Tag: demon

#Lore24 – Entry #203 – Supers Month II #22 – A Beautiful, if Unexpected, Explosion

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

I must admit, even with multiple millennia and countless wondrous experiences in my life, I too can still be surprised.

When I sent forth my minions to find these relics, I expected it to take some negligible amount of time, a few years perhaps, a decade, maybe two or three.  I’m patient, and what dangers do the humans of this piddly little world bring to bear against me?

Certainly, I was not expecting this.  Humans…ever the resourceful beings, even with their miniscule lives.  What were they researching in this facility, exactly?  How did they tap into the power of the reenergized leylines so quickly with no mystic training?  And, more importantly, how exactly did they manage to narrowly avoid destroying the entire world by flooding it with more raw magical energy than it has ever seen?  This made our dam bursting look absolutely pathetic in comparison!

It was rather pretty, though.  Almost like a flood of bright blue, mana-infused flower blossoms swirled up and exploded across the width and breadth of the planet and beyond.  I daresay that if this mudball had gone unnoticed by other beings in the galaxy and beyond, it was just noticed in a very dramatic way.  I do appreciate the absolute chaos here.  It’s quite lovely, actually.

BUT.  But…this is going to complicate my plans.  Do you see what I see?  Look at how the excess magical energy is fusing with people of this world.  Instead of burning away harmlessly or diffusing into the planet and its closest planar realms, or even simply igniting and turning the mudball into a fireball, it’s seeping into the people of the world, and some seem to be absorbing much higher amounts of this energy than others.  How very curious indeed.  My, what would it do to someone like you, pet, if you had been there when it happened?  Unfortunately, it seems to have been tied to the planar resonances of those from your world, otherwise my minions, and my own power, would have increased dramatically just now.  Is this a reaction by the planet itself perhaps, a fortunate accident that it engineered when it realized that it was being invaded? 

Wouldn’t that be most interesting? 

Queen!  Oh, Queenie, my dear…I have need of you my loyal servant!  Go forth onto this world and bring me samples of its people.  I wish to study what this sudden infusion of magic will do to them.  And while you’re there, find out exactly how this happened, what they were researching and how they blew the font of magic wide open.  No, wait…focus only on bringing in samples for now.  I’ll use Kitsune to find out what caused the explosion; she needs her exercise, after all, and she’s got a more…delicate touch that could be useful here.  Focus on where your talents lie, my dear; concern yourself not with this.  Oh, and be sure to snare a few souls for yourself while you’re there and add them to your carnival.  I’m quite curious to see what you’ll bring back.

The souls of this world have suddenly become much more spicy than I could have imagined.  But did it spoil their flavor altogether, or have we just found ourselves a trove of the most delicious souls we could have imagined?  And I wonder…could an explosion of this nature be replicated for our own purposes?  Wouldn’t that be something…

Are you as excited by the possibilities as I am, my pet?  Why, you’re absolutely shaking with anticipation, aren’t you?

#Lore24 – Entry #202 – Supers Month II #21 – Go Forth and Seek, my Minions!

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

It is finally time, my loyal servants!  Now that the planar bridges have been restored, you will be able to traverse freely into the realm and to this little world known as Earth!  It is a pathetic little mudball to be sure, but the souls we’ll be reaping there have a deliciousness all their own!  But first, we have other business to conduct as the crop matures and ripens, for old contracts are coming due, and we’ll need a bit more chaos in the land before we make our move. 

I seek three ancient relics scattered upon this world, all of which were created by one of this realm’s most famous magi, called Scheherezade, a staff, a pair of bracers, and a ritual dagger.  Hundreds of years have passed since they were known by their true names, and if our previous invasions have taught us anything, it is that humanity has an uncanny ability to forget things with their miniscule lives, and to generally make a mess of things all over.  Your task may not be simple, but I have every confidence in your abilities to get the job done.

Bear in mind that those who bring me the relics I seek will be rewarded most handsomely!  Oh, you didn’t think I would reward you, my loyal followers, for your hard work?  Perish the thought!  The rewards will be great, I can assure you.  And if you’ve been feeling particularly neglected, this would be an excellent opportunity to earn my favor anew, or to prove yourselves capable after any particular mistakes you might have made that led to me being angry with you.

