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For the past 16 years of his life Jacob had lived simply. He came from a well off family that wasn't too poor yet wasn't rich, merely fortunate. His father ran a mercantile shop while his mother would stay at home and take care of the house. For as long as he could remember Jacob's path in life was set, he would receive an education via homeschooling by his mother and afterwards he would be taught how to run his father's shop. Eventually he would own the shop himself to do with what he pleased.
Most boys his age wouldn't feel content with this, having lived within the Order ruled lands the men of his city were all flocking towards the church and recruitment centers. Jacob wasn't like most boys, he never dreamed of going on any grand adventurers, slaying monsters, saving maidens or having his name recorded in history. Jacob was content with his quiet, mediocre life which he loved, Jacob didn't have many friends growing up but that was alright as it allowed him to maximize the full potential of his mediocre life.
Just because his life was mediocre by others' standards didn't mean that Jacob had to be like that. Jacob put a 100% in everything he did, he was a fast learner, had an above average physique and a caring yet calculating personality not found in such a small place. It stood out sometimes as unnatural to others how Jacob could be this way though it was never deeply explored. All Jacob knew was that he could only do what he wanted to do and he didn't need an explanation for how he could do some of the things he did.
That all came crashing down one day during a visit to the church. Though Jacob wasn't the religious sort his parents mainly his mother was. His mother would read him scriptures even as an infant, pray extensively three times a day every day and kept to the tenets of the Chief God. Jacob's father was of the same mind as he was on the subject of religion-Jacob had a suspicion that if he had his way then they could be looking over ledgers together rather than going to pray.
But his father wasn't brave enough to go against his wife at the best of times unfortunately.
Even before they went to the church Jacob could tell that day was going to be…different and that in itself was not necessarily a good thing. On the way over he noticed that there seemed to be the presence of more people than he had expected, a lot more actually. The longer he went the more the crowd seemed to concentrate until before they knew it they were gathered outside the church.
Murmurs were aplenty but Jacob could gleam nothing from the many voices coalesced together though he managed to overhear a nearby conversation.
"What is happening in there?"
"Haven't you heard? They say that an angel is visiting"
That was about all Jacob needed to hear, a visiting angel more than warranted this much attention. Needless to say having your God's messenger grace your small town was a very big deal and of course Jacob was excited. Angels were rare to see, it is said even a hero could go his whole life without ever meeting one. Jacob just knew that if he ever got a glimpse of her then it would be the highlight of his young adult life.
Eventually the church doors opened and several priests came though Jacob or anyone else doubted they had been aware of them, not when she had exited. Jacob had heard a thousand stories and had seen a hundred illustrations of them but none would ever do the actual thing justice. He had thought of it before but the moment he laid his eyes upon her it was truly the highlight of his teenage life.
She was easily the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and ever will see. Healthy flawless skin, sun-kissed hair that seemed to shine two pairs of snow white wings folded behind her back and her eyes were the brightest viridian. She was adorned in blue and gold light armor with plated golden crosses etched onto it in different areas and a blue blouse and skirt underneath. One would forgive Jacob if his eyes strayed, he was a hormonal teenage boy and the armor and blouse only served to accentuate her toned stomach.
While he was staring mesmerized by her beauty and angelic features Jacob hadn't noticed she had stopped walking until their eyes met.
"Urk!" he jerked back a little, he had been caught staring,
Strangely she didn't look offended, more shocked actually, that changed a moment later and she frowned while making her way towards him. The crowd parted for her and Jacob tried to shuffle aside to join the sea but it was all in vein. As if they realized he was the one she was gunning for they made a semi-circle around him, partly to not get in the way of the angel and partly to cut off his escape route.
"Boy" he stiffened and looked to the angel who was a lot taller than him, at least an entire foot taller.
"Y-yes, um miss angel?"
"What is your name?"
"Jacob miss" he was nervous and awed at the same time wanting to look away and stare, the dissonance was starting to make him feel light headed.
To his surprise/pleasure she smiled and damn if it didn't set his insides on fire "hello Jacob my name is Sigrdrífa, may I ask you a question?"
Resisting the urge to innocently say "you just did" he nodded "yes…?"
"Do you believe in destiny?"
That one question she asked started it all and Jacob would remember in the years to come. As it was explained to him, the term angels are a collective name given to a group of celestial beings who serve the gods. There are regular low ranking angels for which the names are derived but there are also others which denote their position in heaven. Sigrdrífa happens to be a Valkyrie, a class of angels referred to as battle maiden who served a in heaven's army.
She explained that among their duties a Valkyrie is sometimes charged with seeking out humans with great potential and raising those humans into great heroes. Apparently Jacob has, deep within him, the potential to become a very powerful hero and by order of the gods themselves Sigrdrífa is charged with the task of mentoring him. Which means she will be taking him to the capital where all heroes chosen by a servant of god go to learn.
It would mean goodbye to his simple, content life, goodbye to his family, goodbye to his few friends and goodbye to his home. It was already a foregone conclusion Jacob was going, the Valkyrie may have said it was his choice but really 'choice' was just an illusion, the truth was his life up to that point was gone the moment she looked him in the eyes. The town would sooner execute him than allow someone who 'defied' the will of the gods to live in their midst.
He would go but he had one more thing left to do before he did.
Outside the border of the village stood a grassy hill and built on top of that hill was a small mansion surrounded by a garden. The house was built long ago by a wealthy aristocratic family who has since moved away. During their absence, the mansion was for a time home to vagabonds, hooligans and teenagers looking for an escape.
In recent years the mansion was allegedly bought and renovated by a single person. This person not only managed to fix the place up to make it seemed as if it was recently built but has also defended it against any seeking an easy fortune. There have been many rumors surrounding the person in question from the believable to the outlandish.
Jacob didn't really listen to most rumors since the woman had been a long time customer of Jacob's father for years now ever since she moved to their quaint little town. Jacob would admit he had a crush on the older woman, then again most of the teenagers and some adults had a crush on her, she was a very beautiful woman.
He found her as he always did when he visited sitting by the tree near her garden simply looking over the town. Their eyes met and she gave him a divine smile that gets him every time and despite the circumstances he averted his gaze with a blush.
"Hello Jacob" she greeted as he approached.
"Good day miss Evelyn."
"You are just in time, I made lunch" she stood and ushered him inside by the shoulder.
He swallowed a bit, Evelyn was a fair skinned older woman with shoulder length brown hair and vivid green eye wearing a long grey blouse with an apron. Her feathery brown hair was partially obscured by a bonnet. To be frank she dressed as any village girl would but she certainly didn't look like any peasant, as mentioned she was very beautiful and until today was the most beautiful woman he had known.
She was also a mysterious one, no one really knew much about her past so they could only speculate and in the case of women, gossip. Rumors circulated from her being the daughter of a merchant to her being a runaway noble. Both rumors were plausible since she carried herself with a grace and poise one would expect from someone born in the upper class, combined with her beauty, apparent wealth and well, Jacob wouldn't be surprised to find her in a royal procession.
Jacob soon found himself seated at a table covered with embroider cloth and expensive silverware while Evelyn prepared him a meal. He couldn't explain the reason why but she'd taken a shine to the youth and Jacob would like to think they were at least friends since ever since a few months ago she would invite him inside for food, or to play or to even listen to how his day went and tell him how her day went.
Sometimes Jacob would like to imagine they were married then reality would slap in the face when he realized he was barely a teenager and she was a full grown adult woman who could literally have any man she wanted. It stung a bit but the fact that she chose to spoil him with great food and an ear to listen stroked his ego a lot.
His thoughts soon went to how he was going to break the news to her that he would be leaving town with no prospects of coming back. That thought halted when the heavenly smell of what she was preparing hit his nose.
"Here you are, I hope you like it."
Jacob smiled, or at least tried to, this was the highlight of his day, sometimes his week and the thought of this being his last supper so to speak muted his excitement, something the older woman noticed.
"What's wrong?"
She sat down and gave him a stern expression "Jacob."
He fidgeted a bit "um…an angel came in town today."
There was a pause as Evelyn took her attention from her food to look at him for a brief moment then resumed eating "…so I've heard, it must have been quite a spectacle, I wish I could have been there to witness it" she smiled.
The smile was like one she had always gave him yet he could tell the atmosphere shifted at the mention of the angel.
"Y-yeah, I mean it was great, um…she was actually a Valkyrie and her name is Sigrdrífa"
"Oh, is that so?" she said not paying any particular attention.
"And…she wants me to go with her to the capital to become a hero!" Jacob blurted out.
The distinct sound of silverware scraping against the ceramic plate made Jacob wince and Evelyn slowly spoke "what did you just say?"
"Lady Valkyrie said that I was chosen by the Chief Goddess to be trained in the capital and become a hero."
Evelyn took a moment to stare before mumbling "I-I see, so you are leaving then?"
