Today was an acceptable one in Aku's opinion since he had received several monuments carved in his likeness and he allowed new extraterrestrial beings to live in his waters after he denied them of their planetary source, not to mention that he was being worshipped and feared left and right while those who were foolish enough to speak out against him or show disrespect would be instantly sent to the pit of hate to be converted to his ways, no questions asked.

This world was his and his alone while little by little, Aku was gaining influence across the stars with his name not unheard of across galaxies, yet it still wasn't enough. Becoming the master of the universe was a slow and painful process, though it didn't help that there were still corners of his earth that were untouched by him and it was something that he would eventually remedy, make no mistake about that.

But, while today started out like any other day, a certain unexpected visitor to his towering castle was about to bring him news that would change everything as a figure wearing a black cloak with the hood up approached Aku and bowed low before him.

"My lord and master, I have great news for you," the figure spoke in a female voice while it purred in respect.

"What information can be considered great for the immortal Aku?" Aku challenged with a booming voice and the figure removed her hood to reveal that it was the waitress who served Brad and the others, though her eyes were now dark and malicious and it was a quality Aku found to be acceptable in his subjects.

"An ancient warrior of power and skill has revealed himself and is accompanied by a strange jackal with fur as black as night while they both have vowed to liberate the canines from your mines," the woman reported and that got Aku's attention before outrage showed on his face, the demon wondering who would be so bold as to stand against him, the Shogun of Sorrows.

"What impertinence is this?! Show me the fools!" Aku bellowed as he turned away from the woman and the wall of petrified flames unfurled to reveal an all-seeing mirror, the mirror showing three dogs boarding a rocket ship followed by a human and a black jackal.

The first one looked like your typical male Egyptian canine but his fur was as black as Aku himself and his blue eyes held the expression of someone who appeared to be out of his element while Aku frowned since the jackal wasn't special in terms of appearance and he was built with toned muscle as the jackal climbed into the ship while the human stayed close so that the canine wouldn't fall.

As for the human male, he finally turned his head to face Aku unknowingly and the demon was stunned with his eyes wide and his mouth dropped open in shock as he recognized the man as his ancient foe, the Emperor's son and a snide smile slowly appeared on the demon's green face before he closed the mirror and threw his head up to let out a dark laugh.

"So, fate has arrived at last and many years have gone by since that day but now, my formidable foe, you will pay for my pain in the past with your pain in the future," Aku declared gleefully and erupted in sadistic laughter.

At that moment, the sound of clanging metal legs echoed over Aku's twisted laughter as hundreds of black robotic beetle drones scurried down the walls of his tower, summoned to do his bidding with one instruction programmed in their minds, kill the samurai and anyone else who stands in their way.


Jack sat in between me and Dreyfuss as Angus started up the engine, the samurai looking around in awe while the top of the ship was completely made of glass to give us a 360-degree view of our surroundings and I put my seatbelt on before noticing that Jack wasn't wearing his and I cleared my throat to get his attention.

"Jack, you're not wearing your seatbelt so let me show you how to do it," I offered as I gestured at his seatbelt and mine.

Jack was looking puzzled by what I was saying until I helped him put his seatbelt on while he stiffened from the close proximity, but I ignored it as I clicked the seatbelt on and Jack sent me a questioning glance.

"Safety first and I'm sure you wouldn't want to go flying through the glass in case of an accident, I'm sure," I pointed out and Jack relaxed before he returned a tiny smile.

"Yes, thank you," Jack said and I nodded in response.

"Brace yourselves," Angus warned and Jack blinked at that.

"What?" Jack asked before the ship gave a sharp jolt and we were sent rocketing into the air with incredible speed that even startled me to the point of letting out a yelp before I started gripping my seat and my feet pressed against the back of Rothchild's seat.

Normally, an airplane would take a while and built up speed before taking off but not this ship and Jack, who wasn't used to the concept of machines, looked completely terrified as he held onto Rothchild's seat for dear life with his eyes wide in alarm and I stifled a nervous chuckle at how funny he looked in a petrified state so I decided to try and calm him down.

"Jack, doesn't it look incredible out there?" I asked suddenly as I pointed to the view outside, then Jack blinked at me for a moment before daring to look outside to where I was pointing.

