The night is cool and crisp, a nice full moon hanging in the air adding a romantic flair to the small town
of Sunnydale. Very few townspeople know of the danger that lurks just beneath the surface of the streets and the dark, dangerous creatures that walk the dark streets and empty alleys. And yet the few that know, fight the good fight to make sure that the townspeople can sleep in their warm comfy beds, knowing that the sun will rise in the morning.
“Buffy!” Xander yelled, tossing a stake.
In a cemetery, away from the eyes of the innocent people, a small band of humans who call themselves the Scoobies fight along side of the Slayer, a girl gifted with the power and courage to fight against the forces of evil. She is their last and only defense. And lucky for them, she is really good at her job.
“Thanks!” Buffy yelled as she staked the vampire she’s fighting against. It broke apart and turned to dust.
Looking for the others, she saw that her friends were still fighting against two other vampires. Xander and Anya were struggling to stake a chubby vampire but were having problems as he had tossed Xander off him and started towards Anya, who held the stake in front of her in hopes of stopping him.
Willow and Giles were getting ready to stake the other one, a young looking vampire. She went to help Xander and Anya.
Xander quickly climbed to his feet and tried to tackle it from behind. It grabbed him by the collar, let him go and pulled back its fist to hit him. Xander squeezed his eyes shut for the incoming punch when Buffy grabbed the vampire’s fist.
“No.” she said sternly before pulling back her fist and punched him across the jaw. He stumbled back,
letting go of Xander. Anya rushed to his side.
“Xander!” she knelt beside him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” he said, reassuring his girlfriend. He looked up at Willow and Giles helped him to his feet.
They turned in time to see Buffy kick the vampire in the chest, knocking him down. She stood over him and staked him. She started dusting herself off as she walked over, “I hate having to dust the chunky ones.” she said, hitting her jacket sleeve and coughed as a large cloud of dust came loose.
“I agree with you there Buffster.” Xander said.
“Yes. Xander and I were clearly no match for him.” Anya said, bluntly as she held Xander‘s hand. “I’m
glad that you finally dusted him, as I would hate to lose Xander and his penis.”
“Anya...” Xander groused embarrassed. The girls smiled behind their hands as they all started towards
the nearest exit. Giles took off his glasses and started cleaning them as he usually does when Anya
says something so...bluntly.
“There certainly seem to be a, um,” he put his glasses back on. “Large number of vampires lately, not to
mention that there has been more and more demon activity.”
“No question here.” Buffy said. “I mean, you guys shoulda saw that demon with the goo. It stained my
favorite shirt and I lost my new jeans too. And that was after I just killed that gang of vampires from the
Bronze.”
“Poor Buffy.” Willow said, patting Buffy on the back. “Maybe everything will be better when Riley returns from Iowa.”
“I hope so.” Buffy said.
“Bloody Hell!” a British voice growled from behind them. “What does a bloke have to do to watch his shows in peace?”
“How about a stake in the heart?” Buffy said, stopping and turning to see Spike stomp up.
“Hey, I save you from Adam.” Spike said. “You can’t stake me.”
“Well I will.” Xander said, stepping up.
“I would like to see you try you bloodly pou...”
“Does anyone else see that white light over there?” Anya piped up before pointing to the sky. “That can’t be good right?”
“I don‘t think so.” Willow said. “Buffy?”
Buffy twirls her stake and turned to the others. “Come on...let go check it out whatever it is.”
~*~*~*~*
Not far away and a few minutes before, a group of figures cloaked head to foot in red silk robes walk into an abandon church where they will meet for one last time before they commit to an act that will assure their place in power. Leaving two to guard the doors, they headed for the pew.
They whisper to each other, going over everything before it is agreed that the ritual will be done. Five form a circle around a drawn symbol that was thought lost until recently as two enter the circle
and stand on top of it, naked. It’s a man and a woman, both emitting a strange green glow that encases
their entire body.
