FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The bar was quiet, save for the sparse few patrons that sat scattered around the room like the first few fallen leaves in autumn. Freya was in her usual spot at the counter, nursing a drink and making small talk with the few people who walked by that were interested in her services. However, business was slow. Despite that, she always made a point to remain in her usual hang out just in case someone happened to come by. One never knew when opportunity would come knocking.

It wasn't as if Freya had anywhere else to be. Her family, few though they were, wanted nothing to do with her, and she wanted even less to do with them. She was there for work, and nothing else. Dougal extended his arm numerous times to invite her into his dingy little basement, but she had no interest in such a place. Her tastes were far more refined, and though she spent a lot of time in the slums around Altair looking for work, Freya enjoyed a comfortable life in a small home in the market district. It was enough for her, at least until her fortunes changed.

At least I'm not running errands outside of town anymore, Freya thought, remembering a trip to an island kingdom not far off the coast. Last time I ever go out into the field for anyone else.

She motioned to the bartender for a refill of her drink, and gave a weary sigh when he scrambled past her to serve someone else first. Considering how often she frequented the crumbling establishment, she thought that she deserved better service than that. When the man finally did come to her table with a fresh glass, she glared at him. No exchange of words were necessary. The man's nervous look and the sweat on his face told Freya that he now knew better than to ignore her before other patrons. Her presence alone brought him plenty of business, and he needed to be reminded of that.

Satisfied for the time being, Freya went back to her vigil. It was a rare slow day when no one sought her for information or any of her other services, but she was going to stay as long as possible regardless.

Her intuition paid off as someone heavy took a seat next to her. The leather covered cushion scraped against a pair of hide leggings as the person put their weight down on it.

Freya cocked her head to the side and looked at him. She first saw the black fur covering his bare arms and chest. She craned her head further up, and saw the ursine head looking back at her with brilliant hazel eyes.

"Here for the usual, Dralthin?" Freya asked. It hadn't been the first time that Dralthin had come to see her. She knew little about him, besides the fact that he'd been an exile from Xenaria years ago. His accent was all but gone, and she could sense the faint magical aura that surrounded him which suggested that he was a sorcerer of at least some skill. Most mages tried to hide their gifts, but Dralthin displayed his power openly and casually. He was either stupid or powerful, and Freya banked on the latter. It surprised her that someone as large, intimidating, and strong as him was more into books than something more suitable for someone of his size.

"Not tonight, I'm not particularly in the mood for pleasure. I've come seeking information," the ursar said. His deep, baritone voice had a commanding quality to it that send shivers down Freya's back as he spoke quietly in her ear. Had his people not been pacifists, she thought he would have made for a convincing military commander of some sort. Dralthin had a presence all his own, and when he spoke, she noticed that people listened, and rarely did they ever oppose him.

"Was there something in particular that you were looking for?" Freya replied, taking a sip from her mug. "I can't guarantee I know everything that goes on in Altair."

"I've been told you know everything in Altair and in lands beyond, so don't give me that," Dralthin said calmly, but the look in his eyes told her that he was serious. "Your reputation has preceded you, I'm afraid."

"That's a pity," Freya said indifferently. She scanned the room, watching the other patrons carefully while keeping her attention on Dralthin. It was her usual routine to watch for people eavesdropping on her conversations. The information she shared with others did not come cheap, and it was bad for business for people to be overhearing her.

"I'm looking for someone who has obtained something that is of interest to my Lord," Dralthin explained to her.

"How... cryptically vague of you," Freya cut in, waiting for Dralthin to continue.

The ursar ordered a drink from the bartender and tipped him generously. It was clearly a show for her benefit, to help display that he and his lord were well off. It was pointless in her opinion. She already knew that he had deep pockets.

"Perhaps you've come across the name 'Dougal'?"

Freya was grateful she had her mug up to her mouth to help conceal her expression as her lips tightened at the corners. She thought for a moment and swished the elven spirits she was drinking around in her mouth. "Of course I've heard the name. He's all over the papers. The town criers have been talking about him all week and all the terrible things he's done. I assume you've heard of his most recent exploits into Lord Roygan's estate? Quite the trick to be able to murder a man and his wife and half his personal guard while the manor was being watched by almost the entirety of the Mithril Blades."

The ursar smirked at her when she responded. "I get the feeling you're being coy with me. Usually I appreciate it, but unfortunately, time is a factor. I will simply cut to the chase. How much do you know about Dougal?"

"What makes you think I know any more than you do?" Freya asked. She tapped her finger on the table in annoyance. She wished Dralthin would get to the point instead of beating around the bush. What did he want and why? If he were up to something, then he could sell that information to Dougal at a higher price. It would be well worth the time taken if she could extract anything from Dralthin and whoever this master was that he served.

"You're not denying knowing anything," Dralthin said in a low voice. "I have it on good authority that you've been in this very bar with a dwarf several times over the past couple weeks. You may think this place is safe, but there are eyes all over."

"If you're trying to scare me, you can forget about it," Freya shot back with a calmness that belied the situation. "I've seen worse in Tarivia."

His gargantuan paw grabbed her wrist and he held her close. His grip was not tight, but it was still uncomfortable and it reminded her that he was still much stronger than she could ever hope to be. Sharp, ebony claws poking out of their sheaths raked at her flesh with the slightest pressure, ready to rend her flesh from her bones. Sometimes it was absolutely unfair how much natural strength beastmen had over regular beings.

Dralthin leaned in close and kept his voice low so that what he said was only for her ears. "Whatever horrors you saw in Tarivia will pale in comparison to what my master and I can do to you if you do not cooperate, so I suggest you quit playing games with me." He accentuated his point with a deep, rumbling growl and a steel-eyed glare that made Freya want to look away. "I don't care how close you were to the Lokivar monarchy back then, but those connections won't save you now, Freya Arin."