Feel free to sample the crop while you’re upon this world, though I warn you, they aren’t very ripe just yet.  Show a little patience if you can, but if not, I understand completely.  Just don’t do anything stupid that will bring attention to our actions.  As pathetic as the magi of this realm are, they are not an insignificant danger to my plans, and I wouldn’t want them to realize what’s going on too soon.  It would spoil the surprise, you see.

Now go forth and seek the prizes I desire!

#Lore24 – Entry #201 – Supers Month II #20 – I’m in a Resurrection Kind of Mood, but Let’s Spice it Up

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

Feeling more talkative now that I’ve loosened your tongue, my delightful pet?  I certainly hope so…then again, perhaps not.  The sounds you make when I’m having my fun are so very delightful, and the suffering that trickles down our bond is like a fine, soul-filled wine.  You simply can’t comprehend it! 

Now, tell me more of your world, of these “relics of great power” that you mentioned before.  With the flow of magic resumed, it’s only a matter of time before there is enough that I can begin my work there in earnest.  I’m feeling in the mood to resurrect a particular soul, to finish up that little pittance of a contract, but I’ve got something else in mind to spice that business up.  Something someone like you can surely help me with.  Speak, my pet, speak of these relics which hold the very essence of creation or destruction within them.

Oh, still defying me, hmm?  That’s why I adore you, my pet.  Don’t tell my other pets, though; they might get a little jealous.  Fine, I’ll humor you a bit; you know, I’d better be careful, or I’ll simply spoil you, and wouldn’t that be terrible?  Why, I’d have to punish you for such behavior!

I intend to create a living vessel for this soul which I’ve contracted, you see, so that I may have another loyal minion, one that is more familiar with your world and whom seeks vengeance upon a particular order of magi that saw him destroyed a few hundred years ago.  Yes, that very one!  So astute you are!  To do this, I fully intend on using those relics you mentioned before, for I need objects of great power to channel my energies and make them work in your realm.  I’m sure you have a ritual in mind already for such a thing, don’t you, pet?  And surely creating a vessel for a soul is child’s play for you, is it not?  Oh, he’ll be delighted to be returned to life after all these years, but as I said, I intend to spice it up a little.  I doubt he’ll approve of the form of the vessel, but that’s not really his call, is it? 

Let us begin our preparations, my pet.  Yes, that’s a good girl.

#Lore24 – Entry #200 – Supers Month II #19 – Bursting a Dam

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

I think it’s far past due that your world have a magical revival.  It’s just such a dull place; I know I’m repeating myself, but what of remark is there to comment on but for the flavor of the souls upon it?  Why was the font of all magic closed to your little mudball, anyway?  Did your rather unimpressive arcanists and dark sorcerers do something to draw the attention of something they couldn’t hope to deal with, perhaps?  A great magic-eating plague that would have surely seen the death of the entire planet, maybe?  Surely it wasn’t a natural phenomenon, though at least that would be rather an amusing twist of fate, wouldn’t it?

Or, perhaps, was it that the humans found upon this world were so terribly repugnant that the other realms simply couldn’t stand to deal with your kind anymore?  Perhaps your kind bored them into leaving?  Wouldn’t surprise me, honestly.

Am I wrong?  Then do enlighten me, pet.  Why did the magic fade; why the dam at the font, hmm?  I’ve seen the like, certainly, but such wardings were meant to keep my kind out, not magic itself.  I can sense no lingering taint in the trickle that remains, and even now the threads are tied so very firmly.  Why, I would say this blockage would last nigh on eternity, insofar as your kind’s limited lifespans could understand it.  I’m sensing your touch here as well, my pet.  You are quite impressive in your creations, but even so, you were not solely responsible for this one, for I can sense the touch of many more here as well.

Still not willing to tell me?  That’s fine; you know I have many much more enjoyable ways to loosen that tongue of yours.  Let us conclude our business here then and let magic flow into your little world once more.  This is going to be so very entertaining!

#Lore24 – Entry #199 – Supers Month II #18 – A Vast Power

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

How did I find out about your tiny little mudball, you ask?  Quite simple, really.  Some of your kind, those with an eye for progress and the willingness to use their power, sought me out, dealt with me and those beneath me in, swearing their souls to me in return for more power.  It’s a tale as old as time, one repeated far too often, but what is a demon lord to do when a soul is freely offered, hmm?  I simply couldn’t refuse such requests.

