FSE

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Chapter III

Pollenburn

"Construction?"

The sun had yet to rise and the city of Pollenburn was still cast in the grey of the pre-dawn light. Despite in warmer climates, the morning was still cold enough for Jacob to warrant wearing a few extra layers of clothing. With MODD's dress code though it was a bit hard to find anything that looked even slightly different from what Rex had assigned him. His brother seemed to be of the opinion that he would somehow be able to wear the same clothing over and over again without it every wearing or tearing. It even got to the point where Jacob complained that he was like a videogame character that never changed clothes despite spending days wearing the same thing and wearing them into battle. That was enough of an excuse to get rid of Alicia and his bodyguards by sending them on an errand to find him some better suiting clothes. Naturally nothing was open at five in the morning so he guessed he'd have a few hours of relative freedom.

That allowed him to jump into Marcus' big, black Road Bull;a hulking, squat former military vehicle converted into a commercial product that had to be driven dangerously close to the curb to prevent it from crossing over into another lane. The back seats had to be folded down and a protective tarp was placed over the various construction equipment they were bringing along.

When Marcus brought him out of the Tower for a 'special' training exercise he was more than surprised. Especially when the big roo told him he was taking him to a construction site. Although he was a bit relieved that he wouldn't have the ever present eyes of MODD on him 24/7.

"Yep," Marcus told him. "Best exercise I know. Keeps your body strong, lots of manual labour, good on your back if you do it right and teaches you focus."

Jacob glanced over his shoulder at the diminishing silhouette of Gale's Tower. "Aren't we breaking a dozen rules and possibly putting ourselves in jeopardy by leaving the Tower like this? Wasn't Rex the one who said I couldn't leave?"

"Yes, yes he was," Marcus replied with a smug smirk.

"You really don't like Rex, do you?" Jacob asked, seating himself back in the big passenger seat that felt like it had some sort of rocket ejector built into the frame.

There was a moment of silence that was only broken by the sound of Marcus' paws tightening around the steering wheel. "When I got out of the shower last night, your brother told me that I shouldn't be keeping you up so late because it's bad for your complexion and mental health. He then insisted that I go out and buy you some male beauty products in preparation for the gala."

"Male beauty...?" Jacob began. Then he shook his head. "You didn't get them, did you?"

"Hell no. It was eleven at night! I wasn't going to waltz into some 24-hour pharmacy to buy you some sort of facial cream or those weird Seal-infused face masks that you put over your eyes while you sunbake or something. I mean seriously, what do those things do!?"

Jacob shrugged absently. "I don't know! And I don't sunbake. I have black fur. Black thick fur as well. I overheat fairly easily. I mean right now, I'm probably one more layer before I burst into flames. That's why my family lived up north. Less sun and with weather better suited for guys like me."

"Explains why your brother built his Villa far south in Minteroca," Marcus grunted, as he turned the corner. Jacob had to grip onto the dashboard as the turn was a little sharper than with other cars. "Does it bother you that your brother gets to live on the lap of luxury while you're stuck putting your dreams aside to take care of your dad?"

Jacob reminded himself to breathe, mentally telling himself that Marcus was probably a safe driver and leaned back in the seat. "There are days when I want walk into the middle of Rex's highly secure house, shoot up the place, march into his office put a gun to his head before telling him it's his turn to take care of dad. But then I realise that's not going to solve anything. He's got his life. I've got mine."

"But don't you think you should _change_that? Change your life that is?"

He shrugged. "Maybe, but Rex and my dad never got along. Throwing them into the same room would be like throwing a feral rabid mongoose in the same box as a pissed off feral honey badger. And I certainly can't leave my dad to fend for himself. He once tried to create a working death ray with the toaster, a plunger and several boxes of aluminium foil. Keeping the way things they are right now is best for everyone." He gave Marcus a grin. "Besides, I still get to travel and have my little adventures. Once I find out what I can do with _Realmbreaker_or some way to get it out of me, I'm going to go right back to being a part time courier and taking care of my dad."

Jacobs eyes suddenly brightened up as he snapped his fingers. "That reminds me, I have to contact my client to tell her that I'll be coming in to pick up her package a little later." He reached into the breast pocket of his Worldrider jacket and slipped on his sunglasses. They were forcibly torn from his face a second later. "Hey!"

"Your life is crap and the guy that's keeping you down is within arm's reach!" Marcus growled. "You should be tearing down his walls, shoving your foot up his ass and telling him that you both share the same father and you need to both share responsibility! You can't just accept how things are and live with it!"

"Well, what can I do about it exactly?" he demanded, reaching for his sunglasses. Marcus kept them out of reach. "Rex is a goddamn Elemental Lord. I bet he gets about fifty paternity suits and 'distant cousins' coming up to mooch off him a month. You know how easily he could just snub me?" He tried for his glasses again but Marcus threw it in the pocket built into his side's door.

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't try! Besides, he's already publically acknowledged you! Come on, if something doesn't work for you, you shouldn't just accept it. You should fight for what you believe in!"

"I believe that my situation with Rex and my dad is as best as it can get! There is no point fighting against something bigger than you if you know you're going to lose."

"Oh for crying out loud!"

Strangely, Marcus' voice had gone significantly higher and more feminine. He exchanged glances with the roo just as a big, red muzzle jumped in between them from the back seats.

"You lack any sort of ambition!" Joanna exclaimed.

Jacob gave a horrified cry of surprise and even Marcus yelped, instinctively jamming his foot on the gas pedal. The sudden acceleration of the_Road Bull_ caused all three of them to scream as the hulking car zoomed down the street like a high speed tank. Several motorists honked and threw angry fists at them as they dodged the behemoth before it slammed into them. Marcus had to swerve wildly to avoid crashing into a family van. He managed to slow down enough to bring them back under control.

"Holy shitty fuck from God's jewel encrusted ass!" Marcus roared. "Where the fuckin' 'ell did ya come from!?"

Joanna, her claws having dug into the fabric of the chairs, let out a deep breath and composed herself. "From the back seat, where do you think farm boy."

"Ya snuck inta mah truck!? Fuck! Ya coulda gotten us killed!"

"Well... you could've died," Joanna said dismissively. "I am an Unsealed, after all. I possess uncanny regeneration. Plus I could've saved one of you and you; and I both know who I would've saved. And this is really more like a sports utility vehicle than a truck."

Feeling the onset of another war between Joanna and Marcus, Jacob idly checked if he could open his door. However Marcus saw his motion and activated the lockdown. Jacob whimpered as he watched as the two stared daggers at each other.

"This ain't no prissy overcompensatin' SUV," growled Marcus. "It'sa full blown man's truck! An' how the fuck did ya sneak inta the back!? Ah loaded the stuff mahself!"

Joanna snorted, rolling her eyes. She leaned on Marcus' chair, her elbow jamming into his side as she turned to Jacob, completely ignoring the roo. "Can you believe him? He honestly thinks only having six hours of sleep and a cup of coffee is enough to keep him completely aware of his surroundings." She glanced over his shoulder idly. "If you must know, I was already in this SUV before you started loading. You talk_very_ loudly when you're half-asleep."

Marcus began cursing under his breath as he searched for some place to park but being in the centre of Pollenburn, the city was packed even at the early hours of the morning.

"Tell me something, Jacob," Joanna said, regarding Jacob curiously. "Why are you so eager to get rid of Realmbreaker? Some would take this as a great opportunity to change the world. You have a weapon that both MODD and the Unsealed have sought. You could bring peace to the world. And yet you want to get rid of it? Why?"

For a moment, Jacob recalled the directives from Worldrider HQ. Keeping _Realmbreaker_from both the Unsealed and MODD was priority. Peace between the two was implied. No one ever said that he had to keep the weapon with him. "You're smart," Jacob countered, glaring at her challengingly. "You tell me."

The vixen frowned and leaned back to the rear of the truck. She was a silent for a long while. Marcus even slowed his search to await her answer.

"You're afraid of change."

Jacob turned his gaze as far away as possible from the two as possible. "I'm not afraid of it..."

For the first time ever, Marcus and Joanna met one another's gaze and not in hostility.

"Ever since your mom died, it's been the same thing over and over again, hasn't it?" Marcus asked. "You get a mission from the Worldriders, you go out, do the job and then come back to your dad. It's safe. Stable. Every time something big changes in your life, something bad happens."

"Your mother leaving for war," Joanna counted softly. "Her death. Rex leaving to become an Elemental Lord..."

"Going to Minteroca once only to return and find my dad had been incarcerated because he tried to build a device to focus all the excess energy given off by the Seal Generators on top of the tallest building in Shellington with the express purpose of shooting it up at the Black Ring to destroy it," Jacob added glumly. "It didn't work. He just really pulled down a flag and put it back up over and over again because he thought it's somehow catch the attention of the 'energy fairies'. I had to spend all my savings to get him let off on an account of insanity."

He sighed and leaned against the window. "Then there was the time I made a delivery to Welensha only to get caught in a crossfire between MODD and local insurgents. Nearly got my leg blown off. Puberty wasn't cool either. My classmates kept teasing me about my chest fur. Oh yeah, and how many black wolves have blonde hair anyway?" He ran a few fingers through his hair. "Golden_blonde too. The moment I got into middle school, everyone thought it was dyed and my teachers even brought me aside to tell me to _not dye my hair. My mom had to prove to them it wasn't."

Shaking his head, Jacob said, "All change has ever brought to me is disaster. I'd prefer it if after every little adventure I have, things go back to the way they were. Go home to my dad, cook him dinner and watch the same movies for the three hundredth time. Just like one of those sitcoms on TV where every episode is disjointed from the other. Everything goes back to normal at the end of the episode. Because no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, ultimately, we'll all revert back to some sense of 'normalcy' at the end."

Marcus finally found a place to park and came in parallel to the space available. He switched on the parallel parking mode and the wheels rotated until they were at right angles to the rest of the car. They rolled the car easily into the space, just kissing the kerb.

"You know the world isn't like that," said the vixen. "Every second that passes, people grow and change. You can't just expect for things to revert to 'normal' after you have your trip."

"Worked for me so far..." grunted Jacob. He glanced at the two with his eyes narrowed. "And don't you two try to convince me otherwise. There is no changing the world. People who are the sweetest things one moment will turn into gargantuan assholes the next if you give them enough money and power. Those who try to be heroes wind up dead for their efforts. Your perfectly normal neighbour could turn into a murderous psychopath given the right circumstances.

"Moving forward is fine but for me, I'd rather just follow a path and find my way home at the end of it. As long as I have that goal guiding me, I know whatever happens, everything will be okay." He grunted and crossed his arms defiantly. "I'll fight to keep people safe. I'll make sure my friends and family are safe. But at the end of it all, at the end of the book, when you close the covers, you'll be right at the beginning again, staring at the title page where you'll be ready to start the story all over again.

"That's how it is and I'm not going to pretend like it's anything else. There is no such thing as change."

Joanna glanced at Marcus helplessly. Both of them were starting to feel the weight of Jacob's words on their shoulders because ultimately, they both knew it to be somewhat true. After every mission, Marcus would go back to the Tower, eat the same gruel, train for the same amount of time and go about his routine. Joanna did the same for the Unsealed. There was a brief moment of excitement... and then back to their routine.

"Well... it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the trip back," Marcus answered.

For a second, Jacob's steely anger broke.

"Or the trip there," added Joanna. Marcus gave her an exasperated look, challenging whether or not she had truly added anything of value. Taking him up on that challenge, she said, "You're only reading the start and the end of your story, Jacob. You're missing all the good parts in between. So maybe you go back to how things were in the end but you should be stronger for it after going through the trials you've experienced, right? I mean if _I_nearly got my leg blown off by a primitive landmine, I'd be more wary in the sands, right?"

Jacob flicked an ear at her, eyeing her suspiciously. "I never said it was a landmine... How'd you know it was a landmine?"

She shrugged. "I may have looked into a few of your older missions and drawn some conclusions but that's beside the point." Beaming, she gently shoved his shoulder. "Come on. If the story were just about the hero getting up and then coming back to the way things were in the end, there wouldn't be room for sequels! You've got to experience the adventure not just go on them. There's a reason_teleporters haven't been invented yet. Where's the fun in travelling the distance, seeing the sights, breathing the air, experiencing _life when you can just go from point A to point B in a second."

"Yeah!" chimed in Marcus.

It was Joanna's turn to give him an exasperated stare.

Jacob grunted and massaged the bridge of his muzzle. "Okay... can we please get this stupid little bit of character development over with? Yes, I hate change. I like to jump straight to the part where I go home and live out the rest of my days in relative peace. Can we leave it at that? I think the audience got enough of an information overload into my personal life..." He lowered his paw against his thigh with a loud slap. "Aren't we meant to be going to a construction site?"

"We're actually here," Marcus responded with a wry smile.

Just outside was the skeletal structure of a building. Steel walls with warning about wearing hardhats and wearing the proper safety equipment surrounded the fledgling structure. A security door only allowed those with proper authorisation to pass through. From all appearances, it was still relatively empty though he could see that the foreman's office already had a few occupants.

"Oh... Good." Jacob tried the door and was thankful that Marcus had released the locks. He waited by the security door while Joanna and the roo grabbed some equipment from the back of the Road Bull. It would've been polite to assist but having had his personal beliefs scrutinised made him feel a little pissy... and whiney.

He didn't get to venture into the thought much as Marcus came up to him and slipped a hardhat on his head.

"Come on, kiddo," grunted the roo. "Let's meet the foreman and then get to work. See if those muscles are more than just for show."

Not feeling all too talkative, Jacob just grunted.

The foreman was glad to see Marcus and when asked who his new friends were, Marcus merely said that they were some volunteers he had recruited from the Tower. From their banter, it appeared Marcus volunteered to assist in construction quite often. They were given an assignment and since neither Joanna nor Jacob had any construction experience, the assignments were rather... menial.

With the blueprints stating that the building would be a multistorey apartment complex, Jacob was tasked with carrying blocks or tiles up the already constructed stairs. Joanna did the same except for some planks of wood. Owing to her strength granted by her Brand, Joanna practically skipped up the stairs while Jacob had to carry the full weight himself. Not that the latter minded. The menial labour helped him clear his mind.

When the other construction workers arrived at around six thirty in the morning, the real work began. Though still stuck delivering materials, Jacob got to see firsthand how the bricks, wood and other materials were made. Most of the construction workers had Seals. One of them on the third floor used his concrete Seal to produce the liquid cement that his colleagues and himself could then craft into the floor. Another with a wood-based Seal crafted the wooden planks they were given and reshaped them into the flooring and walls, even altering their density to whatever thickness they needed. Some had copies of the Prime Elemental Seal of Fire and they used their abilities to weld metal poles together. Those without Seals simply worked with their own tools or some of the ones Marcus provided. Although the more time he spent on the site, the more he noticed that those without seals showed an exceptional skill in their craft.

By mid-morning, Jacob was sweating through his shirt and had removed his jacket, his sweat-stained shirt still clinging to his muscular frame. He grabbed a bottle of water that was regularly refilled by one of the workers with a Water Seal.

"You know," Joanna began suddenly appearing beside him, "one could argue that this building is a prime example of how you can start a tale but it won't necessarily end at the same place it began."

Fuck!" Jacob exclaimed, leaping back in shock and crushing the water bottle in his paw. "How the hell do you keep sneaking around unnoticed like that!?"

"It's a gift," she answered, batting her eyelids at him and smiling coyly. She dropped the façade and nodded towards the building. "By the end of this project, people will be living in new homes. It's not like they're lives will be exactly the same."

Jacob held up his paws. "Okay, okay. Stop. Just stop right there." He waved the bottle at her. "Please don't turn everything we do into some sort of bizarre analogy that will somehow teach me a lesson and resolve my character flaw. Okay? I appreciate the gesture but in all honesty, I'm happy with how things are going. I told you my mom taught me to pick my path. And this is my path!" He jabbed a finger downwards. "I'm going to find out was the... thing can do. Find out how I can get it out of my system and then I'm going to go back to being an elite courier."

Before she could retort, he held up his paws to silence her. "Okay. I admit that maybe I need to take some time to smell the roses. So here's what I'm going to do." Lowering his paws and staring at her evenly, he said, "I'm not going to jump straight to doing the plot quests immediately. I'll do some dicking around, meet some people, complete the side quests and yes, even the shitty little fetch quests. In exchange, you shut up about how I'm just in it to get to the end. Deal?"

He held out his paw. Joanna smiled and shook it.

"And I just might sleep with Marcus."

Joanna's eyes went wide just as Marcus, who had just approached with a protein shake to his lips, choked and spat out the contents of his muzzle to the side.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed the bewildered roo.

"Huh, so it was you," Jacob said with a devious grin over his shoulder. "I kind of caught your scent but with everyone sweaty around here, it was a little hard to tell."

"So ya decided ta say that ya'd sleep with me ta confirm that it wus really me!?" Marcus shouted. "Why!?"

"Because I don't like being psychoanalysed and being told that the way I live isn't right," Jacob growled, his eyes narrowed. "I mean seriously, who does? If I were to tell you that the way you constantly compensate for your farming heritage and your desire to perpetuate this manly façade through insisting your domesticated military vehicle is a truck not the SUV is really is all a classical attempt to hide the fact that you're a red-necked, hillbilly homosexual, how would _you_feel?"

Marcus dropped the water bottle in shock and before Jacob could utter an apology, the roo seized his collar and slammed him hard against the table holding the other bottles. All sounds of construction suddenly stopped as Marcus loomed over Jacob, practically muzzle to muzzle.

"Ya listen here, kiddo," snarled the roo, nice and low so only he and Joanna could hear. "I ain't no homo. My pappy and uncle may have fucked like wild dogs but ah ain't like 'em and dun ya ever_accuse me of it ever _again! Ya got it!?"

Jacob, his paws lifted in surrender said, "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! I swear."

Marcus gave him one last shove before turning around and storming back into the site.

Joanna helped him to his feet. "Short fuse on that one," she murmured. "But clearly gay."

"Totally," Jacob muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "He's kind of cute when he's angry though..."

******

By midday, most of the building had already been constructed and it only needed the internal wiring and interior design to be finished off. Several designers with flora-based Seals had come in and grew plants on the concrete themselves, using the pots built into the floor to house their plants. Within minutes, fully grown trees had sprouted and the structure was quickly growing to mirror the feel and style of the rest of Pollenburn's architecture; that little blend that almost made it look like a post-apocalyptic scene where nature had reclaimed the cities of civilisation.

Marcus had cooled off somewhat since then but had remained silent on the drive back to the Tower. Jacob had opted keep his jacket off and his shirt was utterly soaked with his sweat. Joanna asked him once why he kept his shirt on and he told her in hushed tones that he was a little ashamed of his chest fur... mostly because it was big, fluffy and sort of shaped like a big heart. He confessed to only ever taking off his shirt with less than three people in the room. She didn't broach the subject though he did catch the glint in her eye that sent a shiver down his spine. Thankfully, even after driving for half an hour she hadn't 'accidentally' torn his clothes to shreds.

