FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Dante opened his eye and found that he was in an unfamiliar place. Grass, trees, flowers, a gentle breeze carrying a sweet scent. None of this made sense. He had an urge to jump up and defend himself, but something kept him on the ground. The most he could do was roll over and look up.

There was a divide in the sky. One side was blue, the other filled with storm cloud. They appeared to be divided directly over Dante, with the clouds casting shade on his eye, "Good evening Dante." A familiar voice.

He wanted to look, but he couldn't, "Who... who is there?"

"You don't remember me? I suppose much has happened recently. Perhaps seeing my face will remind you." A soft hand touched his face and turned his head, "Do you remember now?"

He couldn't believe it, "Angel? But, you died."

She shook her head, and her purple and pink hair waved as though it was suspended in time, "No, I was not alive, and now I am a part of you forever. I can only exist in your dreams though, but have no doubts. I am independent of your mind. When we melded, our waves linked."

She laid next to him and held his hand, "So... you are trapped in my head basically?"

A sweet laugh, "No, I choose to exist here. While we are here, we can do whatever you wish. Each time you rest I will be here for you Dante."

"I might as well ask since I have a moment of clarity... what's with the red eye I now have? I can see through your gun... but that's all it does."

She smiled, "Part of the process, it would seem that you cannot fire the gun. Perhaps it could be used for surveillance. You are stressed though, is there something I can do for you?"

Dante shut his eye, "I don't even know. This is the kind of world I want to live in, and I'm here. It feels and looks so real, but I don't know how to act. Maybe I am meant for war, this peace is too alien to me."

"That is why you must enjoy it. Let loose your stress. Here, I will help you for as long as the dream lasts." She crawled on top of Dante, "So please, relax. This will be real, your body will respond as such in reality."

Dante opened his eye slightly as Angel kissed him once, "Why do you all love a murder? I'm... to calm to care right now..." She kissed him more.

.......................................

"Dante, we have arrived at our destination" The AI was loud.

He pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. He noticed that he was a little wet, "What do you know... space is a crazy place after all." He saw a set of clothes on his armor stand. They were new, and had a note attached. After he found the strength, he got up and examined the note briefly, "So... these use a reflection-type protection over a shield-type protection. Sere is a little genius."

He got dressed, used a strap to carry his rifle, and his old leather belt to hold his modified pistol and Anima. His sniper rifle would have to be left behind. Luckily there were a few pockets so he could hold spare ammunition. As soon as his door opened, Miss Star and Rachel froze. They were apparently banging on the door, "Dante! You're alive!"

"You've been asleep for over 20 hours Dante, are you alright? Come on, you need a checkup."

He shook his head, "No need, I'm fine. Mission comes first." He stretched, "That feels better, and I feel sleepy again. Oh well, Star, meeting outside of the ship. You know who to bring."

Shortly after, Dante was joined by the rest of his crew save for Rachel, Mira, Cratis, and Sere, "You okay Dante?"

"Fine, let's get moving." Jill took the lead and scouted ahead, but stopped within a few minutes, "What?"

"D-Dante? What's that?!" She pointed at something. Dante stepped forward and looked.

"Oh, a cat. What of it?"

She was shivering, "It's like a... a tiny me! Earth is a scary place Dante."

He looked around, "Not really. Ever wonder why I said you were animal people? Well for the most part, animals here seems to have a related species out in the universe. In that tree, a squirrel. Not too many wolves around here. Maybe a fox on occasion. Dragons are a myth down here for the record. Now let's move."

Jill kept moving, but her eyes stayed on the cat, who was watching her in return. She stepped on something hard and metal, but Chey was the first to speak, "What the hell happened here?"

Scraps of metal and metal sheets were strewn about, burnt wooden homes were all over, and there was junk all around. Miss Star took a closer look, "Hey, isn't this that one place we found, when we first came here?"

Dante nodded, "Yeah. Odds are they found a better place. The thing is, when they do, or when raider attacks get too bad, they tear down everything, take what they can carry, and move on. We took care of the main raider issue, so they found somewhere else. Search the area, we may find a clue or two for the missing mappers."

They each branched off and did their best to look, but there was so much rubble that they couldn't find much. Titus did come across a small shack that was intact. He blew the lock off and cautiously opened the door, "Hey Dante, come see this."

Everyone gathered, but Dante walked in, "Oh, weapons storage. Guess they forgot about this one." He picked up a hunting shotgun on a rack, examined it, then picked up a box and loaded the gun shell by shell, "I would think Sere would be interested in this."

"Oh!" Jill opened her computer and told the ship to come to their location. There wasn't much in the way of a threat, so it was completely safe. Almost immediately Sere jumped out and ran into the room.

