FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The X-ray was really helpful in this venture, I could see through all walls, and the inhabitants within. I was looking for anything four legged and large,but it was Javid who spoke first.

"In that one there." he said, pointing at a building. I turned, and looked at the building in question. there was an alchemy bowl cut out as a sign, and it proudly displayed the words.

"Potions for sale."

Many houses were built into the next one, but the wizards, possibly because of their ranked status, preferred to live in buildings with gaps either side. And behind the house was a large enclosure, and through the X-Ray I could see something about three metres long, and it definitely wasn't a dog. I casually wandered over there, and opened the door.

Three men in elaborate robes were sitting around a table, playing a card game. One of them looked up.

"Ah, welcome customers, can I help with anything?"

"Certainly,"I replied smoothly,"I am looking for a small potion of invisibility."

"That depends on what you're prepared to give." the wizard replied, as one of his mates played two cards, and spoke.

"Two lords."

I gestured with my barrel, Javid looking around the bottles, reading the olde script with determined casualness.

"Ale. One barrel, and I think I've got some gold in my pocket."

"I see." the wizard looked at me appraisingly." I trust you're after one that would last some time?"

"Duration? No less than fifteen minutes."

"You've got enough ale there for a half hour one." the wizard replied, and I placed it on the ground next to the table.

The wizard stood up after playing three trolls, and showed me a bunch of potions, with the same labels.Invisibility, but all of them had varying time limits underneath.

"So what, exactly, goes into a potion of invisibility?"

"Oh, various things. The problem with invisibility is that you need dragon scales, and they are hard to come by, which is why they are pricey. We have our own ways of keeping the price down, though."

"Scales do sound difficult, what else are they used in?"

"Resistance against many things, heat, cold, and the like, also a potion that will make you invulnerable for about half an hour, very popular with heroes."

"Three unicorns." one of the guys said, and the wizard casually went back to his game to figure his next hand. I was right next to the door the dragon was behind, and palming my scanner in my sleeve, I opened it.

I saw a young dragon, barely three metres in length, and it was chained by all four limbs and a collar around it's neck. It lay on the ground weakly, but looked at me as I saw it. It growled, but I noticed it was also in a blue shield, obviously meant to prevent it flaming at intruders. I gently tossed the scanner in a far corner, before the wizard looked up.

"Here, get away from that!"

I shut the door."Is that what you meant when you said you managed to keep prices down, you have a dragon for a pet?"

"Listen, sunshine, you can't kept one of those as a pet."

"There was a glowing blue thing around it." I looked confused. The wizard smiled.

"You are not familiar with Shield spells?"

"No." I replied, dishonestly. Javid was now taking interest in the game.

"It means people can walk through it, but all projectiles, like flame and arrows, are unable to penetrate."

"Sounds handy if you don't want a dragon flaming at you."

"Indeed, now what one do you want?" he gestured at the bottles. I thought about this for a minute, and then pointed at one that announced it would last for twenty five minutes. The wizard nodded, and the trade was made. I carefully stored the potion bottle in some cloth, and carried it under my arm.

"Simba, we need a distraction for Draco's teleportation." I said, whispering into my mike.

"Flashbang?" the lion asked.

"Yes, talk to Draco, so you can time it." I said, and Javid was offering advice for the next hand the wizard was playing.

After about half a minute, there was a huge explosion outside, with coincided with a smaller bang. Everyone rushed outside, and we could see a large cloud of smoke in the centre of the street, and everyone was looking at it, or holding their eyes in surprise.

"What happened?" I asked the wizard next to me.

"Looks like someone cast a pyrotechnic spell." the wizard replied, looking disdainful," Showoff new magicians. Think they can cast it all."

All three magicians wandered back inside and started up their game again. I interlinked with Draco, who was talking to a very bewildered baby dragon. It was still bigger than him, but many, many years younger. He gently took it's paw, and teleported. The quiet bang didn't even make the wizard's flinch, they still thought it was a continuation of the spell.

As everyone relaxed, me and Javid walked down the street, and I pulled out a small remote control.

"What was the code again?" I thought to myself,"Oh yes, now I remember. Two, one, zero, four, one."

"O.K., why that sequence?"

"My birthday, and it's the first keg of the pile." I replied, walking another ten yards down the street. I typed in the numbers as we walked, then slipped it back into my pocket. We walked for another ten yards, and I casually brushed my hand through the pocket against the red button.

