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Arcadia: Examined

349:11:02:08:01:44

Gateway was progressing nicely. Cody had outlined all the improvements needed the previous day and Kevin had agreed that the best place to set up a new settlement was near the gate from Arcadia. With the additional members of the High Horns added the previous day, they were more than ready to begin building the new settlement which Kevin had decided to call Hornbridge. He had already drawn up plans for the settlement and handed it over to the team he had assigned to construct the place. Cody had kindly assigned some dragons to act as their bodyguards just in case Rammers decided to intervene so he planned to head off the moment they arrived.

It certainly was a beautiful morning and after the previous evening's celebrations, he was feeling thrilled and exhilarated. Though Finn and Cody had already left for their respective missions, Kevin still felt their presence. Perhaps it was their scent which lingered on the sheets in his room or just the memory of what had occurred the previous night. Either way, it was a night that Kevin certainly wouldn't forget.

Having someone take charge was rather exhilarating and worshiping the enormous, muscular and ripped rhino that Cody had become left such an addictive taste on his lips that he found himself wanting more.

Maybe if he had let Carver take charge for once in a while...

Kevin shook his head free of the thought. If he wanted to make Hornton in the way he envisioned it, he had to make sure that in that one aspect, he was aggressive. Plus, it felt good to have Carver beneath him. That was one time he didn't mind being the top rhino. He just hoped Carver was too drunk on his newfound freedom and form to noticed that Kevin had allowed him to go into Camp Draco explicitly so that he wasn't in Hornton to oversee how the place and the High Horns were shaping up.

He lay in his bed, absently leafing through the schedule he had made for himself through the day. It would be a bad idea to let the construction of the new settlement stretch on for more than a day as it would leave them exposed so the High Horns had to work extra hard and fast to get at least the main walls set up. Cody also mentioned before he left that he'd like to bring some of his dragons in to change to help bolster their numbers so that would help as well.

A feeling of giddiness and excitement ran through him as his plans for Hornbridge would soon come to fruition.

That feeling didn't last though when he heard a loud slam from downstairs. He had just barely shut his book when loud footsteps came rushing up the stairs towards his room. The door burst open, the window shattering with the force of the swing.

Standing in the doorway was an enormous rhino but there was no mistaking who it was.

"Carver, you're back."

"Damn straight," growled the High Horn. Carver had to step into the room from his side as he was simply too wide. His muscles had expanded and all traces of body fat had been sucked dry from his body leaving every limb vascular and taut with muscle. Apart from his changes in muscle structure, there was little evidence of his venture into Camp Draco. Save perhaps, the tattoos. There was a single barbed wire tattoo wrapped around his left bicep and on his right shoulder, there was a silhouette of a dragon in flight. On his right pectoral, there was a large image of a feral rhinoceros bursting out like it was smashing out of his chest. It was both realistic and very intimidating. Curiously, he had a pair of dog tags hanging around his neck and was wearing military camouflage pants and thick military boots. For Carver to wear any clothes at all was rather spectacular in itself.

"What's this I hear about you setting up the new settlement over the bridge!?" Carver growled. "I thought we were going to take back Newhome!?"

Right...

Kevin had been prepared for this argument.

"Cody pointed out that -"

"Cody!?" Carver slammed the door behind him and took three booming steps towards Kevin. "The Commander of Camp Draco!? He doesn't get a say in how _our_home gets built!"

"He pointed out," Kevin continued with infinite patience, "that it's stupid for us to leave the one connection we have with Camp Draco and Arcadia unprotected. So we decided that the best way to protect the Gate and expand our territory is to build a settlement across the river that's close enough to Gateway that reinforcements can come rushing in at a moment's notice and they can keep an eye on the Arcadian Gate."

"That's bullshit!" Carver roared. He slammed a fist into the small counter where the coffee maker was, shattering the tabletop. He had certainly become much stronger. "Our first priority should be reclaiming our heritage! We need to reclaim Newhome!"

Kevin rose to his feet. Carver only gained a little bit of height so he was able to look his counterpart in the eye. "Our first priority is making sure that our people are safe and have room to grow. Every day, new Builders and Wreckers are joining us. In fact, we asked the Collectors to start putting up posters to direct rhinos to Gateway."

"What!?" Carver closed the distance between them, seizing Kevin's shoulders. "Have you gone insane!? Why the hell would you do that!? Now Hammerhorn will know where we are! He can send troops to invade us!"

"If Hammerhorn doesn't know where we are by now then he's as dense as he is big," Kevin answered sternly. He shrugged of Carver's big hands. "The posters are worth the risk as well. We expend too much energy and resources constantly searching the area for Wreckers. These posters will help the Wreckers find us."

Carver spun around, seizing his green tinted hair like he was pulling it out. With a loud shout, he spun around and lifted a single finger at Kevin. "One day! I'm gone one day and you go and turn everything to shit!" He made a slicing motion with the same hand. "I'm taking over. Today, we're going to take everyone who's been to Camp Draco before back over there to change and then tomorrow at dawn, we're going to charge Newhome. We'll take back our land!"

Kevin steeled himself. "No you're not."

A cocky expression crossed Carver's face. "And you're going to stop me?"

"If I have to, yes."

Carver snarled at him and turned back around. "I don't care what we do in the bedroom. You don't have the balls to stand up to me outside of sex."

This was the moment Kevin had been dreading since he had spoken with Skip. There would come a time when he would be forced to assert his dominance over Carver but it had to be done in such a way that it wasn't obvious to everyone else. He wanted to guide Hornton in a particular direction but he didn't want to be its leader. A leader needed to be assertive and charismatic. He had neither of those.

But Carver did.

And he disagreed with the way Carver envisioned Hornton.

He used that, he focused on that disagreement and envisioned what his home would become if Carver continued his current path. Sure, they were likely to beat back Hammerhorn but then they'd just be trading one tyrant for another. How long until Carver led his troops against Arcadia or Camp Draco?

No, Carver was not Hammerhorn but if he continued on this path, he would be just as bad.

Kevin took a deep breath... and lunged at Carver. The other High Horn was momentarily stunned especially when their lips closed in around one another. Then, Carver let out a soft, confident grunt no doubt thinking that he was the sexiest thing alive. That was the window Kevin needed.

SMACK!

Carver's eyes went wide and watered. He fell to his knees, clutching his injured balls. Kevin immediately seized the back of his head, forcing him to stare straight up at him.

"You listen to me you hot-headed piece of shit," Kevin growled, their noses touching. "You think that power is the only way to make progress in this world? You think that the best way to win back Hornton is to smash what Hammerhorn has built?" He wrenched Carver's head back, causing the other rhino to gasp. "Hammerhorn may be a tyrannical asshole but he's got our fellow rhinos working on metal. We've never done that before. He's helped them evolve. Do you want that knowledge lost?"

Carver snarled.

Kevin saw his hands ball into fists. Before Carver could strike out at him he slammed Carver's face right into his coffee table, smashing the wooden frame right down the middle. He pressed himself on top of Carver's back, his lips just away from the High Horn's left ear.

"If we had your way, we'd march straight into Newhome, fuck everything in sight and make them into what we are now. But then we'd be no better than Hammerhorn." To emphasise his point, he brought up Carver's head and smashed it back into the splinters. "I don't want that. I don't want us to be just like him. We aren't him. We're High Horns."

He gave Carver's head one last bash into the ground before rising. "Now get on the bed."

Still somewhat dazed, it took a second for Carver's gaze to turn hostile. He gingerly got up to his hands and knees, teeth gnashed against one another. "Make me." Then, with a monstrous cry, he bolted to his feet and lunged at Kevin.

Despite his size and increased strength, Carver was at a disadvantage. Kevin had planned this whole dance. He positioned himself in such a way that as Carver came charging at him, he immediately sidestepped, seized the back of Carver's head and slammed his shoulder right into the other rhino's back. This both puzzled and unbalanced Carver making it easier to Kevin to slam his hard head right through the window overlooking the garage. Carver went a bit slack as stars and fragments of shattered glass danced in front of his eyes.

Kevin took advantage of the situation and dragged the stubborn High Horn all the way back to the bed and threw him onto the mattress. He immediately jumped on top of Carver, his strong legs squeezing against Carver's sides. With his prey quickly coming out of his daze, Kevin knew he had to work fast. He reached out and quickly pressed his big hands on Carver's similarly big pectorals. The sudden tenderness made Carver tense, clearly confused at Kevin's intentions. That sort of tension was exactly what Kevin needed as it made Carver's nipples protrude. He guided his hands towards them, gently brushing his fingers against them. Just that one touch was enough to make Carver moan.

Kevin grinned. He could feel Carver's cock rising up behind him, brushing up against his ass. Judging by the wetness he felt, Carver was loving this treatment. But not enough to fall fully in line. Carver grunted and lifted his arms. They seized Kevin's arms, no doubt trying to yank them away. But Kevin had his fingers in a prime position and gave the High Horn's nipples a big twist.

"Fuuuuuuuck!" Carver moaned and his arms dropped to his sides, twitching and paralysed by ecstasy.

A rush of power filled Kevin. He liked being on top and certainly enjoyed having the bigger brute that was Carver beneath him but he had a point to prove. He leaned down, one arm on his bed's headrest and the one still over Carver's nipple. From that position, he managed to lower his lips so that it was just hovering over Carver's ear.

"We're going to run Hornton my way," he said in a low growl. "But you're the one that's going to lead it."

"What the fuck are you talking abouuuuuut!?" Carver grimaced as Kevin pinched down on his nipple again. His hips bucked and Kevin could feel the High Horn's legs quivering.

"I'm talking about you being the figurehead but you're going to do what I say from now on." Kevin pressed his lips against Carver's neck, gently lapping at the sinewy muscle there with his long tongue. "You're strong. You're confident. You're the leader the people need." Carver pulled his neck away, perhaps in a vain attempt to drag himself as far away as possible from Kevin but that only exposed more of his neck. "I can't be the leader you want me to be. But I'm the one with the ideas. I'm the one that cares for more than just knocking down Hammerhorn. So we're doing things my way."

Slowly, Kevin trailed his hands down along Carver's pectoral, rubbing his fingers against each of the High Horn's big, throbbing abdominals.

Carver growled. "You think I'm going to be your puppet!? You have no power over me!" He gasped suddenly and bit his lower lip. Beads of sweat rolled down his head as splotches of pre cum appeared against his pants, his cock in Kevin's tight grip. "I'm not... I'm not... gonna... sex... urgh!"

Kevin ran his tongue further down Carver's neck until he found Carver's exposed shoulder. He lapped at the thick muscle there before sinking his teeth down on his. Carver's entire body arched in pleasure. The mix of arousing pain and agonising pleasure sent the High Horn panting. Kevin didn't break the skin but he did enough to bring Carver down. When Carver fell back onto the mattress, the High Horn was panting for breath, his eyes glazed over.

"Are you going to do what I say?" Kevin asked.

The last parts of resistance in Carver fought back. His arms snaked out, trying to reach around Kevin for his own cock. Kevin immediately let go of Carver's dick and seized both of the High Horn's wrists, slamming them against the headrest. The position allowed him to press his nose against Carver's and meet his gaze.

"Say it!" Kevin snarled. "What are you going to do!?"

"Fuck you!" Carver snarled.

Kevin grinned at him. "As soon as you say it." Carver's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't think I don't know. You act tough out there and are all alpha male. You ramp up the testosterone around all the other Collectors because you know they're stronger than you. But when you're in my bed, you're the bitch and it kills you that you both love it and you're the one lifting your tail for_me_, the guy you think is too much of a wuss to lead the High Horns!"

Carver growled and turned his gaze away, unable to meet Kevin's eyes. There was a faint blush rising on his cheeks.

"You hate that you love it too," Kevin snarled. "You love getting my big, fat cock up your ass. You love the feeling of being dominated by me and I bet you're about ready to blow now knowing that I'm technically the weaker of us and you're the one on the bottom."

Again, Carver made no reply but just kept his gaze away.

"So here's the deal," Kevin whispered, his voice softening and lips just over Carver's ears. "I'm going to let you fuck me. "But in exchange, we're going to rule Hornton and the High Horns my way. You'll be the face of the High Horns but in big matters like where we make our new settlement and how we deal with the other regions, you come to me. You can do whatever you want out there. If you want to start a militia or decide that a certain Rammer patrol should be let go instead of captured and converted, that's fine. But on the others things, you don't move without my say so."

He leaned forward just a little and seized Carver's ear between his teeth, just nibbling on it lightly. Carver shuddered and all his resistances began to melt away. The tension in his body began to ebb away save for the one in his groin.

"Do we have a deal?" Kevin pressed.

Carver was biting his lip and had his eyes squeezed shut. Then, with a soft groan, he nodded.

Kevin smiled and released Carver's wrists. "Get out of your pants."

The High Horn beneath him was all too eager to reach down and yank of his military attire pants. He kicked off his boots, sending them sailing through the hole in the window. Kevin felt Carver's eager prick dripping precum down his back. He reached down and pulled off his shirt, making sure that he did it nice and slowly just to tease Carver all the more.

He had to admit, being intimate with Carver always had him immensely aroused probably because he had only ever had sex with Carver ever since they had entered Arcadia. Subduing Carver like this was sexy but he didn't want to be the only one getting pleasure out of this. Whether Carver realised it or not, this was a partnership and he wanted to make sure the male beneath him enjoyed it as much as he did.

Once his shirt was off, he gently reached over and gripped the back of Carver's head, pulling the rhino towards his chest. He pushed Carver's lips against the cleft of his strong pectorals, flexing for him. He felt Carver's dick squirt precum all over his back from the gesture and Carver eagerly began running his tongue all over Kevin's pecs. The other High Horn was starved for Kevin's flesh and was drooling viciously.

Carver sure knew what to do with his tongue and the tingling sensations of that flexible appendage over his chest caused Kevin's cock to ache. He reached down and undid his belt. Once it was free, he had to lift himself up slightly to wiggle out of his denim shorts. Carver was far too impatient however and seized their rim and tore them with his strong hands. Kevin's cock was free, pressed up against Carver's abdominals and drooling precum all over that washboard.

Carver, however, froze and looked to Kevin for confirmation.

Kevin smiled gently and cupped Carver's chin, pulling them together into a tender kiss. Carver simply melted and his big, strong arms wrapped around Kevin's body, holding him into a tight embrace. Kevin stripped off the shreds of his shorts and gently reached back behind him and squeezed Carver's cock. He collected a large amount of precum from the moaning High Horn. With it between his fingertips, he reached up and rubbed it into his ass. He knew that he had taken a dick up his ass many times before but that had all been under the influence of the Haze.

This was the first time he was consciously taking one.

It was like he was having his virginity taken all over again.

Though as he pushed a soaked finger into his tight hole, he remembered the first time he really did have his cherry popped. Not as a Builder but as a human. It was blurry and he didn't want to think of such painful memories while he was having a glorious, intimate moment with Carver but the floodgates were open and the memories came rushing in.

It was with guy from his high school, a senior. He was a sophomore. Held back one year because his deadbeat drunk of a father couldn't afford to send him to school for one year. So he ended up behind the rest of his friends. He found comfort in another man's arms and together, they explored one another's bodies. And Kevin learned that he liked it.

Kevin gasped as he pulled his finger right out of his ass, now primed for Carver's dick. He gripped Carver's prick and guided it between his ass cheeks. He remembered that boy's words to him the first time he penetrated Kevin.

Relax. Let him in. Trust him.

Carver's dick glided easily into Kevin's ass, both men grunting loudly as the waves of pleasure began crashing against their bodies. Carver, having been teased and tormented long enough, began thrusting wildly into Kevin, his cock slamming up against Kevin's prostate. Kevin's cock, in turn, was spewing gallons of precum all over Carver's abdomen and the bed.

