FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 2

_"Horizon?"_Cliff repeated, lifting one blonde eyebrow. "You mean that really bad reality-TV-centric channel that sucks in wannabe superstars with promises of fame and glory only to humiliate them on national TV?"

Ryker lifted an eyebrow and leaned his head forward a little. "So... which one did you audition for?"

Cliff's rounded, black ears folded down and his whiskers drooped. "Crunch Time."

Ryker's ears did the opposite of Cliff's and perked up, swiveling towards the feline. "Really? That show where they pitch potential programmers and technologists against one another, throw them challenges like producing a solution for a particular tech problem un ridiculously short time limits and one gets eliminated every week? Winner gets to work for some tech company at Silicon Valley?"

"It's so fucking stupid!" Cliff shouted, throwing his paws into the air. "Completely unrealistic! They throw you in a situation where you have to solve this complex business requirement and problem and have - like - three days at most to come up with a working prototype! And they judge you on shit like how well your code_looks!_ Someone got kicked off because they didn't indent their code enough! At minimum_you have to come up with a multi-tiered solution that's_bug free in twelve hours!"

Ryker had to remind himself that Cliff wasn't just some dumb fratboy that was cruising through college to get drunk, party and get laid while occasionally studying a law degree. Yes, that was a contributing factor but, Cliff was somehow able to juggle all his social responsibilities, his role as a member of the Libertatis and maintain good grades as law major. When the blonde-haired tiger suggested helping Ryker with his program, he genuinely meant that he could provide expertise.

Clearly drawing amusement from Cliff's discomfort, Takoshi smirked and asked, "So when did you get eliminated?"

"He didn't even make it past auditions," Arthur confessed with a bashful grin, showing off his mighty tusks. "The producers said he didn't look 'smart enough' and they had already approved the 'jock-type that'll subvert expectations with how smart he actually is' so they didn't need another." When Cliff gave his partner a foul look, the boar just shrugged and gave a partially apologetic, "Sorry, bro."

"The Horizon Channel goes beyond just crushing young Cliff _'s dreams,"_ Si continued. Cliff swiveled in his chair, facing the wall so he didn't have to directly face either the Kage_or his friends. _"Much like the very shows they pander, Horizon,treats their IPs and competitors like one big reality TV show."

The rest of the monitor on Cliff's setup suddenly became populated with images of bright, dazzling stages, gathered crowds and flamboyant hosts. A coliseum-like stage showed several IPs fighting one another in a still image. A broad stage was on display where an IP appeared to be singing their heart out. A dark panel of judges sat behind a looming desk before several IPs standing nervous in front of them. A circle of IPs looking starved and destitute sat around in a circle where a host was reading out what appeared to be votes. Despite the colors, the presence of the ever-overcast sky clearly indicated that this was still in the Overworld.

"As you know, there are countless IPs out there that have been abandoned by their creators or are no longer thought of by the general public. Ideas that have faded from memory and are barely clinging onto life in the Overworld. They have one of three choices. Consume other IPs to survive but risk potentially turning into a Zombie, find a budding Independent and forge a Pact to become their IP or join the seemingly endless line to be adopted by a corporation.

"_Horizon _has taken a rather systematic approach to their recruitment process."

Decanter rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "From my time with AllAle, I recall _Horizon_having one of the quickest vetoing processes in our state. We had to constantly compete to make sure we got a decent share of the market. Problem was, they were also known to tear through applicants with frightening ease. Most of those who fail to become an IP of _Horizon_are never heard from again."

"They don't become Dosers?" Ryker asked.

Dosers was the colloquial term given to IPs that are permanently stripped of their free will and replicated across a corporation's troops in the Overworld - the Corpsmen. A play of 'Direct Denial of Service', Dosers obey their bonded Corpsman's commands without question and become part of the corporate identity, a 'product' that they pander to the public. While the IP ultimately survives, they do so without any sort of freedom or emotion. Some would argue that was a preferable fate to being cannibalized by other IPs or dying of starvation in the Overworld.

The rhino shook his head to Ryker's question. "Those that pass the contests of Horizon become Dosers. I can only assume that those that didn't are destroyed or get consumed by the winners as part of their ascension to becoming a Doser."

"We suspect that same," Si replied. "We don't have eyes or ears in Horizon but we have information that suggests their aggressive acquisition of IPs is a means to not only empower the winners of their brutal competitions but also as a means to secure power with their soon-to-be-Overlord CEO Raven Trieville."

One of the screens was replaced by a profile of a regal-looking crow with a large gray crew of hair over his head that almost looked like a silver crown. Deep, black eyes melded well with the rest of his inky black feathers. The only break in his otherwise completely monochromatic appearance was the large, ragged, red scar that ran horizontally across his beak.

"So they called him Raven and he's a raven?" scoffed Takoshi. "That's inventive. Unless he's one of those pricks that changed his name."

"He's actually a crow," Ryker pointed out. "No throat feathers."

Si confirmed the young wolf's analysis. "Ryker is right. Raven is, in fact, a crow. His name was given to him by his parents. Apparently, he uses it as an ice breaker. Supposedly, his IP is meant to be Deadair but much like other Overlords, the shark has not been seen for a long while."

"Fine," grunted Takoshi sharply. "So you've reeled us in by dangling the carrot of finding out why the fuck a local channel decided to rip Arthur and I from existence. What the fuck do you exactly want us to do?"

"Nothing life-threatening, I assure you. Purely a fact-finding mission. Horizon is opening auditions in the Overlord for what they call their 'Summer Lineup Games'. It is a competition used to see which IPs will be part of the summer lineup."

Strange that they were hosting a competition for the summer lineup when they were already in the middle of spring. That was very little lead up time. Writers and producers would always complain that setting up shows took _months_of preparation. Even if this was meant to be a reality TV show, there was money, props, employees and editing time to think about.

Decanter pointed out as much. "Aren't they cutting it a little close? Summer is just a few months away. Surely even with the power of an IP, it'd take more than that to organize something actually worth airing."

"You haven't seen the shit on Horizon," Cliff commented with clear bile and venom in his voice. "It's trashy. They actually have a show called 'Customer Service' where they film retail staff and see which customers throw a fit at them. Honestly think it's all staged. No one would consent to having their faces on TV when they're shown to be assholes."

"You'd be surprised," mumbled Ryker, recalling his days at KFC.

"This is for a few summers from now," answered Si_._ "These games are often brutal and take on different formats each year."

The images on screen were replaced with various forms of competition. Some were even dangerously encroaching upon Olympic Games territory. But others were just plain terrifying. An image showed several IPs being sent through a gauntlet of traps similar to the game Wipeout except the traps appeared fatal including blades, actual flames from flamethrowers and what looked like boiling lava instead of water. How anyone - no matter how desperate - could subject themselves to such horrifying situations for a chance to survive but be robbed of all free will baffled Ryker.

"What we want you to do is to attend one of their auditions,"_continued Si. _"You should not actually enter the competition. We just need you to attend and gather information on one of the four Executives that will be attending the show."

Now there were four images on screen showing the four people who served the Overlord. One was a Fennec Fox, another a rabbit, the third a panda and the remaining one and sole woman was a lioness. They were all smiling and didn't appear at all menacing. Yet that was how_most_serial killers and despots appeared; friendly, approachable and seemingly empathetic towards the general population until they were given full control.

"We have information that such competitions are attended by at least one of the Executives. We need you to observe them and run a special program that will confirm the presence of an Overlord."

Ryker tilted his head to the side in typical canine confusion. "You've got a program like that? Where'd it come from?"

Si paused for a moment. With his features masked by the silhouette, it was impossible to tell his true expression. Even with the garbled voice, it was still possible to detect his discomfort when he admitted, "Cue gave it to us."

"Him?" Arthur blurted. "He's back?"

"Who?" Decanter asked.

Ryker had to remind himself that no one else in his party had learned that Cue, the mysterious sixth Kage, had returned. There was clear distrust radiating from both Si, Arthur and Cliff. Takoshi never trusted the Libertatis in all their forms and Decanter was still the outsider as a former IP of a corporate executive.

