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Episode: Oliver

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Episode: Oliver

Waking up in the arms of another man had never been something that Oliver Klein had anticipated let alone waking up in the arms of two men. There was no denying what had happened though. Especially not with Ryker's half-erect dick still slightly buried into him. The young pup was rather cute as he lay nestled against Oliver's shoulder, muzzle half open. The trail of drool he could do without. That and the thunderous snore that was coming from his other 'partner'. Takoshi, whose thick, muscular arm he was currently using as a pillow was snoring, open-mouthed and flashing his fangs. Good thing the huge polar bear was significantly taller than him because he was sure he would have been deafened had he taken the full brunt of those snores.

Tempting as it was to just lie there and go back to sleep, the steel-corded muscles that were Takoshi's biceps didn't provide for a very good headrest. He wasn't sure how Ryker managed to sleep so soundly thought that might be because the wolf was slumbering on the bear's forearm instead.

Oliver wasn't going to just lie there either. His mind was a buzz with activity and he knew that if he had been drunk enough to get fucked by two guys, he was probably going to have one hell of a hangover. Hydration was needed. Using the feline grace his species was known for, he quietly pulled Ryker's paw away from his hip and carefully extracted himself from the wolf's dick. Trying not to moan too loudly, he was glad Ryker had came in him as that seed offered some level of lubrication. Now freed, he quietly peeled away from the tangle of two bodies. He flinched when Ryker instinctively reached out to grab something in his absence. Oliver quickly took Takoshi's other paw and put it in line of Ryker's. The wolf took it and gripped it tightly, immediately shuffling towards the hardened body of the bear.

He gracefully slipped out of the bed before the two bodies collided and trapped him. Keeping his breathing low and quiet, he picked up what clothing he had brought into the bedroom and then quietly snuck back out into the living room where he could retrieve his pants. Showering would have to wait as he didn't want to wake either Takoshi or Ryker. The two deserved some sleep after the fun they had.

And it was fun. Oliver couldn't deny that. Drunk or not, he had enjoyed every moment of being compressed against Takoshi's muscular form and having a big dick ploughing into him, pushing up against his prostate. That he came twice in rapid succession only proved just how much he enjoyed it.

It was funny, he had always imagined that he would enjoy the company of a woman more. In fact, he had modelled Summer as his ideal woman. Perhaps there was some part of him that had one day wanted to bed Summer but in the back of his mind, it would be like fucking his daughter. Summer had sprung from his mind so he was, on some level, her father.

And that was just wrong.

But thinking of Summer brought about another idea.

He grabbed his phone which lay discarded on the floor. A tap of the Independent App which, unlike Ryker's, was red in colouration as he had been made into a Corpsman through a corporation, and he was hit by that wave of 'negative' energy that brought him into the Overworld. He stared at the red icon for a long time, wondering what life would have been like had he been hit by the app in a 'natural' fashion like Ryker.

A reminder of that being an alternate, unreachable reality stood in front of him; the huge hulk that was Summer, that brawny, beastly bald eagle dressed in a baseball uniform of some unknowable team. This was not his Summer. This was the Summer that AllAle had imposed on him. This was a guy.

It wouldn't be like fucking his child.

Some part of him enjoyed the idea of bending this bird over and ploughing his dick long and hard into him, hearing the thing screech in protest and pain over having his anal virginity taken. It would be symbolic. It would be him fucking over AllAle and declaring to the world what he'd do to the sons-of-bitches that ruined his life.

And Summer, this Summer, was totally under his command.

"Strip," he commanded.

Summer, glassy eyes staring off into space, immediately went to work on his shirt, pulling it over his head and showing the huge, rounded muscles covered by softer, belly feathers. The singlet beneath did a lot of accentuate his form and Oliver had to admit that he was getting a little hard looking at it. Reminded him a lot of Takoshi. That beast of a bear knew his way around a dick. He licked his lips while watching Summer drop his pants, revealing the balls and cock beneath. Part of him hoped for a knot like Ryker but he imagined it wasn't one of those things those bastards at AllAle really gave much thought for a mascot or IP that they warped and twisted.

He approached the eagle, running his paws through the powerful chest, claws out. He purposefully raked his claws over the flesh, digging them into the hard muscle beneath.

Summer didn't react.

Huffing in exasperation, he reached down and cupped Summer's dick. He gave it a big tug like he was uprooting a weed.

