FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Two months passed and King Pandez once more had settled himself back into the palace, letting out a sigh of contentment as he sat at his breakfast table to enjoy a solitary meal to himself for the first time since he had gotten back. Just as he was about to take the first sip of coffee; however, there was a knock at the door that caused him to pause. Part of him wanted to ignore it or tell him to go back later, but his obligations came to the forefront and he set down the cup. He opened the door to see Alkali at the door, the ferret looking uncomfortable in his new garb as he asked to have a seat.

"How is my newest guardian of the realm?" The panda asked as he looked over at the ferret.

"Itchy," Alkali replied as he continued to try and adjust his attire. "I realize that part of my penance to having you chase me halfway across the kingdom is to protect it against undead threats, but I personally think having to wear the uniform borders on the realm of cruel and unusual."

"Well considering what I could have done to you I think the uniform is a small price to pay," King Pandez replied with a smirk. "Speaking of such things I just got a missive from Xander the Blue, he says that he's possibly found a lead on where our new Aegis friend might be from a source in the city of Klend."

"He's in Klend?" Alkali asked in slight shock. "That's all the way down by the Harlowe coast. Did you really have to send him two kingdoms over?"

"That's where the information took him," King Pandez explained. "This isn't a punishment, this is redemption for the both of you. I gave you the option to be banished from this kingdom instead, the only reason why you're able to work off your debt to the kingdom is because you released the magic of Ka'Le back into the world. Ever since then I've been getting reports that crop yields are up, animals are healthier, and wild game is more plentiful. It was what the kingdom needed for sure, and that's why you're in an itchy garment in the capital instead of very itchy clothes in the dungeons."

The ferret sighed and agreed, the two talked for a bit more before the king ushered him out the door. Once Alkali was gone King Pandez sighed slightly; while he knew that the once free-spirited necromancer now had to play by the rules it was by far the best solution for him. It was the same for his draconic companion, Xander had not received the warmest reception when he had gotten back home, but with a little coercion he was able to get him back into the spy network in exchange for undertaking the dangerous mission of tracking down the kingdom's greatest potential enemy. At the moment; however, all he wanted to do was enjoy his morning meal as he sat down and reached down for his coffee cup.

"Hey boss," a voice said next to him that almost caused him to drop the delicate vessel. Pandez frowned as he looked to see Serathin next to him, giving him a toothy grin as he sat down where the ferret had done so only minutes before.

"You know that it is still not alright for you to use that shadow jump of yours in the palace," King Pandez warned as Serathin plucked a muffin from the table and began to much on it. "Now is there something that I can help you with?"

"Yeah, I managed to retrieve those documents I wanted from that manor up in Eastcliff," Serathin reported. "Turns out you were right to suspect them of smuggling. I gave all the evidence to the spymaster already, then he told me to come up to see you because you had inquired about me."

"Well I just wanted an assessment from Roland," King Pandez admitted. "Now that I have you, though, how are you adjusting to your new life? Is it everything you wanted?"

"Are you kidding?" Serathin replied with a smirk. "I get to steal from people and not only do I get paid for it, but also don't get in trouble with the kingdom. If I had known that being a spy would be this much fun I would have given up my thieving and banditry days to get into this racket."

"Well it's hardly a racket," King Pandez replied. "You are performing a valuable service to the kingdom with your skill set, one that I'd rather have working for me instead of out there inconveniencing my subjects. Speaking of inconvenience, how are you handling your... condition?"

Serathin sighed and looked down at the half-eaten muffin that he had begun to pick apart. "There are good days and bad days," he admitted after a few seconds. "Zen is helping me learn how to get it under control and with the necklace that Alkali gave me I haven't gone full werewolf in a while. Of course the times I can train with the barbarian is fewer than I would like, but you know how he is."

"Yes... he does tend to do what he wants," King Pandez replied as he swirled his coffee in his cup. "Why don't you go ahead and take a muffin or two and relax for the rest of the day, I'm sure the spymaster will find use for you tomo-"

When the panda looked up he found the sabrewolf had disappeared, along with an entire tray of muffins that caused him to frown once again. He sighed and got up from the table and moved towards the balcony where he saw the hybrid running across the courtyard with an armful of the baked goods and one in his mouth. One of the problems dealing with a thief, Pandez mused, was the baggage that they carried with them. Even with the pardon he gave for any crimes he had committed in the kingdom there was still the matter of other transgressions he had caused, mainly concerning the disguise ring that made him so efficient at his job. More than once he had seen him converse with a black-furred feline, but decided to leave it be for the moment.

He realized the same could be said for the fox barbarian. Unlike the others Zen had turned down most of the rewards that he had offered him in exchange for his service to the kingdom, opting instead for the freedom to come and go as he chose. He had spent some time in Crystalis to try and help the new werewolf colony that had apparently started there, but once he had gotten everything under control he was gone again without a moment's notice. Though it was tough to see the fox go he knew that there was nothing he could do about it as he sat down and finally had a sip of his coffee, only to frown and look at it.

"Cold..." King Pandez said with a sigh as he set it roughly down on the saucer.

"You know I have a new protégé that can help you with that," Serina said as Pandez looked up to see the mage fox sit down. "Seems like you've had a busy morning so far."

"I prefer this to chasing them down any day of the week," Pandez replied as he poured himself a fresh cup from the still-warm metal pot. "How does it feel to have a demonspawn under your tutelage now?"

Serina grinned as she poured herself a cup and sipped on it before she responded. "I think that he's happy he no longer has to teach students how to not set themselves on fire, though researching this Aegis is proving more difficult than we had imagined. That's the problem with ancient creatures that disappear for long periods of time, they tend to fall off of the history books. So unless we find some sort of ancient tablet that gives us a detailed working of how they work and their weaknesses, I'm afraid we're going to have to rely on our scryers and your spy network."

Pandez nodded and the two former adventurers continued to talk as the sun began to rise once more on the kingdom. While the two talked outside the walls of the capital the tale of Ka'Le began to spread as fast as the mystical magic that had been released. Though the story had started to take on the exaggerations like most myths take, there was always one constant that remained throughout, that the search for Ka'Le was over and that a new evil had been vanquished by the King and a group of adventurers. The sun shone on a kingdom replenished, and with a new tale told by anyone who had the keen ear to listen.

And some tales, whether for good or ill, can spark more than just the imagination...