FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Episode 3: Rock On

"There are times in our journey through life that we either find a rock to cling onto or be that rock for someone else. However, we must always remember that the symbolism around being a 'rock' means that we are unmoving, static and stable. That means that while those clinging onto us weather the storm and grow stronger... we remain steadfast and our growth becomes stagnant."

Penelope Warsmith

Fate, Destiny and Free Will

Stupid obsessive compulsive disorder...

Jacob was fuming as he stood in the shower cubicle.

Every morning...

Absolutely every morning, he basically jumped into the closest shower cubicle - whether he was allowed to or not - and took a thirteen minute shower. It was always exactly thirteen minutes. Even when he tried to force himself into taking a shorter or longer shower, when he got out, it was always exactly thirteen minutes after he started.

There was a small burst of emotion when he and Leo had sucked each other off under the stars the previous night. It was enough to tell him that he had feelings for Leo and that he wanted to feel more. It was enough confirmation for him and he was going to see it through to the end.

Of course, there were countless obstacles in his path.

Like his OCD...

Thirteen minute showers, making 'pillow fortresses' when he went to bed - if available - and not being able to look at himself in the mirror because of unwanted memories of his scarred past that may very well have been implanted by Balthazar.

The only time he ever sort of broke away from his bits of insanity was when he had sex... And even then, the instant it ended, he was straight back in Crazy Town.

"Damnit!" he cursed, slamming his fist into the wall, causing a considerable crack.

"Rocky won't like that you punched the wall of his private washroom."

Showers were surprisingly rare in Graesham. Bathtubs were the norm. Jacob couldn't take baths in bathtubs. It always had to be a shower. The only showers available were the ones in the troop barracks in the Emerald Crown and Rocky's private bathroom. After having just blown off his future-mate because of some compulsion he couldn't control, Jacob wasn't feeling very social and opted to be away from anyone he might end up venting his frustration to.

"You know,"_Spectre suggested, sitting on the showerhead, _"maybe you should spend less time complaining and breaking walls down and work on your problems instead."

"What do you think I've been doing?" Jacob snapped, spinning around and shutting off the shower.

The water died to a trickle from the overhead shower. He stepped outside and grabbed nearest towel. He didn't like using the large furdryers that were installed in the massive complex. With such thick fur as his, he ended up looking like a fluff ball. Drying himself usually took two or three towels. It was a good thing the troop barracks wouldn't be missing the five he pilfered.

"You mean you're trying to marry Leo and hope that his stability will cure you of your in_stability?"_

He didn't reply and ran the towels over his fur, dabbing the large, thick, golden crest of fur on his chest conveniently shaped like a heart.

"Jacob, you can't just miraculously marry_someone and hope all your problems will go away. If anything, marriage leads to_ more_problems. I should know."_

A light bulb flicked on in Jacob's mind.

Glancing at Spectre over his shoulder, he said, "And how exactly are you supposed to know?"

The Animus looked a little startled then he blushed and scratched his cheek with a paw. "Well... You see..." He coughed and stared gravely at Jacob. "Will you just take my advice without probing? It'll lessen the effect if you found out where I got my infinite wisdom from."

Doubt began creeping into his mind... until inspiration struck. "You watch too many soap operas."

"Damn you."

That brightened Jacob's mood. With his fur sufficiently dried off, he picked up his clothing and equipment, quickly dressing himself. Spectre leapt down from the shower head once he was done and curled around his neck. Once again fully equipped - if still a little wet - Jacob left Rocky's private bathroom.

With his shower done, he hoped to find Leo and explain to his mate that he wasn't as strong as he appeared. In retrospect, he really should have told Leo about that before he proposed. There had to be at least a million stories based around the premise of a hasty proposal resulting further drama later on in the marriage.

Suddenly... confronting Leo didn't seem like such a good idea...

_"Getting cold feet?"_Spectre taunted.

"They're frozen. I can't move."

"Wanna do something constructive to take your mind off your problems?"

"Weren't you just advocating me facing my problems?"

"Acknowledging you have problems is the first step. Identifying them is the next. Besides, it's better to ignore your problems than to be going in the wrong_direction."_

Jacob snapped a venomous glare at his Animus. "You're saying that me asking Leo to marry me is the wrong decision!?"

"I'm just saying that you've known each other for... what...? A week? Isn't that a bit quick to be proposing?"

He growled and swatted at Spectre. "I don't need your permission or opinion for anything. You're not my father."

Spectre sniggered and sat on his head. "You know, it'd be really_creepy if you started calling me 'papa'. People passing by would_ really_think you're crazy."_

Walking the streets while chatting idly with Spectre would already make him look insane... But if a passerby where to catch him calling Spectre 'papa' and then he were to relate to them the story about how he supposedly killed his own father...

He couldn't help but snicker too.

"I would so pay to see the faces of those people..."

His Animus giggled and patted his golden-blonde hair. "Hmmm... Well, what should we do now? Your hair is getting a little long. Maybe you need a haircut?"

"Taylor has a decent sense of style."

"Can he cut hair?"

"Does it matter? It's a distraction."

His Animus shrugged and drifted in front of him. "True that."

Scrrrrr... Scrrrr...

An odd sound met his ears...

Scrrrr...Scrrrr...

It sounded like... someone was dragging something big and heavy across the floor...

That doesn't sound good...

"Well... You wanted a distraction, right?"

Quickly, he dove back into Rocky's bathroom and summoned his swords, gripping them in a reverse grip. He launched himself at the high ceiling and embedded his blades into solid rock. Radiance and Requiem bit into the rock easily and stayed there. Jacob pressed his back against the solid rock, placing himself out of sight and just barely concealed by the shadows but still with enough freedom that he wouldn't be a sitting duck if the person that entered was hostile.

If worst came, he could easily launch himself at his foe and slice them to bits.

But who would be breaking into Rocky's room?

"Umm... You?"

Jacob gave Spectre a venomous glare. Shut up.

The odd, scraping noise grew louder and louder by the second, causing him to tense further with each, spine-crawling, gravelly echo. The soft swishing noise of the automatic doors leading into Rocky's private quarters cut through the grating sound.

Only people with access can open that door...

"Or people who have stolen_access..."_

Will you stop comparing me to this thief!?

"Why?" Spectre replied smugly. "Did you_break into Rocky's place and commandeer his shower?"_

Fine. We'll find out what this bastard wants and then_we'll compare him and me!? Happy!?_

The winged wolf smirked and hovered lazily in front of the bathroom door. "I am content."

Jacob held his breath and waited patiently. The likelihood of the stranger going into the bathroom was slim... Unless he came in for a shower...

The scraping noise abruptly stopped.

He waited just a few seconds longer...

... nothing.

What...?

Quietly, Jacob dropped down from the ceiling and snuck towards the door, his blades still drawn. Thankfully, the door was not an automatic one and he managed to open it slightly and peek into the room beyond.

Rocky's quarters were quite large. A double-bed, a desk, several paintings were all fitted into the main room. The remaining three rooms were saved for a mini-theatre, a study and a bathroom in order of size. There was also a wide, open balcony facing Graesham that was perched on the wall farthest away from the bed and door. Gossamer curtains barely separated the balcony from the room.

In Rocky's bedroom, there was a figure dressed in the typical MODD lieutenant's outfit. Just like Rocky, he wore a long, black, trench coat. However, as a lieutenant his levels of customisation were limited. He only had a heavy, silver chain wrapped around his waist. That chain trailed down to a rather big, grey boulder that sat at his feet.

Judging by the trail of gravel leading from the door to where the stranger stood, that rock was the source of the scarping noise.

A MODD lieutenant...? One of Rocky's lieutenants...?

Jacob stepped out from behind the bathroom just as the lieutenant opened one of Rocky's drawers and reached for what appeared to be a pair of underwear...

"I wasn't aware that MODD had retracted their 'No perverts' rule when recruiting," Jacob said calmly. "I really shoulder consider joining."

He expected the man to suddenly go rigid, spin around and attack.

No such luck.

The lieutenant merely straightened for a brief instant before returning to rifling through Rocky's belongings.

Jacob stepped up to the lieutenant and pressed the tip of Radiance against the neck of the interloper. "You best leave the Saint's underwear alone, buddy. I hear if you steal one of his unmentionables, you get struck down from Heaven."

A dark, cynical chuckle emerged from the lieutenant. "How far can you possible fall when you are already in the deepest pit of Hell?"

It was Jacob's turn to let out a bitter snort. "That's easy. You were thrown in there because you genuinely didn't deserve it."

The lieutenant straightened once more... then turned to face Jacob. Soft blue eyes made a stark contrast to the greyish fur that the ursine bore. Jacob could make out the hints of white beneath the coating of grey that suggested this bear was many years Jacob's senior. Those eyes were oddly... hollow. There was just this... emptiness in them like the soul behind it was uncaring, cold and devoid of emotion. Even with Radiance levelled against his black nose, he seemed unperturbed and almost... lifeless.

"How can you claim that the judgment of Heaven is not absolute?" the lieutenant asked.

Jacob didn't lower his blade. "I never said it wasn't absolute. But that doesn't make it right either."

The lieutenant shook his head slowly. "Then what would you do against the unjust rule of Heaven? Can you stand against the might of the entire world and the beyond? Can a mortal man hold up against what created this world and what will lead this world's inhabitants to its destiny?"

Why do I get the feeling he isn't talking about Heaven and Hell anymore...?

"Don't have to stand when you're trying to kill," Jacob answered with a slight grin. "Isn't it a saint's job to be martyred for their cause or be persecuted in some way, shape or form?"

"So you intend to die for your cause?"

Only then did Jacob dismiss his swords. He shrugged and let out a sharp laugh. "Hell no. I wanna be around when the bombs go off , not die before I get to see the women and children screaming as their faces melt off."