Kevin eagerly rubbed the clear fluids all over Carver's chest, paying particular attention to Carver's nipples. Every gentle rub or hard twist caused Carver to grunt and thrust even harder into Kevin. Quakes hit Kevin's body; hard blasts of ecstasy that pushed him closer and closer to the edge of orgasm. With his cock rubbing up against the hard ridges of Carver's abdominals, this stimulation was doubled. The warm embrace of the big, burly rhino beneath him whose strong arms were wound around his body made him feel warm, safe and strong.

The heat from Carver's cock began to seep all throughout his body like fire flooding through his veins. In particular, he could feel it pouring up his back, pushing up against his skin. He grunted and was forced to bunch forward, holding Carver's head against his shoulders. Little did he know that with every feverish pump of Carver's dick, the skin across his back began to blacken in a particular pattern. Ink began seeping up from his hide forming two distinct wings spread gloriously across his back. The same burning sensation hit his abdominals, making him arch his back and gasp. It was slightly more painful but as he clenched his abs while bracing against his pain, his body fat began to bubble away. His muscles hungrily consumed every ounce of the fatty layer all over his body, converting it into more mass. His shoulders broadened and his legs thickened all the more. Thick veins popped all over his limbs and his abdominals stood out pronounced even without him sucking in his gut.

Kevin let out a loud cry and his cock went rigid. His cum shot up between him and Carver, splashing all over their bodies. The hot seed cooled the burning sensation over his abdominals, letting the tattoo of another pair of wings originating around his belly button come out in full. The second blast from his cock had him gasping for breath and his entire body went limp. Carver let out a loud grunt against him and the shock of having a titanic fire hose shoot cum straight into his ass was something he was unprepared for. But it was infinitely amazing and it sent another blast of cum shooting from his own cock as if his body knew he couldn't contain that much seed in his body and was desperate to pump it out of his body as fast as possible.

Both men held each other tightly, Carver's strength kept them both upright and Kevin held onto him as tightly as possible as they both sprayed their seed all over the sheets. Eventually, even Carver had to collapse onto the soaking mattress. He dragged Kevin down with him, the big High Horn whimpering in delight as more and more of his cum pumped out of his balls, up his titanic dick and straight into Kevin. The warm goo of Kevin's on seed gluing them together only blanketed them both in a warmth that left them both quivering for more.

The experience had to end, however, and eventually, Carver's dick could give no more and Kevin was emptied.

Despite this, they still had their arms wound tightly around one another.

******

349:11:02:08:34:08

"Ruin, what the hell man!?"

Vale stamped his foot, causing the ground to shake. That it was covered in concrete only added to the strength of his blow. The containment area shook, the solid black floor cracking beneath Vale's feet. Like magic, the fissures began to close rapidly. The three Rammers that Ruin had captured the previous night were encased in brilliant, blue fields of shimmering, greenish light. They had attempted to bash at the walls but brute strength could do nothing to smash through the walls.

Ruin leaned against the far wall, arms crossed in the small, black room. Vale and Crash stood between him and their prisoners. "They would've found our hideout eventually and it's clear that the Rammers were trying to explore the facility. We would've never been able to sneak back in here if they started occupying it like the other areas."

"We don't know that!" Vale snarled. "But now that they've got three guys missing, they'll send people to come looking for them!"

"They could just as easily suspect that they were captured or converted to our side for their own free will."

"We don't know that!" Vale growled and gripped the sides of his head. He paced back and forth, his frustration emanating from him like a dark cloud. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!"

Though he would never admit it verbally, Ruin had to admit that he was having doubts about his own actions. He had acted hastily and in rage. Collectors shouldn't let their emotions get the better of them. But in this case, he had let his frustration rule him and now he could've exposed them. But now was not the time to go doubting himself. There had to be a way out of this.

"Well, what do we do?" Crash asked. The spikey haired Collector was hovering in front of the green containment fields. The Rammer on the right roared and slammed against the field. Crash didn't flinch, much to his credit. "I don't think there's another Conglomerate facility here, is there?"

"Actually, there is," answered Caesar. "From my scans, it seems that during the initial outbreak, Conglomerate forces actually managed to secure the power plant within this area. They began transmitting on the emergency broadcast signal for any survivors to make their way to the power plant for safety. Records show that the power plant was actually commissioned by AgriNex_, the_ Conglomerate's agriculture and resource branch. In all likeliness, there was a facility beneath there."

Ruin straightened. "Then I say we move our operations there."

"While I would much like to be interfaced with that facility, unfortunately I have not yet obtained all the data available in this facility. It will take a few more days before I can get everything."

Vale, seemingly having calmed somewhat, turned towards the ceiling. "Can't you just hook up to this place from the power plant?"

"Possibly but there is no telling what state the power plant is and it will again take several days before I can bring the facility up to scratch to interface to this facility."

"So what then?" Vale demanded, again stamping his foot. As he lifted it, concrete sprang up around his foot up to his knee and as soon as he hit the ground, it crumbled around him. His use of the power was becoming almost second nature to him. "We can't just sit here and wait for those bastards to come to us!"

"I wholeheartedly agree. That is why I have begun initiating the defences around this facility. They should be able to deter intruders at least for a little while longer. Sufficiently long enough for me to collect all the data and for you to scout out the power plant and its facilities. Once we know the state of the facility there, we can make plans to move our operations."

With a huff, Vale began pacing again. "Fine. But what do we do about _these_guys?" He waved at the Rammers. "I don't suppose you can wipe their memories and dump them back outside, can you?"

"That is not within my capabilities, no."

"Can you hijack their minds like your synthetics?" Ruin asked. "Control them?"

The Rammers visibly flinched at this suggestion and the rest of team Pathfinder gave Ruin a horrified stare.

"The technology exists, certainly, but it is a delicate process and I can only be inserted into the mind of one that is willing or, to put it in a better context, one that has no will to resist. I very much doubt that I can simply implant myself into these three."

The Rammers slammed at their containment fields, no doubt shouting their protests. No sound came out from their lips that the Collectors heard.

"So what then?" Crash asked. "We can't keep them here... Can we?"

"If I may suggest something," Caesar_began. _"I only have a very rudimentary understanding of the capabilities of these Rammers and the indigenous species of this area. Further, I do not fully understand the effects of this particular strain of the Haze. Perhaps if I were allow to perform some tests, I would be able to find a way to counteract or even control the Haze to a point where we could better understand it. Perhaps even render yourselves immune to its mind controlling effects and subsequently immune to Hammerhorn's influence."

"Hammerhorn?" Ruin asked. "What's he got to do with this?"

"Project Hammer was the name of the undertaking that created Hammerhorn. I found the files relating to this project and am still recovering them and they have been heavily encrypted. However, from what I have gathered, one of the abilities of Hammerhorn that is shared amongst various other projects is the ability to manipulate the Haze to make others around them subservient to them. I've decided to dub this the Master Field."

Recalling how Lobo had nearly lost himself to Hammerhorn just by being around him, Ruin couldn't help but think that there might be truth to what _Caesar_was saying. He didn't have much reason to doubt the AI's words, after all.

"Explain," he demanded.

"The Master Field is simply a way that the subject is able to exert their will over the Haze, rewiring it to ensure that instead of reprogramming the minds of affected by the Haze to the preprogramed behavioural set by the Haze strain, they instead obey the subject on a genetic level. This explains how Hammerhorn's Rammers are able to grow these manes and developed the mutation to manipulate metal on their own. Hammerhorn's influence is evolving them."

"And you're saying that if we come in contact with it...?"

"You may fall prey to it as well."

Ruin let out a thoughtful hum and crossed his arms.

"So you want to run tests on these guys to see if you can make us immune to it?" Vale demanded, gesturing at the three captured Rammers. "That... That's just not ethical! I mean, I know it's life or death here but these guys are people! They were human once! Builders or Wreckers next! We can't just treat them like... like... things!"

"I dunno, Vale," muttered Crash. "I think they'd enjoy treating us pretty much the same if given the chance. I bet they'd bend us over and fuck us like crazy until we're one of them. For a little while, we'd just be their toys to get off."

"But we're talking about doing things to them! Things that I'm pretty sure no one would agree to back home."

"Let me assure you that I have been programmed with the most ethical constraints when it comes to testing on live subjects. I will not do anything that will make them uncomfortable. In fact, if my theory is right, their experience will be rather pleasurable. I will endeavour to keep them alive as well."

Vale shook his head. "That's not much comfort. No offense."

"I understand your hesitation. However, let me inform you of your options. You can either keep them here where, no longer under the influence of the Haze. I have facilities that can produce food for them but it will put strain on my other processes and I will not be able to work as efficiently if I have to keep them fed while preparing to migrate. You could always bring them to your settlements but insofar, no Rammer has ever been converted into a High Horn and you run the risk of their strain overtaking the High Horns and ruining Gateway. Or, you can kill them yourselves now."

All three Collectors exchanged glances. None of them wanted to have blood on their hands and none of their certainly to take the risk of dragging these Rammers into Gateway, explaining why they thought it'd be a good idea to try and then forcing them to transform. They knew that several Rammers back in Camp Draco were being transformed into dragons and they were accepting that life after some counselling from Anodyne. But the High Horns were not as disciplined as the dragons and the Rammers in Camp Draco were not in their natural element, the Haze was of the dragon variety. There was no telling of the Rammer strain would take over the High Horns.

"So you're saying instead of killing them, we run them through _tests_instead?" Vale asked, grimacing. "It sounds like we kill them through torture instead."

"I leave the decision to you. I am here to serve."

The members of Team Pathfinder continued to exchange glances, none of them saying a word for several minutes.

Then, Crash spoke.

"I think I need to have an idea of what kind of 'test' we're talking about before I make a decision," he said. "I mean, if you're just going to have them run laps and collect their cum or something, I'm fine with that. But if you're going to be doing weird shit... then I'm going to vote against that."

Ruin found that he was finally able to breathe and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I agree." Vale let out a sound indicating that he too agreed.

"Processing." Caesar_didn't say anything for about a minute, longer than he usually was for processing requests. _"Confirmed. I have a sample test now if you are willing to observe?"

"What kind of test?" Crash insisted.

"A curious anomaly I have noted with all entities affected by the rhinoceros strain of the Haze. I am unsure if this is the same with other species as I have not been privy to their details as of yet however, it is evident from my observations that semen production accelerates a thousand fold during ejaculation. However, the amount is still directly proportional to the size of one's genitals. I would like to test if this is indeed the case."

Ruin eyed the ceiling curiously. "What do you mean? You want to make their balls bigger and see which one of them produces more cum?"

"Correct."

"How exactly are you going to make their balls bigger?" asked Vale.

"The Conglomerate had vast resources and in their studies of the Haze, they developed various mutagenic substances for various purposes. Within this facility alone, I have retrieved details on formulae to grow horns or spikes in various parts of the body or turn their flesh into the same leathery hide as a rhinoceros. Of these are serums to increase the size of one's genitalia. I have records indicating that transformative serums that allow a subject to change from one species to another already exists and muscle growth serums predate the descent of the Haze."

"Wait... What?" Ruin asked. "Are you saying the Conglomerate already had the tech to change people into rhinos and make them huge before the Haze?"

"Correct."

"Then why didn't they distribute that to make people human again!?"

"I cannot say as I am still interpreting the data though from previous observations, the Haze was simply too wide spread and varied. Even should they subject a certain area to a specific serum, the Haze would continue to exist and change them back to the Haze's desired template. Further, the same serum would need to be tailored to the victims of a specific area and would not work with all species. The serum to change a rhinoceros to a human would not be the same as the one to change a dragon into a human. Further, this would do nothing to fix the mental conditioning of the subject."

Ruin sighed and ran a hand down his muzzle, stopping when he hit his horns. "Fuck..."

"Do I have your permission to proceed with the experiment?"

"Yeah... Yeah, go ahead," he said without really thinking.

He looked up at the three Rammers. Long mechanical arms emerged from the ceiling within the containment chamber, each one holding a syringe with varying quantities of green fluid. The Rammers had nowhere to run but they tried to grab at the arms. One managed it but the arm twisted away and jabbed the syringe into their arm anyway. The other two were injected after seeing their fellow Rammer hit.

All three rhinos exchanged glances, horror across their faces. Then, the one on the far right looked like he let out a loud moan, his eyes rolling into the back of his head and his eyelids fluttering. He felt to his knees as his balls visibly began to churn. Ruin unfolded his arms and watched in awe. He could see the guys testicles actually moving within his thick, hairy ball sac. They shifted and undulated, growing bigger and bigger. Every time they strained the skin, his scrotum stretched to compensate. The other two fell to their knees as well. The one in the middle seized the sides of his head, no doubt trying to will the changes to stop but just like the other Rammer, his balls were bouncing away in his sac madly, growing by the second. The one on the far left was the least resistant and seized his erect cock, jacking off madly.

The growth spread into the dicks of all three subjects. Their already erect cocks, sixteen inches long, began to throb and bulge. Ruin could actually see thick surges of precum roiling up their lengths, ballooning each dick obscenely before squirting out of the tip in a thick gush. It was like watching a ball travel down a thin, rubber tube. With each blast, their dicks grew bigger, thicker and longer. It wasn't long before all three men were forced to spread their legs wide to compensate for their engorged genitals.

The one on the far right, the first to fall to his knees suddenly went rigid. His entire body locked up, his hands squeezing down on his dick which was as thick as his forearm and probably twice as long. His balls, each one the size of his head, seized up. A gush of semen erupted from the tip of his cock, each blasts knocking the Rammer against the containment field in powerful spasms. Ruin jerked back in shock, fully expecting the shots to burst through the containment field.

The other two Rammers, however, were still in the throes of lust. Their balls and cocks continued to grow into ridiculous sizes. The one in the middle was forced to actually sit with his legs wide as his balls reached the size of each of his pectorals, his cock a monstrous thirty inches long and slapping his face while coating it with thick wads of precum. His whole body was hit by a blast of cum, the entire containment field turning white with splash after splash of his seed.

And still, the one on the far left continued to grow. Ruin wasn't sure if he should be aroused or horrified as the Rammer was forced to actually _sit_on his balls as they continued to grow and grow. His dick reached the ceiling, a full fifty feet above him. _Caesar_actually had to widen his containment cell and nearly didn't get there in time before the Rammer erupted.

The Collectors all watched the show with their jaws hanging open. It was bizarre as no sound left the containment fields so only their imaginations filled in the loud, wet sloshing of cum squirting everywhere mixed with the moans of the Rammers. No doubt there was some splashing as well as the last two Rammers practically swam in their own seed.

When the show ended, the Rammer on the right had his containment field filled with seed up to his waist, his balls marinating in his white spunk. The one on the middle only had his two heads bobbing above the tube of seed, his cock head still throbbing painfully while his rhino head was dazed and grinning in a rather goofy manner. The last looked like he could've filled a swimming pool with his seed. Ruin couldn't actually see the guy's head. All he could see was the massive, monstrous cock pressed up against the light, green field.

"Fuck that was hot..."

He glanced towards Crash who was shamelessly rubbing his erect cock. Vale's own dick was erect though he chose to ignore it.

"My hypothesis was correct," Caesar concluded. "The size of one's genitals is directly proportionate to how much semen one produces. It is curious that the Haze did not take this into consideration given that it feeds off the semen of its victims. No matter. I will generate a formula that clearly translates the size of genitals to production. Further tests will be required to gauge production and consistency."

"How -" Vale cleared his throat. "How are you going to keep them healthy? They must be exhausted."

"I will keep them fed and maintain them. Unfortunately, as I have stated previously, these tests will take time away from my other efforts. Given that, however, if other Rammers wander into this building, particularly this facility, I can endeavour to capture them with my defences. This will provide me with more test subjects to better understand the Haze, the capabilities of the local species and perhaps develop some way to defeat Hammerhorn's Master Field."

