FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The furious pounding that came from the outside worried James, imagining at first it was coming for him. But the way it was repeatedly bashing on something in the other direction, he cautiously peeked out of the door frame to see the source. A small shadow was at the outbuilding in the atrium, directly opposite of the cherry tree. James had never really inspected the small shed before owing it to being locked. But now he was intrigued when something was so desperately trying to get inside it. The skull-headed creature howled and wailed, screaming violently to be let inside. But nothing came. Soon it would stop, shaking with rejection, sorrow and loneliness enveloped around its aura as it slowly slinked away to the lakeshore beyond. Passing through the back door, it faded from the garden, with James following after it quickly. He couldn't lose his chance to find another of the children and find his true target. Much to his dismay however, the back door had a lock placed upon it, but this time it did not have a fruit on it. Instead, it had a bell on its lock. With frustration, he bashed on the door much like the other creature had done. "NO! Dammit! Open up! ...wait, a bell? ...now you can't even be consistent, what the hell guys? ...hhhhh, fiiiine, where's the key?"

Deciding to investigate elsewhere, he walked over towards the separate building the skull child had been trying to break into. A large wood carving of a flower pattern was on the double door, something he had seen on other doors within the mansion. A talisman had been placed upon it. Not even trying to avoid it this time, he slammed his fist straight onto the talisman, ready to receive another terrifying series of visions before him. A short balding man in a white lab coat holding a device in his hand; the wandering mother howling at an unseen person; the red shadow meeting with three others of blue, orange and pink.

must leave soon before i get too invol- MY CHILDREN ARE LOST, WHY SHOULD I HELP- do you believe he is the one- the watcher assured us...he...can free us.

While not as violent or ear-piercing as the other visions were, this one was nevertheless a strain for James' mind to endure, his knees buckling under the weight of it all. He struggled to keep himself standing, clutching his head as both words and visions poured into his head, trickling into his senses. When he felt his mind clear once more, the talisman had fallen off of its own accord, its purpose complete. Somewhat confused by such an eager entry, James slowly opened what he thought was the shed. In truth, it was actually a small housed shrine. A large central rectangular column stood in the centre, with a polished mirror glistening at the front of its bottom strut. Upon further investigation, he noted the bottom part of the pillar to have a circular slot on each of its four sides, along with an encryption above each hole.

I ascended the mountain with a burning heart I walked down a road only to lose to my sorrow I flew across the sea without fear or love I travelled across two lands but I was never alone

Looking at his badges, he found that they fit perfectly, but he was missing one more. James mumured to himself softly. "He must be the last one...so there's only four of them?" He decided to keep the badges on him for now, looking around a little more only to find a note pinned on the back of the column.

The mother awaits her last child Walk along the path outside And look up to the heavens

