The landing on the other side of the portal was rough, and as Xander
blinked in the sudden harsh sunlight he also tried to get some dust out of
his eye. Blinking clear he could see a scorch mark and dust where he
landed, and thanked whoever was listening for small favors. Casting his
gaze about, he immediately knew he wasn't in his own dimension as none of
the local flora remotely looked like that of Earth. Also, he noticed one
of the two demons coming for him, now holding a rather large sword.
Standing quickly, he ignored the irritating tingle of pain he felt throughout his body and backed away as he tried to find the other demon. As he looked he was hit hard in the back of his head, knocking off his eye patch and him to the ground in front of the demon. Looking back he saw the other demon coming at him, seeming to laugh in it's language at him. It threw it's sword hard into the ground point first and came at Xander.
"Oh this can't be good," Xander said as he scrambled to his feet in pain, only to be met with the demons' claws across his chest, shredding his shirt and adding new scars to his chest. He stepped back and held an arm over his chest and jerked back when the demon clawed at his face, limiting it's damage to a cut over his remaining eye.
He tried to blink away the blood that was now pouring over his eye when his right knee exploded in pain and he fell to the ground. Through the red curtain of blood he could make out his leg now bending the wrong way, his knee snapped backwards. He surprised himself by not screaming, but by trying to back away. Inside though, he was berating himself. He'd thrown himself into something foolish again, only this time he was going to die far away from his friends and they'd never know what happened. Another disappearance, like so many of the people he knew growing up.
Xander made out the demon's hand coming at his neck and grabbed the stake he'd so far not had a chance to use and slammed it as hard as he could into it's palm. The demon reared back and screamed, seemingly shaking the planet as Xander tried to scoot away from it. With a roar the demon kicked Xander hard in the chest. It's clawed foot scoring long cuts on his chest and ripping the shirt completely from him, as the force sent Xander flying through the air a good ten feet to land at the base of a small bush.
Xander could feel the pain acutely, every nerve in his body was hurting and he wanted to scream so badly, but he didn't. He'd felt something pop and break in that hit, and he was having trouble breathing. He'd made peace with death a long time ago, but internally he vowed not to go out without a fight. Grasping blindly, as his vision was heavily blurred by the blood, both hands found on either side of him what felt like medium sized branches. Ignoring the pain he felt when he grabbed each of them, as what must have been sticks or sharp edges on the branches dug hard into his wrist, he waited to perform one last act of defiance, which he backed up by flipping the bird at the demon as it rushed him.
Quickly putting his good leg under him, he timed his blow just right. As the demon reached him, he surged up quickly, shoving the branch in his left hand toward the demons eyes while he slashed with the one in his right at the demons neck. Knowing it was futile and he was about to die, he smiled grimly through his bloodied vision, his face then turning to shock at what he saw happen. Whatever he held, they certainly weren't branches. The thing in his left hand easily speared the demons' eye and the one in his right completely took it's head off. Maybe these demons just has tissue paper necks, but whatever it was, Xander was still alive and it wasn't.
The roar from the other demon made Xander hop in its direction to see it. This one had its sword held high, not even masking it's intention to bisect Xander. With a quick prayer that the saviors he held in his hands would save him again, Xander braced himself the best he could. As the demon got close, time seemed slow as the demon began its downswing. Xander moved his left arm up, hoping to block with what he'd found but not expecting to live, but hoping that the slash he was aiming with his right hand at the demons' midsection might score enough damage to prevent it from completing it's plan.
Unfortunately for Xander, his plan worked too well. The thing he held in his left hand met the steel of the demons sword, the sword was cut in two as it met the amazingly sharp edge, sending it's tip out of alignment to cut part of Xander's scalp open. The rest of the blade continued down, even as Xander's right hand slash cut the demon cleanly in two at the waist. But the slash from what remained of the demons blade hit Xander in the chest, even as his good leg gave out, and cut him from sternum to navel. Xander's falling at the same time was the only thing that kept all of his insides from being split in two.
On his back, Xander's eye looked through the red tint at a beautiful sky with a sun a bit larger than home. He ordered his thoughts, and told all his friends in his head goodbye. Hoping somehow they'd know how much he loved them, he resigned himself to his fate. It was then that a hideous face blocked the view of the sky. It may have once been somewhat human, but now it lacked a nose or lips. Massive scars and tattoos dominated the demonic face that looked down on him. Somehow he felt it was smiling at him, as he felt it grab his arms and begin to drag him. He gave out a mental curse, before he passed out. It seemed that while he resigned himself to fate, fate had other plans.
