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The Gam3: Chapter 7

"Okay. I totally see it now," admitted the first player. "He could've intervened. Hell, that's what I expected him to do. Isn't coming to their rescue his thing?"

The second player shrugged and absently moved her queen into position. "I know. But I am no longer worried. He is only concerned with seeing that everyone gets their happy ending. I... Well, all I want to do is make sure that _you_learn people are not as shallow and greedy as you perceive them to be." She then moved her rook right beside her queen, placing it in a position where it had pinned the first player's own bishop.

"You really think me that naïve?" scoffed the first player. "I know full well what mortals are capable of. You should know better than to think that I'm here just to get people to take the easy way out." He gestured for her to make another move. "We're all here for the same goal. While he is always transparent about it, I like to hide it beneath delicious mayhem and disastrous chaos."

"Naturally," she chuckled in response as she picked up his bishop and moved it to her side. "But I think you're still losing to me. All the chaos you've sewn is being undone."

He smiled back at her. "You think so? Haven't you ever heard of the eye of the storm? I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." He straightened and picked up his rook, holding it in the light. "You'll see. They'll eventually see things my way. All the pain and suffering will go away. They'll find their happy ending and it will be nice, quick and relatively painless."

Then he set his rook back down where it had sat. "But all in good time. If I've learned anything from him, it's how to be patient."

She sighed softly and leaned back, observing the deck. "He is very patient."

*****

It was definitely déjà vu.

Just like a few days ago when Pete had been caught by Tom getting a blowjob, radio silence had been enforced. Once again, Pete had called and called, trying to get his best friend to understand that he didn't know that YoungPride was his brother. Did that make up for the fact that the two of them had been loudly and messily making love in the virtual world of the Gam3? No.

Perhaps the biggest drop in their relationship was the fact that Tom now knew the consequences of using the Chaos Drives. It had come out in the shouting match that had occurred in the park. Colin had admitted that he had used Chaos Drives quite a lot as his role amongst the Shapeshifters. Then when he said that he came out of the Gam3 one day eighteen years old when last he checked that he was fourteen...

... well... Tom just lost it.

Pete could not bring himself to go back into the Gam3. Part of him was afraid to meet Tom there or even Colin. When he explained everything to Ed, they both agreed that they needed that sabbatical. Tom needed some time to digest the information before they confronted him.

That was a week ago.

Pete had started calling again but again, he was just met with endless ringtones and busy messages.

He was starting to worry. He checked the forums to see if there was anything... 'odd' going on. He had hoped to see if Colin or Tom were there, catch them off guard to explain. But he couldn't find anything or anyone mentioning the transformations or changes happening to them. He began to grow scared.

At exactly a week after that fateful event, Pete was lost...

But he needed to talk to someone, ask someone for advice. He wanted to ask Ed but didn't want to put the burden of their friendship on the young man's shoulder's. What if he acted on Ed's advice and it only made things worse? Then Ed would be burdened with the knowledge that his advice had torn them apart.

So who could he ask?

His eyes went back to his Gam3 helmet and a stroke of inspiration hit him.

Within a minute, he was back in the virtual world. It was the last day of the Event and Terminal was once again abandoned. People were scrambling for those last minute points. He doubted he would win any prizes with this round considering all that had happened. But that was not his concern. Real life was more important than the virtual world of the Gam3 after all and though he was currently in the twisted world, the people behind the players were still very much real.

Pulling up his menu, he searched for Jake's handle. Thankfully, the Admin was online.

"Hey Jake?"

The wolf raised an eyebrow at him from the display window. "Oh. You're one of Tom's friends aren't you? What can I do to help?"

"Do you have a second to... To talk? I've got some personal issues here."

"Erm... You do realise that in here I'm not a therapist, right??"

"Please? You gave Tom some advice about us and even hooked him up with Wilbur. Can't you extend that to me too?"

The wolf sighed, ducking his head and running a paw down his face. The action seemed so natural like he had done it so many times before. Pete had to wonder how long Jake had been an admin. Even now, he was still having trouble remembering that he had antlers and he would occasionally bump into some low hanging bar or doorframe. "Yeah, fair enough. Meet me at Terminal's fountain. I'll be there shortly."

After being saved by the guy multiple times, Pete had this feeling that Jake was far stronger than he first let on, not just in the Gam3 either. He just got this feeling about the wolf but at the same time, he knew he could trust the guy. He found his way to the fountain, wandering through the relatively empty streets of Terminal and avoiding the packed Quest Square. By the time he reached it, Jake was already waiting for him, lounging against the rim of marble edge and watching the clouds go by.

Pete couldn't help but let out a short laugh. "You know, where I come from, there's a statue just like this and my friends usually meet here there all the time..."

The Admin glanced at him with a soft smile. "Aaaaand I'm guessing that it is these very same friends that we're here to discuss?"

"Yeah." Pete wasn't sure how he could sit on the edge of the fountain given that he was now a taur so he just folded his legs and sat next to Jake. "Listen... I need you to be honest with me... Is there something... strange about the_Gam3_?"

"Define strange? We've got tentacle monsters, red light districts and did you know some people in the modding community have started building their own 'internet' in the Gam3? It's like the internet within the internet."

Pete pulled back, puzzled. "How're they managing that?"

"By interlocking their dungeons and quests but instead of making it like a solid quest, they're making it sort of like information dumps where they can post pieces of information-slash-lore that they want. It's a _massive_headache. We need to buy more servers and disk space to keep up with them."

"Wow..." Pete shook his head free of the very puzzling idea. "No, what I actually meant was... does the Gam3 change you in real life?"

"Only if you let it change you," answered the wolf with a shrug. "You know, if you let it rule your life, you'll definitely change. We've got a few lawsuits from concerned parents who have an issue with their kids confusing reality with fantasy and claiming that they are 'Eldor the Six-Armed Jaguar Warrior' on the streets."

"Well... Has anyone actually grown six arms?"

Jake eyed him strangely. "Not that I am aware of. Why?"

Pete began absently fidgeting. "Well... When I first started playing, I was this skinny kid that was dying from HIV... But then I used a lot of Chaos Drives and suddenly, I was this big, buff guy that skipped three years of his life and was completely healthy. Then a buddy of mine told me that he was dirt poor when he started playing the Gam3 but after he used some Chaos Drives, he became super rich. A week ago, my best friend's brother admitted that he used Chaos Drives when he was underage and suddenly, he's eighteen."

He looked away, shaking his head. "People don't remember any of these changes except for the people who have changed..." He sighed heavily. "You probably think I'm crazy."

"On the contrary, I think you're incredibly stupid."

Pete flung around to find the wolf smiling at him benevolently. "Whu...?"

"When it comes down to it, the Gam3 is all about choice," answered Jake. "Whether or not that means the choice to live in fantasy, abuse a mechanic or keep the two separate is entirely beside the point." Jake leaned back and gazed off at the clouds. "There are people out there who will be forced into the choice of using more than one Chaos Drive per day or swallow their pride and accept defeat. Then there are others still who will want to use their Chaos Drives just for the rush of power. Then, there are those people who have come across this temptation and decided do away with it and abandon the Gam3 entirely.

"Ultimately, it is our individual choices that lead us to the Gam3. It is our choice to put on that helmet and immerse ourselves in a digital world that has its own inherent risks and dangers." Jake turned to Pete, with a gentle smile on his muzzle. "From the fact that you are here talking to me instead of talking to your friends about what happened to them, I see you've made a choice."

Pete bobbed his head from side to side. "I like what happened to me. I was damned, you know. I could live to be sixty or seventy like anyone else but I always had this stigma over me. People would always look at me like I was dirty or filthy or giving me a pitiful look like they wanted to hung me but couldn't because they were afraid they'd catch my 'disease'. I hated that. But then I got a new body, a new lease on life... and a week ago, I got with another guy and... it felt good."

Just thinking of those bygone times made him shiver, every strand of fur on his back standing on end. Once before he had been this far elevated; the horizon was bright, shining with possibilities and everything looked so small and ready for the taking from the top of the world where he had stood. Then one foolish mistake and thrown him back down and reminded him of his mortality and limitations. He was scared of waking up one day from a coma only to have his mother tell him that he was back, still had HIV and there was no such thing as the Gam3.

He felt Jake's smile and there was this look in the wolf's eyes like he knew something. "Good for you. I imagine that must've been quite exhilarating not having to worry about your condition." The wolf rubbed his chin absently. "I also imagine some feelings developed over this encounter and you were eager to test out your new found body in reality?"

The stag blushed beneath his light brown fur and nodded. "Yeah... only it turns out the guy was actually my best friend's little brother. You know, the same underage kid that suddenly grew up?" Again, Pete shook his head bitterly. Again, he had been impulsive and now he had to deal with the consequences of his actions. His friendship with Tom was ruined...

