FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Fieldwork was not always something that I always I enjoyed, as an artificer or mad inventor, I mostly enjoyed my underground apartment where I was away from prying eyes. Plus, most field work was often grueling and awful, getting chased by possible demigods? Yea, that was not really up there in terms of things I ever wanted to experience.

However, this time around fieldwork was much calmer. I think my client had seen a little too much of "Adventure Time" because they requested a magic crystal that let them summon a sword made of a grass blade. It was possible of course, but a massive undertaking. the crystal needed to be small enough to be firmly grasped with one hand, so it had to be about one inch around and no more than 2 inches long. easy to cut a crystal that size, but to carve the runes into it took patience and skill; one millimeter of mess up and it'll explode in your face, literally in some cases.

The next issue was finding a place with a deep spiritual tie to plant life, somewhere where plants were allowed to grow rampant, or a place where plants were tended to with gentle loving care. Now most artificers would just go to a forest, or a farm; Not me though, I chose a spot that was both and more. As it were, I was sitting in the shadow of a massive oak tree overlooking a large clearing, fireflies shone in the dark shadows of the deep, dark unkempt forest behind me. in front of me, there was a carefully tended garden of odd and sometimes otherworldly plants, Raxeia's garden of overneath and real-world plants.

Raxeia's family was like nobility among Folinks, at least that was the closest way to translate it to a human heirarchy; the translation literally was "Higher Family". Her family had been granted a large swath of land in the forest for discovering and continually advancing medicine and healing magic. one of her ancestors had literally figured out healing magic, and their family had continued the research since then. They were so good that the most skilled of their people could regenerate limbs, while other races could barely heal cuts.

Currently, it meant that I was in between a piece of land in the middle of a wild forest and a garden of plants that were VERY lovingly cared for. Even now Raxeia strode between the plants with a notebook, carefully avoiding any large carnivorous plants, noting growth and possible changes in conditions. In most cases, a human would not be allowed into the deepest part of Folink territory; but I had earned the title of "honorary Folink". I had served their people enough for them to deem me trustworthy, so I was allowed here.

That was all that allowed me to here; sit under a thousand-year-old oak tree at the edge of a Folink garden; nothing else in the world would give power to a grass-based plant crystal like being created here. It would constantly be absorbing the wild power of the forest and the carefully tended power of the garden.

I used something akin to a Have-not Dremel tool as I carefully inscribed runes onto the tiny crystal, I could already feel the power resonating from it, the incomplete runes adding to the power as I carefully carved them into the gently glowing stone. My Dremel was powered by my magic power, spinning at speeds equal to my magical output. Magical control was key to this and had I been my younger self I wouldn't have been able to be as precise.

In theory, a Have-not computer could carve a perfect set of magical runes into a crystal using the Uhm...internet and robots I think. according to magical theory that might work. Again, MIGHT work, but think of the difference between a handmade birthday card and a mass-produced card. They technically both say the same thing; but one means more, it's personal. Spells work the same way; this crystal will forever have a bit of me in it to help power it. my runes, personally engraved out always be helping the user, plus anytime they were in a forest or field the crystal would recharge.

Fireflies flickered around me as I looked up from my work, sighing from the sheer tediousness of what I had to do. Engraving spells took a lot of time but using spells with a focus was easier than on-the-spot evocation; that is on the spot spell casting without a focus. The crystal shone brilliantly in my hand as I set it aside, opting to let it soak in the most potent forest magic it would ever feel.

I stood up and stretched, pulling off my magnification goggles in one swift movement, groaning slightly as my body relaxed and my will and magic settle; absorbing a small bit of the surrounding magic to replace when I had spent. I sauntered over to a small burbling stream ran and dunked a small bottle I usually used for potions into it then pulled it out and took a long drink. after working hunched over and focused for a while it was more than refreshing. I breathed deep and took another swig, sighing in contentment.

"Think fast Babe" came a voice that broke my introspection, reflexes took over and I caught a small orange fruit out of the air. I stared at the fruit for a moment and then up at Raxeia, who had a small basket full of similar-looking fruit. She was wearing a long set of denim overalls and nothing else to cover her 7-and-a-half-foot self, her foot paws splayed wide in the soil of the forest.

"What's this Rax? I don't recognize it" I asked as I looked at the fruit in my hand, turning it over cautiously. I looked up at Raxeia who puffed up in pride.

"Mist Lychees! They usually only grow in the Overneath and usually are REAL tasty!" Raxeia exclaimed happily, shaking the basket with added eagerness. I couldn't help but stare at the fruit in my hand. Misty Lychee? Maybe they mist your senses? Could it be a drug like euphoria? My mind wandered under a felt a hard paw smacked my forehead.

