Collared - Chapter 9 - Advance
#9 of Collared
Chapter 9 - Advance
Time passes, and things change. Despite one's best efforts to hold in the same place, sometimes there is nothing that can be done but to move forward. However, oftentimes, simply desiring to change is not enough.
Sera had never been to the Registry before. She'd had her reasons, but now, as she made her way into the grandiose lobby, they didn't seem so convincing. The Registry was designed with more elegance than an InCorp building, and frankly reminded her of a high priced hotel. She tried to remember why she was there, and though her attempts to keep her eyes from flicking around at all the Collars and their Indicia failed, she made her way through the crowd. Occasionally, she felt the urge to reach out and touch some furred thing or another. The creatures were fascinating, and no two looked alike. A fox with russet colored fur, a bird with feathers of blue and green, a massive bear, a miniature squirrel. She longed to know what they felt like. But she resisted. She didn't want to be rude, no matter how curious she was. So she kept her hands firmly on her purse as she slipped through the people and their furry companions. At the back of the lobby, she saw a security station, and just beyond, elevators. Without looking, she pulled a small ID out of her purse as she approached security. Apparently not used to seeing women in the tower, the security guard eyed her suspiciously. "I'm here to visit my brother." Sera said confidently, brushing some of her hair out of her face. The guard reached out and took the ID, scanned it. "Name?" He asked flatly. "I'm Sera Walker, I'm visiting Isaac Walker. Or he might be Isaac Cross. I'm not sure if you people use official names or not." She stood still with her eyes on the guard, but she admired the Indicia in her peripherals. The security guard typed for a quick moment, and then the light on the security checkpoint flashed green. "Looks like he's expecting you. I'll hold onto your ID until you leave. And keep it to the first three floors." Sera nodded and scurried through the scanner and towards the elevators. It had been months since she had seen Isaac, and she was looking forward to learning how he was doing. It was the longest they'd been apart since they were born. Isaac was a bit dependant on her, he hadn't really ever had any friends of his own. On board the elevator, Sera pressed herself against the back wall to allow maximum occupancy. She was surprised to find that the elevator car packed with Collars and Indicia didn't smell like a zoo. Instead, it had exotic and otherworldly fragrances. A fox squeezed in next to her, and when his arm brushed against hers, she blushed as her heart fluttered. The rest of the ride was uneventful, and when the elevator stopped on the third floor, she had to slip out through the full elevator. It wasn't that she had planned it that way, but she didn't mind the close quarters. It dawned on her as she made her way off the elevator that she needed a boyfriend. This thought was forgotten quickly as she stopped in her tracks and marveled at the third floor of the Registry. If the lobby was like a hotel, the third floor was the finest shopping mall she had ever seen. Restaurants, lounges, and stores, each decorated differently but exquisitely. It was early in the day, so the floor was largely empty, but Sera could simply glance over the balcony, down at the lobby, if she desired eye candy. Her urge to browse the shops was also a strong one, but once again, she resisted. She was here for a reason. It didn't take her long to find the restaurant they agreed to meet at. It was a simple diner, with cheap prices but what Isaac insisted was decent food. Her baby brother was seated at a both in the back, drinking a soda and reading his LINK. He didn't notice her until she was seated across from him. She put her purse on the side of the table and leaned forward, holding her hands out towards Isaac. He put his LINK around his wrist and smiled at her. He leaned forward and they hugged across the table. That was when Sera realized that Isaac wasn't her baby brother anymore. His skin was more tan, and his short blond hair had grown to a wavy medium length. She could feel the muscles he had added over the months in their hug, he was much stronger now than he had been before. "You look so different." Sera looked over her brother, trying to find more changes. Several new scars were found on his forearms, he had dark circles under his eyes, but his hair was combed and he was clean shaven. Exhausted, but not unkempt. He was wearing a blue buttoned shirt that brought out the vibrancy of his sapphire eyes. The top of an old fashioned lighter was sticking out of his breast pocket. "You better not have started smoking!" She pointed at the lighter. "I will throw you over that balcony." "What?" Isaac raised an eyebrow. "First of all, if I want to start smoking, I will, and you won't stop me." He stuck his tongue out at her, and she crossed her arms in response. "And second?" "It's sort of a joke. I didn't start smoking. I did start drinking though." He glanced away, biting his lip. Sera shrugged, "That's okay." Isaac turned back to her and smiled. "I'm glad to see you. It's been awhile. I think I forgot what it looks like outside." "Cloudy, with a chance of rain." The weather lately had been unpleasant, and work at InCorp had been hectic ever since the Thrall attack. And Sera hadn't seen Isaac since that same day. She couldn't hold back anymore. "Alright, spill it. I want to know everything that's happened to you since we last saw each other." "Everything? Sera, that's a really long story." Isaac groaned, leaning back pitifully. "Don't leave out a single detail. You've changed, and I need to know how!" She commanded, jamming her finger into the table for emphasis. "I haven't changed that much. But alright." He sighed and closed his eyes, wondering where to start.
It had been a long few months. The last time Isaac had seen Sera, it was the day of the burnout. He had talked to her on his LINK, but he hadn't had time to meet up with her, and he still hadn't been able to leave the Registry. Chase's orders. The day after he had gotten out of the hospital, that was when he learned how Tyloki had changed. The wolf had been missing for the better part of a week, and then Isaac was back to back with the wolf in his new bedroom. Right away, Isaac could tell something was different. He felt different, in an intangible way, deep inside Isaac's head. "About the burnout," Isaac started, but the wolf cut him off with a growl. "Don't. It's not worth talking about." He said, and Isaac could feel the rumble inside the wolf through his back. "I think we need to talk about it." Isaac persisted, and he remained silent for a moment as the wolf refused to respond. "You thought we were going to die. Both of us." Still the wolf didn't answer. "But we didn't. And I need to know why you let me do it." Isaac whispered. It was one thing to try and kill himself, Tyloki would appreciate that. But why would the wolf put his own life on the line? "I didn't let you do anything." Tyloki corrected, "Whose power do you think that was? You were well worn out by the time we got outside the building." The wolf's words were still spiced with growls, but he no longer snarled each and every word. "What I did was save the innocent people in that building, using my power." "I wanted to save those people, too." Isaac felt slight indignation at the wolf's correction. He had to agree to the burnout for it to happen, and he wanted part of the credit. "And yet you did nothing to that end. You were useless, I saved those people, and as usual, you were powerless. All of the desire in the world won't save people without the ability to back it up." Tyloki spoke breathlessly, as if it had been something he had been planning to say for quite some time. "You think that any random human on the street doesn't want to save the innocent, the victimized? They want to, but they can't, because they're nobody. You like to pretend that the worst thing you can do is have power and not use it for good. I say the worst thing you can do is desire to help but do nothing to gain the power necessary. That's why we Indicia exist, to grant willing humans the power to change the world. The worst thing you can do is ignore that power when it is in your grasp." Tyloki turned around now, sitting being Isaac on the bed. He leaned his muzzle in close to Isaac's ear and whispered, "The worst thing you can do is be you." "Not anymore." Isaac said, turning around himself, face to muzzle with the wolf. Days ago, he would have argued that the wolf was wrong, that it wasn't true. The fact was, it didn't matter who was right when it came to words. All he could do was prove it through action. He wanted to save the people at InCorp, so he did, with Tyloki's help. They would disagree forever on who saved the people, but the people were saved, that was what mattered. Now he was ready to take hold of the power that Tyloki talked about. He wouldn't be able to convince Tyloki he was worth his time by arguing with him. Instead, he would show him. "I'm ready to fight." "Those are easy words to say, runt. I can see the truth, you're still too scared to pick up a weapon. You're too scared to even move in the face of an adversary." Tyloki kept his eyes locked with Isaac. "That isn't true. I made it through the night at InCorp, and I had to fight. I wasn't too afraid then, I won't be in the future." Isaac was determined to finally not end an argument with the wolf looking pathetic. "That was the same as when you pacted with me. You had no other choice, you were forced into action. Will you be able to do the same willingly? Will you put yourself in danger to protect someone if you don't have to? You followed Riley to his fight with a Thrall, foolishly, without the will to fight yourself. When he needed you, you remained still, frozen in fear. That is the truth of you, putting your life on the line only when you have no other choice, and hoping people will applaud you for your selflessness." Isaac could not see the fire he was used to in Tyloki's eyes, but they still chilled him to the core. They were the same lifeless eyes he had seen in his nightmares. He gave no outward indication of his fear, but he knew the wolf was aware. Winning an argument was nearly impossible with his thoughts working against him, without the ability to lie. The only argument he could possibly make were choices he hadn't made yet. If he was afraid, if he believed the wolf had made a good point, if he knew he was wrong, the wolf also knew. It allowed Tyloki to crush him mentally and emotionally, anytime he wanted. Isaac wished he could also see into Tyloki's thoughts, to learn his motivations, his desires, his fears. Isaac did know one thing that Tyloki was sensitive about, but mentioning it was likely to get him a beating. He avoided thinking the name, but he doubted even Tyloki could punish him simply for thinking of something. Jin. Tyloki had been broken when Jin died, and moments later, he had pacted with Isaac. Every since then, Isaac had been on a ride, going with whatever happened, never able to plan far ahead. Then Isaac realized that Tyloki had been going non-stop since Jin died, too. Come to think of it, Riley had said he worked with Jin, but no one ever mentioned a funeral. Isaac had been so caught up in his own problems, he never thought to ask. He never considered that he wasn't just useless to Tyloki, but to everyone at the Registry, he was likely a living reminder of the fact that Jin was gone. He survived the impossible, and Jin had died on a routine mission. It wasn't survivors guilt, Isaac knew his survival and Jin's death were unrelated, but Isaac felt a sickening feeling building in his stomach. He wanted to get out of his own skin as he was wracked by nausea. Isaac braced himself, fully prepared to get smacked just for mentioning the name. "Jin. Did he have a funeral?" "While you were out." Tyloki chuffed, and though he didn't raise his paw to strike Isaac, the boy could see the desire in the wolf's eyes. Jin's funeral had been while Isaac was in a coma. It wasn't just the burnout that had changed in Tyloki. The burnout had been before Tyloki had a chance to make peace. It hadn't been to save those people. It was a suicide attempt. The fact that they were alive was the only problem. Had the funeral helped to mellow Tyloki out? Isaac's stomach was still twisting, but it wasn't just his stomach, it was his entire body. Every part of him wanted to be someone else. His inability to see inside Tyloki's head had made him forget to use the usual method. Not to mention his limited experience dealing with people at all. Isaac was supposed to be dead, and Tyloki wanted to be right there alongside him. They were both supposed to be dead. They would have to find a way to keep living, together. One thing at a time. Feeling his insides on their way out, Isaac looked around for a trash bin, but didn't see one in the room. He scrambled to his feet and opened the door to the common room. Riley and Rain were still on the couch, writhing together, but Isaac couldn't see much more over the back of the sofa. Scurrying past to the hallway, he tried not to look at what the two were up to. But he couldn't resist. They were laying together along the length of the couch, the otter on top, resting between Riley's legs. His thick tail blocked the view of what was going on between them, but Isaac could see them kissing passionately.
