Chapter 3: The Journey Begins
Sunnydale, all that was left of the once prosperous town, was now only a crater with rumble of the town inside it fires still blazed from ruptured gas lines, still blazing after all these years my life all gone. Here, the school that we once fought at and destroyed. The bronze, where my friends and luver's use to go and spend time together relaxing, laughing, and listening to music after days of patrolling and a place where I floated in the arms of my baby on her birthday. The college, where I met my soulmate and where we met friends and enemies and experiences that even today define us. The cemetery, where once the grave of my soulmate rests in peace now gone. I have returned here to this place full of half ghost and horrible reminders now we do it again to save the world once more.
"Shit, this place is toast, where the hell do we go?" Faith looks upon the destruction.
"Willow, we need to do a guidance spell. Will you help me?" Sympha looks at the redhead seeing in her eyes that there was a look of deep sadness and disappear.
Willow just nodded and sits on the ground and holds out her hands out and takes Sympha's hand and they both close their eyes and began chanting as a green orb appears and begins to head out through the crater and stops.
"It's stopped at what used to be the cemetery the one where we buried Joyce and Tara at, it'll take time to get there and I still feel a large amount of evil still around, but nowhere near what it once was."
"Let's get it on then, axes around Xander," Buffy announces.
Xander begins giving weapons out to the crew and off they go into the depths of what once was Sunnydale.
"We should've brought some climbing gear here B. Careful G, you're not a young one like us." she grabs onto Giles hand and helps him down gently.
Buffy and Oz began helping Willow down the crater's edge "Hey Will, you going to be ok?" asked Buffy.
"I'm fine, just wished I done more exercises. Anyway Tara's soul isn't here and neither is her body, she's in a better place now." Willow skirted down the ground.
Xander looks over at Sympha, "You doing ok, ghost witch?"
"Thank you I'm fine, I kept in fit even during my cursed time."
: A few hours later :
"Everyone stop, I feel we aren't alone"
"Vampires. Xander, you, Giles, and Oz take back. Willow and Sympha, time to use your magics, and Faith and me take point"
Three vampires and six Turok-Han's race out of a hole within the side of the crater and dash towards the group.
Faith and Buffy pounce at the attacking hoard, Buffy letting loose kicks and punches on an Turok-Han, while Faith swings her sword at another Turok-Han.
Willow and Sympha let loose with balls of fire and levitating rocks at the other three Turok-Han's. "Willow back up, I need to bring forth massive amounts of energy for a spell I know of. It's extremely powerful and only one I would use in dire emergency and I think these super vamps are our problem, not to mention the spell is very unreliable"
Sympha began chanting and sounds of thunder crackles. "Darkness beyond the blackest pitch, Deeper then the deepest night, King of Darkness who shines like gold on the sea of chaos I call upon thee, swear myself to thee. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess."
"Giga Slave!!"
A black blade of black lightning comes forth from her hands and she stands in a sword defense stance.
Giles, Xander, and Oz begin slashing valiantly against the vampires with Giles decapitating a vampire with his axe, Xander begins swinging wildly knocking the head off one of the vampires, and Oz forces the remaining against the crater's side and sticks a stake right through its chest.
"Come on, you demons of hell, fight me and die" Sympha shoves her hands forth and the blade of darkness shoves into the three remaining Turok-Han's who were challenging her completely destroying them.
"I can't stop it, too much power. Someone kill me before the power goes out of control, hurry!"
Buffy quickly decapitates her opponent and races toward Sympha and rams into her, her hands grabbing Sympha's hands and ripping them apart, breaking the spell and the backlash throws them both viciously down to the ground.
Buffy lays on top of Sympha and looks deeply into the witch's eyes. "Okkkk that hurt, what was that, are you ok?"
Blushing, the witch slowly nods her head. "It's a special spell for my clan, we must move forward and find the crystal quickly."
"Thank you Buffy, for saving me."
"No prob, is everyone ok?"
A round of "Yes's" answer and the gang heads into the cave.
Willow quickly casts a light spell "Illuminate".
"I wonder how long this cave has been here. Kinda disturbing thinking, there's caves under a cemetery."