The stutter threw Jacob off a little, Evelyn did not suddenly get speech impediments which meant that the news of his indefinite departure was hitting her more than he thought it would. It made him sad to know this would be his last day seeing her but there was nothing he could really do about it.
"When will you leave?"
"At dawn."
"So soon?" her eyes went to the window which showed the sun beginning to enter its waning cycle.
Jacob didn't want to leave so soon either but Sigrdrífa had insisted that they depart as soon as possible and to make matters worse.
"I can't stay long"
"Do you want to go?"
"Um, excuse me?"
"I was curious, for someone chosen by the gods you don't seem too enthused about it."
"I-I don't know what you mean. It is the highest honor to be chosen by-"
"Jacob" she reached over to hold his hand "you don't need to defend them, I understand you don't really want to be a hero do you."
It wasn't a question so much as it was an observation on her part, gods was he that transparent?
"…" he couldn't answer that, if he was chosen by the gods then they might just be watching him right now.
"It's alright you know, I won't judge. Everyone has a choice Jacob, if you don't want to become their Hero then all you have to do is say no."
Jacob's mouth trembled "I-"
Evelyn seemed to peer down at him even more "yes?"
'When did she get so close?' In the time that he had taken his eyes off of her the older woman was now sitting beside him.
"I can't"
Her head tilted "why? Are you worried about angering the gods? Are you concerned with how the people and the church will see you? Or perhaps are you worried you won't be able to live up to their expectations."
His eyes widened and Evelyn smiled "what if I were to tell you there was a way for you to decline their offer without worrying about the implications. What if there was a way for you to live your life how you wanted it without having to conform to the Church's religious dogma?"
For the short time they've known each Jacob had never known Evelyn to be anything more than a demure lady with a gentle disposition so to see her so agitated was throwing him for a loop. He was being lost in her eyes which had taken on an edge that was equal parts passionate as it was alluring.
Who was this woman who had taken over the soft spoken big-sister type woman he had come to know?
Her eyes snapped away from his breaking the spell and he saw an uncharacteristic scowl mar her exquisite features for but a moment before she showed a normal pleasant smile except this one was different, it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I'm afraid we will have to resume this conversation at a later time, it would seem I have some troublesome guests who will be arriving soon."
She stood up and Jacob did as well "should I leave?"
"Nonsense Jacob you are staying right here" she spoke "I need to prepare for them, you will help me."
"Um, okay I-" she grabbed his hand before leading him away before he could finish his sentence.
The halls and subsequent rooms were mostly baron of any personal effects from what Jacob could see which was all the boy could do when Evelyn kept a tight lip about who exactly she was 'preparing' for, what she needed his help doing and where they were even going. His last question was answered when she lead them to a room.
Her bedroom.
His eyes roamed the modest room as unlike the rest this one had various items, such as a small library in the corner, a personal desk, a large bed with sheets that looked to be made of the finest material. His eyes were drawn to something else however, a large portrait of Evelyn herself except not as she is now. The Evelyn in the portrait was not a noble woman but a noble warrior in light armor wearing the symbol of the Order. Below the portrait a sword was mounted and he recognized it as the same sword strapped to her waist in the portrait.
"Do you like it?"
Jacob shook himself "um yes, it looks very" he gave her a side long glance "nice."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow but she smiled nonetheless "well thank you Jacob"
"You were part of the Order?"
"Yes I was and good riddance" Jacob looked startled at the unexpected edge in her voice she waved it off "I don't much care for my time in it. That place was more of a prison and each time I look at this portrait I thank the gods I made the decision to leave."
'Then why do you keep a portrait of yourself like this.'
As if reading his mind Evelyn spoke "the portrait was a gift" she said standing before it "I may not have very fond memories of my time with the Order but far be it for me to forsake something so beautiful. The artiste really captured me well…" she spoke with a hint of fondness then just stared.
Jacob was actually curious to know more but didn't want to impose and it left him in an awkward position.
Evelyn seemed to come from her reverie and chuckled holding a palm to cheek "oh my, here I am getting lost in memories again, I feel so old sometimes."
'You don't look it though'
"Hmm?" she looked to him a bit of coyness in her smile.
Just as quickly as it was there, the smile dropped and the sounds of someone banging on the door could be heard followed by shouting.
Evelyn cursed out loud which was in itself even more shocking than the freshly delivered news of her treachery "I thought I had more time."
"What is he talking about?" she did not answer and instead went to her wall mount to retrieve her sword then looked to him.
Jacob flinched under the intensity of her gaze and coupled with the recent reveal of her knight status and alleged treachery, Jacob in that instance feared for his life. Then she crossed the distance between them so quickly it was as if she glided across the room. She got in his face still holding her sword and Jacob shut his eyes on instinct.
If he was expecting a sword to the gut it never came and instead he felt softness upon his lips and chest followed by an embrace that pressed their bodies together even more. His mouth opened in shock but all it did was send an invite for the older woman to push her tongue into his mouth Jacob's eyes locked onto Evelyn's and even through his shock his arms found their way around her hips.
She moaned in their kiss before withdrawing while sucking on his tongue with a wet smack "oh, how long I've wanted to do that" she panted.
"Wha-I…wha just…" he babbled incoherently.
Evelyn smiled impishly before she sighed "I wanted to wait until your birthday to do this. I had it all planned out too" she stepped away from him with a serious expression "I know you have a lot of question dear and I will answer each and every one of them but for now stay here and be quiet, they cannot know you are in here."
As she went for the door Jacob called out "Evelyn!" she looked over her shoulders and he swallowed "be careful."
She flashed him a beatific smile "I will" then she was out and the door shut ominously.
Almost immediately Jacob lost feeling in his leg forcing him to stumble over to the closest piece of furniture which happened to be her bed. He tripped and landed back first onto the soft sheets simply staring at the ceiling. Eventually his thoughts caught up to him and he realized something very important in this complex situation.
"She likes me, Evelyn likes me!" he said with a wide smile on his face.
It was incredible, this…it felt like a dream, was he dreaming? Because he's had dreams about this before and-
The explosion startled him enough to make him sit up straight, there were sounds of fighting outside, shouting, clashing steels and- "Evelyn!"
Jacob rushed towards the door trying to pry it open but it wouldn't budge. He knocked his shoulder against it but to his shock he was pushed back stumbling. His shoulder hurt and the door- Jacob gasped when a bright red sigil appeared on the door. Jacob was by no means a practitioner of magic but even he knew there was something not quite right with that particular rune.
'Did Evelyn do that?'
It didn't look like something a holy knight would use but what did he know?
Dust rained from the ceiling as something crashed on top of it, Jacob could hear the muffled voices shouting before a piece of the roof was smashed in raining debris and dust on him. He cried out scrambling away as the light shone through and he looked up to see a familiar if partially obscure face peer through.
It was the Valkyrie he met this morning 'what is she doing here?'
Sigrdrífa was yanked from the hole, several crashes sounded making their way to above the bed until a steady thumping sounded, like someone knocking against a wall. Jacob could make out the last three louder thumps were followed by shouts then the roof exploded inward. The bed was destroyed and the force sent Jacob flying back and into the wall dazed.
His vision swimming Jacob pulled himself up and watched the bed only for a blur to fly by and through the wall.
A bruised and scowling Sigrdrífa walked out and towards him "what are you doing here!?" she yelled before shaking her head "never mind" she dragged the confused teen towards the door before knocking it down and pushing him out "get out of here!"
"DON'T TOUCH HIM!!" a disturbingly familiar voice yelled before Sigrdrífa was tackled aside.
"Run Jacob, go to the church, they will protect you!" the Valkyrie shouted
An explosion rocked the house but Jacob didn't question it, he was already at the door which was open. He found several knights of the Order and guards sprawled across the front yard. Another explosion sounded and against his better judgment Jacob turned and his heart nearly stopped at the sight. There was a woman just where he was but that was all she was, a woman but not human.
"Jacob" the woman rushed at him only to be stopped when Sigrdrífa appeared grabbing her leg and swing her into the kitchen and out of view.
The Valkyrie turned her sharp gaze at him and yelled "GO!" before engaging the…woman again.
This time Jacob didn't stop he ran from the crumbling house, through the garden and down the hill, ignoring everything else. He was well on his way towards the village borders when something grabbed him by the shoulders and plucked him from the ground. Jacob flailed, looking up he saw that it was the woman-no the monster Sigrdrífa was fighting before. Jacob screamed, trying to pry her talons from him but it was a futile effort and in no time he found himself taken into the forest where he was dropped.
Jacob groaned from the impact but quickly got to his feet when the monster landed not far away. The woman stood or rather leaned against a tree not far from his position, it seemed Sigrdrífa had managed to wound her. The woman's body was covered in dirt and injuries and her clothes were…her clothes looked familiar.
