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Interlude: Earthen Erosion

"History is written by the winners. This does not make history the absolute truth. However, given enough time, it will become a_truth."_

Julia Delacroix

Lies and Non-Truths: Living with Falsehood

Forgotten Island

Who knew...?

Jacob Reaper had a soft side... or at least a poetic side that was geared towards cruel sadism and mass murder. Either way, I always had this admittedly baseless view that all Light-users were pretentious, arrogant religious assholes who always believed that their way was the way.

When I saw Jacob make that display, I thought for a moment he was exactly that person... In a way, he was. He was showy, I'll give you that but he wasn't that arrogant. Everyone has a little bit of arrogance in them but Jacob was willing to admit when he was wrong and he was far from religious... Well... I wouldn't be surprised if he formed his own religion based around slaughter, blood sacrifice and the drinking of blood but that was neither here or there.

"That's just bullshit."

Everyone is aligned with an Element whether they have a Seal, Brand or neither.

At least that is what I always taught in my lectures.

Looking at Max and Gabriel arguing now... I can honestly say that was very much true.

I honestly thought they would be the best of friends. With Max's Elements being Metal and Psychic, he should theoretically complement Gabriel's Elements of Fire and Earth. Metal was a Secondary Element of Earth. Then again... I didn't understand how Gabriel could possess two opposing Elements...

Fire normally conquered Earth... and yet he could use them both easily...

"Look," Max growled, crossing his arms across his bulky chest. He kept insisting those large, bulged on his torso were 'pecs' but really, there were manboobs. Like the rest of us, when we got Branded, our physical features changed slightly. I got slightly taller and my fur became more of a copper colour.

Max... He definitely got a bit more muscular but all that fat around his body didn't go away. All that muscle was just hidden underneath layers of wiggly flab. I guess the best term to describe him is that he's a 'muscle-gut' guy.

"I know Reaper isn't exactly the most...'angelic' guy you can meet but I you can't just call what he found out as 'bee-ess' just because you don't like the guy."

Colour me surprised.

I always thought Max hated Jacob... Well, I think he still does but maybe he had gotten over his hatred and looking at the bigger picture... which was the suffering of these people.

"This is not on a personal basis," Gabriel scowled. "His 'findings' were derived from him sacrificing the lives of five others!" The ram pointed at the ward where the mentioned five had succumbed to the Plague. "We can't take the word of someone who is that crass about life!"

"So you're saying that you don't want to take the advice of a guy who made one mistake."

"This isn't just a solitary incident!" Gabriel shouted, through his hands into the air. "You of all people should be able to see that Reaper cannot be trusted!"

"No, he can't be," Max answered shortly. "But it's not a matter of trusting him. It's matter of seeing cold hard fact." Max waved a paw towards those infected and their relatives who were stuffed all into the atrium of the cathedral. "I thought I was seeing things when I saw the Seals hovering over these people but now that Jacob said something about it, I don't think I'm going crazy."

That caught my attention.

I glanced at the crowds of people who were moaning, crying and screaming for release. I couldn't see any Seals on them...

Gabriel gave Max a 'You're crazy' look. "Seals? What Seals?"

"I don't know, okay?" Max snapped back, baring his fangs. "All I know is that I can see these Seals hovering over people. They're not complete Seals either. They only have two rings of words instead of three."

The ram looked even more dubious than ever. I will admit, even I had my doubts. Maybe Max had finally snapped... or maybe...

"What are you now? A Seal Seer?" Gabriel scoffed.

"There are only two things I believe these days, lamb-chop," Max sneered. "MODD and my own eyes. I know what I'm seeing."

He absently reached over his shoulder at the Brand which was drawn against his back. The black muscle shirt he wore formed a nice contrast against his copper scales and slimmed him down a little. It also didn't hide his Brand as much like ours did but from all appearances, it looked more like a back tattoo than anything else so he was relatively safe. With his wings to cover it as well, it was barely visible. A thick, white scarf wrapped around his neck and trailed down to his ankles, passing the plaid, red and green half-kilt that Christy made just for him.

Max had insisted he didn't want to wear a dress no matter how much Christy insisted it would compliment his Welenshan heritage. So, what she ended up doing was cutting the front half off so it appeared like a straight, plaid cloth that hung from his left hip, around his rear and then to his right hip, leaving the front open and exposed. A pair of black cargo pants covered his legs so there was nothing explicit.

His weapon, Materialism, was a combat staff that folded easily to an 'X' shape that he wore against his back. To the unknowing observer, it was just another part of his costume or a back supporter.

"Ever since Jacob gave me this Brand... I've been able to see the Seals of people... I think... I think I can ever read their Seals a little..." He shook his head, eye shut firmly. "It doesn't make much sense... but I know these guys are getting Seals implanted in them for some reason."

Gabriel crossed his arms. "And are you going to start telling me that this is because Rose Earthsire's shattered Seal is infecting them all in a weak attempt to reconstitute herself stronger than ever?"

