Paralyzed, Rick could still see the bright pink bloom of sparks in the sky, still hear the boom as the firework exploded. That was the signal that not only had Peach Parfait been rescued, but had also safely exited the UNF. He would've let out a relieved sigh if his chest was actually able to expand, but he did so mentally at least. It meant that as soon as this paralysis went away, the three of them could move their way to a log-out point and leave as well. Certainly one had to be close by.

From his memories, he'd been in the UNF for about three and a half days; a long time to spend away from the hustle and bustle of NYC. Of course, he knew that in reality, he was still sitting in a Dive Café with Sara and Jayne in East Harlem, and hardly any time had passed. Anyone watching from the outside would simply see three middle school students go into a Full Dive for a few minutes before coming back. They would probably wonder why the teens would go through the hassle of renting a Dive-booth that locked from the inside if they were only going to visit the global net for a few minutes.

That was the power of Acceleration; the power of having a multi-day adventure in only a couple of minutes.

Coming back to his own troubles, Rick debated how he was going to get out of this particular pickle. Sure, he could simply wait for the effects to wear off, but he really wanted to break this status himself. Maybe prove to himself and the others that he deserved to be a Senator.

Even though he couldn't turn his head - he could blink and move his eyes in their sockets - he was fairly certain the rest of his party, including Magnesium Apex, were in the same condition he was. He couldn't see them though, because he'd twisted his head and torso in the direction he thought the Howl was coming from before the paralysis managed to grip him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the glimmer of Platinum Patriot's soul token. If Patty managed to regenerate before they were out of there, all four of them were royally screwed! And speaking of which, where had Patty's lackey, Straw Scout, gone? With any luck, she was stuck like he was!

But of course, nothing ever went that smoothly for Rick Billings.

As if on cue, the light yellow avatar strolled through the surrounding trees, casually knocking loose a few silver shelled beetles from their branches. She hummed quietly to herself as she got closer to him, making sure she was in his view the entire time, seeming to enjoy the fact that they were stuck and she wasn't.

She got right in his face and let out a barking laugh. "HA! Serves you right!" She began walking in slow circles around him as she talked. "How do you like Governor Lupus' Howl? Pretty awesome huh? Did you know it has LIMITLESS range? Or that only affects NON-legion avatars? How about that it lasts as long as he wants!?"

Rick wanted to gulp at that last one, though the other two were certainly scary. In fact, he was desperately hoping that she was only telling him these things to scare him and that they weren't true. Maybe it would stop working if he took damage, like Raspberry Revolver's Paralyzer Bullet.

But Straw Scout shook her head, as if reading his mind. "And only large amounts of damage will destroy the effect, so all I have to do is deal SMALL amounts of damage at a time and do you in slooowly and you'll be stuck. And you'll be stuck the whole time!"

Damn! How do girls do that? Am I just that obvious? While pondering these thoughts and other deeper mysteries of the universe, Rick was also frantically trying to figure out a way to get out of here. He was drawing blanks. As for the threat of a slow and painful death, he didn't really have anything to worry about; nobody could possibly know that he only had a tiny sliver of health left. He was fairly certain that a flic from Straw Scout's slim fingers would probably take him out!

"Now," she continued, "I know that Senator Patriot will want you all to himself, after you, a puny level 4, blew his head off like a coward, while a stronger avatar held him down, so I'll leave you alone. But the little girls you brought here, the traitors? Well, one's missing half her leg and has got to be pretty low on health, so I think I'll play with her first."

She walked out of Rick's view. "You won't be able to watch, turned around like that, so I'll give you the play-by-play!" she said cheerfully.

Hearing that, Rick doubled his efforts to try to move, but his body absolutely refused to budge in the least. Taunting him was one thing but going after and slowly torturing either Sarah or Jayne was NOT okay! Plus, it would mean he'd failed to protect them again! He couldn't let himself fail the same mission twice!

