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Black Creature under the Moon

"Another death...and it keeps getting more gruesome than before."

Hans examined the body in front of him, or what's left of it. For some, it looked like a gooey substance with flesh coloring, almost like a gelatin, yet for Hans and Nergora, it was something from what the deep hell demons give them. The only thing that indicated that the blob was a humanoid was a tattered shirt.

It was fortunate for the two of them that this problem did not go public, as it would cause panic. Both of them only knew there was a body there simply because of Hans's Lunar energy sensing, something that was as useful as Anubis's ability. With Lilac staying at Arbal for both safety and tending to Rhynsa, she did not need to sense things like Hans did.

After their investigation to the unknown demon and confirming that there were none of them in the home, both Nergora and Hans walked out and talked to the other owner of the house: the wife of the deceased.

"We're so sorry about your husband, ma'am," said Hans towards the human. "He's..."

"I...see...." She then turned towards Nergora. "You're...a demon, right? Do you know what is causing this?"

"It's from demons with more evil than what most of what you know," said Nergora. "As a hellhound, it's my responsibility to sort things out."

"May I...see his body? Can I see Harold's body?"

"It's better if you don't see it. It's...mangled...beyond recognition," said Nergora towards her. "If there any way we can do..."

The woman had run into the house, despite of what both of them tried to prevent. A scream was heard and it drew the attention of bystanders. Nergora looked towards Hans and sighed, with the Lycan also sighed.

"I guess a good old drink down the throat can cure everything," said Hans while walking towards the bar, followed by Nergora.

Inside the bar were a mix of humans and Lycans drinking their fill because of the terror of the rebels. Some were hellhounds, as seen from their horns and their tail, but nobody gave them notice. They did notice Nergora, simply because of his white-colored fur. He did not care, though. He casually walked towards the bar and said, "I need something strong."

"Open the tab, bartender," said Hans. The bartender nodded and gave them bottle of Dusdolf black ale and two mugs. Hans drank the ale first, followed by Nergora. After a while, they were not recognized from the bar patrons.

"We don't have any bloody way to know what happened," said Hans. "I hope what the entity said to that jackal is true."

"If not, then we just drink up for our loss and possible end of the world," said Nergora while pouring down another ale. "Ah...this is one twisted era we live in."

"Tell that to the dragons. We lived in a world where dragons are like Lycans here."

"When everything is over and we still live...tell me more of this 'dragon world'."

"Oh, I'll take you there. You might become the first hellhound to be a dragon rider."

Nergora laughed. "Wish I'm as lucky as you with Azureath."

"Not really. You need to also risk your life to prove your worth," said Hans while smiling. "That was one good memory."

"Yes, if you consider it to be one."

"Tell me, Nergora. Do you fancy romance?"

"Romance? Oh, don't be ridiculous! I wander a lot. Unlike Ifrit, I'm not that open to long-term relationship."

"Better now than never."

"You might say I have a bad streak of...unfulfilled promise."

"Hmm...at least you are not a player. But I know you have...had, someone you like."

"You might meet with her one day, but...uh..."

Hans raised one eyebrow when Nergora was staring blankly, but when he turned towards where he was staring at, Hans quickly knew the reason why.

The female Lycan walked down the second floor and quickly stood out from the rowdy patrons of the pub. She had slight silver grey fur color and silver eyes, much like a full moon. Her fur was also kept long, with particular thickness and length at her head and hair. Unlike most female Lycans when they turned into a werewolf, she had a slender build, almost like a hellhound-Lycan hybrid like Lilac.

Seeing Nergora's eyes fixed at her, and her beauty that could sway even Hans, made him said, "She's yours?"

"What? Oh...how do you know that?"

"You're staring at her like a wolf preparing to pounce its prey."

"Huh...I guess it's obvious enough."

"Come on, mate, talk to her. She might still be waiting for you."

"Hans, I...walked away from her one night. She won't forgive me for that."

"Let me guess. You walked away because she's in danger? That's a clichéd, overused plot point dramatic effect. Look, Neri, I know surface dweller romantic life more than you do, so bear with me and try to talk to her."

"But..."

