FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ethan and Brook now found themselves in the back of a car, a black van, with comfy seats that you could sink right into. The interior smelled like wine; not actual wine though, more along the lines of wine scented air freshener. The two of them in the backseat, Cadence in the passenger side, and Cascade driving. His seat had to be pushed super far back, due to his long long legs.

"Alright, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, but your friend is straight up fucked." Cadence said, "Gaku is on the hunt and I really doubt your friend has the skills to take him down."

"No idea who that is or what's going on," Brook said, "Can you at least give us a vague idea of what's going on?" The only reason the two got in the car in the first place was that they had to make sure Eli would be alright. Even then, in retrospect, it was a risky move.

Cadence hummed, looking over to Cascade, who was starting the car. "Well," she started, waiting for Cascade to give her the go-ahead. He gave a simple nod. "Alright, I'll give you some of the details. Make things easier for the both of us. But our bosses are interested in this Eli guy, especially after that whole ruckus he caused in the supermarket the other day. But he held interest before that. So me and lanky over here have been sent to come retrieve him and leave. We also had a third guy with us, Gaku, but he wandered off and has decided to go ahead and fight him; a fight we were suppose to be there for."

"So what? Eli is gonna kick his ass," Brook said, looking into the front seat.

"You don't know who Gaku is, so I'm not gonna be rude and tell you how wrong you are." Cadence laughed.

"You still haven't told us who you guys are," Ethan said.

"That's because we can only give so much. Normally we don't interact with civilians when in uniform, but we were told to search you guys out."

"Stop dodging the question!" Brook shouted, just about ready to kick the back of Cadence's seat; that'd sure show her.

"Ugh, fine, if it shuts you up." She sighed, "But get this. You know about underground fights? Big secret fights that are held out of public view? I'm sure you've at least read about the concept. Well, that's why we're retrieving him for. I'm sure he'll be easy to convince for it."

"...And if he says no?" Ethan asked, Brook letting him speak.

"Then I'll tell my boss the mission was a wash and we can all go home and laugh about this."

Ethan nodded, watching the streets pass by. Still not satisfied though, he asked one last question. "Can we at least have a name?"

Cadence paused, looking back to her superior, whose eyes were safely on the road. Suddenly, he spoke, his voice audible for the first time. He had a very deep, voice, like a demon, "Primal."

Eli and Gaku stood apart from one another, both of them circling the parking lot. Eli was hopping up and down on his feet, warming up his body. Gaku, however, was in an unfamiliar combat stance, one foot forward, both hands in front of him, palms out flat. What fighting stance was that, Eli wondered. He kept an eye on his foot work as well, very light, but not fast. Moving with incredible precision in his footsteps. "Before we start, why not tell me your name?" Eli said, with his usual friendly tone, his tail swaying back and forth, "I just like to have a name for the guy I'm about to fight."

Gaku said nothing, causing a deep silence to fall between the two. Eli sighed. Looks like it was time for someone to make the first move.

It was Eli, of course it was Eli.

Quickly, he dashed forward and swung a light roundhouse at his opponent. Gaku was about 6 inches shorter than Eli, so he had to kick lower than what he was use to.

Yet, even with his mask on, Gaku could see every fine detail of the kick, even when it was swung as fast as it was, even in the darkness of the night, he could see and anticipate it.

He struck Eli's ankle with a powerful chop, not only stopping the momentum of the kick, but sending a debilitating jolt of pain through his left leg, prompting him to his in pain. The counter wasn't stopping there. Before Eli's foot even touched the ground, before the numbness in his leg set in, Gaku stepped forward, until he and Eli's torsos were almost touching. He delivered a powerful palm strike to Eli's chest. Similar to the chop, the debilitation of the attack was greater than the actual damage to his body. Eli's breath was forcibly knocked out of his lungs, as he found himself falling down and away, back first onto asphalt.

Then, Gaku returned to his combat stance from before, not taking the opportunity to hit Eli while he was down.

Lying on the ground, Eli was working on regulating his breathing, Mentally fighting past the pain in his ankle and chest, this was all subconscious. His conscious mind was busy figuring out if he should be angry that he was so easily countered or if he should be excited to bear witness to such a move. Pushing his body off the ground, he hopped back to his feet, a smile returning to his face.

"Okay, try that again," He shouted, taunting his reptilian opponent.

Gaku obeyed. He stepped forward, ready to strike. His ability to close the gap between him and his opponent was something to be commended. Open palm, he was close enough that he could smell Eli's breath. Even when he knew it was coming, the incredibly small distance between them meant that Eli couldn't block in time, once again, he felt the air in his lungs be forcibly launched out, and once again, he found himself colliding with the ground, gasping and reeling.

Gaku, again, returned to his combat stance.