He casually leaned against the lieutenant's shoulder and made a sweeping gesture into the air. "See, the strategy is to get some idealistic, charismatic idiot to spearhead the operation for you. You make them the head of the cause and let people flock to them. That way, when the self-righteous bastards up high decide to strike back, they hit that guy instead of you and you end up having a martyr on your paws whose ideals are way more valuable than he could have been in life."

Grinning, he clapped the ursine's shoulder and slapped his back playfully. "That way, you get all the people following you as you 'uphold the martyr's ideals' without said martyr yammering on with their own ideas! You get to pass off any and all rules you want to make and all you have to do is say 'it's what so-and-so would've wanted' and everyone will follow!"

...

"You're sick..."

The lieutenant pulled his shoulder away from Jacob with a grunt. "I have this odd feeling that you are referencing the Saint of the Earth. I hope you don't intend to use him as some figurehead to take down MODD like Rex is planning."

Confusion temporarily jumped into his mind.

Rex is...?

He hid his puzzlement expertly with a cocky grin. "I would never do that to the Saint." Two seconds pause just for dramatic effect... then... "I'll let Rex be the one to fall first. He's always trying to compensate for his apparent lack to talent so making him the first martyr for my 'cause' will all more juice into his story." Jacob grinned broadly and spread his arms out. "Imagine the stories people will tell! How the weakest of the Elemental Lords rose up to become the first and greatest of the many, many, many corpses that will help elevate the cause to world domination!"

"You're playing it a little heavily..."

The lieutenant shook his head again. "Your ideas are strangely plausible but at the same time insane. You are an enigma, Jacob Reaper."

Jacob frowned theatrically. "That's not fair. You know my name." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black, leather wallet and opened it. "You have me at a disadvantage Mr... Soot." For added effect, he pulled out one of the big, golden credit cards contained in the wallet. "Wow. You're a member of the MODD Gold Club. Nice."

Soot's eyes went wide, the first sign of emotion he displayed in their entire exchange. The lieutenant quickly patted down himself.

"Yep," Jacob smirked, waving the wallet tauntingly in front of the lieutenant. "I've got your wallet."

"Give that back!"

Jacob sniggered and dodged past the ursine, deftly leaping over the bear and bolting for the door. That large rock Soot carried with him severely impaired his movement, giving Jacob a big advantage.

With a taunting flick of his tail, Jacob leapt into the hallway -

WHAM!

... and froze.

That large rock was more advantageous than Jacob had first thought...

It lay embedded against the opposite wall, buried in deep and with silver chain still connected.

He had felt it barely brush his left cheek.

An inch more to the right and he would have been completely headless!

I forgot how powerful MODD makes its troops...

A heavy paw rested on his shoulder and Soot stepped in beside him. "Give me the wallet."

Jacob handed it over with a sigh. "Fine."

Soot snatched it back and turned around slowly, deliberately. The chained rock dropped from the wall and trailed him, making that continuous scraping noise.

But Jacob wasn't about to let him get away that easily.

"So... Who's the girl?"

The lieutenant didn't stop walking. "What girl?"

Jacob regarded the photograph that he had pilfered from the wallet just before he surrendered it to Soot. "The one in this photograph with a younger version of you."

Each of the individual strands of fur on the back of Soot's neck seemed to stand up one at a time with each millisecond. Slowly, the lieutenant turned around, eyes blazing with an odd mixture of anger, resentment and... and...

...is that pain...? Where did that come from...?

"I wouldn't be surprised if he got a hernia over carrying that big rock all day..."

Soot frowned at him. "That girl was the former daughter of the then-Elemental Lord of Earth, Rose Earthsire."

Jacob regarded the photograph in his paws. Photos were archaic at best these days. Most people used holographic projections instead of photographs. With the 'three-dimensional' aspect of the projections people and the 'depth of realism' that was offered, the old flat pieces of paper with ink quickly became old news.

It must have been a while ago for a photograph to be taken...

"But didn't Rose die ten years ago..."

His eyes flicked back to Soot who had slipped back into his dark, emotionless calm.

That's right...

"Who's the other bear beside her?"

Jacob already had his guesses... but it was best to be sure.

Soot took a few, long, strained moments to reply. When he did, his muzzle moved so slowly... and yet deliberately like he was trying to convince more than just Jacob. "That was me."

The photograph showed two young bears standing in front of what appeared to be a well of some sort. Rose, a lithe, beaming young female with long, bright red hair sat on the edge of the well, grinning broadly was a soaking wet Soot stood beside her with a bucket over his head and a big grin on his face. Strangely, his fur was white... with specks of grey.

"Ten years really did a number on you, didn't it?"

"Ten years is a long time to be living in Hell," Soot answered grimly. "I think I rather look good."

Those words made Jacob smirk a little. "And here I thought you didn't have a sense of humour," he replied, handing Soot back the photograph. "You and Rose were good friends?"

The ursine took the picture and nodded slightly. "Very good. It broke my heart when she died out in the field like that..."

"You do realise that you're working for the same corporation that effectively killed her, right?"

Soot's eyes flicked back to Jacob. The lieutenant tucked the picture away. "To ensure that the mistakes of the past are never made again... to ensure that the current Elemental Lord does not abuse his power and use the life of someone he should love for his own needs... That is the only way I can preserve Rose's memory."

A noble sentiment...

... but what person, living or dead, would want to be constantly reminded that they were_dead?_

Jacob crossed his arms and shrugged absently. "If I were you, I'd just stop all efforts of MODD to cure this plague. You want to preserve your Rose's memory? Build her the biggest damn memorial in the world... with the fossilised corpses of all those people who got infected by 'her plague'."

Soot let out a bitter snort. "Why do you think I insisted on transferring all those who succumbed fully to the Plague to the Grey Grounds Cemetery."

That Jacob was not expecting.

Wow... And I thought I was cruel and sadistic...

There was a faint, earthy scent in the air and his heart skipped a beat when he brain and heart worked in unison to identify that scent as his mate's. He glanced to his left as Leo bounded over to him happily. With Soot nearby, he kept his expression blank but he couldn't help the jump of joy his heart gave.

"Leo," he greeted absently. Jacob gestured towards the MODD lieutenant. "This is Soot. One of the ExIT Commanders under Rocky's command."

Leo immediately bent forward and sniffed Soot's crotch.

Jacob snorted and watched Soot's reaction. Whereas most people would have given a cry of shock, whacked Leo or possibly even both, Soot remained stoic and motionless. His eyes were back to their emotionless glaze.

Yeesh... It's like this guy is a rock or something...

_"Is that so surprising?"_Spectre asked.

...

I suppose not...

Leo pulled back, a curious expression on his face like he was trying to analyse Soot's scent. "You have a very strange name."

"One doesn't pick their names," Soot darkly. "They are assigned to us by fate." The lieutenant nodded towards Jacob in grim acknowledgement. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jacob Reaper. I will take your suggestion into consideration."

My suggestion...?

He recalled his little rant about taking over the world by using Rocky as a martyr... Connecting that with the idea that Soot wanted to ensure the mistakes of the past were not repeated was not too hard... The idea that he was already making a sort of memorial... or perhaps even a shrine to his dead girlfriend filled Jacob with a sudden sense of dread.

Why do I get the feeling my words will come bite me on the ass someday soon...?

"Because, young one,"_Spectre said, patting his shoulder consolingly,"you just started a series of seemingly small but catastrophic events that would lead to the eventual downfall of all society."_

Wow... I never knew words could be so powerful... I should use them more often.

His Animus grinned and licked his cheek approvingly. "That's my boy..." Then Spectre pulled back and frowned. "Wait... Did you mean you were going to use words more often instead of your swords to do things for good_or were you going to use words more often to bring down everything we know and love?"_

Jacob ignored his Animus just as Leo said, "He seems very nice."

"Jacob...?"

"Yeah," Jacob answered to Leo. "Someone who actually took my 'let's just kill everyone instead' suggestion seriously." He graced Leo with a smile, driving the point home that he was ignoring Spectre completely. "You made it here okay?"

_"Don't you ignore me!"_Spectre shouted, pulling out a megaphone and shouting into it.

Leo's tail began wagging excitedly as the duo hugged one another. The feeling of all that solid muscle beneath the soft fur was both comforting and arousing. "I could never be lost when I have your scent and you in my heart."

"Stop ignoring me! I have to know you won't use your words to bring down the end of all civilization!"

"Flatterer," Jacob sniggered, poking Leo's nose. Spectre's voice was fading into the distance as he felt that dull throbbing in his chest again. It was like his heart was on the verge of breaking into something... He wanted it to burst... but it just wasn't there.

What will it take...?

"I met Rocky," Leo announced, a big, toothy grin on his face. "He said to meet him at the 'theatre room' in an hour. I believe it is about twenty minutes now."

He pulled away from Leo and rolled his eyes. The throbbing stopped and Jacob instantly missed it. "Probably just for another screening of Starboy," he sighed. Jacob hiked a thumb down the hall, three doors down. "It's just there. Why don't you go ahead? I want to check of the others. Make sure they haven't been converted by that Father Belford."

By the slightly sour look on Leo's face, Jacob guessed they shared the same opinion of Belford.

Leo gave him a quick lick on the cheek before darting towards the indicated room.

Jacob relished the touch of his mate's tongue against his fur for a long second... He brushed his cheek slightly, feeling the slight wetness there from the lick.

"You still going to tell me what I feel is wrong?" he asked softly.

"There can be no wrong feelings, I guess..."_Spectre whispered, slight disproval in his voice. _"Just wrong roads."

