FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

4

Two hours to the south-east of the town of Buridava, as the crow flies, was Dacia's capital city of Regia. While not as large as some of the Confederacy's other cities, it was still quite large, with a population of well over one million residence. Add to this was an additional ten thousand people who came to learn at the five large Universities scattered throughout the city. This made Dacia the largest concentration of scholars and historians in The Confederacy. And the reason for this concentration sat on a sixteen acre lot, a slightly rectangular area covering six-hundred-ninety-six thousand-nine-hundred and sixty square feet on the northern edge of the city.

The Dacia branch of The Galactic Library was an imposing building that covered all sixteen acres and stood nearly three hundred feet at the peak of the single gable that sat above the pillared entrance. The building seemed to be made out of polished white marble, save that the actual stone seemed to be impervious to harm. Not even the dust storms that occasionally came in from the northern wastes seemed to mar its surface. The building was just as clean and polished as the day it appeared. As to why a branch of The Galactic Library had settled on such an inconsequential planet like Dacia was another question all together. And quite a controversial, complex and confusing one at that. The Library's Guardian, however, made the entire issue very simple by once stating, "Because this is where it ended up."

While the outside of the building was impressive, the inside was both awe inspiring and intimidating. Somehow, either through little understood magic or through some sort of long lost technology, the interior the building was at a minimum ten times the size of the exterior. This dimensional expansion defied all known physics, and made it harder to understand how and when new rows of books were being added, which seemed to happen almost everyday. The front of the Library resembled that of any modern library; a large counter to check books in or out; an area set aside for groups to conduct research or education; a modern data base to help people search for what they were looking for; and a large old fashioned multistory card index, which surprisingly kept a better record than the digitized one. The Library employed around one hundred staff members, though on average no more than fifty of them were on hand on any given day. This was partially due to the nature of the Library, as well as the agreement reached between the Chief Librarian and the Library's Guardian. No one knew what this agreement was, but its rules where strictly enforced.

Another reason for this arrangement was that the Library could more or less take care of itself. Books that where left to be shelved after the Library closed for the day where often found to be shelved when the doors where opened in the morning. Overdue books would disappear from the borrower and show up in its proper space on the shelf. And anyone who was looking for a particular book, author, subject or reference found it relatively easily within the first few rows of books near the main part of the Library. Any controversial, restricted or obscure subjects had to be requested directly from the Library's Guardian. This could be both a boon and a problem, as to make the request you had to petition him in person. And the first problem with this was finding him in building with a dimensional spanning labyrinth of book shelves that made up most of the rest of the Library. The Guardian is also in charge of the Library's security, and all would be thieves have found themselves either deep inside the Library facing the Guardian, or suddenly outside the Library minus the book or books they were attempting to steal and unable to reenter the Library despite an unlocked door.

The Guardian in question was an ancient blue dragon who called himself Davydsen. He was believed to be a member of the Cosmic Dragons that existed in the early eras of galactic history, though there were few beings alive that could confirm this fact, and Davydsen was keeping his mouth shut. The only thing he would say on the subject was "I am a Dragon, not a Drakkei," drawing a distinction between his modern cousins and the ancient race they originated from. The physical evidence would seem to support this statement. Drake, The Emperor of The Drakkei Empire and said to be the largest Drakkei on record, only measured a little over two hundred standard feet long, with an equally wide wingspan. Davydsen was a little over three hundred feet long, with his wingspan being slightly larger than his body length. And this might not even be his true size, as it was widely believed that he was a master of dimensional magic. And unlike the Drakkei, who could take on a humanoid form, Davydsen had never changed his form. Though this was hard to verify as no one has ever seen him outside of the Library.

Deep with in the Library, hidden away from prying eyes, Davydsen had made a lair for himself over the millennium. The gigantic hall was lined with stacks of chests filled with gold, silver, gems and jewelry of every sort. These chests were not filled to over flowing, but were neatly filled, labeled and stacked against the walls on specially made racks. Beautiful statues made of different substances were intermingled with the chests, stacks of furniture, and racks of armor and weapons. Priceless works of art hung from the walls, covering just about every single surface. At the center of the hall was a gigantic plinth that the dragon had turned into a bed. Unlike many of his kindred, he did not relish sleeping on his treasure, preferring the feel of silk to cold hard metal. His claws, horns and hard scales, however, made this indulgence impractical, so he made due with sleeping on hard stone. Not that it really mattered what he slept on. Being a dragon had its perks after all.

