Chapter 30: Battle of Yautja

Our roars mixed with one another as we charged at each other will all that we got. The Bad Blood was bigger than me but it didn't intimidate me one bit. My focus was solely on him and my goal was to destroy him before he could hurt anyone else ever again. I'll make sure of it.

I ran faster towards him and I'm sure he did the same until our blades collided with one another along with our bodies like crashing waves. Both of us stopped abruptly and dust covered us from view while sparks flew between our blades when they met. Our foreheads collided with one another but the pain was barely noticed. My eyes leered at his golden ones at such close proximity and I could sense the tension like a heavyweight was upon me.

The Bad Blood pushed with all his might and swung his arm out, pushing me back from our lock but I rushed back to him without hesitation, swinging down one of my blades back down and he blocked it with his own.

However, I swung my other blades across and cut him deep across his chest, causing blood to spray out of him and he roared in pain. Using this to my advantage, I sheathed my wrist blades from the arm that cut him and then swung my arm back around, hitting him square on the side of his face and the momentum from it made him fly across the battlefield. I watched as he skidded across the ground and only stopping when his massive body hits a tree like a huge boulder, knocking it to the ground.

I stood tall, waiting for the Bad Blood as he struggled to get back up and once the dust from him cleared up, I could see why. The whole side of his head was almost smashed into his skull with blood pouring down all over him. His upper mandible that was missing its partner when I cut it off from before was broken in half and hanging by only his muscle and flesh and I grinned a bit.

"What's the matter? You seemed to have gotten slower than before."

The Bad Blood didn't like that and growled fiercely in my direction and I answered him back in the same way. He got back on his feet and puffed his chest out as if trying to intimidate me.

"You think that just because you got in a hit that you are the strongest one. You've got another thing coming."

Trying to catch me off guard, the Bad Blood tried to launch another one of his small spears into my chest but I saw it coming. I took out my knife from my hip and deflected it with ease. The vibrations of metal rattled a bit and went into my hand but I kept firm on the handle as the spear spun around until falling off the side of the cliff. But then, the Bad Blood rushed to me as soon as I blocked his spear, trying to land a punch to my face. With blinding speed, I ducked low and his fist swoops above me. I grabbed his arm in both my hands and held firmly, lifting up with all my strength until I flung his whole body up and over me. When he was about halfway close to being on the ground, I roared with all my might and with all the muscles in my arms, I brought him down with crushing force that I believed that the bit of Earth below us would crack.

The Bad Blood yelped like an injured dog and I relished in it, making sure he knew as I chuckled but it sounded more menacing than in my human form. It sent small shivers down my spine. Man . . . I can scare myself easily.

But in that instant, I glanced over to the side, seeing Rory kneeling next to Lar'ja who was still weak and unable to move while the McKenna, Brackett, and A'kib watched anxiously on our fight. My eyes stopped at Lar'ja and he was not looking too good. Although I could tell that his bleeding had stopped, he must have lost a lot of blood since the color of his skin was becoming pale, which I didn't know how I could tell considering that it was also black in color. His eyes caught mine for just a moment and my heart sank, wishing that my heat vision could come so I didn't have to see it. But I had to deal with my human vision at the moment.

Just hold on, Lar'ja. I'll finish this.

But I was distracted for a moment and the Bad Blood grabbed one of my legs and pulled, causing me to lose my balance and fall on my back. I grunted but then his form began to overshadow mine and I knew that he was trying to pin me down. I was in a very vulnerable position and if he got me here, I have no way to escape.

As soon as he was about halfway to crush his body on mine, I bent my knees until my feet were flat on his chest. He realizes this and was about grab for my throat but I already beat him to it. I used all my muscle power and pushed my legs outward, sending him flying into the air again and he rolled pretty far until he stopped himself using his knees.

I got back up on my feet as he did the same in an instant. The battle was starting to take a toll on both of us. I started to breathe a little heavily while he did the same. We just stood face to face with each other, both trying to catch our breaths in this little break until next round commences.

"You got sloppy a bit. You need to keep a focus on your opponent. Don't assume that you won the fight. This ain't over until one of us is dead."

He hissed between his teeth and I just kept on getting as much breath as I could. I didn't want to admit that he was right. I did lose focus in that bit moment and I almost got pinned for it. Still, looking at each other and how I only managed to get a few scratches that already healed over while the Bad Blood had one side of his face smashed, holding the area of his abdomen where I kicked him earlier. I huffed at him.

