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"(I don't think this is a good idea at all)."

"(You don't need to help us, Ani)."

"(Don't worry, I know what I'm doing)."

"(You're tying up the wrong rope)."

"(What? Well, I thought that's the right way in...)"

"(Come on, now, my friend, you can just sit there and let us do the work. Don't get too worked out just because you can see with your sixth sense)."

"(I'm trying to help, Ifrit!)"

Ifrit sighed, knowing very well that his blind friend would not let him remind the Death Jackal that he was handicapped. Anubis was self-aware of this fact, but he refused to be helpless. In the end, their attempt to make a camp was delayed, which wasn't all that devastating. It only delayed their rest.

The sun had set when they finished building up the camp, situated by the cliff overlooking a small village. Even though the village looked peaceful, the fact that blood decorated the land and so many demons roamed the settlement made it the worst place to live in.

The three young hellhounds, collectively known as the Three Kings due to their reputation on hunting demons and liberating many settlements, wanted to make sure that they know what they were looking for and not be overwhelmed with the thrill of the kill. Lilac may have been taken away, but she wouldn't be killed that easily.

Each step of the way took them closer to her. Each demon they tracked and interrogate always show them the right way, cutting their original pursuit time of half a year into a mere three months. They continued this mission because they knew that she wasn't dead, and there was a chance to find her.

But now, the three hellhounds seemed to be enjoying themselves, even though they were pressed with time. This happened many times in their travel. Knowing very well that the demonic settlements were not a place for them, they resorted to go outdoors and camp in the wilderness. With the help of Eshdar Winsel, hunting and gathering for food was not an issue. Also, Ifrit was a natural survivalist and understand how to make a tent and start the fire.

Anubis, however, had no role except for guarding their camp, which frustrated him. He wanted to be useful in their attempt of outdoor journeying, but his attempt of 'help' always ended up a disaster. Even his ability to sense Soul Particles were not helping him.

The night went on, with the three of them savoring the food prepared by Eshdar from the hunt, which was pheasant roast. The night was cloudless, giving them the perfect view of stars and the moon while they looked at the demons by the village. They looked so civilized, unlike what most humans thought of them. It looked like they finally got the break from all the carnage and violence of the Outer Rings of Hell (and possibly the Circles, too) and made a new life out of the ruin of the surface dwellers.

As fellow demons, they couldn't interfere with them. Hellhounds were susceptible to feelings and emotions, and seeing how happy they were, despite of their hostility to the Three Kings, dissuaded them to massacre the whole village, unless when things went out of hand.

Around the campfire, Eshdar pulled out his bow and started looking at it, trying to find if anything was off. Anubis sat by the makeshift tent, looking as if he was staring at something, and Ifrit stared at the campfire.

"(Hey, Ifrit)," said Anubis. "(Wanna come here for a sec?)"

"(Something's wrong?)"

"(Nah, I just need to talk)."

Ifrit looked at the Death Jackal, not sure if he could see his expression right now. Ifrit stood up and offered his hand to the blind hellhound, but after a while of no reaction, he pulled Anubis's hand gently and said, "(Come on. It's warmer by the fire)."

As they walked towards the campfire, Ifrit said, "(You cannot use that ability all the time, are you?)"

"(You offered your hand, huh?)" said Anubis with a smile (without looking towards Ifrit). "(It's exhausting to use it all the time. Besides, I'm fine with being blind)."

Ifrit smiled. "(I know you are. So, feeling better now?)"

"(How can I say it? I'm...still quite new around you two. I mean, you two have been travelling for a while with Albreich Schafner, right?)"

"(We are, but this scruffy hound is a loud sleeper)," said Eshdar walking towards the fire. "(Just one night I decided to sleep indoors and you snored like a fucking car engine!)"

"(Hey!)"

"(But...is it okay if I travel with you two? It's not like the three of us need to be together, right? Besides, I've got Miza to keep me company)."

Ifrit looked at Anubis, then to Eshdar. The red-furred hellhound shrugged and said, "(Tell 'im)."

The black-furred sighed and said, "(Are you telling us this because you don't want to be a burden? Is it because you're blind?)"

"(I...guess that's one thing)."

"(Ani, I don't think you noticed, but...we saw how you fight back in that settlement)," said Ifrit putting a hand on Anubis's shoulder. "(It's fine as long as you don't mess up and end up getting ourselves killed. Besides, you are a monarch, and we need to be together all the time)."

