XIV The Jackal
It is early evening and Sparen and Doris ride into town on Phobos. One of the village guards sees them riding the strange cyborg horse that breathes fire through its mouth and nose, and sparks of fire also come out of its hooves. The man is shocked and frightened by the horse's presence, it seems to him like something out of hell, but he stops them anyway because the curfew is about to start. Sparen stops the horse and again begins to act in his role as D the vampire hunter.
-Why are you stopping us, officer? -, Sparen asks.
-Oh, it's you. Where have you been all day? The mayor was desperately looking for you -, says the guard.
-What's going on? -, Doris asks.
-We have found more victims. One of them was poor Gus. His body was destroyed and scattered near the trash cans of an alley -, says the guard.
-Oh, my God! -, Doris says.
-Where is the alley you're talking about? -, Sparen asks.
The guard points to the place and tells them where to go.
-We will go to that place. Don't let anyone get close, it could be dangerous -, Sparen warns the guard, but he doesn't really care about people's safety, he just wants no one to get in his way and let him do his job.
-Okay, I'll tell the others -, says the guard.
-You should stay with him, Doris -, Sparen tells her in his last attempt to leave her behind.
-No way. I'll go with you -, she insists.
-The hunter is right, Miss Lang -, says the guard.
-Thank you, but I won't stay. I'm not afraid to face those demons -, she answers. It is partly true after what happened to her six years ago she had become a braver woman, but her real reason for accompanying the wizard is her mistrust of him. She is not willing to tolerate Sparen damaging D's reputation.
The wizard is not happy with Doris's insistence on accompanying him, but he decides to take her anyway, after all, she protected him with her rifle before, so maybe she can be of some use to him.
-As you like. We must not waste any more time -, says Sparen and shakes the reins.
As the horse approaches the spot where the guard had indicated, Sparen can feel a demonic aura growing stronger. He slows the horse down until he stops it a few streets up.
-What's going on? Why do we stop? We're not there yet -, asks Doris.
-I'll leave Phobos here and walk to the spot -, says Sparen.
-Why? -, Doris asks.
-I can feel a demonic aura nearby, I don't want Phobos's presence to alert the demon. I just hope it's not too late because if it is, the demon will run away or be waiting to attack -, says Sparen.
-Oh, I get it -, Doris replies.
They both get off the horse with their weapons and start walking toward the alley. Doris takes her rifle in her hands and walks forward with all her senses on high alerts, like when she goes out into the field to hunt the creatures of the night. Sparen walks a step behind her but is a little more relaxed than her. Suddenly they both see two people walking down the sidewalk. Doris recognizes their silhouettes and a protesting sound comes from her lips, "pfft."
-What's wrong, Doris Lang? -, Sparen asks.
-Of all the people who live in the town, why does it have to be them? -, Doris protests.
-Who are those men? -, Sparen asks.
-Those were Greco's friends. Good-for-nothing's bums. Ever since their friend died they haven't stopped harassing me. This is the worst time to have to deal with them -, says Doris.
-Do you want me to get rid of them? -, Sparen asks with a wicked smile.
Doris looks at him, and while he's undeniably handsome, there's something very sinister about him that gives her goosebumps.
-No, I'll take care of them -, she replies.
-As you like -, he says.
The men, who by the way are drunk since they had left the bar and were heading home at curfew when they see Doris walking with the "vampire hunter", do not miss the opportunity to pester them. They stagger toward them with half-full bottles in their hands. One of them makes a mocking face and says:
-Well, well, but what do we have here? If it's just the bloody vampire-hunting dhampir accompanied by his bitch Doris.
-It seems he got very well paid six years ago. She must have shaken it very well because the damn dog did not hesitate to come to rescue his bitch from another vampire -, says the other man.
-Now I understand why Greco was always after her ass -, says the first man.
-Hahahahahaha -, both men laugh.
Sparen listens to the drunken nonsense and maintains his relaxed demeanor. He even finds them a little amusing, but he stays in his role as D and doesn't show it. On the other hand, Doris is very upset and about to blow up against those two. She takes the whip in her hands and says:
-Damn drunks! How dare you say that D is a perverted opportunist?! -, Doris yells. She swings her whip and catches both men by their legs and yanks them to the ground. She coils back the whip.
Sparen just watches and finds Doris's reaction a bit over the top, but amusing. Although the drunks are supposed to be insulting him, he doesn't interfere as Doris had asked. He thinks maybe the real vampire hunter wouldn't waste his time with two drunks either.