"You're right. This isn't over until you're dead. I won't let you hurt or kill anyone else ever again. You're a monster."

"And you aren't?"

My body just froze at his words. I didn't know what I was doing but my mind got caught in some kind of trance. I tried to shake it off but then the memories of those times when many called me a monster flooded in like a tsunami. I thought that I was over with this. That I already accepted this. When I thought I had control once more, the Bad Blood made things worse.

"Haven't you killed those who deemed you wrong? Haven't you stained your hands with the blood of your enemies? You may think you are better than me. But in reality . . . we're just the same."

I knew that this was his mind games. That he wanted me to doubt myself. We were in the middle of a fight and he just wanted to expose me until he got the opportunity to strike me down. I shook my head again, feeling my dreadlocks hit the sides of my head and I glared right at him.

"You're wrong. I killed to survive and if I didn't then I wouldn't be where I am today. I know that you're just toying with me."

That's not entirely true . . . Sure I did kill for that reason but there were times where I hated someone so much that I wanted to rip them apart . . . like Traeger. I could have left him alone or killed him without ripping his heart out right in front of him. Or the time when I killed the captain for calling me a monster.

Monster? Is that what I'm really am?

I squinted my eyes shut and my mandibles were flexing in and out on their own like they showed how distressed I was. I had to curse myself at that moment cause then I heard the Bad Blood chuckle a bit and I opened my eyes to see he was smiling, twitching his mandibles in delight. I cleared my head and leered at him. The Bad Blood chuckled again.

"You know that I'm right. You can try all you want to deny it but in the end, you're just a murderer."

That is when all the anger inside me began to boil my blood. The veins in every part of my body were on fire and I gripped my fingers together tightly to my side. My heart pounded once more and my breathing, that was once calm, was no back to being labored. But I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to me. I growled at him.

"I'm not falling for your mind games, Bad Blood."

I kept my eyes on him, staying focused on him in case he tried something while I was off guard. The Bad Blood began to walk around in a circle and I did the same, making sure I kept my distance from him. He started to do like a swagger walk where he was just trying to act cool or like he already won the fight.

"Alright. I understand if you don't want to play around a bit. But I have to admit that you definitely look like your mother."

That caught my attention in an instant. My whole body went into shock a bit but I had to remind myself that he was still trying to play the mind games. He knows that I was physically stronger than him so he has to use another tactic to win this fight. Still, I wanted to know.

"What bullshit are you talking about? You don't know my mother . . ."

This time, he laughed, lifting his head up to the sky and it only made me angrier. It had a sinister tone to it and I would have cowered from it if I wasn't too furious to ignore it so easily. He lowers his head back down until his eyes locked on mine.

"Oh, I know more than you apparently. In fact, you were the subject of all the secret talks back on Yautja Prime. You and your mother."

"What?"

Now, I was more curious than angry now but still worried about what he was talking about. Despite currently being in the middle of a fight, my mind was screaming to know the answers. What does he know about my mother? What is trying to pull?

"I told you before. I know things about you long before you were able to understand. In fact, I got sick of it because I would hear it every time that pauking (fucking) Yautja hunter brought it up. Always thinking of her. That blue-eyed, brown-haired ooman female he kept describing . . . Wondering about what she was doing all the time with you. I hated it."

Now, he wasn't making any sense to me. But the questions began to pile in my head. He described her perfectly . . . How did he know? What was this Yautja that was talking about my mother? Why is there more that I don't know?

"Anya!"

Rory's voice called out, pulling me from my thoughts when the Bad Blood was right in my face, bringing his wrist blades down on me. I only had time to deflect them with my own, swiping his away while sparks flew between us once more. I hurriedly stepped back and stood firmly in my spot as he grinned again and I cursed myself inside.

Fuck! He's trying to distract me. Keep your fucking head in the fight will ya!?

"Almost but you're starting to get sloppy. Guess you're not as resolved as you think you are."

I growled through my teeth, spreading my mandibles a bit in warning. This guy is hitting my last nerve.

"But your mother got what she deserved. She sacrificed her life to protect something as worthless as you. I wished I've could have seen the moment she died so I could laugh in her face. A filthy ooman who was given an insect's death. All for a pathetic hybrid."

