FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The following day started with general chores and watering the garden. Ayla kept watch and made sure that Mari didn't make any mistakes while Gregory sat on the bench in front of his house and drank. Some cloud cover offered relief from the harsh sun, and by noon Mari was finished.

“Good job, now on to magic practice.”

Mari rolled her shoulders and plopped down on the ground, “I just need a minute... this is much harder than it was yesterday.”

“Ah, but Gregory won't be happy to hear that a city girl can't handle a little gardening. It's good for your endurance.”

Mari shook her head, “I suppose...” And with that she began her ether training, focusing her energy until exhaustion. Three cycles of this proved to be her ultimate limit, and Mari could continue no more. As she recovered from her final push, a carriage rolled down the narrow dirt road. This one was far more simple than the royal carriage, and yet it was certainly not one for poor folk.

“Mari, you have a visitor.” Gregory's lazy voice seemed to flow back towards the garden. With Ayla's help, she was able to move to the front of the house, “Or maybe I do?”

“Gregory, how much have you had?”

He shot Ayla a wicked gaze, “Not enough.”

A man dressed in silken clothing of a vibrant blue stepped forth, “Ah, the fair maiden in distress, I've finally found you!” With an elegant leap, he landed directly in front of the exhausted Mari, “Please, my dear, come with me and all of your magical needs will be answered!”

Mari blinked a few times, as did Gregory, “I'm... sorry?” Gregory wiped his eyes as Mari attempted to process this rapid escalation, “Who are you?”

“Forgive me! I am Baron von Telos, an expert magician and the answer to your prayers!” A dramatic bow followed his introduction, “But perhaps this is fate, to hear of such a beautiful young woman trapped in the clutches of this outcast.”

Gregory lifted his bottle to his lips, but lowered it before taking a swig, “Oh, you're one of THOSE magic users. Confusing one school with a trend. Fuckin' figures.” He angrily smashed the bottle on the ground, “Mari, back away from the pervert.”

“Perhaps it is you who should return to your isolated life, I only wish to teach this maiden the greatest of magic arts.”

Mari had recovered just enough to slide over and sit upon Gregory's bench, “What's he talking about, Master?”

Before the baron could speak, Gregory interrupted, “I've heard about it, the latest trend is sex magic. Obviously a bunch of perverts go after the young girls and boys and recruit them into their ranks. It's a joke, but how about a quiz... what would sex magic fall under?”

“I know this... I know this... ritual right?”

“Correct.” Gregory walked up to the baron and shoved him back, “You of all people should know the rules, right?”

“I uh... yes?”

Gregory flicked his wrist and a chain made of blue flame appeared from the sky and landed between the men, “What are you waiting for?” He wrapped one end around his left forearm.

The baron was flabbergasted, “What am I to do here?”

Gregory rolled he head around, “Ignorant pile of piss... you are trying to take a pupil from a mentor, that is ground for a magic duel. Remember?”

“Y-Yes, of course, I must be tired from the ride.” He hesitantly copied Gregory, “Although a refresher would be welcome, us civilized magic users don't resort to such barbaric acts.”

“Draw your weapon. Ayla!” A broom came flying out of the door and was deftly caught by Gregory.

“How quaint, a broom.” The baron pulled a gem-laden wand from his inner coat pocket, “And here I was, worried.”

Gregory spun the broom in his hand, then smashed the head onto the ground, revealing an 8 inch spearhead, “First one to let go loses, means of attack is your own choice.”

Mari sat and watched Gregory change his demeanor from a drunken hermit to a stoic fighter. Not a single shake or shiver existed, he was like a statute. The baron on the other hand was struggling to remove the chain from his arm, “Release me, fiend!”

“Death or glory.” Mari could hardly follow the short burst, but somehow Gregory had hit the baron with a blast of pure force and sent him flying several dozen feet away, “Dumbass should read a book sometime.” The baron's driver scrambled to recover him, and the two limped to the carriage and then away into the distance.

He sat next to Mari, “What was that all about, Master?”

