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Chapter I

Shellington

"98...99...100..."

Jacob Reaper took a deep breath...

"101...102...103..."

He grunted loudly, missing his 104th count as his muscles strained to pull his 300 pound weight towards the ceiling against the natural pull of gravity. The ceiling-mounted handle bars didn't give him much room for mobility and it was either he pushed his bulky chest up against the ceiling or bumped his sweat soaked brow against the poster of Chadstone West depicted in his latest movie, Crimson Moon. It was no coincidence that every time Jacob performed a pull up, his lips came close to the gentle scowl that made the character Chadstone played so adorable.

A knock came to his room door.

"Come... 120... in!" he grunted.

His door slowly opened and Isaac Reaper, poked his head in. The 45 year old lupine and father to Jacob smiled and licked his lips seeing his shirtless son performing his 121st pull up.

"Son, you're going to drive your old man to an early grave if you keep working out like that," Isaac said, pushing the door completely open. His greying muzzle broke into a lewd smile and he ran a paw through pushing it back save for the grey forelock that constantly flicked back to settle on his brow in defiance. There was no shame in his stance or the raging boner that he was sporting beneath his slacks.

Jacob didn't respond until his 140th pull up. Arms screaming and back and chest muscles stiff in agony, he finally lowered himself to the ground, dropping a whole foot onto a thick mat beneath him. Panting, his jet-black fur that he had inherited from his father and the thick heart-shaped crest of golden-blonde chest fur were soaked in sweat and carried his musky scent throughout the room, Jacob gave his father a soft grin and reached for his towel. Isaac plucked it off the ground and handed it to him as well as handing him the protein shake that Jacob had already half-drained.

"You've got a new job," Isaac said, also offering a letter with the towel. "It looks like it's to Pollenburn."

Ignoring the fact that his father had opened his mail, Jacob regarded the contents of the letter. "Looks like an internal job. Just pick up something from someone called 'Caroline Boswin' and bring it to someone else I'm meant to meet at a graveyard." He offered his father a lopsided grin. "Spooky."

Despite the brave smile that he wore, Isaac's eyes revealed the deep worry that he held in reserve. "Pollenburn is just about two days drive from here. Faster if you take a plane."

Jacob moved towards a whiteboard he had plastered on the wall of his room, weaving through the various workout equipment he had littered on the floor. As he passed the rack of training weapons he drank the rest of his protein shake and set the bottle aside. The whiteboard had five columns; train, foot, plane, car and sea. Beneath each column were several strokes. He ran a clawed finger over the strokes, counting them each while he licked his muzzle of the strawberry flavoured protein shake.

"I took plane last time. I sure as hell aren't going to go by foot. That leaves car or train..."

"Take the train," his father insisted. "A lot can happen between here and Pollenburn."

Jacob glanced over his shoulder at his father. There was a brief instant where his father's persistent smile had vanished but it was a fleeting moment. The second his father saw him turning, that smile came back.

Deciding not to comment on it, Jacob said, "Sounds like a plan. I won't be gone too long. Three days max."

"I'll still miss you, Jake."

Jacob wiped the sweat from his brow and nape before moving towards his slimmer, smaller father. He wrapped his arms around his dad's form, his big arms all but consuming Isaac. Isaac returned the gesture, resting his head against his son's chest. "I'll miss you too dad." He then pulled away from Isaac and smiled. "But like I said. Three days max."

Suddenly a forgotten memory sprang into mind. "Speaking of Max, he asked me to meet him at Artillery Park today. I'll just get cleaned up and then I'll head off."

Isaac asked, "Mind if I join you?"

"'course not."

Jacob led the way through their three bedroom house. A pang of loneliness hit him as he passed the bedroom next to his which had the word 'Rex' nailed to its surface using big, red, wooden letters. He turned away from the door but found himself staring at the photograph on a small hallway table showing his mother and father beaming brightly at their wedding. The photograph right next to it was of his mother standing in the icy city of Ullen in full combat armour.

Thankfully, the master bathroom had a shower big enough for two and there was an indoor Jacuzzi not too far away from there. He then ducked inside to tear himself away from hallway and began taking off his workout shorts before he threw them aside, the dog tags wrapped around his wrist jingling softly with the gesture. His father similarly stripped down beside him. Reaching into the shower, Jacob switched on the water to the temperature that they both liked and stepped inside.

Isaac came in a moment later, his naked form looking like he was too small for his fur. Many said that Jacob had inherited his general fuzziness and fur colour from his father but his bulk from his mother. When his thick chest fur came in when he hit puberty, there was no doubt he was Isaac's son as his father had his own impressive patch of brown chest fur. His golden blonde hair came from his mother and so did his size. Isaac only stood at 5'8''. Jacob towered over him at about 6'10''. The house that Isaac had commissioned to be built just a little over years ago had to be constructed to suit someone of Jacob's height. He had planned for both his son and wife to be comfortable in the house.

But as the Reaper family learned, everything didn't always go as planned.

The dog tags wrapped around Jacob's wrist jingled softly as the shower waters hit them both. There were two showerheads mounted on either wall, ensuring that they were both comfortable and one wasn't left without water. He reached for wall-mounted fur shampoo dispenser, squirting a sizable amount for himself and began lather it between his big paws, grimacing lightly at the raw touch of it against the leathery pads on his palms. Since it was just after his morning workout, he was still quite sore and though he managed to rub the soap throughout his front body, reaching for his back was next to impossible.

Thankfully he had his father there.

He felt Isaac's paws gently rubbing shampoo through the mountainous ridges of his back, still pumped from the strenuous exercise that was demanded of a Worldrider. The top couriers of Mortaelis only demanded the fittest amongst their ranks. With Unsealed attacks increasing every day, delivering a simple package could be deadly. Worldriders needed to be skilled, fit and not rely on the power of Seals. Worldriders were stringent on the use of Seals as they believed it was a handicap not a tool. They held nothing against the Morataelis Organisation for Diplomacy and Defence or MODD that provided the Seals. It was just company policy.

It was a good thing Isaac had built the house to be without Seals. Power was supplied by an Ourobium generator that only ever needed replacing every decade in comparison to the infinite source provided by the Seal Generators all over the city. Hot water came through old fashioned heating instead of Seals that instantly created it. Air circulation relied on fresh air from the outdoors and the ancient technology of an air conditioner instead of having a Seal to regulate the air for them. Food was preserved in a refrigerator that did not use a Seal to keep food fresh.

Some people said that they were living primitively. Seals could've made their lives so much easier and financially cheaper. It was a sound argument but Isaac Reaper had his reasons and his son was not going to argue with on a house that he had paid for with his life savings. Really, the lifestyle suited Jacob just fine. He held nothing against using Seals and the Worldriders were okay with their use just as long as their employees were not entirely dependent onto one. Needless to say, after Jacob handed in his resume, he was hired on the spot.

Reaching down to scrub a bit lower, Isaac shamelessly reached around his son's rear, giving his firm buns a tight squeeze before gripping his son's sheath and balls.

"Dad..." Jacob warned.

"Come on," Isaac snickered softly. "You'll be gone for three days. Don't I get a going away present?"

Rolling his eyes, he turned towards his father and began scrubbing him down. "If I did that every time I left on a job, I'd never get a delivery done." He playfully splashed his dad's face with some soap, making Isaac splutter and stick out his tongue at him. "Besides, it's not your birthday or New Year's." He gripped his father's shoulder and turned him. "Come on, your turn."

Isaac didn't complain as his son scrubbed his back and lathered the shampoo into his fur. As Jacob's paws moved towards his father's waist, Isaac gripped his right wrist where the dog tags dangled. Both wolves paused, only the sound of running water filling the broad bathroom. It seemed like an eternity the time they spent just standing there. The chain of the dog tags was starting to burn his flesh in more ways than just the heat from waters transferring to the metal.

"I miss her too," Jacob murmured softly.

"I miss being a family," Isaac responded. A long, ragged sigh escaped his muzzle before he abruptly switched off his side of the shower. "And that's probably a good enough reason for you to get out of the house."

"Come again?" Jacob asked, switching off the shower entirely as he watched his father step out and shake off the water.

"You're a constant reminder of what I can no longer have." Isaac wasn't looking at him. "Doesn't help that you remind me so much of your mother." Then he spun around, displaying a big, broad grin but a clearly strained one his features. "So three days without you will remind me of my life as a bachelor! Maybe I might even meet some pretty gal at the local bar!"

A soft chuckle left Jacob as he shook and grabbed a towel. "If I come back and find the house in a mess or you in bed with a woman, I'm moving out."

"And what if it's a man?" Isaac countered with one eyebrow raised coyly.

"I'd ask where's the lube."

A good thirty minutes later, he was dressed in a black leather jacket with a white cloth hoodie attachment and thick pants that had the multitude of pockets of cargo pants but the fabric of denim. He waved goodbye to his father before heading out of their single storey house in the suburbs of Shellington, a quiet little locale called Crosstown. Isaac blew him a kiss, his mood genuinely improving as he no doubt began planning what sort of shenanigans he could get up to while his son who was also acted as his legal guardian and occasional bed partner was off running an errand.

The house was far from the city proper but the only house in the suburb to be 'off the grid'. Looking at the skyline of Shellington, beams of light pierced the grey morning sprouted from the various Seal Generators that supplies limitless energy to the entire city. The beams were actually excess energy given off by the Generators. It was possible to tell a city's power supply based on how tall the beams were. Every step he took caused a soft flurry of glittering grey dust as the Seals embedded into the very concrete prevented damage to their structure. Seals came to life on the neighbour's yard, green symbols and emblems appearing across the grassy lawn to ensure that each blade of grass was at exactly the same height, the perfect shade of green and well-nourished for the day ahead. Cars powered by Seals zoomed by, emitting a soft, bluish-white gaseous trail behind them as they hovered off Seal-infused roads.

Jacob reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and fished out a pair of silver wraparound sunglasses and slipped them on. A slight tap on the frame caused letters to start springing up in front of his eyes, hidden by the reflective glass.

'Welcome back, Revenant.'

While he waited in front of a bus stop with a few others, his sunglasses began detailing the mission ahead after displaying the emblem of the Worldriders - an eagle wrapping its wings around a globe of Mortaelis. The pay was rather incredible for such a small mission and it had a flexible deadline. Two weeks from pick up. There were no restrictions and the total distance from pick up to drop off was just two hours. For the half a million credits being offered, Jacob would've usually had to have gone halfway around the world to deliver the package. Standard rate for that amount for other Worldriders was likely a squad of four or five and perhaps two or three countries away.

Naturally, his supervisors advised discretion and big warning labels were being displayed. Worldriders insisted on all dangers to be made known to them upon creation of a contract and that the client, this Caroline Boswin, did not provide any set off a lot of warning signals. Intelligence gathering led to nothing suspicious and Jacob was inclined to agree with the assessment that Boswin just wanted to desperately get rid of the package.

'Caution is advised,' the report read.

Jacob gave a brief nod, acknowledging the statement and accepting the contract. The bus arrived a short while later and he stepped on. Other passengers ahead of him could simply swipe their hands or paws over the reader, special Seals embedded into their very flesh governing funds. He had to use an old credit card to swipe and the bus driver gave him a suspicious look. But when he turned and the man saw the Worldrider emblem on his shoulder, he nodded and gave him a broad grin and a tip of the hat. He returned the gesture and sat down at the middle of the bus.

Two stops down, a woman decided to sit right next to him and she eyed his jacket with wide eyes. A cow, the bovine blushed when he caught her stare.

"Oh I'm sorry!" she gushed. "I didn't mean to stare! It's just that... are... are you really a Worldrider?"

He smiled at her. "Yes ma'am."

She placed her hands on her lips. "My daughter wants to join. She's only fourteen but bless her soul, she wants to travel."

"Well ma'am, I wouldn't recommend it." Her face fell. "If your daughter just wants to travel, she should be a pilot. Don't be like me. Being a Worldrider means you'd often have to go into dangerous territory, into the middle of war zones, possibly get attacked by Unsealed, Clan members, Tribals and maybe even go into places where no sane person is really meant to go." He glanced at the dog tags around his wrist. "Trust me. Some things aren't worth delivering."

She fell silent after that.

Thankfully, his stop was only another fifteen minutes away.

Shellington got its name from the various craters caused by bombshells and artillery fire that had devastated the city during the Great Seal War. The city hadn't been completely devastated by the War so when it was over, people moved back into the ruins and rebuilt. Most of caters had been paved over but others were left there as a memorial of those horrific years. That meant places like Artillery Park still bore those scars even if they were now filled with water or overgrown with lush grass and trees.

The morning's air was crisp and fresh and brushed through Jacob's cheek ruffs as he stepped on the red brick pathway that curled around the enormous lake that used to be a crater. There were a few runners doing their rounds and a couple had taken a paddleboat - powered by a Seal, of course - into the waters. Jacob found his usual bench and sat down, sliding his tail between the wooden planks comfortably.

His best friend, Maximillian Lionhart, arrived just a few minutes later, wearing the white trench coat of one of MODD's elite soldiers, a member of the Special Weapons and Operational Research Division or SWORD. Max, a bulk, bronze scaled dragon, sat beside him, his heavyset frame causing the bench to groan. Luckily, the Seals infused within the bench immediately reinforced the wood, ensuring that it wouldn't break. Despite possessing a thick belly, Max was still an intimidating figure with his muscular arms and even thicker legs. There was no doubt about his strength with the strong, square pectorals that strained the black shirt beneath his coat. Across his back he wore his favoured weapon, an enormous mobile cannon armed with a big, jagged blade on the underside of the barrel for short ranged combat. As a member of SWORD, he was permitted to customise his gun and he had painted a big dragon's head on the side belching flames towards the cannon's muzzle. The word 'Eden' was emblazoned on the side.

"You're wearing your Worldrider jacket," Max observed, grinning, his brown eyes glimmering. The faint moisture of the morning got caused the light dusting of a beard around his muzzle to glisten. Despite his brutish appearance, his features were quite comforting and friendly even with the scar that cut through his right eyebrow. "On a mission?"

