Demon's Hide

Barqan the Djinn

You have a distant relative who owns a remarkable antique shop. Well, they say they're a distant relative but you're not really sure. Your cousin who works for him says she has no idea how you're related either, but that's beside the point. You've gone to work for the shop over the summer. You've just come off a very bad break-up and your cousin has invited you to stay in her apartment while she isn't using it. Your distant relative also gave you a job and it pays amazingly well.

The shop is full of remarkable things. Every corner stuffed full with amazing antiquities you're quite sure should belong in a museum. You're shocked by how slow it is, you'd figure the way your relative pays and the way your cousins (several works for them) talk about the business, you'd think this place was a constant, non-stop stream of people. You've yet to see more than a handful of people in your first week. Granted, what they buy is often over four digits.

One day, you're cleaning out a back room after all the storage from inside it moved out. As you're mopping you see something glittering behind a shelf. You stoop down, getting on your hands and knees and you manage to scrape out the small amulet from behind the shelf. It's beautiful, soft burnished gold with a massive sapphire in the center. It's dotted with pearls, diamonds, and smaller sapphires in a strange pattern. You touch the massive sapphire in the center and it feels like the amulet gets warmer. You're unsure why, it's not exactly your tastes, but you're drawn to this piece. You'll have to take it to your cousin who works in the record room to find out what it is. You stuff the amulet into your pocket and you finish clean the room.

After work, you're on your way home. The night is rather cold and you're wearing a flimsy sweater. You hadn't expected to stay so late at work. You then feel something hot in your pocket. The amulet! You pull it out, having forgotten all about it. You decide to take it back and put it on your cousin's desk. One your way back to the store you see some people around the back, you hesitate and turn around and hit into someone's chest.

"Hey guys," he says as he grabs hold of you. "I found someone who works here." He yanks your arm back and you cry out in pain.

The amulet slips from your hands and it clatters to the ground. As you're struggling, trying to get away, they force you towards the back door.

"Open it," the one holding you laughs. "Let us inside and we won't hurt you."

"You already are!" You snap. You're struck across the face.

"You want me to do it again, kid?" He snarls. "Open the mother fucking door."

You grit your teeth, tasting blood. You struggle again and he yanks your arm back, you hear a loud pop and you scream. Suddenly it looks like it's snowing. The white whips around and billows. A howling wind starts to scream and it rips through the robbers. You hear them shouting and them screaming. You hear a bestial roar and someone is crying. The hands holding you are ripped back and you cower down on the ground. You then see the amulet laying under you, the sapphire glows bright and everything goes white for a moment.

You feel warm and you smell something very familiar. You lift your head and see you're in the apartment. You gasp and shudder, tears streaming down your face.

"Are you hurt?"

You gasp and look up, seeing a strange and massive figure standing before you. His skin is deep blue like the sapphire. He has pearly markings on his skin, crawling up his arms and around his shoulders like vines and then they coil around his strong neck. He has four arms, strong and thick like tree trunks. He's covered in white hair, thick curls all over his chest and arms and belly. He has a massive ponytail on his head, pure white as well.

You stare up at him, gazing into her dark eyes. He dips down and places a hand on top of your head. "Did they hurt you?"

You're shivering and you touch your arm.