FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Two weeks after my untimely and premature death on the slopes of a valley several hundred lightyears from my own planet, and my spirit form roaming around loose, Draco informed us we were to travel to a new planet. I had been described at home as suffering from a very rare disease, so I was not expected back for quite some time. The deception had been done, my boss coming around, and Simba in human form and dressed as a doctor, with Ryan Lewis, and finding 'me' being violently sick.

In actuality, it was Alecto disguised as me, and he had taken a little known plant that caused him to throw up. I am indebted to him doing so, and my boss was properly convinced.

"How long until he recovers?" she asked, as I hovered nearby in invisibility. Simba rubbed his beard thoughtfully.

"Well, normal cases can take anywhere between four weeks and four months.As for Alduin, who can say until the later stages occur. I should also warn you that in it's latter stages it is highly contagious, so I must insist on no visitors."

Casdey, my resident 'body', had settled into a humdrum routine in Central. She knew perfectly well I was the reason she was living, and she also knew that the harder she made it for me taking control when I needed to, the longer and more frequent I would use her, because I was sick of the mental battles.I had also agreed that I would not do anything to her while I had possession of her, this was fairly obvious, but still needed to be stated.

After the first few days, I didn't actually possess her that often.Instead I took to reading, using my levitation spell to turn each page in my new quarters. Casdey paced frequently, she was tired of this caged enclosure.

"I still don't know why you need me anymore?"

"Casdey,"I said for the hundredth time,"I need a body that isn't one of my friends on Central, because they have their own things they need to be doing. You do not.And besides, you wanted to thank me for saving your life from Mendra, by being here you are."

"Yeah, two weeks still to go, this place is drop dead boring."

I had actually tested my Atom twice during that fortnight, Casdey had never experienced something that fast, and was left quivering in a corner as I hared through corners at my accustomed speed.I couldn't change into any of my forms as a spirit, my skin was bionic looking but had no texture under my own fingers.

So it was a relief when Landon opened the door.

"Oi, Alduin, grab your gear together and come with me."

"Due to my inability to hold anything, Landon, that's pretty unlikely." I replied, looking up from my book.

"We're off to a new planet." the fox replied. I leapt down from the bed.

"Am I using Casdey?"

"Depends, how bored is the squirrel?"

"Very." Casdey replied, and Landon shrugged.

"Alright then." she got all her paraphernalia together, and then stood limply as I walked into her from behind. She put up no resistance to my entrance, and once I had full control of her limbs, I walked out and followed Landon down the corridors.

Landon had been very professional about the whole thing. He had sorted out a library of books for me to read, and fixed Casdey with an optical translator so she could read to, but her tastes were tuned to different things. Furthermore the fox had set up a magical ward in the room, although it was invisible. Casdey was also wearing a necklace that made her unable to cast attacking magic, which had made her fuming mad.

The damn thing couldn't come off without a code either. For the spells Casdey couldn't perform which she could normally, there were a few. Magic missile, Fireball, Dark blast, Black orb, and wall of fire, and the squirrel was really not happy about it. My spells, Levitate and Invisibility were both non offensive, and Casdey reluctantly supplied me with a list of spells she was capable of.

We arrived on the new planet ten minutes later.Casdey had NOT been issued with a teleporter, and I was hanging onto Javid because he did.

It was stifling hot where we were. We appeared to be on a mountain overlooking a sandy desert, and on the other side we couldn't see, due to the uneven shape of the hill. We broke apart from each other, and as the others started setting up scans, I went for a wander away from the desert, to see what was on the other side of the ridge.

Casdey spoke in my ear.

"For my sake, could you cast Endure Elements, I can barely think with the heat."

Casdey explained the spell, and I held the staff in both hands, the base of the staff lightly touching the ground, and closed my eyes.

"Meteori Nullifio!" I shouted.

There was a small bang, and when I opened my eyes, I noticed it was a lot cooler, and I was standing in a very pale blue shield. I continued walking until I came to the end of the ridge, and looked over the other side.

There was a village underneath me, easily a hundred or so residents. I had no gear what so ever, but Casdey's eyes could just distinguish what lay down there.

"About four foot high, darkly tanned, capable of holding things, three fingers and thumb." she said in my head.

"They know agriculture and stone working, but not much in the form of weaponry after spears." I replied out loud.

I backed away from the ridge, intending to go back and tell Landon what I had seen, and as I turned found eight of these dark skinned creatures pointing weapons at me.

"Oh bugger." I said in Centralite.We had given Casdey a necklace. None of the party knew about my fix, and I had no way of communicating with them. Furthermore, all offensive spells were stopped by the necklace.

