FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The second part to the Darkness Trilogy. Sorry it was so long in coming, but hey, you write when you can, right? As always, I hope you enjoy...

• Faora

It was a solemn group that assembled within the cracked and broken remains of the city hall. They were the few that had survived, and most of those few were not in good shape.

They were not all survivors of this city, far from it. Though several were from the place that the ruins around them used to be, most were from neighbouring settlements, one even coming from the enemy stronghold of Royath.

These now converged as one, to the only place they had left. A place of death, a place of destruction, a place of evil.

Brought by Kieral.

What had once been the great city of Miraladon was now a great pile of rubble. No standing building could be trusted to remain upright, and fires still burned beneath the crumbled debris.

Fear was in the air. The sensations of it infected everything. He could see it. He could smell it. All of them, every single one of them, feared for their lives.

And he hated Kieral for it.

He hated everything the chaos master had done. He'd razed cities to the ground, warped all he found to serve his own twisted ends, killed countless thousands, possibly even millions.

Tyral sighed forcefully as he looked out over the desolate array before him. THIS is the great army that will stand against Kieral? It is true: we're all going to die.

He stood tall, a dragon of seven meters, scales a vibrant copper. A great sword was held in one claw, the tip of the blade resting in the ground, the hilt reaching up his chest. He was adorned in mail, his neck to his knees blanketed by heavy armour. On his forehead was inscribed the symbol of battle.

There was a whisper of movement behind him, and he turned to see the one life saved from the Battle of Royath. "Carlee. How are you?"

The feline gave a faint smile. "I am well. I wonder though for how long." Carlee was a prime example of her species, standing at five and a half meters tall, with bright blue eyes that offset her glorious white fur. She was near silent when moved, impossible to detect when she tried. She wore a robe of white, and Tyral caught a glimpse of a belt, with a pair of daggers ready to be drawn, should the need arise.

The dragon returned his gaze to the others. "It isn't enough."

She shook her head. "No. The forces of the chaos master are extensive. Too, they are strong. Stronger than any mortals have the right to be. Stronger than any evil has the right to be."

"Can we prevail? Perhaps defeat the forces of the chaos lord through trickery and magic?"

She hissed a quiet laugh. "Since when does a warrior such as yourself concern yourself with magic?" The laughter lapsed into a sigh. "His own powers are enormous. The Temple gave him that power, and that is the only way to strip him of it. It has to be found."

Tyral turned back to her. "The Temple of Force is a mere myth. Do not concern yourself with such things."

She raised an eyebrow. "You were the one asking if magic would help. If the Temple were destroyed, his powers would weaken dramatically. He could be destroyed then."

Tyral shook his head. "There are rumours, from those that believe the Temple exists, saying that the chaos master resides within the it's walls. He would be guarded heavily, there is no way we could make it inside."

"We have to," Carlee insisted, "It's the only way to end this!"

"It will not end this!" he cried, "Because they have become reliant on him! We are all that is left! When he is gone, they will be gone as well!"

He choked back more words as he saw many faces looking in his direction. Tyral snarled a quick curse, before turning and walking away.

Carlee didn't wait for the dragon to return. She gathered everyone up, addressing them all as a group.

"We are here," she began, "Because we are all that are left. All others have fallen to Kieral, the chaos master. We have to continue the battle in their name!"

Someone on the crowd shouted back, "The others now serve him! You ask us to kill out friends and family?"

Her eyes narrowed. "They are no longer your friends and family. They are puppets, mere extensions of Kieral now. Nought but shells, but they are shells that have no hesitation to kill you, to kill all of you.

"Pain does not deter them as it does us. It strengthens them, gives them strength. If we break a bone in battle, it cripples us. If they break a bone in battle, they continue to battle! The pain doesn't stop them, it enhances them!

"I have seen the extent of their power. They swarm across the world, destroying all they touch in the name of their master. You have all seen it, whether you wish to admit it or not! The question is: 'What will you do about it?'"

She looked over the crowd. "You have been called here because an assault must be made. Kieral must be destroyed! The temple must be destroyed!"

There was silence. The feline looked at everyone individually. All turned away from her powerful gaze, none volunteered to join her.

"I will help you."

Carlee's head snapped to the side, to see Tyral there, his sword resting on his shoulders. She smiled, and he nodded.

"The battlemaster Tyral has volunteered to join me! Who will stand beside him as well? Who will help us defeat Kieral?"

"I will!" A young male tiger stepped forward, nodding to her.

"As will I."

"I too."

"You have my help."

