FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

For Fae, life was about new beginnings. Through her own, there had been many to speak of. But this was an opportunity for something good, perhaps even great. This shop was a grand, new beginning to her life, and she couldn't have been more proud of it and herself.

The capital of Arksus, known as Dukkata, was renown for its vast market of worldly wares. Rumor had it that it was impossible not to find what you were looking for among the hundreds of shops and carts. The walk ways seemed to be crowded day and night, and because of it Dukkata was known as the city that never slept. Shops stayed open all night long and they would often have to employ many keepers that could stay up with the constant in and out flow of goods and services.

Fae was no stranger to this kind of lifestyle, she had worked in these kinds of shops before, though in different cities around the country. But this was her first that she had ever owned.

The morning had started out normally enough. There came a customer about every ten minutes or so, and her assistant had been doing well with the traffic. So well that Fae was allowed to dip back into her office and continue some more of her personal research and work.

The small space held a large, oak desk in the middle, of which its surface was a mess of splayed open books and stacked tomes. Loose parchment was scattered around, often stuck between the pages of books to mark relevant spots. Standing over a splayed open book was the sorceress herself.

Fae was a rather beautiful mare. Her light brown coat was clean of any imperfections. She had an hourglass figure, wide hips that tapered to a thin waist and then out again to a large bust. Her face held the strong, confident features of her species and eyes that gleamed with curiosity and expression. Her long blond hair was tied back in a single braid that was so long that it touched her backside.

At the moment her eyebrows were nit together in concentration. She wrote slowly and deliberately in a huge book while she glanced around at any number of five other open books. She was transcribing notes from different languages, checking and double checking measurements of ingredients for spells. Then there was the speaking components and the appropriate use of mana for spells that were getting into the more professionally intricate realm. But she was a professional after all, so she was up to the task. It was all just a slow going process.

Fae blinked and it was then that she realized that her eyes were very dry. She must have been staring at the books and her journal for far too long. And her back and legs were aching, the hunched over position that she had been in for an hour or so wasn't being so agreeable with her top heavy form. She sighed and set down the pen that she had been writing with on a cleared place on her desk.

She straightened her back and sighed as the soreness ebbed away and there came a few satisfying pops from her spine. Another round of cracks rumbled from her neck as she twisted it from side to side. It was about then that she heard a noise from outside her office. Her ear flicked and turned. She immediately recognized what it was.

"Fae!" came the voice of her apprentice from the stairwell. The mare stepped around her desk and made towards her door. It was already open, so all she had to do was lean her head out.

"Yes?" she replied just as loudly.

"There's someone here that wants to talk with you about a special enchantment order," her apprentice called again. A wide smile spread across Fae's face and she happily exited her office and trotted down the single flight of stairs to the landing of her shop. It was nice to move around after being stationary, and it always put her in a good mood to get a special enchantment order.

Fae's shop was like many others. Many shelves contained tied and sealed scrolls, bottles full of different colored potions, and various magical items and artifacts. There was enchanting equipment and mixing stations pressed against the walls of the room, along with tables that were stacked with various books and papers that resembled her own office. In all it was quite the mess, though the mare knew where exactly everything was. In the middle of the room was a counter where a feminine rabbit stood in front of, wearing a robe that did quite a bit to cover most of his body.

This was her apprentice, and his name was Zakk. From voice alone someone might have mistaken him for a girl, as his tone was light and gentle. He also had soft features, not unlike his mistress, and a curvaceous, feminine figure rather than the sharp angles of a well developed male.

And speaking of well developed males, Fae noticed right away the customer that she had been called down to assist with. She actually recognized him right away as Captain Gabbard, a well known individual in the king's army.

He was a towering doberman that was fit with plates of steel over top thick beast leather. He was substantially muscular, as most in the army were known to be, but he was an acceptation. Fae was a pretty tall woman at a bit over six feet tall, and even she had to crane her head to look into Captain Gabbard's eyes.

Fae smiled and approached confidently. The dog turned and locked eyes with her and sported a similarly wide smile. "Captain, it's good to see you again," the mare said and extended her hand. He took and shook it firmly while giving a nod to her greeting.

"Please, James is just fine," he reminded her and winked.

"Right, sorry," Fae giggled and set both of her hand son her hips, broadening her shoulders and pushing out her chest. "So what can I do you for?"

"I'm looking to spend some decent money on an enchantment spell.

Fae lifted her hands hands in an offering manner. "My talents are at your disposal. What can I make for you?"

"When I was in a battle against the Brarillian army, I remember using one called Iron Skin," he stated simply. "It proved to be very useful."

"All right. That's not exactly a difficult enchantment to make. How long do you want its duration?" she asked and meandered over to a wall-length shelf that held several scrolls set into square racks. Each scroll had a locked spell or enchantment on it. They were only single use though, but usually that's all anyone really needed. She was sure that she had an enchantment of Iron Skin already prepared.

"I want it to be permanent," he replied with the same even tone.

Those words made Fae freeze mid step. A mix of giddiness and fear hit her as she slowly turned back around to face the captain. He was wearing a wide grin now and she could tell how excited he was to request such a monumentally powerful enchantment. Permanency was a far more challenging thing to accomplish. It required complex and often difficult to acquire components, not to mention the correct implementation into a scroll that in itself required a very powerful and adept magic user.

"Ah, I see," Fae said under her breath. "Permanent enchantments require quite a few ingredients and considerable preparation. What makes you think that I can prepare such a thing?"

A rumbling chuckle made its way out from the captain's broad chest. "Because it was you that supplied all of the more powerful spells to use during that Brarillian attack. I witnessed the affects of a Fire Burst spell with permanency. Without it I doubt we would have been nearly so successful. Not to mention the enchantments of True Cutting and Ice Blast."

The humble praises that the doberman rained on her had the mare grinning, and she tried hard to hide the expression of pride. "You're so sure that it was me that gave your army such things?"

"I learned the information from my superiors, very reliable sources. You don't need to play coy with me, Fae." It was while he continued to speak that Fae shot a look over to her apprentice and nodded to him a slight, knowing message.

Read the full chapter here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/faes-secret-1-25573029