“Ayla, fix this would you?” She appeared as if from thin air and took the spear inside, “Poachers, going after vulnerable students in the hopes of raising their own worth. In the city it's a contest of wealth, but the older magic users remember duels.” He pulled another bottle from under the bench, “Drink up, kid.”

Mari took the bottle, still in a daze from exhaustion and the bizarre series of events that had just unfolded, took out the cork and took a swig. It took all of her willpower to keep from tossing the bottle and spitting everything out, “What is this?! How do you drink this?!”

“Did you think all of those potatoes were for food? It's vodka. Sometimes I mix in the berries.” He grabbed the bottle and chugged a bit, “Lightweight. You feel better though, don't you?”

Mari shivered, still reeling from the taste, “A... bit?”

“Strong alcohol suppresses magic and reduces the effects of exhaustion. A handy thing to have around.”

“But you're drinking it all of the time. Wait, are you super powerful?!”

Gregory shook his head, “No, I'm skilled, but I'm far from the best. If you want a chance at The Trial, you need to understand that knowing how to cast and knowing what to do are very different concepts.”

Mari looked around idly, “You were a war hero, right? Like in the stories?”

“Saving a few lives doesn't make me a hero. They all died in the next few battles anyway.”

“Heh, I guess as a child I always looked up to people like Ironwall. Heroes that fought for justice and all that is right.”

Gregory took a sip, “Hm? Don't know about all that crap, but Ironwall is a real person. Only saw him from a distance, but he earned that name. I think he runs an orphanage for girls in some port town.” Mari stared at Gregory in disbelief, “What? Not all stories are make believe. Retner is probably the greatest magic user alive, although he's a pacifist now. Wallace was a thief that ended up leading a battalion. They all died, including Wallace, but the enemy losses were too high to continue their march.”

“You... saw these people... in the war...”

“Individual names mean little in the grand scheme of things. Brian was a nobody who died after killing three spies attempting to poison a well. Po disabled the cannon that was raining hellfire on us. Don't hear much about them. Speaking of ghosts...” He looked past Mari, and she followed his gaze to a rather frightening figure.

A man was dressed in scraps of armor and cloth, covering every inch of his body. Thin black cloth covered the eye holes, whether or not he could see through them was a mystery. There was a slight limp in his gait, but otherwise he was tall and well built, “Gregory.” A voice smooth as silk.

“Dag.”

“I fear I've waited a bit too long this time. I would appreciate it we could speed this along.”

Gregory pushed himself to his feet, “Yeah, got it ready, come inside.”

Dag began to walk towards the door, “Ma'am, I hope my visage does not disturb you.”

Mari's heart pounded in her chest, there is no way a voice like that could belong to anyone hideous. As a young woman of age, she blindly followed the men into the house. Gregory handed Dag a pouch, “Use the usual room upstairs.”

“Thank you. I fear I may be a tad slow, but I should warn you that a storm is rolling in.”

“Yeah, smelled it in the air.”

Dag climbed the stairs in a very careful manner, as though the wooden planks would give way at any moment, “Who is he?”

“Dag, fought together near the end of the war. His last kill was unfortunately a witch versed in curses, same as me. His curse was more direct, his flesh was altered and now burns with intensity if left alone. I was lucky enough to find a balm that temporarily stops the pain, but the ingredients take time to grow.”

“Can't you dispel the curse?”

“Curse can only be removed by the caster, which is why a lot of magic users got one ready just in case. One last 'fuck you' before they died.”

Mari sat at the dining table and waited for the guest to come back down, noting privately that Ayla was nowhere to be found. It was a mere twenty minutes before he came back down, wrapped up as before, “Thank you, Gregory. Now if I may intrude, would you introduce me to your... stray?”

“This is my pupil, Mari. I know, don't say it.”

“How fortunate, young lady. Gregory is notoriously difficult in all things. I assume you know about my curse, it is only fair to tell you of his.”

“Dag, you're not getting any of the good stuff.”