When the Bad Blood began to rant about my mother, calling her an insect and such, I almost practically lost it. I couldn't even speak because it was that bad. My fist tightened so hard that they were starting to go numb. The streaks of blood flowed through my fingertips and on the ground before me. My growl started to turn into something that sounded inhuman or even more than a Yautja's. All my muscles locked on themselves, pulling so hard that I thought they would tear apart. I just wanted him dead . . . and I was at the breaking point.

"And when you are dead, I will make sure that your friends and lover share the same fate as her. And I will relish every moment of it!"

He roared into the sky with all the evil that he held inside himself. Me, on the other hand, roared with all the hatred inside myself and without thinking, I rushed towards him. I pulled both my wrist blades out and kept roaring at him. I was blinded from everything else and my focus was solely on the Bad Blood.

And that was a mistake that I would regret.

As soon as I was about only a few feet away from him, he launches yet another small spear from his gauntlets, which I wondered how many he had. I easily dodged it and kept my focus on him until he just stood there, smirking at me. I raised my upper forehead a little in somewhat confusion. He missed me. Why is he like this then?

But when I turned my head to the side and looked behind me, I realized what I had done. The spear that passed me was not setting its sights on Lar'ja and Rory who was not ready for the attack. It was too fast for anyone one of them to stop it and Lar'ja was still too weak to defend himself. So without pause, I twisted my legs and sprinted back towards their direction, hoping to stop it before it was too late.

I pushed with all my might, trying to catch up with it as much as I could but it wasn't enough. The spear was still ahead of me and getting closer to Lar'ja and the others. However, I kept pushing . . . and pushing . . . telling myself that I need to protect them and I had to make it.

Come on, Anya! GO!

Somehow, I found that little extra energy inside myself and I let it loose, picking up more speed as I got closer to the spear. Just when it was about to hit Lar'ja, I swatted it away with my wrist blades, deflecting it to the side until it jammed itself into the ground.

Immediately, I stopped dead in my tracks just as I was in front of Lar'ja, Rory and everyone else. The look of shock and awe was written all over their faces as I gasped for more air. I looked across to Lar'ja and I smiled a bit, glad that I was able to protect them.

But suddenly, a stabbing pain runs through the bottom of my chest and I could only gasp as my body went into shock and I was unable to move.

I could only stare back at everyone and I could see Rory and Brackett opening their mouths in screams while McKenna in a gasp but I couldn't hear a thing. There was no sound at all as if someone muted my hearing for a minute or so. I saw Lar'ja trying to reach out to me, holding his hand up to him and I wanted to return it but I couldn't move still.

After a few moments, I was able to tilt my head down and saw a pair of blades sticking out from the middle of my chest just below my breasts, coated in my green, neon blood while some of it dripped from the tips and onto the ground as my hands started to shake. And then, I could feel a hot breath trickling down my neck and I looked up, finally knowing what had just happened.

"You should have paid more attention to yourself. I expected as much since you carry weak, ooman blood in your veins."

The Bad Blood pulled his wrist blades out from me and I gasped from the burning sensation it left behind. I pressed one of my hands to my wound in the hope that it would stop the bleeding but the Bad Blood didn't give me the chance. He grabbed my shoulder and thrust me back, throwing me far behind and I smacked the ground multiple times, grunting at every contact with it. It was only when I thrust my blades into the ground that I was able to stop, lying on my stomach but didn't help with the wound I had just received.

But the Bad Blood wasn't done with me yet. Before I could get a chance to get back on my feet, he pressed his foot on the middle of my back forcefully and I yelped once more. More blood was pouring out of me and I knew I needed to get out of this but the Bad Blood had me pinned down. What the fuck do I do now?

I could faintly hear the screams of Rory and the others calling to me and then a small roar called out that I knew belonged to Lar'ja. I wanted to see if they were okay but just when I thought it was over, I turned my head to look up at the Bad Blood and with an evil smirk on his face, he takes his other foot and quickly stomps it on my leg and the most excruciating pain that I ever felt in my life followed.

I roared with all the air in my lungs as I felt the bones in my leg breaking upon impact. The sound of it alone made me cringe but the pain is all that I could focus on. Then, he picked me up by the arm and then threw me like a shotput and I skid across the ground once more.

