FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The environment the mystic has found himself in isn't one of cold alloy and artificial light, nor does the quiet hum of life support nor the metallic noise of machinery performing tasks. The mystic is a few years younger then he is now, being in his teen years, the area is a large living room with an old style tv from the late 90's sitting in front of a black leather couch, off to the side is a wooden desk with an office computer, the yellow paint causing all of it to pop as the screens from both entertainment sources show nothing but distorted signals while the crackle of static covers the air, outside the cascade of heavy rainfall joins it.

Standing in front of him are two wolves, to the left is a male who is far older then him, his eyes are blue, wearing a green shirt and black jacket, black paints, the hair on top of his head having fallen out long ago, leaving his brown-white coat to fill the gaps. The other wolf is a woman, her eyes are also blue, her brown long hair going down to her shoulders, black sweat pants and a blue short sleeve shirt being over top her slightly chubby frame as her grey and white coat shows it's been somewhat groomed. The woman was standing firm, as a massive bag was hanging over her shoulder, her arms crossed while her eyes sharply looked at the guy. The older male is completely confused as he tries to talk to her about what's going on, his arms outstretched to the side as he tries figure it out.

Magnum knows what this is... when it is! His heart gives off a sharp pain as if someone had just torn it out and he suddenly feels sick and weak. The woman shoots Magnum a glance before closing her eyes and begins to walk away through the kitchen as the man stands there in defeat.

The mystic chases after her, his legs felt like they were on fire as he fought through the pain, he rounds the corner to see her nearing the door, he cries out "Mom! Please don't go!"

The wolf stops for a moment but she keeps going, Magnum continues going after her as he feels like he's walking through tar while the area around him begins to decay, crying out to her in pain and confusion.

Magnum can feel the stream of tears "Mama, please don't leave me!" as he tries to catch up with her.

The woman opens the door, she grabs a suitcase and she leaves, closing the door behind her which freezes over in dense ice. Magnum finally makes it to the door, punching and hitting it with all he has... achieving absolutely nothing. His fists strike into the door and become stuck, ice begins to consume his hands and slowly ice begins to cover his his markings, slowly cutting into his flesh as he stares at the door in sadness and horror.

Magnum says "Mom! Please come back! PLEASE!!!"

He glances back as he hears a swoosh, the male wolf is now gone, but a dark shade with red eyes is now there, a feminine form made manifests, it begins to approach the mystic with a twisted smile forming on it's canine face. The mystic look to the door as he feels his body freezing in place, his heart screaming as his breathing becomes hindered, the shade makes it to him, it's claws starting to go around him as he slowly ages more closer to the age he is now, he glances to see the brown hidden in the red...

Magnum screams into the air "MAMA!!! HELP ME!!!" as the shade goes to bite him.

The mystics eyes shoot open as he sits up on his bed, gripping his heart as it beats a million miles an hour. He quickly looks around to see he's back in his room aboard the Howl of Silver, there were no threats to deal with, nothing to be cautious about as no alarms blared and no sign of Elvo giving a signal. Magnum begins to try to calm his heart by taking deep breathes, but he soon sinks back into the bed and curling up as he starts to cry. The nightmare wasn't a new one, but it was one that always reminded the mystic of what happened before he became a knight, before heading into space... everything from the life he left behind. Elvo's avatar appears, her sensors having felt the mystics pain, she has her photons become more solid, she gets onto the bed and begins to hold Magnum, his tears clashing with the focused light of her image as he grabs onto her. Elvo practically cradles him as she becomes concerned for her friend, she's seen this so many times before, it has calmed down in recent years but when it does strike it practically destroys the mystics mind, a powerful form of post traumatic stress disorder that still lingers from a time of doubt and pain.

The coyote nuzzles him "I'm right here Magnum, just focus on my voice, no one is here to hurt you and you aren't on Earth.", her eyes look to his "Please, come back to me brother." as digital tears leave her eyes.

The mystic slowly opens his eyes, coming to his senses as his senses come back to the present, his mind refocusing as their bloodshot gaze looks to Elvo, the blue fur on his body send sparks of black electricity, a quiet whimper escapes his lips as his body shivers, he just looked like a mess falling apart as his mind tries to put everything back together as his frontal lobe burns and sends a small signal of pain out. All Elvo can do hold him as he slowly calms down, reducing his heart rate and catching his breath, it takes a little while but Magnum regains himself as his senses are put back in place, some of his muscles are still spaseming out but otherwise he's recovered.

Magnum says "El.... vo...." very weakly.

Elvo nuzzles him once more "I'm right here, let's get you up." with concern as she helps him sit up.

The mystic take a moment, he breaks the silence "It was one of the nightmares..." as he gently grabs his head with his left hand and he says "I haven't had any of them for a while, I thought they were finally gone."

