This chapter does have a backstory that explains the two OCs and is owned by Tyfi Signal. I own Bella and he owns Neo.


Jacob turned and found herself facing a yellow pyramid with arms, legs, a top hat, and a single eye. He sat on a nearby dumpster and studied her form.

"I'm digging the new look," Bill said as he floated off the dumpster.

"Why are you such a pain," Jacob said as she backed away from the demon. "Couldn't you bother someone else? I'm kinda busy at the moment."

Bill dissolved into shadow and reappeared behind her. "Don't leave so soon. I came to make a deal."

Jacob rolled her eyes as she tried to put as much distance between them as she could. "Is that supposed to be a surprise? I'm not interested."

"Your father has been causing me trouble," Bill said as he looked over the bay. "I need him taken out but there's a slight problem with that. He is fated to die by a very specific weapon.."

The demon turned towards her and narrowed his eye. "I need the sword, Jacob, and you're the only one who knows where it is."

She turned away from him as she said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"The scar on your chest says otherwise."

Bill dissolved once more and appeared a foot in front of her. "Listen, I get it. The sword caused you pain and you want it to remain hidden, but your father is going to die by that sword sooner or later and I would prefer it to be sooner before he conquers the first dimension."

"You only want the dimensions for yourself. The sword serves you better as a bargaining chip than a weapon. I think I'll pass." Jacob stared into that eye and wanted nothing more than to shove her trident through it.

"I'm being patient with you but you make it so difficult. No deal is complete without offering something in return."

"What is it?"

"I will give you the location of the guitar and slay your father, thus ending this war." Bill spread his arms as if this was the best deal in the world but was disappointed when Jacob shook her head and began to walk off. "Or I could poison you with black garnet."

This caught her attention as she turned to face the mind demon. Black garnet was extremely rare in the dimensions and was very poisonous towards creatures of darkness. It wasn't lethal but it could render the immortal to near mortal and diminish their power severely until the proper cure is given. Jacob has never been good at dying and staying dead but this would make that task fairly simple.

"Y-You don't have black garnet. I haven't seen any in the dimensions for a few million years."

Bill reached into the air and a dagger materialized in his hand. Its handle looked to be made of silver and the blade looked similar to crystal but was a very dark black. Black garnet was often made into blades as it only worked when it entered the bloodstream.

Bill's eye turned to midnight black. "I'll give you a choice: take the deal or take the poison."

Jacob flashed him a cocky smile. "How deep will you cut?"

Bill lunged at her and grabbed her by the neck. Jacob's skin ignited with fire as she tried to fend off her attacker. Bill ignored the flames as he drove the blade into her side. At first, a black ooze began to pour out, then blood began to pour as the poison quickly went to work. He dropped her on the ground as the wound continued to pour blood. She was breathing heavily and struggled to stand before collapsing on the ground. She glared up at him.

"You won't get away with this," She said as she began to lose consciousness.

"I think I just did," He said before punching her and knocking her out. Bill opened a portal and left to begin his search for the long lost sword.


Jacob woke up and winced at the pain in her side. She opened her eyes and found herself in a small cage. The only place she could really see out of was the front but that didn't get her much of a view. She considered standing before deciding that the pain would be too much. Everything was quiet until a girl appeared at the door to the cage.

"Hi there," The girl said in a cheery voice. Jacob didn't respond. She just stared at her captor before turning her head away to stare at the wall. "How are you feeling?"

Jacob turned and glared at the girl. "I feel like I'm dying."

"The girl just smiled. "Your cut wasn't that deep. The most it'll do is hurt when you move. It's not going to kill you."

Silence filled the room and Jacob turned away again. The girl tapped the cage door to get her attention. "I'm Katie, what's your name?"

Jacob decided that it would be better to lie since female dogs weren't normally named Jacob. "You can call me Lucy. Now, when are you letting me out of this cage?"

Katie smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I can't let you out until your cut heals a little more. You were bleeding a lot when I found you."

Katie spoke with a small and gentle voice as if she was speaking with a child. She acts as if I was less than a million, Lucy thought as she stared at the girl. They both stared at each other until Lucy decided she had enough of sitting in the cage.

