FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 17

"Well, it could be worse."

"Yeah...no wonder that demon hunter was frantic."

The conversation started Anenka's day with a road that lead to another burned town, parallel to what Ifrit's group had found. The place, unlike on the other side, had concrete buildings and most still intact, but the place was practically empty, with nothing but burned remains and damaged buildings there. It became a ghost town sometimes before they even got there.

The mobile trailer they were driving stopped near a burned down hotel, where there were still some survivors inside. They weren't suffering because of the coziness the hotel had given to them, and the town wasn't all that hostile and they kindly rejected the group's effort to help them. Mitchel helped some with severe, but survivable, injuries, while the rest of the group took a little rest while helping the group with what they were capable of.

"What happened here?" asked Azgal to a human, which startled him based on his look, but surprisingly didn't freak out.

"Some hellish dogs razed this town and take some of our supplies. Maybe they're hellish bandits taking over our world from the hell, but I'm not sure if they're real or not. I've been drinking too much lately."

"Are those 'dogs' have horns on their heads?"

"Well, some don't have horns, only the Lycan-looking ones do. You better stay out of their way when you're travelling down the road. It's not like I want to see another dead traveller, ain't it?"

After helping what they could, they decided that it would be best that they didn't buy any more supplies, since the town had scarce supplies and the group was also low on provisions, which prompted them to go as soon as Mitchel finished with his 'free-of-charge healing spells', which wasn't accepted as eager at most.

Nevertheless, they continued their journey through the southwestern part of the region, only stopping when they need some gas to continue. The group was aware that, unlike the three man group Ifrit had (plus a weird-looking dog), they consisted of members that couldn't blend into the current society, especially Azgal, who, being a wrath demon, couldn't hide the fact that he was a humanoid goat. No werewolves used glasses like Anenka was and Mizarka...while still looked like a wolf, her ancestry was from a jackal, hence her longer ears and triangular snout.

Anenka knew Mizarka had been very agitated and prone to violence since she lost track of the prince she loved secretly. Anubis had always been her love since they've met, when the jackal-hound was sold as a slave to the Caropus family when Anubis was still 15 to become a part of his harem. While there were many that formed the harem of the black jackal, both were drawn together, strong enough for Mizarka to be released from her binds and become his personal guard. Anenka believed that the jackal was still alive; if there's an unusual death in a town or a city that couldn't be solved by magic, it must be Anubis, the inheritor of the unique Canopis curse, which formed his family's name. Though vague, Anenka still remembered when his father met Ensalder, and the young jackal was with him, alongside his underage harem.

Despite of the journey on the surface was to find the last of the sand jackals, they were quickly drawn to Ifrit's problem and most of other's problem. If the invasion started, the world they loved might be gone, and nothing would prevent their conquest to find more places to rule, as demons had no rules to bar them.

"(You're thinking about me again, aren't you, Anenka?)" said Mizarka, which startled the black hellhound to reality.

Repositioning his glasses, Anenka turned to find her behind him, cleaning her guns. "(It's always him, isn't it?" he said. "(It's always about that jackal)."

"(What? You love me now? Your sentence suggests that)."

"(I'm not, Miza. It's cool. I'm your friend, so just tell me what's on your mind)."

Then the female hellhound stopped cleaning her guns, and positioned herself to talk comfortably.

"(I know you've been keeping tabs with Ani's whereabouts. I've read many newspaper to know that it's a secret you've keeping me. I can't deny it, though. Anubis wanted to be loved, so that he believed that the curse would be gone. He awakened the feelings inside me that wasn't a bitch, and he returned my love to him. But...I can't make hasty decision to stop our progress and jeopardize our mission. He's still alive, somewhere, and I'll believe that it's always true in my heart)."

"(Miza, maybe it's not my place to say this, but for once, I want you to be happy, now that you've given the fact that you still loved Anubis. You've done so much to track Ifrit down...)"

"(To say the truth, I was trying to find Ani. Ifrit isn't a hellhound for me. Hell, I've just known him from Karkos' leads and your description. Both are still princes, and either way, my mission is done)."

"(But you still save Ifrit)."

"(Ifrit is but a mission)."

Anenka then moved closer to Mizarka and hold his hand to her leg. He then said, "(I'll find him. I promise you. You're one of the last thing in my life that's honest and purely innocent on relationships. I want you to always be happy, because you've finished the mission. When this all over, we'll find Ani)."

