Tartarus Beckons by Edmund Batara (reading an ebook .TXT) 📕

would have some effect on him. It appeared that Asag was still a powerful being even when, as the demon freely admitted, he had been significantly reduced in power.

“Asag, behave,” said the old man in a tranquil voice, clearly unaffected by the demonic tantrum.

“I apologize. You also have a bone to pick with that arrogant weasel?” Asag asked the mage, the bass voice around two octaves lower. The tone might be calmer, but Tyler could still feel the extreme hostility behind the facade, and fortunately, it was not directed at him, even if the colorful though irrational character who was the subject of Asag’s aggression was presently beyond both their reach.

The mage’s eyes could be playing tricks on him, but he could swear a dark and threatening cloud had risen behind Asag, forming a giant cloak of power and suppressed fury. At the back of Tyler’s mind, thought processes ran at breakneck speed trying to determine the reason for such unbridled animosity.

“Uh, yes?” replied the again puzzled mage, suddenly wary of the bizarre change in the demon. Asag’s mood seemed insanely mercurial, shifting from an ordinary demon’s personality, then to a rational one, and then again to a being possessed of cold fury.

What the fuck did Loki do to him? And Asag is an ancient being, whatever happened must have occurred at the dawn of the settlement of this world. The questions swirled in the mage’s mind.

Asag stood up, and the mage could see its form had become more substantial and had taken on the image of an ancient soldier. Based on the unfamiliar armor and unique weapon, Tyler assumed it was a Mesopotamian one. The cone-shaped helm, a long leather coat festooned with metal disks, and a sickle-shaped sword at his left hip, all contributed to the strangeness of the form’s appearance. That most of the metal was either gold or something which looked like silver did strengthen the strangeness of the presentation.

Well, I haven’t been to Kemet or the Western Empires, and I guess that’s where the unfamiliarity came from. And those fancy gold trimmings really don’t help. For one, a gold sword? It does look like a khopesh, but again… gold? Sheesh, observed the young mage.

“You look normal,” commented Tyler. “Though there might be an overuse of gold.”

“I think you meant this,” Asag said as he brought out the sickle-sword. It did look like a khopesh, with minor variations in the design. “The mark of a ruler. Not practical, of course. More for ceremonial pomp and circumstance. Awe the unwashed masses into submission! Dismiss any thought of rebellion from their numbed brains! Well, you get the idea.”

“I am intrigued. And I apologize for getting the discussion off-track, but how do you fight human battles? You can’t appear armed with that gold sword,” said Tyler.

Asag looked at the ceiling of the cave and then shook his head.

“Too low a ceiling, but I believe a human-sized version would do. It does work better when I am in a human host, though I doubt if I’d find any candidates now,” replied the demon who then looked at the old man. “With the permission of my jailer?”

The old man rolled his eyes at the statement but nodded, though the impish smile again appeared on his face. Asag turned back to Tyler and gave the mage a knowing grin. Suddenly, his entire body became much taller, almost scraping the rock above, and the body mass increased. At the same time, the human-looking flesh and accouterments gave way to a different material. It looked like a massive version of what he was before, only it was made of black stone. The material wasn’t polished either, but instead of rough, unfinished rock.

That’s human-sized for him? The guy still has issues about being pretentious.

Large sharp stony blades emerged from under the arms and the back of the legs, forming deadly cutting surfaces. The helm remained, though now transformed to the same hard black material. But under it, two pairs of violet eyes stared back at Tyler. Asag’s mouth sported several protruding canine teeth, and a dark mist, strongly smelling of sulfur, surrounded his shape. Gone were the pretensions of being human, Asag now perfectly looked the very demonic being that he was.

Shit. A giant creature made of rocks. And Asag said he could become bigger. What a revolting development, thought the shocked, though thoroughly impressed, mage.

Chapter Seventeen

A Hard Choice

Tyler suddenly heard a loud snap of fingers and Asag’s magic fell apart like a bunch of dry twigs under a heavy armored boot. The mage could see the rock pieces swiftly drop from the standing demon and fade into nothingness. In a few seconds, what was left was the original form Asag had adopted – that of a human warrior of an ancient time. The disbelieving Tyler looked at the old man. Asag’s magic was nothing in the face of the power of the venerable stranger. The casual display of magical might was shocking.

Just who is this guy? wondered Tyler, not without justified anxiety. Somebody who could casually dismiss the magical power of Asag was definitely a being to be cautious about.

The old man evidently saw through Tyler, witnessed the dread and fear which was starting to rise, and gave the mage a reassuring smile. The young human mage had to admit that he felt the smile was genuine, though the feeling persisted that something was still being hidden from him.

“I am sorry to say that’s enough show-and-tell for now. Time is passing, and decisions await. So, what will it be, First Mage?” asked the entity.

“May I speak before he decides, Labiru? I had already resigned myself to what I believed to be my fate. I find it beneath me to beg or plead for my freedom. Even if reduced in power, I am still Asag the Mighty, the Devourer of Kingdoms, the Bane of Gods and Men alike! But the First Mage had mentioned a name which I had relegated to the back of