But something was now causing the dragon to stir. It started in the back of his mind; a presence like that of a gnat that started out gnawing on a piece of exposed flesh. Slowly, the irritation grew until it had moved to the front of his mind. With a jolt, serpentine yellow eyes snapped open and Davydsen was in motion. At first he only felt anger. Anger such as he had not felt for nearly three thousand years. But it was quickly cooled, only to be replaced by a growing anxiety he was unable to quell. There was an intruder in the Library. What was more, the intruder had bypassed all of the security placed in the Library and was now looking at a book in the restricted section. How? In all of his time as Guardian to this branch of the Library, Davydsen had never come across anyone who could circumvent the Library's safety measures. And of those that had tried, they had not made it past the front doors. Now here was someone who had not only made it past the front doors, but was deep inside the Library reading a book that he, she or it, was probably not supposed to be reading.

Davydsen snapped open his wings, catching the hidden currents of power that ran throughout the Library in an effort to increase his speed. Lifting off the ground, he sped off down the corridors of books, banking around the corners with little efforts, despite his size. His senses, attuned to the Library's environment, located the intruder with little problem. He reached the restricted area a moment later and banked around the final corner. There, towards the end of the row, was the intruder. The humanoid figure stood in front of the left side book case, bent over the book in his or her hands. For some reason, Davydsen could not make out any of the intruder's features, even with his magically enhanced eye sight.

As the dragon came around the corner, the intruder calmly looked up and nonchalantly returned the book to it's shelf. The calmness and almost dismissive nature of these actions sent the dragon into a rage. Opening his mouth slightly, the dragon caused blue-white bolts of electricity to dance between his teeth and along the scale covered lips. In response, the intruder merely smiled, a flash of white in the darkness of the hall. Half way to the intruder, Davydsen opened his mouth wide, and a large bolt of electricity streaked down the hall to strike the figure. When the light faded, there was nothing but a large scorch mark on the stone floor.

Davydsen made a sliding landing before turning in a circle, looking for either the intruder or its remains. He even looked up toward the top shelves. He was not worried about harming the books, as they were protected from even his breath. What he was worried about was a surprise attack, and he highly doubted that anyone who could sneak their way into the Library would be blasted away by a single bolt of his breath. But nothing stirred. Calming himself, Davydsen reached out with his senses, searching for anything that might lead him to the intruder. He found nothing. The Library was empty once again. A little perplexed, the dragon turned and looked at the book the intruder had been reading.

"What the...Why that one," he asked in a soft rumbling voice that no one was around to hear.

* * * * * *

Asena walked through the doors of the Library and looked around. It was only just nine in the morning but it was already busy within the main part of the Library. Most of the study tables were already filled with students and researchers as the approach of finals drew them in mass to the building. Several people were hanging around the database computers and the card index. The sound of pens on paper, the sliding sound of electronic pens on data pads, pages turning, the light tap of keyboards, and the low murmur of conversations permeated the Great Hall. This, however, was not why Asena was here. She had come to speak to two specific people. The first one, who she spotted almost instantly as that person made their way across the hall, was needed to help find the second one.

"Hey, Skuld," Asena called out loudly enough to get everyone's attention. "You have a moment?"

Several of the Library's patrons scowled at her while others put a finger to their lips, silently indicating that she need to be quiet. Asena ignored them and walked towards the person she had called out to, who in turn, had stopped to who had called out to her her.

Skuld Sable had the appearance of a young human woman in her early to mid-twenties. The fact that she was nearly seven times what her apparent age was caught just about everyone by surprise. Skuld was a full blooded Avatari, said to be the original race from which several races had come from, including humans, and now almost extinct. She had milk-white skin, straight shiny-black hair that fell almost to her ankles, and a set of deep blue eyes that held a deep and knowledgeable intellect. Her white clothing was somewhere between a full body gown and a cleric's robe. The cloths seemed to be made out of some type of silk like material, for it moved and flowed with very little effort. In her hands were two massive tomes that she held with ease, despite the fact her arms looked no bigger than a teenager's. Skuld's face broke out into a broad smile as Asena approached.

"Asena dear, welcome back." A semi-stern look then crossed her face. "But seriously, you do need to keep your voice down."