Again, the eagle didn't react.

Frowning, Oliver reached up to the back of the eagle and turned the bird's beak towards him. He pressed his lips against the beak, pushing his tongue against the hard mass and trying to gain entrance.

Still no reaction.

"Damnit!" he cursed, stepping back in frustration. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"He's your Doser, bro. He ain't gonna do anything you don't verbally command him to do."

Oliver jerked towards the other side of the apartment, immediately covering his privates with the few clothes he had in his paws. Arthur, that tubby boar that was Cliff's IP, stood there, big, brawny arms crossed and observing him with one eyebrow raised. He was still dressed in the same clothes that he had worn when he had departed earlier that day; a tight-fitting white shirt that emphasises his pectorals and belly that just didn't quite fit so that the crest of dark brown belly fur that formed a treasure trail was visible, tight-fitting denim shorts and a pair of sandals. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough for me to go from thinking this is hot to realising just how wrong it is." Arthur pointed at Summer. "You know this is basically date rape, right?"

The words hurt so much that he actually took two steps away from Summer. "What? No it isn't!"

"Yu-huh. Summer is basically braindead. Fuck, it's not a date rape. It's like you're ploughing a guy in a coma. That's worse."

"He's _my_Doser!" he shouted indignantly, stamping a foot. "I can do whatever I want with him!"

"Doesn't make it right though, does it?" Arthur tilted his head slightly, eyes fixated on Summer. "You know, I gotta wonder what he'd think when you free him from the Contract and he finds out that you basically tried to fuck him while he was like this."

Oliver stomped forward, pointing a finger at Arthur. "No. He's never going to find out. No one is going to tell him. You got that?"

The rotund boar with the admittedly powerful chest and very defined legs lifted his hands in surrender. "Sure. Whatever, bro. That's your business. I ain't gonna tell."

Somewhat relieved, the tabby straightened and fixed Arthur with a fierce stare. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Arthur's eyebrows rose even though his eyelids half-closed. Hiking a thumb to the door beside him, he said, "Bro. I live right here. Cliff is working on shit for Libertatis. I heard noises out here. Da fuck was I supposed to do?"

"I guess you got back from your classes..." He glanced at the nearby clock, greyed out now that he was in the Overworld. It was a little past four in the afternoon. He had gotten some sleep after all. "If we just put this behind us, can I get some privacy to put on my clothes?"

The boar grinned at him, his tusks seemingly flashing in the scant light of the Overworld. "Bro, I just saw you sport a semi while trying to fuck the braindead bird, over there. There ain't nothing you can hide from me."

Oliver sighed heavily. "Fine. I suppose that's fair."

He still felt awkward dressing himself in front of Arthur though he suspected the reason the boar didn't leave was to keep him from doing anything unseemly towards Summer. Now that he though back to the past few minutes, disgust bubbled up his chest and formed a writhing pit in his stomach. Had he actually _tried_to have sex with Summer? Not only that, but it was the Summer that wasn't his original concept and a Doser to boot! His skin crawled like he had bathed in a putrid swamp but no matter how much he scrubbed or cleaned, he still felt filthy.

He pursed his lips, struggling to put on his clothes as his mind. He slipped his arm into the sleeves of his shirt and drew it over his head only for his ears to get caught in the collar at an odd angle. A growl of frustration rose from his throat as he was forced to pull the shirt off, arms still in the sleeves before reaching up and swatting at the irritating sensation of cloth getting caught inside his ears. He tried again, this time successfully slipping his head through the hole only to realise that the reason his ears had gotten caught was because of the tag; he had put on the shirt backwards. The curse that was rising up his chest was swallowed back down as he yanked off the shirt angrily, flipped it around and then slipped it back on, tugging at the hems with a grunt. The pants came next and he nearly kicked his feet through the pant legs.

"What're you doing after this?" Arthur asked suddenly.

Oliver fell back on the couch and shoved his socks back on with a huff. "Nothing, I suppose. We're all just waiting for the right time to attack Kanoth, right?"

"Good. Come with me."

He glanced at the boar curiously. "Where are we going?"

"To a Transistor."

