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Epilogue

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The Hangover

"AllAle CEO, Emile Santos, has resigned after weeks of speculation over the structure of the multi-million-dollar corporation following the abrupt resignation of his top executives along with the passing of Aileen Raskeil, the Chief Operations Officer. The Board of Directors as well as Mr. Santos has named his Chief Security Officer Elijah Marmouth as his successor."

The newscaster, a doe, momentarily vanished as Emile was shown on screen in a conference to stakeholders. This was dated a few hours back back.

"I have decided to resign from my position as chief executive officer of AllAle not only because of recent events but also because I have decided to refocus my time and effort on my personal and mental health." Emile looked about, pausing for a moment from where he sat on the table somewhere in AllAle's_headquarters. _"When I had first conceptualised_AllAle, I had hoped to make it a platform for which aspiring brewers from all over the country could use to launch their own products. I believe I have laid out the foundations for this endeavour and after nearly twenty years as the CEO, it is time for me to move on. I fulfilled my dream so now it's time to find a new one."_

He offered a seemingly genuine smile as cameras went off and reporters began bombarding him with questions.

"What's your response to the rumours that AllAle_was the target of mob-style intimidation and hits and that is why your other employees have abruptly left?"_

Emile's smile faded slightly. "I cannot say much as I have only been privy to these rumours thanks to your excellent reporting. That said, I can honestly say that I do not know anything about these 'mob-style' intimidation and hits."

Cliff lifted the remote and gave it a quick flick, plunging the screen back into darkness. "He's not lying." The tiger tossed the remote onto the couch and turned towards the kitchen counter where Ryker, Arthur and Takoshi were perched. "When Si used Reset, it basically wiped all memory he ever had of the Overworld. Anything else was filled by his own consciousness."

"It's kind of like one of those colour-blindness tests," Arthur explained. "Your brain automatically fills in the spaces between the dots to form a picture. He's honestly telling the truth."

Ryker hopped off the kitchen stool and grabbed his red and yellow double down parka which hung on its back. "I just hope Faceless can handle the responsibility."

"I'm sure he'll be able to handle it." Arthur nodded towards the screen. "If we had kept watching, they would've mention that Elijah's appointment is purely temporary. In the next six months or so, they'll hire someone else and Faceless can move on to his next mission."

"Another Libertatis plant?" Takoshi asked dubiously.

"Likely. Dismantling AllAle's Overworld operations and turning it into a sanctuary for IPs won't be easy. It'll take years. Faceless will have other jobs for him. He's an infiltrator, not an administrator after all. He'll probably lay the foundations but someone else will take it across the finish line."

"Of course." His guardian bear hopped off his stool and stretched, lifting his thick, muscular arms over his head. Wearing the sleeveless hoddie that he seemed to enjoy, it gave Ryker a clear view of the brown tufts of hair in his armpits. Naturally, Takoshi knew he _loved_that. Wolves liked sticking their noses in things after all. "Alright, so let's get going. We don't want to late."

Together, the four of them left the apartment, heading right the moment they stepped out of the door. New York City was as busy as ever. Thoughts, people and ideas were passing him by that he had to question just how complicated having another world on top of this one really was. It was the city that never sleeps and because of that, time just flew by.

One would think that with the stress of AllAle's Overworld operations collapsing, two weeks would go by slowly but with classes on top of moving to Hayden's complex looming above him, there were quite a few things that could keep Ryker's mind off a looming retaliation or economic collapse. Cliff and Si reassured him that to the rest of the world, it would appear like internal politics of a company gone awry. Just another part of the news cycle that would soon be buried under movements from bigger corporations, politics or some celebrity scandal.

Ryker found himself wondering if they had actually made any impact in the world.

_AllAle_would keep running as it always had. Those who didn't have a connection to the Overworld would never know the difference. The Corpsmen would either be poached by other corporations, accept the new leadership and direction or leave of their own volition. In the end, they may have defeated one Overlord but for what?

Were Emile's final words true? Would another Overlord just take his place and they had all fought for nothing?

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, they approached a corner store, coloured bright green and with the words '_Summer Cafe'_emblazoned just above the entrance in rich, golden letters. Apparently, it was very easy to get a loan and get the papers signed when you've got a former Chief Financial Officer willing to invest in your business. Oliver had the deed to the shop and all its other floors within a day of applying. Construction had begun almost immediately thanks to Kanoth's contacts and when word spread through the Overworld thanks to Si's influence, Independents were more than willing to pitch in.

