.
Ragnar finally got Daniel to calm down, he was whimpering, clearly experiencing pain.
"Aye, pup, let it all out." Ragnar said, gently petting his fur. "There's a good pup, inner peace, lad." Daniel started thrashing about again. "Inner peace, not outer squirm!"
"Also, yes, this does count as failing." I said to the elder brother. "However, due to the circumstances- and the fact that your brother would have doubtlessly been a mindless beast if left in there- the Guild Master will talk to you about your options after your holding period."
He nodded. His transformation finished, I clapped him on the back, took the ring, and- with Ragnar's help, got it on the Werewolf pup's finger so he could get it over with faster.
Once the two were in holding, I walked over to Ragnar, pulled out the Werewolf Skin from my bag, and held it out to him.
"You know what to do with this." I said.
He looked surprised, then nodded, taking it. "Aye, lad. I do."
I thought about what other things I needed to do. "Oh, right. I need to resurrect the Kobolds." I said, before walking into my dungeon.
It did take about a week for Daniel to finally calm down.
At first, there was some concern that the nature of his transformation had left him potentially feral, but the morning he was meant to be let out, he was in Human form
I was the one who went in, covered him with a blanket, and put some spare clothes out for him.
"Where am I?"
"A holding cell." I said.
I heard him shoot up, accompanied by a sound I was familiar with, in that his fur suddenly floofed up. "W-what happened to me!?" He howled in fear.
"You are a Werewolf." I said matter-of-factly. I looked at him, he was looking at his claws with a mixture of horror, fear, and joy. I had vague feelings of that same mixture of emotions. "More specifically, at least one of your parents was a Werewolf."
"Wait, then is Jason-?"
"He became a Kobold." I replied. "He used an item to speed up the transformation so he could rescue you. If you had maintained your sanity in that moment, I would not have interfered. But you didn't, and you are going to need training to keep yourself in check whenever you're scared or angry."
"I- see." He said.
"For what it's worth, you won't pass out anymore, so your reason for coming has ultimately resolved itself."
"What's going to happen to Jason?" He asked.
"The same thing that happened to me. He will live." I replied. "He has retained his memories, due to accepting that he was likely going to be lost, just to save you. Even though he could have forfeited at any point like I told him."
"Aye, Kobold, is he safe?"
"Yes." I said.
The door opened, Jason stepped inside, then ran over to his brother and hugged him. "Little big brother, meet big little brother." I snarked.
They both looked at me, and then they laughed. I let them have some time together, to talk and acclimate.
After their reunion, I brought them with me to the Guild Master.
"So." He said. "You have a few options. One, we tattoo dungeon protections on you and have you sign on to helping clearing out dungeons, or two, we let you go, except you return every week so Ragnar can train you to keep yourself under control."
"Dungeon protections?" Jason asked.
I nodded. "We are monsters." I said. "Without the proper protections, a new dungeon can claim you, making you a part of its system." I looked at them both. "I don't think it need said why you should refrain from going inside dungeons without it."
"What happens to those who do?" Daniel asked.
"The dungeon claims them." I said. "They lose their memories of their past life, becoming convinced they always lived in it. They become trapped inside, forever."
They both looked at each other, then looked at us. "We, uh..." Daniel started.
"We actually wanted to go back." Jason replied.
"You want to be claimed by the dungeon." The Guild Master said.
"When I was looking for my brother, all I could think of was how much I liked being there." Jason replied. "That's honestly why I put on the ring."
"And I'm not leaving my brother alone." Daniel said. "We've only had each other our entire lives."
I nodded. "As the master of the dungeon, I will approve this." I said. "Any arguments against, Guild Master?"
He sighed. "Just go." He said.
With the brothers close behind me, I led them to the dungeon entrance. "Understand, by doing this, you are consigning yourself to protecting what is effectively a practice dungeon." I said. "You will be killed and brought back."
Jason nodded. "I know."
He opened the door, and they walked in.
submitted by Drakolf to DrakolfsWritings [link] [comments]
Humans could get used to anything, given enough time and patience.
Intellectually, I am aware that I used to be Human, that prior to my exit from the dungeon, I'd had an entirely different life, that everything I knew from my past was a convenient lie to keep me trapped and servile.
There are many fanciful tales of Humans being taken, and through sheer willpower recalling their past lives and successfully destroying a dungeon's Core.
I know better, and I tell that to every would-be Adventurer who walks in through those doors.
When we were safely out of danger, John, Jimmy, and myself had come to an impasse on how to proceed. My entire life was gone, I was a monster, pure and simple, and even standing benignly in town got me more than a few terrified looks.
Dungeon Withdrawal is not unlike recovering from an addiction, I had to be locked up in a cell because every now and again, I got violent, demanding a Human to take me to the nearest dungeon.
The irony was not lost on me as I was indeed brought to a dungeon.
They kept me fed on a ration of meat and milk, both of which tasted horrible to me, because a dungeon sustains its monsters through mana, it's why several vicious monsters could coexist without killing each other.
But as it ran its course, the food began to taste better, and though they kept me for a week longer than necessary, once I was fully removed from the dungeon's influence, I was free to go.
John and Jimmy couldn't stay, they still had their own lives to live, and returning home victorious with both their manhoods intact was certainly going to make their lives easier.
They took one fourth of the loot each, at my direction, during one of my more lucid moments, and they ensured the Adventurer's Guild kept my half safe for me.
When I went to the Guild for my loot, it was given to me, coinage exchanged for viable currency, offers made on magic items that I staunchly refused to sell until I knew what I was going to do with my life.
Plus, that dagger is mine, I killed for it.
Because I didn't have any life to return to, the only clue being a letter that meant nothing to me taken from the body of a brother whose memory was utterly gone, save for the fact that my first and only look at him was a split skull and the look of fear in his eyes.
I didn't mention the funerary cannibalism to anyone, even if I didn't have any issue with it, the Humans certainly did and dragged me away from the body before I could even begin to explain.
It was the least I could do for someone who had once meant something to me.
The Guild also offered me a job, Monstrous Adventurers were valuable, they couldn't be taken by a dungeon with the right protections- and I had those protections tattooed beneath my scales- and their innate understanding of how a dungeon worked gave most adventuring parties an edge.
Plus, dungeon Cores were pretty, and could do practically anything if you removed it and bound it to you. Which I did. More on that later.
They had a Grandmaster Wizard try to recall my memories, he couldn't, the letter only indicated an empty house with very little of note or value to me, but since it was mine, I sold it for a modest sum.
It was a pair of brothers who entered the Guild, the sight of them joking and laughing dredging up unpleasantly sad emotions that had nothing attached to them except whatever remained of love for a brother that I had.
"We're here to register." The older of the two called out, completely missing the fact that I was there.
"Do you have an entry fee?" I asked as I climbed the step-ladder to address them. They screamed, I yelled, they screamed even louder. It was good fun, I liked scaring Humans.
"Now that you've sufficiently hurt my ears, do you have an entry fee?"
"It's a little lizard thing!"
"Kobold!" I snapped. "I am a Kobold, and you will stop acting like a bloody arse or I will have you thrown out so you can calm down!" Latent hatred for Humanity aside, I didn't have a particularly good temper, and when stabbing was a more efficient way to get your point across, I wasn't allowed my dagger.
They elected to calm down. Progress. They approached cautiously, as all newcomers do, and said, in a hesitant voice. "We're here to register?"
"Congratulations, you've echoed something I've already heard twice. Allow me to echo something a third time. Do. You. Have. An. Entry. Fee?"
"Entry fee?" He asked.
"Yes. An entry fee guarantees you basic armor and weaponry properly assigned for your roles. Without one, you will have to provide your own. The entry fee is fifty silvers."
"We, uh, we don't have enough for that." The younger said.
"We, uh, also don't have any weapons." The elder added.
"Bloody brilliant. You Humans cease to amaze me. Come this way, I can give you a quick job to earn enough to pay. You're going to need this."
I led the duo to a door, this was my door, because before I got a job here, it did not exist.
"Are either of you familiar with dungeon Cores?" I asked.
"They're really powerful." The eldest said with a nod.
"They create dungeons?" The younger asked uncertainly.
I sighed. I really did not have the patience for this. "Beyond this door is a dungeon. It is my dungeon. I aided a party in destroying a dungeon and claimed the core after giving them free rein on the loot."
I opened the door, which led into a recreation of the dungeon I had once called home. That was largely due to the fact that the same dungeon Core that dwelt in this one had come from that one. "Dungeons are graded based on what they create. This is a Grade 1 Dungeon. It is the safest and easiest of dungeons to survive in, and because it is under my command, this one is even safer."
I paused, making sure they understood.
"This dungeon does not have many monsters in it. This makes it the kind where, if you stay too long inside, you become a monster. This is something I cannot change, and I keep it this way because there are people who simply want a completely fresh start. There are ten Kobolds in this dungeon, they are the ones who did not get out in time, even with my help."
"Why are you showing this to us?" The older brother asked.
"Because it is the most expedient way for you to earn enough to pay for the fee, or to find enough armor and weapons to kit yourself out. The Kobolds in this dungeon are passive, but become hostile if you start taking things. Killing them is allowed, I can resurrect them without issue. But do bear in mind they used to be Humans."
I paused again, they nodded.
"You will experience the beginnings of the dungeon claiming you after one hour inside, this will manifest in growing scaly patches, your limbs becoming non-Human..." I explained the process of being claimed, which I described in exact detail. "After twelve hours, if you fail to return, you will be claimed, your memories utterly destroyed, and your will belonging to the dungeon Core."
I looked at both of them. "Now, would you like to opt for a cleaning job instead?"
"Once you lose your memories, you cannot retrieve them." I warned as I led them through the dungeon. I had given them both a dagger to defend themselves, once they staunchly insisted on doing things the expedient way.
They were going to run this dungeon regardless, but under easier terms.
"I was minutes away from being claimed, and I only got out because I had given a pair of Humans a bag of loot that I was damned and determined to retrieve."
I stopped at the first intersection and turned around. I stomped one of my feet. "Now, unless you want to become Kobolds- which I will happily oblige- you will navigate this dungeon by yourselves. I will be observing you, ensuring you don't die, but I won't prevent you from being injured."
I teleported to the Core, its glossy blue surface growing translucent as I observed the Humans running through the hallways.
I raised the floor a step, causing them both to stumble and fall to the floor. "You have triggered a trap." I said. "You are dead now."
They pushed themselves up and kept going. I set a few traps ahead, non-lethal ones, ones designed to capture and hold. The elder brother fell into a small pit, just high enough that he couldn't climb out on his own. The younger brother immediately helped him out.
"Excellent instinct." I said. "Your survival in a dungeon depends on your capacity to cooperate and protect one another."
I directed a Kobold toward their direction. They weren't mindless, certainly intelligent, but utterly incapable of being removed from the dungeon, even if I tried. Severing them simply killed them, returning their mind and soul to the core.
I told him there were intruders who were after our shinies, he immediately attacked.
They were cognizant of what this dungeon was meant to be, a home for myself, and a place to train Adventurers. They understood this intellectually, but they were fanatical when it came to protecting what the dungeon produced.
Even I still got a little grumpy, seeing Humans grabbing my treasures. Generally, the angrier I was by the end of the run, the better their grade.
The Kobold attacked with a dagger. Their duty was to incapacitate and imprison Humans so that they became Kobolds. I let the Humans out, of course, unless they were too far gone by that point, at which point I simply gave them the choice of staying or leaving.
Most people were surprised they elected to leave, though they always came back after they were severed.
The elder brother kicked the Kobold, knocking him down and making him drop the dagger. I watched, and shook my head when they ran.
The Kobold pushed himself up, scooped up his dagger, and went into a side tunnel, moving through the walls and catching up to them. He ambushed them, leaping from the inside of a wall and tackling the younger brother, dagger already jabbing into his side.
The elder brother immediately moved to protect his sibling, and this time, he didn't hesitate to kill.
"The Kobold you just killed is the same one you left alive." I said, the elder brother tensed, horrified. "Understand, you cannot assume you will outrun an enemy, your brother's blood is on your hands, he has paid for your choice."
It was brutal, but it was an important lesson.
I moved a chest and a mimic near them. The mimic was a mindless construct, set to devour or entrap.
The elder brother helped his sibling stand, removing the dagger.
"Congratulations, you have now ensured his stab wound is bleeding freely, in any other dungeon, without any form of healing, this would be a death sentence. Do not remove daggers until you can treat the wound."
He began to panic, looking for anything that would save his brother, likely forgetting I wasn't going to kill them. He spotted the chest and the mimic and rushed over to them. I set up some non-lethal traps, to remind him not to hurry. I even had one resemble a mimic opening up to capture him.
He triggered them all, but managed to avoid getting hit. He hesitated at the chest and mimic.
Good.
He took off one of his boots, letting out a sharp cry of shock as he saw his little toe had transformed. He gingerly touched it, the dungeon Core fed him pleasant sensations to make him want to stay.
Particularly weak-willed Humans would find themselves enjoying the sensations, not realizing that they were becoming monsters, until it was too late.
He pulled his hand back, still unsettled, and threw the boot.
The mimic triggered instantly, grasping at the air in front of it before resetting, taking the boot with it. He took the other boot off, letting out a cry of distress as he saw all of the toes on that foot had already transformed. He threw the boot at the other chest, determined it was safe, and opened it.
The trap struck him in the torso, flinging him backward.
"Remember, your brother is currently sitting on the floor, bleeding, an easy target for the Kobold who's heading in your direction." I said. That was a flat-out lie, but it got him moving. He checked the chest, took out a red potion, and ran for his brother.
He gave the potion to him, the wound sealed shut.
"I'm not evil." I said. "I ensured you would have a means of healing your brother. At the same time, never drink a potion you cannot identify. That could have just as easily been a potion of transformation, or even poison."
"What's a potion of transformation do?" He asked.
"Costs you an hour." I replied. "Outside of a dungeon, it just flat out turns you into a monster. One with memories intact, mind you, but a monster nonetheless."
His brother healed, he led him carefully to the chest and they grabbed the armor within. It was piecemeal, a single pauldron, a breastplate, and a ring.
The younger brother got the breastplate, which shrunk to fit him, the brother wore the pauldron, and picked up the ring. This was a Ring of Binding, it accelerated the process of transformation, it is a cursed item.
I sensed someone entering my dungeon, it was the Guild Master. I teleported him to me. An old man, he was one of the strongest men in the Guild, and that was only because old age had worn him down.
"Prospective members?" He asked.
"Yes, sir." I replied. The older brother stowed the ring in his pocket. "Good instinct, never wear unidentified magic items." They continued, the elder brother removing his ruined socks and going barefoot. They slowed down, started paying attention to their surroundings.
"Do you expect them to survive this?" He asked.
"I do not interfere, Guild Master." I said. "Unless I absolutely have to or it's necessary to teach them a lesson." I looked at him. "The younger brother will absolutely make it out fine, the elder brother might, if he doesn't put on that ring. The moment he puts it on, he would have to run and avoid every threat between him and the exit."
The Guild Master nodded. "I expect-"
That was when the younger brother collapsed.
Dungeonrunning is extremely dangerous, even in this 'tame' one, death was possible.
The younger brother was still alive, but he had certainly fallen unconscious.
"No! Not now!" The elder brother shouted.
"What condition is the younger in?" The Guild Master asked, concerned. I reached out and felt his energy, his soul.
"He has a condition that causes him to faint." I replied. "One that is treatable with medicine, and expensive magic." I shook my head. "He should not have brought his brother with him, now he has dead weight he has to protect.
"Hey! Kobold! Can you help me?" The elder brother asked.
"No." I said. "Interference is not permitted by Guild regulation unless absolutely necessary. Your brother is not dying, he is not in any present danger of death. However, he is along the same level of change as you."