"(Well, mostly for publicity purposes, but we can say it that way)."

"(Hey, don't make this group a campaign team!)"

"(Isn't that what we are supposed to be?)"

Ifrit laughed. "(Yeah, with our faces plastered in busy street corners, like goddamn criminals)."

Both of them laughed, without any restrain or concern that the inhabitants in the nearby town would listen. Anubis heard their laughs and unknowingly smiled himself. It felt so new to him, having companions with good sense of humor. His whole life had been filled with miserable moments, from losing his sight without having any memory of anything, until being sold as a sex slave to the succubus. Normal hellhounds would surely become apathetic, but he was glad to have meet the two of them, fellow former princes with the same fate.

But then, he somehow wanting to know anything about them. He never asked them about their personal appearances, only hearing them talk. It was time to know.

"(Hey...I've never known you two that well, so do you mind if I ask anything?)"

"(I thought you've known our voices)."

"(Yeah, well...it's kinda rude to not know your appearances, don't you think?)"

"(Can't force ya on that)," said Eshdar.

"(My sixth sense can help me 'see' with soul particles, but they don't let me see other than the outline. I just...want to know your appearance)."

Unknown to Anubis, both Ifrit and Eshdar looked at him like he was some sort of a creep. After a while, though, Ifrit said, "(Well, to be short, my fur color is black, and Esh is red)."

"(O-oh, I think I can imagine how you look like. I know a general hellhound's shape, so I can say you two look like it)."

"(Want me to continue?)"

The three of them talked about their general appearances at first, but when they exhausted everything they could explain to Anubis, they started talking about colors and stuff. With that, both of them seemed to understand the death jackal more.

Anubis could remember some color scheme, but he was too young to remember anything before the curse took his blindness. Despite of being able to move around fairly well without a walking stick due to his ability to sense soul particles, he missed the memory of color and appearance. He wanted to know more about it, and found it with his new friends.

Ifrit and Eshdar were also surprised that despite of looking reserved and silent, Anubis was actually quite talkative and had similar sense of humor like them. He didn't take his handicap that seriously and even make blind man (or hound) jokes that the three of them found amusingly funny.

The night went on and they forgot that they needed the rest before they start travelling again. Eshdar, ever the hunter, decided that he would be taking first watch, followed by Ifrit, then Anubis. Though it felt strange, asking a blind hellhound to be a watcher, his sixth sense ability was quite useful and Anubis had better senses than the two other princes.

The night went on without any incident, and in the morning they started to pack. Travelling light was something the three of them encouraged. This is also the reason why they didn't carry full camping equipment, only using what's necessary for survival. Eshdar, being a tribal hunter, wore lighter clothing that exposed most of his fur, mostly for the purpose of flexibility in fights. In the end, Ifrit and Anubis were the ones carrying the things.

Despite of them being so deep in enemy territory, they weren't entirely conspicuous. Apparently the appearances of three monarchs walking down the street wasn't something that attracted much attention. Yet, somehow, the three of them came into the news as the dangerous 'Three Kings'. This was also the indication that the settlement they were in were neutral, or at least friendly since no one even cared about their appearance. One vendor, clearly a hellhound, even offered a meat on the stick to Anubis. The one thing that vendor noticed was his blindness, but he somehow didn't care.

"(Even after all those things we were through, we still haven't gain much attention)," said Ifrit while helping Anubis to sit down.

"(So you prefer to stay in the wild all the time? I don't mind, but I don't like being treated like a criminal. Occasional danger is fine, but I don't want the whole place come falling down on us and we are forced to massacre them)."

"(Don't you think that's a bit harsh?)" said Anubis. "(Besides, it's three against a whole army of circle demons)."

"(They may be winning in number, but each of them are inexperienced hellhounds who barely fights. No, I'm not saying some of them are well off or pampered. They haven't been running all the time and have a confidence in numbers. This does not motivate them)," said Eshdar.

"(How so?)"

"(You can see it from some of the hellhounds we fought. As soon as their friends got killed, they either became scared or rampaging. Both are death flags, and are easy to kill. If you go and fight Rhynsa, you might not be able to defeat him unless you tapped his heart)."

"(Wait, you fought that sniper?)"

"(It's a long story)," said Ifrit sipping his tea.

