Summary: A demon holy grail ends up in evil hands when it is stolen from a Los Angeles museum. Angel, Doyle and Cordelia follow it to Sunnydale and together with Buffy and The Scoobies, they fight to stop The Chalice Of The Ancients becoming active on the Hellmouth. Set during season 4 of Buffy and season 1 of Angel. Spoilers up to The Initiative and The Bachelor Party.
Disclaimer: I simply borrowed these characters to make a nice little story. They're not mine so please don't sue me. That wouldn't be any fun.
Feedback: Always. Reviews are like sex, I don't get much but I'll take what I get even if it's bad.
Distribution: This story is not to be reposted anywhere in part or in full without my express permission.
Author's Notes: This story takes place during Buffy's fourth season and Angel's first season. It takes place after the Buffy episode The Initiative and the Angel episode The Bachelor Party. It skews from the regular season timeline after that point.
xxxxx
The Land of Galren. Mystite Dimension.
Clouds gathered over The Castle Of Derth, as a line of dark-robed men made their way through the gates towards the castle's main tower. They were Mystics, and they had great power, especially the ability to open portals to other worlds. The Castle Of Derth had once been home to King Willard, but it was now used to summon spirits. These spirits were used as guides for mortal men. Some were kept in this mortal dimension as companions or slaves, but most were sent back to whence they came. Here in the land of Galren, Mystics ruled the people, but it had not always been this way.
During the rule of King Willard, all people were equal. King Willard was a good man and a good ruler of Galren. He often called upon the Mystics to help him with decision making, to guide him. His most trusted friend was a Mystic called Choben. The pair had grown up together. King Willard trusted Choben with his life, and in all his time ruling Galren that was the good King's one mistake, for Choben had a hidden agenda. He worshipped the Dark Lords of The Other Worlds, and knowing that The Castle Of Derth was home to a powerful portal, he used King Willard's trust to bring the Dark Lords to the mortal world. King Willard was a valiant warrior, sworn to keep Galren safe from evil, but Choben was obsessed with the power that dark magic gave him, and was willing to forsake everything for it, even his childhood friend. When Choben received an order from the Dark Lords to kill King Willard, Choben acted without hesitation.
King Willard was taken by surprise, not expecting that his closest friend and trusted confidante would turn on him. Choben had slipped in to the King's chambers and slit the monarch's throat. The struggle was briefand King Willard died quickly. With the throne now vacant and noapparent heir since the death of King Willard's only son years earlier, Choben used the power the Dark Lords had bestowed upon him to take control of Galren. Soon the land of Galren was a dark and forboding place, and entry point for the most vile and violent creatures of other worlds. None more violent than Dreshnur, a Kaedhir demon from the Tuhmyul Dimension. Choben had summoned Dreshnur because the Mystic knew that the Kaedhir demon had a great power in his posession.
Thousands of years earlier deep in the far reaches of the Tuhmyul Dimension, the first Kaedhir demon, Wavkyr, carved a chalice from the stone that made up the hell dimension. The Tuhmyul Dimension was the first known Hellmouth and the stone there was said to be composed of ancient demon flesh. This chalice embodied all that was evil. The purest forms of evil were used to carve it since the stone was impenetrable by any method other than dark magic. The magicks used to carve the chalice made it untouchable to any with a soul. Wavkyr deemed any soulless being as a "pure one" when he wrote a scroll to tell of the reasons for his chalice. After Wavkyr's death the chalice was lost during looting and plundering in the aftermath of the three century long War Of The Ages and remained so for many thousands of years and became known only by legend and folklore. It was known as The Chalice Of The Ancients and all Kaedhir demons deeply respected it and held it in high regard.
When Dreshnur stumbled upon The Chalice, he was made a hero in the Tuhmyul dimension. That is until he stole it. The Chalice was a source of great, unspeakable evil and as such it more often than not possessed the holder of it with greed and malice. Dreshnur found a portal that led away from the Tuhmyul dimension and he leapt in to it knowing that whatever lay on the other side would be far more forgiving than a group of Kaedihr demons out for blood.
The portal he jumped in to was one created by Choben and the Mystic had foretold of the Kaedihr demon's arrival in the Mystite dimension. Dreshnur was captured upon his entrance through the portal and brought before Choben who had learnt of The Chalice Of The Ancients by studying portals and hearing the various myths and legends surrounding the demon-made cup. Dreshnur believed that his coming to the Mystite dimension at the time he did was purely a coincedence, but Choben had engineered it so that if The Chalice was ever found and a portal opened within the Tuhmyul dimension it could only lead to one place, the Mystite dimension and more precisely, The Castle of Derth.