As I had pointed out, it was a magnificent sight while we were soaring over the ocean that was gleaming gold in the setting sun since, now that we were out of the city, we could actually see the sky while Jack appeared dumbfounded that we were already in another location within a matter of seconds. I heard something making a flapping noise before Jack and I looked to see Dreyfuss hanging his head out an open window on his side, sending a trail of saliva flying behind us.

Seeing that caused Jack to grimace and grip Rothchild's seat again as a look of fear crossed his face again while we passed a forest, an oil mine, then a desert in a matter of minutes and I couldn't help but stare with wide eyes at the strangest creatures used for caravans below us, the creatures used as Indian elephants for transportation but they had the appearances of brachiosauruses.

"Jesus, what is this place?" I muttered in astonishment as we passed them.

Before long, we had zoomed towards another city and it looked grand with the setting sun at first, but my wonder turned into concern as we got closer and noticed that the tall buildings were in ruins like the city had suffered from the aftermath of a nuclear explosion while the ground was filled with giant holes that were clearly dug up on purpose. The place was clearly in shambles and I was starting to understand the horrors that this world was suffering from with Aku in charge and I was hoping that we would pass it, but Angus stopped the ship and landed it right into the center of the city.

Rothchild, Angus, and Dreyfuss all casually walked off the ship with me right behind but my legs were a bit wobbly from the extreme ride and it felt like getting off a roller coaster, though Jack had taken the worst of it and jumped out of the ship and landed onto his hands and knees while gripping the ground before he started breathing heavily with his forehead pressed against the dirt and his face was scrunched up.

"Oh, dear! Sir Jack, are you ill?" Rothchild inquired in concern and Jack stood up with a grimace as he dusted off his hands.

"I'm fine...I just prefer walking," Jack reassured while looking like he was trying not to throw up.

"Oh, yes, rocket rides and such so sorry about that, old-timer. Anyway, welcome to our camp!" Rothchild declared as the other dogs started staring at us and I waved shyly while I felt timid by all the curious looks like they were judging me.

"Um...hi," I greeted meekly with a nervous smile and the dogs didn't reply, just tilted their heads curiously and a few of them wagged their tails so they weren't against me and Jack being here at least.

It was so strange for me to see dogs digging with shovels and pickaxes instead of their paws, though I jerked back at the sight of a bizarre six-legged horse-like creature with compound eyes similar to a fly as it walked past while dragging behind a crate filled with red jewels that were as tall as me.

'What the fuck...is that a literal horsefly?' I thought in complete bewilderment and didn't know whether I should be amazed or horrified by such an obvious crossover, though at least it didn't have any wings...but a closer inspection made me take that back and wince in sympathy since it had wings, though the stumps told me that they had been torn off painfully.

"As you can see, our archeological dig had unearthed many outstanding discoveries concerning the history of canine kind but, unfortunately, Aku has...shall we say, 'redirected' our efforts purely toward the excavation of his precious gems," Rothchild explained as he gave me and Jack a brief tour of their camp.

I kept listening as I took in our surroundings, seeing dogs operating strange mining machines that were chiseling away at the red gems that were growing out of the ground and even the ruined buildings like an invasive species with their beauty looking deadly.

"And if Aku's unreasonable quotas are not fully met, I'm afraid terrible punishments are exacted," Rothchild continued with a solemn expression as we came across a horrific sight that I would never be able to forget.

I let out a soft horrified gasp and covered my mouth with a hand when I saw the dead bodies of dogs that were crucified to tree-like spikes, but the worst part was that they had been disemboweled with their intestines hanging out and dried blood coated the ground below them, then my nausea grew overpowering from the disgusting smell of decay as I made retching noises and backed away a few steps before instantly turning around and throwing up as tears built up and ran down my cheeks from the sick sight of what I had witnessed.

What I had seen was beyond horrible and something that I'd never thought I would witness with my own two eyes as a hand rested on my back and I looked to see that it was Jack, who looked very concerned for me while the other canines sent me worried looks and I was glad that everyone was worried about me since what I had seen was more than fucked up.

"My people's spirits are broken and just simply cannot live like this anymore!" Rothchild stated loudly with his voice filled with emotions until anger and outrage settled in.

I stood up and clenched my fists while I was trembling and struggling to keep my composure, but how could I? This was cruel beyond any stretch of the imagination and it was one thing hearing about their enslavement but now...seeing it was something else.

I just watched as a dog with its ribs showing struggled to chip away at the jewels with a look that was drained of hope while more dogs were barely able to move the baskets filled with the gems, their little legs scrambling in an effort to pull them up a hill while they were exhausted and starving, then I was forced to take a step back when a small puppy slowly hauled a basket twice his size as it moved past them.

