FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Yea, I know it's been awhile since my last chapter, hope the wait wasn't too annoying. Anyways, here's chapter five, hope those reading enjoy the story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pZObdKZzOo

Alastar waited, waited to feel the first strike of steel on steel, waited for the pain that would flow through his body as weapon after weapon pierced his body as he was overwhelmed. His reptilian eyes tracked the bandits, but unfortunately they did not all try to attack him head on and slowly formed a perimeter around the lone dragon, cutting off any chance he had at escape. He kept his weapon raised as the first of many bandits charged, but the leather clad creature never reached his target. Alastar winced as an arrow slammed into the bandit's head, stopping the creature in his tracks and flipping his body backwards from the force of the single arrow. The drake actually expected to feel pain as the arrow thudded into his attacker, which was why he had winced, but the second he realized that it hadn't been him that had been hit, his spirit soared. The bandits on the other hand didn't seem so joyful about seeing another of their comrades down and they all looked around for the source of the arrow briefly before charging the dragon, intent on making the lone traveler pay for killing their leader. But just like the first, these did not make it far either and ten of them dropped almost simultaneously, each one baring an arrow or two to the head or throat. Several screams echoed throughout the forest as the remaining bandits realized that their target was not alone, and as quickly as they had charged, they all turned tail and started running in the opposite direction. Just like before, these ones didn't make it far either, each meeting the same fate as their fallen brothers, receiving one or more arrows to the back. Alastar watched the entire thing, expecting to meet the same fate as the bandits had, even as the last of them fell and he did not feel the searing pain as an arrow imbedded itself in his back, he still couldn't shake the feeling of danger as he scanned the surrounding forest, searching for his rescuers. The drake spotted them a moment later, but not because he saw the glint of steel through the brush like last time, this time it was because they chose to show themselves. Alastar blinked in surprise, he had been looking right at the area and hadn't seen the seven lightly armored figures until they had stepped from the bushes. All but one of them stayed at the tree line, longbows held by various paws, but all of them wore helms made of blackened iron, so his only indication as their species was by the various tails that protruded from the armor. His attention however was occupied as a single figure sauntered up to him, and it didn't take the drake more than a second to figure out that this creature was obviously female... if the way she walked with grace and beauty but power and majesty in every step didn't give the creature's gender away, then the breast plate she wore sure did. But oddly enough, Alastar wasn't looking at her breasts or the armor that covered them; he was gazing at her eyes through the black helm she wore. After she closed the distance to within about three feet he removed his own helm, making sure to move slow so as to not have his motions interpreted as an attack. He tucked the helm under his left arm and sheathed his long sword, eyes on the armored figure "Thank you for the save, I thought I was dead back there" He bowed courteously, smiling "Madam, I am indebted to you and your team for saving my life... Alastar Aindréas at your service, at least until I can find some way to repay you for your kindness" While he normally wouldn't have acted this way in front of anyone, the drake didn't forget what time zone, or rather, dimension he was in, and he might have been labeled as insane, but that didn't mean he couldn't show gratitude for having his hide saved from almost certain death.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af0Hyy6qDoY

He watched as she removed her helm as well after a moment, a smile gracing her lips under that black helm. The drake arched a brow for a split second as the female removed her helm, revealing a tigress of stunning beauty, but he managed to keep his tongue in his mouth, not something easy to do. Despite the fact the tigress appeared quite the warrior, she retained the beauty of a goddess, and that was just in her facial features "A pleasure to meet one such as yourself, Alastar. I must admit, for a few moments there, I thought you were going to meet your end to Joseph back there, seems you are much more skilled than that though..."

Alastar blinked and gazed into the feline's eyes curiously "Joseph?"