He was close to overheating in the Road Bull and had drawn down the window to cool off, his tongue hanging out of his muzzle as he panted. The position gave him the perfect view to see the massive holographic billboards that advertised the gala at the Tower. Naturally, Rex's image was shown with only a minor appearance from Gale. Somehow, Jacob was far from surprised.

When they arrived back the Tower, he was surprised that a wide variety of decorations had already been put up. The gates had been decked out with lights and made to look far more welcoming than the militaristic portals designed to keep unauthorised people out. The tanks and military vehicles that were kept in the courtyard in front of the Tower had been cleared out, having been quickly converted into a sort of parking lot complete with letter designations.

"Your brother works fast," Joanna muttered.

"His catchphrase is 'faster than starlight'," Jacob responded. "And that applies to everything." He held up his paw and got a resounding high-five for it from Joanna. Marcus growled at the gesture and parked his car on one of the many lots. He got out almost immediately and would've locked the two inside if they hadn't scrambled out quickly.

Marcus stormed off to the barracks without a word. The glower he shot over his shoulder told Jacob that he was not to be followed. Jacob turned to see if Joanna wanted to do anything but found, much to his surprise, that she had disappeared from his side despite having been there just a few seconds ago. Having prided himself in his ability to detect people, he was starting to feel a little insulted at Joanna's uncanny ability to disappear and reappear at will.

Shrugging, he headed into to Tower, wondering if Alicia and his bodyguards had returned yet.

He spotted Sherry Stormrock in the main entrance of the Tower, signing off on what appeared to be a very large delivery of wine.

"Ms. Stormrock," he greeted, waving a paw.

She looked up and almost looked relieved. "Jacob. Good to see you are well."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

The hawk rolled her eyes and waved the trolley of wine through. "Your brother was about an hour away from sending a search party out for you. Gale and myself assured him that Marcus had just taken you to a construction yard but he was quite... aggravating." She said the last word with a strained smile.

Knowing full well how demanding Rex could be, Jacob decided to keep the subject away from his brother. "How'd you know where Marcus took me?"

She waved a hand in his direction, gesturing for her to be followed. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. Marcus was a part-time construction worker before he became Gale's personal bodyguard and leader of the Sky Wardens. He loves working with his paws and prefers to get down and dirty. I believe the cleanliness of the Tower still disturbs him somewhat. Perhaps a reason why he prefers to sleep in the barracks instead of the personal quarters afforded to him."

A grand staircase was being constructed just in front of the atrium, the power of several Seals being used to materialise the wood, gold and marble. It was actually going to block a path to the hangers of the Tower. Jacob ignored the fact that Rex was taking over the Tower for his little publicity stunt and kept reminding himself that it would be over soon. They were already making big strides in finding out more about Realmbreaker.

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of 'personal bodyguard' if he's several floors below where Gale sleeps?" he asked.

"Gale doesn't need a bodyguard," answered Sherry with a chuckle. "He was trained from a young age to embody the virtues of a ninja and trains day in and day out to defend himself. Trust me when I say that Marcus would be wasting his time standing around Gale tasting his food or trying to block bullets from him. By the time he moved, Gale would have snatched the bullet from the air and sent it back to its user."

Jacob laughed at the analogy but caught how Sherry was only slightly smiling. "You're not kidding." He blinked several times imagining Gale swiping a bullet in mid-flight, letting off a cool one-liner and then throwing it straight back at the would-be assailant at supersonic speeds. "You're not kidding," he repeated. "Has he seriously done that before?"

"It's well within his capabilities," answered Sherry as they stepped into an elevator. "But as I was saying, Marcus likes to go back to his roots as a construction worker every few days. All volunteer work, though. I believe he prefers the simplicity of it."

"I thought he grew up on a farm?"

"He did. On the very outskirts of Pollenburn, in fact. But he moved to the city to seek his fortune with a friend and they worked in construction together."

Remembering Marcus' bone-rattling threat earlier that day, Jacob ventured to ask, "Does Marcus have a thing against... homosexuals?"

The cool, collected hawk let out a soft chuckle, politely pressing a finger against her beak. "Ah, you've stumbled upon his past, have you? However, it is not within my authority to divulge information that he has sought to keep secret. That would be unethical."

Jacob folded his ears back in shame. "Oh... right..."

"But if I were to be ordered to divulge that information by a superior officer, say someone who has recently been promoted to a rank equivalent to that of an Elemental Lord...?" She eyed him suggestively.

Jacob winced loudly. "He didn't..."

"I believe the title your brother has concocted is along the lines of Wielder of Realmbreaker. But it's a working title. He has ordered everyone in MODD to treat you as if you were an Elemental Lord."

A loud huff left him. "It's just his attempt to make sure that I don't poke my nose in his business. Thinks that by showering me with the luxury that I never had, I'd be too preoccupied to see that he's clearly planning something."

Sherry gave him a faint smile. "If I may make an observation, Mr. Reaper?"

"Just called me 'Jake' and go ahead."

She gave him a light bow of acknowledgement. "You see these things that are wrong with the world around you and yet you do not do anything about them. I can see it in your eyes. You know Rex is using you. You know Joanna is constantly analysing you and searching for some way to sway you towards the side of the Unsealed. You know Marcus has repressed homosexuality and perhaps a bit of a daddy complex but you do nothing but gossip about it behind his back."

He groaned loudly and turned away.

"And this leads me to believe that you are aware of your own hesitance to act and perhaps your almost fanatical desire to return to routine or to follow."

"I just had this conversation with Joanna," he growled. "I'm going to talk to every named NPC, I'll engage in all optional dialogue and I'll do the side quests."

"But that's not what you want to do, is it?" she accused. "It's what you feel you're being forced to do."

He remained silent, arms folded tightly.

"I am not here to criticise you," Sherry responded, holding up her hands. "But you're an intelligent young wolf. You know what's wrong with you. That you choose not to act upon it just paints you as a..."

"Coward?" he growled.

"I was going to say overly cautious individual but that feels more appropriate."

He scowled at her, shooting her a piercing stare. "And If I may an observation of you?"

"Feel free," she answered.

He appraised her one more time. "Seal Bearers who can materialise their Seal Weapons have the option of hiding them and calling them at will. That you keep yours constantly out speaks of a deeper insecurity and perhaps a more feminist stance. You were hurt in the past and now you want to keep yourself distant and strong in the eyes of everyone else by showing your power."

She nodded, a smile on her lips. "True but you're only spouting what tabloids and those prime time psychologists have already theorised."

"But you're also conflicted," countered Jacob, making her falter. "You want to be this strong, imposing figure but at the same time, you want to be the girly-girly that is secretly yearning to break out. I can smell raspberries, cream and cheese-chive scones on your breath as well as some sort of herbal tea. There's a bit of white cotton on your shoulder right there..." He pointed. "... and my guess is that you just had a little make-believe tea party with your old stuffed toys that are probably falling apart. Or you got pissed at them and tore them to shreds. You know Rex is taking over the Tower but you're actively helping him instead of standing by like Gale or distancing yourself like Marcus because you really want to go to a fancy party and wear that super-special dress that you got just for the occasion.

"That you openly engaged in gossip with me as well tells me that really, you want someone to talk to. Someone who isn't intimidated by this façade you've built for yourself over something that happened in the past."

...

Sherry laughed softly and turned towards the elevator doors just as they let out a soft ding. "Joanna was right. You _are_frightfully observant. You're wrong though."

"Really?"

"It was cheese and green onion scones. Valenese recipe."

She strode forward, her tail feathers shaking from side to side joyfully like she was glad to have been exposed. Jacob strode after her, just a step behind. He followed her back towards the simulation bay where, from the loud shouts and angry banging, he guessed Rex was throwing a tantrum. Before they fully entered though, she turned towards him, barring his path through the door.

"Marcus grew up on the very farmlands that surround Pollenburn. It is a very tight-knit community and up until the point he moved to the city to work on big construction projects, he had no qualms with coupling with men. He never participated in it himself but he felt that it would jeopardise the respect he had gathered should it ever be revealed that had he come of age within the farmlands, he would likely have lain another man."

"That's stupid," Jacob muttered. "People have sex. They're free to love who they want. They're free to have sex with whoever they want."

Sherry briefly closed her eyes and bowed her head like she was silently laughing at him. "You are referring to the ideal that our ancestors basically screwed one another for more base reasons. And that is a widely accepted practice within reason. Marcus accepted this too but here in the city, you must realise that people are more... stringent about their practices. Casual sex is considered the mark of sluts and man whores. Premarital intercourse is uncouth and worthy of wild gossip that can damage reputations. Years of hard work can be damaged by one nasty rumour about who you slept with."

She took a step aside, allowing him access to the double doors. "If people remembered that he came from that kind of upbringing, he fears it would shatter his image. A reason why he hides his accent, he is so defensive about his past and why guilt continues to wrack him and he often tries to perform some menial task as an act of penance."

Jacob frowned and instantly felt terrible for having teased Marcus and even coerced him into a poorly thought-out bet. Knowing that, he turned to Sherry and asked, "Is sex treated so differently here in Pollenburn?"

She shook her head sadly. "You're missing the point, Jacob. It isn't the sex. It's his image of this tough, clean-cut, loyal warrior who has no room in his heart for such affection and is the stereotypical red-blooded Rillotian." She let out a soft laugh. "In many ways you two are very much alike; unwilling to deviate from the paths you have chosen but where he is completely unmoving, you purposefully steer whatever events come your way back to the same path."

She turned and waved a hand over her shoulder. "You could learn a lot from one another."

He watched her go and mulled over her words.

Another loud crash from the other side of the room reminded him that his brother was on a rampage. He could only imagine what the Elemental Lord of Star could do and dared to open the door. A wince escaped him when he found several dozen men and women pinned to the ceiling, the very flow of gravity having been reversed by Rex's frightening powers. For his part, Rex stood at the centre of the room, arms crossed and glowering at a squirrel holding a tablet. The little rodent was floating in the air, Rex's powers keeping him afloat.

"I'll ask this again," growled the Elemental Lord, "what do you _mean_it isn't energy?"

"I - I - it's just not energy!" stammered the man. "Th - th - there's no radiation coming from it! No heat!"

"But it's white."

"W - W - We think that's because that's what's beyond."

"Beyond?" demanded Rex, inclining his head to the side. "What do you mean?" As he turned his head, he caught sight of Jacob. Almost instantly, the squirrel dropped to the ground with a whump. Those others pinned to the high ceiling screamed as the plummeted to the ground. Rex idly waved a paw and their descent slowed though they still did hit the ground with a faint thump.

"Jake, where have you been?"

"Erm..." Jacob began, hiking a thumb over his shoulder. "Doing construction work with Marcus and Joanna."

"Construction work?" Rex repeated, looking appalled. "With the _bodyguard_and the Unsealed? Why in the world would you do that!?" Then his eyes widened. "You left the Tower didn't you? Did anyone see you?"

In retrospect, he realised it probably wasn't a good idea to confront Rex so soon. "Uh... just a few guys at the construction site..."

Rex spun around and threw his paws into the air. "This is just great!" He spun back towards Jacob. "Did any of them recognise you?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so..."

Rex took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. "Okay... Okay. The important thing is, you're here now and we can start training."

Jacob rolled his shoulder. "Actually, I was hoping we could just talk, just you and me. I've been hard at work this morning and I'm kind of sore..."

"There's no time, Jake!" Rex seized his brother's paw and began pulling him towards one of the simulator rooms. "We need you to come up with a signature move before the gala. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Just something to wow the crowd."

Jacob was pulled into the white landscape of the simulator, at least this time with his brother. "Signature move? What are you talking about?"

Rex gave him a cocky grin and turned away from him. "Like this." He held out a paw and a surge of sizzling, black energies coalesced around his open palm, forming a ball. "Gravimetric Pulsar!"He lobbed the ball into the air and Jacob had seen far too many videos and magazine articles of one of Rex's showy abilities to know what was coming next.

"Rex -"

But he never got to finish as the ball hit the ground. Suddenly, he was yanked off his feet and dragged towards the sphere as even light itself was pulled into the ball in waves. He was pulled back a foot with each ripple of energy, scrambling across the floor with his claws scraping the tiles. Rex cut off the ability with a swipe of his paw, the black orb vanishing and leaving Jacob flat on his belly.

"Everyone knows that move," Rex said. "It's one of the many ways I highlight my abilities and market my image. Gale has his Wind Blade and his deadly Final Breath. Even Marcus has his Ray Cyclone." His tone dripped with disgust at the last sentence but then brightened back up as he helped Jacob to his feet. "You've got to come up with something yourself."

"You just got those names off the trading cards," Jacob grumbled, wincing as the fall had injured his knees. "Gale never gave a name to his actual moves and I'm sure Marcus didn't."

"That's why they don't make as much money as I do," Rex said proudly. "MODD is a corporation. We need to make money and if that means -"

"Whoring out your image like a child actor in their late twenties desperate for work?"

Rex seemed shocked at his heated words. "I'll give that to you having spent the day with a muscle head..." The shorter, silver-haired wolf turned towards the centre of the room. "Seriously though, Gale gets a lot of press and even Sherry has that scary, Scalpel thing going for her. But Marcus? Does he even get a title or a moniker? Gale is the 'Ninja of the Seven Winds' and Sherry is the 'Scalpel of Pollenburn'. Marcus? He's just Marcus, Gale's bodyguard!"

Jacob's fists began to shake but he reigned himself in. Rex was an ass. There was no changing that.

"Gale has multiple signature moves," Rex continued, spreading his arms wide. A few stars appeared over his paws. Beams of light connected them to form a rather accurate full body constellation of Gale. The starry Gale swung his Kaze Wakizashi, unleashing a crescent shaped blade of light a short distance. This was followed by a few thrown kunai. Rex walked around the moving constellation and created another image, this one of Sherry. She swung her Seal Weapon, the fragmented blade dancing around her like a tornado.

Then, Gale created an image of Marcus. The big, burly roo wielded two scimitars. He spun around three times. Blades of light sprang from the edges of his scimitars, gathering together to form a neat mini-cyclone. From the way the stars were moving, Jacob guessed that the cyclone drew things towards it to be ripped to shreds.

"Fancy and creative as they are," Rex said, waving his paw and wiping away the imagery. "They're nothing without the proper marketing strategy. Look at me! Everyone knows both my Gravimetric Pulsar and Repulsion Pulsar moves because they roll off the tongue and I gave them names. And I use them often. The only place you see any of those three use their skills are in exhibition shows and when they're actually under threat. Which is rare at best. I mean, how often do Unsealed even attack Pollenburn anymore!"

Rex shook his head and turned his back towards Jacob. As he did so, dozens of stars appeared in front of him, each one as big as Jacob's head. Beams of searing light connected them all forming a large, grid-like pattern. The grid of lasers moved forward slowly before vanishing upon Rex's command.

"Desolation Grid," Jacob murmured.

"So you know it!" Rex exclaimed, beaming brightly. "See! That's what you're going for! Just by looking at it, people will recognise it!" He moved towards Jacob, swinging an arm over his brother's shoulder. "Trust me on this, Jake, if you put yourself out there and yes, 'whore yourself out' a little, you'll have far more respect and prestige than even Gale or, worse yet, his bodyguard."

Jacob narrowed his eyes and had to physically bite his tongue from saying something else.

"You know Marcus doesn't even guard Gale anymore?" Rex said with a roll of his eyes. "Seriously! What does he do around here? He's just a grouch, fat, dumb meat head that can't even guard a train! All he does is leave the Tower and do construction work."

He was willing to take a lot from Rex because he knew his brother would ultimately help him to his goal of returning to normalcy. But Jacob was not going to stand still and just let his brother insult someone who had been nothing but kind to him. Before Rex could even utter another word, Jacob summoned a bolt of Realmbreaker levelled at his neck. Rex's eyes boggled and he instantly lifted his paws up in surrender. He was too scared to swallow lest any movement brush against the white blade of energy.

"Don't you dare talk about Marcus like that," Jacob snarled. "In case you didn't notice, I'm a muscle head too. I spend most of my free time working out. I also happen to enjoy construction work. Watching a building go up and knowing you contributed to that is fulfilling and a nice boost to the ego."

Rex backed up a few steps. "Jake, if you needed a boost to your confidence, you've got a lot going for you -"

"Yeah, I do," Jacob growled, keeping Realmbreaker levelled at Rex. "And it isn't because of Realmbreaker, it isn't because of Marcus, Joanna, Gale or_you. Hell, I could just as easily blame all this bullshit happening to me right now on MODD and the Unsealed. If they hadn't been transporting this fucked up weapon on the same goddamn train I was taking, then I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened. In _fact..."

He summoned a second bolt of Realmbreaker, both blades levelled on either side of Rex's head in the prime position to sever his brother's head. "I could even go so far as to say that if you hadn't left on your selfish quest to become an Elemental Lord, weren't so self-centred and at least wrote once or twice a year, I wouldn't feel so fucking alone and have to scrape by with what few jobs I can get from the Worldriders to pay for dad's bullshit!"

He could feel himself approaching the edge of doing something he was going to regret. But it felt so good to unload like that and he knew it would've felt even better to just let lose the myriad of feelings that he had kept down in acceptance of his fate.

But he wasn't going to.

Hurting - or maybe even killing - Rex would solve nothing and just cause more problems.

He pulled Realmbreaker away from his brother's cheeks and let the bolts vanish. "But I've accepted that you're an arrogant, selfish prick who's only using this gala and me as a publicity stunt to boost your own popularity. I'm fine with that."

Rex's brow furrowed. "You... are...?"

"I am," he answered. "And I might even go along with it so long as it helps me reach my goal and that's to get Realmbreaker out of me and to go back home."

Rex rubbed his neck softly, checking for any wounds. "But... you could have it so much better..."

"And wind up like you? I don't think so." Jacob turned his head towards the observation deck. Dozens of MODD soldiers and scientists were gathered. Many were gathered at the door to the simulation room, wide-eyed and watching the confrontation. "But you know what? This has inspired me to come up with my own signature move."

"It has...?" His brother's eyes brightened a little.

"Yeah."

WHAM!

Jacob's fist rang and his heart practically squealed in delight, screaming for more as his knuckles bashed Rex's muzzle and sent his brother crashing to the ground, completely unconscious in a single blow. He grunted and shook his paw. There was no blood but it was enough that he had knocked out an Elemental Lord out cold in one punch.

"It's called Suck It, Rex."

******

It was a lot like getting called up to the principal's office after having just punched a kid out.

In fact... it was almost exactly like that.

Jacob found himself taking the elevator up to the top floor of the Tower, past the docking bays for the carriers and to a private office out in the open. There was no secretary, no guards and not even an automated sentry gun or cameras. It was simply a large, white structure made to look a little like a half-buried pinwheel in the side of the building. The door was wide, made of glass and open.

He could see Gale scribbling something on a tablet pad inside.

It seemed almost silly to knock but he did anyway.