Sneering slightly at getting tired of the cryptic hints, he walked back outside and looked up as he walked along the small stone path. When he reached the Japanese-style gate that stood before the shrine, something glimmered within its top. "Shiny?" Not wanting to risk blowing it away, he climbed up the thin gate cautiously as if it were a lamppost. Much to his joy, he found a key that had been tucked away into a corner chipping of the wood that faced towards the shrine. Sure enough, it had the bell inscribed upon its handle. "Theeere you are...wait, was it there all this time? ...who the hell locked it then?" Climbing back down with questions turning over in his head, he opened the back door to the abyss of the lake, looking around cautiously for his target. He realised that he had no special item to help soothe this spirit with, and he hoped that he would find some way to do so before it came out to fight. He saw a shadow over at the grave stone mound where he had slept. He called out nervously. "Uhhh...hello?! Hey li'l guy...can you help me?" The shadow turned towards FG, who kept himself on the lakeshore. He didn't want to chance any fights while on the small bridges, as the shadow merely sat pensively. No response came, and the raptor sighed with annoyance. "Alright, hold on, but no fighting okay!? I don't wanna fight, I'm not here to hurt you, I just wanna help find your mum okay?" He tried to talk down the ghost child as he walked forwards along the bridges, doing all he could to keep the little one calm as it sat, waiting. He could see its head flicker a little back and forth, as if frightened. "Shhh shhhh it's okay, it's okay...listen...you want me to just...keep you company? Help you out a little?" The creature did not reply, turning its head up to look at James' plaintive eyes, the raptor genuinely willing to help. He could see there was no trust, but at the very least it wasn't trying to attack him. "Hey...I met your brothers...I helped 'em out. Look." He showed the ghost the three badges he had obtained, the spirit merely looking with blank eyes before turning away to look at the ground once more. It sat like a doll, unloved and unwanted. The thought made James' heart sink as he sat down beside it, putting his trust into it. "I've been alone a lot of times...but after enough travelling, I tend to find new friends. Sometimes I have to leave them, but that doesn't mean I lose them forever. Sometimes, they stay with me...right here." The raptor tapped his pendant, the worthless black stone barely glinting in the night. The creature looked towards him and noted it. "A friend gave me this. A very special friend. But she's not gone forever. I still remember her. I used to think you couldn't be friends with someone you've only known a few days but...travelling a lot proved me wrong. If you travel enough, you can find them. ...do you...want to be friends with me?" He felt this was a good time to relax, to try and ease the soul of a forlorn spectre by simply sitting down and talking it out. He could feel the aura of emptiness from it. No desire to fight. Not even to love. James pondered on how to befriend the ghost, as it turned and gently reached out for his pendant. It thumbed at the stone with hands the size of a baby's. James was reluctant. "Y-you...um...you want this?" He could tell the creature wanted something from him. But not out of greed. The look in his eyes signified something else. But it hurt his heart to refuse. "I...I'm sorry but...this pendant's special. It was my friend's I.........you want something to remember me by...don't you?" The skull-headed child nodded. James tried to think of something, anything to best amend this situation. To refuse friendship now would be the cruellest thing. As he shuffled slightly while in his thoughts, he felt something poke out from his satchel. Then it hit him. He looked inside and bit his lip nervously. Should I? ...I need to give him something...what else do I have? At this rate, James felt as if he were giving up everything from his satchel as he gently pulled out the shining crystal. It was his only memento from his days with the Kremling Krew, but he realised it was not a gift. This was something he took for himself. What am I gonna use this for? I can't use this for anything else. "Hey...here." He offered the crystal to the little spirit. Its eyes widened ever so slightly with surprise. The way the crystal glimmered with such beauty even in the darkness of the mansion grounds was amazing, an icy-white light that sparkled across the skull's features. James had no regrets, despite its alluring shine that twinkled in his eyes. "Go on...it's my gift to you." It was a little big for the small creature, perhaps the size of a club to it. But it intrigued the spirit all the more, who took it tenderly, grasping it in its tiny hands. A smile soon came to its eyes, before the creature waddled forwards to hug James' waist. Blushing slightly, he hugged back as best as he could, the cold touch of the spirit making him shiver slightly as he tried to resist it. Soon it released him, and the crystal floated around the skull-headed child with an unearthly ease. James chuckled at its remedy for carrying it, the shining crystal floating around its head as the spirit smiled more and more. Eventually, it removed its skull, fading away with a soft light into the air, taking its gift with it. In return, it left behind a solid gold badge, resplendent with a great feathered bird upon it, almost reminiscent of Aztec mythology. With the last badge in his hand, he smiled and headed back to the shrine, ready to continue his search. Before he left however, a piece of paper had floated down from the air, also left behind by the last child. He catched it swiftly before it fell into the water, finding it to be another of the researcher's notes.

I've also noticed that each child exhibits one particular emotion most of the time. The water one is filled with sorrow, the firey one burns with intense fury, the swift one of wind always runs with fear, and the last one is rooted to the earth with a maddening loneliness. I would never wish to attack the poor things, but if they choose to assault me, I must find a way to counter their elements and protect myself.