Behind me, there was a colossal explosion. The ground actually heaved and the light illuminated everything. Javid immediately dived for the ground, it was an army reaction, and I pulled out an unlit cigar. I didn't smoke, but there were some rules of how to destroy things.

"Rule one, look casual. Rule two, make it look as you're smoking something. Rule three, don't flinch or turn around." I said to Javid, and with that, walked onwards.

"What movie did you get that from?" Javid said, looking at the demolished building behind him, and then catching up with me.

"Pretty much all of them."

"No seriously."

"I saw it in the Fifth element, and in several other bad guy movies."

"Are you expecting someone to be filming you?" Javid asked.

"You are, you're recording all this." I replied, oblivious to the panicked crowds hurrying towards the site of the explosion.

"So what was actually in that barrel, you never actually specified."

"You know what it was?"

"Explosive, I just don't know what type." the wolf replied.

"About two pounds of C4, and fifty sticks of dynamite, supplied by Ryan.Doubtless the US will be wondering why all their stock is missing."

"And so you type in the code to detonate the C4, and the dynamite explodes as well."

"Correct, and because we are half way down the street, and no one could understand our technology, we are blameless." I finished, smiling. There were several shouts and cries from behind us.

"And one freed dragon." Draco said in my headset."I wonder what they will blame?"

"I have no idea, although they might be panicking if it happens six times."

Everyone causing panic meant our little job to find wizard's buildings was harder, because of everyone running in front of our view of sight. Finally I found the second building with a dragon, although I had passed two wizard's stores that didn't have a dragon.

I found a cosy deserted alley, and while Javid louched around the entrance, I teleported back to get my scanner and another keg. After five minutes I was back, and we walked towards the building.

There were two wizards playing a variant of draughts or checkers, and one looked up.

"You touch, you buy." he said gruffly.

"I'd like a potion of healing."

"Far end. Prices are there too. Keg is about 15 gold."

Not much of a talker. I sidled that way as they got involved in their game again, and came to a very thick door. With gentle movements, I undid the bolt, and opened it up.

The dragon was larger, say about seven metres. He twisted his head to look at me, and I drew a finger across my lips, throwing a scanner over him. the dragon looked at the strange device as it landed behind his bulk, and I gently shut the door.

Javid was watching the game, the wizards were too busy thinking.I selected a potion worth about ten gold, and left the keg next to the table. The wizard mumbled a grouchy thank you, and went back to his game. There was a bang as Draco teleported in, but neither of the wizards appeared to hear it. Me and Javid casually walked outside as I pocketed my second potion.

"So why are you buying them?"

"To make it look the done thing. I could give them a gift of the keg, but some would find that openly suspicious. This way I am merely buying what I'm rightfully allowed to."

"Not much of a polite person, was he?"

"Very disdainful of both of us, and I don't like that in a person." I replied, bringing out the control. Two-one-zero-four- two, and then slipped it back in my pocket.

We went down the street some way, while Simba was looking at the building, and Javid was carefully recording me from the side. I drew out my cigar, and placed it in my mouth.

"So why a cigar?" the wolf asked me.

"Two reasons, it's much larger, and thicker, which means should I bite down in surprise I won't be biting off my own tongue."

"I thought you weren't scared of the blasts."

"I put on a good act, Javid. You can get used to anything in this job."

"So are you going to press the button?"

"I thought I'd wait until we'd." I got no further, as the explosion behind me temporarily silenced all conversation. Javid flinched, and turned around.A large piece of wooden debris landed beside me, that looked like it had been part of a table. A piece of their game, maybe a pawn or something, and made out of marble, also landed beside me, miraculously unharmed.

I pocketed it.

"I have my souvenir, let's go find number three." Javid cast his trained eye for alleys where I could teleport from,and led me over to one. I was not arguing with the wolf, he was better at this than me. I teleported.

Sullust was right next to me, and she was smiling. Fighting an impulse not to cry out loud and jump back, I merely took a slightly hurried step back.

"Your manner and intelligence reminds me of a dragon, are you sure you haven't got draconic blood?" the noble dragon asked.

"Pretty sure, I would have been overcome by the dragon's bane if I had."

"I admire your subtle behaviour." Draco was rubbing the back scales of the smallest dragon. The two we had freed were looking at me in states of amazement, although that might be just because I had appeared from nowhere.

