FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 20

"Oh my god! Ifrit, what in bloody hell is this thing?!"

Lilac woke up with a weird-looking dog sleeping beside her. At first she thought that was a furless dog with a skull mask, but when she saw how long the dog's tail and how long the tongue he had, she quickly jumped and gasped. She screamed Ifrit's name in a terror than even the hellhound jumped from his bed too and grabbed the nearest lamp before realizing what was on the bed.

"Lilac...I can explain..."

"Ifrit, I love canines, but this one is not even close to be a dog! Where did you find this thing?"

"He's my long lost pet. His name is Sammael. This is the hellhound you're talking about."

"But he's not six-legged! Do you want to make me think this is the Sammael in the book?! He doesn't even have a skull mask!"

"Missy, this is for closing my six-eyes. I thought I can pass being a dog this way. Hell, I can't even disguise myself from a Lycan."

This caused a silence between the three of them, with only Albreich breaking the silence by opening the door and said, "Lilac, stop shouting in the morning. You're disturbing any men sleeping beside your room."

"Oh hi. Are you friends with them? My name's Sammael, but you can call me Sam."

Albreich stopped talking for a moment, but he took his breath and said, "I'm Albreich Schafner...and you're..."

"I'm master Ifrit's demon dog."

There was yet another moment of silence, before Ifrit took the demon dog by the pointy ear and said, "(Sammael, are you trying to discredit your master for talking with English that fluent?)"

"(Wait a minute, my master can't talk English well? My apologies, master!)"

"(I mean, where did you learn to talk a human language? You cause Al and Lilac to stop dead like petrified)."

"Sammael...where did you learn English?" asked Lilac slowly, but still surprised on the events unfolding in front of her.

"English is like my second language, missy. I was living on a house's attic while hearing those humans talk with this and sometimes I disguise myself being a dog and tried to talk with these long tongue. Guess what? It's not that hard, but I can't understand many accents. Even your accent poses me a problem, missy."

"My accent?"

"I can't hear Tragorian accent well since they are like drunk people. No offense, missy but it's the..."

Suddenly Sammael was pulled by the ear by Ifrit who was glaring at him. He quickly gulped and said, "(Am I wrong, master?)"

"(If you ever talk like that to Lilac I really will make you suffer, Sammael)."

"(Y...yes...I won't talk like that anymore.... Just punish me on what you see fit...)"

"(Maybe later. We have a work to do, so don't be a problem and stay in the carriage)."

During the next day, after saying goodbye with the forest hellhounds, Albreich was busy in trying to find a place to set shop while Eshdar and Ifrit were hunting in the nearby forest. This made Lilac was left with the demon dog in the carriage. Her keen eyes spotted the dog's six eyes past the dog skull mask Sammael was wearing, and this cause uneasiness as she saw them moved to stare at her.

"W...what do you want, demon?"

"Nothing. My master told me not to make fun of your accent."

"Is that what Ifrit said?"

"Yes, but he didn't ask me to not asking questions. What's your name, missy?"

"I'm Lilac."

"That's a good name for you," said Sammael while moving his front paws (which looked very much like a hand) to scratch his back. He yawned a little, and Lilac saw for the first time the rows of teeth in Sammael's mouth, which were two- layered. Coupled with his long tongue, he looked very much like a vicious demon. It was a great thing Ifrit could be with the dog, otherwise, with a very bad mentality, Ifrit wouldn't be able to talk sense with Sammael and would be shredded to pieces.

"Why did you say that?"

"Lilac is the name of a flower, and that flower's color is your current eyes. With those wolf eyes and this body, you're one goddamn sexy wolf."

"Thank you, I guess?"

"Oh, don't worry too much around me. I can be a nice dog, or maybe a bad one, if I can."

Lilac watched the sky when she and Sammael were on a bench in the lot near the carriage. The sun was bright enough for her eyes, but what concerned her was Sammael. She was okay around hellhounds since they were almost similar with a Lycan except for their soot-like scent. Sammael wasn't even a dog, and he was more of an unholy beast than a 'dog'. Being near with a furless dog with six eyes made her a little scared, but seeing how Sammael acted more like a dog than a vicious demon, at least she could be calm. Besides, he answered to Ifrit, and what the hellhound wanted with the demon dog was always done by Sammael.

