FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Violet mist swirled languidly, thick as liquid and oily in texture. The skies above were choked by the same gloom, and even the very ground seemed no more than solidified darkness. An eerie silence nested within the purple shadows; Together they seemed to swallow any traces of life that might have been present. There was no warmth, no cold. The air was free of any scent; not even the pungent odor of wildland or the tickle of dust drifted. There was nothing to indicate that this was a place at all.

Reis was very much confused.

One moment he had been dozing in his seat at the Academy, halfheartedly listening to a lecture on magical resonance. Then somehow without even realizing had-well, he had ended up here. Wherever here was.

His mind immediately offered that he was dreaming, but, as much as he wanted to agree, Reis knew he was far too lucid for this to be a dream. It really did seem like one, though. He pinched his cheek until his eyes watered from the pain.

Nothing.

Well, maybe it was a dream crafted by magic. It was possible-probably. The instructor might have decided to teach him a special kind of lesson.

Reis cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Anyone here!? This isn't funny!"

Again, nothing.

A deep sigh escaped him. Left with little choice, he picked a direction at random and started walking. Time passed at a crawl, and when he had gauged himself at least a quarter hour's worth of walking, nothing around him had changed. Mumbling in frustration, he spun in a circle to get a better view of his surroundings, hoping he had missed something-

-and stumbled in shock. Back the way he had come, about ten paces away, were corpses. They- he counted thirteen-were lined in a neat half circle with him at the center. All of them seemed vaguely familiar, but the details became shrouded and distorted whenever he peered at their faces as if they were distant memories he could not fully recall. Reis tried to get closer to get a better look, but found that his feet had become lead. Whether from fear or some other force, he couldn't say.

The corpses had not shared the same fate. They each seemed to have died in a unique manner, though he noticed that none of them had been quick, painless deaths. The scene filled him with a deep sense of despair even as nausea overcame him, though Reis didn't know why he was even seeing any of this in the first place.

"They come."

The voiced boomed from every direction at once. Reis glanced up in surprise, eyes darting in search of its source. His heart began to pound in his chest.

"Who are you? Who is coming?"

"They come," the voice repeated, its urgency greater. "The children have long awaken, yet our gift only now stirs. They know. The children are not ready. The children will never be ready."

"None of this makes sense to me," Reis said, scratching his head fiercely. "What do you mean?"

"To the Remnants of Ilryssea we give our absolute love. To the Remnants of Ilryssea we ask not for forgiveness, but understanding. To the Remnants of Ilryssea we make a desperate plea, a sacrifice of our own making."

Reis tried to speak, but found that he couldn't breathe all of a sudden. His cheeks were wet with tears, but he couldn't say why. The mist began to churn, or maybe it was just his blurring vision that made it appear that way. Gasping, he leaned over and retched.

"Reis!?"

What did the voice want with him now? He didn't answer; he was too busy probably dying.

"Reis!"

This voice was different. It sounded far away, but familiar. He focused on the sound, heard his name called again and again and-

Reis sat up with a start and wildly glanced around. Seeing the familiar white walls of an Academy lecture room, the cherry wood podium at the front, the wide, rectangular windows framing a peaceful spring afternoon, he calmed.

"Are you all right?"

He looked up at Irgid, the instructor. The feline ladellan's ears were flattened with worry, his cat-like eyes piercing deep. Around him the gazes of his fellow students, human and ladellan alike, watched with a mix between curiosity and worry.

"Um," he said stupidly. "What happened?"

Ingrid scoffed. "You tell me! I thought you had simply dozed off again, like you always do, but you weren't responding when I tried to wake you, and then you stopped breathing..."

Reis's heart was still pounding. He felt ill. The dream, or whatever it had been, lurked in the back of his mind, but the details were already becoming fuzzy.

"I'm not feeling well," he said. "May I be excused?"

The instructor sighed. "The one time you actually show up for lecture and this happens." His voice lacked conviction and Reis saw wrinkles of worry worked into his expression. "Very well. Go immediately to the Healer's Ward, understood?"

Reis nodded and rose from his seat, ignoring the myriad eyes following him. He stepped out into the meticulously clean halls of the Hyvor Academy and made his way through them. The Healer's Wards came and went; Reis had already endured a lifetime's worth of prodding and questions he had no answers to. All he wanted was some fresh air.

He made his way to one of the garden balconies ringing the massive central building of the Academy. A wonderful spring breeze played with the trees and flowers. Below the city-state of Belam stretched in neatly sectioned districts, the Academy and ducal palace at the center and the distant ramparts circling the city's limits. Beyond loomed rolling hills and the River Erosa that fed the city its water.