The bottles that both men were carrying in their hands flew out and broke as they fell to the ground, spilling the precious liquid they contained. The guys get a little groggy when they hit the ground, but seeing their bottles break and all the rum is gone, they got really upset.
-Damn bitch, look what you did! -, says one of them.
-You will pay for that! -, says the other.
Both men try to get to their feet, but with great difficulty. As they do, Doris turns to speak to Sparen.
-Those two are so drunk that I doubt they can stand up. Let's continue on our way, we've already wasted time with them -, says Doris.
-I think you overreacted by the comments of two drunks, but what is most surprising is that you were not bothered by what they said about you, but by what they said about... -, Sparen does not finish speaking when one of the drunks points Doris with a gun.
-Take this, bitch! -, says the man and shoots.
Sparen reacts quickly and pulls Doris out of harm's way. Doris reacts and cracks her whip. With a whiplash, she takes the gun from the man. She then cracks the whip again and gives the men an electric shock that will surely leave them on the ground for a while.
-I didn't want it to come to that, but you asked for it -, Doris tells the men who are lying unconscious on the ground.
Sparen smirks thinking, "It seems that the vampire hunter is her weakness but also her trigger. If I want her to be useful to me then I'll have to be careful while posing as him."
She coils the whip again and keeps it on her belt. She addresses Sparen:
-Let's go -, she tells him with an authoritative tone.
The wizard suddenly has some kind of deja vu, as if he is listening to Minerva. He remains motionless for a few seconds from the strange sensation. Doris turns to look at him.
-What's wrong? Why you do not move? -, she asks.
The wizard looks at her and returns to reality as he sees the short woman with blond hair instead of the tall redhead.
-Nothing, let's keep going -, he replies.
Both begin to walk leaving the two drunk lying on the sidewalk. Doris knows that the guards will probably pick them up and take them away, so she doesn't think about them anymore and concentrates on what they will do once they reach the alley. Sparen shakes off his thoughts of Minerva and concentrates on the demonic aura he is sensing.
Finally, they reach the alley that is between two buildings about five stories. There was no one in the place. All the people who live in the buildings were inside their houses and with the windows closed, which makes the wizard feel more comfortable. The place is dark, only the dim light of a pole illuminates the site. Large garbage dumps could be seen and of course, the shadows of the rats as they run around.
-Stay alert Doris Lang, we are approaching the demon, I can feel it -, Sparen warns her, putting his left hand on the hilt of his sword, while walking slowly.
Doris nods her head and takes the rifle in her hands and walks slowly behind the wizard. They both walk further into the alley, where the presence of the rats is more evident. They can hear the rats screeching louder behind one of the dumpsters. Sparen motions for Doris to stand behind him, then he steps in to see what's there. What the wizard sees is horrible and disgusting at the same time. Part of a person's body was lying there, and the rats were feeding on it. The rats, realizing the wizard's presence, stop feeding. The rats' eyes turn red and they prepare to attack.
Sparen realizes that the strength of the demon aura he was feeling was due to the large concentration of possessed rats there. Seeing that the rats would attack him, the wizard throws a fireball at them to scatter the rats so he can retreat to a wider and more comfortable area to attack. When Doris sees the rats, she begins to shoot them with her rifle to keep them away and backs away with the wizard.
They both walk out from behind the dumpsters into a clearing. Sparen brandishes his sword and begins to kill the rats that come toward him while Doris shoots at them. The rats begin to surround them.
-There are too many. What do we do now? -, Doris asks as she shoots the rats with her rifle.
-Keep shooting, I'm going to cast a spell. When I tell you to, you will stop shooting and hide under my cloak, do you understand? -, Sparen says to her as he sheathes his sword and prepares for the spell.
-Okay -, Doris replies, continuing to shoot wildly at the rats.
Strange energy surrounds Sparen as he recites words unknown to Doris. When he finishes he says:
-Now!
Doris stops shooting and takes shelter under Sparen's cloak as he told her.
-Circle of Fire! -, says Sparen and with a gesture, he finishes casting the spell. A cascade of fire flames flows from the wizard's body outward, forming a circle of fire that expands to about 25 feet in diameter. The circle of fire burns all the rats that were trapped inside it, but also the dumpsters caught fire, endangering the old buildings.
Doris clings to the wizard and stays under the cloak as he unleashes hell. She doesn't know exactly what is going on around her, but she feels the heat. She begins to feel a bit uncomfortable being so close to the wizard, but she has to hold on until he tells her that she can come out from under the cloak. A couple of minutes later, the rats were no longer a threat. Most of them had been consumed by fire, but a few managed to escape into a sewer. Most of the fire was out except for the one in the dumpsters.