"Aye, Joseph, the leader of the rabble that was just massacred by yourself and my "team"... he is rather well known in these parts, or was rather well known. I must admit, anyone that could best him in combat so quickly... would be quite useful... Tell me, Alastar... what brings you here? I have not seen your face around these parts, although... with the siege on dragonkind, it does not really surprise me"

Shit, she was asking why he was here, not good not good. He didn't have a clue who this woman was, what she wanted, what her agenda was, or why she had even saved him in the first place... time to see if he could still bluff his way through a situation "I'm just a simple wanderer, nothing more. I seek adventure and fortune, although so far the only thing I've gotten is robbed and attacked without reason, so my luck has not been so good lately. Once again, I thank you for saving me, I am not a master with the blade, so I highly doubt I could have taken all of those bandits on at once" He kept his face passive, it really wasn't that hard to do... after all, he was telling the truth... just not the whole truth "I was heading down to yonder town for supplies when I was ambushed, but I'm sure you already knew where I was going"

The tigress nodded, apparently buying his story "Very well, but if you plan to continue into town, you will need this" She motioned to one of the figures standing at the tree line, and the armored figure immediately padded towards them "Jacques, fetch this dragon a new cloak, he plans on going into town" Alastar could tell Jacques was a wolf, or some type of canine by his build, but mostly by the tail, but his armor concealed any other key features completely and the drake wondered how the group had moved so silently among the forest with so much armor "I would like to make a deal with you, Alastar. You are a good fighter; one such as yourself would be welcomed by my master..."

He thought about this for a moment and shook his head slowly "Can I think about that for awhile? I wouldn't mind seeing the town, and there are a few things I want to check up on while I'm there. Plus an offer such as that is a bit sudden for myself, seeing as I don't have the information on your master, it would be rather odd were I to suddenly join you and your party"

The tigress nodded before handing the drake a new cloak, new technically speaking at least "Very well, Alastar, if you make your decision or would like to know more about who we serve, I shall be in town as well. If you decide to seek me out, simply find The Drunken Goblin tavern in the town square. I'll be in the back, farewell for now, Alastar"

The drake nodded and took the cloak thankfully, quickly removing his tattered one and slipping the semi new leather cloak over his shoulders. The leather was relatively clean, but it was also worn and much more comfortable than his original one, and quite a bit warmer too "Thank you again, you've been most kind, and I will consider your offer once I've gained the information I seek. I would ask now, but it seems we both have places to be, and it is getting late, so my questions can wait" He watched as the tigress walked past the other armored furs, replacing her black helm as she moved. He still had trouble believing it, even as the others turned along with the tigress and vanished into the forest... he couldn't hear a damn thing. It was as if they didn't exist, not a single sound came from the armored creatures, and even with his keen eyesight he lost track of the group after just a few seconds "Damn... I have got to learn how to do that..." Alastar sighed and turned back to the road, ignoring the bodies of the dead bandits that littered it. Who was that tigress and why had she taken so much interest in the red dragon so quickly? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come to a sure conclusion that made perfect sense. Sure, Devin had told him that some, rather than kill dragons actually almost revered them for their fighting prowess, but... that didn't really seem like enough to warrant what had just happened. His gaze went to the darkening sky as he started walking towards the horizon once more, occasionally he'd catch the flicker of firelight from the distant town, at least... he hoped that was what they were. The sun was already setting in the horizon and after being ambushed in broad daylight, he didn't really want to be stuck outside after dark, too many things could be lurking in the shadows.It struck him, as he began to walk again, how odd it had been that the tigress had known where he was going without him so much as mentioning his destination, and he couldn't help but wonder... had the tigress been following him, and if so, for how long?

