Zayd shook his head and tried to talk some sense into his boss as he climbed the broken aircraft, this dumbass was about to get himself killed.

"I'll be fine, Zayd," he said, smiling down at him.

Zayd sighed and walked back to his post, pulling out his shotgun. There was no talking sense to that guy, he was reckless, and didn't seem to notice that other people cared about him and wanted him alive.

They were deep in the Fifth Realm, probably the most dangerous part of the entire realm. It was sweltering hot. There was a desperate energy in the air and the smell of something burning in the distance.

Zayd wiped the sweat off his forehead and held his shotgun up as people approached. He signaled towards his dicey teammates. He wasn't happy to be working with them, but they were the best hope for keeping Boss Man alive. Mitch and Hazel, the scariest looking ones came over and checked the people for weapons. "Who are you?" Mitch shouted, advancing on them. There was a group, wearing long cloaks that draped to their feet.

"We're here for the meeting," said one of the cloaked people. She put her hands in the air and let the hood of her cloak fall back, revealing her face.

Hazel patted her down and Zayd nodded, lowering his shotgun. "My apologies. We just don't want another Asmodeus incident you know?"

The woman gave a high-pitched chuckle as Zayd went back to his post once again. He looked around at the rubble at his feet. They were in some sort of a dump in the middle of nowhere. It was just dead grass and trash for miles, not a tent in sight. This part of the Fifth Realm was known for deaths. Gang members brought people here to beat them, kill them, or to initiate them. He kicked a piece of trash away. This whole secret meeting thing didn't sit well with him. He was sure the other realms would get word of it and start trying to take them over more than ever. Boss Man had forced Zayd to hire the Xanthuracs. They were a prominent and well-know gang and had bases everywhere. He had assured Zayd that hiring them was the right call, but they were super suspicious.

He snuck a look at the other two gang members protecting the other side of the meeting area, Lorry and Brewer. They had triangles all over their faces and were twice the size of Zayd. He had tried making peace with them, but whenever he went anywhere near them they started talking in Limî, an ancient language that was spoken long before Seth Asmodeus had even come to power. Zayd knew a few words, but it was rare for anyone to be fluent in it, even in the Fifth Realm. He had heard rumors that their leader, whoever it was, forced all the Xanthuracs to learn Limî and do other gruesome tasks before branding them with triangles all over their faces. Chills went up his spine as he saw Mitch and Hazel terrify another group of civilians.

As the sun started to set, more people arrived at their little meeting place. Around 50 people showed up and Zayd questioned every single one of them, making them show their faces, one could never be too cautious. After all, his boss's life was in his hands.

Night fell, and Boss Man stood on top of the rostrum, looking down on the forlorn crowd. "Everyone thinks that the Fifth Realm needs taking over," he boomed. His face was covered with a black mask, yet his voice still thundered throughout the slag heap. He was somewhat deranged, but he was right about one thing. These people needed a leader, a voice. The Fifth Realm was constantly underestimated and being pushed to the side by the other realms.

He rallied the crowd and went on, "We don't need talking over. Do we?"

The crowd booed and he cackled. "That's what I thought." He got serious and made a unifying hand motion. "We, we need to redeem ourselves. The Fifth Realm has been cast away. People think that we're cursed, unable to build a functioning society. The other realms look down on us, pity us for what we've become. We need to stand tall. We need to bring honor and excellence to the Fifth Realm. We need to be strong."  He pointed at a man in the first row and at a bunch of other people, "Together, we will restore the Fifth Realm and obtain glory. We will surpass Everstan, Khethinia, Shlow, and Lagor. We will become the richest realm known to all."

He threw his fist into the air and the rowdy crowd cheered him on with enthusiasm, "The Fifth Realm will rise! The Fifth Realm will prosper!"