FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A door creaked open into a bedroom half-lit by the sun. In stepped a young man still in his school uniform with his bag held in his left hand. A flip of the switch revealed the room`s contents: A bed with a shelf full of books and games, an old office chair that could no longer rise and a desk where a desktop computer rests.

The bag fell with a thud before the young man sat himself down on the office chair and made an anxious gulp. His right hand clenched up before pressing the power buttons on the tower and the monitor, bringing the machine to life with a smooth whirr. While the computer booted up, the student opened up his bag and sifted through its contents to find a plastic disc case sealed in shrink wrap. The art printed on the case depicted a single tree in a dark background with the words "Elder Tale: Homesteading the Noosphere" written along the top. After the young man did away with that minor annoyance, the case opened up with a pop, revealing a disc and little booklet. Both items had the same print as the case itself, but the student was only interested in the former.

_Pop_went the case as the student pressed the little tab in the center of the case`s right side, forcing it to give up the disc. With the round piece of plastic in hand, the young man opened up the disc tray with a press of a button and took out what was inside: Another disc with the word Elder Tale printed along its face. After filling the empty tray with "Homesteading the Noosphere," he placed the old disc in the new case and tossed it closed on the desk, just in time for the monitor to ask for his login information.

After giving what the computer wanted, the student closed the disc tray, letting the machine read its contents. A window popped up a second later, and with a click of the mouse, installation was under way.

As he waited, the student thought back to the events that led up to this moment. About how poorly he has been concentrating. About how poorly he performed at practice. About the beatings he got from his Sensei because of this. And what his Sensei said to him after class.

"A warrior must put his heart and soul into everything he does or else he can`t put it into anything he does. Whether he is fighting, meditating, or loving."

He thought about the extra emphasis on that last word for a second before another window popped up, telling him that the installation was finished. The same window asked him if he wanted to start the program, and the cursor hovered over "Yes" for a second before he clicked it. The monitor went black save for another login screen, and once more, the student gave what it asked for.

This time, more than the monitor went black.

When the student opened his eyes, the room was gone, replaced by a field of moss-covered buildings under a clear blue sky. The people around him looked as confused as he was, and they all were wearing some odd attire. Upon closer inspection, the young man recognized most of the outfits from the game. As a matter of fact, the locale resembled the game`s world, albeit shown from a different angle.

"Is this Akihabara?"

A breeze blew past his body, and he realized that his torso was bare. When he looked down to confirm this fact, a white mane and black fur greeted him. The young man brought his hands into view, and pink paw pads waved back at him. Suspicions arose, but there was one more thing he needed to clear his skepticism.

Upon thinking about how to pull up his Status, a screen popped up in front of him, giving him his name (Shintetsu), Class (Samurai), Subclass (Blacksmith), Race (Werecat), Level (50), HP (6969/6969), and MP (2727/2727). At this point, the student could no longer deny what had happened to him.

"This is the land of Elder Tale."

A momentary sigh snapped "Shintetsu" out of his initial shock, and the Samurai scrolled through the available menu options. Once the young male found the one he wanted (Friends List), he reached for it, and another window popped up. Only one entry popped up, printed in white to signify the user`s online status:

Name: Ros

Race: Wolf Fang

Class/Subclass: Kannagi/Apothecary

Without a second thought, the Werecat touched the white letters and a list of available actions revealed themselves. Upon pressing "Telepathy," a little chime rang, making his ears twitch. With a heavy sigh and his left hand leaning against his lobe, Shintetsu opened his mouth.

"Sir Ros, are you there? It is I, Shintetsu."

The tone of "Ros`s" response caught the Samurai off-guard.

"Sh-Shin? Oh, thank _goodness_you`re okay!"

In his silence, Shintetsu could hear the other party holding back sobs. Guilt and grief welled up from within the Werecat like bile, but a deep breath kept tears from gathering in his eyes. With eyes closed, he spoke up again.

"I humbly apologize for abandoning you last month. I have been a coward and could not handle my emotions."

Laughter rang in the Samurais ears. "Silly little cat!" the voice teased. "You couldve just told me if you were feeling uncomfortable. So where are you, anyway?"

Once more, the student surveyed his surroundings. Right behind him stood a gilded blue building, barely touched by nature compared to the others around it. "I am currently in front of the Guild Meeting Hall," Shintetsu answered.

"All right. How about we meet at that giant tree we always hang out at? You know the one."

"I do know," Shin replied, matter-of-factly. "And I will meet you there."

Though his feet had a smaller base in his new form, the Werecat took off like a fish in water towards his destination. Along the way, Shintetsu chopped the air in front of him with his right hand as he weaved through throngs of other Players (known as Adventurers in this world). With the crowd behind him, the Samurai noticed that the buildings were thinning out as well before looking at his target: A giant tree, covered in moss like everything else in Akihabara. After another minute of running, Shintetsu stood atop one of the tree`s roots, looking around for the one named Ros.

"Sir Ros!" Shintetsu shouted to the sky. "Where are you!?" No response came, but a violent aura enveloped the area. Instinctively, the Samurai reached for his Demons Club. Once more, he called out, "Sir Ros, are you around here?" albeit in a lower volume. The Werecats body stood still save for his eyes, which shifted from left to right and left again.

No voices answered, but leaves did fall around him. Not willing to take a chance, the Werecat leaped away from the tree`s base. This proved to be wise, as a spiked fruit landed right where he once stood. A moment later, a status bar popped up, revealing its level (20) and name. "A Deadly Durian indeed," Shintetsu commented before drawing his weapon.

