This Fire Burns…Always

This Fire Burns…Always!!

Summary: Xander discovers something old and powerful.

Disclaimer: own nothing.

A/N: I dunno if anyone's guessed the cross yet, if you have, awesome! If not, it shall be revealed in this chapter! Enjoy

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"Oh, no, my life's not too complicated," Xander's voice echoed against the stone cavern as he spoke, "Just ended an apocalyptic ritual, and the second I touch the sword, BAM!! I get sent to a cave in God knows where! This is NOT GOOD!"

Xander sighed aloud and reached into his pocket, pulling out his flashlight and turning it on. Near as he could see, he was in the darkest cave he'd ever seen in his life. It was gigantic, and cold to boot as he could see his breath in front of him. He looked all around him and took in the smells to see if he could smell fresh air or water, but he couldn't smell anything.

He looked down at his wrist: it was broken, without a doubt, and it was starting to swell. He would have to get it looked at soon, or start to work on it himself…and that would not be pleasant. He put the light in his mouth and examined the rest of himself, or he meant to until he got a look at the sword.

Before, it had been a simple piece of rust, but, now…now, he held in his right hand an ornate and capable weapon. The blade of the sword held writing in a language that he could not read. The hilt, however, was made entirely of gold and in the shape of a dragon's head. The eyes were made of rubies, and many Celtic symbols were carved into it. The handle itself was made of a polished red material that he could not identify.

"Well," he said, "That's unique."

Sighing to himself, he slid the sword into his belt loop, before deciding against that as he realized just how sharp and heavy it was. Pulling out some tape he had, he strapped the flashlight to his broken wrist and held the sword in his other hand and pressed forward.

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After about twenty minutes worth of walking, he quickly came to the resolution that he was going to die in this cave. However, he was not about to go quietly.

"I'VE BEEN WORKIN' ON THE RAILROAD, ALL THE LIVE-LONG DAY," he bellowed out, "I'VE BEEN WORKIN' ON THE RAILROAD JUST TO PASS THE TIME AWAY, HEY!!"

He abruptly stopped his singing when he heard something begin to crack. Pausing in his step, he settled himself and momentarily held his breath. After a few moments of nothingness, he straightened himself out.

"OK," he said quietly, "Better not sing again. Don't wanna cause an avalanche…or cave-in…or whatever they call it."

He walked on, coming to yet another abrupt stop as he realized that he was about to walk into a cavern.

"Whoa," he said, "That's brilliant, Xander, old boy. Walk into a fuckin' black hole, why don't you?"

He took a moment to steady himself, then turned to his left, then to his right where he saw a small path that led across the gorge.

"I must be outta my damn mind," Xander said, but walked towards it nonetheless.

He stood before it and inspected it closely. There were a few cracks in it, but it looked solid enough. He reached down and tossed a large rock onto it and was relieved when he saw that it didn't even crack. Smiling, he looked across the gorge. His smile evaporated as he saw several columns of ice, along with a very large ice structure that seemed to be blocking a path.

"Swell," he said, "Well, maybe I can squeeze past it."

Sighing, he sank down to his hands and knees, groaning out as his wrist provided him no small amount of pain. He put the flashlight in his mouth and placed the sword in front of him, then pushed forward. He carefully crawled along the bridge, making sure to keep his balance and to listen out for any sign that the bridge was failing. Before long, he made it across and quickly came to his feet.

He dusted himself off and picked up the sword, only to impale it into the ground as he turned his attention to the block of ice that was holding him up. He could see something inside the ice, but he wasn't certain what it was. It almost looked like a man…

Putting that aside, he looked at the walls surrounding the ice. There was only a tiny crevice through which he could see, but it was enough to let him know there was something behind there. He dug some of the dirt out of the way and kicked some of the ice loose. He leaned against the wall and shined his light through the hole. There was definitely a path through there, but that was all he could see. He thought he could smell fresh air, but it was possible that he just smelled the ice. Still, it was worth a try.

As he pushed himself up, he paused. He could swear he just heard the ice cracking around him. He walked around to the front of the blockage and stared at it. There were definitely some major cracks in it, but he didn't think they were there before. Sighing, he began to turn away until a flash of movement caught his eye. Turning his eyes back upon the ice, Xander stared deep into it. He thought he saw…teeth? He looked slightly upwards, and realized that he could just barely make out an eye. He stared at it, hoping against hope that what he thought was about to happen wouldn't happen.