"They grow in misty swamps! Stop dreaming up weird uses for good food" came Raxeia's chastising voice as she carried her basket of fruit to her Dendrocopter. I looked at the fruit once more, shrugged then took a bite. The taste of a little too-sour strawberry lemonade flooded my sense. For a moment I was shocked, A memory flooded forwards. My mother giving me a drink as I worked with my father to fix a broken ghetto blaster. The perfect mix of sour and refreshment; time spent with my father and mother before they... I shook my head free from the memory, clearing my head with a small push of my will. That nostalgia was beyond normal and made me eye the fruit in my hand.

"I think these fruits have a kind of memory recall," I said to Raxeia, tossing the fruit into the stream. It had been a long time since I thought of my parents and having a weird Overneath fruit influencing my psyche was dangerous. My abilities, my magic, and my power, all of it was influenced by my emotions. If I let something start to influence my emotions it could lead to disastrous results.

"What? Really?" Rax chimed, looking at the fruit in confusion. She carefully took a bite, chewed, and swallowed then waited a moment.

"Well I'm not feeling anything" She finally declared with a shrug.

"Then it only works on non-Folinks, or just magic users" I replied, my chin in the crook between my thumb and forefinger as I thought aloud. That memory, while it was a real memory; was something I had long forgotten. It could be used to make a potion to help people remember things.

"We'll have to test it on Georgie and Gavin, and maybe a few others; a memory recall potion could be worth a lot" I finally stated, nodding to myself while thinking of distilling methods. With a little bit of magic and of course normal distillation methods I might be able to make a more potent memory recall.

"We'll see, I have a lot of it, so I'll sell it at a farmers market with a survey about side effects" Raxeia chimed happily. "So many plants have grown so much! Even that one that you said made you immune to fire" I looked over to the plant she had mentioned, a large leafed plant with flowers the size of a housecat that glowed a fiery orange and looked like they were breathing. It was bigger here as compared to where we found it, the "Ash Lake" of the Overneath.

That place had been riddled with lesser demons and the mission there had been a bust, we didn't bother to stay there for more than a couple of hours. The place looked like it was beneath a hot spring, boiling water rained from above, the smell of sulfur throughout. The only useful thing we found on that trek was what I called "Fire Lilies". When we ran into them, I actually ate one on a dare from Gavin, but after I ate it, I didn't feel the near-boiling heat. After that, Gavin ate on and reported the same thing. That prompted Raxeia to take one of the plants back to the real world.

"What about you? Did you finish up the crystal" She asked as I stood and began loading my stuff into the Dendrocopter.

"The carving is done, and the magic is ready, the customer wanted a little more flare so I'm filling the spell etchings with gold lacquer to make it look better" I responded, holding up the now glowing crystal for Raxeia to look at. The light shone from her eyes as she looked it over. She wasn't looking at it like a teacher looking over a students work, but more like a college professor looking over another professor's work. Combat magic wasn't her specialty, just as healing magic wasn't mine.

I Could, at best, heal a papercut with healing magic and that was with one of the direct descendants of the original family teaching me. It wasn't that Raxeia was a bad teacher, or that I was bad at magic; there was just a fundamental difference between our magics. My magic disrupted most technology, sure, a few of the more magical races like the dwarves, had figured out how to make most things work with human magic users.

They said it was a challenge to their ingenuity, that if they could figure out how to make complex electronics survive around sorcerers, they could figure out anything.

Raxeia gave a hearty nod as she looked over the engravings I had produced, the green light shining from her pink eyes as they searched for any blemishes. She gave one more solid nod, handed me back the crystal then with a smile she loaded another basket of fruit into her Dendrocopter. I quickly assisted her, picking up and carrying several baskets of various plants to the Dendrocopter.

A Dendrocopter is...well first off it helps to explain most Folinks. They are Denromancers, they can easily manipulate the majority of plants into whatever shape they wanted, hence the giant trees shaped like buildings. the Dendrocopter was basically a wooden vessel like a boat the size of a have-not sedan, six long leafy appendages spreading from the sides of it flapped and allowed the vehicles to fly. How they worked was actually a closely guarded secret among the Folinks, so much so that even the exact magic was kept from me.

As such once we were all packed up, Raxeia climbed up to the helm of her vessel and closed her eyes, her paws gripping the wheel tight. I felt the magic in the area pull towards her like one can feel gravity. Everything just simply pulled in that direction, then the Dendrocopter took off, floating serenely and quietly rising above the treetops. These Dendrocopters could only be controlled by Folinks, if I tried, I might be able to get it to float maybe a foot above the ground. They were just more attuned to Folink magic, and Raxeia had been trained her whole life on how to make it work.