Jacob nodded. "Heading over to Pollenburn for a client. You?"

Max waved his big hands through the air absently. "Eh, escorting something or another down to Welensha for Rocky Groundwater to take off our hands and transport of Hox. MODD is keeping it all hush-hush but what else is new?" He grinned and reached into the pocket of his jacket. A trading card was produced and he handed it to Jacob. "Check it out! First ones came out today!"

On the card, Max was shown hefting _Eden_as he usually did, using both hands to grip the enormous seven foot long gun by his side and ready to fire. It was composed to make sure he looked the most intimidating.

"Congrats man," Jacob said. "You've been in SWORD how long and you only get your own trading card now?"

Max snorted and gave him a playful punch. "Asshole." He nodded at the card. "Keep that though. It'll be worth a shit tonne of cash soon."

"What? You couldn't spring for a shiny?" Jacob laughed and held up his paws as Max jokingly threatened to give him another punch. "Still though, dude. Congratulations. Few more years, you might even make Elemental Lord."

Max's features lost their mirth. "Have you heard from Rex?"

Jacob tucked the card into his wallet. As he did so, he caught sight of one of the last remaining photographs of his family as a whole. Himself, his mother, father and his older brother all staring at some camera smiling. He immediately shut it and tucked it back into his pocket. "Nope. He's a busy guy. Last I heard, he was getting a movie made about him and he was dating some supermodel. Tabloids keep saying that it's all to hide the fact that he was allegedly caught spending the night with that football player, what was his name?"

"Devlin Rooks," Max supplied, frowning deeply. "Seriously? He hasn't called? Didn't even come home when your dad when off his rocker and you had to pick him up from the mental hospital?" The dragon threw his hands up into the air. "I don't care if he's a fucking Elemental Lord, Jake, a decent guy would have at least shared responsibility. Fuck! You've been reduced to being a part-time Worldrider! You don't get to have as many 'adventures' as you used to! No more stories!"

He gave Max a strained smile, suddenly feeling so much like his father. "I still get experience different stories. I'm going to Pollenburn today, aren't I?" Max gave him an exasperated look, causing him to wince and turn away. "Look, Rex has his reasons. He and dad never got along that well. Dad never really trusted Seals all that much. Rex wanted to be an Elemental Lord. The two just... didn't mix."

"But your dad..."

"I love my dad," Jacob answered, patting his knees lightly and getting up. "It's why I moved back in with him. To make sure he doesn't flip out again. Still..." He gave Max a soft, pleading smile. "Check up on him while I'm gone, okay? I should only be gone two or three days."

Max nodded and got up as well. "I'll be in Welensha for most of today but I'll be sure to give him a call at least three times a day just to make sure things are okay. I'll probably be back the same time as you."

"Thanks Max." Jacob gave his slightly shorter friend a hug. "I appreciate it."

"I know how you Worldriders are. No contact while on a mission." He pulled away and grinned. "You know, what? Just because Rex is the one getting a theatrical production made about him, doesn't mean he's half the man you are."

"I'll say. He's shorter."

******

The 10:15 AM to Pollenburn left on time and was expected to arrive in another twelve hours. Jacob spent a good fifteen minutes using the free internet connection provided by the Worldrider service in his sunglasses to quickly make a hotel booking in Pollenburn. Using the contact details provided, he also contacted Caroline Boswin. He would be at her doorstep to pick up the package at 10 AM in the morning. She responded using the Worldrider's provided email. Discretion was one of the courier service's mode popular add-ons.

Once he was done, he sent an email to his father just to make sure that he was alright and got a reply back almost instantly. Isaac asked for the password to the baking supplies. Jacob refused to give it. His father's uncanny ability to turn any baking project into a weapon of mass destruction was evidence enough. The email chain ended with a simple 'I miss you already' from both parties before Jacob tore off his sunglasses and pocketed them.

He leaned against the train's windowsill, peering idly out into the lush, open plains of central Rillotia countryside. Farmlands and pockets of forests dotted the area with the fresh green of spring just starting to come in. Snow still decked the higher elevations like the distant mountains and there was a cold patch that they passed as the train swept through one mountain range but warmer climates would make short work of that as they travelled further south. Off in the distance, he could see the beams of light that marked the various Seal Generators across the land. That usually marked centres of civilisation or major pieces of infrastructure. He almost wished that he was travelling at night so that he could see the night sky pierced by these lances of energy. It was hard to see them near the city due to light pollution and there just wasn't that majesty of the scene when the beams were covered by concrete and glass towers.

A soft growling alerted him to the need of sustenance. He got up from his private compartment and navigated past the small table in-between the two seats. There was a micro Virtual Battle Simulator set up on the table, or a microVBSim. The simple twelve-by-twelve square board simulated the real life Virtual Battle Sims which took place in gargantuan arenas specifically built for the brutal sport that involved using a variety of weaponry and environments in specific scenarios. He recalled that recently, mircoVBSims had been integrated with MODD trading cards allowing players to swipe their cards and bring up digital copies of those on the card.

"I wonder how Max would do against the rest of the world," he chuckled softly.

Remembering his hunger, he headed out of the compartment and into the vast body of the train. A whole two floors beneath him was the glass floor held together thanks to powerful Seals that gave a stunning view of the mountain range that they passed. Two floors above, the train's structure tapered to a spine that was connected to the Seal-infused tracks. Some questioned that stability of a train that travelled at high speeds and dangled from a single line but so far, with the power of Seals, there had been no accidents.

Jacob walked down the sidewalks crisscrossing the various levels. A flight of stairs allowed him to drop down to the floor beneath where all the eateries were. The floor beneath that was reserved for shopping for merchandise. He vaguely considered getting his dad something but train souvenirs were always terrible and cheap.

The first thing in sight was a café. It was as good a place as any to have a bite. The fast food restaurant right next door was also a cheaper option but he had gorged himself on a large pizza the previous night and figured he needed to at least try to be healthy. He strode into the café which had a nice all day breakfast menu. Considering his trip would still take about another eleven hours, a hearty meal would help lull him into some sleep to pass the time. The counter was relatively empty as most people were had taken to the booths. Once he took one of the stools, a waitress was there for him, chewing her gum loudly.

"What can I getcha?" the lynx asked, placing a paw against her hip while idly dangling the tablet in her other.

"I'll get the Big Breakfast," he responded.

"Anythin' ta drink, hon?"

"Hot chocolate with some whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon, some brown sugar stirred in and a shot of whiskey."

The waitress gave him a suspicious stare but she didn't say a word as she wrote down his bizarre order and headed elsewhere to take more orders.

"A shot of whiskey?"

Jacob flicked his ear to the vixen that had suddenly taken up the stool beside him. In his line of work, it helped to be aware of his surroundings but he still hadn't detected her. It also paid not to show surprise and his faint flick was the only sign he gave that she had caught him off guard. He smiled and turned his sapphire blue eyes in her direction.

"My mom used to call it the 'night-night cocoa'."

She lifted her gaze, bright, green eyes filled with mirth despite the severity that exuded from her suit, tie and the tight bun that her brown hair had been tied into. Two metal poles pierced her bun to keep it together in a very Valenese style. "Your mother used to give you whiskey to get you to go to sleep?"

"Up until I was fourteen," he responded with a faint grin.

The waitress came by again and the vixen lifted her paw to catch her attention. "Just a pumpkin latte please." Once the waitress was gone, the Jacob's neighbour turned back to him. "How'd you get to sleep after that?"

"I discovered masturbation."

Taken aback, the vixen blinked at him several times... before letting out soft, musical laugh. "You're very forward, aren't you?"

He turned his gaze away from her and eyed the chef making the meals through the small opening into the kitchen. The burly bear's big arms were glowing with the runes of a Seal, ensuring that he was not burned or that none of his fur dropped onto the food. "Is there any other way to be?" he answered. "I can't be backward and being sideward is just awkward."

"Clever," she admitted. "You have quite the sharp mind for a man who looks like he works out every day of the week."

Leaning one arm against the counter, he turned towards her in such a way that his bicep was being shown. "What? A buff guy can't be a total nerd? Do I get points if I mention that I was considering using 'orc-ward' instead of 'awkward'?"

She waggled a finger at him. "That would have just driven me running to the other side of the train." She turned that finger into an offered paw. "My name is Joanna, by the way. Joanna Swan."

"Jacob," he answered, taking her paw. She had a firm shake. Beneath the suit, he could see that she cut quite the athletic figure.

"Don't I get a surname?" she asked as they pulled their paws away.

"Sorry, no. Worldriders don't give out their surnames."

Her eyebrows rose and so did her voice. "You're a Worldrider?" He gave her a pointed look. The emblem of the Worldriders was mounted on the shoulder of his jacket right in front of her face. She met her gaze for one second before turning away with a smile. "I'm sorry. I hope I haven't insulted you."

Their drinks arrived and Jacob pulled his hot chocolate towards himself. The smell of cinnamon drowned out the faint kick of alcohol and if done right, he would barely taste it. He dropped the two marshmallows offered into the brew and watched them slowly sink into the folds of the whipped cream. "You're fine. I didn't take you for some dumb bimbo who wiggled her boobs and shook her hips to climb the corporate ladder."

"Oh?" she challenged. "And what makes you say that?"

"You've got a strong paw shake," he answered, taking a sip from his hot chocolate. They used a strong whiskey and he could taste it despite the cinnamon, hot chocolate and cream. It wasn't overpowering but still a little off-putting. He set down the mug, keeping his eyes away from Joanna. "The pads on our paws are also thick leading me to believe you're used to handling something heavy. Your claws also aren't manicured. They're grown, sharp. You're perfume is strong. Really strong and no matter how much you want to hide it, I can see the sweat stains beneath your suit. My guess, you just recently got out of the gym and are trying to hide the stink."

Only then did he meet her gaze. "Am I close?"

Her lips curled upwards in a faint smile. "You also forgot to mention that I'm not wearing any makeup, my fur is all frazzled and I am sweating a storm beneath this suit." She undid her tie. "You don't mind?"

"Free country," he responded, draining half of his drink just as his meal arrived; two eggs scrambled, two hearty sausages, a beef patty, a helping of hash browns and some grilled tomatoes and mushrooms swimming in butter. He dug in as the waitress set the bill down beside him.

"Some would argue to the contrary," Joanna responded. "Apart from Minteroca, Rillotia is the one continent-slash-country that has been so heavily saturated by MODD, a _corporation,_that even the government is backing down to their demands. Save for a few independent countries to the north, MODD is everywhere governing everything with their monopoly over the Seals."

Through a mouthful of some rather dry eggs, Jacob said, "Please don't tell me you're from a competing company. Let me guess. Airline? Transportation? Pharmaceuticals?"

Joanna gave him a coy smile. "Environmental."

"Tough sale, Ms. Swan," he responded. He lifted an eyebrow at her. "It is Ms, right? No wedding band."

She reached for the top button of her shirt and undid it. Gently, she pulled out a silver chain with two rings hanging from it, both interlocked. "Formerly engaged so still technically Ms."

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"What makes you think it wasn't an amenable parting?" she answered, tucking the rings back.

The dog tags around his wrist jingled softly, feeling a little heavy. He lifted them to show her. "The fact that you still keep them around means that whatever those things mean to you, it's too important to just let it go. Too important to leave six feet underground." He went back to his meal though he continued. "MODD has the highest environmental rating of all other corporations. No carbon emissions. No radioactive by products. Rigorous testing on all products using the best simulations and hell, their Seals can even reforest places they've mowed down in days."

"So they can," she conceded. "But it doesn't mean that just because we can do something, we should. Just because we can pollute the planet, it doesn't mean we should. Just because we _can_tear down entire forests for paper or materials, ruining the habitants of the ferals that live within it doesn't mean we should."

In the softest whisper, Jacob said, "Just because you can kill me, it doesn't mean you should."

Joanna kept her smile even as Jacob lost his and continued to chew slowly. "Do go on," she said pleasantly.

He set down his fork but kept a tight grip on his knife even though it was a butterknife. "You're right. Only a few countries up north have any opposition to MODD. The likelihood of encountering a recruiter on a train for some competing company is next to nothing."

She bobbed her head from side to side, her tail swinging back and forth like she was enjoying their little game. "Next to nothing but not impossible."

"True that. But add to the fact that you're sweating, that suit barely fits you and you're not wearing any makeup leads me to suggest either you're a business woman who doesn't care about her looks or..." His eyes narrowed at her and he dropped his voice to a whisper. "You're an Unsealed."

Still smiling, she gave him an idle shrug. "But wouldn't the chances of meeting a rebel at the heart of MODD's Rillotian empire be just as unlikely as meeting a sloppy business woman and her fool's errand?"

"If that didn't just confirm my suspicions then I don't know what will," he growled softly. "What do you want?" His fist tightened around his knife. "I'm just a courier."

"But a smart one," she countered, leaning in close to whisper in his ear. She was just about as tall as he was. "Worldriders are good. They have high moral standards. Get the package delivered but not at the cost of their lives or anyone else's. You know what I can do and you know that I could kill everyone on this train if I wanted. The only thing stopping me is you."

"Why me?" he hissed back.

"Because of what you're carrying."

Her words were not making any sense. "I'm not carrying anything. I'm going to pick up something."

The lynx waitress came by again and Joanna pulled away, leaning back against the counter like she was just making idle conversation with Jacob instead of threatening him. She rubbed her chin theatrically and the moment the waitress was gone, she said, "So you're picking up a delivery? Well, that makes things more complicated. Perhaps you're just the middle man. Interesting." Jerking her chin at his food, she said, "Get up. We're going to your compartment."

He didn't bother playing games and downed the rest of his hot chocolate even though it scalded his throat. When he reached for his wallet, Joanna threw a nice, big hundred credits on the table and turned to leave.

"At least she paid..." he grumbled and followed her quietly out of the café. Forced to lead, he headed back up the stairs to his compartment where he sat himself down in his seat.