***

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYKUeZQbMF0

About two hours later, Alastar stopped at the edge of the road and stared at the city walls curiously, noting the guard posts and the fortifications "Bit much on the side of security..." Mumbling softly, he scanned the area, shaking back the desire to sneak into the town. No, that wouldn't be a good idea at all, not only was his species probably the most hated in all the land, but if he ran into any guards on his way in, he knew he'd have no choice but to kill them... not much point in attracting attention to himself after all. He settled on the old fashioned way, or rather, the peaceful way. Adjusting his cloak and armor to insure that they covered his figure completely, he stepped out of the brush, or started to anyways. Something crossed his mind and he immediately ducked back into cover and started scrambling through the bushes, searching for something in particular. The drake found it a moment later in the form of a small ditch "Perfect..." He immediately went about undoing his cuirass, or at least his body armor. The tungsten carbide plate would only make him stand out all the more, besides, he still had a layer of leather and chainmail underneath the heavy armor to protect his body, so he wasn't that worried about taking off the plate armor. It took about five minutes to undo all the latches that held the body armor in place, but once he'd undone the last latch the body armor slid off and hit the ground with a soft thump. He sighed in relief, it felt so good to have a piece of that armor off, and after so much training and time spent wearing it, he felt like he was walking on air now "Damn that feels good..." Stretching his shoulders to work the kinks out, he removed his swords, opting to only take the two long swords he'd brought along with the daggers and wrapped the black cuirass in what was left of his old cloak, quickly digging a hole in the ditch big enough to accommodate the cuirass. Less than fifteen minutes later he was walking casually back to the main gate, once again wrapped in the cloak he'd been given but now free of about five hundred pounds of steel. That in itself was almost pure bliss and he made a mental note to check and see if he could find something a bit lighter while he was in town. Sure, the armor he had was great and all, but after getting it off, Alastar realized just how heavy it really was, even if it did offer the best protection available. Luckily, not only were the gates open when he got back thanks to what looked like a band of merchants, but as he joined in the small group, none of the guards seemed to take notice of the lone cloaked figure moving with the crowd.

He stuck with the group of merchants until he was well within the city walls before breaking away from the crowd, being sure to keep the appearance of a curious traveler without seeming "Too" curious. It wasn't really that difficult to do, he'd had so much experience with infiltration it was another one of the things that was almost second nature to the dragon. Of course, he kept the fact in mind that it wasn't his identity that would get him killed if discovered, but his species so he made certain to keep his body completely covered and his tail under the cloak he wore. After a few quick glances around the area, he spotted his destination, or what he thought was his destination. It looked like there was a crowd gathering in what Alastar guessed was the town square, but that could wait, for now he was content to explore the area.

***

Judging by the position of the moon, Alastar guessed he had been exploring the town for about an hour by the time he walked into the town square, and he now had a decent feel for the area, albeit not a perfect one. Still, he was more than satisfied with the layout he had memorized; even if it wasn't complete it would do should he need to make a hasty retreat. As the drake walked around the town square, he felt slightly nervous about all the furs in the area, not that his uneasiness actually showed, quite the opposite really. It only took him a few moments to spot the tavern that the tigress had mentioned earlier and he slowly started making his way through the throng of creatures towards his destination. Oddly enough, even though he kept the cloak over his face, he still didn't seem to attract any attention. Sure, he noticed the occasional stare, but each one he watched out of the corner of his eye paid him no more mind than they did everyone else, which was a good thing... of course, it did make him wonder why no one cared about a figure wearing a cloak on a warm spring night. Maybe this town was just used to that type of thing... he shrugged mentally, deciding not to worry about it for now as he continued easing his way through the crowd. Why were there so many creatures gathered in one place? Alastar could see no indication of any kind of celebration of any kind, and other than an empty gallows in the very center of the square, he saw nothing that... wait... The drake took a second glance at the gallows, just to make sure it was actually empty. Sure enough, his eyes weren't playing tricks; the gallows was empty and showed no sign of life... a rather ironic statement when he stopped to think about it. He finally shrugged and continued towards The Drunken Goblin "What the hell?" Alastar blinked and looked around in confusion as the sound of static reached his ears, and then he remembered the earpiece he still wore, crafted perfectly and discretely to fit the drake so it wouldn't be noticeable even when inspected closely. He stopped walking for a moment but quickly continued so as not to arouse any suspicion, not like stopping for a few moments would anyways considering almost every other creature in the town square was doing the exact same thing. He went to tap the earpiece a few times but remembered he still had his helm on and wouldn't be able to even reach it unless he removed the helm first... so he settled with just listening as he walked. This was just great though, he'd just gotten this thing and it was already malfunctioning, perfect... "This is bullshit..." Cursing under his breath, the drake pushed past another few furs and finally made it to the tavern's entrance, the static still buzzing in his ear. Opening the tavern door, Alastar stepped into the tavern, expecting it to be packed, and sure enough it was full to the brim. Just great, first his only means of communication to the ones he came here searching for malfunctions, and now he has to deal with a crowded tavern full of rowdy, and most likely drunken, creatures. He started walking again, aiming for the back of the tavern but stopped in his tracks as something that was anything but static filtered through the earpiece. At first, he thought he was hearing things, but then it came again...