I looked out at the sea of green surrounding us, the vast forest that was part of the Folinks territory, the territory I had once fought to protect. It always reminded me of the ocean; vast, beautiful, dangerous, and hiding so much beneath the surface. Raxeia's Dendrocopter flew silently, its paddles moving silently above the treetops. I breathed in the cool forest air and watched the sun slowly begin its descent, the last warm rays of light shimmering over the treetops. The Japanese have a word for seeing the sunbeams in a forest; "Komorebi", this wasn't the same as we were above the forest, but was the best equivalent.

Raxeia slid next to me, pressing her side against me and wrapping her tail around me. the Dendrocopter could fly itself at a point like this, after all very few other species had access to this airspace so there was a very small chance of vehicles hitting each other. I put an arm around Raxeia, holding her close to me as we watched the sunset together.

"What were you planning for dinner" She finally asked as the last rays of the sun disappeared from view. Below us, the forest began lighting up, People -er- Folinks lived through this forest and thrived here. A few species of elves lived among the Folink, but those were mostly wood elves. There was a deep grudge between Folinks and elves; mainly stemming from Elves taking credit for creating a ton of magical spells when they first encountered humans. Since then, Folinks have kept the majority of their magical research to themselves. It wasn't my place to interject, although some of my customers were elves. Sins of the past are still sins, and sometimes those aren't readily forgivable.

"Hmmm, I have some Kelpie loin marinating in blaze root set aside, I could cook those up for us tonight" I answered, looking up at her. Her eyes twinkled from the lights below, making her appear a bit eager. "Is that ok?"

"Yes! I LOVE Kelpie loin!" She answered, taking my hands into her paws and squeezing them eagerly. I smiled up at her and squeezed her paws gently, staring into her pale pink eyes. Folinks are omnivores, they spent their stone age in the canopy of trees; as such, they usually ate a species of bird that they domesticated called Rabens. Think a chicken, but with longer wings and without the waddles.

Most Folinks shun meat other than Raben, it's what they are used to. Raxeia ate almost every other kind of meat because of all the years dating me, even Purl ate some (I had even seen her sneaking slices of pepperoni pizza).

"Let me tell Faye to get the oven ready" I responded, pulling away from Raxeia slightly; Her magic could sometimes cloud my connection to Faye. The easiest way to describe it was like trying to hear something when there was a loud source of noise nearby.

I concentrated on Faye's magical signature, it was simple; like following a thread back to someone since we were connected. I felt her presence like one would feel a person next to them.

"Faye," I thought, directing my will towards her, I felt it as my will sped towards her over a highway of magical connections. for a moment I felt what she was feeling that that moment. She had just captured a Winged Imp and was enjoying her kill.

"What" Came her annoyed response, directly into my thoughts.

"Ensure the stove is lit when I get back, we will be cooking Kelpie loin" I directed mentally.

"Yes yes, prepare the kitchen" she grumbled softly into my mind "What is my recompense?"

"I COULD properly butcher that big ass bird you caught and season the meat the way you like it" I responded, sending a mental image of my spice rack.

"YES! Er...yes yes. Acceptable. The stove will be lit and ready"

I shook my head, pulling my consciousness away from the vast threads of thought. It was only because Faye and I were so connected that we were able to speak through thought, and even that was rare. Most sorcerers and their familiars were distant and often hated each other. As far as I could tell, Faye never had an issue with me; but I figured it was because I would trade instead of demand. Some sorcerers forced a link, demanded rather than asked and I had heard of them just killing familiars outright to start new pacts.

"The stove will be ready, need anything else?" I asked, looking up to Raxeia, who was looking towards the horizon, obviously deep in thought.

"I'll prepare from garlic bread for sandwiches, can you grab a drink for us?" she finally asked, nodding to herself at the decision. I gave her a half-smirk and tugged her closer to me. I could smell the scent of wet dirt in her fur as I held her close. It was somehow comforting; I was used to the smell; Raxeia and I had frequently been out planting new plants and brewing potions together.

"I'll grab some stuff for us, need anything else?" I questioned, snuggling closer to her. She was wearing nothing more than an ill-fitting denim overall that left very little to the imagination.

"Nothing besides you Love," she said, looking out at the sea of stars below us.

Raxeia sighed softly, slowly lowering her head to rest on top of mine. Folinks on average were much taller than humans, which allowed them to see through the forest easier. humans had evolved to see things in the plains, so while we could get tall, most were shorter than Folinks. We stared at the lights flowing under us like a river until the Dendrocopter shuddered, slowing down and starting to sink toward the trees below us.

With a sigh, Rax pulled away from me, letting her paw pads linger on my arm as she walked away from me to take her place at the helm of her airship. I watched as we descended through a layer of leaves until we reached an area clear of plants and new tree growth, several other Dendrocopter hovered lazily as Rax slowly guided her craft to its designated parking spot. A Folink parking lot is very different from a Have-Not parking lot. Where they used cement and asphalt the Folinks used roots and wood. the entire area was "Paved" with the thick bark of some ironwood tree.