Mind you, this was hundreds of years ago; after that period you call the Dark Ages, I’ve heard hardly anything from your little world, at least, no calls for power that were of any serious nature.  Stupid children calling for forces they didn’t understand in poorly conceived rituals in the local graveyards, usually.  Oh, I allowed my minions to handle the requests, as I said, how can I pass up a soul, after all, but the results were so minor as to be nothing.  I think what’s truly plagued your world is a lack of imagination, now that I think about it.  It’s just so very dull.

Where was I?  Oh, yes, that question of how I became aware of your world.  Well, my pet, there was a particular arcanist of some power during the height of your Dark Ages that actually managed to impress me with their abilities.  Well, as much as one from your dullard of a world could, anyway.  What was their name?  Hmmm…must have not been particularly memorable in the grand scheme of things…oh, yes!  Shadowmere, Raeshima Shadowmere, that’s it!  But Shadowmere?  Sounds kind of like something you’d name a horse, doesn’t it?  I suppose given your kind’s lack of creativity, it was the best he could do at the time. 

Hmmm, that does remind me, though.  The deal I worked up with him hasn’t been completed yet.  There is an entirely separate clause that hasn’t even been invoked.  Suppose I should probably look into completing that someday…perhaps sooner rather than later.  Yes…yes…why, I do believe that I’ve just had a wonderfully fun idea!  This will get very interesting, I think!  Oh, your world simply won’t be able to handle this surprise!  And I think I’ll be having a little more fun at the expense of that lovely arcanist whom I contracted with, too!  Oh, this will be so much fun!

#Lore24 – Entry #198 – Supers Month II #17 – A Dreadfully Dull History, and a Solution in Sight

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

I find your world so dreadfully boring!  Humans are generally the most chaotic and unstable of the races upon the worlds I’ve visited in the past, probably due to their miniscule lifespans; they’re more like pets, really, but even with having them as the lone population upon the planet, you’ve barely managed anything amusing!  You call those events you spoke of wars?!  Those weren’t wars, those were minor quibbles!

You know what else I find amusing?  Just how isolated and small-brained the people of your world are!  Barely looking beyond your own world, preferring isolation in this little corner of your vast universe, even when you’ve had the ability to open portals to new realms and explore?  I begin to think that your kind are the dregs of another lost civilization, the dullards who were rejected by those of far greater interest and ability.  You speak of the religions of this world, of the gods and spirits that are worshipped here, and yet there is no divine power being wielded!  Your kind simply must be defective.

Still, having sampled the fruits of your world, I see potential.  Not very much, mind you, but it is there.  Oh, I could just sweep in with my forces and overwhelm your world, but where would the fun be in that?  It’d be like facing a newborn in mortal combat!  You know…I feel that it is my duty to advance your kind and your world, to spice things up a little.  What do you think of a little experimentation?  A little demonic chaos spread throughout the world, hmm?  Give your pathetic race some real power to play with, to see what you might do with it? 

Let’s find that dam that’s been blocking up the magical flows into your world, shall we?  Let’s find it and blow it to pieces.

#Lore24 – Entry #197 – Supers Month II #16 – Why Have One World When You Can Have Many?

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

For all of her flaws, I do have to give credit to my dear sweet mother for one thing:  spawning me.  The rest of her accomplishments, if you can call them that, have amounted to what?  A failed invasion, a pitiful attempt at keeping her hordes sustained during the lean times by feeding upon the souls of the kerryns and what few souls they could get through the barrier enacted by their annoyingly resolute goddess, all before it came crashing down when that upstart kerryn slave and her aerian murder machine put her down? 

Fortunately, I was never cursed with mother’s shortsightedness and refusal to take in the wider picture.  I suppose that’s why I’m senior amongst my sisters, and the most powerful demon lord around, isn’t it?  I knew long ago that focusing an incursion into a realm through a single world was doomed to fail, but for whatever reason, she simply could not see that.  I was happy to take up the rear guard, so to speak, during that whole fiasco, bolstering our defenses, gathering more power for myself, creating this realm that I have full dominion over, just waiting for the day of her inevitable failure, when there would be need to seize control from the others who so blindly believed in her plans. 

I figured this out ages ago, you see.  Why focus all of your power on invading a single world with the entirety of your forces to create a bastion with which to conquer that realm when you can much more easily invade a world here and there, take what you want, then slip away before you can be molested by the greater powers that exist within the realm that world is in?  Create a little chaos in your wake, deflect attention from your actions, and be gone with your diverse platter of tasty souls before the powers that be can retaliate.  Seems simple enough, doesn’t it?  Goes against the traditional mindset of my kind, I suppose, but that’s why I’m a visionary and still alive all these many millennia later, and dear old mother was snuff out.