As he hit the hallway, he glanced back and forth, trying to remember which way the bathrooms were. He gambled and turned right, towards the elevators, flying past common room doors, hoping he could find the restroom rather than vomit in the hallway. In luck, he nearly ran past the bathroom door and had to stumble back slightly to enter. He found the nearest toilet and kneeled in front of it. He heaved and gagged, and as the bile left him, the twisted guilt that filled his body left with it. As he coughed and sputtered the last bit, he stayed over the bowl, making sure there was no more to follow.
The bathroom was quiet, Isaac guessed there was no one else around. He listened to the sound of his own breathing, stared at the metal wall, his own reflection. The wolf's reflection next to his. Both sets of eyes were cold, frozen. Both lacked fire. Isaac was ready to say something to Tyloki when he was interrupted. He saw someone else reflected in the metal, and turned to greet them.
"You...okay, bro?" It was Dominic, the raven haired elementalist who Isaac had seen lose in a fight against the warrior Archer on his first day at the Registry. Dom the Elemental. "Isaac, right?" Dom held out his hand to help Isaac up.
Isaac took the aid and stood, wiping his mouth with the back of his head. "I'm fine." He said, wiping the back of his hand on his shirt. It wasn't his shirt anyway. "It's just been an overwhelming few weeks."
Dom gave Isaac a pat on the shoulder, his bandaged right shoulder, and Isaac winced. Dom pulled his hand back, concerned. "Sorry, left handed, it's a habit. Listen, I saw that pyre you set at InCorp. It was breathtaking."
"I'm glad you could appreciate it." Isaac chuckled, the pain in his infected arm taking its time to fade.
"Of course I could appreciate it. Fire is one of my four specialties, but I can't say I've ever lit a flame that big." Dom looked past Isaac, eyes glazed over, presumably imagining the InCorp building in flames.
"It's a record for me, too. But I don't recommend it." He smirked at Dom, who laughed.
"No, I don't think I'll be trying. It's a hell of a party trick, though. Oh, the things I would do, if I had that kind of power." Dom said wistfully.
"Is Tyloki really that powerful?" Isaac asked, and he felt a smack up the back of his head.
That again?
[Don't ask stupid questions.]
"One of the most powerful. Compared to Basel," Isaac raised an eyebrow, and Dom nodded, "Right, you haven't met Basel yet. He's my Indicia."
"What is he?" Isaac asked, curious.
[Pathetic, that's what he is.]
Be nice.
Isaac blinked, and in an instant, the creature he presumed was Basel was standing next to Dom. Incredibly tall and lanky, covered in thick black, white, and russet colored fur. His muzzle came to a narrow tip, with beady eyes and small ears. The black stripe across his eyes looked like a mask. His tail trailed on the ground like a paintbrush. He held out his paw to shake, and Isaac did so.
[Make sure you wash your hands.]
The paw was soft and the handshake felt friendly. There's nothing wrong with him.
"A ferret." Isaac said with a smile. Ferrets had always been a favorite of his. He wished for a second that his Indicia could've been a ferret, but he perished the thought, afraid of another smack on the head. "Crafty and energetic."
Basel took his paw back and vanished again. "He doesn't talk much." Dom admitted, "But at least you got to meet him." They stood together for a moment of silence. Isaac wasn't sure what else to talk about.
"Oh, I heard you are going to be learning to fight. I know," Dom held up his hand when Isaac started to ask how he knew already, "word travels fast around here. I think it's great."
"Yeah, I want to learn. But I'm not sure where to get started, exactly." Isaac admitted.
"Tyloki ought to be able to help you with that."
"Not likely, getting him to help me with something is pulling teeth." Isaac scratched the back of his head. "Everyone has a weapon or special skill they use. I've never really used a weapon before, though."
"Picking a weapon is easy." Dom smiled, and held his hands up. "Well, I don't really use a weapon, so I'm one to talk. But the Registry has a whole armory. You can try out all sorts of different weapons there. I'd say it's a good place to start."
"Oh, okay. And...where is that?" Isaac asked, still not familiar with the layout of the tower.
Dom chewed on his lip for a minute, then nodded resolutely. "It's a part of the training facility on the fourth floor. Meet me there tomorrow morning, say around 6?"
"6?" Isaac laughed, but his smile faded when Dominic nodded. "Yeah, 6. Sounds good. I'll meet you on the fourth floor tomorrow at 6." Working at InCorp, Isaac couldn't make deliveries until shipments came in, so there was no reason to come in early. So he wouldn't forget, he set an alarm on his LINK.
[Tomorrow at 6.]
Will you help?
[Something like that.]
Dom and Isaac parted ways and Isaac headed back to Riley's...no, to his room. Slipping the key into the door, he covered his eyes with his hands as he entered. Riley and Rain had moved somewhere else. He listened closely as he walked in, and heard noises coming from Riley's bedroom. At least the common space was clear now.
He sat down on the couch. Now he had a plan. He would meet with Dom tomorrow, and he would pick a weapon. One thing at a time. That was one thing. It helped him to relax. As he reached for the TV remote, it was the first time he had a chance to watch TV since he met Tyloki, his hand stopped. He couldn't relax quite yet.
Tyloki.
"What?" The wolf was sitting on the couch next to him, he took up nearly two cushions.
"Is that how you feel about me?" He asked, referring to his sudden trip to the bathroom.
"All the time." Tyloki growled without looking at Isaac.
"Because of Jin?" Isaac pressed.
Tyloki growled in response.
"I'm going to find the Thrall, and I'm going to kill it. Then maybe you'll see what it is I've got to offer. I don't know if Thralls feel pain, but I'll do my best to teach it how to suffer. Is that what you want to hear?"
"It's not your words that I hate. It's your mind." Tyloki sighed, and shook his head. "You still don't understand."
"I'm willing to fight now, and I'm determined to learn. What am I still doing wrong?" Isaac pleaded.
"You might be able to find the Thrall that killed Jin, but you wouldn't be able to kill it."
"How do you know that? Once I learn to fight..."
"It's easier to just show you." The wolf cut Isaac off, and turned on him. He placed his hefty paw on Isaac's chest, let the claws dig in just enough to get a grip.
Isaac pulled back, but there was no couch underneath him anymore. He fell a few inches, and grunted as he landed his ass on hard ground. He scraped his hands on the stone beneath him. He was outside now, but the world had the strange blue tint to it, like his last time in the spirit world. This time, however, there seemed to be a darkness that stretched on as far as the eye could see. He wasn't in the Indicia's world, he could feel that he was somewhere else.
"This is your mind." Tyloki said, standing with his arms crossed against his chest. He waited for Isaac to stand up.
"If this is my own mind, why can't I wear clothes?" Isaac complained, noticing that he was in his underwear, like the last time he had been in the spirit world.
"Because I don't like them." Tyloki said as a matter of fact.
Isaac stood and looked around. "We're inside my head?"
"That is what I said." Tyloki said impatiently.
"And?" Isaac asked, looking around. It was a desolate landscape, an ethereal blue desert. They were standing at the top of a hill, and as far as Isaac could see was nothing.
"Exactly. There's nothing here. You're blank. You can't forge a weapon with no supplies." The wolf let Isaac get a good look at the emptiness of the place.
"So I'll fill it with stuff." Isaac said simply.
"It's not just that." Tyloki snarled, and he stepped to the side, revealing something that he had purposely been standing in front of.
A small orb floated in place, bobbing up and down with nothing apparent to keep it in the air. Small flecks of light swarmed it like fireflies, and it gave off a faint luminescent glow, more like the moon than the sun. It appeared to be made of glass, though Isaac knew better, and it had a cerulean color that matched the color of the barriers Isaac could create. The specks of light that orbited it chaotically were at once every color and no color, there and yet not. Inside the orb was a blackness that went on forever, an empty void that Isaac wanted to hide in forever.