"(Again, it's easy to kill a horde of them than some specialized hellhound squad. Keep that in mind when you are using that flashy sword tricks you did back in that camp)."

"(It's not flashy. It's a flying sword)."

"(With a lot of gaps)," said Eshdar.

"(But how did you two know about these?)"

"(I hate to be blunt, but you aren't actually out here fighting for a year, so no wonder your knowledge to our fight is second to none)." When Eshdar saw Anubis making an annoyed expression, he said, "(Hey, at least you don't lose your edge)."

"(But more importantly, we cannot stay in this town for too long or we're bound to meet a stranger who knows our appearances)," said Ifrit. "(Ani, are you sure about this?)"

Anubis nodded, albeit reluctantly. Before they started settling by the tea shop Anubis had asked his friends to find him possible places to find Death Jackals. He was sure that his race was enslaved because they didn't pose that much of a threat to the rebel hellhounds. His own survival and humiliating slavery was one of those indications.

Just as he thought about his race's survival, he unintentionally listened in to two hellhounds conversing. What he heard justified his suspicions of this town.

"(Hey, I heard there's a brothel full of high-ears)."

"(Really? Those lean-faced jackals? Damn, I'm gonna get laid tonight!)"

"(Don't sweat it, dude, we still need to finish our round tonight. We don't want some hounds coming in and crash the party, right? Come on, finish your round)."

"(Gotcha, you sons of bitches)," murmured Anubis under his breath.

"(What's wrong?)"

"(I guess we hit the jackpot after all)," said Anubis smiling. He then proceeded to explain what he heard to the two of them.

"(Wait...they called jackals 'high-ears')?"

"(My ears are pointy and high, so what's wrong?)"

"(No, that's the problem. No one seems to notice your striking difference. Ani, you did say that your race was enslaved, right?)"

"(What's of it?)"

"(Tell me. Is there any other black-furred Death Jackals aside from the royal family)?"

"(Hey, how can I be sure? I lost my sight early in my childhood. I can't even see myself!)"

"(Ani, Esh, don't jump to conclusions. Esh, nine o'clock)."

Eshdar looked towards where Ifrit was indicating and he saw hellhounds talking to each other and occasionally took a glance towards them. He then said, "(Ani, can you hear what the three hellhounds to your left are talking about?)"

Anubis turned towards where Eshdar was talking about and hear some disturbing conversation.

"(They are wondering if the three of us are the 'Three Kings')." "(Fuck, our cover's blown)," said Eshdar with his hand on his knife. "(Gotta move...)"

"(Wait, don't)," said Ifrit while calmly sipping his tea, yet Anubis could see his soul was in an uproar, as if alert.

"(Whatever you are trying to do, don't. They are only wondering, not confirming. If they approach us, get ready to move into the crowd. If they walk away, however...)"

True to what Ifrit said, the three hellhounds made a banter before walking away. Anubis said, "(They cannot believe we are the Three Kings because we haven't been killing anyone yet)."

"(Well, that's that)."

"(We could've blown our cover, you know)," said Eshdar.

"(We will if we kill them. Now, about that brothel...)"

It was a long and tedious process, but the three of them managed to get enough information, all from listening in or talking to bartenders about the brothel. The sun already set the moment they found the front door of the place, blending in with the brickhouse by the left and the right of it. The door was in the middle of a building complex, with distinctive Tragorian architecture similar to major cities Ifrit and Eshdar once visited back before the demonic invasion on Tragoria. Unlike what the saw back then, the town was dominated by hellhounds. They saw occasional humans around Tragoria, and even Lycans (despite of their treatment in Tragoria) roaming around, yet with distinctive collar around their necks, symbolizing their fall from grace as the main Tragorian population.

Anubis, eager to find his own race, wanted to go through the front door, but was stopped by Ifrit. He said, "(Wanna blow our cover and fight our way inside? Be my guest)."

"(But, it's right in front of us!)"

"(Do you have a bright idea to get in without resorting to fights? I'd prefer that path)," said Eshdar. "(But I know Ifrit here doesn't want that, even though his name is clearly about rage and violence)."

"(Dude, tone down the sarcasm, will you?)"

"(You know, Ifrit, if you want to live in this cruel world, sarcasm is important. Me? I only have sarcasm to fuel my life)."

