I was exhausted, bone weary, I hadn’t been this tired since I went on that bender after graduation. This was like that hangover, only a thousand times worse. I had my eyes closed, they felt so heavy that it would take great effort to open them. My head felt like some barbarians put an axe to it, repeatedly and with childish glee.

I could barely fathom what had just happened, the aches and pains made it hard to think. But slowly, light and matter came into focus. Opening my eyes I was inundated with the strangest of sights. The only word that came to mind, was wasteland, a damned realm of sulphur and brimstone. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought I was in the abyss.

But that was impossible, only demons went to the abyss, not mortals, not unless they managed to swing an abyssal gate. Even I wasn’t foolish enough to even try that. Regardless, reality was before me, or at least whatever passed for it. I sat up and examined my surroundings.

Wasteland was accurate, a barren desert covered in steep mountain ranges. I think I could see plums of sulphuric gas bellowing from whatever foul geographical construct was just past the horizon. There was no horizon, there wasn’t even a star in the sky, was this truly the abyss?

“I knew I smelt butter!” A voice declared in a very odd tone, high pitched and strange.

I cast my gaze to the source and spotted an oddly shaped demon flying towards me. It was all too clearly a fiend, but of an unfamiliar appearance. It was an octopod, four arms extended from his upper and lower torso. Instead of the typical bat-like wings, it had the buzzing wings of an insect.

“There you are.” The demon said, smiling like he just found something amusing.

It approached me and I quickly rose to full height and reached for my staff. Only there was no staff, or even any clothes. I was naked, in fact my skin was red, what happened to my body? Images of a red taloned hand flickered through my mind. Only I was not able to dwell for long as the octopod demon landed in front of me.

“I normally do this with my partner, but he is busy with his accursed master.” The demon muttered to himself. “Wizards am I right?” He added, expecting me to respond.

I didn’t respond, I mean what could I say. I was stuck in an unknown realm that can’t be the abyss, no staff nor any spell components. In front of an unbound fiend who could easily rip me apart.

“You don’t need to say anything, wizards truly are the worst. Capturing people and turning them into demons, how evil, but they sure are tasty. If only we could kill them all or better, we could invite them to dinner. They can be the main course.” The octopod cackled madly, and I was officially done with that.

The demon turned to pull something out and I saw my chance. Despite how tired I was, I ran at top speed in the opposite direction. I didn’t care where I was going, I just wanted to be far from the demon as possible.

“Hey, were you going? we were just getting to know each other.” It pleaded in the distance.

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I ignored it and just kept up the speed, barely noticing how fast the world was going by. No matter how tired I felt, I just kept running. I ran and ran, leaping over rocks, sand dunes and I think I even scaled a mountain. Finally he stopped, not because I was safe, but because I could no longer go on.

My body was weighed down like an anvil, so tired and exhausted. I tried a few semantic gestures to aid me, but it was fruitless. I was done and needed to stop. Falling to my knees in a place I barely comprehended, I feel to the ground. Soft dirt met my face, but I didn’t care, I needed this.

I don’t know how long I just laid there, unceremoniously lying in the sand, oblivious to the horrific world around me. Eventually I mustered up energy from somewhere and rose, only to fall flat on my ass. “Ouch, what in the abyss was that!” I screamed, it was not a pleasant feeling.

It felt like I just sat on my own foot. I looked behind and fell silent, gawking at the inconceivable sight. This was not possible, it couldn’t be, I must be seeing things. I had a tale, a spade tipped, red-skinned tale of a demon!

“What in the abyss is happening?” I demanded anyone, even the gods that likely couldn’t hear me. I laughed maniacally, it was all I could do, I mean I am actually in the abyss. So saying what in the abyss is happening was kind of stupid, since I am already there.

Sitting in the middle of a literal hellish desert was surreal. Not as much as finding that I had a demonic tale, that has some very scary connotations. I shook my head, trying to get a grip. I needed to calm down, analyse the situation, I am a wizard for magics sake, we are methodical and logical.

Taking stock, I tried to come up with a logical explanation. Listing them would help, at least to get all the possibilities as one must be correct. Standing here in the middle of a desert, I listed all the crazy ideas that could explain this nonsensical event.

It could be an elaborate illusion perpetrated by a powerful wizard, but I don’t know any who could make such a perfect illusion. If it isn’t an illusion, then I have truly been damned to the abyss by some unknown method. Perhaps it is a newly developed spell, capable of capturing human souls and transforming them into a demon. This is both horrifying and impressive, to consign humans to the abyss as demons, truly one of our number has fallen far.

“Wait a moment, what did that fiend say?” I said to myself, transitioning to speaking aloud.

I tried to think back, much of what it said was odd. To be honest I wasn’t really paying attention beyond an unbound demon nearly killing me. He said something about wizards capturing people and turning them into demons. That was insane, we cant do that. We conjure unbound demons from the depths of the astral plane, we don’t make them!

Yet despite all that logical thought, I couldn’t help think over my own experience. Disturbing thoughts, things that could not be true, any sensible wizard would ignore such ideas. I looked at my hands, noting the crimson flesh and sharp talons. I felt the horns protruding from my head and the sharp teeth in my mouth.

I was a demon, or under the effects of a truly impressive illusion spell. Which I find more dubious then then idea of being a new resident of the abyss. I sighed, not knowing what to do. It was the first time in my life, that I was completely lost without any magic or tactic to solve this dilemma.

I mean, how does one resolve becoming a demon? I shook my head, I couldn’t let myself sink to deep into despair. I must work the problem, one step at a time, methodically and logically. If magic did this, then magic could undo it.

But I had no accoutrements of my trade, no spell components, no staff, not even a wand. I needed a place to rest and plan my next move. I looked around, noting a vast desert, but in the distance, north of my location there was a mountain range. Were there is mountains, there are caves.

It wasn’t the best option, but it was all I had at hand. With that in mind, I slowly trudged along to find a new home, still so very tired.