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Arcadia: Polarised

349:10:27:18:23:09

Years ago he was known by the name Terence. But when he was inducted into the Collectors, he adopted the name 'Ruin'. The reason was simple. He was known to 'ruin anyone's day'. Anyone that got in his way that is. It was a reason why most of the other Collectors left him alone. He generally preferred it that way and he was somewhat irked when Vein had suggested a change in team dynamics.

He was paired up with Crash and Vale, the joker and the mischief maker. Sometime in the future, he could imagine himself chastising Crash for making some inappropriate joke while reprimanding Vale for pulling some ridiculous prank.

That was for the future.

Now...

"What are they doing...?" Crash asked. His hair was long and had quite a bit of volume even without the use of hair products. Somehow, it managed to stick up to reveal the brown roots. It was one of the mutations he obtained as he developed as a Collector. That and the goatee that just would not shave off no matter what he tried or what shape he took.

"Training," murmured Vale grimly, watching as the rhinos within what had been Newhome were undertaking various types of exercise. Twenty of them were running laps around the complex. Another twenty were standing around in a tight circle with enormous I beams on their shoulders. Others were lifting weights, practicing basic combat and even forging weapons.

What he saw made Ruin's heart sink. What made the Builders and Wreckers predictable was gone. The biggest of the rhinos was barking orders at the others and there was little uniformity in their appearances. Though many of them were big, hulking, lean and possessed the same shaggy coat of fur on their shoulders as Hammerhorn, there were variances in clothing, height and scent. They were all unique but followed a single voice.

The result of a fusion between Builder and Wrecker.

And they were building an army.

Loud cries erupted from the gates of the settlement, now turned into a vicious, clawed edifice that could crush and spear any who got too close to the thick, iron doors. The influence of the so called 'Rammers' had spread even across to the walls. Their crimson banners flew on the ramparts. Spikes adorned the corners and the concrete blocks were now reinforced by thick, metal plates. Instead of a settlement, it was a fortress.

A cry emerged from the gates. Ruin watched from his perch on top of an old adjacent building as a band of Rammers dragged a group of Builders and Wreckers into the fortress. The rest of the fortress turned at the fifteen or so new recruits and dropped what they were doing to let out a cheer. The officers quickly snapped their teams back to training and preparation.

The captives were brought to the supermarket building where their cries of panic and fear grew louder and more desperate. Soon, roars of lust accompanied the cries before eventually taking over completely.

"This is a staging area," Vale concluded, shivering slightly. "They drag newcomers here, train them and then ship them over to the main camp, the one across the river."

Ruin rose, propping himself up on the staff that he always carried, his weapon. However, his Key he kept inserted into the pair of binoculars that hung around his neck. His completely shaven head was marked with a few tattoos that carried over whatever form he took. The ink spread all the way across his neck and spilled over his arms and upper chest. The menacing look of the dark swirls was one of the many reasons people stayed away from him.

"Let's get back to Gateway," he murmured. "Anodyne will want to hear our report."

Ruin had never been one to really be one for infiltration as he enjoyed the added 'superpowers' that he was granted as a Collector. This meant that even in his bulky rhino form, he could leap the fifty metres or so across from one building to another, the ruined street flying beneath him. Vale and Crash were the same and he guessed that he could see why Vein had teamed them up. They moved faster than any rhino could move, were far more agile and even a drop from ten storeys only slowed them down slightly. The new organisation did worry him a little but this newfound freedom to be the Collector he wanted was much more liberating.

Within an hour, the sun had set and he was approaching the walls of Gateway that had been erected within the last few hours. Like any average Builder settlement, its walls were made of concrete blocks stacked on top of one another but Collector knowledge had been used to reinforce them by using extra concrete to paste the blocks together. The walls were also more than just one block thin, ensuring that they were full blown ramparts capable of having people run across their lengths. Stacks of mobile blocks were set on the ramparts, ready to be thrown down at any invaders below.

Beyond the massive walls was the enormous Return Gate to Arcadia.

The reason why the settlement was called Gateway.

A horn blowed somewhere from the walls as they approached. Vale pushed two fingers into his lips and let out a trill, a loud musical whistle in a particular pattern. Upon hearing it, the guards at the gates quickly pulled open the large, concrete and steel doors, allowing Team Pathfinder to hurry in.

Beyond, was a growing settlement. Small houses made of concrete had been arranged in a vaguely grid like pattern. Drawing inspiration from the huts in the Collectors Camp, the rhinos had attempted to make their homes as close to nature as possible. The natural, wild foliage of the park seemed to respond to their need and within the half a day since the settlement had popped up, grass and vines had already started growing across the houses, giving them an older but more natural appearance. Pathways had been paved out of cement to ensure that there was easy access from where they were constructing the blocks to the various homes and the settlement gates.

"Looks like Anodyne has been busy," muttered Ruin.

The numbers of the 'enlightened' rhinos had doubled since they had left to scout out the Rammer facilities. No doubt Anodyne and his Vanguard had been moving from settlement to settlement, trying to convince as many rhinos to join up with them. Judging from the fact that all of the rhinos within the walls were the three-horned variety, he guessed that they had either taken a trip through the Gate to Arcadia or someone had been doing some fucking.

"We need to find Anodyne and tell him what's going on," urged Crash.

It wasn't hard to find the big rhino. He was poring over a map with Carver and Kevin by his side near the base of the Return Gate. It looked like a replica of the map from the Meeting Hall back in Arcadia. As he approached, Ruin caught snippets of their conversation.

"They've been striking the smaller camps..." Anodyne murmured. "Their patrols have also been reduced."

"Weaklings too," grunted Carver. "New converts, probably. Easy enough to fuck them into submission."

Kevin looked like he was going to say something but kept his eyes over the map. He tapped one of the areas that was circled. "This place has a very big settlement. One of the biggest. Twice as big as Newhome. If we can get there and convince the Builders there, we'll definitely bolster our numbers."

"Hey!" Carver announced suddenly. "What about the Wreckers, huh? They're still out there. We can't we save some of them?"

"Because Wreckers travel in small bands or alone," Anodyne responded. "Right now, it's a numbers game. If we focus on the Wreckers, Hammerhorn will hit the settlements and we'll be outnumbered before we know it."

Ruin cleared his throat, bringing the attention of the three leaders of Vanguard.

"What news?" Kevin asked.

"It's just as you thought," Crash responded, a crooked smile on his features. "Hammerhorn's troops are snapping up every settlement their patrols can come across. They don't even stop to convert everyone first. They drag them halfway across the city to one of their two bases."

"And they're training hard behind those walls too," Vale chimed in. "They're doing drills. Exercises. Getting stronger and more disciplined. It actually looks like they've formed a sort of hierarchy. They're organised."

"They're making an army," finished Ruin.

Carver let out a disproving rumble. "Fuck... We're not nearly prepared enough to fend them off..."

"That's why we need more people," Anodyne said, slapping the table slightly. "We can't get any more Builders coming to us. By this time of day, they'll be ready for their ritualistic fucking and then they'll be out for the night."

"Why can't we just get in there and fuck them in their sleep?" Carver suggested. "Less resistance and I bet they'll have the best fucking wet dream of their lives."

"You'll just turn them into monsters," snarled Kevin. "Brainless, sex-crazed animals no better than what Hammerhorn's troops used to be."

"And your 'counselling' helps them?"

"Look around you. There's proof enough."

Their bickering wasn't giving Ruin any comfort. Anodyne, patient as ever, let them snap at one another as ran his eyes over the map. When he was done with their noise, he slammed his big hands on the table, jarring both the rhinos to silence.

"Hammerhorn's troops will likely have the same idea as us and I don't think we'd be outmatched if we ran into them."

"How?" Carver argued. "We've been through to Arcadia! We're strong than they are! Smarter!"

"I wouldn't count on just the talents passed to you from being in Arcadia to save you," mumbled Ruin. "We watched Newhome and its surrounding areas. There's at least a hundred of them within the vicinity of the place, looking for Wreckers. There's probably a bigger band looking for Builder settlements and even more across the river. They're also getting smarter themselves. They did set an ambush for you, remember?"

The former Wrecker snorted derisively and fell silent.

"We dig in tonight," Anodyne concluded. "Kevin, get some of the new converts and take them to Arcadia. I want them human by morning so we can bring them back here with renewed strength. See if you can get some details on what the others over at Camp Draco are doing as well. Carver, make sure we've got sentries all over the walls. In thirty minutes, no one gets in or out of the camp except through the Return Gate."

His eyes lifted towards Team Trailblazer. "What are you three going to do?"

Ruin, as the unofficial leader of the group, felt the eyes of his comrades on him. "We'll help keep watch. If you wanted to head back to Arcadia to rest..."

Anodyne shook his head. "Tempting but there's still a lot of work to do before I can leave this place without fear of it being overrun." He sighed and regarded the map. "It seemed so small before... but now..."

"Fine. But there's something else you should know..."

*****

349:10:27:20:04:51

The scouts returned with grim news. The docks had been devastated and a large, concrete wall seemed to have sprung up within the few hours that the dragons spent patching up their wounded and rallied a large enough force to survey Hammerhorn's secondary offensive. They reported the buildings had been mostly torn down, the materials being used to make tall walls. Catapults equipped with tiny rocks had been created, each one capable of tearing through the delicate wing membrane of a dragon if they drew too close.

What became of the dragons at the docks was a fate that was best left unsaid.

Cody was furious and after the scouts left, he spun around just so that he could send a blast of blue flames into the air away from where it would harm someone. The Collectors stood out in the open just in front of his cabin. Most of the other dragons were in the mess hall, having some form of grim celebration over having successfully pushed back Hammerhorn's rhinos. "Great... just great," he snapped.

"We can take it back, can't we?" Finn ventured.

"That's not the point." Cody paced back and forth. "The docks were our supplier of resources. We have food and medical equipment here but from all appearances, Hammerhorn's troops have erected a fortress around the docks! We don't even know if they'll have reinforcements coming. We barely held him off today and I doubt the same technique will worth twice. If they attack the base while we're attacking the docks..." He growled and shook his head. "Fuck... our supplies are still limited..."

"Then we attack him as quick and as fast as we can," Savage grunted, slamming a fist against his palm. "Hit him while he's down, before they can erect more defences."

"It's very risky..." Cody shook his head. "But we can't win a war of attrition. We have no reinforcements and no source of supplies."

Finn's mind was racing again. Thousands of ideas were flooding into his mind. Some rhinos had been captured after Hammerhorn's retreat. Maybe they could convert them somehow? Perhaps a full retreat into Arcadia was in order? Could Arcadia even support so many dragons?

Or perhaps...

"We do have reinforcements... we do have supplies." Their eyes fell on him. "Hornton," he said simply. "The route from our Gate to Camp Draco isn't that far and if we secure it, we can get supplies transported from Hornton, through Arcadia to here! We've even got rhinos on the other side that would willingly help us against Hammerhorn!" He began to speak excitedly. "We can hit him on two fronts as well but there will be no way he can stop our attacks from Hornton either! He doesn't have a key!"

Lobo stepped forward, waving his hands. "Whoa, whoa Renegade. Slow down. What are you saying?"

Finn collected his thoughts. "I'm saying that Hammerhorn's reinforcements come only in one direction. He can only send troops from Hornton here. So, if we have people attacking him from the Hornton side, we can cut off his reinforcements and he'll be unable to do anything about it! We have the manoeuvrability that he lacks!"

"And at the same time, we can keep Camp Draco healthy and keep up the offensive here," Vein mused. He stood in a very military-style pose, legs spread wide and hands clasped behind his back. "This is our turf, after all. We know the jungles and the terrain. If he's cut off and we have supplies, we can hit him hard tomorrow and then wear him down."

Lobo waved his big hands again. "I don't know about that. Things in Arcadia aren't exactly 'Beast friendly' right now. If we start treating it as a thoroughfare to supply more Beasts, the Arcadians might start feeling anxious..."

"But we can't just leave things like this!" Finn protested. "We can't just ask the dragons to pack up and leave their home! We'd be giving all this stuff to Hammerhorn!" He spread his arms, gesturing at all the military equipment around them. Lobo was clearly conflicted.

"I know..." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, Skip should be back from his mission soon. Hopefully, no one was injured. Me and him will head back into Arcadia. See if we can get Travis to agree to us ferrying supplies from Hornton over here. Who knows? They might even help."

Finn hoped so. Travis seemed like a reasonable person.

"The rest of you stay here," Lobo instructed. "Hammerhorn doesn't seem like a military commander and is prone to rash decisions when he's been defeated. We need as many Collectors here as possible in case he tries something." Sensing Cody's curiosity, he said, "He charged a settlement after he was beaten back. Just him. He broke through the wall eventually but I imagine against a bunch of dragons with guns, that won't end so well."

"Good to know," rumbled the Commander.

Their plan of attack decided, the Collectors began spreading out. Finn was going to head to the mess hall himself when Cody called out his name.

"I was hoping to chat with you privately," Cody said. "Nothing bad."

Glad to at least have their relationship back on stable ground, Finn beamed. "Sure."

They strode into Cody's cabin, taking up position on the two seats by the window next to the liqueur cabinet. This time, Cody didn't over him a drink but did lean back in his seat and close his eyes. Silence ruled between them for a long time and Finn just watched Cody's blue scales shimmered in the faint light offered by the camp. Cody took a deep breath and then exhaled, letting out a short burst of blue fire.

"Collectors... Arcadia... Hammerhorn... So much has happened in the day... I feel like the Gates of Hell have opened and now we're facing the Apocalypse... Again."

Finn couldn't help but feel responsible for that so he muttered a short apology. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Cody reached across the small gap and rested a hand on Finn's leg. "Now you've given my life meaning again, Finn. I can honestly say that I was without purpose for a long time. Just doing what I was good at but having no goal. Now, I really have something to fight for." He pulled his hand away and used it to scratch behind his ear, exposing his rather sweaty armpit, his sweat having stained through his olive green shirt. "But honestly, I'm not even that sure of what'll come after. I mean, what'll happen once we defeat Hammerhorn? Form diplomatic relationships with Arcadia? Will we become the military arm? The police?"

A smile crossed Finn's features. "Glad to hear you're confident we'll beat Hammerhorn."

"I know we can beat him. It's just a matter of how and when." Cody nodded off in some arbitrary direction. "We're smarter and better trained than his troops. Even if he gets some of the dragons down at the docks to help sharpen his army, we're the ones with the guns and the years of training. You can't discount that. We don't have the numbers but like Vein said, this is our territory. We'll drive him out, change him or kill him if need be."

The thought of killing made Finn shudder.

"Last resort, I promise," Cody reassured him. "I was just worried we'd have to burn our home..."

Finn was a little stunned at the statement. "Burn your home?"

"This is our home, Finn." Cody lifted his eyebrows. "Oh, sorry. I mean, this is my home. The dragons. I suppose your home is Arcadia."

"I was more concerned about the 'burn' part."

For a moment, Cody looked confused by the statement then he came to a realisation. "Oh. I see." He glanced out the window and the camp, still somewhat lively even though it was late at night. "We've got contingency plans in place in case our enemies ever manage to get into the camp. If myself or my officers deem that we can't win back the camp, they've got orders to burn the whole place to the ground. We don't want Hammerhorn getting our weapons."

That was a harsh and a little sad. "Won't you guys be... I don't know... _upset_that you're torching your home?"

"It's either that or make Hammerhorn even stronger from our loss," Cody responded sadly. He lowered his arms and wrung then together nervously. "I'm even a little nervous... I mean, from what you've said we can change forms if someone fucks us or even if we let ourselves 'slip' and the Haze takes over. If we lose, it's not just guns and vehicles we'll be giving him. It'll be brainwashed troops." He shook his head. "I don't even want to think what I'll be like if that happens..."

Finn reached over and gently gripped Cody's hands. "I won't let that happen."

The look on Cody's face was caught between comfort and anxiety. He was smiling but it was a wavering smile. His red eyebrows were also lifting, his eyes searching for something. "I want to believe that and frankly, if there was someone who I knew could save me, it'd be you. I mean, you saved me today!" He let out a short, nervous laugh. "If that huge fucker got a hold of me..."

Thinking about that scenario froze Finn's blood. If the rest of Camp Draco saw their esteemed Commander begging for Hammerhorn's cock just like Lobo had... it would've broken each and every one of them. It wouldn't matter how high ranked they were. The would all have got down on their knees and waited for a rhino to stick a cock down their throats.

More than ever, Finn realised just how important Cody was... but not just to Camp Draco.

Had the kind, affectionate dragon fallen to Hammerhorn, he... he wouldn't know what he would've done.

"I'm just scared," Cody admitted. "Things that I thought were static are now so... so... malleable. I can't even remember_being human once. The faces of those _NexArm_guys that worked on me... I can't remember if they were human, dragon, rhino or something else. All I ever knew were dragons." He clasped Finn's hand in turn. "For so long, I felt like I didn't have anywhere to go. That _I was static. Everyone was moving up or down in the world and me... I would always be the same. But now..."

He lifted his head, his eyes suddenly ablaze. "But now I have a purpose. I actually have a goal in mind and I'm going to fight my hardest to achieve it."

"Defeat Hammerhorn?" Finn ventured.

"No," Cody said, a big smile on his face. "Finally, there's a way for _me_to get promoted!" He turned to Finn, seizing both his hands and gripping them tightly. "I want to go to each of these sectors, Finn! I want to turn into every possible beast out there and I want to be the best dragon I can be!"

