FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"With pleasure" Sarven replies as he grabs the netbook controlling the computer systems in the truck. A few moments later the speedometer needle starts rising as the truck picks up speed. "Just don't be stupid about it. We do have a heavily loaded trailer behind the truck and we can't afford any more delays" Sarven chastises as the speedometer hits one hundred forty miles per hour.

"I'm not going any faster than this. We will catch up to the others in a few hours at this pace and we shouldn't lose anything. I wouldn't risk going any faster with that much weight behind the truck" I reply. "Hey who wants to listen to some music?"

"Sure, why don't you turn the radio on? It will make this long road trip seem to go by faster" Sarven replies.

"Radio or the media player on the netbook?" I ask.

"Radio" Vealdan replies.

"Alrighty then" I reply as I turn the radio on. I turn my attention back to the road as Sarven and Vealdan talk to each other about the plans for the week. I lose track of the time as I drive down the freeway weaving through traffic to maintain my speed. I am surprised when I hear a horn blaring at me as I fly by a white jeep grand Cherokee. Wait a minute... That's Berrwain! Shit I should probably slow down now. I pull the transmission out of gear and push the brake pedal to slow down.

"Damn it Drosmine! Warn us before you do that!" Sarven chastises from the back seat.

"Whoops, sorry about that I forgot how fast we were going" I apologize.

"Just warn us next time. And by the way, don't you ever go that fast again with such a heavy load. That's scary as hell blowing by cars going twice their speed with so much weight behind the truck! You're going to roll the truck if you keep that up" Sarven chides.

"Hey I don't much like it either, but we needed to catch up with the others and the idiots at the hospital didn't help much with that!" I reply hastily.

"Hey what's that smell?" Vealdan asks sniffing the air. I sniff the air too but I don't smell anything. I check the rear view mirrors and I don't find any smoke or vapors trailing the truck.

"I don't smell anything Vealdan. Can you describe the scent at all?" I ask.

"It smells of something volatile, possibly explosive" Vealdan replies. A few seconds later an ear shattering explosion rumbles across the freeway as demolition charges detonate in a building in a nearby town.

"Well I guess that answers your question. It was high explosive demolition charges. I've dealt with the things before. They will give you a killer migraine far worse than any alcohol hangover if you remain exposed to them for too long" I reply calmly as I recall my first encounter with the explosives. "OH! That reminds me that I still have a gun safe full of the shit in the basement of the cottage! I should probably get rid of the stuff once we get there. It may be one of the most stable explosive materials on the planet, but I still don't think it is a good idea to keep the crap just lying around like that" I exclaim as I remember my stash of explosive materials.

"Hey Drosmine, isn't that stuff illegal to have as a civilian?" Sarven asks tauntingly.

"Tis, but you know me. I'm a major pyro and I can't help but relish in the destruction of the old by fire and explosion" I reply with a grin. Before anyone can say anything else the radio changes stations to find a more stable signal.

"Oh shit! Is this what I think it is?"Vealdan asks.

"Depends, do you think it's what was I thinking?" I reply happily.

"That's exactly what I think it is!" Vealdan replies excitedly. Then somehow by an unspoken word Vealdan Sarven and I are all singing along with the song.

"When a mountain of a man with a born to kill tattoo tried to cut in I knocked out his front tooth we ran outside hood-slidin like Bo Duke what was I thinkin? I finally got her home at half past too late her daddy's in a lawn chair sittin in the drive way. I put it in park as he started my way." We all sing with a grin as Berrwain looks at me from the jeep with a funny expression. Sarven can you text Berrwain the radio station? He doesn't understand what we are doing to have so much fun. And while you're at it you minaswell send everyone a copy of the message.

Sure thing Sarven replies as he grabs my phone and texts everyone from the shop the radio station. Zerinnon notices the message and reads it to Berrwain who immediately changes the radio station and cranks the stereo system.

"HAHAHA everyone is goanna have this station cranked for as long as we have a stable connection" I exclaim happily as I see the message get to phone after phone and stereo after stereo change to the station mentioned in the message. I reach out and turn the volume up a bit on my stereo and we continue to sing along with the song.

"She gave a come and get me grin and like a bullet we were gone again! I was thinking about a little white tank top sitting there in the middle by me. I was thinkin bout a long kiss man just gotta get headin where the night might be. I know what I was feelin but man what was I thinkin?" we all sing. The trip continues for several hours with country blaring through the radio and all three of us singing along to almost every song. Then my phone rings and I turn down the stereo to let Sarven answer the phone.

