FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Karra places her newly-acquired wealth down upon her vanity and reaches into her drawer to grab a few things for a quick bath. Sitting there, though, is her small chime. She gasps at the sight and snatches it up. "Oh mah stars!" she shouts, looking over the device. "Thank goodness ah didn't lose you, little one."

The tiny device in her hand clicks, and the bell rings. The relief that fills the snake kobold's face instantly drops to a deep-seated terror. She pockets the little charm and quickly goes through her other drawers. "Dagnabbit, where are you?" She curses to herself as she tosses dresses and frilly underthings aside. Soon enough, though, she finds what's she looking for, though relief does not come. Her container is empty, save for a crusty crimson film. Her needle is in a similar state. "No, no, no, not now. Ah can't be out now!" This is an emergency, one that she needs to rectify right away. She reaches for one of her lowest drawers and slips out a pair of gray slacks and a shirt. Like when she usually dons these clothes, she slides open her window and climbs out the door. This time, however, she has a bag full of gems ready to restore her supply.

The late afternoon wanes on as she makes her way out. Her evening of relaxation before a night of work has been shattered by this damnable affliction of hers, yet, there's nothing she can do about it. Nothing, that is, besides see a man about a certain substance.

She arrives at the old apothecary's shop, where the charming old man behind the counter greets everyone with a smile an a wave. But as she approaches, she places a coin down and asks. "Ah need somethin' from the back fer some sensitive matters."

"That could take awhile, little lady. Wait right here a spell."

"Ah'm find standin', thank you very much!"

The man winks and takes the coin, humming as he makes his way to the storage.

Karra looks over her shoulder, and standing there, dressed in a faceless mask, is the short individual, perhaps a halfling or a gnome, with potions and vials and beakers and the like draped over belts. "So, out of your special ingredient again, Miss?" the mysterious vendor asks, a slight chuckle in its voice. "You're going through more of the supply than usual. I wasn't expecting you for another week."

"J... just give me the stuff," she says, clutching her coin purse. "Ah can pay you this time."

"Hm... yes, you do seem to be in a much better financial situation, but... my suppliers aren't happy with your haphazard use of such a vital fluid."

She grits her teeth. "What do yew want?"

"That's a good girl," the vendor replies. "Just a little favor. I'll accept some of that payday you have there as collateral, of course, and I'll even be gracious enough to give you enough supply for tonight. But you'll be getting a client tonight. Sneak some of this into their libation while they are talking with you. Mind the side effects, though, it tends to make its victims rather... frisky."

Karra gasps and then leans in, hissing. "You want me to poison someone?"

"Oh, please, I know you're not an assassin, Karra. Its just a little something to make them loosen their tongue a little, not that you won't appreciate that. I suppose the longer a client talks, the less they use you as their carnal dumping ground."

Karra scratches hastily at her arm. "A... Ah'll do it. Jess give me the stuff!"

"The gold, first," the vendor says, holding out a gloved hand.

Karra grumbles, pulling out a few gems and dropping them into the vendor's grasp. "No tricks. After all, Ah'm useful to you."

"Tonight, we'll be able to prove this is true," the vendor says, pulling out two vials. One, a deep crimson color, makes her heart beat quickly. The other is a tiny dropper of a bright green liquid.

"Oh, feel free to experiment with it," the vendor adds. "The more you find yourself wanting, the more I'll have to sell you."

Karra snatches the two concoctions, shuddering as she feels the Faustian pact envelope her whole soul. But she snaps out of it when the door behind her closes.

"Here you go, little lady," the apothecary says. "Just be careful, now. Take this too late, and you'll have more than rotten eggs to deal with."

"Thanks," she says, taking the medicine and scurrying on back to her room.

Back there, she sits on her bed, sighing as she looks at the vial of green liquid. Whatever it is, she'll have time to figure it out later. Now, though, is for the most important thing... the blood.

She takes her needle and extracts some of the life-fluid from its case. Since it is only a dosage for a day, she takes the whole thing into the syringe and rolls up her sleeve. Pressing it into her vein, the kobold sighs, feeling the liquid work its way within her.

She falls back onto her bed, feeling lethargic after all of the commotion of the past week or so. This morning, her only concern was being able to get back to work, now, the mysterious supplier of dragon blood has decided to tighten the leash around her throat. Whether it be because of some sense of nostalgia or from her steady employment here, or even now a tie to this one source of the life-saving drug that flows through her veins, one ineffable truth comes up to her mind, sending tears to her eyes, and that truth is the simple fact that "No matter what ah do, ah'm going to be stuck here, one way or another."