As Ryker stepped through the door, a soft chime met his ears. The walls had been painted with beautiful frescoes of idyllic countrysides in the height of summer. It had been created by a group of Independents that worked in the art industry. It had been Soren's idea to embed tiny lights into the wall around the 'sky' of the painting so that when the sun set, they could dim the lights and make it appear like the painting had shifted to a summer evening. One of the many attractions of the place. Being so close to campus, students were flocking to Summer and Ryker found it a little hard to find a place to sit.

Thankfully, Oliver saw him.

"Hey! Ryker! Over here!"

He padded over to the tabby who had been manning the register. No longer in a suit or looking like a waiter, Oliver looked more relaxed, at ease and even happy. A green shirt hugged his athletic figure with a dark blue apron wrapped around his front. Whether or not it was just the healthy glow from finally being free of a corporation or running his own business, he honestly looked much healthier. Maybe even a little bigger muscle-wise. Though he suspected that might have something to do with Soren's influence.

"How's business?" Ryker asked. Takoshi wandered over to the counter, bending over towards the glass display to eye some of the cakes and pastries on offer. Arthur was right next to him, licking his lips. Cliff headed over to the register where an Independent he knew was working.

"Busy," Oliver said. Though he sounded exhausted, he was beaming brightly. For the first time since they had met, the feline actually looked genuinely happy. "But booming. All our friends have pitched in and they've spread the news. It's amazing how many people need coffee. Especially in the morning!"

Ryker glanced around the cafe. Almost every seat was taken. "You're positioned right next to campus and serve coffee. Students are getting up early in the morning and need their fix. You're never going out of business."

"Not just that." Oliver's voice dropped to a whisper. "Being a Transistor is amazing for business. Independents come in, buy something, spread the news. Orphaned IPs also make their way in and you won't believe the amazing products they make! The pastries on the counter are a recipe from this sweet lioness that was meant to be the mascot for a brand of flour. They're amazing! Oh! And there are these cakes from this French-style IP..."

Ryker let out a chuckle, holding up his paw. "Okay, okay. I get it! You're excited."

"More than that!" Oliver gestured towards a door leading to a flight of stairs.

Cliff happily followed him as they headed to the second floor which had been converted into a second dining area where the main kitchen was situated. A dumbwaiter took food from the second level to the first. A full staff was recruited while the savoury aromas of lunch being cooked wafted through the air. Ryker flared his nostrils, ears angled towards the kitchen and tried not to drool.

"I'm really making a difference here," Oliver announced, crossing the floor towards another flight of stairs. "And I think that's all I ever really wanted. To make an impact on the world."

"Well you're really doing it there, bud," Cliff said, giving Oliver a light pat on the back. They mounted the next flight of stairs which led them to the 'apartment' section of the building. As they passed through the locked door marked with the words 'Employees Only', they entered a small alcove where they had to first remove their shoes and had to pass through a second locked door. Beyond, were the stacks of boxes and scattered furniture from Oliver's old apartment, some extra furniture they had bought and what Kanoth and Cedar had managed to purchase.

At first it had seemed a little weird for Kanoth to move in with his former employee and now business partner but given that the apartment was actually a massive four-bedroom structure, there was no way Oliver and Soren could fill all that space. Since Kanoth was in the midst of divorce proceedings and needed a place to stay, it was just logical.

"Hey guys!" Oliver shouted as he led the duo into the room. "Ryker and Cliff are here. Where are you?"

"In Kanoth's study!" came a shout from across the vast lounge room.

Cliff let out a low whistle as he strode across the vast room complete with wooden floorboards. "I didn't think apartments like this existed on Manhattan. This place is enormous."

Technically, the second floor of the building was meant to be the kitchen and lounge room and if combined, they would have made for an immense six bedroom apartment. It had been Kanoth's idea to turn the second floor into an extra dining area with the bedrooms acting as private dining rooms for functions and parties. That meant that if any of the owners wanted something to eat, they would need to cook it in the second floor kitchen. That said, the space was still enormous at least by New York standards.

Only the large six-seater curved couch had been assembled. A large TV/entertainment centre sat mostly empty with boxes of discs resting beside it along with an unplugged TV, speakers and some videogame consoles. Towers of brown boxes made for a miniature city that the two of them had to navigate across before they reached a small hallway which led to two of the four bedrooms with a large bathroom at the end of the hallway connecting the two. On the right was a carpeted room with a new mattress resting against the wall along with the pieces to make a bedframe and a large, ornate wardrobe. On the left was Kanoth and Cedar, working together to assemble a corner desk.

"Good morning," Kanoth said, peering up from the large piece of paper he held; instructions on how to assemble the desk. Like the lounge room, there were brown boxes sitting everywhere and that left very little room for all five of them to navigate. "Thanks for helping out. We all really appreciate it."