Seeing the fire in Cody's eyes made Finn laugh. He couldn't imagine what it felt to have a whole new world opened up for someone who had lived the same boring day over and over again. For him, everything was new. He didn't have a solid ground to land on, a place for his roots to grow and establish his place. The best he could do was to keep his wings opened and keep flying, reaching for the stars. For someone like Cody to accept the vast world so readily and rush to explore it... it was really admirable.

He thought back to Gantry and how he had been against change... Perhaps it had been his resistance to change that had caused him to fall to the Beasts.

Whatever the case, he was glad that Cody accepted these changes so readily. It brought him much relief. After so many people had pushed him _against_change, it was nice for someone to genuinely embrace it. Though he thought back to Anodyne and Skip who had helped him here and had to smile. He also thought back to Marv who had welcomed change... or did he just welcome Finn?

"I wanted to thank you for that, Finn," Cody said gently, giving his hand another squeeze. He leaned closer and let out a soft sigh. "You make me feel alive. Whether it's being thrilled at the ideas you bring, the passion I feel when we're in bed or anger because you lied to me, I've just never felt more... more..."

"Human?"

Cody chuckled softly. "Yeah. I guess you could say that." He leaned in and gave Finn a light peck on the cheek.

"For what it's worth, I really am sorry for lying to you..." Finn murmured. "I was just trying to protect my home..."

"And I, mine." Cody slowly let go of Finn's hand, the absence of contact making the latter feel a little cold. "I can't say that everything will be better. I mean, more than anything I want to drag you into bed right now and fuck you angrily while simultaneously promoting you for saving my life. But..." He took a deep breath and let it out softly. "How about we deal with Hammerhorn's forces first? Then we'll see where we can take this, huh?"

A smile crossed Finn's face. He nodded in response. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan."

*****

349:10:27:23:01:11

Regulus.

It was a name that Skip was all too familiar with. One of the head honchos in Pride City if he recalled correctly. From what he recalled, Regulus was just another powerful Beast. Not a Conglomerate project or an Angelus. Just another Beast.

Pride City was one of those regions that had a clear hierarchy unlike Hornton, Burheim or even Equis College. It was no surprise that there were people like Regulus who had risen above and beyond the other Beasts and risen as their leader. From what he remembered, the lion was very charismatic, had great managerial skills and had an intimidating stature. But for a Beast to somehow break free of the complacency brought on by the Haze, the limited vision... it was bizarre.

It smacked of an Angelus.

But Skip couldn't worry about that just yet. The time was coming when the next Gate would be opened. If he couldn't activate the Beacon by the time that time came, Arcadia would be locked out of Camp Draco for nine more weeks. Well, that is unless they managed to slip through the Gate in Hornton but that was already heavily fortified by Hammerhorn's Rammers. He did not want to risk losing this tenuous alliance because the Beacon could not be activated in time.

His primary concern, however, was Mower.

Bulldozer had hinted that other Angelus were involved in his schemes but didn't confirm which Angelus they were. As much as he liked the dragon, he couldn't be sure about him. Every Angelus was a spy, after all. They all kept secrets.

But sometimes, some secrets needed to be told.

"If you wanted a late night snack, Skip, I'm sure we could've gotten some back in Arcadia," Vein said. The golden dragon was feeling rather peppy after their victory. Though they had lost the docks, a new plan was formulating and he was confident they could take back lost ground.

"I didn't ask you here to help steal some food, Vein," Skip responded, uncharacteristically serious. "I'm here because of Mower."

Vein's eyes widened. "Mower... why? What happened? He's not...? He didn't turn into...?"

"No. Nothing like that." Skip's eyes turned towards the back of the mess hall. Most of the lights were out except for the one hanging above Mower from where he sat. The big four-armed dragon looked up and his features became deathly still.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Skip," growled the Camp cook.

"Bulldozer is playing an even more dangerous one," answered Skip grimly. "I don't know how much you know about him but it may interest you to know that somehow, Regulus has reached out to other Angelus beyond the Gates and convinced them to join him in a vast deviation of our purpose."

"It's not a deviation," mumbled Mower, his eyes cast down once more. "They're sticking to their directives. But it's become twisted. They're taking care of their chosen species and because of that, they're going to follow Regulus' vision."

"And what vision is that?"

Vein stepped in between the two, switching his gaze from one to the other in confusion. "What are you two talking about? What vision? Who is Regulus?"

Mower slowly stood from his seat, all four of his arms crossed against his mighty chest. "Someone who wants to ensure that Beasts come out on top. No humans. At all."

Skip's eyes widened in horror. "That's what he wants? Total Beast domination?"

"That's what his Angelus lackey told me. Leif from Pride City."

Skip's brow furrowed as he began piecing the puzzle pieces together. "How does he want to achieve this?"

The big four-armed dragon just shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. It sounded bullshit to me. Totally crazy. I didn't sign up. I was satisfied here with my cushiony, non-combatant job and good food." He eyed Vein warily. "You hoped to coerce me by using Vein, huh?"

"I was hoping that he'd convince you to join with me in stopping Regulus."

"By doing what, exactly?" scoffed Mower. "You going to kill him? _Me?_That'd just jeopardize your own operations."

"What are you two talking about!?" Vein demanded.

"When the Haze fell upon the world," Skip explained, never letting his eyes leave Mower's, "the Nexus Conglomerate placed twelve individuals with an uncanny knack for controlling the Haze into the regions that the Gates they created lead to including Arcadia. These individuals are the guardians of these regions and the people living in it, protecting them from harm and hopefully guiding them to a peaceful existence. We are called the_Angelus_. I am the Angelus for Arcadia. Mower is the Angelus for Camp Draco."

A cruel smile crossed Skip's features. "Each Angelus has a certain field of specialty. Mower, for example, is known as 'The Stomach'. He has the uncanny ability to manipulate the Haze into creating fresh supplies as he needs. He can also use it to work in the inverse. If he should so wish, he can obliterate supplies from people, even turning the Haze into an inescapable corrosive cloud."

Mower's eyes boggled. "What are you doing!?"

"Making allies," Skip answered harshly. He gave Vein a grin. "Did you want to guess what my speciality is, Vein?"

Suddenly, Vein let out a loud moan and his legs buckled out from beneath him. The big, golden dragon fell to his knees, his tongue falling out between his lips as he began to pant very heavily and so quickly. His body temperature began to rapidly rise. Every muscle in his body was paralysed as all the blood went rushing to his groin. His partially glazed eyes focused on his groin as his twin, bright red cocks began emerging from deep within his scaly sheath. The massive sixteen inch monsters rose up, still with the distinct glands of a human only they tapered to a tip. Barbs ran down the underside of his cock, each one sensitive to the touch. But even though they reached the full size when erect, for some reason, they just kept growing.

Vein's eyes boggled as his members began to fill out more and more, thickening to ridiculous proportions until they were each as thick as his forearms. His balls grew to compensate. He could actually hear the cum sloshing in his scaly sack as they grew into massive, baseball sized orbs to match his equally large baseball bat sized dicks.

"Wh - wh - what the fuck!? What the fuck!?" he cried.

"Stop!" Mower bellowed. "I was never your enemy, Skip!"

"Nor were you my ally," Skip answered as Vein's dicks rose up to nipple height. "Now I'm asking you, are you with me? Or will I need to turn your boyfriend into more dick than dragon?"

"Just stop!" Mower bellowed, immediately storming down the mess hall and falling beside Vein. "I'm with you. I'll help you stop Regulus."

Suddenly, the throbbing in Vein's cocks began to stop and his twin members began to slowly deflate. Vein let out a disappointed whimper. The strength returned to his arms and he furiously seized both his shrinking dicks in an attempt to get as much pleasure as he can before they went back to their normal size. Mower, however, took his paws and held them tightly. They locked gazes. Vein squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back the Beast that was surely about to break free.

Such was the power that Skip held. He was known as The Dick amongst the _Angelus_for his ability to stimulate masses of targets into a state of such euphoric pleasure that they were practically paralysed. He could transform body parts into huge dicks or change the shape of a target's penis as he saw fit. He could even add some from the most unlikely places or, so should he wish, turn a target into a single, big, throbbing cock.

The end result was always the same.

They would become nothing more than a Beast. Maybe even much less. An abomination that would forever be damned to squirting cum out of whatever or however many cocks it had.

Skip smiled and turned his back to the two just as Vein regained his senses with a shake of his head.

"Welcome to our little group, Vein. We have much to teach you."

*****

349:10:28:06:23:27

The sun had barely risen. Evidence of the battle against Hammerhorn's forces lay scattered in front of the Return Gate. Skip and his contingent of airborne dragons had managed to lay waste to Hammerhorn's troops and even managed to capture several rhinos. They were being held prisoner back at Camp Draco but for now, the Return Gate remained unguarded.

The early morning plus the lack of hostile foes made for the perfect environment for an early morning run into Arcadia without rousing the other Arcadians. Lobo and Skip hadn't returned to Camp Draco but Finn guessed that was because it was still fairly early in the morning. Everyone needed to rest, after all. Bu before they had left, they had all agreed that some dragons needed to cross into Arcadia at least once.

The lucky first subject was none other than Cody.

He wanted to spearhead the expedition personally.

The big blue dragon shook a little nervously as he gripped the Key in his big, clawed hands. Taking in the big, metal arch with shimmering blue energies crackling between it, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"I can't believe we never noticed this before..."

"It must've been the Haze," Finn said. "Kevin said the same thing the first time he saw the Return Gate in Hornton." He reached over and gripped Cody's shoulder tightly. "You ready for this?"

Cody took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah... Yeah I am."

It was just the two of them for the moment. Vein and Savage were staying at Camp Draco to defend it in case Hammerhorn decided to make another strike. Cody had given them instructions to make hit and run raids against the docks. While the rhinos were well fortified, they were trapped. They couldn't make it back to Hornton.

That was something that still puzzled Finn. They were committed an all-out assault. There was no way back to their region. Reinforcements could only come in one direction. He couldn't tell if it was a brilliant strategy or a stupid one but he feared there was something he was missing. But for the moment, he shook his head and pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He was feeling a little apprehensive about showing Cody Arcadia.

Especially since he had no idea what awaited them on the other side.

He took a deep breath and stepped through the Gate. In the pre-dawn light, the vast, green landscape seemed so peaceful, undisturbed. The Collective stood not too far away, a silent monolith to the world. The alarms of the Return Gate was blaring but no one had yet to emerge from the Collective to see who or what had emerged. Most of the Arcadians were probably too used to hearing it to really mind and with some of the late ventures of the Collectors, they were probably used to sleeping through said alarms.

Still, he was apprehensive as he waited for Cody to come through.

He didn't have to wait long as the blue dragon took his first step into Arcadia, his thick military boots crunching against the crisp, fresh grass. Cody gawked and in doing so, took a breath. He sniffed the air curiously and made a face.

"This place smells... different," he murmured. "Cleaner. Fresher for some reason."

"I guess that's the Arcadian Haze," Finn said. He took hold of Cody's wrist and pulled him towards the forest. "Come on. Lobo said we couldn't take you on a tour just yet. We've got to get over to the Collector Camp before any of the other humans sees us."

"Right. Not everyone is happy you're taking Beasts into their home."

Cody didn't protest, thankfully, and followed eagerly into the thick forest. Once they were within the underbrush, they slowed their pace, following the river towards the Camp. Cody took some time to examine the trees, the bushes and general layout of the land.

"I've never seen such enormous trees..." he murmured. "They have such thick trunks too... And these bushes... So thick."

"I guess Camp Draco has more of a tropical vibe to it," Finn said. "We've got more... Temperate climes."

"It is a little cooler here than back home," agreed Cody, ruffling his wings slightly. "Much less humid at the very least."

Finn hadn't really noticed the difference in temperature but he chalked that up to the Haze messing with his mind, likely telling him that the temperature of the land he entered was 'right'. It scared him a little that the same effect could be clouding the judgement of the humans. Then again, the report did say that the Arcadian Haze had no mind control...

As they approached the Collector Camp, Cody slowed his pace to take in the crude huts suspended in the trees or sitting beside the river. In comparison to the maintained, organised and Spartan tents and buildings of Camp Draco, the area that Finn now called home seemed far more... rustic. A wave of embarrassment hit him when he remembered that some of the things in the camp were likely from Camp Draco.

"It's not much..." he murmured softly. "But... it's home."

"It's poorly defended," Cody said critically. "If anyone were to attack, you'd have no form of defence. Those in the huts, especially those raised above the ground, would be trapped." He strode over to one of the huts on the ground and gently pressed against the wall. "Structurally, they're flimsy too. There's no way to defend yourself from an invasion."

"I don't think we have to worry about that," Finn chuckled softly. "I mean, no one gets through the Return Gate without a Key."

"We can't assume that everything is the same as it was before," Cody answered, glancing over his shoulder at him. "You didn't think that Hammerhorn could come through to Camp Draco and yet he did. And you mentioned there are eleven Gates in total in every region, right? Ten to other sectors and one Return Gate. Well, if you count it up, one of those Gates has got to lead here, right?"

Finn did the math... and his eyes widened. "Oh shit..."

"Right." Cody nodded grimly, turning towards the camp. "Where are the Gates?"

Finn led him through the camp towards the clearing with the Glades. Cody asked what the crates beside each of the Gates were and Finn explained that they were spare Keys.

"That's a bad idea," he said, clucking his tongue. "You're leaving your most valuable resource out in the open. If some rogue Collector or a jaded human were to throw them all through the Gates, you'll be left high and dry. It's convenient, I'll admit, but with no one guarding it, you'd be screwed in the case of betrayal."

"I don't think we'll be betrayed..."

"That's what everyone thinks."

Finn wasn't sure if that was a jab at him or a general remark.

"I know you guys are low on staff so I think I'll have some of my guys stand guard at each of the Gates to start off. It'll keep them away from the humans and give them exposure to Arcadia. Do you have any training grounds?"

"Erm..." He remembered Lobo's little training dummy in the middle of the woods. "Sort of...?"

Cody eyed him in confusion. "Then how'd you get as good as you are now?"

"On-the-job training?" he offered meekly.

Cody laughed softly. "I don't know if I should be scared or humiliated that you got this far without any formal training. I guess you rely on the transformations to give you your fit builds too, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"Sounds like the Collectors are a lot more reliant on the Haze than they first thought." Cody nodded at the vast area of the Gate clearing. "This'd make some good training grounds, I think. Make a track, an obstacle course and maybe even take it to the lake for swimming laps."

At the mention of the lake, Finn exclaimed, "Wait!" Cody turned to him, surprised. "The lake is sort of... human territory." He felt terrible for distancing himself from the other Arcadians but it was the best way he could explain. "Remember, we're infectious to them and they don't have the mental training to retain their sanity after they transform. If we get close, they might turn and it'd be disastrous."

Cody mulled that over before nodding. "Understood." He turned back towards the Gates. "But my point still stands. We need to formalise the Collector training and hone your bodies without just relying on what the Haze gives you." He flashed Finn a grin. "We're going to be better than that, right? For humanity's sake."

Finn had to return that grin. "Yeah!"

Cody's eyes suddenly lifted past Finn and the blue dragon's crimson eyebrows lifted. Finn followed his gaze as three Collectors, all rhinos, came towards them. Finn's heart froze in his chest as he recognised the big, hairy one.

"Marv..." he murmured softly.

"Lobo," Cody greeted. "Finn was just giving me the tour. We were expecting you back earlier..."

Lobo approached, Marv and Cross by his side to form Team Commando. It didn't look like he had slept very well. There were heavy bags under his eyes. All three of them smelled of sex and Finn could see large splotches of hair on Marv's chest that were stuck together from dried cum. He remembered Marv mentioning there were limits to how far he went with other guys... but now...

"We had some bad news from Hornton," Lobo answered sadly. "Our scouting team came back and reported that the Rammers, as they're calling themselves now, are evolving in their technique and behaviour. They're working with metal now instead of just concrete."

"Explains how they were wearing all that metal armour," Cody said.

"Right. They're also building their numbers by raiding more and more rhino settlements and capturing any wayward Wrecker patrols. Our teams over there are doing the same but they're progress is slow. What worries, me, however, is that they have two camps. One where Newhome used to be... and another right around a Gate. An active Gate."

Finn's eyes widened. "That must be how they're passing into Camp Draco."

"Exactly. And if that's the case, we can only assume..."

"It's a two-way street..." Finn looked up in horror at Cody.

"It's only a guess," Lobo said, holding up his hands and shaking them. "And it could very well be that Hammerhorn is arrogant enough to attempt a full charge recklessly. But my team and I were going to test that theory by going into Camp Draco and passing through their Gate. Without our Keys."

"What!?" Finn exclaimed. His eyes went straight to Marv who turned away from him. "What if you can't get back!? What if you get captured?"

"We look just like any of the other rhinos under Hammerhorn's command," answered Lobo calmly. "Besides, this is what Team Commando is for. We're the ones that get into the nitty gritty of things. If what we think is true, we'll get to stand inside Hammerhorn's second camp, scout around a bit and then head back to our return Gate. I've already asked Anodyne to take a few extra Keys for us to use when we get back. Worst case, we find we can't pass through it as with the Return Gate and we go back to the Camp Draco, get one of you guys to bring us a few extra Keys and we go back home with some intel."

Cody crossed his arms and grunted. "It's risky. But this will give us information on Hammerhorn's ability to reinforce his position and retreat. I honestly would rather have the ability to push him back through his Gate than slowly convert his troops. We may get supplies from Hornton but I doubt that one place can support both itself, Arcadia_and_ Camp Draco for very long."