"What is it?" Isaac asked, but he had an idea.
"For lack of a better word, this is your soul. It's your magic." Tyloki said.
"It's beautiful." Isaac was transfixed by the orb.
"Souls tend to be." Tyloki agreed, "But it's also weak and pathetic, as you would expect."
The boy leaned closer to his soul, afraid to touch it. He reached his hand out, but dared not make contact. "How can you tell?"
"It's dim. A true soul should burn as brightly as a star. Yours is dim and worthless. You see, no matter how much you train to fight, as long as you are weak inside, you will never be able to kill the Thrall that killed Jin."
"Then I'll make it brighter!" Isaac declared.
The wolf laughed at the boy's declaration. "You would have to change yourself completely. Reinvent yourself. And I can see that you're not willing to do that."
"Then I'll train until I change against my will. I'll become brighter, and stronger, I'll kill the Thrall that killed Jin. I've had enough of you telling me what I can't do. I'm going to show you what I can."
"Is that a promise?" Tyloki perked up, and Isaac wondered what had the wolf so excited.
"That I'll kill the Thrall that killed Jin? Yes."
"And you won't run away, you won't let it get away, no matter the cost? No matter the circumstances?" The wolf asked, a strange look in his eyes, but Isaac nodded. "Say you promise."
"I promise." Isaac said resolutely.
Tyloki reached a claw out and gently ran it along a length of the blue band around Isaac's neck. The touch tingled as it slid along his neck, and Isaac was worried the wolf would apply more pressure and draw blood. As the claw slid, the band lit up, glowed like when it was first created.
"A Geas, then." Tyloki said as he pulled his paw back. "If you should ever break that promise, our bond will be severed, and you will lose everything."
"What do you mean everything?" Isaac questioned, worried now. It was the first he had heard about a 'Geas'. "What is that?"
"Think of it as a compulsion. It's what we Indicia get out of the bargain. I tell you to do something, and you absolutely have to do it." Tyloki growled, seemingly pleased with himself. "If you disobey this order, you've broken the pact."
"What will I lose?" Isaac asked again.
"I'd rather let you find that out on your own." Tyloki flashed his fangs, and they were on the couch again.
Isaac's neck felt warm, and he rubbed at it gently. He had made a promise that he would hunt and kill the Thrall that killed Jin. He intended to do just that, but what would happen if he failed?
"And?" Sera asked, practically bouncing in her seat. "Did you find out what happens?" "No, I haven't found out yet. I haven't been able to leave the Registry, and I'm still training to fight, so I can't exactly go hunting for Thralls yet." Isaac said as if it should be obvious. "Why don't you ask someone?" Sera followed up quickly, eager to learn as much as she could. "I....why didn't I ask someone?" Isaac blushed, and Sera guessed he felt pretty stupid. That's what she was there for, after all. Big sisters are supposed to make baby brothers feel stupid. "Anyway, that was the first day out of the hospital. I moved in with Riley, made a promise to Tyloki, and made friends with Dominic." "Friends?" Sera gasped, as if it were a shocking revelation. "You haven't had friends in a decade." "That's not true. Not entirely." Isaac shook his head. "That's not the point. Yes I have friends now. Dominic, Riley, and Archer. They're...my friends." It sounded as much a revelation to Isaac as it did to Sera. "You mentioned Dominic and Riley, but who is Archer?" "I'm getting to that." Isaac said, waving his hand at his sister. "It's my story, let me tell it how I want." "Your way is boring, bro. Tell it the way I want." She grinned, smacking his hand out of the air. "Who is Archer?" "Jeez, calm down. You're like a giddy fangirl. It's embarrassing. Archer is...I can't just jump ahead. I have to tell the story in the right order. I'll get to it, I promise." He rolled his eyes as Sera drooped her shoulders. "Just get on with it." She said. "I met Dominic the next day, to start training. I don't know what I was expecting, but things didn't exactly go as I thought they would."
Isaac was a delivery boy, which was a line of work that didn't often deal directly with weapons. Even working for InCorp, a weapon and technology engineering corporation, he was used to delivering nondescript packages. His experience with different sorts of weapons was slim to nil. Furthermore, InCorp specialized in guns and Lightglass bladed melee weapons. The armory at the Registry was a fully stocked war room equipped with every weapon any Collar could desire, and the weapons were all real metal, not Lightglass. Isaac had no chance of feeling comfortable as he followed Dominic into the armory.
They passed through a rather large training room into a storage room that resembled a stock room at InCorp. Rows upon rows of weapon racks were stacked to the brim with weapons, ranging from shining and new to worn and scarred. There were weapons Isaac recognized, like swords and spears, axes, even crossbows and one rack that held several models of handguns and rifles. Then there were the racks that held the strange weapons, things Isaac had never seen before, and had no clue as to how they would be used to fight.
Jin used the spear. Isaac thought as he saw some spears of various lengths nearby. He followed Dominic through the racks. "There's a lot of weapons."
"Like I said, anything you could think of." Dominic said, appraising weapons as they walked past, seemingly trying to decide what would suit Isaac.
"And some I couldn't." Isaac leaned in to get a better look at a peculiar set of crescent shaped blades joined by a chain.
"If a Collar uses a weapon, we keep a copy here as a sort of database. So we have a few oddities, things that were made up by one Collar, maybe it worked well with his power or whatever. But they're usually not suited to anyone else. Either way, we keep a copy, just in case." Dominic explained. "If you pick a weapon, we'll leave the copy here and get you one made for your own use."
[Better not use a spear. You'll cut your own eye out.]
Your confidence in me is overwhelming, Isaac thought, focusing on Dominic.
"So I'm looking at you, and you're kind of small." Dom glanced back at Isaac as they meandered through the weapons.
"Not that small." Isaac defended, looking at himself. Dom was about the same size, but maybe with a bit more fat.
"Small compared to some of the guys around here. You're not the hammer or axe type, ya know?" Dominic continued. "So you want to use a weapon that takes advantage of your skills. What is it you do for a living?"
Isaac ran his finger tip over the blade of a nearby axe, to test the sharpness. He winced and pulled back as it drew a drop of blood. "I was a delivery boy. Probably not anymore. I'd deliver packages all over the city, on foot or by bike."
"On foot, eh? Can you climb?" Dom asked, out of curiosity.
"A little bit. I'm no free runner, but I can get from one end of Lowtown to the other in less than 30 minutes." Isaac tried to feel proud of himself, even if for such a small achievement.
Dom answered with an impressed whistle. "Take off your shirt." He said, stopping and turning around.
Isaac spent a second considering a suitably snarky response, but came up short. With a shrug, he lifted his shirt over his head and held it in his hand. His right shoulder was still bandaged, and the veins under the bandages glowed faintly. He had a sleek body, little fat and an athletic build, the kind reserved for swimmers and runners. Dominic looked at him for a few minutes, and Isaac hoped he wouldn't ask him to take off his pants. Just as Isaac started to get uncomfortable, Dominic nodded and Isaac slipped his shirt back on.
"Something quick, light, easy to handle." Dom mused, looking around the armory. Without another word, he started grabbing weapons off the racks. Occasionally, he would hand one to Isaac to hold.
"Why are they all real metal? Most blades are Lightglass these days." Isaac asked as their arms filled with different weapons.
"The energy that makes Lightglass is technically the same as the energy used in a Thrall's barrier. I'd wager your barriers are the same. Anyway, AE energy has a frequency, you know that much, right?" Dom asked in return.
"Yeah, AE energy can be changed in color and strength by running it at different frequencies." Everyone knew the basics of Lightglass and AE energy, it was taught in school after all. Few went on to learn the intricacies of the energy itself.
"A Lightglass blade of one frequency wouldn't be able to put a dent in a barrier of a significantly different frequency. Using a Lightglass weapon against a Thrall would require that you constantly be adjusting the frequency until you found just the right one." Satisfied with his weapon choices, Dom started for the door to the training room.
Isaac followed, arms growing tired under the weight of the weapons. "But what if you could find the correct frequency? The exact same one?"
"If you could manage that, it'd be like there was no barrier at all. Unfortunately, AE tuning of that specificity is done to the thousandth decimal. Calibrating it on the fly would be nearly impossible. Add to that the fact that most Thralls actively modulate their frequency, and you start to realize that Lightglass isn't the way to go when fighting them."
That sounded reasonable to Isaac, so he nodded and let it go. As they emerged from the armory, Dominic dropped the weapons unceremoniously on the floor. Isaac followed suit, dropping his weapons nearby. "Oh, the others are here." Dominic said, waving across the room.
"Others?" Isaac asked, turning to see who Dominic was waving to.
I thought you said you'd be training me.
[I said 'something like that'. I arranged someone to take care of it for me. No reason for me to waste my time on you.]
I don't want someone else to train me. We're going to be fighting together, we should train together.
Riley and Alkaid, a cat Isaac recognized from his first day, were approaching with mischievous smiles in their eyes. Isaac waved back, but stayed quiet as they made their way over.
"I believe this is the first time we've met. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Alkaid." The cat said, holding out a paw to Isaac. He was short, and he looked to be slim in build, but the large hooded cloak he was wearing was hiding most of his body. The hood even had small pockets sewn into the top for his ears. Isaac had thought he was cute before, and that had not changed.
"Isaac." The boy said as he shook Alkaid's paw and shook it before waving to Riley with a smile.