"Amazing! These are all in great shape! Can I have them?! Please!"

Dante nodded to Titus, "Alright, I guess I can carry them over. Jill, help me out. Sere, you can take the ammunition. You all should move on, we'll catch up."

"Right. All we know is that they were near here. Unarmed, they probably came through this town for information. Our best chance is to find where they moved. Let's go, I'm on point. Ratchet, keep an eye open."

She nodded, "Roger."

They walked through the rest of the scrapped town, and then through the overgrown forest. Dante led them through some paths he remembered, which kept them from getting too slowed down by the weeds and vines. Not to say that they didn't have to move slower. Chey couldn't help look at the squirrels in the trees, while Ratchet noticed a tail that looked similar to hers, "It's... following us. Dante?"

He kept moving, "We may be close to it's nest. A fox will tend to be very protective of it's cubs. Just keep moving, and eventually it'll leave us alone."

"Um... okay... Hey, big tower in the distance. Well, not too big. Seven visible floors, cement walls? Hm... and some metal sheets around it. Looks like we'll find something there. Maybe a mile ahead."

Dante led his team through the woods for another half a mile before the tower was visible through the trees. It appeared to be an old hotel with a fortified courtyard area. Still a ways off. There was a clearing ahead, and something was moving, "Dante... a girl. She looks familiar..." Miss Star was rubbing her chin, trying to think, "She's the one we saved the first time we were here! Wait... so what's she doing all alone and naked?"

"Naked?" Dante stepped just out of the brush and examined the area, "Chey! Grenade!"

Before she even saw a target, she pulled one off of her belt and hit the button. Just as soon as she activated the grenade, she saw a false wooden wall covered in branches and vines. Three holes were drilled into the surface. She threw the grenade right at the base while Dante ran over, grabbed the girl, and took her behind a tree, "Take cover!"

Three shouts came from behind the false wall, but it was too late. The grenade took them out with the wall, "Hey kid, you alright?" She nodded to Dante, just as shaken as when they first found her.

Ratchet looked around, "What were they doing out here? Bait or something?"

Dante opened his computer, "Hey, we need a pickup. Injured person, bring some clothes for a young girl." He turned his attention to her, "Why? What did you do?"

"Dante!" Chey shouted, "Why are you blaming her?"

"I'm not. Can't you see what this is? Firing squad, an execution. They took the clothes because they had some value. So kid? You aren't dead, it would be helpful to talk."

She shivered more, then, "I spoke for the animal people, told them to leave the animal people alone. The animal people had no guns, they had no chance."

Dante got serious, "They still alive? Where?"

"In... the basement... they only took out one body."

Ratchet used her scope to examine the hotel more closely, "A few roaming guards on the outside, two posts at the front on the wall, two at the back on the wall. If we don't move fast, they may kill the prisoners."

The Albatross hovered into view, but stayed as hidden as possible in the trees. Dante only thought for a moment, "Fine with me. Chey, get a laser cannon or something and a ton of grenades." Jill and Titus hopped out, while Cratis only peaked out. She seemed a little shocked by the scenery, "Cratis, take the kid inside, get Rachel to check her out. Tell Sere to get the ship ready for anything. Star, go into stealth, and on my word, take out the roaming guards then hide the bodies. Less interference. When done, get back to the Albatross." Chey didn't take long. She had a massive, goofy smile on her face as she carried that cannon on her shoulder and a bag of grenades on the other.

"All ready... orders?" She sounded just a little evil.

Dante nodded, "Star, go. As for us, kill anything with a weapon. Our goal is clear, get the mappers. Any enemy casualties are acceptable. We wait for Star to get back, then we move. Chey will make us an entrance, then we all move in."

They had to wait a few minutes, but Miss Star came running past them, "All clear Dante."

"Chey, if you would do the honors?"

She smiled as they all ran to the wall. One blast was all it took to decimate a massive portion of the makeshift structure. Dante led the others in first as Chey switched weapons. Just like before, it didn't take much to subdue the humans. There were more guns in this area than expected, but still their bullets did nothing to Zero Unit's armor or Dante's special clothing. It was over in a minute, "Dante! Moving into the building!" Jill, Titus, and Chey ran inside as Dante and Ratchet made sure the outside was secure.

...............................................

Titus took the lead and led Jill and Chey down through the hotel. They were met by only minor resistance, "This place is creepy. Only one basement floor?" The was a steel "door" mashed between two walls, "Chey, check it out."

She walked over and knocked on the door, "Hey! Anyone alive in there?"

It was muffled, but the words were clear, "You sound different, yes! Yes! We're alive! Three of us, I can't see anything though! We're blindfolded!"

