FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Trouble

As we walk down the alleyways again Hashal makes a point of reminding me that our cover story for me is that I am a mage's familiar and that familiars are not supposed to talk. I shrug, knowing the routing but make a point of keeping my eyes more on the back of his legs or on the ground. Though I do still want to find someone that isn't that elf to make my blood burn I would still rather have it happen on my own terms and when I can single out a single person. Though it certainly makes me wonder how others of my kind manage this task. We go about getting supplies and for this I am definitely thankful to have someone who knows what they're doing around. I doubt that I'd have been able to even get half the things he is able to, even if I had a more human body. But of course all good things have to come to an end.

"Mige!" I hear a shout from behind me, making my entire body slump down in response as there's only one person it could possibly be.

What's worse is that everyone in the nearby vicinity turns around and faces us, though most think that the elf is talking to Hashal instead. Hashal hesitates but I try and ignore him and keep going. But after a moment I realize that he isn't following me and sighing I turn around and face the elf. The crowd apparently has cleared a path between the two of us.

"I'm not going to just go away because you want me to!" Rophan continues now that he's clear that he has my attention. Even still, knowing what my weapon can do he's making sure to keep his distance. Huffing slightly in annoyance I start to turn back around, slowly stepping further away.

"Stop avoiding me!" he waves his arm out when I start trying to turn. "I can't say I know what is going on in that head of yours. I doubt I ever will. But I am not going to betray you. My destiny is to follow you and though you may not believe that I will help you in your quest I know in my heart that I will do no wrong. I will follow the path of righteousness until the day I die. And I vow to you that I will not rest, I will not stop until I have proven myself to you. I don't care how many times you have to knock me out to do so. I will just keep following you regardless. I will follow my destiny even if it means following in your shadow. So do your worst. Hit me with your scythe all you want. I will simply show my devotion to you once I wake up again."

Without even needing to call it out Anaelin materializes as a response both to my will and to the challenge and before anyone has time to react flies through the air and sinks itself right into Rophan's throat. Screams from the nearby crowd drown out Rophan's cry as he begins to fall forward, collapsing down onto the ground as guards unsheathe their weapons and start to approach. Feeling I may need it again soon I yank my head back and Anaelin clips Rophan one last time before flying back to me. So that I could use it at a moment's notice I grab it with my mouth, trusting Hashal to remedy this situation. However on the off chance that my attacking Rophan is what ends up getting me killed I start looking for any possible avenue of escape.

"Put down the weapon," one of the guards order.

I comply and step forward a few steps and slowly place it on the ground before stepping back to Hashal's side and sitting down. After all, I can still use it when on the ground.

"Cord too," the guard continues.

To this I don't respond, acting as if I have either not heard or not understood the command. Seeing my inaction and deciding that doing nothing could be very bad Hashal speaks up.

"What seems to be the problem here? We have not done anything wrong. You all were here; you all saw that he was literally asking us to hit him with that very weapon."

"That doesn't change the fact that murder is against the law," that same guard responds in an authoritative manner, making me almost positive that he is the highest ranking guard of the group. An idle thought passes through my mind on what would the others do if I were to take down their leader.

"But the elf isn't dead," Hashal complains. "He's only knocked out for a few hours."

"And how can you be so sure? Even a blunted weapon could crush a man's throat with a blow like that. I don't care how ridiculous a weapon it is."

"Ridiculous?" I stammer, forgetting myself in the reaction to defend my weapon. "Of all the ungrateful. Anaelin is not a ridiculous weapon and is not a danger to anyone. Anaelin couldn't even kill anyone if I tried."

Everyone in the area gasps at the fact of this animal talking and I realize that I did end up blowing our entire plan right out the window and I can definitely see an angry glare across Hashal's face. I paw at the ground a bit while trying to figure out how to make this work as clearly I just put us into even more trouble.

"Would you all please stop that," I comment, trying to sound as annoyed as I am able to, as well as deepening my voice so it makes me sound much older than I really am. "Do you have any idea just how annoying it is when you people react like that? 'Oh no! The animal talks! Let's kill it because it has to be evil!' Haven't you people ever read a book? It's called a communication stone," I bluff, indicating my translation stone by flicking my head to make it move a bit since I obviously can't point at it with my limbs. "This is what is really talking. My familiar is just carrying it around and has a bad tendency to get really carried up into the part. That scythe couldn't kill anyone because I designed it specifically to be unable to do so. That isn't even an actual blade, it's just cloth. And how we know he's just knocked out is because it is enchanted with a powerful spell that will put anyone that touches it to sleep. Thus why it has to be attached to a cord like it is. Can't have my familiar falling asleep whenever I need to use it."

"Then why does your familiar have to even have it in the first place," the head guard prods.

"Because a wizard never trusts a lowly scribe with his valuable artifacts," Hashal quickly chimes in.

The head guard takes a step forward, apparently not buying our story. I nervously paw at the ground, half trying to figure out if there is any sort of spell I can use that would ensure we could get out of here safely. Though we might not have all the supplies we might really need to get to the next town if we can get out of here we should at least be safe so long as we never come back here. Which, I suppose, would be more of a disadvantage for Hashal than myself. Once my pilgrimage is complete I'm expected to simply return and help raise the younger generation. No longer would have to spend every waking moment that the people around me would kill me first chance they got if they knew what I was. Following their leader's example the other guards step forward as well.

"And just why does a wizard need a scribe to head to town with his familiar in the first place? Why doesn't he just come out here himself or send you out alone?"

"Because I'm running an experiment," I chime in quickly and impulsively, trying really hard to try and think past that on what would work.

"That's right," Hashal steps in again, reaching down to grab the cord and beginning to slowly pull the scythe closer to us, causing the soldiers to grip their weapons a little tighter and me to shoot him a worried look. "Well, more specifically we're running two experiments. One and a half, really. Basically as I'm sure you know, there is a certain range at which a mage is able to keep in contact and control the actions of their familiar. My master is running an experiment to see about extending that range and that is what I am here. When running any experiment you need to have someone to accurately document the results and you can't expect something without thumbs to be able to do so, especially as we reach the end of the effective range. Further, though we are almost done with the experiments on this scythe more test data is always appreciated. And being men of the law I'm sure you're aware of the treaty of Acklemore which states 'the law shall not infringe on any experiment being run by a magic user so long as any test subject is willingly volunteering and neither the life nor the property of anyone is being infringed by that experiment.' You all witnessed him volunteering for being a test subject for the scythe and since his life is not in danger and no property is harmed what we did is perfectly legal."

The guard stares at us a moment and I can all but see the anger in his cheeks rise up higher and higher. But in the end he eventually does sheathe his weapon and the others all follow suit. I almost give out a sigh of relief at the act but manage to prevent myself from doing so for it would give away that it was a bluff. The crowd relaxes quite a bit as well, some of them already beginning to move off now that there is not going to be a fight anymore.

"Very well," he growls at us. "You may go. But let this be a warning to you. If I so much as see a weapon that even looks close to that one or I hear of you harassing anyone in my town, voluntary or otherwise, I will not hesitate to throw you both in the dungeon for years on end and there will be nothing your master can do to get you out. Is that understood?"

"Of course," I state in a cheerful manner while calling Anaelin in to return to its secured location inside an amulet around my neck. I then turn around and immediately start walking away as if nothing was out of the ordinary, Hashal quickly follows suit as we try to get far enough away to be out of earshot when they realize that we haven't done anything regarding the still prone figure of Rophan. The last thing I would want would be to be forced by the guards to take him with us simply because we were the ones that knocked him out.