FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Her claw scraped against the black stone, leaving a deep gouge as she traced symbols over its surface. Other symbols, similarly carved, lined the rest of the length of the black obelisk in front of Darzarath, but it was not a mere monument. The stone was as dark as her scales, but in contrast to her, the black material seemed to draw in any light that would otherwise reflect off its near flawless surface. The uniform and dim blue light that lit her lair seemed to disappear near the object, creating a spot of shadow around it.

As with the other symbols, once her claw finished tracing and carving it, she took a small, relatively to her size, bowl filled with what looked like wet fine gravel. An attentive observer, however, would notice that the gravel glittered like silver as she grabbed a handful from the bowl and rubbed it into the freshly engraved symbol, making the otherwise invisible marking come to light as the gravel seemed to melt and form solid silver-looking metal, shining in contrast to the surrounding stone.

She continued the process for some time, until the obelisk's four sides were all covered in symbols of similar nature, all filled with the same silvery substance.

Taking a step back, she took pause to admire the product of her work. The obelisk stood before her, reaching just past her shoulders in height, its black stone and silver symbols creating a somewhat chilling and ominous atmosphere in the large room.

Darzarath raised her claw, and with simple and fluid motions she summoned her power, red arcs and sparks exchanged between her palm and the obelisk, the symbols beginning to glow a golden light as the artifact was empowered by her will and design.

"And it is thus complete." Darzarath sighed with a smile as the glow of the symbols died down.

It was but a moment after she spoke that the obelisk came to life again. Above it, a sphere of red lightning appeared, its center parting to present her with the view of hills and plains.

The obelisk's purpose was to provide her with the means to watch over any who would seek to enter her territory with ill intents towards her. A simple scrying concept, that required a complex and drawn out execution in the form of the obelisk's creation. The image provided by the obelisk closed in on a specific stretch of land. There, Darzarath could see about a hundred between elves and humans marching, flags and banners held high as they entered the region.

"Foolish guests or unwary conquerors." She mused. "No matter, the sun sets soon. And I shall have my answers then."

The night descended, and with it so did Darzarath. The small army had set up camp outside a small village she knew well, one of those villages that regularly tried to start trouble with her by sending every seemingly capable adventurer to try and kill or sabotage her.

Her shrouded form silently approached the grouping of tents where the army settled, her presence invisible to the tired and unwary sentries and guards that kept watch of the encampment.

Slowly walking between the tents and the dim light of what few torches had been lit, she searched for the leader of the army, but it proved far from easy. At first, she thought that the center-most tent of the encampment would be her objective, but she only found soldiers. She looked for the biggest tent, but found an armorer and weapon-smith instead. Her frustration mounted for a whole hour as she wandered the tight spaces of the tents until she overheard two of the guards speak. Apparently, the army's general had decided to settle in the local tavern for the night.

She quickly darted away from the tents and made for the far side of the village, where she returned to her physical form, before turning into her mortal form. Donning a bulky black armor, with two of her large horns adorning her head, and her eyes retaining their red glow, she walked into the village.

It did not take long for her to reach the tavern, the night's tranquil silence broken only by the obvious sounds of feast and chanting from the tavern. One of the villagers, leaving the tavern but still sober, crossed her as she approached the building, and simply stared at her as he stopped in his tracks. He blinked a few times, seemingly confused by who or what he was seeing.

"Is the general in there?" She asked as she paused her approach without turning to look at the man

"Uuuuh." The man groaned

She turned her head to look at the man, who seemed to get a lot more awake as she glared at him.

"Y-Y-YES!" He quipped as he almost stumbled backward.

Without wasting more time, Darzarath resumed her walk and entered the tavern.

Upon entering past the door, her senses were assaulted by a mixture of smells she had rarely if ever thought possible. Alcohol, honey, roasted meats, cooked vegetables, human sweat and smoke all mixed in one smell that nearly made her dizzy. It was encounters like these that made her regret that her mortal form retained most of the finer senses of her true form. All around her, humans and some elves seemed to have their good time, drinking and eating, chanting and laughing. None seem to take notice of her presence until she stepped further in

Darzarath keenly observed the room, looking for the one she expected to be the army's leader. She spotted him soon enough.

It was a human man, about 30, but his hair already started graying. His gruff complexion was marked by a large scar on his face crossing vertically his left cheek, and a smaller scar near

his right eye. He was wearing a light but well kept and decorated armor, but perhaps most peculiarly, it bore no insignia. No emblems, no medals, no ribbons. She approached him, who was sitting at the far end of a table together with a couple elves and other humans. They too carried decorated armors, but unlike him they carried their insignia and symbols, much like any proper officer would.

The general's face contorted with a smirk as she approached.

"Friends! Look at our honored guest!" He said, clapping to get everyone's attention.

The noise in the tavern quickly died out, with all the other patrons turning to take notice of the disguised dragon's presence. The villagers who knew who she was, quickly stood up and made

their way out of the tavern in a silent hurry. By the time they were all out, only a handful of soldiers and the officers at the general's table remained, along with the tavern keep and his son, both standing behind the counter, watching from a supposedly safe distance.

"It almost seems like you were awaiting for me." Darzarath said as she crossed her hands behind her back.

"Not quite." The general shrugged. "I had heard stories that something like this could happen, but I never believed it actually would."

The tension was palpable. Some of the officers, even the elves, were almost squirming in their seats as the general maintained his smirk and friendly attitude unfaltering.

"You know me, but I have never known of you, General..." She said.

"General Abarnius Iut." The man said with an even wider smile. "But the peoples that bear my deeds also refer to me as the Roving General.

"A pleasure for sure." She said with a slight bow. "I ponder, General, about the motives behind your army's presence in this region."

"Ah yes, a fair concern." He said as he took a sip of wine. "You see, ma'am, I have been tasked with claiming these lands. The lord who requested this put forth a most generous sum to ensure it all goes smoothly, without setbacks."

"I cannot help but wonder what setbacks your magnate could mean." She said.

"I do not know either." The man laughed. "Incredible, isn't it?"

In the meantime the officers were exchanging looks, the elves especially.

"I suppose that my worries were ill placed then." Darzarath said with a slight laugh of her own. "That being the case, I bid you a good night on a simple premise."

"Hmm?" The general murmured, his smirk and smile gone in an instant.

"Remember that these lands are ultimately my domain and mine alone. Your lord may claim as they see fit, but if their rule will bring ill to this region, I shall enforce my claim." She said.

The general's face turned grim as he exchanged a look with the officers. Some nodded, but the elves shook their heads slightly.

"Acceptable, ma'am." He said, his voice drained of the earlier playfulness and instead infused with cold seriousness.