Gale looked up and smiled, waving him inside. Jacob pushed open the glass doors and poked his head in. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, come in," Gale answered, pushing his tablet away. "Shut the door."

He almost didn't want to but hesitantly let the door close behind him as he strode deeper into the office.

"So I hear you punched out your brother," Gale said, regarding the monitor sitting beside him. "And you left the Tower despite being cautioned not to."

Jacob remained silent, strangely paralysed in the presence of the oddly calm Elemental Lord.

Gale noticed his nervousness and chuckled softly. "Don't be so anxious, Jake. In all honesty, I've wanted to do what you just did to Rex for a _very_long time."

Stunned, Jacob just said, "You did?"

Gale folded his hands together and smiled calmly at him. "Imagine having the youngest of the Elemental Lords pay you a courtesy visit, eat your food, live under your roof for just a week and have him criticise your lack of guards, your 'marketability', 'image' and very way of life. If it weren't for the fact that I had been forewarned by Sierra on what a pain your brother is and prepared myself accordingly, I would've strapped him to the thrusters of the closest cruiser and watched him burn before my very eyes."

Jacob reeled. "That was... graphic."

"Oh trust me, it's nothing compared to what my people want to do to him." Gale turned his monitor towards Jacob. There were various transcripts and their relevant surveillance footage. "See, this woman here wanted to strap you brother to a rocket and send him into deep space. This one wanted to cook him in the very pot of soup that he called bland and 'plebeian'. This guy was rather creative and designed a whole prolonged torture device after being assigned his bodyguard for two days."

Jacob was stunned. So many people_hated_ Rex.

"... yikes. So he really is an asshole."

"But the public loves him," Gale said, turning the monitor back to himself. He made a swipe across his tablet and the documents were instantly deleted. "He puts on a very convincing act, you know. Hated internally but loved externally. It allows for rumours from the inside of MODD to seep out of what he is 'really' like to conflict with his 'perfect' image that everyone else sees. This makes him a dynamic character in the eyes of the public. Someone who they can admire but clearly not perfect. It's genius."

"So he's a clean asshole but still an asshole."

Gale chuckled. "Be that as it may, it's how he has built himself up to be." The Elemental Lord gestured at the seat in front of him. Jacob sat down, feeling much more comfortable in his presence. "The question is, what kind of person do you want to be." Before Jacob could reply, Gale cut him off with a lifted finger. "I am more than aware of your aversion to change. I understand you want to cling onto the past, stay as how you always were because that's where your comfort zone is. You aren't afraid of what's new, you're okay to try it but you've already got this predisposition towards going back square one and that is what ultimately guides you."

Jacob groaned and sank into his seat. "God... is everyone going to psychoanalyse me now? Maybe I should just kick myself right now and call another reboot?"

Ignoring his words, Gale said, "As clichéd as this may sound, I have a story that may very well help relate to your current predicament."

"Of course you do. Everyone I meet has some story that is somehow related to my issues and somehow, with the amalgamation of all their mistakes, I get to be the one to form the perfect solution to my issue." He glared at Gale sourly. "You know, in all likelihood, the people who have 'stories that relate to mine'" - he emphasised the words with air quotes - "are likely to die, right?"

"I don't fear death," Gale answered.

"You don't?"

The Elemental Lord gave him a chilling smile. With the way his figure was silhouetted against the afternoon sun and with one eye showing, he delivered his line with the perfect, disinterested tone that made it seem like to him, it was just fact.

"I deal it."

Jacob froze... and then shivered. "Okay... that was really good."

Gale beamed at him brightly. "My story, Jake, is in what I am doing now. I have my comfort zone. Rex constantly criticises me on my inaction. In fact, even Sherry occasionally shows her aggravation over the fact that I have done nothing against the Clans or over the fact that the six families of Pollenburn are constantly at one another's throats. Marcus has all by given up on me, thinking that all I do with my power is lounge up here in my study and stare at the sky."

That... did not seem accurate from the public's standpoint. "Wait... but weren't you the one that had that led that raid against an Unsealed bunker a few months ago."

"Indeed I was."

"And then weren't you the one that expanded the city's borders by a couple of miles, commissioning the construction of two more Seal Generators and acres of farmland?"

"Correct."

"And on the ship here, didn't you broker a peace between the Unsealed and MODD over me?"

Gale nodded, giving him a patronising smile like he was supposed to be getting something. "Correct again." He stood up from his seat and turned towards the big, floor-to-ceiling window behind him, most of Pollenburn well within view. "It may be considered underhanded by most but I lead with misdirection. Oftentimes, the greatest victories are those that come as a surprise. Yes, my men doubt me but do you know why Sherry hasn't challenged me for power? Why Marcus hasn't quit?"

Jacob analysed what he had been told and what he currently observed from Gale. "Because you're saving the big reveals for when you need them the most. You give them enough to remind them you're still top dog but don't unload it all at once like Rex." He scratched his temples lightly. "It's not for the fame or fortune, is it? You're not toying with people either."

Gale maintained the smile he was giving Jacob.

"You're doing it because you... enjoy it...?" he asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say I enjoy hurting the Unsealed," answered Gale with a shrug. "The paperwork for commissioning so much land is a pain and the Unsealed were very troublesome. But at the crux of it, I love my job. I want to enjoy every moment of it. Some might call me selfish for taking it slow but when you're passionate about something, there are two ways you can approach it..." He held out one hand. "Attack it full on and consume it all like Rex..." Then he held up his other. "Or take it in moderation. I prefer the latter."

Gale sat back down and turned his monitor back towards Jacob. "And in that simulator room, I've never seen you so passionate about something than when you gave your brother a concussion that I'm fairly sure he's still feeling up to now."

"Well... he was insulting you, Sherry and Marcus..."

"Are you sure it wasn't because you hate him?" Gale teased with a grin.

"Just a little bit," Jacob allowed, holding his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. They shared a laugh from that. "And I don't know what you're talking about, Gale. I love my job."

"Yes, you do," agreed the Elemental Lord. "But what is your job? Taking care of your father or being a Worldrider? Or is it even about being a world-class courier that travels around the world?" He leaned forward. "Tell me honestly, why did you choose to become a Worldrider?"

"To travel."

Gale waved his hand at him, shaking his head. "No, no, no. I can tell that's just what's on the surface. What was the reason? What inspired you? Who_inspired you? What was your _dream?"

Jacob blushed beneath his dark fur, ducking his head in embarrassment. "You'll think it's stupid..."

"There are no stupid dreams. Just stupid people who don't act upon them."

The shadow of a smile tugged at the corners of Jacob's lips and he leaned back in the chair with a sigh. "Okay... well, when I was younger, there was this guest speaker at my school. She was an anthropologist. She spent her life travelling all over the world meeting people. When she came to talk to us, she had just come back from Welensha." He looked off to the distance, still remembering that speech fondly. "She painted this amazing picture about the Landesberg Jungle, the Mayzon Savannah and the Bravis Desert. Then she told us of all the people she met there."

He paused a moment, recalling her words. "'The beauty of the world is nothing without the people to observe it.' Different environments raise different kinds of people and even in those different societies, each and every person is unique. She got to know each and every one of them, or at least as many as she could and each of them had a story to tell."

Jacob laughed softly, hiding his face with a paw in embarrassment. "I don't know... As a little kid, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to explore the world and see how other people saw the same world. I got it into my head that we may live in the same world, breathe the same air, stand on the same earth or drink the same water but each of us will experience it differently. Each of us has a story to tell and... I guess I wanted to see other people's stories."

He had to avert his gaze from Gale, a sheepish smile on his lips. "See? Stupid."

"Not at all," Gale responded sagely. "It's quite ambitious, I'll admit. Ever thought of being a biographer instead?"

"I'm a terrible writer. I once got an F for an essay I wrote on the Rillotian language for misspelling 'the' as 'teh'. I don't know how it happened! I only make those mistakes when typing but it was right there in my own handwriting!" He waved a paw, brushing aside the remark. "Besides, I don't want to just be told the story. I want to be there, experiencing it with them." He sighed, shaking his head sadly. "But I guess... things didn't work out quite as I had planned. My mom died, dad went nuts and Rex... Well, you know."

Gale nodded and pushed his chair back slightly. He pulled open a drawer and pulled out a large package. "Well Jake, I understand that your dreams may be dampened right now and my guess is that all this responsibility has caused you to doubt your ability to experience people's tales alongside them." He pulled open the lid of the brown package and pushed it towards Jacob. "I think that we're both a little complacent but the best part about knowing your comfort zone is daring to venture out of it here and there."

"So I've been told," Jacob said bitterly. "I just can't, not with my dad and -"

Gale cut him off with a raised hand. "I know. Trust me, I know. Every day, I have to slip back into this passive-aggressive persona when more than anything, I want to be out there doing something to help the people I look after and represent."

"But you do that."

"In small doses," answered Gale with a wink. "We must be dreamers but also realists. But we mustn't be pessimists either." He looked pointedly at Jacob. "Tell me truly, what is stopping you from going out there and talking to people? Asking them about how their day was or what's gotten them down? What's stopping you from investing in someone else apart from your father?"

Jacob shuffled a little uncomfortably in his seat. "I... I... I honestly don't know..."

"Well," Gale said. "Answer that and you might just take your first step to being the person you can be instead of being the person everyone else expects you to be."

Jacob let out a short laugh and regarded his palms. "Nice." He sighed and stood. "Thanks Gale. Thanks for reminding me what I had hoped to achieve." He shoved his paws into his pockets. "I've still got a hell of responsibility on my shoulders and my own personal issues to deal with. Not to mention Rex to deal with..."

"I can't help with the responsibility or the issues," Gale said. "But at the very least, I can assist with your brother." He gestured at the contents of the box. "Your brother clearly wants to use you as a way to further his own career and he is getting on everyone's nerves. Shouting at him or using brute force like you did won't get him to back down. But there's a little thing about stars that will always hold true."

Jacob pulled the package towards him and smiled lightly. "What's that?"

"People will only pay attention to the one that shines brightest."

******

It was just before five in the afternoon, a good five hours since Jacob had knocked out his brother cold. Rumours had already started flitting about the Tower and just like in high school, the guy who had punched out the biggest, toughest bully got some begrudging respect caught between fear and admiration. Only in this case, people weren't scrambling to ask him out or hang out with him. Jacob actually felt more isolated than he had before. Eating alone at the mess hall didn't come with any relief in the form of Marcus either so he ate in silence.

Though had no reason to expect Rex to still be there, he still wandered down to the simulation bay. He wasn't sure whether he should be surprised or not that Rex was standing in one of the simulators amongst in the middle of a group of SWORD soldiers. He noticed that Cal and Silas, his bodyguards, were there. Alicia was in the observation deck when he entered and she gave him a bright but clearly strained smile.

"Mr. Reaper, we were looking all over for you." She appraised him closely. "Did you get new clothes?"

"Gale gave them to me," Jacob responded, running a finger across the white, short-sleeved jacket he wore that replaced his Worldrider jacket. The jacket still bore a modified Worldrider symbol on the back but instead showed the world of Mortaelis in the jaws of a big, stylised wolf head. It was fierce and intimidating. Jacob liked it. There was also an inbuilt brown shoulder bag crossing shoulders and ending in his left hip reminiscent of a courier's satchel but sown into the jacket itself. He glanced towards the simulator where Rex stood in the plain white environment. "Rex didn't start docking your pay, did he?"

Alicia shook her head. "He seemed to forget about it after he woke up from the infirmary. He has been... training ever since."

The eight SWORD soldiers around Rex were all battered and bruised while Rex was unharmed, a big cocky grin on his features. Whatever reservations any of the elite of MODD held were gone. They were out for blood. A soldier to Rex's right let out a bellow and spun an enormous staff in the air twice before slamming it into the ground. Pillars of ice erupted from the ground on a path straight towards Rex. The silver-haired wolf just sidestepped the move before flicking a paw in the opposite direction. A tiny little star no bigger than a pinhead shot from the tips of Rex's fingers and collided with the other SWORD charging at him, hefting an enormous Seal-infused hammer. There was a quick moment where all light was drained from both Rex and the SWORD's bodies, both of them vanishing in globes of darkness. They reappeared in a flash, having switched places but with the SWORD's momentum being carried into his new location. The poor guy slammed chin first into the wall of ice.

Cal, bearing a typical Seal Blade ran his paw down the length of the longsword. Golden winds began spinning around the weapon and thrust it straight at Rex. A venerable drill of whirling winds rushed towards the Elemental Lord of Star who regarded the attack lazily. Rex snapped his fingers and Silas suddenly appeared in front of him in a blur of dark energies. Silas, bearing a thick Seal Shield, gave a cry of surprise and was blown off his feet by Cal's attack.

"Rex 'Nebula' Reaper," Jacob muttered grimly. "He controls the battlefield just like he controls people..." He shook his head as Rex continued to humiliate his opponents with lazy, easy movements. "I'm putting a stop to this."

There were few people in the observation deck but they began secretly calling their friends at prospect of Jacob Reaper beating down his brother for a second time. They hid their excitement under the guise of prepping the equipment to observe Jacob's abilities and Realmbreaker.

A faint alarm erupted from the door as Jacob crossed the threshold onto the simulator room. The SWORD members all lost the anger they bore in their eyes and looked up at Jacob with the same mix of admiration and fear everyone else had. Rex turned to follow their gaze and his expression looked just as conflicted, this one caught between surprise, shame, worry and just a smidge of anger.

"Jake..." Rex began. "Hey... I'm sorry that I -"

Jacob held up his paw, silencing Rex. "I'm sorry that I lost my temper, punched your lights outs and left on a really badass line. I would've done more but then the six asterisks came."

"Uh... Right." Rex gave him a shaky smile. "But I'm sorry too for having insulted everyone else. I hadn't noticed how much you cared for them."

It was still slightly an insult that Rex hadn't named the people he had disrespected but Jacob let it slide. "We both made mistakes." He raised a paw. "So let's call it even. You're right. There's an exhibition match coming up and I need to focus and put on a show."

His features brightening all the more, Rex said, "Great! Are you ready to have a quick training session now?"

Jacob agreed though he was fully aware that Rex would live up to his name of being a massive collection of hot air. Without even dismissing the other SWORD members, Rex went on a spiel on the art behind signature moves, the focus required and how the name must both resonate with the user's personality while also be incredibly marketable. Jacob waited through it patiently, listening to the mechanics behind Rex's own abilities since his brother constantly made references to his skills as 'examples'. Gale was a better tutor, letting Jacob come up with his own means of self-discovery. As it turns out, a potential weakness was also a good means of gleaning some information.

Rex was just going on about how one of his signature moves, Starfall, created globes of hot plasma in and rained them down on his foes. Compared to his similar move, Meteor Raid which dumped large chunks of spherical rocks on enemies and how they seemed visually the same but were technically different. He barely noticed the SWORD soldiers rolling their eyes and looking bored while he explained that Starfall created the globes of rock while Meteor Raid teleported earth from the ground, sent them hurtling through the atmosphere at breakneck speeds before being teleported above his foes.

Jacob gave Cal an apologetic look and the SWORD rolled his eyes with a smile. Jacob returned the favour but added the gesture of making a gun out of his hand and shooting himself in the head. Cal snickered and both of them immediately snapped to attention and nodded in understanding as Rex rounded back towards them.

That was some brownie points with the wolf at least.

"Got it?" Rex suddenly said.

"Yep," Jacob answered, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. "Can I give it a try?"

Rex seemed amused. "Well, I know I'm a great teacher" - someone behind Rex almost groaned very loudly but turned it into a grunt of discomfort instead - "but there's a lot of work that has to go into making a signature move. But if you'd like to give it a try..." Rex took a few steps back and made a sweeping gesture. "Be my guest! Operator! Give us a training dummy!"

A shower of blue cubes summoned a new training dummy in front of Jacob. The SWORD soldiers and Rex all took a step back, Rex arrogantly giving Jacob a patronising look with an encouraging smile. For his part, Jacob closed his eyes and tried to remember what he had seen and learned. He felt a small trickle of blood drip from his nose and he quickly wiped it away.

Slowly, he lifted a paw into the air, holding it open above his head.

He opened his eyes, keeping his gaze entirely focused on the training dummy in front of him.

"Alright..." he muttered. "Here goes..."

The air simply sizzled with energy. Dozens upon dozens of _Realmbreaker_bolts sprang from his fingertips, much smaller than the beams he often used. They all coalesced together in a dizzying orb, spinning madly over one another to form a near-solid sphere of sizzling white energies as large as Jacob. Rex's smile faded and all the SWORD members back to retreat.

Jacob flung his paw towards the training dummy. Each of the beams from the spinning orb broke off from the main body, tracing long, lingering lines through the air. They slammed into the gelatinous form of the dummy, peppering it rapidly with scintillating beams of white energy. The air between Jacob and the hapless dummy became filled with the beams, high pitched keening noises filling the air in a building crescendo. Bits of the dummy went flying off in all directions only to be hunted down by the beams and obliterated. One arm went flying towards Silas who lifted his shield the moment before it was ripped to shreds just an inch from him.

The last beam pulled itself from where orb had stood and struck the ground, the dummy all but gone. Jacob felt to his knees, blood dripping down from his nose. He let out a loud cough and a splatter of red erupted from his muzzle, landing on the white tiled floor in front of him.

"Jake!"

Rex grabbed his shoulder, resting a gentle paw on his chest.

"Sorry," Jacob grunted. "Forgot to shout out my attack name... It's called 'Ultima Thule' by the way..."

Rex shook his head in disbelief. "How... How'd you come up with that so fast?"

"You know how I say those weird things now and then...?" he grimaced. "Well... turns out, they might make some sense if you just know how to read into it. Looked deep into myself like you said. I didn't let Realmbreaker_define me but I defined _Realmbreaker."

The look in Rex's face was confusing. His smile was bright and proud but there was worry in his eyes. The way his ears were folded back spoke of a deeper insecurity and the way he was gripping Jacob's shoulder was almost restraining. "That's amazing, Jake! But don't overexert yourself. Let's get you to a doctor." He straightened and shouted over his shoulder for a medic.

Cal and Silas headed over immediately and hoisted Jacob up on their shoulders. Several medical officers arrived far sooner than expected carrying a gurney. In all likelihood, they had been watching the entire spectacle. Jacob indicated that he was fine to walk but Rex pushed him down on the hovering, metal platform where he was carried away from the simulator room. As he passed the operations deck, however, he noticed that the observers were simply a buzz with the development. Alicia hurried to his side while Cal and Silas flanked him dutifully.

He lay on the gurney, closing his eyes with his head turned to the side. Every few minutes, a cough would wrack his body, the bursts of blood from his lips slowly trickling away. The medics were already injecting him with some metabolic agents and they had strapped an IV with a modified nutrient serum to be absorbed directly into his bloodstream to his arm.

"That was amazing," Alicia said. She immediately blushed when he regarded her with one opened eye. "If you don't mind me saying, Sir."

"It wasn't really that special," Jacob murmured.