Lobo nodded grimly. "Burheim will be opening in a couple of days. That is one of the richest areas when it comes to resources. We just need to hold off until then and make sure Hammerhorn doesn't get to the bears before we do." He nodded at Finn and then at Cody. "I'd appreciate it if, when you get back to Camp Draco, you bring a few extra Keys for us. Just in case. Otherwise..." He gave Cody a lopsided smile. "Enjoy the tour."

Cody gave the Collector Leader a salute, one that Lobo returned with a smile.

Then Team Commando was heading towards the Camp Draco Gate.

Finn moved towards Marv, hoping to intercept him but the hairy rhino just swerved away, eyes shut. They were gone through the Gate before Finn found the strength to call out to him.

"What you Collectors lack in training you make up for in courage," Cody commented. He gave Finn an encouraging smile. "Is there anything else I should see?"

Finn showed him where they ate and where they planned. Cody seemed particularly impressed with the Meeting Hall and the meticulous maps that the Collectors had gathered over the years. He even commented how a large portion of the Camp Draco map actually used to belong to him. After that, Finn felt a little lost on what else he could show Cody.

The only other place he could think of was his own hut. They headed towards the small abode but Cody stopped and regarded the budding garden at the base of the tree.

"Is this yours?" he asked, crouching slightly beside the budding plants and moist dirt. "I never knew you had a green thumb."

"Actually..." Finn murmured, guilt rising up in his chest again. "That's Marv's..."

"Marv?"

"He was... uh... He and I sort of... lived together. Before." Finn shut his eyes. He had promised Cody never to lie to him again. Omitting the truth was just as bad as lying. "We were an item. Sort of. He promised to go with me wherever I went. And we had more than one... session where we... erm.. made love."

Cody eyed him suspiciously. "You're talking in the past tense. Did something happen?"

Finn regarded the patch of soil and wondered how he was going to deal with Marv. For the past two nights, he had been spending the night somewhere else. Somehow, it really felt like they had broken up. Or perhaps it was just a rough patch? Maybe there was still hope? But the way Marv had shrugged him off...

"We're going through some things..." Finn murmured. He gave Cody a shaky grin. "You know what? It's probably no my hut anymore. I'll find another one. Did you want to see something else?"

Cody regarded the garden again. "So Marv likes to grow things, huh?"

"Yeah. Each of the Collectors has a hobby that we use to help us keep our focus when in the other regions. It helps remind us who we are, you know? In Hornton, you could become obsessed with building like the Builders or destroying things like the Wreckers. In Camp Draco, you could easily fall in line with the rest of the troops. But -"

"Having something that sets you apart, reminding you of who you are prevents that," Cody finished, watching a butterfly land on a leaf of Marv's garden. "How very zen..." His blue eyes lifted back towards Finn. "So what's your hobby then?"

"Me?" For a second, Finn was stunned by the question. "Mine is the improvement of Arcadia as a whole. I want to make this place better."

"A lofty goal." Cody stood back up, his powerful muscles munching and flexing beneath his olive green shirt. "But what happens when you fail? I mean, you didn't exactly win me over at first and succeed in making Arcadia a better place..."

Finn recalled how he had almost slipped into the Haze back in Camp Draco and shivered.

"It's a good goal to have Finn," Cody said, "But I'm not sure it should be your 'hobby'. A hobby is something you like to do in your down time. I like to read." He seemed proud of the fact and puffed out his chest. "Marv clearly likes to garden. You should do something you like that's fun."

A faint blush touched Finn's cheeks, hidden by his black scales. "I really don't know... I haven't been around that long to really know what I like to do for fun..."

"Well, what do the others do?"

Finn opened his muzzle to reply but choked a little. He really had no idea. Though he knew Gantry used to like to meditate in his Glade, Lobo had his small training grounds and Savage liked to whittle, the rest of the Collectors were a mystery to him. Thankfully, a familiar figure happened to be passing by on the other side of the figure.

"Skip!" he exclaimed, waving over at the small green dragon.

Skip, bouncing on his feet as usual, noticed them and grinned, returning the wave. Finn was never so relieved to see someone else and he quickly spread his wings and leapt into the air, using them to propel himself across the river. Cody was right beside him.

"We were worried about you," Finn said as he quickly gave the slimmer Collector a hug. "When you didn't return to Camp Draco..."

"We got some bad news from Hornton," Skip responded with a faint smile. "It didn't feel right for me to just go back to Camp Draco while Lobo was fretting over what to do. Besides, someone has to stay around here, right?"

"No one else is in the camp?" Finn asked, stunned.

Skip shook his head sadly. "Everyone else is engaged. Lobo took his team to test out the Gates. Anodyne and his team are securing the Return Gate in Hornton and Ruin and his team are waiting for Lobo's team in Hornton while scouting. Oh and our team is helping in Camp Draco."

"Still a little dangerous to leave just a single person to guard an entire encampment," Cody said. "I suppose you really do need the numbers."

"That would be nice, yes." Skip batted his eyes at Cody who rolled his eyes in turn. "Anyway, what were you guys going to do next? Head back to Camp Draco?"

Not wanting to leave Skip by himself, Finn said, "Well, why don't we keep you company for a bit?"

"We still need to take those spare Keys to Camp Draco, Finn," Cody reminded. "Just in case Lobo and the others come back that way."

"Oh, right... Well... erm..."

"You guys go ahead then," Skip laughed softly. "I don't think any of us want to see Lobo and his team lost, right?"

"Right." Finn clapped Skip on the shoulder and began to head towards the Gates. He paused a few steps away, though and glanced back at his friend. "Skip, what's your hobby?"

The green dragon seemed a little surprised at the question. "Me? Oh, I've got a gym right next to my hut."

"A gym?" Cody asked. He was clearly intrigued. "Would you mind if we see it?"

Skip's tail thumped against the ground excitedly. "Sure! Would be happy to!"

They made their way back upstream a little to Skip's hut. Unlike the other huts, there was a large building jutting from the rear. They slipped through a side entrance of the long, rectangular structure. Finn gawked at the assortment of weights, dumbbells, barbells and workout equipment scattered about.

"If I ever need to kill time or lose myself a little, I just work out here," Skip said, beaming brightly. "When I transform, I just like to remind myself of how many reps I've done, what I can do to improve myself and all that stuff." He bounded over to where a skipping rope sat. "Easiest one to remember is how many of these I can do in a row. It's where I got my name!"

Cody wandered amongst the rows of dumbbells and weights. "This is very impressive. Do any of the others come here?"

"It's open to everyone but usually they're all too tired or want to focus on their own hobbies," Skip admitted.

"Where did you get all the equipment?"

"There's a ruined gymnasium in Hornton, the Badlands and Orcum County. I just took some weights from there and the rest of the equipment where I can. Vale and Vein helped when they could."

Finn ran a hand over the bench press. It was worn and well used. Hard to believe that Skip was so... small if his hobby was working out. Though he guessed for the slimmer Collector, it was about staying fit than bulking up.

"Maybe we can help expand this," Cody suggested. "We have spare equipment at the camp. More than we can actually use. I suspect most of my men would get restless here. The peace and serenity is something they are unused to. Finding some place to divert their energy would be good."

"That's a great idea!" Skip exclaimed. He rolled his shoulders. "I've always wanted a spotter. I can't get into any of the heavier weights without one."

Finn beamed. "You can always ask me."

Skip thanked him for the offer. Little did he know that venturing into Skip's hobby opened the door for Cody to poke at his hobby as well.

"I was just discussing with Finn that his chosen hobby of 'make Arcadia better' is a little too... broad. It's admirable but I think it's too fragile."

Finn began to feel his cheeks burn again.

Skip shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's pretty good. It sets him as unique. I think if your desire to see Arcadia improved is strong enough, you'll always manage to keep yourself sane."

"That just sounds like work to me," Cody said. "A hobby is something you do to enjoy yourself. This..." He gestured at Finn. "Is a job."

Folding his arms, Skip said, "I suppose you're right. But what else can he do? Finn has only been with us for a short while and the only thing he's _really_good at and clearly enjoys is making improvements to how we live." He flashed a grin at Finn. "Or giving everyone a headache when he goes off on his own."

"I just want to help everyone..." murmured Finn, his cheeks burning so much that they were practically on fire.

Skip's eyes suddenly brightened and his tail thumped against the ground loudly. "Oh! I know! Let's build an embassy!"

Both Finn and Cody gave the smaller dragon a puzzled stare, Finn even going so far as to incline his head to the side. "Huh?" they asked in unison.

Once again bouncing on the balls of his feet, Skip said, "You like to help people, right? But you also want to improve the place. So why don't we build an embassy? We're going to need a clear liaison between the regions. Right now, we just have small teams coming in and out with no real point of contact. If we build a place where they can come, get acquainted with the Arcadia and somewhere we can organise the troop efforts, we'll be able to organise our deployments across the three regions! We can even use it as a place to build our relationships with everyone! Especially the Arcadians!"

Finn's mind began racing with the possibilities. A building that was neutral. No favouritism towards human, rhino or dragon. A place where everyone and anyone could come, be introduced to Arcadian culture and where they can find sanctuary. It would be a place where he could help people with their problems.

The bridge between the sectors.

"You know what?" he said, grinning. "I think that'd be a great idea!"

"Still sounds like a job to me," Cody said with a shake of his head. "But I can't deny an embassy sounds like something we need. What's our first step?"

*****

349:10:28:09:04:14

Their first step was convincing the Arcadians that they needed the embassy and getting permission to build it right in front of the Return Gate. Finn contemplated building it in front of the other Gates but then remembered that the humans needed representation as well, not just the Beasts. Neutral ground right in front of the Return Gate would ensure that everyone got equal representation. Skip bolted off to Hornton to ask Anodyne for some Builders to help build the facility but it was up to Finn and Cody to head up to the Collective, to the smithy, to ask if they could build the embassy.

"So this Travis is the head of the humans, huh?" Cody asked. As they strode up to the big, black and blue building, he took note of how the humans gawked at them and gave them a wide berth. From the eyes of a military officer, he saw dissent on the horizon. It was obvious that the Collector's lands were within the forests while the humans had the open plains. When one or the other crossed the unseen, unofficial barrier, it was likely a cause for controversy. He wondered if the construction of an embassy would be stoke the fire or calm it.

"Yeah. He's a cool guy," Finn responded with a confident grin. "When I was human and I made the soccer tournament, he was really supportive of me. I'm sure he'll agree to this as well."

Having never met Travis before, Cody had no reason to doubt Finn's words. But something about the whole situation caused a prickling in his scales. Perhaps it was the suspicious stares he got from the other humans. When they thought he wasn't watching, he could tell they were eying him. He couldn't figure out what it was about their stares that just unnerved him.

The smell of coal and the clang of metal heralded their approach upon the smithy. A big ebony skinned man was pounding a red hot, metal pole into shape with a mighty hammer. The man stopped pounding as they approached. He dunked the rod into some brine, a hiss of steam rising up from the contact of molten steel with water.

"Hi Travis!" Finn exclaimed, waving a hand eagerly. "It's me, Finn!"

"Finn," grunted Travis.

There was hostility in this voice. Cody perked his ears. The humans that had been observing them were closing in. About fifteen of the guys. They still kept a respectable distance but they had abandoned all attempts to look busy and were standing in a circle around them. Poor, innocent Finn hadn't noticed.

"How have you been?" Finn asked, beaming brightly.

"Alright," Travis responded. He was holding his hammer very tightly, almost aggressively.

"How's the soccer tournament coming along?"

There Travis' grip loosened slightly and his features softened. "Really good. For a moment every few days, we can forget all the troubles in the world and just play a game. Once a week, we remember cheer each other on as two teams fight for victory. We celebrate the strength of the human race. Untainted and untouched by the Haze."

To his credit, Finn didn't flinch at those words. "I'm glad it's turning out well. Did you have any other sports you were planning to set up? Soccer can only last for so long, right? Maybe you wanted to make a football field for the winter? Or baseball? There are some basketball rings from Hornton that we can salvage and bring over here if you wanted."

The smith's mood softened even more, sensing Finn's good intentions. The tension in the air began to ease as well. Cody remained still though he was still ready to spring into action should the need arise. There was a faint heat emanating from his throat where his blue flames were already prepared.

"I think we'll be fine for now," Travis said. "With all our other responsibilities, we don't have the time to expand our other facilities until the tournament is over."

"Well, how about we give you a hand?" Finn suggested. "I don't know if Lobo told you but we forged an alliance with the rhinos of Hornton and the dragons of Camp Draco. They've agreed to try being human for a bit as we exchange resources between them."

The soft murmurs from the crowd caused Finn's ears to twitch slightly. He _was_aware of them. Cody prayed his friend knew what he was doing.

"Lobo told me, yes," Travis responded softly. "It's a grave risk. History has taught us that when we brought Beasts into Arcadia, they went wild and nearly brought our species to extinction. He's putting us all at risk."

"That's because the Beasts were brought here against their will," Finn said. He quickly raised his hands before Travis could protest. "But you're right. We need to keep an eye on them just in case it's too much. But we can't let that stop the flow of supplies from the other regions to Arcadia either. I mean, I know the Collectors have been putting a lot of effort to securing Hornton and fighting in Camp Draco. Have you guys been getting enough food and materials?"

Travis' eyes went to the metal pole that lay cooling in the brine beside him. "I wish we had more..."

"And here we are living it up with the Beasts," Finn said with a faint smile. "We've forgotten where our first duty." He slammed a fist into his palm. "Well, that changes today. We need to make sure Arcadia is heard. So I was thinking..." He spread his arms wide, wings as well. "How about we build an embassy!?"

Travis' brow furrowed. "An embassy?"

"Yeah! Our troops come through the Return Gate all the time but they just head straight to the forest and barely interact with everyone here! I bet if you really got to know the Beasts, you'd understand that they're just trying to survive just like us. But more than that, it'll force the Collectors to remember that we are here to help humans survive as well. We can use the embassy to ensure that the human needs are heard amidst the needs of the other species."

The smith looked suspicious for a second. "And where do you want to build this embassy? In Collector land?"

"No. Right here. In front of the Return Gate. If it'll make you feel better, we can erect a wall around it as well to make sure that any 'wild Beasts' don't get out that easily."

Travis huffed softly. "Walls won't do well against Beasts that have wings..." He eyed Cody's big, broad wings in particular. "But I see your point. It's a good idea. What do you need?"

Finn beamed and began outlining his plan. Travis refused to have any of his people work on the project, however. There were only thirty or so of them and their efforts were already stretched thin. He would order his people to give the area around the construction site a wide berth but little else. Cody could see that Finn had hoped for more cooperation but tactfully didn't push his luck. It was a good place to start. Cody heavily suspected that the cooperation part was something Finn truly hadn't been expecting and was just something he could willingly give up in the negotiations.

One they had nutted out the area that would be considered neutral ground, Finn and Travis headed to the site. Travis used some of the spare metal rods he had lying around and jabbed them into the ground to indicate the boundaries that would clearly be considered part of the embassy. It wasn't as big as Cody had hoped but it would be a start.

Now, all that remained was to build it...

They were just finishing up when the alarms from the Return Gate began blaring. Travis immediately scrambled back away from the gate while Finn and Cody waited patiently. The amazing display of shattering glass and shimmering lights mesmerised the Commander. It wasn't long before the three figures stepped out from beyond the Gate.

"Lobo!" Finn exclaimed, bounding over to the trio of rhinos.

Lobo grinned and caught the black dragon in a hug. "Hey there, Renegade."

"I'm glad you're safe!" Finn exclaimed. Then his eyes widened. "Crap! I totally forgot that you wanted us to bring some spare Keys to Camp Draco!"

"Turns out we dinna need 'em," grunted Cross, wiping the sweat off his brow.

This was of interest of Cody and he stepped forward, hands folded behind his back. "What do you mean?"

"The Gates dun work like we always thought they do," answered the Collector cook. "If ya dun have a Key, ya just get fired ta the region of yer species. Them rhinos can move back 'n forth from Hornton ta their Camp Draco camp easily 'nuff. They're sendin' supplies an' fresh troops in. Looks like they're gearin' up fer another raid."

"From what we heard, it won't be until the day that the Gate to Burheim opens," Lobo reported, gently pushing Finn away. "It'll be a diversionary tactic. They hit us, forcing us to direct our attention to their attack while they get a head start converting the bears of Burheim."

Clever tactic. The Rammers certainly had the numbers to support the tactic. With the attack on the docks as well, they no doubt bolstered their troops.

"When will the gate to Burheim open?" he asked.

"By our estimate, three days."

"We have until then to take back the docks," Cody said. "I don't think we can drive them out of Camp Draco within that time but if we can limit their movement and take the battle to them, we'll be in a better position to keep them contained and minimise their attack." His eyes began to narrow as a plan began to form in his mind. "In fact... I think I have a plan that'll cripple them entirely." HE brought himself out of his 'military commander mode' and beamed. "But let's leave that for now. Guess what?"

Lobo gave him a puzzled stare. "What?"

"We're building an embassy!" Finn exclaimed.

*****

349:10:28:17:54:33

Lobo absolutely loved the idea of an embassy. Hornton already had one in the shape of Gateway though it wasn't truly official yet. Arcadia definitely needed one. The Builder and Wrecker population in Gateway were steadily growing and they had some people to spare so about a dozen of the big, burly rhinos made their way to Arcadia with enough supplies to start on the embassy.

As was true to their form, they made swift progress. Though some were distracted here and there by the majesty of Arcadia, they managed to get a low wall that encased the Return Gate and the embassy grounds. They had also paved the ground leading from the embassy to the forest, making a clear line to the Collector Camp. As for the embassy itself, they had the foundation down but little else. It seemed that creativity was introduced with their new tri-horned forms, something they were coming to terms with. They sometimes argued about what should go where but Finn was confident that they would get there eventually.

