“So, what do you think?”

Everyone was at a loss of words when they saw the car the next morning. It seemed so different and so contemporary. The one thing they noticed was the lack of horses.

“No horses?” said Ifrit. “You plan to buy today?”

“Horses?” Albert chuckled. “Where we’re going, we don’t need horses. Liz here is a technological innovation called an automobile, or auto-carriage, or car, for short. I’m sure you have seen them on the road, but this is something more than those mass-produced models. The power of 40 horses, all inside the hood. Anti-skid all-purpose rubber tires courtesy of Feuerstein. Headlamps that can illuminate dark, moonless night. All metal frame mixed with wood for lighter weight and therefore fuel efficiency. And to top it all off, leather seats that fit six adult people and a big compartment for luggage that can be expanded.”

“40 horses in a compartment that small?” said Eshdar pointing at the engine hood. “That’s kinda unbelievable.”

Albert gave him a smile as he got into the car and pushed in the car key positioned under the steering wheel. He twisted it to the right and heard the engine roared to life, surprising everyone standing nearby. That car was certainly louder than the cars parked nearby and was far more powerful. Even Albert was genuinely surprised by how loud the engine was.

“Holy shit!” exclaimed Eshdar. “I thought I heard a beast growling just now.”

“I must admit, it’s louder than what I used to,” said Albert. “But 40 horsepower is twice more than the cars out on the road this year, so that might be a factor.”

“There is no carriage to pull,” said Lilac upon noticing that the car’s all there is. “You quit being a hauler and spend your money to buy a car?”

“Oh, no, Lilac. You see, this is mine,” said Albert with a wink. “Liz was Schrader-Motoren-Werke Prototype No. 5, or SMW Mark 5. I was a test driver for this car. As a compensation, when they moved on to Mark 6, I was given this car. The car wasn’t fitted to work off-road, so I couldn’t use it for my Tragorian-based hauling business. It’s the opposite in Dusdolf and Adaline where cars are more common, so there are more paved roads. However, this prototype is one of a kind, and I intend to treat it better than the home carriage burned down on the road to Sandorf.”

“So, the package you mentioned earlier…?”

“Was this car, yes.”

“Wait a sec,” said Sammael. “I thought I heard it wrong, but…didn’t you just call the car…Liz?”

“The inventor’s a bit quirky. Each prototype is named after a woman’s name. Pauline, Marie, Adele, Emma, and Elizabeth. Liz for short.”

“Sounds like he doesn’t go out much,” said Eshdar.

“He frequents a bar.”

“Not good enough for me.”

Albert quickly tried to change the subject. “Anyway,” said Albert after clearing his throat. “Now that we got a car, we can finally go to Summinat much faster than a train. We need answers, and the best place to find one is Anarim Winsel, the same hellhound who warned me about this. But I think it’s better if we discuss this on the way there. Standing around talking isn’t going to make any progress. I’ll check out of the hotel and then we’ll drive. What do you say?”

“I’ll go buy provisions,” said Lilac.

“I can go with you,” said Ifrit to Lilac.

“I’d love to, Ifrit, but I’ll go with Sam. That wound of yours would certainly draw the wrong crowd. Lycans doesn’t seem to be scrutinized, so I suppose I could.”

“And no one’s gonna harass a lady with a human-sized ‘dog’, right?” said Sammael. “Shall we get going, Lilac?”

Lilac smiled as both walked back to the town together along with Albert, leaving Ifrit and Eshdar.

Eshdar was surprised by this, knowing that Lilac and Ifrit were an item, and they usually walk together around town. She did give the reason, but the Hunter hellhound asked about it anyway.

“(You two having a fight?)” said Eshdar as Ifrit checked the black-painted car.

“(You were with us the whole evening. You heard an argument?)” asked Ifrit back.

“(Just a couple days ago, Lilac is terrified of Sammael. Now, they look like the best of friends).”

“(Eshdar, are you jealous? Look, I understand if you are. A surface Lycan and a Royal hellhound doesn’t seem to be the kind of couple you’d expect, but it happens, alright. It’s a progress).”

“(Jealous?)” said Eshdar with a surprised tone. “(Why should I? Don’t get me wrong, but I pretty much prefer a redhead or a were-vulpine. Even then, I don’t think the surface were-people will even consider dating me if they know having sex with a hellhound will turn them into one).”

“(Maybe Hunters are different. I mean, I am me and you are you. It might not apply to you).”

“(Maybe so. Still, I won’t do it if there is a risk involved).”

