FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A pair of damp paws trudge through the jungle; stepping over vines, fallen trees, moss and shining bluish ferns. Bright red and violet flowers scatter the floor, their stems ramrod and leaves stretched high, desperately reaching for what little sun they could.

Vex stops and looks to the bright blue tacpad upon his armored forearm.

"Fuck." The feline huffs, wiping the water dripping off of the trees above off his forehead. "Four more miles of this shite."

The heat and humidity digs into Vex's suit and fur, occasionally getting an exhausted groan out of him as he trudges on. His greyish fur sticks out like a sore thumb amidst the lush greens and vibrant colors of the rainforest. Yet, it isn't the day he is concerned with, for the jungles of Laima weren't to be trifled with come nightfall.

The wet ground squishes with each step, leaving a leopard's print in Vex's wake. He is starting to grow tired of this trail, but knows he has to push onward, regardless of the occasional thorn that nicks his paws.

Birds and prehistoric reptiles caw and coo in the distance, setting an almost eerie mood to the rainforest; never knowing what could be lurking behind each tree or vine. As the harsh sun beats down on the forest canopy, it sends the humidity sky rocketing, in turn leaving a thin layer of fog in every direction. Practically a scene straight out of a horror movie, and ample cover for any predator lurking in the undergrowth.

While the march brings Vex closer to his goal, it equally drags him deeper into the jungle and further from the safety of his ship. Soon, however, the thick jungle floor gives way to obsidian rock, clear signs that he is yet one step closer to the first part of his objective: a long since dormant lava vent. For in the distance, Venus' tallest mountain looms, just barely visible from the fog blanketing the foothills Maxwell Mons. It is up from here on out.

Vex lets out a deep breath, clutching his rifle close, its white/orange exterior drenched from the almost suffocating humidity. This would not be a pleasant trip.

Yet, fortune seems to be on Vex's side, for in time a mountain stream comes into view, bringing with it clean water to cool himself with. After checking that no hostile animal is attempting to sneak up on him, he leans down and gently cups the water in his left paw. Once rubbing it into his thick neck fur, he takes a quick drink before shaking the excess off.

Continuing his trek, the mountainous land grows steeper and steeper. Soon the vibrant greens, blues, reds and purples of the jungle give way more and more to the black of obsidian. All the while, Vex finds that hoisting oneself up numerous ledges, all while weighed down by both armor and gear, is just as bad as it always has been.

Wiping his paws clean on his suit, Vex takes another look around from his perch atop a ledge. Walking to it's edge, he thinks to himself not to fall, for the bushes and ferns below would not save him from such a height.

Moving away, Vex pushes through what few defiant plants yet grow up here, which fling back once he moves past, sending the rain water upon them flying in all directions. The feline's thick tail flicks as well, keeping him balanced as he marches on. Just up ahead, he spots a well of vines which drop down into a vast and deep cave. If he had not been looking for such a sight in the first place, he would have missed it entirely.

Walking up to it, Vex smiles gently. Possibly stretching miles underground, a maze in which return is no guarantee, it is still the landmark he had been searching for, bringing him one step further to his objective. Raising an arm, he activates his communications with a tap.

"BB?" Vex's voice echoes softly into the dust filled cave, to which a monotone, slightly robotic voice pipes up from the pad, contrasting with his own accent.

"Vex, what do you see?"

"A cavern, must go on for miles!" Vex peers into the cave, the sunlight being absorbed by the obsidian shards of rock. "Try your best to keep the signal BB, I'm heading in."

With eagerness, Vex starts his descent. BB's voice comes through again, a slight amount of static to it. "Be careful down there, you don't know where it leads. We only have so many scans of this-"

Vex cuts him off with a scoff, treading deeper into the blackened depths. "Relax, the cavern is only another two miles, if this map is right. Which it should! I won't have any problems reaching it."

"Don't be a spastic idiot." BB spits. "You know very well if you get lost or eaten, I can't save you."

Vex's face screws up, doing his best to ignore BBs lecturing. After a short slide down the volcanic rocks, he short jumps onto the leveled bottom. Bits and pieces of rubble tumbled down after him; clinking and slinking down the rock. With a content huff, Vex scans into the pitch black void.

