Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Hounds of Hell. Enjoy the 2000-Word chapter. I don't own Hazbin Hotel, Viziepop and a few others do.

Lupin turned and sniffed the air, the various smells and such painted the air a disgusting stench that he could barely begin to push away. Then again? If it wasn't? He wouldn't understand it. This was hell. If it wasn't a cesspit of various auras, red, crimson, greys? It wouldn't be anything close to home. All of this made him curious.

Lupin couldn't begin to think of how best to do this. Most demons were quite vulgar, cursing, drinking, giving into their vices. Lupin had never really indulged in his baser instincts, probably why he wasn't well-liked.

"Hmm, I still smell something in the wind," Lupin stated before he shook his head. "There is plenty of work to do, I don't know where to start. Whatever the hell I smell? It's unique to the Pride Ring, interesting. Still? I haven't located it yet, fascinating." Lupin added before he cracked his knuckles, curious as to what the source of the smell was.

"Well, it had to come from this ring, same as this flyer," Lupin added as he dusted off his shirt. "Assassin work, huh? Why would a group of assassins want another damn hellhound? Then again? I can barely read this paper, whoever wrote it? Sucks at proper penmanship." Lupin stated and clicked his fangs together as he did so.

He crossed his arms, looking around as he turned the paper over. He checked the hulking LMG which hung clenched in his other fist. The weapon barely weighed a few pounds when it was clenched in his fist.

"Do I want this job? I don't know if I do. There's no real reason to rush." Lupin stated, pausing to crack his neck as he did so. "I mean, I am running low on cash…. But knowing most demons? They'd pocket the cash instantly." Lupin muttered as he leaned on a darkened light post.

'Most demons would cut us out of the deal, doubt that would change. I know I can turn someone into a pretzel, but that doesn't stop anyone. I don't know how best to confront this. It's pretty stupid how most demons can be this stubborn… And kinda surprising.' Lupin thought to himself as he continued forward slowly but surely.

He turned to look around, taking another cautionary sniff of the air. The smell returned; 3 times as strong and 10 times as interesting as before. He wanted to know what it was. Lupin was quite hopeful it led him to something good.

'Why the hell would I think that down here? This place is a cesspool of sin and hatred. Every single soul down here wants almost the same thing.' Lupin thought to himself while he shook his head.

That brought to his head he decided to chew on for later. He was a hellhound lugging around an LMG. There wasn't room for him to talk about morals at the moment. It was worth a chuckle to himself while he shook his head

"That smell still doesn't smell like gunpowder or those 'prescriptions'… What the hell is it?" Lupin asked himself before he blinked to himself while rubbing at his nose.

There was a weird smell on the tip of his nose when it came down to it. He was quite confused about what it had been when he thought to himself while he clicked his fingers to himself. Lupin continued to slowly trudge forward.

He was eager to find out what this scent was. He liked this adventure; it was a nice change of pace from what his usual days around hell were like. It was a weird change that he hoped lasted. This place was dull and almost smelled entirely like a dumpster when it came down to it.

"This place feels like a dump and acts like one all the damn same," Lupin stated as he gazed into the sky. "This place smells off all the blasted time when it comes down to it," Lupin added before he sighed.

He risked a glance at the sky or whatever it seemed to be called at the end of the day. There was nothing that made it seem like anything else at this day and age seem… Off more than what he was used to.

The Hellhound decided to kill two birds with one stone and track the source of the smell down to the ring this flier came from. It helped a lot that he was not simply going to bow to this sort of thing at the moment. There was plenty of work at the moment for him to do. Did he want to explore with a gun full of ammo on his back? He sure as hell did. He was interested when it came down to it. There was fun to be had in this realm now.

He slowly lowered to his hooves before he started to rush forward while he started to sprint forward. His hooves smashed the pavement with more force than he could expend. He rushed down the road with a force that didn't seem at all was possible for it to be.

He grinned as he ripped his claws into the cement-like it was before. He started to think of what happened next. perhaps there was a job to be placed into his future which seemed off but possible at the same time.

There was plenty of time for him to think of what to do next. He cleared his throat before he started to leap onto a car. He pulled himself into the next building before he frowned.