When Choben had Dreshnur before him he demanded that demon hand over the all powerful chalice. The demon refused, explaining that only a "pure one" could touch The Chalice and therefore Choben would have to be de-soulled. Dreshnur told Choben that he could perform an ancient Kaedhir ritual which would take Choben's soul from him and deem him worthy of The Chalice. The power hungry and obsessed Mystic agreed and behind closed doors, Dreshnur performed the ritual. It was a violent ritual that required Choben to recite ancient Kaedhir phrases and sever his fingers and toes. Then he was covered in the blood of a Mahbvun demon. The blood was akin to acid and painfully seeped in to Choben's ancient Kaedhir ritual did take Choben's soul, but it also infused him with the essence of Kaedhir demon which rendered him half human half Kaedihr but without a soul. When the ritual ended Dreshnur gave the Mystic his Kaedhir name of Kralar and Choben was no more. In his place was a brutal creature fused with the violence of a Kaedhir demon and the greed of an obsessed human.
Now as strong as Dreshnur, Kralar challenged the demon to a duel which Kralar won, defeating and destroying his 'creator' and, taking possesion of The Chalice. As Kralar he ruled the land of Galren for over a thousand years, his greed and lust for power growing more with each passing century. Many men from Galren dared to try and overthrow their cruel ruler but all had failed until now.
Now in the year of 1277, as the Mystics made their way in to The Castle Of Derth, a new warrior had arisen. A descendant of one of King Willard's most trusted guards, a brave and mighty citizen of Galren, a man who wanted to save his dying homeland. That man was Ulac-Tal and his mission, like that of so many before him, was to breach the walls of The Castle Of Derth and steal The Chalice. Ulac-Tal was a warrior of his village and had been charged with the deadly mission by the village wise men. They had imbued him with a spell that enabled him, for one day only, to touch The Chalice even though he had a soul. That meant that he had very little time to take The Chalice from the cruel Kralar. After exactly twenty-four hours the spell would not work and if Ulac-Tal touched The Chalice after that time, he would burn to nothing, as was the way with any souled creature that dared hold The Chalice Of The Ancients.
The land of Galren had suffered greatly at the hands of Kralar. Formerly Choben, right hand Mystic to former ruler King Willard, the now half-human, half-Kaedihr demon had virtually destroyed the world with his maniacal lust for power and penchant for opening portal after portal. Every creature he brought to this dimension he enslaved. The land of Galren was breaking apart, volcanoes where mountains once stood, earthquakes a frequent occurrence. Ulac-Tal was not the first warrior to attempt to take The Chalice from Kralar but he was likely to be the last for Galren was almost destroyed. Not much of his homeland remained and Ulac-Tal was determined to save what was left.
Ulac-Tal stood tall like King Willard and had the same flowing red mane that the monarch had possessed. It was his knowledge of this noble ancestory that gave Ulac-Tal the determination to make his way across the broken land to The Castle Of Derth. The Castle Of Derth was a foreboding structure and it cast an evil shadow over the landscape. Ulac-Tal watched as the dark robed Mystics made their way in to the castle. He waited, biding his time until the last Mystic was making his way across the bridge. Ulac-Tal moved swiftly and silently, swooping down on a rope and snatching up the Mystic before anyone saw or heard anything. With a quick snap of the robed man's neck, Ulac-Tal put the dark robe on and quickly joined the procession. Once they all crossed the bridge the large door closed behind -Tal breathed a sigh of relief, he had done it, he was inside The Castle Of Derth.
Once inside, Ulac-Tal broke away from the procession and made his own way through the expansive corridors of the castle. He found the massive, cavern-like throne room where Kralar kept The Chalice. The room was spectacularly bright compared to the rest of the castle and Ulac-Tal had to wait a moment for his eyes to adjust. Then he saw it. It was of no particular significance, just a stone cup but even from the distance he had Ulac-Tal could feel the evil radiating from The Chalice. He made his way across the throne room stepping lightly so as not to alert anyone to his presence. When he was standing in front of The Chalice Of The Ancients, he froze. Such unspeakable evil had been used to create The Chalice and more unspeakable evil had occurred as result of it. Just being near it frightened even a brave warrior like Ulac-Tal. An earthquake shook in the distance. Earthquakes were a direct result of Choben's thirst for power and his penchant for opening portals.
His hands shook as he reached for The Chalice, and in his mind he repeated several prayers he had learnt as a boy. They all asked only one thing; that the spell the wise men had used would work. If it didn't Ulac-Tal knew that he would die a painful death as he burned from The Chalice's touch. As his fingers wrapped around the demon-made stone cup he swallowed hard, thankful that the spell had worked. He grasped the cup, putting it gently in to the pouch he carried around his waist. He then turned to start his escape from the castle when he saw a horrifying figure appear in the room. The legendary Kralar, self-elected ruler of Galren.
"Ulac-Tal. You have come for The Chalice as I had foreseen. You will not leave this place." Kralar told the warrior, his voice an inhuman mixture of hissing and gurgles.
Ulac-Tal steadied himself, reaching for the scabbard strapped to his back and producing a three foot blade. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the handle and stepped toward the Kaedhir halfbreed. His eyes were cold as steel as he watched Kralar take a large blade of his own from the wall. Kralar walked toward the warrior, his crimson eyes almost glowing like pools of irredescent blood.