With a paw, he taps his shoulder gently. From his armor, a shining beam of light illuminates the cave, yet no end to the tunnel presents itself; the light simply consumed by darkness.

"Damn." Vex eyes the obsidian walls as he continues his trek through the lava tube, each step bringing him further and further away from the sounds of the jungle. The chirps, calls and hollars eventually fade to an eerie silence; with only the occasional gust of wind breaking it.

The tunnel stretches onward, and the feline starts to grow weary of walking. His paws are sore, but Vex does his best to ignore the pain, no matter how much it nags at him. He needs to focus; it wouldn't be hard to get lost within these caverns, and distractions are a sure killer.

Wiping his brow with a sigh, Vex pulls up the map again. Only a mile left of this, or at least according to the map, but then again it doesn't account for terrain variations. The feline let's out a growl of annoyance.

Suddenly, searing heat burns its way into Vex's paw, and with a yelp he jumps back before hopping on one foot to the side of the lava tube. When the pain finally dulls, Vex sets his rifle down carefully, then gently lifts up his right paw. The smell of burnt fur quickly assaults his nose.

"Fucking shite!" Vex curses, his voice echoing in every direction. "Fucking hurts!"

With a few testing taps on the ground, Vex sets his paw back down. From there, he did his best to stay wherever the cool rock is, typically the edge of the lava tube. Pressing against the wall of the cave, Vex shimmies along its edge. One hand paw to keep his balance, the other keeping a tight grip on his rifle.

With the light from his armor just barely enough to guide him, Vex continues his way down the lava tube. Near invisible to the eye, he could see the wispy lines of heat rising from the rock below. Hoping he had not made a wrong turn, he gulps gently, and wishing he had brought water with him.

"BB?" Vex says to a raised arm while scanning the tunnel for any signs that he has made progress, but the black obsidian refuses to change. "BB can you hear me?"

Nothing, not even static came through the radio.

"Shite." With a sigh, Vex looks down for a moment. He's panting, the heat of the cave is starting to grow to a blistering level. Lifting his head however, he presses on, for he knew what was at stake.

As he steadily marches on, the end of the tunnel grows brighter and brighter; an eerie blue glow replacing the once black void, yet Vex didn't dare to turn off his light. The cavity grew wider and taller, the heat now reached a near intolerable level, nearly choking Vex out.

The light now turns to a bright azure glare, it's origin now but fifty feet away. Vex feels an odd curiosity build within him as he marches onward, towards the light, all while eyeing the ground carefully. Now closer, he hears bunking and churning, the heat growing yet again, reaching the breaking point for the thick furred feline.

While exhausted, Vex forces himself forward, all while trying to overlook the bubbling and strange blue lava that is now next to him. Some may even call it beautiful. Reasonably, however, the feline puts as much distance as he can between himself and the thick boiling rock as it churns and hisses at him. All it takes is one misstep, one error in judgment and he would be done for.

In comparison, the azure light at the end of the tunnel seems more natural. Soon, the concentration of lava comes to an end, and stepping out, Vex is greeted by a cavernous gorge, partially enclosed near the top from shale and stone.

Vex eyes widened, mouth slightly agape at the sight before him; magnificent vines plunge down into the ravine, trees happily coexisting with the hostile environment, there are even signs of flowing water in this place. Most definitely a welcome change from the claustrophobic lava tunnels. Unfortunately, the temperature hasn't changed much; still as hot and humid as the jungle above.

Bioluminescent flora provides ample light for Vex as he makes his way through the gorge. As he does so, and the further he went, Vex couldn't help but feel as if there was a change in the air; the oppressive and humid ambience of Venus giving way to a lighter aura, which continued to change as Vex makes his way deeper.

Soon, Vex comes upon a creek, and his eyes instantly gravitate to an elaborate bridge crossing not too far from him. Seemingly made of clean white quartz, its elaborate railings looked to be made of pure gold, with the bridge's center turning from white to a deep and transcending purple. However, there are patches of moss growing on it, no doubt from the creek's water occasionally splashing over it for the past who knows how long.