"Alright, move away from my voice. I'm going to blow the door open." She pulled out a sticky grenade and placed it on a corner, "Count to three!" She ran back, as did Titus and Jill. The door blew, and they wasted no time getting them out, "Dante! To the ship!"

...........................................

Rachel was busy attending to the three mappers, "Dante. The... ship was telling me we had a communication incoming. I don't know how to accept it though, I'm not used to this technology." Mira was practicing walking while Sere helped her stay on her feet.

He nodded, "Can't keep them waiting. Oh, and radio back to Isa, tell her we found three of the four mappers. One was killed before we arrived."

Jill ran off, "Hey Dante, about Earth. Do you ever miss it?" Miss Star was genuinely curious.

"Nope." He waited for a moment, then answered the sent communication, which immediately went live, "Well looky here... five dead men. Or, four dead men, one dead woman. Won't matter in the end, you won't have grave markers."

On the other end of the visual display sat an oval table in a dark room. The five heads of Fallen Sky all looked serious, "Dante, we will ask nicely if you wish. Turn yourself in for your crimes."

Mira cleared her throat, "Yes, his crimes. Following every order you gave is apparently a crime. We only accepted this conversation to discuss the terms of your surrender." Four of them laughed, then Mira stood up from her wheelchair, "I will personally kill you all if you don't wish to speak. Now then... why do you wish to die so badly?"

Dante smiled, "Ah yes, our new negotiator. Quite a mouth on her, but she makes a point. You just want me to pull my pants down and bend over. That's not going to happen."

The woman at the table leaned over, "Uh... I could do that for you Dante!"

"Hey!" Miss Star shouted, "There's a line!"

Mira gestured for everyone to settle down, "You have no power greater than us. Even in numbers, you are weak. So why not just give up and spend a life in exile? I promise Dante won't hurt you too badly."

The man at the far end of the table spoke with a deep voice, "I see you will not bend. Very well, I see our Goddess will have to convince you." All five members at the table stood up and backed away from the table as a woman in a dress stepped out from a door in the back of the room.

"Goddess? Really? Dante, we're dealing with fools here. I'm not one for violence, but wouldn't it be easier just to blow them up?"

The woman smiled, "Dante, I have waited for a chance to speak with you. While I did not approve of eliminating your influence from our universe, I will not stand to watch our own be threatened by you. However," A man gagged and bound was escorted from behind the camera, "You wish for a war, and I will give you a fair one at that. As a gesture of good will, I will personally execute the man responsible for targeting you, a former head of Fallen Sky." She plunged her hand through the man's chest, then quickly pulled it back. She now held his heart, "Impressive, no?"

Dante was no longer in the room, "Oh, he left a little while ago. He'll be back though." Mira returned to her chair, "So, magic tricks? As a way to intimidate? I don't think you understand who Dante is."

The goddess seemed a little frustrated, "He would dare abandon a conversation such as this? What an infuriating man."

Ratchet walked onto the bridge, "Tell me about it. Something about him though makes it all worth it. So what's going on? I was busy."

Mira looked over her shoulder, "Oh, apparently she has magic tricks and can kill people."

Dante returned to the bridge with a drink in his hand, "Sorry, I got bored, so I took a little walk. Then I decided to make a little drink. Not enough alcohol for my taste, but it's fine for now. So why are you holding a heart?"

Her eyebrow twitched, "The fox has a point. I will be your end Dante, I promise to kill you quickly, and bury you properly. Even with your strategic brilliance and expertise with weapons, you have no chance against the supernatural."

"Hold my drink Mira. Supernatural? Ha, you're funny. My lady friend here," He pulled out Anima, "Says that a bullet to the brain will fix that attitude of yours." Mira started coughing, "What?"

"How much alcohol do you need in a drink? This must be all alcohol."

Dante laughed, "Well... most of it. I think there is some kind of soda in there... or maybe fruit juice... maybe it was sparkling wine... I forget." Mira took another sip, "A trooper. Well, I look forward to killing you as well I guess. See you on the battlefield."

The goddess snarled, then took a deep breath, "I do not wish for violence, but you seek only war. I will satisfy that urge, and tear you apart from the inside."

"Mhm, sure you will." He signaled for the AI to cut the communication, "So, seeing as how Mira finished up my drink, I'm going to need another one."

Mira shivered, "Uh, what about the girl? The human girl?"

"Keep her on as a chef or something. You and Rachel comfort her, seeing as how you too are the least threatening on the ship. I'm going to get wasted, anyone care to join me?"

Titus peaked his head out from a hall, "Uh, you sure it's alright to get drunk before a fight?"

He shrugged, "Beats doing nothing."