"Ah," Jake said, folding his arms. "I see the complications. But you weren't doing it out of malice, were you?"

"As in that I was purposefully fucking his brother behind his back? Of course not! I didn't even know he was underage! Keyword being 'was'."

"Then I'm sure he realises that." Jake said with a shrug and a wave of his paw. "Look at it this way, if you knew the guy was your friend's younger brother, would you have gone through with it?"

"No!"

"And do you think his younger brother would've done exactly the same thing if he knew?"

"Of course not!"

"But, if you were in your best friend's shoes, wouldn't you feel angry?"

Pete mumbled a soft, "Yeah..."

"Right now, I'm willing to wager your friend is just feeling betrayed, violated and hurt. The problem is, he doesn't know where to direct that hurt or if it's justified. He's just going with the feeling." Jake smiled distantly, his eyes cast into the distance. "The thing about a world of choices is that while it's nice to have the choices, people would prefer to see them coming than to have them thrust into their faces. People like to see life as a road to the horizon and not a mess of streets with blind spots and sudden turns. I'm sure it hurts even more now that these choices were put in front of him by the two people he trusts most."

Jacob clapped his paws together and just like that, Pete was suddenly very attentive. Everything seemed to be clearer and his attention was intently focused on the strange wolf.

"There's also the fact that when people make choices, some of them might get this thought in their head that their choices will stick with them for the rest of their life. There is no undoing the past but there is _always_the opportunity to make up for it. Just because you choose to go down one road, it doesn't mean you can't always change directions."

The stag sighed heavily and let his massive shoulders sag. "I wish I could make it up to him somehow. I didn't want this... I guess I was swept up with changing for the better that... I really didn't consider anyone else playing the _Gam3_and changing with alongside us." He shook his head sadly. "What should I do?"

Jake held up his paws. "Hey, I'm just here to listen and offer my two cents. I've meddled enough already." He lowered his paws and leaned forward slightly. "Although, if I were to suggest anything, I'd say just talk to him."

"He won't return my calls."

"Seriously?" Jake gave him a 'Are-you-serious?' look. "You're calling_him? You fucked his brother, dude. You really think just _calling him will be enough? The only thing worse than breaking up over the phone is trying to _explain_over the phone. Go to him."

Pete flinched. "I - I can't do that!"

The wolf sighed and leapt off the fountain. "Look, I've got some stuff to take care of but I need you to do me a favour."

"Sure. What is it?"

Jake fixed him with piercing, blue eyes. "Ask me what I think about you."

Stunned at the request, Pete said, "Okay... What do you think about me?"

The dramatic clearing of his throat only made Pete worry. "I think you may be a big, buff, four-legged stud with immense strength and probably skill in the bed but you're still a coward. You told me that you got sick and you were withering away. I think that's still hanging over your head and your balls remain_shrivelled and puny despite your body. You don't have the courage to back up your new form and quite frankly, you were using the _Gam3 as a method of escape. You're afraid to face reality and the fact that you came running to someone _here_is a testament to that fact."

Jake crossed his arms. "You can keep using Chaos Drives, you can keep modifying yourself outwardly but you'll just remain the same, cowardly kid that's locked up in his room too scared to go out into the world who will always doubt every choice he's made and keep looking over his shoulder like the spectre of something that has come and gone."

"I could've died!"

"Uh-huh," answered the wolf sceptically. "Better to have lived and died that to wait to die regretting the choices you could never make. Besides, from the sounds of it, you got treatment for your ailment. You could've gone out and enjoyed yourself even with the clock ticking." Jake shook his head and turned his back to Pete. "No, you chose your isolation and even now, you're still locked away by your own hands. If you want my advice? Grow a pair."

Pete's jaw dropped and he wanted to protest. But some part of him agreed with Jake's assessment. Though he was without his HIV, he still escaped into the _Gam3_looking for more than what reality could offer.

"But I did ask Colin out..."

A door appeared in front of Jake and it sprang open, spilling light onto both of them. "Right. And the moment something went wrong, you ran away. Why didn't you defend yourself? Why didn't you stand up and say that it was a mistake?"

"I... I was scared of losing Tom as a friend."

"Even friends make mistakes. I'm sure Tom knows that above everyone else."

With those words, Jake passed through the door. It shut tightly behind him and winked out of existence. Pete was left sitting at the foot of the fountain, regarding the big, corded arms that he was so proud of. He clenched his fists... and quickly logged out.

He didn't give a second thought to driving straight to Tom's place even as it had started to rain a little. Far off in the distance, he noticed the big _Reaper_tower that was now half done. It was amazing just how quickly it had come about. Tom should be home from work, though.

When he stepped out of his car, he paused. The doubt began creeping back, almost making him turn and dive back into the safety and warmth of his car. His hand was already around the doorhandle of his car door when he seized control of his thoughts and heart.

Come what may, this was not the end of the road.

He spun sharply and marched to the front door. His finger jammed against the call button.

"Hello?"

"Tom, it's me but don't hang up!" Pete exclaimed quickly. He paused. "Are you still there?"

"Barely."

"Listen, I know what happened wasn't... nice but I need to talk to you. Can I come up? Please? It's starting to come down."

...

The door buzzed loudly and a sigh of relief crossed Pete's face. He stepped out of the rain and hurried up two flights of stairs to Tom's apartment. There was no need to knock as the door was already wide open with Tom leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. It was a little hard to believe that such a scrawny guy could be a construction worker. Then again, that might all change if he used more Chaos Drives...

Pete pushed the thought aside and came to stand in front of his friend. "Is Colin around?"

"He's grounded," answered Tom grimly, eyes piercing Pete's. "No _Gam3_either." He jerked his chin at Pete. "What do you want?"

"Look, I know what happened was..." Pete shook his head. "Okay, I fucked your younger brother and I liked it. We connected on some level and we were going to go out on a date. But that's over, okay? I didn't know. You didn't know and he didn't know either. I've been a total chicken this entire time and I've decided to man up."

Pete took a deep breath and said, "Tom, you've been my best friend through thick and thin. A while back, I got infected with HIV and locked myself in my house."

Tom flinched but Pete held up his hands, signalling him to silence. "But that's changed. Because of the Gam3, I got better. You know the power of the Gam3 by now, right? Colin..."

"Lost four years of his life just like I apparently lost three years of mine," rumbled his friend. "Go on..."

"Well... When I was sick, you always visited me but you treated me like I was contagious. Well, I was but you know what I mean. I hurt that you looked at me like the others did. But then things changed. I know you talked to Jake about it and he gave you some advice."

Tom frowned. "I did...? I don't remember that. I know I talked to him about the fact that you came onto me..."

"Well you did. And you started treating me like an ordinary person again and that made me really happy. So happy in fact, that I sort of developed a _tiny_crush on you."

Tom's eyes flashed. "You what!?"

Pete held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "It was just a tiny crush."

"And is fucking my brother a sort of way for your to get to me!? That's sick, man!"

"No! I told you I didn't know!" exclaimed Pete. "All I really wanted was to have what you and Wilbur have. A real connection and one that is born from true feelings, not just crazy sex. I guess..." Pete sighed and dropped his gaze. "I guess I was looking too hard and too eagerly. I thought I found it with YoungPride who I didn't know was your brother at the time. I want to give it a shot. But I was impulsive. It was the very same stupidity that got me sick in the first place. It broke our friendship once already and I'm not going to let it happen again."

...

The silence was killing him and Pete had to lift his gaze slightly just to see Tom's expressionless face. Pete hiked a thumb over his shoulder. "That's all I came to say. I'll go now."

Tom groaned. "Wait..." As Pete turned, he said, "I don't blame you. Hell, I don't blame Colin either. It's just that ever since our mom left I've been responsible for him. I guess I was just a little overprotective." He sighed heavily. "I guess if there was anyone I would have trusted him with, it's you."

"Not Ed?" offered Pete.

"Ed would mindfuck him until he believes himself to be an extension of Ed's sexual will." Tom moved aside and hiked a thumb towards his apartment. "Come on. Want to come in?"

Pete smiled. "I'd love to."

The large two bedroom apartment was both familiar and alien at the same time. The last time he remembered stepping into this place, it was just as another guy hanging out with his best friend. This time, it felt like he was coming in as a potential suitor to said best friend's own brother. He sat down in the lounge room where two Gam3 consoles were hooked up. He knew for a fact that both Colin and Tom had consoles of their own in their rooms so this must've been the console from Colin's room, preventing the teen from accessing the virtual world.

"Col, get in here!" barked Tom in a very authoritative voice.

Colin poked his very frat-boy head out of his room. Pete's heart jumped at the sight of the cute, chiselled features and the chin strap that he wore so coolly. It reminded him of the lion that he had fucked madly in the Gam3. Colin's curly strands of bleached brown hair held underneath his reversed baseball cap only completed the image. What he was doing with a baseball cap indoors was beyond Pete.

