Cosmeric Tales: The Duststalker

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

Authors Note: Happy Birthday, to me! This is a reverse birthday gift, from me to all of you!

In case you've forgotten or just haven't seen it around half a year ago, I set up a thread for snippets and dropped a bunch of idea titles for stores I want to write. Unfortunately, my poor writing skills and constant ideas for other stuff kept me from ever truly being able to just sit down and write a real story. That ends today!

My hopes for the Cosmeric Tales is, while Brandon is typing out his doorstoppers with his feet, I'll try to tide you over with smaller stories, mostly separate from Brandon's, that could 'plausibly' have or will happen in the Cosmere. By god it's been a while but thanks to this experience, It'll be a much smoother ride for me to give this site the stories it deserves, or needs. Either one.

So without further ado! I give you the first of the Cosmeric Tales!

The Duststalker

Prologue

The gunshots echoed throughout the town. Dek couldn’t help but flinch at every single one, he’d never heard so many in a single night in all his life. The only impulse flashing through his mind was to get himself and his younger brother Nid as far away from those horrible sounds as fast as he could. Unfortunately for him, his brother had other ideas.   “Dek, lemme go! I can help!” Nid pleaded with his brother. But the young adult wouldn’t hear it, “No, nonono, rust that, we’re not going near that at all! We’re getting to town hall and praying that the conners can deal with this.” Dek fired back, while pulling his brother along.   “B-but it’s never been this bad before! What if they can’t?!” Nid yelled back.   “If they can’t, then we stay right bloody quiet till this all blows over.” Dek’s frazzled reply did nothing to assuage the younger boy.   Nid stopped walking, then Dek jerked to a stop, unable to pull his brother along anymore. He turned to glare at Nid. “This is not the time for this Nid! Stop showing off and let’s go!” He barked.   Nid returned the glare and ripped his hand out of his brother’s grip, “You go! I’m gonna try and do something instead of just hiding!” He yelled. Dek balked at this, “Are you out of your rusted mind?! You’ll be killed!”   “I can help! I’m metalborn aren’t I, I can do this!” Nid was adamant. Why? Why did his brother have to have these damn thoughts, acting like he could do anything? Why couldn’t the brat see that Dek was just trying to keep him safe.   “No! You’re not a lawman Nid! You’re just a kid! Now come on!” He tried to pull his younger brother’s arm, trying to drag him to safety by force if he had to. The boy still didn’t budge. Nid glared at his brother, then tore out of Dek’s grip once more, “I’ll show you I can do it, I’ll prove it!” He yelled at his older brother as he started to sprint away, appearing to skim across the ground as he did so, like a skipping stone.   Dek froze in place, he knew he couldn’t stop Nid, not really. If he tried to go after him, he’d be risking his own life. If he didn’t go, his idiot of a brother would probably get himself killed. He wasn’t bulletproof for god’s sake! Nid was still moving and was starting to leave his sight. He bit his lip so hard it almost bled. “Harmony’s lost balls!” Dek bit out as he turned and sprinted towards the gun fight.   Dek kept to the edges of walls as he ran, doing his best to avoid where the gunshots were frequent while following his brother. He turned a corner in pursuit and saw his brother running towards a much larger man, dressed in a vest with a wild mane of black hair. He was pointing a gun towards a cowering woman, a hearty and cruel laughing echoing from him. It ended when his gun ripped its way out of his hand, flying in the air towards Nid. The boy dashed to the side to avoid it slamming into him.   The outlaw turned towards the boy with shock plastered on his face “What the hel-”. Nid yelled as he sped up to the man and leapt, slamming into him shoulder first. The former gunman gasped as Nid tackled him straight into the dirt. Nid climbed to his feet and watched as the frightened woman fled away further into town. The boy winced as he rubbed his shoulder, while Dek was left stunned upon witnessing what had just happened, he’d never admit it to his brother but what had just happened was incredible, he’d just taken down an armed man nearly twice his size in seconds.   Nid stood above the man and looked back at Dek with surprise written on his face, “Dek? You came-” He was interrupted by the bandit quickly rising and punching him in the chest, sending Nid to the ground. Nid let out a pained gasp as he fell and grasped his chest, gasping for air he no longer had.   