"Why do these guys keep holding onto notes about themselves?" asked James aloud. Without a real answer to support himself with, he headed back to the cherry atrium, soon entering the shrine and placing the four badges in their correct places. It wasn't difficult to figure out where to place the gold one when he had the other three already guessed. As soon as he placed the last badge into its slot, the column suddenly scraped across the floor, pulling back to reveal a hole. Perfectly circular, like that of a well but with a ladder going down. "Seriously?" He was hoping for an answer but found none, sighing as he knew this was the only way to go further. The climb downwards, while a little unnerving considering the underground moisture on the ladder, was almost endlessly long, feeling as if he were climbing down into the centre of the earth. The air turned colder with every few steps he made, shaking slightly in his grip as he struggled to not slip, claws clanging against the metal rungs. Soon he reached the bottom of the hole, finding himself in a small cavern. Puddles of subterranean water laid all around him, but the main centrepiece of it all was a skeleton sitting in a hole in the wall directly opposite him. The bones had turned brown from age, long black hair and a white kimono still remaining upon it. James' heart tightened powerfully at recognising her. _Is this...is this her? _ He tried not to move, panicking slightly as he looked around cautiously for any potential enemies, dead or alive. A small candleholder was lit beside a perfectly rectangular door, cut into the stone wall to his left. Right beside it was a small blue light, yet another of the shrines. He swiftly headed over to it, sighing as he felt his anxieties melt away. He was not sure why, but the soothing properties of the blue light always worked on him. Another small reward was on the shrine itself. Yet another page of the traveller before him.

The last spirits that I encounter here were...unlike anything I had ever known. Whoever they were...or rather, whatever they were, they are very ancient souls that do not belong to this mansion, not even to this existence! If that sounds strange to you, let me clarify. These four spirits, seen only by their unique colour shading of red, blue, orange and pink, not only drove my scanner to breaking point, but their very aura was one that I could feel. I am not insensitive to the aura of ghosts at this point. But the aura that these beings emitted, it was as if I were meeting my own ancestor's souls somehow. As difficult as that may be to comprehend, I know that is the only way I can describe it thus. I do hope you understand. They appeared to be guarding something very deep within the caverns beneath the mansion. Yet I did not sense malevolence from them. If anything, I believe they are guarding something to protect others from.

