FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"I don't get it." Oz muttered, looking over the vellum parchment, and then back at the dusty clearing the road abruptly halted at. The rodent tilted his head slightly, then turned his head to glance back at his companion. "According to the directions, the town should be right here."

The fox flicked his tail with a smirk. "Well, it would explain why no one's heard from anyone here." He adjusted the colored glass of his spectacles with the heel of one paw while the other tugged on the strap of his lute. "Want I should do the eye thing?"

Rolling up the parchment, the kangaroo rat nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea." He stowed the scroll and pulled out another, re-reading the details of their commission.

Soul-blade Oz Drakvin and Flux the Bard had been assigned the task of investigating Nesston-upon-lee; an entire village which had not been heard from in many months. The farmers of the small town were regulars at markets in the nearest cities in both Dutchy Kernou and the Kingdom of Merstedbury, but had just abruptly stopped showing up. Intelligence from one nation to another determined that the origin of the disappearance lay in neither.

Flux removed his spectacles, eyes glistening with an unnatural luminescence. When the trees at the edge of the clearing shifted in the breeze, his shadow was revealed to not match the small vulpine standing there, larger and more complex. The moment he set the colored glass back in front of his eyes, his shadow melted back into something resembling his figure. "Certainly magical scarring on the earth here. The earth was... well, scooped is the best word for it."

Looking across the dusty open space beyond the forest, Oz furrowed his brow. Now that he was looking for it, he could indeed see that it looked as though something had cut divots in the earth. The divots' arrangement was a bit orderly, though the space between the scoop marks seemed rather pulverized instead. "Anything else?"

"There's runes drawn into the standing stone there." The fox pointed, before adjusting his lute's strap and stepping off the stone road into the indentation where the town once stood. He casually walked towards the standing stone.

The Soul-blade followed, brow still furrowed in thought. He wasn't sure if any reason for this intense use of magic made any sense. And where had the villagers gone?

When the pair arrived at the standing stone, they looked over the runes. "We have moved. Inquire within yonder cave." Oz read aloud, then ran a finger along one of the cut out characters. "This is far too clean to be original to this weathered stone, and too precise to have been cut with tools."

"Bet something that could scoop chunks of earth away with magic could etch some stone fairly easily." Flux commented, leaning around the stone. Now away from the forest, the foot of the nearby rocky hill was visible, complete with a dark cave opening. The fox pointed it out. "Yonder cave."

Oz walked around the stone and up out of the scraped earth of the scar on the land. "Why couldn't it have been hither." He muttered to himself.

The pair of adventurers followed a rough path uphill to the opening of the cave, before pausing at its entrance. It was far too dark within to see further than thirty feet from the mouth.

"Well, inquiring within." Oz shrugged, tugging a section of hardwood branch from his belt. Its shape fit his fingers perfectly and the polished wood was inlaid with silver and amber. As he walked towards the shadows, the soles of his shoes making sounds that echoed into the dark, the silver glinted brightly, before the amber gained a luminescence of its own.

The rodent held the artifact aloft and a surge of amber light gushed forth, extending into a broad curve over his head. The formless energy crystallized into a blade, glowing brighter than the flame of a torch. The interior of the cave lit up as if he had brought a tiny sun along with him.

"Not exactly subtle." Flux commented with a smirk, striding towards the opening leading deeper into the cavern.

"And just how often do you actually use that lute of yours?" Oz replied wryly, holding his namesake in front of himself and over his head as he walked.

"Misdirection, I assure you." The fox bandied back, his head tilted down to keep an eye on his footing.

Despite his caution, the floor of the corridor of stone was mostly contiguous, with very little in the way of loose rocks. Furthermore, it was not slick or slippery from any underground moisture like many caves were. A couple more twists of the passageway were made before they entered the main cavern. Its scale was similar to the scar left in the earth outside, but it was markedly empty.

That is, apart from the dragon laying down in the center.