I grabbed a thick rope and jumped off the airship, mooring it to a sturdy wooden knot that jutted from a bark-covered wall. I waved to Raxeia, signaling that it wasn't going anywhere. A boarding plank lowered to the ground level and Raxeia strode off the airship, looking beautiful and regal as her boxes of plant shoots and fruits followed her, floating maybe a foot from the ground. She was nobility in every sense of the word, even if she didn't think it.

"You coming in?" She called as a literal parade of floating boxes followed her.

"Lemme grab the drinks and stuff, Faye should have everything ready" I called back. Raxeia gave what could best be described as little "golf claps" of happiness.

"Ok Ok! I hid my good smelly soap from Boxy, so I have time to shower!" she exclaimed happily. I lamented not being able to stare at Raxeia in just denim overalls, but I had things to do.

Making flying objects is one of a sorcerer's more intermediate spells, being just a bit after the basics (fireball, ice spike, whatever). Most female sorcerers (Witches for ease) stuck to broomsticks because of tradition. I thought that idea was stupid, after all, who wants to sit on a single bar of wood? Seems like a good way to crush a man's jewels OR for ladies to get off. I broke away from the norm, imbuing a totally different object with flight power both for practicality and readiness. How could I enchant a broomstick to fly when I didn't even own a broomstick?

I walked across a parking lot of thick bark to my designated spot Where my flying object was waiting for me faithfully. Now to understand flying objects, one must understand WHY they could fly over other objects. In truth, any object could be enchanted to fly; however, most species or cultures had prejudices. Easy to envision really, think about a sorcerer from the middle east creating a flying carpet. Traditions run deep in the magical community and only a few outliers were there, I once saw a Witch standing on a flying Roomba.

My feet thudded across the thick woodland back toward my flying object, which floated lazily over its spot. My shopping cart floated, looking almost lonely as I approached it. I had this cart when I was at my lowest and it had always served me well. I was a teen when I learned how to enchant things to fly, At the time; I didn't have a broom or a carpet to enchant. So, I used what I had, that being this large shopping cart from one of those home improvement stores. it was large and sturdy, although the right front wheel always rattled when it was on the ground, even after I replaced it numerous times.

"We got some errands to run" I murmured as I ran a hand along the wire frame. without any further bravado, I jumped into the cart, situating myself a bit on the foam pads I used for a seat. No one said flying should be uncomfortable, so I made my ride as comfortable as possible. I had even gone into Have-Not territory and bribed someone to get me some "memory foam", I didn't know how it worked but man, it made long flights bearable.

With a psychic command, I shot skyward and was weaving through the city. The buildings, all grown from trees had bio-luminescent plants all over them. Some had the plants trimmed to show the names of stores, and some were overgrown, looking like bright beacons from far away. In a way, it reminded me of Tansin, bright lights showing shops. but that was the end of the similarities. Tansin felt so...lifeless, like dread and hopelessness were the most prevalent feelings, hanging in the air like a miasma. Sure, it charged my "dark" Crystals like nothing else, but I couldn't be there for more than an hour or two.

Deftly, I piloted my airship for one; being much more agile than any Dendrocopter I flew through a magical city silent as a ghost. at one point, I flew above the trees just to admire the beauty of it all, I floated there for a moment, then dove down through the canopy. When I emerged from the leaves, I was in a dark corner lot, the roots that made up the road were untidy and full of knots, making the road bumpy and uneven. if Gavin's van or any Have-not vehicle tried to drive here it would be an extremely bumpy ride. A badly maintained sign of glowing plants barely made out "Bev-Something" it honestly became a mass of glowing vines after the first three words.

My cart hovered maybe 20 feet from the ground as I watched the shop, looking for anything out of the ordinary; I then fished my goggles out of my pack and put them on. My goggles were an artifact most would jump at the opportunity to get. Made with the help of a demon and combined with a sorcerer's power, one lens could see magical power while the other could magnify things in front of me. I stared out at the magical signatures surrounding me, counting which ones were supposed to be there. With a nod, I removed and stowed my goggles as my cart descended swiftly; I piloted my cart from the front of the store to behind it, hovering about a foot from the ground.

"It's no use hiding behind invisibility spells, I know you're there," I said as my cart floated lazily at walking speed. I glared at a particularly dark spot in the night shadows, only for it to coalesce into the shape of a Male Folink. He was taller than Rax and had dull red fur and an annoyed look on his muzzle

"As expected from the Hanged Man, were you followed?" he asked flatly, looking around and staring into the darkness.

"No one expects a Have-Not turned sorcerer, No one tailed me; if anything, they are tracking my familiar" I answered calmly; in speaking to Faye via psychic connection, anyone trying to track me would have seen the shared connection but been unable to read the thoughts.