That was a term he had heard from his trainers in AllAle but he had been told to avoid them at all costs. According to other Corpsmen he worked with and the executives at AllAle, Transistors were the Overworld equivalent of smuggling rings and seedy bars. It was possible to find Independents who were selling their services as mercenaries or even abandoned IPs who sustained themselves on the food that those Independents smuggled into the Overworld in exchange for 'special services'. A picture of a brothel/dive bar/cesspool had been drawn in his memory.

"Isn't that... dangerous?" he asked warily.

"Have you ever been?"

Oliver shook his head to indicate a negative. "No. AllAle told us to stay away from them. They said that we were likely to get killed or our Doser eaten."

"Bullshit. Come on. I'll show you just how wrong they were." Arthur pushed open the door to his room. "Hey Cliff! Just gonna head over to 3rd Mother. See you in a bit."

"Oh! Bring me back some wings! That shit is fucking dope!" shouted the tiger.

Arthur shut the door and then beckoned for Oliver to follow him. Seeing as he really didn't have anywhere to go or anything to do, he followed the boar up to the door but stopped just short of putting on his shoes. "Should I bring...?" He couldn't bring himself to call that_thing_ 'Summer'. That was not his Summer.

"Naw, leave 'im," said the rotund porcine. "I'll protect ya. 'B'sides, ain't that far."

Sure. Why not? What was the worst that could happen? Arthur pulls him into an alleyway and rapes him? Some 'noble King Arthur' he turned out to be. Maybe the pig grew horny over seeing Oliver flashing his junk. Would certainly help firm up Oliver's doubt about his sexuality. If he liked being manhandled by an oaf like Arthur, he was going to like any dick up his ass. That he was agreeing to go knowing - perhaps hoping - that scenario would play out spoke volumes but he wasn't going to go _that_deep into his own subconscious.

He followed Arthur out of the rather large apartment and into the long, brick hallway with the bright red carpet. It was just a short walk to the wooden staircase and down three floors to the entrance. There were a few people milling about in the entrance hallway of the complex, checking their mail. All of them were greyed out. So close and yet so miserably far. Their inability to see him just emphasised how alone he was. Even with Ryker and Takoshi, he was the former-Corpsman. Cliff was a member of Custodes Libertatis. He was the outsider. The traitor to a corporation. The fugitive mooching off their food, water and electricity.

Would they grow to resent him?

Head ducked, he numbly followed Arthur out of the complex and, surprisingly, just two blocks away.

Unlike the other greyed out buildings around them, this one structure was fully coloured from the brown bricks and to the tacky neon lights that flashed with the words '3rd Mother' over the big, double doors. The facility looked just about as tall as any other apartment complex but past the double doors, it appeared to be some sort of shopping mall.

"This is a Transistor?" he asked, barely able to contain his surprise.

"Different from what the corporate bigwigs told ya, eh?" Arthur snickered, nudging him with an elbow. "Transistors are run by Independents who don't want to join Custodes Libertatis but don't want to join a corporation either. They set up a business of their own, existing in both the Realworld and the Overworld thanks to the fact that they normally band together to help make an impression here."

"So there's like a mini-corporation?"

"Not really." Arthur placed a hand against his back and pushed him through the front doors which slid open with the sing-song tone of bell.

He immediately got the impression of some family-run general store. There were aisles of products across the store with an assortment of various products, none of which seemed really to be sorted in any way or have some sort of theme. There was an aisle made just for packaged products, another reserved for frozen foods and some fresh products as well. A female panda sat behind a counter that was decorated by various candies and sweets.

"Hello and welcome to 3rd Mother!" she greeted. "Have a look around! If you're looking for the restaurant or the inn, head on up the stairs to the fifth and sixth levels."

"Thanks," Arthur replied and padded into the store, Oliver in tow.

In all his years in the Overworld, he had never seen something so colourful except perhaps AllAle's headquarters.

"Transistors are kind of a designated neutral ground," said the boar, taking a slow pace through the aisles or produce. "Corpsmen and Libertatis agents aren't allowed to start anything in them and you're definitely not allowed to go recruiting in here. Anyone can come in but you leave your business at the door. You can't even access the Transistor unless you have the credentials and that's usually only passed by word of mouth or if you know someone." He winked at Oliver indicating that he had only been exposed to 3rd Mother because of the noble swine.

