FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter II

Pollenburn

"MODD has achieved a stunning victory against one of the most ruthless clans of Pollenburn when a brave group of soldiers raided the stronghold of the infamous Rattlesnakes Clan and captured their leader, Snakebite."

Footage of the burning Rattlesnakes_stronghold was shown along with dozens of MODD troops and drones flying in to capture fleeing _Rattlesnakes. Upon hearing of their leader's defeat, most the Clan members just gave up, throwing their paws up into the air and declaring surrender. Some continued to fight but were easily subdued by MODD's superior numbers and expert training.

"The raid occurred in the wake of a passenger train being attacked by the Clan carrying something of great importance for MODD. As it turns out, that object of import was a person. MODD has released this footage of what viewers are already dubbing a new Elemental Lord in his fight against Snakebite. He wields some sort of white energy weapon that some have already theorised to be lightning of some sort. Hard core supporters of MODD have already claimed that this wolf is the new Elemental Lord of Electricity. Shortly we will be interviewing Rex 'Nebula' Reaper, the Elemental Lord of Star and the official face of MODD with an exclusive statement on the events that have transpired."

Jacob snorted but that quickly turned to a wince as the doctors shot him with a metabolic serum guaranteed to accelerate his healing. He was then offered a nutrient serum which was made with essential proteins and minerals to help his body repair the damage he had suffered. He downed the thick, bluish slurry, wincing at the taste. As it went down, however, he could already feel his body reacting to the metabolic serum, rapidly fixing the snakebites he had suffered on his shoulders and the few burns he had received from the various explosions he had caused with Realmbreaker.

In the metallic medical bay of the MODD Atmospheric Hive Queen - Supreme Swarm, he was being treated alongside Marcus and Joanna. Having sustained so many injuries, Marcus had to undergo more intense treatment with the doctors constantly having to keep his arms and legs in their proper positions while injecting the metabolic serum into the injured limb. The roo still showed some signs of a fight in him, but after he had been sedated he was reduced to sucking on a tube filled with the nutrient slurry while he watched TV. They couldn't trust an IV at the moment since his injuries were mostly localised. So every time the doctors reset a bone, Marcus was given a small dose of the metabolic serum while he sucked on the nutrient feed until it healed. Joanna needed little to no assistance and it was by the grace of Marcus that she was not immediately thrown into a cell.

"We have exclusive footage here of the battle. As you can see, this new Elemental Lord is a burly wolf who is very fast and agile for his size. Look how he actually manages to lift his entire weight off the ground and flip upside down on top of a stunned Snakebite. We don't have the name of this Elemental Lord yet but we have here with us, Rex Reaper who can hopefully shed some light on the situation."

The anchor man being displayed on the screen turned and the camera zoomed out to show Jacob's older brother, a brown furred wolf that had movie star looks. His silvery hair was cropped short and spiked up in a youthful design. Rex displayed his dazzling smile as dozens of audience members screamed and applauded, the camera then panned towards the audience which showed large groups of his fans wearing ridiculous looking "I Love Rex" t-shirts.

"Now Rex, what can you tell us about this new Elemental Lord? Who is he?"

Rex beamed and turned towards his host, one arm draped over the back of the couch he was sitting on and showing off his bare, muscular arm. There was a scandal a few years back when Rex opted to customise his standard issue Elemental Lord coat. Before he was given the position, most of the Elemental Lords kept a standard formal and almost intimidating appearance. But Rex had his coat trimmed down to a sleeveless version so that his arms were exposed as well as his silvery armpit fur. People often theorised his silver hair was dyed but other scandals involving his sexcapades had proven that theory false. This small act of change paved the way for many of the other Elemental Lords to customise their own garments to show off their personalities.

"Well Collette," Rex responded calmly and in his charming baritone. "He isn't actually an Elemental Lord. You see, MODD has recently obtained a weapon called Realmbreaker and we have been transporting the weapon all over the world in search for a person to synchronise it with. Much like a Seal, Realmbreaker requires someone with the right mentality, right physical structure and right genes to merge with. We found that chosen person in Shellington."

Jacob scoffed loudly. "Lucky guess... He knows my dad lives in Shellington and it's the only place I could be..."

"Or the train came from Shellington, it was intercepted between Shellington and Pollenburn and its previous stop was Shellington," Marcus replied. He flinched suddenly and growled at the doctor. "Hey doc! Not so rough!"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Willows," answered the hawk humbly. "But you need a lot of metabolic serum to get your body back up and running... You've sustained a lot of damage."

"Fine, whatever..." Marcus turned his head back towards Jacob as the doctor jammed him with another needle. "Why are you so resentful of you brother?"

Rolling his eyes at the kangaroo, Jacob said, "If you have bothered to listen to me earlier instead of seeking out vengeance against a mentally unstable cobra, you'd remember that my brother basically left me and my dad out to dry after my mom died and my dad had a nervous breakdown. He just up and left, broke off all contact and didn't even bother to explain why. I've had to cut back on my dreams just because he's too self-absorbed with his career to ever be related to a man who once tried to hold up a convenience store with a toothbrush let alone having grown from one of his sperm."

"You held up a convenience store with a toothbrush?" Marcus asked with a mocking smile.

Jacob just flicked his tail in agitation and returned to Rex's interview.

"So what is Realmbreaker capable of if it is not a Seal?" Collette asked. "What assurances do we have that MODD is not tampering in the realm of the gods here?"

"MODD has always pushed the boundaries of Mortaelian capabilities," Rex responded calmly and still giving his billion credit smile. "If it were not for this philosophy, we would never have harnessed the power of Seals and turned them into a benefit to all Mortaelians or created the Black Ring Space Station. Rest assured, Realmbreaker and its user as undyingly loyal to MODD and the betterment of all Mortaelis."

"Typical MODD deflections," Joanna sneered. She jumped off her examination table, having been offered a plain white shirt and pants. "He didn't answer the question."

"That's Rex for you," Jacob grunted. He rolled his shoulder a little as the temporary rapid healing brought on by the metabolic serum began to cause his wounds to itch. The doctor attending him placed a paw on his shoulder to stop him just in case he tore a muscle during the healing process.

"Watch him somehow turn the topic of conversation towards him and hog the glory."

"I'm sure you're wondering about the identity of this great and new member of the MODD family," Rex said, beaming.

"That is a topic I was going to approach, yes." Collette leaned forward. "So tell me, who is he?"

"Why, I'm surprised you didn't see a family resemblance."_The crowd gasped and even Collette pulled back in mute shock. _"That's right. He's my baby brother; Jacob Samuel Reaper."

"Aaaaaand there we go," Jacob announced, gesturing at the screen. The doctor warned him to keep his arm down or she'd have to bind it down. "Watch as our baited hostess starts interrogating Rex, questioning him about how our fur colouration is different, how come he's never spoken about his family until now and what this will mean for his career."

"Your brother?" Collette repeated in surprise. "Oh my! That is surprising! Why have we never heard of him up until now?"

"Because Realmbreaker was an extremely top secret project and I strictly keep my professional life separate from my personal life. I wanted to make sure that my brother and father are safe away from the enemies and politics of MODD so that they can live rich, normal lives."

"My ass you did!" Jacob snarled, practically on the edge of the bed with his hackles on edge.

"I will be personally meeting my brother in Pollenburn shortly," Rex said with a smile. He got a wistful look on his features and even managed to squeeze out a single tear that he wiped away theatrically. "Sorry. It's just been so long since I've seen Jake. I've missed him so much."

"Bullshit." Jacob leapt off the bed. "Am I good to go doc? Am I fit enough to throw myself out the nearest window and splatter myself on the ground but still survive long enough to curse Rex's name with my last dying breath?"

The doctor gave her colleagues a startled stare.

"He's not really suicidal," Joanna said, shaking her head. "He clearly has some ingrained jealousy for his brother's success. A younger brother watching his older sibling obtain a Prime Elemental Seal and become one of the most popular men in all of Mortaelis would make anyone green with envy."

Jacob fumed. Realmbreaker_erupted from his right palm, making the doctor leap back with a scream. He lifted the bolt of white energy at Joanna threateningly. "I am _not jealous! Rex -" A wave of dizziness suddenly hit him and he stumbled. He managed to catch himself on the edge of the bed, keeping him from falling to his knees just barely. On a mental command, he dismissed _Realmbreaker_and reached for his nose. Blood was dripping out of his nostrils.

"Fuck..."

"That happens often?" Joanna asked, concerned.

"Ever since _Realmbreaker_stabbed me," he grimaced. The doctor helped him to his feet and he muttered some thanks. She guided him back to the bed and dapped the blood from his nose. "Happened while I was sneaking around the _Rattlesnakes'_place and blowing things up. Shot a few bolts here and there and about the third one I started bleeding..." He gripped the side of his head, shaking the dizziness out. "Don't think I can keep up those bolts for too long... Nose bleed goes away after a few minutes..."

"Firing three lasers hardly makes a war ending weapon."

"True if they were lasers." The voice came from a corner of the room that was unoccupied. Everyone stared at the corner for a long moment. Then a brown eye suddenly opened amidst the field of metal. The outline of a figure stepped out from wall, his camouflage melting away into his long, white coat decked with a bandolier of kunai knives and a belt armed with an assortment of cherry bombs. Golden chains hung down from two cloth pauldrons, running underneath the chimpanzee's arms and shifting slightly with every movement. On his hip was a long blade, the legendary Kaze Wakizashi.

Unlike most other Elemental Lords, Gale Winthrop wore a strip of green cloth to hold back his roughly cut brown hair. There was also an eye patch that covered his left eye. If caught in the right light, a Seal could be seen engraved into the black leather. Despite his intimidating features, the chimpanzee wore an easy, welcoming smile. He strode towards Jacob, giving the wolf a nod.

"Those 'bolts' as you call them don't actually burn through things like a laser would," Gale said. "We're currently examining Snakebite and trying to repair the damage both the corrupted copy of my Seal and the battle did to him. What we've discovered, however, is that the injuries sustained from Realmbreaker aren't burns as one would expect from an energy source."

The doctor finished cleaning up Jacob's nose and he absently tapped his nostrils, checking for blood. "What are they then?"

"It's almost as if they were torn," Gale responded. "Or perhaps more precisely, cut. The tissue damage at a microscopic level is the same as if someone had taken a scalpel and sliced through flesh. But the tears at face value look so ragged and uneven that it's like someone had taken a chunk out of his body."

"That's... interesting."

"It is!" Gale responded eagerly. "And we'd like to find out much more. To this end, we hope you'll stay in Pollenburn to -"

Jacob got up and shook his head. "Nuh-uh! Not if Rex is coming there. I don't want to be anywhere near that asshole. In fact, I don't even want to be associated with MODD. I'll likely lose my job as a Worldrider if HQ found out!"

Gale was smiling rather confidently and reached into his coat. He extracted a new pair of sunglasses similar to the ones Jacob had broken. "I thought you might be concerned about you employment. So I've taken the liberty of contacting your employers. I've explained the situation to them and they have consented to have you on loan to MODD until we discern the nature of Realmbreaker. For a sizeable sum, of course."

Jacob took the sunglasses with thanks and slipped them on. As soon as the device recognised his identity, he was given a personalised message from Worldrider central command. As Gale had said, he was to stay with MODD for an indefinite duration until they found out what Realmbreaker was and if it was a danger to him or anyone else. Trepidation filled him as he interpreted this as being on the precipice of being fired from his dream job. They still insisted that he finish his delivery for Caroline Boswin but priority one was Realmbreaker.

He acknowledged the message.

Then he was met with a sudden flash of letters. A top secret message from central command not to be repeated to anyone.

'Revenant, Realmbreaker is a weapon that can turn the war in either MODD or the Unsealed's favour. It is imperative that you do not show favouritism to one side or the other. While this war between the two is tragic, giving the weapon to one side or the other will nullify all hopes of a peaceful solution. You are now the ambassador of peace for both sides. Their interest is solely on the weapon within you. They will not care for you regardless of how they make it appear. Do not be swayed by their honeyed words.

'Remember, as a Worldrider, we remain neutral. We do not take life. We get the job done. Your job, right now is the find out what Realmbreaker is and see if there is some way to bring these two warring factions to peace.

Do you acknowledge?'

"Acknowledged," he murmured softly.

"Glad to hear it!" Gale replied with a smile. He lifted a finger into the air before Joanna could protest. "And I've spoke with your leader too, Miss. Swan." Once again, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small device. "We've come to the concession that for the moment, both MODD and the Unsealed will cease hostilities until we learn what Realmbreaker is. We've disclosed what we know of the weapon to your leader and they agree that with something _that_unstable and unknown, we need to work together to find its true origins." He handed the disc to her. "You may have some privacy to go over this message."

Joanna swiped the disc from him and stormed out of the medbay with a huff.

"She'll come around," Gale said, watching her go. "The Unsealed leader was quite interested in _Realmbreaker_but she agreed that the Unsealed don't have the resources MODD has to research the weapon. She has agreed to let Joanna act as a 'shadow' to us though. An Unsealed representative."

"Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me!?" Marcus roared, flailing his good arm through the air. "She tried ta kill me!"

"And there's my favourite farm boy," Gale snickered, grinning pleasantly at the roo. "From what I heard you shot at her first and then you had the oversized balls to charge out into the middle of a flaming courtyard with a shoddy assault rifle to face Snakebite yourself. And considering your track record, that doesn't surprise me at all."