"Alright, let me out and I'll sit still," She said as calmly as she could. There was a reason she didn't hang out with humans much and her patience was wearing thin.

"I can't do that. You still need more time to heal before I can let you out." Katie thought for a moment before speaking again. "I checked your cut this morning and it looked better than it did yesterday. If it looks better tomorrow, then I'll let you out."

This information caught Lucy off guard. "Wait. I've been here since yesterday?"

"Yep."

Lucy laid there in silence as she processed this information. She had already been there for a day and hadn't made any progress. Finding the guitar should have been simple but Cipher's poison made it a lot harder. She considered telling Katie the truth about who she was but the truth doesn't always seem believable.

She bared her fangs and growled at Katie. "Release me from this prison or I will hurt you."

Katie's smile turned into a face of shock at her patient's behavior. "I can't let you out. You should calm down. There's nothing here that will hurt you."

Lucy tried to stand up but winced and fell back to her side. She glared at the girl and started barking at her. These new behaviors weren't new for Lucy as she always experienced new behaviors and instincts when she changed form.

Katie naturally tried to calm her down. "Can you please calm down? There is nothing threatening you here and I have guests coming over for their baths."

Lucy didn't listen and continued to bark. Katie sighed and knew it was going to be a long day.

A few hours later

A boy and 8 pups strolled into the parlor and were greeted by Katie.

"Hi Ryder, hi pups," She greeted as they walked in. She gave them a tired smile as they said hello.

Ryder gave her a worried look. "Are you okay? You seem a bit tired today."

"I'm fine. It;s just my newest patient. She's a bit-" Katie was interrupted as barking came from the back room. She put her head on the table. This was the third time in the last hour that Lucy decided to remind Katie of her presence (Not that she needed another reminder).

A small gray pup emerged from the large group and went to the source of the sound but was met with a door. She tried several times to push open the door but it wasn't moving. Ryder whistled and caught the attention of every pup in the room.

"No, Bella. You can't go back there."

Bella stuck her tongue out at him and walked to a dog bed sitting on the floor for a quick nap. A black and white pup decided that he was bored and jumped on a chair for some sleep. This didn't last long as Ryder went over to him and picked him up.

"You can sleep later Neo," He said as he put him back on the floor. "You and Rocky are taking baths first."

"Can I take my bath last? I didn't get much sleep last night because Bella decided it was a good idea to mess with her pup house late last night."

Ryder looked at Bella who was giving him a nervous smile. "I'll talk to Bella about staying up late and you can go last."

Neo nodded and went back to his spot on the chair. Ryder then turned his attention to the other gray pup but this one was slightly bigger than Bella and had a muzzle on. Katie noticed this interesting choice of fashion.

"What did Rocky do to deserve that?"

Ryder looked at her and smiled. "I'm just making sure he can't talk his way out of a bath."

They watched Rocky try to get the brown dog to help him get the muzzle off. The brown dog just smiled and licked him. Rocky's face immediately flushed and he turned away.

"Rocky, Zuma," Ryder called. Both dogs turned to look at him. "You two will take your baths first, followed by Marshall and Bella, Rubble and Skye, and Chase and Neo will go last."

The pups all nodded and were about to go wait for their baths but the barking started up again. The german shepherd went over to the door and barked as loud as he could. The barking on the other side died down and everything was quiet.

"Chase," Ryder called him over. "I think it would be best if you ignored Katie's guest. I don't think she'll appreciate you scaring her guest."

Chase nodded and went to wait for his bath. They didn't hear much from Lucy for a while.

An hour later

The pups all got their baths and left but Ryder decided to stay and talk to Katie.

"So," he began. "This new pup seems calm, now."

Katie nodded and went to the back room. She came back a few minutes later and was carrying a pet carrier. Inside, was a sleeping puppy with a small white bandage over her side.

"Looks like she finally tired herself out," Katie said with a sigh of relief.

"What's her name?"

"Her name is Lucy and she has been a bit of a pain."

The talking was enough to wake her up and she looked at them. She realized she was still in the cage and had a sour look on her face. I can't be free and I can't sleep, Lucy thought. Being near mortal was really starting to annoy her since she wasn't nearly strong enough to break out of her prison.