A lithe elf with a grim expression looked at me in suspicion.

"Here we go again." I said to myself, making the gestures for the pyrotechnic spell Casdey knew.

"What are your last words, creature?" the elf asked.

" I'm warning you, killing the body I am possessing will not help your cause." I replied.

"O.K., then, possessor, what are you, and why are you here?"

"My name is Alduin, the creature who owns this body is Casdey. We are here as explorers from another world entirely. Stop pointing those spears at me."

"What are you doing, Alduin, you'll get me killed!" the squirrel said in my head. The elf smiled, but it had no mirth.

"Exploring, are we? Just going to tell the rest of the world where we are, then?"

No right answer to that one. The elf threw his spear at me, and I just ducked as the heavy missile passed over me. Then I cast pyrotechnics at the ground in front of me, and there was a huge explosion. White light dazzled everyone, and there was a tremendous boom. I ran through the midst of elves who had grabbed at their eyes,blinded, and ran hot foot back towards where the party had been.

"Get her!" the elf shouted, and I ran all the harder. After a minute or so, I came around a bend, and crashed fully into Landon, who merely stumbled a step or so.

"Trouble, Alduin?"

"Elves, and they don't like explorers. Get this bloody necklace off me."

Landon wordlessly did the required thing to get the necklace off, and Casdey breathed.

"Thank evil for that. Come on, Alduin, let's go cause some fire."

"Actually, Casdey, I believe you're right on that one." I turned around, faced the corner, and hexed the path. Then we hid in the rocks. Simba had his scanner out, and was watching the readings as the elves chased along my path. The first stepped on the hexed spot, and a huge bubble of fire sprung up, ensnaring the elf. The fire formed into small hexagons around the elf, like the lines of a soccer ball. I could fit my arm through the gaps, but only just.

All the other elves stopped, and shouted in surprise. Landon looked at me.

"Nice spell."

"Thanks." Casdey replied, and I relayed it to my foxy companion for her. He smiled, and stood up, leaping down onto the path in front of the fire hex. All the elves looked at him in fear. Draco stretched his wings idly.

"I do wish you wouldn't frighten my team like that." he said calmly.

"What has she done?" one of the elves shouted, in panic for her comrade in the fire hex.

"It's just a spell that keeps one person imprisoned for however long it's held for. And don't do something like trying to break out." the dragon replied calmly.

Javid whispered at me." Only you, Alduin, could turn being chased but a dozen elves into causing all of them to writhe on the palm of your hand."

Casdey chuckled, but I whispered back."I don't want to harm any of them."

I shuffled forwards, and made myself visible, sitting on the edge of the ridge, my feet dangling over the path next to the fire orb. Draco stood up on the other side, Salbar appeared behind them, swords not drawn. Javid stood beside me, rifle pointed up, but loaded. Simba stood beside Draco.None of us had weapons pointed at them. The leading elf looked at the six of us, and slumped.

"Kill us." he looked down, defeated.

Landon looked confused. "We don't want to kill you, why do you think we would?"

The elf looked up, angrily," For the last hundred years, every human or creature has tried! We came here to be alone, but they followed! And now you have followed! Kill us where we stand." All the elves looked defiantly at the nearest Centralite.

"Time out!" Draco roared, and there was silence as he blew a small jet of flame in his own annoyance, and all the elves looked frightened. He took a deep breath,and continued quietly.

"Did Alduin explain why we were here?"

"He said he was exploring."

"We are. We come from another planet, and we really don't want to kill you."

The elf looked wary."And how many people, do you think, said that before you?"

"We're not getting anywhere, are we?" Salbar looked at me.

"It's all going terribly, terribly wrong." I sighed, drumming my fingers across the bone of my staff.

"Right, I'm going to the village." Simba said, changing into his Apache form.He rose quickly, and he buzzed over head heading back where the elves had come from.

"Wait one second, I'm coming with you." I shouted, jumping off the rock and running past the elves after the Apache.

Salbar stuck out one hand." Wait a second, necromancer.Aren't you forgetting something?"

I came to a halt."What?"

The lizard pointed directly at the elf in the fire orb." Do you want him to stay there for all eternity?"

I stopped."Good point, Salbar. I swear, gaining magical powers all of a sudden, I forget I can cast sometimes."

"Any time, Alduin." the lizard smiled. Casdey sighed, and told me how to dispel it, and after I did so, I continued after Simba. I paid no attention to the elves, and after another minute of running, came to the ridge, overlooking the village again. Simba was currently landing in the village centre.

All the elves were running away from him.