"You were foolish to enter the castle. Like all those before you, you shall perish." Kralar stated as the pair of combatants closed in on each other.
"Fiend, you will die." Ulac-Tal stated simply.
The warrior lunged toward the halfbreed demon raising his sword and bringing it around in a large arc, slashing through the air directly in front of Kralar. Kralar stepped back, sweeping his blade up sharply to deflect the intended blow. The clang of metal against metal echoed through the vast throne room as each combatant took a step away readying themselves for the next assualt. Kralar was the first to strike, launching a full frontal attack that sent Ulac-Tal backward to escape the swinging blade. Ulac -Tal then wheeled to the right, lifting his foot and kicking out hard. He struck the half Kaedhir in the midsection forcing him to fall to one knee.
While Kralar was vulnerable Ulac-Tal slashed his shoulder. The cruel ruler cried out in agony, his shrill scream filling the throne room like an angered spirit. Filled with pain and pure rage, Kralar rushed at Ulac-Tal violently slashing with his sword as purple blood oozed from the gash in his shoulder. His first blow was deflected by the warrior but his second and third struck Ulac-Tal on his right thigh and abdomen. The long haired warrior dropped his sword and that was when Kralar struck the final blow, thrusting his blade forward in to Ulac-Tal's stomach, the sharp metal sliding in to it like a hot knife in to butter.
The fallen warrior stared at his killer with wide eyes, a horrified expression plastered on his face. He clutched the pouch strapped to his side in a vain attempt to keep The Chalice from Kralar. The half-demon smiled malevolently as he closed in. He reached for the side pouch on Ulac-Tal's body and began to laugh. It started as a hissing but escalated to an insane cackle that filed the throne room. Ulac-Tal's shoulders sagged as he accepted his fate, knowing that he had failed to get The Chalice free of the castle.
Suddenly another earthquake struck. It began to split the castle in two, the floor of the throne room cracked, large rivers of lava bubbling through them. Ulac-Tal fixed his resolve and hoisted himself painfully to his feet. The earthquake had distracted Kralar enough for Ulac-Tal to rush at him tackling the half-breed demon across the room. They fell to the floor and rolled, Ulac-Tal's side pouch coming free. The Chalice clattered loose and rolled in to the lava, steam rising as it did. Soon after Ulac-Tal and Kralar, still fighting, followed it.
xxxxx
The year 2000. The City Of Los Angeles. Earth Dimension.
The Los Angeles Museum was a large, ornately decorated building, both inside and out. It housed many things including a number of oddities that were mostly inexplicable and never publicly shown. A tall man with brown hair wandered through the halls taking time to absently look at the exhibits and such adorning the walls and floors. He was a suspicious looking man, seemingly with an objective not well hidden by his undisguised impatience. He looked up from an information chart when he heard his name called from one of the many doorways.
"Mr. Rayne? Ethan Rayne?" the voice called.
Ethan Rayne was an Englishman who liked to dabble in things that were considered not normal. Unusual objects, occult paraphernalia, indescribable things of any kind, that was Ethan Rayne's forte. His intentions however were seldom pure and he did not carry a trustworthy air. He'd been hired by the Los Angeles Museum to identify a number of new acquisitions. Ethan was known in certain circles for his expertise with antiques of an unusual background. He never had to hide his knowledge of demons and magic because most of the people who hired him were fairly well versed in such things. People such as Dr. Mitch Schwartz, one of the curators of the museum, who dealt with Ethan on a regular basis. Dr. Schwartz was an authority on paranormal artefacts and the like. He was the only person Ethan knew that was as learned in the subject aside from his old friend Rupert Giles.
"Dr. Schwartz. A pleasure as always." Ethan greeted as he walked over to the doctor and extending his hand.
Dr. Schwartz shook Ethan's hand and led him in to the basement of the museum. Once they were there Dr. Schwartz opened a large wooden box and showed Ethan the first object that require identification. Ethan took one look at the object and his jaw dropped.
"Dear God. The Chalice Of The Ancients." Ethan gasped.
"That's right. You're familiar with it?"
"I've heard myths and legends. How did you get it? It's supposed to have existed in another dimension." Ethan asked the grey-haired man next to him.
"It did. The Mystite dimension. Apparently when the land of Galren in that dimension was destroyed by too many portals the Mystite dimension bled in to ours and Galren became fused with Europe back in the twelve hundreds. It was found at a dig outside of Paris." the curator said.
Ethan rubbed his chin pensively.
"What else do you know about it?"
"It was forged on a Hellmouth of all things, so the legend says, as you'd know. Thing is it can only be touched by a "pure one", someone without a soul. It had to be handled using tongs. One guy touched it and burned alive. It supposedly holds a great evil, only able to be released by a Hellmouth. God knows where you'd find one of those in this dimension."
A small smile crept on to Ethan's face.
"God knows, Dr. Schwartz. God knows indeed." /lj-cut