FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A fortnight after a very exciting Central New Year, Draco announced we were heading to a new planet. The planet was apparently reasonably advanced along the tech ladder, because the scans showed a mixture of metallic buildings, but also things that were comparable to the Industrial age in England, with old factories and thatched buildings. The scans again had been run at their night, for their day was our night, the equivalent of teleporting to London from New Zealand via Central.

Draco, Simba, Salbar, Javid and Devlin all went with me, Devlin was getting a tad bored of hanging around Central by himself, the group enthusiasm was morale boosting, and besides there wasn't one person in the group who didn't immensely love Devlin's companionship. But because of the daylight thing, we teleported on Friday night, at about eight o'clock. The atmosphere was said to be slightly polluted, which would be no problem to us, with our ABM's, but we would be landing in the middle of a city.

No I don't know why either.

We arrived, and looked around.

"Once again, we've gone back to Earth.This looks like a Hollywood set for a gangster movie." I smiled, looking around.

We were in a short and narrow alley. Above the sky was still dark, but not completely dark, as the sun's light was valiantly trying to pierce the thick murky smog. Dotted down the alley were several doors, and beside these doors were occasionally black plastic rubbish bags. There was no one about, and we ventured down the alley to the main street.

"It's about as deserted as a graveyard." Javid looked at the dead alley."All the lights in the houses are off, if they have electric lights."

"They have street lamps, look, you can see the light from one." Simba pointed. At the entrance to the alley, there was a brighter section of footpath, as though there was a light nearby. We walked out of the alley, and we saw a fluorescent light, it's beam white, illuminating a small area. It was a tribute to the thickness of the fog. Simba looked at his atmospheric reader.

"How do people breathe in this?What's the average lifespan of a creature around here?"

"People adapt." Draco replied, as we walked down the street,"Or maybe they wear masks, or other breathing apparatus."

"It means that these people have ruined their planet."Salbar said, solemnly,"If this is what they have done to it. This cannot be natural, it must be made by the factories."

Finally, we heard something.There was a huge blast from something like a fog horn.

"Ah hah!, there's a ship in port!It must be trying to find it's way down the street." I chuckled.

"Wrong, although very humorous." Devlin acknowledged," I think it's a work hooter or something. We must be near a factory."

As we stood there, we noticed that a few of the doors in the street were opening. Heavily wrapped up people were coming out, all wearing white masks like those in Japan or China do who worry about the smog or aerial disease. I could definitely see why they needed them. Most had black overcoats, and they shuffled towards in the gloom towards where we were heading. The weak lights bathed the entire place in a eery colour, and Devlin spoke.

"Let's go to the factory. We might find out something about this place."

We joined the small throng, and there upon noticed something very peculiar.All of the humans were not looking at Devlin or Draco curiously, in fact they weren't looking at them at all. It was as though praying they wouldn't be looked at by the dragons. Javid was likewise being shunned. I was walking behind, and I did receive a few stares. Finally one shuffled alongside me, and spoke through his mask.

"Why are you not wearing a mask?" he whispered, trying not to be heard by the dragons in front of me.

"It's because I don't need one. I have a special filter surgically implanted in me. Are you going to work?"

"Yes, we are miners."

This wasn't surprising. Then Dev turned to face me, and the human talking to me lurched away, as though he had done something criminal in talking to me.

We arrived at the factory gates, and while Devlin and Draco stopped as Javid tied his shoes, we went over to the gates. I think they knew something was wrong about their presence here. We three looked at the huge gates to the mine/factory, and Salbar rubbed his chin reflectively.

"Rather cheerful place, isn't it?"

"Is this the right time to develop a sense of humour, Salbar?" I smiled, teasing the lizard. The lizard smiled slightly, he was used to it. While we stood apart from the surprisingly large crowd coming in, we noticed that all of them were human, and yet were treating the other races with fear. Then we found out why.

A wolf, a dirty grey colour, much like Javid, came striding across, a whip uncoiling in his hand. As he arrived he brought the whip around. I ducked instinctively, as the did the rest of us. I changed into my bionic form as the wolf swung it down. It cracked against my steel plate, and the wolf shouted.

