Into the Abyss

As he felt himself emerging into Astlan, Tom decided it would save him a lot of grief if he played the demon role to the hilt; let them know exactly why he was here, on his own terms. Thus using his best demonic voice, he said, “What would you have of me? This day I come of my own will. Speakest quickly lest I destroy thee in my wrath!” Overall, Tom thought, suitable enough, it seemed to have the desired effect, especially when coupled with the flexing of his muscles and his heroic pose. The girl seemed to collapse in on herself, and even the wizard who called him was sweating.

The horses pulling the wagon were literally going wild at the sight of him. The woman pulled something from her robe and shot them. The fell straight to the ground and didn’t move. Then she started talking, in a typically obnoxious wizardly manner about an ambush and destroying her enemies. Not really worth it, reflected Tom. He looked around at the scene around him, first at the horses., He wanted to reassure himself that the woman hadn’t killed them; he could see them breathing, apparently she had just immobilized them somehow.

There were several large fires going. They seemed to be wagons that had been torched severely, with burnt horses in front of them. Tom had to swallow when he noticed a pile of charred soldiers and horses. Then his eyes swept across an unharmed wagon with a fat man and some little children. The children were looking petrified. Whether of him or the carnage, Tom couldn’t tell. Then he noticed some of the back wagons, where it appeared to his heightened vision that entire families had been roasted alive in their wagons.

Tom was getting quickly sickened at the thought of anyone who would so ambush women and children like this. It was then that he noticed several bowmen on horses charging down the slope. While his eyes were distracted, he noticed a flash of blue light from the children’s wagon. As he glanced back, they were gone. Probably destroyed by the same bastards that did the rest of the damage.

Enough is enough, thought Tom. I may not like the Astlanians, but I can’t stand by and let helpless kids get murdered when I can stop it. He turned to face a large group of soldiers, they ignored him, seeming intent on attacking some defending soldiers. Moving quickly, so he wouldn’t have to think about what he was doing, he ran up to the first of the ambushers and pulled him off his saddle. As the man, suddenly frantic, tried to stab Tom in the eye, the red anger, with which he’d been having so much trouble lately, took over. He moved almost within a trance, ripping the ambushers apart. He didn’t even really pay attention; he couldn’t, otherwise he would have puked. His body was on autopilot. As soon as he finished off this group of ambushers, he roared at their horses, and charged the terrified beasts.

Using only animal instincts, they fled. Screaming in terror the horses galloped off up a mountain trail, out of the valley. At this point, Tom noticed other soldiers on the other side of the valley. Quickly, he flew over and proceeded to execute them.

As he finished off the last one, an arcing pain shot between his wings. Something had struck him full in the back, and unlike a soldier’s dagger, this hurt like hell. Spinning in anger, Tom saw a mustached man in his forties, dressed in green silk robes, calmly casting a spell at him. With a single fluid leap, Tom hurtled a broken corpse to land in front of the wizard, who was backed up against a boulder. Calmly Tom stuck his right claws into the man’s chest and grabbed his back bone. His left arm came up and squeezed the man’s neck until his head popped off. Tom’s eyes widened in horror and surprise. All of this had been sheerest reflex, he hadn’t controlled any of it. The shock sent a cold wave down his body.

As the wave passed Tom relaxed, leaving his trance-like state. He was quickly being overcome by the horror of what he’d done. It was then that he heard, “Demon, attend! I am the Wizard Gastropé, and I shall be thy master. Cease this destruction at once, I command thee.” This is ridiculous, thought Tom, even as he felt a mild itching in his head. Annoyed, Tom tossed the head of his last victim over the boulder towards the voice. He heard it thunk and roll and then his sharp hearing heard the voice say, “damn.” The voice was a little more subdued as it soon said, “bitch.” At least these guys do have the appropriate human reactions.

“Come now demon, I command thee!”

What remarkably obnoxious people these wizards were, even when confronted by absolute horror. “Oh do you?” Tom thundered in his best demonic voice.

“Yes, shithead I do!” said the voice with what Tom could tell was false bravado, this guy really didn’t sound that old or confident. Tom stepped around the giant boulder to see who this pipsqueak was.