Titus

Hey. This is the 2nd instalment in the Titus Series.

Your reading this is appreciated by the; me!

Anyway, there'll be some explanations about various things in this Chapter.

Thanks and enjoy.

DionysosK.

*

Titus sat there, looking at Sarah. As surprising as her offer was, it didn't knock the wind out of him. He looked around to see if there was a place in the bar that was relatively empty. When he saw the area near the Job Board was, he stood up.

"Sarah; let's go over to that corner of the bar. We can talk properly there."

Sarah caught on immediately. Apparently, either his insane strength was something of a taboo, or the patrons of the bar didn't know about it to begin with.

"Sure. Lead the way. Oh, and barman, I know this is a bar and everything, but would you mind making me some coffee? Of course I'll pay for it."

"S-sure thing, coming right up. I'll bring it to your table when it's ready."

"Thanks." And with that, she followed Titus to the table near the Job Board. She had been sitting near there to begin with, which is why nobody had been sitting in that vicinity."

They got to the table, and sat down; Sarah 1st, then Titus. They sat in silence, waiting for the coffee Sarah ordered. When it arrived, Titus noticed how everyone was still quiet, and they weren't even hiding the fact that they were listening.

"Here you go. Would you like anything else Miss?"

"No thank you, not right now."

"How about you Titus?" George said, looking at Titus with a look of concern.

"Could I have a Russian sausage and some fries please George?"

"OK, I'll only be a minute." George said, and walked away, leaving the two of them alone. Titus sighed, and placed his elbow on the table, with his arm bent upwards, resting his right cheek in his open palm and closing both eyes.

"Before we start this conversation, why have you come back just for me? I'm just a small time, petty criminal who is considered nothing more than the lowest of the low; nothing special."

This was his way of telling Sarah that nobody knew how strong he was, and that he wanted to keep it that way. He was telling her not to mention his strength in the slightest. She already suspected as much, but now he had confirmed her suspicions. However, that made it difficult to explain why she came back for him, as the reason why she came back for him was his strength.

"If that's the case, then why did the 'Elite' die, and only you survive?"

"That's a fucking good question." He said, opening one eye, and looking at her. "Those guys were extremely strong, and their abilities and powers were clearly levels apart from th—from ours; I just barely escaped with my life."

"Well, that information is confidential; however I did come here with the intention of bringing back with me. Listen, that warehouse that you 5 went into, was—"

They both looked around to notice that everyone who had been keeping their distance were now a lot closer. Close enough in fact, that Titus and Sarah could hear their breathing. This made Sarah give them all a look of distaste, and was about to stand up, but Titus did first. Everyone knew they had been caught, and suddenly stiffened up; not because of Titus, but because of Sarah. Titus made his way around to the bar to call George, but then he saw something that he should've noticed when he walked in.

"No wonder she was able to come in here every day, and wait for me. No wonder it's quiet in here, and no wonder everyone started sweating when she looked at them; she conquered them, and ruled over them through fear."

There was a massive hole in the wall, and it had been patched up, although the patchwork was crude, and badly done.

"It's only temporary. She already paid me for the wall." George said, coming out from the back, having noticed Titus standing there.

"Who'd she fuck up?"

"I have no idea. Some new guy who thought—"

"Who thought that he could get her alone in a private place?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Hernandez tried and failed as well. Anyway, I'll need my meal to be packaged; I won't be eating it here."

"Oh? You accept her offer already?"

"I haven't accepted shit George; it's just a pain trying to talk with everyone trying to listen in on our conversation. Let me know when my package is ready, ok?" he said, and made his way back to his table.

As he sat down, Sarah had forced the crowd back, without having said anything. Titus just sighed, and sat down, while rubbing his right cheek with his right hand, and leaning in across the table to get closer to Sarah. When she did the same, he almost whispered.

"When George calls me, we'll be leaving this place. We both have shit to say to each other that can't be heard by other people, so we have to get away from those people."

"Where are we going? I don't make it a habit of following guys from O.N to unknown places."

"We're just heading to my apartment. The building is so shit, that only addicts and alcoholics live there so we won't have to worry about anyone important listening in on our conversation. That ok?"