-You can come out now, Doris Lang -, Sparen tells her.
The woman is relieved and quickly lets go of the wizard and steps out from under the cloak. Seeing the fire still burning in the dumpsters, she gets worried.
-Oh my God, the buildings and the families that live in them will burn! Please do something to stop the fire! -, she asks desperately.
-You care more about the fire and the people who live in those buildings, than the fact that those rats weren't our real target. The real demon is still out there somewhere -, says Sparen disappointed and trying to locate the demon's aura.
-What do you say?! The rats and the demon can wait, but if you don't do something now, that fire could get out of control, and many people could die -, Doris tells him.
At that moment, the smoke from the fire caused some people to start opening the windows of their houses to see what was happening. People were beginning to be shocked to see the dumpsters burning.
Sparen is not worried about the buildings or the people, nor does he pay attention to Doris's claims, but when he sees that people are beginning to look out of the windows, he decides to put out the fire, so as not to call more attention. The last thing he wants is to have to deal with nosy people. He raises his left hand and calls the fire saying "Come to me". Doris watches with stunning eyes as the flames go toward the wizard and disappear completely. Only the ashes of what had been burned remained.
People looking out the windows are stunned to see the fire is absorbed by the "vampire hunter". None of them thought he had such an ability, but after all, he is a dhampir which makes him half Noble, so it didn't seem entirely impossible to them either. Sparen looks up knowing people are watching him and gestures saying, "Okay, the show's over, go back to your business." Then the people were hypnotized and began to close their windows and go back to what they were doing forgetting about what they had seen.
-I got rid of the snoopers, now let's get back to our business -, Sparen tells Doris as if nothing had happened.
-You finally put out the fire, but you were actually willing to let those people burn, weren't you? -, she asks a little disappointed.
-I'm not a hero, Doris Lang, it's hard for me to behave like one -, he answers. -But look at the positive side, the fire was extinguished as you wanted and nobody died.
-You were about to do something that D would never do. For that reason, while you're pretending to be him, I'm not going to leave your side -, she claims.
-Okay, I've got it clear, I won't get rid of you while I'm in this town -, he tells her as he pushes one of the garbage containers.
-What are you doing? What are you looking for? -, she asks him.
-I can feel some of the rats escaped the fire around here -, he replies.
By pushing the container a little further the wizard was able to uncover a sewer.
-Uh-huh -, he says as he sees the sewer. -The demon must be somewhere down there -, he says removing the sewer grate.
-And how are you going to look for the demon? You may have noticed that the hole is too small for you to get into -, Doris asks.
-Well, I could blow up the whole sewer to get the demon out -, suggests the wizard, but he wasn't serious, he just said it to pester her.
-What do you say?! Are you crazy?! Do you know how many people could get hurt? And not to mention all the damage you would cause -, she tells him.
-Of course, I won't do that, woman. Firstly because I don't know how deep down the demon is, and secondly because I couldn't bear to listen to your bickering when the whole block bursts up on fire -, he replies.
-So, what do you plan to do? -, Doris asks.
-Something I haven't done in a long time and I hope it works -, he replies without explanation.
Doris looks at him confused because his answer was so futile.
Sparen removes his hat and is about to remove his cloak when more possessed animals appear out of nowhere. A pack of rabid stray dogs approaches them from the surrounding streets. Just like the rats, the dogs' eyes also turned red and they were ready to attack.
-Not again -, Doris says taking the rifle in her hands and starting shooting again.
Sparen curses and since he has the hat in his hands, he calls out to Fang. The raven comes out of the hat and without his master saying a word, he starts attacking the possessed dogs with its beak and talons. The wizard draws his sword and begins to kill the dogs with it.
-Don't let them bite you, or they will contaminate you -, Sparen tells Doris as he cuts off the head of a dog that was about to attack her from behind.
-Okay -, she replies as she shoots.
Suddenly, from among the possessed dogs, a large rottweiler-like dog appears. This one was a bit different from the others not only because of its size but also because it has small horns on its head and its demonic appearance.
-There it is! -, says Sparen when he sees it. He tries to get closer to the demon dog, but the other dogs get in his way.
-Where? -, Doris asks as she hears Sparen.
-To your right. It is a big black dog with horns. That's the demon -, says Sparen trying to break through with his sword.