"Trying to sneak out again?" Tom asked.

Colin shuffled in, hands in his thick jeans even though he was wearing just a white tank top. His lean, vascular arms were on display as well as the light dusting of chest hair. "Yeah... Then it started to rain..."

"He's tried to sneak out before?" Pete asked.

"Twice," answered Tom, giving his brother a cocky smirk. "Once about five days ago but then he got lost and called me. Then he stole Ed's address from me and met up with him. Ed brought him back."

"Oh."

"I was trying to find you," Colin admitted, sitting next to Pete. "But Tom actually hid your address and phone number for me."

Tom smirked, crossing his arms in a very fatherly gesture. "I knew what you were after."

Colin sighed heavily, shoulders sagging. "So is this the part where you tell us we can't see each other officially?"

Tom bobbed his head from side to side. "No. This is the part where I tell you both to be responsible and to have fun." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry guys. I have no right to be that controlling. I was just worried. And scared. And surprised. Forgive me?"

Pete grinned, a gesture mirrored by Colin. "Yeah, of course. No one could've know, right?" He slung a big, meaty arm over Colin's shoulder. "But now that we know... We can go full steam ahead, right?"

Colin elbowed him lightly. "Hey, we fucked six times. That doesn't make us a couple."

"Oh yeah? Then what will?"

"Dinner?" Colin leaned back and patted his stomach. "I'm starved!"

"You're always hungry," Tom said, rolling his eyes. He jumped up and snatched his keys from the banister. "Tell you what? Why don't we go down to that pizza place across the street? Tell me all about the side-effects of using the Chaos Drives there. My treat."

Colin shook his head and stuck out his tongue. "We had pizza last night. How about a little variety, bro?"

The way Colin said 'bro' like a drunken frat boy stirred something in Pete but he reigned himself in. "Chinese?"

"We'll just get hungry an hour later," Tom said. "Indian food?"

"We'll be bent over the toilet all night and we've only got two bathrooms," countered Colin. "Then we'll get hungry an hour later."

Pete snapped his fingers. "You know what? That new sandwich bar. I heard they serve the best burgers in town."

Sandwiches it was and they all left in Tom's truck to save on gas and parking. Just fifteen minutes drive away, they parked in front of a quaint little sandwich-bar-slash-bookstore. With the rain outside, it was fairly easy to get a table for three as everyone was at home, away from the cold. As they sat down, a waitress came over and asked if they wanted any drinks. Despite the fact it was effectively a restaurant, it still smelled like a coffee shop for some reason.

"I'll get a beer," Tom said.

"Lemon lime and bitters, please," Pete said.

Colin's eyes brightened. "You too?"

"Me too what?" replied Pete.

"A lemon lime and bitters. You like them too?"

Pete shrugged. "Um... yeah. I can't drink."

Tom coughed and nudged Pete slightly

"Oh right..." He shook his head and turned back to the waitress. "Make that two lemon lime and bitters, please." The waitress nodded and told them she'd be back for their orders before skipping away. Once she was gone, Pete leaned back in his seat and sighed. "Man... I keep forgetting I'm twenty-one."

"Not me," Tom said, eyeing them both with a degree of jealously. "I've been at the mercy of your Chaos Drives, remember?" He set down his menu. "What is it like? I mean, suddenly waking up in a different body and stuff?"

Pete exchanged glances with Colin and they both smiled bashfully. "Weird," he admitted. "It felt odd at first but then it felt... right. Like this was what I was always meant to be." To prove his point, he flexed his right arm, the muscle there causing Colin to stare.

"I felt a little afraid," admitted Colin after shaking himself away from Pete's display. "I mean, I was suddenly eighteen. I couldn't remember what happened the past four years but then you told me about it and it just came to me. It was like everything during those four years was a dream. I could remember everything before that clearly but those four years..." He shook his head. "I mean, suddenly being in high school was a shock enough..."

"We better pump you with some Intelligence if you're going to make the right grades," Tom chuckled.

The waitress returned with their drinks and they all ordered something hearty. When she left, conversation continued.

"I don't plan to stop either of you form playing the Gam3," Tom admitted. "That'd be selfish and paranoid. But I ask that you try to keep the changes and transformations to a minimum? I mean, there is only so much shit I can deal with right now." He held up his hand. "Also, if we change, we've got to promise that we be honest with one another on what has changed, clear?"

"Yeah, agreed," answered Pete.

"And no more Shapeshifter bullshit," Tom said, pointing at his brother gravely.

Colin raised his hand. "That was a dark part of my life that I'll put behind me. Now, I play clean."

"Just hope that Jake doesn't punish you too badly."

"Think he will?" Colin asked.

"If we come clean, I'm sure he'll be lenient."

They all agreed that it was probably best to confess as early as possible. To that end, they decided to jump into the Gam3, just the three of them and talk to Jake. After finishing their dinner and driving back to Tom's place, Pete greeted his friends a cheerful 'see-you-later' and returned home using his own car. His mother was still out with his dad and he couldn't help but feel that things were pretty darn good as they were right now. He didn't foresee any need to use an excess amount of Chaos Drives now.

He just needed to get over his pride and allow himself to lose occasionally.

But losing was better than messing with the world again and bringing more pain like he had brought to Tom and Colin.

Minutes later, he was back online in the Gam3, right where he had left off. He looked at the angelic statue in front of him and smiled. Just like The Last Angel back in reality, this was where he constantly met his friends. Despite that, he knew which world he preferred even if this one had a helpful, friendly and wise admin that slapped some sense into him.

Tom and Colin appeared moments later with Colin wearing a definitive bulge in his pants that looked a little ungainly. It almost made him waddle and that alone almost made Pete burst into laughter. How the lion managed to stuff his enormous watermelon-sized package into those leather pants was beyond him. He was tempted to somehow arouse the lion just to see that massive cock burst through the fabric. But he pushed back such thoughts. Colin was a good kid even if he had been a little misled at first.

"You ready for this?" Pete asked the lion.

Colin nodded gravely. "Yeah... I'll take whatever is coming to me."

Tempted as he was to corrupt that statement, Pete held himself back and let Tom bring up his messenger and contact Jake.

"Tom? Hey, I just spoke to your friend -"

"Pete, I know," Tom said. "Thanks for helping him out."

"Glad it turned out so well. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Tom grabbed Colin's shoulder and pulled him into view. "Remember this guy?"

Jake's features darkened into an expressionless mask. "YoungPride... I thought I banned you."

"Erm... You did," admitted Colin, avoiding the Admin's gaze. "Then the Shapeshifters called me back in and then they were out for revenge and stuff and then Tom and Pete saved me... Point is, I'm really sorry. I'll place nice for now on."

Tom shook his younger brother lightly. "Come on, Jake. He's just a little kid. Go easy on him?"

"I'm eighteen, fucker!" Despite his incredulity, Colin didn't push away from Tom.

Tom, likewise, hugged his brother tightly. "Yeah, right."

Jake rolled his eyes and dropped off the call. A door sprang into existence in front of them, making Pete leap back in surprise. It swung open, light spilling out from it. Jake stepped through, shutting the door behind him. He gazed at Colin with folded arms.

"I can't really go easy on you," he said. "If I start showing leniency towards friends, it'll send a bad message. So, tell you what?" Jake reached into the leather satchel he had by his hip and pulled out what appeared to be a lollipop. "You can have this."

Colin frowned and took the piece of candy. "Uh... What is it?"

"It's called Sanji's Lollipop. It was given to a great pirate martial artist by four kids in an attempt to get him off smoking. He took it, beat up the kids and then just went right on smoking. It's an everlasting lollipop, providing you with infinite sweetness but at the cost of you never being able to take it out of your mouth... erm... muzzle for very long."

Colin regarded the 'punishment' strangely. "So... My punishment is that I get a never shrinking candy that I can never remove? I'll be tasting sweetness for this character no matter what?"

"Yes." Jake opened his menu and tapped a few commands. "And I've just removed your banned status."

The lion shrugged and placed and unwrapped the lollipop. "Okay, I guess. That's not so bad." He put it into his muzzle and grinned lightly. "Hmmm... Cherry. Thanks. I guess."

"You won't be thanking me when you realise blowjobs will get very_awkward now," Jake answered with a cocky smirk. "But there _is another thing."

Colin's whiskers drooped. "What's that?"

"There's an acquaintance of mine. Doesn't do the whole party thing and the Shapeshifters have been picking on him. He's a good player. Level headed and pretty smart. Problem is, he's a bit of a loner." Jake brought up his menu and began typing something across the screen. "The Shapeshifters like to pick on good players that have expensive gear and go around solo. Can I ask you guys to meet up with him at the Haunted Port in an hour or so?"

Pete shrugged when the other two gave him questioning glances. "Sure. As long as he's not an ass."