Oliver patted both Ryker and Cliff's shoulders. "I'm going to go grab the other two downstairs. Have fun up here!"

The tabby left, tail swishing happily through the air.

"He seems to have lightened up a lot," Cliff chuckled. "Guess he's happy to finally start his own business again."

"I think he's just happy to sleep in his own bed again," Cedar snickered. "Still can't believe it took that moving company two whole days to pack his bed and then bring it over here. Poor guy had to sleep on the floor!"

"Oh he wasn't sleeping on the floor," Kanoth snickered. "More like on Soren's chest."

"Makes me glad their bedroom is on the other side of the place. I have a feeling they won't be getting much sleep tonight."

Another good portent for the future. Oliver and Soren were seemingly getting closer and in more ways than just simple camaraderie. He didn't want to pry but Ryker was fairly sure Cedar was hinting that Oliver would probably use the assembly of his bed as an excuse to take their relationship to the next level.

Cliff slapped his paws together and then rubbed his leathery pads. "What do you guys need help with?"

"Do you know how to speak Swedish?" Kanoth asked, holding up the assembly instructions from where he sat on his wheelchair. "I swear, we're all lucky IKEA doesn't have access to the Overworld because if they did, we'd all be wearing wooden shoes and yodelling by now. They're that evil."

"It's not that tough," Ryker said, taking the page from him. "See? This is how you do it..."

He and Cliff knelt down, assembling the table while Cedar took a break and brought them some drinks. Takoshi and Arthur arrived with Oliver a moment later where they met with Soren in Oliver's room. There, they helped the eagle with the assembly while Oliver went back down to help manage the store.

"So how's this place doing as a cafe-slash-Transistor?" Cliff asked, holding up a metal slab. "Do we have an Allen wrench somewhere?"

"Here you go," Kanoth said, holding up the 'L-shaped' metal bar. "And it's turning out really well. Of course I can't actually see what's going on there but Oliver consults me with basically everything. A few Independents under the Libertatis help manage it too."

Ryker had to wonder if Si and the other Kage had assigned some of their own members to keep an eye on Oliver and Kanoth. One was a former Corpsman and the other was a former CFO. No. He refused to believe that. The Custodes Libertatis were many things but from all appearances, they were like a militia; people who fought for a common purpose but did so out of their own volition and not because they were bound by an oath or contract. These Independents were probably looking for jobs and a livelihood as much as anything else.

"Sounds like you've found your peace with the situation," said Ryker, handing a screw to Cliff.

Cedar nodded and grabbed one of the legs of the table. They had assembled it upside down so now all that remained was flipping it over. Ryker positioned himself at the pointed corner of the table while the two bigger men grabbed the outer edges. "We certainly have," grunted the green-haired rhino. "Still a few loose ends to tie up but we're on our way to starting a new life. On three... One..."

"Two..." Cliff growled.

"Three!" Ryker finished and, as one, they tilted table on its side, being careful not to hit the ceiling lamp before finally setting it right-side-up. He moved out of the way so that Cliff and Cedar could place the table into the corner of the room. "I'm guessing your wife is still a bit bitter about the divorce?"

Kanoth nodded forlornly. "It's a necessary evil. I have to enable her to find her own path instead of having everything built on a foundation of lies and a loveless marriage."

"She is going to make your life a living hell, you know that right?" Cliff said, wiping his brow. "I'm a law major and I can tell you now, the law favours her. Years of infidelity aren't going to look good on you."

"I've filed for a divorce of no-contest. She's verbally agreed to the terms but hasn't actually signed anything yet. I think she wants a fight just to ease her heart and get some closure but I don't want to fight her."

"That's going to sting," Ryker sighed. He picked up the soda that he had left on one of the boxes. "Kind of stuck between a rock and hard place. If you give her the fight that she wants, it'll just hurt you both, emotionally and financially. If you don't fight, she'll never get the resolution she wants."

"I know." Kanoth waved a paw through the air. "But I'm repairing that bridge slowly." He turned and began wheeling himself towards one of the boxes. Reaching inside, he plucked out what appeared to be a small green box and brought it over. "I wanted to give you something for believing in me and helping me wake up to the evils of AllAle and Emile."

Ryker tilted his head in curiosity as he took the offered box. "You really shouldn't have." He pulled open the lid. Inside, sitting on a velvety cushion, was what appeared to be a piece of pale, white wood. "Uh... What is it...?" His fingers brushed against the surface and pulled back when he was surprised to find it cold and smooth, not like any piece of wood he'd ever seen.

