Mind you, I hadn’t planned it this way, but I was quick to capitalize on the situation. If the presence of a gargoyle could cause this kind of turmoil, I thought it would be a good idea to up the ante a little.
With a quick brush of my mind, I altered Gus’s appearance. Now they had a full-grown dragon hovering over their midst. The effect was spectacular.
I, however, did not allow myself the luxury of watching. I had learned something in this brief exchange, and I wanted to try it out.
I dissolved my Imp army, then reformed them, not in front of the troops, but in their midst!
This threw the formations into total disorder. As the soldiers struck or threw at the phantom figures, more often than not they struck their comrades instead.
If this kept up, they would be too busy fighting each other to bother with us.
“Boss!” Brockhurst called, darting up to my side. “I’ve got the commander spotted!”
“Where?” I asked grimly, trying not to take my concentration from the battle raging in the meadow.
The Imp pointed.
Sure enough! There was the Brute, striding angrily from formation to formation, trying to restore order to his force.
I heard the telltale whisper of an arrow being drawn.
“Ajax!” I barked. “Hold your fire. He’s mine .. . all mine!”
As I said this, I dissolved all the Imps in the Brute’s vicinity, and instead changed the commander’s features until he took on the appearance of Aahz.
The dazed soldiers saw a demon appear in their midst brandishing a sword, a demon of a type they knew could be killed. They needed no further prompting.