Marcus snarled and flicked his big, long ears back in agitation. "Okay... so maybe ah was a little pissed..."

"This provides a golden opportunity for both the Unsealed and MODD," said the Elemental Lord with a smile. "I mean, we've got the two working together for a universal goal for the first time in a long time. Hell, together they brought down a Clan! That's not something that happens often, you know." He turned his bright smile towards Jacob. "Oh before you ask, I've sent a few friends to check on your father. They reported that he bought about twenty of those old fashioned microwave ovens and quite a lot of aluminium foil... is that natural?"

Jacob's eyes boggled. "Dear sweet Jesus no! Get them to stop him from switching them on! If he starts making an aluminium hat, tell them to run!"

Suddenly looking worried, Gale reached for a phone in his pocket. "Alright... and who is this 'Jesus' you're talking about?"

"A holy zombie who rose from the grave and is celebrated with the exchange and consumption of chocolate rabbit eggs."

Everyone in the room gave him a puzzled stare.

"I know, I know. Rabbits don't lay eggs."

Marcus coughed, bringing all attention to him briefly. "I think that's Realmbreaker too. He says very strange things at times. Things that don't make sense. It's almost like he's speaking in a different language."

"Hmmm, that might be something we should look into..." Gale said with a puzzled look. After assuring Jacob that Isaac wasn't going to cause some sort of radioactive apocalypse on his watch, he told everyone to meet him at ship's the bridge. They would be landing in Pollenburn shortly. Once Gale left, the doctors performed a few final tests before they gave them both the bill of health. Though they advised Marcus away from strenuous exercise and warned Jacob to keep from using _Realmbreaker_for extended periods of time.

One of the doctors handed Marcus the typical MODD uniform but unlike the armoured plates of an ANVIL soldier or even the billowing cloaks of a SWORD member, he was handed a thick utility vest and cargo shorts. Jacob felt a little awkward leaving the room without saying something to Marcus. He was handed his Worldrider jacket and clothes that had been repaired and washed. Some alpha male in his mind told him that it would've been emasculating if he left the room just to get changed. A big, muscle wolf like him should be comfortable with stripping down and getting dressed in front of another guy.

He stripped down out of the medical scrubs and picked up the first article of clothing on the pile. His underwear smelled unnaturally clean with an almost lemony tinge that burned his nostrils. Though given the fact that he had just had a nose bleed a few minutes ago from overusing Realmbreaker, he wasn't surprised if his sense of smell was a little raw. He wiggled into his underwear, sliding his tail through the hole before reaching for his pants. From the corner of his eye, he could see Marcus' muscled form slide into his own briefs. Jacob preferred boxers himself but the tight, white piece of underwear hugged Marcus' package rather nicely.

No longer having the threat of dozens of crazed maniacs breathing down his neck, Jacob could get a good view at Marcus' body. Built like a tank and possibly about 325 pounds or more, Marcus possessed thick, bulging arms and juicy pectorals. His abdominal muscles were softened by a light layer of fat but that only made him look all the sexier. There was a small treasure trail of thick brown fur leading up from his crotch and Jacob eyed the thick layers of fur on Marcus' forearms and legs. If it was at all possible, Marcus looked sort of like a kangaroo with a 'bear' build. He would've looked much better with some facial hair though.

"What are you looking at?" growled the roo as Jacob quickly turned away and slipped on his shirt.

"We are so going to do it," he answered.

Marcus' tail thwacked the bed loudly and he gasped in pain. "What did you say!?"

"We're gonna fuck. It's inevitable considering the track record. Besides, didn't you see the story tags?"

"What the fuckin' 'ell are ya talking 'bout!?" yelled the roo. "No way in 'ell Ah'm gunna stick ma'h dick in yer pussy ass!"

Jacob blinked slightly, only now just realising what he had just said. But, he decided to just go with it at the moment.

"Okay, then how about this? If I'm wrong and we don't end up naked in bed together, our sweaty bodies coiled around one another in the beautiful experience of afterglow and our cocks ready for round two, then I'll be the bottom. Otherwise, I'm on top."

"Fine!" Marcus snapped. He shoved on his shirt and vest angrily and then, as he was just starting to put on his boots and his anger had time to simmer... he realised. "Wait... Ain't no way Ai'm gunna win that bet, am I?"

Jacob smiled as he slid on his jacket after tying the last knot to his shoes and got off the bed, tail wagging proudly. "Nope!"

******

The city of Pollenburn was the capital of the Rillotian state of Taranebra. In comparison to Victis where Shellington stood, Taranebra was much larger and consisted mostly of farmland. Considered one of the 'southern' states of the Rillotian Republic, Taranebra had a little bit of a racial stigma about it. Most Taranebrans were thought of as being rough, burly, rednecks who only ever bred with people of the similar stature or who were pure-blooded Rillotians. Those that didn't have the typical Rillotian as a mate were usually seen as having married purely for bragging rights or to spite their relatives. If anyone were to look up 'Taranebran' on the net, they'd either see big, buff males and females with farming equipment behind them or some big, buff guy holding a slightly smaller mate that looked smoking hot. It didn't matter if the mate was male or female, they was always a size difference. A meme that had gone around a few years ago was the 'Progress of Taranebra' where altered pictures of Taranebran couples pointing out how over the years the size differences always switched implying how the couple competed to be the 'big guy' of the relationship. Naturally, it applied an assortment of other scenarios.

Of course that was just a stereotype just like how the outside view on Shellington and Victis was that everyone was a gun-ho military brat that only ever wore camo, always had dog tags and couldn't wait to get into military service.

But there was some truth in the matter. Taranebra was mostly farmland and was one of the three major states were most of Rillotia's agriculture came from. When seen from space, about 80% of it was flat farmlands. Another 10 was mountains, 5 was desert, 1 % was rivers and the last 4 consisted of the cities. There was little to no natural foliage on the state as almost every inch had been converted into farmland.

Pollenburn was naturally the biggest of the cities in the state. Over fifty seal Generators illuminated the night, their beams piercing the skies. Each structure was uniquely bio-friendly. Even towering monoliths of glass and concrete had well-maintained gardens in every floor. As the Hive Queen flew over the city and the sun was just starting to rise in the east, Jacob could see the rooftops of the various buildings in the city, awed at the oases that sprawled on each rooftop. Down below it appeared that entire roads were built not to be driven through but were purely just a natural pathway covered with thick foliage. It almost looked like nature had partially reclaimed the city.

It was from Pollenburn that Gale Winthrop dispatched his troops all over Rillotia to keep the country secure from its enemies. Having to protect the Rillotian Republic from the north against the unruly northern states, the west from insurgents of Welensha and then internally from the Unsealed was a tough job. In truth, MODD became more of a defence contractor in Rillotia than a Seal company in recent years. But that was one of the very many negative reviews thrown at MODD over the years. It didn't help their case that their military often outstripped that of the countries they had a presence in. It also didn't help that the Welenshan government had employed them to oversee their own defensive measures against local militants.

Gale's seat of power and the forefront of MODD's presence in Rillotia was the enormous tower seated in the middle of an artificial lake. The tower acted both as a launch pad for endeavours into space and a docking station for various atmospheric ships. With about a dozen broad docking bays, the five hundred metre long Hive Queen was capable of landing on one of the many solid-light platforms that many had hailed as a miracle of science and ingenuity. In total, there were a total of six solid-light bays and each one was capable of housing a Hive Queen each. From the databases his glasses had access to, those six were the Supreme Swarm, Breath of Life, Engage, Catastrophic Storm, Aerial Armageddon and Gale's flagship, the Winged Kingdom. Smaller ships were docked in various hangers elsewhere outside of the city limits but the intimidating sight of the massive warships hovering over the city was a constant reminder to Pollenburn of MODD's position.

There was a whole battalion of heavily armoured men and women lined up in neat rows when Jacob stepped off the Supreme Swarm. A gold-coloured carpet was rolled out for them, Gale's emblem emblazoned on it. The soldiers all saluted, stamping the enormous shields on the solid-light platform while noisily jamming the enormous cannons they wielded in their other hand against their heavily armoured shoulders.

Sky Wardens, one of the three elite troops of MODD's army in Rillotia. Dubbed as mobile artillery infantry, they were renowned for their ability to take punishment and deal long-ranged death with their massive cannons.

Above the Wardens, a small battalion of women dressed in metal, aerodynamic suits hovered, propelled by the power of a Seal that emitted a soft, golden light from their boots and from a disk on their backs. The Archangels_similarly saluted those disembarking from the _Hive Queen.

To complete the entrance, between each Warden, a flurry of red flowers erupted and Gale's personally trained troops appeared from thin air. Each lithe soldier was dressed in jet black stealth suits save for the gold bands around their wrists and helmets. Each of the Fatal Flowers lifted their katanas in salute.

Jacob heard Gale groan loudly as the Elemental Lord of Wind stepped out of the hanger and onto the golden carpet.

"I'm really sorry about this," the one-eyed chimp said. "I specifically asked to downplay our return but your brother works fast. I had an eerie feeling that he's already diva'd his way to commandeering my troops and ensuring that they greet us in this fashion."

"Rex is here?" Jacob responded anxiously.

"He shouldn't be," answered Gale. "Last I heard, he was still in Altantor giving that live interview. Then again, he is the Elemental Lord of Star and can move 'at the speed of starlight'," Gale said slightly mockingly. "Or at least that's what his trading card says..." he continued as they walked down the carpet into the tower.

Comforted that he at least had someone else that shared his opinion of Rex, Jacob said, "Will it help if I admit that I made a habit of burning his trading card whenever I picked it up?"

"How often did that happen? His is an ultra-rare."

"Often enough that I once had a bonfire going."

Gale nudged him with an elbow playfully and strode down the carpet, Marcus right behind him. Jacob followed shortly after with Joanna right beside him. Being so high up gave him a moment of vertigo especially when he glanced past the saluting shoulders and into the vast expanse of Pollenburn.

"So..." he began as he observed where the city line ended and the farmlands began. "Any chance that the reason this place is so prosperous is because it was built on the ashes of the previous city which was horrifically burnt due to an uncontrollable epidemic based on flowers?"

That brought a laugh from Gale while Marcus and Joanna just gave him a puzzled stare. "God no. Pollenburn is so named because during the Great Seal War the city of Bloomcrest, which was renowned for its flowers, stood here. One day a Puritan attacked Bloomcrest but one brave MODD soldier who wielded a Seal that controlled flowers combatted the Puritan. Strangely enough his seal wasn't made for combat and was actually designed to keep the flowers blooming in the city year round." Gale smiled brightly. "But he won against the Puritan and formed the Blossom Order which eventually evolved into the very same order that trained myself and the Fatal Flowers."

"He made a ninja village?" Jacob began gesturing at his eyes. "You guys don't have a weird eye thing going on do you? They don't turn red and get weird apostrophes in your irises?"

"Your imagination knows no bounds," snickered Gale as they reached the end of the platform. "No. the Blossom Order all have copies of the original flower Seal used by that brave man to repel the Puritan." He tapped his eye patch. "This Seal, in fact."

Joanna scoffed loudly as they stepped onto a broad elevator built for transporting massive goods up and down the tower. "Isn't it a little bit greedy for an Elemental Lord to possess both a Prime Elemental Seal and a legendary one used to defeat a Puritan too?"

Marcus gave her a vicious grin. "It brings my heart joy just how little you know about the Elemental Lords. Gale actually has the second lowest number of Seals under his belt because he doesn't need them. He's that good. Rocky Groundwater in Welensha has at least three while Sierra Seasinger has the most, up to seven if I remember correctly." His eyes flicked towards Jacob. "Your brother only has the one Seal but he's really good with it."

Rolling his eyes away from Marcus, Jacob said, "Yeah... and he's really proud of it. Making quasars and pulsars that can repel or pull people in, making nuclear reactions and even miniature supernovas... And let's not forget the fact that he annoyingly shouts out his 'patented attack names' every time he attacks." He thrust his fist into the air and in his best Rex impression shouted...

"Gravimetric Pulsar!"

He was surprised when he found Marcus echoing his words and even his gesture. The two of them stared at one another for a short moment before they quickly lowered their arms and turned away from one another. He caught sight of Joanna looking at him curiously before she exchanged a knowing look with Gale.

"Sorry," Marcus grunted. "I was on the receiving end of that attack in last year's war games."

"War games," Joanna said, enjoying being the Devil's Advocate in the large elevator. "Shows of MODD's might where all the Elemental Lords, MODD's SWORD members and their top soldiers come together with anyone daring to pitch their Seals against one another in exhibition matches just to prove to the world how great they are."

"If it helps, Miss. Swan," Gale said, "I personally don't agree with them either. War is not the answer. I don't mind participating in the displays of sportsmanship like using a Seal to propel oneself over a bar or to throw a ball around." Gale shook his head as the elevator came to a stop in the middle of what appeared to be an enormous warehouse. Thankfully, there was no one saluting them as they stepped out. Several workers were hauling equipment here and there, apparently sending it to the Hive Queens and ships that had aided in eliminating the Rattlesnakes. "But the war games paint MODD as a warmongering force eager for conquest. We aren't like that."

"You certainly have me fooled."

Gale gave her a pleasant smile. "Well, I eagerly accept the challenge of changing your mind."