And, just his luck, the eye moved to look at him.

"OH, SHIT," he shouted as he flung himself away from the ice as it exploded.

He rolled to the deck and barely managed to keep himself from going over into the gorge. He quickly came to his feet and turned to see what he was facing.

"What the fuck," he whispered.

Standing before him was a tall figure, dressed in armor. The armor itself was white and some dark color that he couldn't be sure of, but he figured purple. The white parts were all in the form of bones, surrounding its own body. It had on a helmet, which had horns and a faceplate depicting a skull. The figure was armed with a blade and had on a cape. At that moment, the figure stretched itself and let out a long bellow.

"AH," it said in a raspy voice, "It's been so long!"

It shook itself loose once more before turning its full attention to Xander.

"Ugh…hi," he tried.

"Huh," the figure said as he sized Xander up, "This is it? This is why I have been awakened after nearly a thousand years of slumber? A boy…a wounded boy, nonetheless? This is all the world has to offer the Ice Lord of Temra?"

"Excuse me," Xander interrupted, "I dunno who you are, I don't even wanna be here. I just wanna go home."

The 'Ice Lord' stared at him in obvious anger, and raised his sword up.

"You would do wise not to offend one such as me, boy," the Ice Lord said, "Your presence here is an insult to me, even if you have no wish to challenge me in battle."

"Look, you don't want me here, that's cool," Xander tried, "I just wanna get outta here, so, if you could point me to the exit…"

"That sword," the Ice Lord glared at it, "Where did you get it?"

"This," Xander said, "You want it, it's yours, just get me outta here!"

"Your insolence will only get you so far, boy," the Ice Lord remarked as he pressed the point of his sword up against Xander's throat, "Now…where did you get it?"

"…I took it off some nut who was using it to summon a demon," Xander explained.

"Impossible," the Ice Lord said, "The Sword of Kells cannot be used to summon a demon…unless…"

The Ice Lord tossed him to the floor and backed away from him, assuming a battle stance.

"Rise, youngling," the Ice Lord said, "You shall not leave here alive unless you defeat me in battle."

"…Joy," Xander said as he came to his feet and pulled out the sword with his one good hand.

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"Joy," Buffy remarked, "Not a vampire in sight…for the eighth week in a row."

"Could be worse," Willow said as she followed her Slayer-friend, "We could be facing an apocalypse."

"At least then, we'd have something to do," Buffy said with a grin, "I dunno, this summer's just been so boring!"

"Probably because it's the first one where you didn't have something going," Willow said, "That first year, you left to spend time with your dad, and last year, you…"

Buffy glared at her, not wanting to be reminded of the events of that summer.

"Sorry," Willow said, "But, on the plus side, you and I can spend time together."

"Yeah," Buffy smiled, "Just like old times. You, me, and…"

"…Yeah, I miss him, too," Willow said, "He's been gone for almost two months now."

"You know where he is?"

"No," Willow said with a frown, "My last letter came two weeks ago. He was in Nevada then, looking for work to fix up his car."

"Hope he's alright," Buffy said, "He'd sure be helpful right now, making sure we aren't bored."

"Well, me and him really didn't hang out after…you know," Willow said.

"Why is that," Buffy wondered, "I mean, Oz forgave you, how come you completely cut Xander out? You didn't even say goodbye to him when he left."

"Well, neither did you," Willow pointed out, "You were up in your room, crying over Angel."

"Well, he'd just left," Buffy argued.

"Two weeks earlier," Willow remarked.

"…Guess neither of us have been very good friends to him in a while," Buffy said, "Well, that's something we're gonna have to change when he gets back."

"Yeah," Willow said, "…Great, now I'm depressed."

"That's something Xander's Snoopy-Dance could help," Willow giggled at Buffy's comment, "Where's a Xander when you need one?"

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"Where's a Slayer when you need one," Xander grunted out as he rolled onto his back to avoid the slash that had been meant for his gut.

"Stay still," the Ice Lord grunted out as he attacked again.