"Are you going to let me out or are you going to lock me in a room again?" Lucy asked. This is no way to treat a god!

"I can't let you out until your cut gets better," Katie said with a tired smile. "I can get you some water."

Lucy thought for a moment. "I'm not thirsty but freedom sounds nice."

Katie just smiled. Ryder watched their interaction and observed the new pup. He already has to care for eight but one more wouldn't hurt. Before he could ask anything, Lucy took notice of him and asked a question that caught his attention.

"Are you the boy in the tower?" she asked.

This question was strange. "I live in a tower. Why do you ask?"

"I was sent here to find an object of great importance. I was told that the boy in the tower would help me in my search. Have you seen anything strange in the past week?"

"Define strange."

Lucy sighed. Mortals weren't the smartest beings in the dimensions. "A guitar that fell from the sky."

Ryder's eyes widened before quickly returning to normal. "Nothing strange has happened in the bay since the meteor fell a few months ago. I'll see you later Katie, I need to get back to the pups."

Ryder left and that left Lucy and Katie to stare at each other until a cat decided to come out of its hiding place. While Katie tended to the cat, Lucy decided to rethink her plan for finding the guitar.

The rest of the day consisted of Lucy continuing to ask Katie to let her out and that often led to Katie putting her in the back room for a while. Eventually, Katie got ready for bed and gave Lucy water before going to sleep. Lucy thought going to sleep will help clear her mind but her dreams weren't exactly calming.


Lucy found herself back in the Hall of Heroes but she could tell something was off. The torches were all out and all of the statues were missing except one. The plaque on the statue told her the identity of this hero:

Siriqois

XIII

Lucy watched as black tentacles wrapped around the statue like roots. Cracks began to form on the statue before it crumbled to the ground. Darkness began to surround her and a laugh could be heard. It echoed around her. She tried to change form but found herself unable to. Something was stopping her and it didn't seem like it was going to let her go. She kept turning, trying to find a place to run, but found herself facing her father.

He was a large dark being. His form was humanoid but where his legs should be was only a cloud of darkness. Tentacles could be seen moving in and out of it, pulling him across the floor. His face was featureless and completely black. Only two glowing, red eyes could be seen. Black chains erupted from the floor and wrapped around her, pulling her to the ground. Her father laughed as he watched her squirm. He spoke but his voice was only a whisper.

"You are fated to kill me?" He asked between laughs. He was enjoying himself. This was the first time in ages that he truly had a hold on his son.

"You can't hurt me," She said as she tried to escape. "This is only a dream. You're not really here."

"This may only be a dream but I can assure you that I am very real." Her father released her and summoned a large black scythe from the darkness. He walked around the table and destroyed each throne he passed, except for one. He studied the 14th throne before simply pushing it over and watching it shatter on the floor.

Lucy stood and faced him. "You will never succeed. I will stop you. The gods will stop your army. The Source will awaken and end this reign of terror. You. Will. Fail."

Her father rushed towards her and wrapped his hand around her tiny throat. "You are nothing without me!. I created you and I will destroy you just as easily!."

Her father dropped her on the floor. "You were a general in my army once and you will be a general in my army again. I control you. I made you."

The darkness from the room began to collect and surround her father. "I am The Overlord, the king of shadows. The dimensions will bow down before me or they will all perish trying to resist my rule. I failed conquering the third dimension but once I conquer the first dimension, the age of the Source will come to an end. Join me willingly and I will spare those of your choosing. That is my final offer."

All of the darkness in the room surrounded The Overlord completely and began to fade. Standing where he was a moment ago was the Time Master.

"You are running out of time. You must find the guitar and convince the Celestials to fight with us."

The dream faded but this would not be the last time that Lucy must confront her father.


Lucy awoke to a bright morning and less pain in her side. She could now stand on unsteady legs without falling over from the pain.

"You're looking better." Katie said from across the room. She came over and took Lucy out of the cage and laid her on a table.

Katie took the bandage off her side and looked at the wound. She made a face before grabbing a syringe and needle. After filling the syringe, she put the small needle in Lucy's side and earned a yelp from the small dog. She took the needle out and put a new bandage on the wound.

"It's a bit more purple than I would like it to be but that's normal considering how deep your cut was." She said after she finished putting the bandage on.

