Rhynsa was being led into the town hall with his own rifle, which was something he clearly did not appreciate. This went to the point when he started to antagonize his captors, which he knew was a bad idea, but he couldn’t help it.

“(Hey! Don’t poke me around with my own gun!)” yelled Rhynsa. “(I can walk by myself!)”

The other hellhounds were not that easy to taunt. They silently walked Rhynsa into the town hall, during which Mizarka the Jackal hellhound sat on a chair in what presumably the town hall’s office before, with Rhynsa sitting on a stool.

“(Okay),” said Mizarka. “(Leave us and take guard. I’ll deal with him myself).”

The other hellhounds nodded and walked out of the office. Mizarka glared at Rhynsa, waiting for some good reason or maybe some information. Rhynsa could only tell her one reason, but before he could do so, the Jackal said, “(You seem to know your way around the surface).”

“(Not your first, am I?)” said Rhynsa, sarcastically.

“(Second, specifically. To be honest, I prefer the company of the first one. He’s much sweeter than an asshole like you).”

“(Aw, hurt your feelings, Jackal? Can’t afford to act nice when you have a face like me. No one’s gonna buy it. Fuzandres don’t really have puppy eyes, you know).”

“(I wouldn’t even consider this if you didn’t show mercy against the children of our group),” said Mizarka. “(They have no choice but to fight. The Underworld is a harsh place for every hellhound right now, no matter who your allegiances are for. You either shoot to kill or be killed).”

Rhynsa could agree on that. That was the harsh truth of hellhounds.

“(Well, news flash, Jackal),” said Rhynsa. “(This is not the Underworld. You can’t buy anyone’s sympathy if you knowingly teach children to kill. Well, surface dwellers do have a taste for hunting, but not hunting humans or Lycans or maybe even hellhounds. That’s the line I wouldn’t cross).”

“(They never got a kill. That good enough reason for you?)”

“(Depends).” Rhynsa then turned serious. “(Now, that we got that out of the way, let’s go straight to the point. Who are you fighting for?)”

“(I can ask the same question to you, Fuzandre. How about if you tell me who you work for first. And don’t try to act smart and ask me instead. We are not through with each other yet, so don’t irritate me if you value your life).”

Rhynsa sighed. The female Jackal hellhound was right. It was not the time to intimidate her.

“(I…work under Anarim Winsel),” said Rhynsa, albeit hesitantly. Despite his mission, he still considered himself to be a freelancer.

“(Anarim Winsel as in the House of Winsel? Well, what do you know? It seems you and I do have something to talk about. So, he knows what’s at stake, then, if he’s sending you, a Fuzandre, out here alone).”

“(I don’t work well with others),” said Rhynsa short.

“(And the surface dwellers won’t like your face, either),” said Mizarka. “(Some hellhounds don’t even know what a Fuzandre is. It’s been a while since your kind has any contact with the hellhounds in the Underworld. We just happen to be lucky to meet some during out journey, though unfortunately, they don’t like us).”

“(Well, no shit),” said Rhynsa. “(Who screwed us up first?)”

Mizarka did not say anything to reply Rhynsa’s rather direct jab on the Fuzandre-hellhound relationship. She knew it was the fact, as the Jackals weren’t all that innocent despite their own predicaments.

Changing the topic, Mizarka said, “(Even if we don’t like each other, the least we can do is work together for a common goal. I heard you said about your luck earlier. What do you mean by that?)”

“(Anarim Winsel tasked me to find allies to prepare for the inevitable Incursion),” said Rhynsa. “(However, he also told me to find Death’s Jackals if I can. He was skeptical about you being on the surface world, but I guess he’s not that well-informed).”

“(We reached the surface a week ago).”

“(Ah…well, that explains that).”

“(And I never thought we were expected. What do they need of us?)”

Rhynsa wondered if Mizarka already knew the answer to that question, and anything Rhynsa asked of her would be rhetorical. Nevertheless, the Fuzandre felt that withholding information would not help ease things up, especially since Anarim Winsel asked for the Jackals.

“(I think you know the answer to that),” said Rhynsa. “(Does the House of Caropus rings a bell?)”

