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Chapter 14

"(Oh, so your name is Ifrit Schelkz, huh? Cool name. I never thought I can meet someone of importance, and a sibling of somebody I used to know.)"

"(You know Nergora?)"

"(We hunted together some years ago before he decided to go to someplace I don't know. Well, he's a kind of a beast. He couldn't use most weaponry, but I can trust his sharp claws. How about you? You fight well without any decent weapons.)"

"(I just don't feel like using one.)"

"(Hmm, now that's how he once said. I never thought you two can be similar in one another.)"

The day was faster than they thought it would be. Just when they reached the night, they could see a carriage station. Following the Lycan's words, they didn't rest for the night. They only stayed for some food (there was a diner at the station) and information on getting to Arbal, since Eshdar wasn't familiar in open spaces. The hunter hellhound also bought some more arrows that were on sale that night, as he only paid 2 golden coins for 20 arrows.

When they left, two hours later, Eshdar said, "I'll take watch on the roof, man."

"Maybe you want to try to warn your friends, so I guess I can only ask for Ifrit to guard the carriage, if you don't mind."

"Don't worry, man. I can be trusted. Besides, your Lycan girl doesn't feel any strange around me. Hey, girl, do I smell like ash or burnin' wood?"

"Maybe both of them, Eshdar. Your scent is more like a burning herb. Ifrit's more like a coal."

"Wha...(how can she make that difference, man. I thought Lycans have limited sense.)"

"(This is a mutation because of me, after all.)"

Eshdar seemed surprised by it, but then he made small laughs and said, "(Wh...what? You want to say to me that you've done something humane for her? Are you even okay, man?)"

"(Trust me. I passed out the first time.)"

"(Of course you passed out, man! You never do that in your lifetime! No hellish hounds can develop a feeling as fast as you! You wasn't even up here for long and...oh man, this is awesome!)"

"(Excuse me?)"

"(It's hard to blend in as a Lycan but you, my friend, is so easy to blend in! I can't even do that for ages. Hey, Ifrit...that girl will become your companion. Just make sure you don't mess up.)"

"Ifrit, what is he saying?"

"Uh...about a companion? I can trust him." "How, Ifrit?" said Albreich when hearing him.

"I told him that you can be his wife if you both don't mess up. Ain't that a good thing?"

There was a silence between them, where Albreich just smacked his head and made a grunting voice. Lilac was stunned by it, but then she turned to Ifrit, approached him and said, "We can be great couples, but only if you're a better hellhound."

Ifrit was taken by it, and he just watched the ground near the carriage for a moment, when Lilac just made a small wolfish smirk and put her clawed hand on Ifrit's shoulder, while saying, "Hey, don't worry, Ifrit. You love me more than how I knew a hellhound can."

"You are more beautiful as a wolf than a human, after all," said Ifrit when he returned the smile with a smile full of sharp teeth, before embracing Lilac again. Eshdar just touched his hood and said, "Well, seeing a hellhound with a feeling is somethin'. Bet he'll get somethin' out of his mortal relationship."

"That 'something out' sounds more like taking out information than a more love-related, Winsel."

"Maybe you need to know that we are hellish beings, but some of us are not raised as a ruthless one, like him, or those livin' in this world for too long, like my dad."

Albreich tried to change the topic, and when he found it, he said, "How's Anarim? Is he okay?"

"Dad's still living out as a farmer. I merely followed his old job as a hunter. He was always talking about a young boy who wasn't scared on hellhounds. Could that be you? You're the first human I know to know dad."

"Maybe...but Anarim went back to hell when I knew he was a hellhound."

"That's when he wanted to take his mistress...and my mom, to the surface world and start a new life. I've never contacted him for three years now. This region and where he lives is a one month trip with these transport."

"I came from there too, and yes, I've been living for three years out of my region trading around the continent."

"Somethin' I wanna do when I was a cub. You're lucky, man. I only go around this bordered part and some of the Adaline one. I wish I can do that later in my life."

"I don't know. You have a very good chance with that immortality."

"Hey, man, lemme tell ya somethin' about immortality. You mortals believed we are immortals, which are just myths. We live longer than most mortal races, but of course we are NOT immortals. Nothin' live forever except the souls and those heavenly beings. Hellish beings know a term called (citizenship), or in your language, permanent life in hell."

As both Ifrit and Lilac went inside the carriage for another trip, Albreich and Eshdar went to the driver's part and started to make the horses move again towards Arbal, which was directly west. Eshdar then put out his hood, revealing his ringed horn akin to an earring.

"You people might know the term damnation and purgatory, right? If you're a faithful person, that is. When a wicked hostile mortal soul was killed, they reached a place called purgatory, where judges of the underworld and else take what they will get in the afterlife. Then, they will be given a place to live in the form of key based on what stupid things they had done in their lives. The hellish domain, as you know it, is not where wicked souls are eternally tortured. We don't do that shitty thing. Damnation is also a human's term for us to get back down there, but I don't wanna."