Her desires far exceeded her capabilities, I would say; I’m much more pragmatic in that regard, and much stronger than she ever was because of it.  And that’s why, my delicious little morsel, that you’re here, and why you’re going to be telling me all about your world, the next world I’ve chosen to be graced by my illustrious presence, the one with the ever so boring name of Earth.  A pathetic world in comparison to many others I’ve defiled, certainly, but the souls there have a peculiar flavor that I simply must partake of.  So speak, pet, tell me of Earth, of the humanity of this world, and all that you know about it.  Oh, don’t worry; I love it when my pets resist me; your coming screams only sweeten the suffering that I will inevitably extract from you.  If it’s one thing that I’ve found universal in the many worlds I’ve plundered, it’s that humans are particularly responsive to pain.

#Lore24 – Entry #191 – Supers Month II #10 – Mines and Monsters

From the journal of Abigail “Sassy” Dawson, Mage of the Order of Hecate

A couple days later we’d ridden into the Black Hills area, and before long, we’d found where this thing had wanted us.  Weren’t hard to find, I suppose, considering there was a whole mining town that this thing had consumed for itself, leavin’ the bodies of the miners and townsfolk behind as mindless, walking corpses with a right fierce hunger for fresh meat.  It was grim work, but it had to be done, lest these diseased things spread their condition around the whole area.  Figure it was this demon’s plan to help tire us out before the real fight, cause while the zombies weren’t much of a threat to myself or my two ever-bickering companions, it did take us the better part of the day to clear’em out, even with Assane and Richard’s considerable magic.

We could sense the presence of the demon all over the place, and we knew exactly where it was hidin’, deep in the mines.  I never was one for the underground, and after this, I surely wouldn’t feel no better about goin’ into tight and dark places like’em.  Still, there was work to be done, and I weren’t goin’ to let a little thing like that stop me from dealin’ with that evil bastard.  We knew goin’ into the place it was gonna be dangerous, traps abound from the dynamite and sabotaged bracings and the like, no doubt.  My companions didn’t have so much to worry about if they mistepped down there, but I was under no such protections, and, as much of a handful as they are, it was rather touchin’ that they were bein’ extra careful on my account. 

Weren’t just traps in there, though; the demon had some more undead roamin’ the place, and as we got further down, some lesser demons it had called up, bunch of little imps and flyin’ things that were more or less balls of teeth that spat acid everywhere.  Was a good thing I knew some curin’ magic, cause I would’ve been right deaf before it was all said and done.  My magic reserves weren’t nothin’ like Assane’s and Richard’s, so I had to be careful with what I used up.  Not that I had a ton of powder on me at the time, so I had to be careful regardless, though my magically enhanced toothpick did its own fair share of the work down there.

So, it was slow goin’, and well into the night when we finally navigated our way through the maze of tunnels and drops into the deepest recesses where this thing had took up.  We knew we was close when we heard the chantin’ and saw the red glow in the dark of the tunnels ahead.  I hadn’t counted on there bein’ a cult of humans ‘round the demon, but of course, I weren’t as learned on them as I was followin’ this whole thing.  I could see the magic swirlin’ about and knew we was in for a rough time of it.  Still, we marched right in there, knowin’ what needed to be done and with some idea how to do it.  I was the weak link, bein’ the most inexperienced and the only one who could die permanently, but the pair, for all the trouble they had put me through, had taught me several tricks I’d never had thought up on my own.

Turns out, this demon, and its cult of worshippers, were after Richard.  I honestly weren’t surprised by this revelation, nor was Assane.  Turns out he’d been at the center of a nasty fire some years back that nearly wiped out some city over in England, and some of the wealthiest survivors were none too pleased that they’d been put out like they had.  So, they’d been nursin’ the grudge for a good thirty or more years, just tryin’ to track Richard down so they could kill’em off and had learned the dark arts to make sure that happened.  Assane was of a mind to leave them to it just to get it out of their system, but I ain’t for sure if she was just doin’ that to throw them off their guard or what. 