He heard the sickening crunch of an avatar connecting with another avatar's armor, their fist cracking against it with unstoppable force. The sound made Rick sick, knowing that a bully was beating up on a helpless victim. A second punch soon followed and a feminine cry issued forth.

Wait, what? But Peri and Bell were in the same situation he was in, right? He couldn't make ANY kind of noise. So… who was grunting?

A second later, a loud CLANG! sounded , and Straw Scout went flying past his narrow field of vision. She was followed by the methodical steps of Magnesium Apex, his gait slow and stalking, his sword clenched in his fist.

"I gave you the opportunity to flee," he growled. "But you returned and attacked those I had just sworn to protect. I KNOW you heard me when I pledged myself to them! So now, you'll get what you have coming."

He stopped in front of the cringing avatar, a menacing behemoth towering over her. Then, he froze, and looked over his shoulder. At Rick. Turning back, he let out a sigh.

"Out of respect for my new Senator, I will forgo the slow torment I had planned and will simply deplete your health. Once. You will respawn an hour later and we will be gone, though I have no doubt it is more than you deserve."

She still let out a shriek of terror as his massive sword came down, slashing through her torso and severing her from her right shoulder to her left hip. Her body exploded into pixels and a small, light-yellow flame appeared on the ground.

Magnesium Apex turned and approached Rick, sheathing his sword. "All right, Copper Tarnish. I assume those fireworks were some kind of prearranged signal to tell you guys something, so you need to break that paralysis and go do whatever that is. But that was a powerful special attack from a level 9 Governor, so you won't be able to break it by playing by the rules, if you catch my drift."

Rick knew exactly what he was saying. Apparently, in order to break the effects of that single howl, he'd have to use the Incarnate System. But, that was a problem. He'd never USED the Incarnate System before and had no idea how to activate it.

"You don't have to use any Incarnate attacks, or anything," Apex continued, "just generate an Overlay; that's what I did. It'll overwrite the game code that's paralyzing you and you'll be able to move and talk again."

Okay, generate an Overlay! And how exactly do I do that, pray tell?

After a few seconds of silence, Apex let out a sigh. "Come on, we don't have all day. I know you can do it; I've seen it. Twice! During our first fight and again yesterday, you had a golden Overlay, increasing your speed."

HUH!? He had!? Well, that was certainly news to him! Why didn't people tell him these things? Surely, either Peri or Bell should've seen it!

"Let me guess," Apex groaned. "You didn't know you were doing it, did you? Perfect. Well, beggars can't be choosers and I guess I've got to work with what I have."

He cleared his throat. "So, here's what you need to do: in order to activate the Incarnate System, you have to engage the Brain Burst Central Server's Image Circuits."

The what, now!? What was that? Or those? Or…or, what now? This wasn't making sense!

"To do that," Apex said, "you have to have absolute belief in your own image, using your imagination. But don't just think it, believe it. Believe that you are NOT paralyzed. Believe that you've been standing there, immobile and silent, because you CHOSE to. You've been doing it on purpose this whole time."

That's just stupid! Rick thought. That can't be how the Incarnate System works! Surely, the Burst Linker who had put Leander in the hospital the week before didn't just "believe" he could do it!

But, then again, Sam had said that the power of the imagination was the key to unlocking it…

"Don't struggle against the paralysis," he continued, "but accept the fact that you're standing there as a way of proving yourself, or trying to play an elaborate prank on your friends. You're not paralyzed and haven't been this entire time."

For some reason, instead of being cold and emotionless, the voice of Magnesium Apex was strangely calm and relaxing to Rick, which was something he'd never considered before.

"The image is everything," the deep voice said quietly. "Just like in our fights; you didn't even think about it. You simply knew, simply BELIEVED, that you had the ability to move faster than you actually could. Your belief was so strong that you were able to deactivate the game's Image Circuits as it concerns you, and your avatar could suddenly move much faster than should've been possible.