"Talk to me" Sarven says in his customary phone greeting.

"Hey it's getting late and aint no one had nothin to eat since we left. Whaddya say bout stopin by some joint to grab a bite?" Joe asks from the phone. "Oh, and thanks fer letting us all know about that country station man! I oughta buy ya a beer fer that!"

"Hey Drosmine it's Red Joe. He wants to know what your thoughts are on stopping to get something to eat. What do you want me to tell him?" Sarven asks.

"Tell him it's bout damned time yall decided ta grab a bite! What kinda joint ya thinkin bout?" I reply to Sarven who repeats the message to Joe.

"I aint got shit on ta joint ta stop at, just a place wit food. Howsa bout the first bar we sees?" Joe replies.

"Joe says he has no idea where to stop and asks how about the first bar we pass" Sarven tells me.

"Sarven just give me the phone this will go a lot faster" I say as I hold my hand out for the phone. "Hey Joe wha kinda bar we talkin bout? Sometin wit steaks or ya lookin fer a good burger?" I ask Joe through the phone.

"Sometin wit a good burger. I aint want no damned steaks I want a god damn burger is what I want!" Joe replies.

"Lets take the first exit and find a good joint for a damn good burger then! Pass the news on to the others ima start looking for a place to go" I reply before hanging up. "Ugh. I have no clue why he insists on talking like that. Hey Sarven can you help me keep a lookout for any exit with a bar and grill?" I comment after hanging up.

"Only if you promise not to drink" Sarven warns.

"Relax, after yesterday and this morning I don't think I will ever drink again! I'm not even sure I want to go inside, but that's where the food is so I pretty much don't have a choice" I exclaim.

"Just making sure I won't have to intervene in any more fights like I did yesterday. That phoenix was a mouthy little bird! I don't want to deal with anyone else like that" Sarven replies flatly.

"You wont have to stop any more fights. Can we find a place to get some food?" I ask testily.

"There is no reason to be rude Drosmine!" Sarven chides.

"Sorry about that" I apologize.

"You don't need to apologize, just don't be rude. Now I do agree with you, we should find some place to eat" Sarven replies.

"Exit 76B. Take exit 76B and turn left. Two and a half miles down the road is a place I used to work at. They have some decent food there" Vealdan says.

"Sure. Sarven tell the others where were going please" I comment as I begin searching for the exit sign. Finding the sign I pull into the exit ramp lane and push the brakes to slow down to avoid losing the trailer. The truck glides to a stop then lurches forward as I stop at the stop sign then pull forward and miss a gear as I turn. I quickly throw the transmission back into second gear and the truck continues to accelerate through the turn to travel down the road to the bar Vealdan mentioned. "So why did you leave your job here?" I ask Vealdan as I park the truck and kill the engine.

"That is something you're about to find out. As soon as you're in the door you will understand. By the way, if you have a knife or a hand gun it would be a good idea to keep them handy" Vealdan replies. I turn to face the building quizzically and then I notice it, a long line of custom built choppers.

"A biker gang? That's it? Just a rough and tumble biker gang?" I ask.

"They are more than that. There is one requirement for joining this gang. Prison time" Vealdan replies. "Every single one of them is packing heat and they are always here after six every single night. I doubt any of them have families or even a house to go home to"

"OH! So it's THAT kind of biker gang. Damn dude! I can see why you left here. But as long as the food is good I can keep these guys happy enough to leave us alone" I reply. With that I walk in the door Sarven and Vealdan close behind me. As I walk in the door everyone in the bar stops and watches me walk across the room to join everyone else from the shop as well as the two dragons.

"It's about fucking time you showed up! These biker guys are really looking to get a go at us!" Berrwain whispers tensely as I approach the table.

"Berrwain don't be such a pussy!" Persephone says loudly.

"There is no need for that here and now. You two can fight later if you want but right now I just want some damn food!" Steve says angrily.

"would yall shut the hell up and get something ta eat already? I want ta get the heck outta here!" Joe says.

"All of you just shut the hell up!" I say loudly attracting the attention of several bikers. "Just get yer damn food and eat it! You don't need to be so damn obnoxious about being uncomfortable being here!" I say as I take a seat.

"What can I get for you boys?" Asks a waitress as she walks up to the table.