"What was that needle for?" Lucy asked. Injecting mortals with things is an effective way of killing them and Lucy did not appreciate being mortal.

"It's just something to help with the pain."

Lucy stood up and found the pain more manageable. She looked at the table she was on and considered jumping off but Katie had other ideas. She picked Lucy up and made her face her.

"I'll let you out of the cage but you are not allowed to leave the parlor, okay?"

Lucy stared at her. Dumb human, she thought. "Sure. I won't leave. I'll stay right where you want me to."

Katie nodded and put Lucy on the ground. Lucy took that moment to run for the door but Katie was faster. She ran after Lucy and swiftly picked her up again. She opened a drawer full of collars and, after a bit of struggling, she was able to get one on Lucy. She then proceeded to put a leash on her and tie the other end to one of the tables.

"You lied to me," Katie said with a disappointed look on her face.

Lucy just stared at her. "What did you expect? You held me here against my will."

"It's not safe for you to be on your own."

"I don't care. I'm here for one reason only."

"Ryder said he didn't see anything."

"But what did you see?"

Katie sighed. Against her better judgement, she answered. "Something did fall from the sky earlier last week. I don't know why Ryder lied to you but he probably doesn't want anyone going after it."

This revelation didn't surprise Lucy. Humans always lied about things they don't understand. "Do you know where it landed?"

Katie thought for a moment. "I believe it landed in the bay about two miles from the shore."

If the guitar landed out in the water then Lucy would need a ride to get out there. The guitar would have more than enough power to heal the effects of the black garnet if Lucy could get her hands on it. This was going to be a long mission.

"Could you help me get out there to get it?"

Katie just stared at her. Why would a dog need something that fell from the sky? "I could ask Ryder to go out there to see if anything is out there but I'm not sure what they're supposed to be looking for."

"It's a large guitar that's covered in white fur in several places. At the head of the guitar are two curved horns. The body is a polished beige."

Katie thought about this strange description for a moment. "Do you know what kind of guitar it is?"

"Electric."

Katie thought about this before nodding. She grabbed a notepad and wrote it down. Then,she bent down in front of Lucy.

"I'll ask Ryder if he can try to find it but only if you behave yourself until he finds it. Can you do that?"

This was not how the mission was supposed to go. It was supposed to be simple. Though, staying on this mission would give her more time away from Zeus and being taken care of would give her some time to relax and not worry about the threat her father gave her. Lucy's answer was simple.

"Fine. But if they can't find the guitar, I'm leaving to find it myself," Lucy said in a calm but serious tone.

Katie just nodded and left to make a call. Lucy took that moment to burn the leash and collar. She ran out the door before Katie came back. Lucy started running for a while until her side started to hurt. She found herself on a beach and looked out into the water. Burning the leash used a lot of her energy and she felt very tired. She walked over to a rock and slept in its shadow.

Katie came back and found the burnt remains of the leash. She pulled out her phone and quickly made another call..

"Ryder, I need your help."

10 minutes later

Ryder arrived with Chase and Bella. Bella rode in the back of Chase's cruiser. They got out and both went to work on trying to track Lucy. Ryder went over to Katie to get more information.

"Do you know which direction she went?" he asked

"I'm not sure," Katie responded. "I told her about the thing that fell from the sky and told her that I would ask you about it."

Ryder sighed. "Why would you tell her about that? Whatever fell from the sky should stay hidden until we find out what it does. Does she know where it is?"

Katie shook her head. "I told her it fell in the bay but I didn't tell her that you already have it. She shouldn't be swimming in her current condition."

"You told me that she escaped the leash but you didn't tell me how."

Katie brought him inside and showed him the burnt leash. He poked and was surprised to find that it was cold. For something that was completely burnt, it was very cold.

Ryder turned to look at Katie. "I don't think this is a normal pup if she can do something like this. We need to find her and get some answers."

Chase ran into the door. He shook his head before pushing it open. "We found her, sir, but she didn't exactly run away."

They followed Chase to the beach and found Lucy sleeping in the shadow of a large rock. Her side was bleeding but everything else seemed fine. Bella was sitting near her, watching her. Lucy yawned and opened her eyes but was blinded by the sun.