"Indeed. Tyloki has tasked me with seeing to it that you be properly trained in the ways of combat and other Collarly things." Alkaid said, his gaze wandering over to the pile of weapons. "Excellent, you've already made preliminary selections. That will move things along considerably."
"Wait," Isaac cut in, "why are you training me, and not Tyloki?"
"I believe he said something about you not being worth the time..." Alkaid mumbled, "But that's no matter."
"Isaac, Alkaid is one of the best fighters we have. You should be honored to train with him." Riley said, walking over to lean on the wall at the side of the room. Apparently he had come to spectate.
RIley's words reassured Isaac, they made him feel better about the situation. Suddenly it seemed like a good idea to train with Alkaid. He would probably be less harsh than Tyloki, there would be less pain involved.
"I did have one condition for training you. It is a favor, after all." Alkaid said with a smirk, "During your time with me, Tyloki is to leave us alone. I simply won't train you if someone will be butting in every few moments. So while we are training, please consider me your Indicia."
Isaac already liked Alkaid better than Tyloki, so he decided to go along with it. No way training with the cat could be worse than the wolf, and the wolf was neutered right now anyway.
[Say neutered one more time.]
"Shall we get started?" Alkaid stood with his arms crossed casually across his chest.
"I guess. What should we do?" Before Isaac had finished speaking, the cat moved forward. There was a blur, Alkaid gone, pressure on his neck. Isaac looked down to see the cat's claws on his throat, and he felt the cat standing close behind him now.
"Oh dear, you didn't even know that was an attack, did you?" Alkaid muttered as he let Isaac go. "We are going to have to start at the very beginning."
Stunned by Alkaid's incredible speed, Isaac went over the short moment in his head over and over, trying to figure out how the cat had gotten behind him without his noticing. "The very beginning works for me."
"You look athletic enough as it is." Alkaid scratched his chin, looking over Isaac. He stepped closer to the boy and ran his paw down Isaac's chest. "So while we will still working on building up muscles, we can also get started on technique. Don't you have any clothes that are more appropriate for training?"
The only clothes Isaac had so far was the outfit that had been delivered to him in the hospital. "No, this is all I've got."
"Take them off." Alkaid instructed, and he turned to start looking over the pile of weapons.
Isaac looked at Dominic, and then over to Riley, who gave him a thumbs up with an enthusiastic nod.
"Those pants will restrict your movement, and that shirt will chafe. I believe you'll be much more comfortable without them on." Alkaid said in response to Isaac's hesitation.
"Yeah, but I am also uncomfortable with having no clothes on." If it was just Alkaid and him, it wouldn't be as big a deal. Riley and Dominic were watching, too, and with Riley came Rain, who seemed to have a lecherous obsession with Isaac. He also didn't know who might come in during the course of the day.
"That is something you will need to get over quite quickly, Isaac." Alkaid turned to look at him with piercing eyes. "Surely you've noticed that Indicia are not partial to clothing, and many of the Collars around the Registry follow suit. We're a close group, privacy is not something you can really expect."
"Take it off!" Riley hollered, whistling.
"It's nothing we haven't seen before!" Dominic added with a chuckle.
Isaac rolled his eyes at the peanut gallery and slipped his shirt off as before. He kicked his pants off over his shoes and threw them to the side. Dominic retrieved them from the floor and folded them neatly. Isaac stood next to Alkaid now, in just his shoes and boxer briefs. He crossed his arms uncomfortably. He noticed now how chilly the room was. The cat stood motionless, waiting. For a second, Isaac wondered if he was supposed to take off even his underwear. Alkaid coughed and pointed at his feet. Understanding now, Isaac kicked off his shoes and put them with the rest of his clothes.
Without warning, Alkaid picked up a sword and tossed it at Isaac.
The boy slid one foot back, pivoting his body out of the way of the sword, and then he held his hands up at Alkaid. The cat was smiling devilishly. Maybe he would be as bad as Tyloki. Isaac walked over to pick up the sword from the ground. It was heavier than it looked, and it took a bit of a heft to raise fully. It strained his arms to hold up, and was heavy not just in weight but in concept. It was a weapon, designed for combat. It might be Isaac's tool now. But Alkaid shook his head and took the sword from Isaac's hands.
Over the course of the next few minutes, this pattern repeated. Alkaid would stare at the pile of weapons, pick one up and toss it at Isaac, who would dodge it and then pick it up off the ground. He wasn't stupid enough to try and catch a bladed weapon out of the air. Each time, Alkaid would shake his head disappointedly and take the weapon, whereupon Dominic would return the weapon to the armory.
Several different swords, Isaac recognized a rapier, a short sword, a cutlass, were all removed and returned to the armory. There were a few non-bladed weapons that Isaac tried to catch, but they hit his hands hard and he dropped them with a loud clatter on the floor and a whimper as he shook the pain away. Slowly, they made their way through all of the weapons that Dominic had picked out, and Isaac wasn't sure they would ever pick one. A tonfa, nunchaku, a club, a small hammer, and a baton, all failed.
Isaac was already becoming exhausted, and they hadn't even done anything yet. He knew it was going to be tough to change, to learn to fight for a living, but he wasn't even an hour into the first day yet. He thought back to his night at InCorp, and realized that though he felt exhausted, he had been able to keep going for hours on energy he didn't realize he had. That would have to keep him going now, too.
Alkaid threw another weapon, a long wooden stick with no blades. Isaac snapped back to the present, hands up, and he caught the staff. It was as long as he was, and he caught it long ways, with his hands about a foot apart. The wood was smooth, cool to the touch, and it felt dense, powerful. He moved the ends around, felt how the weight of the staff changed as he moved where his hands were position. It felt less like a weapon and more like an extension, an addition to his arms. It felt natural.
He looked hopefully up at Alkaid, who was smiling. The cat nodded. "You seem to like that one."
"It feels better than the others." Isaac said.
It also feels familiar. He thought of the day when he had met Tyloki. He had picked up Jin's spear to use, and as he was attacking, the blade had broken off, leaving him with a weapon of similar shape and size.
[I think its best you don't use a bladed weapon.]
"But can a blunt weapon be used against Thralls?" Isaac understood how you could bludgeon a human with a stick, but Thralls were magic creatures, with energy barriers and tough flesh.
"Certainly. Lightglass barriers resemble glass in more ways than one. It costs more energy to cover a larger surface area, you see." Alkaid explained, walking around Isaac, looking him over. "So a blunt weapon can cause a barrier to crack and shatter just as easily as a blade, maybe easier, depending on the Thrall you're up against."
"A pinpoint strike is easier to guard against, because it's a small surface area." Isaac guesses.
"Maybe not easier, but it takes less energy. The more attacks you launch at a Thrall at once, the thinner it's barrier will be. A point on a spear would require considerable force to pierce a barrier on its own, because the Thrall could concentrate its barrier against the tip of the weapon." Alkaid continued.
"I guess that makes sense." Isaac said, weighing the staff in his grasp. The thick stick could spread out force over a relatively large area, compared to a blade. It also felt less ugly to hold than a sword.
"I think that suits you." Alkaid said, and he looked to Dominic and Riley for agreement.
Riley gave another thumbs up, and Dominic nodded. "Looks about right!" He shouted from the sidelines.
Isaac glanced over and saw Rain standing next to Riley, and he felt a flush in his cheeks. The last thing he needed was Rain objectifying him while he trained. He would have to go and buy new clothes the first chance he got.
Alkaid misunderstood Isaac's gaze at Rain. "This is no time to be ogling the otter, Isaac. It's time to begin."
"So Tyloki didn't want to train you?" Sera took a sip of the drink she had ordered, and she ate a bite of the food. Otherwise, she was more interested in the story than the meal. It was already cold anyway. "You already know he's a jerk. No surprise there. And Alkaid ended up being a good teacher." Isaac held up his arm, flexed his muscles. "See?" "So you can fight now?" Sera asked, trying to hide the worry from her voice. She didn't want her brother fighting, she didn't want him to be in danger. "I'm still training, pretty much every day. But I'm almost able to take on Alkaid in a fight now. It's incredibly one sided, but at least I'm not getting knocked out in seconds." "I hope they're not hurting you too much." Sera was referring to Isaac's new scars. "Not too much. And I don't mind. When I get hurt, I get to go to the infirmary, and then I get to see Dr. Ross." Isaac said, and his eyes glazed over as he stared off into the distance. Sera practically spit out the drink she had been taking. "Who?" "Dr. Ross, oh, Miria. I met her when I was in the hospital the first time." Isaac said as he came back to reality. "You didn't mention her before." Sera said, looking closely at her brother's face. "You didn't mention her before because you like her. You met a girl!" Isaac shook his head, turned it to the side to hide his blush. "It's not like that." Looking at his clothes, now Sera had an idea as to why Isaac was dressed up. "You're going on a date with her, aren't you?" "I'll get to that later." Isaac tried to change the subject, but Sera wouldn't hear it. "No, you get to her part now." She demanded. "It's nothing. Where do you get this all from? She's just a doctor." Isaac was on the defensive, Sera knew she had hit her mark. "I'm your sister, you can't hide anything from me." "I did ask her for her number, but she's playing hard to get." Isaac said. Sera snatched Isaac's LINK from the side of the table and leaned back as she flicked through the numbers. Isaac reached out for it, but she kept it just out of his grasp. She searched through the numbers, and she smiled when she came across Miria in the contact list. Placing the LINK on the table, and slid it over to Isaac with a grin. "And she gave you her number. So spill it." "That part of the story starts a bit earlier. It was a few weeks into training, and I hit my head." Isaac said, but Sera got the feeling he was glossing over something. "You hit your head?" She inquired. "I hit my head." He repeated. "How?" She asked. "Training." He said. There was a part of the story that he was trying to trick her into letting him skip. Not a chance. "I know you're hiding something." He shook his head. "Not a thing." "You just hit your head?" "Its a hazard of fighting." Isaac still wasn't making eye contact with her. His reluctance to tell her made her need to know grow stronger. She glared at him, and waited until he was forced to look at her. With their eyes locked, she spoke slowly and clearly. "Isaac Edgar Cross, you tell me whatever it is you're hiding, right now." Over the years, Sera had worked carefully to wrap Isaac around her finger. There was nothing he could hide from her. Isaac crumpled under the weight of her influence and his face flushed a bright color. She knew whatever the story was, it was going to be worth it. It was going to be good. "Alright, but you don't tell anyone this story. Not ever." "Is it embarrassing?" She wondered aloud.