The brother looked desperate. "If I have to rescue him, he will be considered unfit for the job. Indeed, his condition may be serious enough that we could not- in good conscience- put him in anything but a clerical position."
Now, the question remained if the brother was sensible, or stupid.
Given that he almost immediately chose to lift him up and carry him on his back, stupid was the answer.
"A shame." The Guild Master remarked.
I moved some Kobolds in their path, the Guild Master raised his brow. "Are you intentionally sabotaging his progress?" He asked in mock offense.
"It's only sabotage if you intend for them not to succeed." I said. "If he's willing to risk his brother's safety instead of forfeiting his brother's chances of joining the Guild, then he will have to live with the consequences of his actions."
The Kobolds set up an ambush, creating a noticeable fake trap that the elder brother would have to walk around to avoid. To their utter shock, as well as mine, he just ran across it.
"Did he intuit the trap was fake, or was he just that bullheaded?" I asked as the Kobolds moved to intercept. They got ahead of him, prepared an ambush, and the moment he was close, they jumped out, punching and kicking him and cackling with glee.
"I still find it disturbing how monsters delight in Human suffering." The Guild Master remarked.
"Quiet, this is the best part." I said. They tied the elder brother up and dragged the unconscious younger brother into a panel. He screamed out a name. "Daniel!"
"I'm giving him half an hour before I fail him." I said. "That should be enough time to determine his competence."
The elder brother, legs bound together, arms behind his back, began to desperately inch away from where he'd been put, toward the dagger that he had dropped. I nodded approvingly, that was a sensible plan. But then he inched past it and deliberately triggered a trap.
I gaped in absolute shock as the trap sliced cleanly through the ropes, barely missing his wrists. He then got up, grabbed the dagger, and freed himself.
"Resourceful lad." The Guild Master remarked. "Yet his brother has been abducted."
The brother went toward the wall they'd taken Daniel, who was already halfway across the dungeon and heading straight for the holding cells. One of them requested to grab a Transformation Potion to speed things up.
"Reserve that for later." I said. "I want to see how the elder brother handles this."
The brother in question gave up, and began searching around desperately for something. There was a chest nearby with a proper sword and more armor, even a non-cursed magic item and a scroll. He kept searching, keeping his hand along the right wall, until he found it.
"He has an uncanny sense of what he's doing." The Guild Master remarked. "He might be an untrained time mage."
"That would explain the bravado with the fake trap and the willingness to push forward. He might not even be aware of why he's doing what he's doing." I remarked. He threw one of his ruined socks at the chest- "He still had those!?" I yapped- and proceeded to dig through its contents.
By now, his feet were fully Kobold, with his legs beginning to accommodate. He would be off balance for a while.
"Greaves, bracers, a standard short-sword, a werewolf's skin, and a scroll." The Guild Master remarked. "Not a bad find for a dungeon of this caliber."
Werewolf skin was a fun item that turned the wearer into a monster. The effect was effectively the same as being in a newly formed dungeon, and was meant to bring about some diversity to to the monster population.
It was also one of the few ways a monster could return to Human form, if it merged with them.
"Ragnar is a Werewolf, isn't he?" I asked.
"Aye, he is. He's been looking for one of those for his wife."
The brother seemed to know what it was, or at least, what its properties were, and tossed it back into the chest, that's when he pulled out the cursed ring.
"He's going to be sorely disappointed." The Guild Master remarked. "That's a Ring of Binding if I've ever seen one."
The scroll burst into flames, and he looked at the ring, wincing as his mind was filled with knowledge he didn't have before. He stared at the ring in his hand, clearly disappointed by the fact that it was utterly-
"Did he just put it on!?" The Guild Master sputtered. He was right, the brother had put the ring on and was beginning to transform faster. He then opened the wall panel and began following along the path the Kobolds had gone.
"Pull him out." The Guild Master commanded. "You've engineered a desperate situation, and we can clearly see he's not capable of rational thought in such instances."
"No." I said. "Look." The brother was stepping out of the walls, grabbing gear and other items, before going back in. "Kobolds are innately good at dungeoneering. Even in a foreign dungeon, we can figure out where we are in relation to everything else. But in your native one, especially one that's actively claiming you..."
"He's deliberately doing what he can to salvage the situation." The Guild Master remarked. "How much time does he have left?"
"Approximately one hour before the transformation is irreversible, so thirty minutes with the Ring of Binding on." I ran the time in my head. "Even if he manages to rescue his brother in time and gather enough gear for the both of them, by the time we could remove the ring, he would already be a Kobold."
The brother got as much armor on as he could, continued making his way to the holding cells, where Daniel was already bound, the transformation proceeding just as slowly as normal.
His eyes opened, he shifted around on the table, unable to get out.
That's when he began to grow fur.
"He's a Werewolf." I said numbly.
"If his brother doesn't get him out, he'll be a Kobold Werewolf." The Guild Master remarked. "Those are technically among the more powerful of the moderately dangerous monsters, all of the strengths of a Werewolf, plus the innate understanding of a dungeon? Terrifying creatures."
"Don't give me ideas." I said. "Ragnar needs a gift for his wife still, right?"
I moved the chest with the Werewolf Skin over to me and, wincing at the idea of taking it out and removing it from the dungeon, put it into my bag.
The brother was almost there, and Daniel was undergoing a transformation.
"Going unconscious suddenly is a commonality with natural born Werewolves," The Guild Master remarked. "He's still in danger of being claimed by the Dungeon, but this is something he is naturally."
The younger brother broke his restraints, and with a feral growl lunged at the Kobolds, tearing them to shreds and beginning to eat them.
"Ferality, not a good sign." I remarked. "Go get Ragnar ready, I'm on retrieval."
I teleported the Guild Master out, then the elder brother, who looked around in confusion.
"Out. Now. There is an emergency." I said. He ran out of the dungeon, and then I teleported Daniel to the entrance, where he bolted out into the Guild Hall.
I teleported over and saw Ragnar wrestling with Daniel, keeping him pinned to the ground while the older brother stared in confused horror.
"You have ten minutes before your transformation becomes irreversible." I said. He looked at me, "Nine, if you keep staring at me like that."
"What's wrong with my brother? Why is he like that?" He asked.
"Congratulations, you and your brother are natural-born Werewolves, which explains why you had such good flashes of intuition in there, and why you refused to abandon him. Eight minutes."
He held his hand out, but then brought it in, holding it against his chest.
"I don't particularly care if you want to be a Kobold- in fact, I welcome it, we need more Kobolds in this city- but if you do, and you don't want to be, then let me take the ring off."
"I... don't really want to." He said. "All I could think of when I saw the first changes was, I wanted it to go faster."
"Ah." I said. "Well, then. You were doomed from the start. Lovely. Once you're finished with that ring, we'll have it on your brother so he can finish transforming and calm down. Since you're out of the dungeon, you should be relatively safe, but for both of your sakes, we'll need to hold you for a while.
He nodded.
Ragnar finally got Daniel to calm down, he was whimpering, clearly experiencing pain.
"Aye, pup, let it all out." Ragnar said, gently petting his fur. "There's a good pup, inner peace, lad." Daniel started thrashing about again. "Inner peace, not outer squirm!"
"Also, yes, this does count as failing." I said to the elder brother. "However, due to the circumstances- and the fact that your brother would have doubtlessly been a mindless beast if left in there- the Guild Master will talk to you about your options after your holding period."
He nodded. His transformation finished, I clapped him on the back, took the ring, and- with Ragnar's help, got it on the Werewolf pup's finger so he could get it over with faster.
Once the two were in holding, I walked over to Ragnar, pulled out the Werewolf Skin from my bag, and held it out to him.
"You know what to do with this." I said.
He looked surprised, then nodded, taking it. "Aye, lad. I do."
I thought about what other things I needed to do. "Oh, right. I need to resurrect the Kobolds." I said, before walking into my dungeon.
It did take about a week for Daniel to finally calm down.
At first, there was some concern that the nature of his transformation had left him potentially feral, but the morning he was meant to be let out, he was in Human form
I was the one who went in, covered him with a blanket, and put some spare clothes out for him.
"Where am I?"
"A holding cell." I said.
I heard him shoot up, accompanied by a sound I was familiar with, in that his fur suddenly floofed up. "W-what happened to me!?" He howled in fear.
"You are a Werewolf." I said matter-of-factly. I looked at him, he was looking at his claws with a mixture of horror, fear, and joy. I had vague feelings of that same mixture of emotions. "More specifically, at least one of your parents was a Werewolf."
"Wait, then is Jason-?"
"He became a Kobold." I replied. "He used an item to speed up the transformation so he could rescue you. If you had maintained your sanity in that moment, I would not have interfered. But you didn't, and you are going to need training to keep yourself in check whenever you're scared or angry."
"I- see." He said.
"For what it's worth, you won't pass out anymore, so your reason for coming has ultimately resolved itself."
"What's going to happen to Jason?" He asked.
"The same thing that happened to me. He will live." I replied. "He has retained his memories, due to accepting that he was likely going to be lost, just to save you. Even though he could have forfeited at any point like I told him."
"Aye, Kobold, is he safe?"
"Yes." I said.
The door opened, Jason stepped inside, then ran over to his brother and hugged him. "Little big brother, meet big little brother." I snarked.
They both looked at me, and then they laughed. I let them have some time together, to talk and acclimate.
After their reunion, I brought them with me to the Guild Master.
"So." He said. "You have a few options. One, we tattoo dungeon protections on you and have you sign on to helping clearing out dungeons, or two, we let you go, except you return every week so Ragnar can train you to keep yourself under control."
"Dungeon protections?" Jason asked.
I nodded. "We are monsters." I said. "Without the proper protections, a new dungeon can claim you, making you a part of its system." I looked at them both. "I don't think it need said why you should refrain from going inside dungeons without it."
"What happens to those who do?" Daniel asked.
"The dungeon claims them." I said. "They lose their memories of their past life, becoming convinced they always lived in it. They become trapped inside, forever."
They both looked at each other, then looked at us. "We, uh..." Daniel started.
"We actually wanted to go back." Jason replied.
"You want to be claimed by the dungeon." The Guild Master said.
"When I was looking for my brother, all I could think of was how much I liked being there." Jason replied. "That's honestly why I put on the ring."
"And I'm not leaving my brother alone." Daniel said. "We've only had each other our entire lives."
I nodded. "As the master of the dungeon, I will approve this." I said. "Any arguments against, Guild Master?"
He sighed. "Just go." He said.
With the brothers close behind me, I led them to the dungeon entrance. "Understand, by doing this, you are consigning yourself to protecting what is effectively a practice dungeon." I said. "You will be killed and brought back."
Jason nodded. "I know."
He opened the door, and they walked in.
2023.05.28 03:55 Jotunheimmr Lack of consistent and reliable/immersive enemy footstep sounds is just embarrassing at this point
As the title says. I can hear the enemy Condor a mile away yet can’t reliably hear footsteps of nearby enemies. That’s enemies sprinting nearby wearing full combat kit.
Yes I’ve tried various sound settings and have quality surround sound headphones. This isn’t an issue with a vast majority of the other games I play.
DICE should be embarrassed.
submitted by Jotunheimmr to battlefield2042 [link] [comments]
Yes I’ve tried various sound settings and have quality surround sound headphones. This isn’t an issue with a vast majority of the other games I play.
DICE should be embarrassed.
2023.05.28 03:42 Saubhagya001 Is Pcshop.in trustable?
 | The headphone is out of stock on Amazon and CB own website ( was priced at 3K-4.5K) but here it is 2.7K, is this worth the shit? Will i not get any used or refurbished product? I have eksa e900 pro on my mind as well which I could order from eksa.in for same price submitted by Saubhagya001 to u/Saubhagya001 [link] [comments] |
2023.05.28 03:31 MisterSnippy The Transfer
The Transfer
"Transference to Pallass from Atlanta will begin in five minutes, please ensure you are standing within the boundary line and have all luggage secured."
A few other passengers pass around a nervous look, packing themselves tighter like really eager sardines, trying to ensure minimum risk of injury. Drezill checks religiously to ensure his tail isn't sticking out of the boundary, but he's well within it, still pushing further into the crowd just in case.
"Transference to Pallass from Atlanta will begin in 30 seconds. Please keep all limbs within the boundary line and secure your luggage."
Closer to the Transfer. More adrenaline, faster heartrate. Lub dub, lub dub. Somewhere his heart is pounding, but he no longer feels it, clutching his suitcase tighter, rubbing against his scales. [Dangersense] is screaming at him, and he's compelled to let it scream. Oh, god-
The change is instantaneous. Gone is one Transfer platform, with transparent ad-ridden hologram walls and blue mage-lit lines, replaced with another, almost identical. Probably designed by some evil [Architect] in a stroke of corporate genius to confuse dimwitted passengers into spending more money. It feels like the entire platform heaves a collective sigh of relief as they arrive unscathed, and then he picks up his suitcase and walks out into the Waystation proper.
Lines of people are strewn throughout the terminal, a series of biological walls, giving up one sardine can for another. The species seen are more varied, less Humans, more Drakes and Gnolls. All either Transferred in or Teleported over from all over the world, all stuck here, placed into queues, surrounded by blue and grey walls, lit by dim MLED light. A [Guard] takes out a handheld device and scans his Chip, holding it in place to get an accurate read, and Drezill stands still, waiting in nervous silence, until he hears the mystical mental beep and the guard nods, directing him to a shorter line, the one that says "Incoming Transference".
It surprises him that the first thing he feels is alienation. He was always different, being a Drake, but this is different. The [Guard] sits in front of a metal box that has a small flashing green light, information about his entire life being beamed directly into her brain. Her eyes glint in the dim red light, scanning lines of information he can't see.
"What's your name?"
He can count the number of times he's said his full name on one hand. It builds a feeling of uncomfortability within him, accompanying already high levels of distress.
"Drevill Silverwing Williams."
"Where are you coming from, Mr. Williams?"
"Atlanta, Georgia, The United States of America."
A bead of sweat rolls down his forehead, refracting the light, the green blinking pinpoint reflected inside. He knows he's done nothing wrong, but somehow the woman manages to pull any stress he has to the forefront.
"How long are you planning on staying in Pallass, Mr. Williams?"
"I plan on living here, I have a work-visa."
There's a pause, purposefully planned. They sit in silence for a few seconds, no ambient noise, just the sound of him shuffling in his seat, cringing against the cold metal, tail wavering.
"Purpose of visit?"
As if he didn't already answer her question.
"Work. Living here. I repair pseudo-sapients."
The questioning stops. Fingers twitch, typing something on that invisible interface, then a pause. Door slides open, blinding. No smile.
"Welcome to Pallass, Mr. Williams."
There is no city in his sight, in its place is something else, different than any city he's ever seen. Dotting the horizon are endless lines of buildings and megastructures, surrounding a stone square, like a precious gem surrounded by a jewelry box. The sky is so high here, but still the skyscrapers push upwards, ever reaching hands searching for limit, and finding none. The amount of lights is overwhelming, all sorts of colours spilling out over the landscape below, looking more like stars than the ones that hang in the sky above.
For a moment his breath catches, head involuntarily moving closer to the window, straining to pick out all the details. Far down below is a different world. Similar, yet so different than his own, his own? So different than any other. Millions of people living and working here in a world that 200 years ago hadn't even industrialized.
The magilev cab skitters past a massive glowing purple-scaled Drake that raises a can of Coca-Cola™ to her lips, before taking a dignified sip. She smiles and speaks, the words captured and deposited into his brain via the Chip. "Mmm, you just can't beat the taste of Coca-Cola™! It's as fine as any gemstone found in Salazsar!" Her voice caresses his mind, making his throat feel a bit parched.
"The city sure is something, huh?"
The Gnoll [Driver] speaks and motions a hand at the window, illuminated by passing purple light, startling Drevill into conversation.