"When do you meet Ifrit?"

"It's a long story, but I guess I knew him from master Hynorsi. He tasked me to take him and master Nergora to general Rhynsa and Sovarn. I answer to master Ifrit and Nergora, and since I'm a sentient dog, those two can be my masters if they don't make something that I really don't like, especially asking me to eat vegetables. Damn, those things taste like shit."

"So, you're not truly an obedient pet, then?"

"Missy, if I'm a fully obedient pet, how am I supposed to live for myself? Me talking to you is something weird enough for a mortal."

"So, demon dogs normally don't talk?"

"What do you think we are? Deformed hellhounds? We're created, not born, okay? We can live as long as we like, until our death. Not all demon dogs can have a good master. They only respect those with great power and pride, and we primarily got closer with hellhounds because of those reasons. Master Ifrit and Master Nergora had their own styles, and I respected them."

"Oh..."

"So, missy, you're a unique one. You're not scared with a hellhound, and somehow you and master Ifrit are very much like a close couple. Are you two married?"

This made Lilac blushed and exclaimed, "No! Where did you get that suggestion? If you want to know so badly, I'm his girlfriend, not his wife!"

"I don't believe that."

"Just ask your master for that!"

Right at the same time, Ifrit came back into the carriage, carrying a bloodied boar that was the prize of his hunt. Sammael suddenly jumped and said, "(Is it true, master?)"

"(Yeah, that's true. Maybe you should find more words in English. Some of them have double meaning)."

"(I will when there's time, master)."

"Ifrit, what's wrong?"

"Well, I hate to say this, but the carriage has a slight problem and we can't take it to our shop. In Stelikan, all carriages must be put in this park. So, Albreich asked me if I could convince you to help him take some of the goods. But, I don't feel right about this..."

"I understand. Maybe it's the time for me to understand the cultures a little. How about your dog?"

"For Sammael, I guess it's better you stay put. I don't really want to see humans think you're some kind of an abomination walking around and causing panic. And I think you can be a good guard for this carriage."

"I understand..."

When Lilac left, Ifrit turned his head back to Sammael, glaring at the dog while at the same time making the dog felt uneasy and whimpered. The hellhound wasn't trying to do anything, but he pulled out a rope and wrapped it around Sammael's neck, while tying the other end to a wheel at the side of the carriage. The dog was surprised by it, but he realized this was the punishment Ifrit wanted to do to him, which apparently true when Ifrit said, "(Now, Sammael, don't pull this carriage to break, or else you won't be taking a walk for a while. I should say, don't move too much)."

Despite of the condition, Sammael knew Ifrit had a willingness to do that to a demon dog. He just put down his head and said, "(Yes, master)."

The hellhound just smiled and patted Sammael's head, saying, "(Good that you understand. I must get going. I'll put a canopy over you so if there's rain you won't get wet. I know demon dogs will have a nasty thing when they hit the water)."

As Ifrit left the carriage park, he wanted to find a drink since now he became so thirsty. With only five silver coins and thirteen bronze coins, he was sure he couldn't afford a three silver coins' worth cup of milk tea, a favorite drink he had when in Tragoria. He was still thirsty and he stumbled upon a shop selling some drinks he thought at first was a tavern. When he went in, he was greeted by a bell chime and the Lycan shopkeeper saying, "Morning. Welcome to the Wolfhead drug store. What can I do for you?"

"Y...yeah, I need a refreshing drink. It's so hot out there..."

"Want to try the new kind of drink?"

"All is welcome."

The shopkeeper quickly dashed into the back of his room, closing the door behind him. There was a gap of around a minute before he went out carrying a bottle of a weird brown substance with a fizzing sound. The Lycan opened the bottle with a bottle opener (something Ifrit didn't know), and offered the hellhound the drink.