"Help! No, NOOOO!!! Don't, please!"

He stood stock still, listening as a blood curdling scream sounded in the background, followed by more pleas for... as far as Alastar could guess, mercy.

"No, I beg you, do not do this, I swear, we are no spies... we..."

Static cut in again, causing the drake to scowl under his helm, another scream sounded, but this one was cut off much sooner than the first. He continued to listen, but this time was greeted with nothing but static... at least for a few moments. A sickening crunching sound was the next thing he heard, along with more horrendous screams, but those quickly stopped after a few moments as well.

"Hey buddy, move it, you're blocking my customers!"

Alastar snapped out of his daze and looked to the boar at the bar who had spoken. He kept his head low, making sure not to let the faint light of the room illuminate his features "Sorry sir, I was just thinking, I apologize" He resumed walking, taking a nervous glance at the grizzly as the bartender, or bar owner was probably the proper title went back to polishing an empty silver mug. The static had stopped anyways, so he could easily concentrate on maneuvering between the tavern's patrons as carefully as possible, knowing full well what even bumping into a single drunk creature could do to the relative peace in the room. Within a minute or so Alastar made it to the back of the tavern, seeming to step into a different room altogether as he suddenly found himself out of the crowd and almost alone... almost. Almost immediately the drake spotted two familiar sets of pitch black armor standing at opposite ends of the room, obviously acting as "bouncers" to keep any of the other patrons out of this area. Instead of getting thrown back into the crowd as would have been expected, he merely received a nod from one of the two towards the very back of the tavern. The drake turned and spotted another figure almost completely concealed in shadow sitting at a table, and it only took him a second to make out the form of a female, so he assumed it was the tigress automatically. In truth, he hadn't actually expected her to show up at all, but he was happy she had. Maybe he could get some info after all... Alastar quickly walked up to the table and took a seat opposite the tigress, quickly getting comfortable and crossing his arms before speaking "I hadn't actually expected you to be here"

The tigress smiled and nodded "Aye, not many do, but I do what I say I will, and I never go back on my word. Honestly, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up for one reason or another yourself, whether you'd gotten ambushed or captured by the guards or just didn't care, the amount of time you took getting here was certainly leisurely enough"

Alastar winced slightly at the words, even though the tigress kept her voice calm and almost sweet, he knew she'd probably been waiting her for quite some time "Yeah, sorry about that, I wanted to get this town's layout down to memory before I started getting into trouble, figured I'd find an escape route before taking the chance of mingling with the crowd. So... before we get down to business, it would be nice to know the name of the beautiful creature I am addressing" A grin spread over his muzzle as he spoke, flattery wasn't normally something he practiced, but he just couldn't help it in this situation. Nor could he help his eyes from wandering over the tigress's form. She no longer wore the black armor he'd first seen her in, and even in the shadows the drake could tell she had the curves in all the right places... And boy did they look good. The black leather dress she wore almost had him drooling with the way it showed off her body; even though it was technically something that could be considered "modest" it was anything but that to him. While it was cut at the knees and covered her bosom almost completely, it just looked so damn good... He couldn't however keep his eyes from traveling over her pert breasts, only partially covered by her leather outfit, he took a guess they were at least a c-cup... damn... Now he was really wishing he had some more time to spare.

She nodded and continued to smile "Understandable, and quite the tactician as well. That is good indeed, for you wouldn't be much use to my master if you got caught and butchered by the guards. If you actually wish to address me by name, I will be kind on your mind and keep it down to a first name only... I am called Fiona by most of my brothers and sisters, as well as by my master" The tigress seemed to notice the drake's gaze and her smile broadened noticeably "My my, seems I've snared yet another male in my web... maybe I'll let you delve a bit deeper into the trap later on, after we discuss my proposal"

