FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I woke to the sound of a tea kettle whistling. I got up slowly, making sure not to put too much weight on my arm left arm: it was bandaged after the fight from the previous day, when a high-ranking member of Team Blaze had stabbed me. I walked down the stairs, and the old man looked delighted. "Ah, Steven, I thought you might want a good meal before you left!" He motioned to some biscuits and ham on the table as he poured some tea for us. I sat down and began to eat, and suddenly II thought of something. "Hey, what is this all about? I'm going to use my powers to kill a man, so why help me strengthen them?" The old man gave me a cryptic smile. "All in good time. Now, eat; you have quite a road ahead of you, and you need to keep up your strength if you want to make it to the port!" I stared for a moment, wondering what he meant by "all in good time", then dismissed it as I began to eat. It was amazing; the biscuits were flakey and buttery, the ham was juicy and flavorful, and the tea... well, I'm not a tea person, but it was alright. The old man began to pack some things in a satchel, and grabbed the cloak I had worn when he found me in the village a few days earlier. I took them gratefully, and started out the door.

I looked on towards the southern horizon, and sighed. This is it, I thought, this is when I rescue Vix. I just have to keep pressing on and- my thoughts were interrupted by a stabbing pain in my head. I doubled over and screamed, clutching my forehead in agony. The old man rushed to my side. "Oh, Steven, are you all right?" he asked worriedly. I could barely speak, but I managed t get out "Head... burning," I heard the old man stand up and sigh. "Ah, then that means my poison has worked." I stopped breathing for a moment. "W-what?" I asked in the haze of my headache. I saw through blurred eyes that the old man had begun pacing back and forth in front of me. "You see, Steven, your curse is a unique one. Sure it gives you all the amazing powers, but it does have an even greater purpose: if the caster successfully kills the child they cursed, they gain extended youth; even more so if the child has a good understanding of how to use their powers." I looked up at him, struggling to see. I began to hear a loud ringing in my ears, and I couldn't smell anything. My hands felt numb, like I couldn't feel anything, and I realized what this "poison" did. I shuts down the senses, I thought foggily. "You do realize what this means, don't you?" The old man asked in an all-too-kind voice. That's when it hit me. "You're the enchanter," I groaned, the splitting headache beginning to fade, but my senses hadn't recovered quite yet. "you cursed me all those years ago when I was a child." The old man chuckled. "That's right! That's why I trained you: so you could become stronger, and in turn, so I could become stronger when I killed you." I struggled to my feet, and aimed a swift punch at the old man. He stepped aside, and I slammed into the ground. "No, no, no, none of that." He said gently. I heard a metallic noise, like a knife being drawn from a sheath, and I realized what was going to happen. I tried to roll away, but he stopped me by pinning me down with his foot. He's a lot stronger than he looks, I thought angrily. I writhed around, struggling to break free, but he only pressed harder. I was about to give up, when a deep voice in the back of my mind said You cannot give up! Her fate rests in your hands! I ignored this. And how am I going to get out of this? I can't see or hear, so how can I fight him? The voice chuckled. You do not have to let him fight; let me. And that's when I realized who I was speaking to. I smiled as I felt my shoulder blades begin to shift, and my vision and hearing returned.

The old man laughed wickedly. "And now, with your death, comes my- What?" He noticed I was changing a split second before I threw him off of me. I stood up slowly as my hair darkened and my skin paled. Bat-like wings exploded from my back, and my fingers and toes sharpened to form dagger-like claws. I smiled and spoke in a voice that was mine layered with the voice I had heard in my mind. "Thank you, old man, for teaching me how to control my powers. By doing so, you have given consciousness to the demon within me, and I can use his powers without fear." The old man grinned psychotically. "You think you are the only one with demons? Let me show you mine!" he screamed, and then he dropped to the ground as he began to change. His hair stayed white, but it grew long, down to his back. His left arm remained unchanged, while his right arm turned into a large, twisted-looking blade. His knees became pointed, and his back erupted into a mass of four large wings. He opened his eyes, which glowed with a burning anger. I took a step back, surprised at the old man's transformation. "On top of extending my life, when I kill the curse-bearer, I absorb their powers. I have killed five so far, and have trained for nearly a thousand years! You cannot possibly hope to defeat me!" he roared. I looked him over blankly. "Yes, you have a powerful form, and much more experience than I do, but I have something you don't." He looked at me, confused. "And what is that, boy?" he growled. I summoned my signature helix blade and held it at my side. "A reason to fight!" I said as I swung the sword, launching a wave of energy at him. The attack caught him off guard, but it only staggered him. He began to laugh. "You think a puny attack like that can stop me?" he said as he held his normal arm out. I watched as a giant scythe formed in the air, and he slowly wrapped his fingers around it. "I'll show you an attack." He swung the scythe into the ground, and a giant black pit opened up between us. I could hear cries of torment coming from below, and I could only assume that I was staring into hell itself. I looked at the old man, and he smiled with what I saw were razor sharp teeth. "Face it, boy; you aren't going to be able to save your Pokémon. You're going to end up here, just like all my countless victims." I saw a flash of movement, and before I could react, the scythe was embedded in the center of my chest. I looked at it in disbelief, and fell to my knees with a groan. Consciousness was already leaving me, and I knew I had failed. "Now, to claim that which I gave you, so long ago." He walked over to me and lifted me up by my shoulder. I groaned, struggling to speak, and he smiled. "Ah, some last words? Go ahead, but make them worthwhile." I coughed and slowly said. "I promised..." I began.

"You promised what?" the old man chuckled. "I don't want you to leave anything unsaid." I lifted my head and looked him in the eye, suddenly losing all control. "I promised... I PROMISED I WOULD PROTECT HER!" I screamed, and in a split second I swung my sword up and slice off his bladed arm. He screeched in pain, and I leaped from his grasp, a sudden adrenaline rush restoring my strength. I shot over to the other side of the pit, and held my hands in the air as I formed a massive ball of black energy above my head. He looked at me in fear as I said in a voice that was not at all my own: "Now you may share in your victims' fate." I hurled the ball at him, the explosion knocking him into the air. I flew after him, grabbing his severed arm, and rapidly began stabbing and slicing him as we climbed up and up. When he reached the height of his ascent, I cast aside my weapons, and we hovered in the air for a few moments. "H-how?" he gasped, "how could you have defeated me? Your power is only a fraction of mine." I gritted my teeth as I balled my hands together. "Because you fight only to extend your life. I fight to save the girl I love!" I shouted as I slammed my hands down in a sledgehammer blow that sent him flying straight into the pit he had opened. As he sank into the darkness, I heard the screams of pain slowly turn into mocking laughter as the pit slowly closed. I landed gently, and my features slowly returned to normal. Thank you, I thought to the voice in my head, but why did you help me? I heard deep laughter as he replied because I am not simply a demon within you; I am you, to some extent. I represent your emotions. I may not love Vix like you do, but I do wish to save her. And, of course, if you die, I die, and I couldn't let that happen. He began to laugh, and I couldn't help but smile. Do you have a name? I asked him silently. I do, but it cannot be pronounced or understood by mortal beings. Simply call me... Umbra. I nodded to myself. Okay, Umbra, are you ready? I looked once again to the south, and sighed. "Finally, I can bring my quest to an end." And with that, I started down the trail. I saw the sun rising in the east, just as it did on the day I had left that abandoned house with Vix. I smiled slowly, and I had a good feeling things were going to get better soon.