The view calmed him and he already began to feel much better, though the unspent moment allowed his mind to wander. He recalled his dream-it had been so real!-and wondered what it could have meant. Maybe nothing. Maybe he was going insane.

Maybe he would find answers if he kept saying 'maybe'.

Or not, he thought with a smile.

The Academy's bells sung a tune that echoed throughout Belam, marking the hour and signaling the end of classes. The next set of classes would be begin in a quarter hour. Another lecture, in his case. Reis decided without much difficulty that he was going to skip. The instructor wouldn't care-they never did.

Reis turned, thinking to fill himself with something hot at the mess hall. As he strode through the wide passageways a group of humans and ladellans he recognized all too well spotted him.

Dammit, not today, he mentally groaned.

"Hey, hey, it's the half-mage," their leader, a black-scaled dragon, taunted. His thick, powerful tail swished behind him as a toothy grin showed off his fangs. "Heard you nearly died earlier? What happened? Didn't have the decency to finally spare us an eyesore?"

The group shared a laugh. Reis frowned.

"Fuck off."

A human beside the dragon raised an eyebrow. "Looks like we upset him, Garlan."

"Oh, did we hurt your feelings?" The others laughed again and Garlan shrugged. "Chin up, Reis. If you keep up the pace your magic will be completely gone in a couple of years. Maybe then they'll let you leave, law or no."

"Maybe they'll just kill him, to be sure," a feminine lapine male said, ears flicking.

"Or maybe he'll save them the effort and kill himself."

Reis clenched his fists, a hot rage building. He hadn't ask to be mageborn, let alone for his magical talent to be stunted. If not for Lenora's Plea, the ancient law that forced anyone gifted with power of sorcery to attend the Hyvor Academy and serve the city exclusively, he wouldn't be here.

Garlan and his gang had always annoyed him, but now a deep rage flowed within. Deep enough that it surprised him. Reis realized then that he was sweating and that his hands were shaking.

"Look, he's pissing his pants!" Garlan exclaimed. His gibe was supported by laughter.

"Thoroughly," Reis said, feeling ill again. The strange world of purple mist flashed in his mind. He saw Garlan's still form, half of his flesh melted away, the rest marred by countless gashes, each so perfectly surgical. Reis wondered if what he saw were his own sick wishes. "Leave me alone, all right?"

Reis tried to move by, but the large dragon stepped in his way, tail snapping from left to right.

"Or what?" Garlan asked. "You gonna have a good weep?"

Refusing to be baited, Reis stepped around him. The dragon growled and moved to shove him.

In a blur of motion that left Reis himself stunned, he flipped the dragon over his shoulder and broke one of his arms with an audible crack.

The dragon stared at his arm with widening eyes, then screamed. His companions overcame their own shock and stepped towards Reis, shouting. As if he were recalling many things at once, as if his muscles and body were doing something they remembered well, Reis moved through the group, stepping out of the way of attacks, deflecting others, indiscriminately twisting wrists, tripping unbalanced forms, and elbowing unguarded flesh. Even though his entire body was-apparently-a weapon, he still somehow felt incomplete.

An amusing thought considering how well he was managing.

A white wolf pulled a knife from his belt. Reis dodged the clumsy slash with a subtle motion, twisted it out of his grasp, and then stabbed him with his own knife before sending the wolf spinning away. A human, fear in his eyes, retreated a few steps, his lips intoning a spell despite unsanctioned sorcery being forbidden on Academy grounds. Reis's feet glided across the blood-stained floor, his steps sure and measured, his body spinning with purpose. The mage's mouth erupted in a torrent of blood as his knuckles found flesh, interrupting his spell. His arms moved in a blur and the human crumpled onto the floor.

Then it all ended in a deafening rush, leaving him exhausted.

Around him moans and even weeping sounded. Spurts of blood stained the white floor here and there. Garlan climbed unsteadily to his feet behind Reis. When he turned the dragon screamed and shrank back, speaking so quickly that Reis couldn't understand him. A crowd gathered, the core consisting of bystanders that had been watching the earlier exchange. No one spoke. Everyone stared at him.

Daemon's balls, he cursed. I'm in some shit now.

The Academy praetors would eventually send a summons whether he stayed or not, so Reis decided to postpone the inevitable session. Without a word he stepped through the crowd, which parted almost desperately to make way for him, and rushed down towards the grandiose entrance of the Academy.