"No..." Max answered, opening his eyes and staring directly at Gabriel. "It isn't Rose Earthsire."

"And how do you know?" Gabriel replied. "Have you ever met Rose? Do you know what she is like or what her Seal even looks like?"

The ram's scepticism seemed to know no end. I will admit that a bit of criticism is good at times and doubt paves the way for growth in some ways but this guy just would not let up! I could see that Max truly believed what he was saying. Alright, I thought he had gone a little crazy seeing Seals like that but if he believed with such a passion, then surely it was worth some credit?

Right?

"I know it sounds crazy," Max admitted, his wings drooping slightly. "But..." He shook his head in frustration. "... I don't know okay? I just have this feeling that... That this isn't entirely about the dead daughter of the former Elemental Lord of Earth..."

I don't know why... but I was still inclined to believe him... even if he did sound crazy.

"Look you two," I said, stepping in between them and pushing them apart with my paws. "We can't stand here arguing about this. What we know is that Jacob made a breakthrough. Whether what he deduced was correct or not still has to be proven but what we do know is that no biological solution will get rid of the plague."

I glanced from Max to Gabriel to make sure that they weren't about to throttle one another when I headed off to see the other patients. They looked pretty docile... I guess if it had been Jacob and Gabriel they would have been at blows by now.

Though... I do miss that crazy wolf's own brand of chaos...

If I were straight... and he weren't gay...

Okay, out of my little fantasy...

"Our only logical step is to find the source of the Fossilisation Plague," I concluded. "Will you two set aside your egos for one second and think of the people who are suffering here?"

"I am always thinking of those that need our aid," Gabriel answered, unfolding his arms. "It is how Father Belford raised me."

I lowered my paws and regarded Gabriel curiously. He did seem like the church-goer but I had always suspected that he was one of those people who converted to whatever faith this place preached after he lost his family or something. I hadn't seen him with anyone else apart from Belford, though...

"Belford is your...?" I began.

"He is more than my spiritual leader," Gabriel answered, turning his gaze away from us and towards the hallway that led to Belford's office. "After Rose Earthsire died, the people of Graesham rose up and rebelled against MODD... or at least the Elemental Lord of Earth. MODD's official stance was that they had no idea what Conway was up to at that point and practically threw him to the wolves.

"He was left to defend his crumbling empire while MODD watched from the sidelines, just waiting for an opportunity to seize one of their precious 'economic gemstones'." Gabriel shook his head sadly. "Thousands died... The civilian population had the numbers... but MODD had the equipment, training and power. Conway was merciless..."

Max came to stand beside me and we exchanged glances. Our thoughts were the same but he was the first to voice them. "Why is he still a lieutenant if he was so terrible?"

"Because of Father Belford and Rocky," Gabriel answered.

It was strange... I think I detected a hint of... jealousy in the ram's voice when he mentioned Rocky's name.

"When the rebellion occurred, Father Belford was one of Conway's lieutenants. Upon seeing the destruction and the monster that Conway had become, he turned to aid the citizens... But when he saw how murderous they had become... he couldn't stand by them anymore..."

A gentle smile touched Gabriel's lips and he turned to look at the high ceiling. The stained glass windows were filtering in the morning light. The rainbow colours were dancing across the stone surface of the cathedral walls. While the wails and cries of the citizens were still loud in my ears and soul, looking at the shimmering colours, I found a degree of peace...

I guess if the people lying on the ground could see that... they would feel a touch of that as well... maybe a touch of 'heaven' so to speak.

"If you ask him for the story," Gabriel continued, "he will tell you that he wandered the devastated streets of Graesham and eventually came here. He found the ruined cathedral and within it, the texts of the Holy Mountain. He studied them... finding solace in them.

"MODD soldiers came barging into the cathedral attempting to apprehend him for he was a traitor. He surrendered willingly and when asked why, he told them about the Doctrines of the Holy Mountain. Like some miracle from the hand of heaven itself, each of those soldiers converted and brought more and more converts into the cathedral and Father Belford's teachings.

Gabriel turned his gaze back at us. "Father Belford was the one who brought peace back to Graesham. He brought me and Rocky from the destruction after we both lost our parents and helped us rebuild. It was he who petitioned MODD to give us both Seals so that we could help rebuild the city especially after the Plague constantly strikes us.

"Ultimately, it was through his actions that Rocky became the bearer of the Prime Elemental Seal of Earth." Gabriel's eyes narrowed, that jealousy rising again from what I could see. "However, Father Belford had nothing to do with how Conway was reinstated. Rocky believes that the man deserves a second chance. I am not so forgiving. If I were him, I would have had Conway stoned to death."

How appropriate... the former Elemental Lord of Earth stoned to death...

"Thanks for sharing that with us, Gabriel," I said with a gentle smile. I glanced from Max to Gabriel. "Don't we feel better now that we've gotten to know each other a little?"

