FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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Chapter 31

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The day for me to embark on my mission finally arrived. I wasn't sure if the reason the last couple of days had taken so long was because my normal schedule was non-existent, or the fact my sealed emotions were affecting my perception of time, but the time had come for me to return back to the Mortal Realm.

At midday I would depart Aaru, using the Hall of Mirrors, and begin my hunt for the curi'nakra. I had no doubts that this would be an arduous task. I had no idea how strong an opponent they would be, but that was not the most pressing issue. First, I would need to find them. Davina had given me a place to start, but that was still a very large area. Four towns, one of which was under control of the wolves before I was brought to Aaru; and likely still was.

I knew that if I had my emotions, I would be inclined to believe the wolves were the culprits. But there was no way to know that for sure. A curi'nakra usually gave themselves over to a Demon Lord when they had lost faith in all other Deities, and there were plenty of drakes who had lost someone in the war with the wolves. Three towns filled with drakes compared to the one with wolves. The chances were much higher that it could be a dragon. And searching those towns would be much easier than searching Rengilar, where my mere presence would bring down every warrior upon me if I was seen.

It made sense for me to begin my search in the draconian settlements first. Even with my emotions suppressed, the thought of seeing my friends and family again concerned me. I had been gone for so long, they likely thought me dead. I remember all the nights I wished to see them again. How difficult would it be to say goodbye when I had to return to Aaru? With that in mind, I hoped to find the curi'nakra before that became a requirement.

"How are you?" Callen's voice came from behind me.

I looked around to see him standing there. It was strange remembering how the mere sight of him had made a flurry of emotions stir within me just a few short days ago. Even now I knew that he was incredibly attractive. The way that the sun shone on his thick, brown, luxurious pelt, which failed to hide the powerful muscles of a god beneath it would have made my heart flutter with desire. It was almost surreal experiencing this lack of emotion. Knowing how I should have or would have felt, and yet not feeling anything. It made me realise just how much of a slave I was to my emotions.

"I'm fine." I assured him.

"You had quite a serious expression going on there."

"I was just working out my plan for finding the curi'nakra."

"You sure that was all it was?" He smiled as he sat down next to me on the stone bench. "The gardens are quite lovely in the morning." He mused looking around.

I had come to the temple gardens to be alone with my thoughts. Other than the occasional passer-by, it was a great place to come and centre your thoughts. The sweet scent and dazzling colours of the wide array of flowers were great at helping to clear your mind.

"They are." I agreed with him. "What do you want?"

"Ouch... that was a little blunter than I expected." He chuckled. I wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or if he had been offended by my tone.

"Sorry." I apologised. "I..."

"It's fine." He squeezed my shoulder. "I don't particularly want anything. Except to be close to you. I'm going to miss you when you're gone."

"I..."

"I know." He smiled. He leant in and nuzzled my neck lovingly. "I know it is difficult for you to express yourself right now. Don't worry, I know you well enough to know your true feelings. Just let me stay like this for a little while."

"Sure." I agreed, carefully placing my arm over his shoulders. It seemed like the right thing to do. His sigh of contentment told me he appreciated it.

We sat like that for a while. Eventually though, time came when I needed to finish my preparations. I went and gathered my weapons, and the travel cloak that I had been given. I was given a satchel with a weeks' worth of food and a couple of days' worth of water. They also provided a small amount of coin for me to use.

"Are you worried?" Callen asked.

"Shouldn't I be?" I queried.

"You should. This is a great responsibility. Failure will result in great disaster." He said sternly, before his expression softened and he smiled at me. He cupped my chine gently with his paw. "But I have faith in you."

"Thank you."

"There are many things I want to say to you before you leave, but we have neither the time, nor is this the place to say these things."

"Callen..." He was obviously upset. He was not one to hide his emotions, but in public he would never allow himself to be seen like this. It was only because we were here alone that he was acting this way.

"So, I shall leave you with these words." He composed himself and looked me in the eye. "We enter not into battle lightly."

I blinked at him, surprised by his choice of words. It was the Rukan'dokra oath. The oath every warrior took before undertaking a mission. I smiled and began to recount the oath.

"We enter not into battle lightly." I repeated. He smiled and we then recounted the rest of the oath together. "We shall not falter in batter, even in the face of an impossible foe. We fight for the betterment of all. And shall claim victory, no matter our enemy. Be it fur, beast, demon or ourselves. We shall return home victorious!"

He embraced me tightly, and I returned the gesture.

"I love you my sweet drake! Return to me."

"I shall do my best." I promised him. I looked out the window and saw that the sun was nearly at its peak. "It's nearly time."

"Yes." He nodded, looking out at the sun with me.

We arrived at the Hall of Mirrors, and standing outside were my friends. Goku, Jasmine, Kero, Jrano and also Kartana were all waiting to send me off. They all waved and smiled as they saw me approach, and then bowed to Callen who was walking next to me. Callen excused himself and continued into the chamber ahead of me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"We couldn't let you go without one last goodbye!" Jasmine exclaimed with an annoyed mewl.

"Sorry. I meant no offence. I just didn't expect to see you again."

"This is possibly the last chance we'll ever... OW!" Kero was interrupted by a kick from Jasmine. "What was that for!?"

"Don't go saying stupid things!" She growled at him. "He'll be back!"

"Of course he will." Goku chuckled. "Not even the mighty Kakla was a match for him. I'm sure some filthy curi'nakra will be no match for him!"