Elvo sighs "I keep telling you, you can't solve your problems by isolating yourself and not talking to anyone."

The mystic looks to the a.i. and says "I talk to you."

The coyote says "That's not what I mean! Magnum you need more people that you can talk to, make some friends that you can hang out with, if all you do is surround yourself with machines then you'll only suffer."

Magnum sighs "I know...", he gently breaks the embrace as he goes over to his medication "I am just having a difficult time with it." as he opens a bottle of anti-depressants.

Elvo begins to process some information as she watches Magnum take the pills, the powerful medication was one she created due to Magnum's powerful depression, anger and above all anxiety. What this drug does is block a large number of his nerves that pertain to emotional response just in general, meaning for him to have such a response of any kind it would have to be one of either sever trauma or gratification which leads to the semi-robotic nature he's known to have. Elvo created the advanced drug to help clear his mind, to give him the ability to sort things out... now the poor thing can't function without it, she needed a way to fix this situation.

Evo decides to break the ice "Well, you seem to be getting along really well with Marouge and Porralla, despite the fact they are women. Maybe you can forge a bond with them and it'll lead somewhere."

Magnum says "They are an engaged couple...."

The coyote says "That's not what I mean, it could help you mentally if you started to open up and sought friendship.", she moves towards the mystic and she says "What were to happen if something happened to me and you had no one to turn to? I am worried if such a thing were to happen." embracing the mystic at the end.

The mystic is unsure what to say, he's been trying to find it in him to try to forge friendships, he's beaten his fear and hatred of women, but even after two years later... his emotions are still somewhat unstable and he still recoils in fear from a woman's advances, all due to powerful trauma he suffered all that time ago. He was angry about it, frustrated with it and would give almost anything for it to end. The mystic soon feels the medication take effect, his emotions toning down to almost nothing as his adrenaline becomes reduced, the nerves in his brain shutting down to a more consistent base.

After Elvo calms down and Magnum has a quick breakfast and some coffee, he turns his attention to the current mission, heading to where the vixen known as Za'vara is has turned into a bit of a voyage, as for the past eleven days they all been going their jump sequence as the ships communicate with each other via transmission feeds. While Magnum has been working on fixing the mercury suit he as outfitted the vector mk II suit as it is his next best suit and he's also been working on the next buster rifle model based on the data to occupy the time, however there is another couple of things... the hammer and chest. The chest containing something from a time long past and the hammer being the first fully functional weapon of mystic origin which is so unique he could imagine whole empires surrendering to him just to see the ancient weapon.

Elvo says "The jump will conclude in twenty-seven minutes, both Marouge and Derra have been notified."

Magnum says "Prepare the shuttle and the suit carrier for the vector, deployment of power armored units is a no go for now at least, unless we encounter hostile forces, I don't want to draw too much attention."

The a.i. nods "I can continue work on repairing the mercury suit if you want me too."

The mystic eyes a few screens "Agreed, given that the mercury is the only suit that is compatible with the prototypes, it's going to need to be brought up to speed."

Elvo continues to eye him concerningly, not too long ago he was completely destroyed mentally and now there was almost no emotion there, if there was any emotion left it was negligible at best. She thinks back to how he was when they first met, how angry and sad he was, back when he earned the title 'Blue Screamer' as he always screamed in rage when entering the fray and how afterward he would break down in tears from both emotions. And along the way the joy he felt when he worked on and created his suits with pride, to an extent he still does but it's become very monotone. When she saw Magnum's features after testing the buster rifle, it brought back a lot of memories when his emotions were still going if unstable at times... she wishes that that Magnum would come back despite how bad his emotions still are.

The large group of ships emerge from their jump, the planet down below is a frozen world by the name Korz, a planet that is mined for it's silver and iron deposits and the operations for collecting ice and snow for water. A shuttle from the Howl of SIlver, Chalice of Glaze and the Armor of Ivory heads down to Korz, the lavender night sky showing the three craft as they come in on a re-entry course to the worlds main settlement Qelva, a massive city sized installation that is mostly underground due to the harsh environment. Upon landing the knights aren't in their suits but even with their robes their cybernetic enhancements are visible, in the case of Derra both of his arms are fully mechanical and based on the whir sounds so are his legs to go with his eye, the others range from fully replaced eyes and metalic grafts and full limb replacements.

Derra approaches the mystic "Power armor or not, as you can see we'll still draw attention." with an amused smirk.

Magnum says "But not as much, the only give away that you are knights are the symbols on your robes, other then that you'll pass for the elite who can afford such procedures.", he motions that their all heading out "Alright, let's see if we can find our expert."

As they begin to move, the hyena says "I am curious though Freeblade, why haven't you reported any of this to Master Koress? The Metal Howlers were declared renegade, not you."