He and Cody assisted with the construction, generally carrying supplies back and forth from Hornton to Arcadia. Cody had been awed when he first stepped into Hornton just as the dragons had been awed at the sight of someone that wasn't another dragon. Cody met with Anodyne and the rest of Team Vanguard, nutting out the supply lines from Hornton, to Arcadia and finally to Camp Draco.

Things were finally falling into place.

All except one.

Lamplight flickered inside of his hut and he knew it just had to be Marv. He took a deep breath, catching Marv's scent in the air. Mustering up all of his courage, he pushed the door open and stepped into what should have been his home. However, it felt like he was the intruder and the big rhino putting a potted plan on the windowsill was the true owner.

"Hi..." he greeted softly.

Marv looked up. It looked like he was trying to smile but couldn't muster the strength. "Hey."

The awkward silence that followed shortly after was painful. "So..." Finn began.

"I guess I dun matter enough fer ya ta do as Lobo said an' send Keys over ta Camp Draco jus' in case I ran inta trouble, huh?"

The accusation was a jab in the heart and Finn squeezed his eyes shut. "Marv..."

"Rush. Collectors only use our real names with one 'nother if we're familiar with them."

Another painful jab, this one strong enough to cause Finn's knees to shake.

"I didn't mean it like that... I was just -"

"Caught up in tryin' ta make Arcadia better, I know." Marv turned towards him. He pointed towards Finn, almost accusingly. Finn braced himself for the barrage to come. "Hand me that pot would ya?"

Confused, Finn glanced to where Marv was pointing. Right beside him was a potted plant. It was a plant he didn't quite recognise. It had big red flowers with leafy petals and crimson leaves. He plucked it from the pot and carried it over to Marv. "I've never seen a plant like this before..."

"I dun think it existed befer the Haze," answered Marv softly, regarding the strange flower. "I've noticed that the plants of the regions are totally different. They kinda look the same but when ya feel 'em, when ya smell me or eat 'em... they're different." He plucked a leaf off the plant and placed it on his tongue. He took another and handed it to Finn. "Tell me whatcha taste."

Finn took the leaf without question and placed it on his tongue. It burned with bitterness and he spat it out. "Oh god! Yuck! That's disgusting."

"Ta rhinos, it's like strawberries," Marv said, regarding the plant at arm's length. "Gateway has a shit tonne of these plants but they dun exist in Camp Draco, I think. The Haze changed the plants too... Made 'em so that only the species of that place really likes 'em." He carried the plant to where the first one was. "This here..." He gently ran a finger over the bright yellow flower of the first plant he had placed. "It's from Camp Draco. Ta me it tastes like a lemon. A really bad lemon. It burns." He plucked a leave and offered it to Finn. "Have a taste."

Though he was hesitant to take the offer, Finn decided he owed Marv the benefit of the doubt. He took the offered leaf and placed it on his tongue, bracing himself. Strangely enough, he was hit by a mild sour-sweet note like lemonade. He let out a pleased noise. "Wow... that tastes... nice."

"Ya see?" Marv sounded like he should be excited but his voice was flat, almost sad. His eyes fell on the two plants. "The Haze changed 'em. I wus hopin... here, in Arcadia, they could cross pollinate or sumthin... make somethin' that's good fer both species."

"Like some kind of super plant!" Finn exclaimed, beaming brightly. "Marv, that's an amazing idea!"

Marv pushed away from the windowsill and headed over to where some other plants were sitting on the floor in pots. "Maybe. I dun know how it'll turn out. Maybe they'll just die or change cuz of what Arcadia does ta stuff from other places. I dunno... But it's worth a shot."

"It's still amazing, Marv. It's something -"

"You never woulda thought of?" Marv finished, glancing over his shoulder. "And it's Rush." He plucked another plant from the ground. "Finn... I ain't givin' up on us. I followed ya ta becomin' a Collector fer a reason. Ya hurt me an' ya keep hurtin' me. But I know ya dun mean it. It's jus' the way ya are. Ya wanna keep movin' forward. I can't help it if I move a little slower than ya..." He regarded the plant in his hands. "But I'll keep on chasin' ya. I dun know ya anymore but I'll keep on tryin'. One o' these days, I'll catch up ta ya."

Only then did he smile but it was weak though it held all of his effort and strength just to sustain it. "We can't be together yet, Renegade. But I'll keep on tryin'."

Finn's heart felt like it was under a vice. He was left speechless. Marv hadn't forgiven him but was still trying hard to make their relationship work. That he was trying to improve himself to make it work only made it more heart wrenching. "Marv -"

"Rush."

Finn had to force the name out of his muzzle. "Rush... I... I don't know. I... I sort of have a connection with... with..."

"I know," Marv said sorrowfully. "With the Commander. I can see it. I ain't blind." His smile remained, however. "But I'm still gunna try. I'm holdin' onto that hope that ya might slow down a bit or I'll finally be fast enough to catch up to ya." He shook his head and carried the plant - another yellow one - to the windowsill. "I ain't gonna say he's no good fer ya. I dun know the guy. But maybe ya might break it off. Maybe I can prove ta ya I'm better. But I'm still gonna try..."

Finn squeezed his eyes shut. This was too much. He couldn't stay here any longer.

He turned for the door and hurried out. Only once he was in the night air did he find that he could finally breathe. The air was just completely heavy with Marv's scent and it carried his similarly heavy words with it. Finn was shaking and he wasn't sure how he felt, how he should feel. His heart wept for Marv but he couldn't tell whether it was because the poor guy was chasing a lost cause or because Finn couldn't convince himself to love Marv like he deserved.

Finn hurried down the steps of his hut and bolted for someplace. Anywhere that he could be away from the camp, from everyone else. He needed time alone to think. In the thick of the forest, everything was dark. The moonlight couldn't shine through the leaves and he was plunged into near darkness.

There... he wept.

Why... he couldn't be sure and that only made it all the more painful. Marv should've been yelling at him. Telling him how such a betrayal hurt and that he had ruined Marv's life by seducing him to becoming a Collector. Finn had braced himself for the verbal abuse and was willing to take it all... but this...

This was different.

"Finn?"

He straightened and spun.

Cody emerged from the underbrush. A look of relief crossed his features. "There you are. I thought you were going to come over to my hut and... be there when I... you know..." Cody grinned sheepishly. "Changed?"

Finn blinked a couple of times before he detected the musky scent in the air. His eyes were drawn to Cody's camouflage pants and how there was a rather pronounced tent in them. Twelve hours must've passed and Cody was no doubt feeling the pull of Arcadia's Haze.

"Right, sorry..." he murmured softly. He wiped the tears from his face. "I... I wanted to talk to Marv first but..." He sniffled softly. "It didn't turn out as I had expected."

Cody's wings sagged slightly. "Oh... If you wanted some time alone... I could change..."

"No." Then firmer, Finn said, "No. I made a promise."

"You won't be breaking a promise if I don't hold you to it." Cody shook his head. "I know it must be hard for you. I don't know what Marv said but if he hurt you..."

"That's the thing," Finn croaked. "He didn't hurt me. He just said that he was going to try even harder to win me over! He hasn't given up on me... And it kills me stringing him along like this when I..." He cut himself off as his eyes found Cody's.

"When you what?" prompted the Commander. "Remember Finn, you promised me too. No more lies. I'm holding you to that."

Finn groaned loudly. "Cody... In my short time here, I've never met anyone like you." He began to pace. "Everyone around here is stuck in their ways. They're opposed to change. But you..." He looked fondly into Cody's eyes. But he was only able to hold it for a second before he was forced to look away. "You embrace it. You want to change the world just as much as I do but you don't want to trample everyone in the process like Hammerhorn. We have _so_much in common. You're smart, strong, brave and you know when to take charge. And you're really sweet when you want to be..."

He winced softly. "I guess... what I'm trying to say is..."

He never got to finish as he suddenly found a pair of lips pressed against his own. He froze for the briefest of instants before his body naturally relaxed into the strong grip of the dragon holding him. Their tongues danced against one another's. Feeling Cody's strong arms against the small of his back, Finn just melted into them. Cody gently lowered him to the ground, the soft grass cushioning them both.

Cody pulled away and as he did so, he practically sucked the breath out of Finn.

"Wow..." Finn murmured. "I love you..."

Cody chuckled softly, his bright blue eyes shining. "Might be a bit too soon to call it love." He gently ran his hand along Finn's pecs. "We've known each other... what? Three days?"

"But I've never felt like this with anyone before..."

"And 'before' is about two or three weeks since you woke up in Arcadia," Cody reminded him. "Unless you're going to tell me that you fell in love with me at first sight, I'm not going to say this is love."

Finn felt that vice like grip on his heart again. "What are you saying?"

Cody gently cupped his cheeks. "What I'm saying is that I really, _really_like you and I'm pretty sure you really, _really_like me too. I'd like to spend a lot more time with you. I definitely see us being together for the rest of our lives. But I think we need to be sure first." He pressed a finger against Finn's lips before the latter could protest. "And remember, you just woke up. You have nothing to compare it to. Not even what you felt with Marv. I've lived a long time and I've never met anyone like you either. But there's a whole world out there. Who knows who we'll meet?"

Slowly, Cody intertwined his fingers with Finn's. "But right now and in the foreseeable future, you are the one I want to be with."

Finn had to chuckle a little and gently pushed Cody away. "You sure that's just not your cock talking?"

Cody nuzzled him tenderly. "Just a little." He lout a soft grunt, squeezing his eyes shut for a brief moment. "Fuck... I'm horny as hell..."

"That'd be the Arcadian Haze," Finn said softly. "You're about to become a human."

The blue dragon was trying to calm himself but Finn could feel his heart racing through the throbbing of the twin members barely contained beneath the camo pants.

"Not sure if I can make it back to the hut..." he grunted.

"You don't have to," Finn said softly. He hooked the rim of Cody's pants with a claw and gently began to draw it down. "No one is around. It's just you and me." To seal the deal, Finn gripped the two, gargantuan dicks through the thin fabric of Cody's pants. The Commander groaned, humping his hand.

"Shit... feels like my whole body is on fire..." Cody murmured, rolling completely on his back. "Every inch of me is pounding... like I'm just a big throbbing dick..."

Finn was slightly envious of that feeling. He had only reverted back to a human once before and he didn't even feel it, not really. But that was no reason for him to deprive Cody of the sensation. He tugged at Cody's pants, pulling them down to his ankles. Cody's military issue white briefs were already soaked with precum, strained by the presence of his twin, erect dicks. He leaned down and pressed his nose against the stiff members, taking in their scent and the warmth they emitted.

Cody groaned, louder this time. Finn tugged at the briefs. The full blast of manly musk from Cody filled his nostrils, making him shiver and causing his own dick to stir in his pants. There was an air of command about the musk. Cody was definitely an alpha male. The sight of his nineteen inch dicks was evidence of that. Finn leaned in and rang his tongue delicately up the underside of one of the throbbing, red members. It twitched upon touch, precum pouring out of the tapered tip. Finn tasted Cody's salty pre and he knew he needed more.

He took both members in his big muzzle. Thick as they were, it seemed that dragon maws were built perfectly to suck on the twin pricks. Cody's hips thrust into his muzzle, easily gliding down his muzzle and into the back of his throat. Hot pre poured down Finn's throat, starting a chain reaction within the black dragon's body. Finn's cock strained against his pants. He clumsily fumbled to pull the garment off and expose his dick. The cool air almost killed his boner but he immediately seized it with his free hand, pumping it in tandem with Cody's thrusts.

The groans from Cody were growing more and more intense. His claws were scraping against the ground and his legs were twitching madly, bending slightly and stretching back out like he was trying to kick. His tail thrashed behind him while his wings quivered.

"Oh fuck!" Cody exclaimed. His eyes snapped open and he suddenly leapt upright, surprising Finn. The black dragon gagged as the twin cocks were shoved deeper into his throat and Cody's weight was pushed on top of him. He was pushed onto his back while Cody straddled him with his big, muscular thighs. Cody's eyes were glazed with lust but there was genuine affection in them. He gripped the back of Finn's head with both hands, guiding him down his dicks as he thrust.

Cody angled his head back, eyes shut. He looked like he was in a trance even as he let out grunts and huffs with every thrust.

Then the sound of stretching rubber began filling the air. Cody certainly didn't notice it but Finn perked his ears at the noise. He watched in utter amazement as the scales around Cody's hands began to retract into his flesh. They disappeared into smooth, tanned skin just as his ivory claws faded into slightly pointed fingernails. His meaty forearms lost their shiny, sapphire armour; replaced by taut, vascular skin with a light dusting red hair.

Finn found it fascinating watching someone become a human that his constant sucking of Cody's cocks became secondary. With every inch of human flesh that took over from blue draconic scales, Finn was getting harder and harder. In the back of his mind, he was egging on the transformation while mercilessly beating of his thick prick. He licked his lips over Cody's dicks as the soft flesh took over Cody's biceps, revealing a whole delta of veins across the sweet, plump mounds.

Cody let out a mounting groan. The change quickly spread over his shoulders. Perhaps in some last hurrah as a dragon, he spread his wings, almost blotting out what little light there was in the small area. Wide as they were, they began shrinking. The tips quivered, the membrane retracting and folding into itself as they began slipping into Cody's broad back. As the appendages continued to disappear, Cody's precum grew thicker and thicker. Finn had a brief, idle fantasy that he was sucking the draconic essence from Cody and for some reason, that only got him harder.

His pre splashed onto Cody's back, touching the bare flesh. Cody quivered at the foreign touch especially as his wings completely disappeared into his spine. His tail suddenly went rigid as the transformation took hold of it. He thrashed his head from side to side, hissing lustfully. The dragon in him desperately wanted to keep its form but the lust overcame it quickly. That same dragon caused his tail to thrash, a vain attempt at rebellion. But with every swing, the long, thick length began to shrink, slipping further and further into the base of his spine. His scales had already retreated all over his back, leaving his rear a perfectly smooth, bubble butt. Finn's precum showered Cody's back, pouring out like a fountain as Finn hungrily watched Cody's amazing transformation.

Finn's eyes boggled when the change began to seep over Cody's torso. The soft, creamy yellow scales faded into perfect, tanned flesh. The scales seemed to coalesce towards two points, one on each pec. There, they darkened like they were desperate to maintain some semblance of the dragon that was disappearing right before Finn's eyes. But there was nothing stopping the change and the mound softened, gaining sensitive nerves and a fleshy nub. Cody's pectorals were two caramel mesas of chiselled flesh topped with a softer shade of brown for the nipples.

Finn just had to touch them.

He reached out with his free hand and felt the hard nub of Cody's right nipple. The effect was instantaneous. Cody's entire body went rigid and hot, thick, precum poured out of his dicks right down Finn's throat. Realising their importance or perhaps out of some primal lust, Cody seized Finn's hands and pressed them against his nipples. The change quickly poured down Cody's abdomen where they revealed his perfectly shaped abdominals. Sweat began soaking his flesh, catching every curve and cut in the dim light.

Then came a true treat.

At first, Finn felt small points against his fingers as he rubbed Cody's nipples. Then those points grew longer, thicker. More and more them arose. Covered with sweat, the deep, red hairs began to spread all over Cody's chest. They outlined the crevasse of his pectorals and the curve of their perfect mounds, almost forming a cross. A long tail travelled down from his pecs down his abs and into his crotch. A light dusting covered the rest of his chest but would only be visible to the keen observer.

Finn wanted nothing more than to wrap his lips around those nipples and run his nose through that forest of manly chest hair.

Cody grunted as the change began to finish off his upper torso. The incredible size of a dragon began to compact together, reducing Cody's impressive 7 foot plus height to a meagre six foot four. His muscles remained strong and powerful but far more proportionate to his new height. Even with the sudden dip in height, he continued to thrust powerfully into Finn's muzzle, head tipped back. He let out a loud cry as the change took hold of his thighs, turning the hard, armoured tree trunks into smooth, muscled poles capable of supporting his weight. In his thrusting, his boots fell off with his reduced size.

It seemed the change left his 'heads' for last.

Still with his head tipped back, Cody's draconic features began to compress. His broad muzzle began inching towards the rest of his head, fangs losing their sharpened tips and straightening into more omnivorous shapes. The red mane he possessed shortened, forming a cute, short cut mess of red hair. To make up for the loss of his mane, however, a five o'clock shadow formed around his broad, squarish features.

"Oh god!" Cody cried, his voice losing the growl of a dragon. "Oh fuck! FUCK!"

His twin cocks suddenly erupted in Finn's throat, sending their monumental load and the last of Cody's draconic form straight into Finn. The torrent was unstoppable and Finn couldn't pull his muzzle away if he wanted to. The twin dicks were wracked with powerful spasms, launching load after load of hot seed with little breathing space in between. When Finn twisted his nipples, a more powerful blast erupted from his dicks. When both Finn and Cody gave the fleshy nubs a twist, Finn was almost knocked out by the ensuing blast.

After Cody's tenth eruption, the now human dragon could no longer remain sitting on Finn's chest. He collapsed and rolled off Finn, his entire body twitching as he continued to be wracked with orgasm after orgasm. Finn kept a tight grip on his cock, biting his lower lip as he watched the transformation complete itself.

Looking at Cody's beautiful, lean, muscular form in the starlight, covered in sweat and with his red hair a stark contrast to his tanned flesh... He had never seen anyone or anything so beautiful. His eyes fell on Cody's twin cocks. The scales all over Cody's balls eased into a human sac, thick red hairs covered it. The monstrous dicks remained erect but sadly began to shrink with every ensuing orgasm. Finn locked his lips at the taste of those dicks and knew he would get to have them in him some time soon.