"I appreciate the confidence." I said.

"I will miss our sparring sessions." Kartana smiled. "But I'm not about to let you get so far ahead of me! When you return, you'll be no match for me!"

"I look forward to it." I smiled.

"Psst." Jrano hissed at me to get my attention. "Would you bring me back something from the Mortal Realm? I would love to see what kinds of things they have over there!"

He was a collector of sorts. Before his family had forced him to become an acolyte here in the temple, he had a vast collection of items based on the stories he'd told me. Unfortunately, when you become an acolyte you have to give up all your worldly possessions. So all of his collections were back at his parents house; if they hadn't already sold them all. He had begun gathering a small collection of things since coming to the temple, but without any coin it was difficult for him to acquire interesting pieces to feed his hobby.

"I'll see what I can do." I promised him.

"Hey no fair!" Jasmine huffed. "Don't go using Malakye to get you things!"

"I'll bring back something for everyone." I promised. That seemed to please her, and everyone else for that matter.

"Something truly unique to the Mortal Realm please!" Jrano grinned excitedly.

"Malakye." Goku said with a serious tone. We all turned to see what he had to say. "My brother, I wish you well in your coming battles. Know that my spirit shall be standing at your back, and the deities be willing, shall summon me to your side in your time of need!"

This was an Masur tradition, often shared between warriors who shared a close bond. I remember being taught about this by Reema. It was meant to be one of the sincerest vows warriors could say to one another.

"If the deities will it so, then I shall be honoured to have you at my back Brother!" I responded. Goku seemed pleased that I knew the proper response.

"Pardon the interruption." A voice came from the doorway. Master Remira, in all her splendour stood staring at us. The others all turned and bowed to her. Her feathers seemed to sparkle with a rainbow of colours from the sunlight flooding the chamber behind her. "Malakye. It is time."

I nodded my understanding.

"Farewell my friends. I depart now on a journey of unknown length. But know that I shall one day return, stronger and wiser, to inflict upon you tales of my great heroism and glory!"

Jasmine scoffed while the others chuckled at my quote. It was a quote of a renowned scholar who embarked on a pilgrimage to the far ends of Aaru. We had learnt about him in the last class I had attended with Priest Dunbar. The scholar in question went on to write many religious texts which filled the temple library. His works were amongst the most popular with acolytes, thanks to his humour and wit. Many of the more contemporary Priests disliked his works for the same reason. He was a figure of much debate; even now, two hundred years after he had passed on from this world.

I turned and followed Master Remira into the chamber. A large number of Priests, Rukan'dokra officers were also there. This was more than I'd expected. This seemed more a major formal event than a simple goodbye. I approached and came to a stop a short distance away from the crowd. Davina stepped forwards, Kira one step behind her, and smiled at me.

"Daemon Malakye. We are here to acknowledge the burden of the undertaking you have agreed to shoulder. You have been granted tools and knowledge to aid you. With our blessing we send you forth, confident of your victory. If you have any questions or concerns, this is the time to voice them." She declared loudly.

"I have none." I replied curtly.

"Very well. I wish you all the best little drake." She smirked. "Gajrojg aihfie iahhe."

I gave her a puzzled look, as the words she spoke not only held no meaning to me, but sounded like the gibberish from a young cub that had not yet learned to speak. My confusion grew even more when all the Guardian Deities repeated the same words. I realised that they must be speaking Gappelspiel; the language of the gods. A language beyond the grasp of Mortals. It had been studied by countless scholars over the millennia, some dedicating their entire life to only ever be able to learn the understanding of a pawful of words.

"With our blessing, you may now depart." Davina smiled and stepped aside.

The mirror behind her flickered as the four priests standing around it activated it. I walked up the steps and paused. One more step and I would return back to the Mortal Realm. I turned and looked back behind me. Everyone stood there watching me. I gazed over all of them and paused when my gaze fell on Callen. He was obviously upset at me departure, and offered me a pained smile. I gave him a subtle nod before turning back to the mirror and stepped through.

Unlike the previous times I'd used the mirror, this one was not over in an instant. I was trapped in darkness. I had been warned of this. Since time on Aaru moved at a faster rate than the Mortal Realm there was a period of adjustment before I'd emerge on the other side. All of a sudden, I felt myself lurch forward, barely catching myself as I stumbled.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness I found myself in. I was in a cave. I turned around and saw no evidence of the mirror I had stepped through. It had probably closed the moment I had emerged. I needed to remember this location, as I would need to return here when I was to return to Aaru. I looked around for anything to distinguish this area in the darkness. There was nothing, so I grabbed a few rocks and made a small stack of them where I had emerged from the portal.

With the marker in place I made my way through the cave to find the exit. The cave was not particularly large. After a minute I saw the pale light of the moon shine in from the entrance. I emerged to a beautiful nights sky. Looking at this sky I knew for certain I was indeed back in the Mortal Realm. The moon, while bright and beautiful, seemed much smaller than it did in Aaru.

I was standing high on a mountain, looking out over the grasslands and a sea far in the distance. In the distance, I could make out a town built next to a grand river a little inland from the sea. The mountain I was standing on was part of the Zangarian Mountain range, I had been told as much before I had left. But now I knew where this entrance to Aaru was located. Now it was time for me to take the first step of my journey. I spread my wings and took flight towards the town in the distance; the town of Yanzomein.