Carlee smiled as they began to step forward. When all, or near all stood before her, willing to fight, she offered a bow. "Thank you, all. I know what I ask isn't easy, but it must be done. There is not much time before he finds us here. If you have anything you wish to say to those with you, take tonight to do it.

"We will leave at the first light of day."

Lather that night, Carlee approached Tyral again. The dragon was sitting quietly at the edge of the city, looking out into the forests beyond.

Slowly, she sat down beside him. Her gaze met his face for a moment, before she too glanced out at the outside world. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's a beauty that could soon be destroyed. I just wish I knew how to stop it." The dragon's eyes closed, before he tilted his head up. Moonlight shone down around him, highlighting his features.

Carlee sighed. "It won't end that way, Tyral. You know it won't."

"How can you be so sure?" He turned, looking her straight in the eye. "Kieral is growing in power. His armies are gradually becoming larger. They barely rest, and they fight on long after they should fall. How can we be sure this will not be destroyed?"

The cat shook her head. "You're a warrior, Tyral. Death is what you do. You're expected to go out, kill as many as you can, then return back."

Her bright eyes locked firmly on his, boring into his very soul. "What I do, is hope."

For a moment, a dozen possibly retorts flickered through his mind. The enemy's size, strength, determination, his own lack of faith... But he declined.

"Then I hope too. For all of us."

Carlee nodded. "Then you and I aren't so different after all, dragon."

She looked up into the sky, loosing herself in its majesty.

The dragon retired to his tent not much later, Carlee opting to stay out a while longer, taking a watch.

Tyral felt his weariness start to overcome him, days, months worth of fatigue hit him like a mace blow to the head. He lowered himself down onto a thin sleeping mat, and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was somewhere else.

Frowning, the warrior looked around before standing up. He was in a beautiful place, the middle of a fantastic forest. A river fell over a waterfall just to his right, while he stood in a small clearing. Green light, filtered through the foliage above shone down on him, sending his coppery scales a bright emerald colour.

He looked around for a while longer, before turning to see a cloaked figure standing at the edge of the river.

Tyral frowned. "Who are you?"

"My name is Torun. I'm here to guide you."

The figure threw back the cowl of his robe, revealing a horribly scarred face. Tyral nearly flinched back at the sight of the charred and melted flesh. "You don't exactly seem to fit in with this place," he observed.

The white dragon laughed. "I don't doubt it. Perhaps this will help." His face flashed white for a moment, and when the light faded away, his face lost all hint of the damage that had been there.

Tyral looked closer. "Nice. Why didn't you do that at the start?"

"Such power is not safe, even for one such as I. I am unable to appear before you like this for long, as this will only drain my strength. But I needed to come."

Tyral looked around. "Where are we?"

"Inside your unconscious mind," the other replied, "Which, for a warrior such as yourself, is quite lovely. A rarity indeed."

Tyral opened his mouth, but thought better of it. After considering a different response, he ask, "You're here to guide me...how?"

Torun's eyes darkened noticeably as he lowered his head. "You are to destroy Kieral. I know it. I am here to help you in any way I can."

"Then why not sign up like everyone else?" the warrior asks, "I'm sure a mage with your skill could be very useful in the battle to come."

Torun barks a short laugh. "Trust me, in this state I can do very little. Were I still alive I could do more than-"

"You're dead?" Tyral interrupted quickly.

The white dragon gazed into the sky thoughtfully. "No," he replies, voice distant, "But nor am I completely alive either. Or perhaps you could say I am life, in some respect."

The copper warrior shook his head. "Look, I'm not going to even try to understand this. How are you going to help us?"

His gaze seems to reach out, past the sky and peer into the heart of stars. "There is one who can defeat Kieral. The flame of life burns brightly in them. But there is more, much more to it than that."

He gaze locks abruptly on Tyral, and he could feel the weight of the heavens channelled perfectly through that gaze. "You are her protector. You are her guardian. You must keep her alive long enough to destroy the chaos master."

"Her?" he asked. His mind flew down pathways far from contact... "Carlee?"

"She knows nothing of her destiny. She will go far, further than even you, I'm afraid. Her mind prevents me from telling her this, but your mission and hers are deeply interwoven. You must press onwards, but tell her nothing of this." His eyes seem to shimmer with repressed light. "If you do, if she become aware because of you, all is lost to darkness."

He shuddered. "The time of day has long since fallen. Night has risen and claimed the world as it's own. Day will come again, the sun will rise again...if you complete your mission. You must protect her, Tyral. Nothing else, no one else matters more."

The white dragon extended his arms to the sides, and a blinding bolt of light flared out from his body, striking Tyral in the chest.

He woke with a start, breathing heavily. For a moment, he didn't know where he was, floundering in those first few moments of sudden awareness.