I was gritting my teeth and letting out low growls of rage as hot fury rose up in me since this was so wrong on so many levels of wrong and crossed so many lines that it bordered on inhumane, but I remembered that Aku was a demon and it's not surprising that he would be capable of this as I could see Jack and the others recoiling when they saw me.

"Um, Bradley, your flesh is bubbling while your eyes are glowing red," Rothchild pointed out meekly and I looked down at my hands to see that he was right, causing me to feel alarmed as my skin looked like it was bubbling like hot tar while I saw my eyes glowing red in the reflection of a nearby broken window but the eerie look went away as I managed to calm down with my flesh becoming normal again.

"S-Sorry...how can someone, how can anyone do this?" I wondered as Jack stared at me suspiciously with his hand on the handle of his sword and Rothchild cautiously approached me.

"I don't know, my dear boy...I truly don't know," Rothchild said hesitantly and I looked at the horrors before me darkly.

"We need to stop this hellish nightmare," I muttered bitterly and Rothchild looked up at me hopefully.

"I didn't realize that Aku was such a twisted vile monster and I don't care what it takes, he needs to be stopped!" I spat angrily and Rothchild's eyes grew moist as he quickly hugged my legs.

"Brad...I knew you would come to understand so thank you," Rothchild told me and I kneeled down to hug him just as tightly.

"Rothie...god, I'm so sorry you and everyone else has to go through this hell," I said and Rothchild's tail wagged frantically at hearing his nickname before I held my arm out to Angus and Dreyfuss as well and they joined in.

"I have seen Aku implement these atrocities before but no more. Even dogs should not be forced to live like dogs!" Jack declared with his voice heavy with anger and determination as we looked at him, then it became silent and awkward as Jack seemed to realize his poor choice of words and looked embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly while the canines and I separated.

"Err...umm," Jack struggled to say something to correct his mistake but he was having difficulty doing it while I stood up with a deadpanned expression.

"Yeah, maybe you should've worded that better," I remarked dryly and Jack looked away with shame flushing his cheeks as the dogs glared up at him unamusingly, just before I noticed one of the workers running over to us with a frightened expression.

"They're coming, they're coming! Aku's drones approach from the south and they will be here by sunrise!" the worker notified us in a panic as he pointed off into the distance, causing Rothchild to gasp in alarm while I looked up at the sky to see the sun already setting behind the horizon as it stained the sky in a deep crimson red like blood.

"Hurry, come quick!" the canine worker urged before we were led up through the ruins of what used to be a large skyscraper and once we were on the roof, the worker pointed towards the south.

At first, I couldn't see anything but the distant mountains and clouds until I realized that they weren't clouds behind the mountains, but dust being kicked up by something. I crouched down and leaned forward with my eyes squinting until I spotted what appeared to be a black river trickling down the mountains.

"The hell is that?" I wondered as Rothchild took out a pair of high-tech binoculars and looked out at the creeping darkness until he lowered the binoculars with an expression of concern.

"I say, there are quite a few of those Aku destroyer beetle drones," Rothchild commented uneasily and I looked at him.

"May I?" I asked as I held out my hand and Rothchild handed me the binoculars.

I laid down on my stomach and looked through the binoculars until my eyes widened in shock at the sight of giant metal beetle drones with pitch-black bodies and uncanny light blue eyes, though what was more concerning was the mantis-like slashers they had for legs.

"My god...there must be thousands of them down there," I breathed out in disbelief while standing back up and handing the binoculars back to Rothchild.

"How are you ever going to be able to defeat them?" Rothchild asked Jack, who was scanning the army that was approaching and I chuckled nervously.

"Jack, you wouldn't happen to have a plan, would you?" I also asked and Jack seemed to come to a decision.

"I will need some weapons," Jack said with a steely expression of determination and we headed down from the building so that we could get started in defending ourselves.


By the time we had climbed back down, night had fallen as Jack had grabbed a giant roll of drafting paper and ripped off a big piece before spreading it across the ground with four rocks holding down the edges until everyone sat down around him and the paper. I sat cross-legged between Rothchild and Dreyfuss as Jack was trying to come up with a plan before he surveyed the area and the canines' equipment until a smirk appeared on his face and Rothchild offered him a pen with a silly grin on his face.