Convincing Spectre proposing to Leo was a good idea would be akin to trying to move a mountain. Impossible at the best of times and only probable when in the possession of an elemental Seal like Rocky's. Jacob dropped the subject and headed towards the nearest door and ran a claw over its surface.

"Graesham Cathedral, Belford's quarters, outgoing."

He pulled the door open a second later and stepped through. The metallic hallways of the Emerald Crown dropped away beyond the doorway as he entered the highly decorated, colourful and almost archaic halls of the cathedral. The screams and cries of agony from the plagued bounced against the solid walls.

There was an odd... hauntingly poetic feel to his surroundings.

"Almost like the screams of the dying are the vespers to this hallowed hall..."

Jacob gave Spectre a dubious look. "What?"

The Animus shook his head sadly and curled around Jacob's neck again. "Nothing. Let's just find Joanna and the others. I'm sure they're sick of hearing people die as well."

"Right... If you say so..."

The hallway leading away from Belford's private quarters had several rooms distributed symmetrically along the marble path. Almost each one was filled with the screaming and dying. Those that weren't were locked shut and eerily silent. It seemed that any time Jacob passed one of them, all sound just seemed to literally die out. The pained screams of the plagued just faded into nothingness before picking up again the instant he passed the door.

Not much thought was needed to guess what was beyond those doors.

He scanned the rooms for any sign of his companions. A part of him sighed in relief when he saw a flurry of coppery red fur out of the corner of his eye.

Joanna was kneeling in front a small mouse girl. The girl looked no older than five or six. Over half her body was already fossilised. Her face was only partially contorted in pain because the other half was already frozen in rock with a look of almost blissful acceptance on her features. Joanna was touching the half of her face that was still flesh and telling her to be brave.

Jacob -

"If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all," Spectre warned.

Jacob shut his jaw with a faint click.

"Just call me if it gets worse, okay honey?" Joanna instructed the girl softly. The smile on her face was terribly forced and just the hopeless glaze on her eyes told Jacob that there was no way in hell this little girl would make it.

The tall vixen who almost came up to Jacob's height stood up and draped a blanket over the girl. Considering how most of the victim's body was already made of stone the blanket would have little or no effect.

With a flick of her ear, Joanna indicated that they leave the small room which were filled with about another nine other people who were in similar situations as the little girl. On poor sod lay still on a bed with only his eyes swivelling around wildly in panic and pain. Everything else was solid rock.

Leaving the room was the hardest thing Jacob had to do... or at least one of the hardest things he had to do.

The temptation to throw a grenade in their midst or just behead them all was painfully overpowering.

"Hoping to put them out of their misery?"

Jacob glanced at each face in that room. They all stared back, looking at him with dying hope.

No. How can I resist sitting, helpless ducks like that? I've always wanted roast duck.

Spectre didn't reply but there was a slight curling at the corners of his lips.

Joanna left the door open but led him off to the side away from the view of the victims.

"Why aren't you with Taylor melting the skin off these people?" Jacob asked softly. He didn't care if those in the room heard him but he did care that Joanna clearly didn't want them heard.

"You sure got your priorities straight."

"Because we realised that Belford's method just makes things worse," the vixen sighed, shaking her head sadly. There were some heavy bags under her eyes, making a stark contrast against her coppery fur. Her eyes were bloodshot and he doubted it was from lack of sleep. The trail her tears made were still evident in her fur.

"As much as I'd love to go into some rant about how the evidence supporting Belford as the source of all this misery is quickly mounting, I've got to ask how could turning the people's skin into molten rock and slowly scraping it off while they're fully aware and experiencing every excruciating fleck of heated stone burn into their flesh and bone..." - he had to take a breath - "... make things possible worse?"

Joanna chuckled faintly and glanced over her shoulder at the door they just left behind. "It's like this plague is obsessed with taking the lives of people here in Graesham. When we 'cure' someone, either one of two things happen." Her emerald gaze turned back to him. She looked on the verge of tears again but it seemed her tear ducts had run dry. "Either that same person comes back five minutes later with the plague having progressed even further than before or someone else comes in with an even more advanced case.

"It's like for every one person we cure, the state of that disease transfers to someone else with double the force! We've had reports of people seriously just turning into stone in mid-step!"

Jacob realised her tears were not tears of sadness or pity for these people. They were tears of frustration... Frustration over all her work somehow turning the situation from bad to worse... and her supposedly benevolent actions causing the deaths of others.

He quickly gripped her shoulders tightly, staring straight into her eyes. "Calm down, Jo. Anytime you feel like you're just making the situation worse, think of one of two things." He lifted a finger. "First, I have done way worse. Second, if it makes you need to vent, I flagged down a cache of apocalyptic weapons MODD has stored in a facility up north. We can always grab one, drop it somewhere and watch explosion while taking pictures."

Her anger quickly faded, replaced with a dry chuckle. "It would be nice to watch something explode right about now... I guess I wouldn't mind dropping a bomb in the ocean."

Uh... Yeah... Ocean...

Joanna shook her head, her short coppery hair to match her fur swaying slightly. "But no... I've got to help these people as much as I can..."

Jacob released her and spread his arms wide in a helpless gesture. "Aww, why not? You just said it was hopeless, right?"

"I said our previous attempts were futile," she answered with a faint smile. "I didn't say it was hopeless."

He crossed his arms, raising one eyebrow and smirking softly. "So what is the one glimmer of hope that somehow has you clinging onto the edge of a crumbling cliff?"

Her smile faded as she stared into the room. Even before she answered, Jacob already knew what she was going to say.

"We try to keep these people alive until the Plague passes."

"Your answer is to wait it out?"

She nodded very slowly. Her eyes drifted to her paws and for a second, Jacob feared seeing them covered in rock. Losing Joanna to the Fossilisation Plague would just be cruel. He would do more than drop a bomb in the ocean.

I'd blow up the entire goddamn planet.

Thankfully, her paws were relatively clean. There were flecks of blood on it, however. Whose it was Jacob could not tell.

"Anything we do just hastens the Plague's progression. Kerry has a temporary solution where she flash-freezes the people who have progressed too far and places them in some rooms that Belford and Gabriel had attempted to keep cool. We hope that when we unfreeze them, the Plague will stop and we can tear off the stone parts again."

Oh... I see what they think...

Joanna and the others had deduced that the Plague was only active within a certain timeframe. Within that timeframe, it seemed the Plague was determined to take a certain amount of lives. However, if the infected were somehow suspended in their current state, then Joanna hoped that they could trick the Plague into thinking that the people were still infected and would eventually die even if it was not progressing to that end.

Essentially, they hoped to 'play with the numbers' a little.

There was only one problem...

"You're assuming that the Plague's duration is based on time... What happens if its duration is based on a quota?"

The vixen shook her head sadly. "Then... I don't know..."

"Jake... I think it's clear that this Plague isn't natural."

What was your first clue?

"Don't be snappy,"_Spectre growled, poking his cheek with a paw. _"I'm just saying that anything unnatural_is usually the result of a Seal... and you know what you can do with a Seal..."_

Jacob groaned softly.

Do I have to...?

"Yes."

But those people are sick and icky...

"Do it."

Sighing, he placed a paw on Joanna's shoulders consolingly and said, "Let me give this a shot."

"You're not actually going to shoot anyone, are you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Of course not," he answered casually. "Slicing someone to bits however..."

"Jacob!"

He laughed softly and entered the room with Joanna tailing him, her eyes watching him very closely.

That little mouse girl was still sitting on the bed. Some part of him guessed that if he picked her up and put her on the ground, she would still be standing in the sitting position. Provided her balance was right. Her body was frozen in the sitting position after all.

That gave him the idea of putting some of the fossilised victims in rather compromising positions.

He giggled at the thought of putting a fossilised Rex in a kneeling position and sticking his cock down the wolf's muzzle just for laughs. Or maybe dressed up Rex in a dress. That armour seemed a little too... manly for the wolf.

"Get on with it,"_Spectre growled. Despite the threat, Jacob could sense the Animus' apprehension. In his heart, he _knew a Seal was somehow involved. Another part of him warned he was just being paranoid.

But it's worth a try...

He knelt in front of the girl whose soft, brown eyes flicked towards him. They were wide in shock and her lips pulled back slightly in a soundless scream.

"Hi there," he greeted casually. "My name is Doctor Reaper. I'm either going to cure you or kill you. Either way, you're going to get to meet my brother Grim!"

"Jacob!" Joanna exclaimed, seizing his shoulder. She tried to pull him back but he quickly swatted her away.

All the patients in the room were panicking now but since they were practically immobilised, all they could do was really rock in place. It was sort of humorous. Like watching ten zombies trying to hobble towards one succulent brain when they had no limbs.

Spectre swatted his face with his tail. "Not a good way to start..."

Fine. I'll be nicer.

Jacob lifted his paws, clamping them together. Just before Joanna could pull him to his feet, he pulled them open like he was opening a small chest. A brilliant, white butterfly made entirely of solidified light fluttered out from between his fingers and danced gracefully in the air.

The girl's eyes widened... and not with fear... but with awe.

Jacob swept his hands lazily around him, causing trails of light that quickly transformed into long, flowery vines that curled and twisted around him before trailing off towards the others that were diseased. Flowers made of light quickly bloomed in front of their very eyes... then wilted a few seconds later. Each of the fallen petals quickly transformed into a glowing butterfly that danced around the heads of the victims.

Soft twittering filled the room a few moments later as Jacob altered the sounds of the cries and screams of the others in the cathedral. He clapped his paws together lightly and pulled them apart. A glowing, bright-blue bird jumped out from between his paws and landed on top of the girl's head. She giggled but again it was soundless.

He guessed her voice-box had turned into stone.

Her eyes trailed the bird as it landed on her muzzle and began belting a beautiful, vibrant melody.

Now or never...