When I finally stopped when I hit a rock or something, I struggled to lift myself. Using my hands to push up, I managed to get my back to lay on the rock and I gasped for as much air as I could, opening my mandibles and inner mouth in a desperate attempt, while I closed my eyes tightly from the radiating pain all over my body. When I was able to get a break from the pain, I took a good look at the damage that was inflicted on me.

I lifted my hand from the wound to my chest and it was massive. Almost to the point that I could probably look inside myself and not be surprised to see my chest. More blood was pouring out of it and I wondered why it wasn't healing at all like the others. But the words from Brackett gave me the answer.

I wouldn't recommend relying on your fast regeneration greatly. Especially during an intense battle . . . Your blood is able to heal wounds quickly but only if your physical well-being is strong. If you take too much damage, then it will start to fail you.

I remembered that she did say something like that and it was confirmed when this would in my chest wasn't closing. I looked further down my body and saw a gruesome sight. My leg was completely crushed. Fragment of bone was sticking out from the side and more blood was slowly spilling out as well. The Bad Blood completely smashed it beyond recognition. The only thing keeping my leg together was muscle and skin. But my muscles tried desperately to hold it but were tightening so much that they were threatening to rip themselves apart, causing more pain to run through it.

Shit . . . This . . . isn't . . . good.

But then, I heard footsteps coming towards the front of me but all I could do was lift my head up to the sky while keeping my hand pressed on my chest. The sight of the Bad Blood was the last thing I wanted to see, especially with him smiling down on me. I growled but it was a weak one.

"I knew it. You're just another weakling. Worrying about others when you should be worried about yourself. Now, look at you . . . miserable and broken . . . like a wounded dog ready to be put out of its misery."

I growled again. I didn't want to admit defeat and with some of the little strength I had, I pulled out my wrist blades and swung feebly at him when he inched himself closer to me. He just grabbed my wrist and started dragging me on the ground and towards Lar'ja and everyone else. All I could do was turn to get out of his hold but it was useless. My strength was failing me as he threw me in front of him so I was lying on my stomach between the Bad Blood and my friends.

And then, he began to stomp his foot into my back and I gasped when he put his foot just directly on top of my chest wound and I felt more blood coming out of me. But he repeated it again . . . and again . . . and again and I gasped every time while more blood came out.

"You fucking bastard!"

"Leave her alone! Please!"

My head was spinning so much at this point that I could barely make out the words and who cried out to me. I assumed one was Rory but wasn't sure about the other one. It could be McKenna or Brackett but I was in too much pain to think.

When he finally stopped with the stomping on my back, he grabs some of my dreadlocks with crushing force and lifts me up into the air with ease until my feet were off the ground. I grunted weakly from the sensitivity of my dreadlocks and he lifts me up even higher as if displaying me like a trophy. My eyes were too weak to open and my arms just dangled helplessly by my sides. I could only hear the sinister chuckle coming from the Bad Blood as he triumphantly roars into the air.

"Poor, little thing. You would have been a great warrior if you weren't born with ooman blood in your veins. But fear not . . . I promised that I would free you of your pain and so I shall."

I didn't see but I heard the unsheathing of metal behind me and knew that he had taken his wrist blades out, ready to strike me down right then and there.

"Farewell . . . Anya."

When he called out my name, it was like he spat on it as if a bad taste was left in his mouth from just saying it. I wanted to fight back. I wanted to kick his ass for saying those horrible things about my mother and my friends . . . and Lar'ja.

Where . . . is . . . he?

It was a major struggle just to do a simple task of opening my eyes but I managed to do so. When I was able to see, even if my vision was blurry, I saw the fear written on everyone's faces. McKenna's and Brackett's mouth opened so wide that it reminded me of a horror movie. A'kib barked fiercely at the Bad Blood but stayed put, knowing it would be useless. Rory dipped his head down and tears began to fall from his cheeks. I felt horrible to know that I was responsible for that. If I hadn't let my emotions get the better of me, none of this would have happened. So much for that . . .

Finally, I locked eyes with Lar'ja and his expression didn't show much. I couldn't tell if he was angry, or sad, or afraid. There was no emotion on him whatsoever and I couldn't help but wonder at that moment if he was far too weak to even move anything. I hoped that it wasn't the case.