She occupied the seat opposite to him and regarded the microVBSim board in front of them. "Do you play?" she asked gesturing at the board.

"No," he lied. "My dad loved the game but my mom was more into football. The two of them met when the football team and the VBS team started a competition at their high school. My mom used to call it 'Virtual Bullshit'."

"You're such a terrible liar," she accused, waving a paw over the surface of the board to activate it. "One way to tell that a person is lying is when they provide too much information."

Jacob allowed himself a smirk. "Then you must suck at your job. My mom and dad did meet over a football-versus-VBS scuffle. My mom did call the game Virtual Bullshit."

Joanna lowered her paw, looking a little disappointed.

Taking the small victory over confounding her lie detecting skills, he picked up the glove offered by the board and slipped it on. "But I do play."

That brought a spark in her eyes. It seemed that she was truly enjoying mentally sparring with him. Given the opportunity to combat him on a more physical - metaphorically speaking - level, she eagerly took the other glove and slipped it on. A holographic display sprang up in front of both of their gloved paws, spraying out from the palms and maintaining the perfect angle so that the keyboard was constantly pointing upwards regardless of the angle of their paws.

Neither of them spoke as they both selected three fighters each. For his third, Jacob dared to pick up the card he had received from Max and swiped it.

"A collector too?" observed Joanna. "Your nerdish nature reveals itself."

"I thought I ought to return the favour," he answered. "Considering how I uncovered your traitorous one."

Her smile faded slightly at that and he took that as a victory. As they picked their first fighters, the board lit up and a three dimensional image of Jacob's first fighter appeared; Gale Winthrop, Elemental Lord of Wind and representative of MODD in Rillotia. It surprised him that Joanna had chosen the frail, elderly Sierra Seasinger, Elemental Lord of Water and statistically weaker than Gale who was just in his early thirties. Sierra was ancient. He made no comment as the game began and he instantly began madly tapping at the virtual keyboard to order Gale about.

"I doubt you know much about the true situation," Joanna said, oddly refusing to give her virtual Sierra any orders. "The Worldriders are renowned for their discretion and part of that is keeping out of political conflicts." Gale bolted quickly across the field and swiped at Sierra with his trademark Wind Wakizashi in a lightning fast combo. Blades of wind forming crescent shaped arcs shot towards Sierra who took the brunt of the blow and she toppled to the ground, a soft virtual scream erupting from her lips.

Despite that, Joanna continued.

"MODD has developed a weapon of some sort. One capable of ending the war between them and the Unsealed."

"God forbid it actually does that," Jacob snarled. "Would make my job a hell of a lot easier if I didn't have to constantly worry about the fucking Unsealed_jumping me every time I make a delivery." He grunted as he ordered Gale to unleash one of his special kunai knives infused with the powers of his Prime Elemental Seal, the _Seal of Fate's Wind. The knives shot forth at high speeds, breaking the sound barrier. Joanna made one order, moving Sierra slightly to the right and as a result, avoiding being skewered by the knife. Still, the boom and sheer force of the weapon's passing sent her crumpling to the ground.

"MODD has gone to great lengths to ensure that we don't get it," Joanna said. "They've sent dozens of decoys. Armoured planes, armed convoys, ships with dozens of escorts and they've even tried transporting the thing on a damn shuttle up to the Black Ring Space Station."

Earlier that day, Max _did_mention that he was escorting something to Welensha. As a member of SWORD, any escort that demanded Max's attention was clearly high priority. Jacob was not about to reveal that piece of information and ordered his virtual Gale to close the distance between himself and Sierra, unleashing another flurry of attacks with his sword.

Only then did Joanna start moving her little combatant, giving almost lazy commands that had Sierra barely dodging the attacks. Most of the moves were poorly timed and led the poor, elderly squirrel to become Gale's punching bag for a few short combos before she was knocked away. Whether or not the Unsealed was taking some sick pleasure in seeing one of MODD's Elemental Lords beat up another was unclear but Jacob remained focused on the game. The more he focused, the less he was likely to reveal something.

"In all honesty, I had very little cause to believe that this train would contain Realmbreaker," Joanna admitted, resting her chin on her fist while her arm leaned against the windowsill. "But then I saw you." She smiled at him directly. "A Worldrider... And I began to think. We've heard rumours that _Realmbreaker_has the power to disable both Seals _and_Brands. Why would they transport it on a vehicle that relied entirely on Seals like a plane, a ship or a starship? Why not have it transported by one of the few organisations left in the world that did not rely entirely on Seals?"

"You're barking up the wrong tree," Jacob grunted as his Gale kicked Sierra back. His virtual fighter was starting to wear down. Gale was visibly panting. He had to end the match quickly. "I said I was going to pick something up. Not even from someone in MODD. Her name is Caroline Boswin."

Joanna's musical laughter gave him no comfort. Her shaking head only caused his heart to plummet all the more. "You don't know, do you?" she accused. "Caroline Boswin is the daughter of one of the six most powerful families in Pollenburn. They are the agricultural fat cats of the city. Winston Boswin practically owns all the farms in Pollenburn and is always eager to curry the favour of the city's Elemental Lord." She nodded at Jacob's fighter. "Gale Winthrop. That you're going to pick something up from her only supports my theory.

"My hunch..." She suddenly typed in a series of commands and Sierra Seasinger suddenly bolted upright. A blast of water erupted from the ground beneath her and hardened into ice. Jacob ordered Gale to dodge but his weary fighter couldn't move fast enough. He was forced to watch as Gale was skewered by the sudden geyser of frozen water. "... is that _Realmbreaker_is already in Pollenburn in the care of the Boswins. Giving it to Gale to watch would be far too obvious. All eyes would be on him. So they handed it to the less suspicious party who will transport it elsewhere through the Worldriders."

Joanna smirked as she leaned back in her seat, folding her arms smugly as the match was won in her favour. "And as a side note, Gale is an amazingly fast, stealthy and powerful fighter but he runs out of stamina rather quickly. Sierra, despite her frail body and ailing health, constantly maintains her body through various inventive techniques with her Seal. She is possibly the most dependent on her Seal."

Jacob scowled and sat back. "Got all the Elemental Lords figured out, have you? Planning on assassinating them with Realmbreaker?" He didn't waste time waiting for an answer and turned away from her in disgust, glancing out the window at the deep dark of the night.

"MODD is a blight upon the world. If you knew what I knew..." Her tone turned grave. "I do not wish your harm, Jacob. Far from it. I want to save you from MODD. I promise, I will not hurt you. I just want you to complete your deliver but instead of dropping the package where you were meant to..." She lifted her paw, holding it out for him to take. "...I ask you give it to me. For the good of Mortaelis."

Jacob narrowed his gaze out the window. Something was wrong.

"Okay..." he murmured.

For the first time since they had met, Joanna seemed surprised as she lowered her hand. "Really? That easy."

"If you answer one question."

That cocky smile returned to her features. "Of course. What is it?"

Worry was on his features and his brow was furrowed. Her confidence began to fade as well especially when he asked, "What time is it?"

Joanna blinked quickly a couple of times before she checked her watch. "About twelve twenty, why?"

"In the morning?"

"Of course not. We have not been playing that long."

"Then are we in a tunnel?"

Joanna's eyes widened as she spun towards the window, seeing only inky blackness. She got up, her entire body tense. "There are no tunnels between Shellington and Pollenburn..."

Jacob slowly rose as well. The Unsealed's back was turned to him and she had yet to notice that he still gripped the butterknife in his other paw, having taken it from the café and pocketed it. What little damage the knife could do probably wouldn't hold up against the Unsealed's power but it would be enough to escape if he -

WHAM!

Both of them leapt back in horror as something_struck the window. It was only there for a brief instant but Jacob couldn't _sworn there was a face amidst the darkness. His rapidly beating heart jumped to his throat when he heard the screams coming from the rest of the train. Jacob instinctively reached for the door but Joanna suddenly seized his arm and yanked him under the table.

He was just about to accuse her of being a yellow bellied coward when the entire compartment suddenly tilted at a sharp angle. His feet brushed up against the sides of the wall as his world began swinging back and forth like someone the gods had grabbed the train and were playing hacky sack with it. His head banged against the underside of the table. Even as he desperately clung onto its leg, and Joanna were still bashed against one another amidst the screams and cries of the others beyond the compartment. Metal creaked loudly. The sound of the frame of the train being torn wide open reached his ears and he could hear glass shattering.

As quickly as the assault came, the compartment stabilised. He could still feel the train moving but everything had fallen deathly silent.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"A Seal," Joanna snarled through bared fangs. She reached for her head, pulling at the two metal spikes holding up her hair. As it turned out, the bun was just part of a wig that she immediately ripped off to reveal her short cropped, almost boyish haircut. The spikes were similarly fake. With a press of a button at their base, they spouted two extra 'arms' each, turning them into wicked looking twin sai. "Stay close if you want to stay alive." Once glance in his direction and she caught sight of the butterknife he was holding. "What were you planning on doing with that?"

For an instant, he glanced at the knife and then back at her, offering a sheepish grin. "I... uh.. was going to butter you up because you're so sweet?"

She rolled her eyes at him, giving him a shake of her head.

Through the door of the compartment was utter hell. Where once there had been a glass pane giving perfect views of the view below the suspended train, there was only howling winds and the same inky blackness that writhed like a living black cloud. Entire catwalks had been torn right from their supports. No one around. Almost two hundred metres worth of cafes, compartments and gift stores were completely abandoned. Somehow, the lights to the train still remained functioning allowing them perfect vision of the vast emptiness that had been teeming with life just a few minutes ago.

"This must've been the work of a Bewaffnet..." Joanna whispered softly. "... or maybe even an Erweckung..."

It almost sounded like she was speaking an entirely different language. "A what now?"

A dry chuckle left her and when she glanced over her shoulder at him, there was a look of pity in her emerald eyes. "I had forgotten that MODD keeps you folks in the dark about the inner workings of a Seal." She quickly kicked off her high heels and tore off her stockings, leaving her bare paw. "You know of Synchronisation Rates, correct?"

There were no signs of life in the entire public sector of the train. In the span five minutes, all life had been extinguished... somehow. Jacob shook his head in horror. "You mean that thing that MODD measures to see whether or not you're compatible with a Seal or not? Isn't it something like if you have a synch rate of less than 25% you're very likely to suffer from feedback and die if you use that particular Seal?"

"It's more than that," Joanna answered, gesturing for him to follow. She led the way across one of the un-shattered pathways, keeping herself low. "Your synch rate determines how much of your Seal you can utilise. For those who have a synchronisation rate between 25 and 49 percent, they are able to invoke the power of the Seal with no problem. They're your 'ordinary' people like that cook in the café."

They both paused and quickly glanced over the edge of the catwalk below them. They caught sight of the café which was completely empty. From where he stood, Jacob could see tables were upturned. The stools that had been welded into the floor had been torn right from the floor and embedded so far into the walls that they looked like cushions growing out of the metal.

"They're given the designation Freistezung_which means 'release'." Joanna stepped pushed on, lowering her voice in the process. Jacob had to strain his ears to hear her explanation. _"Bewaffnet is the name given to those people with a synchronisation rate between 50 and 79 percent. They're called the 'Armed' because they can materialise the power of their Seals into physical weapons."

"Seal Weapons," he concluded.

Joanna nodded just as she held up her paws. They both strained their ears. Someone was talking just up ahead. But the view was clear and neither of them could see anyone. A quick exchange of glances and a shrug later, they moved towards the sound of the voice. When they were so close to it that it was deafening, Jacob peered over the edge of the catwalk. Hanging over the side of the catwalk was a black strap and attached to the strap was a compact radio.

He plucked it from where it hung...

"Hello?" he asked.

"What the fuck is this!?" shouted the person on the other side. "This darkness! Oh god! It's everywhere! Gary! Fuck!" Gunfire exploded from the other side before a scream.

"Sherman!" another voice demanded. "Fuck! Everyone get to the cargo! Move!"

"That's Marcus Willows," Joanna said with a shake of her head. "Gale Winthrop's personal bodyguard and a Seal user of the Erweckung level, Awakening. They're able to manifest their Seal in more than just a single weapon. They can encase themselves fully in nearly impenetrable armour."

"Seal armour," Jacob finished. "But from Marcus' stats, he only has a synch rate of 88% with his Seal. What happens to those after that?"

A bitter smile crossed Joanna's lips. "Have you ever heard of the Tor?"

The word brought up memories of some history that he had forgotten all the way back in middle school. He enjoyed modern history but ancient history was always a mystery to him. The Great Seal War everyone knew about and even the bombing of Shellington because that's where he lived but anything beyond that was too ancient. "I think so... Didn't they have something to do with the Seal War?"

"Ever been to Hox?" Joanna asked, leaning idly against the railings. "The land of black sand and monolithic, blackened doors. Remnants of the Great Seal War where apparently, the greatest Seal users of the age grew selfish and attempted to destroy one another for ultimate power. Those blackened doors are the remnants of their Seal's Tor." Glancing over her shoulder at the writhing pool of darkness, she said, "People who have a Synchronisation rate of 90% or higher can summon the true manifestation of their Seal, a Tor." She averted her eyes, gazing forlornly off into the distance. "Called the Eingetragen or Entered, they can open the doors into their very Seals and unleash so much power that it could obliterate entire cities with frightening ease... or even draw others into them. Any who pass through the doors of a Tor_will _never come out again. All we know is that for every soul devoured by the Tor, the Eingetragen get even stronger. We can only assume it's some sort of prison."

Static erupted from the radio Jacob still clutched and he quickly switched it off. "Is that why you have a personal vendetta against MODD? A guy summoned a Tor and drew in your fiancé never to be seen again?"

A soft snort was his response followed by. "Don't read too much into it." Turning away from her, she added, "And while we're on the topic of lost loved ones, did your boyfriend die in a war and that's why you keep those dog tags around your wrist?"