"Tell me Tower, where YOU followed? I don't want to deal with more than I need to" I asked looking around in an exaggerated fashion, I got an annoying scoff as a response.

"We Folink can lose anyone in the trees" he answered with a glower.

"What about the Have-not you have with you?" I shot back, staring into what would be empty space. Tower glowered at me for a moment, then waved an irritated paw at the spot. An invisibility spell melted away revealing 2 human sorcerers I didn't recognize and a Have-Not, both sorcerers holding a staff with runes etched in invisibility to try to hide them.

"Nothing can hide from the Hanged man huh? How did you know?" Tower asked, genuine surprise and concern in his question.

"Shut it, why is a Have-not here?" I asked, holding the side of my cart firmly, ready to make a quick escape.

"He's working with us, he's the one to receive the crystal" Tower answered, shooing away my concerns with the wave of a paw. "More importantly, how did you sense him? I know you can pick and see magical signatures but how a non-magical person."

"Thermal imaging, I figured it out"

Tower stared at me dumbfounded as he tried to process what I said.

"You...You did it?" he asked, a stupid look on his face. Honestly, he looked like a goldfish staring at its own reflection. "They said it would take a few years". I smiled with the best annoying grin I could.

"I'm not them, now, am I?" I asked as a passed him a scroll. "Usual decryption spell, it shows the runes and placements for it, keep it secret, keep it safe" He recovered quickly, taking the scroll and staring at it like it held the secrets of the universe.

"Right, do you have what we needed?" He asked, staring the would-be blank scroll in his paws. I pulled the green crystal out of my pocket somewhat awkwardly, seeing as I was still in a shopping cart.

"One magic crystal able to produce a grass blade even if the holder doesn't have magic" I responded, making the grass sword flash into my hand. Tower took it from me, making the sword slowly rot and disintegrate from my hand. He handed it to the Have-Not with them.

"As we practiced" he instructed, stepping back from the trio. For a long moment, nothing happened, just the Have-not with his eyes closed; then a 3-foot-long blade of grass manifested in his hand. Tower nodded at the result as the Have-not looked at the blade with absolute wonder.

"Perfect, now if you could" he instructed making the two with the Have-not grab a tight hold of him and forcing the crystal out of his hand.

"Now as we said, this will be mostly painless"

Tower pulled the Have-not's forearm to him all the while telling him to "relax". When the have-not finally did relax a bit; Tower pulled out a dagger and cut a clean line from the Have-not's wrist to mid-forearm. I watched as the Have-not jumped in discomfort from the sudden pain. Tower forced the crystal into the wound and then murmured an incantation that healed the incision.

"See? Mostly painless," he said to the Have-not who was staring at his arm and curling his fingers, testing his range of movement.

"Now, let's see that blade"

Without a word and within a second, a sword made of grass appeared in his hand; if I hadn't been expecting it, I would have missed it appearing entirely. This man now had the most hidden weapon among all of Have-not society. Silently, I pulled my goggles out and looked through them at the man trying to detect any magical signatures. Only the sword in his hand glowed faintly under my observation.

"Put it away" I instructed, staring at the spot the crystal had been embedded into his arm. The blade vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving no magical trace behind. I nodded then passed the goggles to Tower, who struggled to see through them as they were made for a human face and not a Folink muzzle. He finally closed one eye and focused through one lens like a weird binocular.

"Perfect, with this we ca-"

"No, not what I'm here for. I don't care what it's used for and I'm not supposed to know what it's used for" I interrupted, covering my ears with my hands. It might seem childish by my contract was to not ask questions and to me, that meant no info beyond what the order needed. Tower nodded, although he looked frustrated; whatever they were planning must be big for him to want to talk about it.

"Your pay with go directly into your account, don't bother trying to trace it"

I nodded at the info and spun my shopping cart 180 degrees. "Till next time" I grunted only to have them all melt away into darkness. I'm sure if I looked around with my goggles, I would have seen them, but I didn't care at this point. I guided my cart to the front of the shop and landed gently.

The previously unreadable sign now said "Beverage mart" in dimly flickering luminescent lights. I "parked" my shopping cart and climbed out of it with as much dignity as I could, then strode into the store, making sure the cameras saw me. Have-not tech would normally fry if I was anywhere near it, but most races with magic had figured out how to make most electronics work if I wasn't actively using magic. Don't get me wrong if I tried to use a spell here everything would shut down, but as long as I simply was there nothing would happen. A younger Folink, probably in his teens with purple fur similar to Purl's was staring out the large glass window at my shopping cart.