Dek was shocked as the bandit started to stand up, he knew that the kind of tackles Nid gave were the kind a normal man didn’t just get up and walk away from. Not so easily at least. A fearful thought flashed in his mind, ‘Metalborn’. “Ya little rustin’ bastard!” The bandit snarled as he stood up and stood over Nid, preparing to stomp down on his head. Dek rushed the man, then pushed him away from his downed brother as hard as he could, the outlaw barely stumbled and caught Dek by the face, then shoved him back with brutal force. Dek felt as though his neck had nearly snapped in two. He fell and landed harshly on his back, the furious man stomping towards him, “You shoulda waited for yer turn boy!” he growled out. Dek trembled at the threat, was he about to die? Was Nid going to die? He saw a glint next to him. A revolver, the bandit’s gun. The one Nid had torn from the man’s hands earlier.   He frantically reached for it, wrapping his hands around its handle as he pointed at the outlaw. The bandit’s eyes widened as he tried to reach for Dek. Trying to stop him. But it was too late, Dek’s finger twitched on the trigger and the gun fired. A bang echoed through the night as the bandit stumbled to a stop. He brought his hands to his neck where the bullet had gouged through. The man who had just tried to murder the boys gave a weak gurgle, then collapsed to the dirt, blood pooling around his head.   Dek sat there in shock. He’d just shot and killed a man. The man had tried to kill him and his brother, he was protecting them! He was in trouble for this, he must have been. You couldn’t just shoot someone, right? It all felt wrong, he’d taken a life and now he felt as though he was going to throw up. A pained cough broke past his spiraling thoughts. Nid still laid on the ground, curled up around his chest.   Dek dropped the gun and stumbled over to his brother, kneeling beside him as he spoke, “Nid, Nid look at me!” He urged desperately.   Nid lifted his head, gasping all the while, “Can’t. Breathe.” He gasped out. Did that man break Nid’s ribs? Had they punctured through his lungs? Was Nid going to die anyway? Dek shook his head, “Nono, you can. Deep breathes okay, in and out Nid. In and out.”   Nid’s breathing slowly calmed from erratic to deep. Dek lifted Nid’s black shirt and saw a large bruise right on the center of his chest. He tried to feel around it, Nid gave a groan as he did but Dek didn’t feel anything wrong, at least he was pretty sure. Harmony help him, he wasn’t a rusting doctor! “Okay, we need to go. Lose some weight and I’ll carry you.” Nid gave a nod as Dek began to lift him. He struggled at first, then it was almost like he was holding a sack of flour instead of a mid-teen boy. A neat trick Nid had been lucky enough to be born with, they called it Feruchemy. Dek rushed back the way they came. “Still think it was a good idea to play lawman?” Dek couldn’t help but jab at Nid. “Shut it” he mumbled out. Well, all Dek could do was hope he learned from this.   The town hall was nearly in sight, they were so close to safety. A terrified squeal rang out from behind as Dek turned his head towards it. He nearly tripped when he saw an enormous shirtless man wearing shredded pants, metal lining its buckle, standing almost taller than a house and his dark skin seemed too tight around such a mountain of muscle. With his hands above his head he carried a horse, it struggled and squirmed in the man’s giant grip. The man grunted then with a yell of effort, took a step forward and threw the horse. It sailed above the boys’ heads, the sight had them frozen as the horse sailed through the air, screeching as it did.   It smashed through the wall of the town hall, the building shook and the sounds of screaming echoed from the building. Dek just stood there, holding his brother as his mind struggled to understand what had just happened. The thundering footsteps behind shook him back to reality as he remembered the Koloss of a man that was now beginning to step towards them.   Dek could say nothing, he simply gave a frightened scream as he sprinted away with his brother in his arms. Giving into fear as he ran, his heart thumping in his ears. They needed to leave, get out of town, hide in the rusting bush for a week for all he cared. Just be anywhere besides right in front of a bandit that could chuck a horse like a brick!   He could feel his brother’s breathing becoming shallow and uneven as he struggled to breathe once again. His rhythm startled by the chaos that seemed to follow them.   Dek couldn’t pay attention to it, not when every part of his mind screamed at him to run, not when he himself started to struggle for breath as his legs protested the strain of such a long sprint. The enormous man was lumbering behind them, but he seemed too slow, they were quickly losing him. Dek sprinted through the town, he went behind buildings and across streets to evade the man. The starry sky giving just enough light to see where he was, among the gunfire there was a shrill laughter in the air, Dek looked around, then in the distance where the gunshots were most frequent, saw a shadow flying through the air in the distance, visible only through the stars they blocked with their passing. Was that a person? He didn’t know and didn’t care. He kept running.   