"Huh? Oh. I've never seen any city like this, even on Earth. Everything is so... packed together."
The Gnoll grunts ambiguously. "Drakes sure love their cities, no offense. They say Pallass is the most urbanized city in the Worlds, but it's something else to see it."
A pause in the air, contemplative.
"Are you not from here?" Drevill queries.
"Me? No way. I'm from Oteslia. Lived here about 10 years, but I'm planning on moving back some day. Problem is so much more work is here."
The [Driver] doesn't say another word, just shakes his head, and they continue on in silence, broken up only by the sputtering engine and dying rasp of distant advertisements.
His form is dwarfed by the buildings around him, vision denied even a horizon-line, every space covered up by more things. Massive statues sit, watching over sections of the city, stoic. A new one is being constructed, carefully built and placed. Meant to last thousands of years. His Chip wants to speak up, proffering information on the origins of, and identities of, each looming figure. He ignores it.
High above are a few blinking dots, more magilev cars heading to destinations. Beneath his feet a rumble, slithering trains snaking beneath the city to all parts, fast and efficient. He feels out of place, too many Drakes, less Humans. Ironic, but that's just how it is. Drevill hopes he'll get used to it, at least they speak the same language.
Winding streets lead away from the city center, hotels fading away, more sparingly placed now. Like a good Drake, Drezill follows the line. Tracing it through backstreets, around corners, past herds of pedestrians, until the apartment complex appears. And complex is the right word for it. Skills give rise to odd building codes, structures that are safer than they should be, safer than they appear to be. The building seems to lean outwards, lots of concrete, tiny balconies. He sees the top of a few Drake's heads poking above the balconies, lazing about, a few Gnolls enjoying the evening.
The front door opens, and he enters, sneaking through the closing gap left by a departing Human. The lobby is tiny, probably to leave room for more apartments, just staffed by a pseudo-sapient, anyone with a Class and a Skill working somewhere better. He gets on an elevator and rides it up, 14th floor, room 8. It glides up stopping at the 14th floor, doors open with a ding, nobody outside. Drezill steps off furtively, glancing down the hallways, still clutching the suitcase, it rolls conspicuously.
When he closes the door he breathes a sigh of relief. Finally that's over with. He plops the suitcase down and opens it, not a normal suitcase in actuality, but a cleverly disguised suitcase of holding. He heaves and pulls out a body, a Drake looking very much like himself, the spitting image, in fact. It looks real, and with a few Skills, it will become real. He takes a second to unpack everything else, before copying his relevant Chip data and inserting it into the pseudo-sapient. With any luck it will last a few months, and a few months is all he needs. After a moment, he leaves the room and rides the elevator down, passing by identical floors and identical rooms.
Ding. Once again in the quiet lobby, soon replaced by bustling crowds, magilev cars, and rumbling trains. A few Drakes and Gnolls grab kebabs from a stall sitting on the side of the street, laughing and eating, timeless. Everywhere he looks are buildings and people. Drezill picks a direction, then calls a cab and gets on. The [Driver] doesn't even look up, just asks:
"Where to?"
The door slides shut, cab hovering in place, for a moment cut off from the outside world, as if separated by time and not just place.
"To Liscor, please."
2023.05.28 03:30 LiseEclaire [Leveling up the World] - Academy Arc - Chapter 753
Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :))
At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Previously on Leveling up the World…
Book 3 will be available on Kindle and Amazon in a week :D
“Are you sure this is fine?” the fury asked.
Eating in the open wasn’t something vaguely dangerous or controversial, but for someone who had spent the large part of the year in hiding, it felt like pushing her luck. It didn’t help that all the passersby were glancing in their direction. The curiosity of most was centered on Dallion—mages remained a rarity in Nerosal, even after all the turbulent events. Also, given his recent display, hiding his identity would have been a greater bother than revealing himself to the public. Archduke Lanitol wasn’t going to be particularly pleased, but Dallion didn’t give a damn.
“You’re safe,” Dallion said, finishing his snack. “The overseer’s keeping an eye on us.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
Half a dozen city guards were scattered about the area, half of them in a not at all subtle fashion. In contrast the Mirror Pool had made a point to steer clear, just as they had promised.
“Everything is fine now, right?” Diroh frowned. “When you said that, you didn’t add you’d be using my money to get a bite.”
Dallion paused for a while, then tossed her his pouch. “Buy something with that.”
The fury opened it. Her eyes widened for a few seconds, after which she quickly closed it again. The point was well made. Slightly tempted, she moved the pouch about in the air, then placed it back on the table near to him.
“So, tell me how you’ve been.” Dallion made a sign for the food stall owner to bring more food. The man, who was a low-level awakened, quickly obliged. The fact that a mage was eating at his place was certain to boost profits for months to come.
“That again? There isn’t much to tell. While you’ve been having fun, I worked my ass off. Hannah’s nice and all, but you can’t get customers on looks alone.”
Sure you could, Dallion thought, but didn’t say it. Given Di’s standards, having the inn packed was probably regarded as a poor result.
“You’re learned a few new tricks, I saw. Both you and Skye.”
We’ve been practicing, the cloud fox said flying off Diroh and onto Dallion’s head.
Ruby didn’t seem to appreciate the effort, but remained stoically still and silent.
“I had to after the mess you put me in,” the girl replied.
Normally, Dallion would expect a pout or, at the very least, a frown. Instead, he got a smile. Life with Hannah had definitely polished Diroh’s character, even if he could feel the same rebellious streak emanating from her.
“I needed to level up just in case anyone came looking.” There was a slight pause.
“What level?”
“You can’t ask that.”
“You’re right,” Dallion said, taking a piece of fruit from the bowl that was just brought to the table. “I don’t have to. I can see your level and all your traits. I just want to know how you level up that much so fast.” He bit into the fruit. It tasted like lemon melon. “Did you use awakening shrines?”
“At first. Hannah told me to boost up as quickly as possible.” A wave of guilt came from the fury, but she refused to look away. “After that, it was easier.”
“Easier?” Dallion tried not to laugh.
Clearly, she’s a faster learner, the armadil shield said. That and she started with fewer flaws. Going through a lot of the issues early in life tend to make people resistant.
That was true, only up to a point. Diroh had a taste of hunter life well before Dallion. The trauma caused by the magic gem must have made an impact, though. Of course, there was one other possibility.
“Who taught you?” He went directly to the point. The lack of immediate response told him everything he had to know. “Adzorg,” he shook his head. “Did he give you an echo?”
“What does it matter?” The fury’s tone changed. Thanks to the sound canceling air currents she was maintaining, though, no one in the street even noticed. “I got help, and it was useful! Or did you expect me to wait till you got back so I could improve?”
“Something like that.” Dallion didn’t blink an eye. “The Academy will be a better place for you, especially now.”
“Seriously?” Diroh crossed her arms. “I spent weeks convincing Hannah that you weren’t some jerk that would appear and whisk me away, and what do you do ten minutes after we meet? Way to prove my point.”
“It’ll be safer there. The countess didn’t bother with you because she had her sights on other things. Now that the conflict is over, and you’ve leveled up so much, people will start noticing.”
“And that’s a bad thing? You didn’t seem to care when you worked at the inn.”
“I was an idiot.” Dallion didn’t raise his voice one iota, but the phrase had the same effect as if he’d shouted it out to the entire city. You don’t have to go through what I did, he wanted to add.
“March helped me,” Diroh said.
It was obvious she was lying. There were several ways Dallion could get to the answers. The Academy had provided him with both the tools and the knowledge. If he resorted to that, though, he’d lose one of the things he’d come for. It was a simple choice: Diroh or Adzorg. Neither option was guaranteed, but what was certain was that he couldn’t have both.
“Is she in the city?” he asked calmly.
“I don’t know. Maybe. There’s no reason or her—”
“Go to Hannah,” he didn’t let her finish. “I have a few things to finish, then I’ll come join you.”
“You’re impossible. You think you can just take me out of the city and drop me off somewhere like last time? You care more about your gear than you care about people! Picking them up, then tossing them aside as you go on your way.”
There it was—part of the fury he remembered. Unlike her sister, Diroh was really bad at hiding her emotions, even now. The only difference was that she did it in a slightly more polished manner.
“When you tried to spy on me, you made yourself known. Hiding at Hannah’s is no longer an option. You can try, but someone else will come to take you. The only choice you’re left with is do you want to go with me or with someone—”
There was a sudden gust of wind, after which Diroh’s seat was empty.
“—else.” Dallion finished.
You definitely haven’t lost your touch. The armadil shield sighed. Were you planning on being so bad?
“She’ll go back.” Dallion continued eating. “She knows she has no choice.” In a way, Dallion had made sure of that by returning to Nerosal. Hundreds of eyes were focused on him. One way or another, word of his actions would reach the appropriate ears.
No choice leaving the city, Vihrogon clarified. She doesn’t have to join you.
“No, she doesn’t.” Dallion finished the bowl. He was just about to leave when a small procession of clerics approached.
Dallion looked up at them, then shook his head. He didn’t expect they’d be the ones to show up. If anything, he expected the general to send one of his furies and remind Dallion of the debt he still owed. This changed his plans a little.
“The Seven be with you, Initiate,” one of the clerics greeted him. “The bishop has requested to see you.”
“The bishop?” Dallion remained seated. “Sounds important.”
On closer look, he saw that it was. Despite wearing the attire of simple temple clerics, everything, from their stance to their weathered skin, made it clear they had seen more than a few fights in the wilderness.
“Just a cordial invitation,” the woman continued. “You have his assurance that it wouldn’t take long.”
It never did.
“Alright.” Dallion stood up. “I’m long overdue on my chat with the Moons, anyway.”
The provocation was noticed, but not reacted on. To some degree, Dallion hoped that it would. That way, the local bishop would be on the defensive.
I’m being arrogant, Dallion thought.
One of the things his parents used to tell him back on earth was not to ruin everyone’s day just because he had a bad day of his own. It was easier said than done. When it came to it, Dallion had had a really crappy year. If Nil were around, he’d tell him that he had to stop pissing off people before he ran out of people to piss off. However, one of the advantages of being a mage was the ability to do so, and breaking the habit was getting difficult.
Walking along the familiar streets, the group of clerics escorted Dallion to the city’s main temple. It was bigger than he remembered, still surrounded by crowds of people. Regardless of what happened in the wide world, there would always be those who wished to obtain an awakened status or increase it.
Crowds meant nothing to Dallion, who was quietly escorted in through a side entrance. Most of the clerics remained outside, blocking the path should someone else try to squeeze in. That left Dallion with only two of the original procession.
“The Order has done quite well for itself here,” Dallion said, looking at the large statues that decorated the corridor.
“We’re only assisting with the transition until the new lord mayor takes his place.”
So, you know who it is as well, Dallion thought.
“The Seven look kindly on all those beneath them. We are only following their will.”
“And which of the three sides will you help the most?” Dallion asked. He didn’t get an answer.
Soon he arrived in a large antechamber. The rich decors were enough to make a minor noble envious. The amount of raw magic metals alone was enough to equip a squad of awakened in full sky silver armor. IF he had to guess the countess had been quite generous to the Order before her promotion.
“Please, wait here,” the cleric said. “The bishop will be with you shortly.”
Dallion nodded. It would have been nice if there was a marble bench or seat he could use. There was always the option to lean against one of the statues of the Moons, but he chose not to.
Sensing Dallion’s annoyance, Ruby flicked his wings.
“Easy, little buddy,” Dallion whispered. “We’re not here to break anything.” Gem, keep an eye on Di, he added mentally.
Yes, boss, the familiar replied.
With a yawn, Dallion made his way to the statue of Felygn. The sculptor had depicted the Moon in all its glory—a benevolent dryad surrounded by plants and animals. That tended to be the modern consensus regarding dryads and empaths. Of course, no one bothered to mention how devastating either could be.
Are you being cynical again? the armadil shield asked.
“Trying not to,” Dallion replied.
After a few more seconds, he moved to the statue of Astreza. The blue moon of awakening stood majestically in the center of the antechamber. As the Moon of Awakening, it was considered to be the center of the pantheon and first among the deities. It was also the Moon that had cursed Dallion.
“Still no chance you can tell me what I did wrong?” Dallion asked.
As expected, the statue didn’t answer. Dallion was just about to add that any hint would be appreciated when a deep blue glow appeared beneath his shirt. Considering the time and place, it was tempting to take this as a sign. However, Dallion’s experience as a mage told him it was something very different.
Quickly, he took a glowing artifact out from under his shirt. Within the blue glow was a single purple dot with three circles surrounding it. Dallion felt like laughing. He’d spent a large part of the last six months roaming the world and had barely come across anything magic related. Now, his vortex detector indicated that an active vortex had emerged beneath the very city.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, consider joining my patreon or check out my other stories on redditserials:
The Scuu Paradox (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Cassandrian Theory (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon (Dungeon Core Adventure Comedy)
Uncharted Waters (An Urban Fantasy Detective Noir)
submitted by LiseEclaire to redditserials [link] [comments]
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Previously on Leveling up the World…
“Are you sure this is fine?” the fury asked.
Eating in the open wasn’t something vaguely dangerous or controversial, but for someone who had spent the large part of the year in hiding, it felt like pushing her luck. It didn’t help that all the passersby were glancing in their direction. The curiosity of most was centered on Dallion—mages remained a rarity in Nerosal, even after all the turbulent events. Also, given his recent display, hiding his identity would have been a greater bother than revealing himself to the public. Archduke Lanitol wasn’t going to be particularly pleased, but Dallion didn’t give a damn.
“You’re safe,” Dallion said, finishing his snack. “The overseer’s keeping an eye on us.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
Half a dozen city guards were scattered about the area, half of them in a not at all subtle fashion. In contrast the Mirror Pool had made a point to steer clear, just as they had promised.
“Everything is fine now, right?” Diroh frowned. “When you said that, you didn’t add you’d be using my money to get a bite.”
Dallion paused for a while, then tossed her his pouch. “Buy something with that.”
The fury opened it. Her eyes widened for a few seconds, after which she quickly closed it again. The point was well made. Slightly tempted, she moved the pouch about in the air, then placed it back on the table near to him.
“So, tell me how you’ve been.” Dallion made a sign for the food stall owner to bring more food. The man, who was a low-level awakened, quickly obliged. The fact that a mage was eating at his place was certain to boost profits for months to come.
“That again? There isn’t much to tell. While you’ve been having fun, I worked my ass off. Hannah’s nice and all, but you can’t get customers on looks alone.”
Sure you could, Dallion thought, but didn’t say it. Given Di’s standards, having the inn packed was probably regarded as a poor result.
“You’re learned a few new tricks, I saw. Both you and Skye.”
We’ve been practicing, the cloud fox said flying off Diroh and onto Dallion’s head.
Ruby didn’t seem to appreciate the effort, but remained stoically still and silent.
“I had to after the mess you put me in,” the girl replied.
Normally, Dallion would expect a pout or, at the very least, a frown. Instead, he got a smile. Life with Hannah had definitely polished Diroh’s character, even if he could feel the same rebellious streak emanating from her.
“I needed to level up just in case anyone came looking.” There was a slight pause.
“What level?”
“You can’t ask that.”
“You’re right,” Dallion said, taking a piece of fruit from the bowl that was just brought to the table. “I don’t have to. I can see your level and all your traits. I just want to know how you level up that much so fast.” He bit into the fruit. It tasted like lemon melon. “Did you use awakening shrines?”
“At first. Hannah told me to boost up as quickly as possible.” A wave of guilt came from the fury, but she refused to look away. “After that, it was easier.”
“Easier?” Dallion tried not to laugh.
Clearly, she’s a faster learner, the armadil shield said. That and she started with fewer flaws. Going through a lot of the issues early in life tend to make people resistant.