"Then where do all of these things I knew come from?"

"Look, man, there's no heaven or hell. Those souls I mentioned before attained their human body, yes, but they are like walking dead down there and suffered the same pain they got when they are killed, as ethereal heat down there gives the 'torture' you're talking about. Some with less hostility are given a chance to be a hellish citizen, in this case, living down there, but as a different creature. Either way, it's a 'torture' to you all. That's why hellish-born hellhounds seldom be able to experience what mortal life they could get up here, and become as hostile as those you encounter before."

"Then what is about the..."

"Oh, about how the hell was imagined? It's because of the very long war that forced many of the hellhounds to get to the surface to run. Not like most hellish creatures, we can freely get out from that goddamn place because we're lesser beings with connections with this world's Lycans, except for these demonic horns and tail. Many hellhounds ran from hell and vowed never to return while trying to block hostile ones."

"There are many hellhounds living in the surface?!" "You think that caring and loving black fur is the only one with feelings? Many of us developed that mortal thing when we tried to be civilized. The result: I am more like a talking demon dog with human value and survival instinct."

Albreich didn't talk more than that and concentrated on the road. Eshdar took the time to polish his dagger and watched the night road, looking like a hunting dog in guard with his master beside him. Albreich just wanted to make sure the hellhound wasn't trying to talk his way with some of his friends, as he couldn't understand how Eshdar could be a cheerful hellhound, something more than what a cheerful man would do. Eshdar was like in euphoria, but in a good way as he could feel the genuine happy feeling in his voice. Albreich was easy to know when someone was lying, and of course Eshdar and Ifrit didn't look like they were lying.

Yet, every precaution was necessary, and thus, Albreich had made a secret if he knew Eshdar was lying. He would just...

Eshdar suddenly jumped from his sitting position, took his bow and put and arrow on his hand. When the surprised Albreich wanted to object, the hellhound was clearly alerted, with bared teeth and wild eyes the trader could see some danger was near them.

"Albreich, don't stop the carriage. Whatever you do, don't panic. There's a fuckin' animal out here."

"W...what? I don't hear anything."

"Be careful, I don't want to burn your house."

With that Eshdar took a deep breath and the arrow tip suddenly blazed with fire. He released the hand holding the arrow, and with the arrow flew with a whistling sound, and stopped with a stabbing voice to something. The animal suddenly made a painful roar before it died out. The fire was still on, but it quickly died out. From the fire Albreich could see that it was a forest bear, as he knew there were many of them around Adaline.

"That thing is somethin', but now it's dead. Okay, now, Albreich, how long can we reach Arbal?"

"Uh...from here we can reach it tomorrow afternoon."

"Nice. You won't miss the fest after all. I thought that ambush would surely give the time out, but I can say, your horses run pretty fast."

"That's because they are the best steeds I grew when they were just foals."

Back in the carriage, Ifrit went to sleep out of exhaustion. Both he and Lilac, unknowingly to Albreich, had been making out for sometimes before both became exhausted and went to sleep, cuddling each other. But then, Ifrit, in his exhaustion, gave in to the nightmares that plagued him.

Again, he was watching everything from his eyes. The scenery where he was being raised was around him. The hellish terrain, red as the hot magma around him, was enough for the comfort he could imagine. Yet, he wasn't alone.

The soft voices of the human souls around him were strong, but they weren't like the tortured one he knew. They were like the humans in war. No, this time, the souls were actually fighting, and he was in the middle of it. Great breeds of demons were fighting each other in something Ifrit didn't know. He was almost got hit by a winged demon when a human warrior soul stabbed it and burned it.

At the same time, he heard another voice. This one a shrill demonic one, but he could clearly see that it was a dravern, and it fended off many of the fighters. The soul offered his hand to Ifrit and from there he could see that he had small hand, akin to a cub. He didn't remember the dravern as she was blurred, but he could still hear her voice talking to him in a human's language.

"Be safe, young prince. You'll be the salvation of this world."

The voice echoed in his mind for a moment before it slowly echoed away with a screaming voice of a different place. His eyes were now fixed to other blurred figures, but he could see that they were hellhounds.

"(Will he be safe, my husband?)" "(Our child must survive. Let him get out from this forsaken place)."

"(We haven't given him a name yet.)"

"(Maybe now is a good time to give him. He won't remember all of this, except his name and his family. It will be best to tell his brother too.)"

He could feel something like a falling trickle of water on his body, as the other one, a female hellhound, now clear, said, "(Ifrit...I'm sorry I couldn't be a better...)" Most of her words were echoing and hard to hear, or maybe imagined, but what he could clearly hear was "(Your name is the power of fire that burns. Remember it, Ifrit of Schelkz)."