I took note of the number on the side of the third keg, and took my scanner back from Draco. He was helpfully retrieving it each time, but couldn't resist a gibe.

"Don't lose it next time, Centralite tech is precious."

"Then don't forget to pick it up, Draco, because it's going to happen a couple more times yet." I retaliated, and landed on top of Javid's scanner. We casually continued down the main street. My wolfish companion spoke to me.

"So far, we are unsuspected for the blasts."

"Someone's going to add two and two together eventually." I replied, and we began our checks again. Simba spoke.

"If someone was watching you as much as me, they already would."

"Well, let's give them another hint." I replied, tapping the slightly heavy keg in my arms.

We found something small and four legged in another shop, and wandered in casually. There were five wizards, all looking suspicious at me and Javid.

"Afternoon, gentlemen." I nodded, and they returned to their business, except one who stepped forwards, casting a spell.

"I see." he muttered."What does a human and a wolf have to do in our shop today?"

Well, there went any chance of getting this one scot free. Javid looked briefly confused, and then went limp in annoyance.

"Where does it show?"

"The spell told me what I was seeing." he replied.

I noticed our next rescue target. It was tiny, only half a metre long, and was in a mesh cage. It looked portable, and I thought about a change to the plan.

"But my companion's species has nothing to do with this, I am looking for a potion of invulnerability."

"Ah, a customer." the wizard gave a pointed smile. I rested the leg against the table, and as the wizard turned, I spoke to Javid in Centralite.

"I will leave with the potion, you spend a few seconds observing the potions, and then grab the cage. Teleport both you and it back to the clearing."

"Then you'll blow the place up?" Javid asked innocently.

"Of course. They made this one too easy." I replied, as I followed the wizard. His companions were practising spells, and Javid had to shift casually around a fire wall, and started looking at all the bottles at the back wall opposite the door. This meant when he left, he would have to walk straight past the cage.

I selected a potion of invulnerability that would last for fifteen minutes, which came to the price of the keg. I nodded at the wizard, who smiled with no humour, and then spoke to Javid.

"Are you coming?"

"Just give me a minute, I want to learn how to levitate." he said, perusing bottles with almost believable vigour. I shrugged.

"I'll wait outside." and walked out. I went across the street, and sat down, drawing my cigar. I left it unlit, and watched the building.

I interlinked, and Javid was still perusing. After ten more seconds, he turned, and walked towards the door. I drew my remote, and typed in four numbers of the sequence. Javid crossed past the dragon's cage, and then suddenly grabbed the handle, hitting his teleporter. He vanished, and there were shouts of surprise from inside the building.

I hit the last number, and then the detonation button. This time I got to see the explosion in it's full glory.

The walls shivered in the initial tremor, and then the full blast enveloped the building. The entire two storey house was lifted into the air as it expanded outwards. Everything detached from everything else, all the walls became splinters of wood, and the bricks from the chimney were flung high into the air. The fireball extended into the road, and people dived for cover. There were more cries of alarm, more urgent now this was the third explosion in as many hours. As I looked as everything settled, I noticed a wizard was standing in a silver ball of a spell, and cursed.

He didn't look around, but instantly teleported magically.The populace were asking questions in raised voices about the wizards.

"I thought they said they were in control of their magic!" One shouted.

"Yeah, and it's supposed to help people, not vaporise them." another added.

"Maybe it was an accident." a third suggested.

"Don't be stupid."the first shot back, he was controlling a near bolting horse, and I came up to lend a hand.

"I agree."I added to the horseman,"you cannot call three in as many hours an accident." I began speaking to the horse with the tremendous help of my translator, and the beast became less wild. The horse man turned to the dissenter.

"Exactly, three explosions, either they're committing suicide, or they're messing in things they should not be."

"They are wizards, messing in things we know not is what they do." the man replied.

I looked up, and stepped aside as a piece of wood rained from the sky.

"And do you think pulverizing their own houses was involved?" I asked innocently.

"Then what is it?"

Then the second man spoke again.

"Wait, I know all three had dragons, for their potions. Maybe that's why."

"You mean the dragon's are destroying the houses?" I frowned and pretended to sound out of the loop.

"Could be, they're very unpredictable."

"Maybe the dragons are being treated harshly?" the first man suggested.

"It's not exactly their mug of ale." the second man replied," They are tied down, and prevented from flaming."

