*Chapter 061: June 21st, 1997-C*

The Mayor firmly kept his smile plastered on his face and replied, "Of course! As I was saying; I like the cut of your jib!"

I returned the man's smile, "Thank you. I was only peripherally aware of you, I must admit."

The man waved my reply off and continued, "Do you know how rare it is for new players to pop up? Our world is... let's call it highly insular. Newcomers don't come around often and when they do... they certainly don't make a big splash."

"My father taught me to tackle problems head on, Dick. When I found myself surrounded by creatures that think of me as food... well, that was a problem."

"Oh, believe me, Nick. I know what you mean! I like that we have that in common."

Well, the Mayor clearly wanted to beat around the bush and in all fairness I appreciated the time to acclimatize myself. The man was just charming in person as he was in the show and if he actually wanted to forge a lasting peace I wouldn't spurn him. I would never forget the kind of person he is though. What kind of man wants to be a demon when you can be a warlock?

"How did you deal with it, Richard?"

The man affected a deep sigh and said, "In the beginning not nearly as well as you young man. I believed if I could lay low and hide the creatures that go bump in the night would pass me by. The lesson that taught me otherwise was... costly."

"I can sympathize with that. My experiences before Sunnydale hammered that lesson home for me."

"Oh? Where did you grow up, son?"

I smiled a wide smile and said, "A smallish town on the coast of the Netherlands. It wasn't nearly as crowded as your lovely city but it wasn't without its share of danger either."

"I can only imagine, Nick. I must admit that I haven't spent any noteworthy amount of time in your country of origin."

"If you ever do find yourself there, Richard, enjoy it. It's a wonderful place."

"I will do that, Nick, you can count on that!"

I was actually enjoying our verbal sparring. This kind of conflict wasn't quite as satisfying as cutting up baddies into tiny pieces but it did have its charms. Our conversation felt like we were testing each other by circling around the main reason we were here. In the particular matter though the Mayor held the advantage... all I could do was wait and respond appropriately.

"Before we get to business, Nick, I'd like to inquire about the state of my Deputy. You know how it is... good help is so difficult to replace when they go splatter."

I smiled at the man and replied, "Allan is currently my guest, Richard. He should not be in any danger of exploding as of yet."

And it begins.

"Excellent. I've found myself quite attached to him. Did you know his family has worked for mine since... oh it must have been the late nineteenth century?"

"Oh? You make it sound as if you've groomed him for the position, Richard."

He really didn't but there's nothing stopping me from attempting to get the Mayor off balance. Oblique references have their place but I need to make a small splash right about now.

The Mayor replied, "You certainly could say that, son! I've known him his entire life and he couldn't make me any more proud."

"That's wonderful. Did you find him very similar to his great grandfather?"

Wilkins grin never so much as faltered when he said, "You wouldn't be wrong about that. Certain traits do indeed breed true. I'm rather pleased you don't disappoint, Nicolas."

I nodded to the man and said, "I do try, Richard. I take that for the high praise it surely is coming from a man as you."

"You really should, son. I don't like to toot my own horn but I do have a fairly developed eye for talent. And talent, while its own reward obviously, should be... .no scratch that... requires appreciation."

This time I simply smiled and nodded while waiting for him to continue.

"What exactly is it you want from life, Nick?"

I pretended to give it some thought and fell silent for a moment.

"I'm rather enamored with something written by your nation's founders. I'm paraphrasing of course but 'the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness' seems to encapsulate it terribly well for me."

"Ah, you certainly are a young man after my own heart! Do you have a passion for history?"

"I do indeed, Richard. In fact; one of the first things I did was research the history of your lovely demesne."

"Oh? Do expand on that if you would."

"Mind you, at the time I wasn't quite aware it was your doing, but I came across more than a few instances of certain... apocalyptic proportions that seemed to resolve themselves without doing too much damage."

"And you believe this to be my doing? Not that I am denying it but what led you to this conclusion?"

"The last white-hat in town was Naayee'neizghan in 1841. The town still stands and you... still breath."

The Mayor actually clapped as if he was actually excited. I knew better than to trust anything at all from the man. This may or may not lead to my being overly paranoid but that word loses its negative connotations when you live on the Hell Mouth.

"And now it seems you have subverted the newest 'white hats'. I like that expression; do you mind if I use it?"

"Not at all Richard."

"Is your Slayer aware of your... shall we call them extracurricular activities?"

"I'm fairly certain the girl would object to being called my Slayer but to answer you; no more than she is aware of your particulars."

The Mayor's facial expression didn't change at all... it was as if we weren't just threatening each other. I had to admit that every second I spent in the man's presence I found myself re-adjusting his threat rating in my mind. And never in a good sense...

