FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Aaaand here's chapter 15! I would've updated this sooner, but four consecutive projects and the site going down sort of slowed the date, so I apologize -_-;;

Read, enjoy, and.... do whatever!

Chapter 15: Contract

Will closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the explosions and the shouts. As he held the charm in front of him, he could see, or sense, the flash of energy resonating. While his eyes were closed, he could still see the color that the charm flashed in, an alternating flash of white and deep blue. With his eyes closed, his other senses suddenly sharpened, and he could sense the throb of the charm in his paws. He slowly spoke the words for the contract, feeling the world shift around him.

"I, William McKnight, seek a contract with the White Tiger. I vow to use his power only for the good of all, and to protect. My desire is to protect and save, and I wish the contract, to achieve my goal."

As he continued chanting, he slowly opened his eyes. When he did, he was kneeling in darkness. He could feel the ground below him, but it was in a shade of black so black that Will felt as if he was floating in nowhere. Suddenly, several steps of light blinked to life in front of him, and a round pagoda, far away from his current spot, slowly slid into existance. While he didn't know where the pagoda came from, he stood up, and leapt onto the step, which held his weight. He then leapt from stair to step, hoping that the others were okay.

The cannon-turned-shield trembled from the pounding that the demon was giving, but Sara stood as still as possible, trying not to be thrown back. When she took a quick look, Will's eyes were closed, his breathing even. He was in a trance, where his mind went to the realm of gods and would hopefully engage in a contract with them.

"Hmph. If you keep on defending you will get nowhere. You're only stalling for time." Gusion muttered, relentlessly punching the shield. His foot was encased in a aura of light, which acted as a restraint that prevented him from moving. This was the sole reason why the demon was locked in a standstill with the lioness. The other magicians kept his foot locked in a single place, occasionally throwing a spell strong enough to keep him distracted and preventing him from mustering enough power to break the spell on his feet. On top of that, the lioness kept on defending, only counterattacking when she had a clear shot. While he could've defeated most of them within minutes, the wizards were constantly preventing him from attacking any of them with a particularly strong attack. He took a glance at the white tiger, and his lips pursed. Whatever he was trying to do, the trance itself was bad news.

As Will leapt from the last step and landed onto the pagoda, he realized that it was much bigger than he thought. It also looked more like a garden surrounded by pillars rather than a pagoda. As he took a look around, he saw a white shape lying down on the grass. As he approached, he saw the being who he was looking for. Dressed in white and black, he was sleeping, occasionally flicking his tail. Suddenly, as Will came closer, the tiger's eye opened. He then jumped up and walked over to Will, who felt dwarfed by the other white tiger.

"So, you're the shrimp that wants my powers, huh?" the White Tiger rumbled. His voice was rather deep, but Will could sense that he wasn't really as scary as he looked.

"Yes. I want, no.... I need you powers. You've devoted yourself to fighting demons a long time ago, right? I need your power to defeat Gusion!" Will desperately spoke, trying not to grab and shake the other tiger's shirt.

"Gusion? That weakling? I suppose that he could be considered as strong to you though." the deity spoke thoughtfully, staring somewhere behind Will. He was lost in thought for a moment, and then shook his head. Staring at the younger white tiger, the deity gave a simple reply; "I'll help."

"Really?" Will exclaimed. Just as he was about to thank the deity, the bigger tiger held up his paw.

"Hold it. You know why making a contract with other celestial beings is dangerous, right?" as Will nodded, the tiger spoke on. "Well, then, you should know that if you fail, then you might die. Still up for this?"

Will nodded without hesitation. "If I don't get a contract with you, then everyone dies anyways. Better to try."

"Well then, let's hop to it!" the deity held out his paws, and Will locked his paws with the other tiger's trying not to show his nervousness. Suddenly, a burning sensation began to course his body, originating from the paw that he held. He tried to scream and writhe, but he was locked in place. His vision went white. At that moment, he felt an immense surge of energy go through him. At this point, it was now the question of whether his body could hold the immense power that the White Tiger was giving him.