Clearly Joanna was getting irked by Gale's passive-aggressive approach to her goading. The smug smile she wore faded instantly and she flicked her gaze forward. She didn't even make a comment as they left the military part of the tower and entered the more residential area where Jacob and Joanna were expected to stay. The hallways lost their metallic sheen and got a more traditional Rillotian feel to it. Though still made of metal, the walls had been infused with Seals to give them a wood-like appearance even to the grains. Plain pillars held up the ceiling while banners bearing Gale's emblem - a five-petal flower bearing a pair of wings - hung from the arches. Lighting took the appearance of being more ancient by appearing like the old metal and glass gas lamps even though they each had lightning Seals contained within them to provide illumination. The floor was made of the same 'wood' as the walls but had been infused with extra Seals to give them that soft creaking when they stepped over it.

Gale stopped in front of a large double door where two SWORD soldiers stood. "Well, this is where you'll be staying, Jacob."

Holding up his paw, Jacob said, "Just call me 'Jake'. Everyone does. Jacob sounds too formal."

Smiling, Gale said, "Very well, Jake." He nodded towards the door. "This is your room. I'm sure you're tired after last night's events. I doubt you've gotten much rest too. You'll find all the amenities you'll need in there including a food creation kit. If you're feeling more social however, Silas and Cal here will be happy to escort you to the mess hall. I ask you stay within the grounds of the Tower, however. We're not yet sure about the capabilities of_Realmbreaker_ and we wouldn't want it hurting innocent people."

In short, no wandering out of sight or it could damage the pedestal that Rex's lies and propaganda had put MODD on. A more vindictive Jacob would've snuck out and seen how much trouble he could get into but just thinking about the nose bleeds he had suffered worried him. Images of his brain melting while he used Realmbreaker haunted his imagination.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"Feel free to wander around the Tower," Gale said, beaming at Joanna as well. "You too, Miss. Swan." Marcus looked about to explode at this but he was cut off by a sharp wave of Gale's hand. "We won't be performing any tests today so I suggest you all get some rest and get used to your surroundings. Tomorrow, we'll start." Gale shifted from one foot to the other nervously. "Rex seemed to be of the opinion that the best way to test _Realmbreaker's_abilities is to see how it fares under SWORD training so I'll have your itinerary for classes and training sessions drafted and sent to you by this afternoon."

Jacob stepped up to the door and twisted the gilded knob. "Oh goody," he said sarcastically. "Looks like I've just stepped into MODD's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Do we get to be sorted into different houses by a magical talking hat?"

He got a strange stare again but it was Joanna who pointed out that he was bleeding again.

"Shit..." he rumbled, dabbing his upper lip. "And here I thought I could break the fourth wall for free." He glanced upwards. "Isn't it bad enough that I'm gay and am self-conscious about my body hair?" Then he gripped the side of his head. "Oh right... we haven't gotten up to that part yet... Great, I just turned something funny into pointless exposition..."

Jacob then felt the glance of the five pairs of eyes giving him a confused and worried stare.

"It's Realmbreaker!" he bellowed loudly in an completely and utterly not in an insane manner. He pulled open the door, stepped inside and slammed it shut. He pressed his back against the wooden frame and sighed, glancing back up at the sky.

"You know saying that it wasn't insane doesn't make it so." He grimaced and shook his head, massaging his temples. "I've got to stop that... I'll melt my brain..."

He pulled his attention to the expanse of the rich, luxurious room he was offered. It was definitely traditional Rillotian in appearance. The wooden floorboards were Seal infused to maintain their shape. All forms of technology had been hidden into the façade with the widescreen television being set in a small alcove that could be covered by a sliding, wooden wall. While he was not given a balcony, there was a wide bay view window complete with a small sitting area and silky curtains. There was a small kitchenette to the left of the door that again could be hidden behind a panel to give the appearance of a single room. A big four-poster bed sat at the far corner of the room next to the window, looking far too big and fancy for his tastes. There were synthetic animal heads mounted over a fireplace that - again - could be hidden behind a fireproof panel. The only door apart from the one he had just entered from was the one leading to the en suite.

A loud flush came from the toilet and Jacob was instantly alert.

Before he could move to a better position, the door to the en suite sprang open and out stepped a 5'11'' brown and silver wolf who always forgot to dry his paws after washing them and enjoyed teasing his baby brother by saying, 'Don't you just hate it when you piss all over your paws?'

Rex's sapphire-blue eyes brightened. "Jake!"

Stunned at his brother's appearance, Jacob stood numbly as Rex threw his arms around his broad frame, giving him a tight hug. He had forgotten how much smaller Rex was compared to him. Five years separated them in age so by the time Rex had left to become the Elemental Lord of Star, Jacob was just reaching puberty. He never got to see Jacob grow up to be the Worldrider he was... or see the dreams he had carried to the job shatter thanks to his neglect.

"God!" Rex exclaimed, pulling away with a grin. "You've bulked up, baby bro! You're huge!"

Jacob remained silent, caught between rage and surprise. Worldrider training taught him to keep calm and assess the situation.

"Aren't you going ask how I got here so fast?" Rex asked, stepping back with his arms crossed and his tail wagging arrogantly.

"Body double," Jacob answered shortly. His brother's grin faded slightly, prompting him to continue. "That guy on the interview was just your specially trained body double to keep the cogs turning while you attend to official MODD business. AKA me."

Rex's grin returned. "You bet! You're a star now, Jake! You're the only person in the world that's capable of wielding Realmbreaker!" He tapped at his own upper lip. "Though I guess without some consequences...?"

He wiped his bloodied nose with the back of his sleeve. As he looked up, Rex had moved towards the kitchenette and was pouring himself some brandy from a fancy looking bottle.

"I was eighteen when I got the Prime Elemental Seal of Star," said the brown and silver wolf. He poured two glasses worth of the brandy. "God, that feels so long ago. What has it been? Six? Seven years?"

"Eight," Jacob grunted, taking the brandy he was offered but refusing to take a sip. He needed all his cognitive functions to keep himself from punching Rex until he started crying. Rex didn't seem to detect his barely contained hostility and took a sip from the bronze liquid.

"Ah yeah... I still miss our family get togethers... Then mom up and died..."

Jacob's left eye twitched. The way Rex just dismissed their mother's death like that... He promised himself he wouldn't do anything rash. Even if Rex went so far as to dismiss their father's insanity or even fail to mention it at all, he would keep his cool and not stab Rex through the heart with Realmbreaker.

Then Rex's tone turned sombre and he glanced up at Jacob with worried eyes. "How's dad?"

Surprised at the emotion his brother showed, Jacob said, "Getting better. The past three years have been tough but he's getting better. Still tries to destroy the world with a fork every now and then but at least he's limited it to the block cities he creates in the lounge room."

"I'm really sorry I wasn't there to help," Rex said, lowering his glass. "But you've got to understand that I couldn't be associated with someone who was clearly insane. Little kids look up to me. I'm the squeaky clean image of MODD." His grip tightened around his glass. "I am always doing community service, support charities, my movies are always family friendly. Hell, people freaked out when I showed my arms for fuck's sake!" Rex threw up his arms, spilling some of the brandy on the floor. The Seals on the floor immediately soaked it up. "What is this? Eight hundred years ago when women weren't allowed in the workforce and every man had to wear a fucking suit!?"

He glanced at Jacob with anger in his eyes. "You know I can't even go to a club these days without calling ahead and making sure MODD pre-selects the guests? Oh! And any concert I go to has_to be at a MODD-approved venue. No more of those spontaneous concerts out in the middle of the wilderness where the only way to get tickets was through word of mouth." He growled and threw his arms into the air. "Hell, I can't even take a piss without ANVIL soldiers clearing out everyone in the restrooms first mid-_shit so I can do my business without anyone sneaking in photos!"

"The consequences of stardom," Jacob rumbled bitterly.

"I know!" Rex shouted, clearly oblivious to his sarcasm. "You know what's the worst part? The hours. I have to be seen running every morning at exactly six. Every weekend is spent clubbing! Hell, I'm contractually obligated to be seen with at least 70% of my body without clothes on from noon to sunset at _least three times_per week. Doesn't matter where! I just need to be mostly nude."

Jacob closed his eyes, just imagining his fist colliding with Rex's muzzle and driving it so far into his brother's skull that it came out the other end. He the replaced that with the image of himself kicking Rex's groin so hard that his penis shot so far up his body that it poke out of his left eye, making him a literal dickhead. That imagery placed a smile on his features.

"Jake, are you alright?" Rex asked, concerned.

"Just glad that you're here, that's all." He opened one eye and glanced upwards. "And don't you dare give voice to my inner thoughts in italicised text."

Wouldn't dream of it.

Rex cocked his head to the side. "Huh?"

"Nothing," Jacob responded, shaking his head. "Rex, what's going to happen now? I've still got to take care of dad. I've got a job as a Worldrider and -"

"Screw being a lowly courier!" Rex exclaimed, making a sweeping gesture with his paws. "You're the wielder of _Realmbreaker!_Do you know what that means!?"

"Not a clue."

Rex's grin wavered. "Erm... quite frankly, I have no idea either. We don't really know what Realmbreaker is either." Then the confidence returned to his features. "But we're going to find out together! As brothers!"

Some part of Jacob still wanted to cave in Rex's skull but he couldn't bring himself to do it or reject his brother's offer. It wasn't because of some Worldrider training either. He had long decided he wanted to pound Rex into the ground so far into the earth that he came out the other end of the planet only to do it all over again. On some level, he knew Rex was going to use this development to push his own career forward and somewhere down the line, Jacob anticipated getting burned by his brother. Maybe he was being gullible or just afraid of the unknown but he couldn't bring himself to reject Rex's offer.

Thinking about it made his heart hurt, every ventricle and fibre clenching like they were bracing themselves for the inevitable heartbreak. He was eager to change the subject. "What does MODD know about Realmbreaker?"

Rex gestured towards the bed, letting Jacob sit down first. The bigger of the brothers hadn't noticed how tired he was until he sat his rump on the soft, feathery bed and his muscles gave in. He toppled onto the bed, arms wide and staring at the canopy above them. The fabric was emblazoned with Gale's emblem.

Remaining seated, Rex said, "We don't know much about it. Do you know about the Circle in Hox?"

"The ring of fifteen massive doors that still have their actual doors on them instead of being just blackened doorframes at the centre of Hox? Yeah. Why?"

"The doors, Tors, sit on the lip of an enormous crater," Rex said. "At the centre of that crater, we found Realmbreaker floating. Well not we. The Great Seal War ended seven hundred years ago. MODD found it and kept it a secret. For centuries, they tried to research it but could _never_figure out anything about it apart from the fact that its metal was indestructible and it caused intense pain to anyone who possessed a Seal or a Brand that got close to it. On top of that, it emitted a powerful radiation that would eventually cause severe damage to people."

Jacob didn't have the strength to sit up. "Wait, what!? Are you telling me that the thing inside of me is slowly killing me!?"

Rex held up his paws. "Don't panic! We don't know how or why but for some reason, Realmbreaker seems to have stabilised within you." He nodded towards the door. "The doctors that examined you on the Supreme Swarm gave me the reports and they can't detect a fragment_of _Realmbreaker on you except for when you summon it. Even then, it seems localised to the instance. It doesn't emit that deadly radiation and it doesn't cause pain to anyone wielding a Seal or Brand anymore."

Recalling that time he brought it up on the Hive Queen and his battle against Snakebite, the ethereal blade hadn't caused the severe suffering it had inflicted upon Marcus or Joanna as it had back at the train.

"This is a breakthrough," Rex said, beaming brightly at his brother. "Seven hundred years of research with no progress. Then you come along and bond with Realmbreaker. Suddenly, everyone in MODD is scrambling to know more. We all want to know more." He gently slapped Jacob's leg. "And you're going to get everything you've ever wanted in exchange."

Somehow, he doubted Rex's interpretation of his desires was the same from what he truly wanted. Though he bit back that comment. His brother was going to use him to progress his own career. Fine. He was going to use Rex's resources to make sure he found out as much about _Realmbreaker_as possible and find out how to remove it from his system. And maybe send some much needed aid to his dad.

"Alright... But I've got to make a delivery... I promised the client I'd be there today..."

"Screw that!" Rex exclaimed, leaping off the bed with a broad grin. "Take today off. Tonight, I'm going to arrange a gala with all the city's most popular people invited! Maybe set it for tomorrow evening or the day after! We're going to officially introduce you to the world! Oh! We've got to get you a kickass wardrobe! You free for fitting this afternoon?" Rex grinned and waved absently. "Of course you are. You know how to dance, right?"

"I -"

"Doesn't matter. Won't be a dance party anyway. What's your favourite wine? You look like a red sort of guy. We'll make it a nice hearty, red meat meal. Ever tasted Wagyu steak? We've got to work on your image though..." He looked Jacob up and down even as his brother lay sprawled on the bed. "I'm thinking we could go for home grown Rillotian but with an international flavour."

Jacob eyed his brother warily. "What does that mean exactly?"

Rex shrugged and squeezed his thigh. "The world looks as the stereotypical Rillotian and generally they see this blonde haired, blue-eyed meat head. You fit that bill but that carries a lot of negative connotations with it. So if people see you eating Valenese, wearing Crecentian and maybe have the accent of a Justilander..."

"I've always found Justilander accents sexy..." muttered Jacob. "But is that really necessary?"