Rhynsa got his answer immediate: a surprised look from Mizarka.

“(You…where did you get that?)”

“(From my benefactor, of course),” said Rhynsa. “(And from your look, I think you have more to tell. Maybe you can start by telling who to find).”

“(I see…. It seems I underestimated this ‘Winsel’. So, even on the surface, the hellhounds already know the significance of the family).”

“(Well? Anything you can give me?)”

Then to Rhynsa’s disappointment, Mizarka shook her head.

“(The House of Caropus fell along with our kingdom),” said Mizarka. “(I don’t even know if any of the family member even survived. Without them, we can’t stop the demonic invasion from happening).”

“(Well, that’s a shame. Still, it’s better than years of continuous search. So, what do they mean to you? I traveled a while to know that there is more than one Jackal kingdom. The House of Caropus clearly meant something to you).”

“(Before I continue, I need to be sure you’re on our side),” said Mizarka. “(Even if this mission of yours is for the benefit of all, how can I know you are not lying?)”

“(Heh. This is what I expect. You’re not as gullible as I thought. To be honest with you, I can’t give you more than just my words. You can only go and meet with Anarim Winsel if you need more. Unfortunately, he is days from here).”

“(Hmmm…that is a good preposition).”

“(I sense a ‘but’ in there?)”

“(But I need you to help us. You’re a Fuzandre, right? Maybe…maybe there is a chance).”

“(Hey, just to be fair, I’m not that much better than any other hellhounds out there).”

“(But you are a Fuzandre. I know you have abilities, and between the two of us, you know this region better. I think we might have a chance).”

“(Let me guess. You want to liberate your people before considering my offer).”

“(How about liberating yours, too?)”

“(What?)” Rhynsa was never surprised by anything before, but the moment Mizarka said ‘yours’, which referred to his kind, he was caught unaware.

But then he quickly returned to his cynical self and said, “(Forget it. I’m an exile. I don’t have any obligations to help any Fuzandres).”

“(I thought bats are very loyal with each other).”

Rhynsa scoffed. “(Tell that to my tribe. I did nothing wrong, and they still exiled me).”

Mizarka, sympathizing, said, “(I’m…sorry to hear that. But Fuzandre…we need your help. This is a foreign land full of people we don’t know. We came to a land abandoned by its owners. Also, this Fuzandre…he’s a friend. If it wasn’t for him, we might not get this far. We can’t go back and risk the children. So, please help us. We’ll pay you with whatever we have, but you need to set aside your differences).”

Rhynsa sighed and considered refusing that offer. But then, he also had his hands tied. If he leave the group, he would lose any chance of getting another Jackal who might knew about the House of Caropus. It was out of sheer luck that he met with Mizarka. If she left, then he would go back to square one.

Realizing he got into a situation where he could not refuse the offer, Rhynsa groaned and said, “(Okay, fine. You asked nicely, so the least I can do is help. Happy?)”

Mizarka’s expression turned happy. “(Of course!)” she said. “(I’ll go tell the news to the others and give you something to eat. You’re welcome to stay).”

“(Yeah, yeah),” said Rhynsa with an annoyed tone. Mizarka left him in the room as she told the news to everyone. Rhynsa could hear their elated voice with his big ears.

“(Why the hell did I agree to this?)” thought Rhynsa. “(I never wanted to be involved, but this time…ah, shit. I hate to admit it, but this is for Ifrit Schelkz).”

Ifrit Schelkz died so he could live, and Rhynsa knew this whenever he acted like a jerk or tried to distance himself from potential allies. If he stayed like he was, a solitary Fuzandre whose thoughts were mostly revenge on the House of Schelkz, he would be betraying himself. Who would his revenge subject be? Nergora Schelkz? It started to sound so sad if he became so consumed with revenge that the sacrifice of a Schelkz could not satiate it.

So, despite of being reluctant, he should try and look if this Fuzandre they needed saving was worth the effort. The Fuzandre could be important for the Jackal and her companions, but Rhynsa was an outsider. He had no obligation to continue.

Then again…he wanted to change for the better, so this could be the first step on the right path.