Another 10 minutes later

Lucy was now sitting in a cage after Katie finished checking her wound. The bleeding stopped but the pain started up again. Lucy was laying on her side and stared at the wall while Ryder lectured her about why she shouldn't run away while injured. Chase and Bella stood nearby.

"Your cut is now worse because you decided to run off!" Ryder wasn't yelling but he was getting close.

"I'm getting too old for this," Lucy stated as she continued to ignore him.

Katie decided to intervene before Ryder lost it. "How old are you?"

Lucy turned her attention towards the girl. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Ryder sighed. "Nothing is going to surprise me at this point. I don't even know how you managed to burn through the leash and collar."

"The elements are amazing things," she said. She stood up and turned her attention to Ryder. "Fire is just one of the elements I can control. I live a more complicated life than you could imagine."

"I'm guessing you're not really a dog?"

"Nope."

"How old are you?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "I am currently 5,999,999 years old. I will be turning 6 million this year."

"You're right. I don't believe you."

Katie whistled for Lucy's attention. "How are you so old?"

"I'm immortal."

"But you bleed and feel pain."

Lucy sighed. She was already annoyed with these humans. "I was immortal but a poison is keeping me mortal until I take the cure. The cut in my side was made by a blade made of black garnet. It has interesting effects on certain creatures."

Chase decided to speak up. "You're lying. There is no way that you are that old. You don't have superpowers."

Chase walked over to a water bowl for a drink and found that it was ice. The lights started to flicker and the temperature immediately dropped. Everyone looked at Lucy and her eyes were glowing white. Parts of her cage was beginning to melt but this didn't last long. The lights stopped flickering and the temperature returned to normal. The melted parts of her cage immediately became cold and her eyes stopped glowing. The only thing that remained of this incident was the warped metal and frozen water.

Lucy looked at Chase. "Don't underestimate me. I have saved the dimensions several times and I expect nothing in return."

Ryder was shocked at what just happened but now has an idea. "I'll give you the guitar if you can help me with something that just appeared last night."

"What is it?"

"It's a large machine that just appeared in the basement of the lookout. The top is green and the bottom is yellow. I didn't take it apart yet because I figured it was important."

Lucy took a few moments to think. "I might know what it is but I would have to see it to be sure. So, when are you going to let me out?"

"We'll let you out in a few if you promise to behave and not use these elements. And if you don't mind, I would like you to stay at the lookout for a few to teach me about these elements."

"Fine, but I will not be put on another leash or in a cage."

"You'll have to wear a collar because that's the rules but I won't put you in a cage."

Lucy nodded and laid down to finish her nap. This left everyone to think about what they learned. This pup was a lot older than she looked and wasn't even a pup. Chase and Bella were dismissed and they returned to the lookout

Katie decided to break the silence. "Are you really going to give her the guitar? We know nothing about who she is."

"I was hoping to learn more about her while we talked about the elements she mentioned," He didn't take his eyes off the sleeping pup. "If she knows what that machine is then I'll give her anything she wants."

"What's so important about this machine?"

Ryder turned his eyes toward her. "I know this machine works. I was looking at the surveillance and saw it walk into the lookout. It just went into the elevator and sat in the basement."

His eyes returned to Lucy. "It's waiting for something."

An hour later

Lucy woke up and found herself on a dog bed on the floor. She looked around and found herself alone. This didn't last long because Katie soon returned with a pet carrier. She saw that Lucy was awake and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" She asked

It was at this moment that Lucy noticed the lack of pain. "I feel fine. What's that for?"

"Ryder is on his way to come get you. He's taking you to the lookout and-"

"You need a safe way to take me there," Lucy finished.

Katie nodded and set the carrier on the floor. Lucy stood and walked inside. The door was shut behind her and she was taken outside to where Ryder was waiting. The ride to the lookout was short. Ryder took the carrier off the back of his ATV and brought it inside. He opened the door and allowed Lucy to walk out. Before she could explore, he slipped a gray collar on her.

She looked at the collar and back at him. "Why?"

"I told you that you need to wear a collar."

"When do I get to go to the basement?"

Ryder's smile melted. "You don't. Nobody is going to the basement until I figure out what that thing is."