Standing quickly, he ignored the irritating tingle of pain he felt throughout his body and backed away as he tried to find the other demon. As he looked he was hit hard in the back of his head, knocking off his eye patch and him to the ground in front of the demon. Looking back he saw the other demon coming at him, seeming to laugh in it's language at him. It threw it's sword hard into the ground point first and came at Xander.
"Oh this can't be good," Xander said as he scrambled to his feet in pain, only to be met with the demons' claws across his chest, shredding his shirt and adding new scars to his chest. He stepped back and held an arm over his chest and jerked back when the demon clawed at his face, limiting it's damage to a cut over his remaining eye.
He tried to blink away the blood that was now pouring over his eye when his right knee exploded in pain and he fell to the ground. Through the red curtain of blood he could make out his leg now bending the wrong way, his knee snapped backwards. He surprised himself by not screaming, but by trying to back away. Inside though, he was berating himself. He'd thrown himself into something foolish again, only this time he was going to die far away from his friends and they'd never know what happened. Another disappearance, like so many of the people he knew growing up.
Xander made out the demon's hand coming at his neck and grabbed the stake he'd so far not had a chance to use and slammed it as hard as he could into it's palm. The demon reared back and screamed, seemingly shaking the planet as Xander tried to scoot away from it. With a roar the demon kicked Xander hard in the chest. It's clawed foot scoring long cuts on his chest and ripping the shirt completely from him, as the force sent Xander flying through the air a good ten feet to land at the base of a small bush.
Xander could feel the pain acutely, every nerve in his body was hurting and he wanted to scream so badly, but he didn't. He'd felt something pop and break in that hit, and he was having trouble breathing. He'd made peace with death a long time ago, but internally he vowed not to go out without a fight. Grasping blindly, as his vision was heavily blurred by the blood, both hands found on either side of him what felt like medium sized branches. Ignoring the pain he felt when he grabbed each of them, as what must have been sticks or sharp edges on the branches dug hard into his wrist, he waited to perform one last act of defiance, which he backed up by flipping the bird at the demon as it rushed him.
Quickly putting his good leg under him, he timed his blow just right. As the demon reached him, he surged up quickly, shoving the branch in his left hand toward the demons eyes while he slashed with the one in his right at the demons neck. Knowing it was futile and he was about to die, he smiled grimly through his bloodied vision, his face then turning to shock at what he saw happen. Whatever he held, they certainly weren't branches. The thing in his left hand easily speared the demons' eye and the one in his right completely took it's head off. Maybe these demons just has tissue paper necks, but whatever it was, Xander was still alive and it wasn't.
The roar from the other demon made Xander hop in its direction to see it. This one had its sword held high, not even masking it's intention to bisect Xander. With a quick prayer that the saviors he held in his hands would save him again, Xander braced himself the best he could. As the demon got close, time seemed slow as the demon began its downswing. Xander moved his left arm up, hoping to block with what he'd found but not expecting to live, but hoping that the slash he was aiming with his right hand at the demons' midsection might score enough damage to prevent it from completing it's plan.
Unfortunately for Xander, his plan worked too well. The thing he held in his left hand met the steel of the demons sword, the sword was cut in two as it met the amazingly sharp edge, sending it's tip out of alignment to cut part of Xander's scalp open. The rest of the blade continued down, even as Xander's right hand slash cut the demon cleanly in two at the waist. But the slash from what remained of the demons blade hit Xander in the chest, even as his good leg gave out, and cut him from sternum to navel. Xander's falling at the same time was the only thing that kept all of his insides from being split in two.
On his back, Xander's eye looked through the red tint at a beautiful sky with a sun a bit larger than home. He ordered his thoughts, and told all his friends in his head goodbye. Hoping somehow they'd know how much he loved them, he resigned himself to his fate. It was then that a hideous face blocked the view of the sky. It may have once been somewhat human, but now it lacked a nose or lips. Massive scars and tattoos dominated the demonic face that looked down on him. Somehow he felt it was smiling at him, as he felt it grab his arms and begin to drag him. He gave out a mental curse, before he passed out. It seemed that while he resigned himself to fate, fate had other plans.