Oliver stopped and regarded an item on the shelf. It was a cherry-flavoured hard candy that he really enjoyed as a child. In fact, one of the cocktails he had actually experimented early on when concocting Summer was an idea based on this very candy. His gimmick was that he'd have a little ball of cherry candy embedded into the cap of the bottle. When the consumer twisted it, the candy would drop into the beer, making it fizz and adding that sweet taste to otherwise bitter beer. The idea had been scrapped when that just seemed too much of a fad and wouldn't really last unless he kept making different flavours and he wanted Summer to capture the essence of the season to be had all year round.

Would that idea have created an IP? Would they have been consumed or wandering alone in the Overworld now?

"The panda mentioned that there's a restaurant and inn above us?" he asked.

"Yep. She and her family owns this store."

"Her entire family are Independents?" he asked, surprised. Sure he'd heard of families running around in the Overworld but that was usually with corporations who could forcibly 'awaken' others just as AllAle had done with him.

"Nah. I think only her and her mother. The rest run the store in the Realworld and have no idea about what goes on here. They just store the extra products that they get from the Realworld here and sell it here. If one side or the other needs more of something, they just ship it across."

That was actually quite clever. It essentially meant that this storefront had twice the space and real estate than they would normally have.

Arthur pointed at the packaging in his paws. "What's better is that some of those IPs that were based off the more obscure products can use their powers to make those products to sell. In exchange, Mai and the others that run Transistors offer other food and shelter to those abandoned IPs that are down on their luck."

Oliver tilted his head curiously. "So it really isn't just the corporations, going Zombie or death, huh?"

"There's always a choice," said the boar. He had a feeling those words were going to be a theme with this encounter. "Come on, you look hungry. Lets go grab something to eat."

Given that he had skipped lunch since he had been in a sex coma, he was inclined to agree.

Up a flight of stairs and there was another store though it had a different theme. Where the store at the first floor was more packaged, dried and frozen goods, the second floor store was filled with more fresh foods. There were some people milling about and judging by the fact that a few of them wore ragged clothing and had bizarre colours on their fur, a few of them were IPs. The third floor was all clothing but it looked more like a charity bin where people dumped their unused clothes and others looking for something cheap to keep them warm bought them. The fourth floor was filled with a random assortment of stalls where IPs had set up stalls and were producing little trinkets or products that likely represented them. There were Hosts and their IPs wandering about. The light that entered the abandoned IPs' eyes when something was bought caused Oliver's heart to spasm in pity. Even if that little bauble returned to the Realworld, anyone who saw it would be contributing a little to that IP's continued existence.

"I never thought about it before but the Overworld is filled with IPs like them, isn't it?" he asked, lingering at the steps leading up to the fifth floor. "They're all trying to get someone in the Realworld to remember them. Even if it's peripherally, they want someone to think of them so that they can be sustained. Even if they're not bonded to an IP, that thought, no matter how brief or passing, would be enough to keep them alive."

"Ever seen the movie Coco?" Arthur asked.

Oliver glanced towards the boar, muzzle open slightly. He knew exactly what scene the boar was referring to. In that world, the dead remained conscious and 'alive' in the afterlife so long as someone remembered them. Here, it was very much the same. These IPs clung to what little thought and imagination could be thrown their way and they relied on visiting Hosts and their IPs to carry that to the Realworld.

Arthur gripped his shoulder. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat. You'll love this place."

It was a Chinese-style restaurant and the air was flooded by the rich spices of the culture. He found his muzzle watering and was glad that Arthur had found them a place to sit. The place was packed! It seemed to be built into an apartment complex with each of the apartments being their own dining rooms. Even with all that space, it were still so many people of all shapes, sizes and species, Host or IP. The chatter was almost deafening. There was a different energy about this establishment than the ones below.

"Can I get you some glasses of water to start?" asked a perky but portly, female duck.

"Sure," Arthur said, handing Oliver a menu. "But I'll grab the Fowl Beer, please." Oliver gave him a quizzical look. "Fowl. As it a bird."

"No, I got that," he answered. "I've just never heard of it before."

"Oh it's a beer created by one of our resident IPs," the woman answered, beaming. "You'll love it! Not too alcoholic but quite addictive! I'll get you one. On the house."

Oliver was about to protest when the woman bolted off. "I can pay..."

"You're paying by tasting the beer and thinking about it," said Arthur. "A lot of these places to accept money but for the stuff that gets generated by IPs, it can be sold off for free because just by thinking about the IP that created it, you're keeping them alive."