Jacob quickly pulled up his left sleeve, his Brand glowing against his black fur. He stretched his left paw towards the girl as she was distracted by the bird. Two concentric rings made completely out of words appeared behind her with a sketchy outline of some symbol he couldn't make out.

The symbol and the rings shattered soundlessly a second later.

A new sound cut through the melodious song of the bird.

Laughter.

A child's laughter.

The girl's laughter.

Joanna immediately pulled her paws away from Jacob in shock as the stone covering the girl's face began to flake off and drift towards the ceiling. Each shard dissipated into a shower of white dust that vanished into the air a second later. The girl's face quickly relaxed and her entire face split into a bright, boisterous laugh as the bird danced on her muzzle. She quickly swatted at it, shaking off the last vestiges of the rocky skin. She jumped down off the bed and chased the bird across the room much to the silent awe of each of the room's residents.

Jacob locked his jaw in cold fury.

"Jacob..." Joanna began softly.

Wordlessly, Jacob slammed his fist into the ground.

A loud noise like shattering glass blasted throughout the room. Similar half-Seals appeared above each of the victims and shattered. Seconds later, their rocky cocoons began to flake away. Even the elk with the panicking eyes was freed of the confines of his own stone skin within thirty seconds.

They all sat up... stared at one another... then at Jacob... who stood up, cold fury on his features and his fists clenched tightly.

Then the screams began.

No one in the room screamed. The cries of agony came from everywhere else... even outside the cathedral. Jacob dropped the illusion of light he cast... and the girl looked saddened but fell silent like everyone else, staring at Jacob in awe.

Three... two... one...

"What's going on here!?"

On cue, Gabriel Stone burst into the room, his eyes wide in fury and his jaw locked firmly.

"What does it look like?" Jacob answered darkly.

Gabriel ignored him for the moment and glared at Joanna. "You were given explicit orders not to heal anyone! You know what will happen if someone is healed! Now even more people have suffered! We've already lost five people entirely to the Plague!"

_Just as I thought,_Jacob thought grimly.

"This Plague..."_Spectre whispered. _"It's not like Pollenburn... or maybe it is... But it's got this consciousness behind it... controlling it... How do you stop something like that?"

Easy... You lock up everyone and let it starve to death...

... just like what MODD is doing now...

Joanna shook her head and stood defensively over Jacob. "That doesn't matter! Gather everyone in the one place! We can cure everyone right here and right now in one massive sweep with -"

"No."

She froze...

... and turned to Jacob.

"What...?" she asked, utterly confused and with an edge of repulsion creeping into her features.

"It's just as we feared, Joanna," he said, shaking his head. "This thing is set on dealing a certain amount of damage. The more we resist, the harder it strikes back. Making a massive sweep like you suggested will likely kill people outright. It'll end the Plague here and now but only for this year. Come next year, it'll be exactly the same.

"I doubt you're the person to sacrifice a few to save the collective. After all, that is exactly MODD's ideal, right?"

That hit her hard.

He knew it hit her hard.

It was a low blow... Likening Joanna to MODD... Out of all of them, she was probably the one who hated MODD the most.

Jacob's blow connected... and Joanna flattened her ears, whining softly.

"So you did this!?" Gabriel demanded, storming into the room and jabbing Jacob with a finger. "You're the one that just killed five people!? And for what!? These people will just die later on! You know that!"

"Gabriel!"

Father Belford stood on that door, his normally calm features darkened with a slight glare. Beside him stood two bears... One was Rocky... the other was much older... and one of Rocky's lieutenants.

The lieutenant was bigger, taller and wider than both Rocky and Belford combined. There was a rather pronounced belly against his MODD uniform and he wore two, green bands against his left forearm. There was a bright, red rose design drawn against the left flap of his coat. Oddly enough, he had no headfur... probably 'bald' in a sense. One eye was shut with a vicious gash running vertically from the tip of his left eyebrow, across his eye and then down to the corner of lip on the left side.

"Father..." Gabriel stammered, staggering out of the way. He pointed accusingly at Jacob. "This madman-"

"I know, Gabriel," Belford interrupted gently, his features softening. The gorilla turned to Jacob. "What did you learn, my son?"

Jacob was about to make a comment about being call a 'son' but he decided this was not the time or place. He had three of the most influential people in Graesham with him. The opportunity to turn them to his side was at hand... or paw.

"This Plague isn't biological. It's related directly to a Seal."

"A Seal?" the lieutenant repeated dubiously. "What Seal?"

"I don't know," Jacob answered.

The larger bear snarled at him. "How convenient."

"Conway," Rocky reprimanded softly. "Let Jacob finish."

Conway...? As in Conway Earthsire...? The former Elemental Lord of Earth and the guy whose daughter died and supposedly caused the Plague?

He eyes Conway warily and continued. "I'm not sure how it does this or how the Plague works exactly but my guess is it is causing each and every one of these people to transform into a Seal."

"That's absurd!" Conway exclaimed. "Only the Eternal Seal can -"

"Conway," Rocky snapped, nodding towards the wary civilians.

The Eternal Seal was the only Seal that could create Seals. It transformed any person into a Seal thus sacrificing that person for greater power.

"Perhaps you would all like to get some fresh air?" Belford suggested, nodding towards the civilians. "You have all been through so much."

One by one, the civilians shuffled out, their eyes warily on Conway but turning hopefully towards both Jacob and Joanna. When they left, Rocky shut the door behind them.

"Go on," Belford urged, his eyes sharp and readily absorbing the information. There was a grim determination in his eyes that told Jacob that - despite his religious leanings - Belford truly wanted to help these people... or he was constipated. Either way. He was driven.

"A Seal is ultimately a complete fusion of Mind, Body and Soul," Jacob surmised. "When the Eternal Seal is used on someone, it fuses all three aspects into a single, powerful symbol... a Seal. Somehow, this Plague is doing exactly that but on a bigger, grander scale. It's turning each person infected by it into a Seal."

"If that were true," Gabriel scoffed, "then what are we doing with all those statues in the Grey Grounds Cemetery?"

There, Jacob shook his head. "I don't know. I think the process is flawed... Because there's this... consciousness controlling it as well. You've seen it with your own eyes. Cure one and two suffer. The Plague seems like there is a force behind it that is constantly striving to meet a quota every year."

Belford rubbed his chin, his brow furrowing and showing a multitude of wrinkled. "Each year, exactly 1021 people die from the Plague... We always thought it was coincidence... That perhaps because of our actions to curb the Plague, we manage to avoid an even greater toll... It was only when our efforts doubled thanks to the efforts of you and your companions that we realised the Plague is accelerating itself with every person we cured..."

"I guess I never noticed that we constantly found new people suffering for more and more advanced symptoms of the Plague as we went through the infection..." Rocky supplied. "We always assumed it was because people were just too proud or incapable of coming to the Emerald Crown or the cathedral... But now..."

"What makes you so sure it's a Seal behind this?" Conway growled, looming over Jacob threateningly. He was about four or five inches taller than Jacob.

Still, Jacob stood firm. "My Brand allows me to shatter Seals even if it's just temporarily. It disables them."

Conway and Rocky both looked a little startled. Going without a Seal for them must be like living without oxygen. They would last three minutes and then die.

"I thought there was a Seal behind this Plague," Jacob continued. "Anything unnatural usually has a Seal involved. I thought that if I could use one person as a sort of link to the Seal, I could shatter the whole. What I ended up doing was shattering the Seal that little girl was becoming."

Belford nodding solemnly. "Thus supporting your theory that each of these people are becoming their own, individual Seals... I see..." His eyes hardened suddenly. "But wait...Seals are the fusion of an entire person's being... their Mind, Body and Soul... If you shattered that girl's Seal and then the Plague took the lives of five others... that would mean that those people were abandoned by the Plague."

Jacob's felt the cold grip of fear clutch his heart. He knew where this was going... He feared it... He suspected it when he saw the Seals shatter around him and heard the screams of the people outside the room...

"What are you saying?" Joanna asked, leaning forward. "Are you saying Jacob permanently destroyed those Seals...?"

"He's saying," Gabriel growled, stepping back up to Jacob and glowering at him, "that your murderous friend here just destroyed a fragment of those people's very beings! The Plague was probably the only thing holding them together! When he shattered their Seals, whatever essence was put into the Seals was also destroyed! The Plague won't come back for them to fill in those gaps anymore!

"They're now half-Seals, half-mortals!"

Jacob wondered how much those people had really lost... He knew that the most powerful Seals required the sacrifice of a whole person... but it was clear that whatever Seals these people were becoming were imperfect in their own way. They left statue-like remnants after all. A true Seal would only leave behind a magical symbol.

Once the effect of Jacob's Brand wore off, they would find themselves in the possession of a Seal... Some of them might notice that they lost something of great important... Maybe a limb. A patch of fur. Perhaps even eyesight or something a small as the inability to swear. Then again, it might be something severe like the ability to love, time thus leading to rapid aging, the ability to reproduce or even an important memory.

For now... it would seem like they would be fine... but once their Seal fully reconstituted itself...

Not to mention their Seals were unstable so chances were, they would turn into Unsealed...

"I'm afraid so..." Jacob answered.

"Was it worth is, scumbag!?" Gabriel demanded, seizing Jacob's collar. "Was it work sacrificing all those lives and the parts of people's lives to run your little test!?"

"Stand down, Gabriel," Belford said calmly.

The ram scoffed and pulled away, pushing Jacob back slightly.

"It was a necessary test," the priest said with a grim nod. "I would have preferred a more conventional method and perhaps a lower casualty rate but you have given us some very important information, my son." The gorilla smiled gently. "We now have a lead to the source of this Plague and what it does."

"Can you stop it?" Joanna asked softly, hopefully.