"Give me the biggest burger you got on the menu" I reply as I turn to look out the window. I see someone outside doing something to my truck so I jump up and run outside as I pull out my karambit pocket knife. "You bastards get the hell away from my truck!" I yell as I run at two teenagers with a can of spray paint. The teenagers drop the can of paint and run leaving a mess all over my truck. "Well this is just fucking great. Those punk ass bitches rattle canned a fucking skull on my truck" I mutter as two bikers come out of the bar and walk my way.

"You better watch yer mouth around here little man. This here bar belongs to us, not you. What we say goes around here, understand?" The bigger of the two men says to me.

"I don't give a damn who you are or think you are, no body messes with my truck. Now tell you what. You leave me alone and I will pay your bar tab for a week. Sound good to you?" I reply angrily.

"It's goanna take quite a bit of cash to do that little man, cash that you don't have. Now I suggest you quit running your mouth before I rip yer lips off" the smaller of the two men threatens.

"Sorry, it won't happen again" I reply quickly before walking inside. As I sit down Sarven turns his head to look at me.

You seem worried Sarven. What's bothering you? I ask telepathically.

We are in a bar that belongs to a vicious biker gang and you're outside picking a fight with the two meanest guys from said gang. Take a guess at what's bothering me. Sarven replies.

All you have to do is say something and I stop. You know that. If it bothers you that I am stirring things up with these bike punks then just say something.

Stop messing with the gangsters!

Was that so hard?

No, but now there are three big guys glaring angrily at you. I think we should sit closer together so that they don't decide to give you any trouble.

Sarven, this place just reeks of southern hick hillbilly. These people are gangsters and think they own the whole damn planet. They are goanna give me trouble now no matter where I sit.

I would still rather have you closer to me and the back door than them.

Suit yourself. I stand up and walk over to where Sarven is sitting and sit down again. As I sit down the waitress walks out of the kitchen carrying several platters loaded with food. After a few moments of confusion she notices that I have moved to another table and walks over to bring me my food scowling.

"What's the matter? Never had someone move on ya?" I ask snidely.

"No, that I have to serve those things" the waitress replies sharply as she points at the dragons.

"Why you racist little bitch" I spit like acid. "What did they ever do to you? Huh? What did they do to you? They haven't even said a word and you just go off like that!" I snap angrily.

"They were born that's what they did! Why don't you all just go crawl back into the hell hole you came out of?" the waitress responds before spitting on my shirt.

"Well shit! We got a badass over here!" I say loudly as I jump to my feet and raise my fists ready for a fight. "What's the matter? Aint you never seen a city slicker ready for a fight in an old run down redneck bar?" I sneer.

"I have no problem with you. Its them scaly bastards I don't like" the waitress says calmly pointing at Sarven with a pencil.

"Yeah? Well I have a problem with you bitch. I DON'T tolerate bigotry! And you are a bigot!" I say angrily.

"Either sit down and eat or get out" the waitress responds.

"I'm outta here! I aint about to pay for shit food and shit service in a shit joint run by some shit biker gang!" I yell as I walk out the back door, Sarven, Vealdan, and Zerinnon all following me.

"So what's the plan now smart one? I'm still hungry and now we are stuck with you" Zerinnon comments testily.

"That's easy. We all hop in the truck and go to the nearest big box mart and pick up a grill and some food to cook. As we walk around the bar to the truck the rest of the group from the computer shop walks out the front door of the bar.

"Thanks a lot Drosmine! You got us all kicked out!" Persephone says angrily as she storms up to me. "So what is you big plan on food now?" she demands.

"We go to the closest big box mart and grab a grill, some fuel, a bag of charcoal, and have a barbeque in the parking lot. Sound good enough for you?" I reply coolly as I climb into my truck.

"You better not get us kicked out of the store too" Persephone snaps before I shut the door. Sarven and Vealdan climb in the other door.

"You didn't need to do that. It is pretty hard to offend us after all we have been through" Vealdan comments as I fight to start the truck.

"Oh but I did. If there is one thing that pisses me off more than anything else in the universe it's bigotry. Especially about a different sentient being!" I reply curtly as the engine roars to life, arcid black smoke spewing from the exhaust pipes.

"Drosmine is there something wrong with the truck? It has been giving you trouble for quite some time and something smells wrong in the exhaust smoke. It is supposed to have a sickly sweet scent mixed in with the diesel smoke. All I smell is diesel smoke and propane fumes" Sarven asks from the back seat.

