A scaled hand that had both webs between the fingers and sharp claws for nails dragged down a green face. "And where am I now?" he growled., His voice was not a kind one. At all, and the sharp teeth that showed from between what passed for lips were not generally comforting.
The Demon was not pleased. He was less pleased when he realized that every magical item he had been wearing or carrying was now gone. Which left him in loose pants and a linen shirt. He tried to cheer himself up with the thought of how much worse it would have been for Massah had she arrived here without her magical items, but it was a thin comfort at best. Unlike the Jhak in question, that was.
Aahz shook himself from his thoughts. He could be all pensive and broody later. First thing was first. He had to get off the streets, then do recon. He wasn't sure what dimension he was in, but it wasn't Perv, and that meant that he could cause a panic, just by walking down the street. His people were feared, and like most of his race, he generally worked to increase and use that fear. But when practical jokers kept summoning him to unknown Dimensions without his powers, being a Pervect alone could be dangerous. Generally more dangerous for the natives, but there was some chance that one of them might land a lucky blow.
Aahz wouldn't be considered impressive looking were one to judge on size alone. He was short, only topping five foot if one counted the horns on his head. He was, as Pervects were, utterly hairless, and covered from clawed feet to pointed ears in green hard overlapping scales. Fingers and toes had more webbing between them than Khlads did, than most non-aquatic humanoids did, really. And each of those digits ended in a sharp and nasty looking claw. Add the lean but muscular body that lent to compact more than small, the golden eyes, and the aforementioned very sharp teeth and you had someone who could inspire fear even in those who didn't know his species.
Those who did? Would probably rightly guess that he was someone who had been educated in both weaponry and magic, and that he could kill most living creatures without bothering to use his hands. Aahz himself had been stripped of his magic by a practical joke some years ago, but it hadn't stopped him from being deadly. And it wasn't just swords and knives, though he was skilled with those.
It was his mind. And that was the thing most other Demons forgot when they were afraid of the Pervects. It wasn't their magic, their martial skill, their brute strength, their claws, their fangs, their admittedly horrid breath that made them so dangerous. It was their keen intellect. And his was working a mile a minute, scouting out potential hiding places that would allow him a decent veiw of the street.
Spotting the closed down train station, he headed for it. As much as he wanted to get out of sight NOW he did not run or skulk. Better for the locals to fear him than to think him an easy mark. it wasn't that he had an aversion to killing, but he didn't know the penal system here yet, and didn't have a way out. What kind of example would he be setting for the kid if he went and got himself arrested and needed to be rescued before seeing if that was actually the smart play? After the grief he'd given Skeeve and Tananada over getting arrested in Jahk, he needed to play it smarter than that. The problem with both apprentices and friends was that they tended to have long memories only for the things one wanted them to forget.
____
II. LATER
Reasonably assured he wasn't going to start a mass panic, Aahz showed up to training. He had procured himself a sword, some throwing knives, and some sort of odd vest with too many pockets. He stayed to the back, listening to the spiel about spells with interest. But he had been told only one class at a time. IT had been a hard choice.
They wouldn't be his powers, per say, but the chance to get his hands on magic he didn't have to buy off a market stall was appealing. But on the other hand, these people were only teaching one skillset at a time. And it made the most sense to stick with weaponry first, then reclaim magic. And besides, it amused him no end to think of a bunch of Khlads - for most of these people seemed to be Khlads - having to call him a hero. Wait till THAT got around the Bazaar!
Aahzmandius | M.Y.T.H. Series | Spoilers potential for whole series, Canon point TBD
"....."
A scaled hand that had both webs between the fingers and sharp claws for nails dragged down a green face. "And where am I now?" he growled., His voice was not a kind one. At all, and the sharp teeth that showed from between what passed for lips were not generally comforting.
The Demon was not pleased. He was less pleased when he realized that every magical item he had been wearing or carrying was now gone. Which left him in loose pants and a linen shirt. He tried to cheer himself up with the thought of how much worse it would have been for Massah had she arrived here without her magical items, but it was a thin comfort at best. Unlike the Jhak in question, that was.
Aahz shook himself from his thoughts. He could be all pensive and broody later. First thing was first. He had to get off the streets, then do recon. He wasn't sure what dimension he was in, but it wasn't Perv, and that meant that he could cause a panic, just by walking down the street. His people were feared, and like most of his race, he generally worked to increase and use that fear. But when practical jokers kept summoning him to unknown Dimensions without his powers, being a Pervect alone could be dangerous. Generally more dangerous for the natives, but there was some chance that one of them might land a lucky blow.
Aahz wouldn't be considered impressive looking were one to judge on size alone. He was short, only topping five foot if one counted the horns on his head. He was, as Pervects were, utterly hairless, and covered from clawed feet to pointed ears in green hard overlapping scales. Fingers and toes had more webbing between them than Khlads did, than most non-aquatic humanoids did, really. And each of those digits ended in a sharp and nasty looking claw. Add the lean but muscular body that lent to compact more than small, the golden eyes, and the aforementioned very sharp teeth and you had someone who could inspire fear even in those who didn't know his species.
Those who did? Would probably rightly guess that he was someone who had been educated in both weaponry and magic, and that he could kill most living creatures without bothering to use his hands. Aahz himself had been stripped of his magic by a practical joke some years ago, but it hadn't stopped him from being deadly. And it wasn't just swords and knives, though he was skilled with those.
It was his mind. And that was the thing most other Demons forgot when they were afraid of the Pervects. It wasn't their magic, their martial skill, their brute strength, their claws, their fangs, their admittedly horrid breath that made them so dangerous. It was their keen intellect. And his was working a mile a minute, scouting out potential hiding places that would allow him a decent veiw of the street.
Spotting the closed down train station, he headed for it. As much as he wanted to get out of sight NOW he did not run or skulk. Better for the locals to fear him than to think him an easy mark. it wasn't that he had an aversion to killing, but he didn't know the penal system here yet, and didn't have a way out. What kind of example would he be setting for the kid if he went and got himself arrested and needed to be rescued before seeing if that was actually the smart play? After the grief he'd given Skeeve and Tananada over getting arrested in Jahk, he needed to play it smarter than that. The problem with both apprentices and friends was that they tended to have long memories only for the things one wanted them to forget.
____
II. LATER
Reasonably assured he wasn't going to start a mass panic, Aahz showed up to training. He had procured himself a sword, some throwing knives, and some sort of odd vest with too many pockets. He stayed to the back, listening to the spiel about spells with interest. But he had been told only one class at a time. IT had been a hard choice.
They wouldn't be his powers, per say, but the chance to get his hands on magic he didn't have to buy off a market stall was appealing. But on the other hand, these people were only teaching one skillset at a time. And it made the most sense to stick with weaponry first, then reclaim magic. And besides, it amused him no end to think of a bunch of Khlads - for most of these people seemed to be Khlads - having to call him a hero. Wait till THAT got around the Bazaar!