"There is only one way to make a Seal that we're aware of," Rocky answered. "And that's through the Eternal Seal. Knowing this and knowing how the Plague works, we might be able to make some way to counter it. I'm not sure how... but we'll figure it out. MODD is pretty resourceful."

I'll say...

"I still say that MODD somehow has a hand in this."

Me too...

Jacob's eyes flicked towards Conway who looked very disgruntled.

There was one other theory that Jacob pondered... He recalled that Rose Earthsire, Conway's daughter, possessed a Seal as well and somehow pulled herself into that Seal. There were no reports of an Unsealed... So what happened to Rose and her Seal?

Jacob suspected that Rose somehow shattered her own Seal into 1021 parts... And each of those parts implanted themselves into the citizens of Graesham every year like a seed or parasite. It grew and feasted on the very essence of that person, turning them into a Seal with the basis of that Seal being Rose's fragment.

... and he also suspected that Conway knew... or had an inkling.

There was just something in the way the big bear was avoiding his gaze and constantly glancing at Belford as if trying to confirm something...

"I'll take this information back to the Emerald Crown and see what we can get out of it," Rocky announced.

"I better do some damage control to make sure a rumour of a 'saviour' doesn't go around," Joanna added with a wink at Jacob. She quickly headed out of the room with Gabriel following her, the latter muttering something about doing the same.

"I will monitor the situation in the mines," Conway said grumpily. The big bear turned around and bowed to both Belford and Rocky before heading out as well. "God knows, the rumours of a 'cure' will get those rebels all riled up."

Rebels?

"I will help ease the suffering," Belford said, bowing faintly. He turned his watery eyes to Jacob. "I know this is a lot to ask, my son. But if there is someone who is on the verge of dying, would you be able to shatter their Seal so that they might survive?"

"Wouldn't that just kill someone else?" Jacob responded dully.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," the gorilla answered. "You healed ten people who were on the verge of dying. Yet only five perished." A soft smile crossed his features. "Perhaps the gods are finally smiling on us."

With that, he left the room...

... Leaving Jacob with Rocky.

He regarded the Elemental Lord sourly. "What?"

Rocky smirked. "So... I noted that there was a fair bit of laughter coming out of this place before all the screaming happened."

"It was just that girl being stupid," Jacob answered gruffly.

"I heard laughter is the best medicine."

"Yeah. I was hoping she'd overdose."

The Elemental Lord shook his head and sniggered. "Why can't you just admit you were trying to do something nice?"

"Nice?" he repeated. "Didn't I just kill five people?"

"Are you telling me that was intentional?"

He didn't have a response to that. Rocky sniggered and gestured that he follow.

"Come on," the ursine said, "let's head back to the Emerald Crown. I want to document your findings. After" - the Elemental Lord lifted a finger and grinned - "we finish up Starboy."

Jacob rolled his eyes yet he couldn't help smiling. "Are you sure this is the time to be lounging about watching cartoons when people are dying?"

Rocky turned to him and poked his chest. "You deserve a reward for figuring all this out!"

"So I get rewarded for killing five people but finding out a crucial piece of information that could potentially save the lives of thousands. Maybe I should slaughter the entire city 'in the name of science' and declare my findings. Would you reward me then?"

"Depends on your findings," Rocky answered with a smirk. "What could you possibly gain from killing everyone?"

"One thing," he answered, lifting his own finger. "Killing is fun."

"Right..."

Rocky headed for the door but Jacob quickly caught his shoulder. "Hold up. I got a faster way to get to the Emerald Crown."

Puzzled, the ursine hung back as Jacob quickly uttered, 'Emerald Crown, 89thFloor. Rocky Groundwater's Private Quarters. Outgoing.'

He opened the door.

Rocky blinked and rubbed his eyes just to confirm what he was seeing. Like a tentative pup trying to see his new home, Rocky stepped forward and poked the metal floor of the Emerald Crown with his toe. It took him a few tried before he was finally convinced that it was solid and stepped out.

"Tell me this isn't some really convincing optical illusion you created."

"This isn't some really convincing optical illusion I created," Jacob answered dully as he stepped through and shut the door.

"I have no idea if you're lying or not..." Rocky admitted, shaking his head. "I'm just going to trust you on this one."

"Bad move on your part."

"Yeah, well I've made a couple of bad decisions in my life as well."

Jacob raised an eyebrow and was curious to see how 'bad' the Saint of the Earth could get. Imagining Rocky as some rowdy, rambunctious rebel storming through the streets in black, spiked gear on a smoking motorcycle somehow came into mind.

He's probably just forgotten to say prayer before meals... once...

... then started apologising to high heaven and said a thousand prayers to compensate and whipped himself a couple of times...

Spectre shook his head. "You are so_cynical."_

"You mean like hiring the former Elemental Lord of Earth who happens to have led his daughter to her suicide because of his abuse as your lieutenant?" Jacob asked Rocky.

They started heading towards the theatre room which was only two doors away. It was enough of a walk to get a bit of conversation before they had to socialise with Rex and Leo. He needed more information about Conway who was currently the prime suspect for the cause of the Plague.

"Conway is not really a bad guy, you know," Rocky said over his shoulder.

Famous last words before the epic betrayal...

"He may have been the Elemental Lord that ended up losing his own daughter and possibly" - Rocky abruptly turned around and pointed a finger at him accusingly - "don't you dare put words in my mouth." Jacob lifted his paws into the air in surrender. "...started the Fossilisation Plague," Rocky continued, lowering his paw, "but Conway is a good man. He's always taken care of me ever after I lost my parents."

Jacob was still dubious. "Feh... What are your bets that he's secretly pining to reform that broken relationship with his long-lost daughter through you?"

Which is kind of creepy...

He imagined Conway somehow convincing Rocky to wear a dress, do ballet and have tea parties with stuffed animals while the bigger bear took pictures and added them to a photo album entitled 'my little girl'.

No. Don't want to go there.

"You know," the Saint of the Earth said, reaching for the doorknob into his theatre room, "not everyone is a character from a soap-opera, you know."

Jacob snorted and crossed his arms against his chest. "Of course not. In soap-operas, everyone gets a happy ending in the end or gets killed off and has a teary funeral. People here, they live through hell, they get killed, they get buried, have their corpses shit on, get turned into Seals and then get shit on again."

Rocky sighed and opened the door as he shook his head. "Can we just watch some -?"

A strong smell instant hit Jacob like an anvil.

It was the smell of sweat... sex... and cum...

There was no female hint in it either.

In the instant where he closed his eyes to blink in disbelief, thick, throbbing cocks flashed before his eyelids.

When he opened them...

... he saw...

... Leo sitting up on the couch... completely naked, fur matted with sweat... and eyes wide in shock... and Rex Nebula, lying beneath him, peeking almost bashfully over the back of the couch.

...

"Oh no he di'int!"Spectre exclaimed. The Spectre audience was back and they were all leaning forward in anticipation, waiting for Jacob's reaction. There was even a version of Spectre who was taking bets on what he would say next.

Apparently, the highest bet was, 'Can I stick my sword in you too?'

"My couch!"

Rocky's shout knocked him back to reality.

...

He fought a grin.

"I'll get the popcorn!" he announced cheerfully, turning and practically leaping towards the kitchen with his tail wagging in anticipation and his eyes wide with excitement.

_"Something tells me Rex is going to regret what he just did..."_Spectre whispered.

Grinning, Jacob threw the microwavable popcorn into the microwave and grabbed a bowl. He could heard Rocky yelling about how Leo and Rex could have at least put a sheet or used their clothes to cover up the couch. There was also something about 'starting too soon' and 'the plan' but he didn't care much about that.

Oh yeah. I am never_going to let this one go._

"Just great. So you make friends with one_Elemental Lord and end up killing him because he goes crazy. Another one you make friends with because he beat you to a pulp and the_ third_one you're going to blackmail._

"You sure know how to make friends and allies, Jake."

The popcorn was ready fairly quickly and he poured it into a bowl and marched back into the theatre room with it in paw. "Okay! Let's get this show started!"

"Um... Can we get cleaned up first...?" Rex whimpered, trying to pull himself away from Leo. Unfortunately, Leo was tied with him really good. "Ow! Goddamnit... I'm... uh... A little stuck here."

"There's no time," Jacob answered, sitting down right next to them and munching on the popcorn. "Right after this showing, I'm going to give all of MODD a briefing about what we discovered about the Fossilisation Plague then we're going to go see if we can stop any of those statues in the Grey Grounds Cemetery from turning into Seals that will ultimately come together to form a united Rose Earthsire that is a million times more powerful than the original."

He was just making it all up but it sounded plausible. Maybe Rose was trying to use her shattered fragments to make more Seals so that when she pieced herself together, she not only had her own being back but also the others that she infected.

Whether it was true or not, it made a good story and both Rex and Rocky were bought.

"Um... Alright..." Rex whimpered. "Uh... How do I sit down...?"

"Just sit on Leo's lap like you've been doing," Jacob answered dismissively. "Rocky, start the show."

The Saint of the Earth looked disproving but shook his head. "You guys go ahead. I'm... I'm not quite comfortable sitting down next to a guy who has his cock up my best friend's ass while watching some aniga. Besides, my side of the couch is covered in your semen, Rex."

The wolf blushed deeply and Jacob thought he saw a faint bit of enjoyment in Rocky's features.

"Oh great... You're corrupting the Saint."

I love my job.

"I'll just start the show," Rocky announced, pressing a few buttons on the remote. "You guys enjoy."

Rocky left a moment later just as the television started up again. Leo's eyes went wide and he gasped in excitement.

"Amazing! It is the pictures I read in the book in colour and moving! What is this called?"

