FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 30

Lyndis fought fiercely, her snarls and thrashes a futile resistance against the inevitability that was to come. Despite her efforts, she still found herself strapped to the chair, her gaze fixed on the door that heralded the arrival of her tormentor. Cursing the Lumarians with a torrent of insults, she sought to mask the abject horror coursing through her veins. Left alone, an uneasy silence enveloped her, each moment ticking away until her eventual demise.

"I won't deceive you about your chances," Suntail had crooned, gripping the half-elf's chin and compelling her to meet those amber seas of cruelty. "I pray your mind endures the violent probing; too many are reduced to jabbering, mind-dead shells when subjected to these methods in quick succession."

“I told you ya feathery carnival penis, I don't know anything else, you're wasting your bloody time." Had been her retort, but it fell upon deaf ears.

Suntail's eyes had narrowed with a mix of annoyance and skepticism. "Your defiance is commendable, but I have my methods," she remarked coldly. "We shall see how much longer you can maintain such bravado."

Desperation clawed at her in these dwindling moments, a fervent prayer echoing in her mind for the unlikely arrival of Arcturus and Veledar, wielding steel, flame, and Merlia's deadly arrows. They would burst through the door at the last possible instant, rescuing her from this fresh hell. The dream of salvation withered with each passing breath, and she faced the grim reality that this might be where she'd draw her last, far from the safety of her homeland, swallowed by the heart of Lumara.

The door swung open, an icy chill seized the room, an unnatural cold that slithered across the floor, seeping into her very flesh. The air grew heavy as the alien-like gaze of the approaching horror fixated upon her, eyes glowing like that of a forge with an overpowering hunger. In the face of impending doom, she summoned the last vestiges of her courage.

“Hey, you tentacle-faced freak, go fuck yourself!" she laughed in defiance as fear electrified every nerve within her. For anyone who might be watching, she continued, shouting to the heavens, “And that goes double for you, you feathery cunt! It might not be me, but oh, by the gods, someone is going to slap that smug beak of yours into oblivion!" She began to shake as the Cthulhid began its ominous approach.

Without a sound, it glided through the air as if powered by an unholy force. Its hands rose, bringing with it an all consuming black void that devoured what light remained. There was only the Cthulhid and it's otherworldly presence, its hunger, and the pain now that returned to her temples.

Spindly appendages reached out, the Cthulhid's tentacles trembling with an eerie anticipation, their surfaces slathered with a viscous goo that dripped menacingly. An inky blackness erupted from the entity, voracious in its hunger, swiftly engulfing everything in its path. In the blink of an eye, all light was devoured, leaving only an abyss that seemed to consume even the very essence of hope itself.

Lyndis howled as an agonizing sensation, akin to two picks being mercilessly hammered into her temples, seized control. Her mind felt as if it were unraveling, yet she desperately clung to fleeting fragments of sanity. Struggling to maintain focus, she sought refuge in the memories of her friends, the idyllic countryside, and the comforting visage of Cordenth. However, solace eluded her, replaced instead by the looming presence of the Cthulhid before her—undeniable, mere inches from her flesh, its eyes brimming with a sinister sense of triumph.

"In the name of Glenreich, vile creature, leave her alone!" Azzik's voice was like a beacon, cutting through the haze of despair.

Dazzling hues of crimson erupted in the void, a celestial spectacle that shattered the oppressive darkness. Each radiant burst unfolded like a symphony of vivid colors, mercilessly striking the Cthulhid's shadowy form. With every impact, anguished screams echoed from its hungry beak, and dark, navy-like blood splattered upon the floor in a grisly display. The creature collapsed, and with it, the oppressive darkness it had wrought began to dissipate.

Lyndis was left in stunned silence, blinking as her senses slowly returned from the numbing assault. Could it be that the gods had heeded her desperate plea? As the ringing in her ears began to subside, Feku materialized at her side as if from the ethereal realm, deftly producing a pair of lockpicks from her pack.

“Oh, by the bloody gods, I could fucking kiss you two!" She laughed.

“Later miss Lyndis." Feku hissed, staring intently at the binding, her scales already a sea of white, "Sit tight. Focus on fancy stick things."

Rising from the ground like a malevolent shadow reborn, the Cthulhid's form coalesced with a sinister resilience. The dark hues of its blood-stained form pulsed with an eerie vitality, shrugging off the onslaught as though it were a mere inconvenience. Azzik's desperate shots from his crossbow, aimed at halting the creature's advance, missed their mark, going wide in the chaotic struggle.