They start chanting and ancient language before they bring a blade to wrists. Together they say, “Once of our world, be of our world again. Once of flesh and blood, be of our flesh and blood...” They slice their wrists as the circle starts chanting louder. “Energy begets blood, blood begets life...ours is yours to
open the portal to bring you into the world again....”
The symbol beneath their feet starts glowing as the blood pools before it starts sucking the glow from the two people. They age rapidly as the portal forms above their heads, a bright white light that was seen
by Buffy and the others. Soon, they die as the rest of the energy is stripped from them and their bones
fall to the ground where they crumble to dust. The light above the portal grows brighter and another light, a softer, smaller blue light floats from the portal.
“Hey!”
A guard looks up just as he is punched across the jaw by Buffy. He crumbles to the ground. “Is this party for everyone or you need an invitation?”
The other guard charges her, an axe in his hands.
She ducked and kicked at him as the others run by to enter the church. “You demons really have to find another hobby.” she said as she blocks a punch and throws her own, hitting him and knocking him out.
She grabbed the axe and ran in to see that the cult was still standing over the symbol.
She threw the axe and it landed in the middle of the circle and cutting into the wood that made up the
floor effectively breaking the spell.
Startled the circle broke apart, their cowls slipping down to show that they are humans as they turned to
see who would do such a thing. Each has a blank, almost fanatical look in their black eyes, a side effect from using dark magic as they glanced at each other.
“Wait...you’re human...” Anya said.
“Infidels...” one said as she bent down to pick up the axe. She pulled it out before screeching at them in a crazed voice. “Infidels!! Do you have any idea what you have just done?!”
She ran at them. “You will die for destroying the summoning ceremony of the demon of darkness! For
making the sacrifice of our sister and brother useless!” Screaming, she swung the axe at Buffy, who
ducked and fought back.
The remaining cult followers jumped into action, charging the rest of the Scoobies with what they could
use as a weapon, Spike included since he followed them to see what was going on.
“Hey watch it!” Spike yelled as a man tried to stab him with a piece of wood from the broken chairs
nearby. When the man lunged at him, Spike had no choice but to punch him across the jaw. “Arrrggh!” he screamed, instantly grabbing his head as the jolt of electricity went through his brain but the man went down. “Bloody chip...” he growled.
“Whoa!” Xander yelled out as he held off a duo of women who had murder in their eyes. “A little help here! Can't we talk this out? Yikes!” He ducked as a woman threw out her hand and a fireball exploded in front of him.
“Xander run!” Anya yelled from a safe distance. She picked up a piece of debris and threw it at the woman. “Get away from my boyfriend, you magic junkie!” She shrieked and ducked when the woman threw a fireball at her.
Willow was holding her own against one member, a young guy, who was fighting against her by using magic. They parried and advanced but it could be seen that the magic was wearing him down as he struggled to continued fighting.
“Go down!” Willow yelled and created a blast of air that knocked him off his feet.
A scream from across the room could be heard as the woman who was fighting against Buffy suddenly stop and bent down to pick up something. The fighting stopped as the remaining members who were still conscious headed her way. They gathered around her before crying out. The woman held up a glowing blue light the size of a football in both her hands.
“Look brothers and sisters! We succeeded! The vessel is here! Hold off the infidels as I--”
“I don’t think so!” Buffy said as she kicked her way into the group and grabbed the light. “Giles catch!”
She never noticed the cut on her hand from when she held the light. The blood soaked into the light,
making it solid.
Giles, who had been fighting off to the side reached up to catch the light but was tackled from behind.
The light hit the ground and rolled.
“Gather the vessel and complete the ritual!” The woman yelled. The cult headed for the glowing vessel as she headed for Buffy. “And you little girl, you won’t live to see the next sun rise!!”
Buffy rolled her eyes before punching the woman, knocking her out. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard that?”