I perused the shop looking for a few specific drinks that I already knew were here; "dungeon crawler Ale" a beer I was fond of, and wine made from a fruit that Folinks are VERY partial towards. I couldn't pronounce its name in the Folink tongue, but Have-nots named it the fiend lime. It was somehow both spicy and sweet, making for a very specific flavor when fermented or even when cooked with. They even liked it on pizza. I found the brand Raxeia preferred; a brand called "Deep Forest oak" that used a mixture of grapes and fiend lime that Raxeia adored. Having found what I wanted, I strode over to the counter and set my drinks on the counter. The young Folink looked from me to the shopping cart outside in both confusion and glee.

"You can enchant a shopping cart to fly?!" he asked eagerly, not ringing up my drinks and staring excitedly at me. I sighed and pulled out my wallet, gesturing with a free hand to my transport.

"You can enchant anything to fly, a Folink like you should grow a Dendrocopter though" I answered, pushing the drinks closer to him so he would (hopefully) pick up on them and ring me up.

"Yea but that's cool! I wanna do it" he responded, ignoring my obvious (well maybe not so obvious) annoyance. "I hate that my parents keep trying to push me into growing a Dendrocopter! Have-nots have pre-built vehicles, right?" I sighed feeling mostly pity for him.

"Have-nots have to pay thousands of their currency, called "Eurobucks" for one of those, they don't fly and rarely work anywhere besides their roads, as for a shopping cart like mine. look at yourself. you're my height and still growing right?" I explained, deadpanned in my expression.

"Y-yea, my father says I might grow another 2 feet"

"You think an 8-foot you could fit in that cart?" I asked, pointing outside at my cart; while it was probably the biggest shopping cart out there, it still barely fit my 6'2 ass. I could see his enthusiasm fade away as he thought about it. I hated stealing a kid's dream away though.

"Look if, BIG if, you can get a hold of what's called a " Flatbed cart" you might make it work, but keep growing that Dendrocopter" I advised, pushing my drinks towards him once more and making the drinks clink together.

He seemed to finally remember his job and rang me up and I passed him what I owed him in exact change, using the coin system of the Folinks.

"No card?" he asked skeptically, looking concerned. I held up my hands and wiggled my fingers at him, flexing just a bit of magic. All of the lights near me flickered as I did so.

"Human sorcerer, those cards fail within an hour of being near me"

He simply nodded, passing the bag full of our drinks to me while staring at the lights, a few of which were still flickering slightly. slightly annoyed by the questioning, I took my bag and walked out the door, clambering back into my cart and tucking the drinks safely next to me.

Without a word or warning I had taken off, speeding upwards as I watched for any other aircraft above me. The canopy disappeared beneath me as I flew up. Even up above the forest roof, fireflies flickered adding another layer of beauty to the city. I knew where I was, I had flown above this city countless times, but I also had something of a compass pointing me toward Faye.

After a short flight, my cart landed and I climbed out of it, chaining it down and making my way inside toward the elevator, the bottles clanked softly as I moved through the building. The doors to the elevator opened as I was about to push the call button, with Lumor, the wood Elf elevator attendant bowing slightly to me.

"Welcome back Master Ulysses, I assume you want the ground floor?" he said calmly, still bowing.

"Yea yea Lumor, you still don't need to bow to me" I responded, stepping into the elevator. He pushed a button and the wooden elevator moved downwards toward the ground floor. I fished 2 bottles of beer out of my six-pack of beer and clanked them together, earning Lumors attention.

"Infrega" I mumbled, freezing my hand and turning the two bottle ice cold. I silently passed him one, mumbling a whisper of a spell that simply flicked the bottle caps off.

"One good cold beer can't hurt, and if anyone complains, send them my way"

Lumor nodded his thanks and we both took a long pull together; he was good people. I had babysat for his "kids" who were actually older than I was. A 40-something-year-old wood elf was like a 4-year-old human. Lumor and his wife had 3 kids all between 70 and 40, older than me, but still developmentally younger than I was.

A bell dinged, letting us know the ground floor had been reached and I simply held my bottle up to him. He reciprocated the gesture gently clinking his bottle against mine.

"Have a good evening" he said, without bowing but instead taking a long pull from his drink. I smiled as I walked out of the elevator and held up my bottle slightly as a sort of...salute? either way, he simply nodded.

I ignored the lobby and went directly to the stairs that lead down to my basement apartment. As I approached the front door, I could feel my magical wards, that is magical defensive spells were disarmed. Raxeia had come through then; I walked through them and casually set them all back up with a whisper of power. The only being able to slip through these wards without a magical talisman would be Faye, and that was because her magic was part of the defensive magics around my home.

I strode into my apartment to the smell of garlic, onion, and a few other spices. Raxeia was in my kitchen wearing an ill-fitting grey t-shirt of mine and an apron, carefully tending to some garlic bread she had baked on my wood-burning stove. I couldn't use an electric stove for obvious reasons, but I also couldn't use a gas one. I would short out the electric starters and makes them useless after maybe 3 months. I have a large wood-burning stove, which was usually stocked with wood and kindling from Folinks and wood elves in the building trimming their homes.