"It's embarrassing." He admitted. "Like I said, it was a few weeks into training, and I hit my head."
Isaac was committed to learning how to fight. His plan now was to take things one step at a time. He didn't plan what would happen any day after the current one. He would wake early in the morning, and he would meet Alkaid for training. One day they would practice with weapons, the next they would work on building up Isaac's body, another they would practice magic. In the first few weeks, Isaac learned his limits, and he understood just how weak he truly was. He would be wiped out before getting halfway through a day, but he had no choice but to keep going. It wasn't like he could leave the Registry, anyway, so there was nowhere else to go. At first, everything hurt all the time. Isaac was used to feeling pain, but this was a new sort of pain, a constant soreness in mind, body, and soul. Whenever his body was too exhausted, they would move on to working his mind, or his magic. Alkaid was a ruthless teacher, never letting Isaac have even a moment more rest than he needed. Even through this, Isaac couldn't bring himself to blame Alkaid for it. It was necessary. He needed it. As a bonus, Tyloki kept true to his word and left him alone while he was with Alkaid. He did wonder what Tyloki thought of his progress, but it honestly didn't matter. He was going to show the wolf how strong he could become. That was why he couldn't give up. One thing at a time. Panting heavily, he leaned on the wall, clothes clinging tightly to his body, covered in sweat. He wiped some of the sweat off of his brow, to keep it from stinging his eyes, and then looked over to the cat for guidance. It had been a long day so far, and he never had any idea how long they would train. Alkaid insisted that training for the same length of time each day would cause the body to fall into a rhythm, and it was better to keep it guessing. Isaac suspected that the cat simply liked toying with him. Alkaid seemed to know what Isaac was hoping for, and so he simply stared back without saying anything. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he showed no signs of the exhaustion that dominated Isaac. Being one of the smallest Indicia Isaac had seen, he was always surprised by how much power and control Alkaid possessed. He thought it was possible that Alkaid could go head to head with Tyloki, and that was without magic. Isaac was curious about Alkaid's magic, because as much as they trained his own barriers, the cat never used magic of his own. He had asked Alkaid once what his ability was. The cat had simply chuckled and responded, "Please." With no signal to quit yet, Isaac pushed off of the wall and shambled back to the center of the floor where he and Alkaid had been training. He started to prepare for the drill they had been running. He would make a barrier and try to alter its shape on the fly. Before, his barriers had been flat rectangles and squares. He had learned from Alkaid that it was possible to change that shape. He also learned that there were more resistant patterns of armor than just a flat barrier. A chain of interlocking shapes would make a stronger barrier. So he worked on making different shapes. So far he could only change the shape of barriers approximately the size of his fist. "That'll do for today." Alkaid cut off Isaac as he was starting to make a new barrier. Isaac sighed with relief and let his body sag. He wasn't sure he had it in him to make any more magic that day. "That was a good day, but I expect more tomorrow. I want to move on to sparring soon. Don't worry, it'll be simple enough. But you'll need to be able to fight with your staff and your magic at the same time." The cat warned. Isaac dreaded the start of sparring. Real fighting was far removed from the practice and drills they had been working on. He wondered who he would be sparring against, certainly not Alkaid. He wouldn't stand a chance. He hardly noticed when the cat walked around the room. Maybe he would go easy on him. Isaac bowed his head at Alkaid, something the cat insisted upon, before turning to head for a much needed shower. "Hold on, Isaac. I was wondering how things are between you and Tyloki." Alkaid asked, following just behind Isaac. Isaac took a few moments to think of an answer under the guise of catching his breath. He stopped and glanced back at Alkaid. "They're fine." "They're fine? I was worried that there might be some unresolved animosity." Alkaid explained as he stopped just behind Isaac. "No. I mean, we don't interact much. When I'm training with you, he leaves me alone. Other than that, he doesn't want much to do with me. I think he's waiting for me to get stronger." Isaac said, leaving out most of the truth. "And he doesn't blame you for the burnout?" The cat questioned. "How could he? To blame me would be to admit that I had a hand in it, something he refuses to do." Isaac didn't feel like talking about Tyloki right now. He just wanted to get showered off. "And the physical relationship?" Alkaid asked next, which elicited a laugh from Isaac. "No, there's no physical relationship. I'm not...you know." Isaac turned and shook his hands in front of him. "Yeah, no." "Oh. I see." Alkaid smiled and shook his head. "I'm sorry for assuming. Most Collars have some sort of physical relationship with their Indicia. Even if they're not...you know." "I don't." The boy snapped. Isaac's first time with Tyloki would hopefully be the last. It was necessary to form the pact, but it wasn't something he wanted to do again. Though he couldn't deny where his eyes had been wandering lately, it didn't mean he was interested in sex. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just exhausted." "It's quite alright. Go ahead and get cleaned up. I'll see you here first thing in the morning." Alkaid shooed Isaac off, and he was glad to be done. They had started training in the early morning, and now it was sometime in the late afternoon. As he entered the locker room, Isaac listened for anyone else in the showers. He didn't hear any water running, and the room sounded empty save for him. That was good. He liked taking showers alone. He could shower at the same time as other Collars, he had to most days, but a short amount of privacy was a rare treasure. He peeled his sweaty clothes off his body and stretched his arms high above his head, arching his back, trying to work out some of his soreness. He'd need plenty of hot water to feel better, and he longed for a hot bath. The registry only offered showers. The room was chilly and the cool air tingled against his wet skin as he walked past the lockers and into the showers. The shower room itself was built to accommodate a large number of Collars at once, with shower heads placed along the wall with just enough room between them to keep the Collars from touching while washing. Several dividing walls cut the room into different halls, and provided even more spaces to shower. Isaac carried his towel in front of him, hanging low enough to block view of him if anyone were to be inside. He didn't see any of the showers running in any of the halls. Just because it was empty now didn't mean it would still be empty for long. Isaac marched quickly to the back of one of the halls, hung his towel on a hook nearby, and started up the water. He listened to the hiss as it started to run, imagined how nice the hot water would be. He had the particular distinction of being able to simply turn the water to its highest heat without worry. Even without Tyloki's fire, his resistance to heat remained. He intended to enjoy it as long as he could. Stepping under the falling water, Isaac hung his shoulders and melted in the heat, feeling relaxation take him over. The shower at the end of the day was one of the things that helped him get through the tougher parts of training. He would stay that way for as long as he could, but if the showers were crowded enough, there was less comfort in a lengthy wash. He would finish and leave as quickly as he could. Today, he closed his eyes and waited, devoid of thoughts as he basked in the hot water and steam, as he washed the day away. He was snapped back to reality as he felt a presence behind him. He was sure he hadn't heard anyone enter, and no one had been there when he came in. If anyone had walked in, he would have heard them, unless they moved as silently as Alkaid. He opened his eyes, but he didn't move, he didn't want to move until he knew who it was and what they wanted. Probably just some Collar playing a prank. Seconds passed like minutes as he tried to decide what to do. His body was still training, his muscles wanted to use what he was learning to defend himself. His brain told him that he probably wasn't in danger, but his gut still felt the worry. He would turn around. That was the only thing he could do. To glance back would leave his rear open, and make it harder to defend himself if he needed to. So he would turn around swiftly, ready to act if he had to. With a simple pivot, he turned on the spot and came face to face with a barrage of whiskers. He leaned back slightly to escape the tickling sensation they caused on his face, and his hands shot down to cover his groin as his eyes gathered what was going on. Brown fur, whiskers galore, and a stupid grin.
Of course it was Rain. Though he looked different than usual. Instead of his usual tall self, which stood at equal height with Riley, he seemed shorter now. His muzzle came up to Isaac's neck, instead of his face, and the otter had to stand on his toes to make direct eye contact. Naturally he was naked, Rain was always unclad, but Isaac once again caught himself giving a quick glance down. He mentally kicked himself. His legs were short, and his torso was long, more closely resembling a normal otter than his taller form.