Ruin nodded slowly, glad that his mistake didn't cost them too much. "Great. Just don't go hunting them out actively. We need to move you out of here as soon as possible." He nodded to the rest of his team. "Come on. We still have our assignment. Let's wrap it up and see if we can check out the power plant tomorrow."

"I will provide you with the coordinates."

******

349:11:02:09:01:22

Honey Hill was surprisingly calm, serene and very beautiful. It was a bit of a shock for Finn given that the other regions had evidence of the Apocalypse. Hornton was all ruins and Camp Draco was a military fortress. But Honey Hill in Burheim reminded him a lot of Arcadia in many ways but perhaps a little more rustic. There was no evidence of Conglomerate technology. Everything was somewhat... simple.

As he and the rest of his team strode down the cobblestone path, the bears of Honey Hill began emerging from their thatch roof homes and began to approach them curiously. They were escorting the_Sweet Trinity_ caravan, carrying their own goods on a truck that they had transported from Camp Draco through Arcadia and finally into Burheim. To say that the bears of the caravan were shocked at the appearance of the vehicle was an understatement.

They stopped at the village square marked by a simple well. Finn jumped out of the passenger seat, a rhino amongst a sea of bears. Skip slipped out from the back of the truck and Savage dropped out from the driver's seat, both of them dragons. Vein had taken on rhino form and stood beside Finn.

The villagers were all dressed in rather conservative clothing, at least in comparison to the other regions. All were male but most of them wore long sleeved, plain shirts with the sleeves rolled up for those that had just come from the fields or work. All wore long pants of various fabrics and each of them wore simple shoes. Fur colour and build generally varied and they showed a little more individuality than the Builders of Hornton. Some had necklaces, earrings or different designs on their shirts. But they were certainly not as outrageous or vastly different like the dragons or Wreckers.

One of the bears from Sweet Trinity, the eldest brother by the name of Antony, stepped up in front of his fellow bears, big paws raised. "My brothers! These are the men we have told you about! The Arcadians!"

The bears eyed the dragons in particular. Finn understood that with the former Arcadian arrangements, Collectors had taken on dragon form and raided bear supplies while bears infiltrated their societies and marked targets or stole what they could. It was a good thing that both Finn and Vein had chosen to go in as rhinos to allay those prejudices somewhat.

"They bring us strange, new and wonderful things from other lands!"

Finn decided that was his queue and hurried to the back of the truck. There, he pulled out a crate of potato chips and some sweets. Skip helped but pulled out some clothes from Hornton with intricate designs. The bears all gathered about as he set the crate down and began handing out the goods. He noticed that the Haze here smelled quite... sweet and at the same time earthy. It reminded him a lot of Marv. He had hoped to get some time to talk to him but Lobo had sent him and Cross back to Arcadia to keep the supplies coming through the Gate. Only Lobo escorted them, a big black bear in his current form.

"What is this?" asked a bear, holding up a chip packet. "Is it for music?" He shook the packet slightly, holding it up to his ear and listening to the rustling of its contents.

Finn chuckled and took it back gently. "It's just a container for the food inside. Helps keep it fresh. Here." He opened the packet and plucked out one of the crinkled, seasoned, disc-shaped chips. To show them that it was safe, he chucked one into his muzzle and chewed. It was a salt and vinegar flavour. "See? It's good."

He handed the packet back to the bear in question and curiously plucked one of the chips out. The other bears around him were looking on curiously. The big ursine ate it. His eyes widened and he rolled them, letting out a noise of approval. True to the Burheim ethos, he began handing it around, urging everyone to try. In turn, he was handed a soda bottle from another bear who told him it tasted like grapes that left a tingle on his tongue.

Finn thought he was going to get mauled as the bears hurried for more food but they were surprisingly gentle and polite. They asked him if he had more chips and he eagerly gave them some. But they only ever took one chip before handing it around. For Skip who was handing out the clothes, it was somewhat different. The bears took a shirt or pants but they wouldn't put them on until they found one that really fit them. If they didn't find one that they were satisfied with, they would urge someone else to take it.

In the back of his mind, Finn imagined this is what Arcadia would look like if it was more densely populated.

A big paw fell on his shoulder and he turned to find Antony grinning at him. "They like your goods."

"Thanks," Finn answered with a big grin. "I was a little worried that they wouldn't be enough."

"You brought more than enough." Antony regarded the crates. Only one was empty and a second one lay half-empty. "I believe they've taken what they would like. Let us have breakfast then we must be on our way to the next village."

Finn frowned at the crates. He knew they had at least another fifty crates in the back of the truck. "But they haven't even taken that much..."

"We take only what we need. Your gifts are already a grand treat and no doubt most of the villagers have taken more than they need already to trade with the other caravans passing through." Antony waved his big paw towards the distance. "Word of your wares will spread. Once we make our rounds. Every village will know your name. Then tomorrow, we will tell them of your outpost and trade can begin in earnest."

"Tomorrow...?"

"The bears here like to take things slowly," answered Lobo, striding up to him. He grinned and pointed at Finn while regarding Antony. "You'll have to forgive my impatient friend here. He likes to take things pretty quickly. Tends to get us all in a heap of trouble."

Antony nodded sagely, a wise smile on his face. "I see. Well, my young friend, patience is a virtue and you cannot rush the world. It moves at a steady pace and trying to force the day to go by faster will only lead you on the path of sorrow."

"The Maximus, you mean?"

A hush suddenly fell on the village. Antony quickly turned to the rest of the bears and laughed. "Worry not my brothers. There are no Maximus here. Go on. Peruse our wares! My brothers are more than eager to assist with your needs."

With that, the rest of the village returned to the main caravan where they eagerly traded their belongings or their harvest for what they had obtained from both the Collectors and the Sweet Trinity. With their attention away, Antony wiggled one of his rounded ears in the direction of the well and began heading in that direction. Finn and Lobo followed quietly.

Once they approached, Antony began hauling up some water from the well, his big muscles bunching from the effort. Finn had to admit, seeing the massive bear's muscles in motion made him wonder what Cody would look like as a bear... or what he'd look like after her reverted back to a dragon. He was a little anxious to get back to Camp Draco and see Cody's transformation.

"The Maximus is our curse," Antony said at length. "They are those of us that have given in to our baser instincts and have been consumed by greed. We speak of them in hushed whispers and they are a warning to all of us. Even mere mention of them is enough to give everyone pause and it is not good for trade when you mention them."

Finn leaned against the stone wall of the well. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"You need not worry." Antony brought up the water and beamed at him. "You are new to our lands. I understand that it may take time to get used to our customs as it will take time for us to get used to yours."

Finn recalled something that Josh had said about the Maximus in a prior conversation. It was something the Archivist mentioned while begging Finn not to go through with his plan to speak to Cody.

"Does... anyone ever turn back from becoming a Maximus?" he asked.

He noticed that Lobo went rigid while Antony frowned.

"No," Antony answered gravely. "Those damned due to their avarice remain so for all time. It is their curse. That is why we must never take more than we need and we must share everything that we make. It is just how things are done here."

"I see... Do you guys ever run out of stuff to make?" Finn pressed. "I mean, I saw you guys had some iron, coal, wood and fish. But surely the forest is only so big and there's only so much minerals in the ground. Wouldn't you eventually run out?"

Antony's frown deepened though he wasn't directing it at Finn. "I never gave it much thought. Then again, we never really pay much attention to such things."

"Why not?"

Antony broke his frowning streak with a smile. "You surely are a curious fellow, aren't you?"

"It's what makes him 'Renegade'," Lobo chuckled. The Collector leader nodded towards the caravans. "Why don't you head back with the water. I think your brothers are about to die of thirst. I'll fill Renegade in with the rest of the details."

"Much appreciated, brother." With that, Antony turned and headed back to the caravan, holding the bucket of water in his big, burly arms.

When he was out of earshot range, Lobo sighed. "I guess you've been talking to the other Collectors, huh?"

"Josh, actually," Finn responded. "He mentioned something about it... I just realised that it contradicted what you told me about the Maximus about it being permanent..."

Lobo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Being a Maximus is permanent. Remember, the guys that turn into one remember that they became a Maximus. I never said they never turn back into the regular sized bears you see now." He nodded at the caravan. "Maximus is as much a brand as it is a shape. You made a good point about the resources being finite, and they are. However, the Maximus eventually go into a place and trash the place. They spray their cum everywhere and just like that, the place gets replenished. The Maximus turns back but they're practically exiled because of what the other bears see in them. It might be because of this exile that they just consume and consume which leads them to constantly stay in their Maximus forms but get them to cum enough and they'll turn back."

Finn frowned. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Lobo returned the frown with a narrowed gaze and a finger pointed at him. "Because I know what you're thinking. I see that look in your eye. You're thinking about going to the Maximus and 'saving' them. Don't deny it."

Whether it was guilt or some level of being insulted, Finn felt hurt that Lobo knew what he was thinking. "Well it's not fair. They're helping this place stay afloat. Why should they be exiled?"

Lobo sighed heavily and shook his head. "This is why I chose to come with you guys," he muttered to himself. "Look Renegade, it isn't fair. I get it. One mistake and you're damned for good. Fair enough. But right now, we need to focus all our efforts on building this bridge between Burheim and Arcadia. You heard what Antony said. They take it slow here. If you start rushing things like you did in Camp Draco and Hornton, you'll make Burheim an enemy."

He lifted a finger. "Promise me, you won't do anything rash."

"But -"

"Finn," Lobo said sternly. The use of Finn's real name froze the young Collector. "Trust me on this one. Speaking from personal experience, we need to take this slow. It's why we spent all this time building up our stockpile instead of just charging right in to Burheim waving our 'I want to be friends' flag. They take it slow. You need to as well. Promise me."

Though it was against every fibre of his being, Finn could see Lobo's point. Looking at how the crowd took the supplies in an orderly fashion, patiently waiting for their turn, he knew Lobo was right. He was reminded of that time when he first saw the Collectors returning to Arcadia. Lobo, Vein and Vale had a few bits of junk and the Arcadians had swarmed them, clamouring for whatever they could take for themselves.

But here, the bears were patient.

"Okay," he said. "I promise."

Lobo's features softened and he gripped Finn's shoulder tightly. "Thanks. I don't doubt that you want what's best for Arcadia and I didn't mean to insult you in any way but we need to be careful about how we go about this. We don't want any more enemies."

Finn returned a firm nod and headed back to the caravan with Lobo. An hour later, the bears of Honey Hill were satisfied with what they had received and the Sweet Trinity caravan began packing up again to continue on their route along the established caravan paths. Finn gladly assisted in the packing and got a bright smile from Antony for his help.

The eldest of the brothers expressed interest in the truck. "I quite like the exercise I get from traveling with my brothers," he said, flexing one big, meaty bicep. It was possibly the largest arm he had ever seen save for Hammerhorn's but there was a layer of thick fur and fat around it that softened it somewhat. There was no doubt of the strength Antony had but neither he nor any of his brothers were as ripped as Finn. "However, I feel that your truck can travel along these routes and carry much more than what we are used to with our caravans."

"If you'd like to give it a try one, I'd be happy to swap places with you," Finn suggested. "I can pull the caravan for a bit and you can ride in the truck."

Antony chuckled, a deep rumble that almost sounded like rolling thunder. "Perhaps but I do not think your small stature will be able to keep up with my brothers."

That almost sounded like an insult and Finn frowned. He was in rhino form and that meant he was bulkier than if he were a human or a dragon. As a Collector, he was also significantly stronger than any other bear. Tempted as he was to show up the brothers, he remembered Lobo's warning and pulled himself back.

"Fair enough. But next time you're at our outpost, maybe we can switch your wagon for a truck. See how she handles."

Antony rubbed the back of his head, his thick black hair melding perfectly with his dark brown fur. "Perhaps should we have the time. We have five villages in our circuit and it takes us most of the day to traverse them." He squinted up at the horizon. "We are running late as it is." He then beamed at Finn and gave him a thumbs up. "Let's see if we can make it in time."

When the wagon was packed up and ready to go, the _Sweet Trinity_caravan bid the villagers goodbye and started hauling their wagon back into the forest, heading towards the north. Savage drove the truck slowly after them, humming a soft tune to himself while Finn sat in the passenger seat beside him.

Once they were back in the forest, Finn asked, "Antony said there five villages in his circuit. Does that mean there are more than five villages?"

"Dozens," Savage responded. "They're scattered all over the place. You saw how some of the paths we came across had crossroads? Well, that's because they spread off into different villages." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You know, maybe we could get some High Horns to start making roads along this place and putting up signs. It might make it easier to travel."

"That's a great idea!" Finn exclaimed. "Oh! Maybe we can set up our own caravans as well once word of Arcadia spreads! I'm sure the bears would like more of our stuff! I mean, we can't just rely on Antony's caravan to spread the word, right?"

"Slow down there, little buddy," snickered Savage. "We're on _their_land, remember? We can't just force ourselves on them. Let's just see how today goes. By tomorrow, news of Arcadia will have spread. Hopefully the outpost will have been built as well so we'll be able to make some open lines of trade and communication."

Finn tried to contain his excitement but just thinking of bringing the bears into the folds of the Arcadian Alliance got his tail wagging excitedly. Seeing his whip-like, tufted tail, Savage snickered.

"You must be about ready to blow, huh?"

"Come again?" Finn asked.

"You know. You've been a rhino for a night and you've been here a few hours. I bet you're just itching to see what you look like as a bear. That and you probably haven't had a good orgasm in a while. I don't think I've ever seen you as a human again." Savage laughed brightly and slapped the steering wheel lightly. "Man, your dragon form was hairy. I bet you'd have a sexy mat of chest hair."

Ice ran through Finn's blood and he let out a laugh that he hoped wasn't too nervous. Being reminded of his inability to transform back into a human killed any mirth he had. "Yeah. Been a while. Just been really busy, is all. I mean, I can't show favouritism towards one species or the other, right? I've got to make sure that I'm impartial."

"Yeah but if you're always seen as a Beast, you're not going to look that good in front of the Arcadians." Savage nudged him lightly as he slowed down. They were entering a rather thick part of the forest. "Which reminds me, when are you going to hold your first 'official' meeting for your fancy embassy?"

The ice in Finn's blood melted somewhat. "I dunno. Maybe after we've got a Burheim ambassador or something. I want to make sure the embassy is catered for. I don't want our ambassadors going hungry."

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Savage snickered. "Heard that from Gantry once."

Instead of ice, a cloud of gloom formed over Finn's head. "We haven't told anyone in Arcadia about Gantry yet... not even Josh..."

"One of the reasons I'm kind of anxious for you to get an embassy meeting going." Savage's mood darkened as well, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Gantry has a Key. He can slip into Arcadia any time he wants. Hell, he can give it to Hammerhorn and we'd all be screwed. But if we start building defences, the Arcadians might take it as us taking over 'their area' or something."

Finn hugged himself tightly. "I kind of feel bad for having tossed Gantry's rock in the lake. He's not dead... He's not lost to us..."

"As far as we're concerned, he is," muttered Savage. "He's betrayed Arcadia and who knows what he's planning. That we haven't seen Hammerhorn yet kind of freaks me out. It's either he's skulking around here or he's gearing up for something somewhere else..."

"We've got all the Gates to Arcadia defended. Even the one in Camp Draco has an outpost of dragons there."

"I know. But I still can't shake this fucking feeling that there's something that's going to screw us over..." Savage shook his head grimly. "It's the not knowing that shits me." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But let's focus on the caravan. Building bridges. That's what Team Trailblazer is all about."

Finn tried to grin but it felt like he was moving his muscles against a brick wall. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan."

******

349:11:02:11:16:59

There were advantages to being a dragon. The first was that fire breath allowed for the cauterisation of wounds and sterilisation of medical equipment in a pinch. The second was, that as a dragon, Anodyne had an extra pair of arms. One pair to hold down the patient and the other to administer whatever treatment they needed. Physical wounds were easy enough to fix.