Jack took the pen and tried to write something but no ink came out and he stared down at the pen in complete puzzlement, prompting me to clear my throat to get his attention and mimicked the action of pressing down with my thumb before Jack blinked and followed my instructions until he was surprised by the tip appearing at the bottom and proceeded to analyze it before getting to work on charting the layout.

Jack's strokes were steady and precise almost like he was creating a work of art while the canines and I couldn't help but be drawn in as the artist in me studied his work and saw that he didn't need a ruler to make straight lines, which was damn impressive and I was hoping I could ask him for some pointers once this fight was over.

Pretty soon, he was finished and Jack smiled as he clicked the pen until he nodded at me before I returned it with a grin a thumbs up as I noticed the canines were wagging their tails and the moon thankfully illuminated the layout plan while Jack had me and Rothchild hold it up so that it was in full view to the rest of the dogs.

"Aku's minions have only one way to enter this vicinity and that is through this gorge but even though you may not be soldiers, you are engineers and diggers so that is something we shall use to our advantage and something Aku will not expect, so we shall make traps to slow down the beetle drones and limit their numbers," Jack spoke with the expertise of a war strategist and I began to realize that this man was more than meets the eye as the canines nodded with looks of determination until I raised my hand.

"Excuse me, traps are good to use in this kind of fight, but what I'm concerned about is that there are millions of drones so what if some of those traps don't work or those beetle drones are capable of avoiding them? We only have until sunrise to get everything set up so there won't be any time to test them out," I pointed out and the dogs seemed to realize that I had made very good points before they turned to look at Jack with worried glances.

"If that happens, I shall be the one to lead them into the traps and if that fails, then I shall cut them down with my blade," Jack answered as he placed a hand over his sword and my eyes widened at the very bold declaration.

Was this guy seriously volunteering to be a decoy and be the only man to fight against all those drones? I was so completely stunned by his suicidal decision that I couldn't speak anymore and I didn't know if this guy was very brave or highly stupid for going to take on that army all by himself without anyone to back him up, though the canines aren't trained to fight and I didn't know how I could help in the fight since I'm just a normal college student without any military training or combat experience so I would only be in the way and get myself killed if I was in the middle of it.

Either way, I shook it off and we all got to work immediately with the canines starting up the engines of their excavators and Jack pointed them in the right direction while giving them instructions to topple their machines over to my confusion and I started wondering what the point of that was, then the arm buckets were filled with rocks while the machines were turned into make-shift catapults until I understood what Jack had in mind and felt impressed by his ingenuity.

When that was done, Jack marked the ground with his sword to where the trenches should be and Rothchild used his excavator to dig along the line and making a deep wide trench while more canines joined in to dig more trenches, each an arch away from each other. After that, Jack had several canines land their flying ships on top of stony structures and I had no idea what he had planned for them since I was too busy helping Angus with barricading a building for a safe house to really pay attention.

As I was holding wooden planks in place while Angus was busy drilling them over the windows, I couldn't help but look back at the poor canines that were still crucified and it felt wrong for them to still be left hanging up there.

"Angus, maybe we should take them down," I suggested and the Scottish canine stopped what he was doing until he looked at what I was talking about and remained silent.

"It just doesn't feel right leaving them up there like that, so they should have a proper burial," I pointed out before Angus let out a heavy sigh and he nodded.

"Aye...you're right since I believe they deserve the proper respect but we won't have time for the ceremony, though," Angus agreed until he gathered some canines and they took down their dead friends.

Since they were all expert diggers, it didn't take much time at all for each body to be buried and I stood alongside the canines with my head low and my eyes closed in silent mourning while I gave a prayer to the poor souls that died horribly, hoping that they would be able to move on and find peace if such an afterlife existed. At that moment, I felt a paw resting on my side before I opened my eyes and looked down to see Angus smiling up at me solemnly and he motioned that we had to go before I nodded and we slowly walked away from the new depressing graveyard.

When I saw Jack again, he was making a custom-made bow and arrows while I arched a brow when I saw that the arrows were tipped with red arrowheads made from the jewels the canines were mining and I watched from behind as he notched an arrow to the string and pulled it back with no effort while he aimed at one of the stone pillars and shot at it, then my mouth dropped open when the arrow shattered the stone and pierced through another slab of rock with the arrowhead sticking out on the other side.