"Please don't stare Jacob" she said turning away but exposing a bruise.
Jacob swallowed as he stared at the woman, the monster and spoke a single word "Evelyn?"
She gave him a sidelong glance "I didn't want you to see me like this" she said looking down "at least not yet and not here."
"Wha…wh…you- you're a…"
"Monster?" she finished with a chuckle "we prefer the term mamono nowadays but yes I am a 'monster' more specifically I am a Demon."
A demon, Jacob sputtered at a loss for words. The woman he had made friends with, his only female friend was a demon of all things. Sardonically he thought it would make sense, after all no woman would ever be interested in even talking to someone like him let alone professing their love by giving him a passionate kiss.
Which reminded him 'I kissed a demon' he should feel sick at the thought but the actual act of kissing her was by far one of the greatest moments of his life.
Even now as she stood there with her clothes a mess, covered in cuts and bruises, her skin now a shade of blue, her brown hair ashen, a spaded tail hanging by her leg with folded wings, a horn and her red-black eyes, Jacob could still see the tender woman he had spoken to all this time within this demon. In fact he would go on to say that Evelyn had never seemed more alluring.
Or perhaps that was the point, he had heard the church preaching about how succubi and demons would place spells upon themselves to lure men into corruption. Jacob was now suddenly guarded because as defenseless as she looked right now this creature he knew as Evelyn was very dangerous, anyone who could fight off a group of Holy Knights and a warrior Angel was more than deserving of such a label.
'I need to escape' he thought frantically edging away from the still recovering demon.
"Please don't go" she spoke softly yet firmly.
Jacob didn't know why he stopped but he did, something compelled him to halt his plan of escape and listen to what she had to say. With a quick breath Evelyn removed her palm to reveal her injury healed.
The demon looked at the boy practically frozen in place and approached him "you're afraid of me, don't be. What the church spread to humans about us is a lie Jacob. I know you are a smart boy, if anything they said were true then this situation would be very different."
Jacob didn't really want to think about what if's right now but he did anyway because there was a demon right in front of him and he wanted to at least know "why me?" he every much doubted she could have
"Do I need to have a reason to fall in love?"
She sighed before her head perked up and her eyes swiveled to the side "dammit, we have to go" she began concentrating and a red glowing glyph appeared under them.
'Go, what does she mean by we?'
Once he realized what was going to happen Jacob panicked and tried to run only for his body to be petrified ramrod straight "agh!?"
"Stay still Jacob"
"What are you doing?" his voice came out strained with the effort of breaking free of his invisible constriction.
"Trying to locate the nearest Demon Realm to teleport to" she paused "found it!" the circle began to glow even brighter. Her smile grew brighter even as his expression grew pale.
Just as they were about to be transported though a spear made of yellow light impacted the center of the glyph with a loud thunk cracking the array.
"No…" Evelyn breathed out before both of them were absorbed in a yellow light-filled explosion.
Evelyn managed to get in front of the blast and leapt away with Jacob in her arms but not without sustaining damage. Landing away from the freshly made crater Evelyn began checking on the human with worry just as Sigrdrífa landed behind her sporting her own minor injuries.
"You're not going anywhere hellspawn" she declared then plunged her blade into the ground erecting a barrier around them.
Evelyn didn't acknowledge her and Sigrdrífa saw her kneeling over the boy "step away from the boy demon!"
Evelyn finally moved, turning a murderous gaze towards the angelic warrior that made even her pause in shock. Evelyn's eyes blazed red, demonic energy seeped from her body as she clenched her blood spattered claws. The clothes she wore burned away in fire-like mana revealing the standard set of armor worn by demons in the Maou's army. That is, a variant of a string bikini with very little armor consisting of arm, shin and thigh guards. Her lack of clothing also revealed a pleasure run on her left breast in the shape of a heart. What truly caught the Valkyrie's eyes were the symbols of a red eye on her heeled boots, gloves and thigh guards.
Anyone would recognize the symbol of the Mistress of Lescatie, Druella.
This changes everything!
Despite the aggressive stance of the high ranking monster before her Sigrdrífa's excitement rose at the challenge, if she could interrogate this demon then it might give some insight into the happenings of the fallen theocracy.
Before that though she had to actually defeat her, a task which seemed to get more and more daunting the more she looked into those smoldering red eyes.
"You hurt my love! YOU DIE!!" she screamed in righteous fury, then she charged with a forward thrust that slammed into Sigrdrífa's guard.
His ears were still ringing by the time he woke up and he was also in some pain, scratch that he was in a lot of pain. The ground beneath him shook and his bleary eyes opened to the clear sky. He groaned in pain as he tried and failed to get up, at that point the ringing had subsided to a dull throb and the noises of his surroundings came up.
By the time that he did manage to at least drag himself to a sitting position the earlier sounds seemed to have ramped up and he could actually make them out and where they were coming from. His eyes widened as they took in the damaged surrounding the area, he followed the sounds of clashing steel until he was staring at the forest.
Jacob stumbled to his feet, heart racing, they were still fighting. His gaze went to behind him and where the town was and started walking until an explosion caused the ground to shake. It was all he could do to not fall flat on his face. Looking back into the forest he swallowed, the battle didn't seem to be slowing one bit.
They're really trying to kill each other.
It dawned on him then that if he left then one of two things would happen. Either Evelyn would win and she would be free to come for him and whisk him away to some distant demon realm. Once word got around that Evelyn killed a servant of the Chief God he would be marked as corrupted and an accomplice. His parents would be made to face the brunt of the accusations while he was gone. Jacob could only imagine what would happen to the parents of the boy who was cohorts with a demon.
On the other hand if Sigrdrífa won then…he would never see Evelyn again. He'd be taken by the Valkyrie to begin training as a hero. The answer to him was so simple, regardless of what Evelyn was Jacob didn't think she could beat Sigrdrífa, call it a gut feeling but he felt if he left this place then he would never see her again.
Maybe that's the reason why he couldn't bring himself to walk away. Everything he was ever taught told him to leave the demon to her fate, yet at the same time he couldn't just discard the times they had spent together. Maybe at some point during all that she did charm him into being her servant. He didn't feel any different but maybe that's point, could be, he didn't know but what he did know was-
'I can't leave like this.'
And with that Jacob ran straight into the fight.
"Why did you come here!" Evelyn's arms were a blur as she tried to score a hit against her foe.
"I should be asking you that!" Sigrdrífa grunted blocking and parrying the strikes with her shield before slashing at the demon.
"You ruined everything!" she leapt over the Valkyrie and summoned Dark Matter tentacles to bound her "if it wasn't for you he could have remained out of this war, we would've been happy" she lunged at the bound Valkyrie sword poised to strike her heart.
"I-" Sigrdrífa's four wings were enveloped in light as they cut through the tentacles and she dodged the strike "saved him and this town from your corruption"
Evelyn followed after her resuming their fight in the air "hah, I had no intention of corrupting anyone in this town let alone him!" she sent several red magic missiles after her.
"Lies!" Sigrdrífa dodged the attacks and used her shield to deflect the last before summoning four golden energy lances and sending them after the rapidly gaining demon "You walk the land corrupting everything you see for your own twisted pleasure, that's all your kind does! Especially your dark mistress" she added.
Evelyn dodged the missiles and met the Valkyrie in a clash of steel that reverberated through their bodies "I have not served Lady Druella for many years" she hissed breaking away only to resume their airborne clash before she chanted sending another red magic missile though this one was thicker and was in a spiral shape.
"Why else would you come here?" she deflected the attack and rushed her "why else would you be interested in an unassuming young boy, if not to corrupt him then mold his potential to suite your needs" as she continued to fight the demon Sigrdrífa was unaware that the missile she deflected curved and headed straight for her unprotected back.
"AAHH!" the missile exploded on her armored back jolting her forward and into Evelyn's awaiting blade.
The demon only had a small window to inflict as much damage to the holy warrior with multiple slashes, one of which disarmed the Valkyrie. She finished off with knocking the Valkyrie on the side of the helm and firing off a few more magic spells on her descending form. She managed to use her shield to take the full brunt of the magical attack before she crashed into the ground.
Sigrdrífa, now without her primary weapon rolled to her feet as Evelyn came after her again "I won't bother explaining the concept of love to someone who leads such a pitiful life as a slave!"
Sigrdrífa flew back to dodge a slash with eyes blaring "how dare you!" she flew right at the demon in a burst of extra speed that caught her foe off guard.
"Gah!" Evelyn recoiled when the Valkyrie rammed her armoured forehead into her own.
Sigrdrífa didn't stop there and with a shield bash she sent the demon's sword flying "I am a servant of The Chief God" she grabbed the demon by her collar slammed their heads together, stunning the demon before tossing her aside and rushing after her.
