FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ch 2.

The first party member arrived as the food hit the table. A brilliant flash of blue, revealing a spinning circle of mana, out of which stepped a stoat. Long and skinny, a scar under his right eye, his jet black fur shining a slight blue in the light of the closing portal. He had two small scars, one on each side of his chest, under his open vest. His hands rested lightly on the hilts of two mismatched cutlasses. His frosty gray eyes swept over the party. Focusing on the mouse, who suddenly felt very small. He grinned, more of a sneer, that revealed a gold capped fang. A rogue, the Blackenwood Confederacy's version of the ranger class. "Barbizahn?" Pio asked, bringing up the party info. The black leather clad newcomer grunted an acknowledgement. He sat at the end of the table, and swiped a mug off a passing waitress. She started to protest, but he flipped a gold coin to her. She pocketed it, and walked away with a grumble.

Layka tried to make conversation, but the rogue was pretty much a rock as far as talking went. She had just given up when the blue light flared once again. This time, an arctic fox, dressed in blue fabric robes, stepped from the portal. "Chitani?" Layka guessed.

"Yes, and you might be?" The fox seemed... bored.

"Layka," the cat extended her hand, the fox looked down at it. The look on her face would better fit being offered a rotting fruit, rather than a warm welcome.

"Charmed." The fox sat next to the priest, as far as she could without falling off the bench. "I am a frost witch." The fox straightened her robes, yellow quality, and clearly bought from a superior tailor. She looked every bit a member of the Tundravein Empire.

Pio, ignoring their newest arrival's haughty attitude, took stock of their team composition. A defender, a healer, a ranged physical slayer, a ranged magic slayer, and a melee physical slayer. Not a bad makeup, well balanced, if slightly heavy on the physical. She would have preferred a mixed class, such as cleric, but figured it would all balance in the long run. "We're just finishing our lunch, and getting the rested bonus." Pio said. "Would either of you like something? My treat?"

Barbizahn nodded, and walked away to the inn's chef to order. The fox, meanwhile, huffed. "Thank you, I'm sure, but I made sure to eat before leaving." Then, beneath her breath, she added "some of us have taste, and a respect for others' time." She cast a glance at the stoat. He held a large flagon in one hand, and a mimus leg in the other. He tore the meat with his sharp teeth, flashing the mouse a grease covered grin, and a wave of camaraderie, as he returned to the table.

Once the meal was finished, the party stood and headed out of the comfortably dark interior. They fanned out slightly in the street, and the mouse withdrew her dungeon key. "We use these to open the portal there, right?"

"I think so." Layka said, fishing hers out as well.

"Honestly, did none of you read the guides?" The fox said, taking her key out. She sliced it through the air, a blue orb launched from the key, and spun in the air. A large, green skull rose from the ground, the sign of the Dungeoneering Guild. The skull opened its mouth, encapsulating the blue orb, which opened into a portal, completing the guild's sigil. "Now, we just place the keys in the portal, and it will take us to the arrival point." The witch placed her key in the skull's waiting mouth. Her body shimmered, wavering before transforming into a blue energy. The skull seemed to pull the energy into the swirling vortex. Its eyes flashed, and the fox was gone. The stoat followed soon after.

Pio looked at her friends, before the three shrugged. The mouse approached the skull. Its glowing eyes seemed to focus on her, as if beckoning her even closer. She gulped, placing the key in the portal, and turning. The world swam, her vision went blue, then black, then white. Her stomach lurched, her head spun, and electricity coursed through her. Her ears were overwhelmed by a deafening shriek, and the floor was pulled from beneath her feet, casting her forward. The world hit her like a brick wall. She collapsed onto the stone floor of the arrival point, her vision blurred, her stomach fighting to maintain a hold on its contents. She raised her head, trying to take in the circular, stone room. "First time going through a portal, eh?" A voice said. The squire's vision cleared. She found the stoat grinning down at her. His voice was somewhat higher than she had expected. He chuckled, down in his belly. "It gets easier, here." He held out his hand, the mouse gripped it and let him pull her to her feet. She stopped, admiring his tattoos. He was wiry, but had lythe muscle. Out of the tavern's light, she could see he had several tattoos along his arms. His black hair was pulled back in a shaggy ponytail. Quite possibly the most jarring new detail, was that even his friendliest smile seemed deadly. Yes, he was a rogue through and through, but there was a warmth in his eyes.

The witch however, looked every bit as frosty as her magic. Her eyes were mismatched, a pale set of lavender and amber irises. Her hair was white, and long. It draped down to her hips, the tips touching her tail. The sunlight filtering through the glass dome of the room only highlighted her petite, and quite pretty frame. She looked like a porcelain figure. The final two members appeared, both taking a second to catch their breath. Once they had all regained their composure, the witch pushed the doors of the room open. "Come on, we need to clear the room for any other parties coming through."