-Ok -, Doris replies and points her rifle at the dog, but before she can fire, one of the possessed dogs jumps on her and snatches the rifle from her, knocking it to the ground. Doris falls to the ground unprotected. The dog jumps on her, but Fang grabs it with his talons and flies away with it.
-Thanks, Fang! -, she says as she crawls over and takes the rifle back in her hands.
Sparen moves closer to the demon dog, but when the dog senses the wizard's aura it backs away and flees into the sewer. Some of the dogs follow him. The wizard runs towards the sewer, but he cannot reach the demon.
-Dammit! -, Sparen says annoyed.
Doris and Fang chase off the rest of the dogs. The woman approaches Sparen.
-He got away, didn't he? -, she asks him looking at the sewer hole.
-Unfortunately. Now I'll have to chase him -, he answers.
-A while ago you said that you would do something that you haven't done for a long time, what is it about? -, Doris asks.
-You'll see -, he replies. Then he takes off his hat and cloak again and hands them to Doris.
-Hold this -, he tells her.
Doris takes his things, -But...
Sparen places the sword in its scabbard and removes the strap holding it in place and hands it to Doris. He also hands her his utility belt.
-Take this too. Do not touch the sword for any reason. I'm entrusting you with my things, I want you to take care of them with your own life -, Sparen tells her.
-Why do you give me all your things? How are you going to defend yourself? -, she asks him.
-I won't be able to use them. Now if you allow me, I must concentrate -, he says
Doris understands and remains silent.
Sparen closes his eyes and concentrates on shape-shifting his body, one of the abilities the containment seal hasn't allowed him to do. "Come on, I know the seal has weakened enough to be able to do something as simple as this", the wizard thinks.
Then strange energy flows through Sparen's body and a strange curtain of smoke surrounds him. Doris watches in surprise as she sees the wizard's body shrink in size and change shape. As the smoke clears, the wizard's clothes lie on the ground and a black-furred jackal stands there.
-Sparen, is that you? -, asks Doris still surprised.
The jackal looks at her when he hears her voice, and though he cannot speak, she can hear the wizard's voice in her head.
"Of course it's me. Now pick up my clothes and take care of all my things until I get back Doris Lang," says the jackal.
-Huh? So you can't speak, but I can hear you clearly inside my head -, says Doris. -Don't worry, I'll take care of your things. I only ask you to be careful.
The jackal nods at her, then it looks at Fang and says, "Watch the woman and keep her out of trouble until I get back." The raven crows. Then the jackal runs over to the sewer and disappears into it.
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Inside the dark sewer, the jackal tracks its prey with its highly developed sense of smell despite the humidity and other odors in the place. The jackal goes through the narrow tunnels with water holes as fast as he can because he hates being wet and wants to get out of there as soon as possible. On his way, he meets more of the possessed rats so he had to stop and fight them. The jackal defends itself against rats with its fangs and paws. Some of the rats manage to bite him, but they got the worst of it because they ended up being killed or eaten by the jackal. He licks his wounds and then continues the search.
When he got closer to his target, he could sense that there were other dogs nearby. The pack leader had sent other dogs to stop the wizard. The jackal stops as he sees the dogs blocking his path. "Damn", Sparen thinks as he prepares for his first dog fight. The three dogs' eyes turn red and they flash their sharp fangs at the jackal. "Here we go", Sparen thinks. The jackal flashes his fangs at the dogs as he growls and the hairs on his back raise.
The dogs run toward the jackal and attack him all at once. The jackal tries to dodge the bites and attacks one of the dogs, biting it hard on the neck, seriously injuring it. One of the dogs manages to bite him on his tail while the jackal was pushing the other dog with his front legs. The jackal growls and pulls his tail and then he jumps on the dog that bit him and bites down hard on the snout, but the dog manages to break free and runs away from him. The other dog prepares to attack him and jumps on him. The jackal stands on his hind legs and begins to wrestle with the dog until he manages to knock him to the ground. Without wasting time, he bites its neck to death. The jackal's eyes turn red like those of the possessed dogs and glares at the remaining dog. The wizard's dark aura unfolds, causing the dog to fear and flee. The jackal licks the blood from his wounds before continuing on his way.
