FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The City on the Edge of the World bustles with the cries of business and the plotting of quests. Adventurers, ranging from noble knights to cut-throat rogues, all pour over job boards and rumor mills. Each of them seeks that high that comes with traveling in such dangerous territory.

Newly arrived in this city are two young adventurers, holding hand-in-hand as they come to the local information broker.

The two's leader, a woman with a fierce smile and a fiercer excitement, slams a small stone figure against the counter. “Take a look at this!"

The man behind the counter quirks an eyebrow, pulling out his glasses and squinting at the little idol. “Yes? I'm not a pawn shop, you know."

The second of the party, a slight man with a leaner voice squeaks up. “M… my good man. What my wife is trying to say is we've found an item of great importance. Perhaps, you'd be able to tell us more about it?"

The man snorts, lifting up the idol to the light. “Ah, yes, yes, this is from the ancients from around these parts, alright. But, I don't think I've seen you two around these parts before."

With a hand on her hips, the woman points to herself, puffing out her chest and her ego at the same time. “That's because that was from a treasure trove of a zombie lord. My hubby thought it had something to do with the weird cat stuff that you guys got going this far out in the middle of nowhere."

“Well, you're right about that, and you're not the first group of adventurers coming around here, seeking the ancient treasures of the forgotten kingdom. More experienced explorers than you with larger expeditions have tried, and all of them have failed, swallowed up by the jungle and never seen again. Probably hunted by the monsters, devoured, and their gear left to add to the piles of treasure that the deeper recesses of this land tend to have."

“That sounds like exactly my kind of place!" she says, flashing the man a thumbs-up.

“I know a guide that takes people out to the fringes of the wilderness," the broker says, stroking his beard. “I'll see what she has to say about this. You two can enjoy the offerings of this town in the meanwhile."

“We're not some tourists," the woman snorts. “We're Feliny and Sandro, the greatest couple of adventurers you'll ever see! You tell your guide to meet us and be ready to head out tomorrow morning!"

She snatches the statue away from the broker and rushes out the door, her head held high.

Sandro pokes his fingers together, his shoulders hunched. “S-sorry about that… she's a bit head-strong… Honey, wait up!"

The next morning, Feliny and Sandro sit at the edge of town, packs set up with supplies. The leader raises their little statue up into the air, letting the gemstone shimmer in the sun. “I tell ya, hubby, this is going to be the best experience in our life. We're no longer going to be no-name adventurers. We'll be the greatest explorers ever!"

Sandro pours over tomes and maps, peeking up towards his wife and giving her a sheepish smirk. “I'm just interested in the lore we can find. Who knows what's hidden in the ruins of a civilization that disappeared!?

Gripping the statue, Feliny pumps her fist. “It's getting my blood boiling just thinking about the monsters I'll bash in and the gold I'll find."

“Um, excuse me?"

The two turn from their little exposition to see a woman with pointed ears and sky blue hair. Her bark-hued skin and her violet eyes revealed her wood elf nature. “Are you two, uh, Felony and Sandra?"

“Feliny and Sandro!" Feliny says, hands on her hips, leaning in and narrowing her eyes at the smaller woman. “And you're…"

“Alli, your guide," she says. “That is if you have the artifact you claim to have."

Feliny flashes two fingers towards the girl, the item nestled between them. “What do you think of THAT!"

Those purple eyes nearly fly out of their sockets when the elf sees the item. She holds her hands out as if she were a hungry child. Feliny lets her hold it, keeping her gaze firmly rooted upon her.

“I… I don't believe this… this is a key!"

“A key, you say?" Sandro says, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Ah, yes, of course. Why didn't I see that before?"

“Keys open treasure!" Feliny says. “Now, my curiosity is intense desire. Tell me all about this key!" She holds her hand back out.

The elf whimpers but deposits the key in her hand. “It should open the gate of the temple. The ancients only allowed chosen members of the clergy to enter the enormous complex. The way they tested the faith of those who approached was through the use of such keys. With this, the priest and his retinue could enter the temple to perform the proper rites, and then the key would crumble to dust, never to be used again."

“Ah, so, this is a one-way ticket, huh?" Feliny frowns, keeping her eyes locked on it. “Such a shame… it's so beautiful."

“Dear, we could just sell it and make a tidy profit and try exploring around the area as we planned. There's no need to destroy it."

She places it in her pocket. “What are ya blabbing about? You're the one who wants to see the ancient lore, right? What better place than an underground church, eh? That shit's gotta be worth a fortune in knowledge and in money."

“Ah, yes, that's true. Well, then, let's do it, my Dear."

And so, their adventure begins. Who knows what strange things they'll find in their journey into the jungle!?