To Dog-Sit a Hellhound

“We’ll do it,” Kanie said to Kimora. “We accept your dog sitting challenge.”

“Good! I’m glad~,” she said. “… Oh, and before I go—”

She eyed the heroes.

“Don’t try anything funny with Mylo, or I’ll get mad. You wouldn’t wish me on your worst enemies when I am.”

Do I look suicidal to you? That’s Eric, thought Kanie. He’s the one who yeeted himself out a seventh story window.

Kimora’s scowl became an endearing smile.

“… Anyway, gotta split!” she said.

She transformed into a burning ball of light and shot north, traveling through the air like a shooting star with a loud whoosh. In moments, she was out of sight, and the heroes were left alone with her towering canine.

“Yeesh,” Kanie exclaimed. “Angry women are already scary as-is. … But angry women with magical, godlike powers AND messed-up memories? Now that’s nightmare fuel.”

He turned to Eric.

“Alright,” he said. “The good news is we’ve found that opening you were talking about. The bad news is—”

He pointed at Mylo, who was growling so loud it made his ears vibrate.

“… It involves getting that thing back to, I-Impes… Impes Flux, was it?”

“Impes Lux,” Eric corrected him. “The Fire Kingdom.”

He pulled out the map Aurora had given him earlier and nearly fainted.

“Ho~ho~ly shit,” he said, observing the map.

“I don’t know if this thing is drawn to scale, but if it is… We’ve got a long way to go before we get to Kimora’s domain.”

Kanie gulped.

“H-how far is it from here, exactly?” he asked.

Eric used his thumb and pointer finger to estimate. He used the distance between Narvec and Vorax Thicket as a size reference.

“Well, Aurora said we traveled ‘over two hundred miles’ to get here from Narvec,” he said. “If this map is proportionate, then that means…”

“Means what?” Kanie asked. “Don’t leave me in the dark here—I want to know.”

“The distance to Impes Lux is about four hundred fifty miles,” Eric said. His tone was dry—almost robotic, even.

“… Hey, Kanie. What are you doing sulking over there!? Pull yourself together, man!”

Kanie sat curled up on the grassy floor of Vorax Thicket.

“It’s all over,” he said, voice communicating a sense of defeat. “Jandariu is finished, and we’re going to die here.”

“Would you get up, already!?” Eric shouted at him. “Come on, this is serious! Besides—”

“… Are you really okay with dying a virgin—again?”

Kanie gasped and widened his eyes. He sprung to his feet.

“Fuck that,” he said. “Anything but that!”

“Then hurry up and help me think of something here,” Eric said. “The sun’s about to set, and I don’t want to be stuck in this forest when it does. Who knows what type of creepy stuff comes out here at night?”

“Fair point,” Kanie said. “But what are we going to do about the hellhound? It’s not like we can just ask him to follow us, and he’ll be like, ‘woof!’ and actually listen, you know?”

“Who knows?” Eric said. “Maybe we can.”

He whistled, causing Mylo’s ears to perk up. Curious, Mylo lowered his head toward the heroes until his massive snout was right in front of their faces.

Eric took a deep breath and pat him on the head. Surprisingly, the animal’s fur didn’t char his hand; rather, it was soft and pleasant to the touch.

“H-hey, there, big guy,” he said, talking to the dog. “Your master left to take care of something in Impes Lux.”

He put his hands together and bowed his head.

“We’re headed that way ourselves—so, um, would you please just be a good boy and come with us?”

Kanie groaned watching him.

“Seriously, dude?” he said. “You really just shot it straight with a dog!?”

“What, I was always taught to be direct, okay?” Eric replied with a shrug. “Was always told things go smoother when you just ask without playing games.”

“I hear you,” Kanie said. “—But he’s a dog. He probably doesn’t even understand what you’re saying!”

The heroes’ bickering was interrupted when Mylo rose back onto his hind legs and let out a howl, pointing his snout toward the sky. Small animals in the area scattered every which way, and winged creatures perched in the surrounding trees took flight to distance themselves.

Kanie and Eric stood on guard, prepared to defend themselves should Mylo attack—only he didn’t. Instead, he leaped over them in one fast motion and dashed off. Before long, he had disappeared from view.

Flustered, the heroes chased after him.

“Well, so much for that idea,” Kanie said. “What are we going to do if we lose him?”

“We won’t,” Eric replied, pointing to the ground.

Mylo had been leaving large, fiery footprints along the forest floor.

After following the prints for some time, Kanie and Eric found themselves in a familiar location—it was the place they had fought the Fire Salamanders with Aurora and her team.

“Look—over there!” Kanie said, gesturing in front of him.

It was Mylo; the hellhound was sniffing a salamander corpse. He leaned in and started to chow down on it.

“He’s… eating?” Kanie remarked, puzzled.

He looked over at Eric, who had broken into a stupid grin.

“You know,” Eric said, watching as Mylo dined on the dead salamander. “I think I might’ve thought of a way we can get him to follow us.”

He proceeded to cast a summoning spell, conjuring a sturdy piece of rope. Attached to the rope was a four-claw grappling hook.

“… You really can do just about anything, huh?” Kanie said. “What are you planning to do with that?”

Eric didn’t answer him. Instead, he searched the area until he found a sizable chunk of smoldering salamander flesh that Kanie had carved off during the extermination quest.

“Dogs are known to chase treats, aren’t they?” he said, lodging the grappling hook into the hunk of meat. After checking to make sure the hook was in tightly, he stood up and looked at Kanie. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“W-what is it?” Kanie asked.

“Say, Kanie—” Eric started.

“… What do you say to becoming, heheh, human bait?”