"I don't know what, but something is surely wrong with it. Nice topic change by the way" I reply.

"Thank you. Don't you think you should get it fixed? You are running a monster of a truck with your own computer control system in it and a propane injection system. If something misfires or fires when it shouldn't a lot of damage can be done. If even one of the four propane tanks goes off the whole truck will blow up! And if one tank goes off the others will too. That is something you wont survive. I might not even survive that kind of explosion!" Sarven rants.

"Alright alright I get it. Next time we stop for the night I will run diagnostics on the engine and fuel systems to figure out what is wrong and fix it. But you are going to be the one driving the next day if I am up all night working on the engine" I reply flatly.

"I can work with that. I rather enjoy driving this truck, and who knows, maybe I won't get pulled over this time. It seems that every time I drive this truck on a road trip I get pulled over without my driver's license" Sarven says.

"How the hell did you get a driver's license in the first place Sarven?" I ask.

"I got it through my service in the military. Every soldier human or not was required to be capable of operating a vehicle safely on the open road. I can drive cars and trucks both automatic and manual, but I prefer to drive a tank much more. It is easier to operate and allows for greater comfort while driving" Sarven replies.

"That is very interesting. I will have to get you a truck some time and modify it to your liking. It will be interesting to ride with you on the road more frequently" I comment as I begin to draw up plans for modifying the controls to a truck in my mind.

"Worry more about getting to where we are going before you get to side tracked with the blueprints to that truck you're going to build for me Drosmine. I don't want you to put us in a ditch somewhere" Sarven chides as I pull onto the road.

"Oh right, the road. I should probably pay more attention to that shouldn't I?" I reply sarcastically.

"Just get us to the damn store would you? I'm hungry over here!" Vealdan snaps.

"Okay! There's no need to be rude about it" I quickly respond as I snap my attention back to the road and floor the gas pedal.

"Drosmine I wouldn't start with him right now" Sarven whispers into my ear urgently.

Don't worry, I'm not about to start anything with a full grown dragon in an enclosed area like this... it wouldn't end well for anyone involved. I pull my phone out of my pocket and hand it to Sarven. "Hey see if you can find a store anywhere near here" I say as Sarven takes the phone. Before Sarven has a chance to do anything the phone starts ringing.

"Hello?" Sarven asks as he answers the call.

"Yo! Sarven, tell Drosmine to go seven or eight miles down the road. There is a party store down here with everything we need to keep everyone happy!" Berrwain says happily on the phone.

"Drosmine, Berrwain says there is a party store about seven miles down the road that can take care of our current problems" Sarven says quietly in my ear.

"Well shit! What are we waiting for then? Let the others know that were doing a parking lot cook out" I exclaim as I shift through a few gears and keep the throttle wide open to get down the street as fast as possible. I pull the transmission out of gear and coast into the parking lot before stopping and killing the engine. As I open the door and climb out of the truck my phone rings. Sarven tosses the phone to me and I answer it without a second thought.

"You listen to me and you listen close dragon lover. You best enjoy your time with that bitch assed lizard with wings while you can because three heads are going to hang on the wall and I will shine my boots with your blood before this is over. By the end of it all those worthless winged lizards and all who accept them will be cleansed from this planet." A voice threatens venomously through the phone before hanging up. I quickly turn and pocket my phone before rushing inside. I run to the counter and purchase several lottery tickets before running to the back of the store to find Berrwain.

"Drosmine you look like you just saw a ghost! What's wrong?" Berrwain comments as I approach.

"We have a problem. I don't think this place has enough food to feed three hungry dragons and everyone from the shop" I reply with a smirk.

"That's what has you so worried?" Berrwain asks tauntingly.

"Hey you can't say shit until you've seen Zerinnon without food for several days. Or better yet, drive across the country with him in that state. A hungry dragon is an angry dragon. Remember that Berrwain, it might help you someday" I comment with a playfully taunting tone.

"Oh shut up and buy something already would you?" Berrwain replies testily. I turn without saying a word and locate a charcoal grill and a bag of charcoal. I bring both back to Berrwain and promptly drop them at his feet before commenting.

"There, I bought something. Happy now?" I reply smugly.

"Ugh, you know what I mean Drosmine! Just do something productive for cryin out loud!" Berrwain says.

"Oh come on, you know I can't resist doing something like that" I reply.

"When did I become the responsible one?" Berrwain asks before turning back to the freezers packed with meat. "How much do you think Vealdan is going to eat?"

