Slayer Gothic - Wishverse
Part 2
Sunnydale High. Sunnydale.
"I can't believe that we have to go to school" complained Buffy as we walked into the dreaded building "How did Jeeves talk us into this?".
Hearing that made me smile.
"His name is Giles" I corrected "And it didn't take much convincing".
Buffy looked at me and glared. Which was only partly effective as she was wearing sunglasses.
"You only agreed because Tara wants to go" she accused.
This was partly true. I did want to get on the witch's good size, and I many reasons for wanting to do that.
First of all she'd been a waitress at the same diner for three years while trying to save up money for college. She'd even been taking night classes, which she paid for with her tips. However actually graduating from high school would make going to college much easier and there wasn't much left of the school year anyway.
My second reason was that I intended to rebuild my harem. Like before Lorne the demon would be the key to encouraging that. He had ways of helping people, and knew how to talk to them. If joining a harem was for the best, and it should still be, then the singing green guy was the key to starting one.
Another good reason was that we'd be in town for a while, and given how depopulated this place was we'd had no problem finding a three bedroom apartment to stay in, and since we'd living in one place for a while it made sense to try to blend in. Which meant going to school. As Giles had suggested.
As it turned out Buffy and I did have a Watcher, he was Wesley, no surprise there. While Buffy and I had been travelling he'd been at our base in Cleveland, which had not been taken by Molag Bal in this timeline for some reason.
I had plenty of other reasons to stick around that had nothing to do with Tara. I needed to deal with the Mayor if Wilkins was alive, and then there was the Glove of... Mygon, or whatever that I needed to destroy.
Then there were those two orbs the Trio get their hands on in season six. I'd looked into them before, but they'd not been important as I'd had other ways to increase my powers. Now with so few resources and me being weaker I would need those orbs.
Also the Slayer Scythe should be at the Shadow Valley Vineyard. I should get that for Buffy as right now we'd needed more advantages.
There were a few others things as well. A growing list of things to do that I was sure I'd need to add before long.
"Besides I want to see you in a cheerleaders outfit" I told Buffy.
I was also going to put myself through the hell that was high school for her. My Buffy was much more well adjusted than this version, and that worried me since my Buffy made regular trips to other dimensions and actually recruited girls for my harem.
This Buffy was more closed off, far less social, and I was pretty sure that she wouldn't mind killing people. Not that I was fit to judge, but she was suppose to remind me not to murder humans. A few months socialising at a school might be good for her.
"I do-do want to go-go to school" Tara said "How did you-you arrange it so f-fast".
That stutter of hers was not something I'd missed. Hopefully it would go away quickly.
"The school has been losing students rapidly, in fact it would have closed soon the rate things were going" I told her "So we I offered to add to the student population they became very helpful".
Due to the small amount of students we would all have the same classes. I'd been wondering who I knew at this school that had survived this long. Cordellia Chase was alive, well and holding court by the looks of things. She and the popular girls paid us no attention and this was for the best.
"I ho-ho hope no one bothers me" I heard Tara say.
Turning around I addressed her.
"If any guys bothers you just tell them I'm your boyfriend" I told her "And I can punch them if they keep annoying you".
She looked confused.
"W-what about B-buffy?" she asked.
I smiled.
"Her too" I said "Monogamy is over rated".
Buffy elbowed me in the ribs and since she had super powers it hurt.
"Oh relax" I told her "I don't think I have the right junk for Tara".
The witch just blushed so I had no idea if she was gay in this reality or just too embarrassed to correct me. Not that it really mattered to me, I'd get her under my control, then have her try both sets of junk with Buffy and I. This version of Buffy wouldn't be too hard to convince I figured, she already accept my authority.
I just had to present the idea in a favourable way, and to be firm about it, at the right time. This wasn't the right time, I didn't want to row with anyone in public.
"Right we need to report to the main office and get our timetables" I said.
This didn't take long and once we had our timetables we headed for the library. Giles was already there, and had our books ready.
"Feel up to a spot of training later?" he asked of Buffy and myself "I know that your Watcher will be on his way here, but until then I'd be happy to supervise".
I decided to let him have that as this version of Giles had never been a proper Watcher due to the Buffy of this reality moving to Cleveland not Sunnydale. From what little I'd been able to piece together her father and mother hadn't divorced, instead moving to Cleveland, only to die due a demon attack later on. Which was partly why this version of Buffy was less sociable and more Faith like.