"You focused on the idea of speed. In fact, you were so focused, you didn't even realize that you were wrapped in a thin, golden aura; an Overlay. That had nothing to do with you being Gold Virtue at the time."

Rick thought back to the fight the day before, at his flurry of punches he assumed Apex was talking about. He had managed to put him in a corner, the punches moving so fast, so rapidly that they couldn't be defended against, even by the more experienced avatar.

And he was right. It wasn't that Rick was trying to break the game; he legit BELIEVED that he wasn't moving as quickly as he thought he could!

Closing his eyes - grateful that he could do THAT - he thought about the day before. And after a few seconds of that, he let go of all thought, period. He blanked his mind, clearing it, until all he could see in his mind's eye was an over-encompassing nothing; not even the black of void.

Then, from that nothing, appeared a single image; probably the easiest thing to think of in the world. Heck, he'd been doing it one way or another since he was about eleven months old! He simply pictured himself taking a step. Just. One. Step.

Then, another.

And another. And another. Until the picture of Rick running came. Then, he thought back a week prior, when Leander was in the hospital and he'd gone running to relieve his pent up stress, but he'd ended up sprinting instead. Going as fast as possible, his energy supplied by his feelings of helplessness and rage in equal parts.

So now, the image of him sprinting dashed through his thoughts. Going as fast as humanly possible, going even faster than that! But moving that fast hurt his human body, so he imagined armor to protect him; metallic armor made of copper. But… he was poor. He wouldn't be able to afford something shiny and new. No, his armor would be old, rusted, maybe tarnished.

But it would protect him, and that was all he needed! In fact, with the heavy metal armor in place, he actually moved faster! Faster and faster, until he was a brownish-red beam of light, zipping across the vast expanse of nothing. Except now, with his awesome seed, the beam of light gave off a goldfish tint for some reason. But that gold was now moving even faster than light now! So fast, in fact, that suddenly-

Rick's eyes jolted open as he felt the sudden vertigo of falling forward. He nearly collapsed, but Magnesium Apex managed to hold him up, his glowing yellow eyes wide behind his helmet. Standing, Rick looked at his tarnished armor as it pulsed with a faint glow. Was that Overlay?

"Well done, Copper Tarnish," the deep voice behind the helmet said. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to pick it up so quickly, since you've never activated it on purpose before. You must have quite the active imagination."

Rick shook his head and muttered. "You don't know the half of it. It gets me into trouble sometimes." He pointed to the twins. "What about them? Why didn't you help them with the Incarnate System?"

"I tried already." Apex replied. "While you were working on it, I gave them both the same instructions I gave you. But you need to know something; that wasn't using Incarnate, that was simply producing an Overlay, only the first step to activating the Incarnate System. Actual Incarnate training is MUCH more labor intensive and dangerous; things I'm sure Crystal Seraph will probably explain to you when she thinks you're ready.

"As for your friends, we don't have time to wait for them. It took you nearly forty-five minutes to generate your Overlay, and, as I said, you did it quickly. However, Platinum Patriot will revive soon, so I think it wise to each take a girl and run. The nearest log-out point is about a mile south of here."

Forty five minutes!? It had felt like mere seconds! A minute, at most! How did THAT work? He was already accelerated.

Shaking his head, he let out a sigh. He'd think about it later. Right now, he wasn't a fan of the plan of just picking up either Peri or Bell, but if Apex was right and Patty was going to regenerate soon, they didn't have much in the way of options right now.

He directed Apex over to Peri, who was frozen standing on one leg, and walked over to Bell. "Sorry," he murmured, knowing she could still hear him. "I don't like this any more than you do, Jayne, but I'll make it up to both you and Sarah when we get out of here, k?"

Hoisting her paralyzed form over his shoulders in a modified fireman's carry, Rick adjusted to the weight - and awkwardness - and joined Apex, who had Periwinkle Pigtail tucked under his arm like a sleeping bag.

Magnesium Apex pointed the direction and together, they walked, each carrying a child-sized avatar, Rick wondering just what else today was going to throw at them.