Jacob glanced at his own memorabilia and let out a snicker. "Far from it." The name 'Rebecca Reaper' glistened against the metal. "These were my mother's. She died in the Battle of Ullen when the Unsealed attacked it years ago. My dad had a mental breakdown right after he got the news. Had to be institutionalised."

Joanna froze. Some unseen weight caused her head to lower. "You don't hate me or the Unsealed?"

"The Unsealed have their reasons." Jacob lowered his wrist. "Going around killing Unsealed, swearing fealty to MODD or going on some pointless vendetta against the MODD official who decided to station a troop of Rillotian marines up in a frozen city with promises of reinforcements that only arrive after everyone else is dead..." He had to pause to keep himself from growling. "It won't bring her back. There are more important things to do than vengeance."

His companion-slash-captor was silent for a long moment. "You're rather well-adjusted despite the tragedy that has struck your life."

He couldn't help but let out a sarcastic snort. "When your dad goes batshit crazy because his wife died in a pointless battle, gets a straightjacket strapped on him and you have to take care of him, leaving behind your dreams of travelling all over the world, you have to be well-adjusted." He strode past her, giving a shrug. "Then again, could be I'm just in denial for the past three years."

"I'm... sorry."

It actually sounded like she meant it and that only reinforced his mother's parting lesson to him.

"No need to be. Mom always told me that people make their own paths in the world. You can't blame anyone, not even fate, nature or some divine will for what happens to you." He clutched the dog tags tightly, holding his breath as his mother's own voice echoed deep within his thoughts. "It's your choice to take your next breath and it's up to you what you do with that breath."

Still with the butterknife in his other paw, Jacob headed down the catwalk. "Come on. The survivors are meant to be in the cargo carriage, right? Maybe we can stand a chance against whoever is causing this if we band together." He half-turned towards her. "I know you hate MODD and all but what's better? Taking that hatred to your grave or living to hate another day?"

Joanna remained silent while giving him a firm nod. She followed him along the long length of the public carriage where travellers were housed and they could shop, eat or gossip. The carriage was completely empty with only the occasional gaseous mass of darkness writhing up from the broken glass floor. Doors had been torn clean off their hinges and from the claw marks on the walls, the occupants of the compartments had been torn kicking and screaming from what they thought was relative safety. It made him wonder why the shadows hadn't come to take them.

They reached the end of the carriage which was usually guarded by MODD soldiers in their glistening white armour. Instead, like the compartments, the doors had been blown open and the guards were gone. Jacob could see into the bright, white tunnel connecting the public carriage to the adjacent one. He could only hope that it was the cargo carriage next.

Joanna's paw stopped him from proceeding forward. "Let me," she said. "You have a father you need to go back to."

"And you've got a fiancé to avenge," he retorted, shoving past her paw. "So between your crazy powers and my formerly insane dad who once turned an egg beater into a horrific genital torture device, who's the one better equipped to enact vengeance?" She gave him a puzzled look and he used that moment to distraction to proceed down the hallway. "My dad can turn any kitchen utensil into a weapon of mass destruction. It's why I keep the kitchen under lock and key and ask my buddies to order food for my dad so he doesn't starve."

"You have a colourful history."

"Wait until you hear about my brother..." he muttered softly.

The door at the end of the connecting hallway was still closed and he hoped to God that whoever was waiting on the other end wasn't going to shoot first. He pressed his back against the wall just in case and Joanna did the same. With a fist, he banged on the door.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Hey! We picked up one of your guy's radios. We're not doing this! We just want help!"

No response.

"We're coming in!"

Joanna gave him a nod and she pressed the open button.

The metal door hissed open. Beyond the door was a sight that horrified and confused him. Dozens of MODD soldiers lay on the ground, unconscious. None of them were injured from all appearances. No sign of the dark gaseous mass was in the broad, well-lit chamber where stacks upon stacks of passenger luggage rested in shelves. Odder still was that these shelves were shoved towards the walls to give way to an enormous metal container sitting at the very centre. The container had its doors blasted open and an eerie, white light was emanating from within.

There were no signs of struggle. It seemed that each and every one of the employees of MODD had just dropped unconscious.

"Did the shadows do this...?" Jacob asked.

A soft grunt was his response followed by Joanna falling to her knees beside him. Her paw clutched her chest tightly and her brow was soaked with sweat. Blood began tripping between her tightly clenched fangs and her claws were digging into her flesh, tearing through her suit. Whatever force was inflicting such agony on her seemed to redouble suddenly and she fell forward, curled in the foetal position.

"Hey!" Jacob cried in shock, kneeling beside her. "Joanna!?"

"R-R-Realmbreaker..."she grimaced.

The glow emanating from the container must have been the weapon she was after, the weapon that had the ability to end the war between the Unsealed and MODD once and for all. His eyes fell on the eerie white light that pulsated like a heartbeat. Even partially contained, it still had the power to subdue Joanna. He couldn't imagine what it could do if fully deployed.

Another grunt escaped Joanna's muzzle and he immediately gripped her shoulders, pulling her away from the door into the cargo carriage. He set her a good few feet away from the door, propping her up against the wall. "Stay here. I'll be back."

"Be... careful..." she winced, one eye shut. "It... it hurts so much... Like... Like someone holding my heart in a vice... and driving drills into my skull..."

"I'll shut it tight," he assured her. "I'll be back." He gave paw a gentle pat. With the last ounce of her strength, she seized his paw and gave it a tight squeeze. It was nowhere near the strength of her paw shake earlier in the café. Her strength had been drained so quickly. Those poor MODD soldiers were probably already dead through the sheer exposure to the weapon.

Rising to his feet, Jacob didn't waste any time dawdling and hurried into the cargo carriage. His urgency began to fade however, as he began to wonder... why wasn't he being affected? If Realmbreaker_could knock down everyone in the room so easily and even Joanna who rested in the hallway... how come _he wasn't being affected?

"Oh boy..." he muttered to himself softly. "This is the part of the story where we discover out of all the people in the world, I'm somehow special... Great." Over his shoulder, Joanna had fallen unconscious just like the rest of the MODD soldiers. A few more minutes and they'd all likely be dead. "So... get to be the protagonist of a twisted as fuck story that's also a reboot... or turn away..."

He frowned at himself and shook his head. "What the hell am I even talking about? Since when could I break the fourth wall?" He blinked a couple of times again. "Since when was I _aware_there was a fourth wall to break?"

Despite his doubts, he still drew closer and closer to the container. The closer he came, the greater the dread that rose in his chest. Strangely, his heartbeat began to calm... Something about the pulsations of the light was oddly... welcoming, familiar. For every _thump_of his heart, the light replied with a _ka-thump_of its own. The container's doors were wide open and he gripped on side, ready to shut it entirely...

WHAM!

He nearly jumped out of his fur when a big paw slammed against the side of the container.

"Don't," grunted the big, burly kangaroo lying with his back against the container. "Exposure to _Realmbreaker_is the only think keeping Dorothy from killing us all..."

"What?" he demanded.

The kangaroo, his voice gruff and hoarse from effort said, "Realmbreaker... it somehow causes anyone who has a Seal or a Brand to suffer immeasurable pain. It isn't fatal... but it's enough to keep Dorothy, the bitch_controlling the _Black Mist, from tearing us all to shreds. Keep..." Jacob recognised that gruff voice and it belonged to the man who had been yelling in the radio. That must've made him Marcus Willows according to Joanna. "... Keep it open... I've signalled Pollenburn... just... just a couple more minutes..." Marcus shut his eyes in exhaustion. "... They'll be here..."

Jacob glanced back towards Joanna. "So it's not that I've got something super special granted to me at birth that makes me immune to Realmbreaker? It just so happens that because I don't have a Seal or a Brand..."

"You're... not yet..."Marcus sighed. "Keep it... open... Stay... far away."

Stuck between allowing the shadowy mist to do to them what it had done to the rest of the train or letting Joanna suffer for just a few more minutes, Jacob had to choose the suffering.

"She did threaten me..." he muttered softly. "Cheated at microVBSim too..." Turning back towards the container, he added. "Okay, I'll keep it open."

"Good lad..." grimaced Marcus.

Knowing that once they were out of danger, he'd likely not get a chance to look at the weapon that would end the Unsealed-MODD war, he decided to steal a peek into the container. What he had expected was some sort of bejewelled artefact or maybe even some sort of semi-organic weapon with a pulsating eye come right out of a nightmare. Instead, he was just met by a floating, plain, metal sword.

"Is it meant to be just a dull sword like that?" he asked.

"Yes..." grunted Marcus.

"And the floating thing?"

"Yes," snarled the roo.

Jacob held up his paws in apology even though Marcus could not see. "Sorry. I'm just making conversation to pass the few minutes of agony that you and your men are clearly suffering from." A soft sigh escaped the roo and Jacob took that as a sign that he was free to continue. "It's a little... disappointing, don't you think? I mean, at least the first wolf hero got a cool transforming sword that could become a shuriken if he wanted. The second guy got two swords and the third guy got guns that could become a sword." He shrugged absently. "Hell, the white wolf gets dozens of swords if gods infused into them and the new kid gets to turn anything he touches into a weapon."

"What are you talking about?" Marcus sneered.

"I'm talking about the fact that we're a reboot and we got gyped." Then he scratched his head. "Actually... you pose a good question... what am I talking about?" He glanced back at Realmbreaker. "So it's really meant to float like that, huh?"

"Yes."

"And emit the eerie light?"

Marcus sighed softly but at least he sounded a little more relaxed. Maybe there was even a light smile on his lips twisted as they were in a pained grimace. "Yes."

"Is it meant to be pointing itself at me too?"

The roo's eyes snapped wide open. "What?"

Jacob met his gaze in confusion. "What what?"

He never got his response. A blinding pain suddenly erupted from his chest and half his vision became engulfed entirely in blistering white light. His head slowly pivoted towards Realmbreaker... only to find its blade jutting right out from his chest. The world became bathed in white and he could barely hear Marcus' shout. Amidst the white, Realmbreaker stood out; a plain, silver sword buried in his chest and the source of the light.

Crrrrrrack...

A crack appeared across the surface of the blade... followed by another... and another until the entire sword was littered with fissures that emitted the same light like the others.

The last thing Jacob Reaper thought in that moment was...

"... killed by a fucking sword..."

******

High in the MODD sanctions space station known as the Black Ring, the head of the corporation abruptly stopped his typing. His hands began to shake. His ever present assistant noticed and asked what was wrong. A quick wave dismissed her from his vast office that had a perfect, unobstructed view of the blue-green orb that was the planet Mortaelis. Once his assistant was gone, he pushed off his seat and it was immediately deconstructed in a flurry of glistening blue cubes. He spun to face the enormous window and the planet beyond.

His eyes fell particularly on the continent of Rillotia, a continent mostly under the government of the Joint Rillotian Republic or JRR as they liked to be called. Generally, the world just called them 'Rillotia' as they ruled most of the country save for a few northern countries that had refused to join the JRR. It had been so easy to spread the influence of MODD to the JRR and now, the corporation practically controlled half of the planet.

Naturally, he had opposition. The Unsealed, the unsanctioned Seal users who became little bandit clans, the conservatives of Crescenta and the multitude of independent countries of Welensha... All of them kept MODD from expanding further. A stalemate. MODD was strong and could overwhelm one party or the other but it had so many enemies. Advancement on one front led to attacks from others and retreat, giving the targeted faction some breathing room to recuperate and regroup.

But now... he could feel something shifting that balance.

"Realmbreaker," he murmured.

Somewhere on the planet's surface under the ever present guide of a BLANK Generator, the leader of the Unsealed roused from her slumber and immediately sat up from the darkness of her personal chambers. The air stirred with the resonance of a powerful force that she had only felt once before. Her chambers were heady with the scent of musk and sex and this evening's partner stirred softly beside her, letting out a soft mewl.

"Go back to sleep," she cooed, running her hand gently through the hair of the male cougar. "It's nothing."

Of course, it wasn't 'nothing'.

It was the one thing she had been waiting for.

A cruel grin crossed her features as she quietly whispered, "Realmbreaker."

On the other side of the world, amidst the jungles of Oxis, a large congregation of Tribals had gathered in a temple. Though most of them had been 'domensticated' thanks to charities from 'first world countries', they still held onto their beliefs. Every day, every Tribal had to either enter the High Temple itself or kneel and pray in the direction of the Temple.

And they would chant, over and over again, to the Silent Lady. As had been since they could remember, she rested at the top of a flight of stairs, on a cushion, cross legged and forever with her eyes closed. She breathed but she never ate. She lived but never moved. She sat there but never aged.

She was their goddess but today, their beliefs would be shattered.

For the Silent Lady opened her eyes.

"Realmbreaker," she whispered.

Her Tribals fell silent...

... and then instantly broke into another chant.

"Realmbreaker! Realmbreaker! Realmbreaker!"

Lastly, in the dead continent of Hox, amidst the blackened sand and the monolithic skeletons of dead Tors, there stood two figures standing in front of massive doors. Fifteen Tors stood around them in a perfect circle on the lip of an enormous crater. Unlike the others that had been blackened and only had their doorframes remaining, these Tors were complete, filled with colour and stood forever watchful.

The first figure lifted his gaze. "Realmbreaker..."

The second shut the book he was holding in his hands and chuckled softly. "You almost sound excited."

"It's activation merely opens another avenue for me to take... should the ones I've set out fail. Hope... Hope at last."

"You always had hope, Hades. You've just chosen to see nothing but hope."

******

Shellington had its fair share of biting winters being a major city between the Republic border and the Typhonus. Still, it was nothing compared to the icy lake where he now stood. The temperatures had to be below freezing. Every breath he took condensed and turned into snow right before his eyes, joining the terrible flurry that lashed all around him. Only constantly blinking would keep his eyeballs from freezing and he was already starting to feel his lips start to crack.

He shoved his paws under his armpits and shook. "And so the classical question... where the fuck am I?"