"Fuck you," Xander shouted as he dodged again, this time kicking the Ice Lord in his shin.

He dropped down momentarily, giving Xander enough time to land a kick to his head and come to his feet. The Ice Lord spun around and attempted a thrust, but Xander moved to his side and tried to slice his head off. The Ice Lord ducked down and Xander wound up impaling the ground again as he lost his grip on the heavy sword. Fortunately for him, he had impaled the Ice Lord's cape as well.

As the Ice Lord swung at him, his cape pulled him back and made him lose his balance. Xander kicked him in the chest and the Ice Lord fell onto his back. Xander moved quickly and pulled out his knife and thrust it down onto his wrist, making the Ice Lord cry out in pain. Xander quickly relieved him of his sword and knelt above him, the point held steadily over the Ice Lord's throat.

"Finish it," he demanded.

"Not until I get answers," Xander growled, "How do I get out of here?"

"…Follow the path," the Ice Lord said, "It will lead you to your world."

"What do you know of the sword," Xander demanded, "What was he summoning with it?"

"…Tir Na Nog," the Ice Lord said with a chuckle, "The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog, Kells, Temra, look them all up and you shall find your answer."

Xander was about to demand more, but before he could, the Ice Lord and his weapon disappeared in a green mist.

"…Well, at least I know how to get out," Xander remarked, picking himself up as he did so.

He took a moment to examine the many cuts and bruises that his short, but brutal fight with the Ice Lord of Temra, none of which look fatal. Sighing, he gathered up the 'Sword of Kells,' as the Ice Lord had referred to it and his other valuables and made his way down the path.

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An Hour Earlier…

Van Culvert whimpered as he pulled himself up. The bullet had gone through him, leaving a large gash in his side, one that could become fatal if he didn't get it looked at. Fortunately, he had quicker means at his disposal than simple medicine. Groaning, he steady walked over to a cabinet and pulled it open, revealing a large amount of mystical supplies. He pulled out several containers of materials and poured them on himself, groaning in pain as the magic worked to seal up the wound. Within a minute, the wound was sealed and free from infection.

Sighing, he replaced the herbs and turned his attention to the damage that little brat had done. All of his servants were dead, the sacrifice was wasted, and the brat had touched the sword. If a person true and noble in heart touched the sword, that person was automatically sent to be tested by Rath Kohen, the Ice Lord of Temra. If he won, he would be given the Mystic Armor of Fire, first worn by King Rohan himself over a thousand years ago. Fortunately for Van Culvert, the Ice Lord had only ever lost twice in his time, and the boy didn't even know how to use the sword properly.

He was forced from his thoughts by a moaning nearby. He followed the sound and was displeased to find that it wasn't one of his servants, but the sacrifice that was still alive. Still, that could prove useful, if given the right incentive.

He was once more jarred from his thoughts as another moan echoed out. Van Culvert turned and saw the father of the sacrifice come to his feet, clutching his head in pain.

"Did it work," he asked automatically.

"No," Van Culvert said, "Explain to me, if you would, who that young man was?"

He looked uncertain for a second, but answered, "He was the boy I hired to work down at the airport."

"Which I own," Van Culvert surmised, "And, you didn't think to tell me?"

"He just needed a car," he said.

"Then, why didn't you GIVE HIM ONE," Van Culvert shouted, "YOU KNEW THE RITUAL WOULD TAKE PLACE THIS WEEK, YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER THAN TO DO SUCH A STUPID THING!!"

"I thought he could be useful," he argued, "The boys weren't working as hard as they could have, they were so ready for the Lord's coming."

"Ugh," Van Culvert sighed, "Whatever, you imbecile. Pull your daughter down and take her to my bedroom."

"Sir," Van Culvert looked up, anger in his eyes at being questioned, "What do you plan to do with her?"

"…We lost four servants for the Lord today," Van Culvert said, "I plan on gaining Him a replacement."

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Xander kicked his way through the last of the rock, putting his hand up to block out the sun as it came pouring in. After a moment, his eyes adjusted and he looked out. He could see rolling hills and green grass, and several herds of sheep nearby, along with the ruins of an ancient castle.

"Where am I," he wondered.