FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A chill wind howled faintly through the walls of the temple, accompanying their steps. The aged stone bricks surrounding them were coated with fungi, the spores of which shimmered a soft amber in the dim light. Moss hung from the ceiling, glowing green in the light of the fungus. The air reeked of rotting wood and wet earth, a scent which grew stronger the deeper they ventured.

"Guardian presence weak..." Yuka spoke in a quivering voice as they reached the bottom, entering into a dark open room where the visibility was awfully low. "Evil deep within..."

"Demons see in the dark." Fuka whispered behind him. "No escape from their gaze."

By all accounts, he should've been ecstatic at the prospect of exploring in the dark, but for some reason, Kalil couldn't help but feel an overpowering sense of dread. Warily stepping forward, he crouched and squinted at the shadows of the floor, wondering if maybe he could find something littered among the vegetation coating part of the stone to use as a torch.

Something nuzzled his side, his skin prickling as he met the toothy grin of one of the spirits-Loka, it seemed. In its claws it excitedly held a carved stick wrapped with vines, the soft golden orb impaled at its tip emitting a faint but serviceable glow.

"Friend no see in dark! Use light!"

He took it from the grinning spirit, the warm glow flickering against the dark stone floor. "T-Thank you..."

Holding it out in front of him, he cautiously examined the entrance chamber-noting the giant wooden totem poles placed about, carved by their precursors to ward away evil spirits. Some were humanoid, donning tribal masks with fierce expressions. Others held visages of reptilian creatures, owed to the harsh fanged lips and forked tongues. Fewer depicted birds of prey, with their hooked beaks and large talons.

Grimly, Kalil noted that while most of the totems remained upright despite their age, they had been ravaged and cut through. Wooden chips littered the floor, sticking out like shattered bones. One of them near the entrance even looked to have been burnt beyond recognition, going by the charred stump and pile of ash staining the ground.

Knowing he could not stay to mourn the desecration, the youth opted to move on, following after the spirits who had already resumed advancing. The staircase leading to the proceeding room had crumbled years ago, leaving only a pile of rubble and remnants of railing. With no clear way for him to reach the doorway, Kalil had resorted to climbing the mass of vines which grew along the wall. Admittedly, he found the ill-maintained nature to be odd. Usually someone from the tribe would come to check up on the temple to make sure it was properly maintained for ritual worship. It couldn't have been that long since the previous ceremony, could it?

The next room he vividly recalled as being the main chamber of worship amongst the clan, decorated with giant statues and wooden carvings and inscriptions along its walls. A staircase rose from the floor to the right, leading further within the temple, whilst a large raised plaza of stone sat at the center. A walkway led outwards from it to the very back of the room, where a large basin sat atop a raised plinth. Clutching both sides of the basin was the carved wooden statue of Kuvala, their forest's patron guardian, a beast that looked to be a cross between a serpent and dragon with the body of a man, reclining on its knees with its snout bowed low. The large wings and giant tail protruding from behind it were adorned with moss and lichen, whilst a flowered mane fashioned from leaves sat over its shoulders; its eyes were carved to look as if they were perpetually closed.

He approached it with a reverent smile, bowing upon reaching the plaza. As a rite of passage toward adulthood, the youth of the tribe would be brought here to bathe in the basin before the serpent-dragon's statue. His own ceremony, he solemnly realized, would have been due to occur very soon had the demons not attacked. His grandmother had woven him a toga complete with all sorts of trinkets from the forest in preparation for it.

Lifting his head back up, his eyes drifted to the top of the circular stairway, where Okon beckoned with a vine. He cautiously followed into a dark open corridor, now flanking the spirits led by Tiku, who held a rod similar to the one he carried in its mouth. The path wound around the bottom of the temple, snaking its way deeper and deeper in. The damp earth reeked of rot and the air felt heavy with the lingering stench. He could feel a draft coming from the pathway, and there was a definite chill in the air.

They came to a stop as they passed beneath an archway of gnarled vines and roots-the ground giving way to a long stretch of air, from where a lone pathway with a carved platform continued on the opposite end. Hooks of dried, twisting roots hung from the ceiling, swaying atop the darkness. Kalil didn't have a concrete idea of the temple's layout, the ceremonial chamber was the furthest he'd ever been allowed to venture.