The wolf gives a gentle roll of his eyes "Maybe, but this is more then an investigation of the Metal Howlers, this is also a personal matter for me, not to mention it can lead to something bigger."

The augmented canine gives an amused laugh "Are you talking about a prophecy or something?"

Magnum says "That is why we are, to try to figure this puzzle out.", he glances to the Everglaive "And the signs are truly indicating that something is and has been occurring for some time. It all comes back to my race, the race that disappeared many thousands of years ago."

The vixen says "Either way, this is a mystery that could change everything. Imagine what lies at the end of the tunnel." as she looks to both knights.

Porralla states "The remains of an interstellar battle from ages long past, but why wasn't any of this documented? There's no real record of any of this."

Derra says "The orders won't admit it, but ancient records weren't well kept and most have either been lost or destroyed over the countless years. It's possible that whatever took place was recorded by every order that existed during that time, but most of those orders have either been destroyed or suffered disaster at the hands of a powerful foe that resulted in the loss of such lore.", he looks to the mystic "Nothing like the archive our Freeblade has."

The mystic gives a smirk as he takes it as a complement, he opens a comm "Elvo, where is our expert located?"

Elvo's voice comes through "Za'vara is located at her place of business called Scry of the Stars."

The group makes their way around the city, looking at maps and nav units and after looking around for an hour they find it, the building is small, by the looks of it the building was once a storage facility at one point in time, but has become transformed. The building is two-stories tall with thick walls, it's blue exterior baring a neon sign of the places name in pink with a crescent moon on the left and a random planet on the right. The group enters to see the interesting space, lit candles are scattered about in all kinds of colors, gems are scattered about in the ceiling and walls, the scent of mint is heavy in the air alongside a whiff of pine, the walls a bright electric blue and the floor being made of hardwood.

A voice calls out refinedly "I'll be right there!" in rhythm.

Then they see her, Za'vara coming from around the corner, adorned in an elaborate dress, a powerful looking ruby at the center of her torso, the outfit a mix of gold and blue, dazzling high heels and her head has a headdress with a massive opal in the middle.

Magnum blinks and he says "Za'vara?"

The vixen says "The one and only dear, I've been expecting you for some time Magnum."

This catches the group off guard, he was expecting her to call him Anubis like everyone else, not this...

Za'vara approaches them "I know, all my first timers are a little shocked when I tell them their names, but the mystics grant me that knowledge. But to see an actual mystic come in even with prior knowledge is still a surprise indeed." her smile just captivating.

Magnum takes the sight of her in 'Still a surprise my tail, you haven't even budged in shock.' and he says "We were wondering if you can help us, it is related to the mystics."

The bubbly vixen inquires "Ah, a task from one of the ancients themselves.", she bows her head "I am honored.", she looks back to him and she states "What has you puzzled?"

Everyone looks to Magnum instantly, none of them didn't know what to make of any of this but there seemed to be something off about this fox.

The mystic says "We have recovered a chest with mystic text and an ancient but fully functional mystic warhammer, on top of that a mystic tomb may be the key to solving a long and ancient puzzle...."

Za'vara interrupts "And so you wish to hire me and you already have a space cleared away on your ship as this'll likely stretch numerous and seemingly endless light years.", the mystic blinks and goes to say something but the vixen quickly pulls some luggage out and she says "I'm already packed and ready to go darling!" her voice covered in excitement and eagerness.

The air just becomes dead silent as Magnum feels everyone stare at him and the fox, this was insane! She was already packed and ready go and the blue marked mystic hardly said anything in general, eventually the mystic and the knights take her luggage and they all find their way onboard the Howl of Silver, a first for the Everglaive just in general, stunned by the robots going about their task with no living crew and seeing Elvo as she greets Za'vara.

Derra eyes the mystic and he says "I never thought I would say it... but this frigate is a ghost ship! On a ship of this size I would expect a crew of at least a few hundred, instead all I see are drones."

Elvo says "It does have a crew, they are just machines." with a witty smile.

Magnum says "Elvo is my assistant, second in command and....", he pauses as he tries to find the right word to follow up on and he decides to say it "She's become my sister." earning smiles from the women he's been working with, even Za'vara, the knights on the other hand look a little confused.

Magnum has some drones bring out the chest and hammer which catches everyone's attention, Za'vara becomes drawn to them instantly, looking over all of the letters and arrangement of them as well as the dressings for the two objects. Za'vara asks Magnum how both were acquired and what they know about them, Magnum explains how the hammer was claimed from Wejo and the chest being recovered from the ruined planet as well as revealing the broken stained glass formation.