"That's not a very sustainable business model."

"It is if it's your very life on the line and not your fortune." Their beverages arrived. The beer was bubbling in a tall glass and coloured a deep red like blood. It was very easy to see why it didn't sell very well. Though when he took a sip, it was quite fruity and refreshing. Like a mix between beer and wine.

"That's not bad," he admitted. "The colour could do with some work, though."

"Often times, IPs don't get a chance to change the product they're tied to before they're rejected." Arthur snapped his fingers multiple times. "The corporate world works like lightning. Reject an idea and move on. It's pretty harsh."

"I know the feeling," Oliver mumbled, again thinking about his cherry-flavoured beer idea. "Anyway, what's good here?"

They ordered the orange chicken, Singapore Noodles, Szechuan beef, some pork buns and egg rolls. As a Host and IP, their appetites were enormous. More so for Oliver since Summer didn't actually eat unless he told the brute to. Thinking about the eagle soured his mood until the food came out not five minutes after they made their order. He flared his nostrils, letting out a purr of contentment as the spicy, savoury and sweet aroma drifted across the room towards him. Were he a cartoon character, he would have lifted off his seat and he would have flooded the floor with his saliva.

The entire spread was placed in front of them. American portion sizes were always lauded as being bigger than the average but these were simply enormous. Definitely designed to feed a family of four. In reality, he and Arthur did make up a family of four with their connections to their partners. There was a slightly offset of proteins to carbohydrates though so he asked the waitress for some special fried rice and she beamed brightly before running off to fetch it. Oliver helped himself to a base of the spicy, aromatic noodles and then topped it off with the sweet, crispy orange chicken to start. The battered layer of the chicken was crispy and gave a satisfying crunch when he bit into it. The sauce was a beautiful marriage between sweet and sour that blended well with the savouriness of the noodles.

"Oh my god... This is so good!" he moaned. "I haven't had anything like this in the city before!"

"Comes from eating something generated from pure imagination," Arthur chuckled, deftly using the chopsticks with his own meal. The boar had opted to go for the noodles and the tender pieces of sizzling Szechuan beef. "You just can't get this sort of thing in the Realworld."

"And there are places like this all over the Overworld?"

"Oh yeah. A lot of the buildings you see could be a Transistor but you just wouldn't know about it unless someone told you and let you in. It's how they avoid being hit by corporations or even turned into rebel bases for Libertatis."

"I'm surprised the corporations don't just go hitting places like this more often," he mumbled through a muzzle full of noodles. "I mean, I've always been told to stay away. Not report them or anything. Just stay away."

"That's because Transistors are designated neutral parties." Arthur shrugged one shoulder in the direction of the window. "Yeah there'd be some corporations out there that would pounce at the chance to burn this place to the ground and force the IPs and people in it to work for them but that shit is taboo. It'd be like killing every homeless person in the city. The more radical people are all for it but they would never do it because the backlash would be insane. Corporations may be heartless but there are certain societal norms that they'd avoid."Arthur lifted his hand, waving his chopsticks slightly. "Remember, Libertatis isn't out to get all corporations but we are just waiting for that trigger. If a corporation went and destroyed a Transistor or raided it, you can bet we'd be on that shit like ants on a pile of sugar. Hell, other corporations would even pounce. Maybe not because they're being altruistic but maybe because it's proof that those assholes they're hitting are being too ambitious and they might earn brownie points from the abandoned IPs if they're seen defending a Transistor."

Oliver nodded at the explanation. "Makes sense. I bet all these people wouldn't go down without a fight either. We've got Hosts and IPs here that make this their home and source of income. You hit them, and that's a least a hundred, maybe more, people going up against you. It'd be a huge drain on your resources."

"If there's one thing a corporation can't fight, it's their consumers. Have one of these pork buns. They're fucking awesome."

He tried them and, just as Arthur had said, they indeed were fucking awesome. It was inconceivable that something this delicious could exist. The meat was perfectly succulent and mouth watering, never drying out or dropping in temperature no matter how long it took for him to pluck another piece onto his bowl. The noodles themselves were just the perfect balance of savoury and spicy without the noodles themselves drying out or getting stringy over time. He had to wonder if there was some sort of 'spell' on them to keep them so well-preserved.

"These can't exist in the Realworld, can they?" he asked, setting his chopsticks down thoughtfully.