Mizarka made a smile. "(You're a good friend, Anenka. I'm glad that you stumbled into me when I'm depressed back then)."

Though it seemed so, Anenka only tried to save a starving 16 years old jackal-hound hybrid when he stumbled into her. She followed him and helped the royalists greatly, despite of not getting the darker trades of executioner back in his kingdom.

Anenka, effectively the group leader, had given direction for Mitchel to meet Ifrit's group in a small town named Arbal, a border town that was the start of all the roads in Adaline. With the demon hunter's information, they became aware by time that the closer they were to Tragoria, the more damage the rebels made, further impacting the populaces and their fear towards demonic beings, including goat demons and other forms of demons they saw. It was hard to give a decision on where to find another living monarch or staying true with the course, since both were the current priorities.

It wasn't long before they had found another problem at hand.

Two nights after their group split, Mitchel stopped near a forest to preserve the fuel and to repair anything broken during the trip (the road towards Tragoria wasn't intended for a car to drive). It was a full moon that night, and it wasn't long before they heard wolves howling to the silver circle on the sky, which included their pure werewolf group member, too.

"Don't worry, I'll keep a look out," said Thotha while carrying a book. "It's full moon tonight, so there are bound to be werewolves stalking this camp."

"I'll cover you up if you need a shift," said Anenka. He then turned to his group and said, "Take a rest. We'll need to go faster to meet them."

As the camp became silent (and darkness started to fall), with only the campfire and the moon shining down upon them as light, both Anenka and Thotha watched the surroundings, while maintaining their other senses to help.

It was a silent, uneventful night, so Anenka sat beside Thotha who read the book with a candle near him. Anenka knew what book he was reading.

"It's 'Study on Necromancy', right?" said Anenka to the Lycan.

"Mitchel has Necromancy books he kept in the car to hide his secrets. I merely borrow one for my studies on this particular style of magic. Well, it is great, but it's morbid."

"I can relate."

They kept silent for a moment before Anenka asked, "So, why do you happen to study magic? Don't blame me for stereotypes, but I have never met any Lycans to actually have magical abilities."

"I'm not a pure Lycan, Anenka," said Thotha closing the book. "This isn't even my real heritage either."

"So...you're bitten?"

Thotha nodded. "I was a mage hailing from a small coven near the borders between Adaline and Dusdolf. We kept our secrets from the outside world, but there's one rule that I broke. Most of the mages and witches are afraid of the lycanthropy curse because it's a form of corruption when a human crossed the boundaries of curses to become an animal. I know that it's an outdated view since Lycans nowadays aren't as dangerous as they were many years ago, long before both of us were even born."

"Are they creating that curse?"

"No...yeah, a little, especially when a hellhound impregnated a shapeshifter many years ago. Your race has walked on the surface of the earth as a form of summoning. A low-level demon like a hellhound can casually walk through a portal of pentagonal star. That started the werewolf race."

"So what's your story? I might sleep if we talk about history too much."

"My story? Apparently I was training with my mentor in a forest near the coven when a wolf attacked me. If I knew that wasn't rabies that I contracted, I might not be a werewolf now. A senior witch realized that I'm no longer human when I slowly become repulsive to silver objects, to which, from her strong magical aura, she found out that I have a bestial aura akin to a wolf. I voluntarily left the coven, agreeing to stay in contact with them and to find any worthy magical-conscious humans to find the coven."

"I gradually shed away my humanity, preferring to be a werewolf more than I should. By the time I realize it, my posture started to get smaller. I'm not as ripped as a werewolf should; I'm slowly turning human. But, I also realize that I'm not 'turning human', but 'becomes an in-between', like this form."

"So that's why I mistaken you for a hellhound," said Anenka. "Your body is...humanoid in posture."

"Every man is a wolf to the other, but in my case...and your case, we're wolves to the others...literally, including to some trying to crash our sleeping party."

At the same time, Anenka heard growls coming from the forest, loud enough for even Jo, a normal human, could hear it clearly. It was only growling, but no barking, which made it even worse.

"Those are Lycan highwaymen. We're getting nearer to Tragoria so there will be some."

"Do you have any plans without killing them? We can't leave a trail of bodies."

"That would be hard," said Azgal near Thotha. "After all, aren't we all killers?"

A Lycan, around 7 feet tall, suddenly jumped and attacked them from the darkness. Thotha sensed it beforehand, and using his own strength, he countered it by holding the buff werewolf at bay, but doing so pushed him back.