"Of course!" Rex exclaimed, spreading his arms wide. "Image is everything especially in the corporate world. I'll get everything set up. We need the gala soon though. Waiting too late will lessen the impact and will give people time to cook up rumours." He hurried towards the door, almost skipping really. "Get some rest, Jake, I'll send someone to bring you over for fitting at noon."

And then, with that, he was gone.

Jacob sighed... and just closed his eyes.

"At least I'm not a notorious criminal or a whiney bestselling author..."

******

The world was pitch black save for the occasional break in the hard, barren soil where blinding white light spilled out from. There was no sky, just complete and utter darkness. The fissures of light spread all over the ground in a seemingly random patern, but Jacob could see what looked like a single large source of light in the distance It was hard to breathe. The air was hot, heavy and smelled sour like someone had opened a vat of rotten milk and let the fumes spill out to blanket the atmosphere. The ground shook every few moments and a new crack would split the black ground just as another would die and fade into the darkness.

"Oh boy..." Jacob murmured, rubbing the back of his head absently. "Where's my guardian angel when I need him?" For his protection, he flicked his wrist and brought out a bolt of Realmbreaker. It was an instinctive movement like he had been born with the ability. He wasn't afraid of how natural it felt. It just felt... right.

What he did find curious, however, was as he waved the bolt through the air, the tip of the blade seemed to draw a trail in the air. The trail lingered for a few moments but spawned its own little cracks like he was pulling a knife across a glass surface. There was a bit of resistance with the movement. Though the wounds did heal, blinding white light spilled out from hairline cracks.

"How are you here?"

Jacob jumped and spun around, immediately summoning another bolt of Realmbreaker in his other paw. He had the one in his right flick forward, levelled at the chin of the woman who stood in front of him while the other was pulled back, ready to be hurled at a second's notice.

He expected to see the girl that he had met earlier, the one that had thrown icy bolts at him. Instead, the woman who stood in front him was like her polar opposite. She was big, stocky and taller than him. She was a sow and had messy brown hair. Her double chin almost merged with her chest and her arms were big and muscular. She too wore a tattered dress and she regarded him with fearful, wide brown eyes.

"I woke up here," Jacob responded. "Who are you?"

She eyed the blades of energy in his paws before lifting her hooved hands. "My name is Dorothy Boswin. I'm trapped here, like you and the others." She held out her hand towards him. "Come on, you've got to come with me before the Darkness gets you."

"What?"

"Just come on," she insisted desperately, shaking her hand at him. "We don't have much time!" The ground quaked and a loud, booming noise like the moan of an enormous whale echoed in the darkness. Dorothy's eyes widened as she swung her head left and right, searching for the sound. "Oh god... it's found us! Come on!"

Just beyond Dorothy, Jacob saw something move in the darkness. It was faint but he thought he saw something move over the fissures of light in the ground. While he was focusing on it, Dorothy seized his arm and pulled him in the opposite direction. She was incredibly strong and managed to yank his 300 pound weight over ten metres before he began running himself. The desperation in her eyes and her heavy breathing made him believe her, the emotion in her voice was just too genuine.

"Come on... come on..." she whispered over and over again, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. "Please... just a little longer..." Her eyes widened with relief as they approached a large ring of light made from the fractures in the blackened earth. At the centre of the gap, he could see about twenty or so people huddled together, shivering in fear. A man, a bovine dressed in farming attire was standing outside of the ring.

"Darren!" screamed Dorothy. "Get back! Get back in the circle!"

The young bull's eyes widened with relief and he waved eagerly. "Dorothy! We were getting worried!"

The darkness beside Darren suddenly roiled and erupted with a massive plume of dust. Then, slowly and with big, lurching movements a creature emerged, silhouetted by the light emitting from the cracks. It stood at about twelve feet tall, had a hunched figure, its weight distributed between its knuckles dragging across the ground and its squat legs. A boar-like head sat atop a thick, spikey mane while a pair of horns jutted out from a demonic brow. Seeing the trademark wing made of twisting designs like a tattoo come to life sprouting from its back like a menacing shark fin brought memories to Jacob of history classes spent learning about how such a creature's power was measured by the number of wings they possessed.

This was a Puritan, a monster that had haunted the people of Mortaelis for seven hundred years in legends, bedtime stories, horror movies and historic documentaries. The enemies of the Great Seal War, spawned from the catastrophe at Hox and spilling forth all over the world with power so great that they could cleave entire mountain ranges in two. Even though it only had a single wing history spoke of how a single winged Puritan could topple entire buildings with a single punch.

The most powerful Puritan, known simply as 'Eve' was said to have a tremendous twelve wings and its destructive power caused the crescent shape of Crescenta, obliterating more than half of the island continent.

"Darren!" Dorothy screamed but it was too late.

The Puritan seized the bull around the waist while the other men and women kept safely within the confines of the ring of light screamed. Darren gave a cry of horror as he was lifted into the air by a mighty hand that wrapped easily around his waist. The Puritan opened its gargantuan jaw, eager to consume the young bull.

Then a bolt of light cut through its forearm. A chain reaction rippled across the beast's entire limb. Though the blade from Realmbreaker had only been about two inches thick and its initial hole was about the size of a fist, the Puritan's flesh reacted like oil on a watery surface invaded by a single drop of soap. The hole expanded until it tore right through the arm, forcing the Puritan to drop Darren on the ground with a whump.

Jacob dashed past the stunned Dorothy. He hurried up towards the bull and stood over him defensively. He sliced through the rest of the Puritan's arm holding the bull, freeing him while bringing up a third bolt and lifting it in front of him towards the Puritan. He was conscious that he had already reached his limit and to summon another would likely cause him to pass out. His knees were stiff with fear.

"Go!" Jacob shouted over his shoulder. "Get into the ring! I'll cover you!"

Dorothy came speeding past him, scooping up Darren in her big, broad arms and leaping into the field of light. The Puritan eyed Jacob warily, watching the sizzling bolts of energy in his paws. The monster didn't even bleed despite having lost its forearm. It barely even registered pain, its deep, black eyes looking just like another part of its jet-black flesh and twisted and curled like there was a thin film of transparent flesh coated over pure darkness to form the shape of this creature.

Perhaps driven by some primal instinct, the Puritan took a step back, its form slowly vanishing into the inky darkness around it. Jacob refused to lower his guard and stepped towards Dorothy's ring of light. He kept his eyes on the Puritan. Even when he stepped into the protection of the light, he didn't lower Realmbreaker.

"Mr. Reaper."

He turned towards Dorothy, eyebrows raised. "Huh?"

"Mr. Reaper," she responded though her voice was different, much more feminine instead of the deeper tones she had previously worn. "It's time to get up." Her lips did not move properly with the words that came out of her throat. "It's past noon."

"Whu...?"

He made the mistake of blinking and the moment he re-opened his eyes, the world of darkness was gone. Suddenly, he was back in the comfort of his soft, cushiony bed and staring upwards at the canopy of golden, silky cloth above him. He glanced to his left where a woman, a mole, stood with her paws folded neatly in front of her and dressed to look like a maid. She gave him a very strained smile.

"Oh..." he murmured softly, his throat dry. "Hello..."

"Good morning, Mr. Reaper," she responded in her sweet, high voice. "My name is Alicia. I have been appointed by your brother to be your maid."

"Maid?" he repeated, slowly regaining his senses. "I'm flattered but I can take care of myself."

A flash of worry crossed her features especially as he rolled off the bed and began arranging the bed himself. She instantly moved to assist. "I'm sorry, Mr. Reaper, but it is my job and your brother was most insistent that I am by your side at all times to ensure you are tended to."

There was definitely some more beyond just her job behind those words. "What did he threaten to do if you weren't there?"

Alicia flinched. "Erm... I shouldn't say..."

"My brother isn't here." He told her as he fluffed up his pillows so that they sat perfectly at the head of his bed. "And I'm definitely not him."

"Well..." she murmured softly, fidgeting with the one strand of black hair that had fallen away from her neat ponytail. "He said that if you ever had to ask for anything, he'd take it from my pay..."

"And I take it that a maid's pay, regardless of whether or not it's a maid to someone high in MODD is very lucrative," Jacob said with a grunt. He waved a paw in her direction. "Look, hang around if you want but I really don't need you doing anything for me. Rex might need someone to wipe his ass for him but I don't. You can do stuff for me to keep up appearances but I like my privacy. And frankly, Rex is just like a nebula; full of hot air." He gave her a soft smile. "And do you really have to wear that maid's outfit? It's degrading to both of us."

She blushed beneath her brown fur and shook her head. "No... not really. Master Rex insisted..."

"'Master Rex'? That's seriously how he wants to be referred to?" Jacob groaned and shook his head. "The ego on him..." He shook his head absently. With the gesture, he caught sight of the clock on his bedside table. It was just about fifteen minutes after noon and he recalled Rex was going to arrange some sort of fitting for him soon.

A shower seemed appropriate and he told Alicia to just hang out in the main room while he bathed. She told him that Rex had picked out some clothes for him and opened a package that was sitting on a nearby table. Jacob didn't want to look at the clothes until he was fully awake and stepped into the en suite.

He was almost repelled back into the bedroom because of the sheer luxury of the bathroom. The sink had to be made of the finest Seal-infused marble. By the look of the various displays flashing in front of the mirror, it was one of those hi-tech mirrors that helped guide shaving kits and provided news feeds while washing. Even the toilet was made to look like it had been handcrafted from the white marble. The floor was tiled with each tile possessing the emblem of ExIT. There was a tub that could fit ten people and the shower was one of those full-body showers - the type that had hoses on the walls, ceiling and floors to make sure that it got every part of the user's body.

It would've been a shame to sully such finery with dirt and grime but he knew that every inch of the bathroom was infused with a Seal or two to ensure that nothing would stick on it for too long. If the builders were smart, they'd also make sure that the Seals didn't cause anyone to slip.

Just thinking how ridiculous it would be to take one step onto the tiles with his bare feet and suddenly slip because of the Seals made him both cautious... and a little curious at the impending hilarity.

He set one foot on the tiles and was a little disappointed he didn't comically fail about as he toppled into the room. Shutting the door behind him, he stripped off his clothing and set them neatly on the bathroom counter. Then, he moved towards the shower and stepped inside the cylindrical device. He tapped a button just by the door and the opening closed behind him, completing the cylinder of black marble. Several holographic dials then appeared in front of him just at chest level, projected by a device in the ceiling. He twisted the knobs to govern heat, pressure and direction.

First he started with a nice downward blast, just a light drizzle. Dozens of nozzles above him erupted with warm water. Even with his tick fur, he was soaked within moments. He ran his fingers through his hair to make sure the water got into the roots and his fur. A switch to the left and right nozzles turned off the downward cascade and assaulted it from all sides by water of the same temperature. A tap on the dial that still hovered in front of him dispensed some soap in with the water, allowing him to scrub himself down with a manly, musky fur shampoo. As the suds began to gather, a luffa was offered to him and he rejected it in favour of a brush designed for the thick-furred species. It gave him the ability to really work the shampoo into his fur especially the thick growth over his armpits and chest.

His big toe gently tapped one of the floor-built nozzles and he decided against using it. He had heard horror stories about people setting the nozzles to full blast and being unable to escape their watery prison for days because the pressure was so high. After rinsing off the soap, he tapped the holographic dials to switch off the shower. On his command, hot air blew from the holes in the wall instead in a slow, circular manner, drying his fur and wrapping him in a warm embrace. He lifted his arms just to make sure that every part of his body was dried.

Once done, the shower doors slid open for him and he stepped out, completely dry. He wrapped a towel around his waist before carrying his clothes back into the main room. Alicia was still standing there waiting for him with a fresh pair of clothes sitting on the bed for him.

"Seriously, I don't need a maid," he said. "Can I give you the day off or something?"

Alicia bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Reaper... I am under strict orders by Master Reaper..."

Sighing, Jacob said, "Fine. I suppose he told you to insist I put these clothes on too, huh?" He headed over to the bed where a fresh pair of clothing waited for him. At least they weren't some insane designer quality clothing that all the stars wore. Even he had to admit that his old clothing were starting to smell a little of sweat, dirt and blood but he was loathed to get rid of his Worldrider jacket.

Feeling a little self-conscious, Jacob grabbed the clothes and turned his back to Alicia. Still feeling her eyes on him, he felt incredibly self-conscious. She was just standing there, watching him.

"Erm... you mind turning around or doing something else apart from watch me get dressed?"

Alicia nodded and silently roved the room, looking for things to pack up. She started with the bed, neatly arranging the sheets and pillows with expert precision. He moved out of her way and dropped the towel, snagging the pair of boxers set out for him. Good thing Rex remembered that he preferred boxers. He was glad that they fit perfectly and slipped on the singlet, once again just his size.

Glad that he at least had some modesty back, he plucked the long, black pants from the bed and began slipping them on. They were a pair of heavy cargo pants with plenty of pockets and natural fabrics, no Seals to make sure it held its integrity. He had to give Rex props for keeping his job as a Worldrider in mind. He quickly jangled the dog tags that were wrapped around his wrist, just making sure that they were still there.

He grabbed the plain, black shirt that Rex had provided for him. It looked a little small but judging by how Rex had correctly judged his sizes so far, he wasn't going to argue. Besides, he got his singlet size right.

