The ancient texts speak of the bloodhounds, those offspring of the legendary demonic race known as the Hellhounds. Though their numbers have dwindled near to extinction, it is said that a union between a Hellhound and a human gave rise to this unique breed. Scorned and shunned in most civilized lands, the bloodhounds have found a haven in the city of Garbrandt, where their presence is commonplace among the demi-human population, blending in among the likes of part-succubi and part-fiends. Possessing a form that is both bipedal and yet undeniably inhuman, the bloodhounds are known for their powerful, otherworldly features, chief among them being a sense of smell that surpasses even that of the most highly trained canine. Many of these creatures, driven by necessity, put their extraordinary abilities to use as hired trackers or in other pursuits that require an acute sense of smell.

~ The Bloodhound's Curse by Reanne Pytus

In an instant, the house turned into a death trap. Several projectiles, including a magic tea kettle, a clock, and a partially-eaten banana, were launched at him and Chester was forced to dodge them all while keeping an eye on Alvis and Bentham.

Bentham aimed for his leg while Alvis blocked his vision. Chester dove for the sides, separating himself seamlessly into two identical people. That stunned the children momentarily as they gauged who was the real one.

"Well, come at me! You got thirty seconds!" One of the mirages taunted. The slightest shimmer on his body, which would've gone unnoticed by an untrained eye, was caught instantly by the orphans.

"That's the real one!" Alvis shouted, twisting his head at the mirage that was silent. All the children enclosed real illusionist, preventing any form of escape. "Get him!"

Altogether, several orphans dove for Chester. This resulted in the mirage disappearing and many of them crashing into each other in a disorganized pile. Alvis looked dumbfounded, staring at the one he had originally thought was fake.

"You really thought I'd make a shitty mistake like that? Get real, kiddo!"

The curly-haired man stood in front of the door once more, slightly more triumphant than he should've been for winning against a bunch of adolescents.

Bentham, whose eyes were slightly overshadowed by his hair, turned to Sheila and gave her a subtle hand signal. She raised her hand and yanked on a string hanging loosely from the ceiling.

"NOW!"

Chester readied himself for another projectile but watched as a trap door unfolded from the ceiling. A small, lead hammer fell in a downward arc towards his neck and he dodged it just enough to barely graze his cheek. The speed of the hammer was nothing special, but having it come from a completely unexpected direction caught the man like a deer in the headlights.

"...What the fuck? When did you make that?"

"Sheila made it a few days ago. Remember that story you told us about? Home Alone? She got an idea and started making booby traps in case we ever got robbed." Bentham said with a smug smile. The children all celebrated, despite some of them nursing bumps on their heads when they all collided with one another.

Chester looked at them with disbelieving eyes. He had only done it a few times; practicing his illusion skills and using them to tell stories loosely based on movies he had watched on Earth. It wasn't anything he expected them to derive a lesson from. But instead, they generated a contraption that would've knocked out any unassuming intruders.

The girl in question, who was responsible for said trap, raised herself overhead with the help of Alvis to reach the ceiling. The string that lead upward opened another latch that could barely be seen. Chester didn't know it was a trap and had merely assumed they installed some sort of light switch. Her small, lithe arms fiddled with the contraption and the man watched as the hammer slowly raised itself back up into place.

'It's reusable too?! Dear lord, these kids are terrifying!'

Bentham coughed into his fist, looking at the adventurer with a raised brow.

"So...we can search for Mr. Damien, right?"

Chester sighed, still in disbelief over the whole ordeal. He had told them the challenge as a joke. He didn't think they'd even be able to get a whiff of him with one arm tied behind his back. Although he wasn't attacking back and limited himself to the bare minimum, they displayed a sense of ingenuity that transcended their age.

"Fuck, I suppose so. I wouldn't be surprised if you guys find him first."

The orphans all looked at each other and celebrated. Sheila in particular seemed eager to search for Damien. She was the one closest to him, after all. Her amber eyes looked on with determination.

"But," Chester put a halt to their celebratory acts. He put on a serious expression, furrowing his brows and talking in a cynical voice. "Put yourself first over everything. If you're in danger, run. Tell me if you can. We're not dealing with small-time thugs."

He knew how Damien thought. If the children were hurt on his behalf, he'd lose his mind. Chester couldn't handle seeing the orphans he saved being put in a perilous situation either. He had made connections with them thanks to their similar upbringings and didn't want them to get killed dealing with issues beyond their paygrade.

"We know that already," Alvis said. He was clearly the de-facto leader amongst them. They all rallied up behind him, and showcased maturity beyond their years. "If there's anyone who knows just how dangerous the Twilight Bandits are, it's us."

Chester sighed. He knew their help would be valuable in the end. He wanted to know Damien's status immediately, but putting that burden on such young shoulders didn't sit right with him either.

"...I'll take your word for it. I'll check in a couple times a day. Arm yourselves appropriately."

He ruffled through his bag for anything of use. If they were going to help look for Damien, they needed some equipment and items.

Although he lacked anything of significance, he gave them several knick-knacks he had no use for at the moment. His ring of protection, ring of deflection, and magic glue. They weren't much, but if it could help them he didn't mind.

"Take care of yourselves. Don't do anything too crazy."

Chester closed the door behind him, and spread his mana-sensing abilities out as far as he could. He sorely regretted not training them sooner as they would've been a great aid during his search.

"Now, where would a vampire prince hide from a bunch of gangsters?"

"Get that motherfucker!"