"Holy shit, he's goddamn ripped!"

"You're concerning a well-endowed werewolf over your own condition?!"

"Just deal with the others!"

Another, leaner Lycan ran to them baring his fangs. By using his martial arts skills, Anenka grabbed the Lycan and, using his running momentum, pulled him off balance and pushed him to the ground. The Lycan groaned from the pain, but the black hellhound wouldn't kill a Lycan who just want to make money, despite how wrong it was.

But he couldn't rest just yet. Just as he turned, a female Lycan jumped on him, carrying a rifle on one hand and long claws on the other, growling over Anenka while pointing the gun to his head. Around him, the group of Lycans managed to subdue the groups, except Azgal, whose presence was menacing enough to held some of the werewolves back, despite of him clearly looking like a goat.

"Get up, hellhound," said the female pulling Anenka up. "Get to your motor house and don't try to run from me. I won't hesitate to shoot."

Anenka was forced to the wall of the motor home alongside the others. Mizarka, ever the violent one, was still trying to intimidate some werewolves with her guns, until the female Lycan released a warning shot to her, barely missing her long ear.

"You may bluff all you like, but I'm not in the mood on delaying this raid. The next time I hear you release the gun's safety I'll have your heart," said the female Lycan with a very calm, but still menacing tone.

Anenka could now clearly see the Lycan. Her body structure was different from her allies, being a lean and almost humanoid werewolf like Thotha and most Adaline Lycans look like. Her black fur with some streaks of silver and brown were visible under the full moon, with her clear blue wolf eyes watching them. Her blue eyes were so beautiful that it mesmerized Anenka for a moment, thinking that it was the blue moon he heard and read in stories about werewolves.

The female Lycan moved Anenka closer to Thotha, who looked more of a surprised look manageable to be shown by a hellhound. While still being aimed at, Thotha whispered, "She's not a wolf."

"What?"

"That female werewolf is magically transformed. I can sense demonic corruption on her."

"But I can't feel anything."

"That's because she had sex with a hellhound, not corrupted by demons."

Hearing this made Anenka blushed, which made Thotha even more eager to share his knowledge.

"It's just a pseudo-science, but if a surface dweller carry lycanthropy heritage in their body, and going for a one night stand or proper sex with a pure breed hellhound, the Lycan will change into humanoid wolves, just like me, but with demonic impurity."

"But, who fucked her is the question. Who actually can make her...?"

"She could be raped. That might be a possibility."

"I'm not raped, if you want an answer," said the female Lycan overhearing their conversation. She growled to them, but she was especially annoyed with Thotha.

"The hellhound who...made love with me is now dead, so if you don't want to end up like him, don't do anything foolish. I'm the one with the rifle."

Then Anenka noticed something on her ear, something that shouldn't be there for a Lycan. That thing was the only thing that made Anenka realized who she was.

Walking to the female Lycan, the hellhound said, "Are you Lilac Rezmirn?"

This didn't surprise her, but she said, "I am. Do I know you?"

"I know who you are, from Ifrit. I'm his ally."

Lilac pulled a gun from her pouch, still as collected as she was. "Bollocks," she said. "Ifrit is dead. We never got separated and I know he had more enemies than allies."

Anenka knew he must act quick, before this Lycan shot him. He took a deep breath, exhale it, and said, "For a Lycan, it's quite strange to find an earring like that."

She suddenly put her hand to the earring. Jackpot, Anenka thought. He quickly tried to talk about it.

"I know a good black furred hellhound who had the same earring like that, trying to find his lost love. He said that it made him reminded of a particular Lycan he had fallen for the first time, and the one that's turned him into more of a Lycan than a demon."

"But it's impossible! He's dead, right in front of my eyes."

"He fell into the river and you didn't know where his body was, right? We found him in a mausoleum, in a coma but alive for two years in enemy territory. Rezmirn, he is trying to find you."

Lilac hesitated for a moment, but she ordered her Lycan friends to release Anenka's allies. She still put the gun to point Anenka, but she was clearly breathing faster now.

"I need proof, not promise, hellhound," said Lilac. "But you've earned my respect and trust for not an enemy. Come, there's someone you might know, either as an enemy or an ally."

They traversed through the dark forest, occasionally needed help from the better-eyed werewolves to stop getting lost. Not long after getting into the dark forest, Anenka spotted a light coming from the nearby fire, and the ever present soot-like smell (only hellhounds knew what they smell).