He looked outside his tent, noticing the lack of light. His internal clock still screamed at him for rest, leading him to believe that the night was halfway through.

The warrior lay back down, reaching as he did so for the comforting presence of his great sword. Finding it, he patted the hilt twice quickly, before letting go and closing his eyes.

His dream was still fresh in his mind, throwing so many scenarios at him. He tried to think them all through, but found it to be a fruitless exercise...

Without him even knowing it, he quietly drifted back to sleep.

Morning still came early for Tyral, rising as he always did long before the sun rose. Fires were doused quickly, cold food prepared as the volunteers were roused from their sleep.

Carlee was the first one woken, helping the dragon to wake the others. She watched them as they armed themselves with whatever they could, blades, bows, staves, clubs...

The feline almost broke down in tears at the sight. She knew the odds well, that not a single one of them would be coming back from the attack alive. She knew that they knew it too.

"Terrible, isn't it?"

She turned to see Tyral standing before her, his great sword absent. She looked him up and down, before turning back to the others. "War of any sort always is. But this...this isn't war. It's going to be a slaughter. One way or another."

"Carlee..."

"I mean, if we can't destroy the temple, then Kieral's forces, or even Kieral himself, will wipe us out. And if we do, he won't be able to control his troops, and we'll wipe _the_m out."

"Carlee-"

"And the odds against our success are incredible! Don't tell me you haven't-"

"Carlee!" The dragon was all but shouting at her now. She jerked her neck back around. "What did you tell me last night?

She sighed, remembering clearly. "That I have hope."

"And tell me now what has changed since then."

She didn't answer. Rather she turned back to look at the volunteers. Tyral watched her, waiting for an answer. When it became clear to him that one wasn't coming, he turned to leave.

"Nothing..."

He turned back around. "Exactly. You can't loose hope now, Carlee. You know you won't. You know you can't. You brought hope to me, you still bring hope to me, and now you want to abandon that hope? I won't let you."

She waved a hand at them all. "Look, Tyral. Look well. Look at those desperate faces. Look at their armaments. Look at them again when you watch them die."

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her forcefully to face him. "Listen to me, Carlee. We are going to succeed. We will. And you're going to help, just like I am. You understand me?"

She looked up into his face, into those hard, world-weary eyes. "I understand..."

He released her slowly, and took a step back. "Good...then tell them to assemble at the edge of the city ruins."

A short time later, all the volunteers were ready to move out. Tyral and Carlee stood before them, and none of them knew, but Torun was watching them all.

Tyral took a step towards the gathered fighters. "I do not expect you all to come back from this," he started bluntly, his voice carrying over the silent group.

"I do not expect for myself to come back from this. The chances against each individual coming back are slim indeed.

"Think back to yesterday. Think back to last night. Think back, to those people you are now leaving behind, think of them and hold that close to your heart. Think of those that matter to you in your life, and never let that go.

"We go forth into battle, against pure darkness, a darkness overwhelming all of creation. We go into battle against the forces of that darkness, forces that feel nothing but pain and suffering and hatred.

"We must go into battle! We must stand against this overwhelming evil, stem it's tide before all life bows to the chaos master! My must go into battle not with hatred of our enemies, not with rage, not with despair.

"We must go into battle with hope! Hope for the salvation of our entire world! We must go into battle with love for those we are leaving behind. And we must go into battle with reverence, for we are taking our enemy and ending their lives, ending the pain that goes with it, sending them to the Gods. They stand against us, driven by evil, and we must liberate them from that evil!

"Before us, Carlee will lead you to our destination. The Temple of Force lies near here, if it exists. If we find it, Kieral will be inside it, directing it's energies. He must be stopped, and we are the only ones that can do it!"

He cast his gaze over the entire gathering, seeing each and everyone there for who they were. He knew he might never see them again.

"I look over you now. I look and I see you all, ready for what will end your lives. I see you ready to make that sacrifice, as I am! As we all must be! You will likely perish today, just as I likely will. But know that we will survive as a whole, and it will be because of those that give of their life that we do so!

"We must battle darkness with light! Do not despair, do not fear! The end is coming!

"The end of the chaos master!"

An almighty cheer went up from the crowd raising their weapons to the sky and shouting out their approval.

They moved out a short time later, led by Carlee and Tyral. Torun followed them all the way, travelling throughout the day, and watched over them as they slept that night. He gave them peace and reassurance in their dreams, sure of their needing it.

Because tomorrow was the battle to decide the fate of all.

Did you like? I hope so, because you could decide what happens next! Add your comments using the button below, and tell me what you want for the end of the trillogy!