"Hell yes it was!" exclaimed Cal with a laugh. "You know it took His Royal Stardom three months to come up with his first signature move? Still likes to use it to this day."

"Desolation Grid. I know. Gale told me. It took Gale a while year to perfect his Wind Blades."

The former nerd of SWORD gave him a bright smile. "You spoke with Gale about this stuff?"

Jacob closed his eyes for a brief moment and suddenly began coughing again, blood bursting from his nostrils. "Y - Yeah," he stammered as the doctors hastily attempted to keep him from bleeding out. "Sorry... Still finding it hard to get control of this thing."

"What thing?" asked Cal.

"The thing that's going to be more of a plot device than comedic relief." A ragged cough left him. It was a big one and he kept his fangs tightly gnashed together to keep himself from spraying blood all over Alicia's dress. That only ended with the blood backing up in his muzzle and him being forced to choke it back. "Don't tell Rex..." he muttered. "But I worked with Gale for the past few hours trying to get it under control..."

"You mean the stupid crazy things you say aren't just bouts of insanity?" grunted Silas.

"Not really. They're like..." Jacob struggled to describe what he saw. "Visions. I can see... possibilities. Not the future, exactly, but... like what could_be if things were already different. Maybe it might let me look into the future but just trying to focus long enough to even get something _sensible melts my brain..." He grimaced and rubbed his temples. A doctor seized his paw and told him not to do that. "Let's just say that I spent the last three hours with Gale trying to make sense of what I was seeing... and I saw... that move. Ultima Thule."

Silas didn't looked impressed even though he said, "You still came up with a signature move faster than any other Elemental Lord. Your brother should be afraid." He eyed Jacob curiously. "Then again... that's what you were going for, wasn't it? Knock down the head asshole a few pegs to get brownie points with everyone else?"

Alicia instantly jumped do his defence. "Mr. Reaper isn't like that!"

"Actually..." Jacob began lifted his paw. "That was only half my intention. Rex just really pissed me off and Gale told me - and I completely agree - that the only way to really shut him up is to give him something to be afraid of, something that he can't just brag about and muscle his way through. Only way I figure we could do that is -"

For the first time, Silas actually cracked a smile. "Force him to reconsider something he can't possibly understand. Clever."

Jacob offered the grouchy lupine a grin as he was carried into the infirmary. "Remember! Tell no one! You want Rex to stay silent, don't tell anyone else!"

Silas grinned and gave him a full-on salute. "You can count on _all_of us."

******

Some truths always hold true regardless of time, location or situation. One such truth was that hospital food was downright terrible. By the time he was given the clean bill of health two hours after his little display, he had been fed and watered by the medics and doctors, being forced to scarf down the high nutrient synthetic food that he had been given to help in his recovery. Admittedly, he was feeling much better when he finally got out of the highly sterilized environment.

He asked one of the doctors where the training yard was and after explaining that he had no intention of exerting himself so soon, he was directed to the ground level. It was there that he found the indoor gymnasium cast mostly in dark. There was one punching bag, however, that kept swinging back and forth as thick, meaty paws slammed hard into them. The rhythm was occasionally broken when the owner of those paws balanced himself on his thick tail and slammed his enormous, bare feet into the bag.

Jacob stood by the door for a few moments longer, watching Marcus beat the punching bag shirtless. Though still with a layer of fat that kept Marcus' abdominals from being chiselled, the short, sweat-drenched brown fur still outlined every muscle perfectly. He had to shake his head free of the depraved thoughts in his mind before stepping into the gymnasium.

Marcus let out one more combo before speaking. "I heard you humiliated your brother today." He let out another punch that almost sent the bag sailing. "Twice."

"I didn't mean to," Jacob responded, catching the punching bag. "Well... the second time, anyway. The first time, I totally meant to cave his muzzle in."

He braced himself, holding the bag steady. Marcus let out a series of punches. The bag slammed against Jacob's chest, barely cushioned by the lightly padded shirt that Gale had given him, one that bore a semblance to the ill-fitting one that Rex had procured for him. This one was still black but had a plunging v neck to show off just enough of his chest hair to be tasteful. He had originally protested as he was uncomfortable with the exposure but Gale insisted, saying that the white trimmings made it look like he was exposing a lot of his chest when in reality, it was very little.

"He deserved it," Marcus snarled, throwing another series of punches. "You know after he woke up from you knocking him out, he demanded that I oversee the formations of the Sky Wardens_for tomorrow's gala? He gave me specific instructions on how many times they should fire into the air and where they were positioned. Then he _still ordered me to get my troops out there and practice until the sun sets! I mean... fuck!" He emphasised the last word with a heavy punch. Jacob's steel-capped, black boots scraped across the ground.

"With any luck, he'll be too focused on trying to outshine me than actually tormenting everyone else," Jacob answered. "My guess is that for the little exhibition match tomorrow, he'll hire a few people to demand he fight against me or fight someone right after me so that he can show off his prowess." He inclined his head to the side as Marcus gave the bag another powerful punch. "Does it disturb you that even in our highly advanced society, we still draw entertainment from brutal combat?"

"Not really." Marcus grunted with another punch. "People like to feel in control. They know there's a war going on in Welensha. They know the Unsealed are stalking in the shadows and there are Tribals in Oxis. When people stand in the bleachers, knowing that the money they paid for those seats is funding the people fighting in front of them, it makes them feel like, somehow, they're in control of those beasts who are -" He threw another punch, causing Jacob to fall back another inch. "... way better than them."

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

Marcus wiped his brow and bent down to pick up a bottle of water. Jacob tried not to eye his glorious, taut muscles in motion. "You know the annual MODD games, right? Where athletes with Seals compete against one another for medals?"

"And where every event always has an 'official MODD representative'?" Jacob finished with a faint smile. "Yeah, I remember. Gale always participates in the aerial acrobatics event. If I remember correctly, Sherry likes chess. I don't remember you ever participating though."

"Used to be pole vault," Marcus said. "Then I got too big for the pole. Don't compete anymore except when Gale twists my arm for the final events."

"Exhibition matches."

Marcus took a swing from his nearby drink and nodded while his muzzle was still full. Once he swallowed, he said, "That's the one. It's always a match between the Elemental Lords and some SWORD member. I think Gale won the match three years ago."

"I remember when Rex won his first games," Jacob said. "I almost_thought he'd call us that day." He shook his head. "My brother is _such an ass."

"He really is," Marcus agreed. He grabbed the bag from Jacob. "You want a go and pretend you're giving your brother another knuckle sandwich?"

As tempting as that was, Jacob had other plans. "Not tonight." He hiked his thumb over his shoulder. "You promised to see if we could finish a campaign tonight, remember? Was wondering if you'd be up for a game."

The sweaty roo seemed a little surprised by the offer but gave him a wry smile anyway. "Sure. How much hard work can a glorified videogame be anyway?"

Jacob didn't respond, giving him a faint smile and just gestured that he be followed out of the gym.

"You know, I kind of expected you to make some random comment that doesn't make sense," Marcus admitted.

"What? You mean like the fact that the last time people playing these games had to wear suits and the games are effectively thinly veiled gladiatorial battles because the author just loves sexy, muscular, barely clothed Roman men wielding swords? Or how we've been promised fifty classes and it'll be interesting to see if the author actually has written and planned them or will just make them up? Or what about the fact that, thus far, all parts of my new attire have been described from my jacket, shirt and boots but for some reason my pants haven't been mentioned. They're black cargo pants with silver linings and that wolf emblem on my right pant leg by the way."

Marcus stopped for a moment and frowned at him. "Yeah... that..." He continued following him towards the elevator.

Jacob only responded when he hit the 'up' button to take them to the simulation bay. "I spent a good portion of the afternoon training with Gale on ways to control it. I've managed to cut down my madness by <insert arbitrary percentage here>."

"What? I didn't get anything after 'by'."

Jacob grinned broadly and shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I've gotten it somewhat under control. Hopefully I won't bleed out at the exhibition match tomorrow."

"Oh right..." Marcus drummed his fingers absently against his pumped arms. "Any idea who you'll be standing up against?"

"With my luck? You. I bet Rex would just love that."

A derisive grunt left Marcus. "You're good, Reaper, but you're nowhere near my level."

"I'll say. I almost passed out after my 'signature move'. I probably can't throw more than a few Realmbreaker bolts either. I've also been advised that I shouldn't throw them or I might end up tearing through someone." Jacob wiggled his fingers for emphasis. "We tried seeing if any form of shielding may stop the bolts but even the strongest starship shield can't stop it. Incidentally, don't go to the toilet in the Supreme Swarm. Apparently, the bolt may have punctured some critical plumbing..."

Marcus cringed at his words. "If Rex were smart, he wouldn't put you on display then."

"If Rex were smart," Jacob responded and he got a snicker from Marcus for that.

They rode the elevator in silence even as a few people stepped in and stopped off at a few floors. It amazed Jacob how no one pointed out Marcus' partial nudity or even stared. There were a few that he knew would have had sensitive senses of smell but none of them even cringed at the thick, musky, sweaty scent emanating from the roo. It was a mix of manly sweat and the smell of the soil after a summer rainstorm. He tried not to think about it as a few of the other travellers glanced at him and gave him a nod of approval. A smile in return was his usual gesture.

When it was finally their stop, they found that the simulator bay was completely empty. Curfew was just two and a half hours away so he doubted anyone would want to be spending their last few hours of waking training. That didn't matter. He was sure the campaign wouldn't take more than an hour anyway. Unless Marcus had gotten rusty.

They stepped into the closest simulator bay and Jacob brought up the operator's menu.

"So what's the campaign this time?" Marcus asked, rolling his shoulders. "Do you want me to be the tank? Damage dealer? Or do you want to take a spin at getting hit for once?"

Jacob smiled. "Just go with whatever feels natural. This campaign _should_be fairly easy for you."

Marcus looked up from his own menu. "We're not going through the previous campaign? And are you suggesting that I suck at this game?"

"No offense, but I was carrying our team back there." He selected the campaign, plucking it from the menu as the dizzying orb of images and numbers in his paw. "Though if you want to go for the authentic experience, you really won't need any of those classes."

He tossed the ball to the ground and it shattered just like before. However, instead of a rust-red ground and grim, blood-red sky, a hard packed dirt ground unveiled before them flanked by wooden fences and fields of wheat as tall as they were. A bright red farmhouse sat a short distance away and an archaic windmill poked its head out of the wheat. Somewhere in the distance, a cow mooed. A gentle, summer breeze brushed through his fur, prompting him to turn around to face Marcus.

The roo took the sights in with an open jaw, eyes wide. "Jake... what is this...?"

"I still didn't get the chance to apologise to you for teasing you about you being so far in the closet that you've probably come out in an alternate dimension," Jacob answered with a shrug. "So as a means of making it up to you, I built this campaign. Nothing serious." He held up his paws. "It's mostly just some simple objectives that has us doing typical farm work. Very vanilla. No aliens invading. No Unsealed, Clans or rogue MODD agents. Just farm stuff."

Marcus frowned at him, his expression otherwise unreadable. "You built all this in eight hours?"

Jacob tapped the side of his head. "Like I told you, _Realmbreaker_lets me see things. It hurts like hell and I passed out a couple of times but Gale and Sherry helped me put it together. I'm pretty good at VBSim programming but I just needed the authentic experience from them and they've been out to the farmlands. I based this all on their description. I got inspiration for the idea from a guy who fell in love with a werewolf and spouts nonsense when he's nervous and whatever he says is always an acronym of what he really means."

A look of worry crossed the roo's features. "Oh... you spoke to Gale and Sherry, huh?"

"I did. They told me all about how you came from a place where if you don't have sex at least once a day, you're considered impotent." Before Marcus could protest, Jacob continued. "I was just being colourful. They also told me how when you moved here, you had to adopt this grouchy, rough persona to keep people from even daring to mention the fact that you were raised in the sticks. You're afraid that if anyone ever associated you with the farms, you'd lose all your credibility."

"It's not that simple," Marcus growled. "And since when have _you_cared about other people's problems? Don't you just want to get things done and then go back to your life?"

Jacob pursed his lips. "I realised that continuing in such a manner would make be very much like Rex and if you hadn't noticed, I'm not very fond of my brother. I'm not saying I don't _want_to go back to the way things were. I'll just be taking little detours here and there."

"So glad I warrant a detour." Marcus grumbled and turned towards the farmhouse. "Look, I don't need your sympathy, okay? I'm not scared of what other people think of me. I'm not gay. Maybe I was before but not anymore."

"Something else I learned today," Jacob said, crossing his arms. "If we keep telling ourselves something is true, then we end up believing it. I kept telling myself that I pulled myself out of the Worldriders to take care of my dad and that I didn't blame Rex for abandoning us. The fact that I _really_wanted to kill Rex back there told me that I was just lying to myself."

He pointed at Marcus. "You and I both know that you're attracted to men and you're scared as hell about what people will think of you. Our society doesn't care what gender you associate with or you sleep with but you're just scared as hell that if anyone learned you were gay, they'd associate that with your rural upbringing and that'd damage all the work you've put into building up your reputation."

"You're just telling me what Sherry has already said."

"Maybe so but I'm here to tell you that I've conveniently programmed this entire simulation not to let us out until we finish all of the chores around the place. I've _also_convinced Gale to lift the curfew for us so that we'll be stuck here until we finish the campaign. If you don't believe me, Gale is in the operations deck right now. Say 'hi' Gale."

"Hi Jake. Marcus."

Marcus, wide-eyed and shocked, stared at Jacob with his muzzle half-open. "You're a psychopath."

"I'll take that as a compliment." He hiked a thumb towards the farmhouse. "So are you going to help me shovel some cow shit or are you going to sit there a mope?"

With little else to complain about, Marcus grumbled and stormed down the path ahead of Jacob towards the farmhouse. There was a stiffness in his tail that told Jacob the poor roo was desperately trying to keep his appendage from thumping the ground either in barely contained rage of poorly veiled excitement. It was with a degree of optimism that he hoped for the latter.

Large, yellow exclamation marks dotted the farmlands indicating their objectives. Marcus gave him a sour look for the break in believability but Jacob just shrugged and headed to the closest one, a pig pen where some generic pigs with some rather basic AI were wandering around, letting out oinking noises and rolling around in the mud. Marcus didn't even need instruction and just moved towards the adjacent barn where he picked up two bags of feed in his broad shoulders and carried them towards the pen. Jacob could only heft one but that was all that was needed to feed fill the troughs with feed.

Marcus poured the contents of the bag into one trough while the pigs eagerly gathered around. Jacob filled another and then they both poured the last into the third. The ferals distributed themselves evenly and once each one was happily eating away, the exclamation mark turned into a big, green tick.

There was about three seconds where Marcus just watched the animals feed before he remembered that he was angry with Jacob and stormed towards the next objective. The chickens, goats, sheep and cows needed to be fed and watered and each one brought them closer and closer to their objective. Perhaps the deranged form of therapy was finally working but after the fifth objective was completed, Marcus spent a good minute brushing down a cow's hide with his paw before huffing and heading towards the fields.

A harvester was waiting for them and Marcus immediately leapt into the driver's seat while Jacob just hung from the little cabin and let the roo drive. In the interest of time, Jacob had ensured that they just needed to harvest a certain part of the wheat fields. The exclamation mark ticked slowly up to 100% until they reached that limit. Marcus went all the way up to 150% before he decided he had enough and jumped out of the harvester.

The roo didn't move in a huff anymore and just took his time heading towards the vegetable patches where they were tasked to once again harvest a certain amount of crops. This task Jacob had designed to utilise both of them as he jumped into the Farm Strider, a spindly four-legged contraption designed to move along vegetable patches with a large container on its back for workers to put their crops in. Marcus went down the rows of cabbages, carrots and broccoli, meticulously inspecting each one and throwing them into the Strider's trunk. Jacob didn't dare mention that he had really just copied and pasted the same asset over and over again so there was really nothing to inspect.

Marcus actually finished sorting through all the cabbages before he stopped for a moment. He lifted his nose to the air and took a deep breath. Jacob just watched from where he sat in the Strider.

"Trust Gale to know exactly what farmlands smell like," laughed the roo softly. "People say that if he stood at the edge of the Tower, he could manipulate the winds of the world and know instantly where someone is on the planet."

"You know that's most likely bullshit."

Marcus snickered and nodded. "Yeah... It most likely is."

With no words, the roo pulled off his sneakers and socks and threw them into the cabin with Jacob. He let out a long sigh as his bare feet rubbed into the dirt beneath him. "Thank you for this," he said. "Really. Despite the deranged way you coerced me into doing this... I really needed it."

Jacob smiled and tilted one ear to the side. "Well, I guess it's confession time then." Marcus gave him a questioning look. "I really didn't trap us in here. I've got an escape command that I can pull if need be. Gale isn't in the observation deck laughing at us right now. That was just a pre-recording. And, in about five seconds, curfew will kick in and end the simulation."

On cue, the alarms blared and the simulation began to dissipate. Jacob dropped off the Strider as it too vanished back into the white landscape of the simulation.

"You didn't need to trick me to get into a simulation like that, you know," Marcus said.

"Considering how you nearly ripped my head off because I made that simulation, I was right to!" Jacob laughed. He held out Marcus' sneakers for the roo to collect. "Why'd you leave the farm anyway if you miss it so much?"

Marcus took the shoes and began slipping them back on. "Because of a guy."

"A guy?" Jacob repeated, the edge of mockery on his voice. "You. Big, bad, grouchy, ridiculously straight Marcus Willows left his home and comfort zone for a guy."

"Not for a guy," Marcus answered, fighting the grin on his muzzle. "Because of a guy. Eric left... and I followed." The roo waved his paw through the air, gesturing that they end the trial of conversation there. "But you know what? I'm not going to ruin this night because of that." A genuine smile touched Marcus' lips. "Thank you, Jake. I had a great time."

That small smile, no matter how quickly it faded, made the hours of programming, designing and the few hours of hard manual labour worth it. For a brief moment, Jacob felt like he had given something to Marcus that more than made up for how he had acted back at the construction yard. It was a good feeling and one he had forgotten since his mother had died. "Anytime."

Still with a touch of that smile on his lips, Marcus hiked a thumb towards the shower. "So, feel like taking a shower with me?"

Jacob laughed softly and came up next to the roo. "You know what? Sure. I mean, you're straight, right?"

The roo gave him a light nudge. "Just stop with the jokes, will you? I'm gay. I admit it. I'm gay." He cupped his paws over his muzzle. "Hear that world!? Marcus Willows is gay!"

The declaration echoed in the empty simulator room. Had there been more people around, Jacob was sure it would have had a greater effect but he kept his muzzle shut on that. Marcus accepting his sexuality was a step in the right direction. Now it was just his crippling fear of it affecting his life that needed to be dealt with.

"You don't believe me."

Jacob caught Marcus' accusing stare. "No, no. I totally believe you're gay. No questions asked."

"No you don't," accused the burly roo. "You're thinking that right after we take a shower, I'll go back to being old grouchy Marcus Willows, right? Well, you're right. But before then..."