"Buddy you minas well get as much as you can pack into the cart. Vealdan is one hungry dragon!" I exclaim as I hear the door open and several people walk into the store. "You get everything we are goanna need Ima go pay for the grill and get it started so that it's ready to go." I pick up the grill and charcoal and proceed to the cashier. After paying for the items I walk to the truck and set up the grill. "Hey Sarven, can you help me with this?" I call out.

"Sure" Sarven replies as he walks over to the grill. After a moment Sarven appears to vomit a viscous black fluid into the grill before backing up. "That should do it. Drosmine I would back up if I were you" Sarven warns before spitting a small fireball at the grill. The resulting blaze illuminates the poorly lit parking lot for several minutes before dyeing down to a small flame.

"What the hell was that?!?" demands Persephone as she marches across the parking lot from her black taho.

"That would be Sarven lighting the grill for me. What else would it be?" I reply smugly with a cocky grin.

"God your such an IDIOT! Are you trying to kill us all!?! We are all well aware of the hardware you truck carries! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SIX PROPANE TANKS GO OFF!?! We would all blow up! Do you really want that to happen?" Persephone snaps.

"You do realize those tanks have safety pressure release valves in them to prevent that from happening right? The worst that would happen is the valves open releasing the contents of the can turning my truck into a giant flame thrower" I reply calmly.

"Whatever! Just quit being stupid would you?" Persephone snaps.

"Do you want food or not? If so I would suggest you just walk away" I retort. Before I get the chance to say anything else someone on a chopper goes flying by and throws a brick through the windshield of my truck. I open the passenger door of the truck and retrieve the brick and find a note attached to it. I unfold the note and begin to read what it says. Before I even finish reading the note Sarven pokes my side to get my attention.

You better pocket that and throw it into the grill the first chance you get. Act like it is just an act of vandalism and not the threat that it so clearly is. We will discuss this more later.

You have an uneasy feeling about this too? I ask as I quickly pocket the slip of paper and grab the brick as I shut the door of the truck.

"What the hell just happened Drosmine?" Persephone demands as I drop the brick in a trash can and walk back to the grill.

"Some dick bag on a chopper just threw a brick through my windshield. What's it look like just happened?" I reply calmly while keeping a straight face.

"What took you so long? It looked like you were reading something. Is someone threatening you?" Persephone questions me.

"It was nothing more than someone throwing a brick through my windshield. Don't worry about it so much it has nothing to do with you" I reply calmly.

"Damnit Drosmine tell me what the hell is going on here!" Persephone demands.

"I am about to cook dinner over a grill in the parking lot of a party store. That's what is going on here. Nothing more nothing less so just stop asking questions" I reply calmly.

"DAMN IT DROS-" Persephone starts before Sarven cuts her off by growling and snapping his jaw shut behind her. "I fucking hate it when you two do that and you know it Drosmine. You two are hiding something, I just know it" Persephone says quietly before walking away. Berrwain comes walking out of the store shortly after pushing a cart full of meat products.

"Hey Berrwain your workin the grill" I say as he walks over to the grill.

"BULLSHIT!" he replies.

"Just do it and when we get back home I will get you a new jeep of your choice" I reply irritably.

"What's the deal man? I've been trying to get you to co sign a loan for a jeep and you just suddenly offer to pay for half of the thing? What's going on?" Berrwain asks obviously concerned.

"Sarven and I need to talk. Just stop asking questions and work the grill and I will pay for the entire jeep!" I snap angrily as I turn and walk back to the truck. Sarven we need to talk now, it can't wait for later.

If you insist. Let's at least get away from the others before this conversation. Let's go a few hundred feet up the road, no one should bother us there.

I'll meet you there. I start walking away when Berrwain grabs my shoulder.

"Where are you going?" he demands.

"Up the road a little so I can talk to Sarven undisturbed" I reply flatly. Berrwain lets me go and I continue to walk up the road. After a few minutes I hear a rustling sound to my left.

"Get over here quickly!" Sarven says urgently. I turn and run away from the road and trip over Sarven's front paw. Before I even hit the ground Sarven covers me with his wing and covers my mouth with his tail. Moments later the same man that threw the brick through my window goes down the road back towards the bar he came from. As soon as he passes Sarven lets me go.

"Sarven I have a bad feeling about this. We've dealt with gangs before, but this one seems different. First the call then the brick through the windshield. Something has me uneasy about this all but I can't put my finger on it" I say.