Thoughts made chaos in his mind. Today was decidedly not his day. He tried not to think, focusing only on his footsteps, right, then left, then-

A yelp sounded as he careened into something soft. A bundle flew from her hands and parchment fluttered everywhere. With a start, Reis realized it was an avian ladellan. She wore the robes of a first year student, gray and etched with wispy lines, where his own third year attire was a deep emerald. Reis thought her pretty; the feathers along her arms, hands, and body were a beautiful pure white, the same as the wings arching from her back in agitation, and her long, silvery hair only completed the look.

"S-sorry," he said, reaching down and offering his hand. She eyed him bashfully from behind her spectacles and nodded, placing a claw-tipped hand into his own.

He helped her up, her face drawing near, and froze. A flood of images assaulted his mind. Reis saw the violet mist, the half circle of corpses. Her body lay there, lifeless, defiled. Her wings were broken and partly torn apart, her face locked in an expression of terror. Strangely, her eyes had been clawed out.

He let go of her hand and leaned against the wall, retching. Not my day at all.

"Are you all right?" she asked, tilting her head.

He nodded despite the pain in his head and knelt down to help pick up her things. He passed them to her as he gathered them up, pausing when he grasped a polished wooden box that had opened on impact. Several cards had spilled part way out. He tapped them back in with his fingers, then picked up a stray card.

An empty nameplate greeted him on the bottom of the card. He frowned, then realized it was upside down. Flipping it over, another nameplate at the bottom proclaimed in neat, flowing script, '13: The Nightmare'. The image on the card was drawn with exquisite detail, portraying a cloaked figure standing beneath a moonless night, head bowed, a scythe held passively across its waist by two hands.

This is a kutra card. It was an extremely old form of divination, one that was not very accurate, or at least not compared to casting auguries solely with magic.

Reis almost laughed. The girl looked at him oddly.

"Um, I have to go," he said, shoving the box into her hands and taking off.

"Wait!" she called after him, but he turned a corner and didn't stop.

His footsteps fell without end, taking him to a destination he did not know. Anywhere but here. Sunlight blinded him when he reached the courtyard, the spray of nearby fountains tickling his sweaty face. Students lounged around, but none of them payed him any attention. A long, decorated walkway led to the gates. Beyond was the city.

He no desire to go into the city. What he wanted was peace and quiet, a chance to sort through everything.

The Academy forests spanned to either side of the courtyard, beckoning to him. Reis recalled the cool shade by the river he favored for napping whenever he skipped classes. Without hesitation he made his way there, stepping into the quiet of the large forest, losing himself in the sea of leaf-shaped shadows. Already the forest calmed him and he begun to feel much better. He turned the day's events over in head, so sudden, but not, he believed, random. Something had changed today. Maybe before his dream; maybe after. Reis thought back on his day, the previous night. His life was dull; He had done nothing out of the ordinary. Definitely nothing to explain either his dream or what had happened to him back with Garlan and his lackeys.

The sound of crunching touched his ears, drawing Reis to look up from his thoughts. Sitting on top of the boulder marking his little spot was a girl around his age, legs dangling over the side of the boulder while she bit away at an apple in one hand. Deep violet eyes regarded him with interest over a short, angled muzzle, her lupine tail waving languidly behind her. A horn matching her eyes rested on her forehead.

Reis's eyes lowered from her strange horn-he'd never seen a horned wolf before-and realized that she was completely nude, the midnight blue of her fur fully exposed. A path of lighter, ashy gray ran from her neck down across her small breasts and between her legs. Like the avian student, she too was beautiful, but maybe it was because he was so biased in this regard. Some humans saw ladellan as nothing more than human-like animals, but Reis thought them more. Neither human or animal, they were a very unique blend of the two that only took the best of each and transformed them into a new artistic blend.

Reis had always thought them beautiful, even the males in a way.

And this particular girl was beautiful on top of beautiful. He blushed and looked away.

"Sorry," he breathed, face burning. He'd stood there and stared at her like an idiot!

"Whatever for?" came the even reply.

"Um, for looking, I suppose. I didn't mean to."

Gentle laughter reached him. "If I had wanted to hide my body, then I would have, no?"

"That's true, but..."

"You didn't like what you saw?"

He looked at her then, frowning, but she continued to munch on her apple without much reaction. "You are very beautiful."

"Thank you," she said, nodding her head. Her deep eyes glanced at his hand. Curiosity set them aglow. "What are you holding?"

"Hm?" He glanced down. The Nightmare kutra card stared up at him. He must have taken it with him without noticing. A corner was bent from where he no doubt gripped it in a nervous fit. Its owner wouldn't be happy to see that.

Reis held the card up. "A kutra card. I forgot I had it..."

The girl viewed the card, surprise for some reason replacing curiosity, then she laughed deep and long.