Evelyn rolled to her knee and chanted silently then tossed a fireball at the rampaging Valkyrie. Sigrdrífa didn't bother to dodge, she held up her shield and took the brunt of the attack. One fireball hit, then another before a torrential gout of hellfire spew from her hands forcing the too close Valkyrie to buckle her knees.
Evelyn braced herself as the Valkyrie continued to push through "I…am… a holy warrior!" she crossed the threshold and bashed Evelyn's face with the edge of her shield eliciting a shriek from the demon and sending her crashing into a tree. once there she was helplessly bombarded by Valkyrie.
"Bound by honor" Sigrdrífa's armored fist crashed into Evelyn's cheek turning her blue skin a deeper shade and leaving a cut "to serve" an uppercut from the shield sent Evelyn's head into the tree rattling her brain "a higher calling" a punch to the gut left another bruise and knocked the wind out of her, her feet buckled and Sigrdrífa glared hatefully down at her, raising her shield edge to deliver the final blow she said "your life will never hold a candle to that!" then the shield dropped straight for her neck.
Red claws gripped the shield and an even deeper shade of red eyes glared at her from under them "but it is my life."
Her whispered reply was followed by a blast of magic from her free hand directly into the Valkyrie's unarmored gut and she made sure to yank the shield off before she was blasted away.
"My choice" with a flap of her wings she met the Valkyrie with fist to head that knocked off her headwear "I choose to live my life how I want" a claw swipe to the face momentarily stunned the Valkyrie who conjured a light spear to stab at the demon but a dark matter tentacle held her hand in place.
The last thing she saw was a heeled foot heading to her face before she saw stars. The spear of light fizzled out and a fireball to her leg dropped her to her knees and a dark matter tentacle yanked her away and into a tree with enough force to split the bark.
"And I refuse to be lectured by the likes of you" Evelyn finished breathlessly wiping the blood from her nose.
Sigrdrífa dragged herself to her feet and spat out a wad of blood "I grow tired of hearing your voice demon"
"And I you, Valkyrie" she spat.
The two injured, panting women circled each other while making their way back towards their discarded weapons. Yet neither made a move and instead watched the other for any shifty movements. They were both on their last leg now and the next move could determine the winner.
Just then Jacob burst through the forest beside them gaining both their attention "boy/Jacob!"
Before anymore words could be said Sigrdrífa capitalized on Evelyn's distraction and picked up her sword, dashing towards her. Evelyn picked up her own sword with a scowl charged as well. So single minded they were in their assault that they momentarily forgot about the third party who had entered the fray not long ago. However despite the situation he would not stand idly on the sidelines and let this pass.
It might have been they were too distracted to realize just how close he was, it could be that they were too fatigued to change course so quickly or it could be that Jacob was faster than either women had thought. Either way before the two could run each other through Jacob appeared before them attempting to stop their charge.
But it was too late to stop now.
The sickening squelch of two swords ramming through a body echoed off the surrounding forest. Everyone froze and a silence fell over everything only broken by Jacob's wet cough as he unintentionally spat blood splotches on Evelyn's pale face before shuddering briefly then slumping, his body only held up by the two swords held in their hands.
Evelyn's claw reached out to his face, tears streaked down her cheeks and she took shuddering breaths as she came to terms with what she was seeing. Sigrdrífa herself stepped back allowing his body to drop only to be caught by the demon whose breathing continued to elevate until she let it loose in one harrowing shriek reflecting all her pain, sorrow and grief.
Sigrdrífa stared at the scene in a mix of confusion, horror and…suddenly she perked up seeming to catch herself, she hesitated before closing her eyes and nodding. When her eyes opened they were steel and she struck as quickly as possible. Even as distracted as she was, Evelyn's instinct caused her to dodge the swipe of a light spear that would have taken her head off.
She could not however dodge the second lance that was thrown at her. Evelyn screamed in pain as the lance struck her gut, the holy energy burning her from the inside out. With a wrench from her claws the spear shattered. Not that it mattered now, Evelyn was finished, the energy it would take to recover would most likely make her collapse.
'And Jacob is…'
The sound of his voice jolted her, the Valkyrie was knelt above him, having pulled out the weapons that skewered him, only one of them had his blood on it. Evelyn watched as light from the Valkyrie's outstretched hand washed over his body.
'She's healing him'
Soon his eyes opened blearily to stare into her own 'he's alive!' relief flooded her body dulling the pain in her gut.
Her hand outstretched slightly, she wanted nothing more than rush to his side, to hold him, smother him with her love and spoil him with riches, to give him whatever his hearts desires. She yearned for it so much it seemed physically painful to be separated from him.
But she can't.
Her claws tightened into a hard fist.
She didn't have the strength.
Not the strength to properly protect him.
Not the strength to defeat the Valkyrie.
And not even the strength to save herself.
Her hand dropped as the frustration mounted then she began to whisper the words to an archaic spell, halting her healing and directing the rest of her mana towards another goal. As she did this she stared into the eyes of the object of her affection and hoped her feelings would be conveyed to him.
'Jacob, I love you.
Sigrdrífa forced herself not to look back as the demon teleported away, healing was never her forte and in her current state she needed all the concentration she could afford. Frustration showed heavily on her face as she stared at the boy who had so foolishly thrown himself in the middle of a fight between two beings he could not hope to contest with. It irked her that he would be so foolish as to risk his life and for what, to prevent her from slaying the demon?
Sigrdrífa clicked her tongue, this was expected, if the demon was here for as long as the reports indicated then she would have had ample time to worm her way into the heart of the naïve boy. The results speak for themselves as it was obvious the boy was smitten with her or at the very least he was smitten with the human she pretended to be.
Her face soften somewhat and an aggravated sigh escaped her lip, this boy had cost them possible intelligence on the inner workings of Lescatie. Her lord and master deemed him to be worth the effort so she would put her trust in that. Though to her he didn't seem like much but then again she was not a god and could not see his potential even the demon saw it otherwise she would not have made it a point to seduce him, proclamation of love aside that was the only reason she could see the demon having an interest in him.
That was two for three, he sighed as she retracted her hand "I hope you are worth it Jacob" she whispered before picking him up.
Evelyn found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling 'where…' distantly she heard voices and the sound of a door opening and turned towards it.
"Big sis!"
Immediately Evelyn was almost smothered by the petite form of a Devil with long white hair held in place by a headband accessory with two small bat wings sprouting from her head. Her top consisted of a chest plate in the visage of the symbol of the Demon Realm Lescatie, a vertical red eye with bat wings sprouting from the sides which despite her small form only partially covered her breast. For bottoms she wore a garter belt connected to two thigh guards with the only thing concealing her modesty being a small heart-shaped plate under the heart shaped pleasure rune on her stomach.
"Felicia" Evelyn sat up "how did I get here?"
"You don't remember?" the little devil questioned.
"I…" she trailed off holding her stomach before she suddenly became frantic "Jacob!"
"Who?" Evelyn ignored the confused Mamono and sat up throwing off the sheets only to hold her stomach "where do you think you're going!?"
Evelyn struggled to under the deceptively small girl's grip "I have to find him"
"Who the heck are you even talking about?"
Evelyn didn't answer and continued to struggle making it harder for Felicia to keep her down.
"That's quite enough" a new voice ordered calmly.
Both struggling mamonos froze and as one turned to the new occupant they had somehow not notice step in. She was another demon, standing tall wearing a blue and red leotard with a window cut out to show a generous amount of cleavage and another heart shaped window cut out to show her toned stomach over an open general's coat. The only sign of her allegiance was the vertical red eye symbol on a crystal attached to a choker around her neck.
Unlike Felicia and Evelyn's eyes hers were yellow instead of red denoting her bloodline.
Immediately Felicia straightened and separated from the taller demon "general Desmona" she bowed lightly.
The Demon approached her and ran a hand across the side of her face, the devil shivered under her touch "at ease Felicia" she spoke softly. Then her eyes went to the despondent Evelyn who averted her gaze to the floor "give us a moment Felicia"
The smaller Demon seemed to hesitate before she nodded "yes, ma'am" she offered a lingering glance to her friend before exiting.
The sound of Felicia's heels on the floor sounded through the room before the door closed with a soft click leaving the two alone. Desmona chose to take a seat in a corner of the room not too far from where her subordinate sat. For a moment nothing was said between the two and the uncomfortable silence lingered before it was broken.
"General Desmona I-"
The general held up a hand to silence her "we're alone right now Evelyn, no need for decorum, just call me Blaire"
"Yes, of course…Blaire"
She nodded in satisfaction "good, now do you mind telling me the events that led to you appearing on my doorstep half dead with a hole in your gut?"
Evelyn swallowed and began recounting her tale, by the end of it a significant time had passed, Evelyn was still despondent but now Blaire was scowling.
"Valkyrie" she spat "of course they would stick their noses where they don't belong" with that said she gave her subordinate a sympathetic glance "I am sorry you were not able to bring him with you, he sounds like a sweet boy."