Ifrit shook his head and did not want to heed Eshdar. Anubis thought this was because of a falling out, but it wasn't, at least in Ifrit's eyes. Eshdar changed a lot since being revived, from a cheerful and big brother-like character to a sarcastic violent hellhound. He didn't care less, but it caused problem with the others, especially Lilac and Albreich, his longtime companions.

As they waited across the street, Ifrit took notice of someone being led into the back alley, in chains. His apparent predicament wasn't noticed by other hellhounds, presumably being a common sight around town. Anubis also noticed the state of that person's soul, which was agitated and panicked, as if scared.

"(H-Hey, Ifrit...)"

Ifrit held his arm in front of Anubis. "(Yeah, I noticed)."

"(What are we supposed to do?)"

"(Esh)."

"(I heard ya)."

Eshdar walked through the street and followed the two hellhounds into the alley, disappearing behind the alley as he turned to the left. A moment later, he returned. His calm mannerism suggested that he wasn't noticed.

"(Something tells me that we will know more inside. The doorman seems okay letting that one inside, but I don't know if we suddenly get an 'exotic' guy inside)," said Eshdar while staring at Anubis.

"(I guess that's the only way to get inside without causing too much noise)," said Ifrit eyeing Anubis.

"(W-wait, what are you guys doing? Why are you staring at me like some sort of a creep?)"

"(I guess we can only go with this if we are in this together. Ani, I want you to do something)."

"(Oh, shit. I think I know where this is going)."

In an abandoned building, after buying some equipments.

"(You know, Ifrit, I think I changed my mind. I don't mind a bit of violence)," said Anubis from behind the wall.

"(It's a bit too late for that, don't you think? We gotta make you look like a slave so they can take you in)."

"(But what if you're wrong?)"

"(The hellhound that was taken inside has a distinctive mannerism on 'im. You may not be able to see it, but the one pulling the chains was pretty forceful in tugging it, as if goading the shackled hellhound to get inside. Need me to say more?)"

"(Okay, okay, you're fine about that, but, what the hell, Ifrit?)"

"(What? We need to make you look like a slave)."

"(Isn't a ragged cloth a little bit to minimal? I mean, we are infiltrating a brothel. Shouldn't I look more like a gigolo?)"

Ifrit and Eshdar looked at each other, before Ifrit said, "(Sometimes, I wish you can see so we don't have to explain everything. That slave was wearing nothing except chains and shackles. What we can do for you is decency)."

"(What kind of brothel carry a slave like that? It's more like a humiliation or a slave market!)"

"(Look, stop whining and wrap that thing around your dick)," said Eshdar. "(If you are having a problem let us know)."

After waiting for another while, Anubis said, "(Guys...a little help?)"

Eshdar sighed and beckoned Ifrit in. He walked in to find Anubis's lanky body naked with his clothes thrown at one side. He was somehow struggling in putting on the shackles, but his general appearance as a slave was perfect. It was as if he had a prior experience with this kind of thing.

After Ifrit helped wrapping the ragged cloth around Anubis's private parts, he gently unlocked Anubis's shackles and said, "(For the shackles, let me do my things...with your direction, of course)."

"(Just...get it over with already. Fuck, why am I agreeing to this...)"

Anubis helped the black-furred hound with preferences, but the more they talked about it the more uncomfortable the two of them became. Anubis was overwhelmed by humiliation and regret while Ifrit was very uncomfortable seeing his friend being tied up like some criminal. What made it even more awkward was Ifrit noticing Anubis's expressions. He was like in a bliss or something in between. The black-furred hound realized that doing this actually turned the jackal on.

After securing his hands to his back and wrapping a chain around his chest, he locked a collar around Anubis's neck (Ani had finished putting the shackles on his legs before asking for help).

"(I feel so goddamn exposed right now)," said Anubis.

"(I am wondering whether you have a bondage fetish or not)."

"(No, I'm not!)" exclaimed Anubis with a shaky voice, yet this only made Ifrit smile.

"(Don't worry, Ani. You don't need to be that embarrassed. We're friends, right? Besides...)"

Ifrit then moved towards Anubis's long ears and whispered, "(Mizarka might want something 'exquisite' from you, prince Anubis)."

"(Fuck you)."

"(Okay, you two. Stop flirting and get a move on. I can see the brothel's opening)."

"(Alright. Now, Ani, are you ready?)"