Marcus' big paws suddenly gripped the sides of Jacob's head. Their lips pressed against one another and Marcus' long tongue pushed into Jacob's stunned muzzle. Electricity sparked between their pressed noses and Jacob's heart skipped a beat only to redouble its efforts to push blood towards his cock. Caught in the moment and too stunned for cognitive thought, Jacob seized Marcus' tight, muscular ass and pull their hips together. He could feel the heat of Marcus' growing arousal through the tight gym shorts.

They let out a groan at the same time...

... and at the same time, opened their eyes that they barely even knew were closed.

Their mistake was locking gazes because at that moment, all rational thought returned. Jacob instantly pulled away and Marcus practically pushed him away.

"Um... erm..." Jacob began. He gestured at the door. "I just remembered that there's this Jacuzzi in my room that I've been dying to try out. Rain check?"

"Y - Yeah! Sure!" stammered Marcus. "I - I forgot my... ah erm... hairbrush in the barracks."

"Great! See you tomorrow then!"

They both headed towards the door at the same time but upon realising that there was only one exit and one long hallway to the elevator, they froze.

"On second thought, who needs a hairbrush," Marcus announced loudly, his voice rising a few pitches. "I'm going to bed anyway. Goodnight!" He spun and walked stiffly into the showers, almost marching.

Jacob watched him go... and almost kicked himself for thinking just how _hot_that kiss was.

******

Once again, the world was dark and only broken by the eerie cracks of light in the ground. Immediately recognising where he was, Jacob turned a full circle to take in his surroundings. The circle of light protecting the group of people trapped in the dark hell was not too far away and he immediately made his way over. The shimmering wall of light seemed to have grown smaller and the number of people huddled within its confines had dropped.

Remembering the presence of the Puritan, Jacob summoned a bolt of _Realmbreaker_as he made his way over. The sight of the beam of light caught the attention of one of the few people standing guard and immediately shouted for alarm. The prisoners hurried to the edge of the barrier, urging Jacob to hurry and cross the wall towards them. Since they weren't attacking, Jacob took that as an invitation and hurried over, stepping into the safe confines of the wall.

The frigid air still blew and seemed to sap the strength from his muscles but the presence of others was comforting at the very least. The young bull he had seen almost get eaten by the Puritan, Darren, welcomed him and gestured that they sit towards one of the cracks in the ground which he realised were a little more like vents of heat.

"My name is Darren McKinney," the young man said. "What's your name?"

"Jake," he answered shortly. "Mind explaining to me where we are?"

For a moment, Darren looked a little surprised at the question then his expression filled with a degree of understanding. "Oh... I get it. You were sucked through the Tor and expected death or something, didn't you?"

"We're inside a Tor!?" He glanced from left to right, stunned at the blackened, barren landscape. "Seriously?"

Darren gave him a quizzical look. "You mean Dorothy didn't open her _Tor_in front of you and you were drawn into it?"

"No. Last thing I remember, I was going to bed and now I'm here."

The bull shook his head miserably. "She must've been hungry then... The more people she takes into her Tor and gets consumed by that thing, the stronger she gets." Darren glanced over his shoulder at the others huddled together. "We were all farmers working underneath the Boswins. I don't know why you were thrown in here without your knowledge but for most of us, we fell too far into debt with them and as 'punishment' or as a 'warning' to our families, we were sucked into Dorothy's Seal."

"Boswin..." Jacob murmured, calling the name of his client as a Worldrider. He also remembered that Joanna hand mentioned Caroline Boswin was the daughter of the head of the Boswin family. "Hold up, that woman who was defending you all called herself Dorothy Boswin."

The young man gave him a wry smile. "Messed up, isn't it? I can't make sense of it either. Maybe it's her guilty conscience or something. I dunno." He shrugged sadly. "All I know is that she's the only one keeping us safe from the Puritan. That... and you." He nodded at Jacob. "But... last time, you just up and vanished. What was up with that?"

Jacob wasn't sure but he was sure of a way to find out. He closed his eyes and just let himself go, relinquishing all restraints and reservations. He emptied his mind just like Gale had taught him and trusted his instincts. When his mind was free and flushed of all thought, everything just came rushing in. As far as he understood it, only his will kept Realmbreaker from flooding him with the brain-melting information and when he relaxed his mental barriers, the weapon hit him with all it had.

He saw flashes of sights, sounds, scents and sensations. It was all a confusing blur like watching fifty different TV shows overlayed upon one another all in superfast forward. Nausea and dizziness began encroaching upon his consciousness and he knew the headaches would soon follow before the nosebleeds began. It had happened so many times when he had tried peering into _Realmbreaker_before with Gale. But as he had learned from the Elemental Lord, he focused on one point... and tried to just extract similar images from the flurry of images.

From it... he saw fifteen enormous doors arranged in a circle, each with a person standing in front of them all. Explosions rang out in the background and he could hear unholy roars mixed with pained screams. The doors sprang open at the same time. They were pulling at one another... trying to pull something into them. Then there a sound like a thunderclap... and a tremendous tearing sound. A bolt of lightning rocketed up from the centre of the fifteen doors. A flash of light spilled from the tear. The doors abruptly shut... and all was silent.

All that remained... was a single man dressed in armour... and wearing a cape of stars. In front of him was the silver sword, Realmbreaker embedded into the ground. The man suddenly turned, his alien blue eyes staring straight at Jacob.

That alien stare knocked Jacob back to reality like he had been hit with a hammer. He shook his head, stunned that Darren was still staring at him.

"You alright there?" the athletic bovine asked.

Jacob quickly checked his nose. Thankfully, he hadn't started bleeding. "I'm not really here," he said. "Back on Mortaelis, I'm still in bed sleeping. But there was this weapon, Realmbreaker, that was fused with me. And I think it somehow transcends the barriers of time and space." He drummed his fingers on his thigh while he sat cross-legged across from Darren. "I don't think Realmbreaker really is a weapon... not really. It's more of a... phenomenon. A tear in our world. It would've expanded over time and swallowed us all into nothingness but... someone or some_thing_ contained it within a sword. Then it got fused with me and somehow I'm able to use it to slip past barriers like this. Kind of like an astral projection if you want to define it."

Darren just stared at him blankly. "What?"

Jacob shook his head and waved away the comment. "Don't worry about it. I'm trying to make sense of it myself." He massaged his temples, trying to make sense of the imagery. As much as he wanted to peer further into Realmbreaker, he all but died of blood loss after delving into it and then unleashing Ultima Thule. Gale had warned him of overuse. He still remembered Marcus' analysis of his abilities and the threat of giving himself an aneurism.

"How did you get here anyway?" Jacob asked, peering up at Darren.

The young man gave him a wry smile and cast his gaze over his shoulder. "Some of us were thrown in here because we displeased the Boswins in some way or another. Messed up Winston's tea and suddenly, you're thrown to Dorothy. Didn't cut that hedge just like he wanted, to Dorothy. Didn't leave fast enough when Winston told you to go, to Dorothy." He sighed and cast his gaze down. "Me though...? My best friend was to marry Caroline, Dorothy's older sister. But then I learned that she killed him. The Boswins found out and I got thrown to Dorothy. Last I remember, that fat sow was looming over me and then there was this big, black door behind her..."

"A Tor..." Jacob murmured softly. He glanced around, peering past the wall of light. "This is the world beyond a Tor... Then that means..." He remembered his first 'vision' and the two monolithic statues he saw. If Dorothy Boswin was a sow... and she had a sister... Then one of those statues must have been...

"You're back."

He turned his head just as Dorothy Boswin stepped into the circle of light. There were many relieved sighs from the others especially as Dorothy brought with her a sack built from the tattered remains of people's clothing. She set it down on the ground and began extracting some strange, blackish-blue fruit from inside. The survivors all hurried to take it from her, eagerly munching on the succulent juices. Jacob could smell the flesh of the fruit from where he sat and it stank like mildewy rags.

Dorothy came over to them and offered them both a fruit. Jacob refused but Darren took it with thanks. She sat down beside them, chewing on some fruit herself.

"I was wondering when you would show up again," she said. "After you suddenly vanished like that, I was starting to wonder if you were really there or not. But after you beat back the Puritan..."

"So that really was a Puritan..." Jacob murmured softly. "Damn..."

"And you have something that can easily defeat them it seems," Dorothy said, nodding at Jacob's paws. "What I learned from history books is that even a one-winged Puritan needed at least ten men and a hell of a lot of explosives to stop. Then there's the big ones like Eve and Michael..."

Jacob popped his jaw at the memory of the Puritan Michael. According to the history books, Michael was a ten-winged Puritan that came up from the south. Back then, Welensha and Rillotia was only divided by land borders but Michael had this habit of spontaneously erupting, causing a burst of energy that could level entire cities. Michael travelled up from the south and just continued to erupt. When he made landfall, his eruptions cleaved entire coastlines and flooding the subsequent crater afterwards. He effectively cleaved the Rillotia-Welensha border into the land with his eruptions, only stopping briefly when the combined forces of the two countries stopped him and sent him flying over about a hundred miles... only for him to start erupting again. The result, after he was defeated, was what became known as 'Michael's Straight', a single piece of land that bridged the gap between Rillotia and Welensha and acted as the only land-based way to cross the countries. On either side of the straight, to the northeast and south, was the ocean, sheer cliffs flanking both sides of the devastated country.

To think even a one-winged Puritan stood within Dorothy's Seal...

"Our mystery wolf here says he's really not here," said Darren, gesturing at Jacob with a sarcastic smile. "He says he's having some sort of... I dunno... 'Astral projection' into this place or something."

Jacob thought fast. Last time, he had woken himself from his nightmare in the icy wastes by finding a door and passing through, the Tor. Realmbreaker_had helped him open it. The other time, Alicia had woken him. He wasn't sure if he could find that _Tor in this world and help the others escape but it was worth a shot.

"You can go out there without the Puritan hunting you, right?" he asked Dorothy.

"More or less," she responded with a wry smile. "I can defend myself against it but it can still attack me. It tends not to though."

"Good. Did you ever find your Tor out there?"

Dorothy shook her head. "It's too dark... I didn't think there was an equivalent on this side."

"Doors need to lead to somewhere," he said. "Listen, I don't know how much time I have left until I wake up so here's the thing. You need_to find the _Tor. I can open it. Maybe if we can find it and open it, we can all free you."

Darren's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Don't be shitting me..."

"I'm not." He gave the bull a fierce stare. "Before, I would've given this off to some hallucination or lucid but now that it's happened twice, I'm more inclined to believe this is something else. I don't know the details but if we find the Tor, I'm sure we can save you all."

Dorothy pursed her lips... before nodding. "I'll search for it. But you need to take a message to my sister in return."

"Caroline?" He decided not to mention that he was meant to meet her to make a delivery. "Sure. What is it?"

The burly sow lifted three fingers. "When you meet her, she won't believe that you've met me. So I need you to tell her these three things. First, Reggie's death was not her fault. She had to do it. No one blames her and I certainly don't." Darren huffed and Dorothy nudged him. "Second, the combination to the safe is 4083. And lastly..." Dorothy's eyes grew sorrowful. "Well... Next opportunity you get, find a silver teaspoon. It doesn't matter where. If she still doesn't believe you after the second point, just hold up the silver teaspoon."

Jacob gave her a dubious look. "A teaspoon? Are you serious?"

"Just trust me," Dorothy insisted. "Silver teaspoon. Remember that."

******

Gale's Tower was in full swing even before midday. Rex had planned not only a formal evening with the elite of Pollenburn, but also a carnival for the local residents during the day. By ten in the morning, the Tower's secure doors were wide open and families were pouring in to spend money on corny booths, cheap rides and photo opportunities with SWORD members alike. Tours of the tower were given but naturally certain areas were restricted. Jacob was confined to the middle levels as the tours allowed for people to head on up to the top floors where they could see the Hive Queens and the rest of Gale's fleet hovering over the Tower.

That was perfectly fine with Jacob who mulled over what he had experienced the previous night. He had showered and put on the clothes Alicia had given him without question. He barely noticed that it was almost like the attire Gale had given him with the addition of a standard white, MODD SWORD coat. Jacob threw aside the coat as he had no intention of leaving his room. He didn't even pay much attention to Alicia who watching him pace the room for well over two hours.

When his stomach growled at about two in the afternoon, he was knocked out of his mulling and turned to notice her.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Since I gave you your clothes, Mr. Reaper," answered Alicia softly.

Jacob growled at himself and shook his head. "Sorry... I've been... distracted."

"Does the exhibition match this evening worry you?"

He shook his head. "No. It's not that. It's something else." He gazed out of his bay view window at the carnival that courtyard of the Tower had become. "What do you know about the Boswins?"

"One of the six families that hold the most power in Pollenburn," answered Alicia. "They, the Lockwoods, Merrimonts, Naremuras, L'shantes and the Calgary families practically control one part of the infrastructure of the city. Lockwoods rule the building commissions and construction, Merrimonts govern the roads and transport and trade, the Naremuras practically own every clinic, hospital and pharmacy in the city while the L'shantes own or at least have the controlling share in most car dealerships. The Calgary family are extremely religious and they have spiritual pull."

"And the Boswins own the farmlands," Jacob finished.

"Yes. The only aspect of the city they don't control is the city's defences and power. MODD owns that. They're ultimately reliant on MODD to provide them with Seals."

"Good thing MODD doesn't force them to pay any sort of ownership tax for possessing Seals," Jacob murmured. "Just maintenance, insurance and the constant flow of power from the Seal Generators." He gazed down into the courtyard and frowned. "Do any of the Boswins have a synchronisation rate about 90%? You know, the power to summon a Tor?"

Alicia let out a soft laugh. "Of course not. Those capable of summoning a _Tor_are automatically promoted to the level of an Elemental Lord."

"So Gale can...?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "But he never uses it. No one has ever seen his Tor. I heard your brother is the one that shows it off the most though." She got a dreamy look in her eyes. "It's so beautiful. Like seeing something crafted out of the stars themselves."

"I wouldn't be surprised..."

Sensing his mood, she cautiously said, "Is something brothering you, sir?"

He gave her question some thought. "Just one thing. Can you go out and find me a silver teaspoon please?"

She inclined her head to the side. "Did you want some tea? I can make you some nice rose tea."

"No thank you. Just a silver teaspoon. If you could get it to me before tonight's festivities that'd be great."

Probably thinking he had gone absolutely insane, she gave him a very maid-like bow and muttered acknowledgement. She turned and finally left him though when she opened the door, Sherry Stormrock stepped inside, leaving the door open for the maid to pass through.

"I see you've grown accustomed to getting your maid to fetch your things," Sherry said critically.

"Don't read too much into it," Jacob responded with a faint smirk. "What can I do for you?"

"Keep me company," answered the hawk, shutting the door behind her. She pulled off her own coat and hung it on the coat rack beside the door. Her heavy, high heeled boots clacked against the floor while she headed over to the kitchenette and began boiling some water. "The festivities downstairs are... amusing but you can only take so many photographs with flashes included before your eyes start to bleed. Plus little children have a habit of trying to pluck out my feathers and, naturally, I must be polite and tell them to keep it."

"Awww, you don't like little kids?" Jacob taunted as the kettle, naturally powered by Seals, came to a boil.

"I am better suited for the battlefield," she responded, plucking a few teabags from the cabinet and setting them into some porcelain teacups. She went over to food manufacturer and ordered up some scones. Several Seals of flour, eggs and various other ingredients went to work creating the freshly baked scones for them both. "Children are adorable but I have never fancied myself as a mother." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "What of you? Ever thought of fatherhood?"

"Honestly? No." He shrugged helplessly. "Go ahead, point out the limitation about me. Ride my ass on the fact that I've never given thought to much beyond taking care of my dad and doing occasional jobs with the Worldriders and not doing anything about it despite the fact I'm well aware of it."

Sherry smiled as she poured the hot water into the tea and let it simmer. She brought the scones and teacups to the small table beside Jacob's window and sat down. "I suppose being gay didn't help your case, did it?"

"Might've been a factor," he agreed, taking the seat opposite to her. "But I've never given it much thought." He realised that the scones were a little plain and told her he'd grab some jab and cream. At the food manufacturer, he tapped the screen and let the Seals do their work. "You know, I never got how the Seals could work independently without someone controlling them," he admitted. "I mean, I know the process of copying the Seals. They're basically just symbols that you draw on something and it should work. But everything else kind of went over my head."

Sherry glanced over her shoulder at him, inclining her head to the side. "Truly? You do not know how something that permeates your everyday life works?"

"I didn't go to college, remember? Hell, I didn't even finish... high school... exactly..."

The hawk looked taken aback. "But... I thought you...?"

Jacob lifted his fingers, slowly counting off the points. "Rex left when I was fourteen. Mom died at fifteen. Never finished high school."

She smiled at him wanly. "And yet here you are possessing perhaps the greatest weapon in all of Mortaelis and still rather well educated."

"I had to teach myself some pretty basic things," he responded, taking the bottle of jam and cream to the table. "Bought some books here and there and read what I could but never had a proper education. Physics, chemistry, Seal tech..." He flung a paw over his head. "Just goes right past me."

"I'd be happy to educate you then," she responded, draping one leg over the other. She broke a scone in half and used a butterknife to spread some jam and cream over it. "You are right. Seals can be easily copied. Anything with a Seal drawn into it can invoke the power of the Primary Seal so long as something can tell the Seal what to do. That is what our Seal Generators do; provide the power to tell the Seals what they need to do. They don't actually power the Seals, just the instructions that maintain the Seals. The exceptions, of course, are the Forbidden Seals but that's because they are unique and activate with severe costs to the user."

"Back up," Jacob said, holding up his paws. "What about the Seals of Electricity or something like that that keep the Seal Generators up and running. If what you say is true, then what powers the Generators?" He pulled back, eyes wide in horror. "Oh god... you're not harvesting souls as power, are you?"

Sherry gave him a gentle patronising smile. "Sadly no." She took a sip from her tea and set it back down, adding some sugar to the concoction. "Why do you think Snakebite in particular developed more serpentine qualities after taking a copy of Gale's Seal?"

"Um... because he suffered from Feedback and is severely mutated him?"

The Scalpel of Pollenburn shook her head and took another sip from her tea. This time, she nodded in approval. "When you take a Seal into yourself, you spend a great amount of time attuning yourself to that Seal. However, as time goes by, you slowly begin to change the Seal. A person does not stay the same person during their lifetime and eventually, they change. The Seal senses this and changes with them.

"To this end, while we have no Elemental Lord of Electricity, we have given copies of the Seal to people and over the years, the Seals have attuned with them, eventually allowing them to use its power to the point that they are able to produce an incredible amount of energy; enough to create the beams of light you see erupting from each Seal Generator."

Jacob munched on a scone, mulling over the words. "So eventually, a person could reach the level of manifesting a Seal Weapon or Seal Armour if they have their Seal long enough."

"Indeed," agreed Sherry. "But it takes a lot of patience and during a person's lifetime, they'll perhaps increase their synchronisation rate by 15 or 20 percent even if they were infused with their Seal at a young age."