I was amazed by what I was seeing since not only did that require a massive amount of strength, but the jewels had to be unbelievably sharp and sturdy to be able to cut through thick solid stone while seeing what Jack did reminded me of when I would take archery classes and become very good with a bow while Jack turned around and jumped when he saw me before I smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry for startling you, but that was incredible and I didn't know that you could do archery," I complimented and Jack didn't appear to know how to respond to that.

"Um...thank you," Jack replied with an uncertain smile before I looked at the gems that were protruding from the side of the cliff and traced my hand against one of the smooth sides.

"Damn, these jewels have to be pretty fucking durable and they're practically like diamonds...hey, what if we create spike traps by lining up the trenches with these gems? It would definitely thin down the beetle drones and make things for you much easier," I suggested and Jack's eyes lit up from the plan I had told him before he nodded in agreement.

"That is a wonderful idea, good work," Jack said as he patted me on the shoulder and I noticed that he was hesitant in doing it because of what he saw when I was enraged by Aku's cruelty, so I decided to help him out with a bow to gain his trust.

"Hey, I'm pretty good with a bow and I know some martial arts so how about I go up onto one of the ridges and cover you just in case you get ambushed from behind? I know you were wary by what you witnessed earlier so why don't help you out by giving you cover fire from one of the ridges and gain your trust that way," I offered and Jack frowned from that and looked uncertain.

"I do not think that is wise because it will be very dangerous and you could get hurt," Jack pointed out and I nodded in agreement.

"You're right, it's going to be dangerous but it would probably be better if you have someone to assist you if things start to get overwhelming and I won't take any unnecessary risks if that's what you're worried about," I reassured and Jack still looked hesitant before I gestured at the bow in his hand and motioned for him to give it to me.

Jack handed me the bow and an arrow with a questioning look, but I smiled at him until I looked at the rocks and my eyes narrowed in concentration as I aimed at one of the stone pillars before I nocked back the arrow and shot the pillar, hitting it dead center with the stone shattering and Jack looked impressed at my archery while I handed the bow back to him.

"Very well, you may assist me but remain on your guard during the battle," Jack told me and I nodded before he went to round up some workers.

In no time, the canines came with their pickaxes and began to chisel away at the gems while I helped carry the long pieces into the trench while Jack used the smaller ones to craft spears until I stuck one of the long pieces into the ground with the sharp tip facing up as I grinned.

"You know, this might actually work," I told Dreyfuss, who smiled in response.

"I sure hope so," Dreyfuss replied as we kept working on setting up the trap.

After several hours of setting up the spiked-trench trap, I climbed out while I noticed that something was wrong when I wasn't feeling thirsty or sore so I wondered if my new body didn't need any substance as I spotted Jack approaching the horsefly.

I flinched when the animal reared up at his approach, ready to trample Jack to the ground but he merely presented an apple and the aggression ceased before the animal bent its neck down and sniffed at the apple until it appeared to realize that Jack wasn't a threat and eagerly ate the apple until it gently nuzzled Jack's hand and he smiled while petting the animal. Seeing that, I was completely baffled since it turns out that not only was Jack a master swordsman, master war strategist, and master archer, he was also a master animal tamer so I wondered if there was anything he couldn't do besides working a ball-point pen.

Jack saw me and gestured for me to come over, causing me to look around until I pointed at myself and he nodded before I stared at the horsefly uncomfortably since it had been a long time when I had last approached a horse before, but it would be rude to keep Jack waiting so I decided to suck it up and hesitantly walked over with a wary expression while I felt tense. I cautiously walked over with my hands in my pockets before the horsefly turned its head to snort in my direction, causing me to freeze up at the sight of my reflections being shown in its compound eyes before Jack handed me an apple and gently nudged me forward.

I stared down at the apple in my hand and back up at the animal, whose attention was now completely on the fruit and I hesitantly reached out the apple to the horsefly while scared of getting my hand bitten off until the animal sniffed at the apple with a whinny and ate it while carefully avoiding my fingers, then I made a small noise while jerking my hand back like it was burnt and didn't expect the animal to lick me in the cheek before nuzzling me.

"He is thanking you," Jack explained while I was rendered breathless until I let out a quiet laugh and patted the horsefly's muzzle.

"You are welcome," I told the animal as I started feeling more comfortable with its presence.

"Now that I have his trust, I can ride him to battle," Jack said as he handed me a bow, along with a quiver full of ammo before I strapped the quiver to my back and slung the bow.