That was true, only up to a point. Diroh had a taste of hunter life well before Dallion. The trauma caused by the magic gem must have made an impact, though. Of course, there was one other possibility.
“Who taught you?” He went directly to the point. The lack of immediate response told him everything he had to know. “Adzorg,” he shook his head. “Did he give you an echo?”
“What does it matter?” The fury’s tone changed. Thanks to the sound canceling air currents she was maintaining, though, no one in the street even noticed. “I got help, and it was useful! Or did you expect me to wait till you got back so I could improve?”
“Something like that.” Dallion didn’t blink an eye. “The Academy will be a better place for you, especially now.”
“Seriously?” Diroh crossed her arms. “I spent weeks convincing Hannah that you weren’t some jerk that would appear and whisk me away, and what do you do ten minutes after we meet? Way to prove my point.”
“It’ll be safer there. The countess didn’t bother with you because she had her sights on other things. Now that the conflict is over, and you’ve leveled up so much, people will start noticing.”
“And that’s a bad thing? You didn’t seem to care when you worked at the inn.”
“I was an idiot.” Dallion didn’t raise his voice one iota, but the phrase had the same effect as if he’d shouted it out to the entire city. You don’t have to go through what I did, he wanted to add.
“March helped me,” Diroh said.
It was obvious she was lying. There were several ways Dallion could get to the answers. The Academy had provided him with both the tools and the knowledge. If he resorted to that, though, he’d lose one of the things he’d come for. It was a simple choice: Diroh or Adzorg. Neither option was guaranteed, but what was certain was that he couldn’t have both.
“Is she in the city?” he asked calmly.
“I don’t know. Maybe. There’s no reason or her—”
“Go to Hannah,” he didn’t let her finish. “I have a few things to finish, then I’ll come join you.”
“You’re impossible. You think you can just take me out of the city and drop me off somewhere like last time? You care more about your gear than you care about people! Picking them up, then tossing them aside as you go on your way.”
There it was—part of the fury he remembered. Unlike her sister, Diroh was really bad at hiding her emotions, even now. The only difference was that she did it in a slightly more polished manner.
“When you tried to spy on me, you made yourself known. Hiding at Hannah’s is no longer an option. You can try, but someone else will come to take you. The only choice you’re left with is do you want to go with me or with someone—”
There was a sudden gust of wind, after which Diroh’s seat was empty.
“—else.” Dallion finished.
You definitely haven’t lost your touch. The armadil shield sighed. Were you planning on being so bad?
“She’ll go back.” Dallion continued eating. “She knows she has no choice.” In a way, Dallion had made sure of that by returning to Nerosal. Hundreds of eyes were focused on him. One way or another, word of his actions would reach the appropriate ears.
No choice leaving the city, Vihrogon clarified. She doesn’t have to join you.
“No, she doesn’t.” Dallion finished the bowl. He was just about to leave when a small procession of clerics approached.
Dallion looked up at them, then shook his head. He didn’t expect they’d be the ones to show up. If anything, he expected the general to send one of his furies and remind Dallion of the debt he still owed. This changed his plans a little.
“The Seven be with you, Initiate,” one of the clerics greeted him. “The bishop has requested to see you.”
“The bishop?” Dallion remained seated. “Sounds important.”
On closer look, he saw that it was. Despite wearing the attire of simple temple clerics, everything, from their stance to their weathered skin, made it clear they had seen more than a few fights in the wilderness.
“Just a cordial invitation,” the woman continued. “You have his assurance that it wouldn’t take long.”
It never did.
“Alright.” Dallion stood up. “I’m long overdue on my chat with the Moons, anyway.”
The provocation was noticed, but not reacted on. To some degree, Dallion hoped that it would. That way, the local bishop would be on the defensive.
I’m being arrogant, Dallion thought.
One of the things his parents used to tell him back on earth was not to ruin everyone’s day just because he had a bad day of his own. It was easier said than done. When it came to it, Dallion had had a really crappy year. If Nil were around, he’d tell him that he had to stop pissing off people before he ran out of people to piss off. However, one of the advantages of being a mage was the ability to do so, and breaking the habit was getting difficult.
Walking along the familiar streets, the group of clerics escorted Dallion to the city’s main temple. It was bigger than he remembered, still surrounded by crowds of people. Regardless of what happened in the wide world, there would always be those who wished to obtain an awakened status or increase it.
Crowds meant nothing to Dallion, who was quietly escorted in through a side entrance. Most of the clerics remained outside, blocking the path should someone else try to squeeze in. That left Dallion with only two of the original procession.
“The Order has done quite well for itself here,” Dallion said, looking at the large statues that decorated the corridor.
“We’re only assisting with the transition until the new lord mayor takes his place.”
So, you know who it is as well, Dallion thought.
“The Seven look kindly on all those beneath them. We are only following their will.”
“And which of the three sides will you help the most?” Dallion asked. He didn’t get an answer.
Soon he arrived in a large antechamber. The rich decors were enough to make a minor noble envious. The amount of raw magic metals alone was enough to equip a squad of awakened in full sky silver armor. IF he had to guess the countess had been quite generous to the Order before her promotion.
“Please, wait here,” the cleric said. “The bishop will be with you shortly.”
Dallion nodded. It would have been nice if there was a marble bench or seat he could use. There was always the option to lean against one of the statues of the Moons, but he chose not to.
Sensing Dallion’s annoyance, Ruby flicked his wings.
“Easy, little buddy,” Dallion whispered. “We’re not here to break anything.” Gem, keep an eye on Di, he added mentally.
Yes, boss, the familiar replied.
With a yawn, Dallion made his way to the statue of Felygn. The sculptor had depicted the Moon in all its glory—a benevolent dryad surrounded by plants and animals. That tended to be the modern consensus regarding dryads and empaths. Of course, no one bothered to mention how devastating either could be.
Are you being cynical again? the armadil shield asked.
“Trying not to,” Dallion replied.
After a few more seconds, he moved to the statue of Astreza. The blue moon of awakening stood majestically in the center of the antechamber. As the Moon of Awakening, it was considered to be the center of the pantheon and first among the deities. It was also the Moon that had cursed Dallion.
“Still no chance you can tell me what I did wrong?” Dallion asked.
As expected, the statue didn’t answer. Dallion was just about to add that any hint would be appreciated when a deep blue glow appeared beneath his shirt. Considering the time and place, it was tempting to take this as a sign. However, Dallion’s experience as a mage told him it was something very different.
Quickly, he took a glowing artifact out from under his shirt. Within the blue glow was a single purple dot with three circles surrounding it. Dallion felt like laughing. He’d spent a large part of the last six months roaming the world and had barely come across anything magic related. Now, his vortex detector indicated that an active vortex had emerged beneath the very city.
The Scuu Paradox (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Cassandrian Theory (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon (Dungeon Core Adventure Comedy)
Uncharted Waters (An Urban Fantasy Detective Noir)
2023.05.28 03:29 Ralfop Touch Control Wireless Earbuds With Power Box World’s Most Professional Wireless Waterproof Earbuds designed with superior Hi-Fi sound and ultra-long playtime. It’s your perfect workout companion with secure fit and an IPX-7 waterproof rating.Designed by audio’s finest award-winning engineers,
submitted by Ralfop to HANITSYPRODUCTS [link] [comments]
2023.05.28 03:23 CricketFree2471 simp caught in 8K UHD surround sound 16 Gigs ram, HDR GEFORCE RTX, TI-80 texas instruments.
 | submitted by CricketFree2471 to MandJTV [link] [comments] |
2023.05.28 03:02 ElvinaWhitten Best Wireless Headphones
 | Cowinaudio is a brand of headphones that offers high-quality sound and advanced wireless technology. Their wireless headphones are designed to provide an immersive listening experience without any cables getting in your way. submitted by ElvinaWhitten to motionview [link] [comments] Their headphones use Bluetooth technology to connect to your device, allowing you to listen to music or take phone calls wirelessly. The headphones have a long battery life, so you can enjoy your music for hours on end. They also feature noise-cancelling technology, which blocks out external noise and allows you to focus on your music or conversation. Cowinaudio's headphones come in a variety of colors and styles to suit different tastes and preferences. So whether you're looking for over-ear headphones for home listening or earbuds for working out, Cowinaudio has something for everyone. E7 BASIC C Wireless Headphonehttps://preview.redd.it/7je8p0ebew1b1.png?width=1602&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ba31f4bdfcf1aa23305a9a313967caa9ad81a31 The Cowin E7 Basic C Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are a popular and affordable option for those looking for high-quality wireless headphones with noise-cancelling technology. In this review, we will take a closer look at the features of these headphones, their performance, and overall value for money. FeaturesThe Cowin E7 Basic C headphones are a well-built product that feels solid in your hands. They are constructed mostly from plastic materials but feel durable and sturdy. The ear cups are soft and comfortable, and the headband is adjustable to fit different head sizes. These headphones come in two colors: black or white.One of the standout features of these headphones is their active noise-cancelling technology. This feature effectively blocks out external noise, allowing you to focus on your music or other audio without distraction. The ANC feature works well in most situations, from noisy city streets to airplane cabins. These headphones also offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, which allows for quick and easy pairing with your mobile device. The connection is strong and stable, and we experienced no dropouts or interruptions during our testing. They have a decent wireless range of up to approximately 33 feet. See Price Sound QualityIn terms of sound quality, the Cowin E7 Basic C headphones perform admirably. The bass response is deep and punchy, while the mid and high frequencies are clear and detailed. The soundstage is wide and spacious, creating an immersive listening experience.The ANC feature helps to further enhance the sound quality by blocking out external noise, which can often detract from the listening experience. However, some users may find that the active noise-cancelling feature affects the overall sound signature of the headphones, making the music sound slightly muffled or congested. Battery LifeThe battery life of the Cowin E7 Basic C headphones is impressive, offering up to 30 hours of playback time on a single charge. This is a significant improvement over the original Cowin E7 headphones, which offered only 18 hours of battery life.Charging time is also relatively quick, with a full charge taking around 2-3 hours. The headphones also have an LED indicator that displays the battery life, so you always know when it's time to recharge. See Price Comfort and FitThe Cowin E7 Basic C headphones are designed for maximum comfort during extended listening sessions. The ear cups are large and well-padded, and the headband is adjustable for a custom fit. The materials used in the construction of these headphones are soft and breathable, helping to prevent overheating and discomfort.However, some users may find the headphones a bit heavy and bulky, particularly if they're wearing them for long periods of time. They can also cause some pressure on the ears, depending on the individual's head size and shape. Value for MoneyThe Cowin E7 Basic C headphones offer excellent value for money, providing high-quality sound, noise-cancelling technology, and long battery life at an affordable price point. The ANC feature works well and is a useful addition for those who live or work in noisy environments.They are not perfect, and some users may find the sound signature slightly altered by the ANC feature. Additionally, the headphones may feel a bit heavy and bulky for some individuals, causing discomfort after prolonged use. ConclusionCowin E7 Basic C Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are an excellent option for those looking for a budget-friendly set of wireless headphones with ANC technology. They offer impressive sound quality, long battery life, and reliable Bluetooth connectivity. While they are not without their flaws, they provide a lot of features for a reasonable price and are a great value for money option.See Price E7 Basic B Wireless Headphonehttps://preview.redd.it/0uo6119ifw1b1.png?width=1602&format=png&auto=webp&s=fea0788ff6cf7a0c2896938a294abe08d01e59d0 The Cowin E7 Basic B Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are a popular and affordable option for those looking for high-quality wireless headphones with ANC technology. In this review, we will take an in-depth look at the performance, features, sound quality, battery life, comfort and fit, as well as value for money of these headphones. Performance:The Cowin E7 Basic B headphones are designed to provide a superior listening experience, thanks to their advanced noise-cancelling technology. They are built with sturdy and durable materials that feel solid in your hands, and they come in two colors: black or white.One of the standout features of these headphones is their active noise-cancelling technology. The ANC feature works effectively in blocking out external noise, allowing you to focus on your music or other audio without any distractions. The ANC feature works well in most situations, including noisy city streets, crowded cafes, and airplane cabins. In addition to ANC technology, these headphones offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, which makes pairing them with your mobile device quick and easy. The connection is strong and stable, with no dropouts or interruptions during testing. The headphones also have a decent wireless range of up to 33 feet. See Price Features:The Cowin E7 Basic B headphones come with several useful features that enhance their overall functionality. They have physical buttons on the ear cups that allow you to control playback, adjust volume, and activate voice assistant functions like Siri or Google Assistant.The headphones also come with a built-in microphone, making them suitable for taking phone calls. The microphone quality is good, although some users have reported occasional issues with background noise or echoing during calls. Sound Quality:The sound quality of the Cowin E7 Basic B headphones is impressive, with deep and punchy bass, clear mid and high frequencies, and a wide and spacious soundstage. The ANC feature helps to further improve the sound quality by blocking out external noise, which can often detract from the listening experience. However, some users may find that the ANC feature affects the overall sound signature of the headphones, making the music sound slightly muffled or congested.Battery Life:One of the most significant selling points of the Cowin E7 Basic B headphones is their battery life. They offer up to 30 hours of playback time on a single charge, which is a substantial improvement over the original Cowin E7 headphones, which offered only 18 hours of battery life.Charging time is also relatively quick, with a full charge taking around 2-3 hours. The headphones also have an LED indicator that displays the battery life, so you always know when it's time to recharge. See Price Comfort and Fit:The Cowin E7 Basic B headphones are designed for maximum comfort during extended listening sessions. The ear cups are large and well-padded, and the headband is adjustable for a custom fit. The materials used in the construction of these headphones are soft and breathable, helping to prevent overheating and discomfort.However, some users may find the headphones a bit heavy and bulky, particularly if they're wearing them for long periods of time. They can also cause some pressure on the ears, depending on the individual's head size and shape. Value for Money:When it comes to value for money, the Cowin E7 Basic B headphones are hard to beat. They provide high-quality sound, noise-cancelling technology, and long battery life at an affordable price point. The ANC feature works well and is a useful addition for those who live or work in noisy environments.They are not perfect, and some users may find the sound signature slightly altered by the ANC feature. Additionally, the headphones may feel a bit heavy and bulky for some individuals, causing discomfort after prolonged use. Conclusion:Cowin E7 Basic B Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are an excellent choice for those looking for an affordable and high-quality wireless headphone option. They provide impressive sound quality, long battery life, and reliable Bluetooth connectivity, making them ideal for a variety of listening situations.While they may not be perfect, they offer a lot of features for their price point and represent excellent value for money. So if you're in the market for a pair of wireless headphones with active noise-cancelling technology, the Cowin E7 Basic B headphones are definitely worth considering. See Price SE7 Max Wireless Bluetooth Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/7ien9zyghw1b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=44548fb7ec779953b3561440b3ecdddb9109281d SE7 MAX Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones is a premium quality headphone with an array of features that make it stand out from the crowd. It promises to deliver unparalleled sound quality, best-in-class noise cancellation, and long-lasting battery life. The headphones are equipped with the latest Bluetooth technology, which makes it compatible with all your Bluetooth-enabled devices. In this review, we will put the SE7 MAX headphones to the test and evaluate its performance, features, sound quality, battery life, comfort and fit, and value for money. Performance:The SE7 MAX headphones offer exceptional performance, thanks to its advanced noise-canceling feature that blocks out all ambient noise. Whether you are on a plane or in a noisy office, you can enjoy your music without any distractions. The headphones have two levels of active noise cancellation - one for low-frequency noise and the other for high-frequency noise. This ensures that you get the best possible audio experience, regardless of your surroundings.The Bluetooth connectivity is seamless, and the headphones connect quickly to your device without any lag or interruptions. Moreover, the SE7 MAX also has an impressive wireless range of up to 33 feet, which means you can move around freely without worrying about losing connection. See Price Features:The SE7 MAX headphones come packed with features that make it a worthwhile investment. Firstly, it has touch controls on the earcups that allow you to play/pause, skip tracks, adjust volume, and answer calls without having to take out your phone. Additionally, the headphones also have an inbuilt mic that lets you take hands-free calls and use voice assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant.The headphones also come with a wired mode, which means you can still enjoy your music even when the battery runs out. Furthermore, the headphones come with a carrying case, a charging cable, and an audio cable, making it easy to carry around and store. Sound Quality:The SE7 MAX headphones deliver a rich and immersive sound experience. The 40mm driver units produce clear and crisp audio with deep bass, which enhances the overall listening experience. The noise cancellation technology also ensures that you can hear every detail of your music without any disruptions from external noise.Moreover, the headphones support AAC, SBC, and aptX codecs, which means you can enjoy high-quality audio even when streaming music from your phone or tablet. Battery Life:One of the standout features of the SE7 MAX headphones is its long-lasting battery life. The headphones can last up to 30 hours on a single charge with the noise-cancellation feature on, and up to 50 hours with the noise cancellation off. This means you can enjoy uninterrupted music for long periods, making it perfect for long flights or road trips.Furthermore, the headphones also have a fast charging feature that allows you to get 2 hours of playback time with just 5 minutes of charging. See Price Comfort and Fit:The SE7 MAX headphones are designed for comfort, with plush earpads and an adjustable headband that fits snugly around your head. They are made with soft-touch materials that feel comfortable even after prolonged use. The headphones also weigh just 260 grams, making them lightweight and easy to carry around.Value for Money:The SE7 MAX headphones come with a premium price tag, but they offer exceptional value for money. The headphones are packed with features that are not commonly found in other headphones in this price range. Moreover, the build quality is excellent, and the headphones are built to last.Conclusion:SE7 MAX Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones are an excellent investment for anyone looking for a premium pair of headphones. They offer exceptional performance, outstanding noise cancellation, impressive battery life, and premium sound quality. Additionally, the headphones are packed with features that make them convenient and easy to use. Though they come with a premium price tag, the value for money they offer makes them worth considering.See Price SE7 Dual Feedback Wireless Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/zv6zxetphw1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=8de9fe68f189c810496b657e82b8d9c140f0984e The SE7 Dual Feedback Wireless Headphones are a premium quality headphone that promises to deliver unparalleled sound quality and exceptional performance. The headphones are equipped with the latest Bluetooth technology, which makes them compatible with all your Bluetooth-enabled devices. In this review, we will evaluate its performance, features, sound quality, battery life, comfort and fit, and value for money. Performance:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones offer exceptional performance, thanks to its advanced noise-canceling feature that blocks out all ambient noise. The dual feedback microphones work together to cancel out external noise, making the audio experience even more immersive. Whether you are on a plane or in a noisy office, you can enjoy your music without any distractions.The Bluetooth connectivity is seamless, and the headphones connect quickly to your device without any lag or interruptions. Moreover, the SE7 also has an impressive wireless range of up to 33 feet, which means you can move around freely without worrying about losing connection. See Price Features:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones come packed with features that make it a worthwhile investment. Firstly, it has touch controls on the earcups that allow you to play/pause, skip tracks, adjust volume, and answer calls without having to take out your phone. Additionally, the headphones also have an inbuilt mic that lets you take hands-free calls and use voice assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant.The headphones also come with a wired mode, which means you can still enjoy your music even when the battery runs out. Furthermore, the headphones come with a carrying case, a charging cable, and an audio cable, making it easy to carry around and store. Sound Quality:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones deliver a rich and immersive sound experience. The 40mm driver units produce clear and crisp audio with deep bass, which enhances the overall listening experience. The dual feedback microphones also ensure that you can hear every detail of your music without any disruptions from external noise.Moreover, the headphones support AAC, SBC, and aptX codecs, which means you can enjoy high-quality audio even when streaming music from your phone or tablet. Battery Life:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones have a long-lasting battery life. The headphones can last up to 30 hours on a single charge with the noise-cancellation feature on, and up to 50 hours with the noise cancellation off. This means you can enjoy uninterrupted music for long periods, making it perfect for long flights or road trips.Furthermore, the headphones also have a fast charging feature that allows you to get 2 hours of playback time with just 5 minutes of charging. See Price Comfort and Fit:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones are designed for comfort, with plush earpads and an adjustable headband that fits snugly around your head. They are made with soft-touch materials that feel comfortable even after prolonged use. The headphones also weigh just 260 grams, making them lightweight and easy to carry around.Value for Money:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones come with a premium price tag, but they offer exceptional value for money. The headphones are packed with features that are not commonly found in other headphones in this price range. Moreover, the build quality is excellent, and the headphones are built to last.Conclusion:Overall, the SE7 Dual Feedback Wireless Headphones are an excellent investment for anyone looking for a premium pair of headphones. They offer exceptional performance, outstanding noise cancellation, impressive battery life, and premium sound quality. Additionally, the headphones are packed with features that make them convenient and easy to use. Though they come with a premium price tag, the value for money they offer makes them worth considering.See Price |
2023.05.28 03:02 ElvinaWhitten Best Wireless Earbuds
| | Cowin Wireless Earbuds are a great option for those looking for a comfortable and affordable pair of wireless earbuds. They offer a long battery life, clear sound quality, and a secure fit.Cowin Wireless Earbuds are a great option for those looking for a comfortable, affordable, and reliable pair of wireless earbuds. If you are looking for a great pair of wireless earbuds at a great price, I would highly recommend Cowin Wireless Earbuds. submitted by ElvinaWhitten to motionview [link] [comments] Here are some of the key features of Cowin Wireless Earbuds:
Cowin Ky02 Wireless Earbuds https://preview.redd.it/kczdginemt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=f367d9c7fba2b1c993734c06309557bc2c730c1a The KY02 True Wireless Earbuds are a great choice for anyone in search of high-quality audio and ultimate freedom from wires. Designed to be used during physical activities, these earbuds offer a range of features intended to fit the needs of people with an active lifestyle. In this review, we will take a closer look at the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds and explore their design and build quality, performance, charging and recharging capabilities, as well as their pros and cons. Design and Build Quality:One of the first things you will notice about the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds is their sleek and modern design. The earbuds come in black or white colors, with a minimalist appearance that appeals to many users. They have a slightly angled shape that fits comfortably in your ears, and come with three different sizes of silicone ear tips for a secure and comfortable fit.The earbuds are made from high-quality materials, which makes them durable and long-lasting. They are also sweat- and water-resistant, which means they can withstand even the most intense workouts without any damage. Additionally, they are lightweight and portable, which makes them easy to use on-the-go. See Price Performance:In terms of performance, the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds deliver exceptional sound quality. They have a dynamic speaker system that produces clear and crisp sound without distortion or interference. The earbuds feature Bluetooth 5.0 technology, which ensures a stable and reliable connection with your mobile device up to 33 feet away.The earbuds also come with touch controls that allow you to manage your music playback, answer phone calls, and activate your phone's voice assistant without having to use your device. The controls are intuitive and easy to use, and you can customize them according to your preferences. Charging and Recharging:The KY02 True Wireless Earbuds come with a compact charging case that provides up to six full charges for the earbuds. Each charge provides up to four hours of playback time, which means you can enjoy up to 24 hours of continuous playback on a single charge.The charging case is easy to use and features LED indicators that show you how much battery life is remaining. The case itself can be charged using a USB-C cable, which provides fast and efficient charging times. See Price Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Overall, the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone who wants high-quality audio and comfortable wireless earbuds designed for physical activities. They offer exceptional sound quality, reliable connectivity, a variety of sizes of silicone ear tips to ensure a perfect fit, long battery life, and intuitive touch controls.Additionally, they are sweat- and water-resistant, making them durable and suitable for use during intense workouts or outdoor activities. Although they do not come with noise-canceling features, the overall performance and affordable price make them a great buy for people who prioritize functionality over extra features. If you're looking for a pair of reliable, high-quality wireless earbuds, the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds are definitely worth considering. See Price COWIN Apex Pro Active Noise Cancelling True Wireless Earbudshttps://preview.redd.it/d9tp7ivhnt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=65edc5ad537503297135cb75ae8a9101277b78d6 If you're in the market for earbuds with top-notch noise-cancelling capabilities, look no further than the Cowin Apex Pro. These true wireless earbuds boast active noise cancellation technology that can block out a significant amount of external noise, making them perfect for use during commutes or in noisy environments. But noise cancelling is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the features and performance offered by these earbuds. Design and Build Quality:The Cowin Apex Pro earbuds are sleek and modern in design, with a black matte finish and small, compact size. Each earbud features an ergonomic shape that fits comfortably in the ear and provides a secure fit, even during movement. The earbuds come with three different sizes of ear tips to ensure the perfect fit for any user. The earbuds are also sweat and water-resistant, which means they can withstand intense workouts and outdoor activities without fear of damage.One unique feature of the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds is their touch control operation. The earbuds feature touch-sensitive panels that allow users to control music playback, adjust volume, take phone calls, and activate voice assistants with a simple tap or swipe. This feature is intuitive and easy to use, making it a standout feature of the earbuds. See Price Performance:The Cowin Apex Pro earbuds deliver excellent sound quality, thanks to their 10mm dynamic drivers. The earbuds produce a balanced sound profile, with crisp highs, rich mids, and deep bass. The sound quality is impressive, even in noisy environments, thanks to the active noise cancellation technology. The earbuds also feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, which allows for quick and stable pairing with smartphones, tablets, and other devices.The active noise cancellation on the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds is top-notch. The technology is capable of blocking out a significant amount of external noise, including background chatter, traffic noise, and other environmental sounds. This makes the earbuds ideal for use during commutes, flights, or in busy offices. Charging and Recharging:The Cowin Apex Pro earbuds offer an impressive battery life of up to 7 hours on a single charge. The charging case provides an additional 30 hours of playback time, which means users can enjoy music and phone calls all day without worrying about running out of battery. When it comes time to recharge the earbuds, they can be fully charged in just 1.5 hours, thanks to the fast charging technology.The charging case also features a USB-C port for quick and easy charging, as well as wireless charging capabilities. This allows users to charge the earbuds on-the-go, without needing to carry around a charging cable. See Price Pros and Cons:As with any product, there are pros and cons to consider when it comes to the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds. Here are some of the most notable:Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Overall, the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone in need of high-quality true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation technology. The sleek and modern design, along with the touch control operation, make these earbuds stand out from the competition. The sound quality is impressive, even in noisy environments, and the battery life and charging capabilities are top-notch. While there may be some minor drawbacks, such as sensitivity with the touch controls or possible fit issues for some users, the pros of the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds far outweigh any cons.See Price Cowin Apex Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbudshttps://preview.redd.it/nz4gdpeunt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=eeeb76bdbab3c9157c8060cb65933661a5a4ef3b If you're looking for a reliable and affordable pair of wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling technology, the Cowin Apex earbuds may be just what you need. These earbuds offer a sleek design, impressive sound quality, and long battery life at a fraction of the cost of other high-end models. In this review, we'll take a closer look at the Cowin Apex earbuds and evaluate their performance in key categories. Design and Build Quality:The Cowin Apex earbuds have a simple, understated design that is both sleek and modern. They come in black or white, with a matte finish and metallic accents. The earbuds themselves are lightweight and compact, making them easy to carry around. They fit comfortably in the ear and come with multiple sizes of ear tips to ensure the perfect fit for any user.One potential drawback to the design of the Cowin Apex earbuds is that they don't feature touch controls. Instead, users must control music playback and phone calls using physical buttons on the earbuds. While this isn't as intuitive as touch controls, it's a minor inconvenience given the affordable price point of the earbuds. See Price Performance:The Cowin Apex earbuds deliver impressive sound quality, thanks to their 6mm dynamic drivers. The earbuds produce clear and balanced audio, with crisp highs, detailed mids, and punchy bass. Additionally, the earbuds offer active noise cancelling technology that blocks out external noise to create an immersive listening experience.The noise cancelling technology on the Cowin Apex earbuds is effective, but not as powerful as some higher-end models. It does a good job of blocking out background noise, such as traffic or chatter in a coffee shop, but may struggle with extremely loud environments. However, given the affordability of the earbuds, the noise cancelling capabilities are impressive. When it comes to connectivity, the Cowin Apex earbuds use Bluetooth 5.0 to provide stable and fast pairing with smartphones and other devices. The earbuds also feature a built-in microphone that allows for clear phone calls and voice assistant control. Charging and Recharging:The Cowin Apex earbuds offer up to 5 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is impressive given their compact size. The charging case provides an additional 15 hours of playback time, bringing the total battery life to 20 hours. When it's time to recharge the earbuds, they can be fully charged in just 1 hour, thanks to the fast charging technology.One potential drawback of the Cowin Apex earbuds is that they use micro-USB instead of USB-C for charging. While this isn't a major issue, it may be an inconvenience for users who prefer the newer USB-C standard. Pros and Cons:As with any product, there are pros and cons to consider when it comes to the Cowin Apex earbuds. Here are some of the most notable:Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Cowin Apex earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone looking for affordable wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling technology. While they may not have all the bells and whistles of higher-end models, they deliver impressive sound quality and decent noise cancelling capabilities at a fraction of the cost. The lightweight and compact design makes them easy to carry around, and the long battery life and fast charging technology ensure that you won't run out of juice during the day. While the lack of touch controls and use of micro-USB for charging may be minor inconveniences, they're a small price to pay for such an affordable and effective pair of wireless earbuds.See Price Cowin Apex Elite Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbudshttps://preview.redd.it/hotew0akot1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=73aa3a5618bffec1a610b69dc93c2194179169d0 Wireless earbuds have become increasingly popular over the years, with more and more people opting for the convenience of wireless headphones. Cowin has been one of the leading brands in this space, producing a range of affordable yet high-quality wireless earbuds. In this review, we'll take a closer look at the Cowin Apex Elite Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds and evaluate their performance in key categories. Design and Build Quality:The Cowin Apex Elite earbuds have a sleek and modern design that is both stylish and functional. They come in black or white, with a matte finish and metallic accents. The earbuds themselves are lightweight and compact, making them easy to carry around. They fit comfortably in the ear and come with multiple sizes of ear tips and ear wings to ensure the perfect fit for any user.One standout feature of the Cowin Apex Elite earbuds is their touch controls. Users can control music playback, phone calls, and access voice assistants using intuitive touch gestures on the earbuds. This makes it easy to adjust settings without having to reach for your phone or fumble with physical buttons on the earbuds. See Price The earbuds also feature active noise cancelling technology that blocks out external noise to create an immersive listening experience. The noise cancelling technology is effective, but not as powerful as some higher-end models. It does a good job of blocking out background noise, such as traffic or chatter in a coffee shop, but may struggle with extremely loud environments. Performance:When it comes to sound quality, the Cowin Apex Elite earbuds deliver impressive results. They use 10mm dynamic drivers to produce clear and balanced audio, with crisp highs, detailed mids, and punchy bass. Additionally, the earbuds offer active noise cancelling technology that blocks out external noise to create an immersive listening experience.The Cowin Apex Elite earbuds also feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, which provides stable and fast pairing with smartphones and other devices. The earbuds also have a built-in microphone that allows for clear phone calls and voice assistant control. Charging and Recharging:The Cowin Apex Elite earbuds offer up to 7 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is impressive given their compact size. The charging case provides an additional 28 hours of playback time, bringing the total battery life to 35 hours. When it's time to recharge the earbuds, they can be fully charged in just 1 hour, thanks to the fast charging technology.One potential drawback of the Cowin Apex Elite earbuds is that they use micro-USB instead of USB-C for charging. While this isn't a major issue, it may be an inconvenience for users who prefer the newer USB-C standard. See Price Pros and Cons:As with any product, there are pros and cons to consider when it comes to the Cowin Apex Elite earbuds. Here are some of the most notable:Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Overall, the Cowin Apex Elite Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a high-quality pair of wireless earbuds. With their sleek and modern design, intuitive touch controls, and impressive sound quality, they offer everything you could want in a pair of wireless earbuds. The lightweight and compact design makes them easy to carry around, and the long battery life and fast charging technology ensure that you won't run out of juice during the day. While the noise cancelling technology may not be as powerful as higher-end models, it's still effective enough to block out most external noise. The use of micro-USB for charging may be a minor inconvenience, but it's a small price to pay for such an affordable and effective pair of wireless earbuds.See Price Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbudshttps://preview.redd.it/7pvqgqc6qt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=351392b91f956ba0bbed2a795a82fbdb5e39eae7 The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds are an impressive addition to the wireless earbud market, offering active noise cancelling technology and a sleek design. In this review, we will delve into the design and build quality, performance, charging and recharging capabilities, as well as the pros and cons of these earbuds. Design and Build Quality:The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds boast a sleek and modern design that is both stylish and compact, making them perfect for on-the-go use. The earbuds come with three different sized ear tips to ensure a comfortable and secure fit. The ear tips are made from soft silicone material which provides a comfortable fit and helps to block out external noise.The earbuds themselves are lightweight and easy to wear for extended periods of time. They have a matte black finish which adds to their overall aesthetic appeal. The earbuds also feature touch controls on the surface which makes it easy to control music playback, answer calls, or activate the voice assistant. The charging case of the Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds is also quite impressive. It has a slim and compact design that can easily fit into a pocket or bag. The case has a matte black finish which complements the earbuds nicely. It is easy to open and close and has a magnetic closure which ensures that the earbuds do not fall out. See Price Performance:The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds offer active noise cancelling technology which helps to block out external sounds. The noise cancelling feature is quite effective in muffling ambient noise, making it easier to focus on your music or podcast. During our tests, we found that the noise cancelling feature worked well for low-frequency sounds such as traffic noise, but struggled to block out higher frequency sounds like voices.In terms of sound quality, the Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds offer a rich and balanced sound. The bass is punchy and deep without overpowering the other frequencies. The mids and highs are clear and detailed, making it easy to distinguish individual instruments in a song. Overall, the sound quality of these earbuds is impressive and should satisfy most users. The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds also feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity which ensures a stable and reliable connection between the earbuds and your device. We did not experience any dropouts or connectivity issues during our testing. Charging and Recharging:The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds come with a charging case that provides up to 24 hours of total playtime. The earbuds themselves offer up to 6 hours of playtime on a single charge. The charging case can recharge the earbuds multiple times before needing to be recharged itself.The charging case features a USB-C port for quick and efficient charging. It takes approximately 1.5 hours to fully charge the earbuds from empty and approximately 2 hours to fully charge the charging case from empty. See Price Pros and Cons:Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone in the market for a pair of wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling technology. They offer a sleek and modern design, effective noise cancelling technology, and rich and balanced sound quality. While the noise cancelling could be better for higher frequency sounds and the touch controls can be finicky at times, these minor drawbacks do not detract from their overall performance. We highly recommend the Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds to anyone in need of a reliable and high-quality pair of wireless earbuds.See Price |
2023.05.28 03:01 drdeathdefy42 Just got a LG C2 OLED 65" - What movies would look the best with a 4k uhd player?