"And what would you know about it?" Freya said in a harsh whisper, trying to keep her voice from wavering. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help swallowing audibly as she fought to reign in her anxiety. She had no idea how Dralthin could possibly know about her life before coming to Altair, but the fact that he knew so much unsettled her.

"I know more than you're willing to admit," Dralthin said. "We have kept tabs on you for a long time now. We know all about your operations, about your past as one of Lokivar's illustrious Sentinels, and about the lich from Tarivia." The ursar chuckled.

"How did you--"

"The how isn't important, now is it?" Dralthin asked and removed his grip from her arm. He draped his arm over the back of the bench and leaned closer, his fingers idly tapping on the wooden backing. Freya was intensely aware of the sound his claws made as they rapped against the oak.

She glanced about, looking for a way out, but no one was paying attention to them. Dralthin sat in such a way that no one would be able to tell that anything was wrong, using his broad body to block the view from any prying eyes.

"What is important to take away from this, my dear, is that I can make an island of undead horrors look like a paradise," Dralthin said almost casually, his free paw pressed dangerously close to her chest. The thrum of magical energies could be felt in the room and a cold chill washed over everyone present, leaving behind a feeling of nausea and fear that no one could explain.

Freya looked down at the ursar's paw and saw the cold shadows that gathered around it like a vile fog. She didn't know what magic he was working or how he had prepared the spell in advance, but she did know that she was at a gross disadvantage in terms of physical and magical power. However, there was one thing she had that Dralthin didn't, and she knew that he wouldn't jeopardize it before he had it.

"You wouldn't kill me," Freya snapped. She alternated between watching the ursar's reactions and watching his paw. "I have information you need, and you can't get it out of a corpse. And I doubt you or your master have any way of making me talk against my will."

The set of Dralthin's jaw and the fury that burned in his eyes told her that she'd managed to call his bluff. He pulled his paw back and all at once the sickening feeling around the room began to drift away.

"Were this Xenaria, a half dozen psions would be picking your brain piece by piece by now for that very information, saving me the trouble."

"How lucky for me we're here in Altair," Freya said smugly, smirking at him. She could see the tiny twitch of the skin around his eyes, almost hidden completely by his fur. Freya was once again in command of the situation, and she would be damned if she would allow Dralthin even one ounce of control.

After taking a moment to recompose himself, Dralthin asked, "How much money would it take to get you to speak to me about what you know about Dougal?"

"What makes you think any amount of money would be enough to sway me?" Freya asked. "If you have indeed seen me with the dwarf in question, then you should know that he pays very well for my information. I should hate to lose such a steady stream of income."

"How would you feel about a cut of the spoils?" he said in a low growl that caused a shiver to run down her spine. "Between his bounty and the treasures he's stolen, it could have you out living the good life with even just a fraction of the gold we could get. You wouldn't need him anymore. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"And how do I know you won't just kill me after you've gotten what you wanted?" Freya asked. This hadn't been the first time she had been threatened by another for her information. Granted, most people who tried to bully her like that were humans and other beings. Rarely had she met a beastman who sought her services, and none were as big or as imposing as Dralthin was.

Freya saw Dralthin's ears narrow and noticed that his nostrils flared slightly, and she wondered what that meant. Everyone had tells that she liked to watch for, and for most races they shared a lot of tells in common. But with a beastman, one could never be sure what the slightest change in facial expression could mean, especially when one considered how diverse their species could be. And for someone like Dralthin who was calm, calculating, and downright cold, it could mean anything.

"Here." Dralthin shifted to reach into his pocket, producing a simple slip of paper.

Freya initially ignored it, but as the ursar unfolded it, she had to keep her eyes from bugging out of her head.

It was a bank check, stamped and signed personally by the bank's owner. It was a signature that she was intimately familiar with, considering her line of work. It was undeniably authentic, and as she examined the paper more closely, it was quickly apparent that it was not a forgery.

"100,000 gold standards?" Freya asked, her composure once again slipping from her grasp.

"What my master is after is worth more than money." Dralthin slid the paper along the table and gave it to her. "Hide it wherever you want. That money is already locked away in the bank, and only the one who holds that check can claim it. If you hide it and we kill you, then that money is lost and I can guarantee my master will be ruined."

"Alright, I think we can come to some agreement, then." Freya flashed a crooked smile at him as she folded the check back up and tucked it away inside her tunic until she could hide it somewhere else. "So if I may ask, out of curiosity, why are you after that dwarf anyways? I don't imagine it's for the bounty. You seem to have plenty of money to throw around."

Dralthin was quiet for a moment, and drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "Dougal has stolen something that my master values. My job is to make sure to recover it, no matter the cost."

"Do you know what it is? I might know whether he has it or not."

It was the ursar's turn to smile at her. "That information is for my master and me. When we locate Dougal, we will know whether he has it or not."

Freya shrugged, not wanting to press the issue. If he wasn't going to talk, then what more would be gained by annoying him further? "If you want to get to Dougal, you won't be able to go straight for him. He's not some novice mage to be trifled with. A petty thief, yes, but not some fledgling adept one can handle in a direct confrontation." She paused, thinking back to the discussion she had with Dougal a couple nights ago. If his story was true, then the dwarf had at least one life-time's worth of magic under his belt, not to mention his race's natural acuity to the arcane. Would Dralthin need that information?

After a second longer, Freya decided against sharing such details. Better for Dralthin to figure it out himself. With any luck, perhaps Dougal would put Dralthin and his master out of their misery and she could continue to rake in the gold from the dwarf while sitting comfortably on her new fortune for years to come.

"If you'd like to hear my suggestion, I know how you can split up his gang and take them out one by one."

"Tell me."