As the trees cleared, they saw a group of hellhounds and Lycans making a semi-permanent camp. As they went, Anenka and Mizarka recognized the hellhound with gray fur and reddish color pattern around his snout and his limbs.

"(Vlantus?)" said Mizarka surprised.

Vlantus turned his head to Mizarka, similarly surprised. "(Mizarka? But if you're here, then Anubis...)"

He didn't have time to wait for the answer when Mizarka ran and hugged him, which made Anenka gasped. It was so out-of-character for Mizarka that it also made the others lost words, as she actually shed tears and wail, which Vlantus embracing her and smiled.

"(You're still a whelp after all these years, Mizarka)," said Vlantus while patting her head. "(It's okay, I'm real for you)."

"(I thought you're dead, Vlantus! Where the fuck were you?!)"

"(There, there...). I'm alive and well, Miza."

Vlantus asked one of his allies, who clearly knew Miza too, to help her, while he tidied himself and return his stare to Anenka and his group.

"So, you're Anenka Kolvics, in the flesh? Thank you for taking care of Mizarka for me, though it's a little awkward that my idol is now standing in front of me while I've grown out of that life."

"I'm still as good as I was before you stopped idolizing me, but we're not talking about pasts, right?"

Vlantus nodded and turned to one of his comrades. He asked the brown hellhound to give him a map. With no time at all, they were gathered around the table with the rest of the forest hellhounds.

"I believe you've met with Albreich along the way," said Vlantus. "So, you've known that Tragoria has fallen to the enemy hands. Lilac had just returned from her old home to find most of the places are in ruins with no one to trust. The villagers in her town were infected with lycanthropy when she returned."

"My friends didn't agree on becoming one with the wolf, but they had accustomed themselves and helped refugees to Stelikan, where they will be safe. As of the main problem, it's difficult to determine if those we saved aren't possessed."

"True, demons are very deceptive when it comes to appearance," said Vlantus. "But, we still have hopes."

"Just some days ago we found a group of former royal guards walking down the borders of Tragoria, but we don't expect them to arrive to this small forest camp. We assumed they can take care of themselves. From them, we can find many other remaining living monarchs and assured their safety."

"May I ask?" said Thotha with them. "I don't know what's actually in your mind on trying to find these monarchs, but, what's good of them to your army? Surface beings often classified the monarchs like princes or kings as weak with royal guards around him or her."

"Then you're stereotyping them on the basis of them being the villains of so many stories," said Vlantus to Thotha. "Unlike human kings or queens, our monarchs possessed unique abilities based on what bloodline they were from. The Caropus family is the most devastating, being the only hellhound bloodline to use a curse as a weapon. The Schelkz family, being from a line of pure breed..."

"Let me update on that matter, dog," said Azgal interrupting Vlantus. "The Schelkz family is a hellhound race descended from wrath demons with a strong survival skill. Along with their mix on pure breed hellhound, they could use fire on their disposal."

This caused the group to become silent. After a minute passed, Vlantus said, "So...his ancestors had a..."

"Look, I'm not telling you that he's half-satyr. All I'm telling you is that he's descended from my race."

"O...kay...then. Let me continue. The Winsel family is often called 'Wild Hunter' because of their natural skills of hunting and their wide knowledge on hellish bestiary, and possibly surface one, too. Others were also present, but we couldn't tell that in this small talk."

"The problem is, with Albreich getting out of the way many times and lost me many times, I can't give him anything. Until he comes back, maybe we can talk again about my update."

"Just tell me. We've meet a little while ago so when we go to Arbal we can contact them."

"Apparently I'm also going to Arbal," said Vlantus. "We were planning to disperse once we met Lilac, so as not to draw any attention."

"I'll be guarding him with the other hellhounds he felt ready," said Lilac. "I also want to make sure that your words are true, that Ifrit is still alive."

Anenka wanted to reassure her that Ifrit was indeed alive, but when he saw Lilac's scars and her warrior looks, the hellhound realized that Lilac was just like Mizarka. She had lost her passionate soul that was once her real self. Losing two friends was far more devastating than unable to know that a loved one is still alive or not.