He watched in fascination as the two pricks began to gravitate towards one another until they were pressed against each other. The flesh began to knit together seamlessly. With every ensuing orgasm, they pulled closer and closer together, the purplish glands merging to form a single point of exit for the hot cum. Veins joined and skin combined, leaving Cody with a single, fat, eight inch dick. Finn expected it to shrink further but as the last dribble of cum erupted from the tip, he was left surprised at just how thick it was. Any normal man would've been torn wide open by its girth and he got excited just thinking about taking it in him.

Cody had dipped into slumber so he quickly turned away from the human. He ran Cody's transformation over and over his mind, licking his lips at the memory of the Commander's taste on his tongue. He imagined watching that human shape taking on the rhino form or a bear or even what Cody's draconic shape would look like once he changed back. That last fantasy send him over the edge and he sprayed his load all over the grass.

Finn lost count of how many loads he shot but it was enough to send tempt him with slumber.

He heard a faint shivering, however.

Finn positioned himself behind Cody, spooning with the now smaller Commander. He wrapped his wings around them both, encasing them in a warm tent. Cody stopped shivering and let out a content sigh.

Finn smiled... and pressed his lips against Cody's cheek.

*****

349:10:28:22:09:11

The taste of wood between his teeth was both comforting and a little disturbing. Some part of Lobo told him that chewing on a pencil was not the healthiest of habits but at the same time, he seemed to recall that it was a habit he once had. Something that he did when he was nervous or deep thought. It was a strange sensation but he pounced at the idea of recovering something from when he was human, at least the human that he was before any of this started.

He pulled the chewed pencil from his muzzle and regarded it. He ran his tongue over his teeth, wondering if he'd get splinters. His eyes went towards the piece of pad of paper that the dragons of Camp Draco had eagerly provided them. With the limitations of the Rammer movements clear, the transport of goods from Hornton to Arcadia and eventually to Camp Draco would need to be worked out. Finn's idea of creating an embassy would actually help. Perhaps it could serve as a sort of customs house to allow them to distribute the seemingly endless goods of Hornton to Arcadia and Camp Draco.

In all honesty, he was surprised that Travis had permitted the construction of the embassy considering how it was on Arcadian land... Though Lobo braced himself for what was likely a flood of grievances that Travis would be _very_vocal about.

The page in front of him was filled with scribbles, mostly about stocks and supplies that Hornton could provide and that they needed. Growth in Gateway was steady but it was growing. With the rhinos having been 'awakened', they had developed an appreciation of different foods, developing their own personalities. He couldn't rely on them following the Builder economy of just taking what they needed and going back to building. At the same time, that meant the Wreckers wouldn't greedily consume everything either. They had some sense now.

The dragons had yet to be 'awakened' so that meant they would make do with the gruel that Mower made them. Some basic supplies would be enough but he didn't want to seem... racist? The humans had to be placated too.

Lobo growled to himself and shook his head.

Things had changed so quickly. He had spent the majority of his life doing the same thing over and over again. Go in, take what he could, get out. But this... this was different. No amount of preparation could have steeled him for this.

He heard the heavy footsteps of another rhino approaching and he lifted his gaze, expecting it to be Savage, likely come to offer him a 'drink'. For the moment, at least, he found the strength to reject his good friend's offer. Being so close to Hammerhorn - even though he hadn't seen the mammoth rhino - had quenched his desires. He knew it would come back with a vengeance but for the moment, he was affording some breathing space to prepare himself for it.

He was surprised, then, that it wasn't Savage that greeted it.

"Hi Lobo," Kevin said with an awkward smile.

"Kevin," Lobo responded, sitting up in the small cushion. He was seated in the middle of the Meeting Hall. It was quiet and though it was in the middle of the Collector Camp, it was where no one was. At this time of night, everyone had retired to their huts for their nightly activities. So he was surprised that Kevin had found him. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually..." Kevin murmured softly, sheepishly rubbing his arm. "There's something I wanted to show you... But I need you in Hornton to see it."

Lobo clucked his tongue slightly. "Actually, what are you doing here? I thought your half of Vanguard was staying on the Hornton side. Carver's is meant to be here with a few other rhinos from Hornton to spend the night. Part of our exchange program."

Kevin nodded slowly. "Yeah... He's still here. He doesn't know I'm here. But... I just had to come here and ask you something... and show you something. It can't wait." The tri-horned rhino looked very nervous.

"Kevin," Lobo asked with rising apprehension, "What's wrong?"

The other rhino couldn't meet his gaze. "How did you become the leader of the Collectors?"

"Me?" Lobo responded, surprised by the question. He thought about it and shrugged. "It just sort of... fell into place, I guess. I sort of started taking responsibilities. Everyone saw I was good with maps and I made some good points about positions and targets. After everyone got used to how I was working, when the previous leader... went full Beast, I just took over."

"So it came naturally, huh?" Kevin rubbed his biggest horn nervously. "So... if you had something that you knew would make you a leader in the eyes of others, would you use it?"

It was a strange question and Lobo's suspicions were starting to ebb. He was only slightly aware of the tension between Kevin and Carver over leadership of the rhinos. Carver was very aggressive in his stance and in many ways, a natural leader. Kevin's gentler stance had the compassion and thoughtfulness needed for a healthy society but would he make a good leader...?

"Is that what you wanted to show me?"

Kevin nodded slowly. "But it only works in Hornton... I think it's because I'm from here..." He looked up at Lobo with pleading eyes, almost like a puppy dog's. "Will you come with me?"

"I really shouldn't... Travel between sectors is restricted at this time..."

"Please?" the rhino pleaded, clasping his big hands together.

"Why don't you just tell me?" Lobo asked, seating himself back down onto the cushion. He tapped the pillow beside him. "What are you so afraid of?"

Kevin couldn't meet his gaze and sighed heavily. "I'm afraid that I wouldn't make a very good leader... I've never been a leader. I just followed really. But... I think... no, I know this will put rhinos further up the pecking order and would make me more important than even Carver would ever hope to be."

Now he was interested. "What is it?"

Kevin hurried over and only spoke in a whisper right into Lobo's ear.

Lobo's eyes widened his surprise and he pulled back. He was about to call bullshit but the look Kevin gave him banished at that doubt.

"You're right. I need to see this myself."

They quickly hurried towards the Gates and passed through into Hornton. It was just a short trip to Gateway but with the shadow of Hammerhorn's Rammers everywhere, it was not safe. Still, Lobo had to see Kevin's claim for himself.

Most of Gateway was asleep with the exception of the guards standing on the walls keeping an eye for any attacks. The grassy, wild park had been tamed with several Builder structures erected to provide functionality and recreation. Several trucks looked like they were about ready to drive.

Kevin gripped his wrist and pulled him into one of the mess of bushes beside the Return Gate that had yet to be trimmed down. They squatted in the darkness, away from sight.

"Okay," Kevin whispered softly. He held up his hands, palms facing each other until they were just about a foot away from one another. "All I did was... think about a really good sandwich I had the other day and..."

Right before Lobo's eyes, grains of... something began coalescing between Kevin's palms. These grains came together to form a smooth spongy brown slice of bread complete with crust, slightly moist with the touch of mayonnaise. The wind blew slightly, causing the ruffled, crisp lettuce to shake softly. Between it was warm, slightly browned bacon, partially melted cheese and layers of ham. The perfect triangle the sandwich formed and was suspended in the air for all of a second. When it dropped, Kevin caught it immediately.

"See?" he exclaimed softly. "I've been practicing this all day. I slipped into Arcadia a few hours ago and tried doing the same thing but it just didn't work. I think it only works here in Hornton for some reason."

Lobo just stared at the sandwich, his jaw slack in shock. He lifted a finger, asking Kevin for a moment. Then he pinched himself just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The pain was as startling as the realisation that Kevin had just conjured food in front of his eyes.

"Can... can you make anything else?" Lobo stammered, blinking away the tears.

"I haven't tried," Kevin admitted with a shake of his head. "I was just too shocked all day. I was practicing... But..."

Lobo understood Kevin's trepidation. He had the ability to become a leader. With this ability, he could lead Hornton into becoming _the only_supplier to Arcadia and Camp Draco. What other things could he make with his mind? Tools? Weapons?

But it was a question of whether or not he was ready for that kind of responsibility.

If this ability became known to the rest of the ragtag alliance...

Lobo considered their need of supplies to Camp Draco and how Hammerhorn was still there. If Hornton became a superpower for resources, the dragons wouldn't have to be so pressured to push the rhinos out of the docks. They _could_last in a prolonged siege...

"I can't tell you how to be a leader," Lobo said slowly. "I can't tell if you if you're ready to become one because you need to decide what kind of leader you'll be first. But thinking about everything else, about Arcadia and Camp Draco, I think this is one of those things that we need to keep up our selves... for now." He reached out and gently gripped Kevin's wrists. "Keep practicing with it. See if you can make other things as well. Don't reveal it to everyone yet."

Kevin nodded quickly. "Right... right of course." He inclined his head to the side slightly. "Why though? Wouldn't this... I dunno... help Hornton? If we train more people, we can get more and more supplies and make Gateway even bigger than Hammerhorn's strongholds."

Lobo lifted a finger. "Yes but then you'd have to compete with Carver. You know he's got a stronger personality and he's got a lot of... charisma. If you reveal this, people will flock to you but people will stick by him to. You risk a civil war."

Kevin's eyes widened.

"And we can't risk that right now," Lobo said, shaking his head. "Not when Hammerhorn is besieging Camp Draco. Right now, we need to stand united." He shook his fist. "A leader needs to know when to lead and when to yield. But it's ultimately your choice. I would love for other people like my Collectors to learn how to do this in Arcadia so we wouldn't need to keep raiding other Beasts but if we do that, I know the Arcadians will start becoming dependent on the Collectors and there are a few humans back there that won't like that."

"Right... You're right," Kevin said, nodding slowly. "Thanks, Lobo."

Lobo smiled and reached out, gripping Kevin's shoulder lightly. "Hey, great leaders don't stand at the front all alone. There's no shame in asking for advice."

Kevin reached up and clasped his hand around Lobo's. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

******

349:10:29:07:15:09

When morning came, Cody was positively bouncing with energy. He kept running his fingers over his smooth flesh, quivering as they caught on his the thick streams of chest hair all over his body. Finn had to admit, it was a very pleasing sight.

"This is amazing!" the Commander exclaimed, running his hands over his pectorals. He moaned as his fingers found his nipples. "Wow... That feels so good... Are these just for pleasure?"

Finn chuckled softly. "Pretty much."

"I feel so much lighter without my wings and tail." Cody spun around, regarding his perfectly shaped, bubble butt. "Yet on some level, I miss them too." He ran his hands over his smooth ass. "Not having scales feels so... strange. And all this hair!" He brushed his pubes. "I've seen some dragons have these too but what purpose do they serve? Are they for warmth? Why don't they cover you entirely?"

Finn snickered and pulled the smaller human towards him, hugging him tightly. It was evident from his erect cock that Cody's inadvertent act of exhibitionism had done its job. "They're there to make you look sexy," he growled, nuzzling Cody's neck affectionately.

"Is that so?" Cody responded tauntingly. He slipped beneath Finn's strong arms and flashed him a grin. "Well I don't want to turn back into a dragon quite yet. I want to put this body through its paces. Then I want to go to Hornton and change into a rhino."

Finn's eyebrows rose upwards in concern. "Are you sure? I mean no one has gone through so much change before. Hornton is also different from Arcadia. I think you'd need a bit more training before you jump straight into another region."

"What better time than now?" Cody countered. "Besides, I've got to be careful. You're the only one that can promote dragons in Camp Draco. If we lost you to the rhinos..."

Cody folded his arms and gave Finn an exasperated look. He looked about to say something then he shut his eyes and sighed. "I suppose you're right. Fine, no jumping into the land of rhinos just yet." He opened his eyes and pointed an accusing finger at Finn. "But I'm going to hold you to that, okay?"

"Sure," Finn replied, somewhat relieved.

Cody went over to pull his clothes on but frowned when he realised they were several sizes too small. "Huh... I might need a change of clothes..."

"We might be able to find you some back at the Collective." Finn hiked a thumb in the direction of Arcadia proper. "Most of the Collectors around here just prefer to go around nude. Helps when you're transforming back and forth. Don't have to worry about shredding clothes."

"Make sense."

Finn told Cody to stay put and quickly headed back to the Collective. Most of the humans were just getting up. He asked for some spare clothes and he was given a spare set of the usual skin-tight jumpsuits that he had been assigned when he first arrived in this paradise. He got a few questions about the embassy and he answered them as accurately as he could. It seemed that the humans were looking forward to the embassy just as much as Lobo was.

With his cargo of clothes, he spread his wings and flew off back towards Cody. When he arrived, he was surprised to find Cody sweaty and doing pull-ups on a nearby branch. His muscles glistened in the morning light and his vascular arms were firm and plump. A soft rumble left Finn's throat as his cock began to rise once more.

Cody grinned at him as he finished his set and dropped back down. He took the offered clothing and teased Finn all the more by hiding his glorious body from him.

"So I guess because you ate my cum last night, you're still a dragon for a couple more hours?" Cody said. No doubt the trail of conversation was a purposeful distraction from Finn's cock.

It worked however as Finn was reminded of his... 'affliction'.

He considered repeating the lie he had told the other Collectors but then he remembered his promise to Cody.

No more lies.

"Actually... I'm kind of special..."

He explained how he hadn't switched back to a human since that first night. The how and why of it remained a mystery and Cody remained silent throughout the tale, just putting on his clothes. When he was done, he also explained that he hadn't told anyone else, not even Lobo or Marv.

"Another lie you've woven, huh?" Cody said. He shrugged as he slipped on the shirt. "Alright. I respect your decision. I can see how this could raise a few questions." He gave Finn a lopsided smile that looked really cute on his broad, masculine features. It seemed that despite the several hours since his first transformation, that five o'clock shadow wasn't going to grow any thicker. "I appreciate you telling me, Finn." Cody bounced on the ball off his feet, not covered by a pair of human-sized shows. "So, what can we do to work up a sweat?"

Building the embassy was a good start and they both headed back towards construction site, both now fully clothed, and began working away. About an hour later, rhinos from Hornton began pouring in and adding to the construction effort.

Cody worked up a sweat and was endlessly fascinated at the capabilities and limitations of the human body at the same time. Though he sweated as a dragon, it always soaked into his scales and never touched his flesh. That usually left its cooling effects to be somewhat dampened. Now, however, he found himself covered in the stuff and was pleased when the air blew by, cooling his tanned flesh. Having scales on his palms also meant that he was immune to calluses buy with his new baby-smooth palms, carrying the heavy concrete blocks back and forth made sure that they would quickly form. It hurt but it was a new experience and new was something he hadn't experienced in a long while.

At about noon, most of the embassy was built. Finn certainly had a flair for design as he instructed the rhinos to make the structure circular in design. There was a large storage warehouse right in front of the Return Gate where supplies could filter through and be sorted. This was already being put to use. Skip, Savage and Vein were already there, sorting through what should go to Camp Draco and what should remain in Arcadia. Some dragons from Camp Draco had also come in under the three officer's command. Their expressions showed their awe and wonder that they hadn't worn for a long, long while perhaps since they had become dragons.

The main section of the embassy was a circular meeting all of sorts. It had three floors, the top most was at ground level and the 'stage' of sorts was dug into the ground. On the top most floor were dozens of 'guest' seats for people who wanted to sit in during ambassador meetings. The second floor, just above the stage, had twelve seats; one for each of the species of beyond the gates, one for the Collectors and another for the pure humans. Lastly, the stage was open for anyone to stand upon.

It looked spectacular and Finn was eager to get the meetings started but first he needed ambassadors to be appointed. Some humans had come to observe the construction and he asked one to tell Travis that it was ready. He asked Skip to tell Lobo to appoint someone as an ambassador while he told a rhino to ask Carver or Kevin to send over a representative as well.

"I guess you'll be the ambassador for Camp Draco?" Finn asked Cody.

"Most likely," replied Cody, taking one of the seats and bouncing on the cushioned frame slightly. "Any hope of getting these things customised?" He poked at the back of the chair. "Dragons have thick tails and I don't think these high backed chairs are built for them."

Finn frowned. "Ah... you're right... Damn, sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. I'll bring over a chair from the Camp."

They waited for an hour until messages came in from the other factions. Lobo mentioned that he would be the Collector representative but he was currently busy with something in Hornton. Similarly, both Carver and Kevin were occupied. Travis sent his regrets and surprisingly appointed Gavin as his representative.

The blonde haired man strode into the embassy alone, his angled eyes still making him look constantly pissed but his green eyes were soft and actually... welcoming.

"So this is the new embassy, huh?" Gavin asked, looking around with a low whistle. "It's pretty impressive. And it got put up in two days. Imagine what we could make Arcadia if we had more rhinos coming in or something..."

Finn was genuinely surprised by the man's words. "Yeah," he said, striding over and holding out a clawed hand. "Glad to have you on board."

Gavin held up his hands and stepped back. "Thanks but I still can't risk getting infected. I'm pure human, remember?"

"Right..."

A small smile appeared on Gavin's features. "Still, who knows right? If we have more Beasts working for Arcadia, maybe some of us can move on from being just 'the guy who works with wood' and into something else."

Remembering Gavin's fascination with Collectors, Finn ventured by saying, "Like a Collector?"

The human ambassador was quiet for a moment. "How many of the rhinos do you think are good at working with wood? Or smithing? Making clothes?"