"Well," he said, pocketing the card and raising an eyebrow as her laughter died down. "I'll leave you be."

The girl tilted her head, soft laughter still spilling from her muzzle. "Wait. You came here for a reason, didn't you?"

"This is where I usually come for a nap," he admitted sheepishly. "I didn't expect anyone to be here."

The girl shrugged. "If I'm not a bother, feel free to stay." She took another bite from her apple. "And it looks like something's on your mind. Maybe it's a little bold of me, but I'll listen if you want to talk to someone."

Reis hesitated, then exhaled very slowly. He sat down on the damp soil, looked up at her-despite her previous statement he could only bring himself to look at her eyes-and told her everything about his day, including the particulars of his 'disability'. And why not? She was a complete stranger, not some dear friend he was afraid of burdening or scaring, and she had offered to listen. Right now he was willing to talk to the bloody trees. He figured she was the next best thing.

When he was done he sighed and said, "I don't suppose you magically have all the answers for me?"

The girl laughed and shook her head, scattering long sable strands of hair. "Nope. I don't even know where to start." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked, "The voice, in your dream I mean, it said 'they' were coming?"

"It was pretty insistent on that, yes."

"Then, I think, whatever 'they' are is the reason for all this, no?"

Reis thought it over. "What do you mean?"

"This is all happening to you at once, all of a sudden, out of the blue with no previous signs. It sounds like a reaction. You know, something happens, something reacts. So the reason this started happening to you is because 'they' are coming."

"And whatever is happening to me is a reaction to that. Sure." Reis scratched his head. "That doesn't tell me anything."

"It gives you an anchor, maybe some perspective," the girl said, swishing her tail. "That's something. The rest you can just wait for."

"Wait?"

The girl nodded. "Oh, no one likes waiting, but the world doesn't revolve around any one of us, you know. Either nothing will come of this, or things will become clearer with time." She shrugged.

He laughed. His mind was crumbling and he had nearly killed a group of students, and her suggestion was to wait. The sad thing was that wait was probably all he could do.

Reis stood and the girl slid off the boulder, discarding the remains of her apple. Being nearly a head shorter, she looked up at him, her head tilted.

"Well, thanks for listening," he said to her. He felt a lot better having shared his troubles. Better still that she had not run off screaming.

"Anytime, Reis," she said, beaming like a child receiving praise. He found it oddly familiar.

"Wait," he said, frowning. "I didn't tell you my name?"

"You did," she said, a smile on her lips.

He didn't recall doing so, but decided not to press the issue. "All right. And what's yours?"

"Naline Lylise. Just Naline is fine."

"Naline, then." He looked above the forest canopy, noticing that the day was waning. "Well, I should head out before they send the city guard looking for me." He gave her a sidelong glance. "By the way, it's probably not a good idea for you to walk around alone and naked. Not everyone is, um, as passive as I am."

The girl laughed, an amused gleam in her eyes. "I can take care of myself. Besides, it's probably no better an idea than spending the day deep in the woods when you should studying, sir mage."

Reis snorted.

Naline grinned at him, then without warning leaned forward. Rising on her toes, she gently pressed her lips against his for the briefest of moments. His eyes widened in surprise. Her face hovered a hairbreadth away, her expression longing, then she bit her lip and retreated.

Her tail swished and curled over her pert bottom when she twisted to look back at him. "I'll see you later, Reis." Then she vanished into the forest.

What an odd girl, he thought.

Sighing, he returned to the courtyard. Some of the other students pointed at him and began whispering. So, word had spread already. Reis ignored them, gazing up at the towering central structure of the Academy. He stretched lazily, waiting.

He did not have to wait long.

Several older mages clad in the purple and black vestments of the enforcers walked from the maw of the Academy, their faces stern.

One of them, a bearded human with graying hair, nodded. "Reis?"

"That's me," he replied.

"Come with us."

Reis obeyed, following them and trying not to take too much offense when they circled around him and moved so that he was always between them. Students pointed and whispered things they thought he couldn't hear. Some of it was just plain odd, some flat out wrong. Most of their words were simply painful. That people who knew nothing of him could say those things hurt more than it should. Branded as an outcast because of his 'disability', Reis already had no friends among the mages. Now he probably never would.

They came before the praetors' office. One of the enforcers entered, then returned a few moments later. Reis was escorted in. Instead of being led into the audience chamber where he had expected to stand before the entire Council of Praetors, only one praetor stood before him. The old human leaned on a cane, a neatly trimmed goatee and cropped silver hair giving him a clean appearance. The man smelled of spices; Reis found it a comforting scent.