The deity of West stared at the small tiger, whose pain he could sense. It has been ages since anyone was brave enough to try establishing a contract with him. He admired the smaller tiger, but he was also concerned for him, knowing that he was nearly at his limit. At that point, he suddenly felt the other tiger.... change. The process of contract was like pouring water into a cup. If the one receiving the power had enough empty space to fit the power, than he would be fine, like pouring water into a cup that had plenty of room. However, most magicians had their 'cup' nearly filled, and the spilling power often killed them. The tiger that sought a contract with him was nearly on the verge of spilling over, but then his limit grew visibly. It was rather like changing a teacup into a pail. While he was wondering about this, he felt the paw slip away from him. He then saw the boy slumping in front of him, panting. He looked haunted, and wary.

During the contract, Will felt hot, as if he was burning up. He could sense that he was reaching his limit, and his heart pulsed in fear. At the exact moment the other tiger felt Will's limit expanding, Will could suddenly feel something within him enlarge itself. He couldn't tell what it was, but it was enough to cool his body. As the burning pain faded away, he slumped, trying not to faint. Suddenly he could see the other tiger looking at him, his eyes alight with curiosity.

"Who are you?" the White Tiger demanded. He never knew someone who could expand his limit like that easily.

"Will..." the deity waved Will's answer away. "Not that! Who are your parents?"

"I don't know. I was an orphan." the deity sighed, and pulled Will up.

"Well, you're an interesting kid, sure enough. Anyhow," the deity waved his paw, and an oval portal formed in the air. "go. I'll be coming over shortly. I need to talk with you."

As Will stepped over, he realized that he didn't ask the deity his name. Constantly calling the White Tiger felt odd, but he never knew the deity's name, if he had one.

"What do I call you?" he turned around, questioning the deity. The other tiger looked taken aback for a minute, and gave Will a savage grin. "Just call me Dan. That's what I called myself the last time I was in the mortal realm."

When Will leapt into the portal, he was back in the Sphere. Most of the other werebeasts have fallen, and Sara was barely managing to defend herself from the demon's savage attacks. He took a look around, and saw his body. It was at this point that he realized that he was still in spirit form. As he slowly settled into his body, he felt a bit more solid. He then opened his eyes, feeling a burst of tremendous energy from him.

Gusion slammed onto the shield for the hundredth time, feeling it finally give away. The lioness fell over in a cry, slumped over due to the lack of energy.

"Alright, you die first." the demon raised his sword high in the air, and began to slash downwards. Suddenly, another sword, glowing with energy, clashed with his own. As the swords clashed, the resulting explosion made him slide back. He stabbed the ground with his sword, coming to a stop. When he looked up, he saw the white tiger standing before him. However, this time he was literally glowing with energy, a faint blue glow coming from his eyes. Suddenly, the demon trembled with fear. He could sense who the owner of the strength was, and he was someone that Gusion could never defeat.

"Y...You managed a contract with a god, in a middle of the battle?" Gusion spoke, his voice shaking a little in fear. The last time they met, Gusion was stronger than he was right now, but was easily defeated. The deity at day was playing with him, and the demon couldn't sense anything from the deity. Now, the boy that stood in front of him, bearing the power of that god, gave off a aura of bloodlust. Even though the aura surrounding him was white and blue, the demon could've sworn that he saw a opposing, black and red aura of bloodlust clinging to the boy like a second skin.

"Yes. Now, let's go for round three. This time, we're more or less equal." Will held the two blades, and realized that their designs changed slightly. One of the blades were still straight, but it had gotten a bit wider between the edges, with constellations and spells etched onto it. The other blade changed into a long, slightly curved blade, resembling a Japanese katana. It was plainly decorated, with no markings on the blade itself. Suddenly, Will faded out of view.

'Close range teleportation?' the demon thought. Before he felt a sudden chill. He then instinctively turned around, just in time to block a sword thrust. The two came closer, swords still locked. At that point, Gusion noticed that the tiger's sword was actually cutting into his own. He threw himself back, just as his blade was cut in half. Will then closed in, continuously slashing. The demon was forced to defend, as he realized that in terms of power, he was slightly weaker than Will. He created another sword, but it also did not last long, again being cut by Will's energy infused swords.