The world went dark for a moment as his vision was covered by the fabric. He grunted as the shirt began constricting his shoulders and chest. Somehow, he managed to push his head through the neck hole and his thick arms barely fit through the sleeves. But he could barely breathe as the shirt constricted his chest. He tried to take a breath but the shirt couldn't hold his pectorals and ripped down the middle starting from the centre of the collar and ending about at the base of his pecs where his diaphragm sat. That exposed his thick, golden chest fur. All in all, it almost looked like he was naked since his jet-black fur practically melded with his clothes.

Alicia turned at the sound and frowned at him.

"God, of all the things for Rex to misjudge," he muttered, feeling terribly exposed especially with his chest fur sticking out quite starkly against the field of black. He threw on his Worldrider jacket and zipped it up far enough that it hid the tear.

"If you don't mind me saying, sir," Alicia said, "you shouldn't use God's name in vain."

Then he shrugged and gave her a bright grin. "I choose to think that there is no God. Just us. Mortals."

She followed him towards the door and even opened it for him. "You're an atheist?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Jacob said, heading for the door. He flinched when his two guards, Silas and Cal, snapped to attention. A brief salute sent them relaxing but they tailed him closely, flanking him as he strode down the hallway. Alicia was right behind him. That both SWORD members were wolves made him suspect Rex had something to do with their selection. It also reminded him of another particular SWORD member that had warned him that MODD was transporting something highly valuable across the world.

"I think there is a god," he answered. "Maybe even multiple. But I've got to question who they turn to if they ever need help. Who regulates them? If they do something that isn't right by the standards of the people, are we going to trust our fates into the hands of a group of rag-tag heroes each with rich backstories who will take turns smacking the almighty deity based on some arbitrary value of speed as they shift through its three to four stages of the boss fight and pray that he doesn't unleash his ultimate attack?"

"You talkin' 'bout Eternal Odyssey?" grunted the SWORD soldier to his right Cal he thought. The burly wolf was a little smaller than Jacob but still fit. Though his build could have easily been hidden by the billowing white cloaks they were all wearing. "I love that game."

"Nerd," grunted the other, a timber wolf from all appearances with a sandy colouration.

"Oh goody," Jacob muttered with a roll of his eyes. "A physically fit fighter who was a former nerd and has incredible powers under his belt. Your name even starts with the first three letters of the new guy. Let me guess, you were a late bloomer, love football and your first love was your older brother?"

He got a strange stare and Cal's eyes widened in alarm.

"Sir, you're bleeding."

Jacob wiped his nose and grimaced. "Crap, I've got to get that under control... Must... resist... urge to break... fourth... wall!"

"What?"

He waved a bloodied paw through the air. "There is no fourth wall." Blood dripped down his nose and even touched his lip. A soft curse and a wipe using a towel offered by Alicia later, he waved at the others mentioning that he was fine. "So... where exactly are we going because I have no clue. I only started walking because I wanted to see if you two would actually follow me anywhere even if I had no idea where I was going." He flicked his ears at his two guards. Cal seemed amused though Silas gave him a tired look. "I thought the good guys always get a mini-map..."

"Master Reaper wants us at the simulation bay," answered Alicia brightly.

"I sense either a training montage or some exposition." He scowled as more blood spilled into the towel, almost turning it completely crimson. "I swear this is the second shittiest limitation ever right behind bloody diarrhoea." He lifted his paw while keeping the towel to his nose. "Okay! Okay! I'm stopping!"

Silas leaned towards Alicia and from the corner of his lips, whispered, "Who is he talking to?"

She shrugged and whispered back. "I have no idea though I was warned that his father had a mental breakdown so it might run in the family."

"My brains haven't melted out of my ears yet!" Jacob snapped over his shoulder. "And really, Alicia, you should be leading. I have no idea where the simulation bay is."

Blushing beneath her fur, Alicia murmured an apology and gestured that she be followed.

Jacob followed her through the residential sector of the MODD Tower. They had to travel a few floors down to reach what known as the simulation bay of the Tower. A grin crossed his features as he recognised the familiar VBS chambers that were positioned in a circular fashion with a single, broad atrium as their hub. Some of the chambers were occupied with ANVIL soldiers doing drills in entirely artificial environments or sparring with one another using simulated weaponry. The technology behind the VBS truly was amazing and based on the Elemental Lord of Light's Seal to make light feel solid but maintain its illusionary state. A bullet and gun would still fire the same as if it were real but no physical harm would actually be caused. Pain was still real, though, and it was up to the players to make sure that they knew their limits. Tragic stories made it to the news every now and then of professional VBS players going into critical condition because they did not know when to stop.

In front of one of the chambers, Rex stood beside Gale, Marcus, Joanna and another person that he instantly recognised.

"Sherry Stormrock," he said, regarding the short but athletically built brown hawk. She turned her gaze towards him, bright yellow eyes a stark contrast against her long, raven hair that was allowed to flow down her back. "The Scalpel of Pollenburn."

She inclined her head and held out her right hand. The other gripped her Seal Weapon, the Tower of Whispering Winds. A sword nearly as tall as she was, the weapon was unique in that its blade was made up of several separated components somehow held together by a constantly blowing gale of wind. Jacob had watched videos of Sherry swinging the Tower and the individual blades splintering into various directions to cut down entire virtual armies. There was a majesty in how dozens would fall around her and then the blade would just reassemble itself neatly at her command. _ _

"A pleasure to meet you, Jacob Reaper," she said.

"The pleasure is mine," he gushed, grinning and shaking her hand with both paws. "I'm a big fan! The way you always control the battlefield is really... well, it's awesome! Plus I think it's really cool how you barely move. And the rumours that say that you're only ever serious when you move fully?" He shuddered theatrically. "Sends chills down my spine."

Sherry let go of his paws and maintained a modest smile. "I am certainly glad to have made an impression." She gestured towards the others. "But we are here to discuss you. Your brother seems convinced that for the upcoming gala, you grow accustomed to your newly acquired abilities in case a demonstration is called for."

Jacob's tail fluffed out as he turned towards Rex with a quizzical expression. "A demonstration?"

Rex held out his arms towards him. "Come on, Jake. The media will be curious what Realmbreaker is all about! They'll want to know what you're capable of. This will be your first public outing and they'll want to see that power that brought down Snakebite." Before Jacob could protest, Rex added, "_Without_you shooting blood out of your nose."

"Can't I just call it really concentrated strawberry milk?"

"Don't be silly," Rex said. He gave Gale a light nudge with his elbow. "My brother. Always a kidder." He clapped his paws together. "So let's get you in the simulator. I know you love VBS but we'll have to keep it vanilla for now. I just want you to throw _Realmbreaker_around."

Jacob frowned and eyed his brother suspiciously. "Rex... I didn't pick up VBS until I was eighteen when I can legally get into the simulator."

"I know," his brother answered. "What's the problem?"

"You left us when I was fourteen. Mom died the year after but by then, you had stopped coming to family gatherings. How'd you know I love VBS?" He narrowed his gaze further at his brother. "Have you been spying on me? Do you have me bugged? Do I have a microchip implanted somewhere on me?"

Marcus was visibly counting years with his fingers. "Wait... How old are you again?"

"Twenty two," Jacob answered.

The kangaroo spun to face Rex. "Hang on... So you left your brother when he was fourteen... and your mother died a year after that. If he's twenty two now, that means he's had to take care of your father and put his dreams on hold for seven years." He flicked his gaze towards Jacob. "Did you even go to college?"

"Does Worldrider boot camp count?"

Marcus turned a furious gaze back at Rex. "What kind of selfish prick does that do his own brother!?"

"Hey!" Jacob snapped though from the look on Marcus' face, he was going to be ignored again. "Not everyone needs a college degree to be successful."

Rex folded his arms and shrugged. "College isn't everything and Jacob has clearly managed to adapt and has grown into a stronger person for it. Better to have spent the time doing something you love than get a degree in agriculture and never do anything with it."

The roo's eyes flared and he took a step towards Rex. Between them, Gale sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The Elemental Lord of Wind placed himself between them both, holding up his hands before they could go at one another's throats.

"Stop it, both of you," Gale said. "Right now, we have a party that everyone in the Tower is frantically killing themselves over preparing due to the short notice." He glanced at Rex. "Thank you very much for that, by the way." While Rex remained silent, Gale turned towards Marcus. "You can go at one another's throats later after we've dealt with the fact that Rex is right. The public will want at least _some_demonstration of _Realmbreaker's_power. We need to make sure that it and its wielder are at least stable and won't kill anyone." He levelled his gaze at Jacob. "Are you willing to go along with that, Jacob? You don't have to and we can just say that you're still recovering from the events. It hasn't even been a day."

One glance at Rex told Jacob that he had given his brother far too little credit. There were some other strings that Rex was pulling apart from the obvious grab for attention and elevation of station. The way his shirt didn't fit felt... contrived. Was it his brother's attempt to make him feel more comfortable as if to tell him that he needed to be more outgoing? Where was that 'fitting' Rex had claimed.

The strings were there, faint, but he could feel them. For the first time, he wished he could use the power of _Realmbreaker_to find out exactly what was hiding behind the cloak and daggers. Knowing that he would have to use _Realmbreaker_intensively in the next few moments and didn't want to bleed out in front of everyone, he kept his muzzle shut.

"I'll play along," he said. "I'm curious what Realmbreaker is capable of."

Joanna rubbed her chin as seemed to be her habit when thinking. "We all are."

******

The control room of VBS simulator rooms were always filled with a lot of consoles and usually required two or three operators; more depending on the size of the simulation being displayed. In this case, there five with two managing the simulation itself seated in front of the two central consoles and the other three sitting on consoles to the left and right, monitoring Jacob's vitals. Above the consoles was a reinforced glass window peering into the simulation room itself.

Within a cube of white tiles, Jacob stood quietly waiting for the green light to begin. The walls, floors and ceiling were all made of the same white tiles, each one infused with copies of the Prime Elemental Seal of Light and configured to work the technology of a VBS simulation. Joanna stood amidst the other observers, just waiting for the first test to begin, eagerly awaiting to see exactly what Realmbreaker could do.

She had been impressed by Jacob's combat and stealth skills back at the Rattlesnake_compound. She did notice though that while he was fast and flexible for his size and well versed in misdirection, he tended to favour his right which made his movements somewhat predictable. He also had a penchant for the overly dramatic. Destroying a watchtower and then neutralising Snakebite the way he did was needlessly excessive. She could've distracted the other _Rattlesnakes far less nosily. He had also been caught by Snakebite and only managed to escape thanks to his ace up his sleeve. He showed no supernatural strength, speed, endurance or unnatural recovery.

"In terms of defences... he is lacking," she murmured softly.

"Compared to Seal users and Branded," agreed Sherry. "I have seen the logs and the analysis of the battle. The Worldriders were also rather forthcoming with their knowledge of his field skills though they would not give us mission details. Strong attacks. Low defences. Tends to discard subtlety in favour of explosions if things do not go according to plan and finds it hard to think on his feet. Though he does make exceptional plans." She absently tapped the floor with a foot. "Now that the world knows of him, anyone facing him will be wary. They won't be so easily caught off guard."

Both women glanced towards Rex who was pacing anxiously, both of them mentally cursing the drama queen for having revealed Jacob's identity.

"How much longer is this going to take!" the older wolf bellowed. "Come on! How hard is it to set up a simple combat dummy!?"

Gale, showing infinite patience and probably the only reason Joanna didn't retrieve her sai and stick them into Rex's eyes, merely gripped Rex's shoulder and turned him gently towards the window. "They're setting up the monitoring equipment as well, Rex. We need to approach this scientifically. Any miscalculation could lead to a false assumption. We don't want anyone hurt. Especially your brother."

Rex calmed, if ever so slightly.

"Your Elemental Lord shows incredible skills at diplomacy," Joanna commented.

Sherry chuckled softly. "Gale is a pacifist at heart. He lives to ensure peace with as little bloodshed as possible. He even takes from the true nature of the ninja."

Joanna gave a sarcastic snort. "You know the traditional ninjas were all geared towards escape and safety not the overly dramatized high speed combat an overly flashy magical techniques you see in cartoons these days, right?"

There was a strange smile on Sherry's beak as she said, "I am well aware." Was she agreeing that Gale ran away from his problems instead of solving them or was there some joke that had just flown right over Joanna's head.

"We're ready, sirs," announced one of the scientists.

"Finally!" Rex exclaimed, throwing up his paws, a gesture that Joanna was starting to think he liked to do just to make himself bigger. A microphone was offered to him and he immediately told his brother that they were about to begin. "We'll just start off with some training dummies. Stationary. Nice and slow."

"Isn't it a little late for a combat mechanics tutorial?" Jacob responded. He instantly touched his nose and checked for blood. Thankfully, he wasn't bleeding again.

"I wonder why he keeps saying that..." Joanna murmured aloud.

"We checked his medical records," answered Sherry. "He hasn't shown any signs of dementia or any mental disorders except perhaps for a tendency to lack ambition and slip easily into a comfort zone. I suspect the reason he has never done anything about his predicament for seven years is because he simply accepted his fate to take care of his father."

"I wouldn't call him submissive..."

"He's not. It just so happens that if he sees no way out, he simply loses interest and accepts his fate." Sherry began ticking off personality traits. "He has never questioned orders from the Worldriders, he dropped everything to be with his father and from all reports, he didn't even throw a panic or deny his fate when he found out Realmbreaker had merged with him."

Looking back at their first encounter, Jacob had been somewhat... accepting. When she had cornered him at the café, he had simply gone along. Upon learning of Realmbreaker, he had again accepted his fate. That was... troubling to her.