Max just gave grunt while Gabriel stared.

Tough crowd.

"So why don't we go help some of the needy?" I suggested.

"I shall see if I can soothe some of the dying with the teachings of the Holy Mountain," Gabriel said. "Hopefully I won't find any more dead from Jacob Reaper's careless actions."

"You better watch out then," Max growled, "because you might wind up the next one dead."

Gabriel's eyes flashed. "Is that a threat, skink?"

Okay... One thing you should know about dragons... Never call them a 'skink'.

It's a bit of a taboo that came out from the Crescenta-Welensha War - known as the War of the Crimson Seas. If my history is right, basically Crescenta wanted more land and Welensha was closest to them. This was way before they found Rillotia. In any case, Crescenta attacked on multiple fronts... including psychological. They called the dragons and reptiles who originated from Welensha 'skinks'.

Even if there was peace now between the two countries, it is advised that you never call any scaled species you meet a 'skink'.

Max... reacted appropriately.

He reached behind his back and brought his staff swinging around to -

CLANG!

I would normally be surprised by how quick Gabriel reacted to Max's attack... if their weapons weren't crossed right against my neck!

Gabriel's Seal Weapon was a big, red and silver hammer. The head itself was shaped like a large fist. It looked fairly impressive. However, despite its bulk, Max's seemingly flimsy staff was more than enough to hold up against it.

"You best watch where you draw your weapons in this holy place," Gabriel warned. "I am strongest at the epicentre of my faith."

"Better hope you don't step outside then," Max snarled.

Wow... he was actually picking up some wit.

I could actually see a bit of Jacob in the dragon... They were both cynical and a grumpy... Okay, so one was needlessly cruel and the other internalised everything but at the core, they were the same. If they only saw that, I bet they could be the best of friends.

Maybe even lovers...

Thinking about a massive orgy of Jacob, Leo, Max and Taylor...

There are advantages to being in a group where all the men were mostly gay... or bisexual in Leonardo's case... I think Max is gay but he's just in denial.

Hey, I may be a lesbian but I like hot guy-on-guy-on-guy-on-guy action too.

... Aw heck, let's chuck Rex in there too.

He's one fine piece of wolfmeat. The fact he wears that armour all the time makes me wonder what the hell is beneath all that metal.

I took a step back away from where their weapons were clashed. "Let's cool it, boys," I eased, pressing their weapons down slightly. "Helping people, remember? You can't help everyone if you're dead."

Gabriel was the first one to lower his weapon. I saw a brief flicker in Max's eyes. I guessed the dragon seriously considered attacking the ram at that point. Thankfully he didn't. I would've been there to stop him.

"We have a task before us," Gabriel said coldly. "I will continue to see if I can aid Father Belford in any way."

"You do that," Max grunted, lowering Materialism.

Gabriel turned away and headed down the hallway to where Father Belford had retired after aiding more of the sick and ailing.

Once he was gone, I regarded Max curiously with a paw on my hip. "Let me guess... You're an atheist."

I was joking.

Max wasn't. "Whatever gods made this world left it alone a long time ago. The only true power these days are those in our own paws. The only reason people form religions is to either find reason behind doing good, hope for something that'll come after death or to exploit the weak and gullible."

How very cynical of him...

"So what do you think these people believe in?"

Max grunted and glanced over at those sprawled all over the floor. More than a few of them were reaching out in vain towards the shimmering lights above their heads. "They're just looking for someone to tell them that everything will be alright in the end."

"Is that such a bad thing?" I asked, flicking my ears towards him. "Everyone needs a little bit of comfort every now and then. They also need something to believe in so that they can move forward."

The dragon shook his head grimly. "Wrong. People don't need belief. They just need purpose. Give someone a purpose and they'll do it. Give them something to believe in and they'll question it."

If that were to come from anyone else, I'd honestly be surprised. Well... Jacob perhaps, I wouldn't be surprised but to be honest, he can be a little dense. Everything can be solved through death with him. But I guess with Max... I wasn't really surprised that he came up with such a... grim outlook.

"I don't suppose you have a purpose then?"

"I used to..." Max chuckled bitterly. His eyes locked with mine, those dark brown orbs cold, icy... but at the same time held this watery edge around them like he was fighting back some tears or a deep emotion that he wasn't willing to show. "Then all this shit happened... I know I can't go back to being little old, fat Max Lionhart..."

His eyes twisted to gaze at the shimmering display above our heads. "I've got a lot of things to figure out... I'm not following you or Jacob's crusade against MODD because I believe in what you believe. I'm following because I'm more likely to find my new purpose if I'm alive and I'm more likely to stay alive with the rest of the Branded."

I wasn't sure if I should feel insulted or grateful he was at least being honest with me. "Glad to know you care..."

"This isn't anything personal, Joanna," he told me evenly. "I mean, sometimes, Reaper has some valid points. He gets things done. I just don't agree with the other things he does."

I chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Fair enough."

I heard my name called from somewhere beyond Max. I looked past the dragon to find Rocky cheerily waving towards us. I was amazing at the effect the Saint of the Earth had on the population. It seemed that the moment he stepped in, everyone just seemed to... I don't know... feel a lot calmer. As if the Plague subsided in his presence.

I wouldn't blame it... Rocky is the Elemental Lord of Earth.

"I thought you ran off with Jacob to watch some cartoons or something," I said.

Max rolled his eyes and muttered something about slacking off in the middle of a crisis.

"Well, I did get to watch something but it's not exactly what I had in mind," Rocky admitted with a broad grin across his ursine features.

I pulled my paw away from Max's shoulder and sighed heavily. "Oh no... What did he do now? He didn't screw Leo in front of you did he?"

I could tell Max was getting uncomfortable but he remained still and endured the conversation. If he wasn't painfully straight, he was gay and so far in the closet that he came out the other end into a magical parallel world where everyone was gay and he had to stand still to avoid getting 'infected'. I swear, he saw 'gay' everywhere.

Well... I wasn't really helping.

I am a lesbian afterall.

"I wish," Rocky laughed. "Okay, get this..." He lifted his palms into the air. "Leonardo... Rex..."

He didn't need to go any further.

My mind exploded.

My fantasy came true!

"Holy sheeee-it!"

"Let me finish!" Rocky insisted, waving me down. "It's not what you think."

"Not Rex in Leonardo?" I asked, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

Rocky switched the positions of his paws...

My eyes widened.

"No way!"

Max coughed, his tail lashing around in irritation

We both ignored him.

"That's not the best part!" Rocky giggled in glee. "Well, I'm sure there was something better but whatever Jacob did to Rex, our little 'star boy' shot out of my theatre room, screaming, completely naked and his cock completely erect! He ran through the entire Emerald Crown and disappeared to who knows where!"

I threw my head back, unable to stop the fit of giggles that had struck me. I knew it was mean especially to Rex. The poor guy just wanted to help and Jacob was making his life hell. Admittedly, there was something to be said for the fact that he was caught with Leo's cock up his ass...

To be honest, I never really imagined Leo to be the type to... well... To be on top. He seemed so... submissive.

Or was that just when he was around Jacob...?

"Is everyone in the world turning gay?" Max snarled.

I stopped laughing.

So did Rocky.

We both stared at him with a mixture of worry and hurt. I have no idea why Rocky looked hurt. Maybe he was gay too? Perhaps that church-boy lifestyle was too much for him and he had given into temptation a little? Maybe he found the fact that two big wolves were rutting in his theatre room hot?

"What's wrong with being gay?" I asked gently. I wasn't going to go all 'gay-rights' or 'rainbow-power' on him. My dedication to my views is pretty strong but I know just as much as anyone that I have no right to press them onto others as much as others have no right to force theirs onto me. If they challenge my views, however...

"Nothing... I guess..." Max murmured. "Just... I'm a little uncomfortable being surrounded by..."

"Us homos?" I supplied.

Rocky snuck into my view, giving me a curious look with his dazzling, emerald eyes bright and shining. "You're gay?"

I laughed and patted his cheek. "Yep. Sorry there, teddy bear, you just never had a chance with me."

The ursine took my little jibe in good spirits. He grinned, straightened and crossed his arms behind his head. "Aww, you wouldn't be interested in a guy like me anyway. Us 'choir-boys' have an electric fence and attack dogs around our cocks. We've got a nuclear arsenal stored away with our virginity too." He gave me a wink.

I wondered if I could somehow tempt to launch his 'nuclear missile'.

But I understood what he was saying. He, like any other man, had needs. But he was in the public eye and he was, essentially, a representative of the Church of the Holy Mountain. If he got caught cuddling with the wrong person - man or woman - it'd spark a whole lot of controversy. In fact, if I remembered correctly, there were only two Elemental Lords that really had family left alive - big surprise there, right? - and those were the Elemental the Lords of Light and Dark... And they were twins so that didn't actually count.

Everyone else had lost their family somehow... or hadn't formed a family yet.

"I just wish Jacob didn't go around fucking everything with a pulse..." Max grumbled.

"To be fair," Rocky began, lowering his arms, "it wasn't Jacob this time and I'm pretty sure he didn't screw Rex. It was way too short for that." He inclined his head to the side. "What do you have against gays anyway?"

Simple... he's a closet case.

"Nothing!" Max exclaimed probably just a little too loudly.

Rocky smirked and giggled. "Oh... I see..."

"No!" the dragon snarled, advancing on Rocky until they were practically nose to nose. "Do not go there!"

The Elemental Lord lifted his paws into the air in surrender. "Alright, alright. Your journey, your path. You take whatever route suits you best. But if I can offer a bit of advice...?"

"What?"

