Apostles of Doom

“Agh. Yeah, about that,” Reggie said, sitting back. “Well, Tom didn’t specifically tell me not to tell you, he just wanted to save that conversation for later. I guess.”

Talarius, who did not have his helmet on in his cooled bedroom, simply stared impassively at the incubus.

“Well, so… uhm, yeah, I’m a new demon. My mistress summoned me from my life in New Jersey. It was very similar, but much sexier than the D’Orcing ceremony,” Reggie admitted. “And I had no idea what was happening.”

“And this New Jersey? Where is that?” Talarius asked.

“Uhm, it’s on a world called Earth. Tom and Tizzy told me that it’s on the very far side of the multiverse and that wizards in Astlan can’t recognize people from our world as being humans. They think the lights they see on the Astral Plane are unbound demons,” Reggie said.

As we feared, Ruiden said to Talarius.

“So what great act of evil had you committed to be so consigned to the Abyss?” Talarius asked.

“Nothing!” Reggie shook his head quickly. “I didn’t do anything other than, well, smoke a joint that must have contained some demon weed.”

Talarius blinked, thinking back to the cave when Reggie had first arrived. The conversation that Tom had engaged in — people passing joints around. He had thought they were talking about human flesh, limbs. He frowned. “What exactly is a joint?”

Reggie shook his head puzzled. “Uhm, it’s like a hand-rolled cigarette but with weed in it. Normally it’s just marijuana, but in this case the one I smoked had demon weed.”

“A cigarette?” Talarius asked.

“Um, a small rolled-up piece of paper filled with tobacco. You put it in your mouth and light it on fire. I guess it’s like a paper pipe, except it gets burnt up with the stuff inside,” Reggie explained.

Talarius sat silently for a moment. Ruiden remained silent as well. He really did not like what he was hearing. “So you were a human in this New Jersey?” he asked.

“Uhm, yes.” Reggie nodded. “I was a kid, in school.”

“A child? How old?” Talarius asked in shock.

“Well, older than Rupert. I was — am — sixteen of my world’s years. Same age as Tom,” Reggie said.

Talarius did a double take. “What did you just say?”

Reggie grimaced. “Maybe I should not have said that. Never mind.”

“No, I mind. What are you saying?” Talarius demanded.

“Uhm, well, Tom was this new kid at my school. We had become friends. We were at this party, and, well, I’m the one who gave him the joint that sent him off to the Astral Plane, where Lenamare captured him. You know the rest,” Reggie said.

Unholy gods! Ruiden said in his head. Can this be true? It makes no sense!

Talarius just sat there, stunned, barely able to think.

Reggie fidgeted as he sat in the uncomfortable silence.

Talarius was busy playing back his memories of everything Tom had ever told him; every scold, every warning. He felt himself going numb. He stood up and put his helmet on. “Thank you,” he told Reggie and gave the incubus a nod of thanks. “I need some fresh air to process this.”

Talarius walked over to the door, opened it and left, leaving Reggie sitting puzzled in the knight’s room.

Citadel of Light: Dusk

Teragdor shook his head while staring at the giant three-dimensional board showing the environment around the Citadel. They were all in the command center, being briefed on current events. Things were escalating quickly; the Storm Lords’ advance units were within a day’s march — or more technically, a night’s march, since many of the advanced forces were night-bound. Shambling zombie hordes fortunately moved rather slowly, as well as preferring the day, and that set the pace for the entire army.

“We estimate that their main body will be here within about three nights, including tonight,” Grob told the assembled leaders, including Teragdor, Rasmeth, Stevos, Timbly and Hilda.

“So the advanced forces should arrive by dawn,” Diocate Aeris guessed.

Grob nodded. “Indeed. We need to get everyone in. The Shield, Rangers and Sky Wardens have been out all day, sweeping the inner regions for anyone still out there. There are still quite a number of refugee groups on the roads. Our troops will be acting as a shield against the advance forces, in case any arrive earlier than expected.”

“What is the nature of the advance forces? Will they go to ground with daylight?” Hilda asked.

"That is their standard tactic. The advance forces are typically vampires, dhampyrs, ghasts, ghouls, and sometimes a few specters," Grob informed her and the rest of the off-worlders. "Normally they go to ground, relying on the ghasts and ghouls to take guard rotations under the direction of senior dhampyrs.”

“Do you work to root out these nests?” Timbly asked.

“In recent centuries, yes. Those have been more like reconnaissance nests; however, this time we are going to be spread too thin. The Storm Lords are simply coming from too many directions and we have too many civilians to protect,” Grob said.