From there he suddenly heard many screams echoing in his head, followed by a strong fire sensation burning him. He then saw his arm and hand slowly became bones. They continued to burn relentlessly. They crawled to his head, slowly burning him.

He woke up with a jerk, panting hard on what he had just dreamed. He quickly darted his vision elsewhere, watching all around, and then his hand and arms. Nothing changed. He also saw his tail. Nothing changed. Everything was just a very bad dream.

"(Fucking nightmares)," he said to himself while trying to wake up. "(I really need to find out who is in those nightmares. What does he meant by 'not remembering anything'. Did my memories are erased? But why?)"

He woke up all night, waiting for the morning to come. Ifrit didn't come out until the sun had risen, where he went out to the coach part and was surprised Eshdar was there, trying to control the horses while Albreich went to sleep beside him.

"(Eshdar, how's your riding?)"

"(You can see what I'm doin'! Oh, fucking land animals! They are hard to control, man!)"

"(Let me help. What's wrong, boys?)"

The horses suddenly stopped making noises and just snorted on the mention. This surprised Eshdar, as he knew Ifrit was only asking.

"(Y...you talk to the animals? How?)"

"(Don't know. I've been friends with them the time I know them. They talk to me normally. What?)"

"(What did they say?)"

"(They say you pulled their reins too hard. There are not comfortable.)" "(Of course I can't pull it lightly!)"

"(You know what? Take a rest. I'll help you control them. Which way?)"

"(Just follow the road. We'll reach Arbal this afternoon if there is nothing to be a problem of)."

"(Thanks. I'm sorry if my human friends don't trust you. We have met many hellish hostiles recently, and of course, my girl is very concerned on my well-being.)"

Eshdar, reacting on the comment, just chuckled and sat beside the sleeping Albreich. He took out a cigarette, and while lighting it with his thumb, he said, "(I can say why they don't trust me from that horn of yours.)"

"(What?! Oh, fuck.... Yeah, a human used the horn to help me recover.)"

"(That's okay. I've lost my pride long time ago when I chose to live as a mortal, hunting food for the humans and the mortal hounds alike. I know it's hard for you to lose the horn, seeing that you're a hell-born hellhound. Well, don't worry, man. I don't disrespect you. I just don't want to see a nice hellhound becomes something tyrannical.)"

"(Thank you.)"

"(Yeah, you're welcome. Say, about those horses. How do you talk to them?)"

"(I don't know. I only talk with my own language and they understand. I somehow understand them, too. I've been able to do this with other creatures down there, but somehow English is something different.)" After blowing out an amount of smoke, Eshdar said, "(Nergora could talk to the forest animals. He soothed a dying deer after I shot it, and somehow the deer didn't move as much and die peacefully, without having me to slit its throat. You both really have a weird ability. Maybe if I meet another of the Schelkz family, I can see more of your) Dolittle (thing)."

"Dolittle?" "(Nah, you won't understand.) Adaline's (talk)."

Both hellhounds talked through their journey, giving many experiences to each other, and sometimes they broke into a laugh. Lilac, who had woken up some times ago, happened to hear their conversation. Despite of her not understanding the hellhounds, she was very much happy when Ifrit's voice changed from his usual deep gruff manner to a more light talk. Without anything to do, she joined into their conversation, and from there, the three canines became friends, as she slowly could trust Eshdar.

When the sun was high on the sky, the small group had finally reached Arbal. Unlike most of the settlements they had been through, Arbal wasn't all that crowded. Despite of Albreich getting a sum of money after safely delivering the goods, he didn't get as much when he was selling his things. Despite of Eshdar's connection to the innkeeper and the authentic trinkets from center Tragoria, it was still less than satisfying for them.

When the red and black furred hellhound helped folding the canopy, Albreich said, "Hey, hellhound."

"Yes?"

"You know, maybe you can be trusted after all. You are a good person to talk to, and I'm glad I can still believe on some other hellhounds other than the black fur. If you want to, you can travel with me to Renita."

"And where do I fit into your group?"

"Simple. You can be our food control. Ifrit and Lilac sometimes went over the edge and ate most of our foods. I can't blame them since they are canines. You, on the other hand, can control that urge."

"Thanks, but I can't follow you throughout your journey. I'd love to, but this place is still my home. Besides, I don't want to burden you in spending money only to buy 30 arrows to this newcomer."

"It's alright. Arrows are not that expensive in Adaline region," said Albreich, knowing very well that archers mostly lived in Adaline settlements. "But, I can't afford paying your expenses if you wish to buy some new clothes for your rather...open attire."

"You don't need heavy clothes like Ifrit's if you're huntin'. Besides, Adaline is hot like my first home, so your kind of cold suits are not necessary. You'll know more."

"Your choice of clothing is still too tribal for me."

Eshdar just smiled. "Hellhounds are a wild canine race, after all, more than werewolves."