Rocky's features softened. "You'll never get anywhere unless you know yourself first. You've got to know you have feet before you can start to walk, right? The only time you'll ever be able to move forward is when you look yourself in the mirror and see that the person staring back is yourself."

Max's upper lip curled back a little and I was afraid he was about to attack Rocky. I was about to reach for the sai that were folded together to become a pair of long, metal rods in my hair. It made me look a little Valenese but I liked it.

The rest of my garment was distinctly a little... oriental in style. Christy went all out with the long, kimono-like sleeves. I looked like a propeller when I moved. The light-green sleeves became a pair of long, cloth bands that crossed my back and my chest before wrapping just above my abdomen, leaving my midriff exposed. Christy said it made my breasts look bigger since, apparently, I was a little manly. A pair of hot pants that I really loved covered my lower half. Each of the legs of the shorts had two, light-blue, silk bands that criss-crossed the length of my thighs and were left hanging at about knee height to hang just above my ankle.

Apparently, Christy's idea behind it was to emphasise my Elements of Earth and Water... Green for Earth... blue for Water... and the flowing, silky cloth to be like some sort of 'smooth transition between them'.

I suggested it looked like a river but she told me I was being so simple.

I loved Christy but when it came to her clothes... Just don't argue with her.

Max, thankfully, didn't attack.

He just snorted loudly and stormed away.

Rocky shook his head in dismay. "Sometimes... It saddens me to see just how many people are in denial about themselves in our world."

I flicked my ears towards him even as I watched Max head off towards Belford's office... probably to seek 'spiritual guidance'. "What do you mean?"

"People tend to deny what they truly feel. They always reject what their heart says in favour of what the collective dictates."

"And that's religion for you," I chuckled.

I was surprised when he chuckled beside me. I expected him to mouth off at me about teasing religion.

"Very true." The bear sighed and crossed his arms. "I won't generalise and say all religions are wrong. Ultimately, their teachings are sound. It just so happens that the people who lead can be pretty darn twisted.

"I think that no matter what faith you follow, what government institute of corporation you live under, if you are denied your basic right to feel and express those feelings, then it isn't worth sticking around."

My next words had to be formulated very carefully. "You sound like you're speaking from personal experience..."

Rocky chuckled, closing his eyes for the briefest of moments. "Well... Yes. As a matter of fact, I am... Father Belford and I never really saw eye to eye. When MODD found I was compatible with the Prime Elemental Seal of Earth, they wanted to take me away and train me. Father Belford wanted me to stay and follow the teachings of the Church.

"There was a long battle of legal rights, basic mortal rights and whatever else you want to throw in there being tossed back and forth between the two sides. Father Belford wasn't part of MODD anymore so MODD said he had no right to claim what was theirs... He said I wasn't anyone's property and deserved to make my own choice."

Rocky sniggered again. "Of course, he assumed that I would choose to remain by his side."

"So why didn't you?" I asked, utterly curious.

He gave me a bright smile. "Because I know that if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. There's no use praying for something to happen when you're perfectly capable of doing it yourself. If everyone just sat down and prayed for everything, they'd all just starve to death. You can be thankful and pray if you want but you've got to have a life, right?"

I laughed. I think I liked this 'choir-boy'. "True... But you're still a MODD dog."

"Not really," he answered, lifting a paw and placing his thumb and index finger about an inch apart. "See, I'm still part of the Church by the slightest of technicalities. But, I am an employee of MODD."

I think... I think I understood what he meant...!

The devilish little bear!

"So you get the freedom MODD offers but the advantages of being a member of the Church."

Rocky grinned broadly. "Yep! And people are more likely to listen to you when you've got some religion backing you up. MODD is powerful but they just control the people's bodies and stomachs. A religion... well, they control people's hearts and minds."

I gave him a half-joking smirk. "Please don't tell me you're out to abuse both and take over the world."

"You going to stop me?" he replied with a similar smirk.

Yeah, I liked him.

"I know I can do a lot of good if I used the resources of both organisations," Rocky said, gazing towards Belford's quarters. "During the little war that tore Graesham apart, it was MODD against the people and the Church stood in between. Now... It's MODD against the Church... I need to stand for the people, those that are suffering so that we can actually get things done."

"That's a heavy responsibility," I commented. "Think you're up to it?"

"Not alone." He gave me a suggestive smirk and a little wink.

I rolled my eyes and curled an arm around his shoulder. "Kid, you may be a 'choir-boy' but I'll say this..." I poked his chest. Weird... His pecs seemed a little soft... "You sing a different tune to everyone else."

"Hope it's a better tune than the howls and cries of the infected," Rocky laughed.

I joined in his laughter, our voices carrying across the entire atrium.

... then we stopped.

Our voices were carrying across the entire atrium...

... no others sounds were audible...

That... That shouldn't be.

We glanced at each other.

A soft ringing hit my ears as well as a gentle vibrating in my shorts.