"Cue is one of the Kage_,"_ Si explained. "But for the longest time, he had recused himself from the day-to-day of running the_Libertatis. _He recently returned and it was from him that we received the information about these potential Overlords. The program, which we simply call 'GREP' will detect an Overlord if the Executive in question answers to one."

"Can't we just use the Function on a Corpsman under them?" Takoshi asked. "Why risk our necks by bringing ourselves close to a fucking Executive."

Fresh memories of their fights against the Executives from AllAle made Ryker's throat go dry. They had barely managed to scrape past those encounters with their lives and free will.

"Unfortunately, the Function isn't that strong. Similarly, there is no guarantee that the Corpsman you are targeting is fully loyal to the corporation. There are cases of corporate espionage where Corpsmen are, in fact, loyal to another and are just masquerading. It is safest to target an Executive. You don't have to get close to the Executive either. Just line of sight is enough."

The big, hirsute bear huffed softly, never unfolding his arms. "Fine, I suppose. So when is this audition?"

"Tonight. Seven in the evening. I will send the coordinates."

"A moment, Si," Decanter interrupted. "We have not agreed to this."

Cliff was instantly on his feet, whirling around to face them. "Dude! Of course we agree!" He waved a paw at both Arthur and Takoshi. "These guys were nearly wiped from the Overworld because of Horizon!_We have a _duty to stop them!"

"Don't loop me in with you, kiddo," Takoshi growled. His features remained stern with barely seething fury beneath the surface. "But I want to go after them. Not because of some Libertatis bullshit that there could be an Overlord leading them. Even if they aren't, they're going down."

A stern stare shot like a laser from Decanter and fixed Takoshi right in his crosshairs. "Because their practices of coercing IPs into cannibalizing one another is immoral and barbaric, right?"

The ursine samurai didn't meet the white-haired rhino's gaze. "Whatever."

Decanter visibly bristled. "I may have served AllAle and, yes, we did take in orphaned IPs and turn them into Dosers but we never forced them into brutal competition where they would be forced to _eat_one another just to be bigger and stronger!"

Takoshi lifted a paw, the first gesture he made to unfold his arms. "I didn't say nothing."

"But you implied it!"

A cruel smile touched the bear's lips. "I don't take responsibility for whatever your crazy little brain comes up with or sees between the lines. I don't see anything wrong with eating other IPs to become stronger. It's how _I_survived for so long." Only then did Takoshi turned his icy stare towards Decanter. "It's how I got my big fucking sword."

Whether or not he was referring to his ridiculously large zanbato sword or his dick remained a mystery Ryker didn't want to delve too deeply into. Decanter seemed completely offended and took a visible step away from the bear. Again, it was a mystery if he was offended by Takoshi's vulgarity or the fact that Takoshi had just admitted to _devouring_other IPs to survive. Come to think of it, Ryker had never really given the practice much though and wasn't quite sure where he stood on it.

"What about Arthur?" Ryker began with the aim to defuse the situation. "We've heard from almost everyone. Do you want to go up against Horizon, big guy?"

Arthur, the normally jovial boar with a heart of gold, had his eyebrows raised casually and his weight pressed on one foot. "Yeah, I do. But not because they ruined my show." He shrugged his big, broad shoulders. "I've put that behind me. I'm not going to get hung up on it. But if they really _do_have an Overlord and are chewing up other IPs to become more powerful, then we gotta put a stop to it." He grinned broadly, holding out a fist towards Cliff. "I'm with ya wherever you wanna go, bro."

Cliff beamed and bumped his fist against the offered knuckles. "Bro!"

"Totally, bro!"

Before the situation could devolve further into a show of fraternal love, Ryker shrugged and turned back towards Si. "That settles it. We'll go after Horizon and see if they have an Overlord."

*****

With the looming investigation of The Horizon Channel, Ryker found himself somewhat preoccupied during working hours. He had always prided himself in his laser-like focus if he was ever given a task to pursue - a reason he got top marks during his undergraduate studies. Unerring focus was a double-edged sword, however. When 100% of his attention and strength was devoted to that task, it meant that everything else was excluded. This was a reason why he never advanced beyond a mere staff member when he was working at KFC despite being there for three years. Also another reason why he never noticed that Arthur and Cliff were more than they seemed to be despite having lived under the same roof with Cliff for almost a year. This was not just that they were Independents working with the Custodes Libertatis either. The two were a sort of loose couple. When Ryker broached the subject with either of them, they would laugh it off and say that it was natural for IP and Host to be so close that they slept with one another or 'met' one another's needs. As to whether or not they were actually in love with one another, Ryker had yet to extract an answer from either of the two.

While he was working his shift at the gym, his thoughts were constantly invaded by the impending attack against Horizon. He would have to constantly remind himself that he wasn't actually attacking the corporation either. They were just scouting them out. Every spare moment he got between greeting customers at the receptionist area and making smoothies for those who had just finished their workouts, he would check the web for anything relating to Horizon.

Worry plagued his mind. There was one other factor in the mission that none of them had really touched on either.

Ryker's Function, Break.

Independents could manifest their Functions as actual weapons once they learned the 'password' to this powerful ability. Where invoking Functions usually cost RAM - the unit of measurement that allowed those in the Overworld to use their Functions - when a weapon was manifested, they could use their Function at will. Break - despite its devastating effect - would normally only cost Ryker a single unit of RAM upon use and he was limited to six units every day. Since he would have to devote two RAM to using the Exit Function to leave the Overworld, that meant he would usually only be able to use Break four times during an engagement. However, now that he had manifested his weapon, he could use Break as many times as he wanted - provided he hit it with his weapon.

The problem came with just how powerful Break was... and the gray-furred wolf's own physical attributes.

Break manifested as a large, heavy warhammer. Adrenaline had been pumping through his system when he first summoned it and he considered himself incredibly lucky when he had used it to defeat Emil Santos in their battle against AllAle. But it was still a very heavy weapon and he could barely manage to swing it. Since Break could literally break anything it touched - including flesh and bone - he was wary of bringing it into battle without a little more upper body strength.

Another one of the reasons he had hoped that his training with Arthur would help build his physical form a little more so he could wield the hammer with a little more finesse.

"It's just a scouting mission," he mumbled to himself as he scoured some news sites on the receptionist computer. "I may not actually have to fight. And even if I do, I've got Takoshi, Cliff and Arthur."

Takoshi played the role of their heavy hitter and had some decent range. Combining the elements of wind and water, Takoshi could wreath his swords in ice to extend the range of his already long blades. Cliff was more of a rogue. His Function - Open - manifested as a dagger with a snarling tiger on the hilt. With it, he could literally open anything including enemy defenses or walls. Fast, agile and far more experienced in the field than Ryker, Cliff was an adept fighter. Arthur was undoubtedly their tank. Decked out in golden armor and wielding a shield and longsword, he used the power of flames to retaliate against attackers.

"All in all, we've got a pretty well-rounded group."

Again, he reminded himself that this was a scouting mission. They would not have to attack Horizon.

"But knowing Tako..."

Something soft bumped into the back of his head and he instinctively jerked forward, lifting a paw over where the impact had been made. A small wad of paper landed next to his foot and he turned to find that Arthur was leaning casually against the juice counter behind him. The receptionist area doubled as both the primary greeting area where members of the gym would come in as well as the smoothie kitchen where Ryker played the dual role of making people refreshing beverages and welcoming them to the gym.

"Thinking about tonight?" the boar asked with that easy-going grin of his.

"Aren't you?" he countered, snatching up the piece of paper on the ground and tossing it into the nearby bin. "We're going up against another corporation. Last time we did that, we nearly died." He spoke the last in a whisper.

Arthur gave him another dismissive shrug. "We nearly die every day, dude. You could get run over by a car, shot by some random asshole on the streets or choke on a hot dog. This ain't no different." The chubby boar leaned forward, grinning at him broadly. "Trust me, dude. It'll be fine. We're not going to be doing anything serious. Just looking around. From what I hear, Horizon makes all auditions like an open mic night and everyone is welcome."