“If I desired a hole in my stomach, I would be taken aback.” A small chuckle escaped from Dag, “Gregory's curse is rather unique in that it is not directly harmful to the victim. As I recall,” He sat on a lounge chair, “The first woman to bear his child will be granted any wish of her choosing.”

Gregory motioned for Mari to stop, seemingly reading her mind, “The issue is that the message was sent out to very powerful magic users. In addition, my well being and cooperation are not required. Try having power-hungry monsters after you for sixteen years, some of which would like to use my body for it's parts.” A low rumble of thunder rolled through the house, and Gregory's eyes became blank.

“Mari, yes? Do not mind, he was traumatized by a certain battle. The details are lost to all but him, as the lone survivor, but I know a bit if you're interested.” Mari nodded as Gregory almost seemed to sink into his chair, “The enemy forces were utilizing forbidden magics and cannons, I think they were sacrificing their own soldiers to fire bizarre cannon balls. I saw the aftermath, the fields were drenched in blood, flesh, and bone. Over one thousand men were lost on our side, but the enemy did not advance and that magic was not used again.”

The storm was close now, with the frequency of thunder increasing and rain beginning to pelt the windows, “I wish I never saw that magic, the screams won't stop.” Gregory muttered, “Every night I go back.”

Mari stood up and went into the kitchen, “Perhaps some tea?” It was getting a little too strange, as her day was already quite eventful, “I think that would be best.”

“Mari!”

Gregory's shout snapped her to attention, “Yes?!”

“Light the fireplace.”

“R-Right.” She turned away from the kitchen.

“From there. Do it.”

Mari was conflicted, but she couldn't defy her master, “Okay... I guess...” She aimed her hand and the fireplace and thought about lighting it. In a second, it was roaring, “There. Wait...”

Gregory looked at Dag, “She read the Fire book yesterday, no way in hell a normal person could do that.”

“Think you should be saying that out loud?”

“She'd figure it out sooner or later.”

“Master, how did I do that?!”

Gregory let his head fall backwards, “No use pretending. You have a gift that you're wasting on The Academy. Problem is, you don't know enough to use it.” He waved his arm to the side, as though he was reaching for something, “Damn books...” He balled his fist, but kept his pointer finger extended. Within seconds, a green book careened down the stairs and into his hand, “Mari, read this before tonight. You can't even imagine how she looks at us 'war heroes' when we're around.”

Mari cautiously accepted the book, the title was “Wind” and to her surprise she could actually read it, “I'm sorry, what?”

Dag lowered his head as his shoulders bounced, obviously hiding a laugh, “Oh yes, us invincible heroes. What glorious reception we received.”

Gregory sighed as thunder rumbled in the distance, “Dag was a Royal Guard. Enlisted near the end of the war since the able bodies were all used up. Because of the curse he was removed from service with a rather hefty pension.”

“I should have found a cheap plot of land like you and started living a simple life. But what brother is not envious of the other?”

This caught Mari's attention, “Brother? I didn't know you had siblings, or any family really.”

“Ah, apologies ma'am. Fight alongside a man in enough suicidal battles and you become brothers. The amount of times I saved Gregory's life is only equal, if not lesser, than the amount he saved my own.”

“Wow... they really didn't tech us much about the war.”

The thunder was now very distant, almost inaudible, “Wasn't much to say. We killed more of them. Or enough of them. Nobody really knows for certain. Anyway, about time you get on your way, plenty of contracts for the taking.”

Dag stood up, “Can't argue there. Gregory, try not to die. Mari, I wish you only the best.” He left quietly and calmly, as though grace flowed through his body.

Something struck Mari though. Gregory was miserable, but not suicidal, “I'm asking an awful lot, but what did he mean?”

“Ayla, bring up another bottle. Mari... beware what you ask when you approach a fortune teller.”

She sat the green book onto the table and crossed her arms, “I think it's about time to know more about you, you are my master after all. What did you ask?”

He sighed as Ayla appeared and set a fresh bottle in front of Gregory, “When will the nightmares stop?”

Mari was hesitant to follow up, “The... answer?”

“When Bloody Mary kills you.”