Needless to say, things got real messy, but it was the first time I’d seen Richard and Assane unleash their full elemental genie natures, turnin’ into bein’s of pure fire and ice.  These Limey cultists weren’t unskilled at what it was they were doin’, and the magic they’d warded the place with was provin’ difficult to deal with, but in the end, we managed to see it through.  In the heat of the moment, I didn’t think about it too much, cause my life was on the line, and who knew how many others if we didn’t kill this demon off, and in a moment of desperation, with my bullets expended and my magical reserves nearly exhausted, I called on that damn spell I’d learnt from Arrnor.  Don’t think that demon expected me to call out to another demon, and it certainly weren’t expectin’ what that spell did to it, but it did the trick, and let us do what was needed to banish that sucker back to its own little corner of the pits it had came from.  Think that spell might’ve broken the resolve of the cultists too, cause it weren’t much trouble to finish the clean up after that.

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, even if it ain’t always the smartest or best thing.  In the end, that demon got cast out of our world for a good long while, the cult that called it up got wiped out, and we made it back out without the whole place fallin’ in on us.  All in all, I’d call it a definite positive on the scale of things.  That event would lead me to the next big change in my life, which I’ll be getting’ to right shortly.

#Lore24 – Entry #190 – Supers Month II #9 – A Right Mess of Things

From the journal of Abigail “Sassy” Dawson, Mage of the Order of Hecate

Course, wouldn’t be long before Assane and Richard done decided to make things even worse for us.  We’d been on the trail of that demon for a couple more days when Richard up and stopped right there in the middle of the prairie round noon and declared he had the solution to the problem.  Assane and me were skeptical, and we didn’t hide that when we glanced at one another.  But then he told us his bright idea and I was floored, came just a hair fallin’ out of my saddle right there. 

“To catch this demon, we’ll need to summon one of our own!” he told us, and he was somehow sure we’d agree with him, judgin’ by that smile on his face.  I was the first to disagree, recovering myself enough to call him right crazy amongst a few other choice words.  Assane was a little less heated on the subject, as was her way, but it weren’t long before the pair were snarlin’ and snappin’ at one another again.  I rode on ahead just to get the two out of earshot for a while, and stayed that way the rest of the day, ever on the watch for signs of our target.  Never got sign that it was near, but had that feelin’ like it was still a watchin’ us, and we hadn’t spotted no carrion birds flyin’ around, so we hadn’t needed no other signs to guide us along, apparently.  We were generally headed northwest, and there were some rocky hills comin’ from what I could see.

Anyway, I stopped as the sun started goin’ down and waited on the two, and it weren’t long before I heard’em still arguin’ back and forth, but it weren’t about no demon this time, just which one they was gonna summon.  I couldn’t believe that Assane had been won over on the idea, but she just plainly told me he’d made a lot of good points.  Knowin’ this could only end bad, I likewise knew I couldn’t talk the two out of it after just a few minutes.  They fought all the time, but when they were in agreement, weren’t no force on this planet that could get them to change that. 

And so it was that I learnt the intricacies of summonin’ up a demon that night under the new moon, and no, I ain’t gonna detail it here.  That knowledge is forbidden for a reason, and this was just one of those times that called for extreme measures, I guess.  They assured me this demon was friendly with them, though, and that they’d dealt with it many times over the centuries.  Assane even called him a “lovable little scamp.” 

Well, I’d call it a little more on the goofy-lookin’ side personally.  This particular demon weren’t one of the big ones like I’d been thinkin’ they meant to call, this one was called Arrnor, and his head was bigger than his whole body, comedically large, to the point I just couldn’t make head nor tails of how he was possibly movin’ around on his own two legs.  Assane’d told me it was just because he had such a high opinion of himself and it had literally gone to his head, but I’m still not sure if she was jokin’ or not. 

When they started with the negotiations, I didn’t miss the fact that the two had started to strip down, and then when the demon’s eyes fell on me, I somehow was expected to do the same.  I put my foot down, right hard, and said I wouldn’t be party to none of their debauchery, but since I’d been there when they started up the ritual, I didn’t have no choice, lest I get us all dragged into the demon’s realm for a century of torment at his hands.  Needless to say, I weren’t happy, and told’em they should’ve stated the details clearly, only to be told they thought I knew already, and just shrugged it off like it were nothin’. 

I still regret that I learned of all this knowledge first hand, for Arrnor is a right indecent demon, even amongst his kind, I reckon.  See, whereas most demons will just kill and torment and drive people mad and such, Arrnor just likes to play, and knows all the most wretched of ways that get humans all worked up in ways that nobody ought know.  I ain’t proud to admit that the ritual was one of the most intensely pleasurable experiences in my life, nor am I proud that I was gifted with knowledge of his signature spell, one of the forbidden ones cause it taps into his essence to use…nor am I proud that all of us got to experience it for ourselves that night.