Further down the tunnel the wizard finally finds the dog leader of the pack. The demon dog was there along with others. The jackal flashes its fangs at him and growls in some kind of challenge. The demon dog does the same in acceptance. Both canids begin to fight. This time it was like a competition of who would be the leader of the pack. Both dogs bite each other. The demon dog manages to deeply injure one of the jackal's front legs. The jackal, despite his wound and his pain, does not back down and makes a maneuver that confuses the other dog. The demon dog thinks the jackal is about to give up, and as he moves in for the fatal bite, the jackal moves quickly and bites him on the neck. The jackal rips his opponent's neck to pieces until he manages to kill it. Unlike the previous fight, the jackal devours the demon dog's body. When the demon dog dies, the other dogs wake up from his possession and flee from the jackal in terror. The jackal howls in victory.
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Back in the alley, Doris waits for the wizard a little worried. She hopes he comes back safely. The raven accompanies her and calmly waits perched on a post.
-Do you think he's alright? -, she finally asks Fang.
-He's alive if that's what you want to know -, the raven replies.
-It comforts me to hear that. Your master is strange and sometimes he scares me, but I don't want anything bad to happen to him -, she tells him.
-Either you are a very good person or a fool, lady, if you knew him well you wouldn't be so worried about that wizard, and maybe you wish he didn't come back -, says the raven.
-Why do you say that? Do you guys not get along? -, Doris asks.
"Because he is a good-for-nothing talkative bird" -, Doris hears in her head that familiar voice of the wizard.
Doris turns to look and from the shadows she sees the jackal coming, but he was limping as he walked. His left front leg is injured and bleeding, his body is covered in bloodstains from both his and the other dogs.
-Oh no, you're hurt -, she says and approaches him. The jackal is injured, wet, dirty, and smelly, which causes Doris great concern.
The raven hears the jackal's growls and looks to where the jackal is.
-I see those dogs have beaten the hell out of you, -, says the raven.
"Yeah, I'm happy to see you talkative duster too. Be careful what you say to the woman, or I'll eat you just like I did that dog demon", he tells the raven by telepathy.
The jackal licks the blood from his injured leg, when suddenly a large piece of cloth falls on him, covering him completely. Doris skillfully wraps the cloak around him and makes it impossible for him to move. She was used to dealing with sick or injured animals.
"What the hell are you doing?", the jackal complains as he tries to free himself.
-I'm so sorry to do this to you, but there's no other way. I'm going to bandage your wounds, silly-, she tells him as she pulls a strip out of it and wraps it around his snout to prevent the jackal from biting her. She then takes another strip and begins to bandage the jackal's injured leg. Once she finishes she tells him, -I'll take you to the farm, there I have the medicines to heal your wounds.
"What do you say?! I'm not a damn dog," Sparen grumbles.
-Come on, behave yourself. Everything will be fine, you'll see -, she says, petting the jackal's head and ears.
"Stop treating me as if I were your pet!" -, protests the angry jackal.
-I'm going to look for the horse. Now I want you to stay still or you'll end up hurting yourself more -, Doris tells him, leaving him wrapped in the cloak so he won't move.
"Wait, that's not necessary. Release me," the jackal tells her, but she pays no attention to him and goes to look for Phobos.
The raven laughs and mocks his master.
-Who'd say? A mere human woman has taken you, a prince of the Underworld, as her pet dog -, says the raven once Doris walks away from them.
"Damn it, Fang! I swear I'm going to eat you!" says the jackal, very upset.
-Why don't you transform? You will save yourself further humiliation if you do so -, suggests the raven.
"Really? Don't tell me! What a smart bird you are, Fang, why didn't I think of that before?", the jackal answers sarcastically.
-So you really can't do it, I wonder why? -, says the raven.
"I do not know. Maybe it's because of my injuries, or maybe it's because of the containment seal," says the jackal.
-Haha! It would be hilarious if you stayed looking like a bag of fleas for the rest of your life. That would be your payment for turning me into this -, says the raven.
"Ah, I see! You're still upset about that. How ungrateful you are, I just did you a favor," says the jackal.
-A favor?! You used me as a guinea pig, you miserable wizard -, says the annoyed raven.
"Get over it, Fang," says the jackal.
-Yes, of course, you too get over it lapdog -, answers the raven mockingly.
The jackal growls and says, "You're going too far, talkative duster."
Doris finally shows up with the horse interrupting the telepathic argument between the jackal and the raven. She puts all the things in the bags on the horse's saddle and then walks over to the jackal. The jackal looks at her annoyed and growling because he knew she would carry him like a wounded pet. The raven watches and laughs at the jackal with derisive laughter. The jackal growls more. The woman looks at the raven and the jackal and realizes what is happening.