Will was feeling exhilarated. Not because he was winning against the demon, but... with something he couldn't figure out. His movements felt much more fluid, his techniques much smoother and faster. All in all, he felt incredible, even his senses having been improved.

'Well, that shouldn't be a surprise, when you consider how strong I am.' spoke a voice that suddenly came from Will's head. Will was momentarily surprised, but he managed to recover, deflecting a sword strike that the demon made while he was surprised.

'When did you get in my head?' Will asked the deity. He nearly spoke aloud, but that felt a bit dumb, considering the fact that the deity was in his head, and could probably read his mind.

'No, I'm not reading all your mind. The sanctuary of the mind is something that should be respected, even by gods. And to answer your question, just now. You're feeling stronger now not just because of my strength, but my experience. I've been fighting for thousands of years. Just a part of me can be this helpful.'

Will was then shaken out of his mental discussions by a black lightning that streaked toward them. As Will leapt back, he realized with surprise that he had been blocking the demon's attacks almost effortlessly, while carrying on a mental conversation with a god. Will then focused back at the demon, covered by a dust cloud. Suddenly, a black crescent of energy shot out, which Will countered by a white slash of his own. As the smoke was blown away by the strikes, Will saw that the demon was holding another sword. But this time, the sword was larger, and a bit darker. When Will took a closer look, he could see that the sword was actually encased in a black glow.

'What is that?' Will asked Dan, slowly stepping back.

'The demon's true weapon. Pretty much like your Idea.' Dan spoke back, sounding a little surprised. 'But you shouldn't find him that hard. Remember; One does not win battles by strength alone. You win by a combination of experience strength, and technique. In that aspect, we have some advantage.'

'I suppose your right...' Will never finished his sentence, as the demon slashed down again. However, the energy surge was stronger than last time. As Will rolled away, he saw that the building behind him was actually cut in half from the impact of the blow. However, Will realized that the demon was not fully himself. He was panting, looking as if he was trying to hold something back. Before Will could take a closer look, another jet of powerful black wave came. This time, Will was too slow to avoid the blast, instead meeting it with his own swords. Even with the support from a powerful god, the drain upon his powers was rather severe, and Will was forced back several paces. As he focused his energy into a single spot and sliced through the attack, he immediately leapt away from the second wave.

'Hey, kid. Looks like he's lost control of his body. Looks like he can't control his weapon.' Dan spoke from the back of Will's mind.

'That doesn't really help! He's way stronger now!' Will shot back as he kept on dodging back and forth, occasionally meeting the attack when it came close to the other werebeasts. When he took a look, most of them have recovered, although they still seemed rather weak.

'Yes it does. Look. I can even time when he would strike, and where he would strike." Dan spoke kindly, but with a slightly patronizing tone, from the back of Will's head.

'Well then, tell me when, okay?' Will shot back, slightly embarrassed that he couldn't tell that. He then suddenly heard Dan's voice again, which was kinder this time. 'Look, it's not surprising that you couldn't tell. You're still extraordinarily talented for someone of your age and experience.'

Gusion swung his sword again, this time slicing into a random building far away. Then, just as he was about to face Will, Will moved slightly to the right, making sure that there was nothing behind him. As the demon slashed at Will, he heard Dan mentally shout 'Now!'. While the blow was normally too quick for Will to block, this time the strike slowed down. A surge of power went through Will. While the amount of power that traveled through the white tier would've been lethal if applied over a long period, a short burst was something that Will could handle rather easily. Using the boost, Will sidestepped the slash, and teleported toward the demon. Before the demon could react, Will stabbed the demon. Gusion then roared and shook, black smoke issuing from his body. Will gritted his teeth and hung on, forcing the remains of his power through his sword. Suddenly, Gusion raised one of his claw, shimmering with a magic circle. Quickly, Will brought out his second sword and pierced the demon's paw, shattering the magic. The demon then slowly faded away.