"It's petrified wood," Cedar answered, opening one of the other boxes and pulling out a large, flat-screen monitor. "You know, because I once tried to smack you guys around with a log? Thought it'd be appropriate. Maybe symbolising that the stuff between us is in the past and... uh..."

It was clear who had thought of the gift. Though he guessed it was Cedar who came up with the idea of giving a gift.

"I get it," he chuckled softly, running a finger over the smooth surface again. "Wow. This is really cool."

Kanoth smiled brightly. "I'm glad you think so. You both helped us." He handed another box to Cliff but this one was larger. Inside was a golden plaque marked with the words_'AllAle. Est. 1997'. "We wanted to show you how much we appreciated you not only freeing us but giving us the opportunity to pursue a life together." He pointed at the plaque. "Incidentally, that's the literal plaque from the _AllAle building from when it was built."

Cliff beamed from ear to ear. "Dude, that's fucking awesome! It's like I get a little trophy to show I helped take down a fucking corporation!" He bent down and gave Kanoth a tight hug. "Thanks so much!"

Cedar laughed and held out his arms. "No love for me?"

Naturally, the tiger with little understanding of personal space jumped into Cedar's arms and the two looked like they were caught in some sort of bear-hugging contest. Ryker regarded the piece of petrified wood, a smile on his face. In the back of his mind, he wondered how Kanoth looked in the Broker Server.

"If you ever need our help, just let us know," he said with a smile.

"Same goes with you," Kanoth said with a nod. "I've still got some contacts in the corporate world. Just let me know and I'll do what I can."

By noon, they had finished assembling everything in Kanoth's study and about half of the furniture bedroom. The bed was assembled along with a nightstand and a cabinet. All that remained was a TV stand and Cedar's - comparatively - smaller desk and chair. On the other side of the apartment, Takoshi and Arthur had finished assembling everything in Oliver and Soren's room. The last bedroom was a study for both Soren and Oliver, similar to Kanoth's but since it was bigger, it could fit the two desks instead of just one.

As they finished up, Oliver entered the apartment once more carrying a box of sandwiches, pastries and some hot drinks.

"Lunch time!" announced the tabby brightly.

Cedar and Arthur hastily assembled the TV and set it on the entertainment centre so they all had something to watch while they ate the delicious sandwiches. Ryker preferred the pastries. They were flaky, sweet but without being too overpowering. Even though Netflix was playing some comedy sitcom, the party were exchanging stories and chatting instead of actually paying attention to what was on screen.

"Soren, how's your college application going?" he asked.

The bald eagle, looked up from where he had half a pizza bagel in his beak. "It's going great!" he exclaimed only to splutter out a bit of food. Oliver was immediately there, holding up a napkin to which the avian thanked him. "Carl, the guy I told you about, says he's talked to the coach. If I can get my GED, I've got a scholarship on the team!"

Carl was a baseball player for the collage team that had caught Soren in the batting cages in the downtime between studying for his GED with Cedar and helping manage the the cafe. Apparently, the blue-eyed avian's build has caught Carl's attention. In their conversations, Carl had promised to help Soren get his degree. They became fast friends. It was comforting to know Soren was branching out beyond their little group and developing his own network outside of Oliver.

"Just be careful," warned Takoshi, wiping his paws on a napkin. He missed one crumb on his left index finger and opted to just lick it off. "IPs that get too famous too fast get caught out just as quickly."

"I don't think I'll pick up baseball as an actual career," laughed the eagle. "I actually _hate_that black grease that they put under our eyes."

Ryker tilted an ear in the eagle's direction. "What is that for anyway?"

"It's suppose to keep the glare out of your eyes. Dunno if it actually works since I've never played a professional game. Or any game at all. I just know that it smears all over my beak and it's damn hard to get off the whole way."

"You'll have plenty of time to think about it," Oliver encouraged. "You find out a lot about yourself in college."

That was a truth that Ryker could not refute. Looking around, the small gathering, he couldn't believe just how much he had learned not only about the world as a whole but about himself. He briefly exchanged glances with Takoshi. A cute lopsided smile touched the burly ursine's lips and then he went back to eating one of the pizza bagels.

"Oh, before I forget!" Oliver said, jumped to his feet and quickly scrambling towards his room. He emerged a moment later with what appeared to be four mugs. He handed one to Cliff, Ryker, Arthur and Takoshi. Curious, Ryker tilted the grey much in his paws and couldn't help but smile at the cartoonish image of his face plastered on the side. It was almost like someone had made an emoji of his face smiling and printed on the side.

"I wanted to give you guys these before you left for your new place," said the tabby. "One of the Independents that work here, Oriana, makes these. She gets a picture, makes it into a cute image and then puts it on a personalised coffee mug. They're selling like crazy!"