Vex makes his way across it, stepping carefully as to not slip on its smooth wet surface. On the other side, magnificent geodes burst from black obsidian, yet there is an oddly silk texture to it. Closing the distance however, the rock seems to start lightening in colour; now taking on a brilliant bright blue, like the sky of Venus. Now on the other side, Vex touches the geodes, earning him a gentle feeling of electricity running through his paws.

The surreal feel of it all continues to build, especially as the familiar foliage of Venus gives way to clearly otherworldly counterparts. Vex examines a few examples; bright almost needle-like pink leaves, which jut up toward the sky. Brown cylindrical branches reach around and form ovals over each other. Despite their alien appearance, Vex had seen them before, but only in one place.

The geodes slowly encroach into a single area, forming another cave. Shrouded in moss, the gems each seem to have their own unique colours; some resembling the sky, others galaxies and some even take on complex tinges that mirror the surfaces of planets. Vex could hear them humming a gentle tune, one that reminded him of the cosmos, which only grows stronger deeper into the cave.

Further in, gems give way to a platform; crescent in shape and made of the same material as the bridge while lined with glamorous silver. All the while, pillars of similar colouration reach a couple feet above the structure, each evenly spaced between the other.

Towards the back there is an arched doorway, reaching up to the ceiling and lined with the same silver, with a series of circles and ovals punch into the metal. In the center of the arch is the door itself; marbled edges which emanate a light glowing blue and a strike difference down the center.

As Vex steps up to it, he looks up in awe. It towers above him, making him wonder just how tall those who built this elaborate structure are. Steeling his nerves with a gentle sigh and gulp, he presses a paw against the door.

Vex's ears twitch as he hears something move within the door itself, soon followed by the massive structure sliding open from the center, revealing more of the ruins. The feline let's out a gasp at the scene before him, and in auto-pilot he walks deeper into the structure, losing himself in the beautiful scenery. Everything almost seems like what one would find in old fantasy novels, those that kids would read.

The ruins themselves stay relatively the same in construction; the beautiful whites and purples, held up by pillars of gemstones with carved half circles against the walls. The stone flooring descends into a single step along the sides, reaching into a series of small water ways, decorated with small plants and lilies.

The atmosphere is calm, boarderlike surreal in fact. As Vex makes his way through, he feels no tension whatsoever despite the almost alien scenery. Unlike the jungle above, nothing is watching him, and he is certain nothing lived here beyond the flora. Just a perfect peace, only now disturbed by the man who reopened the lost ruin.

Now further in, Vex's attention is brought to the room he now finds himself within; having now expanded into a loose diamond with pillars of pink quartz on each straight edge, poking out of the water and ending with pointed tips. However, perhaps the most striking and fascinating feature of the chamber is the silver tree in the center with hollow metal branches poking out, adorned in stamped and shiny leaves, while its roots arch into the ground, spreading in uniform directions.

Vex cautiously closes the distance between him and the tree, observing it on the approach. Now close, he reaches out to touch its surface, bringing with it the feeling of solid metal. Within the center of this tree sits a floating orb of bowling ball size, its appearance like the void itself. Vex has encountered its kind before, but the one on Io had only given him a brief vision before dying. Perhaps this one would be different.

Slowly, he extends a paw, reaching out to touch the orb. Firmly placing all five fingers on it and closing his eyes, a coldness spreads through his paw, then his arm and finally his whole body. Opening his eyes, Vex finds the room has gone dark except for the tree; the details and carvings made into it now lighting up and illuminating everything around him.

Stepping back, Vex looks to the orb which now glows as well. Then with a sudden burst of energy, the tree darkens! The quick flash blinds Vex for a moment. Once his vision returns, he sees what looks like stars floating around the room, graceful in their universal dance, the orb their anchor.

"This is..." Vex whispers, looking around and cracking a small smile. Reaching out he touches one of the stars. In response the orb zooms in, an alien language flashes beside it. Before Vex could even ponder what it all means, everything turns to a bold red, the orb screaming out an alarm before shutting down completely.

The fur on Vex's neck stands up, startled by the sudden aggression from the orb. Determined still, he collects himself and marches back to the orb. Now picking it up, it feels light in his paws, easy enough to carry back to the ship. While it had provided him with no answers, it could be worth bringing back.