"It's bubbling with what?"

"This is a cola. It's brewed recently and it's pretty cheap, if you ask me. Good for your stomach and for work. Anyway, it's so hot outside and this can be a thirst-quenching drink. Want some?"

"Seems very unique. How much is it?"

"A silver coin. Cheap, huh?"

Ifrit made a sigh of relief. He thought that it would cost him more than a milk tea, but nevertheless, he gave the silver coin to the Lycan. Somehow the coin made a hissing sound when it touched the Lycan, which prompted Ifrit to ask, "Are you alright? That silver is burning you."

"It's alright. Tragorian silver is not as much as Adalinian silver. Here's the cola. Enjoy!"

Ifrit didn't know what to do with the drink. It's still fizzing out of the bottle, but then, there's no point in spending a silver coin if you don't drink it, right? Without thinking for more, the hellhound just drank the cola down his throat.

Suddenly, he felt himself refreshed all of the sudden and he realized that he was fully awake and very energetic. Every senses he had was enhanced twofold, and his feelings told him that he wanted a job. He quickly returned to the carriage and took the cloth intended for the shop, and he dashed away without even waiting for Sammael to talk to him for a while. When he reached the shop, he saw Albreich was trying to lift a barrel full of arrows, so Ifrit offered him a hand and lifted it with ease. Yet, after putting it, he felt normal again, yet it was weird altogether.

"(Wow, what a thing!)" thought Ifrit while panting to get his breath together. "(It is refreshing!)"

"Ifrit? You look like refreshed."

"Al, I never thought the cola thing is a nice thing! It's so cheap and so refreshing than a cup of ginger tea!"

"Oh, you mean the new drink? It's still new around Adaline, so I don't really get the taste. But I thought it's a kind of drug you found in drug stores?"

"What kind of drug if it's refreshing?"

Before Albreich could talk more, Eshdar came to the shop while carrying some pheasants he found in the forest for the trader. Somehow they forgot of a hunter in their group, thinking that Eshdar followed the forest hellhounds. He put the pheasants to the table while saying, "At least I'm savin' our financial problems with these meats I found in the forest."

"Now we're opening a butcher shop?"

"Guess it's better than sellin' trinkets, Albreich. Oh, Ifrit, there's somethin' I wanna show you."

Eshdar then pulled an envelope from one of the pockets inside his cloak, and gave it to Ifrit. He saw the envelope had a seal of the National Mail. Opening it revealed a letter, written in a formalistic way and was tidy, too. He didn't know the writer, but he knew the name from Sammael.

"For Ifrit and Eshdar, I noticed that you are approaching Stelikan and by the time this letter reaches you, I'm sure your group is still in Stelikan. Using an express telegram system I found in Yenhal's post office was worth it, after all. We both are alright in this town, but we decided to wait for you here in Yenhal. It will take around a week more to be here, since we're near the borders of Dusdolf. I'm quite surprised that the forest hellhounds can help you pass Renita and other hellhound-infested villages, but then, Ifrit, I'm quite surprised that you can find a nice Lycan to be your girlfriend, and I hope she won't be a problem with your life in the future. There's a problem Neri has, and it was something that's in a different level than you. Since he's not as open as you, Nergora might have a breakdown when he knew you've got the female Lycan as a girlfriend, and you need to tell him how to get that out from him. I'm sure that would be a necessary step for your brother. You have found love first. Why don't you share it? Regards, Sovarn Artos Skerilas."

After Ifrit read it, he gave it to Eshdar and said, "(Can you help me wait for the store? I have something to do with Albreich)."

"(Sure thing. Don't be too long)."

Then he found Albreich was waiting for customers. Ifrit waited for the one customer to make a trade with him, before Ifrit pulled the trader aside and said, "Hey, do you have a minute?"

"Go on. Eshdar can cover my absence."

"Do you know how to use this express telegram system? I need to write something to my brother in Yenhal."

"There's a telegram office in this town. Do you want me to write something for him?"

"Let me follow you. I can say everything about it clearly if I'm not writing it."