"Augh!" Eli shouted, back arched in pain. He almost had it! Just one more time! One more time and he would get it. He hopped back to his feet, spitting to the ground, breathing in and out. This time, however, Gaku didn't even give him time to say anything. He dashed forward, his palm rigid and poised to strike, aimed to strike at Eli's neck; a move known as a spear hand, a simple jab with the fingers of ones hand. In the split second that Gaku came at him, Eli focused, then, deflected the reptile's hand with a simple deflection with his arm. The spear hand, however, was quickly followed up by another, then another, then another, and so on. Eli was keeping up, for the most part, either blocking or deflecting the attacks. While he Gaku wasn't punching him, the spear hands still hurt like hell when they did end up hitting. Each strike was aimed at Eli's soft spots; his neck, his solar plexus, the spaces between his ribs, his stomach. Eli was fully on defense, concentrated fully on defending himself from a series of attacks that he knew he couldn't afford to get hit by.

All he needed was an opening, just one, then he could stop this. Even with their offense and defense equally matched, Gaku was still too fast to find an opening.

No, not exactly. Even the quickest of fighters had to take a break between attacks. Either to breath, to recover stamina, or simply because they made a mistake and screwed up their timing. Everyone had a gap in their defenses. The key was to just wait, breath, and find that exact moment. And then...

Found it! Eli stepped forward, close to his opponent, causing a spear hand to just narrowly graze his neck. He was now in a familiar position, up close to his opponent, nearly torso to torso. But this time, he was on the offense. With a mischievous grin, he struck Gaku in the chest with a powerful palm strike; the lizard's eyes couldn't be seen with his mask on, but his eyes were wide, now on the receiving end of his own technique. He was sent skidding backwards, but not falling down. He held his hand to his chest, gasping.

"Thanks for that." Eli laughed, moving into a combat stance similar to Gaku's, mimicking him. "I get it now, you must've done some crazy conditioning on your fingers to get them to hit that hard." He knew he'd be having ping pong ball sized bruises on the spots where he was hit.

Gaku remained silent, moving back to his combat stance.

"Not talking? Fine by me." Eli said, "You're one of those 'talk with your hands' type. Doesn't matter either way, I learned your moves, that means I know how to counter them." He said, remaining in a fight ready position, knowing how quick Gaku could attack.

It's a good rule of thumb to have some variety in your moves, in the event that one or two no longer worked or couldn't work. So far, Eli had seen two moves from Gaku. That was his powerful palm strike, paralyzing and debilitating. The other being those spear hands, precise and dangerous. But, then, Gaku changed his stance. Getting low to the ground, one leg fully straightened, the other one almost fully bent. Both of his hands were open, as usual, but his fingers were splayed out. His fingers bent like claws.

Now, he was ready to continue.

Eli didn't take time to ponder it, he instead stepped forward and swung a knock at the lizard, aiming low. But Gaku leaped away. Eli didn't even register the dodge until a full second after his kick missed. It was after that second that he realized that Gaku was now behind him. "How?" Eli said, turning around, shocked.

Gaku swung a kick at Eli, using the momentum of the bizarre leap to enhance the attack. Eli, turning around and using both arms to block the attack, he could still feel the brutal force of the kick. The pain was strong enough to cause him to open his palms. He tried his hardest to clench his fists again, but he couldn't feel his arms. They had incurred too much damage throughout the fight, this kick was just the final straw, pain great enough to feel numb.

It doesn't matter, Eli thought to himself, I don't need my fists; he thought as he laid his palms out flat, continuing to mimic his opponent's moves. He just needed one precise jab, one move, that would finally give him the chance to retaliate. Eli, with a stabbing motion with his open palm, jabbed Gaku in his left armpit.

Silly on paper, sillier to say out loud, "I hit them in the armpit," it was however a shockingly effective move. A large cluster of nerve, the brachial plexus, is housed in the neck, and runs down into the arms, where it becomes the radial, median, and ulnar nerve. These nerves, protected by muscle and bone, were completely vulnerable from a strike to the armpit; as long as one aims it right.

The pain was instant and strong, stunning Gaku, feeling the hit in both his left arm and his neck. Knowing him, he wouldn't be stunned for very long, so Eli got ready to finish this. Fighting past the pain in his own arms, he swung a fist at Gaku's head.

SMACK!

SMACK!

SMACK!

Three punches, two to the head, one to the center of his chest. One more, Eli thought to himself, ready to go for an uppercut, but then something warm and wet splashed into his eyes, blinding and confusing him. "Eh?!"

Eli's guard down, felt a strong kick hit him in the hit, knocking him right down, back on the asphalt, well acquainted with it by now. What happened? Did he hit him too hard? He rubbed his eyes, looking at them. Blood? His vision back, he looked to Gaku, noticing the trickle of blood leaking from the eye holes in his mask; the mask looked like it was crying blood.