But it was the psychological ones that worried him.

He lifted his muzzle as a familiar scent touched his nostrils. Concrete and sweat that marked the owner as someone from Hornton or had taken on the shape of a rhino. He ruffled the relatively small wings on his back, flapping them slightly to brush more of the scent towards his nose, confirming who it was.

"Help me with this patient, would you Kevin?"

The High Horn came over and regarded the dragon lying on a makeshift bed a few short feet away. The entire warehouse had been converted into a hospital of sorts. There were plenty of medical supplies lying around in Hornton that none of the High Horns ever used due to the nature of the Haze maintaining the bodies of most of it inhabitants. But the most grievous of injuries were beyond the power of the Haze and most of the inhabitants of all the regions had no medical training whatsoever.

Anodyne particularly remembered Josh's own injuries. The bears of Burheim had practically shunned Josh for going Maximus on them and mercilessly attacked him. Even should they have wanted to, they wouldn't have had the means or the knowledge to help him. It was a miracle Josh got to keep his legs at all.

"What's going on?" Kevin asked, watching various dragons milling about between the rows of patients, putting into practice what they had learned from Anodyne. He regarded the patient before them, a copper scaled dragon staring emptily at the ceiling. "I don't see any external injuries..."

"No external injuries," Anodyne responded. "The damage is psychological." He tapped the side of his head. With a gentle hand, he steered Kevin away from the patient and waved his hand across the entire western side of the warehouse. "All of these people here were once just dragons from here. But imagine how it'd affect you if the way you were introduced to the rest of the world was to be violently raped and then be transformed into another shape. Worse yet, you find yourself enjoying the experience even though every inch of your body is changing into something your mind is telling you is wrong. Then add on top of that seeing your own comrades attacking you because of your shape."

Kevin visibly shuddered.

The moment Anodyne began treating the dragons that Gantry and his team had twisted, he knew what ailed them. Hardened soldiers cried and wet themselves whenever they saw a rhino walk by. Men who trained possibly for centuries had fucked or been fucked multiple times throughout their lives openly wept whenever someone asked them to drop their pants for something as routine as full tail or leg exam. As one of the older Collectors, he had seen good humans aspire to be like him but didn't have the mental fortitude to take the transformation. Sure, they eventually turned back into a human but the identity rape was irreversible.

"So... they're broken?" Kevin asked tentatively.

"In more ways than one," answered Anodyne softly. "We're running out of time, Kev. These guys... You can see it in their eyes. Some of them have given up hope. They feel they're neither dragon nor rhino and feel like they've lost their identity. It takes a hell of a lot of people to feed them because they won't eat. Some feel like they aren't worthy of their military rank and want to throw themselves at the rhinos and stay like them forever."

The High Horn bristled. "What's wrong about being a rhino?"

"Everything if you're still a dragon at heart," said Anodyne. He poked Kevin's chest, particularly over his heart. "Let me turn that around on you. I see you've added some of the dragon in you." He particularly eyes the tattoos over Kevin's body and his increased mass. "But why haven't you actually taken dragon form?"

Kevin frowned. "I just haven't found reason to..."

If there was something all the Collectors should know by now, it was to never lie or make excuses towards Anodyne. Whether it was whoever he was before as a human or his experiences over the years, he could read others very easily and in turn use that to guide them.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Kev." Anodyne moved to stand in front of Kevin, his lower set of arms crossed while the other pair were pressed against his hips. His red scales glimmered in the afternoon sun. "You're just like these guys. You're proud to be a rhino but you're scared of becoming something else."

"That's not true," countered Kevin defensively. "I turned into a human, didn't I?"

"Only because you had no other choice."

With a gentle hand, he steered Kevin out of the warehouse into the warm tropical afternoon. Dragons and rhinos were busy fortifying the docks, repurposing what had once been empty warehouses into military barracks or training areas. The walls around the docks were practically impregnable thanks to the work of both rhinos, dragons and the ingenuity of the Collectors.

"I understand the pride you must have as a High Horn," Anodyne said at length. "But our greatest weapon against Hammerhorn and those like him is our adaptability. High Horns have brute strength and make for astounding builders but dragons are far more mobile and varied. If you stick to one species alone, you're not going to be able to survive."

"Survive?" Kevin asked, looking to the big dragon worriedly. "What do you mean?"

"You're smart, Kevin. Don't tell me you can't see it too." He headed towards the end of a pier before turning back around to face the docks. Kevin was just a few paces behind him. "This trauma that the dragons have gone through will breed resentment. It'll breed a sort of racial pride. People who are 'pure dragon' will be seen as superior. Those who choose to change shape might be considered traitors. You've seen it in Arcadia too, haven't you?"

Anodyne was not blind to the murmurs and whispers of the world around him. If medical training and practice had taught him anything it was how to be observant. In his trips to Arcadia, he had noted the lack of a human presence and the wide berth the humans gave the embassy. Even while the structure was being built, he could see the wary and hostile looks the humans gave the Beasts. That same feeling of paranoia and doubt was creeping in to the dragons. While the heat of hatred was only simmering for now, soon it would boil over and someone would suffer for it.

The first victims would be the High Horns who were just blissfully building and expanding, lending aid to the other species with a smile.

Their innocence made them a prime target.

"I..." Kevin began but Anodyne shot him a piercing stare that caught whatever it was he was saying in his throat. "I did feel like some of the dragons that came in to Hornton were looking at us funny... I don't know what it was. It was sort of like... Like they were treating us as cattle. Cattle that could attack them at any moment. They're there to guard us but they're there to guard themselves as well from us."

Anodyne nodded sagely. "It is good that you are driving Carver to become the leader of the High Horns but you are also making him a prime target."

The small flinch from Kevin confirmed Anodyne's suspicions. When he had seen Carver return to Camp Draco that morning, there was something about his walk and how he held himself that set off the Collector's mental alarms. Carver was rougher, more aggressive and louder than usual. He was overcompensating for something and Anodyne suspected that it was because someone had put him in his place. At first he thought it was members of Team Pathfinder but then he reconsidered.

There was only one other person who was a more likely candidate...

"I know you're not that kind of person to use another for his own selfish needs let alone to use them as a meat shield."

"Carver isn't -"

"He is," Anodyne interrupted sharply. "Whether you recognise it or not, you're using Carver as a representation of the person you should be. He's the guy you're sending out there to get himself fucked and changed into other species so you don't have to."

"No! That's not -!" Kevin stopped, his voice breaking in his throat. "Is he...?"

"You're setting yourself up for a fall, Kevin," Anodyne warned. "Over my years as a Collector, I've seen this same phenomenon occur in the minds of others. Our records and stories say the same. When you look at Arcadia, the Collectors are what you've turning Carver into."

Kevin immediately threw his hands into the air. "But you guys survived for so long!"

"So did you but the only time we started living was when he broke the chains of complacency and moved forward." Anodyne shook his head gravely. "Don't make the same mistakes we did, Kevin. When you look at Arcadia now, Collectors are feared more than they are respected. That's what you're going to turn Carver and his group into. If you don't believe me, look back at those dragons in the hospital." He nodded back towards the repurposed warehouse. "You saw the hell they were going through. Tell me that if you had your identity threatened like that, you wouldn't want to lash out at anything that wasn't a 'pure' High Horn?"

The High Horn winced and looked back towards the warehouse. "I never meant for that to happen... I just didn't want to be the one that people look to. Carver is a better leader than I am... I just think I have better ideas."

"Sounds like you want a partnership not a dictatorship," said Anodyne. "I suggest you work together with Carver instead of lording over him."

A few moments passed while Kevin stood shaking. Then he bolted down the pier, only to stop a few feet away and turn back towards Anodyne. "What about Arcadia? Camp Draco?"

"Camp Draco can be salvaged," Anodyne responded with a faint smile. "I'll work with the dragons here to ease them into the transition. Unlike Arcadia, I think the Commander will want everyone to have their turn venturing past each of the Gates. Regardless of their apprehension, the dragons still look up to Cody and fall under his command. They'll do what he says and will eventually embrace their abilities."

Kevin frowned at him. "So you never really needed my help with the patients?"

"I did. You were my patient."

The High Horn let out a snort. "Damn... I really should get better at this manipulation thing..." He lifted his gaze slightly. "What about Arcadia?"

There, Anodyne's features fell. "I fear that the roots of dissension are already set there. Something tells me that's all going to come to a head soon despite Renegade's attempts to stem to flow of hatred. But we'll soon see."

A shudder went down Kevin's spine. "Well, whatever happens, you can be sure Hornton will be on your side."

"Thank you."

Kevin bolted off, no doubt returning to Hornton.

That left Anodyne to ponder what he had just said. He turned in place and glanced out into the ocean. He wondered how far across that vast ocean Arcadia really was or where Hornton was in relation to the relatively small island.

It was like watching nations build themselves up from the ground up, each with their own ideologies and methods of rule. He knew the mistakes Arcadia had made and he knew where all these changes were going to lead. In the back of his mind, he could feel the fires of war starting and it wasn't just a battle against Hammerhorn anymore.

"What will happen to Arcadia?" he murmured to himself softly. "What will happen to the Collectors if they no longer have a place they're fighting for?" Then he lifted he gaze up towards the brilliant blue sky. "What will happen to humanity if we are forced to fight against the very people we swore to protect?"

He laughed softly and bitterly, shading his eyes from the light of the sun. "It's funny... We all supposedly share the same sun, the same sky... and yet we're all so vastly different. Connected only by a few flimsy gateways from a long dead corporation." He shook his head and sighed heavily. "I hope you have some way of dealing with this, Renegade. This will not be easy."

******

349:11:02:14:30:44

The village was called Hardstone and it was one of the few mining towns in Burheim. Built at the base of a mountain, the assortment of quaint wooden huts were arranged in a grid-like fashion to allow for the multiple rail tracks that littered the area. As the caravan approached to the usual fanfare from the locals, Skip noted how the mining carts coming from the mines were a little slower than usual. Further, the pile of rocks and ingots of various metals were somewhat lacking.

Most of the people were all miners of some variety. A large number of them wore hardhats, heavy work boots and overalls. In many ways, they were a lot like the Builders of Hornton but geared more towards mining than construction. He saw bright, awed faces as they scrambled towards the truck and Antony explained about Arcadia for the third time that day.

None of them were too concerned that their resources from the mountain were running low and in all likelihood a Maximus attack was imminent. It was a curious thing about Burheim. None of them ever pieced together the idea that the drop in resources was a herald of a Maximus either being made or invading to replenish the resources.

He wondered if an attack from a Maximus would be the defining moment for this region, that little push that would cause Finn to do something drastic that would ultimately unite Burheim under the Alliance.

But before that happened, he needed to catch up with a certain someone, the Angelus of this location.

He told the others that he was just going to relieve himself and quickly darted off in the direction of where he knew the lavatories were just to throw off anyone who would suspect him. Once he was well outside of earshot or visual range, he kicked up the speed, using his Collector abilities to carry him well outside of Hardstone. He ran for a whole ten minutes nonstop, bolting up the gentle incline of the mountain until he came to the point where snow began to creep into the greenery of the forest. In the particular clearing, a small wooden cabin stood. Judging by the plume of smoke that was rising from the chimney, he knew it was occupied.

Skip headed towards the cabin and lifted his hand towards the big, wooden door.

"I was wondering when you'd decide to show your face."

A faint smile touched his face as he turned towards the owner of the voice. An enormous bear with snow white fur wearing a plaid red and black shirt that could barely contain the enormous muscle beneath. Though he sported a pronounced belly, his pectorals were broad and square, covered in a matt of thick brown hair. He sported a thick chinstrap beard of the same coloured hair and a red beanie that matched his shirt. The thick denim pants he wore appeared new though his boots were worn and covered in mud. The big bear held a massive woodsman axe over his shoulder.

"Paul," Skip said with a grin. "It's so good to -"

"Cut the bullshit," the bear interrupted. "I know why you're here."

"Do you now?" Skip responded with a faint smile.

"Only an idiot wouldn't," he snapped back. "Regulus is gathering an army. Arcadia has resisted and wrested control of one region from him while contesting another. He can't have his perfect 'Pro-Beast' society if there are still Beasts out there touting in favour of Arcadia."

Those words hinted at hostility towards Arcadia... but they didn't seem to favour Regulus either... Skip readied himself, eyes narrowed towards Paul. He prepared himself for the worst.

"Don't look at me like that," snarled Paul, pushing past Skip into his cabin. "I don't give a fuck about your side or Regulus'. I'm taking no part in it."

Skip was not surprised very often but this was one of those rare moments where he would genuinely admit that he was left speechless. "You're not on his side?"

"Nor yours," Paul growled, opening the door to his home. "But since you're here, you might as well come in. I got some beer."

Was that an invitation or a trap? Skip had very few interactions with Paul in the past predominantly because the Angelus of Burheim had elected not to interact with his chosen species or at least minimise interactions as much as possible. A loner at heart, Paul overlooked Burheim from a distance. Whether or not he actually interfered to guide the bears to the future was up for debate.

"Don't just stand there like a fool," Paul snapped. "Either get in and shut the door or fuck off."

Curiosity got the best of Skip and he wandered into Paul's quaint little home. The simple log cabin was surprisingly spacious. From the door, he immediately entered a lounge room that had couches assembled around a roaring fireplace. No barrier or wall divided the lounge from the kitchen or the dining room. A hallway led into different rooms and from all appearances, there were at least three bedrooms. Or perhaps one of the bedrooms was used for something else such as a study or a library though given the lack of literature in Burheim, he doubted that very much.

He shut the door behind him and waited as Paul headed into the kitchen and fished out two bottles of bear stored within a stone casket filled with ice, a sort of primitive refrigerator. He gladly took one and popped the cap. "Did you make this?"

"Of course not. Went down to the village by the lake. Still Lake, it's called. That's where they brew this shit."

Skip remembered that village. Its specialisation was beverages. They had whole vineyards and orchards completely with irrigated plains that they used to brew various juices. They got barley from other villages to make their beer. No doubt the ice came from the village further up the mountain, Frostflow which was built explicitly to bring ice to the other villages for all their needs. Never wine though, strangely enough.

He tried the beer, just taking a sip just to make sure there was nothing poisonous in it. The malty flavour was rather mild and there was a little bit of sweetness in it. It could be masking something else but judging from the way Paul just downed half of the drink and slumped down on one of his couches, it was highly unlikely.

Still, Skip remained standing. "What can you tell me about Regulus?"

Paul grunted and drained his beer bottle. "Straight down to business eh?" He looked at his bottle with some disappointment before setting it down. "I can only tell you what Leif, that wuss from Pride City, told me. More like _pleaded_me. Regulus thinks that the age of humanity is over. Why should we be working to make everyone human again when the world is fine with Beasts?" He eyed Skip with a foul stare. "He's doing exactly what you're doing. He's uniting the Beasts but instead of encouraging them to go back to being human, he wants them to just remain as Beasts. He acknowledges that each of the regions is skewed and broken. Can't make a civilisation on their own. So he'll piece together the parts of the puzzle and his utopia will be an all Beast one."

Several things stuck out as problematic in that plan. "Firstly, seems like this Regulus seems really intelligent."

Paul got up and headed towards his makeshift cooler again. He plucked out another beer. "As most of those assholes in Pride City probably are." As he returned to his seat, he swiped the bottle in Skip's hands and began draining that.

"Right..." At least he was sure now that Paul hadn't intended to poison him in some way. "That being said, I'm sure Regulus understand that even with all his ambitions, the society he builds won't be stable. Reproduction within an all-male civilisation is just impossible. That's why -"

"Oh he knows," Paul grunted. "He knows just how important Arcadia is and SOL. I'm told he has a plan. I don't know what but apparently, he has a means of making sure that the world is repopulated again."