He wondered if Dorothy Boswin had just obtained her Seal when she was a child, had a high enough synch rate and became attuned with it over the years. But surely MODD regulated such things...

"And what about those Seals that don't have a wielder?" he asked, nodding towards the food manufacturer. "You said the energy from the Generators is used to maintain the Seals. How exactly?"

Sherry chuckled softly. "The Generator's aren't just sources of power, you know. They're like enormous regulators. There are dozens of bigger 'control Seals' that regulate the smaller Seals. There's one that makes sure asphalt never breaks or shatters. Another one that make sure all refrigerators run correctly according to what their users want. There's even a Seal that cleans your drinking water. Naturally not everything has a Seal but most of them do. Were they to step outside of the city's limits, the Seals would once again become inactive."

"Sounds like MODD really has earned its rank as the top Seal producer in the world," Jacob murmured. "Hard to think why the Unsealed would be opposed to them." The hawk's suddenly silence gave him pause. "What's wrong?"

"Seals... do not come cheaply," she responded softly. "As I've said, sometimes it takes a long while to reach the level of a SWORD member from a basic Seal. There is also the risk of Feedback and let us not forget the Clans that have spawned them. Plus..."

Jacob's brow furrowed. "Plus what...?"

Sherry shook her head. "It's nothing. Just a personal experience I'd rather not divulge." She set down her teacup and clapped her hands together. "But I also came here for more than the pleasant company. Rex has decided to pull you from the exhibition match."

He tried not to smile too broadly. "Gale said he would if I showed him up."

"I suspected as much." Snickering softly, Sherry said, "You're asked to attend, of course, and hopefully it won't be too boring. Your officially presentation to the public will begin as six in the evening. Rex has a grand announcement planned. Pre-dinner canapés is scheduled for five where only the rich and privileged will be graced by your company."

Raising an eyebrow at her, he asked, "Rex has you acting as his messenger hawk now?"

Despite clearly being annoyed at being used like a courier, she still gave him a smile. "Technically, he is still my superior. It does not mean I have to like it."

His paws were up in the air to show that he did not mind her honesty. "I'm all for gossiping about my brother behind his back."

"Well, alright," Sherry answered with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "After today, your brother as arranged for you to be taken to Angelsea to meet Sierra Seasinger with plans to expand your image down in Crescenta. It's also closer to Hox where the research facility best equipped to examined Realmbreaker_is. _But he's also planned a little stopover in Malwain."

Jacob frowned at the name of the southern state that was mostly desert save for the coastal areas. He had heard that state in reference to Rex's name before but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then, it came to him. "Isn't that the state where that footballer that Rex is supposedly sleeping with lives?"

Sherry's eyes gleamed and she shuffled forward in her seat. "Devlin Rooks. Number 43 of the Malwain Blue Phoenixes. I have it on good authority that those two are _indeed_seeing one another but because of both of their careers, they need to take it quietly."

Remembering the images of Devlin Rooks, the huge lupine football player was about his size, towering over Rex in both height and muscle. Devlin also looked perpetually angry and grumpy because of the colouration of his fur. "Huh... I had no idea Rex was such a size queen."

"Is he really?" Sherry asked, clearly into gossip mode. "I have seen the way he looks at Marcus. He's both envious and a lustful. My theory is that it started out as jealousy over much bigger, muscular people than himself, desiring to have that mass himself and in some way, the idea of possessing that stature evolved into the desire of being in contact with much bigger men. This naturally turned into a sexual obsession."

"Oh... okay..." Jacob said cautiously. "I vote Rex stumbled upon 'Hot Muscle Guys XXX' while surfing the net one day and popped a boner."

Sherry rolled her eyes at him but was still beaming. "And tell no one I told you this but, knowing that you like Chadstone West, he has arranged for you two to 'stumble upon one another' in Angelsea."

Jacob's eyebrows rose. "Chad West? Really? That hot muscle hunk that plays the werewolf in that Crimson Series? Rex did that?"

"My theory is that he's using you to test the waters. If people accept your sexuality and the fact that you're dating a movie star, they'll accept him too."

"Is Chad even gay?"

Sherry shrugged absently. "I don't think it matters to Rex. He just wants you to be out and proud so he can stand out himself."

It was almost... sweet that Rex was trying to get him out of the non-existent closet... almost. "That's... nice, I guess. But Chad and I would never click. He's a movie star with a college degree in anatomy and I never finished high school. Plus I've been a shut in for a good portion of my life."

He felt Sherry patting his paw gently. "You know what they say about opposites attracting." Then, she took one last scone and rose from her seat. "I best return to the gala below. I'm sure your brother is sending people to look for me now." She bit into the scone and with her beak full, she added, "Savour your freedom while you can, Jacob. Once Rex gets his claws in you, it will be _very_hard to escape."

******

Jacob took Sherry's advice and decided to wander out of his room. Silas and Cal were down at the party signing autographs and participating in whatever Rex came up with. Alicia had yet to return so that gave Jacob some freedom. He found his thoughts going straight back to Dorothy Boswin and what he had learned in that bizarre dream. He almost wished he could go back to bed and just slip back into the world beyond the Tor again.

But he had set Dorothy on her task now he had to do his part on this side of the door.

The Tower had a library built for the SWORD candidates to read up on various techniques with Seals and battle tactics to join the prestigious branch of MODD. There were only a few tours wandering through and no one really gave him a second glance especially since he grabbed a few books on Pollenburn history and entered a private room where he could read.

There wasn't much that he wasn't already told or knew though he did learn that the name of the Puritan that attacked Pollenburn was Johoel, a six-winged Puritan. The six families of Pollenburn were granted great prestige after they had helped rebuild the city in tandem with MODD and each of the heads of the family were granted a powerful Seal as thanks for rebuilding the city. The Boswin Family obtained the Seal of Prosperous Winds. Over the years, the Seal had been passed from generation to generation. Jacob used the terminals in the private room to research the Boswins and learned that the most recent head was Winston Boswin.

The jolly looking, rounded pig was constantly seen on farmlands and purportedly using his Seal to ensure that crops always grew without trouble all over the city. Apparently, he had mastered the technique his grandparents had attempted to perfect by using his Seal to manipulate both the weather and the quality of the earth, fertilizing the ground and providing rain or sunshine as was necessary. Such an ability was one of the reasons the Taranebra was such a heavy farming state. His two daughters were Caroline and Dorothy.

One look at the smaller, thin and stunningly beautiful Caroline instantly sent Jacob back down memory lane at that encounter in the icy wastes of her_Tor._ Suddenly fuelled by conspiracy theories, Jacob scootered the records for more or Caroline.

As it turns out, she had been engaged to Reginald Cornsbarrow, a lowly farmer working for the Boswin's personal farm. From all appearances, everyone was happy for the union. But then Reginald died of mysterious circumstances. Official records stated that it was because he was crushed by a tractor in a farming accident while drunk on his bachelor party. Conspiracy theorists claim that he was just another victim of the 'Boswin Curse', a creepy tale that if anyone stayed in the Boswin's direct employ for more than two years, they would die. Of course none of it was ever confirmed. The 'deaths' were just disappearances or people leaving before two years were up. Reginald's death was just fuel for the rumours.

Jacob was inclined to believe it all but...

He shut his eyes briefly... and threw open the doors of Realmbreaker.

More puzzling images flashes before his eyes. They... they didn't make a lot of sense but he could see... Caroline and Dorothy. Much different people. Definitely with Seals but... they were working together; creating a whirlwind of darkness to terrorise a 'holiday farm'; the type of farm where people pay to do farm work to get away from the city life. But that didn't feel... right. He pushed the images aside like he was turning away from it to seek something else in the confusing blur. Again he saw the two sisters but very different. They were happy, smiling and reuniting with one another after years of separation. Dorothy was a MODD soldier, Caroline happily married with several children. Again, that seemed wrong. On the third shift, he was even more confused. Dorothy stood protectively over a steel building, looking down at a busy city street filled with strange, furless ape-men... humans. Amongst them, she could see a woman holding a pink umbrella and suddenly losing it in the storm. She rushed after it only for a man to pick it up and offer it to her.

"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without this."

"No problem," answered the man. "Hi. My name is Reginald. But people call me Reggie."

"Caroline."

None of it was making any sense. None of that information was useful and he pulled back from Realmbreaker. He quickly checked his nose for bleeding and was relieved that he hadn't reached his limit already.

"I'm getting better at this."

He grabbed the books, shut off the terminal and began heading out of the quiet room. A quick check of the time told him it was still only three in the afternoon and he had about another two hours before 'pre-dinner canapés' but it was too late for lunch. Hopefully he didn't look like a pig for shovelling food into his muzzle once it was time to eat. After depositing the books back in the book bin beside the front desk, he began heading out of the library, making sure to avoid the tour groups.

As he was leaving, however, he caught a familiar scent in the air; an earthy musk with that little bit of concrete. A quick glance to his left and he caught sight of Marcus' broad back quickly heading down the hallway. Jacob's heart froze in his chest at the memory of their last meeting. Deciding quickly that today was not the best time for a confrontation, he turned and -

"Jake!"

And winced quietly to himself.

Marcus' big paw gripped his shoulder and in the span of a second where he was forced to turn around, Jacob offered a big grin.

"Hey there sexy." He kicked himself mentally for that.

The burly roo's features faltered. "Um... hey... Your brother was looking for you. Asked half the Tower to look. It's almost time for your big presentation..."

"That time, huh?" Jacob sighed and hiked a thumb over his shoulder. "Let me go grab the coat Rex picked out for me and I'll be right there."

One of Marcus' bushy eyebrows rose and he was given a sarcastic smile. "Do you even know where to go?"

He returned that look. "How about where Rex is and everyone else is pretending to have fun while either contemplating suicide or murder?"

Marcus let out a soft snicker. The library door began to open and he quickly wrapped an arm around Jacob's shoulder and guided him away from emerging tour group. "Got to be careful what you say, you know. People might talk."

There was a perfect lead in to the conversation the two of them _desperately_needed about what had happened the previous night. Jacob could just imagine how the conversation played out in his mind. He could say something like, 'You mean like how people might talk about you and me?' and Marcus would look at him stunned and start profusely denying the fact in his cute farm boy accent.

But he let it slide.

Today was not the day.

"Alright," he said simply.

The library was just a few floors above Jacob's quarters. They both stepped into an empty elevator with Jacob hitting the buttons.

"You don't have to escort me, you know," Jacob said at length, the silence only broken by his voice and the quiet whirring of the elevator. "I said I know where to go."

"Yeah well tonight is going to be a long night," Marcus answered. "I'd rather spend as little time with your brother as possible before we're forced to smile and Rex puts on a goddam show to suck up to all of Pollenburn's rich and famous."

Again, Jacob could feel the lead up there.

'You mean like how we were forced to smile last night?' he would say.

'Look, it wus jus' a little kiss. It meant nothin',' Marcus would counter. 'Still totally hot though.'

He all but physically kicked himself. Part of him almost wished his eyes would start bleeding so that he wasn't tempted to look over Marcus who was dressed in a form-fitting, white military uniform complete with slacks, a jacket and ceremonial sidearm. There was something incredibly sexy fantasising knowing the disciplined military man he was looking at hid a raving sex beast beneath. He wanted Marcus to tear off that uniform and ravage him right there and then in the elevator.

Sex in an elevator with a military man... two maddening fantasies that was starting to drive him insane.

Or at least... more insane.

"I'm sure we'll make it," Jacob answered. "Rex knows enough to keep everyone entertained and if any of us start yammering on about being bored or even look remotely uninterested, people will notice and start gossiping. Rex wouldn't want that."

The elevator dinged much to his relief. Only a few more minutes before he reached his door and then it was just the trip back to where Rex was. He'd had to endure his brother but then he wouldn't have to endure the sexual tension between himself and the smoking hot kangaroo beside him. Things grew worse, however, as they started down the hallway and there was only silence.

Just the few minutes to his door seemed to last a painful eternity.

Halfway down the hallway, he all but broke into a run. The only thing that stopped him was Marcus breaking the silence.

"I heard Rex pulled you from the exhibition matches. Guess he didn't want you sticking those white bolts into people."

"Oh come on!" Jacob shouted, throwing his paws up into the air. Some of the few people along the hallway turned but quickly ignored them, dismissing the outburst as one of Jacob's mad exclamations. "That barely even made sense!"

Marcus knew what he was talking about and spoke in a low growl. "Then stop avoidin' the fuckin' subject. We need ta talk 'bout what happened last night."

He seized Marcus' paw and stormed the last few metres towards his room, burst in and slammed the door shut, locking it. Thankfully, Alicia hadn't returned. Turning towards the kangaroo he said, "Fine. You want to talk? Then talk!"

Fixing a piercing stare at him, Marcus said, "A'right. Last night wus a mistake. We were both tired. Maybe a li'l horny. Ain't nothin' to it besides that."

"Bullshit," Jacob snapped, jabbing a finger at Marcus. "You felt something there. I know it. We both did. If you're not going to admit it, then I will. I find you fucking sexy."

"It ain't gunna work," growled Marcus. "You know mah position. Ah ain't gunna be caught doin' that shit..." His ears folded back miserably. "It ain't me."

"Stop feeding me bullshit," Jacob growled, his hackles raised and his ears folded back in anger. It had been a long time since he had felt so passionate about a topic. It felt... nice, a little like when he had punched Rex out but with a different feel to it; less anger and more... of an ache to it. "What's really holding you back? Is it because I didn't finish high school?"

"No!" Marcus stared at him stunned and shook his head. "Wait... Ya didn't finish high school?"

"I just went over this with Sherry. Do the math. Is it because I'm openly gay and you're deep in the closet?"

"'Course not!"

"Then what is it!?" Jacob demanded. "Yeah, my dad is insane and my brother is a fucking sociopath but -" He stopped at the mention of Rex. There was a faint twitch in Marcus' eye. It was very subtle but he caught it. Jacob allowed himself to close his eyes just for a brief moment and used Realmbreaker, peering into the depths of knowledge. He saw... he saw...

"Oh fuck me..." he grumbled, opened his eyes. "Why else would he put that conversation with Sherry in the same fucking chapter...?"

"What're ya talki' 'bout?" Marcus demanded.

"It's Rex, isn't it?" he accused. "You know Rex is going to move me out of Pollenburn right after this. You've known all along. That's why you don't want to pursue this." He flicked a paw from himself to Marcus. "You think it'll be a waste of time despite the fact that you and I both know that we're three chapters in and our audience is probably getting blue balls from the lack of sex!"

Jacob winced as he felt blood start dripping down from his nostrils.

"Dun be stupid," Marcus murmured, unable to bring his voice beyond a whisper. "I ain't..."

Wiping the blood on his sleeve, Jacob said, "Deny it all you want. We both know what this is. You don't want to invest in something that will just be taken away from you!" He crossed his arms gruffly. "What or who broke your heart before, Marcus? What guy did you fall in love with and then up and left you for someone else, crushing your dream of going to the prom and turning you into this bitter, gruff loner who spends every waking hour building walls of muscle around his heart so that it would never get hurt again?"

Marcus' eyes flared up and he let out a growl. "Yer one ta talk!" He gave Jacob's chest a backhand. "Yer nearly as big as ah am and you spent the las' seven years doin' nuthin' but workout, fuck yer dad and travel now an' then."

"Let's not forget die a little inside every time I got a taste of what I could have had if it weren't for my asshole brother," Jacob growled back. "But at least I admit it. I know my flaws."

"But ya don't act on 'em!"

"Well I'm acting on it now!" Jacob announced, stamping his foot loudly. "I find you attractive, Marcus. You've been really..." He struggled for the words. "... nice to me. It's only been three days, I know. But those moments when we leave this world in VB Simulations, the moments where we escape reality and just do something normal like construction work... I feel we just have a connection."

A pained expression crossed Marcus' face. "Ah know... Ah feel it too... But..." He turned away, unable to meet Jacob's gaze. "Ah jus' can't... Ah ain't gay..."

Suddenly Jacob's paw snapped out and seized Marcus' crotch. The roo froze and before he could pull away, Jacob took the roo's paw and placed it over his own cock. "Here's the deal, Captain Kangaroo, I hold your cock, you hold mine. I'm willing to bet we're both going to get hard and that's proof enough that you're gay, I'm gay and there's chemistry between us. If I win, you -"

He never got to finish as Marcus' cheeks began to turn bright red. Jacob felt an almost blistering heat radiating from Marcus' pants and a distinct shape growing against his paw. The effect was electric and began to stir is own member.

"Oh fuck..." Marcus murmured.

"That's the idea..." Jacob responded, still a little stunned. He pulled his paw away instantly and took a step back. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have..." Shaking his head, he added, "Look... I know where I am. I know who I am. I can see that you're almost the same. We're both locked in our own little worlds, lot letting anyone else in and teasing ourselves with these little flashes of freedom but running back into our comfort zones because we know that's what works.

"You, me and Gale are all the same. But where you and I run back to the embrace of routine, Gale uses it just as a launching point. He's out there living life and always looking for the next adventure to have and just using his 'complacency' as a means to hide them." He held up his paws. "I'm not saying we should start putting on spandex and using our jobs as our mild-manner alter egos or anything, just..." He held out his paw towards Marcus. "I know my flaws and I can't just sit around and let someone else with almost exactly the same flaws go down the same path I am. Please, Marcus... I don't care if you end up hurting me. Just don't be like me."

The kangaroo looked down at his paw for a good long moment. Then he let out a soft chuckle. "So... ya dun care if ya hafta leave jus' as long as ah take the lesson that ah shud get out there, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Not good enough."

Marcus took his paw suddenly and then pulled Jacob towards him with a mighty yank. Their lips collided and Marcus stuck his long tongue down Jacob's muzzle. Both men let out a soft moan and it was with great hesitance that they pulled their lips apart.

"Ya leave and ya'll jus' go right back ta bein' a shut in," Marcus whispered into his ear. "So here's the deal." He pulled them closer, the heat radiating from his erect cock barely contained in his pants stirring the beast in Jacob's own crotch. "We're gonna do it. Here an' now. You're gonna love it. Then, we're gonna get dressed, shower and go down to the gala. Imma gonna give Gale my resignation and then I'll come with you to wherever you're goin'."

Jacob pulled back from Marcus but could only get away a few inches as the big roo's thick arms were wrapped around his body, keeping them firmly together. "Are you serious?"

A soft smile crossed Marcus' features, the anger and frustration in his voice fading. "Neither of us is going to take the step outside of our comfort zones an' stay there, right? Well... I'm gonna change that. You're leaving and taking your comfort zone with you. Me... mine is right here... but fer the first time, I got a reason to leave it."

Jacob's lips quivered and he pushed his lips against Marcus' for just a few seconds before he pulled away and said, "Fuck that was corny."

"Is that a farm boy joke?" By the smile on Marcus' lips, he clearly wasn't offended by it.

"Not unless it turns you on?"

