FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Calin is the biggest and brightest city that Kret has ever seen in her short life. For a kobold who raised herself in the sewers of a moderately small town, selling her services both with her deft hands and her resilient body, being among towering spires that shone so brightly they burned into her eyes for minutes after she closed them is almost like a dream come true.

Or, it would be, had it not been for the fact that she is led through the streets in chains, a collar fashioned around her neck that prevents her innate magic from gathering enough power to cast even the simplest of spells. She may have moved in the world, but all in all, that direction has been a downward crash.

And it is all the fault of select individuals: A Bard who stole her precious little earnings from her failed life as an adventurer, the Muddy Mistress, who made him desperate enough to rob an innocent to begin with, the bouncer who sold her out to pad his own pockets, the bandits who used her body for their pack mule and for their pleasure, all the while preaching some self-righteous bullshit at her. All of these people ruined her life in one way or another, and she's being taken to the one person who sent them all out after her. Someone's looking for a kobold. She doesn't know which kobold or why, but this person, Vijaya, has his fingers in a lot of seedy businesses. It's about time she meets him directly.

The elven lackey who holds her chain stands tall with his head tilted back so far all the time, she swears that if he's not trying to be condescending, he's got a neck problem. By his frilly dress and the way he walks, he obviously finds himself quite important, yet no one around seems fit to even utter his name. Another slave, perhaps? Or just a pawn who thinks himself more than what he is?

They pass by many bustling streets, filled with merchants and buyers of all sorts. Such a cosmopolitan mix Kret had never seen before. Most people she had contact with were human or one of their hybrid offspring, but here, she sees full-blooded orcs and elves talk to strange fish creatures and lizardfolk. Not only that, but anthropomorphs of all varieties cross her gaze, from dogs to cats to things she had heard about in bardic tales. Surely, this place is important, and in the center of it all rests a magnificent palace, shining like the brightest gold among the bright buildings and bright sun of the bright Calin.

By the time they step in through the doors of the palace, Kret's vision is nothing but blurry splotches of flashing color. Blinking only gave way to afterimages of humanoid shapes, and even as the interior becomes darker as they traverse the corridors, she still cannot see, and she must rely only on her hearing to gather her situation and surroundings.

"Talendis, my friend," the new voice speaks up. A smooth wave of class covers the gravel in the male's words. "What is this delightful creature that you have brought before me?"

The elf tugs on Kret's chains and she falls to her hands and knees, bowing her head low. "This is a kobold captured on the road from the Muddy Mistress."

"Ah, yes. There hasn't been much word from that establishment--or the town for that matter--since you've left. You've made quite the impact. I would say I'm impressed, but there's quite the danger in having a wild card milling about, wouldn't you say, my sweet?"

Kret notices some movement, a slithering against the ground, a slight hiss. Did he have pet snake? The grip on her chain tightens, and she tries to keep her position, despite the elf's actions, whatever they were.

Nerves, perhaps?

Her holder, Talendis, responds with a quiver in his voice, yet he obviously fights hard to hide it. "Yes, indeed. I can confirm this is the kobold. Witnesses attest she was up in Panas's room before she disappeared."

"I care not for the fate of that zealot," the smooth-gravel voice spoke. "I seek a specific kobold and a specific item. You've brought me a toy of little consequence."

"M... Master Vijaya?" the elf questions. "I-I thought."

"What?" The sound of flesh and claw landing on tile follows the click of toes and the pad of scales. "You thought you'd be honored for bringing me the one who destroyed a business partner of mine? You believed it would move you up along the ladder of this organization? No, I'm afraid not. You can go now and leave me with this new toy for now. Is that understood?"

"I..." the elf begins, but then clears his throat. "Very well. I shall redouble my effort to locate the artifact for you."

The chain clatters to the ground and shoes click along the floor as her handler leaves. The slithering approaches closer to Kret. What little she can see is bright white scales, yet with a quick whistle from Vijaya, the scaled creature darts off behind her.

The scream that follows shudders up along her spine. No one responds to Talendis's pleas for mercy. Instead, his cries become weaker as they disappear further down the hall. All the while, her vision slowly returns to her, showing that there is no more sign of her captor or the mysterious serpent sent after him. He just simply vanished, leaving her in a room alone with the big boss behind everything--Vijaya.

When she finally lifts her head to look at the mastermind, she stumbles down onto the floor once again. "You're... you're a kobold!?" She gasps.

With a strong jaw and long snout, Vijaya is indeed a kobold, yet one of noble bearing. Bright features line a crown that fits along his crest and travel down the sleeves of his tunic, approximating the look of an ancient predator. His claws, both his hands and his feet, are long, curved, and black, perfect to tear into scale and muscle. Those orange eyes of his burn brightly, even in the dark, their slits staring down at the woman below him, but even as he looms over her, a smile curls over his mouth, his teeth bright, white, and sharp from constant care. "No, I am your master."

"From one master to another," she sighs, sitting upon her knees and holding her hands up to him. "But why enslave another kobold?" she asks, holding her hands up, hoping he would remove the shackles from her.

Vijaya's gaze narrows, but he squats slightly to face her eyes. "Appealing to similar bloodlines, how primitive. Kind does not mean anything in Calin. Everyone is judged by the worth of their character, not by their birth. You see," he adds, bringing a clawed hand to her cheeks, tracing along her snout with his paw while his talons scratch her scales,

"Appearance is superficial. I am the leader of a very powerful organization. You, however, are gutter trash."

Kret grits her teeth, the beginnings of a growl growing in her throat, but Vijaya's clawed toe lifts, poking just below her belly. "There is, however, something to admire in you," he says, the toe scratching along her underbelly.