"If she has a boyfriend then I guess you're out of luck. Better try than never. Come on, off you go."

Nergora gulped, but stood up anyway. Hans made a devious wide grin towards the ice hellhound. The hellhound had never felt so awkward before in his entire life, but nevertheless, that's what happened.

He knew the female Lycan just for a moment, but it was precious. It was very useful when he finally caught her attention.

"Neri!" exclaimed the Lycan with a gasp. "My god, I've been searching for you everywhere?"

"Seolfor...I'm sorry, about leaving you that night..."

"Come on, we can talk in my room. We have a lot of things to catch up on."

Nergora took a glance to Hans, who smiled and made a thumbs up gesture to him. The ice hellhound could only grunt as he was pulled by Seolfor to the second floor.

As they went into a private room, Seolfor turned and said, "You looked just like when you left, Neri."

"S-Sally..."

Seolfor put a finger in front of Nergora's maw. "Shhh...don't worry. I know you are a hellhound from your horns and those blue stripes. I've met and seen hellhounds ever since my hometown was taken over by demons. No...I think it was when you killed your attackers in front of my house."

Nergora gulped. "(To think that she knows hellhounds before this whole fiasco...)," he thought. But he regained his composure and said, "But...Lycans..."

"No Lycan leaves their hunts in ice," said Seolfor. "It reduces the meat's edibility. But please don't talk about that problem right now. Right now I'm glad that you are not evil."

"But...you did say that your hometown was destroyed by a hellish force. Most people I met along the way looked at me like I'm responsible for their predicament. Why not you?"

"Because...in Tragoria, I was an outcast, just like you are an outcast for having white fur."

"Outcast?"

"Have you ever met a silver-furred Lycan in your journey? I think not. While a Lycan-based religion associated silver as the color of the moon and the wolf goddess, many of us believe that silver fur is an omen."

As Seolfor said that, Nergora remembered reading about it in an old tome he found during his journey. Hundreds of years ago, before Lycans were considered a separate race, they were known as afflicted humans. Nergora believed that these 'afflicted humans' got pierced by a hellhound's horn, which had lycanthropic effects. He once saw a human who was clearly human, but when he pricked himself on a dead hellhound's horn, he became a Lycan under the full moon. In the time when the tome was written, they were believed as the devil's servant (which, ironically, happened because of a demon). Thus, there was an old belief that silver is a Lycan's weakness, but of course hellhounds were not repulsed by silver objects.

"Lycans of old also believed that if a silver-furred wolf or a werewolf come to them, it is the sign that a misfortune with fall upon them. I was shunned by my peers, so I felt I have no reason to stay. But...some part of me feels that what happened in my hometown is my fault."

"No, don't think that way!" said Nergora. "Adaline is very liberal in term of that. They even comment that I'm an ice mage."

"I'm glad you understand," said Seolfor smiling. She then looked out the window and said, "Is that your friend?"

Nergora moved towards the window and saw Hans waiting by the light post, watching the moon. The ice hellhound then said, "Oh, Hans? He's looking out for me."

"He looks fine to me, but I envy Lycans who can change back to human all they want."

"So, you can't? Did you..."

"Nah, it was even before you," said Seolfor giving a sad smile. "I... don't want to talk about it."

Nergora decided not to further that talk, seeing that Seolfor had a bad memory of it. He quickly changed his topic.

"So, Seolfor...what did you do when I left you?"

"First off, I followed your scent the next morning when I smell blood. I knew some fight happened when I slept, so I quickly run towards the nearby road and found chunks of ice and trail of blood that disappeared into the forest. I quickly found out about your race when I saw frozen bodies behind my cabin, both looked like Lycans except they had horns and long tail, not to mention your unnatural albinism and blue stripes. I wanted to track you down, but I knew that you would try to stay away from me...given the burden you've been through for saving me.

"I went back to work like normal...but three months later, my hometown Naina was attacked by hellhounds, and I quickly tried to run away from Yenhal, given how close the town was to Naina. Fortunately, nothing ever happened to that town, but I've run away and ended up journeying for some time before settling here. Still...I'm working as a barmaid again."