What happened next after he found this person and spoke to them? He was damn well aware of the turnover rates and the fact this place was… Well, hell. It wasn't a place filled with the best bosses at the moment nor was it something that fostered good loyalty from its employees.

There was also the fact working for a group of assassins meant clearly, he'd be in for a ride considering they killed a LOT of people he surmised considering what they were. He did wonder who they were if the poster seemed to show Imps.

'How in the rings do imps sneak around if they aren't able to camouflage themselves? They didn't know how to do that when I was raised last, I checked. Then again? A lot of stuff seemed different when I was born and it always manages to come off as weird.' Lupin mentally noted as he leaped down and then started to sprint into the city.

His ears twitched as he gripped a street lamp and swung himself around the corner, ripping the object from its foundation and in half as he went. Lupin also forgot he was far stronger and longer than most of his kind. He didn't know if it was a mutation, the result of growing up in a more hostile area. Whatever it was? He found it funny to be a hulking brute of his kind.

He galloped towards the lifts to the lower rings before slamming his claws into the ground to stop himself. He started to right himself with a few swift motions as he groaned from the effort it took to do so. It harmed his back at times for him to walk the way an earthly wolf would.

Then again? He was almost over 10 ft. The pressures of that harmed his spine as much as they did harm someone else.

"I need a phone or something to keep in contact with people," Lupin said while he frowned to himself. "I need to stop talking to myself so damn much as well," Lupin said as he rolled his eyes and started to dwell on more important issues which made more sense.

Like the fact he was a hellhound that carried an LMG on his back or the fact that he had been following a weird smell for an hour at the least. It was odd for him and yet he found it more fun than he believed it had been. There were weirder moments in his life and this still seems to top it more than anything.

"Excuse me," Lupin said as he slowly entered the lift. "My heads are killing me at the damn moment," Lupin stated while he leaned on the wall next to him.

He ran his hands across the top of his head with far more annoyance than he was usually projecting. He wasn't one to honestly be made this easily and even if he was? He wasn't the type to throw that anger at others without a good reason.

'The idea of a demon who isn't a piece of garbage or something? Heh, that's probably shattering some sort of law that shouldn't exist at the moment. I'd probably care more if there any real reason for me not to be that way.' Lupin stated to himself mentally while he leaned on the wall.

This place was honestly the weirdest thing he had laid eyes on for a while. He wasn't one to honestly explore the rings so often. There was only so much one couldn't find on one ring which forced them down to another level or ring. Then again? This place was more or less a garbage dump to its residents when it came down to it.

He sniffed at the air once more and leaped down a floor with interest. The scent grew with each second, he had been down here. It made him wonder if he seemed insane to be chasing something down to the lower rings. Lupin closed his eyes slowly waited a second. The more he grew closer within sight of his scent? The more he grew interested and confused as to what the hell it had been. This was honestly something at least, something perhaps that he had yet to notice given the time and effort placed into it.

And that honestly made him wish to hunt it down more. This was fun and engaging to him. He was no brute, yet he found it far more interesting. He enjoyed the attempt to try and boost his intellect…. Yet, if this required brute force, he'd handle them in that manner… All he needed was some time to try and locate it and what had meant.

Another sniff of the air told him that the scent was close. He traced it slowly with delicate steps that were at odds with his entire frame. He raised an eyebrow with interest as a few Imps seemed to glance his way. Perhaps they weren't used to a giant hellhound. Then again, he expected nobody was really used to him. It had been that way for a longer time than he expected it to be.

He tried not to brush past them. He did not hate the citizens of Hell. They were many things, murderous, greedy, self-centered. All traits which were common in hell at the moment. If they did not bother him to any degree? He had no real problem with them. That was exactly how he wished it to remain at the second.

He almost crashed into a wall trying to squeeze himself past the hordes. He felt at least one attempt to grab the gun from his back which he repelled with a small growl. He did not need one of them to steal the only protection he had down here.

Well, the only free type of protection.

Author Notes

Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to apologize for the chapter being short. I plan to try and fix that down the road. The next chapter will be longer and will be in 2-10 months. It will show Lupin finding the smell and set more of the plot in motion. It will also be 900-6500 words at the moment. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!