"Hah, typical." I said to no one in particular,"To introduce yourself, you've got to do it properly." I began climbing down rapidly. I got to the bottom of the rocks, it took me five minutes, and then rushed towards the village, which took another two. Simba had changed into his bionic form, but all the elves had disappeared into their houses.

"They appear frightened." the lion said, looking at the pointy eared elves looking at us through their windows.

"Oh come on, they just had an Apache land in the city centre." I replied, looking at a small child hiding underneath a barrow. Only a foot or so tall, and yet she seemed as old as I was, her child like frame disguising her age. She saw me looking at her, and she tried to run around behind the house.

I made no attempt to stop her, but in her haste she tripped over a upturned wheelbarrow, and she landed hard on the turf. I walked over casually as she grabbed her ankle in pain. Standing beside her, I leaned on the staff and looked down in slight amusement.

"Are you alright?"

Four times shorter than me, she looked up.

"You touch me, creature, and I'll..." she looked at the advancing lion, and her voice trailed into nothingness.

"Obviously, Simba, these elves have been victimised for quite some time, so they believe anything that isn't like them is trying to to kill them." Simba repeated this in Centralite for the benefit of his recorder, and I leaned against the wall of the nearest house. The elf tried to stand, but as she did she winced, her ankle was sprained. Simba squatted down beside her, and she backed away from him.

"No! Don't come any nearer!" she implored. Simba sat cross legged, hardly an attacking pose.

"That ankle looks sore, young one, I have a medicine that can cure it."

"Our healer can treat to me, now go away!" she replied fiercely, backing away with her hands. Simba sighed.

At that moment, there was a mighty explosion, and as I looked around, I saw a range of mountains at the other side of the village. They were many leagues distant, but from here I could see one of them was belching copious amounts of smoke into the sky.

"We have an active volcano, Simba."

"Tell me something I don't know." the elf looked around frantically.

"That would have stirred them up. Healer!,Healer! help me!"

There appeared to be some panic amongst the villagers. They were hurriedly slamming doors, and bolting windows. The unfortunate elf looked around for help, and shouted again for a healer. Simba spoke.

"I can heal that, you've got to trust me."

"We must get inside, the creatures are coming. Every time the mountain rumbles like that, they become panic stricken, and attack the village or anything nearby."

I looked towards the mountain again, and saw blurs of movement in the very distance.

"Simba," I turned to the lion, and was interrupted by the arrival of the elven troop that attacked us earlier and my comrades.

"Get her inside!"I shouted at the elves, pointing at the fallen one."Simba you heal her. Everyone else, we've got company!"

Landon nodded, and drew his blaster. Draco did likewise, Salbar merely drew his swords, and Javid checked his rifle. We hurried towards the side of the village that faced the mountain, and saw the elven troop was coming with us.

I said nothing, but the elf looked at us in defiance.

"We are not abandoning the village to attack, with only you in the way. But we could use a hand."

"We're more than a hand." Javid said, levelling his sniper rifle. He was aiming at one of the distant blurs. There was a crack, and Javid rocked back slightly. He reloaded, not saying a word, and fired again. He shot about six times before they got within proper sight.

They were half wolf, half panther, half jackal, and half mad by the explosion. They had fear in their eyes, and they snarled at us as they sprinted.

"It is not their fault, the volcano just terrified them." Landon looked at the oncoming creatures with pity.

"They do this every time, creature." the elf replied.

I took a step forward, hand up in a spell position.Casdey was chanting the spell she wanted to cast, and I followed her actions. A huge black orb formed in my hand, and as I judged them to be within range, I fired it by propelling it forwards. The black orb shot forward on a gust of wind, and blurred across the field before striking one of the creatures. There was an explosion of energy, and five more were consumed. I leaned back, one hand back, and as I threw an invisible ball, I shouted.

"Pyro locomotor!"

The stream of fire burst from my fingertips, and struck two at it passed straight through them. Then I raised a hand to as high as I could go, staff clutched in it, and then brought it hammering down.

"Meteori Strike!"

Huge black balls of power rained down from the sky, pulverizing the ground. O'eola had a holy version of the same spell, but the black balls spread about five hundred metres wide, and there were easily a couple of hundred. The earth heaved and quaked, but as the spell finished there were still more coming.

I looked at the advancing horde.

"O.K., you guys have a go." I said, slightly terrified. Landon looked very carefully at the bunch of creatures approaching. There was over a hundred, must have been close to two, which meant there must have been three before my spell blitz.

"Alright," he said,"This is a time to panic. Wild, uncontrollable bursts, limitor off. Alduin, go crazy."