"Yeah that sounds fine actually."

"Did you drive here? I'm still hungry, so walking back will be a major pain; I'm low on energy."

"What? Did you think I walked here, or used public transport? Of course I drove. Anyway—"

"Oh, George is signalling towards me; that means my food is ready. Let's go, so I can pay for the food, and you can pay for your coffee."

Sarah nodded, and they both got up, and started heading towards the bar. All the men flinched when Sarah got up, and none of them wanted to risk it by making eye contact. As they reached the bar, they were both reaching for their wallets, when Sarah stopped him.

"No, I've got this covered; this being your last meal here and all."

'Last meal? What the fuck is she talking about? But I won't stop her if she wants to pay.'

"Here George, this is for both my coffee, and his meal. Thanks for letting me wait here."

George just gave her his trademark smile, and nodded at her. He then nodded at Titus, but it was useless. Titus was just as disinterested in saying goodbye, as he was in saying hello.

"Titus; if this happens to be our last meeting, then let's at least say bye to each other you bastard!"George huffed, clearly hurt by Titus seeming uncaring.

"Why should I say goodbye to someone I'm going to see again?" Titus said, closing his eyes and running his fingers through his hair.

He then grabbed his package with his free hand, and looked up at George, directly into his eyes, and smiled warmly.

"I'll see you later George. Whether it's tomorrow, or in 10 years; I'll still be seeing you." And with that, he started walking away, and Sarah followed.

"Did he at least use a smooth line before you fucked him up?" Titus said to Sarah, nodding his head towards the hole in the wall.

"No, he just tried to grab my butt."

"Ah, I see. Even Hernandez had more tact than that." And with that said, they both walked out of the Dragon.

"Are you sure that's all you want to say to him?"

"I could be seeing him tomorrow. I haven't said I'll accept your offer; it'll just be a pain trying to talk in there. So, where's your car?"

Sarah led Titus to her car, and he directed her as she drove. During the drive, the area they were in progressively became worse and worse, and the awful fog that was in the air became thicker and thicker. Eventually they reached a building, and she parked the car.

"Will my car be safe here? If it gets damaged or stolen, we won't have a ride into the city."

"Yeah, it'll be fine, don't worry. Everyone can see it's from N.N, so they'll stay away. This car sticks out like a sore thumb, as it's still in immaculate condition. All the cars here, whether owned by rich or poor, have the same look. And stop talking as though I'm definitely coming with you. Now follow me."

They stepped out of the car, and Sarah was struggling to breathe. It felt as though something tangible was trying to force its way into her lungs, and it stung like crazy, however, she didn't want to show even the slightest bit of weakness to this guy.

'No wonder he just sat there inhaling when we arrived in N.N last week; he's been breathing in this shit for who knows how long!

"You're doing quite well. You're clearly struggling, but you aren't showing it. Anyway, let's hurry up. The fog is less thick in the building." And he walked into the building. He walked up to the lift, and pressed the button. It opened up, and he walked in. Before he could turn around, Sarah was already inside with him.

"Which floor?" She asked, clearly out of breath, but doing her best not to show it.

"5th."

'Shit, she's quite strong. It appears she's going to be persistent in trying to convince me to take the job.'

The lift ride was made in silence, and they didn't speak a word until in front of his apartment. He stuck the key in the keyhole, unlocked it, and then opened the door.

Sarah stood there with her mouth wide open, staring at the chaos in front of her. There were clothes on the floor, plates still covered with leftover sauce and bits of meat and vegetables and the like, not only in the sink, but on the counters, and tables as well. There were also tonnes of instant noodle cups and the like everywhere. Surprisingly it didn't smell, but Sarah just attributed this to the fact that the fog smelt worse. Titus just walked in, without a care in the world.

"Shit, I forgot to switch the lights off—"

"Forget the lights, don't you EVER clean up after yourself?! I mean seriously, LOOK AT THIS PLACE?!"

"Look, cleaning this apartment is a pain, and those who live in this apartment don't complain about the living conditions, so why should you?"

"'Those'? You mean you aren't living in here alone?!"