Evelyn smiled wryly "I suppose it is for the best, all the enchantments in the world wouldn't detract from the fact that I ruined his life" she laughed bitterly "he probably hates me."
"Nonsense, from what I gathered he risk his life to protect you" she looked the demon in the eye "I don't need to see him to know that boy cares for you without the need for 'coercion'."
"I almost got him killed"
"Demon realm silver doesn't kill, if anything the fault lies with that Valkyrie"
"I couldn't do anything to protect him"
"That's what you get for slacking off"
For the first time Evelyn looked her superior in the eye and almost recoiled at the sharp glare she gave her.
Blaire interlaced her hands as she braced her elbows on her knees while maintaining her glare "Evelyn I don't particularly mind when one of my lieutenants asks to leave in order to 'find herself.' In fact I would encourage it if it were to make her happy, I also don't mind when said lieutenant stops writing letters and doesn't correspond to the ones her superior wrote" she narrowed her eyes at this and Evelyn had the decency to wince "and I also don't mind when that lieutenant forgoes participating in defending the kingdom to which she belongs to from an enemy invasion."
Evelyn perked "there was a-"
"I am not finished! And I also don't mind when you don't even so much as send a letter to your commanding officer congratulating her on finding a husband" she gritted her teeth a bit "well actually I do mind, I mind a great deal. But what I will not tolerate is my missing subordinate suddenly arriving, injured and disgraced having lost her potential mate to the likes of the Order and an Angel no less, and instead of doing something about it sits there feeling sorry for herself! What kind of demon are you to take your defeat like common human?"
Evelyn swallowed remembering that this was no mere demon, Blaire Desmona was the Demon. The one she fought against when she was still human, the powerful swordsman who easily bested her then turned her into one of her kind. She knew these things and much more and yet here she was moping in front of her like she some kind of councilor.
'She is right, I have been playing at being human for so long I almost forgot, I am human no longer. Meeting Jacob, being around him, it was almost like a dream I wanted to keep going, but dreams eventually end.'
It was time to wake up now, the dream was over.
Evelyn stood, the sorrow that had so plagued her evaporated like mist over a lava pit "you are right General-Blaire. I almost lost myself there, thank you"
The elder Demon waved her off "no need, though I hope you aren't foolhardy enough to try and retrieve him now."
Evelyn pursed her lips "how long have I been here?"
"Long enough for the Valkyrie to have delivered him to the Capitol to undergo his training"
Evelyn bit her thumb nail, no she was not foolish enough to step foot in that place, not even Lady Druella herself could do such a thing and escape unscathed.
But if she could not get to him before then that would mean, realization dawned on her.
"More than likely the next time you meet he would be a fully realized Hero of The Order and a powerful one if the Chief God sent a Valkyrie after him" Blaire pointed out.
A Hero who would no doubt be made to kill mamono, like her and relish it. The thought of those people turning her sweet innocent Jacob into another of their loveless killing machines made Evelyn's blood boil.
A moment later she calmed herself down "then all there is left to do is wait?"
"Yes, but while we wait you will be resuming your training under me" it wasn't a request "you've grown soft in your time away Evelyn, soft, weak and…human. There is no greater shame for a demon than to lose a mate to an angel. I see it as an affront to our species and I will personally ensure that the next time you meet this Valkyrie you will fell her by your own power and add her to our ranks" she smiled indulgently "as well as your Hero, Jacob."
Evelyn smiled at that and it also occurred to her that she would be separated from Jacob for many years and while he would become a Hero she realized that by then he would also be a man, the best kind of man. An image of what the Heroic Jacob would look like came to mind causing a blush to surface.
"Oh my~" she held a cheek in one palm as her tail started flickering.
'Just wait for me Jacob, I swear in the name of the Maou we will meet again and next time you won't get away~'
Her womb ached in anticipation.
Jacob set out with Sigrdrífa towards the capital via teleportation the next day. The capital was everything Jacob had heard it was and more.
"So this is the capital" Jacob murmured to himself as he looked around.
The city was a complex mixture of culture, magic and technology, despite being the center of the Chief God's stronghold, it was unmistakably the pinnacle of humanity. Being there left Jacob too much in awe to bother thinking of his abrupt shift in lifestyle and in fact he began to get excited at the thought of living there.
Before he could be taken into the sights any more, he was taken by a set of strong yet delicate armored hands and dragged off "come this way, there is much we need if we are to begin your training."
Jacob had to jog lightly to keep up with her stride as he asked "we're starting right now."
The Valkyrie looked over her shoulder "of course, the sooner we start your training, the closer you will be to receiving your blessings so that we may be able to begin vanquishing the monster scourge in earnest."
She spoke confidently with a smile and it hit Jacob just now that he was really doing this, he was going to become a Hero. Jacob didn't know how to react to that, he supposed he should be happy to have been chosen by one of god's servant for the honor but he couldn't. Maybe it was the slight queasiness brought on by his nervousness, maybe it was the sadness that he would have to forfeit his dream to fulfill this task he had thrust upon him or maybe it was his own lack of confidence in believing he could actually be this great hero Sigrdrífa seemed to think he could be.
The doubts continued to swirl even as they made it to a modest looking house "this will be your home for the foreseeable future" Sigrdrífa commented before walking inside.
Sigrdrífa proceeded to give him a small tour of what he can only assume was her home. Contrary to his expectations the house wasn't very large or ornate, actually it was fairly ordinary. There was a lack of personal effects and furniture besides the bare essentials, the room amounted to two bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area, a bathroom and a makeshift study. Behind the house was a spacious backyard with a few acres of forest behind where he would be training.
At the end of it Sigrdrífa told him "clean yourself and change into the clothes I left for you on your bed, when you are finished meet me here so that we can go over the specifics of your regiment from now on."
He could only nod and mouth an affirmative, Sigrdrífa nodded though paused to give the shorter boy a once over. She opened her mouth to speak though thought better of it and walked away leaving the boy standing by his room. Jacob walked inside his room, saw that it was a modest dwelling with only a bed and small closet furniture-wise.
Jacob managed to make it to the bed before he fell down face first into the soft material, softer than his own bed but with none of the familiarity. Nothing about this was familiar to him, he wasn't looking over the prices of products, he wasn't helping his mother with work around the house. Instead he was here, in an unfamiliar place, in a an unfamiliar home with an unfamiliar lady about to become blessed by a goddess he didn't even worship to fight a war he was only vaguely aware of.
A muffled sob wracked his body…
To Be Continued in Part 2…
Author's Note: Is it weird that it was while writing this that I found that the Valkyrie has four wings and not two? I don't think any author has specified the number of wings a Valkyrie has so people would just assume it was two, weird huh?
Also I'm going to forgo any kind of chronology with these stories. The truth is I finished this months ago but I wanted to release another one before this. Then I just said fuck-it and published this. So from now on, the stories are inter-connected as they take place in the same world but could take place in any number of timelines apart.


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For the second year, the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, and its three breed development programs, has activated a Broodmare Boarding List to help breeders who are looking to participate in one of the commission's lucrative breed development programs in 2019.
The database was the brainchild of marketing director Megan Arszman because she saw a need to help not only breeders who don't know where to look for boarding, but also for the farms themselves to help promote their availability.
"With the Nov. 1 deadline for registering mares for the Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program looming and breeders starting to make breeding decisions, it just makes sense to put the list back online," says Arszman.
In order to be part of the Indiana-bred program, a Thoroughbred mare must be in residence in the state of Indiana, and have a program registration filled out, by Nov. 1. The idea of the database is to help owners who might wish to participate in the program the first time and are not familiar with what farms might be available.
(If a mare is not in residence prior to Nov. 1, nor their registration form has been sent in, owners will need to register the mare within 10 days of foaling and then breed back to a registered Indiana stallion for the 2020 foal.)
Thoroughbred stallions looking to make Indiana home must be registered by Oct. 15. If a stallion has been previously registered in Indiana and misses the deadline, there is a late fee required. New stallions are not required to pay a late fee.
Farms participating in any of the breed development programs, as well as veterinary hospitals and breeding facilities, have offered their contact information to the commission for the list. If any Indiana farms or facilities are interested in being on the list, they can still contact the office. If an owner is looking for a farm, they can click on "Barn Listing" on the Indiana Horse Racing Commission website's left-hand toolbar, or by clicking here.
The commission will not and does not recommend a certain farm over another. The list is just to offer a starting point in the horse owner's search—it is up to the owner to choose. Likewise, it is up to the owner to contact the farms and pursue their own vetting process to see what farm is the right fit for their mare and their foals.
Owners can download the registration forms, or even register their horses on the commission website (http://in.gov/hrc).
New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry.
Copyright © 2020 Paulick Report.