"Alright!" I cheered up, rubbing my hands together. Casdey chuckled.

"One lunatic magician coming up."

I threw another fireball, and then the blasters sang. It was a continuous stream from each blaster, and the four of them methodically swung back and forth, the field in front of me was just four huge searchlights of blaster energy. Any jackal that was caught in it was knocked to the ground, stunned, and the numbers were reduced dramatically. The elves were standing in stark astonishment.

Then Casdey's meteor strike spoke again, and the sky was full of raining black orbs of energy. The ground heaved once more, and dust rose up from the power behind them and the blasters together. As the dust unrolled, everyone halted their fire, waiting to see what effect this had had.Owch was the only way to describe it. Lying around the field were masses of jackal bodies, although whether alive or dead it was difficult to tell without walking up to them. Five were still on their feet, and they seemed to be out of their stupor, looking around in confusion. After ten seconds they turned and ran.

"Well, that went well." I said, brightly. Salbar lowered his blaster.

"I didn't even get to use my swords." he lamented. Javid lowered his C.E.O blaster and levelled his sniper rifle on the fleeing ones.

"There don't seem to be any more out there." he commented.

"Pity I have no Raptor form, I could fly over there and check." I cursed the fact I was dead for the umpteenth time.

The elves hadn't even had to move to repel the creatures, and they were looking at us in awe. The leader, who Landon had found out to be called Carission,( a peal of bells that name by itself) spoke quietly.

"That was most noble of you, Landon. While we expected you to be evil towards us, you have showed nothing but good intention."

"Most people we visit feel the same way about us.Don't worry, I have lost count how many people have panicked seeing me for what I am." the fox nodded, and put a gentle hand on the elf's shoulder.

The elf noticeably shivered at the touch, but he spoke firmly." Escort the strangers to the spare house, I will have to talk to the Lady."

We all turned, and the elves formed a squared around the five of us here. We were taken to a house, which looked like all the others. Inside, it was bare except for about four elfin beds, a table, four elfin chairs, and drawers. The roof was only six and a half feet high, the dragon had to enter by ducking considerably under the door, and Draco sat down on one of the beds rather than walk around hunched.

Simba arrived after five minutes had passed.

"Her leg's fine, and we both got a grand view of the battle. Despite Casdey's intensely evil self..."

"Why thank you." the squirrel replied, and I didn't bother to relay this as the lion continued.

"That meteor strike is a really cool spell." he finished.

"I concur." A new voice said at the door. We all turned, and quite a few of us gasped.

This new figure wasn't an elf, and not quite human either. Six foot four, with huge eagle wings, his long serpentine tail, a forked tongue, normal hands and feet. He looked like a cross breed between a human, a dragon, and an eagle.

"Of course."he continued," You have to be inherently evil to be able to cast it,so I can tell that we're not going to get on well together."

"Correction,"I raised a hand," I am currently possessing the magician, she's the evil one, I'm just borrowing her abilities."

The magician laughed," Then why are you using her evil spell list?"

"It's handy." I shrugged."If I was in a friend of mine, I'd be casting Holy Smite, or something inherently good."

The magician shrugged, his wings stretching briefly.

"I am Eagaliz, or the Beastling as some call me. I am one of six magicians here."

"So how did you get here?"

"I was teleported here, and have stayed, because I made friends with the elves. They are quite scared of humans though."

"Scared of everyone." Draco replied, as we introduced ourselves to the magician.

"But yes, I was teleported here by a necromancer, who didn't know what lived here, and broke my ability to teleport temporarily."

"Owch, I can see why you have a good reason to hate evil warlocks then." I said,sitting down. Casdey growled in my ear at this.

Eagaliz came in, and sat down on a chair next to Salbar.We were all interested in this strange creature.But before we could ask, a second human came to the entrance.

This one was six armed, for a start. Three were holding a staff, the three on the other side were all holding daggers.

"What's this, newcomers and I wasn't informed?" Eagaliz laughed at the six armed humanoid.

"Ivishnu, go get the others, I want to find out where these guys came from."

"We came from another galaxy." Javid replied," We want to know how you came to look like that."

"Me, Ivishnu and a couple of others held an intense magical duel, and some of the spells were irreversible."

"I've never seen a duel end like that." Landon looked at the completely relaxed human/lizard/ eagle what ever creature. As Eagaliz seemed well disposed to talk about said magical duel, we listenened, while the six armed human, Ivishnu appeared with a bat winged human with a kite's tail, and a half human half wolf creature, all of them pulling up seats in the suddenly small house.