Damien managed to keep ahead of his pursuers despite his equipment weighing him down. Even with his END stat, he was slightly out of breath after running for so long. He turned sharply into a corner, going into a less crowded street. His eyes darted across the rows of dingy buildings to find the best way of escape. The cover of night helped him evade the forces devoted to his capture while also activating his racial bonus.

Rain fell quietly onto the streets, making the search that much more difficult.

Creature of the Night - Increased movement speed, HP/MP regeneration by 15% during nighttime. These are subsequently reduced by 10% during the daytime. Light magic deals 15% increased damage.

The leader of the pursuers, a mustached man carrying a small axe, quickly caught up to the direction the child went towards. From the corner of his vision, he spotted a dark blur heading into an insignificant alleyway. The man smirked, knowing that the alley was a dead-end with no avenues for escape.

"There! Before he escapes!"

A dozen men crowded the exit, confident their mission was as good as complete. The mustached leader squinted slightly to peer into the darkness, widening them after seeing nobody in the dead-end alley. He turned his head in disbelief, looking upwards to see another blur at the edge of his vision. His jaw fell open, knowing it was close to impossible for one to scale two stories in seconds

"THE ROOF! GO! OR THE ENFORCER WILL HAVE OUR HEADS!"

With the Twilight Bandits in a state of disarray, they were all exhausted trying to catch the elusive child. But they didn't dare stop, afraid of the consequences that came with telling Enforcer Oliver of their failure to capture a single child.

As their voices faded away, Damien peeked out from the interior of an abandoned building. His face was dirty and matted, but still handsome as ever. He used his mana-sensing abilities to quickly determine whether people were in the building before entering. He breathed a small sigh of relief, keeping his hood up. The silk hooded robe from Wisperium was the perfect attire to blend within the shadows. Although with the armor underneath, the robe was a tighter fit than before.

A scratching noise on the door alerted the vampire, and he opened it to reveal Maxwell, his wispy fur unaffected by the rainfall. His shadowy canine had been instrumental in avoiding many of his pursuers as a decoy. Maxwell possessed higher agility than the vampire while wearing armor, making him the ideal companion in his current situation.

"Good boy."

Although they shared a telepathic link that seemingly had no range limit, the problem with it was that they could not communicate words, merely intent. Damien talked to himself, filling the silence.

"At least he can comprehend running off in a general direction. I should look more into shadow servants. Can I have multiple?"

Maxwell's ears folded back cutely as the vampire absent-mindedly scratched him between the chin. Feelings of satisfaction and happiness flooded their telepathic link, making Damien smile slightly despite the grim circumstance he was in.

"If I can't reach any of them by tomorrow dawn, I think I'll have to leave the territory altogether."

Damien knew his capabilities. Avoiding the men so far was no easy feat, but he fully expected more to come. Despite his superior combat ability, he would eventually be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

He was already planning ahead, knowing that contacting Chester and the others before that timeframe was unlikely. Damien sorely regretted the way he chose to look for his brother. His attempt at undercover information gathering left him with an entire gang nipping at his heels. Cradling his hand in his head, he leaned on the rotting wall of the abandoned building and decided to rest.

Despite closing his eyes, Damien positioned himself in such a way so he could get up at a moment's notice. Maxwell stood by, guarding his master with care and diligence.

'...I hope things turn out well. If I had just been a little more patient...'

The vampire considered himself rather composed, but after being so close to his goal, Damien couldn't help but try and speed things up. He wanted to see Braham. His older brother. The boy believed Braham would have the answers, even if it logically didn't make sense.

His thoughts spiraled downwards. He began doubting himself, wondering if Braham was even in Garbrandt. Damien furrowed his brows, making a troubled expression as he focused on more positive thinking.

'I think he'll be proud of how much stronger I've become.'

The gap between them years ago was as wide as a canyon. Damien was considered a significant talent befitting his pedigree as the Rose clan's youngest. He stood at the top amongst his peers, even if he attributed it to the resources and training he had access to rather his own innate ability.

But the boy knew Braham was a true genius, and in combat even more. He couldn't even guess just how strong he was now, given years to grow and develop freely.

He recalled memories of his elder brother jumping into the fray for the first time, helping defend Wisperium from a horde of Orbweavers that had been encroaching upon their territory. Armed with only a sword and light armor, Braham eviscerated the man-sized insects with no support.

Damien had never been resentful of his brother. Admiring? Definitely. Jealous? Of course. But he never suffered mistreatment due to their disparity in fighting potential. In fact, he pitied his brother.

'Being that far ahead of everybody your age...he must've been so isolated.'

The black-haired boy knew even from a young age that his brother was not normal. Even when he had no friends, he never seemed troubled by that. But Damien always stayed close, believing that his eldest sibling needed the support even if he didn't show discomfort.

'Maybe he's found friends during his journey? Although he never mentioned anybody-'

Maxwell's bark interrupted his thoughts and he shot awake. Damien sensed a presence behind the door. Looking around, he realized there was no other way of escape. He would need to strike first before leaving the area.

Clutching his sword, he steeled his expression and got ready into a fighting stance. Contrary to his expectation, Maxwell wagged his tail and didn't look alarmed at all. Before he could investigate why, the door opened abruptly. A pair of eyes looked at the vampire, recognizing him immediately.

"There you are!"

The vampire had to use every ounce of self-control in his body to stop the blade from cleaving the figure in half. He stared in disbelief at Bentham, who had been drenched from the rain. Seeing a familiar face after facing nothing but enemies was a shock to his system.

Maxwell barked happily, tapping his feet on the floor and going around in circles.