As the battle of Arbal commenced, another incident happened a day before.
The journey to Stadelitz did not take them long, especially with a car along a paved road (Sahia decided to abandon her own car in the forest). However, it wasn’t all that smooth, especially when they were forced to make detours to avoid unnecessary confrontations with either the demons or their hunters. Sahia joined them as a guide to give them the best detours to avoid the confrontations between the demons, their summoners, and the demon hunters. The news they heard from concerned motorists made the situation clearer, which also made them realize that the situation had deteriorated, though still within control.
As they travelled through the snow-covered road, Sahia gave more insight into the situation within the kingdom.
“The hunters started to become overwhelmed by the appearances of powerful demons from the deeper layers of hell,” said Sahia as they drove along the road. “They became so desperate that they gave weapons to the local constables and army. Considering how rigid they were, I can tell the hunters that did this were the younger, more progressive members.”
“They got the right idea,” said Rhynsa. “Too bad they did not expect Circle demons.”
“Indeed. At first, the demons were easily dispatched. Then, the attacks intensified as the Incursion took over Tragoria. These demons become more and more frequent. The fact that you met one along the road proves it.”
“Yeah. A pain in the ass Infernal,” said Rhynsa. He then took a glance at Ifrit and said, “We got away, but only because he’s fucking around with us.”
“We won’t be so lucky the next time we…stop, now!”
Rhynsa pulled the brake lever, causing everyone to jolt. The Fuzandre could see a group of people or demons confronting each other. The only way they could confirm that demons were involved was Anubis saying, “(They’re demons. Three of them).”
“(With four confronting them),” confirmed Ifrit.
“We need a detour,” said Rhynsa. “Do you have any suggestion, my lady?”
“Sahia, please. And yes. I know the roads well. Get back and go right.”
“Right? But according to the map….”
“It will lead us to the paved autobahn.”
“Sahia, the whole reason we drive the country road is because we’re trying to avoid the main road.”
“Yes, I know. But it is much better than that.”
Sahia pointed towards the confrontation, which had now turned into a full-blown conflict. The hunters were clearly skilled and experienced enough to stay on their feet against a trio of circle demons. They could clearly be distinguished from regular lesser demons from their less grotesque appearance and a clearly humanoid appearance with animalistic features, just like the canine hellhounds. However, the demons looked feline. They had spotted patterns on their fur. One of them wielded a pair of swords, presumably their leader, and was the one who caused the most problem for the Hunters.
The fighters could easily notice them. Without any other alternatives, Rhynsa reluctantly followed Sahia’s suggestion. He put the gear on reverse, turn the car around, and drove the way they drove on until they found an intersection. He immediately turned right towards the autobahn: a road paved by bitumen designed for motorists.
“Damn it!” said Rhynsa in frustration. “This is too risky, Sahia. We can’t use this road!”
Rhynsa’s concern came from the fact that the bitumen-paved road was much wider than the road they were driving. The lack of trees and buildings made it even more dangerous to traverse, especially if they were expecting an ambush and they needed to hide. This also worried the Fuzandres, who were more comfortable having something covering the road than a barren road with snow-covered clearings on either side of it.
“Just drive fast,” said Sahia. “This road has no speed limit and goes straight to Erben. I’ll tell you where the exit it, but for now, just drive.”
“Easy for you to say. This isn’t blondie’s souped-up car.”
Ifrit remembered that’s what Rhynsa called Albert, which referred to his blonde, well-trimmed hair. Albert’s car, which replaced the destroyed horse-drawn carriage halfway through their journey, seemed more advanced than the car Anarim gave them.
“Souped-up car?” asked Ifrit, wondering what it meant.
“Blondie turned his car into a speed demon,” said Rhynsa. “Not sure how the hell did he pull it off without breaking the windshield, but you can’t underestimate Dusdolfian technology and the creativity of his friend in Struttemberg.”
“And that’s not all,” said Sammael. “It is like an arsenal of its own. (You really should see it to appreciate its capabilities, Ifrit).”
But before Ifrit could even say, “(Wow).” Rhynsa pulled the brake lever just as the car started speeding up. Ifrit glimpsed a person standing in the middle of the road running towards them.
“Hey! Wait!” said the person.
“No time for hitchhiking, buddy!” said Rhynsa. But then, just before he stepped on the gas pedal, he noticed the appearance of the person. He looked obviously canine, but it wasn’t just any canine form.
He looked just like Anubis: a black-furred and tall-eared jackal model hellhound, otherwise known as a Death’s Jackal. They could never mistake his golden-colored inner ears or even his golden colored eyes. In fact, the moment Rhynsa stepped on the brake and examined the Jackal closely, he did seem to resemble Anubis. The Fuzandre wasn’t sure if he was confused due to never seeing another Jackal other than Anubis or because the Jackal was identical. He was also propping himself up with a cane, where Rhynsa noticed that the leg being supported by the cane seemed to bend in an unnatural way
“Hey!” exclaimed the Jackal. “You can’t go through this road! Turn around!”