“I got it!” Xander yelled as he yanked the light away from a guy. “Buffy, I got--Ow!” He pulled his hand
away and saw that it was bleeding from a cut across the palm. The blood soaked into the glowing vessel
and he swore it got a bit more solid when the glowing faded just a bit.
“Give me that!” the guy yelled. He reached for it but Xander tossed it to Anya.
“Anya run! Don’t let them get it!” Xander yelled as he grabbed hold of the sleeve of a woman to keep her from going after Anya.
“Where?!” Anya yelled as she caught it and held it close. She turned and ran but only got a couple of
feet when she cried out. “Ow!” She dropped the vessel. It rolled to the left and landed in front of Spike, who’s still holding his head.
“Spike, get the vessel and run!” Buffy yelled as she fought the frenzied cult with Willow and Giles’ help.
He picked it up. “Get it away from here and destroy it!” She groaned when she was suckered punched in the stomach. Willow and Giles were overtaken and beat down as the cult walked over them.
“The vessel cannot be destroyed!” the cult said in unison. “It can only be nurtured; to be shaped into
what we will it to be!”
“Bloody Hell!” Spike yelled as the cult advanced towards him. “You bloody well owe me for this Slayer!”
He stepped back before turning around and fleeing with the few members on his tail.
“Giles! Willow!” Anya ran over to check on them as Xander headed for Buffy.
“Buffy, are you okay?” Xander asked as he helped her to her feet. “We should go after them. Spike might just give it to them.”
“I agree with you.” Giles said between thick lips. His glasses were bent and his right cheek looked
swollen from where someone must have punched him. “We have to find out what it is they summoned. Xander, Anya...”
“Sure thing G-man.” Xander said before he and Anya ran in the direction they last seen Spike and the cult.
“Well why not just ask him?” Buffy said as she hauled the groaning guard she knocked out earlier to his
feet. She pulled back his cowl and was surprised to see that it was a young boy, about Dawn’s age. He had blonde hair and it looked like he hadn’t showered in days.
She shoved him against the wall. “What is it?” she demanded.
“I’m not telling you anything.” he said, jaunting his chin out defiately. “Because of you, my parent’s
sacrifice was nearly ruined. They gave their lives to see that the portal could be opened.”
She slapped him across the face, splitting his lower lip and asked again and added, “I can make this slow
and painful. So don’t test my patience.”
“It’s a vessel holding a greater power than yours and most of the creatures that walk this plane.” he
grunted before licking the blood off his lip. “A slayer like you but isn’t. This one is different...”
“How can we destroy it?”
“It can’t be destroyed...only nurtured...” he said in a voice much like the others had used. “Willed into
being by its Imprinted. They decide what it will be...within the four stages and not any after.” He
chuckled but started gasping when Buffy pressed her arm into his neck.
“What happens then?”
“Destruction. Death. Creation. Life.”
“Huh?”
He chuckled again before surprising her by head butting her and running out the door before she could
stop him. He disappeared in the bushes near the building.
Buffy held her head, before Xander ran up, breathless yet heavily breathing. Anya joined him seconds later. She glared at Xander, “Don’t volunteer me for anything ever again Xander Harris. Not if you want
sex.” she warned him.
“Where are they?” Buffy asked.
“We couldn’t find them. We heard yelling and stuff but saw no signs of them.” Xander explained. “I’m
sorry Buffy.”
Buffy sighed and threw her hands in the air. She started pacing as she talked, “It can’t be too hard to
find them. If what the boy said is true and from what we saw how crazy this cult is then this could mean
something really bad.”
“We have to find Spike then right?” Anya asked, holding onto Xander’s arm. “He has this thing with him
and a cult following after him. What makes us think that he won’t just give it to them so they will stop
chasing him?”
“I know.” Buffy sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I so do not want to spend my night hunting him down. But you’re right Anya. He does have whatever it is and we don’t know that he hasn’t handed it over already.”
“We have to find him and fast.” Giles said. “Before anything happens.”
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