Which made me wonder what this world's version of Faith was like. Tracking her down would be hard as this was the late 90's and the Internet was a joke compared to what I was used to so I wouldn't be able to track her online. Sure I could go to Boston and look, but without the PTBs helping finding one young woman in a city would be next to impossible.
Of course the Watchers would know where Kendra was, and she should be as easy to control as the other version of her had been, assuming that her background hadn't changed too much.
What worried me most was Winifred Burkle, I couldn't believe that I'd left her in Plyea for all this time. She must be mental by now, and I needed her for portal research. I couldn't imagine what the me of this reality had been thinking by not going after her.
I had to wonder if the me of this reality had existed at all. Maybe when his time line was created a past was fabricated to give people memories of this reality, but none of it had really happened. Sort of like when Dawn would come along in season 5, only it was the world that hadn't existed before.
Perhaps it really didn't matter. This was real now and I had to accept that. At least until I found someway to leave. I was starting to wish that I'd gone to live at the Citadel of Gothics full time. Then I would have been outside of the Buffyverse when the wish was made.
There was no sense regretting that now. I had to get on with things, and find Fred so that she could figure out the portals. She'd need time to recover before going that, and the aid of a witch, but that was another reason to keep Tara happy.
My mind was made up. I'd go to the library in LA, find the book, steal a car, drive to Pleya, find Fred, use a boombox and a boomstick (otherwise known as a shotgun) to disable or kill the demons in the castle, and then use their books to make a portal home. I'd done it before and I'd do it again.
"Okay English class is up first" I said.
Buffy sighed.
"But I already speak that language" she complained.
I couldn't help smiling when I heard that. Turns at this Buffy had a sense of humour after all.
(Line Break)
Sunnydale High. Sunnydale.
"No wonder they were worried about the school getting closed down" I said as we entered the lunch room, or cafeteria as the locals proclaimed it to be "There can't be more than fifty students in the school".
I'd once read a sign outside of Sunnydale I'd lived in that stated the population to be 38,500, I assumed that only referred to the humans, but still that was quite a lot of people, and there had been hundreds of students at the high school the last time I'd walked its halls.
For the first time I came to an understanding of just how many people must have died since the Master had risen at the Harvest, which would have taken place a couple of years ago.
"Well at least I won't need to worry about tryouts" Buffy said "They must be desperate for cheerleaders".
That seemed to be as much as she could care about the loss of life. I was surprised that she'd even consented to trying out for the role of Cheerleader. Perhaps she cared more about me that it seemed, and wanted me to be happy.
"Someone sh-sh-should do something" Tara commented.
Well I'd tried.
"I killed the boss vampire in this town" I told the witch "And I'll take out most of the rest while I'm here, so some of them should make it graduation".
Which the Mayor would ruin by turning into a demon and eating everyone. I had some ideas of how to stop him even if he couldn't be killed, because invulnerable or not, he could be contained, and he'd have trouble turning into anything if he was buried in concrete.
"I-I-I always wanted to come to Sunnydale" Tara mentioned as we grabbed our trays.
This I knew already. She'd hadn't come to California on a whim, and she'd hadn't spent so long as a waitress in diner just to make ends met, she'd been saving up for college here in Sunnydale because this was where her mother had gone to college.
"UC Sunnydale is also threatening to close its doors" I told the witch.
This news made her rather sullen and since Buffy wasn't much of a talker I figured that not much would be spoke about while we ate our midday meal.
(Line Break)
Caritas. LA.
The name of the club meant charity in Latin, which was an odd name for the karaoke bar that was owned and operated by Lorne, an empathic demon. Despite that I rather liked it. Buffy had less of a positive reaction.
"Remember that Caritas is a sanctuary, where humans, demons, and vampires alike can interact peacefully" I reminded Buffy "Violence is prohibited by means of a spell cast on the location by the Furies so that no supernatural creature can commit acts of violence inside of it. Which may include Slayers, so let's not find out".
Not that any act of violence would result in more than someone getting knocked on their asses, but there was reason to risk it and end up getting barred.
"So we're he-here to see-see a singing demon?" Tara asked me.
I'd explained this already so I assumed that she was just after some reassurance.
"His name is Lorne, and he has the ability to see into a singer's soul and direct them to their path laid out by the Powers That Be, or Fate or whatever" I explained "I want to know what I'm suppose to do and you could do with some guidance".