That was indeed worrisome. "Alright... So he's getting the Angelus of each of the regions to bow to him and then they'll guide their civilisations to his rule. From the sounds of it, Hammerhorn thinks he's the leader of his revolution. But he's just being led by Bulldozer. Does he honestly expect Hammerhorn to just bend a knee to him?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" countered Paul with a shrug. "Leif just kept pleading, saying Burheim has a hell of a lot of resources, potentially infinite in fact, and that Regulus' world could really use it. He asked me for the location of the lab and the Beacon so that Regulus will welcome me and the bears into 'his brave new world'." Paul finished off Skip's bear and opened his other one. "What he doesn't realise is that Burheim doesn't need_any help. His _or yours."

"What makes you so sure?"

The big ursine didn't speak for a long moment, mostly because he was guzzling down his beer. When he was done, he let out a loud belch that shook the entire cabin. He wiped his muzzle with the back of his paw before speaking. "Burheim is completely self-sufficient and has a wide and varied people. Sure they have their quirks but they don't lack purpose, aren't mindless drones, have a good sense of community and treat each other fairly. Sure every now and then someone goes over the edge but it doesn't matter because the rest of the community compensates. They don't need outsiders messing things up."

'They'. Paul used 'They' when referring to the inhabitants of Burheim. He didn't see himself as one of the bears. Perhaps the reason he lived so far away from the rest of the bears and why he isolated himself was because he saw the bears of Burheim to already be perfect and didn't need assistance or guidance, including his own.

Skip was satisfied with that. As long as Paul wasn't going to join Regulus, then he wasn't going to be a threat. From the briefing, he remembered that Paul was known as 'The Skin' and thus had the ability to change the properties of a subject's skin. It was within his power to make flesh into armour or make it was fragile as paper. An ability like that in the hands of Hammerhorn or Regulus would be devastating to the budding Arcadian Alliance especially since the Angelus had yet to be revealed.

"So your plan is just to sit here and hope that neither Hammerhorn nor Regulus doesn't mess up your little slice of paradise here?" he asked.

"Or you," Paul growled, his deep, black eyes full of fire. "This region is under my protection. I was tasked to guide its people. And the way I see it, Burheim is just good as it is." He stood up once more, towering over Skip. "Don't you fucking dare mess this up."

Skip narrowed his gaze. "Are you saying that as an Angelus or as a bear?"

Paul let out another growl. "Tell me one thing that's flawed about Burheim?"

"You mean apart from the fact that they can't produce children?"

"Your humans can't either. At least not by themselves."

Skip smiled and let out a soft snort. "Right. But for that we need Arcadia. You need Arcadia. I mean, when you think about it, the way Burheim is structured is that if someone goes Maximus there's no going back even if they turn back eventually. They're exiled. Live alone or in small cells where they stuff themselves, eat everything in sight and fuck like crazy until they go back into being a Maximus. It's really a practice of self-control versus impulsiveness, isn't it? Or is it industrialisation versus environmentalism? You know with the bears wantonly consuming their natural resources without a care for the damage they're doing to the environment and then the Maximus are the forces of nature that come in, destroy everything and replenish those very same resources?"

Paul's paws tightened into fists. "Just what are you insinuating?"

"This is your vision of perfection?" Skip demanded, spreading his arms wide. "Where your civilisation is gradually degrading into wild, animalistic primitives that have given up all hope because they were exiled by their friends and family for one mistake? That those very same people throw aside their morals to fit the label that was assigned to them? That's perfect to you?"

"I never said it was perfect!" roared Paul. "I said it was just good as it is!"

Skip folded his arms tightly. "You've seen the full extent of what a civilisation can accomplish. You've been on other projects for the Conglomerate. Can you truly tell me that in comparison to what the Conglomerate and the other worlds across the board, that Burheim is 'good as it is'?"

Paul fell silent, staring furiously at Skip.

"I won't try to break your delusion of this place," Skip rumbled, raising his hands and taking a step back. "But in my opinion, you're holding back Burheim from becoming the best it can be by your complacency and unwillingness to act." He lowered his hands and gave Paul a fierce stare, matching the furious one the bear was giving him. "Just tell me where the Beacon is and I'll be on my way. But know that Arcadia has already made contact with Burheim. Whatever changes are made, it's not because of my interference."

The big polar bear took a deep breath... and let it out slowly. He seemed to visibly calm though his eyes still burned with fury.

"You've made your point." He pointed a finger at Skip. "I'm not giving you that information for free either."

"Fine, what do you want?"

Paul turned around and told Skip to wait. He entered one of the bedrooms and emerged a moment later with what appeared to be a folder. It was marked with the AgriNex emblem.

"I found this while I was exploring the area around the lab," he said, handing the folder to Skip. "Might have been dropped during the evacuation. The lab is still sealed shut so I couldn't verify the contents but it seems to hint that the Maximus aren't a natural occurrence."

Skip opened the folder. Most of the pages were badly damaged but from what he could read, it was a report to the Director himself.

"AgriNex made the Maximus?" he asked.

"To even out the consumption of the bears," agreed Paul. "I want you to figure this out. You can access the lab. Find out the truth. If you can do that and do something for the Maximus... I'm happy to support your Alliance. You'll have my strength."

Skip nodded, snapping the folder shut. "Deal."

Before he could turn, however, Paul called him back.

"One thing," Paul said. "Something you should know about Regulus."

"What is it?"

Paul's features grew dark. "He's a former Collector."

******

349:11:02:14:40:35

Each village they had passed was like stepping into an entirely different world. Each had their own specialties and as such had different architecture, different resources, different climates and even differently built bears. The inhabitants of Honey Hill, for instance, were a little tubbier even though they were still very powerfully built with strong arms and equally strong legs. But the bears of Hardstone were beefier, leaner and much more ripped than their 'cousins' as Finn considered them. They also tended to go around shirtless more often as the temperature around the mountain was a little warmer and they possessed thinner fur, highlighting the curves of their muscles.

Just being around them stirred the Beast in Finn and he was fighting a semi as he handed out the goods from Arcadia, Hornton and Camp Draco. The ravenous monster had closed in on the bars of his cage and was looking on lustily through his eyes as the half-naked bears, covered in dust from the mines, dripping with sweat and emitting such a delightful heady musk that he couldn't help but wonder how any of them managed to stand being around one another without breaking out into an orgy.

But Finn still, remembered Lobo's speech and he pushed the Beast back. It didn't stop the nearly painful need that was throbbing in his pants though. But the Beast wasn't about to give up so easily and scraped the bars, testing the weaknesses of the defences. That small act, the rattling of the bars, caused his knees to shake and quiver. His right leg actually toppled and only the strong arm of Savage stopped him from falling over completely.

"Whoa there," laughed the big Collector. "Don't tell me you're tuckered out already! Can't have our fearless leader being the first to fall in the sign of a little work!"

Finn gave him a brief grin and straightened himself. He gave the Beast a powerful shove, throwing it back deep into the recesses of his mind and locking him in there. The cold chuckle from the creature left him wondering if he had revealed any weaknesses but he swore to shore up his defences before it decided to come back out again.

"Just been a long day, is all," Finn responded, with a nod towards his fellow Collector in rhino form. As he turned, however, Savage caught sight of his erection and chuckled. Finn blushed faintly and handed some flavoured jelly to a curious bear.

"So I see. If you wanted to go change and relieve some stress, I don't think anyone will mind. Just make sure you do it in private."

Finn flicked an ear towards Savage in curiosity. "Why private?"

For a moment Savage seemed confused by the question then he let out a soft 'ah'. He beckoned towards Vale, indicating that they were going to go for a quick break. The big golden dragon gave them both a thumbs-up and seemed to be enjoying the fact that many of the bears were 'oohing' and 'ahing' at the way his scales glimmered in the sun. Savage wrapped one big arm around Finn and led him away from the caravan, far enough so that no one could hear them.

"I'm sure you've noticed that Burheim is sort of a working man's paradise, right?" Savage asked. Finn nodded in acknowledgement. "Then you know that everyone works for everyone else. No one gets more than anyone else or else you go Maximus. That means that when it comes to whacking on off, it's considered selfish and possibly cause to go Maximus if you masturbate. But if you're whacking off someone else or it's a mutual thing, then you're good."

Finn inclined his head to the side, puzzled by the whole idea that depending on how he got off, he would be shunned or accepted. "Really? Yikes..."

"If you think that's a lot of rules, wait until you get to Blessed Mountain." Savage ran a hand over his head. "They have so many fucking rules in that place including fucking!" He spun to his right, holding out his right hand. "Only people who are of a higher rank than yourself may be on top _unless_you are being promoted to the same tier as them." He then turned to his left holding up his left hand. "The missionary position is only to be used on every second day in accordance to ranking laws and only between the hours before midday and after sunrise." With both hands, he faced Finn again, making slicing motions with his palms. "At the start of every week, you must copulate with someone during the day but never with someone beneath you and not anyone more than two ranks above you."

Finn pulled his head back in shock. "You're pulling my leg."

"Wish I was," Savage grunted. "The Mountain is filled with religious nuts and there's a reason for each of this fucking rules." He patted Finn's shoulder. "Be glad that Gate won't be opening for a while yet." He then hiked a thumb back towards the caravan. "So if you wanted to change, not many of the miners go into the woods. Head on there, whack off, get rid of the evidence in the nearby stream and then come back. Or, if you wanted to wait, I'll be free in a few." He gave Finn a sly smirk and a wink.

Unable to keep form laughing, Finn gently brushed Savage's hand from his shoulder. "Thanks for the offer but I think what I need right now is a cold shower."

"Two buildings that way," Savage responded, pointing to the right. "And you've got to change into a bear some time. I've already called dibs on your ass."

"You'll have to catch it first."

Finn slipped easily past Savage who made a playful grab for him. He laughed and danced towards building Savage indicated. He grinned, glad to have the formerly antagonistic Savage on his side. He couldn't imagine what running Team Trailblazer would be like if he had someone second guessing his every move especially someone as aggressive as Savage. Vale really did organise the teams very well.

The building that Savage had indicated look like a long warehouse of sorts but as soon as he entered it, the first thing he noticed were the rows upon rows of empty shower stalls. Perhaps over a hundred men could've fit in and showered simultaneously which puzzled him somewhat since there definitely weren't a hundred bears in Hardstone. Perhaps close. Ninety perhaps but definitely not a hundred. He got the feeling that this place was built for more people than just the bears currently inhabiting in.

His ears perked at the sound of running water. It was fairly faint but he could trace it to the far end of the facility. A familiar baritone filled his ears, turned into a musical solo. There were no words in the song but the resounding notes were melodic and only occasionally broken with some childish gargling as the source turned his muzzle into the showerhead and then spat out the water. Finn hung back, watching the broad back of Antony shaking his cute butt in the water, that little nub of a tail wagging playfully. Antony had his back turned to Finn, body sudsy with a fragrant honey and coconut smell and every inch of muscular form visible through his fur.

Antony then turned around and caught sight of Finn. He immediately froze, instinctively covering his genitals with his paws, one said paw holding the sponge he was using to wash himself down.

"Don't stop on my account," Finn chuckled softly. "I never would've guessed that you had such a nice voice."

The big bear was much bigger than his brothers and had much darker fur but still the same sort of honey brown colouration. It was thickest around his forearms and calves. Like his brothers, he had a crest of lighter fur starting from the underside of his jaw down to his chest, highlighting his abdominals but his was a lighter brown colour as opposed to Mikhail's white and Dimitri's cream colour. He also didn't have Mikhail's cheek ruffs and had a more angular, broad jaw.

"I really don't... sing... much," rumbled Antony, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "I... really... It is just..."

"Something you do for yourself?" Finn asked. "Like a hobby?"

Antony's eyes widened in fear. "Please, you must not tell either of my brothers. If they knew -"

"I'm not going to rat you out," Finn interrupted, holding up his hands. "In fact, I'm actually a little glad that you've shown a little bit of self-indulgence. I mean, I find it hard to believe that everyone here is so selfless. No one can be that selfless."

"We have to be or we'll turn into Maximus..." Antony's eyes fell. "I just take baths alone and sing to myself because it helps me relax. After a hard day's work, I feel like it's a little bit of a reward for myself... It's selfish but I see no way how my awful singing could benefit anyone." His posture relaxed a little and his paws dropped away from his crotch.

The scene just screamed out to Finn. Antony stood against the waters of the showerhead, furry coat drenched and a forlorn look on his face, eyes cast down and a little to the right. His shoulders were slumped and his arms by his side. It spoke of a lonely man's struggle to be this model of selflessness despite his base desires.

Finn immediately fumbled for the camera hanging around his neck, brought it up to eyelevel and quickly snapped a picture before Antony realised what was happening. The flash caught the bear's attention but he was about half a second too late to react.

"Hey! What was that?"

Finn plucked the photograph that the camera produced and waved it through the air for a few moments, helping it dry. Then he gave it a look and grinned. It was perfect. "I have a hobby too. Most of us in Arcadia do. We indulge in it every opportunity we can and it doesn't matter who knows. Savage whittles, Skip has a gym, Vale has a game room with his best friend Vein and I think Lobo has a wooden dummy that he smacks with his sword."

Antony's eyes widened. "Lobo is Arcadian?"

"They take it slow. You need to as well. Promise me."

Lobo's words haunted Finn and he immediately regretted his words. The cog sin his brain ground to a halt. "Erm... Yes?" he responded before he could even think.

Antony chuckled softly and shook his head. "I should have guessed. He acts the part of another bear well enough but no one else travels the roads save for caravans and he didn't have one." He wiped some water from his face. "I can understand the need to keep that a secret however. Had he told us from the start that he was a shape changing I suppose I would not have believed him."

"But you didn't think he was telling you the whole truth?" Finn asked.

"And I suspect he knew I suspected," Antony laughed softly. He leaned against the shower stall. "He is shrewd. He knows our politics well. I will be honest that when we saw those 'dragons' amongst your party, I was worried but I suspect there was the reason he brought them along." He lifted his gaze towards Finn again. "Is there something else I should know?"

They take it slow. You need to as well."

Finn profusely and mentally apologised to Lobo but he was trapped in a corner.

"The dragons that have been raiding your group? Well... those were the Arcadian Collectors." He quickly held up his hands, waving them quickly so that Antony did not interrupt. "But it's all been part of a misunderstanding. We didn't know any better and we didn't treat you guys as we should. We stole from you because Arcadia isn't as self-sufficient as Burheim. That's what the dragons were doing. But things are better now! In Arcadia, anyway! We're hoping to make peace with you guys and we're opening our gates to trade! We'll even give you guys a discount on the goods or make trades in your favour!"

He realised he was running his mouth and making promises that he, yet again, could not keep. Every sentence that came out of his muzzle was another mental kick he gave himself. But he didn't want to make an enemy of the bears. They were a very nice people and he admired their diligence and work ethic.

"That isn't how things work here in Burheim," Antony said, waving his big paw. "When people wrong one another, we do not force them to be give up their goods or do something for everyone else in exchange for forgiveness. That is just as wrong."

"So what do you do in punishment then?"

The first thing that came into Finn's mind was sex and fucking. He immediately shoved the Beast back, never realising how close it had gotten to the surface again.

"We simply accept it," answered Antony with a shrug. "We are family here. People make mistakes. As long as they realise their mistake and endeavour to do better from that point on, then we have no reason to hold it over their heads."

Finn frowned at that. "But... what about the Maximus? You exile them permanently because of what they've become."

"That's because the Maximus do not want to better themselves. They have had a taste of what it means to be truly selfish and do not want to go back. They willingly embrace that life. They may look like one of us but deep down, they are tainted."

Deep, rumbling whispers began emanated from deep within Finn's mind. Contradictions, hypocrisy it yelled. The bears were willing to forgive minor infractions but if someone went full Maximus, that was an unforgivable sin? If someone just acted human they were considered pariahs?

