Drake Alexander

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We heard noises at some chambers in front of us. The hall was barely illuminated by torches inside. As we went closer, we saw a large group of orcs amassing around. “Fights are raging in the forge!” “We need to show that we own these mines!” A chieftain started to rally the troops as they grunted in approval. “They are going to the forge. The others won’t have a chance.” “What do you suggest?” “We have to stop them here until the others find the shard.” “One does not simply stop an orc pack! Madness.” “Listen to me Eldon…” I stopped to look at the chieftain’s fist. At first, it looks like a pointy knife until a thread of light reflected from the precious metal. “It’s the shard! The chieftain has it in its knuckles!” “No such thing!” “Is there! Look! The chieftain has it in its fist.” “That poses a huge problem. Leave that shard as lost.” “Nonsense. That is what we came looking for. We need to take it.” “There is no way. There are orcs all around us. Also, that’s a chieftain. Way stronger than a common orc.” I started to look around hoping for a way to help our cause. A distraction could make the orcs move away but we carry the chance of losing the chieftain as well. Another group of orcs arrived. “The troll its loose. It went away chasing the intruders.” “You maggots! Follow the troll and kill those thieves.” “Let’s go.” “The lot of you will come with me to the gate. If those intruders awake it, they will be doom.” The group of orcs separated. A pack of them went out to the forge and some of them followed the chieftain. “This is our only opportunity. We need to ambush them.” “I value my life.” “Eldon, the Elves are counting with us to provide that shard. It cannot be lost in the mines for all time.” “The reward must be immense for all these.” We followed closely the pack of orcs but leaving some distance as they could smell us. A part of the hall was collapse leading to a fall. “Maybe we could surprise them there and push some of them.” “Sounds insane but, we do not have a lot of choices since leaving is not available.” “I will shoot the chieftain so the group can disperse enough. Are you ready?” “No. I fear for my life but, I love treasure.” I steady my aim to hit an area uncovered by armor. My line was true and I released the arrow. It flew straight making a buzzing noise. The chieftain made a turned and picked one the orcs behind him. The arrow hit dead center in the orc’s head. “Get them!” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gilderon got close to the entrance. “The way I see it, we need to draw the attention of the troll so we can proceed inside the forge.” “A group of goblins must be near. Calling the attention of the creature might uncover them.” “Gilderon, it is required from us to perform. Wyn, the moment we encounter with the enemy, proceed to look for the shard.” “Acknowledge.” Gilderon and Albar wandered inside the chamber looking around as lost. The troll watches them and made a rumbling noise attracting some orcs sitting away close to a pile of treasure. “Say, what a marvelous creature this is! It is not common to encounter such kind of specimens.” “Indeed, it is friend.” The orcs picked their swords and walked over to them. Wyn watched hiding in the shadows. “Well, all that noise produced by this? Intruders." “Oh, pardon us, we mean no harm. We are just travelers seeking adventure in the most perilous places.” “Of course. We heard so much of the Kingdom of Moria, we decided to take a look for ourselves. Not impressed.” The orcs looked at each other in confusion. Albar walked around looking at the ceiling and columns. “We need to admire the Khazad craftsmanship. It is simply splendid.” “What is this? You must see that your dead is soon.” “Why? We just seek passage. We bring no trouble.” “There is no passage here. Only dead and you will provide a tasty change. We are sick of eating grey bread” The orcs rallied up at this. Gilderon looks at Albar while he walked away to the other side of the chamber. “Such a horrible thing to express. If a violent encounter is what you desire, we cannot abide.” “We did not ask.” The orcs marched forward to them. Gilderon pulled out his sword and stood ready. Albar pulled his bow steadily. “But my sword would like to answer!” The pack of orcs engages against them. Gilderon had vast experience in combat making short the encounter. Albar maintains his distance shooting at the orcs and providing cover. The troll enraged over and started to pull violently from its chain. The orcs were ferocious but lack proper training and a leader made them predictable. The fight ended shortly but the problems started. The cave troll broke its chain from the wall and started to roar. “This is what we feared. Run Albar!” They started to run down to the other side of the chamber and the troll went