I reached for my phone and was a little surprised to find that the caller ID said 'Unknown'. Exchanging glances with Rocky, I brought the phone to my ears...

"Hello...?"

"Hi, Jo!"

It was Jacob...

I had to pull the phone slightly away from my ear because it sounded like he was shouting into his phone. Plus there was a lot of background noise... It sounded like... gunfire and... explosions...?

Oh no... What did he get himself into now...?

"Jacob?" I asked, holding the phone out between Rocky and myself. I hit loudspeaker so we could both hear. "What's going on?"

_"Quick question,"_he said, completely ignoring me. A series of explosions cut through his words.

I think I heard Taylor somewhere in the background shout, 'Burn it up!'

"Are you sitting down...?"

"No... Do I need to get a seat?" I asked, worriedly.

"No. It's better to remain standing because you'll be running away pretty soon."

...

The fact that he was being very nonchalant about the whole thing scared me. "Running away from what?"

"Would you believe me if I said 'freaky rock-zombies with glowing green eyes'?"

Rocky and I both straightened...

... and as if fate conspired against us, at that very moment, we realised that each and every person in the atrium had turned completely into stone. The reason the place was silent...? No one was left alive...

Well... That's not entirely true.

Crrrrrack...

The eyelids of each and every one of the stone statues peeled open... revealing an unearthly, green glow emanating from beneath.

Crrrrack...

Every head, every face, every muzzle and every eye turned straight towards us... I could feel their luminescent, emerald stares boring into my flesh...

"I do now..." I whimpered.

"Now aren't you happy you're not sitting down?"

Another voice exploded from the other side of the phone just as each of the fossilised staggered to their feet, surrounding us in a tight ring.

"Reaper! What the hell_are you doing!?"_

I didn't recognise that voice...

"Norton!?" Rocky exclaimed, pressing his back against mine. "Norton, where are you!?"

"Norton can't be with you right now,"_Jacob replied in a sing-song voice reminiscent of answering machines. _"He's about to be buried under a mountain-worth of rock. Either that, or trapped in the underground network of mines criss-crossing all of the city all in an attempt to escape the crazy stone-zombies.

"P.S. don't let them bite you."

BOOOOOM!

...

Fsssssssht!

Static...

The line went dead.

"What happened!?" Rocky demanded. "What happened to Norton!? To Jacob!?"

I had no answer to that... But I think Jacob was telling us that if he somehow survived whatever it was he was planning... We'd know where to find him... or his body.

"I'm more concerned about what's going to happen to us!" I exclaimed, tucking away my phone and reaching for the chopsticks in my hair. My short, coppery hair came tumbling down from the small bun it was tied in and the chopsticks quickly unfolded into my two sai, Riptide and Rockpool.

A scream cut through the grim silence around us.

"Father Belford..." Rocky whispered, his eyes widening. He flung out his paws to his sides. There was a flash of green light and suddenly, there were two ornately decorated, emerald batons in his paws, each one with delicate, golden designs in the shape of leafy vines.

"Joanna!" he exclaimed over his shoulder. "Cover me!"

"I got your back!" I shouted.

Rocky let out a tremendous shout and charged towards Belford's quarters. He slammed into the nearest living statue, bashing it with his two batons - I think I remembered reading somewhere that they're called 'Earthbound'. He unleashed a blinding combo - two strikes from each baton, a spinning blow, a kick with each foot and then and powerful uppercut that sent the crumbling living statue high into the air.

_"Rising Rock!"_he shouted, slamming his foot into the ground.

BOOM!

A titanic spike of rock exploded out from beneath the marble floor of the cathedral. It cut right through the masses of living statues around it and impaled the airborne one with ease.

Wow he's strong...

My senses screamed and I quickly jumped back as several of the statues lunged for me. I quickly spun around and sliced at them with my sai. The blades of my weapon just caused sparks against their bodies.

Damn... My weapons weren't designed to cut through rock!

Rock...

Hmmm...

I snarled and somersaulted backwards.

I landed directly beside Rocky...

The instant my feet touched the marble ground, the ground vibrated and -

WHOOSH!

...huge geysers burst up from holes in the ground, blasting the statues around us and sending them sprawling.

I exchanged brief glances with Rocky and we quickly bolted towards Belford's office.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

"Where'd you get all that water?" Rocky shouted as more and more geysers erupted around us, covering our tracks.

"Indoor plumbing," I answered shortly.

BAM!

A statue erupted from one of the nearby rooms. My heart clenched up when I noticed it was that girl... The one that Jacob cured...

No...

I tore at my heart... But I seized the water around us and encased her in a huge sphere that held her suspended in the air. Mercilessly, I summoned the earth beneath her and -

BOOM!

... impaled her on a spire of rock...

I froze.

... blood seeped into the sphere of water...

... she... She was still alive beneath that rock.

I... I just killed someone... who...

Rocky seized my paw. "Come on!"

