A war, a crusade, a gold mine, a new country,
Speak to the imagination and offer swing and play to the confined powers.’
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Buffy’s warriors stood frozen for less than two seconds, before the sound of Willow’s voice calling out the incantation, “omnis securis aperio” jolted them all into action. Each of them ran to their positions as weapons appeared in the outstretched hands of those designated to fight. Faith, Kennedy, Xander and Oz quickly made their way over to where Angel and Wes had already engaged two demons apiece. The two slayers split one of these off each and Xander and Oz took on the final two.
Buffy liked to talk a good game, but the truth was that the three guards stationed out the front had been ambushed not by her alone, but by all three slayers. With the element of surprise on their side, the three cute, seemingly harmless girls had made quick work of the unwary, tusked demons. But the Kith’harns inside were quite a different matter. These six were strong, well trained and pumped for action – a deadly combination.
Xander, Oz and Wes were all experienced fighters but it was acknowledged that without any supernatural strength, they would be no match for these lethal fighters. Their role was to provide a defensive block, allowing time for Angel and the slayers to take on and dispatch of the demons one at a time. All six of the warriors wielded heavy battleaxes, weapons considered to be both strong defensively, yet also tough enough to be able to hack through the tough hide of a Kith’harn.
They had entered Vail’s property seemingly unarmed, Willow’s spell designed to call on their individual weapons with a single command. Each axe was attuned to the warrior who carried it. If dropped, it would instantly vanish, unable to be retrieved by an opponent and used against its wielder. But it could also be called upon at any time simply by the warrior reaching out his or hand and uttering the command ‘meus securis aperio’, and there it would once again be, ready for use.
And those weapons were certainly now being put to good use. Xander and Oz fought together, protecting one another’s backs as they blocked, ducked, leapt, swerved and took the odd swipe at the two demons they engaged. Wes had immediately drawn his opponent away from the main bunch, giving himself room to use the extra reach of his long arms and legs to his best advantage, slashing and jabbing at the Kith’harn when he wasn’t trying to avoid the demon’s powerful and aggressive punches.
Meanwhile, the main body of the fight had quickly spread out. Kennedy’s demon had grinned at her before using his superior height to reach over the top of her weapon. He had grabbed hold of her shirt and tossed her across the room. She’d landed hard then rolled several times before beginning to quickly scramble to her knees as the Kith’harn approached. While still partially crouched the demon had come at her again, kicking her in the chest as she struggled to rise and dragging her up to punch her in the face.
Kennedy spun around, blood trickling down her face and rolled over to a sitting position, panting with the effort of the fight. As her opponent stalked towards her, she glimpsed Wesley to her right, being shoved up against the wall. She turned back to her own battle as the demon reached down to grab her again. She quickly seized his upper arm, pulling him towards her. He fell forward and she used his weight and her feet, planted heavily on his chest, to tip him over her head. As he slid across the floor behind her, she flung her legs forward, quickly kipped up onto her feet and stalked over to his dazed form.
Angel and Faith were having a slightly easier time of it. Working back to back they were able to protect each other while using their enhanced strengths to pummel the two Kith’harn they faced. Powerful punches and head kicks had sent the demons flying and well-aimed slashes had left them dripping blood from various parts of their bodies. Each time their opponents had staggered back more slowly, defended themselves more sluggishly.
Then, in one smooth movement Faith had side kicked the Kith’harn bearing down on her, corkscrewing him through the air before he landed, flat on his back at her feet, while Angel had delivered a violent uppercut to his opposition, bringing him soggily to his knees. Almost simultaneously, the two warriors finished the demons off, Faith by bringing her battleaxe down cleanly across her foe’s neck and Angel by dropping his axe and grabbing the weary guard’s head in both hands, twisting it brutally until he heard the loud crack of Kith’harn neck bones. The two fighters paused; looking down at the bodies sprawled on the floor in front of them, before turning and grinning at one another delightedly.
“Wicked!” Faith yelled, throwing herself into Angel’s arms. The vampire whooped and grabbed her, swinging her around, then released her slowly so she slid down his tall frame. The thrill of the battle still pounding through their bodies they stood, panting, almost touching as they stared at one another. Faith swayed forward slightly and Angel had inclined his head just a fraction more so that their lips were only inches away from each other.
Suddenly, a yelp from Xander interrupted them, and they each shook their heads, immediately and sheepishly aware of both the battle around them and the actions they had been on the edge of taking. Stepping back Angel took an unneeded breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, well, um,” he mumbled awkwardly, “we’d better get back to it… I mean the fight.”