The dragon's eyelids clenched slightly at the bright light before blinking open. The blue-scaled beast stretched out his limbs, before settling his forelegs in a comfortable crossed position beneath his shoulders. "Well, nice to know someone read my note." The dragon looked between the two adventurers. "And a Soul-blade. I'm honored."

"Good sir, we were sent by the crown to determine why contact was lost with the village that, by all means, should be down the hill from your home. But it appears it is not." Oz began to walk down, keeping the blaze of his blade in an aloft, lighting stance rather than anything threatening.

Flux frowned, following his companion down the incline towards where the beast had been sleeping. "You left the note, so I'm guessing you had something to do with that scar on the land."

"Indeed. You see, last year local lords started their raiding of unaffiliated municipalities, you know how they get. Didn't matter to mounted knights that my people were providing them with good wheat every week on market day. Or maybe they wanted all of it to themselves without having to pay." The dragon rumbled, smiling amicably but clearly not finding what he was saying amusing in any way.

"The village See has always been a good friend of mine, and he asked for my aid and protection. As a result, anyone wishing to get to their new location has to go through me." He continued. "Might I see your orders? I want to know which crown cared to send you."

Oz dug in his pack with his free hand and pulled out the vellum parchment. He unfurled it with a flick of the wrist and held it out. "The Dowager Dutchess of Dutchy Kernou." He spoke as the royal sigil embossed into the vellum was revealed.

Rather than take it, the dragon leaned in close, using one claw to shade his eyes from the glare of the spirit blade. After a few moments reading, he nodded and raised his head again. "Well, you can extinguish that for now. I'll provide the light for your journey. Hold still, also." He regarded the kangaroo rat and his suspicious companion with an inscrutable expression.

No sooner had Oz let the blade fade back into the wooden grip that Flux shifted his stance, preparing to make a run for it.

The only light was the bluish glow of the dragon's eyes... and then the inside of his mouth. He exhaled and a luminous cloud matching the color of his scales billowed forth, curling around both adventurers. Sparkling motes of energy danced throughout the mist as it grew rather solid and indeed bound both together.

"What are you doing?" The rodent struggled against the firm grip. "What's happening?"

"Lucky for you two you weren't sent by the so-called Lords Rydelle or Elmyer. They're the ones who were raiding." The dragon rumbled, still sounding friendly as ever. "However, I wasn't lying. You have to go through me." He inhaled sharply and both smaller creatures were yanked clear off their feet.

"Oh this is bul-" was all Flux managed to cry out before the dragon's jaws snapped shut, with them on the wrong side.

Oz clutched on tight to his blade's handle as he was dragged down the great beast's throat, feeling every ripple of the fleshy walls squeeze and push over his entire body at once. He blushed deeply, having not expected this turn of events at all. At the same time, he felt dizzy. He was travelling so much further through this swallowing gullet than the length of the dragon's neck, or so he thought. He had to be at the rate he was sliding.

And then, as abruptly as he had been swallowed, he was released into open air. Oz landed on a broad mat, groaning a bit in his disorientation. He rolled onto his back with a grunt and looked up. The fleshy valve overhead was sealed shut, the pinkish flesh all around it continuing in each direction he looked.

Flux was already standing up beside the mat, shaking his arms to try to get the dragon drool free. "I'd hate to know what he'd do if we were hired by the lords terrorizing his protectorate." He muttered to himself.

Oz slowly stood up, before turning. His jaw dropped.

An entire village was laid out before the pair of adventurers, covering the distance from one stomach wall to the other. That distance appeared to be a similar distance as from one end of the scarred earth outside to the other, despite how small the dragon had appeared.

The houses and other buildings were on raised foundations of what appeared to be black, pitted rock that spread out in elegant, organic curves from below to support mainly level platforms. Looking down, Oz saw that the outspread legs of each platform vanished into the luminescent yellow-green of a standing pool of what must have been dragon bile. The Soul-blade very quickly realized he and his companion were also standing on one of these platforms.

Far from empty, the townsfolk were walking around from building to building, across level bridges between the raised surfaces. No one seemed to need a handrail or any other protection from toppling over the edge into the glowing mess pooled underneath.