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" I questioned and Jack looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"About what?" Jack wondered in confusion and I sighed.

"About fighting all of those drones by yourself, even if I'm covering you," I clarified and Jack's face became serious.

"It is the only way," Jack stated and I looked away, feeling concerned that I might screw up during the fight until I returned my attention to him.

"Just...be careful and I won't screw up, I promise," I vowed and Jack nodded before he started explaining to me what my role will be during the fight.

After that, armor was forged for Jack and the horsefly while I watched Jack draw his clan's insignia on a long white banner with a bamboo pen and ink, showing that he preferred the old fashioned way over a pen and Jack smiled in satisfaction once he was done while I thought that the banner was a little lacking, but that changed when two canines with a huge chunk of metal accidentally treaded their paws over the banner, leaving a trail of dog prints.

Jack started staring at the sight with a mystified look and seeing the paw prints on the banner gave me an idea as I dunked my hand into the inkpot and earned a strange look from the samurai, but I ignored him and pressed my palm in the bottom right corner, leaving my handprint on it.

"There, so we'll be there for you and you won't be alone once you go into the thick of it," I said proudly and Jack looked stunned for a moment until a touched smile spread across his face.

"Thank you, and I wish to apologize for my suspicions earlier when I saw your form changing slightly during your anger at Aku's vile act with those poor souls," Jack told me as he bowed humbly and I returned it.

"Don't worry, I looked like a demon during that moment so it's not surprising that you were suspicious of me," I reassured until we continued to get ready for the upcoming fight.


Pretty soon, dawn broke faster than anyone would've liked as I felt jittery and nervous while Jack was busy grooming the horsefly, just before I looked up at the sky again to see it and the clouds tinged orange as I was so nervous that I could barely keep any food down and one thing I couldn't understand is how Jack could eat his breakfast so calmly and then get suited up in his armor like it was an everyday occurrence for him, making me wonder why he wasn't scared.

I kept watching him and fiddled with my bow that was slung across my shoulder as I considered backing out of this dangerous idea of helping him since I was just a college student who was going to be an artist and now I was going to be involved in a war for christ's sake, something I never thought would ever happen to me but here I am.

"The destroyer drones have entered the valley, now take cover!" the lookout alerted and I jumped to my feet while every canine began to run around in a panic, just as Jack climbed onto the horsefly's back and held out his hand for me to grab.

I took his hand and he pulled me up until we galloped away to face the danger head-on until we eventually stopped near the traps and Jack had me climb up the cliff until I made it to the top and took cover against a large rock before I peered over it to watch the fight and wait for the signal. Pretty soon, I saw the drones arriving and I gulped since there was no turning back now as Jack charged at the drones and fired arrows at the excavators, causing them to activate and throw rocks at the drones.

The drones were being smashed by the falling boulders and some of them exploded as Jack fired one arrow and it flew at a barrel before grazing a stone wick and causing a spark, then the barrel and the ones next to it exploded as they took out dozens of drones while I was in disbelief at Jack's accuracy until he fired four more arrows into the inferno and they each struck a drone in the head before they exploded.

Jack dropped the bow and took a spear before impaling four drones and he dropped the used spear while the horsefly used his armored head to smash his way through several drones as Jack kept using more spears to take out more drones by either knocking them out of the way or sending them flying while more explosions erupted before the drones seemed to start taking him seriously by standing on their hind-legs and charging at him while Jack pulled out his sword and let out a rhythmic whistle.

Hearing him give me the signal, I stood up and nocked back an arrow before I shot a drone that tried to ambush Jack from behind and it blew up while Jack sliced through more drones like they were nothing, then I took out a few more drones with excellent shots before three of them noticed me and scurried away from Jack while they started climbing up the cliff to get me until my eyes widened.

"Oh shit!" I yelped as the drones jumped up and started swiping at me, forcing me to backpedal in an effort to avoid getting killed and I slid down to the bottom of the valley and ran with the drones right behind me while I noticed that Jack wasn't on the horsefly anymore and his flag was laying on the ground while looking torn up just as Jack saw me being chased and he took up an alarmed expression.

"Jack, I could use a little help here!" I called out frantically with a terrified expression, causing him to narrow his eyes in determination as he quickly ran to me and passed me a combat knife that was carved from one of the gems before we got surrounded.

"Quickly, stay close to me and keep your guard up!" Jack told me urgently and I nodded as we went back to back.

