FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Bjorn crouched behind the fallen pillar. The lizard warrior could see Silas and Jill from his position - they'd entered the room a few seconds later than he had, but they'd already taken their positions behind different pillars that still stood, more or less whole. He couldn't see Liza no matter how hard he looked, but that didn't surprise him. The ranger usually knew where to hide much better than any of the other three party members.

Judging by the architecture of the place, the room they'd just entered must be the last one in the dungeon. Bjorn wasn't as smart as Silas, but he couldn't see any doors leading out the room. Whoever was in that room, they had them cornered.

As if guessing what was going through the warrior's head, a voice echoed in the large room.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking for a second I don't know you're here, adventurers."

There goes our element of surprise, Bjorn thought. Liza was usually the one who favored taking the enemy off guard - the warrior could only assume she was going to be upset.

"Reveal yourselves. There's no point in you trying to stay hidden when I know exactly where you are."

Bjorn cursed and left his position. He could see Silas and Jill doing the same, reluctantly. Liza was still nowhere to be seen, so the warrior could only assume she refused to reveal herself simply because their enemy demanded it.

It made sense in the case of the ranger. She could just shoot arrows if needed. But Bjorn and Jill needed to be close to their enemy in order to fight. And Silas... Bjorn wasn't entirely sure how his magic worked, but he definitely couldn't keep himself hidden as flawlessly as Liza.

"You talk very confidently for someone we're about to defeat," Jill boasted, taking heavy steps towards the back of the room.

There he was! Bjorn could see their enemy now. Could that be the evil sorcerer they'd been asked to eliminate so that the surrounding lands could be free again? He had reptilian features, just like him, but Bjorn could have sworn he was using a pair of two massive wings as a cape, by keeping them folded at his back. What a show-off, the lizard thought, annoyed.

"And you seem very certain that you can defeat me," the sorcerer continued. His black scales glimmered under the flames of the torches nearby. "The fact that you've managed to dig this deep into my fortress is a testament to your strength, but I'm afraid you won't succeed."

"Says who?" Bjorn asked, baring his fangs. He picked his axe and hurried to Jill's side. He couldn't let her steal all the fun!

"Oh, come on. You cannot possibly think that I am not prepared to deal with a random bunch of adventurers, right?" the dragon asked. He tilted his head, a smug smirk on his face. "Let this be a warning of what will happen to you."

He raised one of his arms slowly. Silas' body tensed.

"Careful! He's about to do something."

"I can see that, mage!" Jill exclaimed, turning to look at his comrade with a scoff.

The sorcerer casted a spell and Bjorn raised his axe threateningly. A swirling cloud of mist and dust appeared by the dragon's side - a teleportation spell, judging by the familiar buzzing sound. Bjorn was no mage, but he was used to Silas using one of those whenever he needed to get them out of tricky situations.

Once the contents of the magic cloud unraveled and the mist disappeared, it revealed a still figure standing next to the sorcerer.

"What the heck..."Bjorn heard Jill say. "Liza! Liza, what the hell are you doing there?"

The ranger was completely motionless, her gaze glassy and vacant. She wasn't even holding her bow - her arms hanged limply by her sides and her body swayed slightly, as if she was barely able to stand up.

"What did you do to her?" Bjorn asked. How could that sorcerer have caught her off guard? She was usually the most skilled of the party when it came to remaining hidden.

"You shouldn't be worrying about what I did to her," the dragon said, still grinning. "But what I'm about to do to you."

Silas readied a spell and Jill stepped closer, adopting a proper battle stance. Bjorn was beginning to feel slightly uneasy, as if there was something at the back of his mind reminded him they couldn't possibly win. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the weird feeling, and moved his gaze to meet the dragon.

He was still grinning.

"Bring it on, then," Jill dared the sorcerer.

Silas and Bjorn exchanged a look. They couldn't really say they didn't appreciate Jill's enthusiasm - but there were times in which they both wished she would remain less vocal about it, especially when they were facing an enemy with unknown power.

"Heh." The dragon raised his claws again. "Do not worry, adventurers. This will be over soon."

And just like that, he snapped his fingers.

Bjorn knew something was coming before it hit him, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. His muscles tensed, trying to attack before the invisible spell affected him... but it was too late.

His slanted pupils dilated as something took over him - something that had been prompted by that sudden snap, but that somehow had been conjured before. It was like a wave was crashing on him, taking away everything he could hold onto. Thoughts, resistance, the will to fight. Everything melted away in the flood, forcing Bjorn's body to release all the tension, his arms dropping the axe he was holding and letting it drop to the floor with a metallic sound. His gaze unfocused and he barely had time to register the same thing was happening to his friend.

The warrior had a feeling they'd been caught in some kind of hypnotic spell, but by then it was too late to do anything about it. His mind was being muffled, silenced, and all he could do was stare at the sorcerer with a blank, zoned out expression. The last thought that came to his mind was one he hadn't been expecting to have at that kind of situation.

Wait... wasn't I supposed to be somewhere else?

e e e

Liq's gaze wandered around the room, considering his motionless friends one by one.

Johan, who had been playing Bjorn, was the only one who remained properly seated. His vacant gaze was still fixed on the point where Liq's swirly eyes had been merely a minute before. Out of his four friends, the lizard was the one who appeared less helplessly hypnotized, but his mouth was starting to hang open.

Theo, who had been playing Liza, was the one who'd dropped first. He had collapsed on the table, his head resting on one heavy arm. Jake, who had been playing Silas, had slumped on the chair and was staring at the ceiling with dreamy eyes. Sam, who had been really invested in playing Jill, was in a very similar position.

It was fun how much a quick hypnotic stare could improve a DnD night with his friends, Liq thought.

"Guys, guys, guys," he said, admiring his work for a few seconds before chuckling softly. "Come on. This is why Wisdom saving throws are for."