There was nothing but the icy surface of the lake around him. Visibility was already low as a blizzard raged all around him. He slowly spun in place, mostly to get his bearings but also partially to keep moving so that he didn't freeze in place. As he turned, he caught sight of what appeared to be an enormous statue... Slowly, his muzzle pulled open in surprise but he had to quickly clamp it shut as the cold started to freeze his tongue.

Sensing where his eyes were levelled, the blizzard ebbed. The enormous statue of a male boar was revealed, possibly six or seven storeys tall. He had a serene look on his features even as he was toppling backwards, half of his body embedded into the icy lake. Opposite to him, reaching for him and their fingers just an inch or so apart, was a sow, looking heartbroken and with her eyes wide. Though her hands were reaching for the boar, her body looked like she was pulling away.

"Something tells me I'm not in Kansas anymore..." he muttered. Then he frowned and shook his head. "In fact... where the hell is 'Kansas'? Is my dad's insanity finally creeping down the genetic line...? God... I haven't even had the chance to have a son to entice into bed four or five times a year..."

A strange prickling sensation ran down the back of his neck. That registered in his mind as someone was behind him. Slowly, he turned... and found himself staring at the very sow who was depicted in the enormous statues. Her figure was slim, dainty in many ways and her features was contrary to the stereotype that all pigs were fat. She had rather defined cheekbones and her snout was not pronounced, balancing with her angled features and gently sloping brow. Long, curly, blonde locks billowed in the wind behind her, following the path of her tattered, white dress... a wedding dress, he realised.

'Bride from Hell' immediately sprung to mind but he had enough self-control not to go blurting that out.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he answered. "Though frankly, I get the feeling this is the scene that has little meaning right now but will become much more important and involved later on. I think it's called a Chekov's Gun." He grimaced and clutched his head. "Fuck... what am I saying?"

"You shouldn't be here," the woman said. She lifted her left hand towards him. Icy winds curled around her arm before coalescing at her palm. Snowflakes gathered, compressing themselves against one another and reforming. They formed a sharp tip that slowly grew and grew until it was as long as her arm; an icy shard with one sharp, dagger-like edge but a rounded base. It almost looked like a frozen teardrop that had been stretched.

"Be gone."

Jacob threw his paws up in surrender. "Whoa! Wait!" The bolt of ice shot towards him and he jumped aside, barely avoiding being skewered. "Why are you trying to kill me!?"

"What are you doing here?" she repeated. There was something odd about the way she spoke. Her words were heavy with emotion but the way she stared at him with her deep, black eyes... Something was wrong. "You shouldn't be here." She flung both of her hands forward, sending twin bolts of ice straight at him.

Jacob ducked, letting the spears fly overhead. He immediately spun and shot towards the statues.

"Be gone."

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The icy bolts shot towards his feet, snapping at his heels as he quickly ducked behind one of the towering, black monoliths.

"You shouldn't be here," the woman repeated again.

"Great," he snarled. "First I get stabbed by a shitty sword and now I'm going to be killed by a ghost stuck of a crazy loop!"

He ducked behind the statue and came to a jarring halt.

In front of him was an enormous, white door but one covered in a thin film of solid ice. A single door, it stood about three storeys tall and had somehow remained hidden behind the shadow of the toppling boar. Arcane runes were drawn in three concentric circles in front of its face. The image of a three snowflakes and a parasol was drawn over the runes, almost completely consuming them all.

"A Seal..." Jacob concluded. "Then that must mean..." He pressed his paws against the door. "This must be a Tor... Fuck..."

"Be gone."

He snapped back away from the Tor just in time to dodge a bolt of ice shattering against its icy surface. The woman had just come into view. Hovering over her head like a deadly halo were six spears of ice. All of them angled towards him ominously. He spun back towards the Tor, slamming his fist against it.

"Open, goddamnit!" he bellowed, bashing his shoulder and all his weight against it. "What!? Do I need an oversized key and the power of my heart!?"

SMASH!

An icy spear crashed into the Tor just a few inches away from his head. Desperation grew in his chest and he raised his fist for what he knew was his last attempt before either being skewered or running. The air suddenly began to sizzle and he glanced back towards the woman, fearing whatever she had conjured to kill him at last. The look of surprise on her face was not what he was expecting. Her eyes were locked onto his raised fist and as he turned to look at it, he found his whole paw encased in sizzling, white lightning.

"... I was kidding about the power of my heart thing..." he muttered. "Whatever works!"

He spun, bringing his fist around and slamming it directly into the Tor. The enormous doors instantly swung open, his momentum taking him crashing right through it and onto...

Whump!

Hard packed snow.

For a second, he feared that the Tor was just an enormous joke on his desperation; it had been just a simple door sitting in the middle of an icy lake offering false hope and leading nowhere. Then he realised the air smelled different... It was filled with the smells of the world instead of the blank, scentless atmosphere that had been that frozen hell. The crispness of the fresh mountain air mixed with the scent of burning flesh and acrid smoke.

He blinked several times, his vision starting to clear. The world of the icy lake left a fading imprint on his field of vision, like a dream that had crossed over into reality and was just fading back into the shadows of fantasy. With that nightmare drifting away, he became aware of the blistering cold counteracted by the heat from a nearby source. A blanket was draped over his shoulders and his head was resting on something soft. Above, the night sky met him; not the featureless black that had encased the train but one filled with stars.

"He's awake," came Joanna's voice.

"I owe you twenty creds..." answered the gruff voice of Marcus Willows.

Joanna's hardened features came into view. Despite the frown on her features, there was relief in her green eyes and her paw gently cupping the back of his head to help him rise belied her concern. As he straightened, the small campfire came into view as well as the hulking figure of Marcus Willows crouched nearby, the kangaroo ignoring him and poking the gently roaring fire.

"What happened...?" Jacob asked, rubbing the back of his head. As the words left his muzzle, he remembered the searing pain of a metal sword being driven into his chest and turned his gaze to where the wound should have been. There was definitely a tear in his shirt but as he ran his fingers through the thin hole, he couldn't feel any break in his flesh or even a knot where the wound had healed.

Marcus tossed the stick he was using to prod the flames into the fire. "Fucked if I know. First we were attacked by fucking Dorothy Boswin and then you come in, Realmbreaker stabs you and then you explode. Took out half of the fucking train."

The roo's eyes looked past the flames. Following that gaze, Jacob caught sight of the ruins of the train. His jaw dropped in horror. The entire cargo carriage had been blown completely off and the hovering tracks had been shattered. Debris, twisted and blackened lay all around them. Several shards of metal had even been jammed into the mountainside.

"Any survivors...?"

"Plenty," Joanna responded. "The blast from the weapon didn't actually _kill_anyone. No one in the cargo bay died from it. It was the subsequent crash that took many lives."

Marcus rose from where he sat. "About half a dozen men made it though. I've sent them on scouting missions to quickly survey our surroundings for any supplies or survivors." He glanced towards the south where the distant pillars of light from a city could be seen. "We should be getting help soon enough." Then he jerked back towards Joanna. "Then we'll decide what to do with you."

Her eyes narrowed, the Unsealed agent slowly rose, keeping one paw on Jacob's shoulder. "Were it not for me, you would still be buried beneath that tomb of rubble. None of your ANVIL soldiers had the strength to free you despite all their training."

"I would have made it out myself," Marcus growled. It was the first time Jacob noticed that the burly, brown-furred soldier's right arm was bound against his chest and his torso was wrapped heavily in bandages. "Only the perverted power you Unsealed possess grants you that fucked up regeneration." His eyes glanced at Jacob. "Well... maybe not..."

Jacob waved a paw through the air. "I feel like I've missed something here. How long was I out? There wasn't the usual six asterisks in a row aligned to the centre of the page to denote an extensive passage of time so I'm a little lost."

He got puzzled stared from both of his other companions. As he processed what he had just said, he returned the stare. "Um... what did I just say...?"

"You must still be delirious from the explosion," Joanna said, kneeling next to him and pressing a paw against his forehead to check his temperature. "You don't have a fever."

Marcus huffed and turned his back away from them both. "It's fucking Realmbreaker. Or maybe he's just psychotic. He was spouting that kind of crazy shit before the thing even stabbed him."

"Which is what worries me," snarled the vixen. "He was perfectly sane and incredibly coherent when I met him. Frighteningly observant, even." She appraised him warily. "A model Worldrider... For him to suddenly slip... It must be Realmbreaker."

He gave her a thankful smile, glad that not everyone was immediately jumping to the conclusion that he was crazy... though he was starting to think his father's insanity had passed down to him after all.

"You only want the goddamn weapon," Marcus accused.

Joanna's eyes shut and she pursed her lips, her fists shaking. "The Unsealed value life above all else," she answered in calm, even tones. "Given that, Jacob's life is precious. I would not see it ruined or thrown into your brutal experiments just to discover the truth behind the weapon you created."

The roo spun back around and as he did, the winds whipped up around them, almost blowing out the fire. "You think he made Realmbreaker? We found it. After the Great Seal War when MODD was formed, we found that goddamn sword at the centre of the Circle. No one with a Seal could get close to it and when we tried to get Branded we captured to get close, they suffered the same goddamn fate!"

Suddenly at her feet, Joanna said, "So you admit to having other people as part of your experiments?"

Marcus jabbed a finger in her direction. "Now don't you go pointing fingers and drawing conclusions. We ain't gonna do thaut to yer boy there!"

Jacob lifted an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side slightly. There was a sudden change in Marcus' accent and he wondered if that was intentional or something else. On the other side of the spectrum, Joanna was gaining the upper hand. Infuriating her opponents seemed to be her prime tactic.

She folded her arms and gave Marcus a smug smirk. "So says the liar who smuggled a weapon capable of disabling Seals and Brands on a public train. How can anyone trust you when you brought such a weapon to close proximity of so many people?"

Marcus growled low. "Yer graspin' on straws thar, bitch! An' yer actin' all high and mighteh when ah bet raight now, all them fake leads we sent out are getting' raided cuz of yer buddies!" He flung his good arm in the direction of the north and winced as it moved his bad arm slightly. "Ya Unsealed ain't nuffin' but a bunch of yella bellied tail raisers! Can't beat anyone inna fair fight! Ya have less spine than an jar of pickled earthworms!"

For a second, Jacob wondered what a jar of pickled earthworms would look like... then he wondered who in their right mind would pickle earthworms and for what reason. Then again, the more Marcus spoke, the more he sounded like an infuriated farmer boy... The young Worldrider couldn't help but imagine a younger Marcus bored witless on a dusty far and passing the time by catching earthworms and sticking them in brine... for whatever reason.

He stuck his paw through the air. "Question." Marcus' anger faded and even Joanna's smugness ebbed into a look of concern. "Is your sudden tonal shift from gruff, hardened soldier to backwater farm boy a personality thing or is it just the writer's attempt to make you more sexy?"

"Da fuck are ya -?" Marcus shut his eyes quickly and cleared his throat. "What are you talking about?" he asked, back to his gruff rumble.

Joanna's smirk returned, her tail waving absently behind her. "Your accent becomes rather... 'hillbilly' whenever you get mad. I've noticed that a few times."

The roo's eyes flashed in anger at her but he managed to keep his accent controlled. "I'm passionate about my hatred for you and your anti-MODD agenda. If it weren't for the fact that my arm is broken and you need my resources to get you off this goddamn mountain, then I'm pretty sure I'd have killed you by now."

"You? Kill me?" She snorted derisively. "I don't think -"

Static suddenly erupted from Marcus' hip where a radio hung. The MODD soldier seized the device with his good paw just as a voice cried out in panic from the other side.

_"Boss! It's the Rattlesnakes! They're - Oh fuck! They're everywhere!"_Gunfire erupted from the other side of the communicator followed by screams and a bout of maniacal laughter.

"Is it me or are common MODD soldiers being painted as incompetent screaming babies right now?" Jacob asked, rising to his feet. "We better get the hell out of here."

"Why?" Joanna asked. She briefly glanced at Marcus as the burly marsupial threw some dirt at the fire, dousing it. "I assume the 'Rattlesnakes' are a Clan. I've dealt with Clans before."

Marcus marched past her and gently gripped Jacob's shoulder, almost protectively, guiding him away from the camp even though he hobbled on one foot. "They're the local Clan of Pollenburn or at least the one terrorising the city's outskirts. Somehow, they've obtained the technology to make BLANK fields." He glanced over his shoulder at the night sky. "Might explain why it's taken so long for reinforcements to find us..."

Jacob gestured for Joanna to follow. "They're a Clan which means they've got bootleg Seals and are using them to terrorise people. We have to get out of here."

"Right," Marcus echoed, pushing him forward. "You get out of here. I'm going to take the rebel scum and save my men."

Joanna instantly shook her head in shock, giving Marcus a pointed stare. "If you think that I'm going to save people who have sold themselves to a corporate sales pitch -"

"If you want to get out of here safely, then you'll help me," growled the roo. "MODD has scoured this place for the Rattlesnake's base of operations. We interrogated one of the bandits we had managed to capture and they confessed to possessing BLANK Generators." Marcus bent down and plucked an assault rifle from the ground. Despite its heavy frame, he could hold it easily in one paw. "That means that they could keep everything and everyone under the field's influence hidden from all forms of detection. Rescue won't come unless we smash that fucking thing."

Just by the way Joanna was crossing her arms and the way her tail flicked back and forth, it was obvious she knew Marcus was right but was too proud to admit it. "Then why send Jacob out on his own?"

"Because we'll draw their fire." Marcus checked the sights of the gun, making sure that it was perfectly aligned. "They're more likely to chase down the people making a fuck tonne of noise than the guy sneaking around quietly. We beat up the patrol, get them to tell us where their base is, free my men, destroy the Generator and rid the world of a couple of fucking mutants while we're at it." He snapped the gun to his chest. "You with me?"

A heavy sigh left Joanna's lips and she shook bowed her head in defeat. "Fine. But don't expect me to save you again."

"And you only get one," Marcus replied. He glanced back towards Jacob. "Go on, kiddo. Find some place to hide. We'll find you once we're done cleaning up."