"(I don't have that much of a choice, do...mmmph?!)"

Anubis felt his mouth was being forced to close by something wrapped around his muzzle. In a panic, he tried to open it, but then he realized his hands were tied behind his back.

"(For the sake of realism, but not too extreme)," said Ifrit. Anubis grumbled and tried to talk to him, but Ifrit said, "(It will be over quick if you don't nag about it all the time. Let's go)."

Led by chains made Anubis relieved some of his worst memories during his slavery and captivity, and hoped he wouldn't experience it again. What's different now is his trust to his friends. He trusted Ifrit and Eshdar in sorting out the problem inside the brothel, with his help.

He was, however, not satisfied by the fact that they used him as a bait. Anubis knew hellhounds could be crafty, but using their friend to pretend as a sex slave was testing the limit, at least for a human.

All he could do, with his muzzled mouth was grumble, and thinking about ways to make things even with the two of them. He didn't held much grudge, but he would make sure those two knew what's coming for them for using him.

***

The trio reached the back alley as the nighttime came. Gaslights turned on for the night, with more and more hellhounds coming out at night. The decency of the day turned into debauchery of the night. The shopping district, full of hellhounds roaming the streets normally, became a crowded red light district full of hellhound hookers and mostly lust demons trying to find victims for their fuel source.

Anubis, properly outfitted as a slave (yet in Ani's mind, properly fitted as a bondage fetishist), walked with Ifrit, who led him with chains linked to a metal collar the jackal wore. Despite of the complications, Anubis didn't seem to feel any discomfort. This could partly because of the fact that he was once in this situation before.

Eshdar then knocked the door towards the brothel. The eye slot of the metal door opened with reptilian yellow eyes looking at them, then towards Anubis.

"(New one?)" he said.

"(Fresh from the market. He's all yours)," said Eshdar. Ifrit and Anubis cringed a little from how natural he sounded. It was as if he had prior experience to this kind of situation.

The door opened to reveal a big hellhound, possibly a bouncer. He then said, "(Looked like a guy to me. Hmm? Eyes look like they have seen better days. He blind?)"

"(You don't take blinds?)"

"(On the contrary. Take him in. We'll decide what to do with him)."

Ifrit and Eshdar nodded, while Anubis kept his head down so his features would not be recognizable. So far the plan they made was progressing smoothly.

As soon as they went inside, they passed on the central stage where Eshdar and Ifrit saw a pole dancer dancing erotically on stage, with whistling male crowd below her. Like the servants and the other prostitutes, they were fitted with slave collars. Yet the hellhounds weren't interested in that. They were more interested in some of the females being Death Jackals like Anubis. They also took notice of many male slaves forced to dance for crowds looking for special entertainment.

As they passed the stairs, Anubis heard moaning and screams coming from the second floor. He shuddered from how many deep male voices moaning like dogs in heat. He had gotten out from the tortures and rapes he suffered during his time as a sex slave, and he never would've thought he would need to do so again for the sake of his race and others enslaved by chaotic rebels.

Before a door, the bouncer stopped both Eshdar and Ifrit. He said, "(It's off-limits for you guys. You wanna play, you gotta pay. Here. One gold for a male slave)."

Eshdar feigned being annoyed. He said, "(Just this?)"

"(Unless you give us one of the Three Kings, yeah, just that. Consider that slave as your invitation)."

With that, the bouncer went into the door behind him, disappearing just a glimpse of Anubis being presented in front of a hellhound, and before the door closed. Ifrit and Eshdar never had thought the plan went on smoothly, but they were more trying to hold their laughter.

The bouncer would never know what he got.

They went to the customer area. While standing by the bar, Ifrit said, "(Look at me in the eyes and say that you're not in this kind of thing before)."

"(I am not! It just comes out naturally)."

Ifrit sighed. "(Sometimes I wish you can't do anything aside from hunting. So what now?)"

"(I don't want to make things complicated, but right now we need to move fast. Ani may have been a sex slave before, but that doesn't mean he can do anything convincingly. Now, I saw one room facing another alley. It is safe to say that the room is one of the private rooms on the second floor. We get in there, knock anyone out inside, then secure the room. If everything goes on smoothly, we can acquire a safe passage upstairs)."

"(How about the public reaction if we shut this place down?)"