-Hey Fang, stop bothering him after all he is your master, besides, haven't you thought that at some point he will be like he was again? What will happen then? -, says Doris to the raven.
Fang stops taunting the jackal and asks Doris to show him the wizard's hat. Doris understood that the raven would get back into the hat so she complied with him.
"You made that birdbrain see reason and took that bother out of me, but that doesn't mean I'll forget what you're doing to me," the jackal warns Doris.
-I'm just doing you a favor, I don't understand why you bother so much. I'm going to take you home and I'm going to treat your wounds, that's all -, Doris tells him. -Now be still, I don't want to hurt you.
"No, wait. You don't need to do this. When I transform, I'll take care of it," says the jackal.
But Doris ignores him and she very carefully takes the jackal in her arms and gets on the horse. She holds the jackal with one arm and leads the horse with her free hand.
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Arriving at the Lang house, Dan greets his sister Doris and is surprised to see her carrying the black-furred jackal.
-I'm glad to see you're okay sister. Where is Sparen? And what's with that dog? -, asks the young man.
-Thanks, Dan -, says Doris.
"Don't you dare tell him, I'd rather you tell him I died," the jackal tells Doris.
-You're a fool -, Doris tells the jackal.
-Do you talk to the dog? -, Dan asks.
-He is Sparen. Now help me get the things off the horse, please -, says Doris.
"Great, what part of don't tell him didn't you understand," Sparen grumbles.
-He turned into a dog? It's amazing -, says Dan. He then takes the things that Doris passed him because the horse was not used to Dan and it was dangerous for him to get close to him.
Doris carries the injured jackal to the barn. She gently places the animal on a haystack and tells him to wait until she returns with the medicine. So she goes to take Phobos to his stable and then looks for the medicine. On the other hand, Dan carries the wizard's clothes and belongings to the house and then runs to the barn to help his sister heal the jackal.
Sparen stayed still as Doris had asked, not because he was obedient but because the woman had rendered him practically immobile using his cloak to wrap around his body.
Both siblings enter the barn. Doris carries the medications, and Dan offers to assist her in restraining the jackal while she cleans and disinfects the jackal's wounds. The jackal is not happy at all, but he does not offer resistance, after all, those humans are the first ones who do not have bad intentions toward him and who offers him help.
"You know, what you're doing is completely unnecessary," the jackal tells Doris telepathically.
-I don't know what happened in that sewer, but I assure you that this will help you recover faster. Besides, we'll leave you alone, we're done -, she tells him, finishing putting the bandage on the injured leg.
-I can't hear what he says. This is unfair. Why can you talk to him and I can't? -, Dan asks.
-I don't know, Dan -, Doris replies.
-I'll ask him anyway and maybe you can tell me what he tells you -, Dan says to his sister.
-Hey Sparen, what happened? Why did you turn into a dog? How did you end up like this? -, asks the boy.
The jackal looks at the boy and tells him through telepathy: "Forget about that now and bring me my clothes and my belongings boy"
Dan smiles and says: -He talked to me Doris, I could hear his voice in my head. He wants me to bring his stuff.
-Okay, I'll help you with that, Dan -, Doris tells him.
They both go to the house to look for the wizard's clothes and belongings. Meanwhile, Sparen seizes the moment to focus on his transformation. His wounds had already stopped bleeding and he felt much better. Eating the demon dog had given him more energy, so he wondered why he couldn't transform immediately.
"Come on, I know I can do this, the seal of containment couldn't stop me from turning into a jackal, now I won't let it stop me from being a man again, not after feeding on the energy of that demon", thinks the wizard.
After his second attempt, Sparen successfully transforms. The strange energy covers his body, and the smoke screen appears. His body begins to grow and change shape until he becomes a man. At that moment, the Lang siblings return with the wizard's clothes and belongings. The smoke screen disappears and the wizard appears before them completely naked. The siblings watch stunned for a few moments.
Dan, on the one hand, looks at the muscles and the wizard's slender body and sees him as a model of how he himself should look physically when he becomes a full-grown man. When he was a boy of just eight years old, he considered D as an older brother and also a role model for his bravery and his way of being. Although he also admired his height and appearance, he didn't care about those things as much as his sister Doris did. He still thinks of D as such, but now that he is a teenager, physical appearance has become a bit more important to him, so he admires the wizard's physical appearance. He also pays close attention to the blurry tattoo on Sparen's chest.
-Holy Moly! -, Dan says. He then thinks, "And I thought I was close to becoming a grown man."