Asena stopped in front of her and gave her a sheepish grin. "Yes, sorry about that."

Skuld's smile returned. "All is forgiven then. Come. We can talk while I put these monsters away," she said, indicating the books.

Asena filed in beside her as they began to move toward the Library proper. "How's Jason? Has he settled down a little?"

"He's doing good. He still is doubtful about the true motives of the Institute, but you really can not blame him for that. They do not really have a reliable reputation, and they were not gentle with him originally."

"They got what they deserved, in my opinion," Asena said with a scowl.

"Maybe," Skuld said with a shrug. "But I believe there is always another way." She popped one of the tomes into an empty slot on a shelf next to her, almost without stopping. She continued down the corridor looking for the slot for the next book, Asena staying next to her. "Now do not get me wrong. I love my husband, but he is not the most stable of people. I honestly think the Institute can help him, and in doing so, he can then help others."

"What's he doing?"

"He's a teacher, believe it or not, helping those children that struggle with controlling their psychic abilities. I believe that it is the best therapy for him. After all, he went through the same thing, save that there was no one there to help him."

"But wasn't his problem exasperated by his very nature?"

Skuld sighed. "You are more than likely correct. Being a Wer-dragon in any age of history has always been shown to be difficult. Being a Dark Wer-dragon in an age where psychic powers are only starting to be understood must be exceptionally tough. Still, he seems to be making progress." Skuld stopped mid stride and faced Asena. "But you did not come here to catch up on the family, did you?"

"No, I'm afraid not. I need to talk to him, Skuld. I need some answers that, I believe, only he can give."

Skuld's face fell. "I am sorry, but I can not allow that at this time. He gave us strict instructions that he was not to be disturbed under-"

"I will allow it," came Davydsen's rumbling voice from no where. "Meet me further in the Library, Inquisitor. Just picture me in your mind and you will find me soon enough."

The two women exchanged looks.

"I hate it when he does that," Asena said with a goodbye wave, stepping away from the other woman and heading down the corridor that lead deeper into the Library.

Skuld gave a brief bark of laughter and then she too headed down a different corridor. Asena walked out into a larger corridor and turned right, a picture of the dragon in her mind. She was a little surprised to be heading in the direction of the deep Library, as only a handful of people had ever been allowed this deep into the central Library. Asena had never been this far herself, and she took a moment to look at some of the spines of the books that lined the corridor. Most were in languages she did not understand, and the few that she did were written in such an archaic style that they were almost impossible to translate in her mind. Shrugging, she headed down toward her destination again. Turning into another corridor, she spotted the dragon several yards down from the corridor's entrance. He was staring at a large open tome that floated only a few feet in front of his long snout.

Asena stopped and admired the dragon. She had met and become friends with several Drakkei over her long life, but she had seldom come face to face with a true dragon. Davydsen's size alone made her breath catch in her throat. As an Inquisitor, Asena had of coarse met and talked with Drake, The Emperor of The Drakkei Empire, The President of The Council of Races, and the holder of a major seat on The Inquisition Board of Officers. Even in his true form, Drake was only just over two hundred feet long, and he was considered to be one of the largest Drakkei in history. Only his eldest son, Fafnir, was slightly larger. Davydsen put both of them to shame, being well over three hundred feet long. And yet, Asena somehow sensed that he was not at his true size. That he could be much larger in reality was a very daunting thought.

Long and slender, Davydsen did not fit the stereotypical image that most people had of a dragon. Large, overlapping platter sized scales covered most of his upper body, with larger triangular scales forming a slight fin like ridge that ran from the back of his head almost to the tip of his tail. The tail itself was the longest part of the dragon, being the length of his body and half again as long. Both sets of his legs were long and covered in long muscles that made him look more like a runner than the brute fighters that most dragons were portrayed as. The fact that his hind legs were slightly longer than the front did little to dispel the assumption. Both his legs and most of his lower body were covered in a layer of small mesh like scales, with his belly and chest covered with the same scales that covered his back. Two sets of horns shot out of the back of his head; one set closer to the crown of the head, while the other was slightly lower than where his ear holes where located at. The head itself was long and triangular, with slightly raised eyes that allowed Davydsen a large field of sight to the front and side. The head was mounted on a long neck that was half the length of his body. And at the end of his snout, perched just behind his nostrils, was a set of specially designed half-moon spectacles.