"Red...wait...those...shadow things..." His mind slightly opened up the floodgates of revelation, but he had yet to meet any of them truly before he could make his best estimate. Willing his confidence up once more, he opened the door nearby. Surprisingly, he found himself in a long cavernous tunnel. More precisely, he was on the other side of the collapsed wall from the tunnel he last saw Boona at, the pile of stones directly to his right, with a large cavern to his left and a stone pillar wrapped with ropes directly before him. The cavern was immense, a wide endless abyss with only a small rocky path supported by stalagmites from below. Vertigo became his nemesis at the very sight of the rock-formed bridge from afar. He also realised this was where he first saw the mother spirit. "Hello? ...spirit? Are you here? ...I know where your children are." And with this proclamation, came the mother spirit herself. The air changed from the musty cold of the caves to that of a darkening static he could practically breathe. It made his lungs tighten with anxiety as he turned towards the source of the static noise, a twisted melody of dull notes and muted screams. Veins of grey started to flicker at the edges of his perception, crackling into darkness as he heard the scraping of bone across the stone floor. She stood before him, 3 feet tall with a larger skull upon her head, small brown hands clenching with a deepening fury. James stared her down, struggling to contain his fear at the terrifying presence it radiated, a powerful aura of both sorrow and rage. He did not bring out his weapon just yet, as the creature spoke to him, through his mind. My children...my...children.... "Wh-what?" MY CHILDREN! WHERE ARE THEY!?!? "They...they're gone." ...gone? "I helped them move on. They were wandering the mansion, lost and afraid...trying to find you." You...they have left?! They are gone from this place?! She slammed her bone club down upon the ground, causing a violent tremor to erupt throughout the cavern as her rage deafened the inside of James' mind. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM!??! WHY HAVE YOU CURSED US, TO NEVER BE TOGETHER AGAIN!?! "Wh-wha-I didn't curse you!" LIAR! The creature charged forwards with a tremendous swing, forcing James to bring out his scissors and deflect the bone club. But she was far stronger than her children, knocking him away before she struck him hard in the head, bruising him viciously. At the moment of the strike, he felt her suffering. Literally. The screams of her children deafened his ears. The blood of their wounds blinded his eyes. The hot metal of bullets tore through his skin as he fell to his knees screaming with tears of anguish. His heart beat violently fast with both her sorrow and her pain, blending together into a violent phantasmagoria. His cheeks bled with hot tears as he shook in his struggle, trying to contain himself as he stood up slowly. Do you feel my suffering?! Do you hear my children calling for me, begging for me to save them?! You took them away from me! YOU MURDERED MY FAMILY, AND FOR WHAT?!! "I D-DIDN'T! I'M N-NOT THE ONE WHO DID TH-THIS!" You will SUFFER for your greed! He saw her readily swing once more, dodging away hard as he steadied his vision, or tried his best at least. Leaning against the walls of the cave, he kept his scissors ready to block any further attacks, readying a blast of fire in his other hand. But the aftermath of the pain in his mind had shaken him, unable to focus, unable to fight off the spirit. Her anguish lingered in the air around him, keeping his heart constantly racing as the mother walked towards him. Her steps were heavy, eyes burning with wettened streaks upon her skull. Look at you, worthless mortal! Shaking like my children did before you killed them. The panic in your eyes, the realisation your mother is dead. How does it feel? He said nothing, keeping his guard up as he waited for her to strike, snarling as his vision swam with the pain. His body shook all over, but his soul braced itself. The creature struck hard once again, clanging bone against steel. "S-STOP IT! L-let me help you! I want to help you dammit!" What can you possibly do to make amends for my sorrow?! All you wanted was money, your blind greed! "Wh-what are you talking about?!" Pathetic human...we were meant to be your companions...you betray us for a profit! How can you ever comprehend what it feels like to be an orphan? "I AM AN ORPHAN, DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME I DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND!" Smashing her away with a furious shove, he struck down hard upon her club and forced her back, strengthening both his arm and his nerve as he showed he meant business. He did not want to fight her, but he had to show he was not a coward. The mother seemed to understand, brandishing her club like a sword. You understand...yet you caused all this to me?! ...that only makes you even more despicable among the living. "I'm not who you want. I'm NOT whoever did this to you, human or whatever. I helped your children leave this godawful mansion, and now I'm gonna get you out of here too." Mansion? ...this is not a mansion, fool. This is a tower. "What?" But I shall turn this tower into your GRAVE! And then he realised. She was completely insane from grief. There was no reasoning with her now as she charged straight for the raptor. He dodged to one side but fully expected her to strike at him with a backhand swing, clanging off of his scissors. She was small, but she was fast and brutally strong, making her all the more dangerous than he could ever have estimated. Keeping his guard steady, he waited for the mother to strike once again. With a tremendous leap, she went straight for his eyes, ready to claw them out along with a tremendous downwards smash onto his head, but he decided not to block this one and instead evade entirely, knowing she would break through his guard by sheer force alone. Readying himself, he summoned all of his will to try and focus, bringing flames into his scissors