"They're called Daleks, and if they show up here, you're all dead," Buffy explained to the demons. "Trust me."
The demons laughed in her face.
It had been a long time since Buffy had arrived at the hellscape she couldn't save. She'd begun having terrible nightmares about it, after that point, seeing her daughter dead on its surface.
Once, she'd seen the First Slayer there, too.
A single act of kindness can change the course of history…
The Dalek attacks on hell dimensions were getting more and more frequent. The Dalek strategies getting better and better. Buffy had seen them use the artifacts and magical rules of these hell dimensions to their own advantage, twisting the magic so it worked in their favor.
Once, when they'd done that, they'd ignited the air in the dimension, basically killing everyone in a single second. And leaving Buffy feeling crispy fried when she got to her next destination.
She'd been lucky to survive as long as she had.
"They're making a sweep of all the Hell Dimensions out there," Buffy told the demons. "Killing everyone in them and raiding leftover artifacts so they can better conquer the other Hell Dimensions. Chances are, they'll get here sooner or later. And you've got to be prepared."
Buffy sometimes wondered how long she'd spent in Hell, trying to get home.
It felt like years.
"Is this supposed to be a threat?" the demon warlord, Liptarnom, said. He grinned, teeth pointy and sharp like daggers. "We welcome the fight! And rest assured, the first thing your masters shall see, when they arrive, is you — your soul crushed and broken beneath my power."
Buffy gave a frustrated sigh, sweeping back her hair from her face. "Fine," she muttered. "Just giving you a heads up. I mean, seriously, why do I even bother?!"
She wished she had someone like Spike along with her.
They might listen to him.
"Take her to the torture chambers," snarled Liptarnom. "I'll enjoy breaking this one's spirit the hard way, watching as every ounce of soul is snuffed—"
Buffy responded the second the demon hand fell on her arm. She grabbed it by the wrist, spun around and twisted it, viciously. Grabbed with the other hand, and snapped the bone.
"I used to go into Hell Dimensions and just kill all the demons," Buffy said, "then liberate the people trapped here. But these days, I find it's more useful keeping you guys alive." She twisted the arm, again, and the demon howled. "You're the first to strike the Daleks — and that means you draw Dalek firepower. The others have a chance to get away, while the Daleks are busy exterminating you."
The other demons nearby surged at Buffy, but she was prepared.
Squatted into a crouch, then sprung into a leap in the air as they were about to reach her, letting them all collide with one another below. Flipping down beside them, punching one in the head, flipping another onto its back, kicking a third and using the momentum to shoot herself back through the air, grab a sword off a nearby guard, and decapitate him with it.
She spun around.
"Have fun facing the Daleks alone," said Buffy, heading out the room. "I'm giving your tortured slaves some words of advice. Then I'm off. I've got a daughter to rescue."
"And if we say we believe you?" Liptarnom called after her. "If we ask for your help?"
Buffy paused, in the doorway.
Glanced over her shoulder. "You gotta stop torturing people, and set everyone here free," she warned. "That was condition number one, and I'm not budging from it."
"Provided your words are true," Liptarnom replied, "and these 'Daleks' are real. Then, yes."
Buffy regarded him, coolly.
Her warrior-face on, never wavering or melting.
"I don't believe you," Buffy said.
"Believe the deal I offer you, then," said Liptarnom. Taking a step towards her. "I will do what you say. Prepare the armaments and battle tactics you advise. You will be in charge of organizing our defenses — and organizing whether or not our slaves are protected by them."
Buffy didn't answer.
"But you remain my slave until the day your… 'Daleks' show up," Liptarnom said. "Under my domination and control. I will feed the influence of the Ewsharol Amulet into you, and you will be unable to defy me."
Buffy had noticed the non-demons around here, working for Liptarnom. She'd guessed there was some kind of enslaving amulet or charm or gemstone here.
There usually was.
"Yeah, and once you get me brainwashed and working for you, you're gonna decide never to let me or the other slaves go." Buffy shook her head. "Come on! I've been to way too many Hells to fall for that one."
"If you don't cooperate, the ensouled slaves will be the first fed to the Daleks, while we escape," said Liptarnom. "Can you stand their deaths on your conscience?"
"I can't save everyone," Buffy replied.
Turning away.
"You won't escape here," Liptarnom warned her, as she walked away. "Others have tried, before you! None have succeeded."
Buffy didn't answer.
She couldn't save everyone.
But there was one person she needed to save. The one Sineya had told her — specifically — was in danger. And Buffy would walk through every Hell Dimension in existence to save her.
One of the demons laughed, as he flayed an alien-looking creature — one with a single large eye, and legs and arms sprouting from a wide body that doubled as a wrinkled and worn face.
The demon didn't have eyes in the back of its head.
Lucky for Buffy.