After a bit of banter between Jacob and Rex, a shower of semi-transparent blue cubes erupted in front of Jacob. From the flurry, a plain, brown combat dummy made of a thick gelatinous substance appeared.

"Okay Jake," Rex said. "Bring up Realmbreaker and hit is as hard as you can."

Jacob took a deep breath and flicked his right wrist. There was that favouritism towards his right again. A bolt of Realmbreaker appeared with a faint sizzle that even Joanna felt from where she stood behind reinforced glass. From the look of the other Seal bearers, they felt it too. It was little things. The way Gale moved his jaw at the same time that Marcus absently began scratching his right arm or the way Rex's tail flicked and Sherry tapped her foot.

"There's the Realmbreaker energy," announced one of the scientists. "But it's far more... stable."

"Explain," Rex demanded.

The man went on to say that _Realmbreaker_in its original form emitted a form of energy that heavily disrupted Seals and Brands. This disruption was unpredictable. Sometimes it would actually improve a Seal's power, heighten nearby user's synchronisation rates with their Seals, spread Brands further or even disable them completely. These fluctuations happened so fast, however, that they rapidly degraded the stability of the symbol.

"It's kind of like rapidly heating and cooling a piece of metal over and over again with about a one second gap between supernova hot and below freezing," the man explained. "While not fatal, we estimated that were you to be exposed to Realmbreaker for an extended period of time and then use your Seal or Brand, the consequences would be dire."

Now, however, that energy was contained just within that bit Jacob had summoned.

"Are you saying anyone hit with that thing, if they possess a Brand or a Seal..." began Marcus.

"Would likely have their symbol thrown into a randomised state. It could become stronger, weaker, might even drop the user's synchronisation rate to zero. But that's just a theory."

Jacob then hurled the bolt forward. As had been seen with the battle against Snakebite, the blade of energy sliced right though the gelatinous fibre without slowing down. She did notice that it shrunk somewhat. The bolt didn't stop and passed right through the wall of the simulation chamber and cries of shock erupted from those in that room.

"Sorry!" Jacob exclaimed, waving his paw absently.

"It's like some sort of disintegration ray..." Rex rumbled. "Doesn't stop..."

According to one of the men, the blast did stop eventually. It seemed that the bolt degraded rapidly even as it passed through the air. They watched a recording to the flying bolt, watching it slowly shrink as it flew.

Joanna also noticed that where the beam passed, strange little 'cracks' appeared in the object it had collided with. These cracks emitted a brief burst of light before fading. That hadn't happened before... "Why wasn't Snakebite affected by Realmbreaker when he was struck by it multiple times?" she asked.

"I believe he was," answered another scientist. "But regardless of whether or not he re-synchronised with his Seal or not, it wouldn't matter. The bandit's mind was beyond repair." She shook her head sadly. "He was crazy. Somehow making the Seal he used compatible with him won't repair the damage to his psyche."

That was too much to hope for.

"Do I keep going?" Jacob asked.

"Yes," Rex answered after a brief pause. "Show us what you've got. Just... see if you can keep a hold of those bolts and use them like beating sticks. Don't throw them around yet."

Jacob summoned another two bolts of Realmbreaker, holding one in each paw. He closed the distance between himself and the training dummy, swinging them wildly like a preteen who only ever learned how to wield a sword from watching weekend cartoons.

"His swordsmanship needs a _lot_of work," Sherry murmured. "Not surprising as his occupation had him use his fists and long-ranged weaponry more than blades." She glanced upwards. "Marcus, can you take up his training in that respect?"

The roo's tail whacked the floor loudly. "What? I'm not the kid's bloody personal trainer!"

Rex slapped the console lightly. "This is a long term project not just a one off. Whether any of us likes it or not, Jake needs to learn how to control his powers." He pointed at the hole his brother had made in the wall. "Imagine if that had hit someone. It looks like it's actually gone through half of the Tower. We can't have him just throwing those everywhere. And we certainly can't have him passing out due to blood loss."

Joanna wondered if those words were out of true concern for his brother or not. "Don't think the Unsealed would just sit back and let you brainwash him. If we are going to 'train' your brother, I'm going to insist on some sort of exchange program."

Rex opened his muzzle to protest but Gale said, "My sentiments exactly. But naturally we'll have representatives of both parties working with him at all times." Gale's eyes turned to Rex. "Rex, as he is your brother, what say you accompany your brother to the Unsealed training facility whenever we make the exchange. That way, you can keep an eye on him."

"What!?" Rex exclaimed, eyes wide in horror. "I can't do that! I'm supposed to be on a movie set in two weeks!"

"Get one of your body doubles to do it," Marcus sneered with a malicious grin. "Unless your movie is more important than you brother."

Fuming quietly, Rex agreed to the terms and turned back to watch his brother slice and hack through the training dummy. The pieces of the dummy were on the ground and like before, every contact with Realmbreaker had cause miniscule cracks to cut through the gelatinous form. Another few training dummies were called up, allowed Jacob to hack and slash through them for a good thirty minutes. Despite the extended use of the weapon, he didn't show any bleeding or signs of weakening.

Some confidence began seeping into Jacob's movements. He wasn't just swinging his Realmbreaker weapons around wildly anymore in a broken pattern anymore. After swinging his right paw he spun, using the momentum to bring his left weapon in a follow-up swing and ending with a thrust from his right.

Perhaps he was just shy though Joanna couldn't imagine someone that big to ever be shy.

"What else are we getting from the readings?" Rex demanded, his eyes switching back to the operators.

"We're getting increased blood pressure," came the answer. "Particularly towards his brain. Brainwaves are abnormally active on all fronts."

Rex looked helplessly at the others in the room for a clearer explanation.

Sherry was the one that provided it. "He's saying that for some reason, your brother's brain is demanding more blood." She began tapping her foot again, sounding a steady beat. "If I had to guess, this demand for blood is what causes his nose bleeds. The nasal passages generally have more blood vessels than other parts of the body and if his blood pressure rises high enough and all his blood is rushing towards his brain, it could cause a few of those blood vessels to rupture... Not to mention it generally isn't good for one's health to have hypertension."

"Nose bleeds can also occur for a variety of other reasons," murmured Marcus. "Change of colder to warmer climates, dried nasal passages, physical trauma... It's a vulnerability... But I can work with that. We also need to be careful... if a vessel bursts in his brain..." He nodded firmly and strode towards the microphone. "Jacob, Marcus here. That's enough."

Rex seized his paw. "What? No it isn't." He turned towards the microphone. "Jake, keep on going, little bro."

"Didn't you just hear what Sherry said?" Marcus demanded, yanking his paw away. "Your brother's health is at risk the more he uses Realmbreaker. As far as I'm concerned, we have to train him to use it as a last resort."

"That's not what we're here for," Rex growled back. "Jacob was chosen to have Realmbreaker. He should use it. Jake -"

"Don't listen to him," Marcus interrupted. Jacob stood in the simulation room staring at them with a quizzical expression. "Take a break. We've got everything we need."

"No we don't!" snapped Rex. "In two days, there's going to be a gala and I've arranged for some friendly exhibition matches between MODD and some of the local Seal breaers."

Gale went rigid and even Sherry broke her cool to stare at Rex with wide eyes.

"Exhibition matches?" the Elemental Lord of Wind exclaimed. "Rex, that's insane. You can't expect your brother to stand up against other Seal bearers. We don't know what Realmbreaker could do!"

Rex made a slicing gesture with his paw through the air. "Which is exactly why we need to make sure he knows how to control it!"

The movie star wolf was suddenly shoved back by a pair of big, brown paws. Marcus loomed over him, teeth bared and tail slamming against the floor loudly. "You've given him less than two days to learn how to control a weapon that MODD has been trying to research for over seven hundred years! He's going to kill someone!"

Rex folded his arms, eyes narrowed. "Despite what you may think, I know my brother better than any of you." He lifted a paw to silence any protests. "Yes, I left my brother to fend for himself for seven years but I've been keeping an eye on him. I couldn't be there for him for that first year because I was still trying to become the best Elemental Lord I could be but after that..." He couldn't meet Marcus' gaze and couldn't even look towards Jacob. "... I had other concerns." His eyes snapped back towards Marcus. "But I still know that he works out for an hour and a half every morning. I know that he has a routine, working one muscle group per day; chest, legs, back, arms and shoulders, abs, cardio and then the last day, he spends with our dad just lounging about watching movies that he bootlegs from the internet."

Rex turned his gaze to where Jacob was absently kicking the gelatinous blobs that had been the training dummies. "I know his favourite food is roast lamb shanks with rosemary dashed with a bit of mint sauce and mashed potatoes. Every night, he always makes our mom's hot chocolate for himself..."

Joanna remembered that strange drink and the story behind it. "Hot chocolate with some whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon, some brown sugar stirred in and a shot of whiskey," she said.

She got a faint smile from Rex for that.

"Yeah. Helps him get to sleep. On his cardio day, he goes to the local VBS arena and his favourite game types are Connect the Dots, Infection and Campaign. He_never_ takes those dog tags off his wrist and at the start of every week, he goes to church. Doesn't actually go inside. He just stands outside and looks up at the place for thirty minutes before going shopping."

Rex spun to face Marcus. "Yes, I've been a shitty brother. Hell, I could even be called a stalker for all I've done. But I know Jake. I know what he's capable of and I'm telling you right now, he can keep going."

Marcus frowned and though his fists were shaking, he remained silent. Taking that as a sign of surrender, Rex turned back to the microphone.

"Jake, keep on going. You're doing great."

******

After a long afternoon of displaying his abilities to be examined, Jacob finally collapsed after his nose started to bleed profusely. Though he insisted he could keep going and did so for about another thirty minutes, a headache quickly developed itself and he found it difficult to focus. When he was told to stop, he could only grimly nod before he was led out of the simulation room and sat down to recover. Once more, he was forced to drink a nutrient drink and a metabolic serum was injected into his nape. That eased the headache but then he became aware of a gnawing hunger.

The sun had set, surprising him greatly. It hadn't felt like that much time had passed but apparently, he had just lost track of time. Alicia asked if he'd like some food brought to him but he again insisted that he could take care of himself. Silas and Cal followed him all the way to the mess hall where dozens of ANVIL soldiers were having their own dinner. He gave Silas and Cal leave so they could go off and eat and he dismissed Alicia as well. They seemed grateful for the break.

He stumbled around in a daze, succumbing to his hunger as he took a tray, ordered whatever smelled appetising - disregarding how it looked - and found himself a seat. After taking a few bites, he became painfully aware of being back in a high school setting. The mess hall had numerous long tables arrayed in an orderly fashion. On the far left was the kitchen where the chefs served whatever was on the menu. Just like high school, cliques drew invisible borders across the rooms with their individual tables like plots of land.

Far to the corner, he could see the grunts of MODD, the ANVIL Corps who were dressed the black and white casual fatigues of MODD soldiers out of combat attire. Light weight scouts had their own tables, big burly heavies occupied multiple tables due to their size and those in between were scattered about.

Close to them but not quite crossing over were the members of ExIT. Unlike the ANVIL soldiers that had long pants and tight fitting shirts, every member of ExIT bore a vest to denote that they were part of branch of MODD specialising in being the first teams to deploy and test experimental weaponry. They were not just grunts but scientists and researchers with combat training.

Lastly, farthest from the door in their own small corner with at least two or three tables space around them, were the elite of MODD - SWORD. All of them were constantly in their combat attire, wearing their armour and long, white coats. It was there that Silas and Cal sat down and they were greeted with laughter and merriment.

For Jacob, he found himself sitting along on a table without anyone else within an arm's reach. He was the new guy, the transfer student, the kid that popped a boner in the boy's locker room and everyone saw. It probably did not help matters that he was fused with an apocalyptic weapon of unknown origin and limitations.

The SWORD tables broke into laughter and he mildly wondered what Max was up to, praying his friend hadn't been killed in an Unsealed raid. Though judging from Joanna, the Unsealed weren't really the terrorists that MODD made them out to be. He made a mental note to call Max at the next possible moment. He began eating the rest of the heavy protein meal that had been synthesised to look and feel like freshly roasted ham. It tasted terrible, though, like boiled rubber.

One bite and he had to shut his eyes and shudder.

"Not used to military gruel, huh?"

He prised one eye open and opened the other in surprise when Marcus sat down next to him with a heaping plate of synthetic pork, causing the entire bench to groan in protest. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been allocated as your personal trainer," the roo responded with a shrug. "So it's my job to make sure you eat right, get the right amount of exercise and kick your ass when you need it. Speaking of which..." Marcus pushed his plate over to Jacob, the mound of food almost rising up to Jacob's chest. "Eat up."

Just staring at the pink admittedly appetising looking and smelling meat made Jacob sick. He hadn't gotten the rubbery taste out of his muzzle after that first bite. "You can't be serious."

"You're right. I'm not." Marcus then reached over and grabbed Jacob's original plate, pulling it over to himself. "I've got to eat too." When the kangaroo just began munching on the hams, Jacob was starting to feel light headed again.

"How can you eat that stuff... It tastes so... synthetic."

"You get used to it after a decade or so," Marcus answered with a shrug. "The chefs here at least come up with different ways to rearrange the protein to make it look different. Yesterday we had this awesome looking lemon and rose petal fish. Tasted like shit but it looked and smelled delicious." Marcus waved his fork over his muzzle while absently chewing on the pork for longer than should be natural. "It kind of messes with the taste though. You know how your sense of smell is sort of linked to your sense of taste? Well, it smells awesome but tastes terrible so what you actually end up tasting is really awful."