"Stop gawping, you lazy scum! You have work to do, now go and do it!"

I folded my arms.

"Well that's nice. O.K., what's the name of this planet?"

"Don't be smart, human.You trouble makers are insolent beggars. Get in line!" he flicked his whip, and he got it fair and square on my shoulder. There was a noise like tang!, and the whip rebounded.

The wolven eyes narrowed, as the creature scowled.

"Is that how it is? Infernis!"

There was a mass movement as all the human crowd shuffled aside. I spoke to Simba out of the corner of my eye.

"Notice something here?"

Salbar spoke slowly, and finished just before we saw what Infernis was.

"I think that this place is run in a certain way. Humans are inferior in all ways to wolves, and wolves answer to what ever race Infernis is. It's speciesist."

"Is that actually a word?" I said, as Infernis came into view. He was a black dragon, nine foot tall, and complex runes ran across his naked upper half. His red eyes glowed like hot coals, and I could hear the cold morning mist sizzling as it touched his body.

"Dragons are superior again?Why, oh why, did it have to be a dragon?" I said, sighing.

"They are a masterful race." Simba replied." Why do you think so many dragons are part of Central? They are brilliant at many things."

"There is that." I admitted.

Infernis came to a halt beside the wolf, and spoke with a voice like thunder.

"What's going on here?"

"Those three will not get into the line. I've whipped the human twice, but he ignores it. He is a problem."

Infernis turned, and bore down on us. Salbar shuffled behind me, my steel form being almost invulnerable to dragon flame.

"Human, five seconds, or I will kill you."

I looked sideways at Simba, and then back through the fog to where Javid, Draco and Devlin were talking, unaware of my plight. I took my weapons off, and placed them down. As I did, Infernis ran out of time, and blew a jet of scalding flame at me. It was boiling hot, but not screaming agony,and I closed my eyes as it enveloped me.Then the roaring subsided, and I opened them.

Infernis' face was a picture. I was still alive, albeit slightly covered in soot, and smiling. He strode up, bringing his arm around in a hay-maker swing. A voice spoke as I brought up my arms to deflect it.

"Leave the boy alone!"

The blow landed, screeching across the steel with a terrible harpy like noise. I stumbled back, into Salbar, and then righted myself. Infernis was already turning, looking for the source of the voice.

Devlin was striding up like the wrath of gods. Infernis might have been slightly annoyed, but Devlin was absolutely furious. I took my weapons, and backed away hurriedly. Draco was over Devlin's shoulder, and my lover was looking no less angry. Javid, noticing that the dragons had it in claw, came over to inspect me. Devlin spoke.

"What do you mean by trying to kill him!?" he roared. Infernis loomed over Devlin, and spoke.

"Is he not a miner, then? All miners are to get inside, they are meant to be working, the lazy creatures."

"He is not a miner. He is under my wing, if you don't mind." Devlin's voice dropped several decibels to a growl. Infernis looked impassive.

"So he is your pet, or your bitch?" the black dragon replied.

Oh dear. Devlin's eyes narrowed, as did Draco. Javid looked mutinous. Salbar drew his swords, Simba folded his arms. I sat down, weapons in hand, counting to ten.

"I would take that back if I were you." Draco shot back, hissing." If you insult my lover, you insult me, and I will make sure you never forget it."

All the humans around were looking in fright and confusion. The wolf had lost all idea in moving the humans along, and was looking at the three dragons in terror. This was, to them, an argument between their leaders, and they could get hurt as a result.

"Ah, you enjoy his company." Infernis snickered, and then sneered."Half breed."

Double dear. Devlin roared, and leapt straight at Infernis, Draco half a split second behind. I stood up, loading my Eryx, and rifle. The wolf under the command charged forward, aiding his master. Javid charged directly at him, and the colonel bodily tackled the grey wolf around the middle.

The humans were backing away from the whirl of claws and vents of flame. I was getting tired of this, and I noticed that another dragon, a slightly shorter dark green one, was shoving his way through the throng. Simba, in his bionic form, leapt into the Infernis duel. Salbar went over to help Javid, and I walked forward to meet the green dragon striding through the broken ranks of humans.

