Xander awoke to the freedom of being able to move his arms and legs. Going with his first impulse he ran his fingers across the long nasty scar that now bisected his upper body, and noticed that the pain wasn't as unbearable there as he'd thought. The pain that was burning throughout his body, however, was quite noticeable. It took most of his will power to push it aside enough to think, focus and move. He again thanked whatever let him retain that piece of the soldier's life and training, to push the pain to a place where it wouldn't interfere. And marveled that what he had thought was a private would have been taught that.
Testing his leg while lying down, he again noticed less pain than he expected and was pleased to note his skin was again closed, though scarred. Bending the knee carefully and rotating it, he found that he had good movement, and sat up to gently put pressure on it against the floor where he had a place to land back on. With tentative moves and easing, he managed to stand and note that he could walk. He couldn't even detect a limp in his walk.
He was getting ready to leave the room when he noticed something odd with his left eye, the lid seemed to be sealed shut. As he'd moved now, he'd also felt something moving behind his eyelid, but not like the other day. Try as he might, he couldn't get his eyelid up. Feeling it, he could now tell something like crazy glue was over it, holding it closed.
The woman reentered the room as he was feeling around his eyelid and the substance holding it shut. None-too-kindly, the woman slapped his hand away and spoke to him as she checked him over with her weird hand. Nodding as she checked, the serpents in her hair licked the air and looked at Xander interestingly.
"Um, hi. I appreciate you patching me up but is there any chance you could tell me where I am?" Xander asked the woman, who looked at him blankly. Continuing, Xander tried again. "Maybe who you are? Who the other guy was? What the hell is crawling in my eye socket!?" The last bit said loudly.
The woman spoke to him in her own language and stuck a finger in her ear and looked at him again before shaking her head. It was when one part of her serpent hair got too close to his nose that Xander remembered that he had snakes on his arms before the woman knocked him out. Looking at his arms he noticed them still coiled around his arms. Not quite sleeping but thankfully not writhing on his arms either. He tried to pull one off without any progress; it was like they were metal works of art wrapped around his arms.
Finally the woman finished poking him, to which Xander was glad, when she called outside of the room. The same large creature, a male Xander assumed, entered the room and started speaking to Xander in the same language. Staring blankly at the man Xander just gave up, realizing he wasn't going to be able to speak with the demons. When Xander said as much to the demon, it seemed to just stare at him before gripping him behind the head and leading him out of the room.
It was during the dragging that Xander became acutely aware that the man was wearing only a loincloth and a snake on his right arm. Once they left the room Xander was standing in an open area on the planet he'd landed on. The sun was high and the heat coming down was not quite as bad as Africa had been. Xander saw others like the two creatures he met. Some farming, it seemed. Children, also scarred but to a much lesser extent, were around. Some watched him and Xander could tell they didn't like what they saw in the least. One even yelled some comment that the man replied to forcefully, backing him off.
Looking around, a nagging feeling settled in Xander that he recognized this species of demon. He could remember reading their description, but nothing came to mind. Try as he might, nothing came to him. Lost in the frustration, Xander didn't notice the man coming to halt in front of him until he was already there.
Xander watched as the man flexed his right arm and the snake uncoiled and slid down his arm until it's head was at his wrist and its body was stretched out full length, taut and hardened. Xander watched amazedly as the man sliced downward with the snake, cutting completely through a stone beside him. It was then that Xander realized that the branches he'd used in a pain filled haze had actually been the snakes. The man motioned Xander to watch as he ran a finger along the snakes' head in a certain way that made the snake go limp in his hand, another way and the snake stiffened again and then another way which had the snake coil up the man's arm.
When the man motioned to him, Xander tried it on both snakes and watched amazed as both went limp. The man nodded in approval and motioned for Xander to lay them both down on a table, where he deposited his own snake. The man then picked up two long sticks and tossed him one. Looking it over, Xander equated it to being like a thick yardstick. It was roughly the same length and width as a yardstick, but had a small, sharp ridge running down opposite sides of the shaft.