I've been putting off watching movies until I got a solid home theater build. I finally got the last piece of the puzzle with the LG C2 OLED 65". It's absolutely stunning and after only a days worth of use I can never look at an LCD panel the same. Right now I'm in the boat of wanting to watch shows and movies that will really pop with the vibrant color and contrast of an OLED panel and a HDR movie player. I'll take any recommendations.
For the curious, I'm rocking a 5.2 system. I have 2 bookshelf Polk LSiM 703's, a Polk LSiM 705 center, and the LSiM surrounds. I got these speakers during Polk's close out sales for a really stellar deal when they were replacing LSiM with their new high end line. I also have 2 SVS PB2000 subs from their black Friday sale a few years back. I'm using the Denon x2500h receiver I got on sale and the Panasonic UB820 player also from a sale. I have audio going to the receiver via toslink. The OLED I just got yesterday had a deal where it came with a 3 year extended warranty for free.
If you have any recommendations other than sound treatment on what to improve, replace, or add equipment wise, I would appreciate that as well. I'm not sure where to go with this now.
submitted by drdeathdefy42 to hometheater [link] [comments]
For the curious, I'm rocking a 5.2 system. I have 2 bookshelf Polk LSiM 703's, a Polk LSiM 705 center, and the LSiM surrounds. I got these speakers during Polk's close out sales for a really stellar deal when they were replacing LSiM with their new high end line. I also have 2 SVS PB2000 subs from their black Friday sale a few years back. I'm using the Denon x2500h receiver I got on sale and the Panasonic UB820 player also from a sale. I have audio going to the receiver via toslink. The OLED I just got yesterday had a deal where it came with a 3 year extended warranty for free.
If you have any recommendations other than sound treatment on what to improve, replace, or add equipment wise, I would appreciate that as well. I'm not sure where to go with this now.
2023.05.28 03:01 PurpleSolitudes Buy Best Cowin's Noise-cancelling Headphones
| | Cowin Audio's noise-cancelling headphones! Cowin Audio is a company that specializes in producing high-quality audio equipment, and their noise-cancelling headphones are some of the best on the market. These headphones use advanced noise-cancellation technology to block out background noise, allowing you to enjoy your music or podcasts without any distractions. submitted by PurpleSolitudes to allinsolution [link] [comments] One of the standout features of Cowin Audio's headphones is their long battery life. Depending on the model you choose, you can expect anywhere from 20-30 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. They also have built-in microphones for hands-free phone calls and voice commands, as well as comfortable ear cups that make them perfect for extended listening sessions. Let's See The Noise-cancelling HeadphonesCowin E7 Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/86nffxcqbb1b1.png?width=1001&format=png&auto=webp&s=6c97351436a7ef6324bfca42b6fdd3ad047d82cb The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable pair of headphones with excellent sound quality and noise cancellation. The headphones feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The noise cancellation is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The headphones connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones come with a one-year warranty.Conclusion:The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin Cowin SE7 Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/zowmey4ocb1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=c0608a21a62400bf40f9aca36801fc5b3e86be35 The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable pair of headphones with excellent sound quality and noise cancellation. The headphones feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The noise cancellation is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The headphones connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones come with a one-year warranty. View on Cowin Additional Details:
Some Reviews:
Conclusion:The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin Cowin E7 Pro Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/sl7j6yarcb1b1.png?width=1030&format=png&auto=webp&s=68097756da20ee69066109b95247208aa297926d The COWIN E7 Pro are a pair of over-ear headphones that offer active noise cancellation (ANC) and Bluetooth connectivity. They are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable way to enjoy their music or audio content without distractions. The E7 Pro feature 45mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The ANC is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The E7 Pro connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The COWIN E7 Pro come with a one-year warranty.Additional Details:
Conclusion:The COWIN E7 Pro are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin Cowin E8 Pro Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/oz4latetcb1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=7a832a2672f3dcf2c6128ae9902a0b225f6f40d8 COWIN E8 Perfect Quiet Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable way to enjoy their music or audio content without distractions. The E8 feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The active noise cancellation (ANC) is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The E8 connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The COWIN E8 come with a one-year warranty.Additional Details:The headphones use active noise cancellation to cancel out most ambient noise. This means that you can enjoy your music or whatever you're listening to without being interrupted by noise from your surroundings.
Conclusion:The COWIN E8 are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin COWIN E7 Wireless Bluetooth Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/al8luhwxcb1b1.png?width=1001&format=png&auto=webp&s=8f475727df0541ddc81e8652156999b50685f03a The COWIN E7 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable way to enjoy their music or audio content. The E7 feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The E7 connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The COWIN E7 come with a one-year warranty.View on Cowin Additional Details:
Conclusion:The COWIN E7 are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, comfort, and portability. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin |
2023.05.28 03:01 SinfulAbsorption Buy Best Cowin's Noise-cancelling Headphones
| | Cowin Audio's noise-cancelling headphones! Cowin Audio is a company that specializes in producing high-quality audio equipment, and their noise-cancelling headphones are some of the best on the market. These headphones use advanced noise-cancellation technology to block out background noise, allowing you to enjoy your music or podcasts without any distractions. submitted by SinfulAbsorption to markforcart [link] [comments] One of the standout features of Cowin Audio's headphones is their long battery life. Depending on the model you choose, you can expect anywhere from 20-30 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. They also have built-in microphones for hands-free phone calls and voice commands, as well as comfortable ear cups that make them perfect for extended listening sessions. Let's See The Noise-cancelling HeadphonesCowin E7 Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/1jl8mj19db1b1.png?width=1001&format=png&auto=webp&s=bdd6fefc7edbaf4e5dfc21ab59d3e8892bafaabb The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable pair of headphones with excellent sound quality and noise cancellation. The headphones feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The noise cancellation is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The headphones connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones come with a one-year warranty.Conclusion:The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin Cowin SE7 Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/25yi8x6bdb1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=5cb569a1309f3ff337a8b417871454f95deffabf The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable pair of headphones with excellent sound quality and noise cancellation. The headphones feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The noise cancellation is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The headphones connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones come with a one-year warranty. View on Cowin Additional Details:
Some Reviews:
Conclusion:The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin Cowin E7 Pro Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/fedsii6cdb1b1.png?width=1030&format=png&auto=webp&s=7d5ea402c57071e945c836fa8c97f5054512aaf5 The COWIN E7 Pro are a pair of over-ear headphones that offer active noise cancellation (ANC) and Bluetooth connectivity. They are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable way to enjoy their music or audio content without distractions. The E7 Pro feature 45mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The ANC is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The E7 Pro connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The COWIN E7 Pro come with a one-year warranty.Additional Details:
Conclusion:The COWIN E7 Pro are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin Cowin E8 Pro Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/bgl3f53ddb1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=09c4e9d1e1caaa716297625fa125fa2d0041ec75 COWIN E8 Perfect Quiet Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable way to enjoy their music or audio content without distractions. The E8 feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The active noise cancellation (ANC) is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The E8 connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The COWIN E8 come with a one-year warranty.Additional Details:The headphones use active noise cancellation to cancel out most ambient noise. This means that you can enjoy your music or whatever you're listening to without being interrupted by noise from your surroundings.
Conclusion:The COWIN E8 are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin COWIN E7 Wireless Bluetooth Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/wz8vba9edb1b1.png?width=1001&format=png&auto=webp&s=9d40ee2a2defd28c7f74ffa0ff9935ff1f40942d The COWIN E7 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable way to enjoy their music or audio content. The E7 feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The E7 connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The COWIN E7 come with a one-year warranty.View on Cowin Additional Details:
Conclusion:The COWIN E7 are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, comfort, and portability. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin |
2023.05.28 03:00 Gittun Compact pc speaker/headphone setup
I would like some advice with my search for a new desktop sound setup.
Let's start with my current speaker setup: Logitech Z-4's, with usually Sennheiser 598Cs connected. (Here's a top down view.) While the sound is honestly quite meh, I really like the functionality of the wired remote, without it I would have upgraded years ago. The remote is now dying (turning the volume knob creates scratchy sounds and makes either the left or the right channel cut out), so it is time to bite the bullet.
Why do I like the remote so much?
I'm fine with the €~500 I'm likely to spend as it is, but I don't mind stretching that if the result is worth it (with a max at €900-1000). If there somehow is a good option that's cheaper, I won't say no of course.
submitted by Gittun to BudgetAudiophile [link] [comments]
Let's start with my current speaker setup: Logitech Z-4's, with usually Sennheiser 598Cs connected. (Here's a top down view.) While the sound is honestly quite meh, I really like the functionality of the wired remote, without it I would have upgraded years ago. The remote is now dying (turning the volume knob creates scratchy sounds and makes either the left or the right channel cut out), so it is time to bite the bullet.
Why do I like the remote so much?
- Automatic headphone detection: Because my desk sits in our living room, I use headphones a lot to not bother my gf too much. The wired remote automatically mutes the speakers when a headphone is plugged in.
- Hardware volume knob: I hate fiddling with volume settings while gaming or watching a video, so a hardware volume knob that's easily adjusted is very useful to me.
- Audio input: The 3.5mm input next to the headphone port means I can plug in anything with a 3.5mm connection. I use this while working to play music through Plex on my phone since my work laptop is really locked down.
- Replicating the features I describe above.
- Having Bluetooth instead/in addition to the 3.5mm input would be nice.
- Compact speakers. Because of the size of the desk combined with 2x27" monitors and a laptop, there is only room for speakers that are max ~15cm wide. (Or larger if they can lie sideways below the monitors, but I understand this is not advisable.)
- A single wired volume control box with headphone output that controls the volume of all inputs. Either a DAC/AMP or a remote connected to the speakers. I would really prefer not to have a separate wireless remote control that I can lose track of.
- Headphone detection, or at least an easy hardware button/toggle on the same device that controls the volume.
- Either included sub or the option to add one later.
- Audioengine A2+ (€300): These seems to pop up wherever I look for compact speakers. The fact that they're active speakers means more options because I don't need the DAC/AMP to be able to power the speakers. Also I haven't been able to find passive speakers small enough. I might just be looking in the wrong places though...
- No sub yet: I figured I'd try out how they sound without one before adding a sub.
- A DAC/AMP(€180-???): Here's where I need the most help. I started out looking for something that could power passive speakers, to have the most flexibility. I looked at the Loxjie A30 and Topping MX3/MX5, but those have separate wireless remotes which I'm not a fan of. Also I read the headphone output isn't great on those, which would suck considering how often I would use that. If I stick with active speakers and thus don't need that functionality, the range of options becomes so big that I'm honestly lost. I need help.
- Kanto YU2 (€300): Relatively hard to find in the Netherlands, but similar size and price to the A2+.
- Klipsch Promedia THX 2.1(€300+): Seem the most similar to my Z-4's, but hard to find and thus expensive.
- Logitech Z533(€100): Seems like they'd be a side/downgrade in terms of sound quality, but mostly similar in functionality. Ugly though.
I'm fine with the €~500 I'm likely to spend as it is, but I don't mind stretching that if the result is worth it (with a max at €900-1000). If there somehow is a good option that's cheaper, I won't say no of course.
2023.05.28 02:50 ElvinaWhitten Buy Best Headphones
| | Cowin Audio's noise-cancelling headphones! Cowin Audio is a company that specializes in producing high-quality audio equipment, and their noise-cancelling headphones are some of the best on the market. These headphones use advanced noise-cancellation technology to block out background noise, allowing you to enjoy your music or podcasts without any distractions. submitted by ElvinaWhitten to motionview [link] [comments] One of the standout features of Cowin Audio's headphones is their long battery life. Depending on the model you choose, you can expect anywhere from 20-30 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. They also have built-in microphones for hands-free phone calls and voice commands, as well as comfortable ear cups that make them perfect for extended listening sessions. Let's See The Noise-cancelling Headphones Cowin E7 Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/gin4hj03rt1b1.png?width=1001&format=png&auto=webp&s=0deff4df56cce4811e191f643e8bb7b3cc086ed6 The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable pair of headphones with excellent sound quality and noise cancellation. The headphones feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The noise cancellation is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The headphones connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones come with a one-year warranty.Conclusion:The Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin Cowin SE7 Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/yfdyj3c8rt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=175a3101db58e9a5c3c4f79b3c7a8ba72313d03a The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable pair of headphones with excellent sound quality and noise cancellation. The headphones feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The noise cancellation is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The headphones connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones come with a one-year warranty.View on Cowin Additional Details:
Some Reviews:
Conclusion:The Cowin SE7 Dual Feedback Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin Cowin E7 Pro Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/nvrg5micrt1b1.png?width=1030&format=png&auto=webp&s=4883ac8c70094ab7f7b03380ff88b02cb96015c9 The COWIN E7 Pro are a pair of over-ear headphones that offer active noise cancellation (ANC) and Bluetooth connectivity. They are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable way to enjoy their music or audio content without distractions. The E7 Pro feature 45mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The ANC is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The E7 Pro connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The COWIN E7 Pro come with a one-year warranty.Additional Details:
Conclusion:The COWIN E7 Pro are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin Cowin E8 Pro Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/md6iw1dfrt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=545b7380503dd572887a9c825d4eb1fc4abf120f COWIN E8 Perfect Quiet Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable way to enjoy their music or audio content without distractions. The E8 feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The active noise cancellation (ANC) is also very effective, blocking out most ambient noise so you can focus on your music or whatever you're listening to. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The E8 connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. View on Cowin Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The COWIN E8 come with a one-year warranty.Additional Details:The headphones use active noise cancellation to cancel out most ambient noise. This means that you can enjoy your music or whatever you're listening to without being interrupted by noise from your surroundings.