"This is mangie, Leo," Jacob answered with a smirk that was pointed directly at Rex who was blushing so deeply. His cock was turning an even brighter red too. "It's basically the same but with voices, colour and moving pictures."

"It is amazing!"

"It's even better with popcorn." He offered the bowl to Leo. "Have some."

The Tribal eagerly devoured a pawful of the popped kernels. He chewed it thoughtfully and nodded. "It is very nice however, I requires some salt or butter. I remember in my tribe, we use to pour salt or butter on it to help with the taste."

"Silly me," Jacob began, grinning broadly. "I forgot the topping."

_"I can't watch..."_Spectre whimpered and yet he had a video camera all set up.

Rex stiffened.

"Could you thrust your hips upwards for me, Leo?" Jacob asked.

"No!" Rex cried.

Leo did as he asked.

Rex threw his head back and moaned, a thick wad of precum erupting from his cock. Jacob caught it on the bowl and tossed it in before offering it back to Leo.

"There you go. Nice and salty."

"You... You're going to pay for this..." Rex growled through clenched teeth.

"You slept with my mate," Jacob answered, still smirking. "I think you owe me."

There, Rex's anger faded and his ears folded. "I... I'm sorry... I just... I just didn't know what got over me... You're not mad, are you?"

He turned to Rex with the most innocent smile on his face. "Rex... I don't get angry."

Rex suddenly yelped as Jacob gripped his cock tightly, pouring out more pre.

"I get even."

Rex screamed - pretty much like a little girl - and leapt straight off Leo. There was a very loud, very wet-sounding pop as he forced himself off Leo's knot and bolted straight for the door. He slammed it shut behind him, still screaming the entire way.

"Oooh... He's gonna feel that in the morning..."

Awww... and here I was about see if he wanted a 'lollipop'.

"Did I do something wrong?" Leo asked, puzzled.

Jacob knew he really couldn't blame Leo for what he did. Leo's perspective on sex was a little... odd... at least my Rillotian standards. No doubt he thought that this little escapade was perfectly fine. Hell, Jacob thought it was hilarious... even if there was a part of him that was a little hurt.

He doesn't know the rules to marriage... It's perfectly fine.

"You sure?" Spectre asked softly.

Of course I am. I accepted him completely and utterly when I asked him to marry me. I know him.

"Then why are you hurt that he slept with Rex?"

I'm not. I was just hurt that... he didn't ask me to join in after we sort of invited Rex to have a threesome back in the woods...

"So you don't feel betrayed at all?"

No. Of course not. Like I said, Leo is just like that. I've accepted that.

"Too bad he hasn't accepted the way you do things."

I didn't tell him those things... I guess in retrospect I should have... It's not his fault... It's mine.

"Who exactly are you trying to convince here, Jake?"

...

Jacob sighed softly and set the cum-coated popcorn down. "I better go make sure he doesn't end up mentally scarred or something," he said.

"Should I accompany you?" Leo asked, slowly getting up.

"Nah," he answered, winking at his... mate... Suddenly that word seemed wrong again... and his heart gave a painful twist at the revelation. "I got this. Just enjoy the show. I'll be back soon."

Jacob bent forward and... hesitated... He kissed Leo quickly on the cheek before turning and hurrying out the door about as fast as Rex. The Elemental Lord of Star was long gone and while the prospect of a naked Elemental Lord running around the Emerald Crown screaming was hilarious, Jacob needed some air... some peace and quiet.

Quickly, he turned around and muttered some arbitrary location before stepping through.

Oddly enough, he found himself out in the outskirts of Graesham... just emerging from the wreckage of the train that had brought them to this damned hellhole in the first place. The wreckage was almost completely black with ash but all the fires had faded a long while ago. There were no bodies in the ruins, thankfully but the sight of the twisted and burned metal reminded Jacob of that strange MODD soldier...

...Sam Wolfe...

"I guess no one has gotten around to cleaning this place up yet," he murmured.

"They're all busy with the Plague,"_Spectre answered. His Animus floated in front of him, regarding him worriedly. _"Did you want to talk about it?"

"Nothing to talk about." He pushed past Spectre and wandered into the fields outside Graesham.

Jacob walked in silence for a long time... just alone with his thoughts. Spectre didn't bother him which he very much appreciated. Instead of an aching yearning that burned inside him that he wanted to nourish and release, there was a chilling, empty grip inside that was growing rapidly. There was no way in hell he wanted to address that feeling.

Where before he wanted to dig deep and flesh out that emotion buried deep inside him, define it, nurture it and wear it proudly... this emotion... Whatever it was... He had no intention of doing anything to it.

His plan was just to let it sit there, cold, unattended, away from the sun and hope that it would just wither and die.

Once it was gone, he could just straight back to loving Leo...

... as his..

... his...

"Mate...?"

Jacob cringed.

"Jake... You can't let these feelings just sit_there,"_ Spectre said, flying beside his head. "You've got to address them or they'll just fester, infect you and grow worse. It's just like the Fossilisation Plague here. If you don't do_anything about it and just try to keep covering it up, it'll just keep coming back up over and over again, taking more and more, dealing more and more damage that you will never be able to repair."_

"It's nothing Spectre," he growled fiercely. "Okay, maybe I feel a little hurt because Leo decided to take the initiative and convert Rex but it's nothing. Hell, I now get to blackmail Rex and force him to do everything I want. One day soon, he's going to get pissed off enough at he's just going to offer his ass to me, I'll screw him like no tomorrow, we'll be even and whatever it is that I'm feeling will all go away.

"Problem solved."

Spectre shook his head and sighed heavily. "That's not solving the problem, Jake. That's just avoiding it until someone else comes along to help you. Diamonds shine on their own and don't need anything else to help them."

"Diamonds need others to polish them and make them shine. They don't become the jewels that go on rings without help."

At the mention of 'ring', Jacob remembered the promise ring he had given Leo... and the one he kept as well. He hadn't worn it yet... which was probably fitting...

"Who wants to be a damn diamond anyway...?" he muttered softly.

As if to answer him, loud shouting came from somewhere in to his right. When he looked up, he realised that there was a stone statue standing to right beside him. For a second, he feared that he had finally gone insane and the statues were talking to him...

Then more shouting and he looked past the statue to find a large MODD transport unloading more of the fossilised onto the Grey Grounds Cemetery. He hadn't even realised he had wandered right onto the outskirts of the Graveyard.

Maybe some hard labour will take my mind off things.

"Not good to repress things."

That's what they tell good guys.

He wandered over to small band and was a little surprised to find Taylor and Kerry aiding the troops, bring the statues into the transport. Another MODD lieutenant was amongst them. A mole that had a rather large pickaxe mounted against his back. The lieutenant had some mining helmets as shoulder pads.

Odd sense of style... Christy would roll over and die...

"Loading off the dead to see if they contain any Seals?" Jacob asked.

Taylor and Kerry spun around. Taylor grinned while Kerry gave him her sad, small smile.

"Hey, Jay!" the cougar exclaimed, scrambling over and hugging him tightly. Jacob smiled at the warm, tender touch and hugged Taylor back.

It was... a nice moment... Nothing as spark-starting as what he had with Leo...

Damn... Leo again...

The benchmark was set... Now, unfortunately, he was going to start comparing everyone to Leo... and it would serve to remind him constantly about what... what had happened...

Taylor pulled away, regarding him curiously. "Hey... Uh... You alright there? You look disturbed."

Telling Taylor what had occurred seemed a fine option... Taylor was a good friend... But he was in the presence of others. He didn't mind Kerry being there but other MODD troops... yeah... While he wouldn't mind humiliating Rex more by spreading the rumour of his growing homosexuality, it would hurt him as well.

He didn't want to give Rex any ammunition against him.

So he went to the next thing that was disturbing him.

"Didn't Jo or anyone else from the cathedral tell you?" he asked. "The Plague is turning people into Seals. I shattered the Seal of a person that was infected and they were sort of cured..."

Taylor shook his head and looked confused. "What? No... Kerry and I were just helping Norton here load up these fossilised people to take them down to the mines."

The mines...

"Didn't Conway mention something about rebels in the mines...?"

He did...

... so why were they bringing statues down into the mines...?

Jacob slowly turned his gaze towards -

"Get them!"

His heart jumped.

"Shit -"

WHACK!

...

... darkness.

*****

"Bet you didn't see that coming, now did you?"

Jacob groaned not just from the dull ache emanating from the back of his head but also from the fact that he was lying in a dry, dusty field with countless stone statues rising around him in pained positions. There was a seven-foot tall, muscular wolf with snow-white fur standing a few metres away casually leaning against one of the statues. The titanic, wolf had bright, sapphire-blue eyes that were filled with a lot of mirth that were complimented by his white and gold armour. A pair of black wings sprung from his back.

The bipedal 'guardian angel' as he called himself, helped Jacob to his feet and dusted him off.

"What the hell happened...?" Jacob grumbled.

"Well..." Zack, the angel said, "Norton Manx just ordered you knocked out and has dragged deep into the mines under Graesham. I believe he plans to have you buried alive."

"Just what I need..." Jacob rubbed the back of his head and checked his paw for blood.

Nothing.

Though he doubted that he could bleed in this dream-like state.

"Any hints on whose Seal I just happen to be in?"

Zack bobbed his head from side to side and offered Jacob an enigmatic grin. "Sorry. You're just going to have to figure that out for yourself."

Jacob sighed heavily. "I thought as much..." He regarded the landscape around him.

Once before, he had managed to somehow enter the Seal of an Elemental Lord subconsciously. It had allowed him to get a better understanding of the Seals and the owner of the Elemental Lord. These 'visitations' from his guardian angel took place within that Seal... so it was possible that he was in yet another Seal...

Perhaps this is Rocky's Seal...?