Jacob crossed his arms defiantly. "As much as I hate being treated like the damsel in distress here, I'll have to ask why don't I get a say in this? I mean I'm the main character here! The other two got to be the leaders of their little posse. Why am I the one being pushed around?"

Gunfire erupted from nearby. Marcus growled and gave him a hard shove.

"We don't have time to be arguing," the roo snarled. "You don't have a Seal or a Brand. You're a courier. Get the fuck out of here!"

"If you say it in that hillbilly accent I will."

"Jus' git outta here, ya pea-brained city boy!" Marcus shouted.

Jacob snickered and turned. He could feel the eyes of his overprotective companions as he ducked behind a large piece of the train. The _Rattlesnakes_were fast approaching and he briefly saw Marcus climbing up the side of the mountain for a better vantage point. That also meant the roo could see him, forcing him to trudge further and further away from the killing ground the two were setting up. The manic cries of the _Rattlesnakes_grew louder and louder followed by their trademark hissing. Their gunfire also rippled through the air. He doubted they were actually shooting at anything as members of a Clan were usually insane.

Once he was a suitable distance away from the crash site, he ducked behind a large boulder and reached into the breast pocket of his jacket, retrieving his sunglasses. The left lens was slightly cracked but it still functioned. The system required verification but a quick scan of his retinas confirmed his identity.

There were a few emails from his father asking about the train that had apparently experienced some severe malfunction on its way to Pollenburn. Jacob quickly sent a reply email, telling Isaac that he was fine before quickly returning to the task at hand.

"Rattlesnakes Clan," he commanded softly. "Details."

The sunglasses immediately extracted all the info it could from the Worldrider database on the Rattlesnakes. Quickly skimming through the blocks and blocks of text, he discovered that this particular Clan, like all other Clans, were victims of feedback. MODD openly sold and endorsed the use of Seals all over the world but it always came at the restriction of the synchronisation rate of the person using it. If a person didn't have a high enough synch rate, MODD would not allow them to use the Seal - at a full refund of course. However, there were still those that tried to use the Seal anyway. The Seal always reacted negatively to them, causing horrible mutations and a severe mental damage.

The Rattlesnakes spawned from one greedy man who had hoped to use the Seal of Destiny's Winds despite his low synch rate. This man, known as Snakebite, was a snake already and had overused the Seal to such an extent that he was almost completely mad. From imagery taken by Worldriders on the Rattlesnake camp, Snakebite had grown two, long serpentine appendages sprouting from his shoulders resembling living snakes that hissed, snapped and even bickered against one another. He also had a third serpent where his tail should have been but it was eyeless and seemed to be under his full command.

"This guy is obsessed with snakes..." Jacob muttered, scrolling further down the dossier. "He likes to offer those he's captured the opportunity to join the Rattlesnakes... He pushes them to overuse the Seal which always leads to them becoming mutated. They use the copy of the Seal he has though so they always have some sort of serpentine theme going on... Explains why the _Rattlesnakes_almost always have snake tails..."

Something else Snakebite had concocted was to use his corrupted Seal_on common field rats. The effect had grown the rats into enormous sizes, almost eight feet tall, and all with the same snake-tails that the rest of the _Rattlesnakes possessed. Apparently, the mutation had spread to their vocal cords as well and the rats emitted a strange rattling noise. Straining his ears, Jacob could hear those monstrous rats snapping and snarling as they approached the Marcus and Joanna's site. Snakebite must have got a kick out of the fact that he had made rat mounts and his Clan's name was the Rat_tlesnakes._

A gunshot fired somewhere behind him and he heard the Clan members scream and shout in surprise. Something exploded or maybe it was something heavy slamming down on the ground. Joann and Marcus must have begun their assault.

Jacob signed off from the Worldrider network but not before requisitioning another pair of glasses. He tucked the device back into his breast pocket before quickly consolidating his thoughts and priorities. As easy as it would be to just slink of and disappear, leaving Joanna and Marcus to deal with the Rattlesnakes,_he owed them both for saving his life. Plus, he was still curious about _Realmbreaker and what had happened to him. Though he didn't feel too odd despite his momentary burst of insanity, being stabbed by an experimental weapon was still a cause for concern.

"Best stick with them," he rumbled. "For now."

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire ceased but instead of silence, he was met by the rattling of the mutant rats; a victory cry. This was followed by burst of gunfire shot into the air, the maniacs celebrating.

"Shit... the farm boy and the spy got themselves killed..."

Jacob snuck back towards the devastated train, keeping his profile low. He approached the train from higher ground so he had a better vantage point. Through the darkness, he could make out both Marcus and Joanna pinned to the ground by the paws of giant rats. Each rat was black as night with a strangely smooth, silky fur that almost looked armour-like. Both of their eyes was big and red, no sclera, just red orbs. Big muscles were compressed beneath their thick fur and where their scaly, pink tails should have begun instead there was a long, scaly, black snake, completely conscious and with dagger-sized fangs. About twelve Rattlesnakes stood around them, each one dressed in an assortment of clothing and with guns pointed. Most of them, however, didn't seem to favour pants and instead went bare fur to allow their snake-tails to lash out freely behind them.

"The first mission is always about giant rats," Jacob grumbled. There were about six mounts. As heroic as it would be to jump down there and attack, against six mutant rats and another dozen mutants, he doubted he would pose much of a threat. So he kept himself low and watched.

The Rattlesnakes, with their prey captured, tied up Marcus and Joanna and threw them onto the backs of one of their giant rats, that very same mount's snake tail keeping watch over them with its enormous fangs gleaming. They began marching away from the debris but the two that would've ridden on the rat their captives occupied decided to stay behind and scavenge through the ruins.

His prey spotted, Jacob quietly made his way down the mountainside, making sure he was down wind and that he stuck to the shadows. Even with the faint rumblings of dirt and small rocks cascading the mountain, he was left undetected. The Clan members were constantly whispering to themselves or screaming wildly without provocation. The effects of feedback were both horrifying and fascinating.

Sappinis, Mortaelis' eerie, blue moon was full but the little hunk of rock always seemed to make things darker instead of illuminating the night, basking everything in a deep blue. Emerelis was in its new moon stage and Aurenia was on the other side of the planet. Only Roseo accompanied Sappinis and the ruby moon was in its crescent phase, barely providing any light. Combined with the many dark towers of twisted metal that had been the train carriage, Jacob had plenty of cover to sneak through.

He ducked behind a large piece of metal embedded deep into the ground, just a few metres away from one of the psychos. The madman was a raccoon of some sort, scrawny and looking too big for his fur. Equipped with only a rusted pistol with a 90% chance of backfiring and a metal pipe with a knife tapped to the end, the man kept muttering to someone called 'Susie'.

"It's all on fire, Susie! Fire, fire everywhere! No, no Susie... It doesn't hurt. The fire is in my spleen! Mommy is on fire!"

A faint hissing came from the serpentine tail that replaced the raccoon's ordinary tail. The jet-black serpent bared its venomous fangs at its host and sunk its fangs into the raccoon's thigh. The psycho just laughed and begun spinning in place, dancing while waving his paws in the air, firing absently into the air.

"Weee! Weee! Yes! I love you too Susie! I love you soooooooo much!"

Jacob shook his head in pity and sunk back behind the shard of debris. As the madman came within distance, he pounced, seizing the snake-tail, 'Susie', and immediately wrapping it around the raccoon's neck. Neither host nor parasite had the time to react as he yanked them both back behind the shard and threw them all to the ground. Jacob wrapped his thick legs around the man's thighs in a submission hold while one paw used the snake's length to prevent all oxygen flow into his lungs. The other pinned one arm back leaving the other to flail absently, the all weaponry having been dropped in surprise.

"Sorry buddy," Jacob growled softly, the man's naked form struggling against his own but his scrawny frame no match of the wolf's muscular build. "Sorry Susie."

Within seconds, the raccoon stopped struggling, his claws sliding pathetically against Jacob's jacket and falling limply to the ground. Even Susie stopped snapping and her lidless eyes stared blankly at Jacob. He uncurled from the raccoon and quickly checked for a pulse. Still there faintly. Susie had fallen unconscious too.

The other madman, a tall, skinny camel, had moved to the ruins of the cargo carriage. From the sounds of the clattering, he was hitting the twisted forms of the shelves with some other metal object for no other reason than because it made a lot of noise. That made it easy for Jacob to track him. The camel only had a metal rod for a weapon and was naked just like the raccoon. Like all other Rattlesnakes, he too had the trademark serpent tail that seemed to snap in annoyance every time he banged on something with his pole.

Jacob, keeping low and hidden amongst the overturned shelves and scattered pieces of luggage, crept towards the two. His Worldrider training taught him how to make use of shadows and cover to stay undetected, to anticipate his enemy's movements and to use his environment to his advantage. Sometimes, the safest way to get a package to its destination was to make sure no one knew you were making the delivery at all. Other times, subtlety was an expensive precaution and brute force was necessary.

This was one such time.

When he was close enough, he strode over to Rattlesnake. The serpent tail instantly caught sight of him and he spun around.

"Erm... sorry. I hit the 'interact' button instead of the 'kill silently' one," he joked. "Do I get a do-over?"

The camel screamed at him, revealing a mutilated tongue. It looked like it had been forcibly been cut down the middle to resemble a snake's forked tongue but it hadn't quite gone to plan. The man threw himself at Jacob, completely ignoring the fact that he had a staff in one hand. Jacob slipped to the side, allowing the maniac to slip past him while grabbing the guy's arm and pulling it back, almost popping the shoulder out of its socket. The gesture and the jarring movement caused the man to drop his staff, leaving him unarmed. Jacob couldn't keep hold of the man for too long as the camel's snake-tail snapped at him. He took a few, calm steps away from the injured man who was whimpering and gripping his shoulder. The guy was whimpering but his eyes were filled with madness.

A manic scream let the Rattlesnake's lips. He charged headlong at Jacob, head down like a crazed bull. Jacob snapped his knee up at the right moment, catching the guy's chin and sending him reeling back onto his back. Before the snake-tail could retaliate, Jacob stomped on its neck, causing it to hiss and fall back limp on the ground. He knelt on the camel's chest.

WHAM!

One sound punch knocked send the maniac's eyes rolling into the back of his head and his pseudo-forked tongue lolling out. He was out.

No longer having to worry about a surprise attack from behind, Jacob quickly returned to the rocky mountain trial where the other Rattlesnakes had departed. He could still hear the madmen's gunfire and followed the sound and the tracks they left in the hard-packed soil, being sure to keep low and silent in case any of the other Clan members had decided to break apart and start scavenging.

He spotted them within half an hour. They were making their way along a rough mountain path to a large multi-tiered fortress build into the very mountainside itself. A soft roar tore his attention from the line of giant rats and snake-tailed furs. The noise came from a large aerial drone shaped like a crescent with a spotlight roving the mountains. The emblem of MODD, specifically ExIT was branded on the side of the drone. Even though its light shone directly on the convoy and the fortress, it just passed on. It zoomed towards a distant ship hovering in the air possibly three to four kilometres away. There were other long ships just like it dotting the flat plains between the mountains. Each one had to be about five hundred metres wide hovered. Jacob plucked his glasses from where they rested and commanded them to identify the ships.

Hive Queens, the stars of Gale Winthrop's aerial armada. Capable of housing over twenty unmanned drones each with Seal production lines to replace those lost. Additionally, six _Stinger_fighters could be deployed by them with ease. Though each one only had minimal gun placements, the fact that these airborne aircraft carriers could deploy so many fighters at once made them a truly devastating force to be reckoned with especially when dispatched en masse.

"They really must want Realmbreaker," he murmured softly, tearing off his sunglasses and tucking them back into his breast pocket. "I wonder if the Rattlesnakes even know why MODD is so worked up..."

He refocused his efforts on rescuing Marcus and Joanna.

But first... some scouting.

******

Marcus growled as he was slammed into a heavy, metal table by the utterly mad members of the Rattlesnakes. They snapped heavy bindings to his wrists and ankles, preventing him from moving. To further his humiliation, they had stripped him of his clothing, leaving his chiselled, muscled frame exposed for their mad, hungry eyes. In particular, he hated the way the red eyes of their serpent tails eyed him like prey. Beside him, Joanna was strapped down as well but instead of metal binds, they jabbed sharp, nails into her paws and feet.

He almost pitied her. The fact that she didn't cry out as they hammered the nails into her flesh, breaking bone on their way in turned that almost-pity into begrudging admiration.

The Rattlesnakes began fighting amongst one another for their clothing. All of them had no pants on, preferring the flexibility offered to their serpentine tails. Like wild animals, they snapped and snarled at one another as they tugged at Marcus' white MODD coat and Joanna's suit. The pants were thrown to the side, forgotten.

The doors to the dark room burst open and all fighting stopped. Marcus kept his growls to himself for the moment. He had heard about the leader of the _Rattlesnakes_and the enormous, imposing figure that was silhouetted against the lights beyond their little prison could only be Snakebite. The towering cobra stepped into the light where he could be seen. Marcus' growl died in his throat as he spied the terrifying mutant that stood in front of him.

Snakebite was more than his dossier had claimed. Standing at well past seven feet tall, the cobra has scales as black as night but blood-red belly scales. His hood was torn on one side leaving it grizzly scars that revealed the pink flesh beneath his scales. Sprouting from his shoulders were two long, snake bodies just like those his subordinates possessed. Each of them had to be at least a metre long and roved the area, tasting the air with their forked tongues. The one on the right snapped at two Rattlesnakes that had resumed their fighting. The one of the left hovered over Joanna's defiance stare, almost grinning at her. Behind Snakebite was a third snake, one springing from his tail that watched the door for interruptions. Unlike his subordinates, Snakebite was dressed in thick, leather padding looking to have been scavenged from multiple sources to form some sort of makeshift armour with metal studs. A large, leather codpiece at least maintained his modesty. Hanging from his hip was an ominous, black and red gun, a shotgun possessing a whopping eight barrels.