"Now go away," the man said, waving his cane at the enforcers.

They looked at each other, hesitant, but eventually obeyed. The door made an audible click behind him as they left.

Reis grinned. "Looks like I'm-"

The praetor smacked him on the side of the head with the cane, then began to limp through one of the extravagant, carpeted passageways.

Reis rubbed his head. "Ow."

"You deserve worse, boy."

"I'd like to think otherwise."

"Hah." The man shook his head at him. "You've done it this time."

Reis sighed. Dorvalis was the praetor who he most often dealt with whenever the Academy bothered to discipline him. Since he skipped classes pretty often and avoided his scheduled meetings with the healers nearly always, he saw actually saw Dorvalis more than one would think. Enough, at least, for them to have formed a unique friendship.

The old man understood, even if he did not accept.

"You gave those louts quite a beating. Nearly killed a few of them." Dorvalis made a tsking sound. "Luckily for you the Council is more concerned with how you did it than the fact that you did it in the first place. The accountings we've heard have left us...curious."

Reis laughed. "Well, I won't be of any help there. All I can tell you is that I became upset and then before I realized it-well, you saw the results." He sighed again. "I don't suppose it will help if I mention that I tried to not cause any trouble? Garlan was the one who attacked me first."

"Perhaps, but he wasn't the one who broke bones and spilled student blood, whatever the reason and whoever the recipient."

"So what's going to happen to me now? Do I get expelled?" It was a bad joke, but he smiled anyway.

Dorvalis stopped and tapped his cane on the marble flooring. He regarded Reis with clear blue eyes, his expression solemn. "The only way mages leave the service of the Academy and the city is through death. Even 'broken' mages like you. Get it through your head. The sooner you do, the sooner maybe we can do something about your unique obstacles."

Anger surged through him. "Obstacles? You can overcome obstacles! With each passing year my magic wanes, old man, and today has been the bloody strangest day of my life. I don't know what's...wrong with me. Maybe I am better off dead."

Dorvalis listened without a change of expression. "Then if your life is so worthless to you, perhaps you won't mind handing it to us, mm? Study more and fool around less?" Reis exhaled and they resumed their walking. "And what you see as dead ends only appear so because of your limited perspective. After all, you overcame a group of mages without a single scratch."

Nothing something I'm be proud of, Reis thought. He said, "I was lucky no magic was involved, is all."

"Oh? We detected that one of the lads attempted a spell. It might not have ended well, had he gotten it off, you know, and in fact he will receive worse punishment than you will. If my memory serves, the lad was fairly easy to pick out, what with his shattered jaw and all."

Reis said nothing to that.

They continued until the passageway they were traveling suddenly transformed into a bleak, rectangular hall of stone. All of the lavishness was gone and an enchanted iron door shut itself behind them.

"Solitary confinement?" Reis asked.

"For the moment, yes, though I think forcing you to participate in class with an enforcer at each arm would be more suiting punishment."

Dorvalis waved his hand and one of the marked stone sections slid down into the floor. The tiny block of space was furnished with nothing but a brass urn for any urgent needs.

Reis walked into the space and sat cross-legged on the floor. Dorvalis shook his head, then waved his hand once more. The door slid shut and a magical light emanated from the walls. He let out a deep breath, leaned back against the wall-

-and found himself once again in the strange realm of purple mist. He stood quickly and looked around in alarm. The mist began to thin, revealing a bizarre landscape. Soaring spires and crumbling buildings crafted in twisted shapes dominated his vision, packed so closely together that they might as well have been the walls of a labyrinth.

"Hello?" he called out. The sound of his voice tore the heavy silence, sounding loud even to his ears.

Something stirred. A shadow was cast, though Reis had no idea where the light was coming from. A bulbous form turned around the corner, so foreign and alien that Reis realized nature could never have created it. The thing was a lumpy ball of gray flesh with gill-like openings all over it. It spun slowly while four golden rings spun in the opposite direction. The lump of flesh hovered inside the rings, two near its center while the two smaller rings spun at the top and bottom.

It moved towards Reis with purpose.

He took a step backward, feeling a jagged wall press into him.

The thing flew with impossible speed. Somehow Reis managed to dodge the attack by throwing himself out of the way, though not without one of the rings cutting a deep gash along his arm. Blood oozed from the wound, but Reis didn't have time to worry about it. The ball crashed into the wall, then immediately made a keening noise. Orange vapors spewed from the gills on its body, filling the area. Reis retreated, noticing the stone walls becoming suspiciously smooth wherever the fumes touched. It seemed as the stone itself was melting, somehow.