This meant navigating around the whirling fight. Jets of flame licked and caressed my body, but they had no effect. I got to the gate just as the green dragon did, and raised my hand in a gesture of peace, Eryx over my shoulder.

"Sorry, my scaly friend, there is a blunt exchange of opinions taking place here."

"Get out of my way, lesser creature." the green dragon shoved me, and I fell to the ground. I lifted my Eryx, turned to what appeared to be an abandoned building.

"I am annoyed!"

Boom. All eyes turned to me a split second I fired, and even Devlin's duel halted briefly as they looked at this small human with the large tube over his shoulder.

The projectile hit the door over the road, and the fireball erupted from the door with much more force than I was used to. I realised afterwards that in the vicinity of the mine, there might be a lot more fire damp in the air, and consequently the little pockets of it exploded individually. The explosion knocked everything down around it for a good ten metres, which meant that the three dragons took a slight tumble, they were closest, and the house started it's collapse. The silence came back and I looked.

The house caved in as we watched, slowly, but spectacularly. The walls went inwards, and the roof landed perfectly on top of the rubble, although the speed it landed at meant it broke apart. I drew my rifle and aimed it at the green dragon, who seethed with anger, his very glare bursting with hatred. Javid looked up from his pin on the wolf with a whip, and Salbar, who had the wolf's hands around his back. Simba was on Infernis' right leg, Draco on the black dragon's back. Devlin, his chest awash with soot marks, had frozen with his arm around Infernis' jaws, the other one halfway through a punch aimed at the black Hell fire dragon's solar plexus.

Infernis had one mighty claw clamped to Devlin's side, the other was trying to grapple Draco off him. Infernis might have been stronger than either of the two on him, but Draco and Dev were cousins, and they worked together well.Underlined well. Simba was no push over either. The green dragon spoke.

"What idiocy caused you to do that?Do you not know about fire near a mine?"

"No!If I did, I would have fired at the mine itself." I shot back."It was the species slurs that were really getting to me, or are you so devoid of emotion you didn't notice?"

There was a series of clonks as wood rained from the sky. With a small ping, the metal door knocker landed beside us both.

"But you are human.You are an inferior race. Leave dragon fights alone." the green dragon replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry."I said, patronizing,"We work by a different system where I come from. It's called equality. Everyone is equal, end. Where I work, it's the same. Besides, when I and Draco wrestle, I can have him on the mat one out of three times. We are not inferior."

"And where do you come from?" the dragon hissed snidely."Outer space?"

There was a torrent of laughter from Salbar, Javid and Simba. Draco smiled, and released Infernis. Devlin chuckled. I almost fell to the ground, and sat down, coughing and spluttering. The green dragon had no idea what he had said that had provoked this reaction. Simba spoke, catching a small ball in his hand back and forth.

"Yes, my reptilian friend. Alduin heralds from many light years from this place, as do we all.He can knuckle down and do decent work, but people trying to hurt him will find him, loathe, to do anything except fight."

Infernis released Devlin, and Devlin did likewise. The wolf on the ground was let go of, and he immediately went back to organising the rows of stunned miners.He refrained from using his whip, seeing me reload my Eryx.The green dragon looked at me, then at Simba. Infernis got of the ground, sporting several cuts.He winced in pain. Simba turned, and all ideas of hostility faded.

"Oh, Infernis, sit back down, I've got some ointment that will heal those." This added to the confusion among these dragons, and Devlin and Draco stepped aside. The green dragon immediately went over to them, and started discussing. Infernis sat back down, gingerly feeling his ribs where one of Devlin's punches had landed. As Simba began work treating the black hell fire dragon, Javid and Salbar came over to me, and we discussed in a circle.

"Well, that was strange."

"Not quite," Salbar replied." The dragons rule supreme, the wolves are their lieutenants, and the humans are the commoners.

"Nothing quite like anything I've ever seen before." I said. Javid nodded.

"They are possibly used to the occasional complaint, but I bet they've never had someone defy them like you, Alduin. Did you see Devlin's right hook?"