But Finn pushed the dark whispers of the Beast back, thinking of Lobo's warnings and taking them to heart this time.

"So that's what you meant when you said that no one ever comes back from being a Maximus. It's not their shape or their form. It's their lifestyle."

"When people start living for themselves in excess, that is when they become a Maximus," Antony answered with a nod. He gave Finn a faint smile. "Are we going to be shocked by the attitude of Arcadia in this sense?"

Finn held up his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "Maybe just a little. Like I said, people like taking time for themselves and doing what they like to do but we all work together to preserve Arcadia and preserve humanity."

"I suppose that is something that will have to take getting used to." Antony straightened and shuddered slightly. "Anyway, I should finish my shower. It is getting cold and I do not want to use too much water."

Finn felt the Beast rattling at the cages of his mind again. He became all too aware of the pounding erection in his pants. He was growing both frustrated at his lack of release and at the monster's incessant need. The only thing that seemed to push it back for an extended period of time was when he indulged it long enough to throw it into a sexual stupor before locking it tightly away. It always got free again but he reasoned that was due to his lack of diligence.

Perhaps he could learn something from Burheim to steel his defences.

For the moment though...

"One sec, Antony," he said holding up a hand. "Would you mind helping me with something else?"

The big bear turned back and smiled. "Of course. What do you need assistance with?" Finn gestured as his crotch, groping his erection as an answer. Antony's eyes widened. "Oh... Well, if it is all the same with you, I do not think mutual masturbation would be quite fair all things considered..." He held up his paws again. "I do not mean to insult you. Simply that in the terms of Burheim, you might be getting more out of it than I..."

Finn felt stuck until his Beast suggested something.

Suck him off.

"What if we make it so that the trade is in your favour?"

Antony gave him a puzzled look. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean..."

Feeling somewhat emboldened by his Beast, Finn stepped forward and pressed his lips against Antony's. The big bear who was just about a few inches taller than himself, jerked back a little but Finn chased him down, brushing his tongue against the ursine's lips tenderly. He felt Antony's storng paws reach for his arms to push him back so he quickly lifted his hands and the bear's nipples a tender twist. Antony immediately froze and his lips quivered before he eventually let out a loud moan. That slight opening of his muzzle was enough for Finn to push his tongue into the bear's muzzle, catching him in a true kiss.

The eldest of the Sweet Trinity brothers moaned again and his arms instead wrapped around Finn's back, holding him tightly. He broke off the kiss when the waters from the shower got in their eyes and they had to pull away.

"That... that was different," he admitted.

"You've never kissed anyone before?" Finn asked.

"Kissed...?" Antony answered, his brow furrowing. "I... I think I know that word... But..." He shook his head. "No. I have never kissed anyone."

Inclining his head to the side, Finn said, "So every time you've ever done anything with someone, it's just with your paw around their cock and theirs around yours?"

"Fair exchange," answered Antony said with a shrug.

"Oh then you'll love this," Finn said with a devilish grin. "But first, let's get you scrubbed down, okay?"

Antony nervously nodded and as he began to move, Finn could feel the heat emanated from the bear's crotch. He instantly regretted not having taken his clothes off as now they were soaked but there was something about being in a shower with a hot, sexy bear about ready to engage in orgasmic pleasure that riled up both his Beast and him, both pieces of his consciousness working in harmony.

He gently gripped Antony's shoulders and turned him around. There, he plucked the sponge off the bear and began scrubbing in nice and deep into the thick fur. Antony visibly relaxed, his tail wagging excitedly.

"Oooh... That's nice... I've never been able to reach back there..." Antony moaned.

"You've never had anyone help you with bathing?"

"Never... Oooh! Lower. Lower."

Finn grinned and obliged the bear, all the while slowly drawing closer and closer until he was practically pressed up against the big bear. He gently nipped at Antony's ear, making the burly caravan master moan. Antony let out an even louder moan as Finn reached around the broad waist and squeezed Antony's plump sheath.

"This... this is different," admitted the eldest brother.

Finn said nothing as he gently scrubbed Antony clean, making sure to wash down every part of his broad, muscular body. He enjoyed watching the waters cascading down the contours of the bear's back and trickle along the mountains of muscle along his shoulders and arms. As the sponge travelled further and further down, Finn gently slipped a finger between Antony's ass cheeks. The bear froze and let out a yelp but then it turned into a moan as the finger gently teased the right ring of muscle there.

"Don't stop..." Antony rumbled.

"I might just have to, stud," rumbled Finn. "This is all about you." He gave Antony's cock another squeeze. The meat between his fingers was growing fatter and bigger, the heat emanating from it almost enough to evaporate the water around them. The moment he felt the cock emerge from its sheath, he knew it was time to move.

He wrapped his arms around Antony's waist against and guided him into turning back around. The big bear's eyes were filled with confusion and excitement especially when Finn fell on his knees. Finn gently pressed his lips against the tip of Antony's cock. That moment of contact made Antony's knees weak but Finn kept him up. The bear's legs were thick and stocky, built over years of travelling the roads as part of a caravan. Finn loved them and he loved rubbing the sponge over the thick quads while squeezing the iron hard calves.

The more he suckled on Antony's cock, the more of it emerged from the plump sheath. Precum began pouring out of the tip. He smiled to himself as he felt his entire body starting to respond to the constant stream of bear fluids. The water from the shower started pouring into his eyes but before he was forced to close them, he could see his horns starting to recede into his flesh.

With his eyes closed, he could focus entirely on the change happening elsewhere in his body. It started with his face. His muzzle began receding, shortening from the long rhino features and squaring off. Each of his nostrils began to blacken, obtaining a leathery texture that spread over a short distance across his muzzle. There, it reshaped the flesh, making a squat black nose befitting a true ursine. The moment his nose was complete, deep, black fur that spread rapidly across his muzzle. Faint prickles touched the skin just around his nose. Whiskers began jutting out from the softened flesh, his leathery hide vanishing beneath the sea of dark fur.

His lips began to tingle as they obtained a rubbery texture. With the change, his teeth began to change, sharpening to truly become that of a bear's. A deep rumble emerged from his throat while his neck began to widen, the thick muscles being hidden in the thick pelt. Some discomfort hit his eyes and face as his features broadened, becoming rounder. His ears became rounder and shorter, fitting snugly on his head. He reached up and removed his baseball cap, throwing it aside as the rest of his head adjusted to its new ursine features.

All the while, Antony leaned back, having to support his weight against the shower stall walls. His massive sixteen inch cock was fully erect and happily pumping Finn full of his rapidly thickening precum. His hips voluntarily bucked into Finn's changing muzzle and he watched on with fascination as the Collector before him changed shape. He couldn't deny that there was something incredibly arousing about the scene and as he watched Finn's broad shoulders grow even bigger, he let out a grunt and reached behind Finn's head, gripping it tightly and guiding it down his dick.

Finn's soaked shirt began to tear at the seams. The white fabric gave way to thick black fur. A tear right down the middle revealed Finn's enormous pectorals covered in contrasting golden blonde chest hair, wet and spikey from the shower. Within the sea of gold, his dark nipples were prime targets. The rippling abdominals he had softened as his belly began to protrude like every pump from Antony just doubled his mass all the more. Every jerk from Antony's dick shot more salty precum down Finn's throat and that caused Finn's belly to rumble in response. His tight skin softened as more and more fat built beneath it. Finn couldn't help but push his belly out as far as it would go with every mouthful of precum he took, enjoying the sensation of it growing.

Though his lean physique began to fade, he still had a strong V-shape silhouette. His abdominals remained strong despite the thick cover of black fur, three pairs of solid blocks topping a modest mound. His shirt fell apart entirely and next came the loud tear from his pants. The tear came from the seams as his big, meaty legs surged out of their confines, large and smooth beneath the fur. His thick, pink cock throbbed with need.

Antony squeezed his eyes shut and let out a single grunt as a warning. His entire body suddenly locked up as his dick fired load after load of his seed deep into Finn's waiting muzzle. The newly made bear hadn't been ready for the blast and gagged on the first shot, much of the seed dribbling down his muzzle and being washed away by the water. But he was ready for the next and eagerly gobbled it down. He reached for his own cock and pumped it vigorously, enjoying the new girth of the tool and the feeling of his hot prick against the leathery paw pads of his paws. He was rather surprised as it came up to his chest, possibly almost twenty inches long forcing him to use both his paws to stimulate the entire length.

When the last droplets of cum poured out of Antony's dick, Finn released the bear's cock from his muzzle and immediately bent down towards his own member. He wrapped it in his muzzle, eyes widening at the amazing sensation. He could barely hold himself back before his balls began pumping his seed up the enormous length and shooting it straight down his muzzle. He already felt full from the growth and Antony's load so he could barely take half of what he had to offer before he had to pull his muzzle away and let the rest just splash all over his face and muzzle in wet, sticky, white blobs.

Finn felt surprisingly awake and he leapt immediately to his feet. Before Antony could collapse onto the shower floor, he pinned the big bear against the wall and pressed their muzzles together. Antony melted in his arms, strong arms wrapping around Finn's body and holding him tightly. There was strangely no sign of the Beast though he did sense some contentment rising from the dark cage. That let Finn wonder briefly on how sexy it would be to have Cody and Antony in his arms. Hell, he imagined himself, Cody, Antony, Mikhail and Dimitri all in one pile of sexy bear muscle. He grunted as a little bit more cum squirted from his cock and creamed Antony's chest.

He sensed Antony was getting sluggish from the afterglow and the mind blowing orgasm so he broke the kiss and gave his host a gentle smile.

"So, how was your first blow job?"

Antony, his face red and hot with a blush, rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly. "Is that what that was called?" He leaned forward and gently kissed Finn's nose. "And that was a kiss, correct? Did I do that right?"

"Close enough," Finn laughed softly.

Antony ran his paws over Finn's new form, feeling the strong pectorals contrasted by the rounded belly topped with the faint outline of his abdominals. "You are a very thickly furred bear. Very cuddly. You remind me a little of Mikhail." He pulled Finn close to himself and gave him another hug. Finn felt Antony's still hard cock jerk in excitement. Self-control won over, however, as Antony gently pushed Finn back. "We should find you some better fitting clothes."

With his clothes shredded at his feet, Finn could only laugh. "Yeah, that'd be good."

******

349:11:02:19:09:54

It was strange but Finn felt a little self-conscious as he stepped back through the Return Gate into Arcadia. His new weight took some getting used to especially his girth. While not obese in any way, he had to remember he was nowhere near as fast as he was as a dragon or lean as a rhino. It didn't help that when the rest of his team saw him, Savage started calling him 'cuddly' and it stuck. Skip joined in the fun by hugging him and commenting on how fluffy he was.

He was a little anxious that what respect he may have garnered as 'Renegade' might end up being drowned in a sea of thick, fluffy fur. Though he never considered himself vain, he was a little self-conscious about the fact that he could not see most of his muscles through the thick fur. They were definitely there and it showed around his pectorals and shoulders but he could only show off his arms if he was pumped and he flexed and it was impossible to see his quads pop at all.

He actually hopped Cody wasn't around...

Thankfully, no one else in Arcadia seemed to pounce on his apparent fluffiness as the Collectors began to disperse back to the camp. He told Lobo that he was going to check at the embassy before heading back.

Something that struck him instantly as he approached the big dome like structure were the three flags that now stood on large metal poles in front of it. The biggest and the one that sat at the centre was a big, blue flag with a single emblem embedded on it; a broken golden circle with what looked like a stylised A and R sitting at the centre side by side. Beside that was a grey flag depicting what appeared to be two High Horns standing side by side holding spears that they held horizontally. It almost looked like an 'H'. On the other side of the central blue flag was a green one simply depicting a simplified dragon with two rifles crossed beneath it.

The blue flag was draped all over the dome and hung over the entrance. As Finn entered the circular meeting room, he noticed that the banners depicting the same emblem hung over particular seats with the blue banner hanging over the biggest one.

There was only one other person in meeting chamber.

Gavin was seated on the central floor scribbling something on a piece of paper with his head held on his chin. He didn't notice Finn even as the bear hovered over his shoulder. It appeared that the expert woodcrafter was designing an emblem. A few of the first drafts looked to be generic human silhouettes like the type that Finn saw in the toilets around Hornton and Camp Draco. Little wonder he had rejected those.

"Thinking up a flag design?"

"Holy shit!" Gavin exclaimed, leaping up from his seat and spinning around. His eyes were wide in shock. "Who...?" Then he narrowed one eye. "Finn? Is that you?"

"Yep. Went bear." Finn gestured at himself and jiggled his belly a little. "Gained a bit of weight."

"You look -"

"Please don't say it!" Finn exclaimed.

"What? Cuddly? Because you do."

Finn groaned loudly at the word. "I'm not cuddly damnit! I'm a big, strong bear! See!?" He flexed his biceps, showing off their large bulges. Though most of the hard lines were hidden by a layer of fat and his thick fur, his bicep alone was about as big as Gavin's head.

"Riiiight..." taunted Gavin. "Just be sure you're within arm's reach of little Timmy so that you keep him safe and warm in case the nasty Beasts come and get him."

Finn growled at him and turned back towards the sketches. "So flags?"

With one last snicker, Gavin nodded. "Yeah. As you can see, each of the other regions cooked up a flag for themselves as well as one for the Arcadian Alliance."

Squinting at the strange emblem on the blue field, Finn said, "What does the emblem mean?"

"Oh it's designed so that you can draw out all the letters of 'Arcadia' from the design. See how the circle is broken symmetrically in four places? The stems of the 'A' and the 'R' along with the curves of the circle form an 'I'. The right hand side of the circle up to but not including the central stem is a 'C' and the other side including the 'D'."

"Huh?"

Gavin rolled his eyes. "Here, I'll draw it out for you." He ran through the explanation again, this time drawing it on his sketch pad with the pen that no doubt came from either Hornton or Camp Draco. "See?"

"That's... clever," Finn admitted. "But I'm guessing since the Alliance took that, Arcadia itself can't have it."

"Dibs has been called," answered Gavin with a resigned sigh and falling back into his seat. "It's tough as well because each and every person in Arcadia wants something different for the flag that represents them. Travis wanted it simple. Gary want's it big and flashing. Owen wants lots of colours. Barry thinks it should show humans somehow while David thinks the Collective is what make Arcadia unique."

Gavin groaned and held his head in both his hands. "It's just so fucking confusing!" He gestured at the three other flags. "Each of the other parties are united. They know what they want because they basically think alike! But everyone here in Arcadia has a different voice, a different opinion! And there's just so few of us that you're going to piss off someone one way or another."

Finn really did not envy Gavin at the moment. But he couldn't leave the guy to work on it alone. He sat down beside the ambassador and swivelled the page towards himself, examining the concepts so far. "What do you think it should be?"

"Honestly?" Gavin responded. "I really don't give a fuck. I took this job because I thought it would help bring the humans of Arcadia back into the equation. But this..." He gestured at the various scribbles and drawings on the page. "This is not what I signed on for."

Finn's gaze roved the page and his eyes fell on one in particular. It looked like a Gate except its legs extended past ground level to make it look almost like a gently curving 'A'. "What about this one?"

The ambassador shook his head, his curly short, blonde hair remaining in place despite the motion. "I don't know. It was just something stupid I was looking at. Something about how Arcadia will be like the hub, the gateway to the other worlds so I wanted to incorporate the Gates into the design. It's too simple and that could mean anything. Plus it's really close to the Alliance's symbol."

"I think it's appropriate," answered Finn. "I mean, none of the other regions have this embassy. Arcadia will be like the symbol of peace. Maybe if we add something else..."

A loud cry suddenly erupted from the doors and they both flinched. "Oh my god!" Finn suddenly found his face buried into the thick, familiar bed of red chest hair coating a firm muscular chest. Cody hugged him so tightly that he could barely breathe. "They were right! You are so cuddly!"