"Hi." The otter said, though it dripped with a complex intent that, coupled with his deviant grin, set Isaac on edge. He knew the otter had a thing for him, a thing he didn't reciprocate. "Rain, I'm sort of busy right now. And don't sneak up on me like that." Isaac said, trying to be diplomatic. He was exhausted, he didn't feel like fending off the otter, but he would give him the benefit of the doubt. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Rain said, and his grin grew as he leaned forward, brushing his whiskers against Isaac's face again. Isaac took a step back, and how he was against the wall, nowhere else to go. "What do you want?" Isaac asked, not wanting to hold his hands up to push the otter away, as it would leave him unguarded. Rain stepped closer, effectively trapping Isaac against the wall. He licked his chops and flashed his fangs. With a quick movement, he leaned forward again and placed a quick kiss on Isaac's lips. Apparently he would rather show what he wanted, than explain it. Isaac turned his head to the side after the otter pulled away. It wasn't the first time the otter had kissed him, but this time he was naked, so he couldn't help but take it more personally. Either way, he had no intention of letting it happen again. "What are you doing?" He asked, raising one hand now to press against the otter's chest, keeping him at a small length. "You seem so stressed all the time. You deserve to relax, so I'm just trying to help." Rain winked, placing his paws on Isaac's hand. "I don't need help relaxing, thanks. And look, I'm not into guys, so its never going to happen, Rain." Isaac explained, not budging his hand from the otter's chest. "You might not be into guys, but you're a Collar. It makes you flexible by definition." The otter said with a smile. He glanced down at Isaac's body, and Isaac was glad he kept a hand covering himself. "What do you mean, 'flexible by definition'?" "You don't know? Well surely you've felt it, at least." Rain looked disappointed but still hopeful. "Felt what?" Isaac wondered what the otter was talking about, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like it. "That you want this." Rain said, and he pushed on Isaac's hand, trying to move closer. Isaac was still exhausted from training, and he tried to convince himself that was why he let his arm fall to his side. He didn't want to believe what Rain was saying. He didn't want it. But he had been looking at things he shouldn't have. His eyes had strayed against his will, frequently examining what different Indicia were carrying between their legs. Another whiskery kiss was placed on his lips. It tickled his face all over, but he didn't pull his head away this time. Nor did he return the kiss. He simply let it happen. He felt Rain's stocky paws placed on his chest, the fur and the claws causing a strange sensation. Tyloki had never touched him sensually before. No one had. Another kiss. The paws pressed against him, and he slid back completely against the wall. The whiskers tingled against his cheeks. The otter was kissing with his lips, Isaac didn't feel any tongue yet. A paw slid down slightly, muscles twitched. He wondered where the paw was heading, he knew the answer. The other paw grasped his wrist lightly, tugged at it. Isaac held his hand cupped over his groin, not wanting to let the otter in. Another tug. Another kiss. A warm paw on his waist, more tingling, more twitching. The paws felt so strong, as strong as Tyloki's, but there was no threat in them like in the wolf's. They were just large and warm. A raspy tongue slipped from the otter's muzzle, brushed against Isaac's lips. This wasn't right. Isaac wasn't interested in guys, he didn't want to do this with Rain. So why wasn't he leaving? He was just letting it happen. The tongue brushed his lips again, otter's muzzle pressed firmly against his.
The paw on his waist moved down to his thigh. Slid across the skin, fur and claws. Light touches. It felt good. The other paw tugged on his arm, moved it aside. He let both arms fall to his sides, and he was finally defenseless. Pressed against the wall by the otter's paws, lips pressed against the otter's own, both without clothes. Maybe the otter was right. Maybe he wanted it.
Rain was still just kissing his lips. Even though Isaac's hand was moved, the otter hadn't moved his paws to the boy's groin yet. It was like he was waiting for permission. Rain smelled earthy, pleasantly like dirt and fresh water and air. Not musky in the way he'd expect an otter to smell. His fur was slick, and his claws were sharper than he expected. He felt like they could pierce his skin without a second thought, if Rain wanted to. So that was what the otter smelled and felt like.
Then he wondered what the otter tasted like.
Isaac thought it would be difficult, but it was easy. He kissed the otter's lips. They were right there, anyway, already kissing him. All he had to do was return the slightest amount of pressure. Rough tongue, on his lips again. He pressed his lips against the tongue. Parted ever so slightly. The tongue slipped inside, and the paws pressed tighter against his body, forcing him against the wall more. With the otter's tongue in his mouth, he didn't wonder what he tasted like anymore. Tongue wrapped around tongue, lips pressed to muzzle. It was so simple. The otter tasted as earthy as he smelled, every bit as pleasant.
With a gasp, warmth enveloped his length as the otter wrapped his paw around the boy's length. It wasn't hard yet, despite their kissing. The paw moved forward and back firmly, trying to coax the length to attention. Isaac's arms remained at his side, mind lost in the sensations of the otter, the feel and the smell and the taste. His own tongue followed the otter's back into his muzzle. Slid over dangerously sharp fangs. He hardly even noticed the paw on his groin.
Returning the kiss had given the otter the permission he had wanted to move forward, and his paw now was working hard at getting Isaac erect. After several minutes of heavy kissing and a warm paw, the otter got what he was after as the boy grew hard. Muzzle pulled away and the kiss was broken. Isaac leaned his head back against the cold tile. The otter slid down, out of view. A glance showed Rain now on his knees. Those many whiskers now tickled Isaac's crotch. Hot breath warmed his length. The otter beamed with accomplishment, he finally had before him something he had been after for weeks.
And it had been weeks since Isaac had gotten off. The last time he remembered was when he had a large wolf on his back. And inside him. Something he never wanted to happen again. And here he was, about to let another guy service him. There was a twist in his stomach as he snapped back to reality. The smell and taste of Rain didn't matter anymore. It wasn't what he wanted. Rain was a very...active creature. This sort of thing was normal for him, but not for Isaac. He didn't want it.
"No." He said as he slipped his hand between the otter's muzzle and his own length. He felt hot, he knew his face was flushed completely red. He couldn't believe he had let that happen, and he wasn't going to let anything more happen. Not sure he had ever felt this embarrassed, he slid to the side, escaping the vice that the otter had trapped him in. His hands were shaking, he was having trouble keeping track of his thoughts. He thought of the wolf on top of him, the pain and the fear, the humiliation. He thought of standing above Jin's lifeless body. He felt the sickness of how Tyloki felt about him. Everything that had led to this moment was wrong.
Rain stood, held his paw out to Isaac, trying to think of what to say. "I'm sorry, is everything alright?"
Isaac couldn't turn, couldn't look at the otter. He waved a hand back behind him, shook his head, kept his eyes closed. He just wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else. "I don't want this."
He heard the otter's footsteps behind him as Rain gave chase. He walked fasted, leaving his towel hanging on the wall. He would just get his clothes and go find somewhere to hide from the otter. From everyone. His feet were still wet from the shower. He was walking too fast, placed a foot wrong. Tried to recover as his foot slipped out from under him. The other foot slipped too. There was no chance. He held his arms out to catch his fall, but it didn't matter. His head cracked against the tile wall, and he didn't even know if he hit the ground.
Isaac woke up looking into the eyes of his favorite person, and the last person he wanted to see right now. He felt like everyone knew what had happened, even though no one else had been there. Dr. Ross was shining a light into his eyes, and he winced against the brightness. Rain must have gotten him help after he fell, so maybe everyone did know what had happened.
"Slipped in the shower? You're really trying to go for broke with this whole Collar thing." Miria said as she noticed he was awake.
"Wet tile is a tough one." Isaac joked, even though his head was pounding. "How did I get here?"
"I don't know what you're asking. Either by losing a fight with the floor or by being carried in by a particular otter. Which are you wondering?" She asked, writing something on her LINK.
"The latter. Uh, when I came in, was I...?" Isaac asked, but Miria didn't have to answer. She just gestured at him. He was on a small bed in a large room that resembled an emergency room, wearing a thin hospital gown like during his previous stay. Though this time, it was all he was wearing.
"So I was..." Isaac swallowed hard, trying not to blush but failing.
Dr. Ross stifled a giggle as she glanced up at him from her LINK. "You shouldn't be embarrassed. I'm a doctor, I've seen it all."
"Doesn't mean I want you to. Oh, what did Rain say happened exactly?" Isaac asked, pulling down on the bottom of his gown to cover as much as he could.
"He said you slipped in the shower. Oh. Oh." Miria bit her lip. "But I think I have an idea of what happened now."
Isaac shook his head earnestly. "No, I mean, I was trying to make sure you didn't get the wrong idea. That...nothing....it wasn't. I was just exhausted, I slipped and fell."
Miria nodded slowly. "Alright, I believe you. But it's nothing to be ashamed of. Pretty much everyone here is used to that sort of thing." She held back another giggle. "Besides, I respect a guy who is comfortable with himself."
"What, you dont respect me?" Isaac pressed, though he realized there wasn't much to respect. He felt worse than pathetic.
"I guess that depends on how you really hit your head." Miria smiled at him. "Though that doesn't affect the diagnosis, just my curiosity. You should be fine, in case you were wondering."
Ignoring the diagnosis, Isaac was more worried about what Miria thought of him. If he handled it wrong, she wouldn't want to get to know him. He knew he had hooked her attention during his first stay at the hospital. He didn't want to ruin it now by being pathetic enough to fall in the shower. "I wasn't, I mean, strictly speaking, just taking a shower." Isaac stammered, trying to think of a good way to explain himself.
Miria laughed and held up her hands to stop him. "No, I'm kidding, what you do in the showers is your own business."
Isaac crossed his arms over his chest. This wasn't really going his way. "I just..."
"Isaac, don't worry about it. You're not the first person who has ended up in here like this." Dr. Ross said, but her attempts to comfort him made him feel even more pathetic.
"I'm not gay, Miria. Whatever happened in the shower, that wasn't me." Isaac scrambled, trying to get control of the situation, though he wasn't really sure what he was saying anymore.
