Rhynsa said it was hell on Earth. He never thought he would witness such thing up close, especially on the surface.

Burning towns or villages were nothing new for the Fuzandre, but he would never get used to it. If he did, then it was what Barney said: he crossed the line. The fact that he was also horrified was good enough for him.

The town, named Kerrick based on the ‘Welcome to Kerrick’ sign, was burning. It was also in the middle of an attack from creatures the Underworlders could identify as Urkuls, savage Underworlders that was closer to a beast than a sapient being. They could handle weapons and they could communicate, but unlike hellhounds, they preferred violence over civilization. It was clear by their relentless attack on the townspeople, who tried in vain to battle them, even if some, with great effort, managed to kill some using whatever weapon they had in the town, including swords, spears, and even sharp rakes.

Mizarka, who had no idea who or what the Urkuls were, asked, “(What the hell are those?)”

“(Urkuls),” said Rhynsa as he pulled out his rifle and readied it for battle. “(And believe me, you want to keep your distance, or in your case, keep moving).”

“(We’re going to engage them? No detours?)”

“(Can’t guarantee their safety. Besides, we need to show them we know what we’re doing).”

“(Do you know what you’re doing?)”

“(Yeah).”

Rhynsa turned around and called Asrati, who was already standing near the Fuzandre upon hearing the desperation in Mizarka’s voice.

“(You ever fought Urkuls before?)” asked Rhynsa.

“(Back when things are normal, yes),” said Asrati. She then saw the Urkuls wreaking havoc and said, “(So, are we going or not? At this rate, those surface dwellers won’t gonna last).”

“(I like your enthusiasm).” Said Rhynsa. “(Your call, hound. We’ll support you).”

“(Right!)”

Asrati called her group and explained to them what they were going to do. It was also a chance for Rhynsa to see their true intentions, or see if they were trustworthy or not. Rhynsa tried to act like he trusted them, but he would never trust anyone until they saw their true intentions, or at least know they were willing to sacrifice themselves. He had those reservations towards Arnulfe and Mizarka, but unlike Asrati and her group, they convinced him rather quickly, especially with Arnulfe’s no-nonsense and cheery attitude and Mizarka’s genuine guilt of losing the prince she was supposed to protect. He would always keep his allies at arms’ length until he could be completely convinced.

He also did not want to see them die in vain, however. He would support them the best he could. As Asrati readied her people, Barney came to Rhynsa and said, “Don’t tell me you are planning to fight those monsters.”

“If you want to stay out of this, that’s fine,” said Rhynsa. “We don’t need more bodies to bury.”

“In that case, let us join you.”

“What did I just say?”

“There is a chance they’ll attack you. Distraught people are as dangerous as the monsters they’re trying to fight,” reasoned Barney. If they see Lycans and humans fighting along the hellhounds, we might have a chance to convince them. You know what I mean, right, Rhynsa?”

Rhynsa contemplated on Barney’s words and found that he was right. After shaking his head, he said, “Just don’t die. I don’t like to feel guilty.”

“Let me show you how roughers do things,” said Barney with a smile. “Lads! Show ‘em who they’re messin’ with!”

The young men and women answered his call and joined the hellhounds, all ready with melee weapons and guns that they stashed among the populace. Rhynsa heard one of them telling the hellhounds that, even if they did not understand each other, they could trust each other. It sounded rather nice, though Rhynsa would reserve it until they could be trusted. Even so, he wasn’t the kind of Fuzandre who could easily understood others, not after years of doubting everyone he met.

The humans, Lycans, hellhounds, and Fuzandres made a quick plan and quickly approached Kerrick, which drew the attention of the hellhounds and the Urkuls. Rhynsa’s shot was the first shot that started the fight, along with one of the hellhounds throwing a smoke bomb that obscured everyone, including the allies. Only Arnulfe and Rhynsa, both using their echo senses, could differentiate between the enemies and allies, with both dispatching the enemies with ease. The hellhounds were also trained to fight in the smoke, with them also able to fight despite their limited vision.

The Urkuls were big and imposing, but they had no idea how to fight smart. They were the first to fall when the hellhounds and the surface dwellers targeted them and dispatching them first, before proceeding to fight the hellhounds who looked very disheartened when the monstrous brawlers were dispatched so quickly. The hellhounds, however, were not ready to give up and fought fearlessly with the hellhounds and the surface dwellers. The battle raged on while the people of Kerrick tried desperately to douse the flames from their burning town while also fending off the hellhounds that did not join the melee.

Arnulfe and Mizarka, both breaking off from the main melee, fought the rest that decided to prey on the non-fighters. Arnulfe’ brutality, along with Mizarka’s tenacity and Rhynsa’s sharpshooting skills, made the fight quick and simple. The hellhounds, however, were motivated because of Mizarka.

“(There! She’s a Jackal!)” exclaimed one of them. “(Don’t let her get away!)”

They were unfazed by Rhynsa shooting at them and Arnulfe trying to get them away from Mizarka. The Jackal could see rage on their faces, as if they were attacking her because she somehow made their lives miserable. That, or their fanaticism had made them suicidal.

