The voices got louder, and suddenly from the long tunnel appeared Rupert, walking slightly ahead of... of well, a demon. A very weird looking demon with four arms and four legs and insectoidal humming bird wings. Rupert was looking backwards, over his shoulder at the demon as he walked. Every bit as if he were having a stroll in the park with a friend.
“Rupert!” Jenn shouted. “What are you doing? Have you gone completely berserk!” She couldn’t believe this. This had to be some kind of nightmare. Nothing like this could ever happen, it was just too unreal. The absolute absurdity of the casual nature of their conversation caused her mind to reel.
The octopodal demon stopped abruptly, staring at Jenn and Gastropé in surprise. He took them in, and then looked at the big demon. Rupert just smiled sweetly at Jenn as if nothing were wrong. “So Tom, what do you got here?” he gestured with a couple hands at Gastropé’ and Jenn. “Wizard take out? Sound’s good to me. I haven’t been to a good flaying in years! Boggy, that low down buddy of mine didn’t even invite me to the mutilation of his accursed master!”
Gastropé’s eyes were finally distracted from Tom, over to the smaller demon. Fortunately for him, his face couldn’t get any whiter; it could, however, turn a sickly yellow color. “Actually, it’d be a pretty good lesson for the lad here, boy needs to get his technique down young. You really can’t start too young.
“I suppose you’re gonna do the honors. After all, they’re your toys. I’m sure you’ll want the lass, but can I maybe have just a small bit of time with the sickly looking one?” Gastropé collapsed on the floor in a heap. Suddenly, Jenn was torn, she didn’t know whether to be terrified or pissed. She supposed terror was the more rational response, but she was really just getting too numb. Her mind too overloaded. There was only so much terror and insanity one could deal with at time, before a person just said enough is enough. Pissed seemed to be more likely at the moment.
“No, Tizzy. These are my guests. I’ve given my word to protect all... three... of them.” Tom looked rather sourly down at Gastropé, obviously stretching the truth and hating ever moment of it.
“Oh shucks, Tom. Why don’t I ever get to have any fun?” The Tizzy demon whined. He stuck a long stemmed pipe in his mouth and took a large puff. Jenn had no idea where the pipe had come from, all four of his hands had been empty when he’d entered the cave. “Look, these two wizards here, they’re gonna expire soon anyway. They can’t keep their magic up too long, and then their gonna bake. If they’re baked, they tend to be rather unlively and are pretty boring to torture! And what’s more, they taste so much better raw! Like Wizard Sushi!”
“Tizzy! I said, no.” Tom stated sternly, like a father to a naughty child.
“Spoilsport.” Tizzy said sourly, not meeting Tom’s eyes. Tom just stood there looking at Tizzy, making sure he had the idea. Tizzy looked away taking several long draws on his pipe.
“Ok then,” Tizzy looked over at Rupert. “Why don’t you come with me then, Rupert. I’ll show you the Courts of Chaos. You’d find that a fun place I’m sure. Maybe I can get us an audience with Mephistopheles. He’s starting to warm to me. Last time he only had his guards whip me for a month non-stop when I stopped into see him unannounced.”
Rupert looked excited. He looked from Tom to Jenn and back and forth. “Can I? It’d be real neat!”
“Rupert!” Jenn shouted. That was it! As soon as she got them out of there, the kid was going to the first doctor, or priest, she could find! He was obviously gone for. The heat had completely melted his brain! Like a marshmallow in a fire. He didn’t have too stable a grasp on reality in the first place, and now it was completely gone.
“No.” Tom said. Jenn did a double take. The demon was agreeing with her.
“Aaahhh Tom. You promised to show me the Abyss! And you’re obviously busy right now. Tizzy can show me just fine, while you take these guys back some place.”
“You what!” Jenn shouted, again staring aghast at Tom. She was starting to get hoarse from all the shouting.
Tom looked at her in annoyance, then back to Rupert. “You know I promised no such thing. You are not going with Tizzy. You’re going with the rest of us... wherever that is.”
“To.o.ohhhmmm...”
“Don’t try that with me Rupert! It was stupid enough of me to let you go wandering into that army camp alone. I’m not going to compound it by letting you run all over the Abyss with Tizzy.”
Rupert got a sour look on his face. It really disappointed him. He’d love to go see the Abyss, especially the Courts of Chaos. Actually, though, he couldn’t complain too much. After all, Tom was behaving just the way Rupert had always wanted him to behave. The way he’d always dreamed of.