subset: commoncrawl


text: It is important to periodically save your work in Excel. It would probably ruin your day if you spent hours working on a file to suddenly have your system crash or to mistakenly close Excel without saving your work. By taking the simple precaution of saving your files you may one day save yourself hours of work recreating a lost Excel file. There are several ways to save Excel files to your computer.


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Continuing their freefall despite government measures, China's stocks tumbled sharply today as investor confidence shattered by the recent USD three trillion losses led to share-dumping to prevent further losses.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index sank 5.9 per cent to finish at 3,507.19 points while the Shenzhen Component Index slumped 2.94 per cent to close at 11,040.89points.
More than 1,000 shares on the two bourses dived by the daily limit of 10 per cent.
More than half of the roughly 2,800 companies listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen had suspended trading as of today to avoid further losses, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Yesterday a total of 203 listed companies suspended trading. All industry groups lost ground, with aviation manufacturing, medical care, internet and transportation companies plunging by the daily limit of 10 per cent, the report said.
With the benchmark Shanghai stock index falling more than 30 per cent from June peak, Chinese government has unveiled a raft of supportive measures to prop up the market, but the efforts have done little to halt the decline so far.
It also ordered an inquiry to determine the reasons into precipitous fall.
Market analysts say that the losses since last few weeks amounting to an estimated USD 3.2 trillion were unprecedented.
The wave of listed companies seeking a suspension in trading comes at a time when Chinese have been suffering considerable losses over the past several weeks, state-run Global Times reported.
On Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a speech that China is confident and able to deal with the risks and challenges faced by its economy.
A series of unprecedented emergency rescue measures were implemented over the weekend, such as the suspension of the IPOs of 28 companies, allowing 21 Chinese brokerages to invest 120 billion yuan (USD19.3 billion) in blue-chip exchange- traded funds (ETFs) and Central Huijin, a unit of China's sovereign wealth fund, vowing to buy A-shares.
However only a limited number of blue-chip companies were able to directly benefit from the funds.
Today the government said Chinese insurance companies will be able to invest up to 10 per cent of their assets in a single "blue chip" stock, up from the previous five per cent.
Meanwhile, the state-backed China Securities Finance Co will "increase" stock purchases of small and medium-sized companies, with liquidity support from the country's central bank.
Separately, China's state asset regulator ordered the country's centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) not to sell shares in their listed companies amid "abnormal market volatility".
Markets go haywire; stocks, rupee, gold feel China heat
Benchmark BSE Sensex today plunged 483.97 points, its biggest single-day fall in over a month, to end the day below the 28,000 mark at 27,687 on heavy selling.
The rupee lost ground, which closed at 63.60 against dollar, down 14 paise. Gold too lost some of its sheen.
Brokers attributed the sharp fall in financial markets to the sell-off in Asian bourses after a Chinese stock market rout rattled investors as the deadline looms for Greece to seal a deal with its international creditors.
The broader NSE Nifty cracked below the crucial 8,400-mark by tumbling 147.75 points to end at 8,363.05.
The 30-share BSE Sensex slipped below the 28,000-mark to settle at 27,687.72, a steep fall of 483.97 points, or 1.72 per cent, from its previous close.
This is the biggest single-session fall of the Sensex since a plunge of 661 points recorded over a month ago on June 2.
Metal stocks bore the brunt after base metals led by copper fell to multi-year lows after the China rout, stoking fears that the sell-off may trigger a broader slowdown in the world's biggest metal consumer.
In the metal segment, Vedanta, Hindalco and Tata Steel came under heavy selling.
China mainland index Shanghai Composite plunged 5.90 per cent after losing more than 8 per cent at one point. The losses came despite additional measures announced by the government to shore up the tumbling market, which has wiped off a significant amount of investors' wealth.
Similarly, Japan's Nikkei fell 3.14 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng 5.84 per cent, its biggest one-day drop since October 2008.
Brent crude for August fell 13 cents to USD 56.72 per barrel.
Gold prices too declined to an over three-month low, plunging Rs 330 to Rs 26,170 per 10 grams in the national capital. A firming dollar only reduced its appeal.
Similarly, in Kolkata, gold dropped Rs 220 to Rs 26,310 per 10 grams while in Chennai, it lost Rs 200 at Rs 26,290 per 10 grams.
Globally, the bullion fell 0.7 per cent to USD 1,147.36 an ounce in London.


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Seventeen years after the first mass underwater wedding ceremony, blushing brides will again be squeezing garters over their wetsuits and descending into the deep blue seas just off Trang province's Koh Kradan island. Amazingly popular, dozens of couples sign up every year with the intention of saying "I do" using divers' sign language. Packages start at B35,000 per couple and include meals, costumes, diving equipment and a videotape to wow the grandchildren with. www.underwaterwedding.com
February 13 – 15


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In this article I will describe the health benefits of the paleo diet.
One often wonders what the healthy benefits of a new diet could be? I explain that to you, Alexander from paleo24.de, here.
This is to be answered very simply, and can be clarified in few paragraphs.
One must stress first of all that this form of the nutrition is very careful for the body, and one sufficiently with Vitaminen, macro nutrients, as well as important trace elements and minerals supplies.
A deficiency supply, as with other would-be diets, is excluded.
So you don't have to worry that if you have a long-term habit of eating in this way, your body will suffer any damage from it.
Back to the biggest question: what are the benefits?
The hormone balance stabilizes.
This is due to the fact that we eat a low-carbohydrate diet.
In contrast to other western diets, the hormone balance is not disturbed by an excessively high insulin level.
Conscious nutrition keeps insulin levels low and evenly distributed throughout the day.
If too much of the hormone insulin is produced and too much is present in the body, it disrupts processes in the body and the whole body cannot function properly.
In the paleo diet, the insulin level is very low, even throughout the day, and therefore the diet is very gentle on body and soul.
Fat build-up and fat loss normalize.
By consciously avoiding bad foods such as bread, pizza, pasta and noodles, one's own body weight can be reduced to a normal and balanced level in the long run. And normalize.
You can maintain your weight, reduce it, and lose weight.
Since fat build-up and fat loss are normalized, body weight is reduced to normal sizes.
You have more energy and feel more vital.
Since you eat more healthy food and the entire diet consists of many healthy foods, you feel much better physically.
The digestion works better, so that the body has more energy, which it can extract from the healthy foods and vital substances.
Diseases such as acne can decrease.
There is a very large connection with an excessive diet, which consists of bread, pizza, pasta, and also dairy products, that these can cause acne and other diseases of the skin, also an increased number of pimples can occur.


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From the StinkyKids™ Collection
Skye is a feature-rich soft African American rag doll that is just perfect: super-soft - velboa and satin textures - the perfect size for this age group at 12" tall, nice yarn bangs and generous braids (four!) and lots of other cute details... from the heart shaped 'kiss' of her mouth to the embroidered signature on her bottom. (see pictures)
We knew nothing about StinkyKids™ dolls before we bought them - apparently the story has been all over the TV - how this mommy in NJ invented them, and what a big hit they were. Made by The Alexander Doll Co. We only buy dolls that we think our customers will really like... the pretty ones, the softest ones, the best made ones - quality black baby dolls that your daughter will love today, love tomorrow, and remember for the rest of her life.
Need a Brother Sister pairing?
Submit a Review...


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окт 22, 2018
Is Your Bank Ready For The Next Crisis?
The campaign for financial deregulation should have you worried. Is bank supervision tight enough to prevent another meltdown? Is it loose enough to let the economy grow? The Trump Administration will tell you that it is scoring on both counts, but you may harbor doubts.
Here, we'll review what the regulators are up to, scorecard the biggest banks on a somewhat unconventional measure of safety and then take a look at a radical scheme to make the financial sector at once safer and freer.
Banks are more stable now than they were ten years ago, but they are not failproof. The usual way to measure the cushion against financial shocks compares shareholders' equity, the excess of assets like loans over liabilities like deposits, to assets. The table below takes a different approach, using market value in place of shareholders' equity. It captures the market's assessment of whether the assets are worth more or less than their book value. JP Morgan Chase is doing better than you thought, and Citigroup worse.
Bank safety has traditionally been a tug of war between regulators, who want the equity cushion to be fat, and bankers, who want to leverage as large a pile of earning assets atop that equity as they can. At a recent symposium hosted by the Manhattan Institute, Brent McIntosh, the U.S. Treasury's general counsel, described the government's lofty aims in this conflicted arena. Reform is underway, he said. Regulations will be light enough so that banks will have ample room for growth-fostering loans. But they will be tight enough so there won't be another round of taxpayer-funded bailouts.
Banks with less than $10 billion in assets are benefitting from deregulation already, with Trump's signature earlier this year on a bill that exempts them from the worst of Dodd-Frank, the statutory thicket inflicted on the financial sector as punishment for the 2008 crisis. But the impact of small banks on the economy is also small. The bulk of the country's deposit-taking and loan-making is done by larger banks. They remain encased in compliance costs.