"They can but they defy logic. They're the creator's 'perfect' version of the menu items. You bring something like that into the Realworld and you'll get a lot of attention. Attention from corporations."

And that would be disastrous to unbound IPs. Some Chinese chain-restaurant could swoop in, steal the IP away and turn them into a Doser. Transistors really existed on a knife's edge. The only thing keeping them from being attacked was some degree of fear from the public backlash. He imagined that the Transistors were peripherally protected by Custodes Libertatis and if anyone attacked them, that would bring the wrath of the enigmatic group.

"Almost makes me wish there was some way. I know a few people that would love this place."

"You should try their wings," Arthur snickered. "Cliff loves them."

"But IPs can't sustain themselves on these alone, can they?"

Arthur shook his head sadly. "First law of thermodynamics. Energy can neither be created n or destroyed. It can only be transformed or transferred from one form to the another." He pointed his chopsticks downward. "Most of the fresh food down there come from the Realworld. It's carried over here for IPs to eat and sustain themselves. Not as good as being bound to a Host but it gets them by. Then they make products so that they can pass it on to Hosts or IPs that can go back into the Realworld. The cycle sort of continues from there."

"It's an equilibrium," he mused. "Sort of everything in a perfect balance. But it's a tenuous balance at best. One wrong move and things could fall apart."

"You're being way too pessimistic, bro." Arthur smiled through his tusks. "You've got to have a little more faith in furkind. Not everyone is out to get you."

"Tell that to AllAle."

Arthur grumbled softly then nodded at him. "Keep eating while talk about this."

"What's to talk about?" Oliver scowled, picking up his chopsticks and serving himself again. "They're a fucking evil company that I want to be free from. They have my Contract. They've got Summer hostage. What's not to hate?" He began shovelling the food, practically inhaling every item there not only because he was starving but also because it was that good.

"I can get behind that."

The look on the boar's face said otherwise. Peeking over the bowl which he held close to his muzzle, he could see the depreciating air that Arthur gave off even as the knight gobbled down some egg rolls.

"You say that but I can tell you're judging me."

"I didn't say that," Arthur replied in a calm, even tone.

"But you're thinking it."

"You a mind reader now?"

"I don't have to be a mindreader" - he paused for a moment as the plate of special fried rice came. "... to know... Oh wow. Those prawns look gorgeous. Like little white and pink gems..."

He shovelled a heap onto his bowl, topping it with some of the Szechuan beef and its accompanying sauce. Arthur wisely waited until he had finished the bowl before answering as he wouldn't have been paying attention - about forty-five seconds.

"The only thing I have reservations about is the fact that you're not that pissed about AllAle."

"Are you kidding me?" Oliver demanded, his paw moving autonomously for what must have been his sixth helping. He hadn't tried the egg rolls yet. "They bullied me into joining their corporation. They lobotomised my IP and then they turned her into... into... a muscle freak!"

"You mean a dude?"

Those words stung and Oliver grimaced. "That has nothing to do with it."

"Really now?" Arthur leaned forward, a devious look in his eyes. "So what I saw back at the apartment wasn't you molesting your Doser because he looked fucking hot? It's you imagining the bird as AllAle and fucking its brains out as some form of petty revenge?"

"Yes!" Though now that he confessed to those feelings, he was starting to realise just how stupid it sounded. Arthur had even used the word 'petty'. "Look, I'm not saying I'm doing this from some noble cause but you can't expect me to hold up to your Knights of the Round Table!"

"Actually," Arthur said, "my incarnation of the Arthurian legend paints the whole thing in a much more 'gritty' light. All of the knights weren't these gallant, statuesque, good-looking men in shining armour. They were fat, overweight, average looking. Supposed to show that if you think about it, things weren't nearly as fantastical as they should be in our heads." He shrugged absently as he picked up another pork bun. "The whole show was created around the time all the studios were really into gritty reboots."

"How's they explain away magic? Merlin, for example?"

"Oh no. Magic was there. Just that instead of big 'fwooshie' special effects and stuff like that, it's kind of hidden or you only see the results."

That sounded like a rather interesting premise but Oliver wasn't going to be distracted. "Look, you sound like you've made peace with your abandonment and Cliff clearly hasn't had his IP lobotomised and transformed in front of him. Neither of you know what I've gone through."