The dreaded and fabled Orochi.

"Do you know who I am?" hissed the leader of the Rattlesnakes.

Marcus kept his muzzle shut.

"You're a fucking deviant," Joanna answered defiantly. "An abomination upon this world and an abuser of Seals!"

Snakebite's hand lashed out, catching Joanna on the side of her face with enough force to break the skin. Joanna just rolled her head back, emerald eyes blazing. Her unnatural healing closed the wound on her face.

"You're a Branded," hissed Snakebite. "A failing of your power is that you are all but paralysed when you are healing. Yes. I heard that you can select what to regenerate and when. Yes, yes." The cobra grinned maniacally at her, showing off his enormous fangs. "It must be taking a lot of your effort right now to keep yourself from bleeding out and remaining conscious." Snakebite leaned close to the vixen. "So listen well while you can..."

He seized Joanna's cheeks, his clawed fingers digging into her flesh. The dirty, white claws broke into her mouth. "I AM FUCKING SNAKEBITE! YOU HEAR ME!? MOTHERFUCKING SNAKEBITE! YES!" He wrenched her claws free from her face, taking huge chunks of her cheeks with it. Joanna slumped forward, blood dripping down her naked front. "I am the creator of the Rattlesnakes! Yes, I am their fucking god!" Snakebite flung his arms wide, turning his back to them and letting his snake tail hiss at the two prisoners. "I will take a fucking bite out of this world and spread my venom through its veins! I'm going to turn each and every person on this fucking planet into a snake! Yes! Yes! Yes! It is my destiny!"

"You... you are crazy..."

Marcus' eyes widened at Joanna's continued defiance. Her jaw had healed. Some blood had began to seep out of her paws and feet. It seemed that she had refocused all her regeneration to her jaw just so she could make that one insult.

Snakebite flung around, his unnaturally green eyes flashing with rage. "I'm not crazy! The world is crazy! Yes! You're crazy! No one is crazy!" He stomped over to her. His giant fist smashed into the nail on her right paw, driving it deeper into her skin. Still she did not cry out and continued to stare at him defiantly. "If I could turn you into a Rattlesnake, you would understand! But you cannot understand because you're crazy! You have a Brand! Oh yes!"

His eyes flashed towards Marcus. "And you... I've already sent demands to Gale. Yes. He wants you back. Yes! Yes! Yes! He's willing to pay ten million credits for your return." Snakebite grinned broadly. "I'll give you back to him, alright. But not before I make you see the light. Make you see that the world is crazy and everything is much better as a snake!"

"Go fuck yourself," Joanna snarled.

Snakebite gave the nail another punch. Joanna winced but that was all she would give him. He tore himself from her and hovered over Marcus. "You're going to be one of us. Yes." He reached down and stroked Marcus' thick, muscular tail. "This will be a nice strong snake. Oh yes..." His eyes snapped up to meet Marcus' eyes. Though the roo still put on a brave façade, one look at the mad but obedient Rattlesnakes was enough to fill him with fear.

The mad leader of the Rattlesnakes leaned forward, his forked tongue tasting the air around Marcus. "Yes. I can taste you fear. I will show you what you will become. Yes. So you know. Yes." He stepped back. "Bring in the prisoners!"

As Snakebite stepped aside, two naked men, bound and gagged where marched in by other Rattlesnakes. From the looks of the bleeding bides on their bodies, they had been the playthings of the Clan recently. Bruised and battered as they were, Marcus recognised them both.

"Biggs! Wedge!"

The two MODD soldiers, two of the men who had survived the explosion of Realmbreaker, stared up at him in fear. Biggs was the first victim as Snakebite moved towards him. The two snakes mounted on the mad cobra's shoulders lashed out, seizing Biggs' shoulders and lifting him up into the air with inhuman strength.

"You accept my gift, yes?" Snakebite asked with a cocky smirk.

Biggs' response? A thick wad of bloody spit to the Clan leader's face. Snakebite's enthusiasm instantly turned into a look of murderous intent. Without a second thought, he reached for the malformed gun on his side and instantly lifted it to Biggs' chest.

"No..." Marcus whispered. "No!"

BAM!

Snakebite had made a habit of sending images and videos of himself performing his terrifying executions that he coined as 'Death Adder'. Lifting his victim into the air with his serpents on his shoulders and then shooting them at point blank range with Orochi. The most horrifying part was the blank, horrified stares of the victims that would forever remain frozen as almost their entire chest cavity was blown away.

Poor Wedge was splattered with his friend's blood and innards. He pissed himself there and then and looked to Marcus for salvation. Marcus had no idea what to do. He was injured, his Seal was being nullified by the restraints! Help was not coming!

Wedge, a slim, athletic cheetah, was seized by Snakebite's shoulders and lifted into the air just like his friend.

"You accept my gift, yes?" insisted the leader of the Rattlesnakes. Mirth had left the cobra's features and he did not have any patience left for defiance. Not from Joanna or Wedge. Marcus exchanged glances with Joanna and she too could only return a look of sympathy in his direction.

"Y - Y - yes..." whimpered Wedge.

Grinning maliciously, Snakebite lifted his head back and closed his eyes. His muzzle dropped open like he was having an orgasm. Strange, green energies began flooding out of his chest, just over his heart and pumping through his veins like a luminescent poison. They travelled up his shoulders, into his snakes. It caused the serpents eyes to glow and Wedge to scream as it flooded into his body. The cheetah's entire body shook and quaked and his scream instantly turned into a silent cry. His long, ropey tail twisted and lost all its fur. It grew thicker, bigger and longer. The tip split open, developing a muzzle that already began hissing loudly. Two, sharp fangs ready for biting into flesh and squeezing venom into victims grew. The pink flesh split where the eyes should be and bright, red eyes sprang to life as the new snake-tail came into being. To complete the transformation, black scales covered the pink, exposed flesh.

Snakebite let go of Wedge, grinning broadly as his new member fell to his knees. The transformed cheetah's eyes were wide, filled with madness and when his snake-tail came up to eye level, he began letting out some manic laughter.

"Go have his tongue forked," commanded Snakebite.

"Yes!" Wedge screamed, leaping up to Snakebite and kissing his bare feet. "Make me a snake! Make me a snake like you, lord! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The Rattlesnake's leader chuckled darkly and nodded for his subordinates to take the newly transformed feline out of the prison cell. Snakebite, his mirth returned, moved then towards Marcus, his twin snakes looking hungrily at the kangaroo.

"Now, it is your turn. Yes."

Marcus felt the grip of fear around his heart. He had never felt so afraid in his life. As the two snakes closed in on him, their fangs hovering over his shoulders, he recalled only one other time he had felt so helpless...

BOOM!

The prison shook and Snakebite pulled back in surprise. "What? What!? WHAT!?"

For the second time, the doors burst open but this was instead out of desperation not a sense of domination. The Rattlesnake that burst in had his eyes wide in horror. "Mounts gone mad! Attacking each other! Fuel all afire! BLANK Generator -"

"The Generator!? No! Yes! NO! NO! NO!"

Snakebite instantly pushed past the subordinate and charged out into the fortress. From where he was, he could see the place beyond on fire and the monstrous mounts of the Rattlesnakes charging across the courtyard, snapping at their handlers and sometimes even one another. That was all he could glean before the doors shut behind him.

Marcus only briefly wondered what was going on when he felt the eyes of someone else on him. It wasn't Joanna and it certainly wasn't the blankly staring _Rattlesnake_that just stood there staring at them dumbly, clearly awaiting orders from his superior. A minutes passed... then another... and then...

"Oh for fuck's sake..."

The Rattlesnake jerked upwards just as a metal grating fell down from above, clocking him right on the forehead. The guy hit the ground with a grunt of surprise. The next surprise came when a 300 pound wolf dropped from the ventilation shaft above him and landed heavily on his chest.

Jacob yanked the guy from the ground before he could recover and smashed his head against the wall, knocking him out completely.

"I've heard of two dimensional characters but that guy wasn't even a _one_dimensional. Maybe a quarter a best." Jacob dusted his paws. "He got what? Two sentences? Not even a description. Did anyone even know what species he was?"

"Jacob!" Joanna exclaimed with relief. "How did you get past the guards? And did you do all this?"

The surprisingly stealthy wolf turned towards her and yanked the nail out of her paw. "It's a mountain fortress. If there's anything we've learned about mountain fortresses and exploits from videogames, it's that approaching it from above is a sure fire way to get in. I just scaled the rest of the mountain and dropped in from the highest tower."

"Are you serious?" Marcus exclaimed. "That's crazy!"

"It worked," answered Jacob as he yanked out the nails from Joanna's feet while she freed her other paw.

"And the explosions? The uprising of the giant rats?"

Jacob flashed Marcus a grin as he undid the kangaroo's restraints. "Turns out those giant rats have a short fuse. All I did was throw a few rocks at them from the direction of their handlers and they blew a gasket and started attacking the guys that they were supposed to obey. Spilled a bit of fuel around the place as well just to add to the chaos and any of the other giant rats that I couldn't rile up have gone out in a panic."

Marcus was relieved when he dropped off the table and was freed. He could feel the power flowing through him again, his Seal once more within reach. "The BLANK Generator?"

"Didn't actually get anywhere near it," Jacob answered regretfully. "Too heavily guarded. But it was pretty damn easy to knock out a guy with a communicator and start screaming about the Generator under attack while everything was on fire."

Massaging his wrists, he eyed Jacob suspiciously as the wolf made his way back towards the vent he had dropped down from and pulled himself up with some surprising strength. He brought down a few articles of clothing, just plain shirts and shorts. "Who are you? Really?"

"Jacob. A Worldrider. Codename: Revenant."

"Jacob Revenant...?" Marcus frowned deeply. Somehow, there was a particular ring to that name. He knew Worldriders tended not to disclose their true identities but... "You... You wouldn't happen to be related to Jacob Samuel Reaper would you?"

The wolf froze... and Marcus' jaw dropped.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, leaping back and pointing at the lupine. "You are Jake Reaper!"

"Reaper?" Joanna echoed. "As in Rex Reaper? The Elemental Lord of Star?" She stared at Jacob with her eyebrows raised in interest. "You're that Jacob?"

Cursing softly, Jacob reached into the vent once more and retrieved a couple of rifles. "Damnit... I knew I should've used 'Jake' instead..." He threw the weapons at the two. "Look, there's a reason why I don't keep in contact with Rex. I'd appreciate it if you two don't mention me to him whenever or whatever you do after this. I really don't want to see him. He keeps away from me. I keep away from him. We have our reasons."

Marcus lifted his paws. "No complaints from me, bud. Your older brother is a complete and total jackass. Last time he was in Pollenburn, he commandeered all of my Sky Wardens and had them march in a parade for himself to announce he was in town."

"That's Rex alright..." Jacob growled. He leaned against the doors slightly and peered through. "Okay, everyone's attention should be to the east of the facility. I've mapped a way we can use the shadows of their watchtowers to get to the western wall where I found an outcropping we can climb, get over the wall and get a safe distance away. I figure we'll have thirty minutes tops before they get back here looking for you. More than enough time to get away."

Just one glance at the remains of Biggs and what had become of Wedge, Marcus had to shake his head. "No."

"What?" Jacob demanded.

"My men have either been converted or killed by these sons-of-bitches and they've been terrorising Pollenburn for years." Marcus pressed the gun to his chest, wincing as his injured shoulder jerked painfully. "We have got to end them once and for all."

Joanna folded her arms. Was she going to defy him? Be the Devil's Advocate? "As much as it pains me to agree with a brainwashed MODD stooge... I have to agree with him. The Clans are a blight upon the land and this Snakebite is certainly a prime example of the misuse of Seals. We need to put a stop to them now."

"Oh come on..." Jacob winced loudly. "Couldn't we escape this once? I mean, it would make Snakebite a much better villain if we dragged out the conflict with him. Maybe he comes back later with a bigger army, we're stronger too and he bears a grudge against us. It'll make it more personal. If we kill him now, that's a lot of lost potential."

He was ignored for the most part though Marcus vaguely and silently admitted that he wanted to make sure that Snakebite suffered long and hard for what he did to the men under his command. "One of us needs to take down the BLANK Generator and the other needs to distract Snakebite."

"I would suggest we all attack the BLANK Generator," Joanna responded. "However, considering your current state of physical health, I'll distract Snakebite." She stared pointedly at how he was putting all of his weight on his right foot and his left arm was hanging limply by his side.

"No," Marcus snarled. "If anyone is going to face Snakebite, it's me. He's got to pay for what he's done."

Jacob sighed loudly and shook his head. "Considering how I'm being ignored, I might as well say this... My older brother is a colossal ass hat that left me to take care of my mentally unstable father after my mother died in the Battle of Ullen, forcing me to only be a part-time Worldrider thus dousing my dreams of travel and adventure and at least three to four times a year, I sleep with my dad. He tops most of the time."

"Think this through," Joanna insisted, completely ignoring Jacob. "You can barely stand. Against Snakebite, a mutant of immense proportions, you will hardly stand a chance."

"Maybe but he wants me alive, remember?" Marcus responded. "Gale has apparently already agreed to a ransom and if Snakebite wants to see any of that money, he'll keep me alive. If you go up against him, he'll kill you on sight. Besides, I'm not much use going up stairs anyway."

"Fair point..." She rubbed her chin ruefully. "Give me at least ten minutes before you start attacking. Then you can have your revenge."

"Keep it on the down low, princess," Marcus warned, hobbling towards the door. "From what I've seen, you lack in subtlety."

"As long as you keep your temper down, farm boy."

Marcus' eyes flashed and he stared daggers at Joanna for the briefest of moments. Then, he closed his eyes, took a few short breaths and then came up beside Jacob who had taken to silently watching the chaos he had wrought. Joanna slipped past them both, disappearing into courtyard and sticking to the shadows.

Ten minutes seemed like an eternity and he grew increasingly anxious as the Rattlesnakes began getting the fires under control and herding their mounts back into their pens. He glanced at Jacob who still remained unarmed.