The knottiest of the government's financial regulations is the Volcker Rule, a part of Dodd-Frank decreeing that banks may do trading in order to hedge or to service customers, but not to speculate. It is named after Paul Volcker, the two-meter-tall Fed chairman from 1979 to 1987.
Volcker's stature on Wall Street seems to be more a function of his height than his insights. Consider the task that bank examiners undertake when enforcing his rule: using formulas to divine a trader's motivation. But there's really no formula that will spell out whether a cluster of, say, 30 swaps, rate futures and short and long bond positions is on net speculative. You'd need a roomful of mathematicians to answer that question.
President Obama was a big admirer of the antitrading rule when it surfaced during his time in office. Bureaucrats love it. Outside the government, there are more skeptics. Lawrence White, a New York University professor, has called it "costly" and a "waste of effort."
Without a Volcker Rule, is there any way to keep bankers from shooting craps with depositors' money? There is. John Cochrane, an economist at the Hoover Institution, proposes that banking be divided in two. Safe banks would invest 100% of depositors' money in reserve funds at the Fed. Safe banks would supply the country with the mechanism to make transactions. They would be immune to depositor runs. They would pay meager interest rates.
All other bank investing in mortgages, business expansion, leveraged buyouts, trading, would be financed with equity. Savers would take their chances here. They'd own either common shares of the bank or, at lower risk but lower expected return, other securities, such as pieces of loan pools. They would have no right to withdraw anything. When they needed money, they'd sell their stakes at whatever prices they could get.
Equities are volatile. They make people richer or make them poorer. But they do not cause runs. They do not send the country's payment mechanism into a freeze.
Divided banking would engender a marvelous shrinking of government, since bank examinations could be limited to guarding against embezzlement. Between them the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have 9,800 employees; most could be sent packing. So could a chunk of the Federal Reserve System staff.
Cochrane's theory is not purely academic. Recently some adventurers put together an entity they call TNB ("the narrow bank") that would stash all its deposits at the Federal Reserve. They got a state charter in Connecticut and asked the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to let them open an account there to hold TNB's money.
If the employees of the nation's central bank were doing their jobs, they would have welcomed a financial institution guaranteed to be safe from collapse. But maybe the folks at the Fed are more interested in protecting their jobs than doing them. FRBNY, acting (so alleges a lawsuit by TNB) at the behest of Federal Reserve panjandrums in Washington, rejected the application. God forbid TNBs catch on and make people like Paul Volcker less consequential.
The last has not been heard from this battle. Entrepreneurs may yet find a way to disrupt traditional deposit-taking and its huge compliance costs.
What about the other half of the equation, the 100% equity-financed, deposit-free bank? Could such a thing find any investors? Yes, indeed. There are a lot of all-equity banks out there, but you might not have noticed because they don't call themselves banks. They're funds.
The FlexShares Ready Access Variable Income ETF (ticker: RAVI) is one of these things. By dint of the securities in its portfolio it is lending money to such borrowers as Pfizer, the U.S. Treasury and Honda owners. The investors in this intermediary bear a low risk of rising interest rates (duration, per Morningstar, is half a year) and a moderate risk of default (average credit quality is BBB). Savers are willing to take these risks in order to get more yield than they could in an FDIC-insured checking account.
Another nonbank bank: iShares Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (IGSB). It finances the activities of Anheuser-Busch, GE, Walmart and other borrowers. Default risk is a bit lower and rate risk a bit higher than on the FlexShares product.
Alongside these two are hundreds more mutual and exchange-traded funds, with trillions of dollars out on loan.
Savers can position themselves anywhere they want on the credit spectrum, from AAA funds with Ginnie Maes to junk funds with defaults looming. They can pick their duration. They can finance any amount of trading or leveraged buyouts. Or they can go the other way by owning only short-term Treasury bills, available in abundance. There is no role for bank examiners or deposit insurance here.
We've asked Brent McIntosh, the Treasury guy, about divided banking. His talk is about deregulation but his instincts are those of the deep state. "It's not one of the things we looked at," he said.


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How are Apologia and Oikos connected?
We, Oikos Family Ministries, are the distributors for Apologia Science. I, Sonja, personally, met Dr. Jay L. Wile, author and developer of Apologia, some years back whilst on a ministry tour in America.
Long story short, we invited Dr. Jay to come to South Africa and we took him on a tour to each Province (well almost all of them) thereafter we introduced and launched Apologia Science in South Africa.
We are aware Apologia is available through other sources however this is due to changes in the ownership of Apologia in America. That's another story! However Oikos, here in South Africa, is kept up to the minute with the latest developments of the Apologia resources, as we are their South African distributor.
We also have a few Oikos productions for you to watch where we speak to Dr Jay on this topic.


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'School' is no longer defined merely as a physical space, classrooms lined with rows of desks and a teacher who lectures at the front of the room–nor does a student's required curriculum have to involve a one-size-fits-all model that uses a single textbook. Anytime, anywhere learning that bridges formal and informal learning experiences is connected through the effective use of advanced technologies.
Advances in technology and personalized learning environments have created a historic opportunity to expand access and boost achievement and completion for learners across the globe.
The world is changing and our Catholic schools need to keep up. Students need to become problem solvers and collaborators. They need to take ownership of their learning and become lifelong learners. To do this, students need learning in classrooms to be accessible, relevant, and reflective of how they learn outside of school. We think classroom environments need to change in order to meet the needs of students today and prepare them for tomorrow. Personalized learning helps us do that.
The purpose of Catholic education is to draw or lead people of all ages out of isolation and into communion with God and others through a deeper understanding, experience, and practice of one's faith. Formation and education are both essential aspects of our teaching ministry at Catholic Online School.
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You want what is best for your children, whether that means their education, faith, or health. Catholic Online Schools provides a unique environment that allows students to grow in their faith while performing at high academic levels.
We invite you to explore our roadmap below, which will form the basis of our online Elementary and High School Diploma programs.
Our Mission is to Provide a FREE world class Catholic Education for Anyone, Anywhere.


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how about the quality of your products?
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One month ago to the day an entry appeared relating to the announcement by the Ukrainian leadership of a complete overhaul of the Ukrainian Navy and the (hopeful) commissioning of 30 new vessels by 2020 – Ambitious!
The main thrust of the entry however was not the perhaps overly ambitious commissioning of 30 new vessels by 2020. The entry concentrated upon not only the threats of today, but what vision (if any) the Ukrainian leadership had for the role and interoperability of the Ukrainian Navy in the decades ahead during the working life span of the new vessels – "It can be reasonably expected that the majority, if not all, of the 30 vessels Ukraine intends to bring into the service of its navy by 2020 (as fanciful as that number may appear on the presumption these vessels are more than canoes) have the sole purpose of countering Kremlin military projection from a reinforced and increasingly offensive (rather than purely defensive) occupied Crimean peninsula.
Ergo it is hoped that not only do these 30 vessels seek to leverage whatever advantages they may be perceived to have over what The Kremlin currently has in occupied Crimea (and the possibilities those assets now provide The Kremlin), but also that those ordering these vessels have one eye upon what The Kremlin could place on the peninsula in the years (indeed decades) ahead. In short, what capabilities and remit will these vessels have, not only for 2020, but for 2030 and 2040 in order to remain strategically relevant?
What are the relevant weaknesses any Kremlin naval presence has in Crimea? Do the newly announced vessels adequately exploit those weaknesses now – and will they do so in the future? If so, for how long into the future?
What role will they effectively play in any Ukrainian military doctrine now – and in the future?
How are they to be used? Is speed and punch-power far more important than armour and self-defence capability? Are they primarily to defend Odessa and other Ukrainian ports, or more generally to retain control of Ukrainian waters, or have expeditionary projection ability – such as a number of landing craft, 2 of which have recently been ordered from domestic shipyards? Are they to be able to do all or any combination thereof?
What of suitability for secondary roles – immigrants, piracy, smuggling patrols, or participation in humanitarian missions during their decades of projected seafaring?
What of technology? How extensive will technology transfer be between Ukraine and NATO when equipping these vessels? Compatible communication systems? Weapons, guidance systems, defensive capabilities? How seamless the interoperability with NATO members?
What role can these vessels play in any "coalition of the willing" upon the Black Sea (and beyond)? How well would what will (hopefully) be delivered to the Ukrainian Navy in 2020 fit into any larger international naval force – tactically specific, or strategically?
How do the current Ukrainian civilian and military leadership see Ukraine's role without (rather than within) the Black Sea regionally? Is there a projection capability with the new vessels that matches any aspirations for operations in other waters?
Within the EU Association Agreement, Ukraine has certain ratified obligations regarding the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (should the Europeans ever arrive at a common security and defence policy). If Ukraine were to offer naval hardware and personnel to the EU (as Ukraine does to the UN with MiG helicopters and pilots) would what is offered be of any use whatsoever?