after them. Wyn moved quickly between the dead orcs to the pile of treasure. “I hope I can find it before our party succumbs.” With the troll lose and the orcs dead, it was a matter of time for a huge pack of them to show up making survival impossible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wyn looked inside to see the grotesque beast. “It appears to be restrained. A chain is present around it.” “We can’t fight a troll!” “Silence Eldon.” We pulled back to the stairs in order to develop our next move. “It is certain that some of the treasures are collected in the chamber.” “Maybe not all of them.” “Care to reveal your thoughts?” “These mines are deep. So deep, that it is said the Dwarves woke something. Maybe there’s another area in where the Orcs could be holding treasure.” Wyn took the parchment with the design of Khazad-dûm. Gilderon went back close the entrance watching the enemy. “It might be advisable to search further along Durin’s way.” “I feel confident that what we are searching for is inside this chamber.” “Let us reach a compromise. I will travel along Durin’s way with Eldon…” “Apologies? Why me?!” “You briefly stated your thoughts about our pungent enemy.” “You can stay with Gilderon.” “No such thing!” “It is settled then. When our task is completed, we would travel back here, to the Crossroads.” “What would be our response if we do not accomplish our quest?” “Let us hope we found it before this gets out of control. No matter, we have to get back before the dawn of the next day.” We took some provisions. Wyn gave us the parchment with the design of the mines in case we lost our way. Gilderon gave me a sword and Eldon were given a dagger. “A dagger? There is a Cave Troll in that room and possibly in every other room of this forsaken place and you lend me a dagger.” “Use my sword. I admit that my skills with it do not rival Gilderon’s.” Eldon grabbed the sword and Gilderon took away his dagger. Wyn looks over to us and gave us a smile. “Let the Valar bring you courage and guide you safely.” We set away through the hallway down the path and started traveling east hoping to hit Durin’s way. “How long had you been living in Bree?” “Not long. I left Gondor some years ago.” “Was there a reason?” “Fortune and glory. Also, there was horrible news spreading from the land of the east.” “Mordor?” “Astonishing how King Denethor has kept our people safe in front of such evil.” “King? Last I heard, there was an heir for the throne. A real descendant of Isildur.” “Nonsense! Who is protecting our lands? Our Lord Denethor. But, I will not carry such ignorance against you since you are young. What about you?” “Me? I just went away looking for adventure.” “Adventures? There are many dangers in these lands. It is a good practice to be prepared for the worse.” “That is certain.” We traveled for hours until we hit Durin’s way. The road was full of remains and objects. The floor itself was destroyed in some areas. Piles of bones were scattered around. Eldon walked around holding his sword at hand. “You need to stay calm. This area seems to be deserted.” “Have you seen what Mordor Orcs do to men? They eat them! Or worse things.” “Just keep a vigilant eye around and we will be alright. What are you doing?” “Keeping an eye out I saw this. Some of these pieces are still complete and I am hoping to get some coin back on Bree.” “Keep a lookout for our quest. We need to find that shard.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We started to make the descent to the forge. The air was heavy and a putrid odor filled every step of the way. “Definitely Orcs. Can smell their foul stench a league away!” We carried over to an open chamber. The walls were light up with torches so we extinguished ours. The smell of rotten flesh was unbearable. “In order to reach our destination, we have to traverse the chamber.” “An encounter is certain.” “I have an idea. Wyn, lend me your bow and some arrows.” I grabbed the weapons and move over to one of the bridges connecting the chamber. “Eldon, pass me some of the trinkets from your bag.” “My bag? I don’t know what you are referring to.” “Eldon, we know you have been picking trinkets and pieces from different areas. Give him some!” Eldon angrily opened his bag and pulled out some rusted goblets and cups. He handles them over murmuring. I tied a piece of rope to the objects and secure it to the arrow. “I will shoot the arrow as further as possible down the corridors. The noise will attract any orcs close by giving us the time to cross the chamber into the forge.” Everyone nodded positively and we prepared to move. I took aim in the darkness as far as I could muster and released the diversion. The arrow flew straight at a wall formation and glanced into it. The trinkets fell off and crash several meters below us. The silence got pierce by the sudden screams from the orcs. “INTRUDERS!” The stomps could be fell going around us and moving down the path close to where the trinkets lay. “We are moving!” Gilderon leads our party through the chamber as quickly as we could go without making any unnecessary noise. We made it to the other side and saw the making of a big room. A large stone staircase connected over to the chamber on top of us. Heat could be felt in the air as we climbed. “Is an assumption that the forge might be in use.” “That might evidence the presence of orcs inside. We moved in silence.” We stopped close by the entrance. Gilderon took a peek inside to assess the situation. “They have a cave troll.