But the light from below couldn't account for all the illumination, especially since the balance of colors appeared less than sickly. The rodent turned his eyes to the 'ceiling' of the immense gastric chamber and saw similar clouds of magic to those that the great dragon had ensnared the adventurers within. From amongst the swirling, sparkling mist, blue-tinted light poured down onto the village. And two masses of that cloud were surging down to meet him.

Flux moved to run again, but was summarily ensnared. Moments later, the clouds pulled away, leaving Flux's clothes and fur entirely free of saliva.

Oz felt the magical breath slip through his fur and clothes, removing every ounce of alien substances until he felt cleaner than when they had left Kernsport. When he opened his eyes, he saw that held aloft within each of the two clouds was a mass of murky fluid. Both dropped their cargo over the edge into the glowing lake below and then dispersed, wisps drifting back to join the mass above.

The fox checked his lute for any residue, then carefully removed his colored spectacles. Again, his eyes took on the unnatural radiance. He left them off as he turned his attention to looking out over the village.

"What do you see, Flux?" The kangaroo rat finally hooked his grip back onto his belt where it belonged.

"Well, this isn't an illusion. The town is actually here, the walls are actually that far away from us. The townsfolk are all real." Flux said, sounding as though he hardly believed it himself. "Certainly magic flows through every structure, but it seems to be the type keeping it sturdy after... well, so literal a move."

"Are you positive?" Oz was having trouble wrapping his head around the reality of the situation. "This place is as big as that dragon's cavern. But his gut could have only held the both of us if we were curled up..."

"Only as it appears from the outside, gentlemen." A jovial voice distracted the adventurers from their discussion. When the Soul-blade turned, he found himself looking at the top of a tall, natural root staff. Following it down to its owner, he then came to be regarding a fairly short cat man with orange, tabby fur dressed in a cape that brushed the stonework on either side of his broad, fluffy tail. Beneath he wore voluminous pantaloons that made his legs look stumpy and torso too long. The embroidery on his shirt was fine, if old. "I am Hugo of the Ness clan, See of Draketon. Welcome to our new village."

"Draketon is... what once was Nesston-upon-lee?" Oz asked politely.

Hugo waved his paw dismissively. "We decided a new name was necessary. After all, it is not as though my clan is the protecting patron anymore." He laughed, seeming to have no ill will towards the change in arrangement.

"Why not Nestlin'-upon-waist?" Flux commented wryly, making sure his glasses were securely back atop his snout.

Oz looked back, confused.

"What brings two adventurers our way?" The feline asked, leaning lightly onto his staff that nearly stood two heads over his own.

With a careful dig through his pouch, the kangaroo rat held out the same order he showed the dragon before.

"The Dutchess of Kernau was concerned that no one in Kernsport had heard from Nesston-upon-lee in over a score's market days." Flux summarized. "Traditional espionage showed that Merstedbury hadn't had contact either, so we were sent to properly find out what had happened."

Oz nodded. "Yes, farmers from Nesston-upon-lee had never missed a market day since the village first seeded, or so our employer claims. The Dutchess' Magistrate seemed to think that you were financially dependent on your neighbors."

"Imagine, being thought about as far as Mabstowe." The village See chuckled. "If it weren't for the forest we may have been part of Kernau properly. Yes, we were once very dependent on our farmers travelling to market. But now all of our needs are taken care of."

Before either outsider could question this, a low rumble resonated throughout the chamber, causing a tingling buzzing sensation from where sole met the pitted stone below.

"What was that?" Flux looked around rapidly at the stomach walls.

"We'd better get indoors." Hugo smiled calmly, pivoting and walking his way across one of the many bridges.

Oz and Flux followed the short cat, looking about the whole way. Without their eyes on the platform beneath, however, Flux nearly stepped off the side.

As he lost balance, a cloud from above scooped up to the side and lightly pressed him back onto his feet on the platform. The fox brushed off his shoulders, as if there was any dust left to remove, as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

The cat smiled back towards the newcomers. "Almost there."