"(As long as the jackals are safe, we are okay. Look, I don't like this place, just like you, and I want to stop the slavery ring. We are doing this for Ani)."

Ifrit nodded. The main reason of their travel together was to primarily find Lilac, but sometimes they wanted to make sure their trust to each other were strengthened. Anubis, being new to the relationship, couldn't trust them more than agreeing to be a distraction. He knew how trust worked, and he and Eshdar almost got the bad end of their rift regarding their travel with a demon hunter. It may had been stopped when Eshdar died, but Ifrit didn't want to get more enemies than they already got. It complicated things more than it should.

Meanwhile, Anubis, after quite a vulgar inspection (he endured, though), was released from all the bindings restraining him and was fitted with a collar similar to the slaves. He couldn't see it, but he could feel the danger the collar posed to his neck. One false move and his head is done for.

The Death Jackal, however, was more interested in trying to find his own race. With his ability, he could make a difference between them. He managed to find some of them working in the pub before he got thrown into a cage, alongside the other slaves. Fortunately for him, the whole place was full of jackals. What matters at that point was a conviction to escape, and their knowledge of his face.

He got the answer sooner than he expected, when a female jackal approached him and said, "(Are you our prince?)"

Anubis wanted to say yes, but realizing a guard was in front of the cages, he moved his hand towards the jackal. The female jackal, assuming that his blindness caused him to move his hand elsewhere, helped him move it towards her face.

"(Please, no names)," said Anubis softly.

"(But if you're here, then...)"

"(Do not worry. I have reliable friends helping me out. We will shut this place down. Say, your fur seems so soft and your soul has small fire. How old are you?)"

"(15)."

15? Damn, she got it worse than I did, thought Anubis. The other jackals soon came towards him, trying to get a touch of him. Anubis wanted to receive their touch, as customary to a member of the Caropus family line, but he knew this would expose him soon. He then gently refuse the offer, by saying, "(I will return the blessing...soon)."

Despite of what he said, he wasn't entirely sure of what Ifrit and Eshdar would do. The two hellhounds, despite of their plan and how smoothly it went, would never stray away from the path of violence. Eshdar, a sarcastic and violent hellhound, would actually try to fight his way out of things, leaving trail of bodies behind him. Ifrit, while collected, could become brutal when situation demanded it. Anubis, on the other hand, tried to avoid fighting because his sixth sense ability was straining him. He might be able to walk around without hitting anything, but that was if he was using the ability. Without it, he was as blind as a surface bat.

While he was sulking around, trying to calm the others by talking to them without exposing himself, Eshdar and Ifrit went to the alley they found and looked at the situation. They looked at the window, but saw a door leading to the basement. Ifrit then looked at it and said, "(Do they have a cellar down there?)"

"(Not a surprise if they do. Wanna take a peek?)"

Ifrit looked inside through the crack and found that it had stairs going down. They looked at each other, then nodded as they opened it and go inside. It was dimly illuminated, but they could see what was down there.

By sheer coincidence, the cage where Anubis was held was also at the same place with the cellar they found. They quickly walked up the stair before the guard near them could notice. Ifrit and Eshdar then said, "(Change of plan?)"

"(I guess it's easier now. So what's your plan?)"

"(Kill that bodyguard, take his key, and get Ani and the rest of them out of here)."

"(And how do you suppose we do that silently?)"

Ifrit pointed towards Eshdar's bow and arrow. He looked at it and smirked.

"(Oh, now you want to let me kill? Where's the restrain you give when giving us this plan? If it comes to this, why didn't we kill all of them in the first place?)"

"(Because we still need to find out why those collars are there. Somehow it's not as simple as unlocking them. There must be some kind of a key.... Wait. Eshdar, do you still have that poison?)"

Eshdar wondered for a moment which 'poison' Ifrit was talking about, until he realized what the black hound meant. He produced a pouch and held it in front of Ifrit. It was a featureless tiny pouch, but nevertheless contained something that could aid Ifrit in his recon inside the brothel again.

But, to be sure that his speculation was correct, Ifrit asked for a lethal poison, something that could kill with delayed effect. Eshdar wasn't sure what Ifrit was trying to do, but he nevertheless knew that Ifrit was the brains of their operations, a role the red furred hellhound took when Ifrit was still adapting to the surface world. His natural ability of adapting to things and improvising was something that Eshdar couldn't do, even if he had the skill of track and hunt his prey. Anubis was their swordsman and was the best at that, but he hadn't been able to trust two violent hellhounds with him. The only way to make him trust them is to let everything went on smoothly.