Soren beamed brightly and pointed at the one Takoshi was holding. It was pure white with Takoshi's caricature looking rather grumpy. "We're thinking of making seasonal ones. Valentine's Day is coming up and I'm sure that stuff will sell if we package it up with some coffee."

"That's a great idea!" Cliff exclaimed. "Oh! I know this guy that's really into origami! If you want help making it extra special, I could get him in contact with you!"

Contacts...

Ryker's thoughts puzzled over his Contacts and how his synch rate was with each of those gathered here. They had all been through so much together. He had to wonder what they looked like in the Broker Server. Had their flowers all bloomed? Was there a stronger connection between them now?

In fact...

"A toast!" announced Cedar, rising to his feet and holding up a can of soda and jarring Ryker back to reality. "To the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one." He took a second to beat his chest and push out a small burp. "We were all pretty damn drunk in one way or another. I kept burying my fears of rejection. Might as well have been drinking my sorrows away."

Kanoth lifted his own can. "I justified foul actions through profit." The gopher shrugged absently. "I guess that's about the same as being drunk on power."

Oliver stood up, his own can in his paws. "You could say I was so shitfaced that I was just angry all the time. I'm the angry drunk. Just lashing out for no reason and not seeing anything clearly."

Sore didn't stand but lifted his own can. "I had no direction. Had no purpose. Might as well be passed out drunk."

Arthur and Cliff lifted their own cans in unison.

"I'm just glad I get to drink with someone else!" Cliff announced. "A burden is easier when you get to share it around! Safer to have a designated driver after all!"

"I think that analogy got derailed a little..." Ryker laughed.

Arthur regarded Oliver from the corner of his eyes. "I'd say that I got to act the part of a wise king at least once during this adventure. Not such a drunken fratbro." He shrugged, eyes switching forward again with a coy smirk on his muzzle. "Well... at least for now."

Takoshi grabbed his can and gulped down half of it. "I don't know about you but I'm good with my alcoholism." Ryker gave him a nudge with an elbow and the bear rolled his eyes. "Fine. I guess I was set in my ways. I'm happy to have been proven wrong."

Ryker stood, holding his own can up into the air proudly. "And if weren't for you guys, I would never known about the Overworld or had any of these adventures. I'm going to cherish these memories and our friendship forever."

"I'll drink to that!" Arthur exclaimed. The toasted and the boar was the first to finish his can only to smash it against his forehead in an impressive crunch. When met with startled stares, the King of Camelot just shrugged and said, "What?"

A hearty laugh was shared but when the clock struck two in the afternoon, they had to pack up.

They said their 'see-you-laters' as there was a promise to drop by the following day to help with any more unpacking.

The two college students and their IPs grabbed a cab nearby with Ryker once again in the back beside Takoshi and Cliff, Arthur riding shotgun. The trip was mostly met with silence and that gave Ryker a moment to think. Subtly, he reached for his phone and quickly tapped the icon to bring him to the Broker Server.

The vertigo that came from falling into the space between the Overworld and Realworld hit him. Normally, he would've gotten a little nauseated from the experience but his mind was racing. He blinked once - at least he thought he blinked - and when his eyes opened, he was standing in the field of blue flowers, once again rooted in position. Cue was standing there, waiting for him, face pixelated as ever.

"I had honestly expected you sooner," admitted the Kage. "Though I imagine real life must have taken it's toll after having put it on hold for so long."

"Yeah..." Ryker sighed, rubbing the back of his neck lightly. He was painfully aware that he also needed a haircut. He had been so busy that it felt like he was growing a mane, or worse, a mullet. "Slowly putting my life back together after all the chaos that happened around AllAle." His smile faded slowly. "Which is actually one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. Something that Kanoth just said kind of... clicked in my head."

"Oh?" replied Cue patiently. "Do tell."

He took a second to collect his thoughts. "When an IP and a Host's synchronisation rate is high enough, their traits start 'bleeding' into one another, right? That's what happened with Kanoth and Cedar. Kanoth became buff and Cedar got a bit of a beer belly. Right?"

"There's no hard-and-fast rule saying that physical attributes necessarily have to be exchanged due to a high synchronisation rate but it's more about one or the other's willingness to accept part of their partner into themselves in more ways than just emotional support. The connection certainly allows for this transition. In all likelihood, Cedar added a bit of weight to make Kanoth feel better about his own physique while Kanoth followed Cedar's example of developing his build for the sake of his health."

"Okay." Ryker nodded a few times as he digested this information. "What about... the synch rates between Contacts?"

"What of them?"

"Can traits between Contacts bleed into one another."