"I was glad I hadn't received it." Salbar nodded." That was a serious strike.Draco's left wasn't half bad either."

"I have had experience."I said, rubbing my shoulder in reflection."Draco is a bad mood is not someone to encounter. But I've never seen them lose it like that.Although I won't admit it to them, they terrify me."

"They already know that." Javid smiled." Same over here."

Infernis and Simba joined the other three dragons, and were discussing in their reptilian voices to one another. Seeing this may take a while, I drew some tennis balls from my backpack, and started juggling them. Salbar drew a small musical instrument from his own, and sat down, playing a haunting melody. Javid merely started cleaning his rifle from the filth that had got on it during his tumble with the native wolf.

As the line of humans diminished, we stood there, being bored. We knew that Devlin's company were speaking, and we had no wish to disturb them. Likewise we were loathe to go off because of Infernis' reaction to anything out of the usual. There was probably more than one dragon on the streets, and my presence doing nothing of apparent value would cause trouble. So I continued tossing the tennis balls with boredom, occasionally doing two with one hand, and recollecting them if I dropped any. Salbar's tuneful playing of the recorder like instrument washed over the footpaths, he had been practising ever since the planet we were hailed as gods, and he enjoyed it.

Finally Draco broke off, and came over to us.

"Pig headed mules." he muttered to us.

"I'll take it they aren't much for being friendly." Javid offered.

"Oh, with us they are very reasonable, but with anyone who isn't a dragon, they compare with lesser beings.Further more, while they respect another dragon's word, they frequently choose to ignore anything Simba says, even those he's the most intelligent here."

"So what can we do?" Javid asked.

"Well,"Draco began," we are an anomaly. Simba's off to the library, apparently there is one, Devlin going to meet with some other dragons, and I'm going with him. Javid, you can go where you like, you are a wolf, but Alduin and Salbar, just don't ask."

"I'm keen on being a miner."I said, smiling."Just give me a kilogram of dynamite and a hundred metres of line, and I'll be happy."

"With newcomers, they are more likely to send to the front, to get rid of pockets of fire damp."

"Oh, I see. Canaries. Well if they don't mind, I can ask Ryan for a flame thrower, be back here in half an hour."

"Alduin, is this really the time to develop a sense of humour?" Salbar said, innocently.

"Oh, an actual joke coming from Salbar? Call the press. But I was serious about the flame thrower, the range is fairly decent for one of those."

"No Alduin." Draco said firmly."I am not having you down that mine. Have you done a atmospheric scan for the lower sections?"

"No, why?" I looked interested.

"Simba has, and I'm surprised the factory hasn't lost it's roof." Draco said, leaning close.

"That explosive,is it?"

"Yes.One naked flame down in the deeps, and everyone nearby would be dead."

"Aerial Recon?" I suggested.

"Well as long as you go high, there should be no problem with that."Draco looked a little more enthusiastic."As for Salbar, I think Chloride believes you are a dragon, but a different breed of dragon."

"Chloride would be the green one?" I asked, smiling.

"Yes."

"Ah, I remember something at this point." I said, changing into my Lightning form. Draco spoke quickly.

"No vertical take off, Alduin, the flame, firedamp, you see?"

I changed into my Reventon form, and drove down the length of the street.I turned around as Salbar and Javid cleared the way.Then I changed back into my Lightning form, and ignited my engine. My flame roared out, and there were small pops as small pockets of fire damp were exploded. I heard Devlin and Infernis.

"He flies, he's flame proof, incapable of being killed, dangerous, are you sure he's not inferior?" Devlin laughed. Infernis and Chloride looked at me.

"So how does he do that trick?"

"It's in his genetic structure." Devlin replied."I bet that neither of you could beat him in an unfair fight."

"And why is that?" Infernis looked amused.

"Because,"I called,"I have so many more ways of playing unfairly!" I laughed, and rumbled along the road. Draco was recording my take off, and I could see my craft take off in his glasses. My rocket caught the occasional whisp of fire damp, and there would be a miniature line of flame spilling out from the core from my engine. It was sort of like a dump and burn, if you thought that way. I left the ground, and headed upwards. At about ten thousand feet, I burst through the cloud, and into gorgeous sunshine. Below me was a thick blanket of cloud, and I spoke into my head set.