Unbeknownst to Lisa, meeting Crimson Flurry and her friends was probably the luckiest thing that could've happened during her adventure in the Unlimited Neutral Field. Not only had they helped her out by attacking the fanatics of the Lupus Guard, but the whole paralyzing issue was hardly a problem because Crimson Flurry, Taupe Bravo, and a third avatar named Henna Catapult knew how to utilize the Incarnate System to break the effect.

"Sorry, girlie," Crimson Flurry said to Lisa as she stood stock still with paralysis, "but if you can't move, I guess your mission is over. Those pink fireworks, though; they were shot off from close by. I'm guessing news from your people? Well, I'm hoping it's good, because we're gonna get you and your friends to a log-out point, k?"

Lisa was relieved until she saw Flurry's gaze linger up and down her body. Then, she got a little uncomfortable; the bright red avatar HAD been hitting on her all day…

"Though…" Crimson Flurry mused. "I COULD take you back to MY place, where we could get to know each other? Maybe spend some quality one-on-one time together? Of course, since you can't move, I'll just have to carry you over my home's threshold, like a blushing bride, and then I can- OUCH!"

Taupe Bravo had thumped her on the head pretty hard, shutting her up and probably saving Lisa's… virtue. "Leave the poor girl alone." he scolded. "She's paralyzed and probably very scared, and you're not helping. Besides, you have no idea who's on the other side of that avatar; you could be hitting on a seven year old!

Crimson Flurry rubbed her head. "No, it's okay, I totally thought of that already. See, I'm only using her for her body!"

"Geez, you're dense," he muttered. He stepped up to Lisa and leaned in. "Sorry if Flurry's making you nervous or uncomfortable. She's good people, but she has a one track mind sometimes. I'll keep her away from you and Vanilla Butterfly and we'll get you out of here."

Well, Lisa was grateful for THAT! And while she was glad for Crimson Flurry's help, that didn't mean could have her way with her! And she was pretty sure Van felt the same way! That said, could she really trust Taupe Bravo to be the calm, rational gentlemen he presented himself as? What was to stop HIM from trying to cop a feel while carrying her in her paralyzed state?

As he gently lifted her into his big, muscular arms, he whispered into her ear, "Don't worry, I won't be a creep, even if Flurry gives us all a bad name sometimes." She could tell by his tone of voice that he was joking. "See, our Legion is a small one, located in south-cast Queens, that only welcomes LGTBQIA+ folks into its fold. Especially if they're at risk youth; depressed or suicidal, that sorta thing. So just like you're not into girls, you can rest assured that neither am I."

That was a bigger relief than Lisa realized it would be! Still, it got her to thinking as she was carried under one arm, Van carried under the other. Flurry had Slate Plate in her arms and Henna Catapult - who had large, basket like protrusions for hands as well as sticking out of his body in various places - was able to carry several avatars at once.

Did that mean there was a Legion of the same build in north-eastern Queens as well? Lisa had always considered herself an ally - her dad's brother was gay and married - but she realized it wasn't a thing she really thought about. Her last thoughts, as she was being put into the log-out points blue light, was that the Accelerated World didn't discriminate; it was literally for anyone and everyone.

"Well? It's been quite a while. Aren't you going to turn around and say hell?" The cold, metal voice of Silver Lupus raked across Sam's mind, forcing images of empty wastelands and desolate cities to appear in her imagination. It was a voice of calm, rational, emotionless nothing. "You are, after all, in my home."

Slowly, Sam turned to look at the level 9 Governor, the person she suspected of driving her parent to total point loss. His armor was highly polished and reflective and it gleamed, even in the sparse starlight of the Lovecraft stage. The body was all sharp edges and angles, from his helmet and visor to his shoulders to his knees and elbows, jagged spikes jerked this way and that, though there was an organized structure to the chaos.

Across the armor's torso, an etched wolf's face stared blankly ahead, lips pulled back in a snarl. Sam had always felt like that wolf was real, could see her, did in fact stalk her like prey.