Faith laughed. “Sure big guy. It’s all five by five. But I think we need to… talk sometime,” she smirked, before sprinting across the room in Wes’ direction, dragging off the demon that had the ex-Watcher up against the wall by his neck and kicking and pummelling him. Angel watched her in bemusement before turning back to help Xander and Oz with the two Kith’harn attacking them.
Buffy, in the meantime, howled and screamed, aware that she was missing out on all of the lovely violence. Unable to move her arms, legs or body, Vail had however left everything above her neck in perfect working order. And she was using those faculties to the best of her ability, given the frustration she felt at not being able to simply punch him in the face.
“Let me go you red, wrinkly, balding old creep,” she hollered at the wheezing sorcerer, who was busy reattaching his line. “And not only do you look bad, but I bet no one’s ever told you that you, “ she screwed up her nose, “smell kinda musty. If you let me go I’d be happy to freshen you right up.”
“Just relax Buffy. May I call you Buffy?” Vail fawned, while trying to wriggle back in his chair as far as he could given that the Slayer’s immobile hand was still attached to his tunic and her body was frozen in place a little more closely to his than was comfortable. “I thought it would be nice to have a little chat, get to know one another better. Your connection with the vampire Spike intrigues me. What is it about your relationship that eludes me?” he mused.
Buffy gritted her teeth and answered the warlock’s enquiry tersely, “As I said before, we’re friends and colleagues. We’ve known one another for years. He works alongside me.”
“Yes, yes. As you’ve mentioned. But there’s still something more, something you’re hiding. I wonder if…? After all its not unprecedented, you’ve been emotionally involved with a vampire before.”
“Why don’t you just do that temporary thingy, the pathways to the future deal?” Buffy asked impatiently, and with just a wee bit of curiosity.
“As I think I mentioned things in your direction are vague. Lots of flashes, possibilities, but the central pathway is somehow blocked. Yet it seems clear that your destiny and that of William Pratt are inextricably linked to this central pathway,” Vail pondered, almost to himself.
Buffy’s eyes widened at the mention of Spike’s real surname before she let out a surprised chuckle. Vail, taken aback by the unexpected response, glanced at her warily before continuing his musings.
“All I’m really interested in is how William’s survival and release effect me. It’s so tiresome that I can’t get a fix on it. I thought it possible that you could enlighten me further, but…”
“So are you going to kill me now or are we still just making small talk?” Buffy interrupted.
“Oh,” the sorcerer exclaimed in surprise, “I wasn’t intending to kill you Miss Summers. I simply need to understand what…”
At this moment two things happened in the room that brought an immediate halt to their discussion.
As soon as Willow had released the battleaxes, she, Rowan and Giles had moved together in front of Vail’s chair, focused on dissolving the barrier around he and Buffy and releasing the Slayer from her immobility. They knew, given Vail’s renown, that they would more than likely be called upon to perform such services and that this would be their major role in the confrontation. Although none of them were armed, they each had their own form of protections in place.
To break another sorcerer’s spell, it was necessary to know the exact spell they had used in the first place. Vail’s spells were cast almost effortlessly, and without spoken command, using only hand and body gestures to enact them. This alone was testament to his enormous skill and power. Without knowing the base command, countering the spells would be little more than guesswork. But Willow and her team were up to the challenge.
With Wes’ help and resources alongside their own extensive knowledge, they had spent the last two days researching every type of freezing and barrier spell known in this dimension (and more than a few inter-dimensional ones as well). They took a third each of the spells and learnt counter commands to them. Breaking Vail’s magic would now simply be a matter of trial and error.
Each of the three, standing shoulder-width apart, began to hurl counter-commands at the barrier. Giles had the least power of the three but this wasn’t about power, just selection. They were waiting to feel just the smallest crack or vibration in the barrier as it reacted to each invocation. When they found the right command, they would link together and use this along with their combined powers to push through Vail’s protection.
Behind them the fighting continued. Kennedy had managed to get a few good punches in on her opponent while he’d been lying on the ground, but when she went to deliver the killing blow with her axe, the Kith’harn had whipped out his right arm, grabbing the shaft of the weapon before the blade could touch him. He used the slayer’s momentum against her, flinging both the axe and the attached warrior over his head. His intention was to not only ground the girl but hopefully gain possession of her weapon as well. Confusion danced across his tusked features as the slayer sailed over his head, releasing the axe, which then… just vanished.
He shook his head and glanced around in bewilderment, slowly rolling over onto his hands and knees. His distraction proved his downfall as a solid boot slammed into his chin, sending him flying onto his back. He felt the same boot connect several times with his ribs and head. Lying there dazed, the last thing he heard was the girl’s voice muttering some indecipherable phrase, and the last thing he saw was that damned axe coming down towards him.