"Probably a recruiting tactic," he sighed. "Anyone who stumbled onto the Overworld like I did might get picked up by a Corpsman from Horizon, then they'd take them to one of the auditions while giving them the sales pitch."

"Maybe," came another dismissive shrug. "Does it really matter though?"

"Of course it does!" Ryker hissed softly. He held up a finger as a regular customer came over and he put on his best 'customer service' smile as he met her at the counter. "Hey, Jen. Same as usual today or would you like the test flavor for this week?"

In an attempt to innovate and bring more customers in, Ryker - with Decanter's input - had decided to implement a 'flavor of the week' system with the smoothies that he made. Every Sunday, he and Decanter would come up with a new flavor combination. If said flavor was popular enough, it would be added to the regular rotation. Their logic behind it was if people actually loved a flavor and became motivated enough to get it added regularly, they might actually convince their friends to join the gym to push the combination on the menu. Even if this meant that they would get some one-off customers, it was still extra money. So far, the honeydew, rock melon and watermelon flavor was a hit - they called it the 'Muscle Melon' as they added some supplements in there as well.

The slim goat browsed the menu hanging over Ryker's head. "What's this week's flavor?" she asked brightly, smelling sweetly and fresh off the showers.

"It's chocolate and kiwi with our special recovery mix to make sure you don't feel those muscle cramps in the morning." He got a quizzical look from Arthur at the mention of chocolate and kiwi fruit. Decanter had been skeptical as well but when Ryker had brewed it overnight, the sweetness of the chocolate mellowed out the sour-tang of the kiwi fruit and left only the overarching sweetness. Logically, it was like having some of those chocolate-covered oranges except with kiwis.

"Uhm..." the customer mused.

Seeing her indecision, Arthur said, "You know what, I'll take one of those, dude. Sounds great!"

That was enough for the woman and she asked for one as well. Nodding in thanks towards the boar, Ryker quickly brewed up the combination of some chocolate-flavored protein powder, some sugar-free chocolate, fresh kiwi fruits and some workout mixes with some low-fat yogurt and milk to loosen it up. Though the resulting brew looked like some brown sludge with a few weird, bright green specks in it, none of that was visible in the white and red disposable cups he gave to both Arthur and his customer.

"Oh wow!" Jen exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "This is amazing! It's both sweet and fresh!"

"Can I take that as I 'yes' towards keeping the New Zingland flavor on the menu?"

"Absolutely!"

Then she was off, smoothie in one hand and phone in the other. Once she was gone, Ryker turned towards Arthur.

"Thanks for that. Selling new flavors to people can be a little hard."

Arthur waved him off while sipping the drink from a straw. "Don't be dude. This is damn good. You and Decanter made it up?"

"Yeah. Decanter knows his drinks. A benefit from having someone working from a booze company." He nodded towards Arthur. "So back to the topic at hand. Why aren't you more worried about Horizon. Aren't you even the least bit angry at them for what they did to you? I mean, they were the ones that got your TV show canceled."

He got a confused shake of the head and another careless shrug. "That was years ago. I've moved on. Some people might see this as a way to get back at the heartless corporation that took a future from them..."

As he said this, there was loud shout from halfway across the gym. The big, white-furred bear was barking orders at one of his clients. Many people wanted to work with Takoshi given just how big and fit he was but failed to see just how gruff and rough the polar bear was. Takoshi's methods were very_harsh - one of the reasons Ryker had opted not to train with him - but to some, that was _exactly what they needed. The poor skinny lemur who had gone red-faced as he tried to do his hundredth squat was one of those. Ryker had to give the guy props for sheer dedication.

"But the way I see it," Arthur continued, "I would never have met Cliff or you if I had just kept going on being another representation of an idea. I mean, when you think about it, we were a TV show, dude. Eventually, the producers are gonna want us to be syndicated or something and we would have been sold out to some network. I'd end up becoming a Doser."

He gave Arthur a puzzled look. "What? Really? You wouldn't have stayed independent?"

"Not the way the entertainment industry works, my man." The broad boar with the dark, curly hair drained his smoothie and set it down for a second with a grimace. "You've got to keep shaking this thing, huh?"

Ryker waved a finger around the base of the cup. "Yeah, all the kiwi tends to sink to the bottom and you just get some off-tasting chocolate unless you mix it up."

As he used the straw to stir the smoothie, Arthur explained that while most TV shows would retain the rights to their own intellectual property for a while, they were already halfway to being sold to a major network anyway and that meant their IPs were already on their way to becoming Dosers. Ultimately, a TV show would either go one of two ways - either it'd get canceled or it'd become syndicated.

"Syndication basically means that the networks will have all the freedom to play the show whenever they want and pay the creators and owners royalties for it," Arthur explained. "They'll end up owning a part of the IP. I heard stories where the IP actually becomes a Doser of the network and the creatives don't actually know they've already given them up. They're just writing and adding more content because they're under contract or something but the IP has already become a soulless machine." Arthur held up four fingers. "It's usually why most long-running series tend to start dipping in quality around the fourth or fifth season."

A bitter look crossed Ryker's features. "Wow... That's a grim commentary on the quality of the things we binge."

"That's another thing too," Arthur said, checking off an invisible box in the air. "Because people binge shit so fast these days, most TV-based IPs get really starved for attention really quickly. They get this hit of fame and fortune and then for a whole year, they're forced to wait until they get their next hit."

"What about the staff working on the thing?"

"It's a different level. It's a drug."

As Arthur explained, the hit from millions of views all at once in a short amount of time was tantamount to an incredible high, one that came with great elation, power, influence and the resulting crash. Most entertainment-related IPs would find it hard to maintain that sort of popularity for an entire year even when chatter and rumors were easily accessible through the internet. The _smart_IPs would use their temporary boost in power to influence their creative teams through the Overworld akin to how Corpsmen could implant their Dosers into products and use their abilities to subtly steer the general public to some level of brand loyalty. These IPs were supposedly like the muses of old, inspiring people and stirring their imaginations. Sadly, with content being so easily consumed these days, more and more IPs were becoming more addicted to the short-lived rush of power.

"I've kept in contact with a few other IPs in the entertainment industry," Arthur explained. "Know a few people that threw themselves at corporations because they just needed that hit again. Generally, if you hear about corporations or studios acquiring the rights to old movies or stories and doing remakes of them, that's an IP being absorbed and turned into a Doser."

"Again," Ryker said with a grimace, "a grim commentary on the quality of our entertainment industry. I imagine streaming services don't make things easier either."

"Nope. It's a tough business." Arthur finished off his smoothie and tossed it into the bid right next to him. "Which is again why I feel grateful for having met you guys. Without you, I'd be one of those IPs. Starved for attention. Begging a corporation to literally fuck my brains out. If you think about it, being the IP of an Independent actually means that I get to come over to this side of the world. I get to be a real boy!" He winked slyly at Ryker and pushed off the counter top. "I've got my next client coming in. Catch ya later, dude!" He gave Ryker dual finger-guns without 'firing' them.

"Oh yeah?" Ryker said, shaking his head at Arthur's ability to just shake off the past so easily. "Who have you got today? Emily? Clark?"

Only then did he fire to those finger-guns."You, bro!"

His features immediately fell, ears folded back and his tail tucking between his tail. "Damnit..."

Working out was never really something he had enjoyed. As stereotypical as it may have been, Ryker was one of those skinny, nerdy kids who absolutely _hated_PE classes and would rather spend time inside than out in the sun playing with the other kids. When he was younger, he had terrible allergies which was a bad thing for a wolf who instinctively sniffed everything. There was one incident when his air-headed mother gave him some medication that he was actually allergic to and he lost all his fur. It took a month and a half before it all grew back to what it was previously. Though he only recently admitted he was physically attracted to big guys, he never really imagined himself as being just as big.

But he needed to build his physical strength not only so that he could wield his break hammer more easily but also so that he could draw in customers. Having a skinny kid as a receptionist in a gym wasn't exactly the best selling point.

"Alright," he groaned, picking up the internal building phone. "Let me just grab Decanter."