"He tried equine once," Jake said, closing his menu. "Didn't like how the hooves made stealth practically impossible. I've sent him your details. Meet him at the Quest Square of the Haunted Port." Jake turned away, heading back towards his door. "The next Event actually has some stuff down at the Devouring Shores. Why don't you do some prep while you're there?"

"Hey Jake," Pete said, holding up a hand. "Where do you live?"

The wolf gave him a raised eyebrow and didn't respond.

"I was thinking you've been really helpful to us. You've saved our ass from the Shapeshifters more often than not, you taught Tom the ropes, gave us life lessons and even got Tom to hook up with Wilbur -"

Colin spun to face his brother. "You've got a boyfriend!?"

"Your point?" Jake asked, ignoring the two brothers.

"I was wondering if you'd like to meet up in real life some time?" offered Pete with a shrug and a smile. "You know? Grab a cup of coffee or something?"

For a second, Jake frowned and turned away, his gaze off into the distance. There was a brief instant where Pete thought the pupils of the wolf changed into some unnatural shape but it was fleeting. Then the Admin smiled.

"I'll be rather busy this week and most of the next. How about we meet up in ten days?"

"Great! Where at?"

Another door sprang open in front of Jake and he stepped towards it. "How about The Last Angel? You know where that is, right?"

"Of course! We'll still catch you around this place, right?"

The wolf cast a gaze over his shoulder. There was something about the smile on his features that unsettled Pete. "Count on it."

The door snapped shut leaving Pete feeling that something _really_bad was going to happen in ten days. Maybe it would be an open Admin challenge and they'd meet on the battlefield. That would be traumatic.

"Well that wasn't so bad, was it?" asked Pete, shaking off Jake's words. "Cursed lollipop and playing babysitter for a bit. The worst you'll get is sick of the cherry flavour."

Colin took out the candy from his muzzle and smacked his lips a little. "It actually changed flavour. It's orange now." True to his word, the crystalline candy was orange instead of red. He put it in his muzzle and shrugged. "I guess it's not so bad..."

Glad for the resolution, Pete folded his arms. "Well, we're in here anyway and we won't need to meet that guy for another hour. What do you guys want to do?"

"How about we check out the next Event?" Colin asked. "I know we've had our differences but I'd like to go into an Event with you guys. Besides, Jake said where we're meeting that guy has some stuff over there..."

Pete caught Tom's frown.

"Doesn't that sound a little convenient?" asked the dragon softly. Then he shook his head. "You know what? Forget it. I'm being paranoid. So Event?"

"We did miss the last one." Pete opened his menu and checked for messages. He had quite a full inbox mentioning how the current Event was progressing, daily ranking, warnings about how the Event was coming to a close and further warnings about how the next event was quickly closing in. It came as no surprise that he only got a participation reward - just some health potions.

It looked like they were in for an Odyssey Event this time around.

Naturally, Tom still didn't know what that entailed so both Colin and Pete explained.

"Odyssey events are like scavenger hunts," Pete explained as they headed towards the Quest Square. "You trek through the existing zones and look for certain artefacts. These artefacts form keys and when you have enough, you can use them to access the Abyss Zone which is a special zone where a boss awaits. Beat the boss, get rewards."

"No point systems?" Tom asked.

There was a significant line for questing information and Pete used his bulk to push through the crowd.

"Not this time," Colin supplied. "This time, rewards are sort of randomised. There is a pool of rewards for each player or party of players. When you defeat the end boss, you get a number of picks from the pool based on how many times you've already defeated the end boss. Once you pick a certain reward from the pool, you will be able to refill the pool. With each refill, the rewards grow bigger and your chances of getting the better rewards get better."

"So you can beat the end boss multiple times?"

"But he gets harder the more you beat him."

Tom eyes his brother suspiciously. "Just how long have you been playing this game?"

Colin grinned back bashfully as they got to the information booth. "You had it for months and never touched it. Whenever you went out and mom wasn't around, I'd steal a few hours. Even better since time here is stretched as compared to the real world."

Pete plucked three information pamphlets from the table and moved courteously to the side. The three of them sat at the edge of the Quest Square to read the information.

The Event was known as 'Cerberus Rising' and they were given the location of the zones that would be affected. The Rolling Ranges would be difficult to scout out because of its large expanse but the Devouring Shores wouldn't be too bad. They would need some aquatic gear, however. But when Pete saw the words 'Nullifying Desert' he shuddered and uttered, "Fuck."

"What's wrong?" asked Tom.

"The Nullifying Desert?" Colin prompted.

Pete nodded grimly. "The Nullifying Desert." To allay Tom's confusion, Pete turned to the dragon and said, "The Nullifying Desert is one of the most brutal places in the Gam3. The monsters are tough, there are no major cities save for a few outposts with few supplies and all abilities are nullified. The only abilities you can_use are Chaos Drives. Ed took me there once and he had to use quite a few Chaos Drives to get us past the first few steps and we _still lost."

Colin shook his head. "Never been there myself but I heard terrible things." He held up the pamphlet. "But check out where the Abyss Zone is."

Just looking at the words 'Europa's Descent' made him groan all the louder. "Fuck... This'll be tough."

"That bad, huh?" Tom asked.

"Europa's Descent is one of the endgame zones." Pete held up the pamphlet and showed his friend the frozen wasteland with thousands of tall, metal spikes sticking out of the ground. "It's freezing, constantly hit by blizzards and the monsters there have the annoying habit of being able to cloak and attack you from behind. You take constant damage just being there without some sort of cold proof clothing or constant heating."

Grinning, Tom hiked a thumb at his chest and said. "I've got my firebreath."

"What about the rest of us though?" Pete said. "The Event starts tomorrow and if we really want to get ahead of the race, we need to be prepared yesterday."

A snap of fingers told them both that Colin had an idea. "Well, how about this? Let's set up some Markers in the locations. It doesn't have to be at_the locations. Maybe even at the borders. I'm sure we can buy some aquatic gear in the Devouring Shores and maybe we'll find some cold proof FCs in the Rolling Ranges or Tied Forest. Let's spend today powering ourselves up. At the very least, we should make it through the Event _once."

"We'll also need a healer," Pete said, tapping the pamphlet again. "All combat zones are active within the areas, PVP and PVE but the zone rules still apply. You get less keys if you go hunting in PVP areas though. If your entire party is wiped out, you lose some keys. We need to make sure we're kept healthy and I don't think we can just keep relying on one of us carrying potions."

"Bur sort of has some healing and I'm sure Ed can add to that," said Tom.

"We need a specialised healer," Pete said, shaking his head. "Anything less and we'll be fair game for other parties." He frowned and folded his arms. "Let's go to the Devouring Shores. That'd be a good place to start."

Unfortunately, none of them had put a Marker in the Devouring Shores. Tom was still new and had never been there yet. Colin's 'hunting grounds' were strictly around Terminal and the Tied Forest and Pete never had reason to go there. Thus they had to trek there. Though in Tom's case, he glided lazily above, ducking between the clouds and circling above. Pete and Colin were forced to follow the brick road to the eastern shores. The Devouring Shores was much farther than the Rolling Ranges and it would take them a good, long thirty minutes before they reached the zone border.

The verdant planes of Terminal began to give way to the vast grassy landscape of the Rolling Planes but without becoming too dry that it became more savannah than grasslands. The air remained blissfully cool and the gentle caress of the winds felt nice on Pete's short fur. It was the kind of environment that filled Pete with the urge to just break into a gallop to feel the wind through his hair. But he held back, barely restraining himself and being constantly reminded of his companion with each yawn Colin made.

"So... You still up for dinner at some point? Just the two of us?" he asked, trying to break Colin's apparent boredom.

Colin flinched a little. "Really? After what happened you still want to give it a shot?"

"I fucked you six times. The least I could do is buy you dinner."

The lion smirked, looking rather cute with that lollipop in his muzzle. Very badass. "You do realise you're not getting a blowjob from this, right? I've already got a sugarball to suck on."

"Not in this world."

Colin's eyes widened. "Oh... Oh! You mean a date? As in for real? I thought... Oh!"

Pete was a little surprised at the lion's fluster and had to remind himself that while Colin was a fourteen year old in an eighteen year old's body. He had to laugh lightly as he said, "Yeah, dummy. As in real date."

"Man..." Colin murmured softly, crossing his meaty arms behind his head. "I never thought I'd be gay... I mean, back at school no one really cared, you know? Last thing I remember, I mean really remember, is that I was just taking sex ed and I just got my first pubic hair."

"I feel like I'm robbing the crib here," laughed Pete.

"Don't worry, you're not," Colin responded. "I've apparently had a lot of ass and pussy since then. Frat boy in the making." He hiked a thumb at his chest. "Guys and girls alike. But really... Despite what my body says, you'd be my first."

Pete jerked back. "Whoa, I said we'd be going out on a date not straight to bed!"