Finn frowned at the deflection but decided not to press. "I'm honestly not too sure. I think the Haze provides pretty much everything the rhinos and dragons on that level." He flicked his ears towards Cody. "In fact, where _do_you get your weapons and ammo from?"

Cody returned a frown. "You know...? I've never thought much about it. All our supplies generally come from the docks. I've visited it every now and then but all I remember is that we've got these warehouses full of food, guns, ammo and all the things we need. We just transport them from the warehouses to the base. We take stock, of course, but I guess now that I think of it... it's never gone down..."

"Must be nice to have everything given to you," Gavin chuckled.

"At the cost of a few personal freedoms and free will," grunted Cody. "I don't think any of my men know how to make a weapon from scratch. They'll know how to assemble a gun but making the parts...?"

"Maybe that's something Arcadia can offer?" Gavin suggested. "We've all had to learn some skills to survive around here. Farming. Animal husbandry. Woodwork. Sewing. Things that I think the Beasts generally take for granted."

Cody winced and waved a hand through the air. "Can we avoid using the term 'Beasts'? It's degrading."

Gavin shrugged. "Sure." He glanced towards Finn. "Maybe that's something we can agree on. Maybe come up with a name for the other species. I don't think just 'rhino' or 'dragon' fits anymore, huh? Would help with a national identity or something." He regarded the embassy, taking it all in. "Anyway, I'm not sure how well other humans will respond to tutoring Bea - I mean, the other species but I'll put it in front of Travis and the others."

"And in exchange, the dragons can provide protection and military training," Cody responded. "I think the rhinos can offer manpower and construction materials not to mention extra supplies."

"Sounds like a plan," Gavin said with a smile and a nod. He glanced at the ceiling where a hole was cut into the dome-like structure to offer natural lighting to whoever was standing on the stage. "Anyway, I better get going."

Cody's stomach rumbled and he winced. "Right. I should get back to Camp Draco to get some food as well. You coming Finn?"

"In a minute," Finn responded. "Gavin, could I have a word in private?"

The ambassador lifted one of his eyebrows. "Sure."

While Cody headed out of the embassy, Finn took Gavin towards the upper level towards the guest stands.

"I'll be honest and say that I'm surprised that you're so welcome to this," Finn said. "I thought you didn't like change...?"

"I didn't like you stealing my wood," Gavin responded with a snarky smile. "But since you actually asked this time, I'm okay with it. Besides..." He turned to look back at the embassy. "I've always wanted to become a Collector. I was just never asked. I suppose there's a reason for it. But if I get to work with Beasts, I suppose that's as close as I'll get to being a Collector." He grinned sheepishly, a light blush touching his cheeks. "On the plus side, I could make tonnes of jokes about teaching the Beasts how to handle 'wood' if I end up tutoring them."

At first, Finn didn't get the joke. Then it clicked and his eyes widened. "You want to fuck a Beast?"

Gavin shrugged absently. "Hey, everyone has their own vices, right? I always thought Beasts were fucking sexy." He took a deep breath and sighed. "Might by why I'd never make a decent Collector." He gave Finn a lopsided grin. "Anyway, I have too much self-respect and self-control to just go pouncing on any Beast or Collector that comes my way so you're safe from me. I suppose that makes me a good ambassador then. I can sympathise with the Beasts but am okay with just staying human."

Finn had to smile. "You know, if it were up to me, I'd make you a Collector."

Gavin laughed. "Thanks for the offer but I've got my job to do." Then his features became grim. "Speaking of which... I'm glad that you actually put up this embassy. Travis was getting a little... anxious about your moves to unite the Beasts."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

With a shake of his head, Gavin said, "I dunno. It's just a hunch but Travis has been very vocal about how you guys are making an 'army' and how the Collectors are losing control beyond the Gates. I don't know where it will lead but people are talking and they're starting to lose a little faith on the Collectors." Gavin turned towards one of the doors on the upper levels which would lead to the warehouse. "The constant presence of more and more Beasts coming through the Return Gate and sometimes without stuff for the rest of Arcadia makes people wonder what you're really doing... This embassy, though, will help people understand what you're doing."

He gave Finn a smile. "Just make sure you give me good stuff, okay? I can't help you guys if you just feed me bullshit."

Finn hadn't been aware that tensions were rising in Arcadia... it made him worry. "Right. Of course. Thanks for the heads up."

"It's a two way relationship," Gavin said, pointing at himself and then at Finn. "I don't think Arcadia is going to stay shut for very much longer."

With those words, Gavin said his goodbyes and left.

Finn hurried towards the Collector Camp and managed to catch up with Cody just outside of the embassy. He was speaking to Skip and as Finn approached, they finished up. Skip thanked Cody and hurried - rather skipped - back to the camp.

"What did Skip want?" asked Finn.

"He asked about the NexArm lab," Cody answered with a shrug. "He was worried that Hammerhorn might try to break in and he might find something. It's in the mountains just east of the base but it's locked down tight." He shrugged and turned to Finn with a smile. "I tried to make breaking into that place my goal once. But everything_we tried wouldn't even scratch the walls. It's fairly well hidden so I don't think we have to worry about Hammerhorn breaking in. Skip still wanted to check it out anyway because Hammerhorn _is a_Conglomerate_ project, after all."

"Good Point."

"What did you talk about with Gavin?"

Finn shrugged and wrapped his arm around Cody's waist. "Gavin was kind of hostile to me when I was human. It had to do with me stealing his 'wood'."

"Was that a sex joke?"

He grinned to himself. "Gavin sure made it into one."

******

349:10:29:13:45:22

The door let out a soft ding followed by an ominous hiss. Skip, in his draconic form and with his hands folded behind his back, strode past the massive, metal doors, a smug smile on his face. Lights flickered on above him. One by one, they traced the hallway, highlighting door and their numbers. The electrical hum of generators powering up filled his ears and old, stale air began cycling though the filters and air conditioners.

Vein and Mower trailed behind him, the former looking around nervously. "What is this place?"

"This was a NexArm laboratory," Mower explained grimly. "NexArm was...no, is the military arm of the Nexus Conglomerate. They focus on security both internal and external, providing arms to clients as well as researching new technologies. They were in charge of looking after Camp Draco. They built it a long time ago but it was sold to the local government. They locked down this facility but reopened it when the Apocalypse hit to observe Camp Draco."

"So why is it abandoned again...?"

"Because of the outbreak. Somehow, the dragon strain of the Haze came to Camp Draco earlier than expected and spread faster than they could contain. NexArm_released _Project Shephard, the Commander, to stabilise the location and then got out of here to avoid being infected."

"They created the Commander?" Vein glanced from Skip to Mower. "Just like they created you both?"

"Sort of," Skip responded, peering into one of the many rooms. The thick, steel doors had little windows that allowed him to see into the laboratories. All the equipment was still perfectly pristine and cleaned. "We're volunteers. We were given powers to assist in guiding our chosen species to survival but otherwise, we were humans from the Conglomerate and decided to come down to help."

"So why are we here?" He glanced towards Mower. "And why didn't you open this place until now?"

"It's part of the failsafe and the broader project," answered Skip, moving to the next door. "You remember how the door to Hornton remained open? It's because I went into a lab like this in Hornton and activated a Beacon. The Beacon is basically something that we Angelus can use to tell SOL that the area where the Beacon is sitting can and _should_remain open." He gave Vein a faint smile. "Imagine how things would've turned out if Arcadia was cut off from Hornton and Hammerhorn rampaged across all of Hornton unchecked."

At that though, Vein did shudder. "And if we were cut off from Camp Draco..."

"Right." Skip pointed towards the other doors. "Go look into the rooms. The Beacon looks like a big cylindrical device. About waist high."

Mower growled and stormed past Skip. "You're not telling him about the end game."

Vein's ears perked up. "End game?"

Skip gave Mower an exasperated sigh. "Yes. The end game. I'm not too sure on the details myself but there is meant to be a way to save this world. Whether it's to get rid of the Haze or maybe some way to make it so that the Haze turns everyone back into a human, I don't know. All I know is that once all the Beacons are activated, there's meant to be some sort of transport that will take someone up to SOL. What awaits them there I can only guess."

"You're here to save us and weren't told what it'll bring?"

Skip laughed and even Mower let out a deep chortle.

"You know that we were all born and grew up on this planet?" Skip said, crossing his arms at Vein. "Used to be that any human would be lucky to age past eighty. But for us..." He gestured at himself and Mower. "We're probably about four hundred years old. You might be too depending on what species you were born as originally."

"Every person alive today is basically the same person that was transformed four hundred years ago when the Apocalypse hit," Mower said grimly. "There have been no new births since then. Only the Haze's ability to control people and help with their healing has kept the population somewhat stable. But people still die. There are some wounds that the Haze cannot heal."

He gave Vein a grave look. "I don't know what the end game is but it has to be better than what things are currently. We're slowly dying, Vein. Slowly but surely, we're dying. Not humans, not dragons or rhinos. All of us." He exchanged glances with Skip. "But it would be up to us to choose whether it's better to follow this end game, to lie down and live the rest of our lives how things are right now or make our own path. The Director didn't want to influence our decision in this. He left it up to us. He just told us how to initiate it but not what it'll do."

Vein tore his gaze away from his crush and peered into a nearby room. He had never seen some of the equipment before. It looked like there were tables and chairs made entirely out of light. There were strange chairs that looked to be _growing_out of the ground in the shape of flowers. Crystal panels hovered on tables that looked to be like screens.

"So you want to make this end come true...?" he asked softly.

"If it'll save this stagnant world," Mower answered. "Yes."

Vein started when he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist. Another pair gently grasped his thighs.

"I remember a time when you could have kids..." Mower whispered softly. "I always wanted kids of my own but never got a chance. Too young and never met the right person. I don't know if you remember or what you know but kids are... Well, they're like a sunshine of happiness that grows steadily bigger and bigger, pulling apart the overcast until you're bathed in their radiant glow. There are times when they're annoying as hell. They keep you up at night. Sometimes they piss you off. They break things and they cost you a fortune but... it's all worth it."

Vein felt Mower's muzzle brush against his neck but he instinctively pulled away.

"I want to see children in the streets again," Mower admitted softly, pulling his arms away. "I want to be able to raise another generation of young minds. I want to see the world growing again."

Vein glanced over his shoulder at the big four-armed dragon looking so sad and lonely. He had no idea what it meant to have children. He couldn't even really imagine what having a kid would be like. In the back of his mind, he understood the concept of children but never questioned the absence of females or how they could possibly save the human race if they could not reproduce. But now...

"Is that all there is to it? Kids?" he asked.

Mower faltered. "To me it is..."

"There's also intellectual stagnation," Skip replied, "evolution, technological progress, cultural diversity and the war that Hammerhorn and this Regulus is waging across the world. I don't know what Regulus hopes but we need to make sure he doesn't manipulate the end game to his own twisted ideals. Remember, he's got _Angelus_like Bulldozer on his side. He probably already knows about it. What he hopes to do with it, I don't know. But can you _really_trust someone who condones open war across multiple regions and what basically constitutes as identity rape to decide the next step for the world?"

Vein glanced at his hands... He formed them into fists. "I suppose not." He lifted his head towards the other two. "I still don't like how I was pulled into this..." he said, shooting Skip a venomous stare. "But I guess I see your point. I'll help."

"Great," Skip exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "That means we can start training you on how to use the Haze."

"What!?" exclaimed Mower. "That's breaching our guidelines!"

"Is it?" countered Skip, lifting an eyebrow towards his fellow Angelus. "One, destroy any incriminating evidence of the Nexus Conglomerate. Two, guide your chosen species to enlightenment. Three, eliminate all threats to Project Arcadia. And lastly, four, do not kill anyone unless completely necessary. No where in those guidelines does it say we can't recruit others to becoming an Angelus."

Mower gnashed his fangs together and let out a low growl.

"Look, we don't know how many other Angelus are under Regulus' command," Skip said. "We know of at least two, Bulldozer and the Angelus of Pride City. With the two of us, that makes us even. If we want to get the advantage and ensure we're safe, we need to start training others. I want to train Vein into becoming an Angelus."

Vein was stunned. He wasn't entirely sure what it meant to be an _Angelus_but he remembered the bizarre mutations that Skip apparently caused in him. Was that what it meant?

"Angelus powers are fuelled by the Haze," Skip explained. "Wherever the Haze is, we can cause mutations in people or use it to our advantage as I've told you before. But this is not something that was genetically implanted into us." He tapped the side of his head. "It's something we learned. We can teach you how to manipulate the Haze in this way."

Vein gulped loudly and met Mower's gaze. It was clear that the four-armed dragon was very concerned but over what, he wasn't too sure. Something bubbled deep inside him, however. Resentment perhaps. Whatever it was, it told him that he was pissed at Mower and because of that, he didn't care what the big dragon thought.

"Alright, teach me."

"Vein!" Mower exclaimed.

"Good," Skip said. "We can start later but right now, let's find that Beacon."

Vein turned back towards the rooms with a nod. He sensed Mower wanted to talk but he cut him off with a question, hoping to deflect any conversation. "So can any Angelus open these doors?"

"No," Skip responded, shuffling form room to room. "Regional Angelus_might know where the lab is but only the Arcadian _Angelus - me - knows the passwords to open them. It's the only way to prevent invasions of Arcadia from the other side. Imagine how things would be if an Angelus suddenly activated a Beacon while under someone else's control. Arcadia would be swarmed and every few weeks, their army would sweep into the other regions."

That was a terrifying thought. No matter whatever else, Arcadia was his home and he didn't want to see it crushed under Hammerhorn's Rammers or whoever this Regulus was.

"Ah, found it," Skip exclaimed, stepping into one of the rooms.

Vein quickly followed suit with Mower right behind him.

Inside was a blank, black room. Everything was black from the floors, ceiling and the walls. Strange, blue lights shone through gaps in the floor that looked a lot like circuits. At the centre of the room was a silver cylinder, about three feet tall. It was plain and unassuming until Skip approached it and tapped its top. The cylinder suddenly began to hum. Blue cuts in the pattern of the floor and walls appeared across the silver surface. The cylinder broke apart along these cuts, the shell hovering in space around a solid beam of white light.

"Holy shit..." Vein whispered.

"Conglomerate tech at work..." Mower murmured.

"Indeed," Skip said. He began moving the shards around the place, arranging them into a pattern. Vein's eyebrows rose when he realised that Skip was rearranging the shards into the sideward profile of a dragon's head, jaws gaping and fangs flashing. As soon as the last piece was in place, the whole system let out a bright flash.

Vein had to look away and grimaced. The sound of clattering metal filled his ears. Once the stars had stopped flashing in front of his eyes, he noticed that the column of light was gone and the metal plates had fallen onto the ground.

"It's done," Skip announced. "Come on. Let's get this place locked down again."

"Shouldn't we destroy it or something?" Vein suggested.

Skip flashed him a grin. "Bulldozer knows about Beacons. We've got a few more days before the next Gate opens. I'm thinking we drop a few hints on where this base is located to the Rammers. Bulldozer will hear about it and realise that if he doesn't activate the Beacon, Hammerhorn's troops are going to be stranded here. He'll want to activate the Beacon."

Vein came to the same conclusion Skip was leading to. "He'll need to split his forces between defending their Gate, the docks and breaking into this place. It'll make it easier for us to hit him."

Skip's grin was both menacing and encouraging. Vein was grateful that the _Angelus_was on his side. "Exactly"

******

349:10:29:17:09:44

Camp Draco was a sea of activity. With supplies coming in front Hornton from Arcadia, the troops were excited and ready for the raid they were planning at dawn the following morning. Cody, though still human, had gathered his highest ranking officers and told them exactly what he was planning. Despite his change in shape, the officers still fell in line without question. It seemed the recognised their Commander regardless of his shape.

For the better part of a four hours since he had arrived back in Camp Draco, Cody remained human through sheer force of will. He claimed that it would be perfect training for when he entered Hornton and became a rhino. Finn though he was just being a show off and relished at the fact that the Haze _constantly_tried to turn him back into a dragon with a blast of arousal. Almost every ten minutes, Cody would spontaneously sport a hard on, staining the small army fatigues he had donned once returning with his precum. To his credit, he didn't even pause or flinch in whatever it was he was doing.

As evening started rolling in, Finn felt his stomach rumble and wondered if he should head back to Arcadia for dinner or just stay in Camp Draco to eat. Travel to and from Camp Draco was restricted past six in the evening for fear of some attack from the Rammers. With the embassy completed, the next project for the Builders was securing the Return Gate. At the moment, there was a small contingent of stealthy dragon scouts hidden amongst the trees watching over their allies passing through the Return Gate.

It was clear that the Rammers didn't need Keys to get back to Hornton but if the Builders went through the Return Gate without a Key, they would end up back at the Rammer camp, putting them at risk. Lobo and his team had run several experiments by going through the Gate with various configurations. Cross once went through as a dragon and just reappeared at the Gate from Arcadia. There was no telling what would happen if a human went through quiet yet but no one wanted to take that risk with Rammers running around.

Finn's stomach rumbled again, reminding him for the need of nourishment.

"Corporal."

He stiffened as Cody's arm wrapped around his waist, still human.

"Would you kindly accompany me to my quarters?" Cody asked with a sly look on his features. "I have a very special mission for you." That sly grin of his caused Finn's cock to stir and all thoughts of food were forgotten... except perhaps some sausage...

He nodded wordlessly and followed Cody back into his cabin. The Camp was still on high alert. Though no attacks from the Rammers had occurred, everyone was still wary. Dragons regularly patrolled the skies and remained alert in their guard towers. The path to the cabin was unobstructed though there were already many small walls made of sandbags erected some distance from the front gate, ensuring that if the first walls fell, the dragons still had something to fall back on to defend themselves.