The doctor raised her eyebrow at him. "Most Collars aren't gay. That doesn't stop there from being a lot of that, anyway."
"I'm really not gay. I..." Isaac sighed, shook his head. This wasn't working. Time to go for it. "Let me take you out sometime. I'll prove it."
Miria once again tried not to laugh. After she managed to keep a serious face, she realized Isaac wasn't joking. "You want to go on a date with me to prove you're not gay."
"I guess that sums it up." Isaac thought it sounded weirder when she said it.
"Who are you proving it to? Me or you?" She asked with an eyebrow cocked.
"That depends. Do you think I'm gay?" Isaac asked.
"I think you're a Collar, Isaac. And I don't date Collars. It's a rule." She said with a practiced perfection, trying to let him down easy.
"Why not?" Isaac asked, as if it were a problem he could solve.
"For starters, you're already 'in a relationship'. With an animal, no less. I know, they're from a different world. That doesn't mean you don't have a commitment to him. It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight. You're bonded to him." She said, looking down now, not joking anymore.
"I'm not your typical Collar. I'm not like everyone else."
"That's a fair point, but it doesn't really make a difference." Miria brushed her hair behind her ear.
"What else? If I didn't have a commitment to Tyloki, what then?" Isaac asked.
Miria looked up at Isaac and grinned viciously, he knew he wasn't going to like what she was about to say. "I think you're gay."
"I'm not." He growled. "I've...okay, I haven't dated anyone before, really. But I like you. I think we get along well together. I want to take you on a date."
"I can't date you. You're going to be my patient too often for that. And I'm joking. If you say you're not gay, you're not gay." Miria said, and Isaac was starting to feel like it was a losing battle. "Besides, we hardly know each other. You're not the first patient I've had who has fallen for me, Isaac."
"And how many of them have you given a chance?"
"None." She laughed, shaking her head. "You're persistent, but it's still going to be a no."
That was it, then. Isaac felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. The first time he had ever gone for it, and he had gotten rejected. It wasn't like he was madly in love with her. He just wanted to get to know her. "What about friends, then?"
"Friends?" She asked with interest, tilting her head to the side.
"I can't leave the Registry, I'm under house arrest still for the burnout. I get pretty bored when I'm not training. I could use some friends to help show me what's fun around here."
Miria sighed. "Alright, you win. We can hang out." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and quickly scribbled something on it. "This is my LINK number. Call me sometime when you want to hang out. Not just me, though. It can't be just the two of us, that would be a date. Bring someone else."
As she placed the paper on Isaac's lap, she started to walk away. "Who should I bring?" Isaac asked, looking at the number on the paper.
"I don't know. What about that otter friend of yours?" She asked, and she winked as she walked away.
"Wait. Damn it. I still don't have any clothes." Isaac told no one as Miria slipped out of view. At least he had her number now. It wasn't time to give up yet.
Sera was drawing the attention of the rest of the cafe patrons with her riotous laughter. She simply couldn't hold it in. "You made out with Riley's Indicia, and then you slipped and hit your head? You're right. That is embarrassing."
Isaac's face was red, and he didn't look happy. "I don't know why I told you that."
"Because you can't hide anything from me, baby bro." Sera said between bouts of laughter. When she finally regained control of herself, she leaned forward. "But really, are you gay?"
Somehow, Isaac's face shifted to look even angrier. "No!" He nearly shouted at her.
"So then you are going on a date with Miria." Sera assumed.
"No, like I said, we're just hanging out as friends. She doesn't want to date me. But I'm not gay. I do want to date her." Isaac grumbled.
"I'm sure she'll fall for you if you just hang out with her. As long as you can resist making out with any more animals." Sera said with a grin, leaning back to avoid her brother's wrath.
He swatted an arm at her, with no intention of hitting her. "Trust me, that won't be a problem."
"What was it like? I've thought about it before, you know? And I've read about it in books. But now you're living one of those books. So come on, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Sera wondered, partly wishing it was her that got to make out with the otter. It was an exciting thought. She had been raised to hate Collars and Indicia, but it didn't work. She had always wanted to learn more, but to do so would put her closer to Rufus, who she wanted nothing to do with.
Isaac shook his head. "No, it was, I mean, nothing. It was just..." He stammered, which brought a smile to Sera's face. She would have to get him drunk sometime to get all the details.
Not wanting to upset him enough to make him leave, Sera decided to let Isaac move on. "You never explained the lighter." She pointed at his pocket, giving him an excuse to change the subject. "You said it was a joke."
"It was sort of a joke. I mean, it was a gift."
The box was intricately wrapped, cleanly folded black paper tied with a shiny red ribbon. Isaac eyed it suspiciously, glanced up at the rest of the table, and back to the box. They were at a bar in the Registry, sitting in a booth towards the back. It had been a few weeks since the incident with Rain, and besides training, nothing else had happened. He had managed to avoid Rain for the entirety of the few weeks since the shower. Across from Isaac sat Dominic and Riley, and next to him was Miria. It was the first time they had all gotten together to hang out as a group, but it wouldn't be the last. In a chair at the end of the booth was Archer, a Collar who Isaac was familiar with but hadn't had the chance to meet yet.
On his first visit to the Registry, Archer had beaten Dominic in a sparring match with ease. From what he understood, Archer was a quiet sort who didn't get out much besides working on his various weapon styles. Weapon master, that was what everyone called him. He was on the same squad as Dom and Riley. Isaac was starting to feel a part of that squad too, even if he wasn't officially a part of it. Dominic and Riley had done their best to help Isaac settle in during his stay at the Registry.
Aside from being a great fighter, Archer was also Alkaid's Collar, which made it all the more surprising that Isaac didn't see Archer around more. The only other pair of Collar and Indicia that he had seen apart so frequently was Canaan and Chase
Dominic gestured at the box and smiled. "Go on, open it."
Isaac just started at the box. "What is it?"
"That's the point. You're not supposed to know yet. Not until you open it." Riley said, gesturing at it as well.
Riley had a point, so Isaac grabbed the ribbon and pulled on the loose end until it was untied. He found a corner where it was taped and started to open it slowly. Riley yawned exaggeratedly, and Dominic leaned forward impatiently. "Just tear it open."
"At least let me open it how I want." Isaac said, hoping that it wouldn't explode in his hands somehow when he opened it. He didn't want to look like any more of an idiot to Miria.
"If you're too scared, I'll open it." Miria suggested, holding out her hand.
Isaac pulled the box closer to himself defensively. "No, I'll get it."
Archer watched quietly from the side of the table, but the other three leaned forward expectantly as Isaac tore into the paper. Inside was a cardboard box. The three leaned even closer as he opened the box. Inside the box was a small, old fashioned oil lighter. It was plain metal, and had a cap that flipped off to the side to reveal the striker. Oil for that sort of lighter was hard to find, so they were rarely used anymore. Isaac pulled it out and inspected it more closely.
"A lighter?" He asked.
"Yeah, get it? To make fire with." Dominic said, holding back laughter.
Isaac smiled, he did get it. Tyloki wouldn't be happy, but he did get it. He tried not to laugh, better not to incur Tyloki's wrath. He flicked it open and tried to light it. The fire popped up easily with a click and a crack. He let it go and put the light on the table.
"Just a gift to welcome you to the Registry." Riley smiled, as Miria balled up the wrapping paper and ribbon, placing them in the cardboard box.
"Thank you." Isaac said, staring at the lighter on the table. It had been so long since he had made friends. He didn't know what else to say besides 'thank you'.
"You'll pay for it later." Archer said, smirking. "Tyloki won't let you hear the end of it if you keep that."
Isaac looked over at Archer, surprised to hear him join the conversation. With a laugh, he said, "I can handle Tyloki."
[Is that so?]
Yeah.
[You think that's funny?]
I do. Isaac thought, still smiling, as he stuck the lighter in his pocket. It'll help me make a fire if I need one while you're still neutered.
Isaac grinned, expecting what would come next. The instant the word 'neutered' crossed his mind, and possibly an instant before, he felt the strong thud of Tyloki's paw against his head. His head whipped to the side, and he lost his balance, fell sides, and landed on the floor next to the booth. He reached up to grab his neck, rubbing it gently. "Ow." He whimpered.
[I warned you.]
Miria leaned over the side of the booth, already reaching down to help him up. He heard Dom laughing. He grabbed Miria's hand, it was as soft as he remembered, and she helped pull him back into the booth.
"Jeez, are you okay?" Riley asked, looking as concerned as Miria.
Dominic was still laughing, but he put his hand over his mouth to try and stop.
"It's good to see you're back in form, Tyloki." Archer said casually.
"I'm fine." Isaac said, still rubbing at his neck. It was the first time that Tyloki had hit him and anyone had paid attention. That alone made him feel better.
"You really should try not to piss that wolf off so much." Miria warned, "I don't want to have to keep treating you."
"If I promise never to get hurt again, will you go on a date with me?" Isaac asked, looking hopefully to his side.
"No, still no." Miria smiled at Isaac and then looked across the table. "Will one of you find him a girlfriend so he can leave me alone?"
Riley held his hands up defensively. "I don't do 'friends.' Just the girl or boy part. Only one person for me, and he isn't a person."
Dom nodded at Riley. "I can't help find someone else a date until I find myself one, and I'm not as picky as Isaac is." He turned to look at Isaac. "If you're dead set on getting a girlfriend, try looking in a city where there aren't any Collars. Because you're not going to have any luck here."