"You can't do that to a creature like a dragon." I said, looking pained.

"I can't think of a better way."The third man muttered.

"How would like it if I strapped you down?" I asked.

"But a dragon is not human.They aren't like us."

"Doesn't stop them being sentient." I replied," Now imagine their position, maybe that's why the houses are going up, because the dragons are tired of their conditions."

"Are you saying dragons have feelings and emotions like us?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." the first man replied."And I don't fancy these explosions. There should be a complaint to the town council."

"Maybe even a law passed that means you can't capture dragons." I suggested.

"Good idea." the second man nodded."That way this wouldn't be happening."

"Maybe it isn't them." the third man said hopefully.

"My friend, think what's best for the public." I placed a genial hand on his shoulder," Other people might get killed by these blasts."

"Good point." the second man nodded, and ran up the street.

People dispersed, and I sidled to a quiet alley, before arriving back at the forest. Javid had got the cage open, and the young dragon was scampering happily across the wolf's body in delight.He winced whenever the dragon dug his claws in.

"Three down, how many do you think is left?"

"I have no idea, but I'd got six barrels here, I intend to use them." I replied, grabbing the fourth barrel, Javid, and then teleporting to my scanner in the alley.

Our next target was a very fancy, relatively high tech building. There was a steel enclosure around the back, but these Central glasses treated it like glass, there was an almost full sized dragon in there. The wizards in there were carousing, and they cheered as we entered.

"Your good health, customer!" one said. One of the four was not getting drunk, and came over.

"I must apologise for my comrades, they managed a magical achievement this morning, and are celebrating." he said, as the others continued drinking. I smiled weakly.

"Not at all, indeed I've got something to add to that here." I tapped the keg, and the wizard smiled.

"What are you after?"

"A potion of resistance."

"Any particular resistance?" the wizard asked, and led me towards a row of bottles. Javid looked at me, and nodded.

"Well, it's for my friend here,Javid, what were you after?"

"It was a general resistance against the elements."

"Ah, extreme climates." the wizard nodded. "Always handy. Come over here, Javid, I'll show you what you can have."

The disguised wolf stepped forwards, as I headed towards the door that I knew led to the enclosure. The door was reinforced steel, and was locked many ways, but the wizards had placed a sort of tube running diagonally down, presumably so they could feed the dragon without actually getting near the damn thing. With care I opened the flap, slid the scanner down, and then closed it, all looking very casual.

The drunk wizards were telling tall tales, and Javid was choosing a potion, so no one but me heard the sound of Draco teleporting in, but I could hear him speaking in his own reptilian language to the huge dragon.

"I'm going to get you out of here." he said, the sound muffled by the flap. Javid picked a bottle with three doses, each lasting one calendar day.

It was getting on to evening, and I decided this would be the last heist for the day.

Draco teleported, and me and Javid walked out of the building with our potion, thoughtfully placing the keg on the table. We walked down the street, and I typed in the five number code as I spoke.

"I hate alcohol." Javid tried to be reasonable.

"A bit of it in moderation isn't bad." he said, but I finished the code, and fished out my well bitten cigar.

"Each to their own."I said"But why did you think I used kegs?"

"Because it appeals to drinkers, and it also can hide a dozen pounds of C4 without anyone noticing." Javid replied promptly.

"They are both good points, but I did it because I'm making a point about my opinion.And I do not drink." I tapped the detonation button on this last word, and there was the fourth mighty explosion for the day.I didn't even turn around to look, but continued into a side alley.

"Any more for today?" Javid asked.

"No, four should be enough. Besides, I'm sick of acting I like them."

"You are a bastard, you know that."

I opened my com link."Silverine, how's Devlin?"

"Still out cold.He must have got more of a dose than Draco." the Lupogriff replied in my headset, and I turned to Javid.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Ah, this is like with Draco getting shot, and Grant getting impaled with a few arrows, correct?" the wolf looked at me in a strange way.

"This is me deciding anyone who hurts one of my friends deserves what I can come up with. And besides, I don't like what the wizards are doing."

"Agreed, except I haven't been engaging a full scale demolition of each house." Javid replied.

"Be like that all you want, Javid. They had it coming." I teleported next to Sullust, who was lying down ready for sleep.

Javid landed beside me." I'm just curious about your method, that's all."