"And it's a gorgeous day today, if you're at ten thousand feet. And below me it looks like, well, if you've ever added Dettol to a small amount of water, I'm seeing that below me. Murky, white grey, cloud.Draco, guess what my atmospheric reading is saying?"

"It's saying the air's as pure as Salbar's virginity." Draco suggested. There was a thwack of sound, and Draco yipped as the lizard gave him a fair slap on the arm.

"Coming from the person who has had it off with him,"I said,"that's rich. Salbar, you have full permission to hit him, and I'll have it off with you after I come back. Meanwhile, I think I'll scan this city."

"Don't worry, Alduin, I already hit him." Salbar replied.

"Then hit him again, he didn't seem to feel it." I replied."I'm changing to X-ray so I can actually see where this city ends."

After about five minutes I found one corner of the city, and began running back and forth across the city. I was so high up none of them could hear me, for I was not moving quickly, and thus loudly, and I heard them as they went about their business. Simba was being shown to the library by the lieutenant wolf, who had finished showing the humans to their places, and the three scaly creatures were following Chloride through several sections of the town. Javid was following Infernis, desiring to know about what they were mining. The dragon was gruff to him, but not ignoring the colonel. Maybe Infernis recognised there was a look in Javid that he recognised, what with his scars and the high intensity glare Javid could manage.

This was proved when Infernis asked Javid if he had ever been in the army.The wolf had said he had.Salbar, Draco and Devlin went into a building, and into an elevator.Chloride pressed a button for going up, and then spoke.

"This is the town council building.It is forty floors in height, but we don't need to go all the way. We have a group of dragons who deal with,as we term it, miscellaneous events.We've never had creatures teleport from off world."

"Why is this not surprising?" Javid said sarcastically across the wavelength. I laughed quietly, as did Simba.The dragons didn't, not with Chloride next to them.

I finished scanning the city as they entered a small office. A table lined with fourteen chairs was the centrepiece in the office. Eight were currently occupied by dragons, mostly dark in colour, and they looked with interest at the three entering. Salbar whispered.

"I feel so out of place."

They sat down at the end of the table, and Chloride spoke.

"These dragons are from off world, or so they claim. They brought companions, non draconic creatures, and they are currently roaming around the city."

One dragon spoke crisply, in a no nonsense tone.

"Thank you, Chloride, that will be all." Chloride bowed formally, and left. As the door shut, one of the dark dragons spoke.

"Devlin, isn't it? The one who fought Infernis, correct?"

"Yes, master dragon."

"Oh don't be so tedious, Devlin. My name is Lindwyrm.You and Draco fought Infernis, and from what Chloride told us, you fight pretty well."

"Thank you, Lindwyrm.I have been told such from others."

"Including those whom you protected against him?" Lindwyrm smiled.

"YES!" I shouted, and Devlin spoke with a straight face.

"One or two of them have commented on my skills."

"This human which you walk with claim that you have a policy of equality on your world." one who announced themselves as Woraug said.

"On his world, certainly. The dragons on my planet have no other competition, so we do not care."

"Yet you leapt to his aid when Infernis struck the boy."

"I work with him in our quests, no one raises a finger to any of the party without me having something to say about it." Devlin replied stiffly.

"So your job has the same policy as he?"

"It is not by race we define ourselves, only how well we perform. The boy has hidden talents."

"Oh, stop it." I replied.I would have blushed this point. Devlin continued, ignoring me.

"All of the party are special in their own ways, and we respect one another for that."

"But surely you control them. You are the most physical strong, the most intelligent. You lead them."

"I do lead them, but because they want me to lead them. Alduin would never lead his own group, because he enjoys being rogue in his task."

"That's true." I acknowledged, heading towards the spire of the building they were in, and changing to vertical position.

"But the humans only rely on their tools. They are not physically capable. This is why we consider them no more than inferior to us, because they have not the same capabilities."

"I trust no one's seen me on the mat, then." I commented acidly.Devlin touched his earphone.