It rose it's hand with an unearthly clack of it's beak, the air seemed to swell and thrum with power unseen. What magic it brought captivated the diminutive kobold, freezing Azzik's body in but a breath. There he was left, helpless, defenseless, eyes wide with horror as the Cthulhid advanced upon him.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Lyndis tugged at her restraints in a panic.

“Hold your scales!" Feku cracked.

The Cthulhid descended upon Azzik with an eerie indifference, as though all other concerns had evaporated in the presence of its prey. It moved purposefully, its beak poised to seize the offered meal that had unwittingly delivered itself into its clutches. Azzik, with every step, quivered in the shadow of this overwhelming entity, a creature for whom resistance was but a futile dream.

As the kobold trembled, the thick, slimy tendrils of the Cthulhid gently caressed his cheek. The horror was compounded by the creature's unsettling silence; there was no cacophony of roars or thunderous steps, only an ominous quiet. The creature, with a cruel deliberateness, hoisted Azzik into its grasp. The grotesque embrace tightened around the kobold's snout, and a muffled scream escaped him as he began to thrash and squirm. Yet, abruptly, the struggle ceased, and Azzik hung limp—a puppet his strings cut.

Her blood congealed to ice as crimson rivers trickled down Azzik's scales, staining his robes. The realization struck her like a merciless blow—he was dead, a sacrifice in the grim theater of her choices. The click of her restraints barely registered before she seized Feku's weapon, snapping it to the creature with tears in her eyes.

The creature turned to face her, but she was quicker than its malevolent gaze. With a resolute pull of the trigger, a bolt surged forth, colliding with the creature's head. The impact shattered its skull right down the middle, a cataclysmic burst of sable avenging Azzik's demise.

Her safety was the furthest thing from her mind as Feku finished releasing her bindings. Back was the cold that had captured her when the creature had entered, her gaze lingering on the kobold that had risked it all to rescue her. He was slumped over, scales glistening with blood, having paid the ultimate price, for her. Tears came rolling down her cheeks.

In silence, Feku turned, scales the color of bone. She was trembling, eyes wide, where hope had once dwelled not lingered upon the grisly display of her beloved. Unrestrained she screamed in her native tongue, rushing past the guts and gore beneath her claws. Tossing her arms around him she pulled him close, tears racing down her scales. She wailed his name, nuzzling at his cheek as though he were merely asleep, waiting for a kiss to wake him up.

Rubbing her wrists, Lyndis stood tall, they were not yet done. This was just the beginning, more Lumarians would come to undo their rescue. Her red eyes lingered upon where Suntail dwelled, uncertain how she had allowed it to transpire, but she imagined it had to do with the heroes before her. When she turned to Azzik's mutilated form she froze, she'd called him a coward not just a day before, a somber shadow draped her heart. The time for mourning would have to wait; she had to make sure his sacrifice bore fruit.

“Come on, we must go." she said softly, kneeling at Feku's side and resting a hand on her shoulder.

“No, no, no. We were supposed to go together." Feku babbled, unwilling to avert her gaze, “Supposed to see dragon, be pirates!"

Never was it pleasant to see one's innocence robbed from them, forced to endure a loss haunting to the soul. “I'm sorry." She pressed forward, “Truly I am, but we can't stay here." She picked up the weapon that had saved her, hearing a shout outside the hall. “Suntail will be here any moment."

Feku did not yield, clutching Azzik's scales as if her life depended on it. Lyndis grunted and fought back the tears as she held firm, managing to peel the heartbroken lizard from his corpse. “No, I can't leave him!"

“That's not what he would want." She pleaded, redoubling her effort, “He'd want you to live…Please just-“

“NO!" Feku whirled around, Azzik's energy crossbow in her hand. She jabbed it against Lyndis side, Lavender pools fraught with despair. Tears flowed like water down her cheeks as her diminutive arm trembled and shook. She bared her teeth, “You pick up, or we no leave!"

Would she truly shoot? Lyndis rose her hands, “Feku, he will just slow us down."

“He needs to be buried special!" Feku snarled, “You take or you stay!"

“I know."

“GRAB!" She screamed, voice cracking.

She took one look upon the one who'd risked it all to save her, he deserved better than this. With a heavy sigh she plucked him up, slinging his broken form over her shoulder. It wasn't that heavy, that thought struck her to her core. “Know a way out of here?" she said bitterly as she stood, pressing the activation rune of her crossbow.