"Hello, Governor Lupus," she said, trying her best not to sound nervous. This was absolutely NOT what she wanted! She had to get out of here, but how? Silver Lupus was, hands down, the fastest Burst Linker in the Accelerated World!

"Why so formal?" the Governor asked calmly. "We're both level 9 now. You can call me Lou, if you want."

She shook her head. "Thank you, Governor Lupus is fine. I wouldn't want to accidentally insult you."

Silver Lupus let out a cold chuckle. "No? Then you only insult me on purpose, hmm?" He took a step towards Sam's crystal avatar, forcing her to take a step back.

"You know that I didn't care if you started your little Legion, right? There are dozens of small Legions scattered around the World. You and your friends could have stayed in Manhattan and played your little Legion game from there, without any problems.

He smashed his silver fist into his hand. "But no! You needed to be level 9. Needed territory to rival the four Great Metallic Legions. Destroying the people's confidence in their Metallic leaders. You just had to break the peace that has ruled this Accelerated World for the past three years." He turned around, no longer looking towards Sam, but up at the starry sky.

Could she use this opportunity to run?

"You were here four years ago," he said, his quiet voice still audible. "You remember what it was like, back then."

It wasn't a question; of course he knew she would. Sam closed her eyes and let out a sigh as memories assaulted her, almost causing her to stagger under their weight.

Before the birth of the Great Legions, before the titles of Governor or Senator were ever used, the Accelerated World was pure, unfiltered chaos. No rules, no regulations, just dozens of small Legions taking any and every advantage they could as they vied for territory, expanding and shrinking week by week, and it was fairly common for weaker avatars to be ambushed in the UNF and harvested for all their Points.

Small cease-fires and treaties were agreed upon, then abandoned just as soon as it was convenient, and any Burst Linker who trusted another who wasn't their parent or child was branded a fool and easy pickings. Truly, it was pure anarchy; no unity, no cooperation, just a free-for-all where only the very strong or extremely cunning could survive.

When Sam's parent, Zinc Burst, became the first to reach the mythical level 9, suddenly all eyes were on him. People listened when he proposed ideas, they stopped fighting each other and started working together. As a joke, some unknown Burst Linker began calling a Governor, and his three children - Magnesium Apex, Crystal Seraph, and Pewter Slip - his Senators.

Time went by, and other, larger Legions began to appear, each led by a Metallic who called themselves a Governor. Slowly, peace started to emerge and eventually, the Accelerated World took on the shape that it held today.

"I vowed," Silver Lupus continued, "never to let anyone experience that hell scape again. Never. That is why I created the Lupus Guard. That is the sole reason for its existence."

Sam took a step towards Silver Lupus' back. "Governor Lupus, your intentions in establishing the Lupus Guard were noble, but you must allow growth and change. Nothing is immutable, and while you try to stop me from progressing in the normal fashion of Brain Burst avatars, your people will suffer.

Your Senators give orders to harm innocent members of your own Legion, Burst Linkers who have done nothing wrong. Certainly, the Lupus Guard doesn't stand for this sort of unwonted maiming.

The silver Governor held up a finger and turned his head to look at Crystal Seraph. "Do not call the members of the Lupus Guard that. If anything, they are Accelerators, not Burst Linkers."

"Why should that matter-" Sam started.

"Second," Silver Lupus interrupted, "my Senators do NOTHING unless I have instructed them to do so. If they have given orders, then they came from me."

"You order the slow torture of low level and child avatars?"

"The Accelerated World is not a pleasant place; surely you know this. This life is not an easy one, nor is it safe. It is my duty, my responsibility, to ensure they can survive this harsh world when your chaos destroys our current system."

"How can the current system collapse if the leaders treat their people right?" Sam asked.

"Please spare me your utopian romance," he sneered, looking away from her and walking a few steps away. "All societies fall, it is just a matter of when." He spun around and pointed a finger at her. "In fact, YOU are helping to foment the destruction of my Legion as we speak.