Za'vara puts on a thinking look as she circles the two, her eyes still scanning them "The hammer will need to be seen under magnification, the chest on the other hand is definetly an item of signifigance from the few lines I've read so far. I would say you have what is called a scion chest based on the design and it's script, this is the only one I've seen sealed, the few others known to exist are were already opened."

Porralla says with excitement "So you know how to open it?"

The expert shakes her head "I know but I can't, you see there is no physical locking system, these chests are unique in the sense that they are locked not buy tumblers nor keys, but by powerful magic.", she looks to Magnum and she says "And only mystic magic can open it."

Magnum says "I've tried opening the thing, it doesn't respond to anything I do, focused or not."

Za'vara scratches her chin "Hmm, I am positive that your energy can open it, you just need to practice. The chest will likely describe something that could help, I would like to see this stained glass display put back together though as it could tell us a little more."

The coyote says "I've been able to put together an estimated ten percent of it, I still can't figure it out completely."

Derra looks to the mystic "Looks like you need to practice." with a smirk.

The wolf looks to the hyena with a sigh "If I knew how to practice it I would, I only stumbled upon my powers by accident. What I can do was done through trial and error."

The gold handed vixen approaches them "I do have some translated documents that seem to relate to this, some of them were incomplete but they should be just enough to get started.", she focuses on Magnum "Plus if you want I can teach you how to speak you races langauge and understand it... no charge."

Marouge and Derra share a look now, they couldn't place it but there was truely something off about this vixen, she's predicted major questions and actions and now offering to teach the mystic langauge to their ally at no charge, a service that would likely cost a fortune to anyone else. Just who was she?

The mystic wolf gives a nod and he says "It would come in handy, Elvo's primary assignment will be the stained glass and Za'vara will tackle translating the items and I'll come up with a schedule to fit everything in place. In the meantime we should move away from Korz and head to behind it's moon to avoid detection and go to yellow alert."

Derra raises an eyebrow "Expecting trouble?" as Marouge crosses her arms.

Magnum says "Given the nature of what we are dealing with, it never hurts to be prepared."

............................................

Nara is wearing a clean uniform, supplied to her by Len to help her blend in among the crew after much persuation on her end, the grey fox looking herself over in the mirror as she wickedly smiles, she was right under Magnum's nose and he didn't even know it, this was her time to shine as she could hopefully get a jump on that paragonal knight. Though she will admit, she wishes she could go by the name the mystic knows her by, or by one of the twisted names given to her to spark fear, but this would draw the mystics attention and that is something she obviously doesn't want, the mystics combat capability was unmatched and with that weapon of his he would simply destroy the ship in one shot or he woud simply leave it to the Howl of SIlver... all with Marouge's permission of course.

The vixen thinks 'So, we are over Korz...', she rolls her eyes 'I doubt Magnum is after silver or iron or even water, there is only one other major attraction here... Za'vara!', she goes to a nearby window and sees Magnum's vessel drifting in formation 'I wonder what you have in your possession to warrent such action, not to mention the Everglaive have tagged along for the ride... if only I can get on that ship of yours and not be detected!' her smirk turning into a snear, her anger mounting as she wanted to smash her way onto the frigate and figure out what was going on, but such action would de-rail everything in motion and she knew she couldn't afford such a loss.

Nara says to herself "Why can't dealing with you be simple?! Hundreds of counter-measures to ensure nothing goes amiss! I can deal with the lackies under you and your little circle it seems, but even then I can't breach the castle gates... curse you!" her voice laced with venom.

The door to the quarters opens, revealing Len and he says "Just a heads up, we are going to yellow alert and heading to behind the moon." as he steps over to a desk.

Nara turns to him with a calmer look and tone "For what purpose?"

The captain shrugs "Security it seems, Marouge expalined the nature of the situation.", he looks to Nara "It seems Magnum may be onto something and whatever it is, it's big."

The vixen decides to play along "How so? Isn't Magnum working with Marouge and the Everglaive nothing out of the ordinary?"

Len shakes his "It isn't, however Magnum typically does these actions alone from what I hear, so if he's got a ship from a knight order alongside our fleet... it more then likely means something has him on edge.", he tosses Nara a pistol and he says "I need you on the bridge, standard procedure for yellow alert as you are wearing an officers uniform."

As the two work their way to the bridge, hearing such words only conformed her suspicions... the mystic was up to something, a moment later it hits her... the Metal Howlers!!! The data wasn't lost or destroyed, the mystic had it and that means Magnum was already cracking whatever code he needed to in order figure out what was occuring. A shiver runs down her spine, he now had data relating to several cult operations and if that's the case he more then likely would have...

Len notices the vixens discomfort "Is everything alright?"

Nara regains herself and she says "Yeah... I'm fine." as she thinks 'I need to get my communicator and find a quiet spot as soon as I can!'

To be continued...