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, as expected, I don't really have a goal this challenge month but, I have things to share. Fathers day was nice. I got a big Star Wars mug, the bool Star Wars Aftermath, and some cologne. We went to Olive Garden with my father and my brother (yes, I didn't have any breakfast in order to not go overboard). We had a great time. At the moment, weight wise, we are in the path. People are noticing more and officially is 80 pounds less. That's a great achievement but is also a new motivation to keep going forward. So, I'm looking to get The LotR trilogy on Blu-Ray. I would love to find the extended editions but, still a little too pricey for me. ps. They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard

Eldon walked pass us into another area. “I’m in need to relieve myself. I’m sure the Dwarves won’t mind as I use one of this rooms as…” “You can go on without asking us for a blessing” Eldon rolled its eyes, picked a torch and went further. We stayed close to the other torch eating and drinking to collect some strength. “I carried a deal with some merchants at Dale. They claimed to possess a curious artifact.” “Had you made trades with their kind before?” “Clearly no and that was my inadvertence.” “He was dealing with some robbers. They used to steal materials and weaponry from Dwarves to sell them at markets or to any other undesirables.” “When I presented myself to them with my collections, an attempt against my life was performed.” “And Gilderon came to your protection?” Gilderon laughed roughly while having its mouth filled with Lembas bread. He collected himself quickly mindful of not making too much unnecessary noise. “I was the one who was going to kill him!” Wyn looked surprised as Gilderon started laughing without making a large commotion. “Being a guard is a badly remunerated job. Long hours and a dangerous environment so, I connected myself with some thieves in other to have some fortune aside.” “That’s doesn’t sound honorable.” “Honor has nothing to do here! At the moment, I was alone. My wife had perished some years ago and I expended most of my time drinking and in brothels. I’m not really cut as a knight.” “Then, how did this happen?” “When I joined them, my purpose was to grab some treasure by robbing Dwarves. They have a lot as it is so, getting some out of them was, in a way, harmless. I’m not saying I am an innocent man but, killing for treasure was not on my plans.” “You stated that you tried to end his life.” “I was ordered to. The leader saw fit for me to kill Albar and steal all of his belongings.” “When attempting to complete the deed, he could not deliver.” “Killing for artifacts? I was not going to do such thing. Also, an Elf. Not the kind of crime you want to be remembered for.” “So, what did you end up doing?” “The leader knew I did not kill him so, he sent his assassins after me.” “At the moment, our lives were intertwined by a common enemy. I concluded to leave Dale that night but the thieves were expecting me. With no other alternative, Gilderon presented himself to aid my escape.” Eldon came back and sat with us. The fire crackled peacefully and gently illuminated our faces. “I still wonder why you did not stay back on Elvenking’s. Appears to be the most reasonable decision.” “It came to me to stay but, our enemies were actually more resourceful than previously believed.” “The thieves had a bigger following than we thought and they followed us way out of Dale and close to Mirkwood.” “I am certain that Gilderon would have been placed in prison for being part of the thieves before that. I can understand your decision.” We stayed there for a couple of hours before continuing our journey down to the forge. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, I have been doing my part. Today I weight myself and I was at 232 pounds. This is a huge accomplishment and is keeping me motivated to keep going strong. I see muscle development and I'm losing inches too. At the moment I have lost one shirt size (from XL to L) and 6 sizes in pants (from 44 inch. to 38 inches.) These numbers are great and they keep improving every day. If anyone needs some advice or motivation, feel free to ask.