Your invasion has been a slap in the face of my authority, and, while the UNF doesn't strictly have defined borders, if I allow it to go unpunished, my people will lose their faith in my ability to save them from this violent world. They will leave my protection and I cannot allow that. Despite what you may think, I love my people, my Legion, and all I do is for their safety. I am their only salvation."

Sam started at the declaration but regained herself quickly. "And in the real world? Your orders affect these poor people at home, at school, with their friends. We've seen the effects ourselves, from two of your former subordinates."

"Real world?" Silver Lupus said this as if the words were difficult to form in his mouth. "Real world? This IS the real world! There is no world more real than this one! Any who enter my domain and lie to my people about that fictional Otherworld must be rooted out and destroyed!"

The sudden outburst surprised Sam, and she took a few involuntary steps back, ready to summon her sword if need be. Silver Lupus had always been a bit of a fanatical zealot who protected his territory and preached the dangers of treating Brain Burst as though it were a game - even though it was - but this declaration that the Accelerated World was the ONLY world was new.

Where had that come from? It had been a good while since she'd last spoken with him, but it couldn't' have been THAT long! And ideas like this didn't just come out of thin air. Something extremely traumatic must have happened in the real to unhinge Silver Lupus this far.

But speculating about Sliver Lupus' mental health didn't solve her immediate problem; how did she get out of here? Especially since the Governor was glaring angrily at her now. Could she refract the light around her? Go invisible? She'd have to charge her special attack gauge, but… no. He'd simply use his wolf-like sense of smell to track her by scent.

Plus, the only way to fill her special attack gauge was to fight Silver Lupus, and she wanted to avoid that at all costs!

Seeming to sense her unease, Silver Lupus cocked his head to the side, his voice once again calm, as if his outburst hadn't happened. "Nothing to say? Not going to deny your crimes?"

Sam released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I have committed no crimes."

"Oh? None?"

"I have, in fact, exposed the wrong you yourself have committed."

Silver Lupus grinned. "Please, go on."

Sam cleared her throat. "Having rescued Peach Parfait, Senator of the Slip Circuit, she can testify in front of the other Governors of the Accelerated World as to what happened. As far as I'm aware, the Accords that you signed, in an effort to maintain peace you claim to love so much, declare that abducting a member of an Accorded Legion is the same thing as declaring war. In which case, the other Legions are required by law to join with the Slip Circuit and attack the Lupus Guard."

The Governor of the Lupus Guard burst into a hearty laugh. "Do you think Bronze Knocker and Titanium Titan will wish to mobilize their forces, abandon their plans, on the word of a pitiful Senator and a gender confused child Governor? There is no physical evidence of any abduction, nor can this so-called abductee testify that I had anything to do with it."

He shook his head. "You don't even know why she was taken in the first place."

Sam blinked. "She was taken as punishment, wasn't she? Because Pewter Slip wouldn't join in your crusade to destroy my Legion?"

"Not everything is about you," he snapped. "There are forces at work in this Accelerated World that you know nothing about. Forces I can just barely keep at bay…"

Sam had absolutely no clue what he could possibly be talking about, but she noticed a slight shift in his posture, subtle enough that she nearly missed it.

"But it doesn't matter," he said. "I have plans in place, so whether you're in on it or are being used, I will be able to stop you before you destroy us."

Now she REALLY didn't know what was up! But it seemed that the rumors that Silver Lupus had gone off the deep end weren't being embellished! This guy was nuts!

"Now then," he said coldly, "about that punishment I mentioned earlier." And without a single tell, he dashed forward, large claws on each finger reared back, ready to strike.

Luckily, Sam had anticipated this and jumped back about ten feet, getting as far from the crazed avatar as she could. Her only plan - the only one she could think of that didn't involve risking the loss of all of her Burst Points - involved jumping and dodging the attacks of Silver Lupus, hoping that he wouldn't notice that she moved in the direction of the nearest log-out point.