"You're right," said the big boar with a nod. "I don't. So how about we do it this way?" He pointed upstairs. "Let's eat our fill. Pay the bill. Then let's go upstairs and fuck."

Oliver flinched at the idea. He quickly glanced around to make sure no one could overhear them. "W - w What!? Why would I want that!?"

"Because you're a fucking coward." Those words stung and sent Oliver mentally reeling. "You're an ambitious son-of-a-bitch but you're only going to go after targets and prey that you think you're absolutely_sure_ you're going to get. That's why you snuck out of the room without waking Takoshi or Ryker. That's_why you were about to molest Summer. That's why after everything the corporations taught you, you never _once_questioned what a Transistor was and went to see it for yourself. You're too scared to admit what you want. But after all you've been through, you've _never fought for anything that you're willing to die for. Not Summer. Not your brand. Not even your own future. You'll bitch and moan about not having a choice but really, the only choice you're making is the one to go with the flow."

Arthur lowered the chopsticks and set them on the table. "So here's the deal. Fucking Summer would've required you to tell him to have sex with you. You knew that but you didn't want to say those magic words because that'd cement who you are. Here's your out. I'm willing. I'm gonna offer my ass. You fuck me and get your head on straight." The boar glanced off to the side. "Well, I wouldn't use 'straight' but you get my point. You'll be able to make a sound decision. They always say that you should orgasm before making a big decision."

"Shouldn't we just stick with a handjob then!?" With his exclamations being so loud, he ducked his head and folded his ears back, fearful someone would listen in. He tried to shove as much rice and food into his muzzle to make it seem like he was far too busy eating to have possibly made such an outrageous declaration.

"Sure," Arthur answered with a shrug. "We can do it either way but it's all the same to me. What I want is for you to decide. We're gonna be going up against a fucking corporate officer. If you have these doubts now, who's to say you won't have them when it counts and the rest of us are depending on you?"

"What purpose does this even serve?" he growled. "Fine. Maybe I'm not sure what my sexual orientation is but what does that have to do with taking down AllAle?"

"Because the linchpin of your motivation in taking down AllAle is that you want your freedom and that includes Summer. If Kanoth Lameer were to offer you an out, a way to free you of your Contract _and_to turn Summer back to the way he was, can you honestly say you're not going to take the offer and fight us for it?"

It was a good point and he couldn't see any reason to refute Arthur. He needed to know if he wanted Summer back. His Original Summer. Defeating AllAle_could mean he'd be stuck with the brutish Summer forever. Not just a Doser either. Consciousness might return then he'd have to deal with _that. There was no doubt that after what he had experienced with Takoshi and Ryker, some part of him kind of wanted this version of Summer because he was damn sexy.

So came Arthur's ultimatum. They fuck and he decides. Was he into guys? If he was, then he'd know that he'll keep this version of Summer. If he wasn't, then he would fight to get the other Summer back. At the very least, he'd know.

"Fine," he rumbled. "Let's stick to handjobs, though. I barely know you."

"You barely knew Takoshi and Ryker and from what I saw, you likely being in between them with Ryker's fat knot up your ass."

"He did _not_tie with me!" Though he would be remiss to admit that he would've liked to be filled entirely. "Fine. Let's go."

They paid the bill. Surprisingly cheaper compared to what he would expect from a meal of that size. Arthur explained it was because they were paying by just acknowledging the food and that this place existed. There had to be some sort of irony in that they were essentially paying for their food with 'exposure' to the IP. There had to be quite a few people out there that would find that oppressive but these poor IPs couldn't afford much more than just to be thought about. At least credit was given where credit was due. Still, Oliver placed a tip that was double of what the asking price was and asked the waitress to tell him the name of the chef. At the very least he could commit the name to memory and he'd visit this place again some day.

Arthur nodded in approval and they heading up one more flight of stairs to what appeared to be a small hotel lobby. The receptionist, a chameleon, greeted them.

"Staying for the night?" she asked.

"Just need a room for a quickie," Arthur said, winking at her slyly.

"We'll pay for the night, though," Oliver pressed. Whether this was because he was just embarrassed to rent a room for a quickie or because he felt bad depriving the people of this establishment some business didn't matter. He handed over some cash, all too aware that he would likely be eating into his savings now that he had effectively resigned from AllAle.