The roo rolled his eyes. "No. I hate being called 'farm boy'." He pushed his nose against Jacob's, smiling softly. "But for future reference, I prefer being called 'cowboy'."

Jacob licked Marcus' lips lightly and the roo chuckled softly. "Why?"

"Because..." He suddenly lifted Jacob off the ground, grunting with the effort. "Cowboys get to ride their mounts!"

That bad pun went unpunished as Marcus carried Jacob over to the bed with little to no effort and threw him onto the soft mattress. Both men were smiling a little coyly at one another, Jacob's ears folded back while Marcus' tail was heartily thumping the foot of the bed. The burly kangaroo crawled up to Jacob, gently nuzzling his neck. Their arms folded around one another, the heat of their bodies and rising pleasure barely contained by their clothes.

Marcus' muzzle slowly navigated down towards Jacob's thick chest fur, just barely poking out from the neckline of his shirt. He took a deep long lungful of the wolf's scent, committing it to memory and shivering in delight as it permeated his very being. His paws, though still marred by hesitation and inexperience, moved along Jacob's flanks with increasing confidence, slowly making their way towards the wolf's thick pecs and giving them a tight squeeze. When Jacob tensed his muscles Marcus growled with desire.

Nervous himself, Jacob nevertheless squeezed Marcus' tight rump and bucked his hips. His cock, compressed by his pants and Marcus' abdominals almost burst free of the fabric. The whimper that left him spoke volumes. Sensing his need, Marcus pulled back and began unbuttoning his shirt. The lack of contact left them both wanting so Jacob sat up slightly and pressed their lips together. They shut their eyes, relying entirely on their sense of touch and smell to guide them. Their scents mingled, both of them communicating their need for release through the musk and pheromones they exuded.

Jacob began pulling his shirt over his head and came to the conundrum of being forced to break the kiss he was sharing in exchange for partial nudity. Marcus solved his problem by pressing a paw against his crotch, rubbing his fingers against the bulge there. Thick wads of precum were starting to soak through Jacob's pants and he bucked his hips as Marcus massaged his throbbing erection.

He broke the kiss and yanked off his shirt and singlet, throwing them aside. The moment he was free of the confines of the clothes, he took in the sight of Marcus' broad, bodybuilder body. The kangaroo looked infinitely sexy with the white military jacket unbuttoned and hanging from his shoulders. The singlet beneath looked about ready to rip against his pectorals and the faint outline of his abdominals were visible beneath the white fabric. Jacob gripped Marcus' shoulders gently and pulled the roo towards him. Their lips gravitated towards one another like the two ends of a magnet. He slipped his fingers beneath Marcus' jacket, slipping the rest of the garment off and enjoying the contours and curves the roo's thick arms and shoulders made.

Marcus began tearing off his singlet. Just as the roo had compensated for the eventual break in contact, Jacob gripped the thick cock that was just hovering a few inches above his own and separated by the fabric of their pants. He licked his lips at the feeling of the thick, throbbing meat against his pawpads. He could feel Marcus' heartbeat through it and as he squeezed it, running his fingers up its length, he guessed it must've been about eight inches long and definitely thick. Who ever said bodybuilders had comparatively small dicks had never met Marcus.

Mesmerised by the meat before him, Jacob didn't notice when Marcus had tossed aside his shirt and began nuzzling him tenderly. Their hot, muscular bodies pressed against one another, pecs bouncing and abdominals grinding the building sweat from their aroused forms into one another's fur. Marcus' kisses began wending its way down Jacob's neck, tracing the thick lines of the corded muscles there. Marcus buried his muzzle into the sharp cleft of Jacob's thick chest fur before searching through it like a bloodhound poking its nose through thick grass. He found what he was looking for in Jacob's left nipple, pressing his lips against it.

A bolt of electric pleasure shot through Jacob, the wolf arching his back and letting out a gasp of pleasure. Marcus' right paw squeezed Jacob's other nipple. The twin assaults of ecstasy caused Jacob to collapse against the bed, Marcus' entire weight falling on top of him, keeping him warm. Their legs intertwined, their toes rubbing against one another. Marcus' other paw ran up and down Jacob's washboard abs, brushing the thick golden fur that led him tantalisingly towards the what was hidden in Jacob's pants.

Marcus gave Jacob's nipple one last lick. He rubbed his cheeks against the plump, square pectorals, shuffling downwards where he gave each of Jacob's abs a quick lick before he found his prize. He Rubbed his muzzle against Jacob's cock, outlined perfectly in his pants and throbbing with need. Jacob reached for his belt and had barely unbuckled it when Marcus yanked down his pants, revealing his black and blue boxers. With greater access to the prize beneath, Marcus was driven wild with desire and straightened himself, pulling off his uniform's slacks.

Jacob's eyes boggled when he saw the white and red jockstrap that barely contained Marcus' erection. A big splotch of precum on the white fabric was growing bigger and bigger by the second. He couldn't sit by and let it go unattended and dove straight for it. Marcus gasped and collapsed to his side as Jacob's lips wrapped around the head of his member through the fabric. Just the light taste of the salty fluid from the jockstrap mixed with Marcus' musk filled Jacob's thoughts of being fucked by the sexy roo all night. He forgot entirely about the party, about Rex and the world at large. At that moment, it was just him and Marcus.

Determined to suck every drop of the succulent fluid from Marcus' jockstrap, Jacob doggedly latched onto the shape of the roo's dick and lathered it with licks, coaxing more precum from it which he eagerly lapped up. He let out a grunt when Marcus' fingers worked their way through his boxers and pulled them down.

"Fuck..." Marcus grunted.

Jacob blushed when his foot long cock sprang to attention. The black, pointed canine rocket was dripping precum all over the sheets like a faucet. He curled a finger around the rim of Marcus' jockstrap, pulling it down. His muzzle went dry at the sight of Marcus' nine inch member with the girth of a beer can. He swallowed in anticipation of getting that throbbing meat down his throat. Mesmerised and drawn towards beating, pink rod, he opened his muzzle and took a lungful of Marcus' musky, earthy scent. His muzzle wrapped around it, his long tongue sliding out and licking the entire length even brushing briefly against Marcus' furry balls.

Both men bucked at the same time. Jacob's movement thrust his cock down Marcus' muzzle. The wolf was somewhat experienced with getting a cock down his muzzle so he had relaxed his throat and supressed his gag reflex. Marcus was not so fortunate and gagged as the foot long canine cock was pushed down his muzzle. But the taste and feel of finally getting a dick in his muzzle overrode his natural instincts. The roo wrapped his lips around the invading member, his paws seizing Jacob's tight, bubble ass and pushing it back towards him every time the wolf pulled back for a buck.

Hot precum poured down their throats. Perhaps it was the moment, the salty clear fluids they were both eagerly producing and drinking or the pheromones that were quickly filling the room but neither man could keep up the pace for much longer. Jacob was the first to pull away and Marcus was just a second away.

Neither of them had to say a word.

Jacob just rolled onto his stomach and lifted his tail into the air, his tongue out and panting heavily. He found Marcus' paws on his sides. Then, with an incredible show of strength, Marcus threw Jacob around onto his back. Stunned by the move, Jacob fell back onto the bed and found his legs in the air, resting on Marcus' broad shoulders. The muscular roo looked down at him with big, brown eyes and a soft smile. In that moment, Jacob didn't find anyone else as sexy as the roo. Marcus wasn't as ripped as a supermodel and his enormous muscles could be almost be seen as a little obscene. But the way he looked down at Jacob, how his enormous pectorals and thin fur showed off the veins perpetually showing off his veins on both his chest and arms contrasted against the softer belly, his cute, gentle smile that was compared to the scowl he usually wore and the way his cock was edging towards Jacob's ass... it was just amazing...

He had spent so long admiring the beauty in Marcus that he never noticed that the roo had stretched down and their lips were on the verge of meeting once more. When he did realise, he could not wait any longer and gripped the back of Marcus' neck, closing the gap between them and plunging his tongue deep into the roo's muzzle. His kiss was met with equal passion.

Marcus' cock slowly began to push into its prize. Having his own assortment of toys back home, Jacob's ass was accustomed to being invaded but the presense of the thick kangaroo cock in him still send messages of warmth, arousal and release through his body, begging his cock for that euphoric blast that would spill his seed. He held back and in doing so, clenched his ass. Marcus' eyes fluttered as his cock was milked. The roo tried to push himself further in but the wall of Jacob's ass prevented him. Instincts took over and he pulled out slightly before ramming himself back in. The force of the blow broke their kiss, causing Jacob to arch his back and gnash his fangs in pleasure.

"Fuuuuuuck..." groaned Marcus. He gripped Jacob's meaty thighs for support, his tail beating the mattress like war drums for each of his thrusts and setting the pace. Jacob seized his own cock with one paw, the other ripping into the mattress beneath him.

Marcus thrust in and out, four inches of his cock pushing deep into Jacob. So much precum was pouring out of his dick that it was starting to spill out onto the mattress. That made re-entry easier. Jacob's own precum was soaking into his thick fur. Marcus licked his lips and reached down onto the soaked golden treasure trail, rubbing the musky fluids into every fibre of Jacob's belly

"I love you're sexy chest fur," growled the roo, letting out another thrust.

Jacob groaned, panting heavily with each breath. Being self-conscious about his chest fur due to its size and shape, hearing Marcus compliment him was a big boost to his ego and strengthened the ties between them. When he felt Marcus' paw around his cock he let go of his member and reached up towards the roo's nipple, giving one a tight squeeze.

A lusty growl rippled from Marcus' thick throat. The massive roo paused his thrusting for a brief second to collect Jacob's precum onto his paw which he then lifted to his muzzle. He lapped a good oprtion of it up before smearing the rest all over his muzzle like war paint. There was something unbelievably sexy of the primal gesture and when Marcus stared at him with teeth bared and that lusty look in his eyes, Jacob almost lost it there and then.

Marcus thrust deep into him again, hilting to him and rubbing against his prostate. A huge squirt of precum shot out of Jacob's dick, splattering the wolf's muzzle. Jacob had to grip the bed, digging his claws into the mattress as Marcus' feverish thrusts grew wild, ferocious and maddened with lust. He was reduced to moans and groans.

"FUCK YEAH!" roared Marcus. "Take mah cock!" He grunted loudly, sweat soaking his body and causing every muscle on his sexy body to pop even more. A feral 'roar' came from his muzzle as he caught Jacob's thighs in the crook of his arm and used both paws to seize Jacob's unattended cock.

The wolf let out his own growl as Marcus began pumping his dick. "Fuuuuuck! That's it!"

"This is mine!" snarled Marcus with a devious grin. "Ain't no one gunna take dis from me!"

Hearing the roo's farm boy accent only turned Jacob all the more. It filled his head with fantasies of being bent over a tractor out in the open fields being fucked silly by the roo or sneaking into the barn in the middle of a hard day's work to dive into a haystack and go wild. He imagined himself and Marcus on a farm somewhere, Marcus dressed in a sexy cowboy's outfit complete with a hat and sexy plaid shirt that wouldn't be able to contain his broad chest so it hung out open. There was a joke somewhere about them breeding cattle while Marcus bred him and that only made it even sexier. In some part of his brain, he imagined some terrible stereotype about his dad also living down there and the three of them perpetuating a terrible Taranebran stereotype and that only made even more appealing.

His thoughts came to a jarring halt when he realised...

... he was thinking about the future... with Marcus!

But those thoughts were derailed when Marcus said, "Ya like bein' bred by a big fuckin' stud like me, dontcha, city boy?"

"Oh fuck!" Jacob moaned, rolling his head back. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from bursting there and then.

"Say ya want me," demanded Marcus, driving the point home with a powerful thrust. "Tell me ya want mah cock in ya!"

Under his spell, Jacob could only say, "I want your cock in me! Give it to me! Fuuuuuuck!"

"Ya got it!" Marcus drove his cock in in rapid succession, driving Jacob closer and closer to the edge. Each thrust came with increasing desperation and shorter bursts. Marcus was close.

"I want you to cum in me! Fill me with your seed!" Jacob begged, knowing just how close he was to orgasm.

"Fuuuuuuuck!" Marcus moaned, his grip around Jacob's cock tightening. "Shit... Jake... I'm gonna...!a Oh fuck!"

His hips suddenly let one last buck. He threw his head back and his entire, enormous body quaked like he had been electrocuted. His eyelids fluttered and a long, low moan escaped his lips. He gave Jacob's cock a jerk and Jacob threw his head back, letting out a low howl. Hot seed poured into Jacob as he expelled his own, the blast from his cock shooting past his head and splattering at the foot of the bed. The trail of cum travelled up from his cock, over his treasure trail across his pectorals and all over his face. At the same time, he could feel Marcus' seed filling him. The amount was incredible and began feeling bloated. Some of it spilled out of his ass and on to the mattress.

Both men's cries died down and they both collapsed against one another. Jacob rolled to his side and instinctively wrapped his arms and legs around Marcus. The roo was unwilling to pull his cock from Jacob and turned the tender embrace. Their lips met, their tongues sliding across one another slowly, gently and lovingly.

Neither of them kept track of time as they lay there. When they both came to their senses, the sun had fully set and the room was completely dark. Marcus' cock had slipped out of Jacob and the semen on Jacob's chest had dried. Some of Marcus' short fur had gotten fused with it as well and they both knew it would be a little painful to pry themselves from one another in more ways than on.

Jacob nuzzle Marcus gently, testing to see of the roo was awake. The gentle lick on his cheek told him his partner was fully conscious.

"We should get dressed..." Jacob murmured. "Rex is probably throwing a fit searching for us..."

"Yeah..." agreed Marcus. "You know I was serious, right? About leaving Pollenburn to follow you."

"I know." When Marcus didn't say anything else, Jacob said, "Can I ask... why though?"

Marcus took a moment to reply. "At first I told myself it's still because I owe you. Then I thought it was because I'm your personal trainer... but then... I realised... I think I'm falling in love with you."

Jacob didn't get to reply as Marcus began peeling himself away, the sound of fur being pulled from their roots making both of them wince.

"Anyway, we really should take a shower," Marcus said. "I know it's a little soon to be saying I love you. I just think we've got a strong connection between us." In the darkness, Marcus smiled at him. "You helped me out of my shell and were even willing to put your heart on the line to get me out of it. Not many people can claim that. So... thank you. You can bet I'll be around for a while yet."

Jacob returned the smile. "I sure hope so. I did win our bet."

"Bet?"

He flashed Marcus a grin. "Yeah, remember? We did it. That means next time, I get to be on top!"

******

It was past five in the evening and the pre-dinner canapés were going very well. The main hall of the Tower had been converted into a multi-tiered ballroom with those few citizens that had been able to afford tickets to the event at the ground floor with the elite and prestigious guests stood in the upper levels. The upper levels were built into a layered horseshoe shape so that the elite of the elite could stand at the highest, smallest level and look down upon the people below them but those below could still see them despite the distance.

Rex had made sure, however, that when Jake came in, he would step out of the big stairs opposite to the upper class and come down to the ground floor. He did not even cross the rich and famous. It was to emphasise the fact that he was like everyone else, something he was sure his brother would appreciate but also to show that MODD lived for the people and showed no favouritism towards the rich.

It was also where he had anticipated Gale would be present while Sherry did her rounds in the higher levels. Gale always was more of a person for the people and clearly the people of Pollenburn appreciated it. As the Elemental Lord signed autographs and posed for pictures, Rex stood at the top tier, watching the party. The DJ was fantastic, personally picked by him for this very event. People were dancing, enjoying themselves and eating the small finger foods that made their way around the room. He had a glass of red wine in his paw and a cheesy steak skewer resting in a platter on the other.

Every so often, he would check his watch, waiting for the pivotal moment when Jacob Reaper, his brother, would be presented to everyone and the world would know his name. For the hundredth time that day, he ran through the factors and variables that could influence the night. Jacob never touched alcohol so Rex wasn't sure how he was drunk. Cal and Silas, the personal bodyguards that Sherry had picked out for him, had been instructed to keep his drinking under control. He was sure Jacob wasn't opposed to exhibition matches, he occasionally watched them and loved VBS matches. So there was a small chance where he would march down to the arena and demand a 'stop to the bloodshed'.

The faint ruffle of feathers told him of Sherry's approach. "You seem distracted."

He was stunned when the voice was not Gale's strategist but Gale himself. The Elemental Lord held up what looked like a miniature feather duster, pointing out where the faint ruffle came from.

"I thought you were down there?" Rex said, looking down at the ground floor. There were a few collections of people here and there, no doubt meeting the other SWORD members or one of the few upper class people may have wandered down.

"If you have to ask, then you clearly are distracted," answered Gale, a smile on his lips. They stood at the end of the balcony with a good metre between them and the next Pollenburnian tycoon. "Worried about this evening's proceedings?" Before Rex could answer, Gale's eyes narrowed slightly. "Or worried about your brother's quick progress?"

Rex balked and to hide his shock, he stuffed one of the chunks of meat lathered with only the best cheese into his muzzle. It was good and with the wine, it was even better. After he swallowed, he finally spoke. "Jake is making good progress. Still a little undisciplined and we need to work on his endurance. In battle, he wouldn't be much help. He's a glass cannon."

Gale inclined his head to the side like he knew something Rex didn't. There was little that Rex didn't know. He knew that Gale had invited Jacob up to his personal quarters and the two trained in secret to build a signature move that would put Rex in his place. Gale's aggravation at Rex's presence wasn't hard to deduce and the fact that Gale had requested several medical supplies up to his room before calling up Jacob had completed the puzzle. But what truly disturbed Rex was... the power behind Jacob's ability.

He had anticipated maybe a combo of Realmbreaker bolts or maybe summoning enough of them to make for a flashy move. Maybe even using them like swords to slash at the enemy. He had already hoped to call it 'Infinity Blade'. It would've tightened their bond and he was even hoping that the signature move he had been hoping to reveal this evening that he had named after his brother would further that bond.

But then... Jacob had unleashed Ultima Thule.

It was unique, frighteningly powerful and had a lot of practical applications. Refined was the best word for it. How Jacob had created such a move so quickly...

"I don't want to accuse you of being envious, my friend," Gale said, "but you are his brother. Being supportive of him would be best for both you and him."

"Don't lecture me on doing what's best for both of us," growled Rex. "I've sacrificed a lot to do what's best for both of us."

"Oh really?" came Gale's challenging remark.

Rex's fists tightened. "Here's something you might not know, Gale." He gave the chimpanzee a piercing stare. "Do you really think I've just spent the last few years of my life being the arrogant airhead everyone things me to be? You know me to be smarter than that."

The smile on Gale's face faded. "Then what were you doing if not inflating your already engorged ego?"

"Looking for my mother's killer."

Gale's eyes widened. "The Butcher of Ullen?"

"The very same." Rex leaned forward, peering down at the masses below them. "It's the only thing I've been able to think of since the day my mother died. That bastard killed everyone there. Ullen was a civilian population and my mother was only there to help keep it safe from a blizzard! Then he just comes in and -" He growled softly, forcing himself to calm. "The Butcher is an Unsealed. A Branded. The Unsealed have kept him hidden from me. But now that Jake has become a sort of bridge between us and the Unsealed..."