After a quick call, Decanter took over at reception, naturally after having provided him with a drink bottle filled with an electrolyte slurry and he was off to the gym floor to train with Arthur. Hearing the whimpers of the poor lemur as Takoshi barked at him made him grimace. Others naturally gave the bear a wide berth and even Cliff who was doing his own workout kept his distance. Arthur had no so qualms, however, and he wandered over to the squat rack right next to where Takoshi was playing the role of drill sergeant.

"Hey man," Arthur said with a jerk of his chin. "How's it goin'?"

"Fine," Takoshi grunted. "Except there's a distinct smell of weakness in the air!" He barked the insult right at the lemur. "Come on, Gerald! Two more sets!"

"You said that two sets ago!" cried the lemur, nearing tears.

"That's because you took too long on these last two sets! Come on! Two more!"

Ryker could have gone into the psychology of how Takoshi was clearly taking out his frustrations about Horizon on his poor client but this was just how his boyfriend was as a trainer. Outside of the gym, he was the gruff, snarky and rough brute, on the battlefield, a tactical samurai and in the bedroom, a cuddly teddy bear. It made him wonder just what other aspects Takoshi Kumareigi had within him.

... and whether or not that was all a result of the different IPs he'd had to consume to survive before he met Ryker.

Having worked out with Arthur before, Ryker knew well how to set up the squat rack for his own workout so he was already setting up the bar. Positioning himself beneath the cushion alongside some weights, he readied himself for the burning in his legs.

"Keep your legs straight," Arthur said gently, placing his big hands against Ryker's hips and gently guiding them into position. "Remember, they need to be at the same distance as your shoulders. Feet forward. There you go. Ass to the grass."

"Ass to the grass!" barked Takoshi almost immediately. "No half-assing it, Gerald! All the way down!"

If this was the first time they had worked out in close proximity to one another, that yelling would be distracting but, once again, Ryker had developed uncanny ability to place his laser-like focus on a single task to the exclusion of all else. So he put all his focus on his workout and began performing the squats. After three sets, his thighs began to burn but he used his focus to ignore it and maintain the motions. Even as Arthur put more weights and the pain came throbbing back at him, he maintained his focus. Takoshi's shouting became white noise as they moved onto the calf-raise machine.

The simplicity of the motions while ignoring the pain throbbing in his legs was serene in its own way. No one was pressuring him to finish his program, no need to worry about his grades, no absent-minded and physically absent mother pressuring him to go out and socialize and certainly no corporations hounding him as an Independent. Just the pump and burn.

Before long, his hour was over.

"Good job today!" Arthur exclaimed, patting Ryker's shoulder while grinning broadly. "How're your legs?"

"Okay for now," Ryker responded, sliding off the leg-curl machine. "But you know how leg days are. I'm going to feel them tomorrow. Good thing we'll be up and about tonight."

A quizzical look crossed Arthur's features. "You're still going?"

"Huh? Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"

The boar turned away, looking directly at Takoshi's broad back before giving him a sidelong glance. "Uh... You remember that the auditions are at seven tonight, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Don't you have that meet-up with Tess at seven too?"

The cogs began turning away in Ryker's head and it took him a whole ten seconds to realize he was double-booked. "Oh ffff..." He held back from swearing and leaned back against the machine. "I totally forgot! There's been too many things going on lately that it totally slipped my mind!" Grimacing and rested an arm against the machine. "Tess and I haven't hung out as much since this I met Takoshi. I've been constantly blowing her off because of everything that's been coming up! She's been looking forward to this." He glanced off to the left, ears drooping. "So have I... She's like a big sister to me."

"That's why I was asking," Arthur said with a shrug. "I thought you weren't going. Cliff and I were just going to do the scouting." The boar lowered his voice. "We kind of figured that Takoshi is a little too hot headed for this right now so we were going to trust you and Decanter to keep him here while we do the scouting. If we need you, we'll call."

"I heard that!" barked Takoshi from halfway across the gym.

The broad boar winced, ducking his head slightly. "I swear, he's half-bat."

"I'll talk to him," Ryker assured. "I'm going to take a shower before resuming my shift. Be back in a bit."

With his gym towel over his shoulders, he headed back up the stairs to the living quarters of the gym. He got all the way up the first flight of stairs before the strain of having pumped his legs began to weight him down. Sad as it was to say but it was a familiar feeling. Legs day was at least once a week but he never quite got used to the leadened feeling that turned his thighs into stiff boards and made him feel light-headed. A nice, warm shower always helped him loosen up and looking forward to that relaxing feeling was what drove him to take the next step up to the next floor.

All of that was interrupted, however, when two, big paws scooped him up off his feet, spun him around and pressed a pair of lips against his own. A familiar yet still invasive tongue pushed into his muzzle and all the blood started pumping away from his legs and into the adjacent organ that was immediately at attention. His arms were perfectly functional so it was with little effort that he wrapped them around Takoshi's thick traps and pulled the bear closer to him. The cold wall of the stairwell pressed up against his back as the big polar bear pushed down on him, pressing their hot bodies against one another.

"Tako..." he mumbled softly, breaking the kiss.

"I know," cooed the bear softly. "Not here. So hold on."

Taking the steps two at a time, Takoshi bounded up the flight of stairs and practically bashed down the door to the fourth floor while still carrying Ryker in his arms and with their lips still meshed together. There was this savagery and roughness in Takoshi's hungry kissing that was only exacerbated by each huffing breath he took that stirred this primal need in Ryker. Never having been any serious relationship before Takoshi, a lot of Ryker's sexual needs were severely repressed. Takoshi came and smashed the dam to dust leaving over a decade of being starved for even the slightest sensual touch rushing out in an unstoppable torrent. Though he hated to admit it, Ryker was looking forward to their 'lunch breaks' which usually involved loud, primal lovemaking in the showers. Coupled by their evening trysts, and Ryker's sexual appetite was barely satisfied.

Clothes were flying off by the time they had reached the communal showers. Their moment of contact was momentarily broken when Takoshi pulled Ryker's shirt over his head and threw it against the sinks. Then their chests were pressed against one another and Ryker was breathing in Takoshi's manly scent, his nose buried between those enormous pectorals cushioned by the dense, black, chest fur that couldn't hide the strong striations and deep valley between those perfectly square continental plates.

Takoshi finally set him down if only to immediately kneel in front of him and grab his belt between his teeth. A savage snarl erupted from that thick neck as he expertly freed Ryker's cock from its confines. The fully erect, deep red, rocket-shaped member was already leaking precum like a leaky faucet. His ursine boyfriend wasted no time rubbed his cheeks against sensitive flesh, the bristles of his well-maintained chinstrap beard. Takoshi grabbed the base of his cock and began slapped it against his cheeks, stray strings of clear precum splattering all over the bear's muzzle.

Ryker staggered back a few steps, kicking off the rest of his pants while his paws groped along Takoshi's mountainous back. There was not a single thing that could be considered 'soft' against his pawpads. The short, creamy-white fur was well-conditioned and smooth but right beneath that was the strong, steel-like muscles that radiated so much heat and strength that it generated its own gravitational field, calling to him, luring him in with its siren song and tempting him to run his tongue along their cervices, hills and valleys.

With a practiced motion, the duo reached the communal showers and Ryker immediately began groping around for the dials. Takoshi managed to rip off his own shorts, tossing it out of range of the shower heads and freeing his own monster 16-inch cock - something that he had obtained from years of devouring IPs. It still broke Ryker's heart that Takoshi once thought that by making himself sexually more appealing, he'd find another person to adopt him as their IP. At the same time, he couldn't deny that Takoshi's beastly appearance stirred his loins and was one of the things that attracted him to the bear.

Warm water pelted him from the showerheads, momentarily sending a chill down his spine. Takoshi's muzzle protected his cock from the sudden change in temperature and kept him erect. The practiced motions of that tongue and those soft lips was fuel to the fires of his passion. Before he could register what he was doing, he had grabbed the back of Takoshi's head and was thrusting his cock in and out of the air-tight seal his ursine IP had formed around his member. The touch of Takoshi's nose against his inflating knot coaxed more and more precum out of his throbbing cock. He felt the presence of the bear's own monster dick brushing up against his calves, the hot pre that oozed out of it clearly distinct from the cooler water around him.