"Seems that job likes you more than you do."

Seolfor made a laugh. "Seems so. I barely started when you come by. I guess it's a fated meeting after all."

A bright source of light took both of their attention. Seolfor looked out and said, "It's full moon tonight."

"Yes, it is," said Nergora when he saw the moon. "It looks like your fur color."

"You think so?"

"Silver may be an old nemesis, but no one can take their eyes of you when it comes to beauty," said Nergora with a smile. This made Seolfor blushed.

"Y-you think so?"

"Oh, yes it is. Feelings like these are not something you can lie on, right?"

"Well, I'm glad that you two started the flirting part, but I don't want to be the one breaking it up."

Hans's voice made Seolfor and Nergora quickly moved away from each other, blushing an embarrassed. The Lycan had turned into a black-furred werewolf due to the influence of the full moon, but his expression suggested that the was another problem.

"What?"

"I wanted to check in on your little date, but we have a bigger problem right now. Oh, and I suggest you..."

Nergora's instinct was faster than Hans. He quickly pulled Hans inside and breathed out ice breath that quickly became crystal in front of the door. Suddenly, a dark tendril came out from the stairway and banged on the crystal. It did not shatter it immediately, but the damage on it gave the group a hint of its strength.

"(Shit, I expected that ice crystal to shatter, but seeing how it managed to make a concentrated thrusting damage to it, I think it is not a collateral damage type)."

"What the hell is that thing?!" exclaimed Seolfor.

"It's something we have been trying to find, love," said Hans while grabbing Seolfor. "Pardon me!"

Without warning, he pulled the female Lycan through the window and jumped to the first floor, leaving Nergora behind. With the feet, they managed to land safely, but Seolfor's concern was to the ice hellhound inside. She quickly run towards the bar, but Hans stopped her.

"You're rushing to your death, love!"

"But I gotta get to Neri!"

"Look, I know you've seen deaths and danger, but risking a danger is a different story altogether. Even a seasoned fighter knows that."

True to his words, Hans saw Nergora jumped out of the second floor and rolled on the first floor, sword out. He then saw that the patrons had evacuated from the premise as they realized something was wrong.

"Was there anyone at the second floor?!" asked Nergora to Seolfor.

When Seolfor shook her head, Nergora said, "Right. Hans, we need to get clear of this bar. Call your dragon!"

"Dragon? What..."

Hans whistled to the air, and a moment later there was a strong gust of wind as Azureath descended from the night sky. Her black scales covered the starry night sky, gaining awe and fascination from nearby civilians.

The Lycan quickly jumped on Azureath's back, followed by Nergora and Seolfor. She quickly tried to fly away, but then a tendril caught one of her legs and prevented her from flying away. She tried to force it, but she could not even move away.

"What the hell is that thing?! I can't believe something can hold me down like this!"

"Some creatures from hell will!"

Nergora quickly climbed down Azureath's leg and used his sword to cut the tendril. Just then he realized what the tendril was made of.

"Pure darkness? But that's impossible! Darkness can't manifest into solid objects!"

"We have a legendary figure with such ability, so don't make it sounds like it is impossible!" said Azureath while struggling to fly away. The small distraction caused by Nergora was enough for the tendril to heal itself.

As Nergora tried to cut it again, smaller tendrils came out from the big one around Azureath's leg and started wrapping itself around Nergora. It was such a strong grip that Nergora could not move either. They were saved when Hans threw one of his swords towards the tendril, which cut it clean off. Azureath quickly flew away and made an ice breath towards the building. Nergora helped her by amplifying her power through touch, giving her his ability to harden ice.

Just as Azureath finished, one of the tendrils shot through the ice and impaled Nergora through his shoulder. He roared and attempted to cut the tendril, but before he could do that his own sword was snatched from him by the tendril and he was forcefully pulled away from Azureath, hitting the ground. It was relentless, though, as it started to raise again, with Nergora in tow, and slammed him to the ground again.

Up on Azureath's back, Seolfor, upon seeing what happened towards Nergora, turned towards the black dragon's head and shouted, "Please, great black dragon, let me go down there and help him!"