Will fell back, panting. The surge of energy that went through his body was slightly painful, especially at the joints of his limbs. Not only that, but he was exhausted from the battle.

'Not bad, not bad.' Dan spoke from the back of his mind. Too tired to respond, Will closed his eyes and was slowly drifting off to sleep when he was shaken awake.

"Will! That was the craziest and the most incredible thing I've ever seen!" Sara shouted as she hugged Will. Still dazed, Will stared at her blankly for a few seconds before everything sank in.

"Thanks, but could you let me go now? I hurt all over." Sara let out a soft 'eep' and let Will go, and he promptly crashed into the ground. "Not that fast...." Will murmured.

"Come on. I know you're exhausted, but let's go back before we take a nap, okay?" Sara lifted Will up, and the two staggered. As they walked away from the battle site, Will saw that everyone was well, although battered and exhausted. The other werebeasts began to cheer when Will went past, which slightly embarrassed him, but he also felt proud on the other hand. As they went through the single gate that stood open, other stronger hands grabbed him, though Will couldn't tell who it was, as he immediately blacked out.

When he woke up, he was in the exact same place he had been in when he had been rescued by Jake. This time, there wasn't a nurse over him, but a white tiger very much like him.

"Oh, you're awake." spoke the tiger. Will stared at the tiger for a few seconds before he recognized the deity that helped him.

"Dan? What are you doing here?" Will questioned the deity. He vaguely remembered him saying that he would 'come over', but he dismissed it at that time.

"I said I'd come over, didn't I? I've been talking with your brother, learning more about my new partner."

"Partner? The contract?"

"Yeah. I'll be sticking around for a while, actually. The demon issues here have apparently went up a lot, and there is also the fact that there are quite a few businesses I've left unfinished the last time I've been here. Don't worry, it won't really take that much energy from you." the deity barreled on, silencing all Will's attempts at a question.

"Energy? What do you mean? And what business do you have here?" Will asked Dan.

"Things me and my last partner did, and now I have to clean that up. There's also the fact that I have to meet up with a few important people here, and get a report of the demon attacks. You do know that they've definitely went up a lot, right? I haven't heard anything about this, and the other gods didn't, either. So I guess you can say that I'm on a mission, which is the reason I've taken a physical form. This will take a bit of power from you, but I think you can afford it, since the energy expenditure is slight."

"Oh. Did anyone come over while I was asleep? How long have I been out for, again?"

"Your brother came in for a while but he had to leave. He had a really important business. Your friends came over and left a while ago. It's, like, midnight now. You've been out for only a few hours."

"Oh..... So how long are you going to be here for?" Will questioned the deity. Dan stared at the ceiling for a while, and then began to count with his fingers.

"Hmm...... The business with my last partner should only take about a week or so. Then there comes the reports and all other stuff, and I've been meaning to teach you certain techniques and spells. So I'd be here for, about a month?"

Will tilted his head. "Where are you going to be staying at? I'd offer you a place in our dorm room, but it's a bit too full for that."

Dan grinned, and leaned back. "I'm a god, kid. That means that whenever I come over, they have a pretty sweet place lined up for me. You can stay with me for a while if you want."

Will shook his head. "No thanks. So are we linked to each other now?"

"Pretty much, unless you do something that I don't like, or vice versa. To be honest, you have the advantage in this contract. If I let this chance go, I don't get a chance to enter this world again, for a long while at least. And I really like this world, you know? But if you want, I can weaken our mental connection so that we won't be intruding on each other's thoughts."

Will considered for a while, and nodded. As the white deity waved his paw, Will felt as if a voice in his head have been silenced, or weakened somewhat.

"Now, get some sleep. I know you've been sleeping for the last few hours, but you're still rather weak from the fight. On that note, you've done very well." Dan then grabbed a beaker that was lying near Will, and offered it to him. "Here, they told me to give it to you. It'll help you sleep and recover."

Will took the drink, which tasted like some sweet thing he drank a long time ago, but couldn't remember. He immediately felt sleepy, and went to sleep.