Cue lifted a hand towards where Ryker assumed was his lips and let out a soft chuckle. "You catch on very quickly. The short answer is 'no'. The bond between Contacts is... converted through the Overworld. Whereas the bond between Host and IP is far more primal and cannot be altered, the exchange of Contacts grant bonuses to one another as I'm sure you're aware."

"Right, I remember." Ryker narrowed his gaze slightly. "So what about the relationship between an Overlord and their Contacts?"

Cue let out a single, sharp laugh. "Though I knew where this conversation was going, it still surprises me that you've reached this conclusion so quickly." The enigmatic man folded his hands behind his back and let out a short nod. "Your suspicions are very much correct. An Overlord is able to force his own traits onto those that are made his Contacts."

Ryker glanced to his right where the representation of Kanoth rested, slumbering as always but with all the flowers wrapped around him fully bloomed. Curiously, the gopher was now perched on a bright chair made of some shining, white stone. Images of their encounters were carved into the frame of the throne even though they were partially obscured by the vines of the flowers. Behind the slumbering gopher was an white archway. A verdant hill teaming with life and radiating warmth was visible beyond the arch.

Strangely, right beside Kanoth was Cedar, perched on his own throne of white and with all his flowers blooming. The rhino had his own arch but beyond that was a lush forest. Despite just being inches apart form one another, the two parallel worlds just abruptly ended at the borders of the arches and nothing but the vast flowery plane Ryker stood on occupied the space between; that and the endless darkness of the Broker Server.

"Kanoth said something about 'waking up' when I freed him from Emile," Ryker said. "I didn't think much of it until I started putting things together." His eyes drifted back towards Cue. "Emile was controlling them, wasn't he?"

"Emile Santos was a relatively new Overlord and a conservative one. He didn't exert as much control as he could have. He still gave his executives a lot of creative freedom. Had that not been the case, his officers could very well have turned into clones of himself. They would have their own minds but their hearts would no longer belong to them and they would act accordingly."

Ryker ran his gaze across the rest of the Broken Server. A pang of disappointment hit him when he noticed Takoshi was still on his back, slumbering amidst the flowers. Only a single flower had bloomed for him. Cliff and Arthur didn't have any flowers in bloom at all. Only two other had their thrones and arches; Oliver and Soren. Behind Oliver was what appeared to be a Tuscan villa in an idyllic countryside while Soren showed a brilliant, blue coast with skies and seas as clear as crystal. Beside one another, they looked perfect. He had to glance back at Cedar and Kanoth's to realise that the two scenes beyond the arches matched well together while also retaining their distinct tones.

"That's why when Kanoth and Cedar were freed, they were immediately remorseful over what had happened. Kanoth said it was like he wasn't in control of his own body."

"Don't let this taint your opinion of all corporations," warned Cue. "Not every company has an Overlord and some of them actually treat their employees and coworkers with respect. It just so happens that Emile's actions and powers had such a powerful effect on his colleagues."

"But there are other Overlords out there and they're doing exactly the same thing." Ryker's eyebrows rose in worry. "Aren't they?"

Cue only gave him a slow, grim nod.

"We have to stop them!"

The Kage lifted a finger and wagged it at him. "Even if you attacked every corporation and removed every Overlord there is out there now, you aren't resolving the issue. No. We need to find out who is creating the Overlords and why."

"Do you know?"

"That's not the right question." Cue lifted his head, turning it off to the side to gaze into the darkness of the Broker Server. "They say that no man is an island. I find it rather curious that the Overlords seem to defy that." The man with the pixelated features lifted a gloved hand as if reaching for something in the distance. "They merge completely with their IPs and then implant their ideas, their souls into others, twisting them into copies of themselves. In this way, they are both not an island and at the same time, they are." Cue turned back to Ryker. "They are much like this little plot of land."

Ryker shook his head in defiance. "No! I'm not an Overlord."

"I never said that you were. Because unlike the Overlords, when you look at the people around you, the components that make this vast island drifting in the darkness, you don't just see shadows of yourself. You see other people who make you strong. An Overlord would be partitioning parts of himself into different bodies."

That made him wonder what parts of Emile Santos had been 'partitioned' into each of the executives working for him. Perhaps Kanoth embodied his strength and brutish approach. Aileen clearly inherited Emile's ambition and cunning while Nero had to have been instilled with the obsession and loyalty that made the rattlesnake so charismatic.

"I'm surprised that Emile never noticed that Faceless wasn't one of his."

"I doubt Overlords consciously know the influence they exert," Cue said, turning his back to Ryker once again. "At least I hope not. Overlords are dictators. Drunk on their own powers, they give an order and simply expect it to be followed. They don't give a second thought to any other factors. So long as someone is willing to follow orders, they might fly under an Overlord's radar. Might being the operative word."