Gaku's species? Horned lizard.

Bother fighters were breathing heavily, both taken their share of wounds. But both were still willing to keep going. Keep going until one of them breaks. "Doesn't look like I can still that one." Eli laughed, wiping the last of the blood from his eyes, and spitting up a bit of his own that had collected in his mouth. "One more round?"

Gaku nodded.

They got ready, both good to continue. This would decide who the victor was. Then, they rushed at each other, only for a third party to join the conflict; appearing as a black and white blur, it was the sheep, Cadence. Despite her chubby build, she was fast enough to get between the two, and quiet enough that they had only noticed her now.

"Another?" Eli said, as he was abruptly shoved away.

Even Gaku was sent flying bakward, not the only one to be caught off guard.

The shove didn't hurt too much, but it was forceful, intended to get the two away from each other rather than hurt.

Cadence in her usual demanding voice shouted, "Alright, that's enough!"

Flat on his ass for the fourth time this night, Eli groaned, "What the hell? Things were getting good!" He said, getting to one knee, as he saw a car begin to pull into the parking lot. Once it was parked, he quickly spotted Ethan in the backseat; Brook was there too, but with Ethan's stark white fur, he stuck out on the darkness of the car. "Oh hey, guys!" he said, smiling and waving, "Hold on, what's going on?" He said, turning to Cadence, whose attention was focused on Gaku.

"You have the attention span of a minnow." Cadence said, as she watched the other three get out of the car. She was panting, having run part of the way here. "...And you! You need to tell us before you pull shit like this! We were suppose to witness the fight! Idiot!"

Gaku only nodded, only for Cadence to continue to berate him, Cascade hovering over them like an ominous tower.

"Eli!" Brook ran over to Eli, Ethan beside her, "Are you alright? You're hurt!"

"Hah, I'll be fine," He said, standing up, only to hiss in pain and get right back on his knee. He looked over to Gaku, "Hey! Rematch when?!"

"Alright, so this shit's a mess." Cadence rubbed her temples, "This is why I haven't got a promotion yet." With Cascade looking over Gaku, she now focused on the trio. "Alright, so this is what I was talking about earlier. This was suppose to be a test, that we were suppose to see, but because some people are impatient, that didn't happen. But judging by Gaku's state, I think it is safe to say that you passed." Holding a hand out to Eli, helping him up, she smiled, "Why don't you come with us? There are more fights to be had where that came from and I know you like fighting."

Brook and Ethan looked to Eli. Yes, he was their friend, but this was his choice to make. With the possibility of injury or death from a life of fighting, they knew it was going to be a difficult decision to make.

"Okay," Eli said, almost immediately.

"That quick?!" Everyone but Gaku said simultaneously.

"Ah, well, uh..." Cadence cleared her throat, looking over to Cascade. "That was easy. Guess all we need to do now is prep these two for memory wiping... We've told them too much." She looked to Ethan and Brook, "Don't worry, it's best you guys don't get involved with us. Tomorrow you're just gonna wake up, feeling like you partied too much last night.

Ethan and Brook got ready to protest, but Eli beat them to it. "Wait, hold on! No deal then! I'm not leaving my friends behind."

"Sorry, kid, it's policy. There is only so much that a commoner can learn before they become a liability to have around. They're not your handler, your caretaker, your family, or whatever."

"I'm not coming with you if they can't come with me."

A brief silence fell over the parking lot, no one knowing what to say, and at least one person opting not to speak at all. Then, a steady, slow clap was heard. It was coming from the balcony overlooking them. There, dressed in a regal purple suit, was a familiar face. "Come on now, Cadence," He said, "It wouldn't be the first time we made an exception for commoners?" Walking down the steps, striding towards everyone, was Hallmark, the sharply dressed cheetah from before. "Why don't we consider it a reward for entertaining me so?" He said, adjusting the lapels of his suit.

"Oh hey, you're..." Ethan said.

Hallmark's silver pin on his lapel, bearing the symbol of an orchid, glimmered, "Hell again, Ethan," He gave a friendly wave, one to Brook as well, "Brook."

"Uh, hey!" She said, smiling nervously.

The sheep stammered, "Mr. Hallmark!" She was trembling where she stood, adjusting her jacket to look nice. "I, uh... What brings you here... Sir?" Her face was frozen with an uncharacteristic look of fear.

"My friend lives close by, so I decided to pay them a visit. Wanted to also make sure your little mission went well." His tone was consistently polite and friendly, speaking with Cadence like she was a close friend, slowly he approached Cascade, Cadence's superior. "But, that doesn't matter anymore. Let's grant these two commoners spectator passes to Primal's fights. Consider them honorary handlers. It isn't like this is unusual, no?"

Cascade nodded, even he had a fearful look on his face.