Doris, on the other hand, also admires the wizard's anatomy, but in a different way, of course. She admires the shape of his muscles, the width of his chest, and the square shape of his abs and considers him a handsome man. Her eyes couldn't help but look down and she suddenly feels how the heat rises to her face. She quickly turns around. After having been with D, she never thought that she would see another naked man again, let alone that she would feel like that.
-Oh Lord! -, Doris says. Her cheeks turn red. -You are shameless! How dare you show yourself like that?! -, Doris complains to the wizard.
-What are you talking about? I've been naked the whole time. You even rubbed my head and ears and carried me in your arms. I don't understand why it bothers you so much now -, Sparen replies playing the innocent after seeing the woman's reaction.
-How cheeky! I don't know, maybe it didn't bother me before because you were covered in fur and you happened to look like a dog -, Doris replies.
-Shame on you Doris Lang, at your age I thought you were a mature woman, but I see you are a prudish girl. (sighs) If it bothers you so much, why don't you stop squeezing my clothes like that and just give them back to me? -, Sparen tells her.
Doris hadn't realized what she was doing, she has never considered herself a prudish girl as he said. Until now, she had not felt any kind of attraction to a man other than D. Even when she offered the reward to D, she did not feel so shy, on the contrary, she felt love, comfort, protection, and safety even though she knew that he was a dhampir. On the other hand, seeing the wizard made her feel sinful, shameful, and lustful. She handed over the clothes to Dan because she doesn't want to even look at the wizard's face. She can feel the heat on her face, and she doesn't want the wizard to see her like that.
-Here Dan, give him his clothes -, she says.
Dan puts away what he had in his hands, and takes the wizard's clothes. He looks at his sister and notices something in her that seems like she had lost six years ago, after D's departure, but he decides not to say anything, and just hands Sparen his clothes.
The wizard begins to dress quickly. As he does so, young Dan jumps at the chance to ask him questions.
-Hey Sparen, do you like tattoos? What does the one on your chest mean?
-That's not a tattoo -, he replies.
-So what is it? -, asks the boy. His sister just listens to what they talk about.
-It's a containment seal. Since I know you don't know what that is, I'll explain it to you. It is something used by those who are skilled in magic to prevent someone who is also skilled in magic from becoming more powerful. It's also used to weaken the powers of someone who is already powerful enough -, Sparen replies as he finishes tying his pants.
-Who did that to you? -, Dan asks.
Doris then remembers the things she saw when Sparen showed her Finisterra and gets into the conversation.
-It was them, right? The Iron Fist? -, Doris asks. She turns to see if she could still see the tattoo since she felt so embarrassed before that she didn't pay much attention to it. The wizard hadn't put on his robe yet so she was able to get a glimpse before he did.
-That's right, Doris Lang -, he answers and puts on his robe.
-What is the Iron Fist? Why did they do that to you? -, Dan asks.
-It is a Brotherhood that exists in Finisterra that seeks to maintain law and order in the world. On the surface, you could say that they are the good guys, but if you look deeper, they just want to impose their rules and eliminate those who are or think differently -, Sparen replies as he puts on his boots.
-This seems very strange to me. Are you a criminal? -, Doris asks suspiciously.
Sparen smirks at Doris. -You are very distrustful Doris Lang. As I've told you before, I'm a wizard and people are usually afraid of me because they don't understand my powers.
-Well, I still think you did something to make them do that to you -, insists Doris.
-Think what you want. Now I must concentrate on my work here -, says Sparen, ending the conversation about the Iron Fist.
-Now that you mention that, I want to know what happened. Why did you turn into a dog? What happened to the demon you chased? Could you finish him off? -, Dan asks with great curiosity.
-You see, the demon was shaped like a dog. When I was close to him to finish him off, he fled down a sewer. The sewer opening was too small for me, so I had to transform into a jackal to chase after it. Down there, I had to face a group of rats possessed by the demon dog, and also a few stray dogs that were also possessed. When I was done with them, I finally faced the demon dog and was able to defeat it. Once I killed him, the other dogs fled, and then I... devoured the demon dog -, says Sparen.
Both siblings make faces of disgust.
-Wow, very good summary, and how convenient. I think you forgot to mention when you almost burned down the buildings with all the people in just to kill some rats. You also skipped how you, the mighty wizard, ended up all beaten up by a pack of stray dogs -, Doris says sarcastically to annoy the wizard because she still doesn't consider him an honorable hero like D.
-Did that really happen? Did anyone get hurt? -, Dan asks surprised.