Ryker let out a pensive noise. "You make it sound like the Overlords are just puppets. Pawns in a bigger game."

Cue didn't respond, keeping his back to Ryker.

"What are you hiding?" the young brown-haired wolf asked. "You know something don't you?"

"Those aren't the right questions."

He pursed his lips, frustrated at being stonewalled like this. "Okay... Then..." He paused a moment, trying to think what would be the right question to ask. "... who is creating the Overlords?"

Cue lifted a finger over his shoulder and gave it a wag. "That is the correct question. One that I am entrusting you to answer."

Maybe Cue didn't have all the answers after all.

"Ever since the first Overlord was defeated years ago, the other Kage and I have been on the looking for them. I've done my research and investigated where I can. In fact, the defeat of Emile Santos has offered me a window to progress even further."

"Huh?" Ryker asked. "How?"

"Just because Emile's mind was reset to a point before he became an Overlord or even became aware of the Overworld, it doesn't mean that evidence of his activities have been erased."

"Well, yeah. That's why Faceless has to do damage control..." Ryker's voice trailed of. "Wait... You hacked into Emile's accounts?"

Cue nodded. "He was frustratingly vague about how he became an Overlord but I did discern an important clue."

"Don't tell me it all came down to that seminar he attended."

The Kage shook his head. "No. That seminar is what awakened him to the Overworld. Becoming an Overlord is something else entirely." Only then did Cue turned back to face Ryker. "He kept referring to a supposed mentor. Someone who trained him in the arts of being an Overlord and who conducted the procedure to merge him with his IP. All I got was a name."

"And that is?"

The Kage shrugged helplessly. "Axiom."

Ryker was suddenly jolted forward and the Broken Server of Dreams vanished around him. He was once again in the back of the cab but it was no longer moving. Takoshi and Cliff were already leaving while Arthur was paying the driver.

"You coming, Ryker?" Takoshi asked.

Every time his bear used his actual name instead of 'boy' or 'kid', Ryker's heart skipped a little. That was one flower opened.

"Yeah," he answered simply.

He emerged from the cab and looked up at his new place of residence.

Hayden Okonjo was waiting for them in front of the double sliding doors with the words '4 U Gym'.

"Welcome home, guys!" the gorilla exclaimed brightly, holding up a hand to wave at them.

"Bro!" Cliff exclaimed, immediately charging up to their host and new employer to give him a hug. "Oliver gave us some extra stuff from lunch! You want some eats?" Arthur approached with the box of donuts and pastries from Oliver's shop.

A white-haired rhino emerged from beyond the door, dressed in a tight-fitting, blue and red compression shirt with matching pants - the colours of the gym. Decanter folded his arms and regarded them all with a pang of exasperation.

"You're all late. You said you'd be here right after lunch." He hiked a thumb over his shoulder. "We're opening this weekend and we've still got so many pamphlets and equipment to unpack! How are we supposed to run a business when half of our workers are off eating doughnuts and danishes? In fact, you know what?" He reached for the box and snatched it out of Arthur's grip. "No more for you guys. Not until you finish setting up the weights."

Cliff and Arthur groaned before padding into the building, shoulders hunched.

Decanter took a powdered doughnut for himself which earned him a baleful stare from Takoshi. "Hey," rumbled the rhino, "I said _you_couldn't get any. Hayden and I have been working our butts off setting up the machines!"

Then he was gone back into the building, tail swishing happily from side to side. Ryker was fairly sure the rhino enjoyed bossing everyone around. His keen, organised mind made him the perfect operations manager. Hayden was the face of the gym and could easily go out and churn up interest. In fact, they already had a lot of clients eager to give the new gym a try. It was just a matter of actually opening on time.

"Sorry we're late," Ryker apologised. "There was a lot of furniture to assemble at Oliver's place."

Hayden waved away the comment, wearing that charmingly innocent grin that seemed plastered on his face. "Dude, it's fine. I honestly can't thank you both enough for getting Cliff, Arthur and Decanter to come help at the gym. I was honestly starting to get worried! Up until a few weeks ago, the only people working in the gym were the three of us! Now we're double that!"

Six members on staff still wasn't a lot but it was a start. Surely more people would come to join their little family, their little pack. Hopefully with better qualifications to work at the gym. Ryker would work the counter while Takoshi, Arthur and Cliff had the gym floor. Decanter worked the juice bar and lastly, Hayden was the general manager.

"I'm glad you're so optimistic," he said with a slight nervous laugh. "It's going to be a rough road."