He didn't wait around for confirmation. A burst of adrenaline surged through him and he sprinted through the city-that-wasn't. His heart sank when he heard the keening of the monster just behind him, sensing it was in pursuit, but didn't dare take the time to look behind him.

He sped around a corner and into an open section. Multiple archways and pathways formed by the buildings loomed in every direction.

Regarding them thoughtfully was an emerald dragon, a ridiculously oversized sword resting between her hands, tip resting on the ground.

"Run!" he said, not knowing who she was or why she was here, but assuming she, like him, didn't belong.

The dragon girl looked at him, soft brown eyes lighting up in surprise. Then her gaze darted behind him and her expression changed. She brandished the greatsword, lifting it too easily even considering her draconic heritage and the lean muscles bulging along her figure.

"Get behind me!" she cried. Reis just kept running, passing her without giving it much thought.

Metal sounded against metal. When Reis turned he saw the orb of flesh trying to cut the dragon into ribbons, but her blade was a blur, striking with precise, powerful blows. She was not reaching the actual flesh, but each hit against the rings had enough force to send the creature back.

Then it stopped rushing at her and began to keen.

"Move back!" he screamed. "It's going to spit acid, poison, bloody something!"

The dragon, bless every shred of her, decided to not question him or waste time deciphering his jumbled command. She retreated until she was just before him, her thick tail waving back and forth with vigor.

The strange creature spewed its orange mist, hovering a short distance away from them.

"I don't think it can use it often," Reis said, feeling somehow certain. "And it won't move while it's spewing."

"That means it's vulnerable now then, doesn't it?" the dragoness said, grinning. She stabbed her sword into the ground, holding it with one hand, and raised the other.

Flame flourished to life, coursing up her arm like bright tendrils. They collected into her palm, growing brighter until at last it burst forth with a flash. The creature stopped its spewing just as the bolt of flame cut through the fumes and careened into its flesh. The ball of flame shattered and scattered across its hulk, setting it aflame.

The smell that reached them was like nothing he had ever experienced.

Wrinkling her noise, the dragon cautiously walked up and stabbed the thing until it stopped moving. Instead of just lying there, it melted into a sludge of violet and black, becoming indistinguishable from what amounted to the ground of this weird, daemon-dammed place.

"You saved my life," the dragon said to him, turning. "Thanks."

Reis shook his head. "You saved mine first."

"You're a student of the Academy?" she asked, regarding him.

He noticed that she wore a robe as well, that of a third year, like him. It matched perfectly with her emerald scales, and the softer cream-brown color that ran down from her neck complimented it nicely. Her hair was short and wild, a bright red.

"Yes, I am," he answered. He focused thoughtfully on her face and his vision became blurry. Another rush of images flew by too fast for him to comprehend, but they ended with her body lying in the half circle. She was not yet dead in his disturbing vision, but looking up at him with recognition. One of her hands rose towards him. There were tears in her eyes, words mouthed on her lips, but he couldn't hear them. Her body as a mess of grievous wounds, but it was the obsidian spike impaling her muscular frame that was killing her.

"You all right?" Worry colored her voice and she eyed the wound on his shoulder.

"It's not that bad," he said absently, letting the dark images fade away.

The girl nodded. "My name's Sara. Don't suppose you have any more of a clue about what's going on than I do?"

He shook his head. "I'm Reis, and no-I'm as lost as you are."

"Reis?"

He nodded.

"I thought you looked familiar. We have some of the same classes, though I doubt you remember with as scarce as you make yourself." She grinned. "Sometimes I was I had the courage to do the same. It's all so boring."

Well, at least she was being friendly. Reis decided to change the subject. "What are you talking about? You're probably the best mage I've ever seen! I've never seen anyone control flames like that."

Magic was subtle and usually, but not always, indirect. The amount of control and raw power that it would take to make a lethal ball of fire was mind boggling, yet Sara had done it casually, without any signs of fatigue.

"Amazing, isn't it?" she said, looking at her hand. "I don't know how exactly I do it. It feels as if I finally remembered something I had forgotten for a brief moment, or something." She gestured at her sword. "Never used a blade in my life, either. Even so, I swing this thing around like a master. Awesome, isn't it?" Her tail curled as she puffed proudly.

"You were definitely amazing back there," he said honestly. "Where did you find it? I could use a weapon."

"It was lying there when I came to in this stupid place. I haven't seen anything else that you could use as a weapon so far, though. Mostly endless, empty buildings and spires. Don't worry though; you can stay with me and I'll protect you."

Her confidence and easy trust made him smile, despite himself. Reis already liked her. "If you don't mind me being dead weight."

She waved his statement aside. "Don't worry about it."