"I know you're concerned about him, but there's nothing I can do," replied Azureath. "If I land, the houses of these small beings will be crushed. The wind from my gliding is starting to cause damage."

"We know that already. Land at the outskirts of the town and let us do the rest."

As Azureath flew away from the town, Hans grabbed Seolfor and said, "If you really want to save Nergora, you need to follow my instructions. It is important that you follow it, or it will be the end of you. First, we can run towards the bar in our wolf form so we can catch up on Nergora before he sustained more damage, then..."

"I have a problem," interrupted Seolfor. "I have not been able to turn into a wolf for a year, even under the full moon."

"What?!" Then suddenly Hans thought of a scenario, then said, "A hellhound...you know?"

"I prefer not to talk about it...it's not Nergora."

"Technically right now you are a half-hellhound, just like my sister when she chose a hellhound as a boyfriend. That's fine, and I can see why your desire for help is great. I've seen how a half-hellhound, who was once a docile and peaceful werewolf, turned into a combat specialist, just like most hellhounds. Now I understand your tendency to risk a danger. The question is, can you do it?"

Seolfor was almost ready to say 'yes', but deep in her heart she knew that despite of being able to fight by herself, she would not be able to defeat any horrors that might come to her. Seolfor knew that despite of taking a normal, boring life as a barmaid, somewhere deep within her heart desired a travel around the continent, or possibly around the world.

She gulped, trying to find the best answer. She was startled as Azureath landed on a field, but then said, "I...can't fight with you. But I won't be in your way."

"Good, that's enough. We don't need to fight it. This town is also attacked by a horror far beyond hellhounds, demons, and such. Running is the best option."

But Seolfor suddenly pulled Hans towards her, baring her fangs. She then said, "Aren't you a dragon rider? You might not be able to fight that thing, but help the people!"

Hans was visibly troubled, then turned towards Azureath's head. She heard it and said, "I can carry at least 8 people on my back, but let those wolves run."

"But are you sure?"

"Do not question a dragon trying to help, Hans. Let that female on my back. I'm going to follow you."

Hans nodded and quickly jumped down Azureath's back and started running on all four. Slowly but sure, his body morphed into that of a true feral canine, and he gained speed as he run with a slender, furry body of a wolf. He reached the plaza in no time, but saw what his friend had went through.

He was still fighting against the tendril, trying to bite it, but it was useless as he was slammed yet again to the ground, this time strong enough to make him lose grasp. His mouth had blood trickling down off it, indicating he coughed blood so many times. He was still fighting on, but Hans could see that one of his arms was broken.

Stunned citizens could only watch as Nergora was being pulverized by the tendril, but none dare try to help him as they fear the tendrils. Hans took a werewolf's attention and said, "Find an authority here and evacuate the premise!"

"Evacuate? Why?!"

"I'll give you the details later. Get going!"

"What are you trying to do, then?!"

Without answering, Hans ran towards where he threw his sword, while avoiding tendrils trying to capture him. He quickly bite the handle and turn around. He quickly jumped and make a twist airborne, all the while cutting the tendrils trying to reach him.

"Right, this sword can cut darkness, just like what that old dragon said," thought Hans. "But I doubt the sword's other forms could be activated by teeth. At least this form will do."

With his agile wolf form and the sword, he cut through some tendrils that were trying to get him. Since it was a dragon rider sword, it could repel darkness better than Nergora's sword, which only had high affinity of ice magic. He cut through them with ease and saved Nergora just before he got slammed again.

He put one of his paws on Nergora and felt some parts of his body were flesh-like, almost squishy. He broke some bones while trying to endure the tendril's slam.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here."

"At least before we go, cut through this thing's heart, will you?" said Nergora slowly while coughing blood. "That thing's a menace."

"I know it's a menace, but how the hell am I going to get in there with your ice crystal blocking the way?"

Nergora then moved his hand weakly and concentrated on it. Some parts of the ice melted, giving Hans an entrance.

"Unlike your dragon, I can choose the state of my ice. Now go!"