"There's demon activity coming this way, they must be following the crystal's power." announced Sympha.
"Me and Faith will hold them off while the rest of you keep going ahead and find that crystal," with that, Buffy and Faith races out and confronts the demons.
The remainder of the group stumbles on a door.
"A door, oh lookee, a big metal door under a cemetery this should be fun."
"Xander,, just because there's a door and its locked doesn't mean things are gonna be impossible. There seems to be a language here, not sure what it is though, I'm unfamiliar with it."
"It's the language of the order, it says the jewel of the phoenix will show its resting place."
"There's a turntable on this wall. I guess we move it to the time coding of the timetable. Oz and Xander, help me move this."
As the trio begins moving the turntable, the door opens roughly.
"Wallaha, open sesame, I always wanted to say that." Willow smiles cutely.
The gang walks into the room and sees a half a stone.
"It's a part of a dolls head crystal Tara use to have one." She picks it up and holds it close.
Outside, Faith and Buffy fights with a group of spine covered demons. "Yo B, what's with you and the new witch? You had a look of hots for her," she sweeps a demon and slashes her sword through its neck.
"There is nothing Faith, she's just an ally, plus you know I'm straight," beginning to wail on one of the demons, Buffy takes her sword and rams it through his head.
"Yea yea right, just like the time when you and me had some fun time. You were licking me all over the place and you were quite tasty yourself."
"Now isn't the time for 'you're hot in the war zone' mentality Faith."
"Look B, it's the gang looks like we got through this one now all we can do is wait and hope for Angel to do his part."
: Scotland :
"Sam, we need to let down around two miles outside the area that the witch gave us."
"Right Riley, letting down in twenty-two minutes, you better check on the others."
"This is strange being able to fly in this metal bird," Illyria remarks to Angel.
"It's called a helicopter, it's a machine that'll help us get to where we need to be."
The helicopter lands and the group jumps off. Riley and Sam armed with guns Spike, Conner, and Angel with swords and Gunn with his axe and Illyria with just her bare hands.
Everyone begins jumping out and begins to take a look around the quiet landscape.
"Riley, there's a castle at the location the witch, Sympha, gave us, we better get moving."
"Alright all let's get going, remember we probably will be encountering demons on our way there, so Angel and Spike gameface time."
Both Spike and Angel's faces turn from human looking to their vampire faces and the group moves forth.
: Later :
Walking around, Sam pulls out a device and begins scanning the area. "We've got a couple of unique heat signatures heading this way, probably demons in origin."
"Sam, let's climb those trees so we can give out fire support to the others."
Sam and Riley raced to the trees and begin climbing them.
"Hey yancy boy. Ready for a fight?" Spike races toward a demon with six arms and built like a wrestler.
Angel begins fighting a snake looking demon. Slashing at it against the demons pointed tail.
"Connor, help me with these vamps."
Connor races to his father's aid, pulls out his pullout stake, and swings his sword at the vampire.
"Sam, open fire on the demons coming on the ridge."
Both Sam and Riley open fire with needlepoint bullets and grenades blowing up demons and splattering their brains everywhere.
A big golem towers over the blue haired former god Illyria, "I'm gonna rip your arms off, little girl and use your body for my enjoyment" it smiles evilly.
Illyria just turns her head to the side and being pumbling the demon mercilessly.
Gunn runs to help Spike, who was getting spinned around. "Come on, you six armed freak, die." swinging his axe trying desperately to cut off the demons arms.
"Oh come on, you pansy flesh eating Hulk Hogan wannabe, just die." Spike grabs the arms and rips off two of its arms as Gunn slices off the remaining four.
"Riley all the other demons are high tailing it, except for the golem Illyria is fighting should we help her?"
"No, let her take care of it, I want to see what happens."
Illyria gets knocked back by the golem knocking her to the ground, she turns her head sharply. "How dare you hit a former god," racing towards the golem, Illyria jumps over and rams her first through its back, ripping out its spinal cord and breaking it and watches interested while it dies in agony.
"We better move before another group of demons start attacking." Riley looks upon everyone.