They moved side by side through the quiet ruins, speculating on what the place might have once been or if it had ever even been a place. Mostly they were silent, on watch for any sign of trouble, but thankfully found none. Sara told him that the only resistance she had encountered had been massive insect-like creatures that were as disturbing as the thing they had recently fought. At first the creatures had swarmed her, but she had managed to hold them off and they soon stopped appearing. Reis didn't find that comforting, but decided not to burden Sara with his worries.

They continued through the unchanging, unending maze until a deep rumbling brought them to a halt. They glanced around uncertainly, but saw nothing approaching. A roar of wind drew their attention skyward. Reis looked up and saw a circular rift opening in the swirling mist, though saw only deeper black within its maw. Something massive fell from the opening, landing before them in an eruption of dust and rubble.

Sara raised her sword before her while Reis fanned the dust cloud from his eyes and mouth, coughing. Then they both stared in surprise.

A gigantic grandfather clock towered over them, the tick of its pendulum echoing far into the distance and deep within his head. Wrapped around it was the body of a snake, its leathery skin dark blue patterned with black. Where the snake's head should have been was instead the body of a woman resting seductively on top of the clock, her oversized breasts bared and pressed against the polished wood. Six hands, three on either side, grasped the edges of the clock lightly. The abomination's head was snake-like, though smooth flesh covered where her eyes should be. A forked tongue flicked out occasionally, mimicked by the smaller snakes that made up hair hair.

She gestured with two of her hands and four of the ringed flesh orbs descended from the rift in the sky. As the things swayed back and forth around her, the snake-creature regarded them with open glee.

"Hiding in the Forgotten City, I sssee!" she cried, with a hiss. " Mmm, and you taste of sssuch a wonderful world, one with sssuch ripenessss."

He and Sara shared a confused look, then the dragon turned her eyes back on the abomination.

"Leave us alone and we won't harm you!"

Shrill laughter erupted from the creature. "The mortal makes threatsss and demandsss? How quint. I think I ssshall play with your pretty little body before I eat you, child."

Sara's expression hardened. "Stay back, Reis."

"You're not going to seriously fight that?" he asked, shaking his head. "That's insane!"

"We don't have much of a choice!" she snapped. "If something happens to me, just run. Or something."

Reis didn't say anything.

The snake creature watched them with amusement. "I am Chroyl. Remember the name well, for I will have you both screaming it while I defile your bodies and devour your souls."

She made a small gesture with one hand and the four floating flesh orbs rushed down towards them. Sara lobbed a bolt of flame at the nearest one, hitting it squarely and sending it crashing into a spire. Reis hurried out of the way as the remaining three approached, but Sara elegantly stepped by the first two and flashed her blade at the third. It split in half, releasing a rancid stench before melting into purple and black sludge.

The final two prepared for another dive, but were close enough that a well placed fireball set them both aflame. They burned like oil-soaked rags, but Sara stabbed them anyway. She turned to face Chroyl, sword raised.

The abomination appraised Sara as if seeing her for the first time. "I thought I sssensed a familiar weight. You are a remnant." Chroyl waved her hands and more orbs descended. "Remnant of the Rage, it would ssseem, though your powers are ssseverely lacking. Why, I wonder?"

"The Rage?" he and Sara echoed at the same time.

Pure delight emerged on the creature's face. "Ah, thisss is a joy indeed. The othersss will be pleased."

The monster did not clarify what she meant, instead bringing her tail up and slamming it into the clock with a loud thud. A deep bell-like ring emanated from it, deafening. The hands on the clock began to spin wildly.

Again she gestured and the flesh orbs attacked. This time they moved with blinding speed-Reis could barely follow them. One opened a deep gash along Sara's side while another grazed her cheek. Both wounds oozed green blood, but she ignored them and spun, swinging her sword hard. One of the final two assailants burst into halves while the other barely missed cutting her head off.

Reis cursed his inability to do anything but watch. Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Chroyl's eyes turned to him and a wicked smile crossed her lips.

The zipping orbs of flesh circling around Sara paused. Two of them broke away, one pausing to spewing orange fumes between Reis and Sara, the other spinning towards him.

Cursing, Reis dived beneath its attack. He had not seen, but had somehow known it would attack from that angle. Sara, seeing what was happening, was already making her way to him. Reis realized with dismay that Chroyl was forcing the dragon to make mistakes and create openings in her attempt to protect him. A fireball crashed into the abomination spewing fumes while Sara skirted its range, another following close behind. She fell to the ground as it zoomed by, swinging up. The orb oozed purple fluids from a gash and fell, liquifying. Blood stained Sara's robes.