The shadow moved slowly across the hallway. It was almost indistinguishable until a little glimpse of light reflected from the figure. “Is that a Goblin?” “It does not resemble one. It is smaller and seems to travel on all fours.” “Silence.” Gilderon grabbed the hilt of its sword and pulled slowly. Wyn touched his hand and signal him negatively. “The creature wanders freely. It does not seem to be aggressive in any nature. Let it be. We have other business to attend to." “She is right. We don’t need to gather any unwanted attention.” Gilderon sheeted its sword back. The creature move in the darkness scavenging from pile to pile of remains in different areas until it went away. We gathered our stuff and went out to the east of the mines in direction of the Mithril Forge. After some long hours, we stopped to eat and rest. Apart from some makeshift strongholds and remains, we have been blessed by not coming along any enemies for the time being. We took shelter into another chamber and kept one torch slightly covered to provide some light. “One has to wonder what moved you to leave Elvenking’s Halls to pursue a life of fortune.” “Fortune? Nothing of sorts.” “Maybe to flee from being captured?” “Is it in your mind that I have committed some atrocious act?” Albar smiled a little while picking some Lembas. “Gilderon and I found ourselves in the most peculiar situation.” “I was a guard at Dale until I crossed paths with Albar.” “Dale has a great deal of Khazad made materials that were rather useful. I traveled there to procure such artifacts.” “Seems odd of a Silvan to care for Khazad items.” “Then odd will I be. Maybe for some of my kin, it might seem that way.” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We started to traverse the mines mindful of an ambush or something worse. The trek seemed infinite as we crossed halls and rooms. The air was heavy and every now and then we encountered soldier remains as well as goblins too. “Can we stop? I need to place myself.” “Let us enter into one of these chambers first. It would be terrible to meet my fate by some rogue arrow shot in the darkness” We entered one of the rooms. Some remains lingered in a corner. Gilderon placed himself close to the entrance watching any movement outside. “Next time the Elves want some trinkets from an obscure and terrible place, they should send their own.” Albar and Wyn looked at Eldon with disappointment. “I am not talking about...” “Nevertheless, your comment is not far from the truth. But, we made a deal with Rivendell and we should deliver.” “If it was for me, I would have gathered a larger following to join us but, some of the others consider Khazad-dûm a curse.” Wyn got a large piece of parchment out of her bag. The torches were placed back away from the entrance to avoid bringing any unwanted visitors. “I had been observing our pace and I understand we are north, close to the Northwest Fissure.” “The Mithril forge goes to the east. If what we are looking for is there, we can be sure the Goblins may be close.” Gilderon moved his arm signaling us to stop talking. A shadow lurked in the darkness and moved slowly away from our room. We extinguished our torches and made for our weapons. “I cannot decipher what it is but, something moves across the hallway.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today is gym day as yesterday was not. Either way, I have been doing well. Food wise? I feel that my time counting calories and measuring portions gave me a great advantage in order to know how to tackle any type of food. Pizza? I know how much. Rice? No biggie. That freedom is a very important tool in your weight loss arsenal as it helps to maintain control of everything you consume. Gym wise? Well, I only have 1 hour, 4 days a week to workout. Believe me, I take EVERY second if it. I'm trying to make more compound exercises than isolation and to use machines and barbells efficiently. At the moment, is paying off since I can perform up to 6 or 7 exercises per hour with 3 to 4 sets each. That's efficiency. Life wise? I'm doing fantastic. Doing my job. Developing better professional and personal skills. We will talk later.

