FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hello again, it's been a while.

Now I'd like to make something clear.

This chapter was written because someone requested me to, I won't name who. I've turned all my focus into something beyond the fur realm. This chapter is set about a month or so after the last one in case you are wondering, any plot holes will be explained on a later basis. This does not mean i've returned to writing here for the record.

Anyway, i'm sorry to be so moody on my first story in months, I hope you enjoy!

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The damp and pungent stench filled the air with an unbearable must, it smelt of a mix of sewage and rain; a suiting smell for the shelter. There was barely the faintest murmur of conversation in the bar, their minds being far too preoccupied with their own pitifully pathetic self-absorption and loathing of other more successful creatures. The shelter had never tried to be a place of comfort, it had never tried to be a place which welcomed those far and wide; no, the shelter was a festering pit in the darkest corner of the town for all those who were mad, angry or simply detested the contact of others. All people could be found here, cheetahs and moles were the most abundant of the species, each able to grab a glass with impunity and shallow the poison in a flash, but even some dragons were found here, though it was a rare occasion that one did show up and in that situation it was best to leave them well alone.

Perfect.

A hooded figure slipped into the bar, immediately recoiling at the stench. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and pressed on into the depths of the rotting shack. He passed a small table by which another of his kind sat, his furred face was gaunt and his hands shook. He didn't make a single sound but his eyes brimmed with tears for some reason only known to him.

Pathetic creature...

The figure thought as he continued past, he would have to keep looking or wait for a suitable candidate. He placed himself at the front, in the centre of the long bar, glancing around quietly at the rest of the occupants. Everyone there was filled with a dull sense of anger, he could feel it, it brewed within them all. The stranger let his lips curl into a smile; places like this always seemed to attract people of the best calibre for what he had in mind. Beat down, broken and seething with rage; the perfect base to build up from, now all he needed was a candidate.

"Evenin' stranger, down on your luck? Don't worry it's all the same here. What can I get you?"

The voice can as a small surprise as the stranger looked down; a short stubby mole stared up at him, glass in hand. The stranger just looked at him with a mild bemusement and said.

"I'm not here to drink, save your penny stealing for some else."

His voice was deep and cutting; it seemed almost unnaturally deep for his size. He had the voice of something so much larger, and so much more terrifying. The mole seemed a bit taken aback at the stranger's attitude, but before he could say anything in response, the stranger licked his teeth and said darkly.

"No, but you can help me with something else... and this would be coin well earned."

The stranger watched in a mild anticipation, the stubby creature before him was definitely not a candidate; he was far too small and his mind wouldn't gel right, but he might be able to point him to someone who could be. The mole shifted uncomfortably, but then said quietly.

"What did you have in mind?"

The stranger's lips drew back in another smile, flashing a set of razor sharp teeth for a moment before withdrawing back into the shadowy hood. The mole stood his ground remarkably, despite the fear which now gripped him, something about the man before him was just absolutely terrifying.

"Well, I'm looking for a candidate for a task I wish to be completed."

The mole gave a small gulp as he stared into the strangers eyes, they glinted with a strange purple but he wasn't sure how as the strangers face was completely in shadow. But he took a small breath and said.

"I'm sure you could find someone in the main city, Warfang is home to hundreds of people which would be willing...."

The mole stopped as the stranger gave a small growl of annoyance. He rested a paw on the table, it was furred and the claws which came from it were brutally sharp.

"If I wanted anyone to do this job, why would I have come to this trash of an establishment? No... I'm looking for someone new to here, like me, someone whose pride has been damaged and they are hungry for revenge."

He paused for a moment to survey the surroundings again, his eyes seemed to stop for a moment on something, but then he turned back to the increasingly terrified bartender.

"I know you can tell, they're the type of people you avoid, their anger can make them difficult to rob and they sober up far too fast for your liking. As a bartender and as, I do believe a stalker and a thief. You should be able to pick out the vulnerable, and determine who is too strong."

The moles heart missed a beat, he knew! How did he know?! Slowly, he forced a smile and made a feeble attempt at laughing. The stranger just sat quietly as the mole said.