Dek paused as they rounded past another house, catching his breath. He didn’t hear the footsteps anymore, they must have lost him. He looked at his brother, whose eyes were fluttering as he tried to steady his breathing, he was doing poorly. Dek shook him “C’mon Nid, don’t go to sleep, it is not a good time for that!”. Nid tried to focus through the pain, he looked at Dek, his eyes glistening, “Sorry…” he gasped out. Dek shook his head, “Be sorry later, just stay awake and I’ll get us out of here”. He tried to say with more confidence than he felt.   Any confidence he had was shattered as a loud voice shouted not far from them,” This way! He’s going this way!”. Dek cursed, they were being followed! How did they know where they were? Was that giant some kind of tracker? He rushed between houses and made it to a larger area with stands and carts full of amenities, the markets. They were near the edge of town. So close. Dek tripped as his brother’s weight returned to normal. Dek checked his brother, and to his horror, Nid was unconscious. “Of all the bloody times! Damn it Nid wake up!” He tapped as he tapped his brother’s face, but there was no response, he was out cold.   Dek felt the sweat fall down his pale face and into his red scarf, he was already tired just from running but he couldn’t carry his brother’s actual weight, he wasn’t used to it. He looked around frantically, he could hear the shouting of bandits coming closer, the gunshots that had once been far had gotten closer, too close. The sounds of the gunfight had moved towards them, why? Were the outlaws pushing towards the markets? Had the constables fallen back? As he spotted a mostly empty crate next to a stand selling some kind of black sand, an idea struck him. He dragged Nid towards it and struggled to stuff him in it, his brother was thankfully a bit smaller than most other kids his age. Thank Harmony for that. After putting the lid over the crate, hiding Nid’s unconscious body from sight, he crouched behind the stand itself. He’d done it, he’d hidden his brother, now what about himself?   Dek froze as he realized he hadn’t thought that far ahead. It was too late, he could hear the bandits enter the markets, he heard a loud, graveled voice call out “Lost him, damn. Alright boys, Hezen and Dashei have got the conner’s on the ropes. Spread out, grab all the supplies that aren’t tied down! I want you all to grab food, water, and any metal we need by the armful. Bring them back to the carriages within the hour!” Dek heard their footsteps scatter. He stayed still, hoping he was unseen. He could hear a heavy set of footsteps near the stand he was hidden under. He heard a dark chuckle, full of mirth and malice. It sent a chill down his spine to hear it, but the next words spoken made his heart stop.   “Ya fingers are pokin’ out.”   The stand was lifted and thrown over Dek’s head, the jars of black sand smashing on the ground Dek whirled his head back at the monster that now loomed over him. Dark blue skin, with patches of gray, was stretched tightly over muscle, the skin of his face was pulled into a horrid, tooth-filled grin. Dark red eyes stared back into his hazel ones, Dek couldn’t muster the will to run, scream or even breathe as the beast stood over him.   A rough pair of hands grabbed him by the arms and lifted him up with inhuman strength, a laugh full of unbridled sadism came from the one holding him up. “Thought ya could hide, huh? Not a bloody chance, now let’s have some fun!” The beast began to squeeze him by the shoulders, Dek screamed as he felt his arms being slowly crushed.   “That’s enough Kev, drop him.” The gravelly voice from before ordered, the hands loosened and Dek fell back to the ground. The one who tried to crush him, Kev, turned with an annoyed groan, “Come on, Thev! I’m just doin’ my thing!” He whined.   Dek turned his head to see them. Two men, with mottled blue skin. Koloss-blooded. Kev was dressed in ragged, torn clothing, his black hair a wild mess. The other, Thev, dressed in a more intact suit with a vest, seeming much cleaner than Kev. Dek looked beside himself without turning his head, the crate wasn’t knocked over.   Thev rolled his eyes to Kev, “Yes, your ‘thing’, turning people into red smears on the ground with your bare hands.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do try to remember we need some alive.” The descendant of Koloss looked at Dek with discerning eyes, “And this one looks worth keeping alive.”   Kev turned back to look at Dek’s frightened face, then leered. “Yeah, he does.” He walked back to Dek and grabbed his face as he continued, “He’s gonna scream well, I think.” Then slammed Dek’s head into the ground, then Dek saw no more. The last thought on his mind was a prayer to Harmony, praying for his brother’s safety.