"Good," Hallmark smiled, before turning back to Cadence. "Well? Off with both of you! You too, Gaku!"

"Yes, we'll contact the Redliners as soon as we can, send out their passes." She looked to the trio, "See you." With that, she walked back into the car with Gaku and Cascade.

Once they were starting to leave, Hallmark watched the car's lights disappear into the distance, sighing contently. "She's a hard to handle one, but she gets the job done more often than not. Shame about the attitude problem, she'd be a Scarlet by now." He looked to the others, as if awaiting a response from them. "Well? Come on now, no need to be afraid."

"Thank you, Mr. Hallmark," Ethan said. "But I'm curious, who are you?"

Brook nodded, having the same thought.

"Ah, me?" He put a hand to his chest, "I'm the leader of Primal."

The three stepped back, wide eyed, pure shock. A little bit of fear. Before them, in this small little parking lot, controlled the world from the shadows.

But, seeing their reactions, Hallmark laughed, shaking his head, "I'm just kidding. A funny joke. Gets people every time. No no, I'm just a simple investor and an overseer to fights, I do insurance as my day job. I am important to Primal though, as a wealthy elite." In the distance, a helicopter could be heard, approaching the lot. His eyes were focused on Brook, noticing how timid Ethan looked, "By the way, how much did they tell you?"

"That you guys have a lot of fights!" Eli exclaimed anyways.

"That you guys are an underground corporation. You guys host fights and it's enjoyed by the wealthy elite. That's about it," Brook said.

"Makes sense, I'm sure that was all she was permitted to say," He said, pacing around the group. His fancy dress shoes crunched the loose asphalt beneath his feet. "But I'll give you guys the run down. You know of conspiracies, big secret organizations that controls the world from behind the scenes. Conspiracies that the government is just one big sock puppet to them." He smiled, looking over his shoulder to the three. "Well, we are that organization."

Was it too ridiculous to believe? Not entirely. The three looked between each other, processing this info. Once the information was properly processed, Brook was the first to speak up.

"I was right!" She shouted, raising her fist in the air. Her reaction got a laugh out of Hallmark.

"Alright, I... Need some time to process this." He said, planning to leave the existential crisis for later. "But what's the point of gathering fighters? That seems unrelated to the whole government thing."

"I don't blame you for being confused," Hallmark nodded, his eyes drifting over to the one fighter in the lot. "But, it all goes back to medieval times, millenniums before all of this.Gladiatorial combat was enjoyed widely around. Bloodsport was as popular as football and baseball. If you asked someone what the most popular sport is, they'd probably say one of those two, maybe golf. But, I beg to differ; gladiatorial combat is still just as popular now as it was then, it's just done in secret. We at Primal, we seek greater and great forms of entertainment, we wish to see greater and great thrills. What we seek, is, well, the most Primal of entertainment. Meanwhile, every single person with any skill in combat craves violence deep down. They all wish to fight and fight and fight, til they break. So, the answer to both of our problems, the problem of the elite and the problem of the warriors, is Primal." The helicopter from earlier was getting closer, now above the group.

"I think I get it," Ethan said, nodding looking at the ground, then over to Eli. "Well? Do you still want to do it?"

"Obviously!" Eli cheered, holding his hand out to shake, "I'm game!"

Hallmark happily shook his hand, "One last formality. The staff will handle any paper work, don't worry. I just need to give you this." He said, taking a small piece of paper, red and black and emblazoned with the symbol of an orchid wrapped in barbed wire. It was just a bit smaller than your average piece of printer paper. The front of the paper was decorated with more orchid symbols, along with Eli's name. No last name. "This card officially recognizes you as a combatant of Primal, why don't you frame it? But, no matter what you do with it: Welcome to Primal."

Eli took the card, smiling as he held it in his hands.

"One last thing before you go!" Ethan said.

"Hm?" Hallmark raised a brow.

"When we met Eli, he ran away from some group. Are you with them?"

Hallmark paused, looking Ethan in the eyes, then smiled. "Well, we aren't them. But we do know them. How's that sound?"

The helicopter above everyone lowered a ladder down, the wind from the blades kicked up tiny pieces of asphalt and grass around. Hallmark gripped the ladder, climbing up. "Take care, everyone! We will contact you when a fight is lined up! Trust us on that." He began to climb up, before shouting one last thing, "Ah, yes, Brook! I suggest talking to a certain tiger you might know, he'll fill you in on more questions! Ta ta!" Then, he climbed the rest of the way up, and into the helicopter, flying away. The group was now alone. Needing to let all this soak in for a bit.

Brook, always the first to speak, looked to the others, "You... Want to go in and lie down for a bit?" She said, as if she didn't plan on drinking herself into a stupor.

"I could use that," Ethan nodded, leading the way back inside.

Eli didn't even care, staring at his new card, as happy as could be.