from his nano-fuelled hands, sparking them alight as he struck the back of her head. The smallest moment of clarity he could have would serve him well when the mother stumbled and turned hastily, ready to receive another strike she soon blocked with her unbreakable bone. His burning scissors made her spirit glow with a firey rage in her eyes, reflecting back at him. He could also see her own power radiate from the bone club, a darkening aura of an almost-unseen purple. The torrential noise of static and screams continued all around them, the raptor trying to push against her equally-strong force. He tried to withstand her force, but eventually her eyes glimmered with a hidden strength and slammed him away, before she threw out her club like a boomerang just as one of her children had done. But she was far more skilful with it, having it spin in a blindingly fast arc that James almost got caught by, before he ducked and blocked at the same time to have it clang hard off his blades. His focus waned back and forth with the static, as if it were being tuned like a radio, his eyes turning heavy as he steeled his resolve. With a deep breath and a thickening of flames, he charged towards the mother, slamming his blades against her weapon. Left and right of her he swung, each time being countered as he made her step back, striking on the offensive before he tried to trip her out of instinct. Whether it would have worked or not even on a spirit, he would not know. The spectre quickly dodged to one side and stabbed him in the side with the blunt-ended club, making him roar and stumble before he shot her in the face with a fireball. An unexpected blast sent her back slightly, but gave FG enough time to bullrush her into the wall, striking her down, losing himself to the lust of battle. Not that she was in any danger of death at this point, even as he cried: "JUST! LISTEN TO ME! I didn't wanna fight you, I came here to help you and your kids! Just stop fighting!" Now you beg me to stop fighting, coward?! So you can run without fear of retribution?! "NO! I just want to help you goddammit!" Then DIE! Her sorrow quivered in her vocal rage as she flew at him once again, swinging her club out once more to boomerang around to behind his head, striking him before he realised. Another volley of torment ran through his very soul, bullet wounds and tears raking through his flesh, the very horror making him vomit from being overwhelmed by the agony. James shook as he fell to his knees, dripping at the mouth, grunting as he slowly got back up. Then he charged at the spirit once more, slamming desperately into her spectral form regardless of consequence. She was surprised, but he largely passed through her, but she did not expect James to have anticipated this in his violated state of being, when he turned to strike with flaming scissors upon her head. The mother fell forwards, brutalised by the elemental energy that had channelled through his blades as he struggled to stand once more. The spirit laid upon the cavern floor, tearful whimpers coming from the creature. Whether defeat came from her body or her mind, it mattered not for now. Soon she got up, holding herself as she shook with tears, deepening sobs rising to the surface as her thoughts broke into James' mind. I can't...I cannot find them...where have they gone... "I...they left. I...I tried to help them." He could see the exhaustion deprive her of madness, bringing with it a few brief moments of clarity in her defeat. But still she would not listen to his words. I...I...are they...alive? James turned away slightly, not even sure how to respond to such a question, to a creature so fractured by grief. She understood her silence, and turned away from him with shame. No...n-no...they...th-they did not...I could not save them. I...c-couldn't...what terrible mother must I be to not even be able to save my own children? ...am I cursed? She turned towards the raptor, pleading for an answer. Am I cursed to never be reunited with my young, because of my failure?! PLEASE, TELL ME! On the contrary, you are the best mother they could have ever had. A strange voice, deep yet faded with ancient wisdom, came through the air. Both raptor and spirit looked around them. Who...who is that? ...who are you? She asked the second question towards James directly. But before he could answer, the voice spoke again. The one who shall free us. And he shall free you in turn. But...what of my children? Your memory shall return soon, but they are now at peace. Come...you are tired, dear mother. Yes...I am. Return to your home. Your son is waiting for you. ...yes. My son...how could I have forgotten about him? My son...my son- "W-wait!" A strange light opened behind the skull-headed creature. She did not take her skull off, but she looked towards the raptor with a forlorn look. She almost wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came. The mother turned and walked into the light, fading away from the world, fading from James' vision with a blank stare and half-coherent words gently falling from her mind. James did not feel the usual relief or satisfaction he had felt in defeating a spirit. If anything, he felt he had not helped her at all, despite the words that poured into his head from elsewhere. James stood alone in the caverns, confused and weakened. He looked up and around himself as the strange voice came again. You have unlocked the last seal. Now...you are ready. "Who...who are you?" You will know in time. "Oh no, NO! I am tired, I've been dragged through this place long enough, so DON'T fucking tease me with this little game of yours any more! I know who you are, mister RED SHADOW. I just did all I could here, now show yourself or else I'm fucking leaving!" You cannot leave stranger- "WHO GIVES A FUCK!? I'M NOT YOUR TOY! I EARNED THIS, I BROKE YOUR SEALS! NOW SHOW YOURSELF!" ...very well. The spirit slowly revealed itself, from beneath the lone stone path that hung over the abyss, rising up above James. He saw the four colours appear once more. Blue, orange, red and pink.