"Old passageway," Tiku spun back to address him, passing its stave to Okon, "lead to temple depths. Kalil no walk across air... must think how to reach other side."

"...How do you usually get across?"

Loka extended a vine, waving it in the air. "We swing! Lots of fun!"

"Hm..." Kalil tapped his chin. "...I think I know a way. You guys can each grab onto those hooks," he pointed a finger to the roots rocking over the corridor, "I'll jump, and then you can catch me with your vines and keep throwing me until I reach the other side."

Tiku cocked its head. "Kalil confident? Tiku no want Kalil to get hurt..."

"I'd really like to get across," he answered firmly. "I don't see any other way, either... just trust me."

The group looked to each other, nodding at the behest of their leader. The first to go was Okon; the withered spirit leaped into the air, bounding across the gap, and reached out to snag one of the hooks with its claws. It struggled to still its momentum, before flipping over to straddle the root between its feet, leaving its hands to dangle freely. Fuka followed, flipping upwards in an arc to grab onto Okon's claws, who swung forward and allowed the heavy spirit to latch onto the next hook with its own. The process continued with Yuka, Loka, and ended with Tiku-till a line of swaying talons sat over the black corridor, each spirit gripping a hook. One-by-one their vines stretched out from their backs, until Okon's appendage hung in front of him. Kalil looked at the dried vine rocking gently in the breeze, already somewhat regretting his plan.

No, I can't hesitate. Clenching his jaw, the blue-haired youth let his fingers curl around the appendage, delivering a curt nod to the suspended creatures. Backing up a few steps, he instinctively sucked in a breath-feeling the sweat start to stain his palms, grip tightening-before he dashed and leapt off the edge. The air whisked past him while the appendage swung and surged, jolting him upwards. He sailed under Okon-whose vine he released as Fuka's took its place, then Yuka's, then Loka's-and finally, Tiku's. Reaching the peak of the final swing, his eyes clenched shut as he released his hold-landing on his feet with a grunt and collapsing to a knee. The plants joined him atop the platform in a flash, crowding worriedly.

"Kalil okay?" asked Tiku, wrapping a vine around the boy's chest.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," still somewhat winded from the jump, he gingerly accepted the aid, "I... wasn't sure that would work. Are your vines okay? I hope I didn't grab them too hard..."

"Vines fine, very strong," it reassured with a pleasant grin, flexing the thick appendages and one of its thin arms-which Loka promptly scampered over to feel with its claws "Tiku lift constantly! All day! No tiredness!"

"Loka never tired!" The younger chimed enthusiastically, leaving its leader's side and waltzing up to Kalil. "Loka want to swing friend more later!"

"That may be a while..." He smiled, retrieving the glimmering rod from his satchel and pointing it forward. "Let's keep moving."

They traversed the next pathway in relative silence. Sunlight filtered in through a few holes in the ceiling, creating beams of golden light that wrapped around the walls, lighting them from within. Just as a new and larger one opened up ahead to lead them into a water-filled section-Yuka halted and grabbed his arm. A gasp went up from the others, the sound cutting through the air like a knife, before it stabbed into his ears-all of them unmoving as the timid plant held up a claw, voice trickling quietly from it's jaws.

"...Listen."

Kalil cocked his head, narrowing his eyes. The only sound that broke the silence was the steady dripping of water filling the room ahead, like a low, ominous rumble. Each spirit held its breath, a palpable fear in the silence. Not even Loka, who had been as hyperactive as ever moments before, made a sound.

Finally, Yuka pointed a vine forward, lifting its maw. "Presence... over there... in air, in water..."

Now he felt it. The chill wind intensifying. The scent of decay he recalled from the entrance returning. The path wound around a bend, the stream gushing louder as it rushed down the center-and then, ahead, they saw it. The ground beneath them shook, moss and lichen clinging to the walls shuddering as they rumbled. The light overhead and from the spores of fungi along the wall grew dim as an orange glow rose from the floor, growing brighter as the air grew warmer.

A demon! Kalil's face paled, before contorting in anger-the stave slipping from his grasp as his sword took its place-white blade shimmering faintly in the dim light.

It stepped from the shadows, wreathed in darkness-water splashing beneath its feet. Then, with a snarl ripping through the silence, it rose into the air, bounding straight toward them.