Cody opened the door to his cabin and the scent of freshly cooked pork and creamy mash filled Finn's nostrils. His erection ebbed as his stomach growled once more. Leading him by the hand, Cody pulled him into the cabin. At the centre of the small home, a dining table had been set up just like it had been a few nights ago. Two seats were arranged opposite to one another with candlesticks illuminating the fancy, cutlery and plates. A slice of crisp pork belly sat on a bed of mashed potatoes, the skin left a golden, caramel brown and crisp. A dollop of mashed peas sat beside the peas while some savoury-sweet gravy sat on the plate in a silver cup. What looked like pistachios had been stacked on top of the pork belly and drizzled with some sort of light, fruity sauce.

"I figure our last dinner together was laden with lies and deception," Cody said. "So I figure we try it again. This time we do it right."

Finn felt his cheeks start to burn. "I'm still really sorry for what I did..."

"You did it to protect your home," Cody responded, moving behind the nearby seat and pulling it back for Finn. "I can respect that. Doesn't mean I wasn't hurt by it but I understand why you did what you did."

Finn gingerly took the seat offered to him, wondering if Cody would pull the seat out from underneath him as a petty act of vengeance. Thankfully, that was not the case and once he was seated, Cody took position on the opposite side of the table.

"Enjoy your meal," Cody said, gesturing at the brilliantly cooked meal. "I worked hard on this you know."

"You cooked?" Finn said, startled. He realised how rude that sounded and stammered an apology which only made Cody laugh.

"I've read all these books a hundred times over," Cody answered, sweeping his hands across his library. "More than a few are cookbooks. I've never had the chance to put them into practice until now. I didn't have a reason to."

Finn's cheeks continued to burn but for an entirely different reason. "You know, maybe you could share some of these books with Arcadia? I mean, we don't actually have any books apart from the blank ones that Josh, our Archivist, fills up with a chronicle of everything that's been happening."

"You have documents on Arcadia's history?"

"At least as far back as Josh can remember and what's been told to him since before he came." Finn shrugged and tried the pork. His knife cut into the crisp skin, the golden bronze flesh crackling in the most appetising sound he had ever heard. "Did you want to read them?"

"I'd love to."

Love. That word made Finn's heart skip a beat. He wasn't too sure where he stood with Cody and with Marv still waiting on the wings, it made things... difficult and awkward. But he at least wanted to enjoy this dinner. When he placed a slice of pork into his muzzle, his tongue practically exploded in excitement. The skin was perfectly crispy, layered with just enough salt not to overpower the taste. The layer of fat melted in his mouth and the flesh itself was succulent and juicy, full of flavour. He let out a moan just like he was having an orgasm.

"I'm glad you like it," chuckled Cody, munching on his own meal. "I have to admit, using cutlery is a lot easier when you don't have talons getting in the way." He wiggled his fingers, deftly flipping his knife between them. "Humans have much more dexterous fingers."

"Dragons have their advantages too," Finn said. "Fire breath. Flight. Claws and fangs."

"I don't think you should count humans out. You guys are pretty resourceful. Here, we have the haze providing everything for us. In Arcadia, you've had to make do with supplies given to you once per month and an extra hand once per year. That's pretty damn impressive." He suddenly stopped eating. "Makes me wonder if it'd be worth it to spend a couple of weeks in Arcadia away from Camp."

Finn's eyebrows rose. "You serious? Why?"

"Just... to really understand our allies, you know. See the other side of the story." He gave Finn a grin. "Besides, I'm eager to see what I look like as a rhino, a bear or whatever else lies beyond the other Gates."

Alarm bells began ringing in Finn's mind. There was something else Cody was not telling him and it made him sick to the stomach. He watched Cody return to eating, every slice decisive and careful. Each movement the Commander made was full of purpose and driven... except for the way his voice carried across the table.

Finn asked himself what could possibly make the confident, strong Commander unsure of himself. Was it the attack on the docks? No... The dragons had trained for such combat and their tactics were sound. Was it his ability to maintain his sanity as another type of Beast? Doubtful. He seemed so eager to try. Perhaps it was their relationship...? But why not just come out and say it? They had that talk and surely there would be enough time...

"Time..." he whispered softly.

"What's that?" Cody asked, looking up with his sparkling blue eyes.

"You're worried that the Gate to Camp Draco won't remain open like it did with Hornton, aren't you?" Finn asked. "That's why you're considering staying in Arcadia. But if you do that, you'll be cut off from Camp Draco..."

Cody couldn't meet his gaze. "We have to retake the docks tomorrow. If we don't Camp Draco will be unstable. We don't know if the Gates will remain open and if they don't, then no matter how much Hornton provides us, we wouldn't be able to last if we have to keep fighting the rhinos stationed here. I'm just considering my options..."

"A full evacuation of Camp Draco?"

"If it comes to that, yes."

Finn frowned deeply. "It won't come to that. We'll retake the docks."

"I admire your optimism, Finn, but no matter how much we plan things always go to shit after the first shot is fired." He set down his cutlery with a sigh. "I'm just worried that a full retreat would be seen as a sign of weakness. I'll still be the Commander and the only one to promote my dragons but if all my dragons are human, where will that put me? What will be my role? My purpose?"

Cody's eagerness to see other places, to change into different forms... it was an attempt to find his place or perhaps secure it as leader of the dragons. Finn lowered his cutlery as well, deep in thought. He didn't know what to say... what to offer.

"You'd still be the ambassador to the dragons," he offered.

"There's that," Cody chuckled softly. "And I guess with our military training, we could be the military arm of Arcadia. When we return, we'll be able to take Camp Draco." He offered Finn a clearly strained smile. "And I guess that if Arcadia can't access this place, neither will the rhinos so they'll be down on reinforcements as well."

"Maybe we can work it the other way then," Finn offered. "Get some rhinos from Hornton over here to bolster your numbers."

"That'd be more mouths to feed and we'd tear through the supplies already given to us. We'd never make it." Cody shook his head sadly. "I think the only reasonable course of action will be to retreat if we can't take the docks. It'll give us time to recuperate. Grow stronger. I'd rather lose land than lose men."

That was really an admirable stance and Finn found himself smiling gently. Cody went back to eating but only managed to stuff another slice of pork belly into his mouth before he caught Finn's gaze.

"What?" he asked.

"I dunno," Finn responded with a shrug. "I have this inkling in the back of my mind that not many people would put their people first. Something tells me that lesser generals would've died defending this place to the last. Some would call it brave but I think it's stupid. No slab of dirt is worth a man's life."

"Let's see if the rest of the men think the same once they step into Arcadia," Cody muttered, returning to his meal.

"Hey," Finn said firmly, catching Cody's attention again. "Listen to me. You're the Commander. You're their leader. Not because you're the only one that can promote them but because you've led them for all this time. If they start doubting and muttering behind your back, then I'll be right there to knock them back into place."

"But -"

"You've always had to worry about insubordination but I know that it's scary to think that in Arcadia, everyone will start thinking for themselves. That's the price of freedom. You just have to make sure that you're the kind of commander that encourages freedom while promoting loyalty and not the type that strangles individuality and incites fear."

Cody's eyebrows lifted and a smile crossed his features. "When'd you get so insightful?"

"From comparing Lobo and Hammerhorn," Finn said with a shrug. Little did he know, his eyes began to contract into slits and a low growl echoed behind each of his words. "Hammerhorn subjugates everyone and forces them under him. They fear him. But Lobo lets people do whatever they want but we're loyal to him because he's proven his worth." He grinned at Cody. "Just prove your worth to them, Commander."

"And you don't think a retreat, losing Camp Draco, will have me lose face?"

"Not if you make it go like it was all planned." Finn said with a vicious grin. "Maybe rig the whole place to explode or something. Deny the Rammers any resources while taking a few of them out while you're at it. Hell, maybe set up traps around the Return Gate so when they try to chase us down, they get caught and we can drag them into Arcadia with us. Take some of them out with us. Give the men something to fuck to let out their frustration." He licked his lips, drool coating his fangs. "The boys would appreciate that."

Cody looked startled at the suggestion. "Finn, that's monstrous!"

Finn blinked a couple of times and shook his head, his eyes dilating once more. He grunted and placed a hand against his forehead. "Argh... sorry... I... I kind of slipped there. Got too in the moment and... The Haze almost took over. Sorry." He took a few deep breaths, focusing on the scent of delicious pork. He thought back to the embassy, to his tone he still kept wrapped around his wrist and brought himself back. "I'm okay. I'm oaky."

"It must be a battle every day you're here, huh?" Cody said. "You guys constantly fight the Haze and need to keep a hold of yourself. I can understand why you were hesitant for me to head to Hornton so soon. Seems I have a lot to learn about this world."

"You and me both!" laughed Finn. "Remember, I'm barely two weeks old!"

Cody echoed his laugh and the tension and worry he held faded from his features, a brilliant smile touching his lips. "Well then, maybe we can learn about this world together."

"I'd love to," Finn returned, smile and all.

They finished their dinner in relative silent, only occasionally commenting on how things were going and voicing their hopes for the future. When they were finished, Cody got up and stretched. Even the smaller clothes he wore as a human were strained against his brimming muscles.

"So, as I recall our previous evening ended with us adjourning to my bedroom."

Finn grinned and patted his stomach. "Aren't you supposed to wait an hour?"

Cody returned the grin and seized his hand. "That's for swimming. Come on."

Finn laughed playfully as he let the smaller human pull him into the familiar bedroom. Everything was perfectly arranged. The bed had its quilt tucked underneath the mattress so there wasn't a single crinkle. Every pillow was fluffed and arranged side by side that they could've mistaken for blocks. Everything looked like it had been gone over with a fine toothed comb and aligned with a ruler. It was well lit with several lamps on to ensure that every corner was illuminated.

All that was thrown aside, however, when Cody pulled him into the bed and the two crashed against the mattress, their lips meeting without much hesitation. Cody was the first to moan and his hips thrust wildly into Finn's. Though he was only just starting to get blood flow into his cock, the moment their dicks touched, Finn's arousal multiplied tenfold. Cody pulled away and wiggled out from underneath him, immediately stripping off his clothing.

There was no foreplay with the Commander. He was very to the point and Finn wasn't going to complain. He had just discarded his shirt and was pulling off his pants when the fully naked Cody pounced at his crotch, pinning him to the mattress. Finn barely got to look at his fully erect black, pointed dick before Cody took a good portion of it into his mouth. Cody gagged slightly as he couldn't take the entire eighteen inch member. But he quickly adapted and lathered the entire length with his drool, his tongue dancing between the spines along the underside of the rod making Finn quiver.

Cody suddenly pulled away and arched his back. Finn could see his brought muscles shifting beneath his taut, bronzed skin. The hair on his head was growing longer, wilder. His features were shifting, his jaw pushing forward and pulling his nose with it.

"I need you to fuck me," Cody panted, his tongue hanging out beyond his expanding jaw.

"What?" Finn murmured, barely able to hold the Haze back. Every fibre of his being begged him to mount the Commander. His commanding officer had told him to. "You're too... small..." he grunted. Despite his protests, his hands had found the back of Cody's head and pushed the changing human against his cock. Cody lovingly lapped at his dick, nuzzling it with his emerging muzzle. "I'll tear you apart..."

"Fuck it," growled Cody. "If you aren't going to..." He suddenly let out a loud growl, caught somewhere between a human's imitation of a growl and a true dragon's snarl. He leapt up onto Finn, stunning the black dragon. Cody squatted over Finn's chest, his thick, muscular thighs spread and his ass angled to take Finn's cock.

Finn barely got another word of protest before Cody reached behind him, seized the big dragon cock and pushed it into his tight ass. Both men let out a loud moan. Cody's virgin ass was incredibly tight and the warm flesh around Finn's cock was driving the Beast in him to take over. He couldn't hold it back all the way and his hips were thrusting slowly upwards, pushing himself deeper and deeper into Cody. With every thrust, he surprisingly found less and less resistance.

Finn squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on Arcadia, his plans, the future and his relationship with Cody while trying to ignore the flood of euphoria that flooded his entire body. Shutting his eyes had the opposite effect as his nostrils became filled with Cody's scent and he became more and more aware of the sensations emanating from his dick. He pushed one eye open.

A faint chittering filled his ears accompanied by a sound like leather stretching. Before his eyes, Cody's ass began to stretch and grow. It maintained that perfect bubble shape but it widened and grew, offering easier passage into him. Blue scales began cresting the summit of those mounds, creeping up Cody's thighs and waist. Cody gnashed his teeth and let out a feral snarl. He glanced over his shoulder, watching a fleshy nub grow at the base of his spine. It twitched reflexively, growing another inch. With each little movement, it continued to grow inch by inch, thickening while maintaining a distinct point. The blue scales scrambling all over his ass gave chase to the thrashing tip. His tail swayed from left to right, full movement coming to it at a foot in length and still rapidly growing. With each thrust from Finn, his body returned more and more to its draconic roots.

Something just clicked in both men and their bodies went into autopilot. Finn thrust deep into Cody while Cody effortlessly speared himself over and over on Finn's cock whenever the black dragon pulled away. Every movement buried more and more of Finn into the Commander and with every inch that entered Cody, more of the Commander's body changed. His already thick thighs surged outwards. As weariness began to overcome him from being in such a taxing position, renewed strength entered him, taking the physical form of monstrous quads and sharp, defined hamstrings. The cut angles and mounds of his legs not masked by the flood of blue and yellow scales that covered them. Curiously, a thin layer of red hair remained, poking out between the scales and forming a light, orangey layer over the blue, almost like a radiant, amber aura. The change quickly flooded down to his calves, causing them to bulge out and grow. Both men let out a grunt of annoyance as Cody's growth added more distance to their exercise but they made up for it with wilder, more ferocious thrusts. Like his upper legs, his calves thickened and bulged, taking on perfect heart shaped forms covered in smooth, blue scales. The red hairs were thicker on his thighs however, forming thick bushes on the front that reached down to the back of his feet.

For some reason, that just drove Finn wild.

Whether it was the Haze taking over or just pure lust, Finn let out a ferocious roar and flung himself at Cody. The surprised, partially transformed Commander let out a shout of surprise. Finn was suddenly on top of the Commander, Cody's feet mounted on the black dragon's shoulders. Finn nuzzled Cody's changing feet, enjoying their smell and even their slightly salty taste as he ran his tongue between the toes. He nibbled on Cody's big toe, eyes rolling into the back of his head as it changed in his lips. The human nails thickened and lengthened, sharpening to points and eventually into big, white claws. Finn lapped at Cody's heels, feeling the transition from the soft skin to leathery, yellowish-white leather scales. He buried his nose into the thick fuzz of red hair that stretched from Cody's calves down to the top of his feet, the scent they carried accelerating his arousal.

Cody's tail thumped excitedly behind him as it reached its full length. The Commander moaned lustfully as the change began seeping into his cock. It was the most taunting experience ever as he felt like he was on the verge of orgasm but for some reason, he was denied. He stared at his dick in frustration but was fascinated as it began to change shape. The uncut mushroom helmet began to fade back into a familiar ruby-red tapered tip. If it was at all possible, it became even more sensitive as the red hot seed that bubbled up from his growing balls flooded up its length. But as it inched closer to the tapering tip, his dick grew longer and bigger, taking on the familiar shape that he had lived with for his entire life.

As a parallel to his growing cock, the change swept up from his legs and up his waist. He felt his abdominal muscles clenched like he had just done a hundred sit ups. Then they all relaxed, growing spontaneously. His back cramped for the briefest of moments before it too stretched, blue scales sweeping up the defined ridges. As he felt his pectorals start to harden, he was reminded of the two glorious points of pleasure that came with being human. He would miss them and decided to give himself one last bolt of pleasure before they vanished into the sea of scales.

Cody seized his nipples, letting out a loud hiss as the twin bursts of bliss caused his pectorals to explode with size and strength. The scales flooded his entire upper chest. He could almost feel his body pulling back on the nipples, trying to reclaim them. But he kept a firm hold of them, hissing with his tongue rolling out from the side of his face, lost in the endless pleasure. His body seemed to understand and continued past his nipples, spreading over his arms. He was forced to momentarily pause his stimulation when his arms locked up and ballooned in size. Renewed strength flooded him and as the change began sweeping over his back, he knew what would come next.

He pulled himself up, using Finn's broad shoulders as a prop. Finn gawked for a moment as their lips met once more, Cody's muzzle quickly reforming. Their tongues lashed together, their lusty drool dropping all over one another and mixing in with their copious chest hair, matting Finn's golden blonde and soaking into Cody's russet red.

Cody had to shift his back a little as he felt his wings start to push themselves out. He expected pain but instead, there was overwhelming pleasure like an orgasm. Mirroring this, he could feel a fain pressure building in intensity beside his thick, nineteen inch dick. Once glance down and he saw his member compressed right beside Finn's between their washboard abs, cushioned slightly by their treasure trails. As the pressure in his back build, so too did the one in his groan. He let out a mounting moan as his second dick wormed its way up from his crotch and rose up right between its brother. It grew to six inches... eight... ten... twelve...

Cody threw his head back and let out a feral roar. Blue flames shot from his muzzle and every muscle in his body flexed. Wings spread, tail stiff, his cocks exploded, spraying his seed upwards in white geysers that shot between the mountains of their pecs.

He thrust and thrust, spraying gallons upon gallons of cum all over himself and Finn, soaking his bed. In all his life, he had never cum so much before - perhaps once before when he had changed into a human.

He didn't want to moment to end. He was just in heaven. But as if he were flying, he eventually had to come down and the sexual high he experienced brought him back down to reality... into the warm arms of Finn.