The pair of adventurers kept their eyes on the pitted stone the rest of the way, before they were shown into a rather large house in the center of town.

Hugo closed the door behind them and a soft suction noise could be heard as it became fully shut.

"Was that a sealing spell?" Flux asked, before the whole building shook.

Oz twisted to look out the window at the other buildings. The whole village was rolling and shaking about. The motions caused the glowing bile to splash up onto the platforms, even against the window in front of the rodent's face.

"What's happening?" The fox tried to stand upright as the floor shifted seemingly at random.

Hugo, however, had no trouble staying standing, keeping his staff held away from the floor. "Oh, Entre is making his rounds."

The kangaroo rat did his best to try to sit on the window seat and face the cat. "Entre? Is that the dragon's name? What rounds does he go on?"

"Oh yes, did he not introduce himself? I'll have to have a word with him." The feline See said casually, continuing to stay upright perfectly well. From Oz's perspective he looked as if he was swaying back and forth randomly, but the feeling in the Soul-blade's gut told him it was the opposite. "Anyway, every day Entre leaves his cavern to gather supplies that the village needs. During harvest time he swallows down buckets of wheatberries and barleycorns for the mill."

Oz closed his eyes tightly and breathed slowly, a technique he'd learned from being seasick aboard a tall ship in a storm.

Flux was clutching onto the doorframe, the fur beneath his eyes appearing a bit green. "You all go through this every single day?" He retched a bit and covered his mouth with his inner elbow.

"Yes. Why?" Hugo tilted his head lightly. "Oh, for some reason the movement is making you two feel ill. Strange." He scratched the side of his head with part of his staff. "Well, if you two would like, we could conclude our conversation after Entre's rounds. I have a lovely sleeping spell that will allow you two to skip past the unpleasantness, as it were."

Both adventurers raised one hand in assent.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Oz sat up slowly, a little groggy as the sleeping spell wore away. The kangaroo rat heard as much as felt a low rumble through the bench he was placed upon, and then all was still, save for a subtle, slight rhythm he hadn't noticed when he first arrived. Entre's heartbeat.

Flux snored loudly on the other bench.

The Soul-blade looked out the window. Now that things weren't shaking about, he saw doors re-opening all over the village, people returning to their day. Sparkling blue clouds drifted about in the spaces between platforms, carrying different things. Some held bucketfulls of water, others held bundles of herbs, piles of vegetables, slaughtered and cleaned livestock...

"Ah, you're awake." Hugo made his way over to the taller rodent.

"How does Entre know how much the village needs each day?" Oz asked, not looking away from the window, his long tail flicking lightly at its tufted tip.

The cat laughed at this. "Oh, he doesn't! He overestimates every day." When the Soul-blade looked back to him with a question on his lips, Hugo interrupted. "You see, our surplus, we just let his bile take. A good payment for his protection, eh?"

"And... why doesn't the whole town smell of his bile?" The adventurer asked, scratching his cheek with a claw. "If you're dumping old food into his stomach juices every day..."

"Oh, Entre's magic takes care of that." Hugo merrily explained. "Any fowl vapors are converted into fresh air like alchemy. Though some of it is gathered to help operate the mill. See, it's quite flammable..."

"Dear gods, I hadn't even thought about how we should have all suffocated by now." Flux groaned from across the room.

Glancing over at his companion, Oz shifted position and returned his gaze to Hugo. He was nearly eye-to-eye with the shorter male standing before him while he was seated. "As fascinating as that is, the 'hows' isn't what we were sent for, and we've well discovered the 'what' of the problem."

The See nodded in understanding. "Yes, the Dutchess likely wants 'whys' answered as well."

"Yeah." Flux stood from the bench across the room and stretched, bending his neck until it let out a cascade of popping sounds. "Entre mentioned something about raiding lords from Merstedbury."

"Well," Hugo turned to be facing both adventurers at once. "In the decades since Entre moved into the cave near Nesston, he's gradually grown more and more protective of the village and its people."

"Taking protective to a new level." The fox muttered.