The mouse gasped at the sight. A tree, as wide as a small town, reached towards the sky. It stretched many stories into the air, towering above its compatriots on the ground. A stump of equal grandeur sat before it. At the top, a large beehive buzzed with action, the edge of an anthill at the bottom, the split entrance to the dungeons. The five members walked through the brush, Pio's head straining upwards, watching the sun through the large tree's branches, until it was swallowed up by the darkness inside the stump. It took her eyes a moment to adjust, but the entry way was dimly lit. Yellow mushrooms sprouted from the sides of the tunnel, giving off a torch-like light. They passed into the mouth of a tunnel at the base of the stump. The tunnel led downward, into the ground. "I thought we needed to go up to reach the hive." Pio said, stopping.

The fox groaned, but the stoat took over. "We do, but we have to get quests first, then we can go into the center of the stump and take the entrance stone in." He turned and continued to walk down the slope. "The stump has a carved ramp leading to the top, just shy of the hive, where Infernal Hive reputation vendors hang out. This tunnel leads to a chamber of the Stormhill. Since we're raiding the hive, the bees aren't gonna take too kindly to us waltzing up there."

"I hadn't thought of that," Rey said, scratching her head. "I guess it makes sense for the two of them to separate like that. I mean, I'd want to keep my enemy away from me."

The tunnel eventually began to widen out, before stopping in a round, dome like room. It smelled like fresh cut grass, and wet soil. It was better lit than the tunnel, but not by much. Ants stood around tables, talking to adventurers who were already there. They were tall and, as far as Pio was concerned, a little unsettling to look at. Their faces were wide, covered in spiky hairs, with large and unblinking eyes. Their mouths had two sharp pincers in front of them, which moved like scythes as they talked. There was also an underlying smell, one she couldn't place. She was snapped from her thoughts by a hand tugging on her arm. The stoat pulled her towards an ant at the back of the room, who sat at a table engraved with an exclamation point. "Praise to the true queen." The ant said, raising two arms on its right side. The adventurers shrugged, before returning the gesture. "You have come to drive the false queen and her invaders from our ancestral home?"

"We have." The stoat said, nodding.

"Then prove it, and you shall be rewarded." The ant moved two of its hands, and five bags appeared on the table. "First, destroy her underlings, then bring 10 of their stingers, each, back to me. Then bring proof that you have killed the false one and her lieutenants." The party took the bags. Inside each bag were two journals. The first was titled The Raid, Kill Bugs Dead. Inside it had listed:

"Infernal Stingers, 0/10

Kill Infernal Workers 0/10

Kill Infernal Soldiers 0/5

Kill Infernal Drones 0/5"

The second was titled Repel the Invaders: Death to The False Queen.

"Mecha-Drone's Cannon Shell, 0/1

Brood Watcher's Jelly, 0/1

The Hive Queen's Head, 0/1"

The journals were placed back into the bags, and the quest items sacks slung over shoulders. The heroes stopped in the open center of the stump, after their climb from the ant's territory, and stood before the entrance stone. The priest pulled her staff from her back, a light colored wood, with a clear, golden orb at the top. She pulled a leather-bound book from her bag, and opened it with a practiced flick. "This is the first time I've ever done this, so..." She said, looking a little nervous. Then she cleared her throat, looking intensely at Pio. Rey pointed her staff at the squire. "Goddess Kiryo, Lady of the True Light, I beseech you. Grant your servant the ability to assist in this endeavour. Armor us in your glory. Let your will be mine, and as we will, may it be." The top of the staff filled with a blinding light, which spread across the mouse, until it seemed to radiate from Pio's skin. The symbol of a shield appeared, and rose above her head before disappearing. The glow faded.

"What was that?" Layka marveled.

"Blessing of Protection." The priest said, obviously chuffed with herself.

The mouse opened her character stats. Blessing of Protection, duration 30 minutes. Increases armor by 50 points, and magic resistance by 20. "Thanks..." Pio said. She could actually feel the warmth of the blessing, her skin felt thicker somehow. Mentally, she felt as though she could face anything, her earlier fears chased away, like shadows from a pyre.

The frost witch stepped up next, chanting beneath her breath. Several runes flared above her head, each eventually falling like snow onto her skin. They bathed her in a blue glow and an aura of cold. Finally, her pine staff, with a white stone at the top, snapped to the squire. "Sensum nivis,' the fox called. A blue rune appeared above Pio, then fell like flakes of snow. As it touched her skin, a pleasant cool mixed with the warmth of the blessing.