"I think we're beyond that point, stud!" laughed Colin. Then a predatory gleam entered the lion's eyes. "But this time, I get to mount you!"

"What? What are you - ack!"

The feline was faster than his muscular frame let on and suddenly, he was leaping over Pete's rear and planting himself securely on Pete's back. He kicked his heels into Pete's sides, feeling like someone had jabbed his kidneys - which was probably true. Pete reared and his instincts kicked in. He bolted down the road, barely feeling Colin's weight.

"Yah, boy! Giddy-yup!" Colin laughed, slapping Pete's rear. A shiver of pleasure rolled up Pete's body at the contact and he threw his head back, letting out a joyful laugh. His hooves barely even touched the ground as he broke into a full sprint. It was almost like he was flying.

He felt Colin starting to slip from behind him and he quickly reached back, his big, meaty hands seizing the feline's waist. "Hold onto me!" he shouted back.

Colin's paws slipped around his waist, curling around his washboard abs and holding on tightly. Pete shivered a little when Colin rested his chin against his neck. The stag pushed all of his effort into his legs, speeding along the road with the vast landscape just flying past them in a blur. The moment when his hooves left the ground... it was freeing and some part of him was jealous of Tom's ability to fly.

The soft clop-clop-clop of his hooves slamming against the brick road was replaced by the crunch of grass beneath him as he left the road. Colin didn't ask what he was doing especially when the ground began to go up on a gentle incline and he slowed. The grassy planes abruptly ended in a sheer cliff with powerful waves slamming at its base.

Pete breathed in the crisp, clean, salty air. A smile crossed his muzzle. A vast, blue ocean spread out before him. Coupled with the verdant cliffs to his left and right, the scene was simply breath taking. It amazing him how the Gam3 could be so real. Well, it was real in a way but just the vastness of the world and the fact that he could explore every inch of it just put things into perspective.

"Hey, where do you think this place is based off?" he asked.

Colin slipped off him and shook his mane slightly. "I heard it was based off some coastline in some other country. I couldn't tell you what."

"I think I'd like to visit it in real life."

"Why? This place is pretty close. Hell, it's pretty darn real."

Pete shrugged. "It's close but I don't think it's really real. This is still a videogame. Besides..." He smirked at Colin and hiked a thumb over his shoulder at the few feral creatures that began to approach them. "The real world doesn't have marauding monsters."

Colin rolled his eyes and drew his bow from over his shoulder. "Point taken."

Without a word, Pete drew his sword and Colin jumped off his back. Pete immediately made a beeline for the east, running in parallel to the road as Colin bombarded the encroaching beasts with his arrows. Experience points began accumulating. Nothing big enough to gain a level but enough to be noticeable. It made the entire exercise somewhat fulfilling for Pete in more ways than one.

The Devouring Shores' surface city of the Haunted Port came into view a short while later. Despite its name, it was a bright, bustling metropolis populated by white, stone buildings meshed with wooden structures from a bygone age. It stretched for miles out into the ocean itself, suspended on enormous piers and struts. Pete came to a halt in front of one of the city's main gates where there was a human guard and a ghostly one carefully watching the approach of unsavoury individuals.

Thus the name for the Haunted Port. Apparently, as the story went, some a notorious pirate decided to pose his own challenge to the gods. He would explore every corner of the world and he would not rest until he did so. If he could map the entire world before someone finished the gods' challenge, then he would be granted immortality. Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it but when he died, he came back as a ghost. Others took up his challenge and met the same fate on no part of the gods themselves. They now wandered the port, readying their ships for their departures and imparting their knowledge of far-off lands to players.

While a riveting tale, it was the_Gam3's_ way of starting new content. If and when an expansion pack came, players could just go to the Haunted Port, hear a quick introduction from someone in the port and then be whisked away to said distant land.

Pete let Colin slide off him just as Tom drifted down from the air.

"You went out hunting," the dragon stated. "Bet you wish you could fly like me."

"Being on the ground has its benefits," Pete replied, winking at Colin. "Anyway, the Haunted Port has a lot of merchants and materials that we might be able to use for anti-cold armour. Maybe Wilbur could make it for us?"

Tom nodded as they strode through the big, wooden gates of the Port. "I'll ask him when he gets online."

"It's also a pretty big hub like Terminal," added Colin. "There are ships that can drop you off at various places all over the world so people like sticking around this place. We might find our healer."

Pete shook his head and stuck out his tongue. "Can we avoid the LFG areas? They're seriously one step above prostitution and sometimes, not even that."

Tom flicked them both a puzzled look as they entered the Port's main promenade. Large, two storey shops lined the walkway with bridges crisscrossing the second floors of buildings within the same block for ease of access from one store to the other. "LFG?"

"Looking for group," Pete responded with a roll of his eyes. "Seriously, some people there will sell their bodies to get into a group. It's weird. Oh and some are downright crazy."

"Crazy?"

"Yeah. I went there once. There was this guy that was constantly shouting 'There is no Double Jump!'"

"Oh."

Pete pointed to an accessory shop. "Hey! Let's check that place out." He did so while gripping Colin's shoulder and hurrying his friend over, purposefully leaving Tom. Before Colin could protest, he said, "Wait for it..."

Crash!

"Ow!" Tom cried. "Son-of-a..."

Colin smirked. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"It was a true story," answered Pete with a smirk. "But it's also a fact. Double jumping breaks physics."

Unfortunately, all of the cold protection gear was far out of their price range. With the onset of Cerberus Rising, prices for such gear had skyrocketed. They spent the next twenty minutes perusing various shops but everything was just far outside of their price range. Dejected, the trio wandered over to the Quest Square for their charge.

"How do we know what this guy looks like anyway?" Colin asked.

"Jake said he gave the guy our details," Tom said. "He'll find us."

"Are you sure? The guy is a loner. He just won't end up ditching us?" Colin eyed one of the quest boards. "Hey! What if we get a quest with some cold-proof rewards?"

"Those are all probably taken by now."

Colin plucked a notice from the board. "Not this one."

The Quest was offered by renowned Questmaker, Liberty4U. Its rewards included one of three powerful Ability FCs and the Ash Breath Ability FC. In theory, the ashen breath could help with keeping them warm though it'd be like smoking...

"Tempting," Pete said, easily looking over Colin's shoulder. "But look at the location. It's in Europa's Descent. What the use of trying this quest when we'll freeze our asses off in the very same place we're trying to prepare for? We'll never make it."

A soft cough caught their attention and the trio turned to find a jet black panther wringing his paws together nervously.

"Uh... Hey," the player said, offering them a meek wave. "You must be the guys Jake wanted me to meet?"

Pete exchanged glances with his friends and offered a shrug. "Yeah, that's us." He brought up his biggest smile and held out his hand. "I'm Pete. This is Colin and Tom. What's your name?"

The panther shook his hand, his light chainmail clinking softly. From the silvery sheen to it and the light, musical sound it made with every link bumping against one another, the metal was made of mithril. A very expensive suit of armour.

"I'm Ian," answered the panther. "I... I specialise in healing..."

Pete had to fight a grin. What luck! "A healer?"

"Yeah... I get beaten up a lot. You survive longer when you can heal yourself. I know that it's pretty cold up there in Europa's Descent so maybe I can keep you guys healed up?"

Jake had mentioned that Ian was preyed upon by the Shapeshifters very often because of his expensive equipment. Pete eyed the panther's glistening armour and the bright red sash that crossed his torso. The sash radiated power and from the look of it, it was imbued with powerful FCs. The panther also wore a stylish black cape made of feathers. When Pete let go of Ian's paw, he saw the cape twitch and, much to his surprise, the cape was actually a pair of wings!

"We needed a healer," Tom chimed in with a grin. "Got a party set up for the Event?"

The panther kicked the ground absently. "Actually, no. I was planning on hitting it solo..."

"That's suicide." Tom wrapped one of his four arms around the panther's shoulder. "You can party up with us!

"Oh, okay. I... I really don't know..."

Pete wasn't sure exactly how to feel. With their frequent run-ins with the Shapeshifters, he wondered if it was wise to have a constant target of the rogue group amongst them. But then again, this was an MMO. It was about meeting people, making parties with random players and going on quests. He gave Ian the benefit of the doubt, nodding slightly. Perhaps this was really just Jake's way of grouping them all together so that he wouldn't have to constantly teleport around the place to save their asses from the Shapeshifters.

They quickly added Ian to their party and teleported to Liberty4U's castle. Even with the final throes of the current Event, the castle was still packed with players eager to get some action from the renowned Questmaker's stash. Pete knew for a fact that with the weekly cycle of Events, people found their preferences with the Events. Some preferred the PVP arena of the Anarchy Events while others strictly PVE scenario of the Destiny Events. Others still liked the happy medium of the Odyssey Events. They would wait two weeks until the Event of their preference came around and all the while, they would spend those two weeks preparing.