She had to be extra careful though! She could take a hit; that wasn't the issue. No, she just didn't want to risk either of them getting in a lucky shot that lopped off a head or something. She couldn't imagine the chaos that would erupt throughout the Accelerated World if Silver Lupus were removed from it. Leadership would automatically transfer to Platinum Patriot, more than likely, but there was no telling what the reactions would be if a level 9 was killed.

The Crystal Conclave was surrounded on all sides, after all.

Crystal Seraph wore her armored configuration, which was much better at stealth than her frilly ball gown configuration, but more than that, it increased her physical attacks and defense, which was good in a fight against Silver Lupus, the pink breastplate and battle skirt contrasting with her avatar's translucent body.

After dodging a number of attacks, Silver Lupus chuckled. "I see your reflexes haven't gotten rusty. I'm glad. Reaching level 9 can be intoxicating and some may not bother to keep up with their basic skills."

Was that a dig at Zinc Burst? Was he joking about the ease that he defeated her parents? Sam had to struggle with the anger welling up inside, the rage desperately trying to force her into acting impulsively.

With great effort, Sam kept her emotions in check. "I see you're just as fast and as deadly as ever."

He said nothing in response, but instead zoomed forward in a gleaming blur, a bright stroke of light, right at her. Sam leaned back and to the right as he swiped an open-clawed hand, then she ducked as he brought his other hand out and swiped horizontally, missing the top of her head by mere inches. Finally, she used her crouched position to spring back as the silver avatar spun on the very tips of his pointed toes, arms out, claws opened, as he became a spinning of death.

The entire exchange took less than two seconds.

Somehow, she managed to get ten feet between them again; the minimum distance she'd need to react to his extreme speed. That said, she revised her strategy. It had been since she'd last dueled Silver Lupus, and his level 9 abilities demonstrated that she could duck, dodge, and weave only so much.

But she managed to dredge up memories of when she faced him back then, and he hadn't reached level 9 by being passive! His greatest strength besides his speed was his ability to adapt fairly quickly to his opponent's behavior. Which meant she needed to be unpredictable.

Fearing she had little choice, Sam summoned her crystal longsword.

Unlike most other Enhanced Armaments, her sword needed neither a sheath nor spoken command to appear, but the downside was that when she summoned it, she was frozen in the position she stood in until the sword finished materializing. It took less than a second, but for a Burst Linker with vast experience and incredible speed, it was plenty of time.

And it seemed to be what Silver Lupus was waiting for, because as soon as she dropped her guard and summoned her sword, he punched, surging forward faster than she'd ever seen him move. He was able to easily bridge the ten feet between them, elbow pointed at her, the silver spike glistening in the starlight.

At the last instant, Sam managed to move a few millimeters, so that when Silver Lupus reached her, the elbow spike impaled her sternum, just south of the heart, where he'd clearly been aiming. Without missing a beat, she stepped back - maroon sparks escaping from the small hole in her chest - and swung her sword with all of her might.

Casually, almost disdainfully, Silver Lupus attempted to block the strike with his hand. When the sword made of crystal easily sliced through at the palm and showered the ground with light blue sparks from the Governor, he let out a surprised grunt. He looked at his severed-in-half hand with something like wonder, and no mystery why! Metallics had an automatic resistance to slashing damage. The fact that he'd lost his hand to a sword had to be confounding to him!

Sam had a hole in the exact center of her chest, so she figured it was a fair exchange. That said, it was obvious that Silver Lupus had tried to hit a vital spot in an attempt to remove her in one blow! Plus, game or not, this was the UNF; getting stabbed in the chest with a four-inch spike hurt a lot!

After glaring at his disfigured hand for a few seconds - seconds Sam used to distance herself from him again - he looked up at her and let out a low growl. "Color me impressed, Governor Seraph."