"So you too have this feeling. I fear what it could mean" Sarven replies grimly.

"Something is wrong here. There was an ominous message in that phone call and I have reason to believe there is truth to this threat. I fear what is to come to this world Sarven. I was told that your head would hang from a wall and my blood will shine a pair of boots, and that is only the start."

"I heard what you did when you took that call. I have reason to believe we should take precautionary measures now while we still can. I noticed you bought a few lottery tickets from that party store. I already know what you need to do to win those. The money from them will greatly help with our preparations" Sarven tells me.

"How do you know which numbers will win?" I ask.

"You remember that special gift I have right? The entire reason I decided to stay with you fourteen years ago. Well I have been learning how to control it, and I used that gift to help get what we will need to weather the coming storm" Sarven replies.

"Normally I would be angry with you for a stunt like that but taking the current circumstances into account I have to say I couldn't be happier you did that, even if it is technically stealing" I say grimly.

"I did what I thought was necessary to make it through what is yet to come. Oh by the way, Berrwain will find himself attracted to dragons before this is all said and done" Sarven comments.

"Really? Nevermind that we have more pressing issues at hand. What is our plan of action going to be? If this turns into a world civil war as that gangster made it sound like we will never stand a chance at our current home!" I say.

"We will need to find a defendable location to live. A location that can provide shelter for everyone from the shop and several dragons. We will need a way to defend said location, long range rifles and heavy machineguns should suffice, we will need sustenance that can last, and we will need a way to stay healthy. It sounds like the best plan of action is to buy a large plot of land and build a fortress that suits our needs there, then fill it with the supplies we will need and when the time comes we will high tail it to the fortress we will have built" Sarven explains.

"That sounds like a plan to me, but what will we tell the others from the shop?" I reply.

"We won't tell them until its time. Anything you want to save vehicle wise you had better get moved to the fort while it is still safe. Then put an armored bus in the garage in the back yard and when it is time everyone will pile into the bus and we run to the fort. Better move everything you want to keep because when we get into that bus we will never be able to return to our home again. Our home will be a priority target once word spreads that dragons are to be exterminated and we had best not be there when that happens" Sarven says grimly.

"I will have quite a bit of work ahead of me. I better get a hold of a semi truck and vehicle transport trailer beforehand. There is a lot of money to be made on the vehicles I'm sitting on right now that could really help us later on. Money is always an asset that is better to be had than not, especially when it can save your life or the lives of others" I comment quietly.

"You will need to transport more than just your vehicles and garage equipment. You should take your computer equipment as well, and you will need a way to keep people entertained or they will slowly lose their grip on their sanity. They aren't ex military or of military descent and they don't have the training or the skill set necessary to survive a civil war without something to take their minds off of it" Sarven tells me.

"That's true. Damn it why does this have to be happening? What have dragons ever done to deserve this kind of treatment?" I ask thinking out loud. Before Sarven has a chance to answer this question I hear footsteps coming down the side of the road and Sarven throws himself on top of me. Without a sound both of us lay there in the dirt waiting for whoever might be walking up the road. A few moments later a burly man in a leather vest walks by holding a shotgun.

Sarven we have to do something about this rat bastard before someone gets killed!

Agreed, when I say go I am going to tackle him to the ground. When I do I want you to take his gun from him before he has the chance to shoot anyone. Got it?

Got it.

GO! At that moment Sarven leapt off of me towards the guy with the shotgun, but he made a sound getting off the ground and the man brought the gun around to face Sarven and pulled the trigger. A split second later the man landed on the ground with a sickening snapping sound. I jump up from where I lay and sprint over to the man to take the gun before he could get it reloaded but I was too late. Another shot rang out before I could get the gun away from him.

"GET OFF ME YOU SCALLY BASTARD!" the man screamed from underneath Sarven.

Sarven let's get the hell outta here NOW!

Sure, just keep that damn gun away from this trigger happy motherfucker.

Sarven are you alright?

The Bastard shot me! No I'm not alright. Let's just go before more show up. Just climb on and let's go! I run over to Sarven and hold on as Sarven leaps into the air and flies back to the party store. The instant he lands I drop to the ground and toss the shotgun to the side as I inspect Sarven's chest for any fatal injuries. Several minutes later I notice that Sarven's left arm is bleeding.

"It doesn't look like anything fatal but he did get you in the arm. Some gauze and some antiseptic should take care of that" I say calmly.