The glasses were made of a metal that resembled polished silver, but was as light as titanium and twice as strong. The Drakkei called it Dragon Steel, a compound of different metals and elements with the knowledge of its making almost completely lost. And the few who could still make it were unwilling to do so save only for a truly worthy being. The lenses attached to the spectacles were not designed to correct vision, but were in fact magnifying glasses. Davydsen's vision was actually better than that of an eagle, but he had found out that some of the books had been written in very fine print, or had unique blemishes in the paper that made reading the book very difficult. The lenses had also been enchanted, as many of the more obscure books were magical in nature, and those books often had script that moved on the reader, or became nonsense to those not trained to read the specific script. While Davydsen was himself magical in nature, magic script was an individual expression, and even to those who used the similar methods of writing had different nuances to them.

"Well, are you going to stand there gawking, or are you going to explain the importance of this visit," asked the dragon without looking away from the book. One of the pages flipped without being prompted and the dragon grunted in irritation, then made a small motion with a fore-claw, flipping the page back to where it originally was.

Asena bit her lower lip before moving closer to the dragon. While she had nothing against Davydsen, and she was expecting a terse statement or two, she hated to deal with the great blue dragon. A long time ago, Asena's big sister had been forced to kill one of Davydsen's cousins, and while both agreed that the problem had been unavoidable, the two families had been on strained relations ever since. Asena stopped a few yards from him and gave a slight bow before speaking.

"Guardian, I have come here to bes-"

Davydsen sighed and gently closed the book with a mental command. It then floated back to its resting place as the dragon reached up to gently remove the spectacles from his nose. Carefully placing them into a poach that hung from a leather strap that hung from around the base of his neck, he turned to face the blue furred Guarden.

"Miss Nightsky, we've know each other long enough that we can dispense with the formalities. Despite any disagreements our families have had in the past, we two have had amicable relations. Have we not?"

Asena sighed with relief.

"Yes, we have," she said.

"Good. Now, what is it that you are in need of? I take it that the subject is obscure if you are coming directly to me."

"Yes, I'm looking for information on Nemesis."

The dragon stared at her for a long moment, though nothing on his face betrayed his thoughts. For a moment, Asena thought he might refuse to assist her.

"Which Nemesis," he finally asked, a hint of caution in his voice. "Are you referring to the goddess, the planet, the ship class, the legendary Bympyr War-lady, or..."

"The or," Asena said, a look of trepidation on her face.

Davydsen sighed, then offered the blue Guarden an opened claw. Asena froze for a moment, then stepped into it. Gently, Davydsen raised her to his shoulder, where she sat down on two of the larger scales where the overlapping pattern formed a sort of natural seat. The dragon then turned around and began to walk down the corridor, heading even deeper into the Library.

"Nemesis," Davydsen began to intone, his deep voice rumbling against the book shelves. "Known as The Spear of Vengeance. The Bringer of Chaos. The Executioner and The Reaper of Justice. A work of the early universe, said to be the weapon of the Aspect of Vengeance and made for said Aspect by the Aspect of Progress. The weapon resembles a spear similar to that of the Greek Dory of Old Terra, save that the blade is longer and resembles a leaf instead of a pointed oval. Runes run down the center of the blade, always glowing an angry red. But this is only the true form of the weapon as it has taken on different forms, all dependent on the nature of its wielder. For instance, it had taken the form of a halberd, a glaive, a guisarme, and a scythe." At this, the dragon turned his head slightly, one large eye looking directly into Asena's. The look on her face betrayed her thoughts. "So what is it you wish to know?"

Asena swallowed a couple of times before she was able to speak. "Can...is it possible for the Spear's wielder to return from death?"

Davydsen stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head completely around to look fully at her. His face still betraying nothing of his thoughts, he stared at her for a long time, looking like he was trying to think of some sort of response to the question. Then he cocked his head a little, before turning back around and walking again. He did not speak for a long time. At the next corner, he changed direction once again, still headed deeper into the Library.

"No," the dragon finally said after a while. "The Spear has no such powers. Of course, we do not know the full extent of its powers, as it existed before most of the writings located in the Library. And the few texts that could be on, or have discussed, the Spear are all but indecipherable. There is an easy way to tell if its current wielder is dead or not, however. Tell me, did you ever find the Spear after he died?"