"What do you mean? Stalker? Thief? No, no, no, no you must have been drinking already. I'm a bartender you got that right, but nothing more."

The stranger gave a small sigh and rested a clawed paw on the table, the talons were brutally sharp and the mole jumped a little at them. He stared back up at the stranger, yet again feeling a sense of worthlessness and dread fill him. Despite the subtlety of the stranger's actions, his voice was vicious and snarled.

"Don't try to lie to me, I always know. You stalk drunken fools down alleys after closure, and as if you haven't robbed enough from them anyway, you beat their bodies and take the drabs of cash in their purses which you haven't taken; the brilliant part is that they are too drunk to remember. Do not pretend that you are a simple bartender; your eyes can pick people out of a crowd, targets or people to avoid, a deeply useful trait. Now, I'm going to say again. Is there anyone in this cesspit of a building which has the required... characteristics?"

The mole had no idea what to do, the man before him was far from normal and he knew about his schemes. He glanced down at the clawed hand again, already just by resting it on the table it had left small grooves. He looked into those dark purple eyes once more, they were not natural, they glinted without light and they filled him with the deepest sense of dread he had ever felt. His mind was made up in less than moment. The mole nodded quickly and pointed towards a creature in the corner. The dragon was sitting still, yet his eyes were wide open and its nostrils constantly flaring with anger.

"He's arrived not two days ago; he drinks like there's no end. But I've seen his type before; he looks like he'd murder everyone in the world to get his revenge."

The stranger gave a tiny chuckle and tapped the bar with his claws.

"You make it almost sound poetic... yes he matches the requirements to the dot... You have excelled yourself, mole."

The mole gave a small sigh, he was still petrified but doing what the stranger wanted was certainly the wisest decision in his mind for now. The stranger shifted in his seat quietly yet he didn't move. The mole up at him with a nervous grin, and he said with an anxious tremor in his voice.

"Well... aren't you going to speak to him?"

The stranger considered for a moment and the mole felt that same fear creep through his body once more. The stranger leant in close, his claws flexing a little as his paw moved position.

"You know me now... People would want to find me. I can't leave anything behind to tell them. You've been a great help, but I must apologise for my next action."

The bartender's eyes widened, his heart stopped. He felt a small breeze past his face and there was the faintest swish. Suddenly his felt warmth spread down his neck and chest, he looked down to see blood pouring down him, staining his clothes a dark crimson. He tried to speak, but all that happened was he made a stranger gurgling sound, it was far too quiet for anyone to hear. The stranger had gone; it had all been so fast. The bartender collapsed to his knees, had no-one in the bar seen him do it? But slowly he went faint and slumped to the ground; the carpet beneath him deadened the thump so no-one would hear it. The final thoughts of the mole were simple; How? Before his mind stopped working and he lay there, dead.

*****

The Stranger wiped the tiniest speck of blood off his claw as he walked slowly away. The mole had already disappeared behind the bar, yet everyone else was still too preoccupied with their own worries to notice such a silent action. The stranger was tempted to laugh at the situation, public kills filled him with such glee, but he had business to attend to.

Silently, he pulled up a chair and walked over to the green dragon in the corner. The dragon looked up slowly, his face contorted with a suppressed rage. The stranger sat down carefully and the dragon said in a menacing voice.

"You better have a good reason to talk to me! Or else I'll kill you for distracting me!"

The stranger just shifted himself carefully making sure he was ready for anything. But when he spoke his voice was calm and slow, almost seductive in tone.

"It seems you have an issue troubling you, don't you?"

The dragon snarled a bit and spat out in the same arrogant tone.

"Oh, aren't you observant?! I'm in a dump of a city, because I was rejected from my own town. I have no home and now there is some smart mouth trying to talk to me!"

The dragon snarled once more, his tail flicking about angrily. The stranger smiled under his shroud of shadows, but again he said calmly, his voice was smooth and enchanting.

"That's quite something, I can feel your pain. Who caused such a fate to befall a dragon such as yourself?"