Xander was still looking it over when the man motioned him to follow. He noticed they'd entered a small clearing in the village, as Xander decided to call it. With no time to react, understand or even form more than a mental "Oh shit", the demon charged him.
Testing his leg while lying down, he again noticed less pain than he expected and was pleased to note his skin was again closed, though scarred. Bending the knee carefully and rotating it, he found that he had good movement, and sat up to gently put pressure on it against the floor where he had a place to land back on. With tentative moves and easing, he managed to stand and note that he could walk. He couldn't even detect a limp in his walk.
He was getting ready to leave the room when he noticed something odd with his left eye, the lid seemed to be sealed shut. As he'd moved now, he'd also felt something moving behind his eyelid, but not like the other day. Try as he might, he couldn't get his eyelid up. Feeling it, he could now tell something like crazy glue was over it, holding it closed.
The woman reentered the room as he was feeling around his eyelid and the substance holding it shut. None-too-kindly, the woman slapped his hand away and spoke to him as she checked him over with her weird hand. Nodding as she checked, the serpents in her hair licked the air and looked at Xander interestingly.
"Um, hi. I appreciate you patching me up but is there any chance you could tell me where I am?" Xander asked the woman, who looked at him blankly. Continuing, Xander tried again. "Maybe who you are? Who the other guy was? What the hell is crawling in my eye socket!?" The last bit said loudly.
The woman spoke to him in her own language and stuck a finger in her ear and looked at him again before shaking her head. It was when one part of her serpent hair got too close to his nose that Xander remembered that he had snakes on his arms before the woman knocked him out. Looking at his arms he noticed them still coiled around his arms. Not quite sleeping but thankfully not writhing on his arms either. He tried to pull one off without any progress; it was like they were metal works of art wrapped around his arms.
Finally the woman finished poking him, to which Xander was glad, when she called outside of the room. The same large creature, a male Xander assumed, entered the room and started speaking to Xander in the same language. Staring blankly at the man Xander just gave up, realizing he wasn't going to be able to speak with the demons. When Xander said as much to the demon, it seemed to just stare at him before gripping him behind the head and leading him out of the room.
It was during the dragging that Xander became acutely aware that the man was wearing only a loincloth and a snake on his right arm. Once they left the room Xander was standing in an open area on the planet he'd landed on. The sun was high and the heat coming down was not quite as bad as Africa had been. Xander saw others like the two creatures he met. Some farming, it seemed. Children, also scarred but to a much lesser extent, were around. Some watched him and Xander could tell they didn't like what they saw in the least. One even yelled some comment that the man replied to forcefully, backing him off.
Looking around, a nagging feeling settled in Xander that he recognized this species of demon. He could remember reading their description, but nothing came to mind. Try as he might, nothing came to him. Lost in the frustration, Xander didn't notice the man coming to halt in front of him until he was already there.
Xander watched as the man flexed his right arm and the snake uncoiled and slid down his arm until it's head was at his wrist and its body was stretched out full length, taut and hardened. Xander watched amazedly as the man sliced downward with the snake, cutting completely through a stone beside him. It was then that Xander realized that the branches he'd used in a pain filled haze had actually been the snakes. The man motioned Xander to watch as he ran a finger along the snakes' head in a certain way that made the snake go limp in his hand, another way and the snake stiffened again and then another way which had the snake coil up the man's arm.
When the man motioned to him, Xander tried it on both snakes and watched amazed as both went limp. The man nodded in approval and motioned for Xander to lay them both down on a table, where he deposited his own snake. The man then picked up two long sticks and tossed him one. Looking it over, Xander equated it to being like a thick yardstick. It was roughly the same length and width as a yardstick, but had a small, sharp ridge running down opposite sides of the shaft.
Xander was still looking it over when the man motioned him to follow. He noticed they'd entered a small clearing in the village, as Xander decided to call it. With no time to react, understand or even form more than a mental "Oh shit", the demon charged him.