A Grim Fog (Open)

The sun was setting as Adrian walked out of an apartment complex. His current client had asked him to do surveillance on a salaryman who had told his boss that he was taking time off to recover from surgery for carpal tunnel surgery, but the boss had gotten suspicious when a month passed without the salaryman returning. The boss hired Adrian to check on the salaryman and see if he was just making an excuse to skip work. However, the salaryman wasn't home and when Adrian asked the salaryman's neighbors, they gave him the cold shoulder treatment.


"Getting real sick of this run-around..." Adrian muttered. He walked down the street towards the bus stop when the atmosphere suddenly became hushed. Adrian stopped to see a dense bank of fog quickly rolling in.

"What th-"

As quickly as the fog came, it dispersed, revealling a radically different world. Adrian stared as he saw before him a vast wasteland. The earth was dry and scorched, with spikes of black glass jutting out of the barren, sandy soil. In the distance, Adrian saw floes of lava running across the ground like slow-moving rivers. Above him, there was no sun- only a massive maelstrom in a sickly green sky, bolts of lightning arcing from cloud to cloud, occasionally striking the ground to kick up the sand and turning it into glass midair, creating more glass spikes.

"...Kaiwan? Are we in Hell?" Adrian asked.

The magnetite jewel in Adrian's signet ring flickered. No, but there is definitely supernatural forces at work here.[/i]

Adrian let out a frustrated sigh. "Of all the days to leave the cane sword at home..." he said. He reached into his trenchcoat to pull out the snubnosed revolver. He popped the chamber out to check the ammo. Six bullets...but I don't have many more. Adrian's fingers searched the corners of his pockets to find extra ammo, only finding one loose bullet. Dammit.

Adrian knew he'd have to rely on Kaiwan to get out of here. Taking a deep breath, Adrian extended the hand bearing Kaiwan's ring. Concentrating his will on the ring, the Devil Summoner began a slow chant:

"Obliti sunt Deum siderum, et aperire portam, invocato nomine tuo auxilio opus est." Adrian droned. The magnetite jewel began to glow an ethereal shade of violet. "Venite imaginem idolorum! Venite imaginem idolorum! Veni imaginem idolorum! Invoco te!"

The last two words caused the jewel to project an elaborate arcane circle made of purple light in front of Adrian. Out of the circle emerged Kaiwan, in full demonic splendor. The Assyrian star god stretched and wrigged its starfish-like appendages.

It's been too long since I've been allowed to take on my true form. said Kaiwan. Adrian re-chambered his gun and scanned the horizon. "Don't get too comfortable, we're getting out of here ASAP." he said.