Takoshi pushed his muzzle all the way down to the base of Ryker's cock, swallowing the knot and all. His cheeks closed around the luipine member, tightening the seal just before he began pulling back, dragging his lips all the way up Ryker's dick inch by ecstatic inch. Ryker's blunt claws scraped across the tiles behind him, his toes curling when Takoshi gave the tip of his pointed member one last flick with his tongue.

"Fuck," grunted the beastly bear, "I swear your dick has gotten bigger."

"Don't patronize me," rumbled Ryker, his cheeks flushed with both arousal and embarrassment.

"I'm serious." Takoshi grinned up at him, letting the member sit right atop of his muzzle, lightly squiring precum right between those bushy eyebrows. "You know as my Host, you're going to start getting some of my features, right? It's the Bleeding Effect. Plus, I bet Decanter has a monster dick too. He just hasn't showed it to anyone." He slowly rose to his feet, pressing his powerful frame down against Ryker. One of his mighty paws rested between Ryker's ears. "I bet you're getting some height too. You've got two IPs feeding your growing body now, you know."

As pleasant as that thought would be, Ryker wasn't betting on just sitting around and waiting until he became more and more like his IPs. On some level, it was a dream come true; bigger dick, muscled frame, manly, handsome appearance and all without a lifting a finger. But he was a realist at heart. If he was going to get bigger, he would have to work for it. As for a cock like Takoshi's... well, that would just not be possible.

"Right," he mumbled, muzzle partially buried in Takoshi's wet, chest hair. He reached up, gripping Takoshi's pink nipples and giving them a harsh twist - just how the bear liked it. His first IP growled, the rumble shaking his pectorals and vibrating through Ryker like a thunderclap. "I'm going to need a second opinion on that."

Takoshi gave him a savage grin. "I know just who to talk to about that."

The big, burly bear turned around, giving Ryker a perfect view of Takoshi's enormous biceps and just how they dwarfed his head, those sexy veins that crisscrossed his forearms like vines and how the cut muscles perfectly led to the broach back that all but swallowed the bear's neck and had a lean, defined valley right down the middle. Ryker could not help but run his fingers along the deltoids, trap and lats, following their lines as they led his gaze perfectly towards that shapely ass right below the cute, little nub of a tail.

As with the many times they had done this before, Takoshi grabbed his ass and pulled his cheeks wide, opening himself to Ryker. The allure of being inside the bear, being inside one of his 'pack mates' was too much and a savage, primal Ryker Wall came barging out of the gates like a rabid animal. He pushed his cock as far as it would go right into the tight ass of his IP. The hot pucker drew him in, taking about three inches of his member before he felt some resistance. A deep growl rose from his throat, nowhere near as deep or as loud as Takoshi's but still audible over the rushing water of the shower. The familiar pleasure of burying himself into Takoshi was elevated by the breathtaking sight of the bear's perfectly symmetrical, ridiculously broad and muscularly defined back.

Something in him just begged to have those muscles in every way. Perhaps it was some repressed emotions over being called a 'runt' all throughout school by the bigger guys or being attracted to males and automatically associating big burly guys with that attracted or even some degree of jealousy for just Takoshi's incredible build. Whatever the root of the desire, he wanted to be as close to those muscles as possible and he feverishly pulled his cock back out and rammed it back in with all the fire and fuel these unrestrained emotions unleashed.

Another inch buried into the bear beneath him, drawing him closer to those glorious muscles and the powerful man that was his guardian, lover and - on some level - friend. Takoshi knew what he liked and the powerful, naked samurai bent over in front of him flexed his back muscles, every mound becoming far more defined. Each thrust from Ryker caused those mounds to tense and then relax. His rising urgency accelerated the cycle, each inch buried into Takoshi and every flex and release like a hypnotic dance that drew him closer and closer. Mesmerized by the motions, Ryker pressed his muzzle against Takoshi's spine, his eyelids fluttering as those huge traps pulled back, closed around his nose and held him tightly like a warm embrace.

His knot pressed up against Takoshi's pucker, his arms curling around the beast of a man in front of him and reaching around the wide flanks to seize the diamond-hard pectorals with nipples like steel. The deep growling from Takoshi vibrated through their shared connection and harmonized with his rumbling snarls. The bear's big paws reached behind him, grabbing his ass with the vice-like grip. The moment Ryker pulled away to wind-up his thrust, Takoshi was pulling him back in, eliciting a grunt from the gray wolf.

The roar from the shower was punctured by the loud, wet slaps of Ryker's knot pounding against the walls of Takoshi's ass. Their balls swung like pendulums between their legs, lightly kissing one another in that precious moment when they were almost completely one. Ryker's muzzle hung open, his fangs lightly grazing Takoshi's flesh. The gentle caress of the enamel sent Takoshi's own cock spasming in ecstasy, the monstrous baseball bat of bear meat slapping up against his massive abdominals and spraying precum into the air, barely discernible from the drizzle of water around them.

Pressure was building within Ryker's balls. Before the water could totally wash it off, Ryker got a good, long whiff of the manly scent that Takoshi emanated. Hours of working in the gym, screaming at clients and doing his own workouts left a very strong scent. Musky, manly and just oozing raw power that there was something exhilarating and thrilling about mounting the bigger bear. His tongue hung out from his muzzle, sliding up and down bear's back and tasting the fading saltiness of sweat.

Ryker's fingers dug into Takoshi's pectorals, signaling just how close he was getting to orgasm. Takoshi's paws gripped the wolf's ass tighter, each pull growing stronger and more desperate as Ryker's cock brushed up against the bear's prostate. Takoshi was even forced to stand a little on his tip-toes with each thrust. Gaps between each push and pull grew shorter and shorter and for the briefest of moments, Takoshi's hole received just a little bit of Ryker's knot.

"Shit! Fuck!" Takoshi grunted and he immediately went rigid, his ass clamping down around Ryker's dick in a moment of sheer, unbridled bliss. Hot, white, sticky cum exploded from his monster of a cock, shooting almost completely straight upwards and splattering the bear across his face. Some of his seed even landed against Ryker's paws which held onto the monumental pectorals for support. The bear's ass momentarily relaxed between shots but then immediately tightened again as he fired off his second load. The motion repeated for his third, fourth and fifth creating a constant squeezing motion along Ryker's dick that sent the lupine over the edge.

Some rational part of him warned Ryker not to howl as he was very tempted to do and he bit his lower lip to clamp his muzzle shut. That didn't stop his cock from erupting and sending wave upon wave of cum shooting right into his lover's ass. He shook and shuddered, holding onto Takoshi's volcanically hot body for support as he unleashed all the pressure - and perhaps symbolically some of the stress - that had been building up inside of him. His tired hips could not thrust any more. Sensing his weariness, Takoshi pulled him close one last time before releasing his grip and letting Ryker slip out, one final shot sending his lupine seed splattering against the bear's ass to be washed away in the waters of the shower.

Despite having started to orgasm first, Takoshi fired off another two incredible shots of bear cum before his orgasm began to ebb. The benefits of being an IP and having such an incredible body. Before jealousy could start welling up again, Ryker gently grasped Takoshi's shoulder, turning him so that they faced one another. No words needed to be said. Their lips met, interlocking with one another and tongues gently dancing in the bridge they formed. Such tenderness served as a cooling epilogue to their primal lovemaking. The tension in Ryker's shoulders eased away and he melted into Takoshi's big arms.

Takoshi broke the kiss first, straightening as he had to lean down towards his wolf and rested his head atop Ryker's. "Fuck. You almost tied with me."

"I was in control," Ryker replied with a soft chuckle. They both knew that if Ryker had gone that extra mile and shoved his knot into Takoshi, they would be stuck in this position for at least an hour. It had only happened once during the night thankfully but neither of them had gotten any semblance of sleep. Apart from the fact that they were physically stuck, some final switch was just switched off the moment Ryker and even after he had cum in Takoshi, he savagely continued to hump and fuck several times until he literally dropped from exhaustion. It was only ten minutes later when his knot finally deflated and he slid out of Takoshi. At least according to the burly, black-haired bear. The mocking name 'Ryker Unleashed' was handed down as a result.