Finn's expression soured and he let out a loud groan. Gavin chuckled at the reunion while Finn gave him a foul look. Cody, still as a rhino, pressed his cheek against Finn's and rubbed them together, letting out soft hums of contentment. His arms were wrapped around Finn's belly in particular.

"Come on Cody..." Finn winced, gently prying himself away from his lover. "Not in front of Gavin..."

"You're so warm and fluffy!" Cody answered. "I just wanna eat you up!" As if to prove his point, Cody shamelessly chomped lightly on Finn's neck, nothing too hard or enough to break the skin but in a gesture that made Finn feel like he was made out of candy.

Gavin turned his chuckle into a full blown laugh. But thinking of Cody reminded Finn of a perfect addition to the Arcadian logo.

"Hey, how about we add wings?" Finn asked, making an effort to ignore Cody though the Commander's loud slurping noises were getting a little distracting. "You know, feathery wings. Kind of symbolises freedom and some such."

The human ambassador let out a thoughtful noise and then quickly sketched out the idea, placing the wings spread on either side of the top arch. "It's still missing something, I think."

Cody stopped his playful activities and regarded the symbol. "Arcadia's emblem, huh? It looks nice and simple so far."

"I agree but I still think it's a little bland," answered Finn. He subtly wiped his neck to get rid of Cody's drool but remembered just how thick and absorbent his fur was. He'd likely need to take a bath and it'd take hours to get it out.

"How about an image of the sun?" Cody tapped the area at the zenith of the arch. "I mean Arcadia is the only place that gets supplies from SOL right. Why not add that?"

Gavin's eyes widened and he quickly flipped the page. He furiously drew an image of SOL, just a vague silhouette, but he also added the same feathered wings that he had drawn previously. Once he was done, he held it up a big grin on his face.

"I think we have our emblem."

"SOL," Finn said with a nod. "Yeah, I think that fits!"

Gavin stretched and let out a yawn. "Thanks guys. I couldn't have done it without you."

"We're different people but we're all united under the Alliance." He glanced up at the big, blue flag. "I think that's what we're hoping to achieve here. We have our differences but we all live on this world. Share the same sky."

"The same sun," agreed Gavin. He took the pen and pad with a big grin. "I'll take this to our guy who made the other flags. We'll come up with a good way to represent this and have the flag up by the end of tomorrow." He winked at Finn. "Looking forward to the first official meeting of the ambassadors."

"Me too."

With that, Gavin hurried out of the embassy and Cody took his seat, grinning broadly at Finn. The latter winced at the almost predatory smile.

"Am I really that cuddly?"

"You're adorable!" Cody exclaimed, tracing circles across Finn's belly. "Lobo was right. You do gain a bit of weight when you take on bear form. But it's good weight. You still look very strong. Your fur just makes it you look soft and fluffy."

Finn sighed and regarded the big claws at the ends of his paws. "Well, if anything that'll make it so that I'm not threatening..."

Cody kissed his cheek affectionately. "If it bothers you so much, I'll make sure not to call you 'cuddly' anymore."

"Can you spread the word?"

"If I tell everyone else not to, they'll do it anyway behind your back. The best thing to do is just to own the nickname. If someone calls you cuddly, why don't you give them a big bear hug? Big enough to crush their bones." He gave Finn a light punch on the shoulder. Then he got out of his seat. "It's getting late, though. Come on."

"What? Got an early day tomorrow or something?" Finn asked, following him out of the embassy.

"Sort of. I've got to head back to Camp Draco, change back into a dragon and inspect the fortifications around the Burheim Gate on both sides. I want to drop in on Burheim as well and see how the outposts are going. It worries me that there has been no news of Hammerhorn yet both in Burheim and in Hornton." As they entered the cool night air of Arcadia, Cody began walking backwards so that he could keep eye contact with Finn. "Oh and Team Pathfinder actually found out where the power is coming from in Hornton. There's a power plant a little way away from the city and they'll be leaving early in the morning. Lobo wanted me there to bid them good luck. Authority figures should make sure that men who are going into dangerous situations are seen off by their commanding officers to honour them."

Finn did wonder where all the electricity in Hornton came from. He knew Camp Draco had their own generators and so did Burheim in select villages. Some villages like Honey Hill didn't have form of electricity at all and relied entirely on manpower to fuel their daily requirements. Hardstone had some form of electricity but not very much.

"I guess it'd be good to secure that..."

"We're thinking that if we can isolate the distribution of power, we might actually be able to cut off electricity into some of Hammerhorns strongholds and weaken them. That'd make it easier for us to take any of his fortresses."

"Gutsy."

Cody shrugged and turned back around as they ventured into the forest. He needed his eyes forward as the ground grew uneven and covered by underbrush. "I hate having to wait for Hammerhorn's next move. So if he isn't going to attack, we are. I don't want to be on the defensive forever. I don't know what he's got planned so I want to get as much ground while he's still running with his tail between his legs."

Whenever Cody went into 'Commander Mode', Finn could feel his loins stirring.

"What does Kevin think of this?"

"Not sure. Carver seems to have taken over as leader of Hornton and Kevin does whatever he wants. He seems to have mellowed out, though." Cody let out a short laugh. "I was kind of worried when he kept talking about vengeance and getting back at Hammerhorn. I kept thinking that we were going to trade one tyrant for another but I'm glad to see that Carver decided that he needs to focus equally on infrastructure as well as military."

That didn't sound like Carver at all. Did Kevin agree to step down so long as Carver toned it back on his aggression? He recalled how he had caught the two having just had sex and wondered what else that meant. He made a note to ask Kevin about it whenever he got back into Hornton.

"What about you?" Cody asked. "How was Burheim?"

"They're... weird," answered Finn. He explained the self-restraint the bears had to practice and even the odd stigma against sole masturbation. When he got to the part where Antony had no idea what kissing or a blow job was, Cody looked like he had just been broken.

"Does he even know what it means to fuck?"

Finn shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't ask but I did finger him a little and he seemed more surprised than anything..."

Cody slapped his forehead in shock. "Holy shit... a country full of virgin bears. Shit. I don't know if I should be excited or pity the poor fuckers." He flashed a grin over his shoulder at Finn. "You do know we've got to pop their cherries, right?"

"We've got to take it slow with them," Finn warned. He went over how minor grudges tended to be easily forgiven but cardinal sins like turning into a Maximus would never be forgiven. There were a lot of rules around Burheim and a delicate balance that if they upset, might just turn everyone into the wild, uncontrollable Maximus. And that was not something they wanted.

"Fair enough." Cody slowed his pace so that he stood beside Finn. Their hands closed in around one another. "But if I know you, you'll work your magic and somehow make them see just how great it is to have their eyes opened."

A warm, fuzzy feeling rose up in Finn's chest and he was a little irked to admit that it fit his physique. "Thanks, Cody. I appreciate that."

Cody then suddenly turned to the right without warning, causing Finn to jerk back.

"Whoa, where are you going?" the Commander asked.

"Home...?" Finn responded, hiking a thumb over his shoulder.

"You mean back to the hut that you and Marv used to share?"

Finn realised that for the past few days, he hadn't spent a single night back in the Collector Camp. He had mostly spent it with Cody in their cabin on the docks. His living arrangements in Camp was currently blurred since his relationship with Marv was currently one sided. Was he even still welcome in the hut? No doubt he was but that would send the wrong signal to Marv.

Guilt and a jab of fear drilled itself into his chest. The fact that he could not reciprocate Marv's feelings and the fact that he was, effectively, homeless left him a little lost with what to do next. It was too late in the day to head through the Gates back to Camp Draco. He began entertaining the thought of sleeping outdoors.

"Oh... Damn... I guess I should find somewhere else to go..."

"Which is why I was going this way," Cody answered with a grin. "Come on."

Finn suddenly took Cody's eagerness to return to the Camp in a different light and narrowed his gaze at his lover suspiciously. It didn't take long for them to reach a hut nestled between two large trees, sitting at their base. It didn't look any different from any other Collector hut. Possibly it was one of those that was abandoned a long time ago. Cody eagerly opened the door for him and the first word out of his mouth was 'Wow'.

Just like any of the Collector huts, it was fairly large with a massive bed at the centre built for two, massive Collectors. However, there was a two person dining table positioned right next to the window and three bookshelves occupying the far right of the hut already filled with books. There was even a cork wall plastered on the left side of the bed with the words 'Finn's Photo Wall' in big, bright, plastic letters. Someone had clearly taken the time to post the photographs that Finn had taken onto the board.

Cody bounded over the wall, tail wagging excitedly. "I got this idea from Hornton. I went to one of the shopping malls that is so prevalent there and saw something like this. I thought it was awesome and apart from putting your photos in an album, you could stick them up here." He then pointed at the bookshelves. "And look! I got all these books! I'm amazed that they were in such perfect quality despite the years!"

"This... This is..." Finn shook his head in amazement. "This is just amazing, Cody... When did you get the time to do this?"

The Commander beamed and hopped onto the bed. "After my inspections of Hornbridge and Gateway, I ran with a patrol to explore Hornton. We scouted out Newhome and after we went into the mall, I remembered that you really didn't have a place to stay back here. So I made it my mission to set you up with a place. I asked some of the other Collectors who decided where people stayed and they just told me to pick a hut and move in. Took most of the day to get this stuff in here."

"It's still amazing," Finn commented, wandering towards the bookshelves. He pulled one book from the shelf and leafed through it, amazed at the quality of the pages. There were an assortment of crime and mystery, fantasy and science fiction books scattered amongst the collection. He placed the book back and turned back to Cody with a smile. "Thanks."

Cody smiled back and patted the mattress beside him. "Did you want to sit with me? I just started on this book." He held up a big blue book with a dragon on the front cover. "We can read it together."

Finn grinned and climbed into bed, draping the quilt over them both. He rested his head on Cody's shoulder while Cody, in turn, wrapped his arm over Finn's shoulders, pulling him nice and close. Cody began to read aloud from the book and Finn let the comforting rumble of his lover's voice take him to a fantasy land.

Just that once, Finn didn't mind being treated like the cuddly teddy bear that a child hugged before going to bed.

******

349:11:03:07:43:09

The sun was just rising over the concrete jungle that was Hornton. Most of the High Horns and perhaps even the Rammers had yet to rouse. There was a serene silence that fell over the city. It was almost as if there was no war between High Horns and Rammers or roving patrols of manic Wreckers trying to invade the simplistic but industrious Builders.

The power plant sat on the western side of the river on an artificially constructed island. A single, wide road led from the shore straight to the plant's parking lot. Strange vertical columns rose to meet the sky, blue rings glowing across their lengths. Amidst the columns were large spheres made of large, hexagonal panels. The edges of each of the panels glowed the same eerie blue. Each sphere spun in place, held by some unknown force.

"Hard to think that no one ever came here," Vale said. "It's pretty hard to miss."

"The survivors of the incident did manage to fortify this location extremely well," said Caesar. The AI's voice came out of a wristband that Vale wore. Each of the other members of Team Pathfinder had the same band.

The three Collectors approached the parking lot and noticed exactly what Caesar meant. The concrete bridge leading up to the power plant was about a mile long and leading up to the power plant, the road was packed with cars of various shapes and sizes all crammed beside one another. Several were overturned with large holes puncturing their sides. Doors were torn from their sides and even rooftops were missing. Shredded clothing lay within the vehicles. All evidence of humans being assaulted and then transformed into rhinos, likely Wreckers. The gates of the power plant itself was barricaded by a wall of cars stacked on top of one another, making it nearly impossible to breach.

The sight made Ruin wonder how people got in. There were puncture marks and dents in the wall of cars. He imagined civilians banging at the barricade, begging to be let in as rhinos came charging at them. Onlookers from the walls turned away as humans were viciously attacked and transformed, screams turning into cries of ecstasy and then frustration as they continued to bash at the walls.

"How do we get in?" Crash asked.

Ruin closed his eyes and the concrete beneath their feet began to shift. Pillars of concrete rose up one after the other, each one a little higher than the last. They led straight up to the edge of the barricade. He wordlessly led his team up to the barricade.

"Oh..." he murmured softly.

Beyond the wall was a sea of cars, all stacked on top of one another. Half of the parking lot had been stacked with the vehicles making a wall of crushed metal so thick that even the brute strength of the Wreckers could never have punctured through no matter how hard they tried. The image in his mind about those poor souls banging on the walls while those safe behind the barricade looked on changed. There was no one on the walls. The survivors had holed themselves up in the plant, trying to shut out the cries of their fellow humans.

"Let's go," Ruin said. "And watch where you step. I don't think these cars are made to support weight like ours."

They carefully stepped from one rooftop to the other, navigating their way to the edge of the thick blockade. The rest of the parking lot was surprisingly empty.

Crash jogged ahead and stopped a short distance away. He knelt down next to what appeared to be a large, black smudge on the ground. He brushed his fingers across it, watching as it smudged on contact. "Burn marks?"

"Likely from Conglomerate_VTOLs or escape vehicles,"_ Caesar answered. "I imagine with little other areas to land, this place was where they survivors escaped this place from."

Vale sniffed the air. "I can still smell the Haze here, though. Weren't the survivors infected as well?"

"I cannot say. Perhaps something back then prevented the Haze from entering here but it is no longer active. I will not know unless I gain access to the system."

Ruin beckoned his teammates to follow and they headed towards the power plant. The big glass double doors of the plant were permanently ajar, held open by doorstoppers made from bricks. The atrium beyond was littered with sleeping bags and a variety of discarded possessions. A large AgriNex emblem was plastered on the wall behind the receptionist desk.

"Where do we need to plug you in?" he asked.

"Look for any form of console dock similar to the one where you found my console in the NexPharm facility."

The first place Ruin decided to look was behind the reception desk. Luck favoured him as he found one such dock. Just as Caesar had instructed his team, he pulled a wire from the wristband he wore and slipped it into the port.

"Accessing. Accessing."

While they waited, Crash and Vale began wandering around the atrium, picking apart the pieces of shattered lives that had been left behind.

"Interesting. This is power plan uses Orphan Technology."

"What's that mean?" Ruin asked.

"Put simply, power is generated using the gravitational pull of an orphaned singularity to creation motion and thus power. Primitive power plants use to create steam or heat in various forms to move turbines. The motion created power that could be harnessed. Orphan Technology does the same. The singularity is altered and controlled in such a way that it constantly pulls in various directions. The spheres you saw are those very same singularities contained within the sphere's structure. Due to the nature of the singularity, it causes the sphere to spin and this spinning is what creates motion. The energy from this movement is harnessed by the power rods surrounding the spheres."

"Isn't there some rule about energy eventually running out?" called out Crash from the far end of the room. He likely heard Caesar's words from his own band.

"Yes, there is, but the singularity is so powerful that it's rate of degradation allows the power it generates to last for millennia. According to the documentation, these generators should last for approximately another five hundred thousand years provided no outside interference disrupts them."

"Shit that's a long time..." muttered Ruin. Then again, considering how the people of Arcadia and indeed any other region were practically ageless, it could all be relative.

"Yes. Orphan Tech is low maintenance as well. More so now that the Haze maintains it."

"What about the facility beneath this place? Did you find it?"

"Yes. However it does not seem to be in any way similar to the NexPharm facility. Where our original base of operations was built for research, this one was more of a manufacturing plant."

"Manufacturing? What were they building?"

"That will take some time, unfortunately. Like the other facility, records have been wiped and it will take some time to recover them. Such details were triple encrypted and scrambled using a highly complex algorithm. Recovery processes will take time. I do have a manifesto of civilians who escaped and count up to ten thousand people were successfully evacuated."

Ruin's heart jumped. Ten thousand people were evacuated. Ten thousand humans. "Where to?"

"Sadly, I do not believe those details are kept in this facility. The destination of the ships was issued from another facility that sent the ships in the first place and the ships themselves. I do not have access to that."