The land was a never-ending of dusty, dry wasteland similar to the plains around Graesham. Like the Grey Grounds Cemetery, there were a multitude of statues littering the plains but instead of all of them positioned in serene poses, these statues all appeared to be caught in the throes of agony and torture.

Zack tapped his shoulder and offered a mining helmet. "You might want to wear this."

Knowing Zack... it wouldn't really help.

Jacob took it anyway and put it on. "So what am I doing here anyway?"

"I was just wondered about what those people who you 'cured' might have sacrificed," the angel said with a shrug. "Out of the possibilities of a mental ability, a physical trait or a memory, what do you think would be the steepest price for a half-completed Seal?"

It was a fair question...

Physical traits_were_ fairly important but he had heard all the stories about people overcoming their physical disabilities so that wasn't really that important. Besides, a Seal could easily overcome any crippling traits. Some Seals were used for that anyway.

A memory was something Jacob truly did not consider that important. Memories were fleeting. Making new memories was what was important. For him, that was especially true as most of his memories were lies orchestrated and ingrained into him to serve some devious plot.

So that left...

"Mental ability."

"Why?" Zack asked with a pleasant smile.

"Think about it," Jacob answered, lifted a finger and counting off his points. "Without your brain, you won't know how to use your body. Without your brain, you won't be able to make memories. Without your brain, you'd basically be unable to do anything. To give up a mental ability for a Seal, you risk the possibility of losing all that and maybe not even knowing how to use your Seal."

The angel nodded. "A nice, logical response. You're a very logical person there, Jacob."

"I think that's a compliment..."

"In a way it is," Zack answered with a grin. "But there is more to life than just logic. There's also emotion. You can't cover all your emotions in just logic."

I see where this is going...

"Look, if you're suggesting that I let my emotions out because of what happened with Leo and Rex, I'll tell you what I told Spectre: I'm not mad. I'm a little hurt but I've what I feel is irrelevant and irrational. That's just how Leo is and Rex... I guess Rex deserves to figure out some part of himself like Taylor helped me. Everyone ultimately won."

"Everyone except you."

Jacob frowned and turned away from Zack. "Well... I'm used to losing. I lost my dad, every corner I turn, MODD screws me and I couldn't save Gale. This is just another notch in my sword..."

"Eventually, you're going to run out of places to put notches. You're going to have to start patching up soon."

"Great. Tell me when that happens."

Zack sniggered. "You'll be the first to know." The angel turned around, crossing his paws against the back of his head. "I guess there is such a thing as 'over polishing' when it comes to rough diamonds. I believe you Animus likened you to a diamond that needs a bit of work, right?"

Jacob groaned, rolling his eyes. "Look. I don't need that analogy from you too, okay? I'll tell you what I told Spectre; who the hell wants to be a goddamn shiny piece of rock? With diamonds, you get to see right through them. I'd prefer to be black as coal so no one gets to see through me."

The angel turned to him with an odd smirk. "Funny how you mentioned that diamonds are see-through. They are... but they refract light and break them up into their difference component... Well, at least when they're cut and polished. They bend the light a little. But if you polish it too much... the light gets bent all wrong and the diamond could crack."

"I am not some glittering piece of rock."

"Really now?" the angel replied with an irritating, knowing smile. "Seems to me you are."

Jacob gave the angel a challenging look. "Explain."

"You've polished and crafted yourself to the perfect little shape, Jacob. Just like a diamond, you're hard, cold, can cut through anything and practically indestructible. But when the light of truth comes your way, you bend and twist it inside yourself and push it back out twisted and split. You convince yourself and others that you're this perfect, shiny piece of infallible rock when in truth, you're just a piece of coal that's been highly processed."

A chill ran down Jacob's spine... not only because he felt insulted... but because there was this grain of truth in what Zack said.

"Screw you. I'm not a diamond."

Zack sniggered and shrugged. "Suit yourself. Oh, incidentally, watch out for living statues."

What...?

Before he could ask, a strong paw seized his shoulder and spun him around...

... He nearly screamed when he saw the stone face of one of the statues with glowing, green eyes...

That didn't last long.

WHAM!

The statue head butted him.

****

Jacob opened his eyes slowly to the sound of metal biting into rock. He was in a sitting position with his wrists and ankles clamped down by manacles that had some sort of strange device applied to them. Beside him lay an unconscious Taylor and Kerry sat on the cougar's opposite side.

Kerry's eyes were wide open and looking at something in horror.

The deafening roar of a drill mixed with the clinking of pickaxes jamming themselves into... into...

You've got to be kidding me...

Countless MODD troops were lined up against the walls, each of them wielding some form of mining equipment... and each one tearing huge chunks off...

...

... the stone statues.

He couldn't help himself.

"You monsters!"

"Pot calling the kettle black, Reaper."

He spun to his left where Norton Manx stood, glowering and looking a little annoyed.

"I always knew MODD was twisted," he snarled, struggling against the manacles. He didn't want to call upon his abilities yet. He was at a disadvantage being chained down, MODD troops were all around him and Taylor was out cold. Attacking now would be next to suicide. "Are you seriously mining the very same people you're trying to save?"

"I am not trying to save them!" Norton barked loudly. "I am trying to keep Graesham afloat! Do you know how much money we lose every year because of this Plague!? The entire city stops production for a month or more because Rocky decides to play the 'Saint'! All I am doing is putting some useless statues to good use!"

"Useless!?"

That was Kerry.

Jacob spun to face her, his eyes wide... and not just because she was speaking up.

He just remembered that Rex had shown interest in her... and now Rex had sex with his mate...

What's going to happen...? Am I and her going to end up together...?

Crap...

"Those statues serve as mementos for those that died because of this Plague!" Kerry shouted.

"Mementos," Norton scoffed. "Why would you need painful memories like that? What good would it do a person who lived in pain and suffering instead of pressing forward and becoming stronger? Do people remember a diamond for being coal? No. They remember it for the sparkle it has. They don't care about the process or the means. They care about the result.

"This" - he waved at the mining operations - "is exactly that. People won't care were we got these minerals. Each of these statues is ridiculously filled with precious minerals. More so than you can find in any mine and in just one. Plus, apparently they have Seals embedded into them like you suggested, Reaper. We could very well have a literal gold mine here!"

Greedy bastard...

Though I guess I shouldn't expect anything less from a corporation...

"These are people!" Kerry shouted.

"They were," Norton corrected. "They aren't now. Right now, they're just pieces of rock with a hell of a lot of minerals in them. I am not going to let this town wither and die. Not again."

Jacob straightened. "Again...?"

The mole scowled at him and turned his back. "When Rose Earthsire died, the town was split in two. Everyone loved Rose. People adored her for being the loving daughter of the Elemental Lord who was harsh but just. When... When she met that boy, Luke... She began moonlighting in the city, helping people where she could.

"She earned the public's heart, something Conway could never do. But, that also gave rise to the rebels... They allied themselves with her... And when she opted to escape, countless people sacrificed themselves to aid her flight. When they found out that Rose ended up dying and saving Luke, they all went crazy and rebelled against MODD.

"The town was struck by civil war of sorts. The guerrilla fighters weaved in and out of the streets while MODD tore up the roads after them. That's how the slums were created."

Norton turned back to Jacob, his eyes filled with hatred and anger. "I lost my family because of what Rose did and it wasn't because of some MODD troop misfiring or some crazy civilian living up to some stupid ideals. Not long after the war began, the Plague hit us. Not only was Graesham stricken by the lack of resources and food but we were not prepared for an incurable disease that took us down one by one.

"What food was left was either devoured greedily or stolen and disappeared. Everyone panicked. My wife died of starvation." That look of anger in his eyes turned to one of sadness as he clenched a fist and held it to his chest. "My son... My twelve year old son... He... He..." Norton shook his head and steeled himself. "I didn't want to see him die like his mother... So I made him into my Seal... So that he wouldn't suffer through that."

...

Jacob was unsure how to feel...

He was torn between 'repulsed', 'horrified' and 'sickened'.

"You turned your own son into a Seal to 'save' him from the Plague!?" Kerry shouted, instantly waking Taylor. The cougar jolted awake with a 'wuzzat' just as Kerry said, "What kind of justice or mercy is that!? Do you know what being a Seal is like!?"

"The better question is," Norton answered calmly, "is do you?"

She fell silent.

Kerry may not have known was it was like to be a Seal... but Jacob sure did.

He entered people's Seals before and he had seen how people's souls were used to power the symbol. While the primary soul tended to be free and somewhat blissfully unaware of their existence as a Seal, they were still trapped in a warped, parallel world that reflected the torment of their lives.

"All roads tend to be paved with good intentions," Jacob growled. "Doesn't mean we have to take them though."

"So what would you rather I do then, Reaper?" Norton snarled. The mole reached over his shoulder and pull out that pickaxe of his. A sharp sword blade immediately erupted from the centre of the weapon, making a long, pickaxe-sword.

"If it were me, I'd nuke the whole place and get it over and done with. Isn't MODD known for its 'Purges'?"

"A Purge is a last resort. No one wants to call a Purge."

Somehow... I sincerely doubt that...

"Fine," he grunted. "So you didn't call a Purge. So now you're using your son's very essence to make sure that Graesham never plunges so deep that people are starving in the streets and clamouring over the rotting corpses of friends and family just for that last morsel of food."

Jacob gestured at Norton, sweeping his paw over to the MODD soldiers who had temporarily stopped mining to watch. "How can you seriously claim that mementos and memories are worthless when you are using a memento yourself to drive you forward?"

Huh...

He quickly recalled his conversation with Zack... and how he claimed that memories were ultimately useless...

Whoops...

Norton swung his blade at Jacob.

It wasn't a blow aimed to kill.

Jacob easily took a step back to avoid injury.