"No; it's me, and about 4 rats; well, actually 3 rats now. One died in my fridge last week."

Sarah just stared at him, unable to figure out if he was being serious or not. How could someone so strong, have such massive flaws, and she was sure these weren't the last of them.

"Anyway, stop standing outside and come in. You can sit where I normally sit, it should be relatively clean." He said removing his jacket, and placing it on the stand. He then waded through the filth, avoiding everything on the floor with ease. She followed the path he took, and sat where he pointed."

"Where are you going to sit Titus?"

"Here." He pointed to a spot covered in instant noodle cups, before sweeping every single one off with a free arm, and placing his package on the now empty space. He walked over to the kitchen, and squirted a generous amount of soap onto his hands, before washing them thoroughly. After pulling a clean towel out of somewhere, he dried his hands, and made his way back to Sarah, before picking up the package, and sitting in the spot it vacated.

"You're surprisingly concerned when it comes to personal hygiene."

"Not really; it's just that getting some sort of illness is a real pain, as I have go a doctor, and the only clinic around her is a long way away."

'Really; HOW LAZY CAN SOMEONE BE?!'

"Well, you start Sarah. You came here to find me, so you start. You obviously want me to tell you why I'm living like this, and that's, how did you put it again; confidential. You tell me your secrets, I tell you mine. If you don't mind though, I'll just go ahead and start eating, as I'm starving." Titus then opened up the package, and started eating the sausage.

"Ok, well, here we go; I don't know how much you know about the world we currently live in, so I'll just tell you everything from the beginning. In this world, there are many countries, but only one continent. We all live on a giant continent, which means allies and enemies are all neighbours of each other. The country we live in is called Amenthium. It's a country, which is unusually barren and dry. Barely anything can grow in this country, which is why it was such a massive shock when it was discovered that Nexus was not only fertile, but rich in ore, minerals, and oil. A few of the rich people who lived in Amenthium immediately made moves, to start developing the city, and having it grow. They formed a council, and all had to agree on how to move forward. Once The Council had done so, they started with the real development. They did this in secrecy though, and by the time other rich people of Amenthium, and around the world picked up on their actions, New Nexus had already been built. It was also pure luck, that Nexus had loads of Titanium ore, which is the most resistant to the powers that many people have. Because of this, The Council had the giant wall erected. You may think the walls' only purpose is to keep you guys out of N.N; however, it's also there to keep everyone out of Nexus as a whole. The wall surrounds the entire city, both O.N and N.N. It took considerable effort to do this, however it was deemed as necessary, as Nexus is the jewel of our country, and many would try and seize control of it. As eff—hey! Are you even listening to me?!"

Sarah said to Titus, whose eyes were not focussing on anything, as he chewed on his food, making a slight humming noise. It looked as though he couldn't have been less interested if he tried.

"Yes, yes, I'm listening. This is my listening, as well as my concentration face. It got me in a lot of shit during my school days. Anyway, continue. As effective as..." He said, his face moulding back into its 'Listening and Concentration' mode. Sarah cleared her throat and continued.

"As effective the wall is in keeping people out who try to enter with force, The Council recognised that people could be bought, and thus assembled an organisation of a few elite individuals; all blessed with some kind of power, to act from the shadows to keep N.N, and Nexus as a whole, safe. The reason why there is so little crime in N.N is not because of the police, but rather, because of this organisation, which moves to quickly move and exterminate any minor issues, before they become major. This organisation however was mainly formed, to ensure that if any threats were to enter Nexus that they are dealt with quickly, and quietly, without the rest of the occupants of the city ever getting involved." Sarah stood up, passion burning in her eyes. "They move above the law, but in the shadows. They protect those who can no longer protect themselves. They make the sacrifice, so that everyone else doesn't have to. They are; the Nexus Advanced Defence Squad, or N.A.D.S!"

Sarah looked at Titus to see him looking back at her, with 3 fries sticking out of his mouth, raising an eyebrow. Titus was actually getting sucked in, when Sarah was spouting her propaganda, and as that final line was starting to burn that passion that every man has (no matter how lazy), she had to go and ruin it by telling him the name of the organization.