Buffy made a face of disgust. I didn't know if it was the prospect of singing in public, or because of the demons around us.
"I-I-I have to sing" said an alarmed Tara McClay.
While that hadn't been a question I gave her an answer.
"Yes" I told her "If you want to know what will give your life meaning then you need to go on stage and sing".
I missed my more confident version of Tara, she would sing, on the other hand this version of Tara was willing to do housework, so I had mixed feelings about her overall.
"Don't worry I'll go first" I offered.
Which might be unwise as given all that happened to me since the last time I'd sung for Lorne I could make his head explode. Still I needed help so I would take the risk.
"Okay we have a volunteer" said Lorne, who had heard me speak "Just head up on stage and select the song, the machine has them all".
I found to my surprise that the machine had songs that hadn't been released yet. Either it wasn't bound by time or it was somehow getting the words from my mind.
It starts with one and multiplies, 'til you can taste the sun
And burnt by the sky you try to take it from
But if it falls, there's no place to run
Crumbling down, it's so unreal
They're dealing you in to determine your end
And sending you back again, to places you've been
And bending your will, 'til it breaks you within
And, still, they fill their eyes
With the twilight through the skylight
And the highlights on a frame of steel
See the brightness of your likeness
As I write this on a pad, with the way I feel
Hear the screaming, in my dreaming
As it's seeming that you've played your part
Like you're heartless, take apart this
In the darkness, while I know that
I tried so hard, and got so far
But, in the end, it doesn't even matter
I had to fall, to lose it all. But, in the end, it doesn't even matter
I've looked down the line and what's there is not what ought to be
Held back by the battles they fought for me
Calling me to be part of their property
And now I see that I get no chance
I get no break, fakes and snakes quickly lead to mistakes
And as the tightrope within slowly starts to thin
I can only hope that they close their eyes
With the twilight through the skylight
And the highlights on a frame of steel
See the brightness of your likeness
As I write this on a pad, with the way I feel
Hear the screaming, in my dreaming
As it's seeming that you've played your part
Like you're heartless, take apart this
In the darkness, while I know that
I tried so hard, and got so far But, in the end, it doesn't even matter
I had to fall, to lose it all But, in the end, it doesn't even matter
I've put my trust in you, pushed as far as I can go
For all this, there's only one thing you should know
I've put my trust in you, pushed as far as I can go
For all this, there's only one thing you should know
I tried so hard, and got so far
But, in the end, it doesn't even matter
I had to fall, to lose it all
But, in the end, it doesn't even matter
When I went and sat down at a free table the host came over to me, and he did not look happy, he was holding a drink to one of his horns. Which made me wonder if I'd done some damage to his mental gifts.
"Oh honey, where do I start?" he said.
I wasn't sure.
"Just give me a place to start" I requested.
That he did, and it seemed as the lack of Angel wasn't to prevent destiny from playing out. By the sound of things I would need to go to LA one day soon. Of course I'd had a different destiny once so I didn't put too much stock in long term predictions. However it would be nice to have a goal to work towards.
(Line Break)
Wilderness. Pylea
If it wasn't for the two suns overhead I could have believed that the portal had merely transported us to somewhere else on Earth. Judging by their reactions Tara and Buffy were thinking along the same lines.
"You know when you told me that we'd be saving someone from a Hell-dimension I didn't think that it would as nice as this" Buffy commented "Now where are we going?".
I really had no idea if were anywhere near the castle belonging to the Covenant of Trombli, or Fred's cave, but that would not be an issue for long. Like before I'd been able to get something belonging to Fred from the library she'd worked at and I witch to do the locating spell for me.
"Well first we need to locate Winifred Burkle" I reminded everyone.
There hadn't been much time for a planning session so I was just going to do what I did last time and hoped that it worked. A little risky, however I had no desire to let Fred, or any version of her, waste a way in this crappy excuse for a reality.
"Then with her acting as a local guide we will make our way to the castle, steal some books we need to make the portal home, as well as the Pylean Crown Jewels, which we will sell in LA" I told the girls "For your aid you'll get a cut of the profits".
I didn't blame her for being a bit confused by all this. I was rapidly changing her life and not giving her much time to adapt.
"And this Winifred is a super genius" Buffy remember "She'll make weapons for us".
Hopefully she'd do a lot more.
"Yep I'll give her the same offer I'm giving to you two" I said.