“(You have your reasons. Anyway, no. We are not fighting. Lilac was quite clear that I’m too conspicuous with a bandage. Also, I think they already know that our eyes aren’t exactly like Lycans).”

“(I think that’s because of the bodies left by the hellhounds. Now, they know hellhounds are different from Lycans by a wide margin. For starters, those hellhounds did not look like wolves and they have horns. In any case, we’re lucky you resemble a wolf and I resemble a fox. They are not suspicious enough to ask for anyone wearing hats, but it’s best if we stay away from public areas).”

“(You sure you don’t wanna cover your antler horns?)” asked Ifrit.

“(It’s a headdress. Werefoxes are supposedly tribal, remember? They won’t even consider antlers ‘horns’).”

“(Well…hopefully, that won’t be a problem).”

And so, they waited. Eshdar checked his pocket watch from time to time, hoping that they were not too late. Fortunately, around 30 minutes later, the three returned carrying food items in a wicker picnic basket Sammael carried on his back, along with a folded map. Everyone seemed to be ready to go, so Albert simply put the wicker basket inside the back compartment and said, “Well then. Shall we?”

Upon entering the car, Albert soon notice several gadgets that seemed to explain the ‘secrets’ Marlene told him the previous night. Unlike most cars, Liz had a big compartmental dashboard that covered most of the steering mechanism but kept the steering wheel free to use. The compartments housed several intriguing gadgets which included an onboard compass, a glove box that also kept an extra revolver, and even several indicators for fuel, pressure, and oil. However, the one thing that intrigued Albert was the small and portable wireless telegraph unit, both to send and receive. Johann once told him that it was called a ‘radiotelegraphy’, or a wireless. Even for Albert, it was surprising that Johann wasn’t the inventor, but someone else. It being installed in a car did seem rather weird, but very practical for a traveler like Albert.

The Anchor, as Albert was told, was actually a prototype gear locking mechanism that would prevent the car to be pushed without the car key. The car was unique in that it had four transmission instead of three. The common three were Drive, Neutral, and Reverse. Liz had Drive, Neutral, Reverse, and the locking mechanism simply called Park. It simply locked the car’s wheel axle so it wouldn’t turn without the proper key, preventing theft. The steel-plated body, coupled with metal frame and wooden body, completed the defense for the car. The only part that wasn’t bulletproof was the glass.

Even so, Albert promised Marlene (and by extension, Johann) that he would take good care of the car. Unlike the mass-produced cars currently all over Ternor, Liz was one of a kind. Marlene did tell him that she did not mind scratches and dents, so Albert was confident of his driving skills unless there was an external factor involved.

Nevertheless, he started to doubt if his decision was correct. The mobile home carriage was inconspicuous, but a loud car with 40 horsepower would certainly draw attention. His doubt was soon replaced with elation when he realized that Marlene had installed a hush kit for the engine, reducing noise pollution while driving. It was only loud when being started up.

As for the rest of the group, the cabin was spacious. There was not much room to move about, but the seats were comfy enough and the leg space was big enough for an enjoyable ride. Albert and Eshdar sat on the front while Sammael, Ifrit, and Lilac rode the passenger seats. Eshdar acted as navigator and was responsible for checking the routes on the map.

“So, what are you going to ask when we reach Summinat?” said Eshdar. “Grandad might hold the answers, but you need to ask the right questions.”

“I was hoping you can tell me what you know. Didn’t your grandfather confide in you?”

“If he did, it was not everything. He tasked me to find Royal survivors and all I got was Ifrit. I don’t know what his deal with finding royals, but I can assure you it’s nothing nefarious.”

“What make you think so?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Some people can be paranoid. I could just fake being a Royal and gain your trust and lure you into a trap.”

“If that is the case, then we’ll see who’s faster. The archer or the sniper. I’m up for a challenge.”

Eshdar chuckled. “Maybe in a shooting range. Nah, Al. You know I’m kidding, right? Is it not funny?”

“You don’t see me pull out my gun. I know you’re not serious. Anyway, back to the incursion. Anything you can tell me? Oh, and for those in the back, it’s better if you can give us any inputs.”

Eshdar contemplated for a moment before he said, “Grandad said the Jackals hold the answer.”

“Jackals?” asked Sammael. “You mean (Death’s Jackals)?”

“He said Death’s Jackals,” said Ifrit.

“What’s that?” asked Lilac.

“A specific race of hellhounds tasked to guard the gate of hell,” said Sammael. “Yeah, I know it sounds stupid, but the thing is, the gate of hell is real. I don’t know what it really looked like, but I heard master Hynorsi said it was some sort of portal kept sealed by the Jackals. I didn’t come through the gate. I was summoned.”