Even so, nothing went on as expected. Ifrit knew all possibilities could happen, and it happened when he gave the truth poison to one of the bouncers. He laced the drink with the poison and waited for the bouncer to drink it, but his answer was unexpected.

"(Yeah, I know the three of you are suspicious, so I think you are one of the Three Kings)," said the bouncer while in a dazed state. "(Some of us knew one of you is a black-furred Death Jackal)."

Ifrit, trying to stay calm, then said, "(Have you told your leader? Is there any key to open the collars?)"

"(I have warned him, saying that I need to take precautions and to report suspicious activities. The key to the collars is a linking magic directly linked to the owner's heart)."

"(Damn, even though we are clearly exposed, this thing is potent as hell)," thought Ifrit. "(Guess things have become harder for the three of us. Just to make sure, though...)."

Ifrit then said, "(Does anyone know?)"

There was a slight hesitation, before the bouncer nodded. Ifrit sighed and produced a knife from under his jacket. He proceeded to slit the hellhound's throat. As he gurgled while spraying blood everywhere, the black hound said, "(Thanks for the info)."

Even though he was found out, there was still a choice of all-out violence, but for now, that's not a choice they wanted to take. On Anubis's instructions, Eshdar was to carry his sword, a unique curved sword made of bronze, as close to Anubis as he could. This was because of Eshdar's unique soul signature, being a hellhound revived from the dead. That way he could get to it the moment Eshdar walked within 5 meters from him, using an ability Anubis called Soul Link.

By now, Eshdar would have been taking care of the guards in the cellar, so Ifrit had no time. He could just rush in and kill everyone trying to oppose him, but it could expose him and the other two as the Three Kings, possibly turning every hellhound in the brothel and the town against them, making it impossible to escape. Or, he could go on with his plan to lace a drink and serve it to the slaver. Using a slow-reacting lethal poison could give them a time frame to escape with the rest of the jackal slaves, but Eshdar warned him that the poison had side effects before death could happen. He couldn't give him a perfect one aside from an instant lethal poison (as Eshdar claimed that he was a hunter, not an alchemist).

"(Well, now, this turns into an impossible mission all of the sudden)," said Ifrit. After he discreetly put the poison inside all the drinks directed towards the private room, he said, "(But I don't care of the damage. All I care is the confusion. And by confusion, I can do this my style)."

Getting out of the way of some bouncers that looked at him suspiciously, he walked towards the cellar's entrance he found and got inside. There he found out that Eshdar had brutally murdered three guards, all with Anubis's sword. He sighed and said, "(Sometimes you can't just stop the carnage)."

"(Hey, you done?)"

"(Let me ask you a question, Esh. How potent is that poison?)"

"(Never tried in on a hellhound before. I used it only to big hunts like deer or bears roaming around the forest around Adaline. They died for a while, so I guess it's around...a minute?)"

"(Enough for the final preparation. Now, I assume this collar will activate somehow and kill anyone stepping out within a certain distance, right? All of you, listen to me carefully. When this collar unlocks, there will be riots upstairs, unless you turned into mindless, obedient drones that will hate us because we kill your masters. Get to the cellar and get away into the forest as fast as you can)."

"(How about the slaves upstairs?)" said the female jackal.

"(Look after yourselves first. I know some of you have some sort of attachments to some of those slaves, but remember this one thing. We are all at war with each other, and you can't trust anyone. Yet, even without that trust, you will hold on to a believe that each and any one of you will get away safely. Find your own path to your freedom, and never look back)."

Some of them looked at Ifrit in awe. One old hellhound looked at him and said, "(Spoken like a true king, young hound. We are all in your debt, Ifrit, son of Schelkz, as to you, Eshdar, son of Winsel, and especially you, Anubis, son of Caropus. May your paths lead on to victory and conquest)."

Ifrit smiled and kneeled before the old hellhound. "(Use the information you have known as you see fit. If fate permitted, we will meet each other again)."

The collar went off, unlocking and fell from each of their necks. They looked at their freedom, unable to make up things. After looking around dazed for a while, Eshdar said, "(What are you waiting for? Get up and run)."