"N.A.D.S? That's the name of this secret organization? You just said all that cool shit, and that's the name of the organization? Se—"

"Please, spare me. I've heard every joke there is to be heard about the name of the organization. Anyway, as I was saying, this is the organization that I work for, and I'm hoping that you will agree to work with us, in keeping Nexus safe."

Titus just stared at her, as he finished the last few fries, and dried his hands using a few serviettes. He then sighed, and spoke.

"Okay, and that job that those 4 died doing, was that job for you, or for this secret organization of yours?"

"It was for N.A.D.S, however I can't tell you anymore until you agree to join us. However, now that I've spilt my secrets, time for yours; who are you, why are you so strong, and why are you living here?" Sarah sat down, and looked at Titus, waiting for him to start talking.

"Okay, fair enough. My name is Titus. Before I can explain why I'm strong, I have to ask; do you know about how we all got our powers? Well, those of us who have them anyway?"

"Yes, I'm familiar with the legend explaining how we got them, but I don't believe it, it's too farfetched."

"Well, it's not a legend. Thousands upon thousands of years ago, 5 Elemental Gods, who also happened to be brothers, were bored. They were Arrox, the God of Water, Dillas, the God of Fire, Trius, the God of Earth, Quixas, the God of Wind, and Zen, the God of Lightning. The brothers, who were looking for something to hold their attention, were happy when they discovered that there were intelligent beings living on Earth and took an interest in mankind. They saw how, despite being weak and fragile beings, we still fought to carve out an existence, and be happy. The hardships that they saw us endure for our families, and to keep them fed touched their hearts, and they decided that they would try, and help mankind in their endeavours, by making them stronger. They each descended on to Earth, carrying boxes. Each box contained an array of powers, varying in power and quality. They all opened their boxes, and watched as millions of jets of lights, flew around the world. For water they were blue, earth, brown, fire orange, wind translucent and lightning, gold. All of the brothers, with the exception of Zen, left their boxes open for a very long time, allowing a vast number of powers to go out. Zen on the other hand, quickly closed his box. He was the most powerful of the brothers, and decided that if too many flew out, then there would be too many over powered people. This is why Lightning users are so few in number, and usually strong. As you know, every element has its own characteristics, as well as its own spells that are unique to it, and the more powerful the elemental power inherited is, the higher level techniques you can use; so Earth Element users are better suited for support roles; as Earth has the hardening characteristic, and hardening spells. So when I told you last week that I could take up any position in the team, I meant it, as Lightning Element users have the power characteristic. Even if our defence spells and techniques aren't that great, our characteristic makes them more powerful."

"Look, I already knew all that, but that didn't answer why YOU are so strong. I've met Lightning users before, but none as powerful as you, and who could use as many techniques as you did, in quick succession."

"Well, I guess I just lucked out, and got a strong Lightning Element power." He said with a shrug. Sarah could tell he was lying, but didn't want to push.

"Okay, you've answered 2 questions. What about the 3rd?"

"Oh yeah, why am I living here huh? Well, that's because I don't have to live anywhere else. Here, I can live simply, work to earn enough to support myself, and that's that. When I run out of both food and money, I find another fast paying job, and do it. The weak live simple lives, and I was brought up on simplicity. I've never wanted more, because I've never had to have more."

"But you're strong enough to rich, to be a Boss, or at least a Boss' right hand man, with cars, and a better place to live!"

"Yeah I agree, but I already told you that I don't complain about where I stay. Being a right hand man means responsibilities and tasks and shit, and I just don't need any of that."

"What about your family? Don't you want to earn more money, and move them into a nicer area or something? I mean, even if you go into crime, you can move to an upmarket area in O.N, and move your family there, and—"

"I don't have any family; I'm an orphan. There's no one else I have to work for, so I just work enough so sustain myself; well, myself and the rats, but apparently, I've failed at that, seeing how one of them died last week. Anyway, I really appreciate your coming back for me, but I--"

"Look Titus, I get what you're saying, but your lack of ambition is really not making anyone happy. Tonight is the last night I've been allowed to come here, and it really is do or die. If you didn't show up, I would've been fucked, because I really stuck my neck out for you. Just come to N.N, and—"