A sense of apprehension began to build in him as they avoided the easy and medium difficulty lines and went straight for hard. This was no surprise. After re-reading the quest description, it looked like they had to trek through an area in Europa's Descent and enter a cave. Within the cave was an expedition team that they had to assist to make it to an area known as 'Europa's Outlook'. A simple escort mission on paper but with the monsters capable of casting invisibility in Europa's Descent... that wasn't as easy as it sounded.

They stepped up to the desk for the hard quests and signed their insurance forms, offering the necessary amount of gold. Ian was gracious enough to pay for the 'Premium Insurance' package for all of them effectively insuring that they got three instant revives each.

Jake wasn't kidding. This guy was_rich_!

"Thank you for your business," the quest giver said. "Enjoy the quest."

Pete braced himself as the swirl of light took him from Liberty4U's castle.

Cold slammed into him like a brick wall. Pete instantly hugged himself, shivering wildly as his vision was quickly consumed by white. An unforgiving blizzard wailed around them, constantly piling snow against the small of his back and around his ankles. The ground was soft beneath his feet. His weight alone caused him to sink into the soft snow. His armour barely providing any protection from the cold. Freezing winds sapped his strength just from standing there. Icicles were starting to form from his nostrils.

"Healing Field!"

A large, bright green symbol appeared on the ground beneath them, letting out a brilliant glow. The light was warming; not enough to cancel out the biting cold but enough to defrost Pete's veins slightly.

"Shatter Spell!"

Bright orbs of light flashed around them, showering small sparks of light wherever they erupted. These sparks seemed to disrupt the rage of the blizzard around them. Within the expanse of the glowing glyph, the storm had no hold and it just seemed to curl around the shimmering edges.

"Neat combo," Colin admitted, trudging forward through the snow. His big paws gripped Pete's shoulders. The gentle touch defrosted Pete the rest of the way and the stag-taur found the strength to take a step forward.

Ian smiled faintly. "I've been going through the Gam3 mostly solo since I started. I've had to really adapt... Most of my stat boosts are in my armour and my physical transformations are in my Core FC. The rest of my Grid is just for abilities."

"You've never had to party up?" asked Tom as the panther began to stride forward through the snow. "How have you made it through Events?"

"Never went into Odyssey or Anarchy Events before. Destiny Events are easy for solo players and I prefer them. Otherwise, I always just keep my head low and do quests here and there where I can."

"Any particular reason for that?" Pete asked. He felt Colin and Tom's strangely identical piercing stares before he saw them.

Ian shrugged slightly, shaking his head miserably. "I can't really decide what role I want to fit. Some parties want healers. Other want DPS, tanks or damage dealers. I keep changing my mind what species and specialty I want to be. I mean, the Gam3 offers you the chance to change easily enough but..." The panther grunted and powered forward. "It's just hard to find your place in this world. Even harder with other people trying to decide for you. So I tried to keep to myself."

The panther sighed heavily as he strode forward, his black, feathery wings folding around his body like a cloak. "But Jake kept saving me from the Shapeshifters and I owed him... So..." He gave them a shaky smile. "No offense guys... The group scene really isn't my thing. Nothing against you. After we're done here, let's just part ways, okay?"

"You promised us the Odyssey Event," countered Tom with a grin. "Come on, it's an _MMO_RPG, after all."

Ian just offered a noncommittal, passive-aggressive smile and trudged forward, taking the field of warmth and healing with him. Pete found himself holding Colin tightly as they headed towards a nearby cave with the flicker of firelight dancing against the walls. The sound of chatter could be heard even through the wailing of the blizzard.

"God, I wish I could switch on subtitles..." Pete rumbled.

The warmth of the bonfire was welcome as was the relief that came with seeing various humans gathered around the flames. All of them looked like scientists dressed in thick, white parkas and with various scientific equipment littering the area.

"Ah!" exclaimed one of the men, striding over to them with open arms. "I was hoping you would arrive soon! Welcome friends!"

"So what's the mission?" Tom asked, pushing Ian and the others ahead of him. As a dragon, he could keep himself warm with his fire breath. The others needed the flames more than he did.

The man sidestepped and pointed past the flames. "That."

Pete's heart plummeted. "So much for a simple escort mission."

In front of them stood the most grotesque wall he had ever seen. It was made of pure ice and looked as hard as diamond but instead of the crystalline facets that would normally made a wall of frozen water, horrific, moaning faces were carved into the wall itself like the ice itself was being moulded by condemned souls trying to push themselves out of wall. Not that there was any lack of that. Through the clear blue wall were dozens of corpses, frozen in the embrace of the wall with looked of fear and agony on their features.

"This is the Wall of Worshipers," explained the man. "Before the gods gave their challenge, there was a king who lived here in what is known as Europa's Descent. Unlike the wastes that it is now, it was a lush, plentiful land. When the gods challenged mortals to meet them, the king's lands stood as the most direct path to the city of the gods."

"Where Atlas Rests," completed Colin.

"Correct." The scientist stood turned towards the wall, hands crossed behind his back. "The king was defiant towards the gods, however. He refused to let anyone just treat his lands as a pit stop to someone greater. He didn't like being second place and he didn't like how his cities were being turned into a marketplace. So he enacted a barricade. No one was allowed to pass his lands.

"The gods then offered the man a challenge. Prove to the people that he was their equal that he had the right to stop people from accepting a challenge given to them and not to him alone."

Never one to find himself interested in lore before, Pete sat down next to the fire and said, "And how exactly was he supposed to do that?"

The man pointed at the ceiling. "The gods gave the man the Worship Form Crystal. The more worshipers the man got, the more people devoted themselves to him, the stronger he became. At the same time, the gods created the frozen moon above our heads, Europa. Everyone thought this was just to prove to the world that they were worthy of worship but the king was adamant and began pledging peace and prosperity to the people in exchange for their faith. Those that refused to kneel were tortured and tormented until they succumbed to his will.

"People began calling him the 'God King'."

Pete remained silent as the man explained that the gods merely laughed as the world began to rebel against the God King. Though the God King had a healthy amount of worshipers, he was far outnumbered and more people were praying to the true gods for a way to defeat him. Answering their prayers, the gods revealed Europa's true purpose. They shattered the face of the moon facing the God King's lands. Thousands upon thousands of fiery rocks descended from the skies and slammed hard into the earth. One enormous piece actually shattered the face of the earth and opened a portal into the underworld, letting loose demons and creatures of Hell in what was now known as the Thanatos Divide.

Suddenly assaulted from the southern kingdom, the demons of the Divide and from above the God King desperately tried to maintain his people but found himself slowly falling to superior numbers and powers. Desperate to maintain his hold on the world, the God King used what remained of his power to_freeze_ his lands. In his insane mind, he would maintain his powers as long as his worshipers existed and if they were frozen in a state of semi-consciousness, they would maintain his power.

"And that is how these lands became the frozen hell that it is now," explained the man, "despite the lush jungle just to the south known as the Emerald Eves and the fiery lands to the north of the Divide, Europa's Descent remained perpetually frozen because of the God King's power."

The man pointed at the wall. "The Wall of Worshipers is one of the man artefacts that the God King created to maintain his power. Hundreds of poor souls remain frozen in perpetual agony within it. And we will destroy it."

Pete leaned down towards Colin, surprised that even with the lion standing, he was still slightly taller. "Wow, Liberty4U put a lot of effort into this quest."

"Totally."

The man turned to the group. "So, we've got various equipment that will allow us to destroy the wall. We just need you to defend us from the homicidal, insane and possibly horny monsters that will be attracted to the noise."

Pete got up from where he sat and drew his crystal blade. "Okay! We're ready!"

"Great!" exclaimed the man. He pumped his fist into the air. "Come on boys, we've got a wall to bring down!"

The cave was suddenly busy with activity as the rest of the man's team began moving into position. Several members of their team carried large portable drills towards the wall while the rest took up position around them, holding up their hands and erecting a strong, defensive barrier. Pete found that he could easily slip from one side of the barrier to the other and guessed the monsters wouldn't be so lucky.

Alongside Tom, he took up position at the forefront of the line while Colin and Ian positioned themselves behind the barrier, ready to offer support.

"Ready?" asked the man.

"Ready!" the team cried in unison.

"Go!"

The sounds of the drills powerful up echoed loudly throughout the cave. This was followed by the deafening screech of hard tips grinding into the monstrous wall. Pete's grimaced at the sound. It was like nails on a chalkboard but amplified by a thousand. He widened his stance just to distract himself for a second from the noise.

A trumpeting roar cut through the screech of drills.

"That's not good..." whispered Tom, his halberds crackling with energy.