Asena thought for a moment. "No. Even when we confronted him in his throne room, he didn't have it. It was almost like he was reluctant to use it. And we never found it after we thought he was dead."

Davydsen nodded. "Then he somehow survived. It is possible that something, or someone, was sustaining his life, but it would not be the Spear. The weapon would seek out a new wielder shortly after his death, and someone in your army would have been seen carrying it. The Spear would only pass itself off to a victorious person, not someone on the loosing side."

The dragon stopped in front of one of the book shelves, and a large ancient tome floated up to Asena. The leather cover was faded and worn, though still whole. The parchment pages with in it were nearly pure white with age. Opening it, Asena found the pages covered in clear and carefully written runes. At first, Asena thought the runes were some sort of Norse runes like those used on Old Terra, but the patterns were wrong, and there were letters she did not know. When she tried to read one line, a headache instantly sprang up behind her eyes, almost as if someone had set off a firework inside her skull.

"Do not try to read it," the dragon warned, a little too late. "And do not bother trying to speak it. Whatever its origins, the words and language they represent are words of power, making it impossible for anyone not properly trained to handle the power they hold. Nor making it easy to read the book."

"So, you can't read it either?"

"Not really," the dragon admitted. The book closed itself and returned to the book shelf. The dragon turned around and headed back the way he had come. "I have only been able to decipher a few words from its pages. That is how I know it talks about The Spear of Vengeance. The reason I showed it to you was that two days ago, someone broke into the Library, and was actually reading that book by the time I found out about the intrusion."

There was a long pause as Asena processed the information.

"Excuse me," Asena finally asked in disbelief.

"It is as I said. Someone broke into the Library; slipped past every single security devise, enchantment, and spell in the building; and was reading a book that no one has been able to decipher in the five millennium that has past since its discovery. The only reason I became aware of the intruder was because he or she was leaking enough power to level a city block." The dragon paused for a moment, as if in thought. "Although, if they were leaking that much power..." The dragon trailed off into his own thoughts.

Asena waited for a moment then asked, "What is it?"

Davydsen snorted. "Never mind. It is unimportant. The important part is that the intruder was reading the same book that you were just looking at. And probably has the answers to the questions you have about the Spear. Can it be merely a coincident that two people came here looking for the same information? I do not believe so. Facts stack like bricks. Eventually they build something. Even the most obscure fact can add to the stack, and coincidence acts very much like a mortar." Again he paused and looked back at Asena. "And I do not believe in coincidence."

Davydsen turned a corner and Asena was surprised to find that they were back at the main lobby of the Library. The dragon helped her down from his shoulder while everyone in the lobby gawked, with exception of some of the Library's staff, surprised to see the dragon this far out of the labyrinth of book shelves. Davydsen gave Asena a bow of the head as she turned toward him.

"Thank you for coming, Inquisitor," he said, suddenly very formal. "I am sorry that I was unable to help you in your research, but I hope that you will return if you have anymore question." With that, the dragon turned and was gone.

Asena raised an eyebrow in puzzlement as one of her ears twitched. Why had his attitude changed so suddenly? As she turned to head for the entrance, she saw the reason approaching. Coming across lobby was McPherson, a worried look on his face. Behind him came three more men dressed in the navy blue uniforms of The USF. The gold embroidered oak leaves on their coat collars identified them as part of the Intelligence Department. The man leading the trio glanced suspiciously toward the area the dragon had disappeared from before turning his full attention on Asena.

"What's going on," she asked as the four men stepped up to her.

"We found our missing Investigators, Ma'am," McPherson said, then glanced at the USF Officers. "It appears one of The USF Intelligence Operatives got entangled in the Pirate Ship Investigation."

Asena turned toward the human that seemed to be leading the trio of Officers.

"And you are," she asked, suspicion thick in her voice.

"Major Wilhelm Stanislov, United Space Forces, Terranova Confederation Intelligence Office, Dacia Head Quarters Branch," he said in a slightly high voice as he put his hands behind his back. The human was young, maybe in his early thirties, with a military cut to his blonde hair. His skin was pale, as if he did not get out in the sun very often. His clean shaven face held a mock smile and the brown eyes reminded Asena of a snake. Her eyes flicked down to the man's waist were she saw that, despite the rules against weapons in the Library, he openly wore a holstered pistol.

"I will be accompanying you on your investigation," he said matter of factually. It was clearly not a request.