"Nothing wrong with my method. Ruthless, cunning to a degree, and untraceable. In other words, my sort of plan."

"You've probably terrified the entire village, though." Simba added, consulting a scanner.

"Fear of the unknown makes it that much more interesting. We've had four huge explosions, no known cause, no survivors except one, and a devastating result each time And all four times there was a dragon in the house."

"I'm all for the method." Draco replied, who was playing with the smallest dragon happily. That didn't surprise me in the least.

"And I think it's awesome, it's guerilla warfare, with an Alduin twist." Ryan replied, the tiger obviously enjoyed blowing things up.

"All three of you are pyro insane." Simba replied.

"Good habits die hard." Draco replied. Salbar was already sleeping in a tree, and we all began the process of getting to bed.

In the village, many people didn't sleep.The wizards were unnerved.The odd explosion was an explosion, but it was easy to tell what caused it. There had been four, and all of the readings said there had been very strange chemicals involved. They hadn't added our presence, for the solitary survivor of the blast had not reappeared, but they were doubtless adding the presence of the dragons at each store. They were discussing the connections, and coming up with plans and suggestions to deal with this worrying threat.

The next morning I walked into the city, bearing no weapons save my sword, and no keg. I had a scanner though, and my teleporter. The early morning citizens were quietly doing their stuff. A baker was industriously baking loaves, and I could hear the smithie's hammer. The debris of the destroyed buildings had been efficiently cleaned away overnight, and I walked unchallenged down the road. Then I came to the square, and found a great space being cleared, and men building a stage.

This did not bode well, the wizards were obviously trying to argue their case. I came up to a man hammering.

"Morning." I said briskly.

"Good morning, could you pass me the nails in that box?" he replied. I did so.

"What's going on here?"

"The mayor is holding a debate between the wizards and a pro-dragon group on the subject of holding dragons. After yesterday's explosions, they reckon it's the dragons on account they hate being confined."

"Really?" I sounded interested.

"Yeah, the mayor wants to pass a law saying it's forbidden to hold dragons against their will." the man replied.

"Sounds like a plausible idea. After all, those blasts were huge."

"I was nearby one of them, the entire house was demolished."

"I only saw the one, everything was destroyed.I think it's a good idea."

"Yeah, except the wizards are contesting it isn't the dragons,instead it's just a series of potions that went wrong, apparently leaks of magic."

"Hah, that sounds like a riot myself." I sneered, and the man grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, although they are wizards. There might be a magical explanation, but I believe it's the dragons."

"I'll bet you the reason is the dragons." I smiled.

"I'm not taking you up on that, because I feel the same way."

Javid came up, carrying a keg of explosive. The man looked at the disguised wolf.

"Morning, you got us something to drink?" he said optimistically.

"No, it's for the meeting itself." Javid shook his head, and the man looked downcast.

"Hah, all the dignitaries get the beer, us stage hands don't."

I flicked a gold coin up to him from my pocket.

"I think you're doing a fine job."

"Thank ye kindly sir." the man pocketed the coin, and continued hammering. Javid placed the keg underneath the stage, right in the middle. Both of us leant a helping hand to the man hammering, and the stage was solidly finished half an hour later.

The man seemed to have forgotten about the keg, no one but me or Javid knew where it was now, and all three of us shared some food.

"So who pays you?"

"Oh, we get contracted to build stages all the time, but it's normally just for this sort of thing, arguments and public debates."

"And it all gets taken down afterwards?"

"Yeah. The problem is having to pull everything down without cutting yourself. You need to make a good enough job on keeping it upright and able to with stand so many people standing on it, but then it's a devil to pull apart."

"What happens to the wood?"

"You can't use the same plank twice. Mostly it goes to his lordship's fire, or given to the poor who need the wood." the man nodded.

"Very charitable." Javid nodded, downing a glass of one of his own drinks. I was drinking my own Lift Plus.

"Of course, you don't see them ####in' dignitaries care. We get paid a pittance, and yet if we don't do it good enough, it's them who would collapse through the stage." My translator didn't understand the expletive, so I was treated to a blank period, which was possibly just as well.

"So when's the debate?" I asked.

"Midday."

"I might attend.Will you?"

"Of course. I've always enjoyed watching a good argument.People exploding over the slightest thing."

Javid smiled and spoke to me in Centralite." It's not only the people exploding this time, it's going to be the stage.Literally." I smiled, and waited.