“Mellon” The Stone door rumbled open revealing a pitch-black room. Gilderon picked some branches and crafted some quick torches. A foul stench poured out as we went inside. “Oh! This is disgusting!” We went inside as the door closed behind us. Albar walked around looking at the ground. “This is bad.” The room was massive and was barely being illuminated by the torches as we looked around. Corpses were everywhere. Pieces of armor and weapons scattered around. “This was a massacre. All this armor looks Khazad made. Wasn’t this the realm of Balin? “Indeed, it was. But this looks like they were attacked.” Gilderon pulled a black arrow from a corpse. “Goblins. Those bloody savages. They were a lot in order to overrun them.” “Looks that way. We should go back. This place is not safe.” “Back? We can’t. Not now. We are late as it is and we promised to be at Rivendell two nights from now.” “As it seems, we have to go through the mines. But, in all honesty, I’m not looking to do this. We looked at each other as we knew the odds were perilous and the danger was imminent but, we had no other choice but to traverse the sinister mines in order to reach our destination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So, I have been out of the loop for quite a bit of time. Quick update: - I’m still here. - Weight loss is going well (as today I’m at 235 pounds) - Didn’t join this challenge at the beginning but hoping to be around you guys So, I’m hoping to read more about your quest and adventures. Feel free to spam this thread as I need some indication of life out there and we should do something together sometime. Ps. Hobbits rule.

I have been off the grid from the forums. This training for my inspector has been hands-on and fast-paced. Anyway, I need to give you guys some content to keep my subscribers happy… Ok, let’s do this! MAIN QUEST - Attend to the Puerto Rico Comic-Con with a costume on May 20, 2018. This is a done deal. We already planned everything for this next Sunday and we are pumped to go. 1st SUPPORT QUEST (Fitness) - Learn to Deadlift properly. I already started deadlifting twice a week. I did sumo-deadlift and now I started conventional. I hope to keep adding weight soon enough since I’m pulling 170 lbs. x 10 in sumo and 145 lbs. x 12 in conventional. This is done! 2nd SUPPORT QUEST (Professional) - Train the new Quality Inspector. The training is going well. A lot of responsibility about this but, it is done too. 3rd SUPPORT QUEST (Entertainment) - Finish my costume and props. I finished the lightsaber (pics on The Training Post thread) but still need to finish painting my gun and making my gun belt. 4th SUPPORT QUEST (Weight Loss) - Get under 245 lbs. I weight myself every day, 3 times a day (morning, afternoon and night). At the moment, I’m fluctuating between 243 lbs. up to 247 lbs. This has been going great for me and I’m really ecstatic about it. Tali'Zorah vas Normandy: Shepard. Wanna drink? I'm toasting Miranda... I think. Commander Shepard - Male: How are you getting drunk? Tali'Zorah vas Normandy: Very carefully. Turian brandy, triple filtered, then introduced into the suit through an emergency induction port. Commander Shepard - Male: That's a straw, Tali. Tali'Zorah vas Normandy: Emergency induction port... It's actually getting a little harder to get it into the slot. I think that means it's working. #Huzzah

Strong weekend. As you now see, you became stronger and wiser from this. A family is a full-on workout! Mental, emotional and physical. Trying to stay grounded with the world on your shoulders is a feat on itself. Issues will pour down into your family no matter what you do. In those cases, we resolve and make amends to help during future events. Your daughters are growing up and maturing, you know is a normal step in life and them "bursting" saying they hate you or your wife is a phase. Keep that faith strong and those family ties healthy. In my church, a preacher said, about family: "as long as one person in the family keeps giving 100%, that family will survive. And God sees that and gives strength to that family to push forward no matter what happens." #Isaiah40:29

I did it. Lightsaber [emoji818] Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk

I have always had my reserves about Christian music. Maybe I'm what some may call a "legalist" but, I really love music that embodies and represents God as the Bible shows. I like types of music as a personal taste but, when music dedicated to praising, I feel it needs a harmony, message, and order. I'm a believer of orchestra, classical Christian music but, in the times we live, music is a delicate concept. If you are a Christian you know what is the specialty of the Enemy. So, when choosing music to praise the Lord, that's my position. There's a seminar given by a pastor called Karl Tsatalbasilis about Music in the Last Days. He goes into detail about how people praised in the Bible and what is the stance, according to the Bible, with types of praise to the Lord. One part is on YouTube if it interesses you. Nice post.