In short, on the presumption that the new vessels will meet NATO standards when considering their projected decades of operational sea life, together with robust Ukrainian efforts to move toward NATO standards, it would be extremely foolish to bring into service 30 new vessels that don't make the grade."
Let us be honest, policy and strategy attempt to peer far further into a murky future than today's tactical necessities – particularly when de facto rebuilding an entire service arm.
The 3rd July is the Day of the Ukrainian Navy, and with that Navy now being based in Odessa following the illegal annexation of Crimea, as such it meant President Poroshenko was in Odessa.
For those that recall this entry, former Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine Vice-Admiral Sergei Haiduk has indeed eventually left the building, albeit long after the Presidential Decree dismissing him in defiance of Kyiv.
Having sacked Vice-Admirial Haiduk on 19th April, President Poroshenko appointed an "Acting" replacement – that replacement was not a Navy man, but an Army man, Lieutenant-General Igor Voronchenko. (No doubt there will be a collective tutting and rolling of eyes of readers with a Naval Officer background.)
During the presidential visit and pomp and ceremony of the Day of the Ukrainian Navy, President Poroshenko removed the "Acting" from Lieutenant-General Igor Voronchenko's title, thus Lieutenant-General Voronchenko became Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine.
An Army man with an Army rank holding the highest Navy position in Ukraine of course will never do – especially as the new Navy Commander has absolutely no naval or maritime education. Indeed he is a graduate of the Tashkent Tank Academy. (The closest to matters "Navy" was command of coastal defences.)
Lo it has come to pass that Lieutenant-General Igor Voronchenko is now Vice-Admiral Igor Voronchenko by Presidential Decree. (No doubt the previous collective tutting and rolling of eyes of readers with a Navy Officer background has been joined by whispered WTF!)
The upshot is that Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine at least now holds a Navy rank.
The question therefore is what relevance, if any, is there to an apparent lack of maritime qualification, naval training and experience of seafaring strategy? How great the understanding of the current and anticipated naval fleet capabilities? Is it perhaps not as relevant for the tactics of today as it is to the policy planning and strategy questions mentioned above regarding a rebuilding of a new Navy? – But events can change somewhat rapidly and unexpectedly these days.
Unfortunately the Ukrainian military, regardless of service arm, still runs rigidly and unquestioningly from the top – down, which is why particularly at a tactical and operational level erroneous and terrible decisions have been made causing unnecessary death and mayhem when Russia first invaded eastern Ukraine in 2014.
An effective Army relies upon Captains and Majors, and its NCOs to fight an effective tactical fight on the front lines – not a General (or 260+ of them in Ukraine) who is neither fit to fight physically nor tactically aware enough to lead the fluid front line engagements. Indeed the policies and strategies of the Generals would wisely take into account the knowledge and experience of the Captains and Majors from the front lines – but that is not (yet) how the Ukrainian military works.
Ergo, with Lieutenant-General Igor Voronchenko now becoming Vice-Admiral Igor Voronchenko, the Ukrainian Navy may become the first service arm that has its top commander listening (through absolute necessity) to the lower, active, commissioned ranks when setting policy and deciding upon strategy for the service arm he now leads.
Opportunity presents itself to not only rebuild the Ukrainian Navy with the 30 new vessels, but also in how it runs internally in and of itself.
Undoubtedly Igor Voronchenko is a good leader, a patriot, and somebody capable of reforming this service arm (unlike his predecessor on all 3 counts despite being a Navy man). He will get a good deal of advice and assistance from his NATO partners too. However, if he is going to lead a reform and rebuilding of the Ukrainian Navy, then there is a requirement to also consider a wider aperture and set an example for the other service arms too by ever-continuing collection and collation of experience and knowledge from those with the painful and hard earned tactical scars of leadership with which any wider policy and strategy would be foolish to ignore. It is folly to discount such clearly relevant input.
Does a "traditional" Navy man have to head the Navy?
Perhaps that depends upon the capabilities of that Navy during their command.
In the case of today's Ukraine, an unquestionably patriotic military man who understands structure, strategy and policy, who is mindful of continued Kremlin infiltration, who is aware ingrained corruption, and who through necessity cannot remain within the Soviet military leadership mindset of strictly "top-down – high losses don't matter command" is perhaps an opportunity presenting itself to not only rebuild the Ukrainian Navy with the 30 new vessels, but also to fundamentally and irreversibly change the culture of how it runs internally in and of itself.


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TeleForm - Intelligent forms automation
TeleForm is an intelligent forms automation solution which captures and classifies data from paper forms and electronic documents and extracts the information, using OCR/ICR/OMR document recognition technology, ready for export to a database. It aims to reduce manual data entry time by up to 95% and eliminate hundreds of operator keystrokes.
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Collaborative, Cooperative, and Collective Phishing Incident Response
In order to be effective, phishing incident response needs to be collaborative, cooperative, and collective. The Cofense platform delivers these requirements by combining technology with employee instinct to stop phishing attempts before they become successful phishing attacks.
Back in 2015, our Enterprise Phishing Susceptibility Report demonstrated how behavioral conditioning through phishing simulations could decrease the likelihood of susceptible employees responding to malicious emails by 97.14 percent. The report went on to state that a key factor in mitigating threats from phishing is increasing employee engagement in order to enhance threat detection rates.
Employee engagement is not only key in respect of enhancing threat detection rates, but also when a phishing email avoids detection and is opened and acted upon. In these circumstances, time is a critical factor when it comes to phishing incident response, and mechanisms need to be in place to facilitate the fast reporting, investigation, and response to a phishing email.
The Foundations of an Effective Phishing Incident Response
The foundations of an effective phishing incident response are employees. From office juniors to the C-Suite, these are the people targeted by cybercriminals and into whose email inboxes phishing emails are delivered. Behavioral awareness can reduce employee susceptibility to phishing, but it is also important that a culture exists to encourage a collaborative, cooperative, and collective environment.
Without such an environment in place, employees may be apprehensive about reporting a phishing email they have opened in error – with potentially very serious consequences. It may also be the case that employees fail to alert the Security Operations Center (SOC) to an email they correctly identify as a phish – resulting in the possibility of another employee opening a similar phishing email in error.
The Way Forward is to Recognize and Reward
Without a collaborative, cooperative, and collective environment, it is difficult to monitor phishing activity and the level of threat in order to execute an appropriate phishing incident response. One way to overcome this potential obstacle is to recognize and reward employees who achieve top scores in phishing simulations and who most accurately report suspicious emails to the SOC.
By making the learning process fun, employees are more engaged in the organization´s security. Furthermore, when vulnerabilities are exposed, it helps to alert employees to their susceptibilities in terms of their personal online security rather than the online security of the organization. The best practices they implement to protect their personal property will benefit the organization as well.
How Cofense Helps Make the Learning Process Fun
The Cofense platform consists of a range of services that contribute to an effective phishing incident response. Two of the tools – Cofense PhishMe and Cofense Reporter – can be used to make the learning process fun, improve the behavioral conditioning of employees, and prevent the likelihood of a phishing incident response being required.
Cofense PhishMe
Cofense PhishMe is a phishing simulator best used to periodically send simulated phishing emails to employees. The simulated phishing emails are based on real-world phishing attacks identified by the Cofense Intelligence service, and the service is unique in providing deep metrics, benchmarking, and enhanced analytics to identify employees´ weak points and specific vulnerabilities.
Cofense Reporter
Cofense Reporter (and Cofense Reporter for Mobile) is a plug-in for email toolbars. When the phish icon is clicked, Cofense Reporter sends suspicious emails to the SOC team or into Cofense Triage for fast analysis. Using the Cofense dashboard, SOC teams can quickly and easily identify employees with a history of accurately reporting suspicious emails in order to prioritize investigations.
Beyond Identification and Reporting to Phishing Incident Response
When reports of suspicious emails are received, they often come in rapidly and within a short period of time. The way to avoid overloading the SOC is to use Cofense Triage to filter out non-threatening messages, reduce the "noise" of false positives, and free the SOC team to investigate and identify genuine threats much faster than if they had to investigate every report manually.
Cofense Triage accelerates phishing incident response using industry-leading spam engines, automation, and integration with existing security solutions. When a genuine phish is identified, Cofense Vision enables SOC teams to search across the organization to find and quarantine further incidences of the email while the Cofense Intelligence service provides further information about the nature of the threat.
Find Out More about Mitigating the Threat of Phishing with Cofense
If you would like to know more about mitigating the threat of phishing and effective phishing incident response, do not hesitate to contact us. Our support team will be happy to answer your questions or organize a demo of Cofense in action so you can see how Cofense combines technology with employee instinct to stop phishing attempts before they become successful phishing attacks.