One of them managed to reach Mizarka and, while raising her sword, declared, “(You destroyed our chance of salvation! You and your stupid monarchs!)”

She wasn’t supposed to declare her intentions. It made her open to Rhynsa, who did not hesitate to shoot the hellhound through her head. Mizarka got an idea and decapitated the hellhound, raising while grabbing the female hellhound’s head over her head.

“(Come at me, and I’ll make sure she’s not the only head I have on my hand!)” exclaimed Mizarka with a growl. “(I am the Death’s Jackal serving the House of Caropus, and I will see your heads on spikes for your foolishness!)”

The hellhounds did not relent. In fact, they became enraged by the brutality. Arnulfe fought half while Mizarka, showing her advanced ability with her crescent sword and her buckler, parried their attacks and made good of her promise, decapitating them most of them while sparing one who became scared of what she was capable of. She went to the last hellhound, appearing like she was going to finish the job. The hellhound, unnerved, screamed as she swung her sword. Unknown to him, she used her sword’s pommel to hit his head, rendering him unconscious.

Arnulfe walked up to her and said, “(Damn, Miza! I never pegged you as a headhunter).”

“(I never thought so, either),” said Mizarka as she swung her sword to clean the blood on the blade. “(Too bad I can’t make good of my promise).”

Arnulfe quickly understood what she was talking about. The decapitated heads and the bodies slowly turning into ash, signifying that the hellhounds were already corrupted by demons. They did not see any demons, however, but they couldn’t be more careful.

The hellhounds and the Urkuls were not a problem, and Kerrick, at least most of the townspeople, were saved. The town was beyond saving, and the survivors decided that they could not save the town. Barney talked with the ones in charge and managed to convince them that they would be better to follow them to a more defensible position, telling them that he and his people also lost their town when the demons and the enemy hellhounds attacked them. This proved how instrumental the surface dwellers in convincing that the hellhounds were trying to save them, not join the attackers, as did some of the townspeople thought at first.

After signaling that it was safe, and with the convoy now growing in size with the survivors of Kerrick, they started moving again, this time taking a road just outside the stricken town. As they continued their journey, however, Rhynsa wasn’t satisfied. In fact, as the convoy continued, he kept thinking about the attack on Kerrick and whether it was just that.

“(It’s too easy),” he said to Mizarka. “(There’s no demons and the Urkuls were disconcerted).”

“(Do you really have to wish for danger every time we are fighting an easy battle?)” said Arnulfe.

“(Can’t help it, kid. We’re in the middle of a hostile region. We might as well…wait, did you hear that?)”

“(I did).” Arnulfe quickly turned towards where he heard the noise. His echo sense managed to sense something coming right at them, specifically Mizarka. Arnulfe promptly ran and stood in front of her. An invisible attack cut through his shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain. However, his quick thinking made him able to grab something in the air with his clawed wings. Arnulfe promptly and violently ripped the flesh off the invisible enemy, causing it to let out a very loud shriek while also causing the enemy’s camouflage to fail.

His appearance shocked the three, along with the rest of the hellhounds and surface dwellers that stayed to help protect the evacuating civilians. Suddenly, both Arnulfe and Rhynsa sensed a lot more of the invisible enemies moving about. They could not be easily detected by echoes, mostly because they absorbed sound for stealth. However, once they moved, they could easily be detected. The Fuzandres, however, were not able to react accordingly since they could not anticipate them.

The invisible assassin’s appearance was humanoid, much like the hellhounds and the Fuzandres, but they were serpent-like. It reminded Rhynsa of snakes, but with arms and legs like a reptilian. However, they were distinctively different from the Raptors he read in the news, especially since the description and the pictures made them completely different from the serpent-like assassin. The fact that it had four eyes and sharp spikes on its back further made it clear that they were not Raptors.

They were also revealed to be demons when Rhynsa shoot one of them. It dodged the bullet, but not perfectly. When the bullet grazed their temple, it caused the wound to be worse than it should while also smoking and turning parts of the wound to turn into ash. Only demons would have that kind of effect. Demons or corrupted ones. These demons, however, were slippery and very nimble, with both Mizarka’s sword skills and Rhynsa’s sharpshooting could not even hit them. Like snakes, their bodies contorted in an unpredictable way, both to dodge and to attack. This made them unpredictable and dangerous.

The still invisible ones attacked and killed many of the hellhounds and surface dwellers that tried to protect the convoy. Rhynsa, upon noticing this, shouted, “Barney, get the hell out of here! You’re no match against them, not without Demon Hunter weapons!”

“I figured as much! But how about you?!”

“We got your back! Just go!”

Barney nodded and told his comrades to retreat. Some of the hellhounds followed them, but Asrati and many other stayed and stood their grounds.

“(Tell us what to do, Rhynsa!)” said Asrati. “(Can you find them with your senses? I know what you Fuzandres are capable of, so help us!)”