His shoulders sagged. "And I doubt we'll find them either..." Shaking his head, Ruin brought his head back up. "Okay, so what's the plan? Do we move here now?"

"It will take before I have this facility fully operational but yes, we will be able to move our training facilities here."

Ruin nodded and regarded his wristband. "Do you still need to be plugged in?"

"No, thank you. Using the facility's communications network, I am able to connect this location to the facility under NexPharm_. This proves that we will be able to connect any other facility across the world to me and expand our reach."_

That was uplifting and for the first time, Ruin really felt they were making progress. "Okay, Good to hear. We'll be heading back now. Maybe Lobo will want to secure this place."

"I would not advise it. If any of your fellows venture too far into this facility, they may stumble access to the underground facility and thus us. It will also be very difficult for you to sneak into the facility if you have others watching. I would advise that you tell your leader that you found the source of the power in this area but it was inaccessible due to its barricades."

"You want us to lie to Lobo?" Crash exclaimed from across the room. "Dude, we can't do that! Lobo has been good to us! He's led us through thick and thin! He trusts us!"

"Lobo has no idea what's going on here," Ruin answered sharply. "He's too focused on his 'Arcadian Alliance' to understand what we're doing here." He gestured at the console dock. "I mean, think about it. There are humans out there. Humans were evacuated successfully! That means we aren't the only humans left. There are others out there!"

Crash turned towards Ruin, arms spread wide. "Isn't that something we should be telling him?"

"What? So that he can turn them all into Beasts to fight Hammerhorn?" countered Ruin. "No. Our goal here isn't to find these humans. I say we let them be. They're safe somewhere." He jabbed a finger downwards. "We're Team Pathfinder. We're going to find the path that's best for all of us."

"Okay, fine. Fair enough." Crash held up his hands in surrender to that point. "But we've proven that we have powers. If we tell the others, that'll _really_give them the advantage against Hammerhorn. Isn't that a better path than sneaking around like this? I really don't like lying to everyone..."

"It's for their own good." Ruin lifted a hand and column of concrete rose up beside him, just as thick as he was and twice as tall. "Think about what would happen if we gave this power to the High Horns. To Carver. I know he seems to be occupied right now with Hornbridge but imagine what he'd do with this power. He'd attack Arcadia. He'd be the next Hammerhorn and he'd be even more deadly! Then if one of _his_undisciplined troops gets captured, Hammerhorn would be just as strong! It'd be war with superpowers!"

Crash deflated. "So we need to keep it to ourselves so they don't use it against one another...?"

"Historically speaking," Caesar_began, _"the same has happened in the past. Once, a great weapon was used in a war to end the war and then it was freely advertised to all other countries. Thus, other countries began building it. It armed the entire world with this deadly weapon. The weapon thus became a symbol of power and a tool to elicit fear. The more one had of this weapon, the more threatening one was. One of the greatest fears across the world was the scenario if these weapons were launched. Should one country assault another, then another would retaliate. Other countries would in turn get involved and the world would be scorched to dust."

Ruin gestured at the dock again. "See? That's my point. There'd be an arms race. We tell Hornton about it and then people in Camp Draco will want their own powers. They'll get it while we're allied against Hammerhorn but what'll happen after that? Everyone will have all these powers and no one to point them at."

"Can't we just trust that they'll not use it against one another?" Crash asked, shrugging. "I mean, this isn't a gun we're talking about. These are people..."

Vale suddenly stepped forward, standing beside Ruin. "You run the risk of people using these abilities to suppress others. I mean, look at us three. We have different levels of control over our powers even though they're pretty much the same. We'd have people brawling on the streets trying to make themselves the boss of others. I've seen it happen in Equus College and I'm sure Vein has seen it in Camp Draco as well. The guy that's the biggest, toughest and strongest is the one that can boss everyone else around."

"We'd have little gangs fighting amongst one another," Ruin rumbled.

Crash shook his head. "It just feel wrong lying to everyone..."

"It's for their own good, Crash," Vale said gently. "I know it feels bad. But think of it this way. We're their protectors. We'll be the ones guarding them from themselves and others. A day will come when we might take on others. Maybe we'll be like their 'special forces' or something. You know, we tell people that if you want to be one of us, you need special training." He suddenly broke out into a grin. "Just like being a Collector to humans! And we're not lying! You really do need special training. Anyone can become a Collector just how anyone can be part of Team Pathfinder! But you just need the discipline."

"The elite of the elite, huh?"

"Yeah! That's it!"

Crash gave them both a grin but it still wavered with doubt. "I can get behind that."

Ruin removed the wristband and set it beside the reception desk. "Now that we have that settled, let's get back to the training facility. I want us to go through some drills. Need to work together as a team not just individuals."

Vale gave him a hackneyed salute but one borne out of respect. "Yes sir."

He turned then towards Crash. "You're with us?"

Crash took a second to respond. "Yeah. Of course."

Ruin turned towards the door and started to head out.

But not before making a mental note to watch Crash closely.

******

349:11:03:09:02:17

"No! No! No! First clutch then gear shift!"

Antony growled loudly as for what felt like the fiftieth time, the truck stalled. He slammed his enormous paws against the steering wheel in frustration. "This is pointless! We're better off just pulling the wagon ourselves! It builds character and keeps us fit!"

"Yeah but look where we are!" answered Savage, waving towards the windshield. "Barely an hour and we're already almost to Honey Hill. We're making great time!"

"But then what will we do with the time once we're done," grumbled Antony.

"Whatever the fuck you want!" Savage hiked a thumb over his shoulder at the back of the truck where Finn and Skip sat. Beyond them two other trucks were being driven by Mikhail and Dimitri, both being tutored by Vale and Lobo respectively. "Maybe spend more time with your family. Work out. Get rid of that excess body fat. Get ripped like me!" For emphasis, he flexed his biceps.

Antony rolled his eyes and started the truck once more. At least he got starting the truck down.

Finn chuckled and shook his head. He sat amongst the boxes of goods that the Sweet Trinity caravan had stocked and more goods from Arcadia. Antony had agreed previously to alter their route somewhat to come across Exchange, the name of the outpost sitting in front of the Arcadian Gate that had been erected by the industrious High Horns and guarded by the dragons. That meant that they had to travel through the night to get there early in the morning. They were tired and while Antony grumbled about the truck, he seemed pleased that they were making good time.

"It really is amazing what different areas can offer one another, huh?" Finn asked. "High Horns give us building materials and the manpower to erect structures fast. The dragons give us security. Arcadia has training and knowledge." He grinned across to Skip. "Maybe that can be Arcadia's thing. We'll be the centre of learning and research or something."

Skip beamed and shrugged. "Maybe! Though Pride City has its own intellectuals but we'll see when we get there." Then Skip's expression turned grim. "Hey Renegade, while we were travelling, one of the bears actually gave me something that I thought you might be interested in." He revealed a manila folder with Conglomerate symbol on its front. It was badly worn but at least it didn't crumble to the touch when Finn took it.

"What is it?" Finn asked, opening the folder.

"Not really sure," Skip responded. "The bear saw the _Conglomerate_emblems on some of our crates and thought this would be relevant to us. It has some pretty... disturbing stuff..."

Finn skipped through the pages that were badly damaged but he did notice some key words that had his heart racing 'Maximus' amongst them.

Then he came to the report... or rather, a letter of sorts.

"Dear Mr. Director..." he read aloud.

'Project Ursa Major is a success and has been successfully released. As you have previously noted, the rate of consumption for the bears is incredibly alarming. So much so that based on our current estimates, they will leave this rich, fertile area barren within a few decades. It is truly fascinating that these individuals don't even use most of what they produce and most of it goes to waste. We have noted that due to their lack of technology and refrigeration techniques, some of the food and perishables they produce expire quickly and are dumped unceremoniously on the outskirts of the region, just over the mountains. The paradise of Burheim is truly just a mask for wanton wasteful consumption on an industrial scale.'

Finn lifted his gaze towards Skip in confusion. "This... This doesn't sound like Burheim."

"Keep reading," Skip said softly. "And keep your voice down." He gestured towards Antony who was exchanging some heated words with Savage; something about where the fuel comes for the trucks.

Nodding, Finn continued to read silently.

'To this end, we have decided to begin enacting Project Ursa Major. Phase one, naturally, will be the removal of the waste that the inhabitants of this region have produced. Our carriers are already prepared and ready to remove the waste. Our terraformers are ready to repair the damage such a careless attitude towards the environment has caused. We will deploy upon your word.

'Phase two, naturally, is the creation of the first Maximus. We came to the conclusion that we should not just continuously repair the damage caused by the bears but also educate them into maintaining the environment and showing self-restraint. That is why Phase two will deploy the special mutagen that will alter the Haze. The effects of the mutagen will create a sort of limiter on the bears. Should their rate of consumption far exceed that of a certain level, they will undergo a rapid transformation into a primal creature that we call 'Maximus'. These creatures will... let us say, 'reseed' the world, using the Haze's own regenerative and matter conversion properties to ensure that the resources the bears have consumed will be replenished. On top of this, the alteration in the Haze will rewire the bears' minds to restrain themselves, making turning into a Maximus somewhat taboo.'

Finn's eyes widened as he lifted it to meet Skip's. "They made the Maximus..."

"To keep the bears from destroying their home and eventually starving themselves," added Skip. "Keep reading, there's more."

'Naturally, the transformation is only temporary and the Haze will eventually turn them back. On your request, we have not programmed any hostility towards the Maximus though I in my professional opinion, it would be far better to maintain the equilibrium of this region if the regular inhabitants treated the Maximus as enemies. As I have stated before, this sort of behaviour will reinforce their self-restraint. However, you are the Director and I divert to your judgement.

'Something I have noted, however, that deeply concerns me are rumours of another project that somehow Project Ursa Major works into. I've heard whispers of a 'Black Forest Project' that has something to do with a conflict between the Maximus and the regular bears. I know it is not my place to remind you but these were - are - living beings and former humans and it is not humane to manipulate them into war against one another.

'I would also like to point out that you hired me on as the head of Project Ursa Major and lead of the restoration of this region. I do not think it is in the best interest of these people or fair treatment of my intellect to be kept in the dark like this. Please do not take this as an insult to your management style but just as observation from a concerned party. Sincerely, Raphael Romanov.'

Finn flipped through the rest of the folders and shook his head in wonder. "I don't get it... Ursa Major was meant to create the Maximus to stabilise the area? But then... why are the Maximus destroying everything? Why are they so feared?"

Skip shrugged helplessly. "I was hoping you'd know or at least have an idea on how to figure it out. I mean, it doesn't add up, does it?"

"Maybe this 'Black Forest Project' was the one that created the conflict between the bears..." Finn murmured. "Maybe -"

He was interrupted when the truck came to a screeching halt and the engine died once again.

Antony had stalled again.

He expected the big bear to start barking about how useless the truck was or Savage to start lecturing him about how the clutch worked. But instead, there was just silence. Until the truck's doors began to open. He saw both Antony and Savage get out of the cabin, a soft 'Oh no' coming from Savage.

Finn quickly met Skip's worried gaze and both of them bolted out from the rear of the truck. The smell of something burning filled his nostrils, adding dread to his rapidly beating heart. The moment he turned the corner of the truck, he saw a scene that sent his blood running cold.

The grassy plains and rolling knolls of Honey Hills had been blackened by ash. Windmills that had once spun so calmly smouldered in dying flames, their proud sails littering the ground as crumpled debris. Quaint thatch huts were no more. The only remnants of the homes being the dark skeletons of their structure.

"Fuck..." Savage whispered.

"No..." Antony whispered, shaking his head in dismay. "No... No!" He bolted down to the destroyed village.

Savage rushed after him. "Antony! Wait! It's too dangerous!"

Finn stood dumbfounded. Honey Hills was so peaceful. It was a picture of serenity and simplicity. To see it destroyed...

"What could've done this?" he asked softly.

"It isn't the Maximus, that's for sure," Skip muttered grimly. "The Maximus don't use fire. Only one species I know that actively does."

"Dragons?" Then his eyes widened even further. "Hammerhorn..."

******

Director's Report

The Black Forest Project

******

Burheim was one of the first successes in terms of Haze manipulation. Through the accomplishments Conglomerate scientists, the Haze was changed and altered, the programming that it enforced on its victims modified in such a way as to introduce stability into the region. This was not accidental nor was the selective use of this technique accidental across the world. Some regions required tampering. Others did not. Ultimately, in order to bring the world and its inhabitants out of the endless cycle of the slow death that the Haze introduced, some aspects of the Haze needed to changed while others were to remain as they were. Each region is like a piece of a puzzle. Individually, they are useless and just colourful splotches on a piece of cardboard. But united, they form something much greater than themselves.

As I have stated before, however, interference at this stage is now minimal so the task of assembling the completed puzzle relies entirely on the pieces themselves. With both Regulus and Arcadia working to unite the regions under a single banner, progress to this end is doubled. Caesar's hand also amplifies this rate though his conservative approach and use of subterfuge does ensure his influence is somewhat slower to expand than the others. That he actually convinced his team to integrate their exploration of the Orphan Power Plant with the plans of the others is quite ingenious proving that he is, indeed, making his presence known or at least the effects of his presence.

But back to Burheim. It is no mystery that when the Haze befell the area now known as Burheim, the inhabitants consumed and littered without any regard for the effect they had on their environment. The fact that their population is so much larger than some of the other regions added a great risk to the bears becoming an unstoppable horde that consumed everything that was in their path. The Haze seemed to encourage this. Perhaps unlike the other Haze mutations, the goal of this one was to spread further. This had to be stopped.

At the time, the bears had little to no personality or individuality apart from just consumption. They were little more than the Builders of Hornton with only some variety based entirely on their specialisation. There was no concept of trade and each of the villages were isolated. What they produced, they kept within their own village limits and when resources in their present location were depleted, they moved elsewhere searching for more. This naturally produced a lot of waste and ruined the environment within the area. Predictions stated that eventually, the bears would consume all the resources and either starve or resort to cannibalism. Remember, due to the Haze their technology and ingenuity was limited. They were programmed to do one thing and one thing alone: consume.

Thus it became necessary to implement some sort of system to ensure that the rate of their consumption was somehow mitigated and to introduce some use for the resources they produced. Dear Raphael was correct in assuming that he was part of the Black Forest Project but just not in the way that he anticipated. I was rather appalled at how he saw and treated the bears; considering them merely as test subjects and as tools to further his own career. His insults to my person can be forgiven but when he treats others as stepping stones, well... He deserved an opportunity to see the other side of the story. We at the Conglomerate consider our employees and those under our charge to be human and invaluable resources. True, our methods can be somewhat unorthodox and sometimes inhumane and we profit greatly from their experiences but no one should ever have to die for the Conglomerate. Raphael's experiments into_Ursa Major_ led to deaths and even a single one is unacceptable especially since these poor creatures are unable to reproduce.

That he ultimately became part of the Black Forest Project was a fitting way to reprimand him. You may now ask what the Black Forest Project is. Put simply, it was a Haze mutation as well as the use of some our own _Conglomerate_employees as catalysts to introduce this change. They were turned into bears and became the first of the caravans that began traversing the forests and plains to bring goods from one area to another. This introduced the much needed balance into Burheim on top of the introduction of the Maximus.

This primed Burheim to remain stable until the point where Arcadia_stepped in and started to enlighten them. The stage has been set but all that remains is to find the reason behind the balance. For ultimately, the _Black Forest Project is not a means to enforce balance or insert it. No, the Black Forest Project is there to pose a question to those willing to answer it. A question that heroes and villains, light and darkness, good and evil have never bothered to answer in their eternal struggle against one another.

A question that is written all over Burheim.

Why do we maintain the equilibrium between consumption and production?

Why do are we enforcing the symmetry between industrialisation and environmentalism?

Why do must we find stability between self-restraint and selfishness?

What is the purpose of the Balance?