As the morning came, they broke camp. Most of the groups were walking deeper into the forest while around five of them, including Vlantus and Lilac, came with Anenka's group back to their motor carriage. It was big enough for only two hellhounds, which made Vlantus and Anenka opted to sit on the roof alongside Mizarka. They steadily travel to the border town. Since this was the first time Anenka had ever been on a carriage's roof before, he was overwhelmed by the breeze of wind, but after a while, he could hold on.

Vlantus was helping Mizarka cleaning her weapons, which made Anenka happy since Mizarka never looked so happy before. Maybe seeing a good friend alive and well was a relief on her side, and to Anenka's side, too.

When Mizarka went into the carriage from the roof top window, Vlantus made a smirk, which took Anenka's attention.

"Are you glad...that she's safe?" asked Anenka.

"She may be a talented warrior and a personal favorite to Anubis, but she has a fragile mind after years of slavery and torture. For her, Anubis and most of her slave friends are everything to her, including me and some of Anubis's personal guards. For us, she's just a whelp, and always be one."

"So...what's your own story? Why do you even idolize me if you're this old?"

"Becoming a general before hitting 20, an expert in unarmed combat, and single-handedly subdue a three-headed Ulshurfak is something you cannot hide. I was also a general to the Caropus kingdom, and I'm quite glad myself that I'm still accepted in a mostly death-jackal society, despite of also hellhounds. I am on the lowest caste, but they still respect me as a hellhound."

"No one's is higher and mightier than you, Vlantus. But, you can't idolize me that much. I'm not that special. I'm still a pure breed hellhound and most pure breeds are easier to be in the military. You should be proud of yourself."

Vlantus moved to a better position so they could be comfortable enough to talk. "I...wanted to thank you...for being with Miza when she needs a friend. I wish Anubis can be with her right now, but...I don't know what has become of him. Have you met other generals or maybe other monarchs? Aside from Ifrit and Eshdar, of course."

"Well...I've met with Rhynsa...but he's not a kind of hound I want to meet. You know, bad past."

"Oh, that's a shame, then. I thought you two are the best of buddies. Your family connection is what makes the Winsel and the Schelkz family be so close, right? Ifrit and Eshdar even got a chance to become best buddies."

Before Anenka could say more, Vlantus continued. "And I'm also glad that Ifrit is still alive. The news of Eshdar's death took a punch in all of us, but if Anubis and Ifrit are still alive out there, we might have our own chance to fight back."

Anenka then returned a smile to Vlantus. "I think, what we must do, is how we can become the society we want to save, when this is all over. You agree with that, Vlantus?"

"I never agree more, Anenka. I'm sure the world will accept us, eventually."

"Yeah, I guess..."

Suddenly, there was an explosion coming from the road, which made Mitchel swerved to the side. The explosion didn't cause any damage, but it made a hole on the road. Vlantus and Anenka were strong enough to hold on the railings and not getting thrown over. They stopped near the side of the road with Vlantus shouting, "Enemy contact!" before there were whistling sound coming from the side of Anenka's head. He quickly ducked after that.

"(I thought you're on the lookout, Anenka!)" exclaimed Mizarka while readying her gun.

"(I don't fucking know if there's a mine a hundred meters in front of us! That shit might blow this car if...)"

There was another whistling sound, but this time, it grazed Anenka's horn and he realized what it was.

"Sniper! Keep your head down!"

His warning came too late when they were ambushed by armed hellhounds from the forest. Without adequate firearms they were sitting ducks. Thotha quickly erected a shielding spell while Mitchel used a morbid version of it, with souls completely blocking the view.

"(We gotta find shelter immediately while this shield lasts)," said Vlantus. "(Anenka, take Mizarka with you. Let Lilac accompany you)."

Lilac ran towards Anenka and took the liberty to find a better shelter than the open. The two hellhounds caught up with her just barely when a hellhound lunged at them. Anenka caught him mid-air, and using immense strength, snapped his neck and threw the body to the ground. He quickly jumped behind a rock.

"If we can't fight back, we're screwed!" said Lilac.

"Just tell me that after we get some fucking firearms. Miza, do you have any guns we can use?" "I have, but there's a problem. We need to get back to the car since I left the rifles there. I only carry my two pistols with me."

Anenka tried to fight the urge to curse the condition to find any courage he could get to return. He examined the battlefield for a bit. It was a gun blazing battle and most of the group had taken refuge behind the motor home. It was now or nothing, Anenka thought.

Thinking of happy thoughts, Anenka braved himself, and ran towards the car, amidst the gunfire, hoping that luck was there for him.