But just when I was about to close my eyes, the most incredible thing happened before me. As I looked closer at Lar'ja, I saw a small tear emerge from the corner of his eye and begin to fall down on the side of his face, landing on his top mandible and then finally, letting go and falling to the ground, leaving only a small, wet trace where it once was.

My eyes widened when I saw it happen. I didn't think that Yautja could cry like a human. Sure that I could and maybe him since we both had human DNA in ourselves but this was the first time I've ever seen Lar'ja cry. It was new and foreign to me but in some strange way, it filled me with something that I couldn't explain. But whatever it was, it brought all my strength back to me and my body no longer felt the pain.

I'm not going to die . . . Not like this . . . I promised him that I would survive. I will fight to live so that I can protect everyone. I will not let it end like this!

When the Bad Blood's blades were just about to slice into the side of my throat, I moved my arms so fast that I was able to catch his arm in both of my hands, stopping his attack immediately.

The Bad Blood growled for a moment but didn't say a word. I could only guess that he was in shock at what I just did. My whole body began to burn with a fire that was the strongest one I ever felt in all my life. I didn't question it. It gave me the energy to do what I needed to and wasn't about to stop now.

"I'm not going to die. I made a promise that I would live and protect all those whom I love. And I . . . will . . . keep . . . that promise!"

And with that, I twisted the Bad Blood's arm with all my might and then, with a forceful tug, I ripped his arm clean off from his body, feeling the popping and breaking of his bones underneath my hands. He lets out an agonizing roar and lets go of my dreadlocks in the process. I landed on the ground on my hands and knees, seething at the discomfort from the landing.

It took me a minute to get my bearing before I made an attempt to get on my feet, despite having a shattered leg. Ignoring the agony, I didn't think I could stand up as well as I could but here I was. I slowly turned around fully and saw that Bad Blood kneeling and holding his shoulder where his arm once was. I looked down and still saw that I had his severed arm in my hand. I threw it far away from me and looked back at the Bad Blood.

He kept roaring in pain and trying, in some desperate attempt, to put pressure on his wound but he was bleeding a lot. It wouldn't be too long until he would die from blood loss if he didn't act right away.

No. I won't let him live. He will not see another day. I'll make sure of that.

Grunting, I moved my body forward, making sure not to use my broken leg as much as I could but it still stung from just letting the tip of my foot brush against the ground. Even so, I kept moving towards him. The Bad Blood saw this as lifted his free hand and that is when I saw his cannon loading up.

Nice try.

I took my knife from my hip and threw it, hitting my intended target as it knocked his aim off so the blast missed me and blasted the rock into pieces. Now, I could see the fear in his eyes and it was a terrifying one. He knew he was in trouble but he struggled to get back up as I could only guess that he was losing too much blood now. The pool of green neon blood was collecting underneath his shoulder and it was a lot.

Desperate, I watched as he crawled away from me, heading towards the edge of the cliff. I wondered why until I saw my knife was just on the edge of the cliff and figured he must be trying to use anything he could grab on to.

But he was mine . . .

I limped over to him and just as he was about to reach for it, I went on one knee and smashed my hand down on his back. He grunted in pain and he tried to push my hand off but every time he did, I would push harder until he was pinned down on his stomach. Doing what he did to me earlier, I spoke clearly by the side of his face.

"You have brought nothing but pain, misery, and death. But now . . . it's your turn. I'm going to kill you but not because I hate you."

I had to pause to take a deep breath in but then I continued on.

"It is because you hurt my friends and Lar'ja. And insulted my mother who gave her life for me. It is my promise to protect them. And I will."

Just when he was about to speak to me, I grabbed a fistful of his dreadlocks and pulled up, only to smash his face onto the ground. He roared every time I did that and I repeated over and over again, roaring out each time I crushed his face into the dirt.

"This is for Lynch! And for Baxley! Coyle! Nettles! Nebraska! Brackett! McKenna! Rory! Lar'ja! My mother!"

I stopped for a moment so I could twist his head so I could see his face. It was a bloody mess as all of his mandibles were broken in so many ways and I could barely see his eyes from all the blood that was coming from his mouth and the rest of his face. He tried to speak but gurgles of blood prevented him from doing so. I leered at him one last time until I roared once more.

"And this is for me!"

I gathered all the remaining strength that I had and pulled his head backward, hearing the snapping and cracking of his neck for a moment.