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

The Duststalker Chapter 1

 

Chapter 1 Dust was lifted from the beaten path with each kick of Viss’s feet, one cloud of loose dirt forming after another rapidly as the wind sang in her ears. The ground blurred beneath her feet as she passed by the vibrant plains of the Roughs, her brown coat billowing behind her.   The midday sun beat down on Viss, but it couldn’t compare to the warmth within her own body, the stoking pit of fire and power that fueled the unceasing engine that was her body. Viss was far from normal, she was born with the greatest gifts of Harmony, one of which was her Allomancy. The mystical ability to consume and ‘Burn’ metal for power beyond normal men. The pewter inside of her body was Flared, pushed to the utmost limit and granting her body the speed and endurance that made a horse unneeded. The sensation of it felt almost divine, all her fatigue from running for miles was drowned out by the boundless energy that pushed her to move.   Within minutes she finally began to approach Isaeuc’s Bend, a town built next to a river that flowed straight from the Elendel Basin. Like most towns it was a hardy place built by people who were hardy themselves from their lives in the Roughs. Viss did not slow down, instead she tried to push her legs just a bit harder, reaching the town faster could make today the day she finally caught up to her prey.   As she grew closer, she began to use her other gift, she began to lightly tap her tinminds. She was more than just an Allomancer, being also blessed on birth by its favored cousin, Feruchemy. The ability to store away an aspect of oneself within metal, then  bolster it at a later time. Her sight extended, the whispers of the wind grew louder, and she could more keenly feel its caress across her face.   Even over a mile from the town, her heightened senses allowed her to see that her effort was for naught, she could hear no screaming or shooting coming from it, but she could see the signs of damage. She was too late. The town had already been attacked.   Viss lowered her Flare to a Burn, her body losing some of its strength and she could now notice its fatigue. She slowed herself from a sprint to a speedy stroll, she didn’t want to startle any of the townsfolk by rushing on through like Ironeyes was on her heels. She slowly caught her breath as she walked into Isauec’s Bend, she reached into her coat and pulled out one of her waterskins and started gulping down its contents. Pewter dragging, the act of running for miles while burning pewter, was harsh on the body, and she had run a long way. She could also feel her body’s store of pewter running low. Both problems handled as the tangy water passed through her lips.   Most Allomancers liked to keep their metal flakes in little glass vials, but Viss preferred to keep her pewter flakes in her waterskins. Not only were the leathery containers less likely to break under stress, but mixing her pewter with her water supply made it too poisonous to drink for anyone other than a Pewterarm like herself. Soon enough she put the empty waterskin back inside her coat, she had already drunk through most of them during her pewter drag to the town, so she’d need to resupply soon. With her thirst quenched and her pewter refilled she walked on.   She kept tapping her Tinminds at a steady pace, the lessons pounded into her head told her to always keep her senses sharpened, to keep her guard up at all times. A dusty frontier town like any other, if a little bigger due to its river helping connect it to True Madil, to the Railway if indirectly. Though unlike most towns, it’d joined the unfortunate club of getting its nose bloodied by a pack of exceptionally vicious outlaws. The further she walked into town the more she could spot signs of a fight.   Doors of houses either hung ajar or on the floor with many windows shattered. She paused as she spotted a dry patch of blood staining the porch of a house, her nose easily picking up the scent of iron in the air. Her fists clenched tightly. People had died during this attack, she’d been to other towns that were also attacked, following the trail of misery left behind, she knew there’d be casualties by the time she arrived. But maybe if she could have gotten here sooner...   Viss shook those thoughts away, they wouldn’t help anyone right now, moving forward would. She couldn’t let the deaths of innocents slow her down, not when she was so close, only a day or two behind by her reckoning. Her prey came to mind, a gang that called themselves the Iron Raiders, a group of dangerous criminals that popped out of the woodwork months ago, leaving a bloody trail as they hit town after town. They were nomadic, never staying in an area long enough for reinforcements to arrive. But such a small group, less than twenty in number based on the descriptions she’d gotten, shouldn’t have had the ability to cause so much damage, at least not this quickly and not without losing enough members to be crippled.   