The old hellhound was the first to stand up. He led the rest of the slaves away towards the cellar in an orderly fashion. Behind them, banging sound and shattered glass was heard upstairs. Some of the slaves were worried and had doubts, but when they see the three noble hellhounds looking at them with such pride and dignity, they felt somewhat safe. Some of the slaves were once rebels, but the moment they saw the princes, they felt as if they had committed a grave mistake, unable to look at them (especially Anubis) in the eyes.

One by one, the hellhounds disappeared from the cellar. They could hear riots pouring out towards the streets, with the slaves trying to exert dominance with violence, full of grudge of their long enslavement. The three hellhounds walked out of the cellar and closed it, sealing the room.

"(Never thought you actually lock the doors)," said Eshdar.

"(I need time, that's all. Besides, let those slaves taste their freedom for a while. There's rough journey ahead)."

"(And here I thought you two are just violent fighters)," said Anubis making a smirk. "(Now I know you're just a prankster, Ifrit)."

Ifrit smiled. "(Heh, thanks. Always try to find some fun in things and in life)."

"(Speaking of pranks...did you two just want to make me into some kind of a joke?)"

"(I don't know what you are talking about)."

"(Your plan might work without me getting naked and having my balls groped by some hunky hellhound!)" said Anubis, annoyed. "(Do you know how hard it is to hold the urge to skewer his eye out?!)"

Ifrit looked indifferent for a while, but then he snorted, and then laughed. Eshdar was laughing nervously beside him.

"(His balls just got groped...)," said Ifrit in between laughed. "(His balls...)"

"(Okay, shut up, you scruffy hellhound! What's so funny?)"

"(What so funny? You've got mistaken for a flat-chested girl!)"

Ifrit's laugh became more and more hysterical, and by this point Eshdar also laughed out loud. Anubis, clearly embarrassed and mad about all this, growled and held the sword in front of Ifrit's throat.

"(Hey, shut up or I'll cut off your balls myself!)"

"(Alright, alright! Dude, cut of some slack, will you?)"

Anubis made a 'huff' sound, then lowered his sword.

"(But seriously, how did they even mistaken you as a female?)"

"(Jackals...look the same whether they are female or male. That bouncer must've seen many jackals to have known that I'm a guy, but that asshole just want to make sure. Anyway, I'm exposed here. Where are my clothes?)"

After putting on his clothes (carried around by Ifrit in his trusted satchel), Anubis said, "(So what now?)"

"(We get out of this place and camp outside of another. I don't think Lilac's here)."

"(Don't you want to check?)"

"(By this point, we are already exposed. It's better if we leave. Let's go, guys)."

And so, their short adventure in that town came to an end. They managed to shut down the slavery ring in one brothel, and somehow disturbed the rest of them in the town. Of all the slaves that ran away from the brothel, around a quarter of them managed to escape, including those the Three Kings personally freed, as they ran straight into the forest.

After making sure that their identities were safe in their hands, the three of them guided the former slaves through the dark forest and into the street. With sunrise approaching, they helped the group wear robes for decency, and gave them general direction towards the city of Arbal, led by a particular hellhound named Rhynsa. It was known as a safe haven for refugees. After a farewell, the Three Kings and the former slaves went to their separate ways, without looking at each other for a while.

The small town where they liberated the slaves didn't change much, with everything returning to normal, at least on what they saw. One brothel wasn't enough to free everyone, but at least they killed one major player of the slave ring.

Due to Ifrit making sure that no one knew their faces in an extreme way, the fear for the Three Kings escalated to the point of chaos. Distrust painted many of the hellhound residents of the town, with the rebels trying their best to maintain order. Somehow, this was what Ifrit was trying to accomplish. By causing the three of them to be feared, chaos would ensue and it would throw suspicions away from them. The demons from the deeper circles, however, couldn't care less and acted neutral.

They lost another opportunity to find information regarding Lilac, but in the end, they accomplished something, even if it's just a small task. Ifrit wanted to make sure his friends would be content in this travel, because the journey was for his own personal goals. He needed the support of Eshdar and Anubis, knowing that he could trust them now, after Anubis finally able to open up and agree upon many of the hardships and challenges after that faithful day.

A small kindness of a hellhound was impossible, in any sense, but they were still sentient beings with awakened feelings. Even if they had found their answers through violence, none could replace their trust and respect to each other. This bond would last, until the very end....