"It's not the same!" Norton shouted. "I am using my son's memory to push me forward! To drive me! Everyone else is using the memories of their long deceased friends, families and mates to remind themselves that they're doomed in this hellhole! Even Rocky is trying to stop what cannot be prevented! I am the only one who is actually moving forward!"

Jacob tensed slightly. He could feel a fight coming along. The cavern was big and certainly wide enough to over plenty of movement. Taylor was awake now so they could easily make an escape if the need arose. It seemed that they had been disarmed but thankfully, his gloves hadn't been removed.

Must've thought my swords were 'summoned' or something like Seal Weapons...

... sucks to be them.

"Good for you." That sharp, bitter snap didn't come from Jacob.

Kerry stood proudly beside Jacob, her chest puffed out and her head held high. Despite being shorter than both Jacob and Norton, she seemed to be taller and was looking down at the MODD lieutenant.

"You're moving forward...," she conceded, "but do you have any idea where you're going?"

The mole's eyes flared in anger. "What!?"

"Seems to me like you're just barely keeping your head above the water," he answered, the air around her dropping rapidly dropping in temperature. Jacob actually felt a chill run down his spine and frost start to form around the edges of his fur. "You're moving forward... but you're not really going anywhere. Just trying to take it one year at a time without any progress."

Norton lunged forward with an angered cry. Jacob jumped to the side, dodging the attack by a wide margin. He realised too late that Norton wasn't aiming for him and shouted for Kerry.

His concern was not needed.

Kerry - despite being restrained - cartwheeled backwards -

CLANG!

... Norton's blade sliced right through the chain restraining her ankle manacles, instantly freeing her. She deftly twisted back to a standing position and slipped behind Norton as the lieutenant tried to hack and slice at her. Kerry slid her wrist manacles over Norton's head, snapping her arms back and wrapping the heavy chains around the mole's neck.

Norton instantly choked and gagged, pulling at the chains. The mole quickly spun around, trying to swipe his pickaxe blade at the nimble Kerry. The doe was stubborn and managed to cling on. They spun around in a complete circle, Norton's eyes boggling as less and less air was slipping into his lungs.

Jacob caught movement out from the corner of his eye.

Lightning-fast, he summoned Radiance and Requiem.

CLANG!

He sliced the manacles off himself easily and crossed the room in a flash.

SWISH!

The MODD soldier froze.

The upper half of his laser rifle lay on the ground, sliced cleanly off the rest of the weapon.

"Don't make me do it," Jacob warned.

The soldier gulped and dropped his weapon, holding his paws up in surrender.

"Aw hell, I'll do it anyway."

Jacob spun completely around, blades flashing.

The soldier dropped to his knees, one head shorter, a fountain of blood spurting out of his neck.

All hell broke loose.

MODD soldiers instantly brought their weapons to bear, pulling the triggers to their laser rifles.

Lasers... really bad choice of weapon against a Light Element user.

The instant those concentrated beams of light left the muzzles of their guns, Jacob seized control of them. Lasers veered off their original course and shot straight towards him, twirling around him in a dizzying sphere of burning light. Upon seeing their weapons were only empowering him, the MODD troops stopped firing.

Jacob cast a quick glance back at Kerry.

Norton reversed his pickaxe blade and drove it backwards. At the same instant, Kerry planted her foot against Norton's back and kicked off, pulling the mole back and giving him one last choking twist before she broke free.

Got to break her free...

"Kerry!" Jacob shouted, throwing Radiance straight at her.

The blade embedded itself into the wall beside Kerry and she quickly wrapped her wrist manacles around it and drove them down against the blade. The chain links shattered easily. She seized Radiance and flung it straight back at him.

He caught the weapon deftly. Gripping the lasers in his mental command, he forced the beams of light all to focus around the edges of his blades. The razor edges were quickly augmented by burning light, lengthening their reach and coating them in a bright, red light.

The MODD troops backed away, realising there was little they could do against him. All of them wielded laser weaponry from all appearances. All of them were ANVIL troops so none possessed Seals.

In short...

This mine will be their tomb...

Suddenly, all the lights in the mine flickered out and died, plunging him in complete and utter darkness. The light from his augmented blades was somehow dulled, only barely illuminated their surroundings.

"Now!" Norton shouted. "He cannot control what he cannot see! Use the darkness to your advantage!"

He realised too late what the lieutenant meant.

Shit!

Jacob swung Radiance around him. A laser slammed into the enlarged weapon, merging with the rest of the lasers encasing it and adding to the power.

Thwack! Thwack!

Two lasers bit into Jacob's shoulders, burning his flesh and causing him to stagger.

Damnit! I'm a sitting duck!

He closed his eyes and tried to trust his sense of hearing. Amplifying the sound around him helped a little but the cave was massive and the echoes messed with his sense of direction. Plus, he was not built with echolocation. Lasers shot out from the darkness all around him, seemingly emerging from the shadowy veil just metres from him.

The darkness was not natural.

Norton...

SMASH!

The inky blackness suddenly broke and the lights flickered back on. Half the cavern was covered in icy spikes. Kerry stood at the source of the attack, her fists planted against the ground. Norton staggered a few metres away from her, his left thigh bleeding with a large icy spike sticking out from it.

Kerry rose and shouted, sweeping her palms outwards. The icy spikes shattered into pieces all around her, hovering ominously in the air. They quickly morphed, their clear, crystal-like surfaces twisted to become sharp, spiked balls.

Those balls dropped to the ground just in time for the darkness to crawl back in and shroud him.

Why would she -?

"Yeow!"

That cry was enough.

Jacob bolted straight towards that shout and lashed out with Radiance. He felt the blade slice right through flesh and bone. A warm splash of liquid splattered across his chest. For the briefest of instances, his swords illuminated his surroundings. He was close to the wall of fossilised citizens that were being mined.

Quickly, he spun around, placing his back against the wall knowing full well that he couldn't be attacked from behind.

He also saw those icy, spikes balls littering the ground before the darkness enveloped them.

Clever...

MODD troops suddenly found themselves pinned and unable to move.

Still, Jacob was blind. He couldn't fight them in this -

Thwack!

... a laser slammed into his right calf, causing him to stagger and grunt in pain. He guessed the soldiers had night vision in their helmets, giving them a distinct advantage even if they couldn't move.

For a second time, the darkness peeled back but it all seemed to be sucked into a dark vortex around Norton. The ANVIL troops ducked behind several natural stone pillars and stalagmites, hiding from Jacob with their weapons levelled at him.

"Now you die!" Norton shouted. "Obsidian Maiden!"

Two large cups of smooth, black rock erupted from the ground. Each one was vaguely concave-shaped and on the inner half of the curve was an array of deadly spikes arrayed in the shape of an average mortal.

Oh shit!

"Kerry -!"

Too late.

The black, iron maiden shot towards Kerry -

CLANG!

... encasing her completely.

"No!"

Norton let out a triumphant laugh... that was quickly cut off and replaced with a confused 'huh?'.

The black, spiked coffin quickly became covered a thick, icy covering -

SMASH!

... and shattered, sending frozen pieces of obsidian in all directions.

Kerry slumped to the ground, breathing heaving and with a few pinpricks all over her body where the spikes of the device had punctured her clothes and armour slightly. Thankfully, the mythril V5 clothing remained somewhat resistant to the attack.

Norton snarled and hefted his weapon again. "Stubborn girl... Why won't you die!?"

Black rocks erupted from the ground around him, encasing him quickly and pulling him into the ground. A puff of darkness erupted from the ground and quickly bolted towards Kerry like Norton was tunnelling through the ground straight at her!

Got to do something!

WHOOOOSH!

Burning, hot flames surged through the cavern, tearing across Norton's path and curling around the cavern to make a swirling ring of flames high above their heads. Several MODD soldiers toppled over, their bodies burned to a crisp by the passing flames. Norton erupted from the ground, gasping for breath and slightly burned.

Taylor stood cockily to one side, a smirk on his face and flames surging out from his paws. "Who says I need my chakrams to do some damage?"

Suddenly, the cavern was illuminated again.

And Jacob just had two, massive swords ready to tear into the MODD soldiers who had peppered him with lasers...

"Enough!"

All eyes flicked to Norton who stood facing off Kerry.

"I doubt you would be one to slaughter those who are simply doing their jobs," the mole said to the doe.

Speak for yourself...

Jacob was tempted to slaughter those soldiers around him just to see how Norton would react but stayed his hand. The mole was leading up to something...

A paw landed on his shoulder and he quickly brushed it off. "Not now Tayl..."

"I challenge you, girl," the lieutenant snarled from the centre of the room. "If you can defeat me, you will be free to go. Do whatever you please with the information you have here."

"And if you win?" Kerry asked.

"You all die."

Seems kind of one-sided...

That paw slipped on his shoulder again, more insistent this time. Jacob shrugged it off more forcefully. "Geez, I'm listening here. We can have hot, post-battle sex later..."

I wonder if I mean that...

... where's Spectre anyway...?

"If I win, you have to aid us in stopping this Plague and stand up against MODD," Kerry demanded sternly.

It was odd... There was no hesitation in Norton's words. "Deal."

Either he was confident he would win... or he hated MODD just as much as Jacob or Joanna.

That paw landed on his shoulder, almost crushing it.

"Oh for the love of -"

He spun around... but as he did so, his line of sight passed over Taylor who still stood at the opposite side of the cavern.

Wait... then who...?

... he suddenly came face to face with the owner of the paw... of the stone paw.

"Uh... Guys..." he began slowly.

He felt all eyes turn to him.

... all eyes...

... including the glowing green ones that were embedded into the stone faces of the fossilised citizens.

Oddly enough... Zack's warning words filled his head...

"...watch out for living statues"

...

Maybe I should've gotten a mining helmet.