She said nothing, holding her sword before her, hoping he'd be a bit more wary of dashing straight at her now that he knew that not only could she cut him, but actually cut through him. She was still backing up in an effort to escape. "Stop attacking," she pleaded. "I wish only to leave."

Another growl responded and Silver Lupus took a few steps forward. "I can't allow that. He's hungry."

Who's hungry? Then, Sam had to blink. What she was seeing couldn't possibly be real, and if it was, it was something she'd never seen before.

The armor of the torso of Silver Lupus began to bulge out, as if something was trying to rip itself out of it. It took no time but seemed to take forever as the metal pushed, pulled, dented, and eventually shaped itself into the face of a snarling wolf.

It seemed that the ornate etching on his armor wasn't just decoration!

"The Lone Wolf," Silver Lupus said coldly. "My level 9 special attack. I've only ever used it once before. I honor you with it now, and hope your soul will find peace when you exit this Accelerated World."

Sam was literally paralyzed with… not fear, but what? Apprehension? Curiosity? She knew that every second, every millisecond she stood there, her chances of avoiding death at the hands of Silver Lupus, of keeping the Accelerated World, dwindled. Deep down, she knew that she was about to be destroyed by the instant death rules that governed all level 9s.

And still, she couldn't move. Or she wouldn't. She didn't know which it was.

"Good," Silver Lupus said. "You have accepted your fate. For that, I will make this painless."

Sam couldn't even lift her sword to attempt a defense as Silver Lupus bounded, almost leaped, towards her, the wolf's mouth open and salivating, jaws snapping hungrily, vicious snarls still sounding as though she were surrounded by an entire pack.

Out of nowhere, a sudden, dark red blur dashed in front of her, blocking her view of the silver wolf and the avatar it was attached to. Still in a bit of a daze, she was able to piece together that this avatar's color, combined with how long she and Silver Lupus had been talking/fighting, meant that this had to be Mars Beacon, the avatar that tried to help Peach Parfait. She was having trouble remembering why that mattered, or why he'd felt the need to jump in front of her like that.

A loud, sickening CRUNCH was heard, and Mars Beacon let out a scream of pain, both sounds finally knocking Sam out of her stupor. What the hell had she doing, just standing there!? Shaking her head, she reached out for the Burst Linker that had just sacrificed himself to save her, to rip him free of the metal maw of Silver Lupus so she could attack him head on.

"Go!" Mars Beacon cried, not able to turn to look at her. Another CRUNCH sounded and it looked like he was starting to bend backwards, getting sucked into the wolf's mouth little by little.

"I can destroy him!" Sam replied angrily. Stepping to the side, she thrust her longsword, aiming right for the side of her opponent's head.

The blade deflected before even reaching him. W-what?

Mars Beacon let out a groan. "Indestructible… when… eating…" he managed to get out. CRUNCH. "Get out of here!" CRUNCH.

Gritting her teeth in frustration at her own powerlessness. Sam was wracked by indecision. The deflection of her sword proved what Mars Beacon told her, but being level 9 had to mean something! What was the point of working so hard to get this far, to achieve this power, if she couldn't use it to help those who needed it most?

The rusty red avatar was folding backwards by now, yet was still somehow alive and able to speak, though it came out more like pained whimpers. "Go. Grow your Legion. Unite the Accelerated World." CRUNCH "Be the leader we all deserve."

Closing her eyes. Sam turned and fled as Silver Lupus continued to feast on the Burst Linker, Mars Beacon. And she hated herself for it, even though she knew deep down that this was the wisest course of action. It was then and there that she reconfirmed the oath she'd spoken after Zinc Burst's death; she WOULD unite the Accelerated World and make it safe for Burst Linkers of all stripes.

And Silver Lupus would pay.

Sam met one resistance as she stepped into the blue light of the log-out point that sat in front of the reception desk in the front administration office of the Bronx Zoo. The calming light couldn't eliminate her fear of fury of what she'd just witnessed, even as the Unlimited Neutral Field faded from her view and she left the Accelerated World.