Lucy growled. "This wasn't part of the deal. You said that I would get to see the machine."

"Tell me what it is."

Lucy sighed. "There is a strong possibility that it is a robot that I gave life to in the first dimension. I was being attacked by a monster and it nearly captured me. A group of builders used their machines to defend me so I rewarded them by giving their machines life. Their machines were magically enhanced in many ways; they go years without batteries, their motors don't burn out, the metal they're made from is more resistant to damage, and some of them are faster."

"Why should we believe this?" Rocky asked. "Machines aren't alive. They are controlled by someone giving input. They don't control themselves."

Ryder whistled and got their attention. "IF this machine came here for you, then can you make it leave?"

Lucy thought for a moment before responding. "It depends on what it wants."

Ryder motioned for her to follow and they went down the elevator. At the bottom was a large room and in the center sat a large machine. Lucy walked around it and inspected every inch of it. She searched the yellow hoop that surrounded the bottom until she found what she was looking for. On the yellow hoop was a single word: Chomp.

Lucy sighed with relief. She was glad that this was one of the more gentler machines. "I know who this is."

"This thing is a who?" Ryder asked.

"Meet Chomp, a 500-pound walking robot. Before I enhanced her, she was slow and her hammer could barely pierce metal. She's a gentle giant and prefers to defend rather than attack. She won't hurt you."

Ryder walked around the big machine and found the point to its hammer. "How do we get it moving?"

It was at this moment that Chomp decided to wake up. All six legs lowered to ground and lifted the robot a few inches off the ground. Its top half rotated until it faced Lucy. Its six legs went to work on bringing it closer to Lucy and stopped a few inches from her. It blew a bit of fire before lowering itself to the ground.

Lucy smiled. "Chomp always recognizes me in every form. I gave her and a few other robots the ability to open portals and travel the dimensions. Zoe didn't build Chomp to do this but it's a better fate than fighting in that box."

Ryder was amazed. "So it is alive."

It was a mistake to speak. Chomp immediately stood back up and its turret turned to face the intruder. It swung its hammer and buried it in the stone floor. It pulled the hammer out of the ground and pulled a chunk of stone with it.

Lucy just laughed. "Did I mention that she was smart? She knows you're human and is giving you a warning. She won't kill humans but she will defend me from possible threats."

Rocky chose that moment to come down the elevator. The elevator oopend and Chomp turned to face it. It blew fire and began to walk towards it.

"Chomp, enough!" Lucy yelled from across the room. "They're not threats. They just live here."

Chomp turned around and walked back to the center of the room. It slammed its hammer into the ground and cracked the chunk of stone that was stuck to it. It lowered itself to the ground and lifted its legs back into the robot and fell back asleep. Nobody spoke for 5 minutes.

Ryder decided to break the silence. "Is it going to leave?"

Lucy just shrugged. "I don't control them. Just be glad it wasn't Icewave. Icewave won't hesitate to hurt a human."

"What do we do with it?"

"Leave it here and don't provoke it. Now, where is the guitar?"

Ryder walked over to a guitar case and Lucy followed. Inside the case was Attmoz's guitar. Lucy was about to grab it but Ryder shut the case and locked it.

"You said you would help me understand these elements better."

Lucy found humans very annoying. "Fine. I need something to eat."

Ryder nodded and took Lucy and Rocky (who hasn't moved since the combat robot tried to use him for target practice) upstairs where the other pups were watching tv. Ryder called all the pups for dinner and fed them. He found an extra bowl for Lucy and she got to eat. All of the other pups went back to their activities. Some of the pups wanted to talk to Lucy but she had other plans. She went back down the elevator and headed for Chomp. She climbed on top of it and laid down. She could hear the tiny sounds of it compressing and releasing air in a pattern similar to snoring. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.


The next chapter will be soon but don't quote me on that. Another thanks to Tyfi Signal for letting me use his OC Neo and details from his story. Go read A 4-Pawed Punishment to find out more about Neo. I should mention that I will also be using real things from our world in this story. Chomp is a 500-pound walking robot with a rotating turret and a mighty hammer. The version of Chomp I mentioned was built by Zoe Stephenson and her team for the 2020 season of Battlebots. It's my favorite machine and a marvel of engineering.