"Rough roads are better travelled with good friends and people you can trust, right?" Hayden replied with a wink. He flicked his head towards the gym. "Come on. Let's work up a sweat. I ordered us pizza for dinner. Got to balance it out, right?"

Takoshi gestured for him to go ahead. "We'll be right there."

Curious for the moment of privacy, Ryker canted his ears towards his bear, waiting for him to speak.

The scarred samurai took a deep breath, his features turning solemn. "You know, I've been a loner for a really long time. It's... weird for me not only having a Host but having fun and friends like this."

"You wanna run away together, live on some secluded patch of snow and live a solitary lifestyle?" Ryker taunted. "You hunt in the forests around our cottage, I cook what you catch and then we fuck like rabbits, causing the snow to melt all around our house?"

Takoshi gave him a sardonic look and a light punch. "Jackass. I'm trying to have a moment here."

"Yeah well you're not the only one having doubts." Ryker slowly drew his gaze from the base of the red-brick building all the way up to the exposed rooftop. "This is all new to me. I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything involved in the Overworld. There's so much I don't know and I'm kind of scared about what's going to happen now."

With the threat of the Overlords looming on the horizon not to mention they were basically celebrities now amongst the Custodes Libertatis, there was no telling what would happen. Add to that the fact that he was the first host to have two IPs and not age rapidly or outright die in a long while and he was sure 'complicated' would be an understatement to describe his life from this point on.

"If you're worried about Decanter and whoever killed Aileen..."

That was another part he had to worry about. There was still so many things he didn't know about the people he considered 'close' to him. In the Broker Server, Decanter's flowers were completely shut as were Cliff and Arthur's. Even Takoshi only had a single flower open. How is it that his path with Kanoth and Cedar, Oliver and Soren who had all been former enemies were fully open and yet those he considered 'allies' were still sealed shut?

"Honestly?" he finished. "I'm more worried about us."

"Us?" Takoshi asked, surprise clear in his voice. "Ryker, I'm an open book. If you want to know something about me. Just ask."

"Okay." He looked Takoshi right in the eye. "Who was your Host before me? The one that died that made you so cynical towards the world?"

The bear gaped... stammered... and just stared at him, unable to answer.

Ryker offered a faint smile and just waved his question away. "See? There's still so much about you I don't know, Takoshi. How'd you get that scar? What happened on your way from California to here?" Strangely, he found a powerful force tugging at the corners of his lips. "I'm worried... but I'm excited at the same time."

"Excited?"

"When I was a programmer building my game, the one thing that kept pushing me forward was the fact that there was always a problem sitting in front of me. The thrill of solving that problem, of finding the answer, it made me feel alive. All these mysteries in front of me just makes me want to solve them all the more."

Takoshi glanced off to the side. "Makes sense. When we first met, you told me you hit the Independent App because you were 'curious'. Stands to reason that you'd want to solve all the puzzles in front of you." He folded his big, beefy arms and gave him a challenging smirk. "Fair warning though, boy. I'm a tough nut to crack."

Ryker returned the grin. "Challenge accepted."

Another powerful force brought them together, Takoshi leaning down and Ryker stretching upwards. Their noses hovered inches from one another, lips gravitating towards one another. He could smell the sweet soda on Takoshi's breath and his whiskers twitched like they were divining rods leading him towards the big bear's arms.

"Hey!"

Both of them jerked towards the gym doors were Decanter was staring at them in exasperation.

"Save the romance for later, you two!" barked the rhino. "We need your help in here!"

Ryker sighed in defeat. The moment had passed. He straightened padded up to the door. When Decanter saw him approaching, the rhino turned and headed back to the gym. That was his cue to turn back to Takoshi who still stood on the street, watching him.

He stretched out his hand towards his first IP.

"To be continued?" he offered.

The bear's features split into a bright grin. Just one step forward and he firmly took Ryker's paw into his own.

"To be continued."

Dedication

For all the content creators out there who feel like they are forced to set aside their hopes, their dreams and all the wonderful characters they have created with the power of their imagination, this story was for you. Things may look grim and often times, you may feel like your craft is not worth it. You might feel like you have to 'grow up' and set aside childish fantasies to get a nine-to-five job, have a family, buy a house and work for a corporation just to get by. Responsibilities may force you down a path, ambitions may change and you may have invested too much time into one thing to abandon it for a frivolous fantasy but I want you to remember something: you are the creator of your own worlds, the master of the path you walk and the writer of your own destiny.

No man is an island and you will never have to go at it alone so long as you have those characters you have created.

It is when we learn to walk alongside our IPs that we truly become Independent.