Rather than beat around the bush, or ask about what Lorne had discussed with the two girls, I'd made them an offer. They could live with me in Sunnydale to start with, before moving to LA, and I would pay for college if they wanted to go, I had ways of making money to pay for that. Also I'd give them a roof over their heads, grant them an allowance and and feed them.
In exchange they became my girls. I'd be able to call upon their aid when doing Slayer stuff. Have sex with them, a part that Tara was having trouble with, and we'd all help each other with any problems that came up.
Which all made sense on a practical level as neither Tara or Buffy had any family to go live with, or any other prospects for the future. I might have been more sensitive when making such an offer in the past, but I no longer had so much kindness in me.
I'd been cruelly ripped away from my old life, and even if I got back then there was a chance that some other version of me was living my life. It could even be his life and this version of me just got the memories of that other time line for some unknown reason.
My overall plan was still to find the Citadel, somehow, and hope that the Council could put things right. Alas given the vastness of the multi-verse that might never happen, but it was good to have goals, and I could make a pretty decent life for myself even if I never got back there.
Besides they might not want two Slayer Gothics, and even if they did I'd need something to offer that other versions of myself couldn't. Books of lore would help with that, as would magical items. Still I would need to acquire more resources to make it worth for the Citadel to take me in.
"Still not sure about sharing" Buffy told me.
By now we were out of the car I'd stolen for this trip, and we were gathering up our gear.
"You have time to think it over" I said to her "And you'll get your share of the plunder no matter what you chose".
My fellow Slayer sensed that it was time to let the matter drop. While I didn't have any memories of this reality this version of Buffy was too much like Faith to care much about love. We'd been sleeping together simply because we'd both been travelling together. And Slaying did make her hungry and horny, even if she always denied it.
"So, we just follow the ball of light?" Buffy queried
Tara's spell had been successful.
"Yes" she answered.
I gave Buffy more detailed information.
"The spell will lead us to Winifred" I explained "And it will travel as fast as we do so we can drive right to her cave".
It would be good to get out of here as quickly as possible. Fred should be physically fine, for the most part, but it was possible that events of this world had been influenced by different events happening back on Earth.
With that I mind I got everyone back in the car and started driving.
(Line Break)
Wilderness. Pylea
Winifred Burkle had managed to figure out how to disable the techno-mystical slave-collar around her neck less than a year after she'd arrived in this nightmare world. And after escaping her slavery had fled into the woods, eventually finding a cave with a concealed entrance where she had made a home.
Her need to occasionally venture back at night to the settlement in order to steal food, and any other small useful items she could carry off, had prevented her moving further into the forest for safety, so she was always at risk of being found.
It had been... well she couldn't remember how long it had been since she had escaped her former owners, a gathwok family, and despite attempts to track her down so far neither the local constable Narwek, nor the occasional patrol by the Imperial Guard, had gotten anywhere near her.
Also she'd managed to avoid the local predators, some of which made wolves and bears seem like cuddly puppies. No mere cow, as humans were referred to in this reality, should have been able to do that.
Fred was smart, very smart, and she was also resourceful, good with gadgets and a lot more strong-willed and determined than people might expect from looking at her. Unfortunately she was also gradually starting to lose her grip on her sanity and was finding it harder with every passing day to remember her previous life and not slip into despair.
Winifred had begun to worry more and more that her mind might be starting to play tricks on her. Before too long she'd be so crazy that the idea she had about making enchiladas out of tree bark would seem like a good idea.
So when she heard what sounded like a car driving up to her little cave she came to the incorrect, yet totally understandable, conclusion that she'd gone totally bonkers. Still hope was a power thing, and the idea that someone had a car, which only people in her world could have, around here could mean that someone from her world was here.
Armed with that logic, and a heavy rock, she headed out of cave and made the error of abandoning caution. Which was a real mistake as for once she was spotted, by two demons who had also been wondering around trying to find the source of the noise.
"I've found that fugitive cow that's been stealing our food" a demon said while looking right at Fred.
She tried to run, which she was normally good at, but she tripped over a rock that she couldn't use for bashing, and fell to the ground. Which led her capture. The deathwoks who had captured Fred looked suitably pleased with themselves.
"After I swing the crebbil at the Bach-nal we will feast" declared a demon "But not well as this cow is very skinny".
The two deathwok demon were carrying swords which could have done the job just as well as the ceremonial crebbil axe, but they'd get more honour if they took the slave back, and killed her in public.
"Perhaps we should just kill her now" suggested the other demon "Dragging her skinny corpse back to the village would be easy work".