"You're going to use your own brother in your quest for vengeance!?" Gale exclaimed. He glanced around to make sure no one had truly heard him. The music was too loud to hear anything beyond Rex. "Rex..."

"I love my brother," Rex snarled. "It kills me every day that I can't be there playing VBS with him or giving him the money that I make to help him instead of using to find the Butcher. I want to be there for him but I just can't. I have to work constantly to build up the resources to find my mom's murderer." He set down his wine glass on the balcony's edge and ran his now free paw down his muzzle. "I... I wish I could be there for him. I really do. I wish I could tell him what I've been doing but... you saw how motivated he was against me. At the first opportunity he's going to get rid of Realmbreaker but if I give him a reason to keep it even if it means to demonise myself... Then I might still have a window to find the Butcher."

Gale was silent for a long while. The music grew softer as everyone came to anticipate the announcement of the great Wielder of Realmbreaker. The DJ announced that dinner would start in fifteen minutes. Rex noticed that Cal, one of Jacob's bodyguards, was approaching and Gale knew he had to keep whatever he was going to say short.

"I don't know whether you punch or praise you," Gale murmured softly. He leaned in close so only the wolf could hear. "Just remember, Rex, you can say you love your brother but your actions will speak for themselves."

They both turned as Cal approached, the SWORD member looking worried.

"Did you find Jake?" Rex asked.

Cal shook his head nervously. "Erm... No, sir. We tried his room... he wasn't there... and... erm..."

Rex held back from throwing a diva fit in front of so many people. "Find him. We'll run a distraction."

"Yes, sir."

******

The sound of the shower running was loud enough for Jacob to quickly find the phone in his room without the risk of Marcus learning of it. Like all modern phones, it was powered by Seals and had the option to allow for a video call. This time, Jacob decided to opt out of seeing the recipient him covered in dried cum and having the best sex in his life.

He had almost hit the last number to dial his father's number when he briefly wondered how his father would react to the son he had slept with a few times a year having found a boyfriend...

"A boyfriend!? No! You're mine! I'll kill him!"

"Really!? Is his hot? Is it my turn next?"

"Great! I just invented a machine that will genetically mutate any male to grant them the ability to conceive children and birth them through their penises in the most pleasurable way possible! Get home quick so I can use it on you and then I can sleep with your children! Can you believe I only had to use the hairdryer and TV to make it?"

Jacob shook his head and cleared the number.

One glance back at the door to the en suite and he wondered why he even needed to call anyone. It wasn't like they were getting engaged or anything. They had just slept together. Neither of them had actually say the 'b' word yet and Marcus said he was in the process of falling in love with Jacob. Neither of them were there yet.

Except... even the small progress they had made was enough for Jacob to finish dialling another number.

"Hello," came the answer. "Maximillian Lionheart."

"Max!" Jacob exclaimed with relief. "Thank god you -" An explosion rippled from the out the other side of the receiver. "Max!?"

"Don't worry about it. Just in the middle of a conflict between Welenshan insurgents and military officials. But Jake! Holy shit! Am I glad to hear from you! So you're the new Elemental Lord or something! Fuck, dude! I finally get my name in a trading card and you get to be an EL! Way to show me up!" Max laughed it off and Jacob knew that it was genuine. The dragon was not the jealous type. He was the hardworking type. The fact that he was also in the middle of a war zone added to that fact.

"It's... erm... It's not that simple Max. But I'm glad you're safe too."

"Yeah. You're still in Pollenburn, right? How long for? I'm just going to finish up here then I was planning on meeting you there! You got a personal SWORD entourage yet?"

"Two guys and a maid. Both wolves and a mole. Rex is here too and I'm willing to bet he picked Cal and Silas because he thought I'd be more comfortable with wolves."

Max was silent for a second, prompting Jacob to follow up with, "Max?"

"I'm not sure, Jake. If these are the Cal and Silas I'm thinking off, they're under Sherry Stormrock's unit. Generally, no matter how big an ego your brother has, he wouldn't be allowed to just reassign people like that. Elemental Lords are under ExIT, you know. SWORD is a different division and technically higher than even Elemental Lords..." Max let out a thoughtful noise. "But who knows? Cal and Silas aren't top tier. It's why they're assigned under Sherry... Only few SWORD members get to act independently. Others are assigned to units that can't be moved without explicit orders from the person commanding them or SWORD HQ. But who knows, maybe they were transferred."

Jacob inclined his head to the side and frowned at the new information. Sherry had never mentioned the assignment of his bodyguards but Rex hadn't raised hell about it either. He shrugged, passing it off as something that really wasn't his business.

"I could always use a friend by my side," he said. "I think Rex was going to drag my tail to Angelsea after this but I can delay him for a few days if you want to meet me here?"

"Hell yes! It'll be just like old times!" More explosions erupted in the background. "Sit tight, man. I'll be there soon." Then he paused. "But you didn't just call me because you wanted to catch up, right?"

"... no..."

"Okay, okay. I get three guesses!" Max said jokingly. "Is it Rex? Did your father's subtle brainwashing finally kick in and have you slept with him and now you're considering whether or not you can use that to blackmail the egotistical bastard?"

Jacob straightened and frowned. "No... but that's actually a good idea..."

"Damn... Oh, is it your dad? I did check on him a few hours ago. From all appearances, a few ANVIL soldiers did the same and were having a tea party with him. They were all wearing aluminium foil hats... Now this was only over the phone but should I be worried?"

"Maybe but that isn't it, Max. Can I just tell you?"

Max was silent again for a few moments. "Hey... is that a shower in the background?" When Jacob didn't answer Max let out a triumphant cry. "Holy sheeeeeeet! You slept with someone! You dawg! Not three days as the newest star in MODD and you're already beating back to chicks!"

"Max..."

"Oh right. Sorry. You're beating off the cocks. Pun intended." He could almost heart Max bouncing on the balls of his feet. "So, come on, man! Tell me who it is?"

Jacob winced softly. "Marcus Willows..."

Again, Max fell silent.

"Okay. I definitely am coming over there now."

"Max..."

"Jake, are you nuts!? Marcus fucking Willows!? The grouchy, anti-social, incompetent bodyguard of Gale Winthrop!? Do you even know what happened to his last boyfriend!?"

Jacob's muzzle opened to reply then he quickly shut it. "Um... No? He had a 'last boyfriend'?"

"Oh... Well... you better sit down for this Jake..."

"I am sitting."

"No you're not," accused Maxi. "Jake, just don't take the relationship further, okay? I'll be there soon."

"What happened to his last boyfriend?" Jacob demanded.

"He... He died Jake... He became Marcus' Seal."

Again, Jacob as left stunned.

"Wait... What?"

******

"What do you mean he asked for a silver tea spoon?" Rex growled.

Alicia the maid he had hired for Jacob could only look up at him and shrug helplessly, her big, wide eyes apologetic. "I - I - I'm sorry, Master Reaper. He asked for one and... and... we don't stock silver cutlery in the Tower!"

Gale, who stood right next to Rex could only smile smugly. "She's right. I find silver pretentious. Seal-infused utensils are much cheaper and ultimately help promote MODD's standing." He glanced towards the large precession of people who were eagerly awaiting the reveal of the Wielder of Realmbreaker. Their eyes were all directed to the top of the stairs and Rex stood at the foot, waiting.

It was already fifteen minutes past six.

The delay had caused a large number of the famous to migrate down to the ground floor. Representatives from the six families of Pollenburn were amongst the normal citizenry. Star struck moments had long died away and now they were all waiting for the Wielder to make his appearance. Chatter was down to a minimum and even the DJ had toned down the music.

"Damnit..." Rex muttered softly. "Go find him. Now. I don't want him to miss this."

Sherry, who flanked Rex's other side, frowned at him. "I know you don't want him to miss his own 'presentation' but we can certainly do something to entertain everyone here while we wait." Her eyes narrowed. "Unless... this party was never about revealing Jacob to the world, was it?"

Rex popped his jaw. "No."

"Then what was it for?" Gale demanded, with increasing apprehension. He exchanged glances with Sherry who could only shake her head in confusion.

Rex stepped forward ahead of the two. "Revenge." He put on his biggest smile and gestured towards the DJ to kill the music. All eyes instantly turned to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced in a big booming voice. Video feeds from various cameras were angled straight towards him and sound amplifiers allowed his exact words to be carried even to those out in the various other segments of the Tower. "Distinguished guests, honoured members of Pollenburn and all of Mortaelis. Thank you for your patience." He gave a slight bow towards no one in particular. "Unfortunately, we're having a little bit of trouble locating my brother. He has a habit of staying hidden until the last moment for the most spectacular reveal."

A soft chuckle rippled throughout the crowd.

"So while we wait for Jacob to make his appearance, why don't we get a few formalities out of the way?" He gestured towards the crowd, to a raven dressed in a rather sharp suit. "We are honoured today to be graced by the presence of Miro Naremura who has just spearheaded the construction of six new hospitals in Pollenburn and twelve district clinics, easing the pressure on the State Hospital." Rex pressed his paws together and bowed towards the raven in the traditional Valenese fashion. "You honour us with your contributions to this great community, Mr. Naremura."

There was applause from the crowd and the raven remained stoic, unmoving the Naremuras had been known to do. As it died down, Rex turned to a rotund ginger cat who looked too big for his suit. The upwards arrow of the Ascensionists was drawn on his breast pocket.

"Master Calgary!" Rex continued with a big grin. "We cannot forget your contributions to the community as well. You have raised over five million credits in charity over the past year to help victims of the Clans and the homeless or disadvantaged. You have also created the Calgary Seal Extension Programme, allowing any of the talented youths of Pollenburn to take up the rigorous training of obtaining a Seal proving once and for all that you don't need to be born with a predisposition towards a Seal but anyone can obtain one."

Again, there was applause and the fat cat smile and waved as the video feeds showed his bright, grinning face. Rex let it die down for a little more while he kept his features frozen in a convincing smile. To anyone else, it would have seemed like he was just buying time by reiterating news from the past few months. But his eyes were settled on Winston Boswin, the large big flanked by his two daughters who were applauding just like anyone else. The distraction had worked to his advantage and even Jake's absence.

Now Winston's guard was down.

"And lastly," he said, grinning broadly and offering a paw towards the pig. "Winston Boswin! Get up here, you sly devil! Don't think I've forgotten about you!"

Winston, perhaps too drunk or having been lulled into a sense of security, bounded through the crowd in his white suit and tipping his hat towards Rex. The terrible comb over he sported was briefly shown before he put his Panama hat back on. Rex wrapped an arm around his shoulder and yanked up so that everyone could see the two together.

"This guy!" Rex laughed heartily, pointing at Boswin. "Has been key to uplifting the agriculture of Pollenburn up 75%! And now with the _Rattlesnakes_gone, we'll have to worry less about our outlying farms being attacked, isn't that right, Winnie?"

Boswin gave him a grin, his short, pink snout breaking open to show his golden tooth. "That's right. For a more stable future."

"But that's not all, is it?" Rex said, meeting Winston's gaze. "You've also been instrumental in the construction of the underground transit line leading those in far off rural Pollenburn to the main city." Winston balked, his eyes widening. Rex made a show of looking surprised and pressing a paw against his lips. "Oops! Sorry! That wasn't meant to be revealed yet was it?" He turned towards the crowd and shrugged. "Sorry folks! Cat's out of the bag!"

He got a laugh from that. Winston joined in but it was clear he was unnerved.

"Go on," said the Elemental Lord of Star, slapping Winston's back heartily. "I've revealed enough of your secrets."

Winston took two steps away...

"Although..."

The crowd fell silent again and Winston slowly began to turn to Rex.

"There is one thing I think is worth noting."

Gale suddenly stepped forward and seized Rex's shoulder. "Rex, don't do this. This is not right."

Rex shrugged him off and took a step towards Winston who was just a little shorter than himself. "I really should congratulate you on one other thing," he said. "If it weren't for the fact that your own daughter attacked the train carrying Realmbreaker and my brother, none of this would have ever happened. So, congrats."

Winston's eyes widened like saucers. "I assure you, Rex, I had no idea -"

Never dropping the pig's gaze, Rex snapped his fingers. All video imagery switched to the scene a few days ago when a black mist attacked the train. Everyone had fallen silent except for Rex.

"This feed was taken from the Black Ring Space Station," Rex announced, all humour gone from his voice. "That's the Black Mist, your daughter Dorothy's signature move. No one else can replicate that move nor are there any registered copies of your daughter's Seal. Which begs the question..."

Rex narrowed his gaze at pig and patriarch of the Boswin empire. "Why did your daughter attack a civilian train?"

"I -" began Winston.

"Of course, people have taken copies of Seals without them knowing," Rex interrupted with a shrug. "Look at how Snakebite took a copy of Gale's Seal." The look of relief on Winston's face quickly faded. "In which case there will need to be an investigation into how someone else managed to take a Seal which was under _your responsibility_and use it to attack a civilian transport." Folding his arms, Rex finished with, "I guess I'd like to just remind you and everyone that all Seals are legally the property of MODD. You are all just loaning it from us. MODD has the right to take away a Seal should it be revealed that improper use and security measures were taken when concerning it.

"So... what's it going to be, Winnie?" Rex demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "Did your daughter attack the train? Or did someone take an illegal copy of your daughter's Seal?"

There were flaws in both accusations, he knew, but they set up as traps. If Winston claimed that an illegal copy was taken, then the question could be asked on how the thief managed to replicate Dorothy's signature move perfectly. That would just reveal Winston to be a liar. On the other hand, if Winston admitted to Dorothy's crime, he would be accused of harbouring a criminal and still suffer consequences.

It was the perfect trap.

One Rex had hoped to spring the moment he had learned about what really happened on that train.

No one put Jake in danger even if they didn't know he was on that train. Frankly, Rex didn't care about the civilians or Realmbreaker. That Jake was on that train and Winston ordered a hit on it was enough.

He waited for Winston's reaction, enjoying how the pig squirmed in the spotlight. There were deep calculations in the man's eyes. Having run an empire meant that Boswin was a shrewd man but Rex was prepared for anything that the pig threw at him. One way or another, Boswin was going to suffer for putting Jake in danger.

"You're right."

Rex tried to keep himself from smiling.

"I did order my daughter to attack the train," answered Winston, turning fully towards Rex. "But it wasn't because I knew Realmbreaker was there or your brother. It was because Marcus Willows was on board. We have a history, him and I." The pig gave Rex a dark smile. "But you've caught me." He lifted his hands up in surrender. "Cat's out of the bag."

Rex nodded towards the man as several SWORD and ANVIL soldiers came marching forward. "Arrest that man."

There was a sudden flash of light from Winston's right hand and he took a step back. A decorated gold and silver double barrelled shotgun was in his hands and he turned it towards Rex.

"You dare point a Seal Weapon against an Elemental Lord!?" Sherry snarled, slowly drawing her own Weapon.

Winston smirked and inclined his head to the side. "No. Not just me. _All_of us."

Rex had anticipated a fight with the Boswins but when Miro Naremura drew his own Seal Weapon and even the Calgarys, he was forced to pause. The six families each drew upon their Seals, forcing the MODD soldiers to form a protective circle around the Elemental Lords. The small retreat was purely out of surprise. MODD still outnumbered them.

But then... a normal citizen, someone who had dressed up for the occasion and who Rex didn't even consider to be related to any of the families... He drew a Seal Weapon looking suspiciously like Winston's. Flashes of light began erupting from each and every person in the room. To his right, a woman drew a jet black katana that looked like the Naremura Seal Weapon, Night Slicer. Her guest drew a crossbow, a strange mockery of the Calgary Crosshairs. Three men drew big shovels that were like Dorothy Boswin's Full Moon Harvest while some women summoned up icy blue parasols, images of Caroline Boswin's Cooling Breeze.

The numbers... were suddenly shifted away from MODD... tenfold.

"This... This is impossible," Sherry whispered. "How can so many people have so many Seal Weapons?"

Winston chuckled darkly and stepped forward. "We've been planning this for a while, actually," answered the pig. "Like you said, Rex, Seals are just on loan from MODD and your company has the legal right to take them from us whenever they want. Hell, MODD gives us all the equipment and energy that runs the Seals making us entirely dependent on them for not only our livelihoods but our security as well. Well, we're sick and tired of it.

"We don't want to be under MODD's thumb any longer. Especially not after the prices we've paid."

"Prices?" Rex asked. "What the hell are you talking about? MODD doesn't charge you for bonding with a Seal. Yeah, the tests need to be funded but it's reasonable."

Winston Boswin inclined his head to the side again. "Oh my god... You don't know." His eyes widened and his mocking laugh echoed throughout the empty hall. "An Elemental Lord doesn't know the price we have to pay to obtain our Seals! Ha!"

Gale suddenly stormed forward. "Boswin, keep your mouth shut right now!"

"Make me, you stupid monkey," snarled the pig. He locked gazes with Rex. "There are four types of Seals in this world, Rex 'Nebula' Reaper. The normal Seals that we use every day, that keep our floors perfect, generates hot water or regulates the air and all powered by MODD's Seal Generators. The Elemental Seals like yours that were found after the Great Seal War and need to be infused into people that it is compatible with. The Forbidden Seals that refuse to be infused with anyone and all come at a high price for usage. And then..."

Winston tapped his shotgun. "Our Seals. Seals like those your Scalpel possesses or that hard headed asshole Marcus Willows. Personal Seals. Seals that need a living sacrifice to be created."

Rex jerked his head back in surprise. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Oh no," Winston laughed, shaking his head. "How do you think MODD creates new Seals? Just by magic? How can you create something out of nothing? How can that something provide infinite resources at no cost to the user? It's impossible!" Winston threw his head back and laughed, pacing in front of the ring of MODD soldiers. "The truth is, to obtain a Personal Seal, someone close to you must be sacrificed to make the Seal. That's what determined the synchronisation rate! If you were close to that person, then you will be able to use the Seal!

"Of course the seal can then be passed from generation to generation but it's not always a guarantee that the next generation will be the most compatible." Winston sighed and pressed a hand against his chest. "Such was the case with me, unfortunately. My family's Seal is the Deadwind Seal and it was actually more compatible with my daughter, Dorothy, than myself. That is why she possesses it."

Rex tried to find holes in Winston's story, searching through his knowledge of the man's history. Then... he stumbled upon something... "Your wife..."

"Died to make my Seal," laughed Winston, a sinister grin on his face. "Don't believe me? Look to your left and right! Ask Gale and the Scalpel! They both know!"

One glance at either direction... and he knew.

MODD didn't produce a lot of new Seals every year as most of the world's needs could be provided by existing Seals. But those that it did produce... Perhaps a hundred were created per year. That was a hundred people per year that MODD killed to make Seals!

"Ah... now you're beginning to understand," Winston chuckled. "Seals... are people."