“Okay. So, why are the Jackals so important?”

“While the Jackals themselves aren’t important, I heard the royal family is. They hold the secret on how to unseal the gate. If the secret is out, the gate will let demons from the lower circles of hell to invade,” said Sammael.

“And considering the demon in the park, it is either the demons are being summoned, or they went through the portal after the Jackals have been compromised,” concluded Albert. “But if that is the case, then the Underworld—”

“Is full of demons, and we might be too late,” finished Eshdar. “The incursion has begun in the Underworld and is only recently spilling to the surface world.”

“But Underworld is not in chaos,” said Ifrit. “I lived more than 20 years down there. No demons are around. (Blood Beasts), yes, but demons, no.”

“I won’t be so sure about that, Ifrit,” said Eshdar. “The Underworld’s a vast region beneath this hollow Earth’s crust. I can’t tell much about it, but I can bet you know what I’m talking about.”

Ifrit nodded in confirmation. The Underworld was very big. It was similar in size, and maybe even bigger, with the whole of Ternor continent. What Ifrit didn’t know would be beyond the sea of magma that could only be traversed by a special ship. He would consider travelling through the sea to escape if he did not end up on the surface.

“But if they’re trying to open the gate,” said Lilac. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to hunt the Jackals instead of any royal hellhounds?”

“Royal hellhounds are prime targets due to the Uprising,” said Sammael. “I don’t know the details, but years of neglect and mismanagement of their kingdoms can get the commoners uneasy and fed up. It’s nothing against you, Ifrit. Some royals are corrupt, and they don’t deserve to be saved. Well, your family’s a very rare exception, though. I can see it in you.”

“Thanks for the assurance,” said Ifrit while rubbing Sammael’s skull-covered head.

They drove on the dirt road while still discussing the reason for the Incursion and the uprising, while also doing some sightseeing along the way. Eshdar was too busy navigating while Albert was driving, so Lilac and Ifrit were the ones that were actually enjoying the beautiful landscape. Lilac looked at the corn fields while thinking of her home. It had been almost a month since she started traveling with Ifrit and Albert, and her life was never the same since then. She lost her ability to change forms, along with learning and improving many skills that she would not use back him. She always had first aid skills and later learned survival and firearm skills from Albert, who gave her a semi-automatic pistol. She was learning how to handle a rifle as they traveled through the region.

Yet, the most important thing she gained was courage. She gained courage to act against her indecisive life, and while it was born out of an accident, she never regretted it. She gained courage to help her friends in dangerous situations, and that helped her survive with Ifrit.

Lilac wondered what made her able to accept the increasing violence throughout her adventure. She turned to Ifrit, wondering if he was the answer to that question. The first time she saw Ifrit killed the hellhound, she was horrified. She never thought a fireplace poker could be so deadly when wielded by someone with enough strength and brutal creativity. Nowadays, Ifrit used a sword he kept from his first kill on the surface, though even he did not rely on it in situations that involved guns. Ifrit’s strength came from how brutal he fought and how improvised they were. His improvised street brawling skills came from experience, and it showed. Yet, he was a hellhound full of contradictions. Chiefly, his personality and his brutality were complete opposites.

On first impression, Ifrit came out as rude due to his almost zero understanding of Tragorian. However, he learnt fast, and he managed to communicate. His Tragorian may sound broken for native speakers and he had a very thick accent added to it, but it wasn’t intelligible, and Lilac could understood him well. Not sure when or where she started had feelings for Ifrit, but she knew the night of the full moon wasn’t something born to satiate a lust; it was born from their interactions in the past month. Maybe it began when he showed he could be merciful for those who needed help, and his desire to protect Lilac as a form of gratitude. This was all against his brutal methods in fights.

In the end, none of that really mattered. What mattered was that she loved her, and the feeling was mutual. Nothing could change that. Nothing unless they chose it to be.

She did not want to think about it all. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the scenery. The corn field felt like it went on forever, which defined the region of the nation they traveled through. She had never seen a corn field so vast before. Before she could appreciate the size of the corn field, they stopped by a station to refill their gas.

For a village girl like Lilac riding her first car, the idea of a gas station was rather new for her. True to what the region represented, gas stations and paved road were common the closer they were to the Dusdolf-Adaline border. The gas station was small with minimal facilities. Lilac noticed that there was only an outhouse along with a house that was owned by a family of Lycans. Again, the Lycans chose to be in their werewolf form instead of being human, which surprisingly included the children. Lilac, being the friendly and familiar Lycan that she was, approached one of the children playing while Albert was filling the car’s fuel.