Conclusion:The COWIN E8 are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin COWIN E7 Wireless Bluetooth Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/iepquzuhrt1b1.png?width=1001&format=png&auto=webp&s=cbf5a8c8f67f3e9d8ad039946d9f84d973b78f22 The COWIN E7 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones are a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable and affordable way to enjoy their music or audio content. The E7 feature 40mm drivers that produce clear, detailed sound with deep bass. The headphones are also very comfortable to wear. The earcups are made of soft, padded leather and the headband is adjustable so you can find a comfortable fit. The headphones also fold up for easy portability. The E7 connect to your devices via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio cable. They have a battery life of up to 30 hours, so you can listen to music all day long without having to worry about running out of power. Features:
Benefits:
Specifications:
Warranty:The COWIN E7 come with a one-year warranty.View on Cowin Additional Details:
Conclusion:The COWIN E7 are a great value for the price. They offer excellent sound quality, comfort, and portability. If you're looking for a great pair of headphones, these are definitely worth considering.View on Cowin |
2023.05.28 02:29 akirakruosawa Steel Series Arena 9 vs Logitech z906
Anybody have experience with both of these? I am looking for comparisons as they both are 5.1 surround systems with a bit of a price difference. Does the arena 9 offer anything extra outside of an updated usb c cable connection? Does one sound noticeably better than the other?
submitted by akirakruosawa to steelseries [link] [comments]
2023.05.28 02:18 IllRepresentative247 $700 arc coming. Costco - Sonos Arc ( all editions ) are going to $700 on June 2. My location is discontinuing them.
 | submitted by IllRepresentative247 to sonos [link] [comments] |
2023.05.28 02:14 RudySilvergun Sound Burger in the house.
 | Got a email a few days ago from Turntable Lab that these were available for order. They had both yellow and black not the red limited editions. These must be the ones slated for a Spring release. So if you’ve been bummed you missed it the last time, more are on the way apparently. submitted by RudySilvergun to turntables [link] [comments] |
2023.05.28 02:10 ipod123432 Finding quality speakers in Dell hell
So I've got a $155 dell gift card to spend to acquire speakers or a soundbar for my PC. The speakers and PC audio sections are very limited. Luckily Dell will price match Amazon. Here are the options I'm looking at, willing to expand budget if necessary.
submitted by ipod123432 to PCSound [link] [comments]
- Logitech Z625, $160 on Amazon. But I hear a lot of people hating on Logitech speakers.
- Creative Sound BlasterX Katana, $200 on Amazon. Read some mixed reviews.
- Logitech G560 Lightsync, $180 on Amazon.
- Bose Companion 2 Series III, $149. Seem overpriced but okay.
- Creative Speakers Pebble, $28 if everything else is a rip off
- Bose SoundLink Micro Portable Bluetooth Speaker, $99. Not really PC, but I heard these are okay for showers.
2023.05.28 02:03 ElvinaWhitten Best Wireless Headphones
| | Cowinaudio is a brand of headphones that offers high-quality sound and advanced wireless technology. Their wireless headphones are designed to provide an immersive listening experience without any cables getting in your way. submitted by ElvinaWhitten to motionview [link] [comments] Their headphones use Bluetooth technology to connect to your device, allowing you to listen to music or take phone calls wirelessly. The headphones have a long battery life, so you can enjoy your music for hours on end. They also feature noise-cancelling technology, which blocks out external noise and allows you to focus on your music or conversation. Cowinaudio's headphones come in a variety of colors and styles to suit different tastes and preferences. So whether you're looking for over-ear headphones for home listening or earbuds for working out, Cowinaudio has something for everyone. E7 BASIC C Wireless Headphonehttps://preview.redd.it/7je8p0ebew1b1.png?width=1602&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ba31f4bdfcf1aa23305a9a313967caa9ad81a31 The Cowin E7 Basic C Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are a popular and affordable option for those looking for high-quality wireless headphones with noise-cancelling technology. In this review, we will take a closer look at the features of these headphones, their performance, and overall value for money. FeaturesThe Cowin E7 Basic C headphones are a well-built product that feels solid in your hands. They are constructed mostly from plastic materials but feel durable and sturdy. The ear cups are soft and comfortable, and the headband is adjustable to fit different head sizes. These headphones come in two colors: black or white.One of the standout features of these headphones is their active noise-cancelling technology. This feature effectively blocks out external noise, allowing you to focus on your music or other audio without distraction. The ANC feature works well in most situations, from noisy city streets to airplane cabins. These headphones also offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, which allows for quick and easy pairing with your mobile device. The connection is strong and stable, and we experienced no dropouts or interruptions during our testing. They have a decent wireless range of up to approximately 33 feet. See Price Sound QualityIn terms of sound quality, the Cowin E7 Basic C headphones perform admirably. The bass response is deep and punchy, while the mid and high frequencies are clear and detailed. The soundstage is wide and spacious, creating an immersive listening experience.The ANC feature helps to further enhance the sound quality by blocking out external noise, which can often detract from the listening experience. However, some users may find that the active noise-cancelling feature affects the overall sound signature of the headphones, making the music sound slightly muffled or congested. Battery LifeThe battery life of the Cowin E7 Basic C headphones is impressive, offering up to 30 hours of playback time on a single charge. This is a significant improvement over the original Cowin E7 headphones, which offered only 18 hours of battery life.Charging time is also relatively quick, with a full charge taking around 2-3 hours. The headphones also have an LED indicator that displays the battery life, so you always know when it's time to recharge. See Price Comfort and FitThe Cowin E7 Basic C headphones are designed for maximum comfort during extended listening sessions. The ear cups are large and well-padded, and the headband is adjustable for a custom fit. The materials used in the construction of these headphones are soft and breathable, helping to prevent overheating and discomfort.However, some users may find the headphones a bit heavy and bulky, particularly if they're wearing them for long periods of time. They can also cause some pressure on the ears, depending on the individual's head size and shape. Value for MoneyThe Cowin E7 Basic C headphones offer excellent value for money, providing high-quality sound, noise-cancelling technology, and long battery life at an affordable price point. The ANC feature works well and is a useful addition for those who live or work in noisy environments.They are not perfect, and some users may find the sound signature slightly altered by the ANC feature. Additionally, the headphones may feel a bit heavy and bulky for some individuals, causing discomfort after prolonged use. ConclusionCowin E7 Basic C Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are an excellent option for those looking for a budget-friendly set of wireless headphones with ANC technology. They offer impressive sound quality, long battery life, and reliable Bluetooth connectivity. While they are not without their flaws, they provide a lot of features for a reasonable price and are a great value for money option.See Price E7 Basic B Wireless Headphonehttps://preview.redd.it/0uo6119ifw1b1.png?width=1602&format=png&auto=webp&s=fea0788ff6cf7a0c2896938a294abe08d01e59d0 The Cowin E7 Basic B Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are a popular and affordable option for those looking for high-quality wireless headphones with ANC technology. In this review, we will take an in-depth look at the performance, features, sound quality, battery life, comfort and fit, as well as value for money of these headphones. Performance:The Cowin E7 Basic B headphones are designed to provide a superior listening experience, thanks to their advanced noise-cancelling technology. They are built with sturdy and durable materials that feel solid in your hands, and they come in two colors: black or white.One of the standout features of these headphones is their active noise-cancelling technology. The ANC feature works effectively in blocking out external noise, allowing you to focus on your music or other audio without any distractions. The ANC feature works well in most situations, including noisy city streets, crowded cafes, and airplane cabins. In addition to ANC technology, these headphones offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, which makes pairing them with your mobile device quick and easy. The connection is strong and stable, with no dropouts or interruptions during testing. The headphones also have a decent wireless range of up to 33 feet. See Price Features:The Cowin E7 Basic B headphones come with several useful features that enhance their overall functionality. They have physical buttons on the ear cups that allow you to control playback, adjust volume, and activate voice assistant functions like Siri or Google Assistant.The headphones also come with a built-in microphone, making them suitable for taking phone calls. The microphone quality is good, although some users have reported occasional issues with background noise or echoing during calls. Sound Quality:The sound quality of the Cowin E7 Basic B headphones is impressive, with deep and punchy bass, clear mid and high frequencies, and a wide and spacious soundstage. The ANC feature helps to further improve the sound quality by blocking out external noise, which can often detract from the listening experience. However, some users may find that the ANC feature affects the overall sound signature of the headphones, making the music sound slightly muffled or congested.Battery Life:One of the most significant selling points of the Cowin E7 Basic B headphones is their battery life. They offer up to 30 hours of playback time on a single charge, which is a substantial improvement over the original Cowin E7 headphones, which offered only 18 hours of battery life.Charging time is also relatively quick, with a full charge taking around 2-3 hours. The headphones also have an LED indicator that displays the battery life, so you always know when it's time to recharge. See Price Comfort and Fit:The Cowin E7 Basic B headphones are designed for maximum comfort during extended listening sessions. The ear cups are large and well-padded, and the headband is adjustable for a custom fit. The materials used in the construction of these headphones are soft and breathable, helping to prevent overheating and discomfort.However, some users may find the headphones a bit heavy and bulky, particularly if they're wearing them for long periods of time. They can also cause some pressure on the ears, depending on the individual's head size and shape. Value for Money:When it comes to value for money, the Cowin E7 Basic B headphones are hard to beat. They provide high-quality sound, noise-cancelling technology, and long battery life at an affordable price point. The ANC feature works well and is a useful addition for those who live or work in noisy environments.They are not perfect, and some users may find the sound signature slightly altered by the ANC feature. Additionally, the headphones may feel a bit heavy and bulky for some individuals, causing discomfort after prolonged use. Conclusion:Cowin E7 Basic B Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are an excellent choice for those looking for an affordable and high-quality wireless headphone option. They provide impressive sound quality, long battery life, and reliable Bluetooth connectivity, making them ideal for a variety of listening situations.While they may not be perfect, they offer a lot of features for their price point and represent excellent value for money. So if you're in the market for a pair of wireless headphones with active noise-cancelling technology, the Cowin E7 Basic B headphones are definitely worth considering. See Price SE7 Max Wireless Bluetooth Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/7ien9zyghw1b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=44548fb7ec779953b3561440b3ecdddb9109281d SE7 MAX Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones is a premium quality headphone with an array of features that make it stand out from the crowd. It promises to deliver unparalleled sound quality, best-in-class noise cancellation, and long-lasting battery life. The headphones are equipped with the latest Bluetooth technology, which makes it compatible with all your Bluetooth-enabled devices. In this review, we will put the SE7 MAX headphones to the test and evaluate its performance, features, sound quality, battery life, comfort and fit, and value for money. Performance:The SE7 MAX headphones offer exceptional performance, thanks to its advanced noise-canceling feature that blocks out all ambient noise. Whether you are on a plane or in a noisy office, you can enjoy your music without any distractions. The headphones have two levels of active noise cancellation - one for low-frequency noise and the other for high-frequency noise. This ensures that you get the best possible audio experience, regardless of your surroundings.The Bluetooth connectivity is seamless, and the headphones connect quickly to your device without any lag or interruptions. Moreover, the SE7 MAX also has an impressive wireless range of up to 33 feet, which means you can move around freely without worrying about losing connection. See Price Features:The SE7 MAX headphones come packed with features that make it a worthwhile investment. Firstly, it has touch controls on the earcups that allow you to play/pause, skip tracks, adjust volume, and answer calls without having to take out your phone. Additionally, the headphones also have an inbuilt mic that lets you take hands-free calls and use voice assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant.The headphones also come with a wired mode, which means you can still enjoy your music even when the battery runs out. Furthermore, the headphones come with a carrying case, a charging cable, and an audio cable, making it easy to carry around and store. Sound Quality:The SE7 MAX headphones deliver a rich and immersive sound experience. The 40mm driver units produce clear and crisp audio with deep bass, which enhances the overall listening experience. The noise cancellation technology also ensures that you can hear every detail of your music without any disruptions from external noise.Moreover, the headphones support AAC, SBC, and aptX codecs, which means you can enjoy high-quality audio even when streaming music from your phone or tablet. Battery Life:One of the standout features of the SE7 MAX headphones is its long-lasting battery life. The headphones can last up to 30 hours on a single charge with the noise-cancellation feature on, and up to 50 hours with the noise cancellation off. This means you can enjoy uninterrupted music for long periods, making it perfect for long flights or road trips.Furthermore, the headphones also have a fast charging feature that allows you to get 2 hours of playback time with just 5 minutes of charging. See Price Comfort and Fit:The SE7 MAX headphones are designed for comfort, with plush earpads and an adjustable headband that fits snugly around your head. They are made with soft-touch materials that feel comfortable even after prolonged use. The headphones also weigh just 260 grams, making them lightweight and easy to carry around.Value for Money:The SE7 MAX headphones come with a premium price tag, but they offer exceptional value for money. The headphones are packed with features that are not commonly found in other headphones in this price range. Moreover, the build quality is excellent, and the headphones are built to last.Conclusion:SE7 MAX Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones are an excellent investment for anyone looking for a premium pair of headphones. They offer exceptional performance, outstanding noise cancellation, impressive battery life, and premium sound quality. Additionally, the headphones are packed with features that make them convenient and easy to use. Though they come with a premium price tag, the value for money they offer makes them worth considering.See Price SE7 Dual Feedback Wireless Headphoneshttps://preview.redd.it/zv6zxetphw1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=8de9fe68f189c810496b657e82b8d9c140f0984e The SE7 Dual Feedback Wireless Headphones are a premium quality headphone that promises to deliver unparalleled sound quality and exceptional performance. The headphones are equipped with the latest Bluetooth technology, which makes them compatible with all your Bluetooth-enabled devices. In this review, we will evaluate its performance, features, sound quality, battery life, comfort and fit, and value for money. Performance:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones offer exceptional performance, thanks to its advanced noise-canceling feature that blocks out all ambient noise. The dual feedback microphones work together to cancel out external noise, making the audio experience even more immersive. Whether you are on a plane or in a noisy office, you can enjoy your music without any distractions.The Bluetooth connectivity is seamless, and the headphones connect quickly to your device without any lag or interruptions. Moreover, the SE7 also has an impressive wireless range of up to 33 feet, which means you can move around freely without worrying about losing connection. See Price Features:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones come packed with features that make it a worthwhile investment. Firstly, it has touch controls on the earcups that allow you to play/pause, skip tracks, adjust volume, and answer calls without having to take out your phone. Additionally, the headphones also have an inbuilt mic that lets you take hands-free calls and use voice assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant.The headphones also come with a wired mode, which means you can still enjoy your music even when the battery runs out. Furthermore, the headphones come with a carrying case, a charging cable, and an audio cable, making it easy to carry around and store. Sound Quality:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones deliver a rich and immersive sound experience. The 40mm driver units produce clear and crisp audio with deep bass, which enhances the overall listening experience. The dual feedback microphones also ensure that you can hear every detail of your music without any disruptions from external noise.Moreover, the headphones support AAC, SBC, and aptX codecs, which means you can enjoy high-quality audio even when streaming music from your phone or tablet. Battery Life:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones have a long-lasting battery life. The headphones can last up to 30 hours on a single charge with the noise-cancellation feature on, and up to 50 hours with the noise cancellation off. This means you can enjoy uninterrupted music for long periods, making it perfect for long flights or road trips.Furthermore, the headphones also have a fast charging feature that allows you to get 2 hours of playback time with just 5 minutes of charging. See Price Comfort and Fit:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones are designed for comfort, with plush earpads and an adjustable headband that fits snugly around your head. They are made with soft-touch materials that feel comfortable even after prolonged use. The headphones also weigh just 260 grams, making them lightweight and easy to carry around.Value for Money:The SE7 Dual Feedback headphones come with a premium price tag, but they offer exceptional value for money. The headphones are packed with features that are not commonly found in other headphones in this price range. Moreover, the build quality is excellent, and the headphones are built to last.Conclusion:Overall, the SE7 Dual Feedback Wireless Headphones are an excellent investment for anyone looking for a premium pair of headphones. They offer exceptional performance, outstanding noise cancellation, impressive battery life, and premium sound quality. Additionally, the headphones are packed with features that make them convenient and easy to use. Though they come with a premium price tag, the value for money they offer makes them worth considering.See Price |