Jacob pushed the plate of pork away. "Just so you know, you aren't helping your case... I feel like my appetite has packed up and gone on an indefinite holiday."

The roo, however, pushed the plate back towards him. "Eat."

With his ears folded back but too weary to complain any further, Jacob cut a small slice of the ham and placed it in his muzzle. He fought the instinct to spit out the source of the burning tire taste on his tongue.

"Don't be so delicate about it," Marcus advised. He nodded towards the other men and women around the mess hall. "See how everyone is just shovelling that shit down their throats? That's the technique. Just eat it all before the taste actually hits."

Jacob speared one whole slice of ham and lifted it towards his muzzle. "There better be some decent payoff for this..."

Marcus gave him a dubious look made a little cuter with a small smile. "How the hell did you get so big and buff without eating disgusting food?"

He shrugged in response and shoved the ham slice into his muzzle. "I dunno," he muttered while chewing. "Maybe because the author can't fathom any sort of muscle growth apart from those involving chemicals, gypsy curses and hypnosis." He grunted as some blood began trickling from his nostrils. Marcus gripped his shoulder but he waved away the concern. "It's okay. The taste of blood actually helps the flavour of the meat."

"Can't you... I dunno... _stop_making those stupid comments?" asked the roo.

Jacob swallowed and shook his head in disgust, sticking out his tongue to air it out. He had to grab the glass of water he had gotten and drained it halfway just to wash away the taste. "It's hard not to... It's like..." He paused to think of a proper analogy. "Like if you were in a car with your best bud and he wasn't paying attention to the road and a car was about to collide with you. You just have to point it out or you'll die. It's sort of the same with me. I just... know these things and I've got to point them out because..."

"You're life depends on it?" Marcus finished.

"Well... yeah. I mean, I don't want to get rebooted like the other two guys." He choked slightly as some of the blood from his nose dripped down the back of his throat. He coughed and sprayed some blood onto his ham. With a shrug, he wiped away the blood and began eating again.

"We have a theory, you know," Marcus said as he set down his own knife and fork. How he had managed to finish his meal so quickly was beyond Jacob. "Those comments and Realmbreaker are connected. We noticed that when you use the weapon and when you say those weird things, your brain activity goes into overdrive and that naturally demands more blood. It increases your blood pressure as well. The reason you keep getting nose bleeds is because some of the blood vessels in your nose rupture due to the pressure."

Jacob paused with a slice of ham halfway to his muzzle. "You're saying I could suffer from some serious internal bleeding if I overuse Realmbreaker?"

"Possibly. Because you don't have some form of regeneration, it'd be dangerous for you to use it often until you get more control over it and somehow mitigate the internal damage."

"How am I supposed to do that!? It's an ancient weapon of unknown capabilities!"

Marcus gave him a small smile. "Doesn't mean we can't make its capabilities known." He nudged Jacob lightly. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

Jacob swallowed another slice of ham and drained the rest of his drink. "In the dumpster where it's been sitting for the past few years after Rex left me behind."

Pushing his meal away and resting his weight against the table, Marcus turned to Jacob with a curious look on his face. "That's what's been bugging me. Why didn't you cave in your brother's head the first time you saw him?"

It was a valid question and Jacob wished he had a suitable answer. "I don't know. I guess I wanted an explanation from Rex first and when he was explaining... I felt like he was playing me. I know it. Whatever it is that he's hiding from me, I don't entirely trust him but there's nothing I can do right now to turn his help away. Even with this training and this 'gala' he's planning, it feels like there's something else behind it... Something he wants."

"Why don't you just confront him about it? If it were me, I'd just beat him to an inch of his life until he spills the beans."

Jacob dared to eat another ham and used the moment when his muzzle was full of food to collect his thoughts. "It's not a trap. I don't think it's to my detriment either. I'm just... curious to know what it is. I'm a little hurt that he isn't telling me the truth but honestly, he's been out of my life for seven years. I really can't expect him to be truly altruistic to me."

The table quaked, making Jacob jump a little. Marcus pulled his fist from the small dent he had created in the steel frame. "Doesn't it bother you that he just suddenly comes into your life and takes over? It's your life, you know."

Shrugging, Jacob ate another ham, his tastebuds having surrendered and committed suicide before they could be assaulted by more horrendously tasting synthetic pig meat. "He's the expert in things like this, I guess. I need his help."

"No. You. Don't." Marcus made sure to emphasise each word. "Gale can help. He's got just as much resources as Rex. Maybe even more. He's been an Elemental Lord longer. Hell, Sherry can probably dig up things for you that you didn't know exist! And I..." Marcus paused before frowning. "I still owe you for saving my ass twice so you've got to let met at least repay you. Your brother has no reason to be here."

"You mean apart from a misguided and ultimately selfish attempt to make up for lost time?" Jacob countered, setting his fork down. "I think Rex is really trying to make amends... on some level... maybe. But he can't be completely selfless." Gazing off into the distance, he added, "Even when we were kids, he would veil his selfish agenda with sweet talk and supposedly charitable actions. He'd help me with my homework but only leave me halfway with the hardest questions later just so he could have our videogame consoles to himself. He'd drive me to school so that he had an excuse to take the car to wherever else he wanted to go. When he applied to become an Elemental Lord, he pretended that I was the candidate but when I didn't pass, he not-so-subtly suggested that they test him instead."

Thinking about those times filled Jacob with a bit of longing and anger as well. By all rights, he should be angry at Rex. He should also be kicking himself over and over again for letting himself get dragged along like he was. But it was nice to have Rex around again. That said, he needed Rex's resources to find out what Realmbreaker was and learning about how he could give himself an aneurism just by using it was proof that he had made the right judgement.

For now.

"Your brother is an ass."

Jacob snickered. "Yeah, yeah he is." He pushed this half-finished meal away. "Okay, I think I'm done."

"What're your plans for the rest of the evening?" Marcus asked. "You won't be allowed out of the Tower unfortunately. We've got to keep your identity a secret."

"That's alright. I'm used to being confined to a set area. Couldn't get more than a few days away from my dad or he'd pluck his pubic fur one by one and make creepy little dolls out of them again..." Jacob shook his head at the memory. He clapped his paws on his knees. "Anyway, if there's one thing I've always enjoyed it's playing a few rounds of VBS. Are the simulators occupied around this time?"

The big roo leaned back and folded his arms. "You just came out of the simulators. You want to go back in?"

"Well..." Jacob dropped his gaze slightly. "When reality sucks, you tend to look for something better."

He rose from his seat and thanks Marcus for the company. Alicia was nowhere to be seen, likely resting while Cal and Silas looked like they were sharing a beer with the rest of the SWORD soldiers. They didn't notice him leave which was just as well. Some privacy losing himself in another world was what he really needed. It was only when he was halfway to the simulator rooms, walking the decorated hallways of the Tower, did he notice that he was being tailed. From the earthy scent mixed with a bit of sweat and concrete, it was Marcus.

"Either you're conveniently going in the same direction as I am or I'm also not allowed to be left alone," Jacob said without looking back.

"I'm still your personal trainer," grunted the burly roo. "That session in the simulators was contrived and I was too focused on caving in Snakebite's head to really pay attention to how you are in combat. I'd like to see you in your element."

Jacob huffed softly as they entered the elevator. "Really? Do I even have an element? Am I going to be aligned with Light and Sound so I can make one hell of a laser show? Or how about Gravity?" As the doors to the elevator shut, he summoned a bolt of Realmbreaker, making Marcus flinch. "This sort of looks Light-ish, don't you think? Though honestly I can't imagine how people would ever really use 'Light' in combat. It's really just lasers mostly. Speaking of lasers, how do people with the superpower of heat vision work? I mean, if lasers are coming out of their eyes, aren't they burning their retinas in the process? Boiling their eyeballs?"

He inclined his head. "Oh god... that's got to be one of the worst superpowers in the world. Can you just imagine it? Only way you can attack is to burn your own eyes out and waiting until they heal so you can defend yourself again."

Marcus leaned in close, invading his personal space. "What?" Jacob asked.

"I was just wondering if that would've caused you to start bleeding from your nose again," answered Marcus, his eyes narrowed. "Apparently not. I wonder how long until you start bleeding..."

"I'd rather not try not to find that out too soon, thanks," he responded. The bolt of _Realmbreaker_eased back into his paw just in time for the elevator doors to spring open. "So are you just going to watch from the operator room or do you feel like jumping into a campaign with me?"

The roo gave him a smile as they both headed into the simulator hub. Most of the chambers were empty with only a few hard core soldiers still training. Jacob chose an empty simulator and by the way Marcus stepped in with him, he would be playing co-op. No operators were in the observation deck which meant he would have to set up the simulation himself. He was halfway tempted to create his own simulation there and then - it would only take half an hour if he wasn't going to make totally customised assets - but he decided to go through the prebuilt campaigns first. A holographic panel appeared in front of him at chest height just like in the shower but it was far more complex. He surfed through the available campaigns, using light gestures to navigate the menu.

"Wow, you guys are up to date," he commented.

"What do you mean?" Marcus responded.

Jacob picked a campaign entitled Factory of Desolation by gripping the preview image and pulling it out of the menu. It formed a semi-solid orb in his paw. He threw the orb to the ground. It smashed on the white tiled floor, instantly spreading a rust-red sand that quickly swept outwards and consumed the entire chamber. Tall, rusted machinery sprang from the ground and the dilapidated ruins of an ancient factory unveiled before them. A blood-red sky took the place of the ceiling and a distant horizon of black mountains was revealed.

"This simulation only came out a few weeks ago," Jacob said, bringing up his menu. "It costs about a hundred creds to play it for an hour. Five times that if you want to buy it but then again, how many people these days have their own VBS rooms?"

"MODD likes to get the latest and greatest, I guess," Marcus answered, a menu appearing in front of him as well. "I usually play Team Battle, Free For All or Nodes. I rarely play campaign and only for the historic battles. You mind if we play on the same team?"

"This sim is only against the AI," answered Jacob with a smile. "The company that made it specialises in AI technology and are known for their brutal campaigns. From what I heard, only the elite VBS players actually win their campaigns on the highest difficulty." He didn't want to appear weak in front of Marcus but at the same time, he didn't fancy the idea of having his ass handed to him by some digital constructs. So he placed the difficulty at 'Easy' with the easiest being 'Very Easy'.

"Remind me again, how many classes are we allowed?"

"Three." He navigated through the fifty one available classes. "I'm going with Synthesiser, Engineer and Marksman you?"

Marcus lifted an eyebrow at him. "You prefer to be a backend supporter?"

"No. I just figure that out of the two of us, you'll be the one doing the most damage. I can switch if you want. I've played as each of the classes at least a couple of times. No real favouritism with me."

A thoughtful noise emerged from Marcus as he selected his own classes, going for Vanguard, Soldier and Medic. Load out selection was next. Jacob gave himself some light armour for manoeuvrability and chose a bow and arrow so that while he had range, he could also defend himself in close-ranged combat. Being the damage dealer, Marcus equipped himself with a heavy assault rifle/grenade launcher hybrid and some medium armour.

Once they were ready, the simulator gave them a briefing of their objectives.

The factory had been overtaken by a Clan and it was their objective to kill the leader at the factory's centre. A five second countdown later and they were planted at the outer rims of the arena where a Rillotian Mobile Military base had been erected.

Marcus immediately headed over to a nearby ATV and gestured for Jacob to get on. Hefting his bow and arrow, Jacob did as he was told and sat behind the kangaroo. Marcus drove out of the high, Seal-infused concrete walls of the base but didn't get too far before Jacob told him to stop.

Hopping off the ATV, Jacob headed over to a small hill and exclaimed, "Engineer!" A ring of light flashed just beneath his feet and the symbol of his class - a wrench and a gun crossed over some crosshairs - shone briefly over his head. He waved his paw in front of himself, bringing up a construction menu. He chose a light watch tower to construct and held out his paws. Beams of light sprayed out of his fingertips, slowly forming a tall concrete tower equipped with a light mini-gun. The moment it was completed, he got the announcement that he had eared fifty experience points. Not satisfied, he chose to upgrade the tower, spending another precious ten seconds to give the tower a second mini-gun.

Seventy-five experience points were gained.

"Come on!" Marcus shouted. "We're wasting time!"

"Just one more upgrade," he shouted over his shoulder. Twelve seconds later, the tower was equipped with a single automated rocket launcher and he had gained enough points in his engineer class to obtain the coveted level up. His class' symbol flashed above his head one more time but with a few arrows pointing upwards dancing around him.

He hopped back into the ATV while Marcus drove towards the junkyard, the first obstacle between them and the factory. Jacob opened his menu and allocated the skill point he had obtained towards his 'Blueprint' skill, giving him greater access to more construction options.

"Synthesiser," he commanded, switching classes. "Hey, what class are you going with first?"

"I'll still with Vanguard for now," answered Marcus. "Got any buffs for me?"

Smiling, Jacob opened his menu. Sadly, at the initial level the only ability he had was 'Cheer'. It was better than nothing and he tapped on the holographic screen to instantly apply it to both himself and Marcus. With only two players, experience points as the Synthesiser Class would be hard to come by but while Marcus drove, he ceaselessly tapped the 'Cheer' button, constantly applying the buff and gaining himself the single experience point for the action. The result was an array of tiny blue stars constantly glittering around them both.