“Hello, there, little one,” said Lilac with a friendly smile. “What are you playing?”

The wolf girl, as Lilac expected, was guarded at first. But, when she saw that Lilac was sincere, she smiled and said, “Catch.”

“With a ball this small?” said Lilac upon seeing the white, seamed ball in the other child’s hand, presumably her brother. The wolf girl nodded with a brimming smile full of sharp teeth, white and healthy.

Just before she could ask more, the mother called them into the house. She smiled towards Lilac as the children ran inside before she approached her. She was dressed like most housewives: a humble-looking dress and an apron already stained with whatever food she was preparing. Whatever it was, it must’ve involved meat. Her claws were clean and well-trimmed, which gave no indication of being able to rend flesh. This almost made Lilac wished she took care of her sharp claws.

“Well, you’re far from home, eh, miss?” said the Lycan with quite an accent. “Ain’t seen no Trags this far inland.”

“Trags?”

“Tragorians. Heard you talk to little Betty there. Ain’t she a cutie?”

“Quite so. Her eyes are just like her mother.”

“as yellow as the corns come fall. You should come during harvest.”

“I’ll ask the guys about it. Thanks for the invite.”

“Speakin’ of guys, they’re callin’ you. Guess they finished with the gas filling. Go on, then. Name’s Janice, by the way.”

“Lilac. It’s nice meeting you, Janice.”

Lilac walked back to her friends while waving her hand goodbye. Then, she caught something interesting on the way there. She heard the conversation of a couple with a red car who just got to the station and was filling their gas.

“You hear? The Vampire’s in Adaline.”

“Vampire? You mean the serial killer?”

“No, silly. He never killed anyone. And guess what comes with him.”

“The sniper Demon Hunter?”

“Bingo! You know, maybe they’re one and the same. It doesn’t sound like a coincidence to me.”

“Well, I hope I don’t cross paths with either of them or him. Dusdolf is already creepy enough, and now we got their problem in Adaline? I don’t want to look at my back walking at night.”

Lilac chose not to ask, knowing they wouldn’t appreciate it. She simply walked towards the others as they called her. Albert then continued their journey to Summinat.

“The Vampire sounds ominous,” said Lilac while they drove. “You heard about it, Al?”

“Marlene told me about it,” said Albert. “Apparently, people assumed he is a serial killer, but he never kills anyone. His quirk is simply because he drinks blood like a vampire. At the same time, the sniper Demon Hunter is actively killing demons and affiliated hellhounds.”

“A hellhound killer?” asked Ifrit. “You mean, he’s—"

“Possibly the same Brenik sniper. The hellhounds who ambushed you two were killed by the same sniper.”

“I assumed it was you,” said Lilac. “Or Eshdar.”

“The shot came from a blind spot behind a tree on a roof across the park. Even a good sniper can only guess what’s behind the trees, but the sniper shot the heads of five hellhounds perfectly. He has good aim, and on top of that, it was as if he can see through the thick foliage.”

“And the Vampire? He’s here, too?”

“Just read the news this morning. A drunkard was found unconscious near a bar. He lost a lot of blood, apparently from the bite mark on his neck. Saved by his sister in an emergency blood transfusion.”

“Wow. That’s a terrible serial killer if I ever hear one,” commented Lilac.

“Maybe he got a kick from drinking blood. Some people are just that freaky,” said Eshdar.

Sammael, who was sitting around listening to the conversation, saw Ifrit pondering about something. He did not join the conversation. Sammael wondered if he knew anything about the Vampire, so he asked, “(Ifrit, what’s on your mind?)”

“(Bloodsucking Vampire. Now where did I hear that?)”

“(You heard about this before?)”

“(It’s…similar, somehow. I don’t remember it that clearly. It happened a long time ago. I was a child).”

“(Interesting. How old were you?)”

“(Somewhere around 5 or 6. Were you around back then?)”

“(I kept my distance).”

Ifrit then wondered about Sammael. As a Barghest, and therefore, a demon, he must’ve lived far longer than everyone in the car. He must’ve known something. Yet again, Sammael did not react while hearing about the news, so he might be in the dark as everyone on the car. With a heavy sigh, Ifrit decided to relax and try to remember about it.

It wasn’t particularly traumatic or anything, so he had a vague recollection about it. However, it would take more time to remember it. Maybe he would before they reached Summinat.

As Ifrit pondered, the car continued its travel to Summinat.