"Alduin, if you insist on interrupting us, I am going to have to deal with you severely."

"Well said." Lindwyrm added.

Their conversation was broken by the whine of my jets as I descended past windows. They looked out just as I came to a hover outside their window. Devlin attached a speaker to his kit, and Lindwyrm spoke.

"O.K., this particular boy has surprising talents, but the human race as a whole..."

"Would it be fair to say that all dragons are a pain in the ass to be around, because of their superiority complex?" I spoke harshly. Devlin sighed.

"Alduin, that's a bit of an over generalisation."

"And compared to the stereo type Lindwyrm was about to place on my race? I am sick to the death of people that believe they are so much better than anyone else, for any reason. I don't mind bragging that they are so much more better at something, but believing that their race is better..."

"He's a fierce debater too." Salbar leaned back in the rich seat.

"Alduin, your race is physically weak..."

"It all depends on how we expend our strength to a task.I told Chloride I can have Draco on the mat when I'm on a good day, because I learnt martial arts because of Draco's sexually dominant behaviour. I have not yet wrestled Salbar, but I bet I could give him a good run for his money. Your wolves are likewise incapable of holding me, because I beat Javid and Javid beat Infernis' lieutenant."

"Yes, but you speak of yourself, and you are exceptional."

"Well, you treated me like I was one of the masses. Chloride shoved me aside when I was in his way between the draconic scrap, thus I am one of the masses. Besides, not all of us are the same."

"Most of you are."

"Tell that to the Marines." I said loftily." Dev, I'm banking on this one. I'll say hello to Silverine for you."

"Actually, Alduin Dragonmaster, I would have enjoyed seeing you beat the hell out of the entire office." Salbar said from his chair, his fingers steepled. Everyone looked at him, Dev and Draco included. Lindwyrm spoke.

"I beg your pardon."

"His full name is Alduin Dragonmaster." Salbar said plainly. His race's closest translation to raptor was in fact dragon, and he relished the attention.

"So this human has a name which puts him above us? His title is a very insult to us.You live with him, knowing his name?"

"Well, he can do so much more than I can.If we are talking superior, he definitely can pull a trick or two over me."

"Well, I understand that your race might be different. No offence, but you seem incapable of flight."

"That is because we were born with no wings. Our bodies adapted to different life style, and wings were not needed in doing so."

"Well, I will not have any human call himself overlord to our faces with out proving how good he is."

"Salbar,"I said wearily,"I really don't want to have to gun everyone in there down. Shut up before I get annoyed."

"How many rounds does Lightning hold?" Draco asked.

"Six hundred rounds, firing six per second.Plus four heatseekers, six missiles, two bombs."

"All that and you can manage the speed of sound?" Devlin smiled.

"Not without a two hour headache, Devlin." I replied. Woraug snorted.

"Speed of sound, sure."

"Fine, if you don't believe, don't. But I broke it, and there's an end." I said frostily." Now the Dragonmaster is leaving, and as I said, I will say hello to Silverine. Do you have a message for him, Devlin?"

"Yes, tell him this won't take long. Simba's clicking through the library as we speak." Devlin replied. Draco realised I intended to act out my intention, and spoke.

"I'm coming with you."

"Really? I thought they liked you." I said, emphasising the word liked."Leave the inferior creatures to themselves. I'm warning the lot of you, this is becoming what looks like the start of a sulk."

I teleported immediately afterwards, and as I arrived, I was aware of two things. Javid and Simba were already there.

"I think I've had enough of that place." Javid replied, plainly.

Those that were scaled lasted a further two hours, and then teleported directly into the food store. Devlin was spitting flame.

"I'm not surprised you walked out on that." he said, looking annoyed."I came this close to following suit."

"So what happened?"

"Imagine talking to a brick wall." Draco said simply."I spoke to Silverine, we might send a cluster of dragons up there, provided they are granted with a lot more patience than me.At least we got all the information that we needed."

"True, I collected heaps from the library.Tufty's going through it all now."

"So what now?"

"Well, I'm quite happy for the superior creature to show me what I'm so lacking in in his bedroom." I smiled.Devlin laughed, along with Draco. We headed back to our rooms.