“We need to get to Stadelitz as fast as we can,” said Sahia. “We can’t use the alternate route. It’s too dangerous.”
“And there is also one further down the road. You really don’t want to get involved with the heavies.”
“Heavies?”
“Circle demons. We’re trying to ward them off, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.”
“Whoa, whoa, wait. Ward them off? How the hell can you do that?” said Rhynsa, pointing out how impossible that claim was.
“You won’t understand, okay? I’ve been trying to stop motorists from getting involved.” He then sighed. “This is not working.”
Without warning, he pulled out a very peculiar-looking sword sheathed on his belt. The sword looked like a sickle, but it was because of the shape of the blade. It was bent like a crescent moon, with no indication of damage. It was simply designed that way.
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“Whoa!” exclaimed Rhynsa. “Wait, Jackal! Let me explain.”
“If talking you out of it doesn’t work, then I have no choice.”
“Yeah. I know.” Rhynsa then pulled out a gun from the car’s dashboard. “But I bet even you can’t outrun a bullet.”
“(Rhynsa, we have no time for this),” said Ifrit as he assessed the situation. “(We don’t have time to argue with the Jackal. Just step on it!)”
“(Wait, Ifrit),” said Anubis. “(Did you say ‘Jackal’?)”
The confrontation was quickly interrupted by a loud roar and a couple of Jackals being thrown towards them. One of the Jackals hit the car’s windshield and broke it. Yet, Rhynsa’s immediate concern was the one throwing the Jackal: a dangerous, hulking monster that was covered in stone-like carapace. It resembled a bear, but its face was less a bear and more a reptile. Still, the demon, despite its size, was fast and aggressive. Yet, despite its aggressiveness, its advance was stopped by the Jackals who were using some sort of ability to hold the monstrous demon off.
Now that Rhynsa saw the Jackal group, he realized what they were trying to do. There was some sort of a circle drawn with chalk over the paved road with patterns that reminded him of a summoning circle or a Hunter banishment ritual. However, the pattern was something the Fuzandre was not familiar with.
“(I told you to go back),” said the Jackal.
“(Not if we can help you),” said Arnulfe. “(We may not look like it, but we can hold our own against demons).”
“(I know you can, Fuzandre, but I don’t want to interfere. We already have the situation under control. We just want to spare you from losing your car).”
“What the hell are you trying to do?” asked Rhynsa while he helped one of the less injured Jackals get his comrade off the winshield, which was taken off by Rhynsa after realizing how damaged it was.
The Jackal turned to one of the other Jackals and said, “(Did they make it?)”
“(Just about),” said the other. “(It won’t be long now).”
“(Good).” The cane-propped Jackal then turn towards the demon.
Rhynsa’s group soon witnessed something spectacular.
The demon, despite its rampage, could not get out of the circle once it was successfully lured in. While some of the Jackals clearly had a hard time holding it in, with some of them injured, their efforts paid off. The demon’s body started to flake, then break into tiny pieces. It roared and tried its best to stop whatever was happening to it, but in such a short time, it was already over. The demon slowly turned into nothing as it let out a final, defiant roar that faded as it disintegrated into a pile of dust, which was scattered through the air by a blow of the wind.
The Jackals responsible for the circle let out an exhausted sigh as they fell to their knees. Whatever they were doing clearly took a great toll to their bodies. But they knew their jobs were not done yet. Some of the Jackals that were injured needed medical attention, including the ones being thrown away from the main group. The cane-propped Jackal, despite his own problems, also helped his comrades with first aid.
“Well, that’s quite a spectacle,” said Rhynsa, indifferent. “Doesn’t seem that much different than a Demon Hunter’s ritual, though.”
“(No, Rhynsa…you don’t understand),” said Sammael’s voice. Rhynsa turned towards the Barghest and, to his surprise, he looked terrified. All six of his eyes, barely concealed under the skull mask he wore, were wide. He even tried to find comfort in Ifrit, who was confused, but also realized that the Barghest was genuinely terrified.
“(What)?” asked Rhynsa
“(That ritual was not a banishment ritual. It’s…something far more powerful).”
“(A Soul Dispersal Ritual, as written in the ancient scriptures of the Caropus family),” said the cane-propped Jackal after he finished attending the wounds of the Jackal thrown to the car’s windshield. “(That demon can no longer return to hell. Its essence will be a part of the air as soul particles, forever wandering, but never whole).”
“(What?!)” exclaimed Ifrit in disbelief.
“(Wait),” said Anubis, who also listened in the conversation before he caught on something intriguing. “(Go back a little. Did you say…Caropus?)”
“(Yes. The Caropus family is the bearer of this ritual’s secrets. Pretty much the princes and the princesses know of it, but only those of age were taught on how to do it. Even then, the ritual is impossible to use alone. There must always be priests like the Jackals that travel with me).”