Strangely, Cody was bouncing with energy. Finn looked exhausted though Cody felt his ass surprisingly... dry. The Commander gave his love a quick kiss before excitedly leaping off Finn's cock, making them both gasp. He hurried to his mirror and gawked at his new shape. The eight foot tall mirror had always been enough to show his full size but now he must have been at least half a foot taller than it. And he amazingly enormous. His muscles were never bigger and made all the sexier by the thick mounds of red hair that outlined every feature. The red colouration contrasted well with his blue scales. He had a thick layer of fuzz on his forearms to add to his manly physique and the same light dusting of red hair covered the rest of his body, giving that faint reddish 'aura'.

"Wow..." he whispered, leading in close to examine his facial features. He tilted his head to the side, rubbing his chin. There was a faint stubble there, darker than the rest of his hair so that it gave his scales a darker blue colouration, almost like the five o'clock shadow he had as a human. "This is _so_awesome..."

He spun towards Finn who was panting and could barely offer him a crooked smile.

"You didn't get off, did you?" Cody asked.

"It's... okay..." Finn murmured, giving him a weak grin. "Dunno... if I could've... held on... if I did."

Cody grinned broadly. "Well then I hope you're still up for the _last_part of our evening."

Finn gave him a worried stare. "What...?"

Cody, still with his cocks erect, stalked forward, a predatory smile on his features. "If you remember, last time we were here, I promoted you. Twice."

"Oh... huh... Cody... I barely stayed sane..."

"I have complete faith in you," answered Cody, slipping in beside the black dragon. He slipped an arm around Finn's shoulder so that he couldn't escape. "You said that in order to retain your sanity, you remind yourself about who you are, right?"

"Y - Yeah..."

"Well, let me remind you that you're someone very special to me. That's part of who you are now. Whether you like it or not." He nuzzled Finn affectionately. Judging by the fact that Finn's dick was still very much erect, he wanted this too. "So, what do you say, Lieutenant?"

Finn's growl was answer enough. Their lips met tenderly and Finn visibly relaxed even though his dick remained painfully hard. His hands reached around and squeezed Cody's twin cocks, bushing them against his own member. They began thrusting their hips, Finn's cock sandwiched between Cody's. Finn reached up with one of his hands and gave Cody's nipples a firm tweak. Cody broke the kiss and let out a feral snarl.

"Fuck that turns me on," he rumbled. "Ooooh..." His tongue hung out in his lust. The Commander quickly shook his head and began shuffling further down the bed. Finn followed his lead and spread his legs.

Cody geared one of his dicks towards Finn's ass. "You're going to enjoy this," he rumbled with a grin.

Finn let out a soft whimper. He remembered the unbelievable ecstasy that overwhelmed him when he had been promoted the past two times. The Beast inside him grew stronger with each promotion. The unfathomable power deep within him was freed and the rush of strength as his wings and tail filled with blood made him want to snap straight into attention and thank his Commander with a sharp salute. But he had resisted and remembered Arcadia.

Now, he braced himself as one of Cody's dicks slipped into his ass like it had the past two times. The other rested beside his own, the throbbing piece of meat emanating heat and power. Finn seized both their dicks, squeezing down hard and pumping them for their fluids. Even after having just cummed, Cody was primed and ready for another round. His cocks were pouring just as much precum as Finn's.

A rising moan came from Finn as Cody began to thrust into him. He arched his back, tail thrashing. The Beast growled in pleasure as Cody's dick unlocked more of its power. Finn found himself a slave to its whims and the moment. His claws scraped the mattress as the Beast took control of his hands and dutifully pumped his dick alongside Cody's. With every thrust, an intense pressure began building right beside Finn's member, just at the base of his existing cock. It grew and grew until he could feel it throbbing in tandem with the beating of his heart and pulses of his cock. The pressure pushed at his scales. It started as a small lump but with every thrust of Cody's hips, the scales began to part, forming an exit for the growing, black member.

The mound continued to grow, forming the thick sheath that Finn already possessed. Blood began rushing into the monster contained within and the soft scaly cover began to retract while the black, spiny dick began to rise. Finn began wildly thrusting his hips, his free hand seizing his newly formed dick and tugging it eagerly out of its hiding place. It rose to match his existing cock in all its glory. His balls naturally grew bigger to accommodate the presence of an extra cannon to fire his load and with each wet slap from Cody's dick, his baseball sized balls slapped against his thighs.

The pressure continued to build in Finn's dick until he couldn't hold it in anymore. He felt like he was about to explode and the twin sensations from both his dicks, the wave after wave of stimulus as his hands rubbed against the sensitive barbs on the underside of his member before caressing the hot, tapering points, it was all too much. His cum shot up from his balls, pooled at the base of his cock and rushing up his dick.

Strangely, it stopped about halfway up his cock and he let out a roar of displeasure, gnashing his teeth and snapping back and forth in frustration. The pressure at his dick began to ebb and it quickly migrated to the back of his head. He snarled when it focused on two points, just behind his pointed ears. Gnashing his fangs together, he continued to pump his cocks while two points of ivory jutted out from his skull, growing rapidly. The pressure was starting to give him a headache and while the Beast enjoyed the unbelievable power the horns gave him, it was a major boner killer. But he was loathed to let his mounting orgasm be denied a second time and furiously tugged at his hard cocks, squirting precum that was much thicker than below. He felt his cum bubbling about halfway up his dick, just teetering there while the pain of his growing horns seemed so intent on sapping away his erection.

He snarled as, at long last, the horns reached their full length, an impressive six inches of straight, ivory that he could easily use to gore anyone. His headache immediately ebbed and blood began rushing back towards his dick. The Beast instantly pounced. The rush brought on by his horns was akin to the masculinity of a rhino's horns and the presence of his twin dicks compounded on that fact. Both he and the Beast wanted to cum so badly and neither of them were going to hold back.

At long last, his cum was making progress up his lengths again but before it could travel any further, a strange tingling filled his chest. It immediately travelled up his throat, making it strangely hard to breath. The Beast would not be denied. It pooled all of its strength to getting him to orgasm even as Finn's eyes began to water from the lack of oxygen. The pressure in his cocks just built and built and built until...

"FUCK!" Cody roared and slammed his dick deep into Finn. The sudden movement caused Finn's entire body to lock up and his back to arch. Finn lost control at the moment of incredible passion. The Beast seized control and used all its might to push his cum out of his members. But it fell short and it roared in frustration.

Finn wanted to cum just as badly but he couldn't tear his focus away from his burning lungs. Then he remembered something other dragons had. He threw his head back and exhaled. Blue lightning crackled between his fangs, making his eyes bulge. A blast of crackling electricity erupted from his jaw, shooting straight out and striking the overhead lamp. The wild whips of lightning lashed out, shattering every bulb and around them, plunging them completely into darkness. Before all the lights went out, he saw Cody's surprised expression.

For the briefest of moments, Finn actually felt... someone else staring at him in shock... It wasn't someone in the room... it was someone within him. The Beast... It stared back, exhausted. Finn felt its eyes on his dicks and he gave them one final squeeze. The Beast let out a moan of pleasure coming right out of his muzzle. He threw his head back and let out another blast of electricity and his cocks, at long last, let out their load. The Beast lunged at his jaw, shutting it tight for fear that the flood of cum would lead the lightning straight to his precious, precious members.

Finn, though overwhelmed by the orgasm, found himself confused and... a little scared. The Beast seemed to give him a faint nod and lingered just long enough to feel the full blast of the first wave of seed before it retreated deep into his subconscious. When it vanished, Finn was hit by the full passion of the his release, like the Beast had acted like a buffer of sorts.

He came and came and came, seed pouring out of his twin dragon dicks and soaking into his thick, golden chest hair. This was accompanied by the seed that poured out of Cody's dick, both the one sitting beside his and the one within him. The feeling of warmth inside of him was comforting but it didn't feel like it was from Cody... It mirrored the warmth he felt deep within him... from the Beast.

After the last wave of cum poured out of him, he collapsed onto the soaked bed, a loud squishing noise filling his ears. With the mattress soaked completely, Cody fell in beside him, splashing some cum on him.

They sat there panting. Finn didn't have the strength to resist the strong smells of sex and dragon around him. The Haze would surely cause the Beast in him to rise and take over... but his inner demon didn't rise. He could almost feel it... shrug dismissively and bask in the afterglow just like him. Finn was glad for the darkness because Cody couldn't see his puzzled expression.

"Wow..." Cody sighed. "So you're a lightning breather, huh?"

"Yeah..." Finn rumbled. "I guess I am..."

"Guess there really is a spark between us."

All of Finn's confusion faded as he processed that pun. He found the strength to slap his forehead, coating it with cum and letting out a pained groan. Cody's laughter filled his ears and he couldn't help but join in.

"That was terrible."

"You loved it."

******

349:10:30:06:24:40

In the grey predawn light, the docks were suspiciously quiet. The solid concrete walls silent save for the few rhino guards that stood on them, watching for any signs of attack. What they didn't expect, however, was an attack from the sea.

Wings flapped silently as a horde of winged dragons came soaring in from the ocean, having flown around the coast. A few hand signals were exchanged and the first platoon rushed forward, the lightning dragons. Jaws crackled with electricity, some yellow, others purple and one had a startling, bright blue. The air suddenly sizzled. Bolts of lightning sprang from their jaws, slamming into the buildings and instantly and throwing any defenders into disarray. Rhinos came rushing out of the structures, looking around for signs of attack.

The second wave suddenly descended, flames pouring out of their muzzles and setting alight the makeshift camps of the rhinos. They were sure to avoid the actual buildings of that made up the docks. Black smoke billowed up and masked the remaining troops that swept towards the wall, breathing ice and acid onto the concrete to melt it away. Large chunks of the wall came crumbling down and once a large hole was made, the troops hiding amongst the foliage came rushing out and poured towards the docks, those without wings.

Finn landed on the ground beside Cody and Savage. The attack had gone flawlessly. The rhinos were in a panic and their dragons were quickly taking hold of them, making sure to leave them unharmed.

"Keep attacking!" shouted Cody. "Do not let them regroup!"

Skip suddenly came soaring overhead. "There's a large group of them heading towards the east! They're making a retreat!"

All three dragons nodded and took a running leap towards the air. They flapped their wings and once they were airborne they flew towards where Skip indicated. It was a short flight. Their speed far outmatched the bulky rhinos. They saw the large group of rhinos, probably fifteen or twenty of them, heading for the tree line.

"If they head into the trees, we lose them!" Savage shouted, flames crackling between his fangs. "I can cut them off."

"You'll set the whole forest alight," Cody warned. "Dive!"

Finn folded his wings against his back and streamlined his body, angling it straight towards the rhinos. He shot ahead of the others with Skip right next to him. The rhinos had already reached the tree line but a few of the stranglers could still be shot down. He opened his jaw, lightning dancing between his fangs.

But he stalled...

One of the rhinos, a bigger specimen with a thick mane like Hammerhorn had a strange marking on his shoulder.

It was a tattoo.

"No..." he gasped. He quickly shot a bolt of lightning and it snapped at the ground right beside the rhino's foot.

The big Beast turned and flashed him a grin.

Savage, Skip and Finn all stalled in the air. Cody saw their hesitation and froze as well.

"What's wrong?" asked the Commander.

"That's..." Savage began.

"Gantry!?" Skip exclaimed.

The former Collector grinned at them. "Nice to see you again, boys."

"You know him?" Cody demanded.

"He... He was a Collector," Finn responded, slowly dropping to the ground with the others. "We thought we lost him when Newhome was attacked in Hornton..." He shook his head, unable to understand. Gantry remembered them. That could only mean... "You joined Hammerhorn!? Willingly!?"

"I sure did," Gantry chortled. "Surprised."

"Why!?" Savage demanded, his fists balled. "Why would you turn your back on Arcadia!?"

"Because Arcadia turned its back on me!" Gantry shouted back. "Me and Rock!"

Rock...? Did he mean Josh? How did Arcadia betray Josh?

"It's not too late," Finn begged. "You can still come back with us."

"Why would I want to?" The big rhino crossed his arms, a big grin on his face. "You fuckers already lost."

Cody stepped forward, his chest puffed out. "Think again. We just retook the docks and captured most of your troops!"

Gantry threw his head back and laughed. "You really think that we took the docks to capture more men?" He inclined his head to the side. "Or do you think it was so we could convert some dragons to give the Rammers the military training they sorely need." He grinned from ear to ear. "I'm with them. I got all the military training they need."

"So why...?" Finn whispered. "And the rhinos..."

"They're yours," Gantry laughed. "Dragons we fucked into being rhinos." He shook his head as he crossed his arms. "Fun fact. Even if you try and fuck a dragon into being a rhino, they change into a rhino but their minds are still that of a dragon for some reason. Guess it's because of the Haze. You'll find that they won't fight you. But they're all broken." He grinned at them again. "I wonder how many of them will be good soldiers again after we fucked their identities."

"You monster!" Cody roared. "If you didn't want the docks, then _why_did you attack it!?"

"Why else?"

Finn's eyes widened. "It's a distraction... You wanted Camp Draco!"

"Bingo."

The four dragons exchanged glances... and each of them grinned.

That unsettled Gantry. "Why are you smiling?"

"Fun fact," Cody said, mirroring Gantry. "It's tactically stupid to have our military base separate from our only source of food and supplies. We never wondered where all our materials come from or our food. After being awakened by taking a trip to Arcadia, we figured it must come from the Haze and it focuses on the docks. With that said, why should we keep the docks and Camp Draco separate?"

"So if you think there's anyone left at the Camp, think again," Savage growled, a fierce grin on his face. "And if I were to guess, Hammerhorn and his troops are rushing the Camp right now thinking that it's left vulnerable since we're attacking the docks, right? Well... we left a little surprise for him."

BOOOOOM!

Gantry spun as a ball of flame erupted up from the trees in the distance, his eyes wide.

"I'll be honest, Gantry," Savage continued. "I never expected you to betray us. You were one of the oldest Collectors right beside me, Anodyne and Lobo. But we're Collectors. We adapt. We move on. Arcadia will persevere."

Gantry began to back away, his teeth gnashed in anger. "You'll regret this. You all will! You'll see! Hammerhorn will have his revenge!"

He then turned and bolted for the trees. Finn opened his jaw but Savage placed a hand on his chest.

"Let him go."

"Why?"

"Because he's lost," Cody responded grimly. "And we've got preparations to make."

******

Director's Report

Telos Project

******

"Telos" is an end or purpose, a term used primarily in philosophy. It is the root of the term 'Teleology' which is the study of objects with a view of their aims, purposes or intentions. I guess if you were to simplify it, you could say that Teleology is where the question 'what is the meaning of life' comes from.

Purpose. Meaning. Telos.

We mortals seek purpose in our existence. We ask ourselves that there must be a reason to our existence beyond just performing the mundane. Some people devote their entire lives to finding out that purpose but others find established goals and seek them out. Scientific discoveries, religious devotion, familial bonds, genetic continuity or even just leaving a worthwhile legacy. All worthy goals.

We can try as hard as we want to beat against a solid brick wall, we can dig as far as we want into the earth or reach endlessly into the cosmos but without purpose, how can we expect for our arms to strike as forcefully as they should? How can we expect our feet to carry our weight? What will motivate us to take our next breath?

John F. Kennedy once said, "Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction."

The dragons of Camp Draco epitomised effort without purpose. They continuously drove to excel but never had an overarching goal. None of them ever thought of overthrowing the Commander. They hoped to reach as far as they could get but then became complacent with their role until someone overthrew them and the cycle started all over again. It was the same thing day in, day out. Routine without direction.

It was with this in mind that I approved the Telos Project.

Project Shephard was the first piece of the puzzle. I needed a leader that could understand and drive his troops. I needed someone to shepherd the flock when the purpose became clear. I needed someone to recognise when it was time to rally the troops but at the same time, I needed him to be hungry for purpose. He needed to be so deprived of purpose and painfully aware of it that when it came, he would not question it and he would jump at the chance of it. But he couldn't be so desperate that that he would follow it blindly.

The early deployment of Shephard actually worked to my advantage on this one. His 'incomplete' status left him hanging, constantly yearning for something more but fed enough information that he will find solace in his current lot in life until the next part of the Telos Project was ready.

What is this second part, you ask?

Well, quite simply, it is Hornton, particularly Project Hammer.

The order of the Gates opening was purposefully designed. Eventually, a leader from Hornton would embark on a journey into Camp Draco. The Collectors of Arcadia have been masquerading as the rhinos and this already built up hostility amongst the dragons. So when the rhinos eventually crossed over, they would automatically be met with hostility.

This would give Shephard a purpose.

However the altercation would have ended; with either side victorious, a peace being brokered or Arcadia interfering, Shephard would have a purpose and motivation. He would guide his military to a new goal.

And that is the ultimate goal of Telos. To introduce purpose into society. For without purpose, people fall into routine.

I am confident that Shephard's leadership skills and hunger for accomplishments will not only protect Arcadia but drive it to repairing the broken fragments of what civilisation used to be. That Hammer continues to be an antagonist is only icing on the cake.

The presence of Regulus and traitor Angelus are not a concern. As I've mentioned before, I am fully aware that my Angelus would eventually turn on each other and potentially the Conglomerate. Whether or not they fell for the charms of another project or a Beast or went rogue on their own is irrelevant. They were inserted to guide and protect their species. I did not expect them to simply give up and lead them all to becoming humans again. After spending so much time with them, I know they will grow complacent and even grow to 'love' their chosen species.

After all, we are not preserving humans here.

We are preserving humanity.