Suddenly, the drones charged and slashed at us as I followed Jack's instructions by blocking and ducking any swing that was coming at me and retaliated by slicing and stabbing the drones with Jack as they exploded, just as I got hit across the arm and yelled in pain as I sliced my attacker's head off and noticed that I wasn't bleeding as the injury quickly healed in seconds. I had no time to question it since Jack was starting to get overwhelmed with his armor getting destroyed until he was only in his gi that was starting to look torn, then the samurai studied the drones with a calculating look to assess a strategy since his armor was gone until he signaled for me to go on the defensive.

I understood what he was planning and we ran as we hacked and slashed our way through the drones as I jumped and used a drone as a stepping stone to launch me over the fire while Jack did the same, then Jack pointed at the stone beams that looked unstable and I nodded while I was feeling scared out of my mind before I ran over to one of them and hid as I tried to calm my racing heart. Pretty soon the drones started passing me and I kicked at the stone until it toppled over while colliding with more rocks until most of the drones were destroyed.

Jack and I started running again and headed to where the next trap was and used the rocket engines to blow up the drones before we kept running and I saw the spike traps, then Jack and I leaped clear over the deadly trench and I was stunned by how high I jumped until we looked back to see nearly the rest of the drones blindly ran into the final trap and impaled themselves one after the other like a shishkabob until the trench was filled with dead robot beetles while the remaining drones merely crawled across the bodies of their friends.

Instead of the drones charging at us, they circled around us as we stood still with my hands trembling and the drones finished circling after an entire minute passed by before they stood very still and stared at us while I assumed that they were trying to calculate for a good strategy to take us down. After that, the air became thick with tension as I quietly let out nervous breathing and my muscles became very tense while Jack slowly moved his sword until he held it behind his back and I subtly looked behind me to see the city ruins where the canines were hiding and watching us as I steeled myself.

At that moment, the drones attacked while moving swiftly and I was forced to dodge many swipes while slicing through a few before I started getting overwhelmed when the drones changed tactics by attacking together, then I kept screaming in agony from the blades slicing through me while Jack was also getting badly hurt with his gi getting even more torn up as we were sent to the ground and I gritted my teeth in pain.

After that, all the negative emotions that had been building up like a dam since yesterday just burst out and I snarled as I stood up with my injuries regenerating and my clothes mending while my eyes started glowing red and my body rippled like a thick liquid as Jack ripped off what's left of the upper-half of his gi and raised his sword while he was bleeding, then we attacked more viciously and heated while we were getting hit a few more times.

Having had enough of this, Jack and I let out savage roars as we jumped up and sliced through a drone in such a manner that it caused oil to burst out and cover everything, even us while we continued slicing apart more drones and getting covered with more oil as I lost my knife and proceeded to smash them to pieces with my fists or rip them apart with my claws as my face was twisted into a frightening bloodthirsty rage until Jack and I eventually stood in the middle of the carnage while oil dripped off Jack's sword like dark blood.

I was breathing heavily with my eyes wild and my muzzle curled up into a vicious snarl and the drones seemed to figure out that we were out of their league as they backed up nervously.

"No, there is no escape," Jack said coldly as he narrowed his eyes.

At that moment, we screamed savagely and decimated the rest of the drones while I knocked down a drone with a solid kick and grabbed a rock before I kept bashing its head in with uncontrollable primal yelling as I looked more like a wild animal than anything else until the drone's head was all but gone and I stood up while Jack grabbed the torn banner from the ground and climbed up the mountain of dead robots until he jabbed the pole into the drones, declaring our victory for all to see.

I managed to calm down and when I saw Jack standing on that mountain of dead robots, realization set in as I recalled the story about the Emperor's son and the great demon Aku until I gasped when I figured out that the story was real and I was actually staring at the legendary samurai himself, which means...Jack would eventually find a portal that would send him back to his own time and a spark of hope appeared in me since there was the slightest chance that going on Jack's journey would also help me find a way home.

I started smiling as the canines quit hiding and left the buildings with hopeful smiles as Rothchild ran over to me and Jack happily.

"Now that was smashing, a real bang-up job!" Rothchild cheered until Jack looked down at him and the small dog shrank back in intimidation before he cleared his throat.

"Sir Jack, dear Bradley, this was a truly noble deed you two have done today and a historic victory most worthy of our logs. You have saved our pack from the wrath of Aku's drones and we are forever indebted to the both of you," Rothchild said as he and the other canines took off their hats in respect while I felt bashful by all the praises.

