FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Stealing from the Library of the Wyrm was going to be a bit of a challenge. Ever since Tavik had been given the assignment by his guild he had studied the place and its possible defences. Guard routes, magical wards and traps. He even visited the place under the guise of a tourist once to see everything in person. Or as much as he could without sneaking into places marked forbidden. For those places he had to rely on information gathered in less honorable ways. Old maps, notes from other thieves, conversations with former employees. It did take a while but with what he was being paid it was well worth the preparation. Armed now with all the facts he could gather he was confident he could succeed.

Tavik was tall for a fox. Standing a mean five feet with an athletic figure. Almost entirely black with a white tip on his tail. Ears and sides of his face were deep gold. That same color decorated sections of his chest and rump. Brown eyes, alert and cautious, set behind his narrow snout. He dressed himself in darkest clothing with light leather armor. Pouches were filled with the tools of the trade. His trademark black mask with midnight blue edges fixed over his face. He took abandoned tunnels under the city for most of the trip. The maze of tunnels memorized from long hours spent navigating them. An easy if sometimes smelly way to move unseen through the city. The library would be all but abandoned at this time of the night. A few caretakers and a dozen guards at most. Dealing with them would be easy. Avoiding them, however, would be even easier.

He slipped out of a sewer grate in some nameless back alley next to the Library of the Wyrm. Which was a multi story tower surrounded by a garden. Which itself was closed in by a tall stone wall. Only two gates allowed passage through that wall. He could see one of the gates farther down the road. Closed and locked for the night. Two guards stood watch. Another pair would be patrolling along the outside of the wall. Right on cue they strolled past his position. Chatting about some female they had banged the night before. He waited till they were well on their way before leaving cover. A grapple hook and rope used to quickly scale the wall. Once atop he pulled the rope up behind him and then dropped down into the soft earth of the garden beyond.

Tavik made his way through the gardens to the tower. Avoiding a few magical wards along the way. At the tower he approached a back door the servants used. The complex lock didn't last long under the application of the right tools. Once inside he began to move through the tower in silence. Enchanted shoes muffling any sounds he might have normally created. The dark halls only lights were the mage globes which hung at regular intervals. Most of which were dimmed at this time of night. His goal was not higher in the tower but down below in hidden chambers. Information on the lower levels was spotty at best but he had the general location of his target. That's all that mattered. He moved with much more caution as he descended. A few traps noted and avoided on his way down. At the bottom of the stairs was a single large door. He checked for anyone that might be on the other side as best he could. No sound came from beyond the door and the dim light coming from under it remained unbroken. Meaning no one was passing by. So he set to work on the lock. Which fell to his skill like many before it. He slipped inside and closed the door quietly behind him.

Beyond the doors lay a massive library. Books stacked neatly on tall shelves. The aisles wide. An impressive sight even for someone like him.

"What the hells?" Came a startled voice to his side.

The head of a red kobold had popped up above a pile of books. The desk upon which they rested was so heavily laden Tavik had missed the Kobold sitting in the chair behind it. Tavik snapped a translucent sphere from his belt and sent it sailing at the Kobold. Before the kobold could react it smacked him on the snout. With a soft pop the creature vanished and left the sphere to hover in place.

Tavik lifted his hand and the globe was summoned to his palm. He took stock of his surroundings but there were no further sounds. Luck was with him as the kobold seemed to be alone. He looked down at the sphere in his palm. Trapped within was the now shrunken kobold. Who beat on the inside of the ball with his fists. The kobolds' clothing had shrunk with him. A dark vest edged with gold. Matching pants adored and some rather nice boots. The kobolds horns were etched with odd symbols and adored with golden rings.

Tavik's thumb pressed to the sphere and he spoke a single word. "Sleep."

The kobolds struggles started to slow. After a moment he stopped and slipped down to fall on his rump. A large yawn parted his jaws. Resistance returned for a moment. A shake of head and a struggle to stand.

Tavik smirked. "Don't worry little fella. This trap only lasts a few hours before you're freed."

The kobold said something that couldn't be heard from inside the globe. Probably some insult. Then fell into a heap as he was dragged into an enchanted sleep. The sphere's magic pulled the creature to its center. Where the snoozing figure was posed cutely. Tavik set the sphere down under the desk out of sight.

With that solved Tavik made his way through the aisles of books to a short hallway. Another set of traps waited for him as he passed through the hall but he avoided these as well. At the end of the hall a door, unlocked, waited for him. Through the door a much smaller but no less impressive library filled a circular room. Large pillows and furs spread about one side. With a massive desk against the far wall. No one was here as expected but the place was well lit. He set about the business of searching for his target. Luck continued to be on his side as he spotted it resting atop the desk. The Book of the Mind. It was just as it had been described. A pale leather book with no markings or words.

Tavik reached out to grab the book but it lurched into the air to hover before him. Startled, he yanked his hand back. The book snapped open. The pages within blank. Fearing this some sort of trap he reached for a protective ward he kept in his pocket. A crystal that when broken would offer him magical protection. Only his hand didn't move. A blanket of soft light had surrounded him and with it his body had frozen in place. Even his eyes refused to comply. Remaining locked, unblinking, on the book before him. A mix of shock and panic flooded him but nothing could be done. He may as well be a statue.