She hurled the sword through the demon's back, then dragged it upwards, slicing the demon clean in half. She'd made the mistake of not killing demons thoroughly enough, in other hell dimensions. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
"I'm Buffy," Buffy told the tortured man, freeing him. "I'm just here to warn you that Daleks — these seriously evil metal pepper pot things — are heading your way. And you gotta get ready, if you want to survive it."
The man looked at her with pity in his eye.
"You think you can escape this dimension before they arrive, don't you?" he asked. As the last chain was freed from his final arm, he wiggled them out. Trying to regain his balance and composure. "You can't. There's no way out of here."
"I've got a way," Buffy said. "I've been travelling through all the Hell Dimensions. Trust me."
"And your way won't work, here!" the man said. He panted for breath. "Do you think you're the first traveler across the dimensions of Hell to land in this place?"
Buffy hesitated.
"I was taken by the Scourge," the man said. "Escaped along the astral plane. I came here, thinking I could continue the same way. But the Doorway is sealed. Not even Liptarnom can open it." He gestured at the dimension around him. "This is journey's end."
"But I've got super magic technology!" Buffy insisted. "It'll work against—"
"It's said that once, a long time ago, the CroSSScape opened the gates to Hell," said the man, "to retrieve their god. An entire universe was nearly wiped out, as every Dimension of Hell came crashing through the gateway. After the near catastrophe, this place was established, as a safeguard. A final Doorway, before the Gate."
Buffy looked around herself.
Then shook her head. "I can't believe it," she decided. "This isn't the end. It can't be! I'm not sticking around in Hell forever."
She turned.
Heading off into the distance. Her eyes fixed on her ring.
"No, this isn't real — it's just defeatist stuff from people stuck so long in hell dimensions that they've given up hope," Buffy decided. She could already feel her ring beginning to get warmer. The hints of a glow. "But I can't. My daughter needs me."
The man struggled to follow her. Calling out that it wouldn't work.
Buffy didn't care.
She just kept following that glow, more and more, until…
Buffy yelped, stumbling backwards, shaking out her hand. The ring had begun sparking, simmering and sizzling. Its glow turning different colors, as if it couldn't figure out what to do next.
"That's the Doorway," said the man. Managing to catch up. "The ultimate safeguard. Even if you do manage to break through the defenses, actually passing through the gateway will make this entire dimension collapse to a singularity."
"Killing whoever's trying to break out in the first place," Buffy muttered. Stepping away from it, her hand still aching. "Yeah. Pretty good safeguard."
She looked around herself.
Finally figuring out why Liptarnom had let her go so easily, without even sending a guard or demon soldiers after her.
"Liptarnom knew that if I was serious about the Daleks, I'd have to come back," said Buffy. Her eyes drifting towards Liptarnom's stronghold, chiseled into the red mountainside. "Because I can't run away from here. And my only hope of surviving the Daleks is to give in to Liptarnom's demands."
The man nodded.
"And he wasn't surprised that some army was coming to invade this place, either," Buffy said. "This kind of thing happens a lot, here, huh?"
"Not just the ensouled travel through Hell," said the man. "Many demons have come here, too. Trying to escape hell so they can conquer and rule the universe that lies beyond the Gate."
"But they get trapped here," Buffy sighed. Looked like 'Warlord' was a pretty good description for Liptarnom. The latest in a long line of demons stuck outside the universe, who conquered this place because they couldn't go any further.
Couldn't get to… 'the Gate'.
And if that Gate led back home… if it could take her to her own universe…!
Buffy thrust the thought out of her mind.
She'd figure all that stuff out later. Right now, she had bigger things on her mind to worry about. Because if this place attracted everyone wandering through Hell…
Then the Daleks were definitely coming. No doubt about it.
And there was nowhere for anyone to flee to, when they showed up.
"I guess this means I've got no choice," Buffy muttered. Heading towards Liptarnom's stronghold. "If I don't want this place turning into Exterminate-o-rama, I've got to get taken over by Liptarnom's stupid amulet."
The man grabbed Buffy back. "No!"
"Look, you've got no idea just what the Daleks can do," Buffy snapped, spinning back around to face him. "They out-evilled Hell, okay? And if this is the end of the line, there's no resorting to my normal luring-them-to-a-different-hell-dimension-before-they-realize-they-haven't-exterminated-everyone trick." She swung the sword through the air, testing out its weight — just in case she'd have to use it to get back in to see Liptarnom. "So if I want anyone here to survive, I've got to go where the weapons are."
And if Liptarnom had come here planning to invade the universe…
Buffy was guessing he had a lot more weapons tucked away than he was letting on.
"They say the amulet drains your soul," said the man. "I've heard… Liptarnom keeps a supply of immortal souls in the bank vault beneath his stronghold. He believes he'll need them for the Gate."
Buffy didn't hope to understand this.
But it didn't suggest great things to her about the Gate, when she actually got there.
"Then I'll just have to be smarter than Liptarnom," Buffy said. Making her way to the stronghold. "Wish me luck."