"Thanks are not necessary, it is my duty to oppose the minions of Aku and my mission to vanquish the very demon himself," Jack stated and Rothchild beamed.

"Well then...now that we have a chance at freedom, we shall take our leave of these godforsaken mines before our pack shall continue our once nomadic life searching for more answers to our puzzling history," Rothchild said happily and Jack holstered his sword before turning to him.

"I wish you the best," Jack told him as he held out a hand and Rothchild shook it.

"We certainly would invite you and Bradley to join us," Rothchild offered and Jack shook his head.

"No, I cannot because Aku's wrongs must be righted and surely there is a way to reverse his spell. I will find a way back to my own time and there I shall finish what I started centuries ago by defeating Aku's evil before it was ever truly unleashed," Jack refused as he walked down the mountain of dead robots and I cleared my throat to get his attention.

"Jack, would it be alright if you take me with you? I promise that I won't get in the way so can I come with you?" I asked hopefully and Jack paused before he frowned.

"I am uncertain that would be wise because this quest I am on is perilous and you would get hurt," Jack pointed out and I looked down with a grim expression as I clenched my fists.

"I know that it will be dangerous and as long as Aku's in charge, I will always be in danger no matter where I go with or without you...not to mention that I'm also looking for a portal to return home, same as you.

You saw me fight so you know that I'm capable of defending myself if things get bad and I swore that Aku will be stopped no matter what it takes, so I won't be a burden to you," I vowed as I looked up with a serious expression and Jack started sending me a look of pained understanding since knows fully well just what I'm going through until he started appearing thoughtful for a short time and finally nodded.

"Very well, we'll find a portal together but don't be reckless," Jack told me as he started wiping his face to get rid of the oil and I smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, though we should wash first since we're covered in oil," I pointed out and Jack blinked at that before he nodded in agreement and Rothchild came over to see us.

"You two can use our main washroom and it's the least we can do after all you did for us," Rothchild offered and we were led to one of the buildings before Jack and I went into the separate rooms and I removed my clothes before taking a shower and thinking about everything that had led up to this point until I looked at where my injuries should be and saw that my body looked untouched like I hadn't been hurt in the first place.

'God, what the hell am I?' I thought as I tried to figure out how it was possible that I didn't get thirsty or hungry, tired, would regenerate, and that I was stronger and faster while also the strange unnatural reaction my body would have when I got pissed like I was a demon or something and it was like my body is more liquid than solid but thick as tar.

Everything just felt so confusing and it was hard to wrap my head around everything I had seen and witnessed so far, but I had the feeling that this event would be a tiny piece of something much bigger and that I would see and experience far more bizarre and terrifying things while I was trapped in this alternate reality. Pretty soon, I continued washing off the oil and dried myself off before proceeding to clean my clothes and I put them on once they were completely dry until I met up with Jack while he was repairing his gi and we got ready to leave.


Aku was more than displeased after watching his drones getting destroyed by the samurai and his new ally and he scowled as he watched them through his mirror.

"Bah, he is stronger than I remember and that new ally of his is becoming a pest...but no matter. For you see, samurai, the world is mine while my eyes and ears are everywhere so nothing you do will go unseen. Quest all you may and befriend all those whom you wish, it matters not to me because we will meet again where I see fit in a time and place of my choosing.

I shall be the one to bring an end to the war that started in that age long past and your new ally will learn the price of crossing the great Aku, Samurai Jack!" Aku declared until he threw his head up and let out a twisted laugh while the mirror showed Jack and Brad waving goodbye to the canines with smiles on their faces before they left and headed off into an uncertain future.


A/N Finally finished with this so sorry to keep you all in suspense, though you get to see Brad team up with Jack in destroying the robot beetle drones so it was worth the wait and Brad has no idea that things will get rough for him and Jack in the long haul.

Anyway, I hope I had Brad react realistically throughout the chapter since seeing the crucified dogs were pretty horrifying for him and it hit him just how bad things are in this dark alternate reality that he's trapped in but he's going to be experiencing more horrors until it hardens him into a survivor that doesn't hesitate when he's in danger, but I've been thinking of adding the Devil May Cry series to this story once the Okami arc is finished.

What do you think, should I add the Devil May Cry series to this story? Let me know your answer and tell me what you think about this chapter so stay tuned.