I refused to move... The water around the girl dropped... and the geysers stopped coming... I... I couldn't tear my eyes away from the girl who was twitching on that spear or rock... her blood running along the length of the spire...

I... I couldn't believe...

This Plague... It wasn't only taking the lives of people... but it was using them as weapons!

How...?

Why...?

"Damn..."

Rocky's curse snapped me out of my daze... We had to get out of here...

I glanced around...

... we were surrounded.

Damnit... If I hadn't zoned out like that...

"Didn't want to have to use a signature move..." Rocky chuckled, spinning his batons in his paws. "But fine..."

I turned to Rocky as the ursine closed his eyes and crossed his batons against his chest. For a second... he seemed so serene... like he was praying. Then, he quickly spun around, spreading his arms wide. Large, emerald-green leaves sprung from his body, spreading out in a flurry and filling the air like a heavy leaf storm.

The greenery hovered in the air for the briefest of moments.

Then they began to glow brightly...

"Laser Leaf!"

Each of the leaves suddenly shot in different directions, bright, green beams that cut right through the stone bodies of the statues.

I could only stand in horror as my entire vision was filled with the bright green light. The beams twisted around, slicing in and out of their targets over and over again mercilessly... They ripped paws and limbs right off stone bodies... I could see flesh parts drop away, leaving pools of blood all over the ground.

I... I never really killed before... I mean MODD troops had a sort of... anonymity about them with their masks and helmets... and Unsealed... they were monsters...

But these people...

How... How could I kill them... when they were people too...?

BOOOM!

I staggered to the side as the wall beside me exploded outwards.

A massive, metal golem that looked like a cross between a dragoness and a castle loomed over the side of the cathedral.

Eden, Max's Animus, stood proudly before us. The ramp leading to the interior of the mobile fortress was open and countless civilians were being herded inside. Max herded the civilians inside while Leonardo held back a horde of the living statues with blasts of black lightning shattered them to pieces. Cerberus, his Animus and a three-headed, demon dog, stood proudly beside him, lashing out at any that would get too close. Rex - fully armoured again - stormed through the hole he had made and seized my paw.

"We've got to go! Now!"

I was left utterly mute as he dragged me out of the ruins of the cathedral and towards the crowd. Rocky was right behind me. All I could think of was that girl... and how I had killed her... Every time I blinked, the instant my eyelids closed, I saw her face... Her bright, cheery, smiling face when she was suddenly rid of the Plague...

... How... How could it do that to her...?

She was freed from it...

A tear ran down my cheek...

"Oh shit... Rocky!"

I opened my eyes and snapped back to reality.

Rocky stood about a hundred metres from us, his fists clenched. The ursine turned towards us, a big grin on his face.

No...

"Get everyone out of here!" he shouted. "I'll hold them off!"

No!

"Don't -!"

Rocky spun around and stuck his batons together at the ends. He pulled them apart a second later, a golden chain linking them together and making them more like a pair of nunchaku. Rocky spun it rapidly over his head. Huge pieces of rock peeled off the ground and circled him in a tight storm of heavy boulders.

I winced every time one of the statues were crushed by the circling boulders.

Rex pushed me back up the ramp. "Go!"

"But Rocky -"

"He knows what he's doing! Just go!"

I took one more step away...

... and saw one of the living statues make it through the storm right behind Rocky...

My eyes widened...

I screamed his name...

Rocky flinched and spun...

"Aaaaaargh!"

Rocky's rock storm ended... as he toppled to the ground, the statue's fangs digging deep into his shoulder.

That's it...

Living, imprisoned or being used, I don't care...

I may not know how I feel about these statues but I do know that Rocky's life is in danger and I was not about to let him die!

A bright, blue-green glow erupted from my right leg... A light from my Brand. I threw my sai into the air and seized the light, a shimmering, watery orb of the same colour forming around on my palm.

"Behemoth!" I shouted, hurling the orb straight into the ground.

The earth shook...

BOOOM!

Two, enormous horns ripped the cathedral gardens apart. Behemoth, my Animus, shot out of the earth, the titanic lion-bull bursting out from the earth and sweeping his massive, muscular tail over the living statues. The horde was swept aside in a single motion. My titanic Animus was more than half a kilometre long and the biggest of all the Animus with Eden coming a far second.

He roared, shaking the earth.

I caught my sai and bolted towards Rocky as the living statues tried to attack Behemoth. My Animus' flesh was hard as stone, harder than diamond. Nothing could take him down.

I kicked the statue that was holding Rocky down, plunging my Sai into the thing's eyes. Blood sprayed out but I didn't care. Rocky was my priority. I quickly seized him, pulling his arm over my shoulder. Behemoth covered me, barring the path of the statues from attacking me. Rex was quickly at my side and we hurried Rocky up the ramp to Eden.

The last of the civilians were already inside.