The plant monster revved up in place, sending wooden shrapnel flying into the trees trunk. Meanwhile, Shintetsu held the Demons Club in front of him, waiting patiently for its inevitable charge. A deep breath cleared the Samurais mind as he lifted his weapon and listened for the Durians approach. The studded bludgeon came down in an instant with a heart-shaking roar, smashing the fruit in front of him into a million pieces before it exploded into an array of bubbles and coins. Numerous shards flew at the feline, lodging themselves in his pelt and giving off a foul odor.

The sickly sweet scent unhinged Shintetsu, making his stomach churn. His head started to spin, and his vision blurred save for his Status screen. Two pop-up windows revealed themselves to the Samurai, telling him that he was now Poisoned and Blinded. After sending the windows away, Shintetsu heard a bestial roar and saw several figures approaching him.

"Two against one, huh?" he growled, getting into stance. "Fine, let's do this!"

In spite of his crippled state, the Samurai charged forth, shrugging off his pain as he swung at the figures. His foolish decision was rewarded with a heavy swing to the face, sending him flying backwards and knocking off a fifth of his HP. The landing cost Shintetsu another tenth, and the lingering debuffs hampered his rise back to his feet.

When Shintetsu finally got up with the help of his club, he found himself flanked by the hazy figures, revealed by their status screens to be Level 40 Egg Bears. Still reeling from the blow and his ailments, the Samurai struggled to get off of his makeshift crutch and get into something resembling a fighting stance. Ignoring the fact that he had just lost another twentieth of his HP to the poison, he charged one of the monsters head-on before leaping into the air and sending his weapon crashing down into what he assumed was the ursine`s skull.

The subsequent roar of pain told the Werecat otherwise on the way down behind the giant bear. As he turned around, Shintetsu wound up a heavy swing of the Demons Rod, aimed for the monsters midsection. This second strike barely grazed the beast, who readied an attack of its own. The club's momentum rendered Shintetsu defenseless, and before he could react, he was lifted off of the ground for a deadly bearhug. As the grip of the Egg Bears arms tightened around the Samurais body and sapped his strength, a single thought crossed his mind.

"So. This is how I die..."

Just when hope seemed lost for the young male, a high-pitched chime rang above him, followed by another pained roar from his captor. The monster's grip opened up, dropping the Samurai to the floor. When he opened his eyes, all he could see was the blurry blue sky and the treetop above.

"Shin!" a voice shouted, and something else entered Shintetsu`s vision. Before he could even think about what it was, a warm feeling spread throughout his body, overwhelming and dissipating the Poison in his blood.

"Sir Ros," the Samurai groaned, still flat on the grass and Blind. "Is that really you?" With that, a hand gripped his arm and lifted him back to his feet.

"Think you can hold 'till I can give you back your vision?" the voice asked, seemingly ignoring the Werecat's question.

Though he was still a bit shaky on his legs, Shintetsu nodded. "I will be fine," was his response, in spite of the fact that he lost over half his HP. With a shake of his head, the Werecat got into his stance. "Bring it on!" he shouted before charging (literally) blindly at his remaining foe. Nothing more needed to be said.

Once more, the black-furred Samurai swung at the bear. Once more, he missed his target by a long shot. And once more, the monster prepared a counter attack. This time, however, a colored tint appeared between Shintetsu and the ursine, and though the attack still impacted him, it did not hurt quite as much.

A forward leap brought Shintetsu closer to his opponent, and his next strike hit clean against the beast's ribs. The bear winced in pain for a second, but recovered quickly enough to retaliate. Unable to see the monster's arm, the Samurai only managed to avoid getting knocked back thanks to a warning from the voice. Though he managed to guard in time, the strength of the monster clashing against his club still made his body shake. As the seconds ticked by, his eyes closed shut, only opening when the voice called out again.

"Shin!"

When he opened his eyes, the Werecat could see everything clearly. The clouds in the sky. The bear's hulking form. And that fist coming straight at him.

Shin's eyes widened as his free arm came in front of his face. However, before the attack could connect, a figure in blue and white leaped at the monster with a staff in hand.

"EVIL BANISHING BLOW!" that familiar voice yelled as the figure brought its weapon down on the beast's shoulder, crippling its arm and halting its attack. The monster howled in pain, and a quick glance at the status screen told the pair that it was on its last legs.

A grey-eyed face looked back at Shintetsu, as if to command him to finish the job. Getting back into stance, the Samurai lifted his club and slammed it back down on their opponent's other arm. With its final breath, the bear let out a dying roar before exploding into a mass of bubbles and coins. Both fighters let out relieved sighs at their victory, with Shintetsu's being the more loud and drawn out of the two.

When the Samurai looked up at the figure, a tan face with silver hair smiled down upon him, making him smile in response. "Sir Ros. It really is you," he said with a bow. "Thank you very much for your assistance."

Fingers ran through the Werecat's white mane as the one known as Ros laughed at the display. "Still sticking with the formalities, are you? Don't you think we've known each other long enough to be on friendlier terms?"

Though he purred while Ros petted him, Shintetsu jumped back up at the Wolf Fang's questions. "I would not dare disrespect a superior like that!" the Werecat yelped, bringing a paw to his chest. His eyes, as earnest as he was, glanced away for a second before returning focus to the taller male. "Which is why I had to apologize for my prior rude exit!"

Ros's voice trembled as he sighed, "I already told you that it's okay-"

"It is not okay!" Shintetsu shouted. "I have made you think that I do not share your feelings, and that is a horrible insult to you, as well as a lie. I do love you, Sir Ros! Which is why I must ask..." Before giving his question, the Samurai gave another sharp bow. "Won't you please be my lord!?"

One more sigh escaped the Wolf Fang's mouth before he gave his response.

"I suppose so."