Hans nodded and ran inside the bar. The interior, unlike the one he knew before, become pitch black and gooey, as if something exploded inside. He could clearly see some of the bar patrons killed by the initial gory reveal of the tendril as it burst out of the victim's mouth, then proceeded to attack and kill some unfortunate people in a similarly gory fashion.

Hans tried to find safe place to step on and to find the creature's heart, but everywhere he looked, there was nothing that indicated a beating heart. Even when he concentrated his hearing, he could not find a beat of a heart, even though he could sense darkness seeping out around him like leaking gas.

Due to the full moon, his bestial senses were enhanced, enough to turn around and cut a tendril before it hit him. Not only that, while it seemed weird and unexplainable, his wolf form moved far more gracefully than his brute werewolf form.

"I really wish I have a hellhound's body this time around," thought Hans while cutting through a door.

But then, after cutting it, he heard a loud bellow coming from the basement of the bar. He quickly tried to find a way to get to the source, but when he cut the floor, it did not even break like the wall did. Worse, it started to attack back, forcing Hans to jump to the second floor, which was not even attacked by the black creature.

"Shit, by this point I really need a reinforcement of some sort, but if Azureath swooped down and destroy this bar, not only it would cause massive debris, but also she could destroy three rows of wooden houses beside this place," thought Hans. "Besides, I can't call the others."

The wolf tried to concentrate to think of a problem, but then he realized that since he was upstairs, the black substance coating the surface started to creep up on the stairs and coming at him.

"Wait...do they have an affinity to fire?"

Hans lighted a nearby candle and threw it in the middle of the room. It did not do a thing to the floor, but slowly Hans could see that they were creeping away from the fire.

"No...they are scared of it! Light is the opposite of darkness. Bloody hell, why am I not thinking about this earlier?! Oh, right...I don't have a bloody fire dragon and my bloody partner is an ice hellhound! Talk about a fucking coincidence!"

Ignoring his frustration, Hans tried to find a wooden part still not covered by the substance and managed to cut one off, with difficulty, from a door. He put it down the floor and said, "darkness and shadow be gone, for fire and light shines on."

Suddenly fire came out and engulfed the whole door. He quickly kicked it to the floor and a screeching voice and another bellow came out, this time louder than before.

"It was in pain! Now, I just need to find the source and..."

Tendrils sprouted out from the walls, coming towards Hans. His reflexes saved him from being impaled, though it did not prevent it to make a wound to his side. While it was just a glancing blow, it felt painful as if he was burning. It was as if the tendril was coated by acid.

Despite of that, aside from the obvious pain from fractured bones, Nergora had no other hint that he felt the burning sensation. Maybe it was not effective on a fellow hellish being?

Shaking off the thinking, Hans took a deep breath, readying himself, then jumped from the second balcony to the burning first floor, bracing himself to what he could find underneath.

It wasn't long until he found it, and he was both horrified and disgusted by the appearance of the creature.

Outside, knowing that Hans had made the creature mad judging by the frantic movement of the tendril, Nergora tried to move away from the danger zone, but the damage to his body was serious and he could not move. Just as he tried to weakly protect himself, a slender hand came to him and pulled him away, albeit not with the result he hoped for.

"Why are all males must be this heavy?!" exclaimed Seolfor's voice from behind Nergora.

"S-Seolfor? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving you, of course. What am I supposed to do?"

"Save yourself!"

"I can't leave someone I loved to death, isn't it? You must survive, Neri, for the both of us."

"I appreciate your concern, but right now...we are in grave danger."

Seolfor looked up and saw three tendrils with sharp end were ready to attack them any time. Seolfor knew she had messed things up when she went in the range of the tendril, but she could not run when Nergora was in danger. Something inside her wanted her to stay and snarl at the tendrils, but she knew she was in danger.

Despite of that, she did not feel any fear. Lycans may be a beast, but they still had fear inside them for survival. Right now, her mind was clear, and her instinct told her that she needed to trust the werewolf inside the building, doing whatever he could to save them. Some of that trust came from the fact that he was a dragon rider, other because he also had someone he wanted to protect. He knew her condition, and...it seemed to be someone close to him.

"I believe in you, black Lycan," said Seolfor, watching the bar burning down to the ground. "I believe you."