Faith kicked the Sargul demon one last time for good measure, watched its mouth tentacles fall slack, and then used its tunic to wipe the glistening turqoise blood off her knife. Behind her, the last demon gurgled and died as her two unexpected allies finished it off. Faith looked around, slowing her breathing back to normal levels, and tried to figure out where the fuck that portal had dropped her. Deep purple sky, sun an eye-searing white dot high overhead, several stars visible near the jagged horizon. Rocks underfoot, with a bit of sawtooth grass -- or something damn close to it -- for decoration, and the air as dry as vamp dust.
Had to be a hell dimension. Fuck.
"You look human, lady, but you knew a hell of a lot about killing those things," one of her new allies drawled, raking a blatant stare up and down her body. Then he slung a long metal pole across the back of his neck and draped his forearms across it. "You mind explaining yourself?"
Faith returned his stare. Hot guy, probably about 20, dressed all in black and wearing a cross around his neck. Gun at his side, knives in his boots, down his back, and up his sleeves; he hid them well, but she knew the signs. A strange metal pole that spit a curve of green fire out one end -- magic or sci-fi, she didn't know which. And to top it off, long brown hair pulled into a three-foot braid. How the hell did he keep that out of his way during a fight? (And what conditioner did he use? Too much demon goo and guts, too many washes, and split ends turned into a real nightmare.)
"They're Sargul demons," she said. "They were opening a portal between dimensions and I interrupted them. The portal must've gone wild and grabbed you. Sorry about that." She shrugged. "I know some people who'll pull me back and we can get you two home again from there."
The guy laughed. "I'd call you a liar except this," -- he waved his hands at the alien landscape -- "is not Earth or the colonies, and glowing blue circles don't usually open in front of my targets and grab me. I'm Duo Maxwell -- I run, I hide, but I never tell a lie. You?"
"Faith." She looked at the third person.
He stared blankly back. He was younger than Duo, probably about the age Faith had been when she got Called as a Slayer, and he looked as angry and pighead stubborn as she'd been back then. Deathly pale, black hair chopped off in ragged tufts and held back by a cloth headband with a metal plate in front, black pants, black shirt with a funny red and white symbol pasted on it, and way more knives and throwing stars than any sane person needed strapped to his legs and arms. Faith vaguely remembered seeing fiery explosions from his direction during the fight, but she couldn't see any grenades. Maybe he'd used them all.
She had a sudden thought. "Hey, do you speak English?" No response. "Shit. Parlay voo fransay? Not that that would help..."
The kid bit out a phrase in some weird lilting language, and Faith groaned.
"Hey, no worries," Duo said cheerfully. "That's Japanese. Hang on and I'll explain things."
Damn you, it's turning into a real story!
Had to be a hell dimension. Fuck.
"You look human, lady, but you knew a hell of a lot about killing those things," one of her new allies drawled, raking a blatant stare up and down her body. Then he slung a long metal pole across the back of his neck and draped his forearms across it. "You mind explaining yourself?"
Faith returned his stare. Hot guy, probably about 20, dressed all in black and wearing a cross around his neck. Gun at his side, knives in his boots, down his back, and up his sleeves; he hid them well, but she knew the signs. A strange metal pole that spit a curve of green fire out one end -- magic or sci-fi, she didn't know which. And to top it off, long brown hair pulled into a three-foot braid. How the hell did he keep that out of his way during a fight? (And what conditioner did he use? Too much demon goo and guts, too many washes, and split ends turned into a real nightmare.)
"They're Sargul demons," she said. "They were opening a portal between dimensions and I interrupted them. The portal must've gone wild and grabbed you. Sorry about that." She shrugged. "I know some people who'll pull me back and we can get you two home again from there."
The guy laughed. "I'd call you a liar except this," -- he waved his hands at the alien landscape -- "is not Earth or the colonies, and glowing blue circles don't usually open in front of my targets and grab me. I'm Duo Maxwell -- I run, I hide, but I never tell a lie. You?"
"Faith." She looked at the third person.
He stared blankly back. He was younger than Duo, probably about the age Faith had been when she got Called as a Slayer, and he looked as angry and pighead stubborn as she'd been back then. Deathly pale, black hair chopped off in ragged tufts and held back by a cloth headband with a metal plate in front, black pants, black shirt with a funny red and white symbol pasted on it, and way more knives and throwing stars than any sane person needed strapped to his legs and arms. Faith vaguely remembered seeing fiery explosions from his direction during the fight, but she couldn't see any grenades. Maybe he'd used them all.
She had a sudden thought. "Hey, do you speak English?" No response. "Shit. Parlay voo fransay? Not that that would help..."
The kid bit out a phrase in some weird lilting language, and Faith groaned.
"Hey, no worries," Duo said cheerfully. "That's Japanese. Hang on and I'll explain things."
TBC...