"Drosmine WHAT THE HELL pp IS GOING ON HERE!?!" Persephone demands as she storms over to me.

"I'm not putting up with this from you anymore. If you value your job you will shut the hell up and walk away NOW!" I snap as I whip around to face her. With a glare of seething rage she silently turns and walks the other way.

"What the hell happened to you Sarven? I heard gun shots and you two come back with a shot gun and both bleeding. What's going on here that I'm not being told?" Vealdan asks as he approaches.

"Drosmine you're bleeding! What happened out there?" Zerinnon asks as he slithers over to inspect the damage.

"Son of a bitch from the bar attacked us with a shot gun. Wait, did you say I'm bleeding?" I respond as I become aware of a sharp pain in my right arm.

"You are bleeding profusely! Did you grab the gun as you got shot or something?" Zerinnon asks as he grabs my right arm and pulls it up in front of my face. To my dismay I find blood dripping from several small holes in my forearm.

"Probably. I wasn't paying attention to myself I was paying attention to getting the gun away from the bastard before he managed to get under Sarven's scales" I reply casually. "I should probably get the pellets out of my arm before I have to worry about lead poisoning"

"Oh you don't have to worry about that. Every single pellet went clean through" Zerinnon tells me.

"Shit, this is goanna need more than just a band aid to fix. Ah shit, I'm going to have to wax my arm before I put gauze on it. How am I supposed to do that with holes in my arm?" I comment as I realize what will have to be done to protect the open wounds from infection.

"That is a good question. Uhh, Sarven? What the heck is Vealdan doing?" Zerinnon asks. I turn to see what Zerinnon is talking about to find Vealdan holding his tongue over the gash in Sarven's arm.

"What's it look like he is doing? He is helping the blood coagulate so I don't bleed to death. Haven't you learned anything about what your body is capable of Zerinnon?" Sarven replies calmly.

"That's great and all, but as long as we all remain here we all remain in danger. Can we worry about this shit later? We have yet to eat anything and the sooner we get back on the road the better!" I exclaim as blood drips from my arm a little faster. "Son of a bitch that hurt!" I exclaim as something in my back pops.

Drosmine we need to leave NOW! Don't question it just GO! Get the truck started I will be there in a moment. Complying with Sarven's orders I quickly walk to the truck and climb in and start the engine. Moments later Sarven rips what's left of the windshield off and climbs into the truck.

"Get to the nearest hotel NOW!" Sarven barks as he climbs into the back seat. I throw the transmission into first and peel out of the parking lot and tear down the road flying through the gears. "Speed limit be damned Drosmine just go!" I drop the transmission a gear and floor the gas. The engine responds immediately with a roar comparable to Sarven when he is angry and flames spewing from the tailpipes. I can feel the weight of the truck shift to the drive axle as the front wheels almost lift off the ground before shifting into a higher gear and the weight shifts back towards the center of the truck. Even over the sound of the wind tearing through the cabin of the truck I can hear another pop come from my back, this one higher up and far more painful. "Drosmine we are running out of time!" Sarven yells from the back seat.

Something is wrong here. Sarven seems really scared about something... wait a minute. Why isn't the wind in my face blinding me? Traveling at just over a hundred miles per hour and yet I can see just fine. In fact, I can see more clearly than I have ever been able to before!..... Why does my arm feel funny? I glance at my arms to see what is wrong and notice scales beginning to grow in my left arm. HOLY CRAP! IM TURNING INTO A DRAGON!

"Took you long enough to figure it out! Now hurry the fuck up!" Sarven yells from the back seat. I yank the transmission out of gear and slam the brakes as I see a shady looking hotel on the outskirts of the town we are fast approaching. I crank the wheel to the right and slide into the parking lot of the hotel and the truck finally comes to a stop occupying several parking spaces when I kill the engine and run inside.

"No time for questions I need a room NOW" I saw as I toss the man behind the counter my credit card. "Don't care if the rate is fifty bucks an hour just get me a god damn room!" without a flinch the man behind the desk swipes my credit card through the machine and hands over a set of keys to a hotel room. Without waiting I grab the keys and my card and sprint to the room listed on the key tag. Seconds after I get in the room Sarven follows and closes the door behind him. No sooner the door closes than yet another sickening pop and yet more pain. Seconds later the pain spreads down my arms and legs and I fall to the floor writhing in pain. Shortly after I black out.