Marcus stopped just short of the junkyard. Trashed, ancient vehicles that still used tires were thrown on top of one another in mounds. The smell of burning rubber was in the air along with the pungent smell of whatever else was decomposing in the piles. Several metal poles had been erected around the junkyard with hastily scrawled warning signs telling intruders to 'k33p 0ut' or to 'fuck of'.

Jacob jumped off the ATV and drew his weapon while Marcus did the same.

The moment they did -

BAM!

Jacob was flung back as a bullet slammed into his skull right between the eyes. There was no pain. The pain inhibitors were on and the only agony he would feel were those of his own muscles tiring. The entire world turned black before a countdown appeared before his eyes. To Marcus, his body would have slowly faded from view. When the countdown reached 'zero' he found himself lying on the ground back at the base.

"Jacob, are you alright!?" Marcus bellowed, his voice echoing in Jacob's head.

"Fine, fine," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Damn... Didn't even see the snipers... You alright?"

"I'm pinned down! Get over here quick!"

With all focus on Marcus, Jacob now had the prime opportunity to put his Worldrider training to good use. He hopped onto another ATV and zoomed back towards the junkyard but stopped just short of actually entering within the limits of the yard. He veered off to the right away from the crossfire where Marcus was pinned down behind his ATV, shooting back when he can before more sniper fire send him crawling back behind the vehicle.

Jacob switched back to his Engineer class and began constructing a tower right out in the middle of the red, dusty field. It only took ten seconds to construct the tower but when it was done, it stood proudly and netted him a good amount of experience. He upgraded it once before Marcus saw what he was doing.

"What's that for!?"

"A distraction," he replied. Since he stood behind the tower itself and had remained out of range, he was safe from sniper fire now that the tower was constructed. Anyone standing in the junkyard would've been able to see the tower. That said, now that he effectively had an armoured wall in front of him, he pressed his back against the tower and began constructing another one right next to and just a few metres forward.

"Jacob... If you're trying to farm for experience..."

"Trust me," he answered with a grin as the next tower was completed. "And just call me 'Jake'." Again, he upgraded it once before slipping behind the towers, moving behind the second one. Once more, he began constructing another tower, again closer towards the junkyard and Marcus. After the third tower, however, he was alerted that he couldn't construct any more of that particular construct.

That didn't matter, he pressed one option on his interface and the tower back at his base was automatically destroyed, allowing him to construct a fourth tower. He took a small break to open his menu and pile two points into his Engineer's Capacity tree and another two into his Blueprints tree. With a grin, he began constructing two more towers up to his limit, giving him a sound six watchtowers armed with automated turrets right next to one another.

And Marcus was just a few metres away.

"Come on!" Jacob insisted, gesturing at the roo from behind the tower.

Marcus glanced over his shoulder at the junkyard before taking a deep breath and bolting the fifty metres from his ATV to the tower. Sniper fire tailed his feet but he managed to get behind the concrete wall without taking a hit.

"Sherry was right," breathed Marcus. "You're pretty clever. Now what?"

"Phase two," Jacob said with a grin. He brought up his construction menu. With three points in his Blueprints skill tree, he was now able to construct a Shield Mech. Holding out his paws, he began building the ten foot walking machine in front of them. The bipedal machine was armed with a force field generator capable of taking a beating. If there were only snipers hidden within the junkyard, they would not be able to make it through the shield.

"Good idea," Marcus responded. "Under the Mech's shield, we can get in there, find them and kill them all."

"Not my plan," Jacob responded, immediately beginning construction on a second Mech. "Even if we do get in there, there are no defined places where the snipers could be positioned. It's still open planes between the mounds of trash. I won't be able to construct stuff on uneven ground." Once the second one was constructed, he gave it a pat and it and its brother began lumbering around the tower wall towards the junkyard. "I told you, this is a distraction."

Sniper fire began striking the lumbering, black, metal robots. The large, rotating disc seated on top of a squat, square chassis emitted a dome-shaped field of light blue energy that absorbed the fire without missing a step. Sadly, the shields did not regenerate but it would stand long enough for Jacob to do as he had planned.

He gestured for Marcus to follow him and they moved in the opposite direction of the bots, ducking behind the towers until they were safely aside. All fire was directed to the Mechs and their slow approach. With a smile, Jacob dashed out from under cover towards the junkyard with Marcus right behind him. They ran unopposed and reached the mountain of trash unseen.

"Now what?" Marcus whispered, panting heavily.

"This," Jacob responded, opening his construction menu again. He selected the Satellite Beacon which only took a quick thirteen seconds. The moment it was constructed, the mini-map option was available to them. The lay of the land was unveiled before them, giving him the ability to see the positions of the snipers. They had all crowded around the approaching Mechs, trying to cut through the shields.

"Think you can take them out?" he asked.

Marcus hefted his gun and grinned. "You bet I can -"

An alarm suddenly rang throughout the system. All sounds of gunfire ceased. The world around them suddenly began to dissolve back into the white tiled space of the simulator room. Jacob glanced quizzically at Marcus who just gave him a heavy sigh and a helpless shrug. Mounds of trash and the dusty factory faded and disappeared. The mound they sat on remained until they both stepped off then it too vanished.

"Curfew," said Marcus. Their equipment disappeared with the rest of the fantasy world. "Ten-thirty on the dot places like this shut off. Sorry."

Jacob shook his head. "No need to be. I had fun."

Nodding, the burly, sweaty roo said, "Me too. Maybe we can finish the campaign tomorrow. After your training." He poked Jacob's chest to prove a point.

"Maybe. We could probably see if we can rope some other people into it as well. Hard to fight an advanced campaign like that without a dedicated healer or a full on tank."

Marcus began heading towards the door, holding up his head. "We could've won."

"Doubt it." Jacob shook his head and hiked a thumb over his shoulder. "There was a mini-boss waiting for us after the junkyard. Probably heavily armoured. Past that would've been a slaughter."

"Your Satellite Beacon didn't reach that far," said the muscular marsupial. "How'd you know?"

"It's just a guess," he answered with a shrug. "Past the junkyard I saw a large open space and that usually means boss fight. Then past that were the ruins of old machines. Lots of cover, plenty of traps and god knows who else is waiting in there. Then there's the factory itself..." Jacob shuddered. "Without a full platoon, I don't think we would've made it through there. May tomorrow we can try an easier campaign?"

Marcus was strangely pensive for a moment, making Jacob wonder just what he was thinking. There was a lot that was readable about the brown-furred cowboy kangaroo but Jacob noted that sometimes, whenever Marcus was silent and his features were still, he was hard to read. He could tell Marcus took care of his body but focused mainly on his upper body due to the thick veins that ran all over his biceps. He could grow facial hair as Jacob could make out the faint dark dusting of a five o'clock shadow against his brown burn. The fact that Marcus kept himself cleanly shaven and his hair short in almost a crew cut spoke of unparalleled discipline. Back was always straight and shoulders back so he was likely had military or military-like training. When he was fired up, he was easier to read but right now...

"We can do that," answered the roo with a nod. "But first, tomorrow, we're going to expose you to the real world."

That was almost an insult. He would have been more offended if he wasn't painfully aware that he used the VBSims to temporarily live out his fantasies of adventure. "Oh boy. What are we going to do? Go to the gym and stay there for half the day? Are you going to force me to march around the Tower in heavy armour? Are we going to go fishing in the lake despite the fact I'm pretty sure there are no fish in there?"

Marcus cracked one of his very rare, genuine smiles. "You leave that to me. Right now, what do you say we go hit the showers?"

"What? With you?" Jacob responded. He held up his paws and shook his head. "No thanks. It's way too early for a complimentary sex scene and we _still_have our bet going on. We've got to make them work for it." He quickly checked his nose for any bleeding. Nothing, thankfully.

"I... erm... I uh..."

He looked up at the flustered Marcus.

"We ain't doin' it," grunted the roo. "And if ya wanna take ah shower alone, be mah guest. Ain't like I need sum'ne ta scrub mah back or sumthin'..."

Denial was always adorable. Jacob shook his head and strode past Marcus. "Good to hear. I'll see you tomorrow then."

******

The Rattlesnake stronghold was under heavy quarantine with various MODD soldiers and investigators scouring the makeshift fortress for evidence of crimes, identities and past misdeeds. Though they had all called it a night, large spotlights had been mounted on the mountainside to cover as much of the stronghold as possible. Boxes were pile on top of one another, white clothes with the MODD insignia thrown on top of them with each box containing some form of evidence or contraband to be shipped to the Rillotian government.

Almost every inch of the stronghold had been scoured.

Almost.

Deep within the facility, in a room that only Snakbite had ever entered and only once... stood a strange creature. He was unlike any other Mortaelian but a mix and match of various creatures. His head was reptilian, crocodilian with scales a strange golden colour. A pair of strange, white feathered wings jutted from the back of his head, partially hidden by a luxurious, ruby mane. His muscular form was covered in the same ruby fur beneath the long, black cloak that he wore that was draped over his shoulders. A tight, form-fitting one piece attire wrapped around his torso and legs, made from a mysterious material that was like shark skin but made from cloth; should someone try to caress it in one direction, they would find it soft and light but in the other direction and it would rend their flesh. From his back, two large webbed wings sprung. A second pair of wings grew just beneath them but they were growing upside down. A long, tail jutted from the base of the man's spine, seemingly made entirely out of organic, molten magma with surface a shiny obsidian but with cracks between plates that allowed the fiery red beneath the surface to shine through.

"Are you disappointed, Hades?"

Behind the hybrid creature stood the mysterious 'Sixth Chaos Lord'. White and gold armour cut an imposing figure softened by a long, billowing cape that seemed to be made of a material that reflected the cosmos, slowly panning to show galaxies, nebulae and entire star systems. Unlike the other Chaos Lords, the Sixth bore a helmet that hid his features, three golden spikes forming a sort of crown to around the brow. Only the Sixth's strange, sapphire-blue eyes with pupils shapes like eight pointed stars could be visible beneath the helm.

"Disappointed that Snakebite was defeated and captured?" asked the strange creature. "Hardly. He was just one of many attempts to bring my Persephone and Aphrodite back to me."

"Remind me again the reasoning behind that. You took a completely and utterly crazy madman who got burned for being selfish, gave him infinite resources, gave him a purpose and gave him a stronghold. All of that somehow leads to you being reunited with your wife and daughter?"

Hades scoffed softly. "You're not going to try to convince me that they're dead?"

"I never said they were dead. I've just been there to tell you that your plan at the time won't be able to reunite you."

A dark smile crossed the Chaos Lord of Manipulation's features as he turned back to the fruits of Snakebite's efforts. "My daughter loved flowers. She loved this particular flower. Known as the Valkyrie's Kiss. It does not exist in this universe, of course." He gestured at the single blossom that grew on a pedestal in front of him. The metal that the pedestal grew on looked almost... organic in nature. Thick veins pulsated in the metal itself and in certain sections, the steel stretched and contracted like flesh. "I had hoped to recreate the flower in the hope that my beloved daughter might come to me after learning of its existence..."

He sighed softly, a sad smile on his face. "Sadly, it was a failed endeavour. I had the Seal of Spring Blossoms infused with a young man and given him free reign to try and build_Valkyrie's Kiss_." Hades' big, red paws tightened into fists. "Then Tiamat incited the Great Seal War and suddenly, my one hope was dashed when he sacrificed himself to defeat a Puritan."

Leaning his head back slightly, the Chaos Lord let out a longing sigh. "My hopes were rekindled when the people of Pollenburn took up the Seal and formed their little order. I had hoped they would use the Seal to create a single Valkyrie's Kiss but none of them could fully synchronise with it. Thus, I resorted to other methods."

He gently caressed the flower. It looked almost like a lotus but its petals were blood red with a golden core and seated on a jet-black stem. "You do know how Seals are made, don't you?"

"Naturally." The Sixth inclined his head slightly. "Ah, I see. All that murder, all that destruction and madness. Who is the lucky recipient?"

The Chaos Lord scoffed loudly. "No one else knows how the Valkyrie's Kiss looks like, how it smells, how it feels. I was foolish to entrust such an important task to someone else." Hades plucked the flower from its resting place. A blood-like fluid seeped out from where the stem had been rooted into the metal. "Sadly, the _Kiss_has been made and my daughter has not come back to me."

"I told you it wouldn't work."

"Yes, yes you did." Hades laughed softly. "But you should also know by now that even with failure on the horizon, I will see my plans through." He regarded the flower in his paws. "I had planned to turn this entire planet into a garden that my daughter could sense through the cosmos, through time, space and dimension. I know now that it will not work but I do not intend to stop regardless."

He turned to the Sixth, holding up the flower. "Tell me, were I to infuse the _Seal of Spring Blossoms_into this flower, what would the outcome be?"

Somehow, Hades could sense the Sixth's smile even though he couldn't see it. "Did you want me to tell you the best possible outcome for you or what will actually happen?"

The flower began to glow. Three concentric rings of ancient runes surrounded it and the symbol of a cherry blossom appeared against the design with the flower at its core. A moment later, the runes shrunk and embedded themselves into the flower itself.

The Chaos Lord smiled as the sounds of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Someone had found the private chamber.

He let the flower drop from his fingers.

"Why not leave it as a surprise?"