Freezing Touch, duration 15 minutes, attacking enemies take 200 frost damage, and gain an attack speed debuff for 5 seconds. The debuff can only be applied every 30 seconds. Rey and Chitani continued to buff the party. Layka activated her Primal Hunter's Heart, raising her attack power and speed. Pio called forth her Aura of Command, increasing her hostility generation. After all the buffs were activated, the group turned, and placed their keys into the slots in the entry stone. A flash, and they stood within the hive. The air had a cloyingly sweet smell, unlike the acrid and acidic scent of the ant hill. There was a constant, low vibration, from buzzing wings. The walls were built with hexagonal panels, each locked tightly together. Some were open, allowing a view to the sun above, or access to parts of the hive further ahead. Behind the party, a large tunnel led to a glowing vortex, the instance portal. Instance portals served as an exit, taking a group back to the entry stone. Forward, a large open space had two patrol groups, three bees each. Both had two workers, and a soldier. The workers were slightly smaller, and a bit fatter in build, they lacked armor, but had sharp stingers, and menacing pincers. The soldiers, however, were slim and agile looking. They had large, thin AlchiTech plates covering their chests and heads. Chemical tanks sat on their backs, connected to nozzles where their stinger should be. They drifted in a circular pattern, covering the walls of the hive, and the entrance to the corridor ahead.

"Ready?" Pio asked, drawing her sword and shield. She lowered her visor, and shook her head to clear her focus.

There was a small gust of wind, a smell like a moonless night, and the rogue vanished. "Ready." his voice said, drifting like a wraith on the wind.

The ranger nodded, the skunk gave a thumbs up, the witch tapped her foot impatiently. "Alright." Pio said. She placed her sword behind her back, ducking behind the heater shield. She bent her knee, eyes focusing on the soldier in the closest patrol. "Into the Fray." She called the ability from within herself, feeling the power surge into her legs. She sped forward, her body dimly glowing, her shield turning a bright red. She let out a yell as she slammed into the body of the insect. She could feel its plate armor, and exoskeleton crunch behind her heater shield. She followed it up with the combo ability, dealing extra damage and stunning the target as Shield Bash connected. The bee faltered, landing on the ground as its head bobbled. Pio wasted no time, she spanked her sword's edge against the surface of her shield. Several red pulses flowed from her, snaring the attention of the two workers. Finally, she struck out with her sword, slicing a large cut into the soldier in front of her. It scratched noisily against the armor plating, leaving several small openings in the metal.

"Shadow Strike." The rogue called, from behind the soldier. The cutlasses, bathed in a purple glow, dug into the sides of the soldier. The health bar, which was floating above its head, was now half depleted.

Pio, taking the aggro of the enemy group, raised her shield to ward off a stinger from the worker on her right. The point skimmed off the metal, deflecting harmlessly into the air. The worker dropped to the ground for a moment, its wings beating slowly as it turned a dark blue. The squire spun to parry another attack from the bee on her left, but didn't get her sword up in time. The stinger hit the plate of her shoulder, piercing it. It went through her skin, but was prevented from going too deep by a white light. Infernal Venom, 50 true damage taken per second for 15 seconds. The mouse had just over 900 health, meaning the poison could seriously drain her. The worker, like its twin, turned a dark blue and fell to the ground.

Pio could feel herself weakening from the poison, but turned to face the soldier. Its health had turned yellow, dropping to around a third, but it was now fully recovered from its stun. Two of Layka's arrows stuck out from its chest, and a large ball of ice left a dent in its head plate. The nozzle pointed at the mouse, and an orange cone appeared on the ground beneath her feet. The mouse dodged to the left, just in time to avoid the gout of flame that swept through the space she'd vacated. The soldier turned, and its pincers struck off of her shield, as she stabbed her sword upwards through its chin. As the bee's amber blood trickled onto her arm, a warm light bathed her. The pain in her shoulder washed away, and some of the weakness vanished. The soldier was nearly dead, a pair of slashes from the rogue finished it. The soldier let out a pained shriek, falling to the ground. Three gold orbs rose from its body, it had dropped loot.

There was no time to gather it though. Pio had turned to face the worker who had stung her, unleashing Noble Blade, slashing into the bee's skeleton. Her sword, which was glowing white, left an amber line through its abdomen. The worker behind her took another sting, this one making it past the mouse's guard. It did not, however, renew the dwindling venom debuff. Another burst of warm light washed away the pain of the sting, plus a bite that connected from her target. Noble Blade, allowed her to open into a combo with Crescent Slash. The mouse pivoted on her left foot, allowing the momentum of the initial slash to carry her in a half circle. The blade, which was now shining more intensely, had struck both targets. Now came the combo finisher. Piercing Defiance. The blade of the arming sword seemed to grow longer as it was thrust forward. A pillar of light bursting through the worker as it shrieked. Barbizahn's Fatal Thorn ability placed his blades in its neck. Its health was in the low red.

"Primal Serpent, inbound." Layka called, her arrow flew from the bow, splitting in two, and tearing through the bee's wings.

"Sepulcure glacien" the witch called. The bee's body froze to the base of the hive. Barbizahn jumped from the bee's back to land behind its living comrade.

Pio banged her shield once again, assuring her hold of the survivor. She activated Noble Blade again, taking the head off of the worker before her. It dropped, loot rising from its body. She took a sting, followed by a bite from the last member of the group. The skunk's magic healed her, and she grinned. She pivoted into Crescent Slash once more, revelling in the feeling of battle.