Tavik felt a pull. Not on his body but his thoughts. A pull that increased as the book began to move closer. His mind began to drift as memories flowed to the surface unbidden. Images of his first fight. The smell of his mother's cooking. The feel of his first climax. Sections of his life played out before him. Every moment, every emotion as clear as the day he experienced them. Slowly at first the pages of the book began to turn. Each page was filled with words and drawings. The cover of the book began to darken as it took on the same tones as his fur. What little control of his thoughts he had left was swept away as the flow of memories became a storm. The pages of the book turned faster and faster as his life was played out. The world around him was gone. Only the book remained. It loomed before him as a monolith. Pulling him in until he stood on the very last page. Then, with a snap, the book closed and all was darkness.

Within that darkness he found peace. No longer did his memories and emotions storm within him. Instead his thoughts began to swiftly slow. It became harder to think, to worry. Until even that was impossible. Time stopped being important. Leaving him to rest. A rest that was interrupted by a touch. A finger that traced down the length of his spine. A ripple of sound, laughter, washed over his body.

"Well, well! How nice to meet you again."

Tavik could not see the figure who spoke for he lacked the ability to see. His awareness of the touch and the voice was enough. A grip took hold of him. Lifted him then turned him over. Hands traced over his body.

"Tavik. No last name? Oh well, Tavik. It's good to find you here. I would have been furious if you had gotten away after trapping me in that ball."

It was the kobold who should have been stuck in the trap for hours. Had it been that long? Tavik felt himself moving. The kobold was carrying him somewhere. Hands gripped the solid frame of Taviks body. Why could he not move? Or see? He would have struggled if he could have but that ability did not exist. He felt solid. He felt-

"Lets have a look at you."

With a light thump Tavik felt himself set down. Then felt a movement from his own body as the kobold opened him. A blossom of vulnerability washed over him as it seemed his very soul had been exposed. Fingers danced over the pages of his body as they were turned towards the end. In his mind's eye he shot to the moment he was breaking into the library. The image of picking the doors lock was so vivid and perfectly still. He felt the kobolds eyes move over him. Felt him reading. As the kobold did he memories moved. Easing forward while the kobold absorbed every detail.

"Oh yes, you're going to be an interesting read."

The kobold turned back through some pages. Flickers of Tavik's memories drifted by until they froze in place with him as a child. An old friend of his beside him. Walking with him as they made their way to the markets. A great place to pick some pockets. The memories advanced as the kobold read. For a while Tavik was that child again. So unsure and nervous while his friend was the very picture of confidence.

When the kobold stopped reading the memory crawled to a halt. Then faded. Leaving Tavik to finally understand the obvious. He was the book now. Or rather he was trapped within one. Was there a difference? It was so hard to think as a book. Independent thought seemed alien. To focus on the simplest of things was a huge effort. His purpose was to give knowledge not consider it.

"Do you understand yet?" The kobold asked. "You're the book. Oh yes. Such a nice cover too."

The kobolds fingers traced over his spine before gliding across pages. Each touch a delightful feather against his spirit.

"You were, of course, hired by us to test our libraries defenses. You had no way to know that. We went through many middle men to make sure the hiring couldn't be traced back to us. I admit I was completely shocked to see you in person. Never thought you would get this far. We clearly have a lot to improve."

The kobold once more flipped through pages. Stopping here and there to look at an image or read a small section. Each glance, each touch, brought with it a vivid playback of that memory. An ever changing painting of his life. Open for the creature to pursue at his whim.

"For what it's worth I am grateful you didn't do something more, violent, with me. Perhaps when you are released, if I am even still alive by then, I will give you some reward for that kindness. It's all I can offer sadly. You see, this trap you're in? It will break after you are read fifty times by unique individuals. There is no way to alter that once the trap has sprung. I could arrange for people to come read you to hurry that process along but sadly you will be going to my master. Who is notorious for his lack of mercy. You understand I hope?"

Tavik understood but found it impossible to care. The kobolds words soaked into him then faded almost as fast as he heard them. His only reality was the touch of the kobolds hands. Any glance at his pages brought out vivid memories that sparked in his otherwise empty mind's eye. With each moment his awareness of himself as a person slipped away. Not lost. Just not something his current form allowed.

A soft snap rolled through him as he was closed. What little thought he did have was snuffed as his pages were denied attention. Attention he found he wanted. Longed for. A feeling that continued as he was picked up and carried once more. Time meant nothing as they walked. Their destination could have been a few steps away or in another world.

"Here we are." The kobold stated.

Tavik felt the leather of his cover caressed one last time. Then he was lifted and slid onto a shelf. The warm pressure of books on either side of him felt. Which held him perfectly straight between them.

"Farewell Tavik. Rest well."

All turned to silence. The longing to be read continued to tug at him as the quiet closed in. The wheels of his mind slowed to a halt. Which caused even his need to be read to fade. He became the book he resembled. A mere item on a shelf. His mind only able to spark to life once someone took the time to read him. To let him relive his life's story once more.