“(Right in front of you! Pull out your knife and stab! Now!)”

Asrati did so. The knife was not a Demon Hunting knife, so it did not cause the demon to disintegrate or being fatally injured. However, it stopped the snake-like demon, and that gave Mizarka a chance to cut its head. It disintegrated into ashes.

“(Thanks, Mizarka!)” said Asrati.

“(You’re welcome).”

“(Mind if I borrow that? Or anything like that?)”

“(This one’s mine. Sorry).”

Asrati looked disappointed as Mizarka followed Arnulfe’s direction against the snake demons. Rhynsa, however, gave her an automatic pistol and a magazine while saying, “(Aim and shoot. Use both hands if you don’t know how to handle it with one. 15 shots, plus one mag. 30 in total. Make it count).”

“(I don’t think 30 will be enough, Rhynsa!)”

“(I said make it count. Demon killing bullets are not that simple to make. But if you prefer a knife, here).”

Rhynsa gave her one of his dirks, which she expertly handled. The Fuzandre broke away from Asrati when he sensed one of the snakes attacking the two. He tried to retaliate, but the snake was able to dodge his and Asrati’s attacks before disappearing.

“(Damn it),” Rhynsa thought. “(These assholes are troublesome. I thought everything can reflect sound, but these demons don’t even create echoes! What should I do?)”

Arnulfe and Mizarka fared much better, however, with Arnulfe managing to point at where the demons were for Mizarka to attack. While most of her attacks did not connect, they were getting close to killing the demons in one swing of her sword. Arnulfe thought it was because of his echo senses being much better than Rhynsa’s due to his bigger ears, but there was something else. Somehow, he could ‘guess’ where the demons were, even if his echo sense was not able to at first. He somehow sensed them, which was different from locating them through echoes.

This happened with the bat demon, too. Like that bat demon, he was immune to the effect of his ability. This time, he could sense demons without relying on his echo sense. He wondered about it, though he appreciated it.

Using this sense, Arnulfe and Mizarka managed to drive the snake demons back. Arnulfe use this chance to try and focus, hoping that it could make his senses sharper. He tried to find where the snakes could be, knowing that his echo senses were unreliable at that moment.

He started to become worried when he couldn’t sense anything. However, just as he looked around, he felt a presence. Arnulfe quickly turned, but then found himself stabbed one of the snake demons. Its strength was enough to push the Fuzandre to a wall, all while twisting its knife, causing Arnulfe to groan in pain, gritting his teeth while glaring at the demon, who decloaked.

All four of the snake demons’ eyes were fixed to Arnulfe, as if reading his expression. With a hiss and a flick of its reptilian tongue, it said, “(So, it is you).”

“(What?)” said Arnulfe, confused by what the snake said. Before he could get an answer, Mizarka swung her sword and the demon broke off of Arnulfe before disappearing again. Arnulfe promptly pulled the dagger he was stabbed with, yelling as he pulled it with his feet.

“(Hey!)” said Arnulfe. “(Get back here! What do you mean by that?!)”

In his agitated state, he could see one of the demons and promptly opened his wings and gained air, knife tightly grabbed by his grabby paws. Then, he somersaulted, throwing the knife as he did so. The knife hit a different demon engaged with one of the hellhounds trying to fight it, distracting it enough to cause it to decloak, with Asrati promptly shooting it at point blank range.

“(One to go),” said Rhynsa as he tried to point the last demon. “(Please be the last one).”

He concentrated, trying his best to find the demon if he could focus on the subtlest echo he could sense. He was beaten by Arnulfe, however, who, unbeknownst to him, had an additional sense that Arnulfe had just been able to use effectively. Without even hesitating, Arnulfe flew to where the last snake demon was and snatched it like an eagle snatching its prey. He dropped over the snake and held it in place.

“(What did you mean by that, snake demon?! What do you know about me?)”

“(You can sense me. Don’t you think that says something about yourself?)” said the demon with hissing noises.

“(Stop talking in riddles and tell me directly!)”

“(I don’t know. Find out about it your--)”

Rhynsa came and finished off the snake, who turned into dust. Arnulfe became distraught and surprised by this. He quickly rose and confronted Rhynsa.

“(What the hell did you do that for! He’s going to say something important!)” exclaimed Arnulfe.

Rhynsa, taken aback by Arnulfe’s confrontation, said, “(What important thing? Arnulfe, what did that snake tell you?)”

Arnulfe wanted to say that the demon seemed to know something about Arnulfe, but then found that the demon did not know. He let out an exasperated sigh and said, “(Never mind. He’s just bluffing, brother).”

Rhynsa wasn’t as sure. He felt Arnulfe was hiding something as he limped back to Mizarka and dropped to one knee, starting to feel the effect of the injury he sustained earlier. The Fuzandre could try and ask, but he also had a feeling that Arnulfe might not know about it himself, much like how he did not understand why he was the only one who was not affected by the bat demon’s fear amplification.

For now, Rhynsa could revel on the victory over the demons, gaining important surface world allies as a result.