"And, well, Lord Rydelle and Lord Elmyer were both letting their dumb cavalier sons attack the farmland and the houses out away from town. Since we don't have a lord or any militia to stop them." The See continued. "We didn't want to start a war, but we didn't want our people being hurt any longer. I asked Entre if he would do something about it, as I knew how he felt about us." Hugo walked over to the door.

"Even so," Flux lifted his lute to loop its strap over his shoulder. "I would think a dragon's greed would mean he'd seek out more than surplus supplies and table scraps as payment for his protection."

"So wise in the ways of dragons..." The cat commented, though neither adventurer could tell if the See was being earnest or not. Hugo pulled the door open, the magic seal releasing with a wet sound. "Did either of you see a hoard out there?"

"No.... I did think that was strange." Oz replied, brow furrowed.

Hugo held his staff out the door, declaring openly with bombastic emphasis on each word. "Because we are his hoard!"

A low rumble travelled through the structure and audibly through the open door. Unlike the draconic reverberations before, which were fairly matter of fact, this one sounded almost... prideful?

Flux looked out the window as the stomach walls visibly deepened in their reddish color. "Is... Is he blushing?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"What are we going to tell the magistrate back in Mabstowe?" The fox stepped out of the pummeled earth back onto the old road, keeping his fluffy tail held up and away from the dusty ground.

Oz shrugged, "The truth I expect." He idly pivoted to be walking backwards ahead of his companion. "That Nesston-upon-lee entered willingly and under no direct duress into a serfdom contract with a dragon, and as such had no need to go to market."

Flux's blank look was clear even through his heavily colored spectacles. "That's only true viewed from extremely specific circumstances." The vulpine adjusted the strap for his lute and glanced back toward the scar in the earth the village used to stand within. "Terribly misleading."

"And that the dragon is using his magic to hide the village." The kangaroo rat returned to facing forward as he walked. "Due to recent attacks from local lords across the border in Merstedbury."

"Oz, I am astounded." The fox took a few faster steps to get abreast the Soul-blade. "You? Putting spin on a report?"

"No need to sound so shocked." Oz deadpanned back. "It's less spin and more..." He gestured vaguely with one hand as he looked for the right word. "...translation. No legal precedent for what we discovered, so I am putting it in language the Magistrate will understand."

Nodding, Flux conceded, looking at the stones of the road ahead of their feet. "I suppose risking the might of the Dutchy coming down upon marauders that pushed a village that technically lay within its borders into hiding is better than that might turning upon the dragon who devoured said village. All things considered..." He chuckled mirthlessly. "He said, as he casually went along with a report that may lead to war." He wryly self-narrated in a pompous tone of voice.

"I trust the Dowager Dutchess to resort to diplomacy first in dealing with neighboring kingdoms." The Soul-blade looked up into the canopy. "Dragons, however..."

"I can hear you two, you know." A familiar voice rumbled out from Oz's satchel.

Both adventurers froze, looking down at the side-bag.

After a long moment, the kangaroo rat dug out a large jar filled with the magic blue breath Entre filled his stomach with and released from his jaws. Oz addressed the glass vessel in his hand and the swirling miasma within. "I am not surprised. Very all-purpose magic you have here."

The sparkling mists swirling within congealed into the shape of Entre's head, jaw moving as the glass resonated with the dragon's voice. "If you insist on taking a sample, I insist on eavesdropping."

Flux's shock broke into incredulous cackles. "T-Then why did you say anything?" The fox wiped his eyes behind his spectacles as his continued laughter broke away leaves from their branches and bounced from trunk to trunk throughout the wood.

Looking dumbfounded, the dragon's proxy looked from the fox to the rodent.

Oz looked between his companion and the jar, brows arched high and lips pursed pensively. "He does have a point." The kangaroo rat smirked a bit after a moment. "Or are you just so interested in having your perspective heard?"

The mist appeared to somehow convey blushing. "See if I let you out next time I get my jaws on you." He muttered and the construct burst, filling the jar with a swirling mass once more.