“(Well, I didn’t know about it),” said Anubis casually. “(I mean, I don’t even know who you are supposed to be. The family’s a little too big).”
“(So, you claim to be a relative?)”
“(Unless there’s someone else with the name Anubis Caropus, I don’t think there’s any doubt that you’re one of my relatives. Then again, I don’t have the eye for it).” Anubis chuckled on how it became an unintentional joke and he pointed this out by saying, “(You know, because I’m blind? I can’t even--).”
“(Anubis…Caropus? Ani?! You’re Ani?!)” said the Jackal in surprise and delight. “(I can’t believe it! This is one hell of a coincidence! I thought you’re dead, Ani! I should tell the others! We have been worried sick about who survived that day).”
“(We? You mean the others are still alive?)”
“(Many, but not all, so being reunited with lost brothers and sisters feels like a blessing. I’m worried, you know. Being blind doesn’t make it easy to escape. Wait, uh…Ani, don’t you recognize my voice?)”
Meanwhile, Sahia, who could not understand Hordo, tapped Rhynsa’s shoulder and asked, “Excuse me, but I don’t speak Hordo. What are you talking about?”
“A twist in the story,” said Rhynsa short. “Turns out this Jackal with a cane is Anubis’s brother.”
“(Your voice? Sorry, but I don’t remember many of our brothers and sisters’ voices).”
“(Ah, I forgot. We were still very young when we were separated. Our voices hadn’t even cracked yet!)” the Jackal laughed. “(How about this, then?)”
The Jackal slowly walked towards Anubis and gently held his hands. This time, Rhynsa realized that the unusual bend on his right paw was because he was clubfooted. It was bent inward and in an angle that prevented him to walk normally, necessitating the use of the cane that held his paw up. Still, Rhynsa was impressed that despite his disability, he was able to threaten Rhynsa with his curved blade sword. Rhynsa sensed that he could easily fight despite his clubfoot. He had an experience in fights.
Meanwhile, Anubis felt the Jackal slowly tracing a pattern on his palm. He felt the Jackal’s claw slowly caressing his palm, making a pattern that was repeated a couple of times. It was after the third repeat did Anubis realized what he felt on his palm. It was something he instantly recognize.
It was his name, written in Hordo. Soon, he felt the pattern change. He could ‘visualize’ the pattern in his mind just from the trace alone, and soon he made a conclusion.
“(Wepwawet?)” said Anubis. “(That trace…was it Wepwawet?)”
“(That’s my name, brother),” said Wepwawet, who smiled.
“(Wep?)” Anubis started to shed a tear of joy and disbelief. “(No freaking way! Of all our siblings, you happen to be the first I met after all these years! That myth is true!)”
“(What myth?)” asked Wepwawet, confused.
“(I learned this from a surface book for the blind. It is said that even if we’re far away, we will always find each other because we are twins. We are two as one, and only when we are together that we’re whole again!)”
“(That…sounds like a load of crap, but eh. I still can’t believe it’s you. I mean, you look so thin and were not so apparent at first. You are obscured by the Fuzandre from where I was standing).”
“(Oh…).” Rhynsa realized why he thought the Jackal looked almost identical to Anubis. “(Now I get it. No wonder you two look identical. I thought it was just me generalizing your appearances because Anubis is the only Jackal I knew. But you two being twins make the whole thing so…ominous).”
“(What is?)”
“(One’s blind, the other’s clubfooted. Don’t get me wrong, but you two are disabled, one way or another).”
“(Is that a problem, Rhynsa?)” said Anubis. “(Just so you know, I know how to fight).”
“(I have no doubt about that, Anubis. It’s just…ah, never mind).”
“(I’d love to stay and talk, but unfortunately, we need to move),” said Wepwawet, turning serious. “(I remember you said there is another fight going on somewhere close, right?)”
“(You’re gonna deal with that, too?)”
“(Let the hunters do it. Our rituals may be different, but they know what they’re doing. You said you’re going to Stadelitz, right? Is that the town with the big tunnel to Tragoria?)”
Rhynsa translated it for Sahia, who said, “Yes, it is.”
“Then unless you’re trying to fight the demons, I suggest you turn around. That town’s being sieged by the demons in the tunnel.”
“That town is my hometown, and yes, I will fight them,” said Sahia, determined. “Like you said, we can’t stay and talk.”
“Then do you mind if we join you?” said Wepwawet. “I mean, the more the merrier, right?”
“Wait.” Arnulfe noticed the group of Jackals and said, “Can we even fit all of you?”
Rhynsa deliberated on it before he said, “Yeah, sure. Hop on. It’s not like we have anything in the baggage carrier.”
All the Jackals followed Wepwawet’s direction and quickly jumped onto the car, which quickly fill to capacity and could also potentially be too encumbered to drive. Fortunately, by driving a bit slower than usual, they managed to keep driving, leaving the area behind and onwards towards Stadelitz.