He immediately snapped out of his daze, the second one he'd found himself drifting into in the past ten minutes "Uh... sorry about that, I haven't been with anyone in some time, I apologize for staring, but your beauty compels me to do so" He chuckled softly and decided to lay off the smooth talk for now, knowing full well it wouldn't work on this tigress unless she wanted it to "You mentioned something about your master being able to use one such as myself, but other than that I didn't get much out of your words from earlier"

Again the tigress nodded, disregarding the dragon's flattery for now, she could have her fun later on if the drake agreed to her terms "Yes, I did, and I meant exactly that. Your skills, from what I saw are impressive and could be of great use to my master. She, like myself, is a warrior fighting against an unjust oppression of dragonkind everywhere while at the same time attempting to bring peace to the land. There are many who fight against her grace, and there are many who are cut down by her power, but she is merciful to those that seek mercy. Her followers are few however, as she protects any dragon that comes to her seeking protection from the world that despises them. Most in this land only know my master and her followers as "Shadows" because no one ever sees them until it is too late. Now, I offer you this chance to join us and fight against those who would oppress and kill you and your kind. It is unfair that all dragons should be hunted for no other reason aside from misguided hatred, and peace is something almost all of us seek..."

He listened in silence, eyes closed as he took in her words. It was an interesting proposal, and when he actually stopped to think about it, it was something that could allow him to complete his mission... part of it anyways. After what he'd heard over his earpiece, the drake had a sinking feeling that his secondary mission just got rewritten or trashed completely... he decided rewritten fit better as he still wanted to find out what had happened over the com. Only a few creatures would have one of the earpieces he wore, and according to Devin the only ones that were here in this time period/dimension were the expedition team that command had lost contact with. He needed more information anyways from a reliable source, Alastar still had an artifact to locate, and once he found out what had happened to that expedition team, finding that artifact would be his primary goal "Protection against those who wish me harm merely because of my species would be nice, and this master of yours sounds quite interesting indeed. And yes, peace is something most of us seek in one form or another and it would do my heart good to know that dragons were no longer hunted like mindless monsters... plus I am searching for information that I may be able to find with the help of your master..." Alastar trailed off for a moment before nodding "I will join your cause, for it sounds rather noble, at least from what you have told me"

Fiona smiled as the drake answered, even if she knew the answer that was to come, it did not make her any less joyful to hear that another creature was joining her master's glorious cause "Excellent! I shall not discuss all the details in this place, too many ears that could be listening. I know you will likely stay in this town for a day or so to rest, so I shall have a messenger leave you the details in private. If there is anything you desire or have need of, it would be wise to inform me now"

Alastar shook his head and stood up "No, I have everything I need, but thank you for the generous offer, it is most kind. Sadly, I must leave now, there are matters which I need to attend to, namely finding a place to sleep in this town, preferably somewhere where no questions will be asked" Standing up, the drake bowed courteously once more to the tigress and headed for a back door that he had noticed a few moments beforehand. It would have saved him so much time using that in the first place, but he found it was locked from the inside and chuckled... or not. Ah well, at least he now knew about it and could avoid the crowd, something he was quite happy about.

"Very well, rest assured, Alastar... we will meet again, whether in this town or not, your choice will insure that we have not seen the last of each other"

He took one final glance over his shoulder, nodding once more in thanks for all the assistance the tigress had given him. While the animal in him wanted to bed her, the rational part of his mind said it would only be a waste of time at the moment... okay, bad choice of words. He had things to do, and his reason for leaving hadn't been attributed to his desire for rest, but to the fact that his earpiece had begun to pick up another wave of chatter... along with no static whatsoever. The fact that he wasn't hearing even the smallest bit of interference was more than enough to get him to move. As he unlocked the door and stepped outside into an alley, his eyes turned towards the throng of people gathered in the square. He found it odd still, having so many in one place that weren't apparently doing anything and didn't even seem to have a reason to be there in the first place. As he began walking out of the alley, his attention focused on the one thing that had changed... several torches were lit around the gallows. The second he noticed this, Alastar stopped in his tracks, on the edge of the crowd he didn't have the best view, but as he watched his heart began to race faster and faster with each passing second.

That's all for now, hope those reading enjoyed, stay tuned for the next chapter.