Takoshi said that he loved seeing that part of his lover but Ryker honestly could not remember the event. Part of him suspected Takoshi was just toying with him because in any normal circumstance, they didn't want to get 'stuck' to one another like that especially when they had to go back to work in a few minutes.

"One of these days, I'm gonna have you tie with me and record the whole damn thing," chuckled the bear, the motion causing his pectorals - and subsequently Ryker's head - to bounce. "It'll be our own little sex tape."

Rolling his eyes, Ryker playfully pushed Takoshi aside and said, "Nothing good ever came out of a sex tape." He turned around and grabbed some of the fur shampoo and began lathering it in his paws.

"Uh... Ever heard of porn?" Takoshi said sarcastically. "I know you have because you're not nearly as repressed as you make yourself out to be."

"Yes, I know what pornography is." He turned around and began applying the soap into Takoshi's chest. "But I've honestly never really been that exposed to it. It's hard to avoid with the internet being what it is but I've usually been too focused on work or school to really even jack off."

A big, white paw gently grasped his wrist, stopping him from subtly worshiping those pectoral muscles under the guise of washing them. "You're kidding me. What did you do for fun?"

Ryker offered a faint smile to his IP and pulled his paw away, continuing to slowly move down the bear's chest across those washboard abs. "I worked on my videogame, remember? When I wasn't studying, doing projects or working, I was working on my first ever videogame... that is until..."

Nothing else needed to be said but they both knew how Ryker had fallen into a deep depression when he had been slapped with a cease and desist order by a company that stole his idea after he had started a crowd funding campaign. The corporation released their game with greater polish and production value than anything he could have ever developed on his own and immediately went to work shutting down his dreams. That had been the onset of his path down being an Independent.

And how he had met Takoshi.

"I'm sort of glad that corporation stole your idea," Takoshi admitted. The bear waited for him to say something, likely to snap back at how cruel that sentence was but Ryker knew his IP well enough that it was just bait. Seeing that his Host wasn't rising to bait, Takoshi continued. "If they hadn't, we would never have met and you wouldn't have discovered the joy of sex." He leaned down, grinning from ear to ear. "And let's face it. Fucking one another comatose is way better than jerking it in front of a screen."

"Yeah, yeah," Ryker laughed, pushing Takoshi's muzzle away and running his paws over the big, meaty dick that was already starting to get erect again. "I'm grateful too, in some way."

"Bet there's still some part of you that wants to kick Syntax's ass, right?"

He gave it some thought and slowed his ascend up the massive cock. "On some level, yes."

"So what do you say after we kick Horizon _'s_ ass, we go after Syntax?"

Laughing softly, Ryker turned around to get more shampoo. "I don't know, Tako. It's not like we know that Syntax is on the Kage's list. Besides, we can't afford to make more enemies..."

He suddenly felt the bear's big dick press up against his back, its immense length nearly reaching the base of his neck. Every inch of him wanted to immediately jerk away but he resist that urge even as his fight or flight response was firing like a New Year's Day fireworks display.

"I'm serious, Ryker," Takoshi said, gently resting his paws on the wolf's shoulders. "We don't owe the Kage_anything. We don't even have to go after _Syntax if they have an Overlord. They stole your IP. The poor thing is probably either trapped by Syntax and turned into a Doser or killed by them. Don't you want to know what happened to it?"

Only _then_did he turn around, having to tilt his head a little away from the big dick hovering in front of him. "You really think my original IP is still out there?"

"Maybe," came the dismissive shrug. "Maybe not. At the very least, we'll be able to find out."

Ryker looked into the bear's blue eyes. There was a softness and genuine concern on the surface but beneath that... there was this overprotective rage. A fury that was stemmed from being wronged by Horizon_and was lashing out at anyone who ever committed a similar crime. _Syntax was likely another victim.

"I don't know," Ryker confessed, turning away. "We can't go after any corporation out of revenge or anything. Yeah, Syntax was a real asshole but what are we going to do? Charge at them, rip off one of their limbs like I did with Kanoth? Get them killed like what happened with Aileen or trap them in the Overworld like Nero? Best case they forget about the whole think and we lock them out of the Overworld like what we did with Emile but when you think about it, our record is three bad things to the one!"

That fire bubbled to the surface of Takoshi's expression and his lips peeled back in a faint growl. "Hey, what happened with Kanoth was damn good for him. He was cheating on his wife with his IP. Didn't even love her! And they're much better now! Hell, they're one of our best friends! We're statistically, two-on-two."

"So we've got a fifty-percent chance of letting things turn out well or ruining someone's life," Ryker said, turning his back to Takoshi. "That's still someone's life, Tako. We shouldn't be doing that to them."

"And what about what they did to you!" barked the bear. Even without looking, he knew Takoshi was waving his paws about angrily. His IP always made big, bold gestures when he was angry. If he didn't know any better, he would've feared that Takoshi would pin him to the wall, stuck that cock in his ass and berate him at the same time. "They basically ruined your life and turned you off any sort of programming! Why do they get to walk off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist?"

Ryker's brow furrowed, his eyebrows pressing together. "What do you mean it turned me off any sort of programming?" he asked, turning back to face his IP.

Takoshi's expression lightened slightly as he realized his mistake. "All I was saying is that you haven't picked up another game to develop since it all happened..."

"I'm still going to my classes aren't I?" Ryker barked. "I'm even working on the dating app! I've just got too much on my plate right now!"

Takoshi narrowed his gaze at the wolf, crossing his arms in defiance. "Bullshit."

The rebuttal was a total surprise from the usual response he got from any of his friends or even his IP previously. "Excuse me?"

"We both know you're not as busy as you say you are. The gym closes at seven. You've only got classes three days of the week and yeah, it takes you up to nine in the evening but on most days, we don't go to my room to fuck until midnight. You've got three hours_at least every night before you go to sleep. Hell, we spend an _hour fucking and getting cleaned up every day like right now. We don't get a lot of customers either. You could be doing other shit on the computer downstairs." He lifted a finger and poked Ryker's chest. "All you're doing is making excuses to procrastinate."

"Now I'll call bullshit on that," Ryker countered, slapping the finger away. "I'm the only one that's worrying about our future!"

"Double bullshit! Decanter does the finances and all the organizational shit here. Yeah you help out but you know he could handle it all by himself if you just let him. You're just telling yourself you're busy and you _need_to get involved because it justifies you _avoiding_what you really want to do and what you _should_be doing!"

"And what should I be doing, huh? Working on that goddamn dating app?"

"Fuck no!" Takoshi shouted, surprising Ryker with the answer. "The dating app is just something to fuck over corporations. Kill off their source of IPs so that their Dosers and IPs can't eat the goddamn strays and get more powerful! What you should be doing is acting like a fucking Independent and fighting the corporation that screwed you over!"

Ryker lifted his paws, forming claws with them and shaking them beside his head like he was trying to contain anger he felt over Takoshi's hypocrisy. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! Not even two months ago, you were all for staying low because you didn't want corporations coming after us! You're just saying this because you want to get back at Horizon!"

"Fuck yeah, I do!" roared the bear, his cock having long gone flaccid. "And you should want to go after Syntax too! You're just bottling all this shit up and pretending you don't care when _I_know that deep inside you, you want to fucking kick down their door and burn the son-of-a-bitch at the top to ash!"

Fury building, Ryker let his arms collapse to his side. "Yes, okay? I do_want to go up to _Syntax and expose them for the opportunistic, plagiarizing jackals that they are but I have more common sense than that. This isn't a videogame. This isn't fantasy. There are real_people working under _Syntax and Horizon. People who aren't even exposed to the Overworld. People that could suffer if we just go around ruining their officers. Whatever we do, it could impact thousands of people! We could orphan other IPs like Decanter! We could be sending people to the poor house!"

"So what? We're just supposed to sit on our asses and do nothing? Or are we supposed to wait for you to finish your program so we can passive-aggressively deprive the corporations of _one_of their sources of power?"