"Do you need a gun or something?"

A strange look crossed the wolf's features and he briefly looked at his paws. Marcus followed his sapphire-blue gaze and thought he caught the tail of some figment of white energy dancing between Jacob's fingertips. He dismissed it as a play of the light.

"I'm good."

Jacob Reaper... the younger brother to Rex 'Nebula' Reaper, the most popular Elemental Lord and official face of MODD. It was a surprise that burly wolf could be related to that Rex Reaper. Marcus wasn't sure whether he should be star struck or start questioning his sanity. "Thanks for rescuing us, by the way," he mumbled.

"Think nothing of it," Jacob responded. He lifted a golden blonde eyebrow at Marcus. "How'd you get captured anyway? I would've thought a crazy Unsealed terrorist and a trained MODD soldier regardless of injury would've been more than a match for a couple of Clan cannon fodder."

Marcus turned back towards the courtyard, watching as Snakebite brutally beat one of the Rattlesnakes while constantly screaming 'Yes' like he was close to orgasm. "Little Miss Branded has no self-control and would've brought down the whole mountain on them. She talks about preservation of life and all that shit but she was going to kill them all anyway. I had to fire a warning shot at her to keep her from crushing a Rattlesnake_beneath a ten tonne boulder." He sighed heavily. "Of course, that revealed my position _way too early and then she got vindictive and threw a boulder at _me_and I was suddenly fighting both the _Rattlesnakes_and her..." He shook his head. "Suffice to say, I'm glad you came in and rescued us when you did." He gave Jacob an appraising look. "You're surprisingly stealthy for someone of your build..."

"It helps when you've got fur as black as night," Jacob answered. "Okay, I think that's about ten minutes. What do you want to do?"

Snakebite was in the middle of the courtyard 'disciplining' one of his many subordinates. The others were either corralling the mounts back into their pens or dousing the last bits of fire. They were still widely spread out. "Keep the other Rattlesnakes away from me and Snakebite. I want him all to myself."

"I swear if you weren't strapped naked to a metal table just a few seconds ago, I'd take that in a whole different context." Jacob slipped out of the makeshift prison and disappeared behind a few boxes.

Marcus took a deep breath and began reaching into the power of his Seal, like coming into contact with an old friend. The moment his consciousness touched the magical symbol, imagined its shape in his mind, he could feel its power seeping through his veins. It dulled the pain in his arm and his leg, giving him strength to march out of the prison and out into the middle of the courtyard.

Bearing the assault rifle only in one hand was difficult but he managed to squeeze the trigger and let loose a barrage. Snakebite was missed by the bullets did catch a few of the other Rattlesnakes beyond him.

"WHAT!?" snarled the Rattlesnake leader. "You should go back to your cell! Yes! Stop killing my men! Yes! Yes! YES!" To make himself more intimidating, the two snakes sprouting from his shoulders turned ominously towards Marcus while his tail hissed at the Rattlesnake_that lay bruised, bleeding and battered beneath him. He plucked _Orochi from his hip, holding it easily in one clawed hand. "You will make me a _lot_of money! Yes! Then you will bring down Gale and MODD from the inside! YES!"

Naturally, this brought all the eyes of the Rattlesnakes to the centre of the courtyard, drawing attention from the BLANK Generator and whatever Jacob was. It didn't take too long for Marcus to learn of the Worldrider's presence, however. While the _Rattlesnakes_were watching, another explosion erupted from the base of one of the nearby watchtowers. The structure was roughly built out of scraps of metal bolted together, some parts rusted and others surprisingly new. Still, it was unstable and that one explosion sent it and the three men housed within it toppling to the ground.

There was a resounding crash as the tower came crashing down behind Snakebite. To his credit, the Rattlesnake_leader didn't even turn around and continued to advance on Marcus. In the back of his mind, Marcus could only think 'badass'. The other Clan members were scrambling, stricken by panic and madness at the fall of their watchtower. They even began blaming one another and getting into fights. None of them noticed the black shape that quickly opened the gate into the corral. The giant mutant rats stared at the open door for a moment before wandering towards it curiously. Another explosion quickly erupted from behind the rats and that was enough to send them skittering over the fighting _Rattlesnakes.

Jacob liked his explosions.

"How are you doing this!?" bellowed Snakebite. "Is that your Seal? Yes! Is that your Seal!? Your Seal of Light and Wind!? Stop! Stop! Yes! Stop and become a snake! Stop!" The madman lifted his multi-barrelled shotgun. "STOP! STOP! EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP! YES!"

Snakebite suddenly spun in place and bang pulling the trigger to Orochi. As he turned he fired a set of rounds ahead of him, tearing through his own troops. He fired to the left and right in rapid succession at no one in particular before shooting over his shoulder at Marcus. The roo growled and swung his good arm and the rifle through to air. An enormous gust of wind strong enough to topple entire homes blew right in front of him. Infused with the power of his Seal, it was visible as beams of twisting light. Orochi's bullets disintegrated upon touching the breeze but that didn't stop Snakebite from firing wildly upwards.

With self-preservation on their minds, the Rattlesnakes vaulted over the fallen watchtower to stop their leader's manic display. Marcus ducked behind a wall of crate just as Snakebite threw Orochi into the air and one of his shoulder-mounted snakes caught it in its coils, his fangs sinking around the trigger. The snake pointed it at a charging Rattlesnake, pulling the trigger and blasting the poor feline's head right off his shoulders. At the same time, Snakebite seized the arm of a panicking Rattlesnake and broke it with a twist. His shoulder snake threw _Orochi_back towards its master just so Snakebite could liberate the man of his life. His display would have been impressive if not for the wanton bloodshed he caused. The courtyard became a testimony to Snakebite's madness.

Marcus had to feel pity for those poor souls who had fallen into the mad cobra's sway.

A sound like shattering glass echoed through the air. Above them, the sky suddenly seemed to become clearer. The thin veil caused by the BLANK Generator faded, the faint grey film over the sky disappearing and letting the light of the stars shine through. Even Sapphiris' dull blue light could fill the courtyard in all its eeriness.

It wouldn't take long for MODD to notice the sudden shift and Marcus could already see one of the many Hive Queens in the distant start to turn towards them, drones already speeding towards them.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" shouted Snakebite in his madness. "Come! Face me MODD! Face me! Yes!"

Pain suddenly exploded from Marcus' left shoulder. Before he could cry out in pain, he was being yanked out from behind the wall of crates by one of Snakebite's snakes. He was flung through the air and slammed hard against the ground. His already broken arm felt like it had shattered into pieces, the broken shards of his bones digging into his thick muscles. Somehow, his skin remained intact. He was dragged back towards Snakebite, the snake keeping its fangs in his shoulder while pinning him to the ground. The madman loomed over him, a manic gleam in his glowing green eyes.

"I lost many men today. But you will be my greatest. Yes. You will kill Gale. You will kill MODD. Yes!"

"Go to hell," Marcus snarled. He whipped up his rifle... just for one of Snakebite's other snake to bite his wrist, forcing him to release the weapon. The cobra flipped Marcus onto his back, crouching over his chest. Eyes glowing a bright green, Snakebite licked his lips. Green, pulsating light began emanating from his chest, flooding his veins once more.

Marcus snarled and summoned the power of his Seal. A powerful blast of wind armed with sharpened beams of light blasted the Rattlesnake leader. But Snakebite was dogmatic and kept his grip on the kangaroo, refusing to budge. His desperation growing, Marcus increased the blasts from his Seal but he felt more and more panic clouding his focus. He could almost feel his tail shrinking as the glowing in Snakebite's veins crept further and further down the shoulder-mounted snakes, crossing the distance between them and flooding their unnatural appendages' eyes. They touched the base of the serpents' fangs -

... when a big, black paw gripped the side of Snakebite's head.

White lightning erupted from the contact and Snakebite's expression of pure euphoria was suddenly replaced by one of utter horror. He screamed and his snake instantly pulled back from Marcus. The leader reeled back just as his left eye exploded from the inside, splattering blood and ocular fluid all over a stunned Marcus.

Snakebite rolled to the side, scampering away and whimpering while clutching his wounded eye.

Jacob Reaper seized Marcus' paw and pulled him to his feet, white lightning still dancing between his fingers.

"What was that!?" Marcus demanded. "Some sort of Worldrider death grip!?"

With the utmost seriousness and a tinge of fear in his eyes, Jacob said, "Realmbreaker."

Stunned, he wasted a few precious seconds of mute astonishment. In that time, two snake heads seized Jacob's shoulder, causing the wolf to cry out in pain as their dagger-like fangs sunk into his flesh. A third bit down on his thigh and all three yanked him away from Marcus. The roo cried out his name and tried to lunge for him. With his leg and arms injured, Marcus only stumbled forward and crashed to the ground, tasting blood as his chin banged on the hard ground. Jacob was lifted into the air in front of a bloodied Snakebite.

"You killed my men, yes? You are the one that did this! You will die! YES!" Snakebite lifted Orochi, taking up position in his trademark execution style. "Time to die!"

Jacob struggled against the powerful coils of the snakes but couldn't break himself free. As the multi-headed shotgun levelled at his chest, he seemed to realise his fate and stopped fighting.

"No!" Marcus screamed.

Then Jacob said something strange. "Insert witty comeback here!" White lightning erupted from both of his paws, coalescing into long spears of sizzling white energy that looked like a ragged tear in the very fabric of reality, its edges like fire and the air rippling around it like silk.

Snakebite's jaw dropped open at the appearance of the sudden two foot long spikes of white energy hovering just an inch from Jacob's paw. The wolf flicked his wrists. Both bolts shot forward with the gentle command, shooting right through the mad cobra's shoulders and leaving holes about an inch wide in the hard muscle. Snakebite's snakes immediately let go of him, letting him drop to the ground on a crouch. Even with his shoulders bleeding from the fangs that had sunk into them, Jacob got to his feet and flicked his wrists, bringing up more of those blades of ragged energy.

Like he was wielding two swords, Jacob charged forward, swinging the bolts at Snakebite. The insane leader of the Rattlesnakes backed away a few steps before bringing up Orochi. Jacob advanced at step and then flung his right paw forward. The bolt of energy shot forth from his palm and cut right through the shotgun. It was like watching a hot knife fly through the air and slice right through a stick of butter. The energy just travelled unhindered through Orochi, passing through Snakebite's bicep and rendering that arm practically useless.

"Pain! Pain!" screamed Snakebite, throwing his head back forth with a manic grin on his face. "Yes! Pain! I feel the pain!"

A spotlight fell on him. A Hive Queen had arrived and it spotted the heavily mutated cobra. Its armed drones spewed from its hangers are the remaining Rattlesnakes began scattering into the mountainside. With the BLANK Generator down, they would be easy pickings.

Snakebite spread his one good arm wide as if he was welcoming death while his snakeheads lashed back and forth almost like they were desperate to get away from their insane, suicidal host.

"Snake! Snakes will rule the world! Yes! Watch me! Watch me spread my gift!"

His chest began to glow and the same green light began pulsating up the twin snakes sprouting from his shoulders. It took a second for Marcus to realise that the snakes were pointing at the Hive Queen in anticipation of unleashing their mutagenic energies at the crew. Over the roar of the ship's engines, no one could hear him scream a warning.

Then, there was a big, black shape launching himself at Snakebite. Jacob jumped onto the cobra, planting his feet on the reptile's chest and flipped himself upside down. He was stretched upside down above Snakebite, one arm on the broad shoulders of the cobra and the other holding a bolt of Realmbreaker. He swing that bolt left and right, severing the serpent coils before they could unleash their corruptive power. Snakebite screamed as Jacob dropped behind him. The wolf spun around, slicing off the Rattlesnake's_tail. He jabbed _Realmbreaker into Snakebite's right calf, sending the tall, insane cobra to his knees.

Jacob seized the one good hood of the cobra, pulling the man's head back so that he could look straight at the writhing blade of energy that would put him to death.

"Jacob! Don't!"

Marcus spun as Joanna came running out of a nearby tower.

Jacob's features softened, his snarl fading and looking at the Unsealed questioningly.

"Every life is precious," she pleaded. "Snakebite was driven mad by Seals and his entire life became consumed by it. Give him a chance at redemption. Death is not the answer. There must be a way to cure this sick creature of his ailment."

Marcus' blood boiled. "Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me!?" he bellowed, reverting to his childhood accent. "He fuckin' killed mah men! He blew off Biggs' chest in front-a us! Then he turned Wedge inta a twisted fuck like himself! He doesn't deserve any mercy!" He spun towards Jacob. "Kill the fucker!"

Joanna stepped forward, shaking her head. "This is not the way to a better world!"

"So says the fuckin' terrorist tha' blew up the undefended city of Ullen!" Marcus spun towards Jacob. "You lost yer mum at Ullen! And it was cuz of tha Unsealed! Are ya really gunna take peace advice from 'em!?"

"Ullen was a mistake!" The vixen turned her pleading eyes back towards Jacob. "You don't want to go down this path, Jacob." She gestured at Snakebite. "Killing this poor soul is not the answer. He must answer for his crimes, yes, but you are not his executioner!"

"What 'bout Biggs!?" shouted Marcus. "What 'bout all 'em that he executed and sent us videos of!? That asshole is a fuckin' madman!"

"Enough!" Jacob bellowed, yanking back Snakebite's head. Both Joanna and Marcus held their breath.

The blade of Realmbreaker in Jacob's paw faded and the wolf let go of Snakebite's serpentine hood. "You're right, Jo... I'm not an executioner. Worldriders always maintain life when given the opportunity."

Marcus growled and stepped forward -

WHAM!

... and froze, eyes wide as Snakebite's eyes rolled into the back of his head and the snake collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Jacob slowly unclenched his fist. "Doesn't mean I'm stupid though. Conscious, the crazy fuck could do anything..." His eyes suddenly brightened and he snapped his fingers, coming to a realisation.

"Bite me! That would've been the perfect comeback! Bite me!"