Through the flurry of snowflakes outside, he could make out several points of red light growing closer. He clutched his blade tightly as a long, feline face emerged from the blizzard, framing those blistering, red eyes. Smooth, white fur melded perfectly with the storm beneath the broad, muscular frame. Two massive fangs reminded Pete of a sabre-toothed tiger but the beasts were as big as a horses and built like tanks. They approached with silent steps despite their four legs rippling with chiselled muscles.

The leading creature let out a snarl and then... retreated a step. Its form shimmered, every fur on its body standing on end. The air rippled around its gargantuan shape like a heat wave. Light distorted and the creature's entire form vanished from sight. For a second, only its eyes remained hovering in mid-air and then they closed and were gone. One by one, each of the beasts vanished from sight.

"This is bad..." Pete muttered.

"Not really," Ian responded, waving his paws through the air. "Shatter Spell!"

Several orbs of light sprang from his paws and flew above them, shattering near the ceiling of the large cave. Thousands of tiny sparks descended from their glowing frames. Pete cast his gaze left and right, scanning the cave for...

The air distorted right in front of him as one of the sparks stopped in mid-air. The distortion grew, spreading across a large expanse and quickly peeling away the invisibility of the snow sabre tiger. There was a moment of shock in the creature's eyes as they sprang open and stared directly at Pete. Then, the beast snapped into action like a cobra, its body coiling and springing towards the stag lightning fast.

THWACK!

The tiger let out a loud snarling hiss as a fiery arrow slammed into its flank and sent it crashing to the ground. Pete threw a grin over his shoulder at Colin. He threw his head back and let out a challenging cry, instantly drawing the attention of all the beasts towards him. As their invisibility peeled away, the tigers grew more aggressive. They charged at Pete, claws and fangs flashing. The stag broke into a sprint, using his superior speed to quickly weave through the forest of white fur.

He gasped as one tiger managed to graze him but, as with everything in the Gam3, the pain was fleeting. He galloped around the broad cave, swinging his sword at the tigers whenever they drew close. Tom was still faster than him and the dragon came bolting out of nowhere, slamming right into a tiger with his electrified halberds cleaving through the creature's flesh. There was a loud poof and the creature was dealt with.

A tiger suddenly threw itself at the wall, speeding across the length of the icy surface for a good ten metres before immediately launching off! Pete spun and swung his blade, cleaving it cleanly in two.

Poof!

Pain exploded from his right flank. One of the beasts dug its fangs right into his flesh. There was no blood, of course but just the sight made him wince in pain. Another sensation suddenly occupied his left and he spun, fearing another attack. However, he caught sight of a golden blur and felt Colin's familiar legs around his waist.

"Eat this, motherfucker!" shouted Colin, his bow right between the tiger's eyes.

Thwack!

Poof!

Pete gave the lion a grin. Almost without thinking, he broke into a gallop all over the cave, just keeping his eyes solely on what was in front of him. Colin filled the air with his arrows, pinning the tigers down for Tom to zoom in and deliver the finishing blow.

His grin faded when he heard the tell-tale hiss of the Ice Serpents, one of Europa's Descent's most notorious creatures. More of the cloaking tigers joined the fray but his eyes and ears were desperately roving for the single, red scale that would betray a Serpent's position. From the corner of his eye, he spied the faintest sliver of red hovering beside Ian's head.

"Colin! Right there!" he cried, pointing.

Colin spun and fired.

TWHACK!

Ian froze as the air shimmered right beside his head and an enormous, seventy-foot long snake dropped to the ground beside him. The creature, thick as man, writhed and thrashed before exploding in a puff of cartoonish smoke.

"Tom! Take to the air!" Pete shouted. "None of these bastards can fly! Fry them all!"

Tom instantly flapped his wings and broke into a charge. A second later, he was soaring within the cave. The dragon opened his maw, a carpet of flames pouring out between his fangs and covering the cave floor. The air shimmered over the uncloaked tigers and even the permanently invisible Ice Serpents were slowly cooked, hissing loudly under the wash of the flames.

"There!" cried the man behind them. "We're almost..." His excitement suddenly fell. "Oh no... Oh no... No!"

Pete had enough time to turn -

CRASH!

The world was suddenly bathed in white light. A powerful force swept him right off his feet, slamming hard into his chest and knocking the wind right out of his lungs. The floor was ripped right out from beneath him and -

WHAM!

He found the cold, hard wall strike his back all too painfully.

Through the blurred images of his returning vision, he could see dozens of figures somehow remaining standing. Inch by inch, he slipped down the wall and with each inch, his vision returned. The white light did not come from an explosion. It came from a shimmering orb that hovered where the broken Wall of Worshipers now stood. Those standing figures were the dazed, horror struck features of the Worshipers gazing blankly at the light. All around them lay the unconscious forms of the digging team and even some of the monsters.

Pete flinched when one of the worshipers shuffled past him with arms outstretched like a zombie.

"Stop them!" cried the man. "Stop them from reaching the light!"

Pete acted out of instinct and seized the Worshiper with his bare hands. He gave the creature a single tug and threw it to the ground. The undead creature exploded in a puff of smoke. His eyes flicked towards the glowing light... just in time to see a tentacle lash out and seize the nearest Worshiper to it. The tentacle greedily pulled the Worshiper into the light.

"It's growing stronger!" screamed the man. "Stop it from getting more bodies! Stop it from - urk!" A tentacle seized the man around the throat. His desperate cries of help carried all the way through the cavern even as he was pulled into the light and silenced.

"What the fuck is this shit!?" Colin cried, leaping to his feet. "Is this part of the quest!?"

Pete shook his head, about to reply when another figure crossed his path. He seized the man's wrist but froze when it realised it was not pale, human, blue and half frozen. It was brown, furry and connected to a small, lean form.

"The God King didn't survive that day," Tzzird said, the otter retrieving his enlarged daggers. "According to legend, he was so desperate to maintain his power that he split himself up. Each fragment desperately clings onto what little power he has. That right there..." The otter nodded towards the shimmering orb of light. "That's a fragment."

Pete immediately let go of the Shapeshifter but before he could protest, Ian spoke up.

"What are you doing here!?"

The otter smirked at the taller panther. "What? I can't save my little brother?"

Little brother?

"I'm one minute younger than you!"

They were twins!?

"And that minute is all that makes the difference, isn't it?" Tzzird said, readying himself for battle. "Come on! This thing is a bitch to take down even with a full party!" He hiked his chin at Colin. "You, dropout, use your bow and keep those bastards as far away from the Remnant as possible. Dragon-boy! Burn anything that looks blue, frozen and like a zombie!" He locked gazes with Pete. "You're with me, Bambi."

"And what the hell am I supposed to do?" snapped Ian.

"Keep us healed! That bastard hits hard and we cannot stop hitting it! It's got one hell of a regeneration rate and it doubles every time it consumed a body!" The otter suddenly spun around and, lightning fast, he was slicing through a dozen other Worshipers with ease. "And these bastards do _not_stop respawning!"

Pete instantly pushed himself to his feet and charged after Tzzird. He instantly activated Bloodbath Blade, running a hand along the length of his crystal sword. He threw his head back and let out a cry, drawing the attention of the undead around him. Pete stamped his foot and charged forward, the air whipping around him. He cleaved right through the ranks of the undead and slammed right into the glowing orb of light, his sword crashing against the orb.

WHAM!

He was instantly thrown back several feet but strangely without any damage or pain.

WHAM!

Tzzird sliced at the orb and was similarly thrown back. Even with his beefed up statistics, the orb remained standing.

"It'll just keep throwing you back with each hit," the otter said. "Got any multi-hit moves on you?"

Pete nodded and charged forward swinging his blade around in a wide circle. His body became a whirlwind of movement as he instantly closed in on the orb and began pounding it hard with his blade. The moment he stopped spinning, he was hurled back.

The otter took up the attack, dashing forward and vanishing momentarily from sight. He reappeared behind the orb before slicing cleanly through it. Again, he was blasted forward but the damage was done.

The orb shuddered... and let out an almost relieved sigh. With a sound like shattering glass, the orb exploded into a flash of brilliant light, spilling all across the cave. The Worshipers moaned loudly before they collapsed to the ground, dead as they were meant to be. Pete grimaced as he was forced to turn away from the light. Even raising his hands to block the blinding brightness did nothing. It was like the light was spilling right into his retinas.

The glare did not last long. Moments later, the cave was utterly empty with only a few Form Crystals hovering in front of them, suspended magically. Tzzird strode forward and swiped them from where they stood. Pete made to intercept him but froze when the otter threw him one of the FCs.

"You'll probably need this."

Pete regarded the FC. It was an Ability FC; 'Bolt Horn'

"Whu...?" he said, utterly puzzled.

Tzzird strode past the stag and threw another FC straight at Tom. The green crystal slammed right into the dragon's forehead, stunning him long enough for Tom to stagger in midair and make a hasty landing. The Shapeshifter flicked Colin an FC of his own before striding up to Ian and holding out the last one.