Our daughter started to breastfeed but, after a couple of weeks, my wife wasn't producing enough for her so she switched to formula. Our case, Alexandra tolerates lactose in low quantities and normal formula got her constipated. She started drinking soy formula and got better quickly. My wife is vegetarian and it was easier for her that way. Stuff like this happens and your responsibility as a parent is to look for a healthy and happy baby. I'm pro-breastmilk but, if it is not available, no biggie. We find a way to go forward and the bonding will be there as babies can feel when they are being loved. I have a thing showing affection but little girl spawn at home comes at me every time and I love her in my way. I used to bottle feed her (not as much as her mom) and the experience is there. You guys are doing fine. Keep at it and rejoice!

I have been keeping tabs on my challenge but my job wants to keep me away from you guys… I’m kidding. Job is ok. Let me get you up to speed. MAIN QUEST - Attend to the Puerto Rico Comic-Con with a costume on May 20, 2018. I got the tickets and, thank everything holy, I finally have a car I can take with my family. Transportation as a huge problem and my sister lend me her old car so, I got some wheels. This helps me with my daily job. << What to add a dare for me here? Reply below to see if it can be done! >> 1st SUPPORT QUEST (Fitness) - Learn to Deadlift properly. Yeah. I do this. I successfully integrated deadlift into my workout. I have been working in maintaining a proper for and, I got to say, I see some proper leg gains. Quads are looking fine and I’m improving in my deadlift weight. Huzzah! << What to add a dare for me here? Reply below to see if it can be done! >> 2nd SUPPORT QUEST (Professional) - Train the new Quality Inspector. Her training is going swiftly. I feel she is grasping the information and the job pretty well. << A dare here? I don’t think so. >> 3rd SUPPORT QUEST (Entertainment) - Finish my costume and props. I’m slowly doing it but I will go at it hard this Sunday because I need to finish everything as soon as possible. Ill post some pics about my props and stuff. << What to add a dare for me here? Reply below to see if it can be done! >> 4th SUPPORT QUEST (Weight Loss) - Get under 245 lbs. I’m at 249lbs (give it or take). My past week was not completely under control food wise but, by keeping my workouts strong, I can keep control on the process. I hope to keep tabs more often about my food intake to ensue my weight loss. << What to add a dare for me here? Reply below to see if it can be done! >> Special Announcements: - I will post more Soraya’s Training soon. - I’m using old cloths because my regulars look weird on me. There are starting to look too big on me Garrus: Alright, my turn. What's the first order an Alliance commander gives at the start of combat? Joker: Uh... I give up. Garrus: (chuckles) Correct. Joker: Ohohoh... alright, big guy. What do you call it when a turian gets killed by a horrible spiky monster? Garrus: Friendly fire - come on, that one goes back to Shanxi! Joker: Well, you gotta respect the classics! Garrus: How many humans does it take to activate a dormant mass relay? Joker: (exasperated) 602. 600 to vote on it, one to ask the asari for technical help and one to request a seat on the Council afterwards. How do you know when a turian is out of ammo? Garrus: He switches to the stick up his ass as a backup weapon. Why does the Alliance hire pilots... with brittle bone disease? Joker: Y... you're shittin' me! The turian military has one about me? Garrus: Oh, absolutely. I heard it myself from a private back on Palaven. Joker: Okay, why does the Alliance hire pilots with brittle bone disease? Garrus: So that their marines can beat someone in hand-to-hand drills. Joker: ...damn, you need to tell James that one. Hey, what's the hardest part about treating a turian who took a rocket to one side of his face? Garrus: (deadpan) Figuring out which side took the rocket. - Garrus and Joker (Mass Effect 3)