The two natives of this verse debated the issues of ease of carrying over freshness.
"Please just make it quick" Fred requested.
There was no point in trying to struggle free, deathwok demons were stronger than humans, especially ones like Fred who were on the brink of starvation anyway, and she'd never been a fighter even when she'd had access to plenty of food.
"The lady will be coming with me" said a new voice.
The two deathwok demons turned around, and found themselves looking at three more cows, only these cows were clad in strange clothes.
"More escaped slaves?" one asked.
They didn't seem like slaves, and they had weapons, these must be the rebels Fred had heard about.
"Do your worst cows" said one of the green people.
Two of the cows did just that, and they were blurs of speed as they battled the demons. The two humans in biker gear, quickly disarmed, and then killed the demons. Fred had never seen people move like that, it was as if two superheroes had come to save her.
"Can't be real, only this is real" she said to herself. "Don't get your hopes up Fred, the handsome man didn't really save you from the monsters".
"Aww she thinks your handsome" said the short blond.
The man who was actually rather average looking in reality, walked over to the scared woman.
"You're Winifred Burkle aren't you?" he asked, his voice calm and patient "I saw a photograph of you on a missing poster at the university"
Fred just stared.
"Now I realise that this is probably a little much for you to take in right now but I'm here to bring you back home to Earth" he said "And I want to recruit you for a group I'm putting together, but we can talk about that later".
Fred laughed, it was a shrill hysterical sort of laughter.
"A dream, a dream" she said.
That was when the hallucination passed her a burrito , one that was filled with yummy spicy chicken. Fred found this odd as tricks of the mind didn't normally give people food. Well none of other the delusions she'd had ever gave her food.
(Line Break)
Cave. Pleya.
It was amazing what you could accomplish with the right knowledge, for example I'd known that Fred's mental health would be poor after spending so much time alone, and that Winifred would doubt our existence.
However while illusions can look and sound very real, not many of them provide taste and smells, sure that happens, but providing Fred with her second favourite food, I knew that enchiladas were her most favourite, seem to convince her that we were real. Plus providing her with food was gaining me her trust.
"How did you know I liked these?" Winifred asked me.
Thanks to the other Fred I knew all about enchilada. They were tortillas rolled around a filling and sometimes covered with a chili pepper sauce. Fred liked spicy chicken enchiladas and how they differed from burritos had do with the sauce that covered them. Burriots were easier to carry around, and could be eaten without a fork.
"I asked about you at the library" I told Fred "I learned that you're very smart, and like Mexican food, oh and this is yours".
From my pocket I took out a small stuffed toy.
"Feigenbaum!" Fred called out "He's the master of chaos!".
Buffy gave me a confused look.
"The toy is named after Mitchell Jay Feigenbaum" I explained "He's a mathematical physicist and pioneer in the study of chaos theory".
Another thing I knew from my Fred.
"I found him in the lost property at the library" I told Winifred.
She stared at me and smiled.
"You're like a superhero" she told me "Can you fly?".
I shook my head.
"No just super strong, super fast, super tough and so on" I said.
Slayer powers might not seem like much when compared to comic book heroes, but we had a wide range of abilities that made us the most deadly warriors in this and many other realities.
"So why did you come find me?" Fred asked.
I had intended to ease her into that, but there was no sense lying anymore than required.
"Well like I told you before I want to recruit you into a group I'm forming" I said to the mad woman, who seemed less mad now "You're super smart and you already know that monster exist".
She actually looked disappointed.
"You want me for my mind?" she asked "Isn't the hero suppose to ravage the girl he saves, I'd like a good ravaging, its been a while".
Well at least getting her into bed wouldn't take much effort. I'd wait for her to recover and clean up first. About twenty showers and as many baths should do it, then maybe some therapy.
"You might want to shave your legs first" Buffy advised.
Stuff like that could wait.
"Anyway once you're up to it I'd like you to take us to the castle" I requested of Fred.
That freaked her out.
"You can't go there" she insisted "Bad things happen to people who go there".
I wasn't concerned.
"The demons in this dimension can be disable by music" I informed the tiny Texan woman "And we have guns".
I showed her my pistols, they were Heckler & Koch USPs, semi-automatic pistols, and while not all demons could be killed with guns, we had other weapons.
"Yeah those could work" said Fred "Wish I had a gun".
Wisely I decided not to give the crazy lady any firearms.