"That's kind of you but not necessary," she said, pushing a good portion of the money back across the desk alongside a keycard. "You've got the hour. Head on up. Room 643."

Arthur took it and pushed Oliver towards the rooms.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Don't treat anyone here as if they're a charity case," Arthur said. "They're strong. Somehow, they've carved a means to keep themselves afloat and even prosper in a harsh world filled with heartless corporations and a constant war against Custodes Libertatis. This isn't some hobo camp, you know."

Oliver glanced over his shoulder at the receptionist who was absently tapping away at her tablet. Suddenly, he felt bad for leaving such an enormous tip at the restaurant below. "I guess it's a little hard to think of them as anything else..."

"Why? Because you've got the benefit of being supported by a corporation? Of having a Doser that's unquestioningly loyal to you?"

He turned back to Arthur to protest when he choked on his reprisal. The boar's brown eyes were locked with his, challenging him. Those words were meant to goad a reaction from him. "Are you calling me some spoiled brat?"

"I didn't say anything," Arthur said, reaching the room and swiping the keycard. "All I'm saying is that you're not better of than other people. I'd even say some people here are richer here than you are."

"That's bullshit. They're all living under the same roof, barely living off the scraps some Hosts give them as they pass by and -" He stopped, realising just how selfish and elitist he sounded.

Arthur pushed open the door. Inside was a fairly large studio apartment that had been converted into a hotel room. A king-sized bed sat at the centre with a fridge and a bathroom but little else. There wasn't even a table. Oliver stood on the threshold, frowning as he mulled over his own words.

"I've been a real coward, haven't I?" he asked.

"Sure have," Arthur answered, stepping into the room and holding the door open. "You're still trying to save face. Even to someone who doesn't mean anything to you, you're so conscious about how you appear to them. You're unwilling to take risks or even put a little faith in yourself that you immediately cave to greater forces. Hell, that's what happened with Summer and your original brand. You didn't dare to invest in yourself that you caved to AllAle. There could've been other ways, you know."

Oliver closed his paws into fists, his body shaking. For a moment, he felt lost. Then, his phone let out a soft rumble. A message had arrived. One quick glance at the screen and all his shaking stopped. "You're right." He turned back down the hallway. "I need to have faith in myself."

"Where are you going?" Arthur demanded. "What about the handjob?"

"You've already given me all the answer I need, Arthur. Thanks for that." He marched towards the end of the hallway. "I didn't know what I want. But I do now."

"Wait!" exclaimed the boar, running after him. "Seriously, dude. Jack off. You need a clear head!"

"My head _is_clear." He shot Arthur a fierce, fiery look, stopping the boar before he grabbed his arm. "I have to do this."

The knightly boar took a step back and let out a long sigh. "Bro... You're going to get yourself killed."

He gave the boar a faint smile. "Better that I die trying alone than drag you all down with me." Oliver held out a paw towards Arthur. "But thank you. You've really set my head straight." His smile turned into a cheesy grin. "Though I don't think 'straight' is the term I'd use."

"You don't want the old Summer back?" asked Arthur, puzzled.

"She's gone. I can't promise that I'll love this Summer like I loved her but I'll at least enjoy hurting Kanoth Lameer with the brute he made my Summer into. That's what I want right now. That Summer will always be a painful memory and I can't change that. I can at least make the most of it."

"You're going to kill yourself and your Summer to hurt Lameer." Arthur sighed heavily. "You really think there's some poetic justice and causing your Doser to fight all out until he dies just because Lameer made him and assigned him to you?"

"He's not _my_Summer!" Oliver growled. "He's unquestionably loyal to me. He'll do whatever I say. If he doesn't make it, then at the very least I'll die and be with my Summer again."

"And if you somehow win?"

Oliver shrugged. "I don't know." He looked pleadingly towards Arthur. "Please. You can't tell the others about this. I have to do this."

For a long moment, Arthur was silent, just staring straight into Oliver's eyes. Then, with a deep sigh, the boar grasped his paw and gave it a shake. "Fine. Don't get killed. You owe me a handjob."

The tabby smiled faintly then slipped his paw out of Arthur's, leaving the bills he had placed there. "You still owe Cliff those wings."

Then he turned, leaving 3rd Mother.

It was time to face Kanoth Lameer, Chief Financial Officer of AllAle and free himself from the corporation or die trying.