"That must have been quite some duel." I said, looking down the grey furred human with bat wings and a kite's tail. A kite, I must explain, is a bird of prey, much like an eagle or falcon, and it is not dissimilar to the other two.His nickname was in fact Kiteling, and the half wolf was called Artemis. Eagaliz laughed.

"We all gained these looks during that battle, it was very magical.So who is the possessor?"

"I am Alduin, and if someone will replace Casdey's magical inhibitor, I can leave her."

Landon did so, and I walked directly out of her body.

She doubled up in release, feeling ill, and my spirit form stood in the middle of the packed room.

"Death isn't the problem it used to be." Kiteling commented, looking at Eagaliz.

"I was caught unawares by a magical curse.I was actually mostly unmagical before I died, and the magic I did have was very weak and limited. But now in death, I am that much more powerful, and it multiplies when I take control of someone, especially a magic user." I explained. Eagaliz nodded, he knew what I was talking about. Casdey stood.

"I'll just be outside." she managed to mutter, and staggered outside, using her staff.

"So why her?"

"Evil harlot, besides I saved her life, she is indebted to me." I shrugged.

"Ah, nothing like a bit of a life debt to make people bend to your will." Artemis laughed.

"So are you trying to turn her good, Alduin?"

"Blood from a stone, Ivishnu.I am trying, we could do with someone like her, if she wasn't so tempted to fireball the lot of us."

"Then get rid of her."

"Can't, I need her body for a week or so more, until we get the potion that can bring me back to life."

"So what about after?" Kiteling asked.

"Go back to the planet, I suppose we can keep the limitor on her." Draco thought out loud.

I went outside, to keep an eye on said squirrel, she was sitting down, fanning out a packs of Tarot cards, and I came over.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Your fortune." she replied, drawing a card. It was the Death card. She drew another, it was another death card, and a third followed suit.

"Well, I suppose it's accurate." I chuckled, looking at Casdey as she went through the deck to find out why she had drawn three when there was only one in the pack. Then she breathed heavily.

"Now mine." she drew her first card, and got Death as well. With a cry she jumped out, and looked at me.

"You..." she backed away physically. She turned and ran.

I debated whether to turn back and tell Draco, or give chase to Casdey. I did the latter, and hared after the squirrel, she was heading towards the cliffs, and she dived into a tunnel. I followed, unable to see her. I was following her noise, as I made none, and her steps stopped as she hid.

"Casdey,"I was troubled.I certainly didn't want to kill her, she had been too useful, and too, well, accepting.

"Alduin, I've never been wrong in twelve years." she shrieked.I glowed in the dark cave, and I could triangulate where she was coming from.

I moved towards a dark rock, and saw her hiding in a half crevice, and curled up in a ball.Even I could tell she was crying, although silently.

"Casdey..." I said gently. She shivered.

"Alduin, leave me alone."

"I don't want to kill you, Casdey.Look at me, and tell me honestly.Would I?"

She didn't look up.The silence was unbearable.

"Alduin, I know you don't want to, but I know it's going to happen."

"Can you tell it's me?"

"No, but it's fairly ob..."

"Casdey, I can name four people who would. Silverine, Draco, Mendra and Esme.For a start. Don't assume."

"Alduin, I drew it for myself."she said, terrified.

"That as maybe, but it won't be me, and if I have any word in it, it won't be my friends."

Magic bites hard when you don't like what it's saying. I wish I was able to console her, except if I was capable of touching her, she wouldn't be here.

"Alduin, you have no idea."

"Casdey, my word is powerful, I don't care what they say, I say you can go free when I get my body back. I have used you for two weeks, against your will, and while you have tried to kill me, you will be left to your own devices back on your planet."

"What about Mendra?"

"Keep away from him, isn't it simple as that? And Eviloths could do with some company."

The squirrel was silent. I decided not to push her any further, she had just suffered a terrible shock drawing that Tarot card for her own future. I ran back to the house, they were all still talking around. Landon looked up.

"Where has she gone?"

"She's hiding in one of the caves, she was drawing tarot cards, and drew death for me three times."

"The cards know you're dead." Draco smiled.

"And then drew it for herself." I completed.

There was a long pause. Simba looked at the floor thoughtfully.

"What is your opinion?"

"I don't want her to be killed. Is that quite clear?"

"Crystal." Draco replied." She's your responsibility, you can do with her what you want." the dragon leaned back.

"So how's her record at tarot?" Kiteling asked.

"Twelve years, never a mistake."

There was a collective wince.

"She's good, and I can understand why she's terrified.Tarot can be very short range future telling." Eagaliz commented.