But, once we had come back to our senses, all tangled up in each other’s arms there on the prairie, we had the information we had been huntin’ for, and knew what it was we faced.  Maybe it was worth the price, and maybe it was worth the stain on my soul in the name of the greater good, but I’m still strugglin’ to work that one out.  Regardless, we set off, bound for the Black Hills, to face that monster and get the job done.

#Lore24 – Entry #189 – Supers Month II #8 – Hunting What Hunts You

From the journal of Abigail “Sassy” Dawson, Mage of the Order of Hecate

I ‘spose it were sometime in mid-spring, somewhere in the Nebraska or Dakota Territories when we had some trouble that weren’t of the normal variety.  We’d managed well enough to avoid trouble with the Indians, well, ‘ceptin’ that one incident, but that ain’t nothin’ to get into here.  My travelin’ companions were bickerin’ back and forth as they usually were when we was on long stretches between civilization, ‘bout something that happened back in the Dark Ages, I reckon, how it was Assane’s fault Richard got drawn and quartered for somethin’ she’d started, or somethin’ or other like that.  I was ridin’ on a little ways ahead just so me and Asher could have a little peace and quiet for a time when everythin’ went all deadly quiet. 

We was on alert, stopped cold in the middle of some old Indian trail in the middle of the woods when this feelin’ of dread just came rushin’ into me like nothin’ I’d ever felt before.  I had my pistol in one hand and a protection spell in the other before I knew what was goin’ on.  I scanned around the area with my mystic sight but didn’t see no signs that we’d come into one of them ‘bad places’ where things was known by the Indians to be unnatural.  Didn’t see no Indian signs aside from the trail in fact.  Asher couldn’t get a bearin’ on anythin’ either, and he was downright spooked like I ain’t never seen him before. 

As the two genies came back into earshot, they realized, for a wonder, that somethin’ was wrong, cause they were suddenly very alert when they saw me standin’ stock still on the trail, and had their own protections up.  They took to the air and split up to scout from above, but by then that dreadful feelin’ had started to fade, and a few minutes later, the sounds of nature started comin’ back.  When the two came back, they played it off as them spookin’ away whatever it was, but I could tell they was a little rattled by whatever had been there.

We’d get our first clue a bit further on down the trail that we was bein’ hunted by somethin’, and that it wanted us to know we was getting’ hunted.  We came up to a clearin’ in the hills, real idyllic little scene with a pond and a freshwater spring.  Well, it woulda been were it not for the pile of rottin’ meat we found on the shore and the smaller chunks floatin’ around the water.  I figure it must’ve been a whole herd of deer what were massacred there, and though they was rottin’ off the bone, it couldn’t have been done too long ago.  We set to cleanin’ up the mess, Richard burnin’ the corpses while Assane worked on purifyin’ the water.  Whatever had just come through ate a little of each one, the organs like the heart and liver and even the brains, but left most everything else.  Weren’t no messages left behind other than the bloody mess, but it wouldn’t be the last one of those we came upon.

Was maybe three or four days later when we ran up on that feelin’ again, drawin’ us to the north, only this time when we came up on the massacre, it were a bunch of Indians, maybe two dozen of them, all warriors.  They was missin’ the same parts as the deer were, but this time, instead of bein’ thrown all around, they was laid out deliberate-like, in some kind of dark ritual, their innards splayed out in specific ways, devilish signs made in their blood.  Worst part was they was all still alive somehow, cryin’ out in agony, even without their brains, it was like their spirits were still trapped in the bodies.

I hadn’t never seen nothin’ like that before, and couldn’t evern start to imagine what could’ve done it.  My companions had some thoughts about it, though, cause it was their job to know this kind of stuff, so they had told me many times, and for once they agreed it were some kind of demon runnin’ around, and likely sent after us by someone or somethin’ that we’d pissed off.  Most likely it was their fault, cause I didn’t reckon I’d done nothin’ to deserve that kinda attention just yet.  They was pretty sure it was leavin’ a trail for us to follow, just waitin’ for the right time to strike, when it was good and ready, meanin’ we had to somehow find it first.

It weren’t no happy trail we’d found ourselves on, that was for damn sure.