Reis jumped, spun, and rolled for his life, somehow staying out of the creature's grasp. A flash of metal cleaved just above his head, separating the orb of flesh as it missed another sweep.

"Thanks" he said, breathing hard, then frowned when he looked at her.

She was leaning on her sword, exhausted, and bleeding freely from too many wounds.

Chroyl casually waved two of her hands again and six orbs descended. "My, how deliciously you ssstrugle."

"I don't-" Sara paused as she swayed unsteadily. Reis held her. "I think we're in trouble."

Alarm gripped him when he saw the dragon drifting. "Stay with me, Sara! Focus! After we get out of here-when we go home-I'll buy you dinner as thanks for saving my useless arse. Anything you want, all right? So hang on. We'll be fine."

The dragon nodded. "Steak. With lots of sauce and onions."

"Sure."

They turned to face the monster resting on her clock, who was eying them with boredom. Her tail rose to strike the clock again and the sound of ringing bells filled the silence. The clock hands immediately stopped and the pendulum halted.

Sara stepped forward, managing to somehow find the energy to lift her greatsword.

The snake-creature raised all six hands and moved them in a complex pattern-and Sara froze.

Reis stared in utter horror as the gray orbs floated leisurely towards them, Chroyl's laughter following close behind.

"Ssso much for that, mmm?" The creature smiled. "How boring. I expected more from the remnantsss who sssupposedly brought fear to the fearless."

I have to do something! Reis thought in panic. But what? Anything. Doing nothing would result in the same end anyway.

Reis sprinted towards the floating orbs of flesh, circling far around Sara. Chroyl watched him with amusement. He swatted at the orbs as they circled him, screamed, begged the power and knowledge from before to return, but nothing happened. The orbs closed and cut into his flesh painfully despite his attempts to avoid them.

One swooped for the kill. Tired, discouraged, Reis was too slow. He managed at least to save his life, but the blade cut flesh and bone. Three fingers from his right hand landed a short distance away. He screamed in agony, holding his bloody stumps. Chroyl laughed.

Frustration and anger thundered inside him.

Why had fate chosen to beat him into submission and then kick when he was already done and out? What he done to deserve any of this?

We ask not for forgiveness, a voice inside echoed.

Reis didn't care. He had no forgiveness to give.

A desperate plea.

What did they want from him?

Save them, they who are children of the lost.

Something crawled down and along his skin. Reis opened his eyes and raw numerous symbols, dark as the deepest black, moving across his flesh like insects. There was a moment in which time seemed to stop and he feared himself frozen in the same trap as Sara, but a deep knowing told he was not.

The symbols began to shatter one by one and with their leaving he felt a surge of strength, strength that had been held at bay, a power forced to sleep. It fought to break free, to reunite with him, but the runic script held fast, releasing a vast portion, but not all, before sinking back into his flesh.

Four of his teeth lengthened into fangs. His ears melted, giving way to lupine ears that sprouted above him, as black as his long hair, tied back in a single braid. A lupine tail sprouted from his tailbone with a burst of released pressure, waving and aching as if he were using muscles dormant for a long time. His eyes ached and for a moment he feared he was going blind, but then an intense clarity came to his vision. He knew the fleshy orbs to be named shringa, knew what they were capable of with a glance.

Reis stood slowly. Shadows oozed from his skin, enveloping him protectively, like a lover's caress. His fingers tingled and Reis watched the shadows regenerate them exactly as before, complete with the scars from his distant childhood.

The heartbeat of stilled time passed and the shringa closed for the kill. Reis sidestepped them easily. He glanced up at Chroyl; the living shadows cloaking his body swirled with anger.

His mysterious power regarded the abomination coldly. The darkness revealed to him her secrets, and then Reis knew her too.

"You are a remnant!" she accused. "Who!? Who!? You are not known!"

Like her fellow kouv'yrn, or at least the greatest and most ancient of their kind, Chroyl was powerful beyond imagining. Enough to kill him effortlessly.

But she too had weaknesses.

Reis raised his hand and pulled with the power raging inside him, drawing Sara's sword to him. Shadows devoured it, removing it from the effect of Chroyl's spell, and it reemerged in his hand. The blade was heavier than he had expected and felt wrong in his hands. He would not be able to wield it efficiently, but it would suit his purpose.

"You will be ssstruck down as well, little man," Chroyl spat. "I will make your friend watch asss you ssscream!"

It was the likely outcome, but he had been gifted with hope and it was as steadfast as the thickest of armor.

Reis smiled grimly at the kouv'yrn, ears flat, as he drew the shadows to him.