-No, luckily he put out the fire before it spread -, Doris replies.
The wizard noticed that the woman wanted to pester him with her sarcasm and he doesn't keep quiet.
-Oh, please accept my apologies. You are right, I also forgot to mention how I ripped out the demon dog's heart, which was still beating, his meaty liver, his delicious guts, every organ of his body, and I chewed it with pleasure while his warm blood trickled down my throat and my jaw -, says the wizard with his usual evil smile, just to annoy the woman.
-Oh how disgusting! You didn't have to be so harsh -, Doris says, grimacing in disgust.
-Sorry, I thought you liked the details -, says the wizard with a smirk.
Dan watches the two of them in silence and thinks, "He's definitely not like D, but despite their bickering, I'm afraid my sister doesn't entirely dislike him. I'm glad she noticed another man after D left, but I hope she doesn't get her hopes up about this one."
-Well, it doesn't matter how it happened, what matters is that no one got hurt and one of the demons was eliminated -, says Dan to interrupt Sparen and Doris.
-The boy is right. Now I must concentrate on the next one -, says Sparen ending the silly argument with Doris. -If you don't mind I must prepare to face the demon -, says Sparen taking his belongings.
-Right now? It's almost dawn. Don't you think you should wait until sunset? -, Dan asks him.
-I don't have much time to waste, besides, I think I'm not welcome here anymore, (he glances at Doris), so I'll have to find a place to stay in town -, Sparen replies.
-Again with that? I think that's just a lame excuse to be alone and do as you please. You already know that I won't let you go alone, much less after what you almost did in the town -, she replies.
Sparen thinks, "What an annoying woman. If it wasn't for the fact that I practically owe her my life, I'd turn her into a toad." The wizard raises his left brow and says just to pester her, -So does that mean you're willing to sleep in the same room with me? Very well, but I warn you that I am not a gentleman -, he gives her a malicious smile.
Doris opens her eyes widely and says: -What?! No way, you pervert!
-Hahahahahaha -, Sparen laughs.
Dan watches them and sighs thinking, "And I'm supposed to be the kid here."
-Take it easy Doris. Can't you see that he just wants to bother you? -, he tells his sister. Then he turns to the wizard and says: -Hey Sparen, I don't think my sister wants you to leave, she's only worried about you, and of course, she's also worried that someone will discover that you're not D. Just try to understand her a little.
Doris listens to her brother Dan's words and is surprised at how much he has matured. She calms down a bit and thinks that her little brother is absolutely right. She can't believe how easily she's fallen the wizard's game, maybe she should start to stop comparing him to D.
-What Dan says is true, I don't want you to leave. In fact, I think you should rest a bit and return to town in the afternoon. In the meantime, I also think you should formulate some plan before you go -, she tells Sparen.
-I understand that you're worried about me screwing up and someone finding out but is it really worth taking the risk of accompanying me just to protect the vampire hunter's reputation? -, Sparen asks.
-If you knew him as Dan and I know him, you would realize that he is worth it -, Doris replies.
-She's right -, says Dan yawning.
-You must be tired Dan, why don't you go to sleep a little before dawn? Another difficult day awaits us and we have to be rested and ready -, Doris tells him. Then she turns to Sparen -I think you should do the same too.
-You should rest too, sister -, Dan says.
-Yes I think so. Let's go to the house -, she tells Dan. Then he looks at the wizard and says: - What are you waiting for? Are you going to sleep in the barn? I'm a little mad at you, but I wouldn't let you sleep here, so come on.
-Alright -, Sparen answers a little surprised by Doris's kindness toward him. Being a devil himself, he will never understand human feelings. After his experience with the Iron Fist, he has never been as close to other humans as he has been to Dan and Doris, of course not counting Minerva, whom he thinks of as more of a wild animal than a human. The Lang siblings seem like good people to him, but even so, he thinks that they will show their true colors when they find out that he is a devil.
The three leave the barn and enter the house. Dan says goodbye and quickly runs upstairs to go to his room to sleep. Doris, for her part, waits for Sparen to get comfortable on the sofa and before leaving, asks him to please not leave while she and Dan sleep. The wizard just nods his head and closes his eyes. Doris goes upstairs and into her room. Once in bed, she thought that she would not fall asleep, but her tiredness was so much that it ended up overcoming her and she fell into a deep sleep.
AN: Well this is it for this chapter. I think it's kind of weird, but I hope you have enjoyed it. I apologize to those who love Doris/D pairing, I know you might want to kill me.