Something snapped in Ryker. It was so painful that he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. Thankfully, the water of the shower hid them. In low, even tones, he said, "You know, Arthur and Cliff were actually hoping I'd not participate in the raid against _Horizon_today because that'd keep you from going off the deep end and doing something stupid. I'm starting to think they're right."

Takoshi's cheeks turned bright pink and his features furrowed in fury. "Those fuckers," he growled, starting to turn. "I'll pound them into the ground! If I can't go, neither can they!"

Ryker immediately lashed out, seizing the bear's wrist. "We're going."

His IP froze. "What? Seriously?"

"Yes," he answered, fixing the bear with a fierce stare. "Because you need this out of your system. So here's what we're going to do." He lifted a finger. "We're going to stop Horizon. We're going to figure out why they had your movie pulled from production. We're going to air out all_the grievances you have with the corporation. Whatever happens - even if we... we _kill someone - I'm going to support you as far as you want to go. But after that, you're going to get off this vendetta. You're going to get off my case about any of the hang-ups I may have. Deal?"

"But -"

He held up a finger, silencing the bear. "We may be Host and IP but we're still two different people. You deal with your baggage your way and I'm going to do whatever it takes to help you feel better. But you let me deal with _my_baggage my way. I'll deal with my shit my way and you can support me if you want to."

Takoshi's features softened and he let out a groan. "Fuck..." He shook his head, unable to meet Ryker's gaze. "... fine."

Glad for the situation to be somewhat defused, Ryker released his IP's wrist. "Good. Now let's finish up. We still have the rest of our shift."

******

Corporations tended to create extravagant and often needlessly lavished headquarters in the Overworld. In the Realworld, they were restricted by social conventions such as taste, materials and zoning permits but in the Overworld, no such limitations existed. Some corporations had huge towering edifices as their HQs that were both gaudy and impractical. Ryker recalled how AllAle_'s_headquarters had been an enormous casino with huge spotlights constantly piercing the night sky and with glimmering colors everywhere that broke the monotony of the Overworld but also served as a means to attract wandering IPs and any new Independents to its location.

For The Horizon Channel, their headquarters took the form of an enormous film studio lot; the kind where people would go on tours and see filming in progress. Large warehouse-like structures dominated the area beyond the big, red, brick walls. Huge posters and billboards of various upcoming shows hung over each studio while what appeared to be statues of IPs that represented their various shows stood like a guard of honor leading towards the main entrance. Each statue was golden in color and stood as if they were stand-ins for an Oscar trophy. Big lights were naturally erected everywhere to point directly at each statue and billboard to make sure they stood out amongst the grim darkness of the Overworld.

Ryker stood amongst the large line of IPs shuffling slowly but continuously towards the enormous entrance. Dressed in the long, red coat, black shirt and equally dark cargo-pants, the young wolf looked completely at home amongst the other IPs around him like he had just been cut out of an edgy movie or dark remake. Right beside him stood Takoshi in his full battle attire. The black samurai garb with icy-blue linings had the left side ripped off to expose the bear's immense bare arm. A single black and ice-blue pauldron sat on Takoshi's right shoulder. Two swords hung by Takoshi's left hip.

Not too far away, Cliff was shuffling right beside Arthur. The tiger donned black utility vest with a fluffy, white, fur collar and beneath that was a dark shirt. Grey shorts hugged his thick thighs while steel-toed boots covered his feet. Arthur was dressed from head to toe in golden armor, a shield and sword in his hands. The boar would have looked out of place in the Realworld but here in the Overworld, there were many other knights and he wasn't the most gold-clad of the crowd.

Ryker honestly felt a little naked without the mask with the digital features as the display used a caricature to keep him from being identified while also scrambling his voice much like the Kage. However, such masks were popularized by the Custodes Libertatis so if he wore it, the attentive Corpsman would immediately recognize them. Risky as it was, he had to agree with Decanter that they had to go without them for the moment.

"How are you progressing?" asked the white-haired rhino.

They had sent Decanter ahead to avoid suspicion. It was also very likely that if any Corpsman recognized Decanter, they would have heard about AllAle's_fall and guessed that he was now orphaned and was looking to join another corporation. As much as Ryker hated the idea of sending one of his IPs out on their own, Decanter was far more experienced in the world of corporations and knew how they thought. If anyone was going to be able to fully infiltrate _Horizon, it was Decanter. Somehow, his self-appointed butler had found them seats ahead.

"We're almost at the entrance," Ryker whispered into the subtle communicator built into the collar of his coat. "This line is huge."

"I would say it is fairly standard for corporations but this is much larger than normal. From the other IPs I've talked to, it's because Horizon is looking for their next summer lineup. Unlike other corporations who would usually have one opening every year or so, this one has multiple openings. Naturally, that'd attract more people."

That made a sick sort of sense. Many shows were likely to debut next summer. Horizon_would have multiple slots available for new and returning shows. These competitions would be a golden opportunity for countless IPs to go from starving on the streets to becoming the next big thing on the airwaves. Of course, with _Horizon_'s_reputation for pandering to the lowest common denominator and pumping out reality TV show after reality TV show, that wouldn't do much to dominate the TV industry. Yet if there was an Overlord in the works...

Ryker ran a paw down his face, stopping just at his chin which he rubbed thoughtfully.

"Overlords..." he whispered.

In essence, the modern 'gods', Overlords were people who had access to the Overworld that had completely fused with their IPs. This not only granted them the powers of the IP in the Overworld but also in the Realworld to some degree. The greater their influence, the more they gained 'dominion' over the certain aspect that they lorded over. Since an IP was effectively an idea given form, if that idea were to propagate throughout the general population, the Overlord could manipulate people's minds through that idea. Worse, if that idea could be generalized, they would eventually be able to control the entire industry of that idea.

Emile Santos, the former-CEO of AllAle, was an Overlord and was on the cusp of becoming the Overlord of Alcohol thanks to the work of his corporation. What would the CEO of Horizon become? The Overlord of Television? Reality TV?

"From what I've heard," Decanter began, interrupting his chain of thought. "There are several events currently being held. Some lesser executives are looking after the other events but the one I booked for us is presided over by Ethan Maydoor. The COO of Horizon.This event is going to be a sort of tournament-style fight. IPs go up against one another in a series of brackets and whomever is standing in the end gets the slot."

Ryker's gaze looked up at one of the billboards showing what appeared to be a beaming lioness with short, brilliantly-ruby hair reaching out towards those approaching them with warm, welcoming eyes. "Is Maydoor a lion?"

"No. You must be talking about Martha Hallaway, the 'face' of Horizon. She's the Chief Production Officer. They have her face everywhere and that's her voice you're hearing over the speakers."

True to his words, the gentle but encouraging voice of Hallaway boomed the closer they got to the gilded entrance of the Horizon lot. Uplifting music swelled behind each word. Encouragement and corporate slogans like 'You can be the next star' or 'everyone has talent' constantly played in loops, sparking hope in the eyes and hearts of the IPs that shuffled forward. Ryker couldn't help but draw the comparison that they were cattle being led to slaughter in an abattoir.

"What can you tell us about Maydoor?" growled Takoshi softly. Ryker couldn't tell if that was the bear's contempt for corporations coming out or an attempt at a whisper.

"He's the Chief Operating Officer," Decanter stated. "From what I've gathered, he is quite anti-social and only attends such events to keep up a face. Blunt, to the point and preferring to communicate via text or email, he is a fennec fox with a decent build likely from years of being exposed to the Overworld and his IP, Zoom. Zoom is a Mako shark and is the opposite of Maydoor. Cheerful, outgoing and - to the general public - is known as Maydoor's public-relations manager. Zoom takes Maydoor out to events and does the talking while Maydoor himself prefers not to speak and just makes appearances. I've even heard that in recent years, he talks through Zoom. He actually texts his words to Zoom who then conveys it to everyone else."

Ryker got this horrible image of a pompous, entitled brat who considered everyone beneath them and due to his wealth and power, was brushed off as eccentric. Some cynical part of him believed that Maydoor's words to Zoom were scathing and filled with profanity but Zoom 'translated' the words into something more palpable to the general public. Such thoughts were toxic, however. He had a low opinion of corporations and those that worked for them like Kanoth Lameer and his IP, Cedar, Oliver and Soren but in the end, they turned out to be great friends and powerful allies.