Wes, in the meantime, had been battling his own demons, both literally and metaphorically. He’d held his own admirably for a while, mainly blocking, but getting in the odd punch or kick. At one stage he’d managed to use a leg sweep to bring the Kith’harn down, but he hadn’t been able to take advantage of this before the demon was up again and running full tilt at him. Using his superior weight and speed, the beast had dropped his shoulder, catching Wes in the ribs before slamming him into the wall.
Wes heard a cracking sound and felt a sharp pain in his chest. Agony vibrated up and down his back. The Kith’harn stepped back, snarling at him and let Wes slowly slide to the ground. Bringing his leg back the demon just missed kicking the ex-Watcher in the head as he rolled quickly out of the way. Instead he reached down and grabbed Wes by his shirtfront, swinging him around until he was back up against the wall. The Kith’harn slid his hand up until it circled Wes’ throat, and lifted him up so his feet dangled off the ground.
Wes hung there, fear paralysing him more effectively than his slowly depleting oxygen stores. Flashes of some unrecalled past terror flitted through his brain and his body shut down, the axe slipping from his hand. Black spots began to dance across his vision and still he couldn’t bring himself to do anything to respond, couldn’t force himself to fight for survival. Just as the darkness began to cover his sight, the pressure was released and he dropped to his feet.
Hunched over and leaning against the wall, he coughed and wheezed, tears streaming down his face as he drew in great gulps of precious air. He straightened up to see Faith slamming punch after punch into the Kith’harn’s face and abdomen as she taunted him. Wes caught her eye and she nodded at him, grinning madly. He muttered the words that would grant him his weapon and shifted his grip so that his right hand lay just below the blade and his left was on the lower handle.
Still panting, he stepped up behind the henchman. Without pause he swung the axe over the demon’s head, drawing it back towards himself until he held the shaft rigidly against the creature’s neck. Placing his boot in the Kith’harn’s lower back for purchase, he pulled the axe even further in, grimacing as he heard the demon’s windpipe pop. He counted to twenty, then dropped its lifeless body to the floor.
Across the room Angel had quickly drawn away one of the two demons Oz and Xander were holding off, leaving one for them to deal with. They immediately changed their moves from defensive to attacking. Using their height differential they leapt forward as one, Oz hacking at the Kith’harn’s legs with his axe while Xander ducked and dived, throwing fake punches and slashes at the mercenary’s head and chest, confusing him and throwing him off balance.
His arms up in a defensive position, the demon was unable to see Oz’s sturdy boot coming up from below until it slammed solidly into his unprotected groin. He hunched over reflexively, hands covering his damaged demon gonads. Xander quickly moved behind the Kith’harn, lifted his axe over his head and brought it down with all of his might, sinking it deeply into his opponent’s back, instantly severing his spinal cord. He and Oz looked at each other over the top of the demon’s body, slapping out a high five before pulling one another in for a quick, macho, one-armed hug.
Scattered around the room, Vail’s henchman lay dead. Angel circled the only remaining live specimen. They’d each taken a few good shots at one another. As the other five warriors made their way back to the middle of the room, Xander and Oz sauntering, Kennedy limping and Wesley leaning heavily on Faith’s shoulder, Angel delivered three devastating hammer punches to the demon’s head. Disorientated, the Kith’harn could do no more than stand there stupidly as Angel let loose with a powerful roundhouse kick. It caught the demon square in the chest and he went flying back across the room.
Just as his unconscious body smashed into a cabinet set against the wall, Willow felt the quiver in the barrier that they’d been patiently seeking. It came in response to Rowan’s last command. The redheaded witch glanced at her two companions and they moved closer together, linking hands as she nodded at the younger girl. Rowan called out the words to the counter command again and they threw their combined powers at the barrier.
Directly behind them the five victors stood silently watching Angel who was stalking towards the fallen Kith’harn, determined to finish the job. The demon was slumped at the base of the wooden cabinet, which was slowly tipping forward. As the cupboard fell its doors popped open and its contents, including a pottery urn began to slide off the interior shelf.
Angel reached out to catch the tumbling urn just as Vail’s protective barrier dissolved. The slight whooshing noise alerted the sorcerer to the intrusion of the outside world. In the middle of his sentence he paused, his eyes drawn over Buffy’s head to the only movement in the room, to a sight that shot terror through his feeble hearts. He instantly released the Slayer, pushed himself shakily to his feet and cried out across the room to Angel, at the very moment the vessel landed in the vampire’s hands.