We were the last and as the doors to the enormous fortress shut, Leo and Max rushed up to us with a gurney. Eden was basically a self-sufficient environment. She - we knew it was a she - could produce food, supplies, weapons and rooms from within her confines. We could essentially live in her forever. It was where most of the team got their weapons.

Jacob and I were the only exceptions.

We quickly helped Rocky onto the gurney.

The crowd was silent as they watched their Saint hurried away from our sight. I rushed beside Max and Kerry as they rushed Rocky away from the crowd and to a private room. Eden could provide us with whatever medical supplies we needed...

Then my eyes caught sight of something...

... a large, stone slab beneath Rocky's clothes... just where he had been bitten...

I gingerly pulled the remnants of his clothes away... and jumped back...

The Plague... it had...

"Oh hell..." Rex whispered.

"Get him inside!" Max barked, pointing to a room. Eden was already rearranging the room to suit our needs. Some monitoring equipment was already in place and the walls were shifting to ensure that we had lots of space.

The crowd was backing away from us... They knew what they saw...

I had no doubt one of them would start saying something about not letting Rocky stay since he was infected...

Max stopped me from entering the room.

"You can't come in."

"Why not!?" I demanded. "I saved him!"

"Do you have medical experience?" Max replied bluntly.

"Do you!?"

"Every MODD employee has to undergo compulsory first aid training. I chose to supplement that with further medical training."

Colour me surprised.

I backed off. Not even Leo was allowed inside. Rex was forced out as well.

The metal doors to operating room - I guess it was an operating room now - shut behind Max as he hurried back inside.

All I could do was stagger back against one of Eden's walls... and slump down in exhaustion...

I wasn't tired... just... my mind and my heart... they were heavy...

I buried my muzzle in my paws and sobbed quietly.

The clank of armour told me Rex had decided to sit next to me. I vaguely heard someone rallying the people around and I guessed that was Belford trying to comfort his children. I'm not sure where Leo went off to... or Gabriel for that matter.

I didn't want to close my eyes... because I knew if I closed them... I'd see her face again.

"You okay...?" Rex asked softly.

A sob was my reply.

Rex wrapped an arm around my shoulder... I could tell by the hesitant way he touched me that... yeah, he was gay. Bi? No way. It was just the way he seemed to apply one finger at a time to my skin.

"I... I think I know what you're going through... Those statues... There are people still living inside them... right?"

Another sob...

I was reduced to sobs...

I was a sob...

"I think... killing them is the best thing we can do for them right now..."

"How could you say that!?" I screamed, uncurling and staring at him fiercely. Only when I felt the cool touch of the air against my cheek was I aware I had been crying. Everyone fell silent... even Belford stopped speaking. "Those people are still alive! They're still people!

"Can you say that if Rocky turned into one of them, you'd kill him too!?"

"Do you think he'd want to hurt you or anyone else in his state?" Rex countered. "Do you think that if he was still aware, he'd want to infect you and turn you into something like him?"

I growled and turned away. "That's not fair... It's not fair that whoever... whatever is controlling them is forcing us to kill them..."

"I know..." Rex sighed. "It isn't fair... But... If you remember the pain they went through... The agony those people suffered as they came to this stage... Do you think they'd want to keep going after knowing that they would damn their loved ones to the same fate?

"It's... It's not right... I know. But we don't have any other options. It's the only thing we can do for them..."

Wait...

... what was he saying...?

I stared at him for a long moment... and I saw the grim determination in his eyes.

"No..." I whispered softly. "You wouldn't..."

Rex shook his head sadly. "I already have..."

I pounced on him, slamming him against the wall. "You called a goddamn Purge!?"

"What do you think I should have done!?" Rex shouted back, pushing me away. "The whole goddamn city has been infected! People are turning to stone and then attacking other people! Hell! The Elemental Lord of Earth is about to turn into one of them and -"

The door to Rocky's room suddenly sprang open and Max jumped out, his eyes wide and panting. When the door shut behind him, he pressed his back against it like he was trying to keep whatever was inside contained.

My heart froze...

No... Rocky...

"Max...?" I whispered.

"Rocky is really sick..." Max answered with a gulp.

Rex's eyes softened and he lowered his head slightly. "Is he...?"

"Uh... I'm not sure..." the dragon answered, confusion in his voice.

Wait... confusion...?

"What's going on, Max?"

The dragon shook his head and stepped aside. "You better see for yourself..."

I exchanged glances with Rex and we practically bowled Max over to hurry into the room.

The door slid open.

...

The good news?

Rocky wasn't infected with the Plague. Maybe his Seal helped or something.

The bad news...?

Well... I'm not sure if it's 'bad' as such... Well... Not for me anyway.

Suffice it to say that despite being female, I know the male anatomy very well.

And males do not have A-cup breasts and they have a dick and balls.

Rocky Groundwater...

He had breasts...

... he didn't have a dick or balls...

He had a vagina...

In summary...

Rocky Groundwater...

... was a girl.