Ian growled at him and knocked the FC away. "I don't need your help! And I _certainly_don't want the FC got by breaking into _our_quest!"

"Ian..." the otter looked sympathetic.

"Shut it, Trevor!" Ian got to his feet. "I don't want anything to do with you!" He quickly brought up his menu. Before anyone could stop him, he had left the Quest, vanishing in a flurry of lights.

Tzzird's shoulders visibly sagged. "Fuck..."

It was strange but the Shapeshifter actually seemed... _human_and normal while he stood there, looking like he had just been rejected. Tzzird's eyes quickly flicked to his right where Tom stood. The dragon instantly held up his hands, indicating surrender. "What do you want?"

"Little brother trouble, huh?" Tom offered meekly. "I know. _My_little brother was one of your cronies and he attacked us. Plus, now my best friend is fucking him. What's your deal?"

The otter snarled but despite this, he said, "He likes to remain as independent as possible. I try to remind him that it's not bad to ask for help."

"And you're a Shapeshifter because you only want to give him all the nice things?"

Tzzird flashed him a foul stare. "I'm a Shapeshifter because it's fun. I give him nice things because he's my little brother." The otter opened his menu. "Don't think that this makes us buddies or anything. I only helped because you idiots decided to take a hard Liberty4U quest when you're clearly not ready. Take it from me, those quests are for those level 50 and up."

"How would you know?" snarled Pete. "Not like you're restricted to levels."

The otter gave him a bitter stare. "You really think we'd be stupid enough to walk around at level 99 all the time. Go ahead. Scan me. Check out what my level is."

Feeling somewhat defiant, Pete's curiosity overwhelmed him in the end and he quickly examined the otter. He was surprised to find Tzzird at an even level 67. "Did you actually get those levels fairly?"

Folding his arms, the otter said, "People join the Shapeshifters for various reasons but after a certain level, progress becomes slow. I got bored. I wanted to get something else out of the Gam3." Tzzird's eyes flicked off to the distance. "Then Ian jumped in..." He sighed and ran a paw down his face. "Look, I don't know what your relationship is with him but I want... no... I'm asking you to please look after him. He's hard headed and stubborn. I worry..."

"Do you really think we owe you anything?" Pete snapped. Before Tzzird could reply, Pete held up his hands. "But we'll do it."

"We will?" Colin blurted.

Pete smirked. "Yeah. I mean if we have the brother of a Shapeshifter beside us, we won't get hit, right?"

Tzzird's eyes flashed and he actually lifted his dagger... but then froze. A smirk crossed his features and carefully sheathed his dagger. "Okay... I'll keep the Shapeshifters off your back if you keep Ian safe. And... try not to get him to use too many Chaos Drives?"

"Because it'll change him in reality?"

Tzzird's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. "Wait... You guys too?"

Pete's brow furrowed. "Yeah... us too. Why?"

The otter turned his gaze away, rubbing his chin. "Listen... Where do you guys live?"

Colin snarled at him, tail thrashing violently. "Like we'd give you our home addresses!"

"Fine, fine!" Tzzird said, waving his paws. "Look... I need to show you guys something... and it can only be done in person and in the real world. Is there some place we can meet?"

This was an MMORPG. The chances of Tzzird being even in the same _state_was slim. Still, Pete detected a degree of honesty from the otter. Maybe it was the otter's pheromones or something but he felt he could trust Tzzird.

"The Last Angel," he said. "Do you know where that is?"

Tzzird's eyes widened. "Yes! Yes! I live in the same city! Perfect! Meet me there in an hour. Real world time. I've got to make preparations."

The otter was suddenly gone, leaving Pete exchanging glances with the others in puzzlement.

What could the Shapeshifter need to show them in real life? None of them felt threatened. Though the otter was strong in the world of the Gam3, in real life he didn't have supernatural speed or all of the abilities that he sported. What was the harm, right? Then again, they knew of four Shapeshifters... and if only the three of them went, they would still be outnumbered... maybe.

Pete decided to call Ed to the meeting as well.

He would want to hear this as well.

*****

Exactly an hour later, Pete, Tom, Colin and Ed stood at the base of The Last Angel, regarding the statue with a degree of awe. Even Colin who rarely frequented the park was silent in reverence.

"Though the light may fade, thought the shadows may lengthen and though all hope may be lost..." intoned Pete.

"Someone, somewhere, somehow will always be the final bastion against all fear, malice and misfortune," continued Tom, eyes cast upon the breathtaking features of the Angel.

"Our hero. Our Saviour. Our last chance," Ed said, giving the statue a reaffirming nod. The winds suddenly picked up, whipping his scarf around behind him and causing the flaps of his coat to flutter behind him. He kept his hands in the pockets to keep the coat as far closed as possible.

"They will be our Last Angel," concluded Colin. He let out a sigh followed by a shiver. "That always gets me." He turned to Tom with a cheeky smile. "Say, when do we get to meet your boyfriend? I thought we'd see him here."

Tom blushed and scratched his cheek absently. "Well... He's still a little shy. I'll drag him out here eventually. Wilbur -"

"Wilbur?" another voice interrupted.

The four turned around. Pete recognised that voice. It belonged to Tzzird. Part of him was somewhat surprised that the Shapeshifter decided to approach them in real life dressed in a deep, black hoodie and completely covered up. Though the mystery of it all was broken with the addition of what looked like an otter tail springing from the rather short guy's back.

"That's your preparations?" laughed Pete, pointing at the tail. "You actually go out with a tail? I mean, nothing against furs and all but, dude..."

Tzzird shook his head, ignoring Pete's jibes and looking straight at Tom. "Wilbur? Wait... Is he the wolf that we saw beside you that time in the Event?"

"Yeah..." Tom answered. "Why? Do you know him?"

Tzzird snorted. "Yeah. He was a Shapeshifter. Used to be this crazy, horse. Had a fiery mane and everything."

"That's not true!" Tom exclaimed instantly. "He would never -"

Even Pete saw the fallacy Tom's protests. How did Wilbur get all those rare FCs? How did Wilbur know about all the secrets of the Instances? How did he get so powerful? Why did he suddenly abandon his adventuring nature? The answers were not obvious... but they needed to be heard.

Seeing his best friend's breaking heart, Pete sought to change the subject. "Now why did you call us here?"

Tzzird sighed and reached for his hoodie. "Look... You've used Chaos Drives before, right? More than once a day? Have you guys noticed that things... _change_around you when you do?" Before anyone could answer, Tzzird pulled his hood down.

Pete's jaw dropped.

What stared at him was not the features of a human but the soft, rather adorable features of a Lutrinae. This was no fursuit. The fur waved and flowed with every brush of the winds and as Tzzird closed his eyes, Pete became increasingly convinced that every aspect of the face was purely organic.

"If you use too much, this starts to happen," said Tzzird, his lips moving perfectly. "The consequences in game for using too many Chaos Drives is that your FCs get locked to your FG. They cannot be removed. Try as you might, they won't move. You might be able to change your abilities and add some extra features but after you use enough Drives... your Core FC gets locked in. You'll never be able to remove it... and then outside of the Gam3... This happens..."

Slowly, Tzzird reached for the rims of his hoodie... and began pulling it over his head, taking his shirt with him. Pete's jaw dropped and could've hit the floor when he saw soft, brown and white fur over a chiselled, athletic body.

"The Shapeshifters were formed to find a way to undo this," said Tzzird, holding his clothes tightly against his body. "Well... That was what we originally wanted. Some members just went wild and loved the power, loved the change. They loved how the real world was changing... But I joined to find some way to undo this and to steal people's FCs so that they don't change." He offered them all a meek smile. "Can't change without a Core, after all."

That was right... without a Core FC, no matter what transformations or abilities were imbued into the Form Grid, they would take no physical change. Even if they used Chaos Drives like crazy, there would be no outward change...

"Hell of a way to go about protecting the players," muttered Colin bitterly. "You attack us and practically make us use Chaos Drives in the process of defending ourselves. Why not just post it on the forums or something?"

"Because anyone that does try disappears," countered Tzzird. "We don't know what happens to them. The just..." He made an exploding gesture with his gloved hands. "Poof... Gone..."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," answered Tzzird gravely. "When Ian started playing the Gam3, I started to worry. I told him to stop and when I showed him the consequences, he called me a freak and..." Tzzird shook his head. "Look, just... please. Take care of him. I don't expect you to understand..."

Suddenly, Ed's scarf fell to the ground. Pete regarded his rich friend curiously especially as Ed began to unbutton his coat.

"I know exactly what you're going through."

Pete's eyes widened as Ed peeled off his coat... and let it drop to the ground. He wasn't wearing a shirt beneath it. Not that he needed to because his strong, chiselled chest was covered in white and orange striped fur.

Ed offered Tzzird a meek smile. "I'm in the same boat."