Judging others just by their circumstances was unbecoming of him.

"Any indication of his abilities or his Function?" Cliff asked. Ryker glanced over his shoulder, taking a moment to catch the tiger's gaze. They shared a quick nod, confirming that they were still within range of one another should something happen.

"Apart from the standard Functions shared by all corporations, there's little data in terms of Maydoor's unique function. Apparently, he doesn't take the field often."

"Sounds like a guy we can take," Takoshi rumbled.

Arthur was suddenly beside Takoshi, gently bumping shoulders with the polar bear. Takoshi half-jumped and was already reaching for his sword when he noticed it was an ally. "Don't be too hasty," warned the boar softly. "You're up against a lot of potential competitors here. Best to conserve your strength."

Ryker had to give 'King' Arthur props. The statement was both good in context of their current conversation and their cover as potential competitors for Horizon's battle royale. His smile faded, however, as they passed the enormous golden gates of the studio headquarters. The line itself was being shuffled and corralled towards Studio 9 by dozens of Corpsmen; men and women dressed in generic suits and wearing sunglasses over their eyes. Hovering over their shoulders were the dead-eyed Dosers that belonged to Horizon - poor IPs that had been robbed for their free will and cloned multiple times across the corporation. He tried not to look too suspicious but his fur stood on end as he felt the Corpsmen's gaze sweep over him.

"I've got to ask," he mumbled softly. "This headquarters is way bigger than the single office building the network actually owns in the Realworld."

"So?" Takoshi rumbled, clearly still somewhat testy after their recent conversation.

Ignoring the venom in the words, he said, "I'm just wondering how it can fit on Manhattan or how it lines up with the Realworld."

"Seriously?" Takoshi gave him an exasperated stare. "It took you this long to ask that?"

"The Overworld is a psychic representation of everyone's collective perception and consciousness," Decanter said, quickly defusing the situation. "It's not a one-to-one scale parallel dimension. Things that have a bigger imprint on the collective consciousness of the population naturally create bigger spaces. I'm not completely clear on the mechanics of it but you will note that the Horizon_headquarters in the Realworld is a multi-storey skyscraper while its ' representation in the Overworld is much wider but nothing is taller than five or six storeys. If I am to wager, I would say that each 'studio' would represent a floor in the skyscraper and if we were to leave the Overworld while in one of them, we'd find ourselves in one of the floors. Since it is not an accurate representation, I would suggest when we make our escape, we do so_ outside _of the studio grounds."_

"Or just use Recall to bring us back to the Safe House," Cliff added.

That made sense and Ryker got a further demonstration on how warped time and space could be in the Overworld when he stepped into Studio 9 itself. Instead of some sort of stage where contestants could audition in front of an audience, he suddenly found himself in a coliseum. Much like the roman coliseum of old, there were stands, a sandy arena and hundreds of cheering audience members. Competitors were doing warm-ups on the sand itself while far above them all, in a private booth, Ethan Maydoor and his IP, Zoom, sat like emperors overseeing the games below them.

Seeing Maydoor gave him chills down his spine. The fennec was predictable dressed in a black suit coupled with a sandy-colored tie to match his sand-colored fur. Small, dark purple sunglasses sat on his muzzle that neither served to block out the non-existent sun in the Overworld or provide enhanced vision. A gray scarf was wrapped around his neck and a little black beret sat between his two, huge ears which were folded back down and almost looked like twin wings folded behind his head. There was a lazy disinterest in his gray-blue eyes.

Beside Maydoor was Zoom. The blue-fleshed shark had the long, pointed snout of a Mako shark. The contrasting white suit he wore had its sleeves artfully torn off to show off his lean, wry muscled arms. An easy-going grin was on his features and it was possible to see his long, tail swaying gently but excitedly behind him as he observed the contestants below. He wore no tie with his suit but did have a golden necklace hanging just barely visible past his unbuttoned shirt.

This was all visible as the various screens around the coliseum showed the duo off. Zoom waved excitedly at the camera while Maydoor didn't even look up from his phone.

"A bunch of assholes if I ever saw a pair," grunted Takoshi.

Decanter instructed them to front row suits in the lowest level. If a quick escape was necessary, they were as close to the exit as possible, the rhino reasoned. They met up with the white-haired rhino who was dressed in a business-casual attire including a dark-blue suit-jacket, a white-beige unbuttoned shirt and a pair of jeans beneath.

"We're about to begin," said Decanter, ushering them both to their seats while taking pains to dust off the seat where Ryker was going to sit. "Stay low, stay silent and just use the Function given to you by Si when you see an opening."

"Got it," Cliff responded. Since Ryker was still technically part of the _Libertatis,_he wasn't given the special Function.

A few minutes later, the crowd had settled and Mako stepped forward, spreading his arms wide to catch everyone's attention. The back of his meaty arms were that ocean-blue color but the inner part was white like the underside of his jaw and he suspected his belly.

"Evenin' everyone!" he bellowed with a clear, crisp, youthful voice that was both melodic and charming. The voice of a TV host. "Thanks for attending this year's competition. We here at The Horizon Channel are all excited to set up next year _'s lineup and honestly, we wish we could bring you_ all_onboard but, hey, there_'s only so much time in the year and only so many hours in the day. We've got other competitions running in the other studios so if you don't like the idea of competing in an all-out brawl like this today, make sure to check out our schedules and see if there is one you find interesting! Pamphlets can be found at all exits and entrances."

"Spoken like a goddamn ad," Takoshi rumbled.

As much as the constant growling was annoying, Ryker couldn't agree more.

"So many awesome competitors today!" continued Mako. "Before we start, let's be clear on the rules."_With that bright, innocent smile, he cheerfully said, _"This is a fight to the death. Any IP that falls will be fair game. You can take down a competitor but if you aren't fast enough, someone else might just snipe them from you and take their power for themselves. There will be four matches of five minutes each. Between each match will be a fifteen minute break to rest and recuperate. No one can join in the middle of match. But you can forfeit during these breaks. No trying to kill audience members either!"_Zoom laughed cheerfully. _"Let me tell you, we had that once and it wasn't pretty. But apart from that, no more rules! So if you don't like these rules, you don't have to stick around. On the other hand, if they get your engine revving, come on down!"

Ryker watched as a few competitors stood nervously. It broke his heart that some of those on the sands were small, wry and looking either too young or malnourished. Desperate IPs hoping to find some for of sustenance in this harsh world that had abandoned them. There were only two or three that looked experienced and strong enough to make it to the end.

Then there was movement beside him.

"TakoshI!" Arthur barked.

Ryker was halfway off his seat by the time Takoshi had leapt over the short barricade separating him from the arena itself.

"Tako!" he exclaimed. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Takoshi glanced over his shoulder, meeting his gaze. The protests of Decanter and the others remained unheard, dulled by the beating of his own heart in his ears.

"You promised," came the big bear's simple reply.

Ryker pursed his lips and immediately sat back down. "Fuck... Fine. Just don't get killed."

Takoshi gave him a sly smirk and turned back towards the arena wordlessly.

Some of the competitors turned and fled, not only because of Takoshi, but some other IPs started stepping out of the stands. One even leapt down from the third storey and landed with a resounding boom, magma exploding out from his feet as he made impact with the sand melting into glass between his toes.

"Clever," Decanter murmured. "By only coming out now, they limited the amount of time competitors could have sizing them up."

"Be careful, Takoshi..." Arthur breathed.

Cliff gripped Ryker's arm tightly. "Dude, did you know he was going to do this?"

The young wolf shook his head. "Kind of...? Honestly, I thought he would try to snipe Maydoor or disappear and try to kidnap him. Not this." His eyes switched back to the bear who stood a good distance away from the other fighters.

"Goddamnit, Tako..."

When no other movement came from the crowd, Zoom lowered his arms. "Alrighty! Registration is over! Let the fight begin in three... two... one!"

All in unison, everyone in the stands immediately shouted...

"Fight!"