The dragon looked up and his face grew angrier by the moment, the stranger revelled in this emotion. Watching the emotions in someone's eyes was like watching a child attempting something and failing constantly, the ways a person's mind would taunt them and when they tried to calm down, the mind would spit right back at them; then causing this to happen was even more fun than watching. Eventually, the green dragon slammed his claws into the table and growled his pure vemon.

"The purple dragon! That goody hero, if i saw him again I'd kill him on the spot!"

The stranger stopped for a moment as the green dragon sat down again. The purple one? Under his hood the stranger smiled widely, a savage happiness filling his whole body. This would so much easier now they both shared a common goal.

"The purple one? Why, that liar, that pathetic hoax! He who pretends to be a hero is just as evil as the villains he pretends to fight."

The stranger said, his voice rose slightly yet still it was perfectly under control. The green dragon looked at the stranger and he gave a nodded profusely. He stopped nodding and announced with grandeur to the stranger.

"Damn right! If I had the chance, I'd kill him right now!"

The stranger gleamed; this dragon didn't even need convincing. He rage had taken over him and it was almost laughable on how this dragon could be twisted to his will. The stranger quietly adjusted his position and leant in, subconsciously the dragon leant in too. The stranger's sensitive nose could smell the drink on his breath and he felt like gagging a bit at the stench, but still he continued.

"Surely not kill, I mean only the bravest of dragons would even think to attempt such a feat, it takes a rare breed to consider these actions."

The green dragon snarled once more and said in the the deepest and horridly attempt voice he could manage. The stranger held back waves of amusement as the dragon spoke.

"I can do it! I'm strong! I'm the strongest around! No-one is better than me! No-one is better than Quake!"

The Stranger gave a long drawn out sigh, it was so pitiful. He tapped the table softly with his razor sharp talons, and looked at the stranger straight in the eyes. His glare shadowed yet as penertrating and sharp as ever.

"What if I could help you with that? What if I could provide you with the power to defeat this hoax and you could claim what is yours... revenge!"

The stranger said smoothly. The dragon's eyes went wide and a sly smile crept onto his face. The dragon nodded once more, and said almost desperately.

"I'd do anything for that power! I'd be respected again! People would fear me once more! If I could defeat him! I'd be a king!"

The stranger just kept silent, he mocked him in his mind. This dragon was nothing more than a power hungry fool, he had no sense of direction with himself or his actions; they were the most easily influenced, and the most deadly of slaves. However, in the real world, the stranger spread his arms in an almost praise of the green dragon.

"A goal which lesser beings would not dare to attempt, you have a great ambition which I want to see become a reality! All you need to do is kill the purple dragon! I can help you with this, it will take time, we should not rush into these things but you can do it! All you need to do is help me, and I will help you become a king!"

The green dragon leant back, a gormless smile on his face. The green dragon's eyes went unfocused as his anger contorted mind filled with impossible images of him. Ruling over his people, all praised him and all loved him, he had any dragon he wanted and they were willing to please him, he was nigh on a god!

The stranger watched him with a bemused stare; this was far too easy for his liking. He had hoped for more resistance from the dragon's part. He much preferred convincing his victims ever so more subtly, it required more intellect. But still, he had a weapon now, and stupid and gullible slave to do his bidding.

"Well then, do we have a deal?"

He asked in an almost bored voice, though he knew the answer. He looked around quickly to see the other people in the bar. It was best to leave. While they had talked, more people had finished their drinks and more of the rowdy ones were getting impatient. The green dragon snapped out of his delusion and nodded again, smiling like a fool.

"We have a deal! Let's kill the purple dragon and let me become a king!"

The stranger just kept smiling to himself as he began to formulate his next plan. But still he looked up at the dragon and said smugly.

"Yes, we shall".

This was far too easy.

He thought in a bemused tone as he sat, his smile still wide under the shadow of his hood.

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Well, looks like that's me done. I hope you enjoyed it so far.

If this goes unnoticed then I won't complain, after all it is a fanfic.

Be sure to commet, fav, vote.

And I hope you have a good day/week/year.

Draco978