And then . . . his head breaks off from his body, taking his spine with it. His body flops to ground and twitches for a minute until it becomes lifeless, never to move again.

I stood back up while trying not to use my broken leg and looked down as a massive flow of blood pours out of the place where the Bad Blood's head was once was. My breathing intensified and my heart pounded even harder than before as I could feel something growing in my chest. When I couldn't hold it in anymore, I raised my head high and let out the strongest and longest roar that I could muster. It echoed far into the horizon and throughout the entire forest and kept going even when I completely stopped, looking down on the Earth in wonder for a moment.

I lifted my hand up to the front of my face, staring into the blank eyes of the Bad Blood. His eyes froze over in death and his mandibles and inner mouth just hung open. I stared at it for much longer than I wanted to.

No more . . .

Without hesitation, I threw his head over the cliff, letting it fall to the Earth. I grabbed the arm of the Bad Blood's body and threw it over as well. I never wanted to see his face ever again, even if someone did pay me a lot to do so. The memory of him was too much for me to go through again.

When that was set and done, I took deep breaths and stared back at the wonderful view of the great forest, admiring how quiet it was now. The cold breeze that was brushing over my arms was becoming warmer every minute as I watched the sun begin to rise from the horizon as morning finally comes once more, lighting everything that it could touch.

Beautiful . . .

But then, I heard a gasp from far behind me and turned to realize that the others were watching me, stunned by what I've done right in front of them. I didn't move at all, looking into each of their faces, including Rory who looked scared and worried at the same time. It was not until I stopped at Lar'ja that I turned my whole body around to face him.

He hadn't moved from his spot on the rock, lying down while holding his wound that gratefully, it has stopped bleeding entirely. But the look of worry in his eyes caught me and the instinct for me to go to him pushed me forward.

However, as soon as I did, the pain in my broken leg along with the wound in my chest grew immensely, forcing me to kneel back onto the ground as I placed my hand down as support while the other put pressure on the wound.

"Anya!"

I heard Lar'ja calling to me and I looked back up to see him trying to get up himself. Rory was at his side along with Brackett and McKenna, giving him support until he was back on his feet. I tried to do the same but when I got back on my good leg, my vision became blurry and my body felt cold and clammy. My heart was trying to beat as fast as it could but there was no more blood flowing through me. Without any more strength, my body gave way and I twisted in the air until I landed on my back hard.

The strange thing is that I didn't feel anything from the impact, telling me that I lost way too much blood that I was numb all over. I gasped for breath but got no relief from it. I could tell right away.

I was dying . . .

"Anya!"

Lar'ja called to me again and I tried to move once more but I couldn't feel anything. The only thing I could do was open my eyes to the sky, seeing the mixture of night and day in it. It was then that I saw a lonely star that was still shining brightly.

I remembered my mother's words that night.

Someday, you'll be able to go into the sky and see every one of those stars that are out there. Someday . . .

With surprise, I was able to lift my hand up to that star, reaching for it with all my might. As I was doing that, I saw my hand changing back into my human form slowly but I ignored it. I just wanted to see that star.

I was expecting not to be able to grab it but by some miracle, I clamped my hand around it and felt its warmth in my palm. I pulled my hand back closer to me and when I opened it, it was still there, floating over my skin and I smiled, wondering if I was hallucinating because I was so close to death.

And then . . . my vision began to go dark until I was surrounded by darkness. Nothing to see or hear but until I could only feel the coldness that came with it.

The last thing I remembered was seeing that tiny star burning brightly in the darkness, shining over me.

Until . . . I was no more.

Hi Readers!

Oh. My. God . . .

This chapter made me cry at the end as well when I finished it and kept trying my hardest to not do so. But I had to admit that I put all my feelings into this one and I hope that you all love it.

Anya has finally defeated the Bad Blood and showed that is more than just a hybrid but one of the greatest warriors in the universe. But now she's drifting in the darkness, wandering to who knows where.

Is she really dead? Will she survive? Will she be able to get back to the others? To Lar'ja? What will happen next?

Find out when Chapter 31 comes rolling along!

Enjoy! :))))

P.S. For Anonymous-E, I can only tell you that you will have to keep on reading cause it's not over yet and anything can happen. Sorry but don't want to spoil too much so bear with me. :(

However, it will get better and I hope you and many other readers stick around for more. :)))