The answer? Metalborn, it had to be. People born with abilities just like her. She’d heard the descriptions of them, a Coinshot and a Brute. They would be dangerous, even for her. She’d need to exercise utmost caution, going up against a band of trigger-happy outlaws would be dangerous enough, she wasn’t bullet-proof after all, but the presence of Metalborn added a whole new level of risk.   Then the leaders of this group, two brothers of Koloss blood. Thev and Kev. Their list of crimes long enough to hang a man with, though the younger brother Kev was the worse of the two, ripping people limb from limb just for kicks. Thev, the older brother, was likely the brains of the operation, though no less ruthless. Together they’d formed a gang to become the newest blight on the Roughs, attacking innocents, taking whatever they wanted and leaving blood and bodies in their wake.   She was confident in her own talents, she’d hunted down outlaws, even groups of outlaws before. She’d even had to pick a fight with a few lone Metalborn in the past. But this would be worse, this group were savages with guns and powers beyond mortal men. She’d feel far more comfortable with some backup, which meant she’d need to find the authority of this town.   Viss focused less on her thoughts as she had finally found some of the citizens. In a settlement this size she’d normally see people walking around everywhere. But the outskirts of town were nearly completely empty. Viss supposed that most townsfolk were simply still in hiding further inside town, having barricaded themselves together and awaiting a second attack that wasn’t coming. She normally wouldn’t complain, she was no fan of crowds. But being within a ghost town wasn’t very appealing either, so she simply took the growing number of people as a good sign. Though she made sure to tap a little more on her Tinminds, choosing to further heighten her hearing and smell even more. She wasn’t a fan of strangers either.   She picked up the scent of gunpowder on the winds, though even with her scent being so bolstered it was still faint. She debated whether she should ask for directions to the Bend’s town hall, but upon picking up the normally inaudible murmurs of worry from the people she was starting to pass, she decided to not bother. She’d find her own way. Though it was a shame that a sense of direction wasn’t something she could tap, she checked, it would make navigating new places so much easier.   Thankfully all she’d need to do was find the biggest building in town. Whether in the Basin or not, leaders always did like compensating one way or another. She found it after a little wandering, it looked almost pristine. Stone cobbled on its foundation, logs made up its walls, with ceramic tiles on the roof that almost gleamed in the sunlight, and a giant hole on its second floor.   There were men in uniforms standing beside the doors with rifles in their hands, members of the local Constabulary no doubt. When she made her way towards the doors both men tensed up, before the one on the right spoke up, the tremor in his voice clear to her. “Uh, state your business.”   Viss pulled part of her coat aside to reveal the metal badge hidden underneath. “I’m a lawman, I need to talk to your mayor.”   The man who spoke, a blonde on the younger side of adulthood, glanced nervously to his brunette counterpart. Then he looked back to Viss, “You… must be here bout’ those outlaws. From last night.”   One of Viss’s eyebrows raised themselves, clearly she was dealing with the Bend’s best and brightest here.   The conner gave a quick nod to his head, “Alright, uh. Head on in, the mayor’s chattin’ with the sheriff.” He shuffled away from the door, giving her clear access.   Without need for a pause, she walked up to the doors and let herself in.                                                Viss had seen the insides of government buildings before, though they tended to be brief. The town hall was quite representative of its name, it was mainly just one big hall with clerks frantically trying to work in an orderly fashion. She even spotted a few struggling to shove a horse’s corpse out the back door. What was it doing here of all places? At the center of this orderly chaos were two men. The first was an older man wearing a black suit and hat, his hair mostly white with streaks of brown, his expression gruff as he barked out orders to the clerks.   “Virghan, I want that letter written up and on horseback to True Madil yesterday! Hal, get more supplies from the markets and bring them to the doctor! Ganil, when I go back to my office, I expect every bit of horse cleaned out of the hallway!”   The mayor, for who else would be giving orders with such gusto at a time like this, turned to the man beside him and lowered his voice, Viss heightened her hearing to listen in.   “What the hell are we supposed to do Timall?” The mayor looked incensed, furiously whispering, “Those bloody bandits barged in and took whatever they wanted. They took hostages for Harmony’s sake.”   Timall sighed. “Sir, all we can hope for is that these bandits don’t bleed our town completely dry with whatever their terms for their ransom will be. Maybe, maybe we can use it to buy enough time for reinforcements from Madil, catch them off guard.”   “There’s not going to be a ransom.” Viss stated as she walked up to the men. Both the men turned to her, with a look of shock.   “Who the hell are you missy?” the mayor barked at her. Viss reached into her coat, ignoring their sudden tense, and pulled out her badge.   “My name is Viss, I’m a lawman. I’ve been following the bandits who attacked you for the past few weeks.”   The mayor began to stand straighter as his face deepened in a frown, “Rusting wonderful, a lawman” he muttered under his breath, clearly not meant for her to hear, but she did. “Just what do you mean by ‘no ransom’?”   “Because they’re going to kill those hostages”.   The mayor’s face paled, then he turned to his clerks who were equally pale from listening in. “Get that letter out to True Madil right now! I want them to send as many men as they can as fast as they can, you hear me?!”   Viss spoke again, her voice calm but stern “They won’t make it in time mayor, it’ll take that letter days to reach True Madil. Days more for them to mobilize and send more conners down the river, if they even do. Those people will be dead by then and those raiders would have moved on.”   Mayor Hubrins whirled back to her, “And just how do you know that?!”   “Like I said, I’ve been tracking these bandits across the Roughs. Been talking to the towns they attacked and finding their old campsites. Anyone they take, they kill within a week. There’s no time.”   Hubrins stared at her with horror clear in his eyes, “Every time?” He asked.   “Every time” Viss confirmed with a nod. “I’ve seen what’s left of them, they torture them mayor. It’s not pretty.” Even with all she had seen during her years as a lawman, the state those bodies had been left in wouldn’t be leaving her dreams anytime soon. “That’s why I need you to send some men with me as backup.”   Sheriff Timall spoke up, looking guilty as he did, “Miss, as much as I’d want to send my men, I can’t. Too many are either stuck in bed from wounds or stuck in a coffin. We can’t afford to send anyone, not if we want to keep order here.”   There’d be no backup for her then? That wasn’t good, she’d prefer if she had a dozen men with guns on her side to even things out. She clicked her tongue in irritation. She then took a breath to temper that irritation into something useful. “Then I’m gonna need to restock before I head off then.”   Both men gaped at her, as if they couldn’t believe what they’d just heard. Timall regained his wits first “Wait, you’re going after them by yourself? That’s insane!”   “I’m not too keen about chasing after a pack of maniacs on my own, no. But if I don’t, they’ll just get away and kill more people. So I’ll put them down here and now while I have the chance.”   “That’s, that’s very brave of you, but do you have a plan? These bandits, they’re not men, they’re monsters” The mayor gave her a look of concern.   “I’ll have one soon enough, I just need you to point me to the markets first. Can’t go after them without more metal.”   The mayor huffed, “Missy, we got raided last night. Those bastards went right for the markets, I doubt anyone with any sense is open right now after they went and tried to clean everything out.”   The sheriff gave a small cough, “Not… not quite. Miss Edres was said to still be open.”   “I said anyone with sense, Timall” Hubrins rolled his eyes at the sheriff, then turned back towards Viss. “You’re really serious about this?”   Viss gave a nod, she wouldn’t bother repeating herself.   Hubrins gave a sigh, “How much and what kind?”   Viss blinked in surprise, “What?”   “What metal do you need, and how much do you need. I’ll… pay a blank cheque if you’re really going to save those people” He reached into his pocket and brought out a small ticket with a stamp. He narrowed his eyes as he continued “Just don’t go crazy with this or I’ll throw you in a cell I swear to Harmony.”   Viss was surprised, she took the mayor for a nobleman, not a decent man. She took the ticket and turned towards the door, calling out to the men as she left “Thanks. Can’t promise to save them all, but I’ll make rusting sure to avenge who I can’t.”

Author's Note

Spoiler

My god this took way longer than it had to, literal months because I just couldn't sit down and focus. Not for very long. But it's done, first chapter is done. I'm very glad, very happy with this. Probably could be done better but I think it is fine as is. This is all meant to be a learning experience for me after all so I'll just pat myself and say good job.

Anyway I hope you all have enjoyed it, and I'll hopefully get the next one done quicker. No promises though.