"Was everything ready?" I asked as Raxeia looked my way, a happy grin on her face. Before she could answer an oddly raspy feminine voice sounded off from a particularly dark corner of the room. 4 luminous purple eyes were fixated on me when I looked in that direction. Man, Faye was pouring the intimidation on hard, but it didn't work on me at all.

"Yes yes! Of course, everything was ready! Are you prepared to fulfill your portion of the bargain?"

"Yea gimme that thing" I answered, physically brushing away her words with a wave of my hand.

The darkness around the eyes seemed to get...thicker, for lack of a better word. Out strode Faye, a purple cat demon about the size of a large bobcat with a large bird creature in her jaws. Raxeia winced slightly but instead of interjecting tended to the food on the stove. I ignored her, deciding to focus on the demon in front of me. To Faye's credit, she had butchered it with exact precision and removed the feathers.

"Give me the seasoningggg" she half purred, and half growled, her lower set of eyes remaining fixated on me while the other 2 swiveled about wildly in excitement. I smiled at her, then rummaged around in one of my cabinets until I found 2 things she loved. Old bay and hot sauce. Seems kinda simple, but demons don't really have the idea of "Spices" grasped and as such, to her I might as well be sprinkling magic powder and potions on meat to make it taste better. To me? i was simply coatoing the bird in old bay and then splashing hot sauce all over it.

"Want me to cook it?" I asked only for a large paw to swipe it away from me.

"If I wanted it ruined, I would drag it through the dirt" was her response, sounding more than offended. Her large mouth picked up the bird by the spine and she walked primly and carefully, not allowing the raw bird to touch the ground. For a moment, it seemed like she had walked into an event horizon, but after a moment darkness swallowed her and her prize.

"Uh...I think that was a baby Roc" Raxeia finally said earning a shrug from me.

"She hunts where she wants, not my fault she decided to eat a Roc"

"But they are dangerous and endangered!"

"Good luck trying to tell her not to hunt them"

Raxeia grumbled to herself for a bit as I pulled the kelpie loins out of my ice box and sent them directly on the stove. I tended to the meat while Raxeia pulled her grilled garlic bread off the stove.

"Oh, our drinks" just now remembered the bag hanging from my arm. I pulled Raxeia's wine out of the bag and then set my pack of beer on the counter. I heard a slight squeal of happiness as Raxeia grabbed the bottle of wine and with a long claw pulled the cork out of her bottle with ease. I pulled one of the beers out and felt slight annoyance that it had warmed up.

"Rapio" I mumbled while using the smallest bit of magic and a slight flicking motion with my fingers. The bottle caps popped off and skittered on the counter.

"Infrega" I cast softly, pushing just a bit more magic out. With a deep breath in and a soft breath out, I was able to blow ice cold into the bottle, cooling down my beer.

I raised the beer to Raxeia, who simply clinked her bottle of wine against my beer. we stood together occasionally sipping from our respective drinks as we watched the fire dance within my stove. Our dinner cooked slowly, allowing us to just be together; no work, no gardens, just us.

I flipped the meat so it cooked evenly and rested my hip against Raxeia's thigh calmly drinking my beer. Raxeia was actually short for a Folink, standing at about 7 and a half feet tall (2.2 meters for those who use it) but she was taller than almost every human.

We looked like an odd couple but who cares, as my mentor once said, "you Love who you love". it's hard to say how long we stood together, watching the flames in my stove crackle, but it was a feeling I savored; just two people in love with each other.

I pulled the meat off the stove and cut it into easily munchable bits then divided it between the both of us, also dividing the garlic bread Raxeia had baked for the both of us. My kitchen had a bar (I think that's what modern people call them) it was basically a counter that separated my kitchen from the living room. I didn't really get it, but it allowed us to eat at what would have been table height. Raxeia gave a few "mhmmms' of pleasure as she ate, but other than that we ate in silence.

Raxeia drank her wine, while I drank my beer; us talking and laughing at whatever silliness came to mind. She recounted how Purlazae forgot to feed her pet mimic "Boxy"; only for it to vomit a steady stream of odd items and shampoo on purl's bed. Mimics like boxy eat everything, even if they couldn't digest it. I told her of a job my father and I took together as a father-son duo to fix a broken down...have-not thing; it had been so long I couldn't remember the name for it.

The night grew late and even Faye was curled up on one of my extra fluffy chairs (the one I had gotten her for one of her trades), it was even a deep purple color to match her fur.

Together, Rax and I stumbled into my bedroom; a nearly bare room with a large bed centered in it. I couldn't watch TV or browse the internet or anything like that. So, my bedroom was for sleep and the few activities that go along with sleep. Her fur smelled of lavender and some other floral fragrances and was softer than silk. Her paw pads ran down my shirt and pulled it off as her tail wrapped around my leg softly.