2023.05.28 02:03 ElvinaWhitten Best Wireless Earbuds
| | Cowin Wireless Earbuds are a great option for those looking for a comfortable and affordable pair of wireless earbuds. They offer a long battery life, clear sound quality, and a secure fit.Cowin Wireless Earbuds are a great option for those looking for a comfortable, affordable, and reliable pair of wireless earbuds. If you are looking for a great pair of wireless earbuds at a great price, I would highly recommend Cowin Wireless Earbuds. submitted by ElvinaWhitten to motionview [link] [comments] Here are some of the key features of Cowin Wireless Earbuds:
Cowin Ky02 Wireless Earbuds https://preview.redd.it/kczdginemt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=f367d9c7fba2b1c993734c06309557bc2c730c1a The KY02 True Wireless Earbuds are a great choice for anyone in search of high-quality audio and ultimate freedom from wires. Designed to be used during physical activities, these earbuds offer a range of features intended to fit the needs of people with an active lifestyle. In this review, we will take a closer look at the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds and explore their design and build quality, performance, charging and recharging capabilities, as well as their pros and cons. Design and Build Quality:One of the first things you will notice about the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds is their sleek and modern design. The earbuds come in black or white colors, with a minimalist appearance that appeals to many users. They have a slightly angled shape that fits comfortably in your ears, and come with three different sizes of silicone ear tips for a secure and comfortable fit.The earbuds are made from high-quality materials, which makes them durable and long-lasting. They are also sweat- and water-resistant, which means they can withstand even the most intense workouts without any damage. Additionally, they are lightweight and portable, which makes them easy to use on-the-go. See Price Performance:In terms of performance, the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds deliver exceptional sound quality. They have a dynamic speaker system that produces clear and crisp sound without distortion or interference. The earbuds feature Bluetooth 5.0 technology, which ensures a stable and reliable connection with your mobile device up to 33 feet away.The earbuds also come with touch controls that allow you to manage your music playback, answer phone calls, and activate your phone's voice assistant without having to use your device. The controls are intuitive and easy to use, and you can customize them according to your preferences. Charging and Recharging:The KY02 True Wireless Earbuds come with a compact charging case that provides up to six full charges for the earbuds. Each charge provides up to four hours of playback time, which means you can enjoy up to 24 hours of continuous playback on a single charge.The charging case is easy to use and features LED indicators that show you how much battery life is remaining. The case itself can be charged using a USB-C cable, which provides fast and efficient charging times. See Price Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Overall, the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone who wants high-quality audio and comfortable wireless earbuds designed for physical activities. They offer exceptional sound quality, reliable connectivity, a variety of sizes of silicone ear tips to ensure a perfect fit, long battery life, and intuitive touch controls.Additionally, they are sweat- and water-resistant, making them durable and suitable for use during intense workouts or outdoor activities. Although they do not come with noise-canceling features, the overall performance and affordable price make them a great buy for people who prioritize functionality over extra features. If you're looking for a pair of reliable, high-quality wireless earbuds, the KY02 True Wireless Earbuds are definitely worth considering. See Price COWIN Apex Pro Active Noise Cancelling True Wireless Earbudshttps://preview.redd.it/d9tp7ivhnt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=65edc5ad537503297135cb75ae8a9101277b78d6 If you're in the market for earbuds with top-notch noise-cancelling capabilities, look no further than the Cowin Apex Pro. These true wireless earbuds boast active noise cancellation technology that can block out a significant amount of external noise, making them perfect for use during commutes or in noisy environments. But noise cancelling is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the features and performance offered by these earbuds. Design and Build Quality:The Cowin Apex Pro earbuds are sleek and modern in design, with a black matte finish and small, compact size. Each earbud features an ergonomic shape that fits comfortably in the ear and provides a secure fit, even during movement. The earbuds come with three different sizes of ear tips to ensure the perfect fit for any user. The earbuds are also sweat and water-resistant, which means they can withstand intense workouts and outdoor activities without fear of damage.One unique feature of the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds is their touch control operation. The earbuds feature touch-sensitive panels that allow users to control music playback, adjust volume, take phone calls, and activate voice assistants with a simple tap or swipe. This feature is intuitive and easy to use, making it a standout feature of the earbuds. See Price Performance:The Cowin Apex Pro earbuds deliver excellent sound quality, thanks to their 10mm dynamic drivers. The earbuds produce a balanced sound profile, with crisp highs, rich mids, and deep bass. The sound quality is impressive, even in noisy environments, thanks to the active noise cancellation technology. The earbuds also feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, which allows for quick and stable pairing with smartphones, tablets, and other devices.The active noise cancellation on the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds is top-notch. The technology is capable of blocking out a significant amount of external noise, including background chatter, traffic noise, and other environmental sounds. This makes the earbuds ideal for use during commutes, flights, or in busy offices. Charging and Recharging:The Cowin Apex Pro earbuds offer an impressive battery life of up to 7 hours on a single charge. The charging case provides an additional 30 hours of playback time, which means users can enjoy music and phone calls all day without worrying about running out of battery. When it comes time to recharge the earbuds, they can be fully charged in just 1.5 hours, thanks to the fast charging technology.The charging case also features a USB-C port for quick and easy charging, as well as wireless charging capabilities. This allows users to charge the earbuds on-the-go, without needing to carry around a charging cable. See Price Pros and Cons:As with any product, there are pros and cons to consider when it comes to the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds. Here are some of the most notable:Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Overall, the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone in need of high-quality true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation technology. The sleek and modern design, along with the touch control operation, make these earbuds stand out from the competition. The sound quality is impressive, even in noisy environments, and the battery life and charging capabilities are top-notch. While there may be some minor drawbacks, such as sensitivity with the touch controls or possible fit issues for some users, the pros of the Cowin Apex Pro earbuds far outweigh any cons.See Price Cowin Apex Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbudshttps://preview.redd.it/nz4gdpeunt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=eeeb76bdbab3c9157c8060cb65933661a5a4ef3b If you're looking for a reliable and affordable pair of wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling technology, the Cowin Apex earbuds may be just what you need. These earbuds offer a sleek design, impressive sound quality, and long battery life at a fraction of the cost of other high-end models. In this review, we'll take a closer look at the Cowin Apex earbuds and evaluate their performance in key categories. Design and Build Quality:The Cowin Apex earbuds have a simple, understated design that is both sleek and modern. They come in black or white, with a matte finish and metallic accents. The earbuds themselves are lightweight and compact, making them easy to carry around. They fit comfortably in the ear and come with multiple sizes of ear tips to ensure the perfect fit for any user.One potential drawback to the design of the Cowin Apex earbuds is that they don't feature touch controls. Instead, users must control music playback and phone calls using physical buttons on the earbuds. While this isn't as intuitive as touch controls, it's a minor inconvenience given the affordable price point of the earbuds. See Price Performance:The Cowin Apex earbuds deliver impressive sound quality, thanks to their 6mm dynamic drivers. The earbuds produce clear and balanced audio, with crisp highs, detailed mids, and punchy bass. Additionally, the earbuds offer active noise cancelling technology that blocks out external noise to create an immersive listening experience.The noise cancelling technology on the Cowin Apex earbuds is effective, but not as powerful as some higher-end models. It does a good job of blocking out background noise, such as traffic or chatter in a coffee shop, but may struggle with extremely loud environments. However, given the affordability of the earbuds, the noise cancelling capabilities are impressive. When it comes to connectivity, the Cowin Apex earbuds use Bluetooth 5.0 to provide stable and fast pairing with smartphones and other devices. The earbuds also feature a built-in microphone that allows for clear phone calls and voice assistant control. Charging and Recharging:The Cowin Apex earbuds offer up to 5 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is impressive given their compact size. The charging case provides an additional 15 hours of playback time, bringing the total battery life to 20 hours. When it's time to recharge the earbuds, they can be fully charged in just 1 hour, thanks to the fast charging technology.One potential drawback of the Cowin Apex earbuds is that they use micro-USB instead of USB-C for charging. While this isn't a major issue, it may be an inconvenience for users who prefer the newer USB-C standard. Pros and Cons:As with any product, there are pros and cons to consider when it comes to the Cowin Apex earbuds. Here are some of the most notable:Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Cowin Apex earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone looking for affordable wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling technology. While they may not have all the bells and whistles of higher-end models, they deliver impressive sound quality and decent noise cancelling capabilities at a fraction of the cost. The lightweight and compact design makes them easy to carry around, and the long battery life and fast charging technology ensure that you won't run out of juice during the day. While the lack of touch controls and use of micro-USB for charging may be minor inconveniences, they're a small price to pay for such an affordable and effective pair of wireless earbuds.See Price Cowin Apex Elite Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbudshttps://preview.redd.it/hotew0akot1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=73aa3a5618bffec1a610b69dc93c2194179169d0 Wireless earbuds have become increasingly popular over the years, with more and more people opting for the convenience of wireless headphones. Cowin has been one of the leading brands in this space, producing a range of affordable yet high-quality wireless earbuds. In this review, we'll take a closer look at the Cowin Apex Elite Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds and evaluate their performance in key categories. Design and Build Quality:The Cowin Apex Elite earbuds have a sleek and modern design that is both stylish and functional. They come in black or white, with a matte finish and metallic accents. The earbuds themselves are lightweight and compact, making them easy to carry around. They fit comfortably in the ear and come with multiple sizes of ear tips and ear wings to ensure the perfect fit for any user.One standout feature of the Cowin Apex Elite earbuds is their touch controls. Users can control music playback, phone calls, and access voice assistants using intuitive touch gestures on the earbuds. This makes it easy to adjust settings without having to reach for your phone or fumble with physical buttons on the earbuds. See Price The earbuds also feature active noise cancelling technology that blocks out external noise to create an immersive listening experience. The noise cancelling technology is effective, but not as powerful as some higher-end models. It does a good job of blocking out background noise, such as traffic or chatter in a coffee shop, but may struggle with extremely loud environments. Performance:When it comes to sound quality, the Cowin Apex Elite earbuds deliver impressive results. They use 10mm dynamic drivers to produce clear and balanced audio, with crisp highs, detailed mids, and punchy bass. Additionally, the earbuds offer active noise cancelling technology that blocks out external noise to create an immersive listening experience.The Cowin Apex Elite earbuds also feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, which provides stable and fast pairing with smartphones and other devices. The earbuds also have a built-in microphone that allows for clear phone calls and voice assistant control. Charging and Recharging:The Cowin Apex Elite earbuds offer up to 7 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is impressive given their compact size. The charging case provides an additional 28 hours of playback time, bringing the total battery life to 35 hours. When it's time to recharge the earbuds, they can be fully charged in just 1 hour, thanks to the fast charging technology.One potential drawback of the Cowin Apex Elite earbuds is that they use micro-USB instead of USB-C for charging. While this isn't a major issue, it may be an inconvenience for users who prefer the newer USB-C standard. See Price Pros and Cons:As with any product, there are pros and cons to consider when it comes to the Cowin Apex Elite earbuds. Here are some of the most notable:Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Overall, the Cowin Apex Elite Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a high-quality pair of wireless earbuds. With their sleek and modern design, intuitive touch controls, and impressive sound quality, they offer everything you could want in a pair of wireless earbuds. The lightweight and compact design makes them easy to carry around, and the long battery life and fast charging technology ensure that you won't run out of juice during the day. While the noise cancelling technology may not be as powerful as higher-end models, it's still effective enough to block out most external noise. The use of micro-USB for charging may be a minor inconvenience, but it's a small price to pay for such an affordable and effective pair of wireless earbuds.See Price Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbudshttps://preview.redd.it/7pvqgqc6qt1b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=351392b91f956ba0bbed2a795a82fbdb5e39eae7 The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds are an impressive addition to the wireless earbud market, offering active noise cancelling technology and a sleek design. In this review, we will delve into the design and build quality, performance, charging and recharging capabilities, as well as the pros and cons of these earbuds. Design and Build Quality:The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds boast a sleek and modern design that is both stylish and compact, making them perfect for on-the-go use. The earbuds come with three different sized ear tips to ensure a comfortable and secure fit. The ear tips are made from soft silicone material which provides a comfortable fit and helps to block out external noise.The earbuds themselves are lightweight and easy to wear for extended periods of time. They have a matte black finish which adds to their overall aesthetic appeal. The earbuds also feature touch controls on the surface which makes it easy to control music playback, answer calls, or activate the voice assistant. The charging case of the Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds is also quite impressive. It has a slim and compact design that can easily fit into a pocket or bag. The case has a matte black finish which complements the earbuds nicely. It is easy to open and close and has a magnetic closure which ensures that the earbuds do not fall out. See Price Performance:The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds offer active noise cancelling technology which helps to block out external sounds. The noise cancelling feature is quite effective in muffling ambient noise, making it easier to focus on your music or podcast. During our tests, we found that the noise cancelling feature worked well for low-frequency sounds such as traffic noise, but struggled to block out higher frequency sounds like voices.In terms of sound quality, the Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds offer a rich and balanced sound. The bass is punchy and deep without overpowering the other frequencies. The mids and highs are clear and detailed, making it easy to distinguish individual instruments in a song. Overall, the sound quality of these earbuds is impressive and should satisfy most users. The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds also feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity which ensures a stable and reliable connection between the earbuds and your device. We did not experience any dropouts or connectivity issues during our testing. Charging and Recharging:The Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds come with a charging case that provides up to 24 hours of total playtime. The earbuds themselves offer up to 6 hours of playtime on a single charge. The charging case can recharge the earbuds multiple times before needing to be recharged itself.The charging case features a USB-C port for quick and efficient charging. It takes approximately 1.5 hours to fully charge the earbuds from empty and approximately 2 hours to fully charge the charging case from empty. See Price Pros and Cons:Pros:
Cons:
Conclusion:Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds are an excellent choice for anyone in the market for a pair of wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling technology. They offer a sleek and modern design, effective noise cancelling technology, and rich and balanced sound quality. While the noise cancelling could be better for higher frequency sounds and the touch controls can be finicky at times, these minor drawbacks do not detract from their overall performance. We highly recommend the Cowin BT618 Wireless Earbuds to anyone in need of a reliable and high-quality pair of wireless earbuds.See Price |