: The castle :
"Ok Angel, we are here now it's your turn to lead us what's the plan?"
"Riley, Sam, Illyria you can keep an eye out for us while the rest of us goes inside and find that crystal."
"Oh come on Angel, why's the solider boys and smurfie get to fight and we get to just go running around inside a friggin castle?"
"It'll be easier this way Spike. There's no telling what kind of traps are here by whatever brought the piece of the crystal here."
"If that's that, then let's go."
"Sam, take the left side and keep an eye out. I'll take the right side, we can put them in a pincer attack. Illyria, you're the strength of this team, you take on the more hard hitting demons."
As gunshots rang out, the remaining members move into the castle and begin looking around.
"Yo Angel, if you were a rock, wouldn't it be a good idea to go look in the basement?"
"Good idea Gunn, lets go downstairs."
The team enters a room with two sarcophagus's and the doors slam shut as the sarcophagus's open and two muscle built mummies begin stomping toward them.
"Oh great Angel, someone call your mummy?" Spike just laughs and races toward one of them and they throw him off nearly through a wall. "Ok that one hurt. I guess they don't like mummy jokes."
Gunn races toward one of the mummy's slicing at it while Angel attacks the others.
Connor races and uses his enhanced strength to push one of the mummy's back, but finding that anything he does seems to do any damage.
"Dad, these things are unstoppable."
"Yea, shit Angel, these things are like fighting an unbreakable bandage."
"Keep slicing, there's got to be a weak point to them somewhere."
: Outside :
"Sam, behind you a vampire blow its heart out quick."
Sam turns around quickly and fires point blank into the vampire's chest blowing its heart apart and turning it into dust.
"Thanks luv."
Illyria stands as a giant scorpion demon towers above her. "So, now the fun really begins."
The scorpion thrusts its stinger down at Illyria nearly impaling her. Illyria flips out of the way and grabs a hold of its giant stinger tearing it off.
The scorpion, in anger, uses its pincers to grab a hold of her and begins trying to crush her.
"Sam, that giant scorpion demon's got Illyria in trouble, concentrate fire on the claws so we can try to get her loose."
"I'm running out of ammo here, no one told me we were going into a demon warzone"
Together Sam and Riley begin firing tearing pieces of flesh from the scorpion's claws.
Illyria, finding a weakness in its injured claws, uses her strength to tear it apart and quickly grabs the head ripping it from its body.
: Inside :
"Nothings working Angel, these things keep coming."
Connor flips away and tries to sweep the legs out from one of the mummy's, but has his leg grabbed and is tossed so hard nearly knocking him out.
"Just move out of the way you woosies and let a professional handle this."
Spike walks over to the mummy's and takes out a lighter and casually tosses it and watches as they burn to cinders.
"See, all these guys are just rags to be burned."
The doors open silently.
Helping Gunn up, Angel walks to the door inside on a pedestal lies the second piece of the crystal.
"Come on guys, let's get back home."
: Hours later back in LA :
"You should have seen the power that Sympha did. It was incredible, I nearly peed my pants."
"You think that was neat. You should have seen the scorpion demon Illyria faced, me and Riley used everything on it and barely injured the thing."
"Oh you gimps, that's nothing. You should have seen ol yancy boy, Angel being tossed around like a toddler by a bunch of mummy's. I always knew he was a mummyboy."
"Oh please Spike, you gonna be doing mummy jokes all day."
"Yea B, I think Spike has a mummy fetish," grabbing her breast and squeezing.
"So witch babe, what are we gonna do now that we got this crystal anyway?"
"After we rest, I'll perform a spell to repair it and then me and Willow will need to do a ritual to locate the phoenix."
"Well then, I must say we all rest for the night. Angel has agreed to give us some of the spare rooms here. Therefore, Faith, you and Willow will share a room. Sympha, you and Buffy can share too. Spike and Angel can take one. Illyria has her own. Oz, you get the couch sorry, but the girls need their rooms. I will get the couch in the library. Xander, you and Gunn can take a guest room and Connor can also find a couch."
Continue in Chapter 4: The Phoenix Rises