We kissed deeply, my fingers running through her thick fur from her thigh to her tummy to her shoulders; basically, peeling my t-shirt off. Raxeia's body was what Have-nots called "thicc". Well, maybe with one "c", she had wide hips and a decent bust and was totally unashamed of her body. I loved how confident she was in herself, even now she didn't bother trying to hide. Instead, she just kissed me deeper, her tongue pushing against mine as we stood in each other's arms.

"Pants Off" she demanded between our kisses, prompting me to slide the work pants I had on off. I ran my fingers through her fur until I found one of her shapely breasts, squeezing and teasing it softly until I pulled my mouth away from hers and gently bit her nipple.

Rax gasped and pushed me down onto the bed, her breathing was heavy, and it was almost like I could see the hearts in her eyes. Her heat must've hit within the last few hours based on how aggressively she was behaving. She tossed aside my shirt she was wearing revealing black lacy underwear, she must've planned this based on that alone. her mouth met mine once more as she pressed her hips against mine, her long neck allowing us to kiss as she gasped silently against my lips.

My hands slid up her thighs to her waist; where I grabbed tight and started guiding her movements. Rax's gasps redoubled, instead of her random rubs, I was directing her movements; I could feel her wetness spreading through her panties. Her face was next to mine as she gasped, too involved in the feelings to kiss me, yet her yearning gasps were in my ear. For a moment I stopped guiding her, moving one hand to slide her panties to the side.

"W-w-hy d-d you sto-" Rax gasped out before I Brought her hips down upon my manhood. Raxeia gasped into my ear an almost silent "Oh my gods"

I continued guiding her movements my arms around her and her arm around me. Raxeia gasped and kissed me, her hips slowly rotating and grinding against mine. I mirrored her movements, pushing myself deeper into her. It was a slow, gentle rhythm of togetherness as she nuzzled my neck and I kissed hers softly, my hands still on her waist and her arms wrapped around me.

Her insides were tight and warm as we made the purest form of love, two beings enjoying each other and loving every second of it. I could feel her wetness twitching slightly as I sped up the grinding slightly. Her surprised gasp was adorable as I pushed up into her a little deeper, lifting her slightly off the bed.

"S-so deep" she gasped into my neck as she pulled me closer into her embrace. I kissed the side of Her long neck, and I could feel the shivers it sent down her spine as I sped up a bit more. Years of being together had let me know all Raxeia's weak spots and I knew just where to go when she was so close. I let go of her slim waist with one hand and grabbed the base of her long tail and began massaging it gently; Raxeia's reaction was adorable.

She let out a small quiet "Not the taillll" before her body convulsed in pleasure. her wetness tightened up even further as I moved her hips faster against mine. the heat and softness was getting to an unbearable level of sensation to me as I kissed her neck once more.

"Rax I'm so close" I groaned to her, trying to keep it together for her. at once her arms wrapped around me like a vice although she still looked out of it from the sheer pleasure.

"B-breed me" she gasped into my ear; her claws dug into the skin of my back as I forced her hips down forcefully while thrusting up into her wetness one last time. She gasped and I felt her insides clenching down on my member as I unloaded into her. her walls convulsed and twitched, trying to wring every last drop from me as she brought her mouth to mine in a deep passionate kiss.

"Ohhh so good" she cooed as she broke the kiss. we stayed there for a moment, connected and simply catching our breath together. I loved every second of it; the warmth of her fur, her nipples pressed against my chest, our arms around each other in a loving embrace. It took a moment for Raxeia to look at her claws and she seemed startled at the sight of my blood on them.

"Ohhh noo!" she gasped in surprise "d-did I scratch you up?"

"Yea you did, don't worry about I-" Before I could finish my sentence, I felt her pull in power and move it through her arms to her padded palms.

"Medela" She incanted, rubbing her pads against my back. I felt a warm sensation spread across my back and the pain vanished.

"You didn't have to do that"

Raxeia giggled and wiggled her hips against mine as she did so.

"I Know that but it's more fun to have a Boyfriend who isn't getting all sorts of scratches from me!" She said in a singsong kind of voice. I simply groaned at her as she lifted herself off me and strode to one of my waiting dressers, which she fished in for a moment then pulled out a pair of black panties. in only a moment she had slipped into them and slid into my bed, I laid down next to her, and once more we were in each other's arms, her long tail wrapping around my calf. I pulled a long blanket up over us as Raxeia nuzzled her snout into the crook of my neck.

"Love you baby" she murmured sleepily.

"Love you too Rax" I answered, pulling her a little closer to me. I felt her drift off to sleep after a long moment and the last thought that passed through my head before I followed her is how much I love her and living in this enchanted city.