Isaac shook his head. "I don't want some other girl."
"...Some other guy then?" Riley asked with a grin, and he threw his hands up to protect himself as Isaac lobbed the cardboard box at him.
"If not Miria than nobody, yet. I'm not out looking. I'm too busy to be on the market anyway." Isaac said, dodging the return throw of the box from Riley. "And don't forget, there's a kangaroo that says I can't go into the city anyway."
"So I'm just the best thing on your plate right now." Miria said with a smirk. "What if you weren't trapped here?"
"That isn't what I meant." Isaac gave a sarcastic sneer.
"I think you should focus on your training." Archer said calmly. "The battlefield is my mistress." He said with a blank expression before breaking into a smirk.
"Training is all well and good, but you can't watch a movie with training at the end of the day." Riley said, but Isaac knew what 'watch a movie' meant.
"I'm training enough with Alkaid, and I don't need to date him." Isaac said, leaning on the table.
"He's a very good companion. I have first hand experience." Archer replied with a shrug.
"Ugh, can I just remind everyone I'm not gay?" Isaac reiterated, slamming his fist lightly on the table.
"Neither are most Collars." Miria said.
"I don't know what you mean by that. It really seems like most of them are." Isaac said, looking at Dominic, then Riley, then Archer. Well, he didn't know about Archer, but he knew that Riley must be gay.
"I'm not gay. I enjoy the freedom." Riley pointed out. "Doesn't much matter to me."
Isaac rolled his eyes. "Same thing."
"I'm the same way, I guess. I don't think much about gender." Dominic glanced upwards contemplatively.
"Okay, then can I remind everyone that I am straight?" Isaac said, exasperated.
The four others at the table tried to hold back their laughter, but none did a very good job. Isaac's face warmed, and he crossed his arms, leaning back into the seat cushion. He wasn't gay, he had never been attracted to a guy before. Miria may have been one of the few girls he had been attracted to, but his list of attractive guys was a firm zero.
"Then what were you doing with Rain?" Miria asked, but after she did, she stopped laughing and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh no, I shouldn't have said that. Doctor patient confiden-"
"What were you doing with Rain?" Riley asked, leaning forward with a broad grin. "He didn't mention anything to me."
First Isaac turned to Miria. "Really?" Then he turned to Riley. "Nothing, I didn't do anything with Rain. He...assaulted me in the showers."
"I have to stop just saying things." Miria said, biting her lip.
"He assaulted you?" Riley asked, licking his lips. "Do tell."
"He basically, I don't know, I don't want to talk about it." Isaac looked away. It wasn't an assault, he knew that much, but he didn't want to tell the story that way. He didn't want to tell the story the way it happened.
"O-kay. I'm sorry if he did anything you didn't appreciate. I should've done something about it, I knew he was interested in you. He hadn't stopped talking about you since we first met." Riley said, his smile fading.
"I'm just going to leave now." Isaac said as he slid his feet out of the booth.
"Oh, Isaac, don't go. No one here cares, really." Miria said, trying to recover from her mistake.
"Yeah, Isaac, no one cares if you're gay for Rain." Dom said with a chuckle.
Isaac didn't turn to look back at the others as he walked away, he just felt them watching him as he went. He was too embarrassed to face them right now. He wasn't sure when he would be able to deal with them, but right now, he needed to be alone. The only place where he could even pretend to be alone was his room, so that was where he went.
Slamming the door behind him, he began to pace back and forth in front of the bed. He couldn't help it how angry it made him to think about Rain, to have the others think he was into that. All he could do was walk, trying to expend the energy of his anger and embarrassment. As he turned around to continue pacing, he expected to see Tyloki standing behind him. Instead, he was startled to find Alkaid. The cat was standing in front of him, looking up at him expectantly. He wasn't sure what the cat was expecting, but he just stood silently, blocking his path.
"Alkaid? I'm trying to pace here." He pointed out, gesturing past the cat, as if that made it more clear.
"Well that I can certainly see. Why did you run off from your friends like that?" Alkaid asked, still blocking the way.
"Because," Isaac sighed and balled his hands into fists. "They think I'm gay. And I'm not. And Rain tried to rape me or something. And Riley thinks that sounds like a good thing. And Dominic thinks its funny. And Miria thinks I'm pathetic." He babbled, until the cat held up a paw to stop him.
"Everyone knows you're not gay." Alkaid said simply, "And Riley thinks that sounds good because he and his Indicia are perfect for each other. Naughty creatures with no shame."
"Then why does everyone keep laughing about it?" Isaac huffed.
"Because no one has explained it to you yet. You might not be gay, but Indicia only have one gender. We're not the same as humans." Alkaid said.
"I've noticed. That doesn't make me gay. I did...what I had to do with Tyloki to make a pact, but that doesn't mean I want to do it again." Isaac growled.
"And that doesn't mean that Tyloki doesn't want to do it again." Alkaid explained. "And truthfully, that is more important."
"What do you mean?" Isaac raised an eyebrow at Alkaid.
"It's complicated, and I'd rather not explain it here." Alkaid looked around the room. "But you're going to need to get over your issues if you're going to be able to fight on a team. You can't avoid Rain forever."
"I can try." Isaac said, though he knew Alkaid was right. Sooner or later, he'd have to talk to Rain again.
"I told Tyloki that I would train you how to be a proper Collar, in all aspects. So I guess this is something I need to explain to you." Alkaid said, "But not right now. It'll will make more sense with a demonstration."
"A demonstration?" Isaac asked warily.
"Indeed." The cat smiled.
"And that was last week." Isaac said, "I still haven't gotten any 'demonstrations'." He shrugged.
Sera wondered what Alkaid was planning. She stretched and yawned. It had been a long story, and she was starting to feel sore in her seat. "So in summary, my brother made out with an otter." She smiled innocently.
"That is not the point of the story!" Isaac said, slamming his fist on the table.
"I can tell that you've changed." Sera said, looking down at the table. "You're not just stronger than you were before, you've got a shorter temper, too."
Isaac sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get angry. It's just I expected you to side with me."
"I am siding with you. Whatever makes you happy." She said, smiling at him genuinely now. It was fun to tease him, but he needed his sister now.
"Things are different here, than out there." Isaac said, "I had to change. But I'm still me."
"I know, baby bro." She said, putting her hand on top of his. "You always will be." It was getting late, and the time on her LINK around her wrist reminded her that she only had a half day off. "I have to get to work. I'll come back and visit again soon."
"Thanks for coming to see me. Tell Mom I'll come home and visit as soon as I'm allowed to leave." Isaac said, giving a wave as Sera stood.
She smiled and waved and made her way toward the entrance. When she boarded the elevator, it was empty. As the doors were closing, a hand shot out to keep them open. A tall, raven haired man stepped on board and nodded at her with a smile. He was lanky, but handsome, in a childish sort of way. Not a hunk, sort of a pretty boy. A colored band around his neck indicated him as a Collar.
"Hi, I'm Sera. Are you a Collar?" She asked innocently, already knowing the answer.
The man looked over at her, then back at the elevator control panel. He pressed the button for the lobby before answering. "Uh, yeah, I am. Hi, Sera."
"What's your name?" She asked, "It's only fair."
"Dominic." He said as he glanced over at her.
"Oh, you're Isaac's friend." She smiled, happy to have an excuse to chat with him more.
"You know Isaac?" Dominic asked, he swallowed, and turned to look at Sera now.
"I'm his sister. Pleased to meet you." She said as she held out her hand to shake. Instead of shaking it, he leaned down to kiss her fingers. A real gentleman. Sera hid her overwhelming excitement.
"Pleased to meet you." Dominic said as he leaned back up.
Sera had always read books about Collars. She had always dreamt about them. Here was her chance to see what it was all about. Dominic would be her knight, or at least a good story to tell her girlfriends.
Isaac had been dressed up for his meeting with Sera, but it wasn't for a date with Miria. She had made that assumption, true, but Miria still refused to date him. He straightened his shirt and made sure it looked crisp and nice. He had added a red tie to the blue shirt, one he had bought from the Registry when he realized he would need a nice set of clothes. His black shoes thumped on the tile floor as he walked up to the entrance of the restaurant.
The decor inside was fancy, far removed from the simple designs in the rest of the Registry. It wasn't a sort of place he would normally eat. It hadn't been his choice. The night was still young, and the restaurant wasn't crowded yet. As he approached the maitre-d, he started looking around the tables. "Hi, I'm here to meet-"
"Ah, yes. We've been expecting you." The maitre-d cut him off, holding his hands out in a gesture to follow him.
As Isaac followed him to the table, he took in the decor of the place. It was all black and gold and white, and it was decorated heavily with glass. Real glass, not Lightglass. Isaac had never seen anything quite like it. Sculptures and wall art and walls themselves, all made out of real glass. It was enough to make Isaac forget what he was doing for even a moment on their way to the table.
The maitre-d stopped and pulled Isaac's chair out for him. It was a table for two, and the seat across from Isaac's was occupied. White wine had already been poured into Isaac's glass, and there was a heavenly aroma coming from the bread basket. He smiled at the maitre-d and took a seat. His water glass was filled and his napkin was unfolded and placed in his lap.
Isaac didn't think it would feel so much like a date, but he couldn't shake the feeling. He looked across the table at Alkaid, whose usual hoodie had been replaced with a black jacket and a white shirt. At least he got dressed up for the occasion. Isaac smiled at the cat, who gestured to the wine.
That was a good idea. He was going to need a lot to drink to make it through the night.