"Well, I've always found it best to never directly engage Slayers. They have the tendency to sow chaos where there should be order."

"On average they tend to do that. I, myself, am more concerned about their interesting ability to win conflicts they have no business winning on the face of it."

"Well, yes, there is that aspect of theirs. Do you intend to rely on that?"

Wow.

Is it finally happening?

"I do believe the current Slayers would take umbrage at the situation Sunnydale finds itself in." I paused for the length of a single heartbeat before I continued, "Fortunately... they wouldn't be too difficult to corral to a more efficient use of their time."

The man's grin sagged for a split second, "I see."

Did he do that deliberately? Was slapping him in the face with the implication of the existence of multiple Slayers enough to penetrate his serenity?

"Would you expand on that, Nick?"

I made my grin just a touch wider and said, "Before I do that, Richard, I'm intensely curious about your plans for the city. The reality of it doesn't seem to match the powerful image you portray."

"Oh? Well, to be frank, politics is mostly about presenting the right face to the right people. Are you upset that I don't seem to be... valuing the health of my constituents?"

This was veering into dangerous waters. Perhaps I shouldn't have taken Liam with me... I had no idea how the man would interpret any of this. As much as I loved claiming I was beyond fear... I really wasn't.

Perhaps I was using Liam as a crutch?

This certainly wasn't the time for thoughts like that though. I needed to wrestle control of the situation even if that called for a direct hit. Something I had been avoiding from the beginning.

"I'm mostly curious actually, Richard. I have a sense of your aims but I'm left wondering why you allow so much death and destruction."

"I see. It's not entirely my intent to do so. I find generally that a certain level of mayhem is to be anticipated. A little higher or a little lower and you rather start losing the ability to direct it."

Wow.

If I was reading between the lines correctly... Wilkins basically admitted to letting the demons just enough off their leash so they actually would consent to being leashed. It made a twisted kind of sense but I was still considering whether it had anything to do with his ascension.

"Would you be implying the alternatives are worse?"

"Indeed I am! If this is something you're having a difficult time with... I would understand that. I too was young once and struggled greatly with this very matter. Fortunately I had the benefit of an understanding mentor. Isn't that another one of our similarities?"

Ok...

"You could say that. Was yours anything like the Terror?"

"Not even close. I do hope your cherish your time with him. I've found that despite our best efforts... sometimes we lose those that make us who we are. Either old age claims them or the fact that you're growing up to be a different person takes them away."

I... had no idea what he meant but I knew I wasn't catching any whiffs of a threat.

"I'll certainly take that under advisement. I do notice though Richard that you've deftly danced around my previous question. So deftly in fact I missed it myself."

The Mayor laughed loudly and said, "Oh to be young again! I wouldn't worry about it overmuch. It's something that comes with age and experience."

I simply kept my own smile plastered to my face and waited the man out.

"In the interest of not allowing any more unfortunate incidences to occur I'll be as clear as I can. I do not believe we need to be at odds with each other. My aims for Sunnydale, while not entirely wholesome, don't run counter to yours. I've been around, as you mentioned, for a while now and I'm close to moving on so to say."

It was time to test the man's resolve and his willingness to deal.

"I see. Would that be one year and eleven months from now?"

XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX

*Chapter 062: June 21st, 1997-D*

The Mayor's eyes fractionally widened and I could swear I saw a vein on his neck bulge and twitch. The next few moments would be absolutely crucial. Could the Mayor accept my knowing his greatest agenda? Would he merely pretend to accept it before immediately plotting my demise?

Or maybe my assurance that I wouldn't stand in the way of his Ascension would be what glued the two of us together. At this point I wasn't even quite sure which outcome I was hoping for.

Richard replied after what seemed like an eternity, "That is indeed roughly my time table. I would appreciate it if you shared how you came about this information... "

The man's voice trailed off but I was struck by the sheer intensity the Mayor exuded. Nothing overt changed but suddenly well... everything changed. I wasn't sure how he was doing it but I felt suddenly incredibly uncomfortable.

I might as well come clean and spill my 'secret'. Hopefully that would be enough to balance out his ... anger or whatever it was I was sensing.

I felt Angel respond to the change in the air but thankfully he didn't make a move. Still... I quick decided to be on the safe side though and spoke up again to forestall Liam from acting.

"Before I answer I'd like to make one thing clear. What I'll be telling you about my abilities isn't common knowledge. I would therefore greatly appreciate your discretion on the subject."

Richard broke out a wide smile; the tension in room evaporated instantly, and said, "It certainly isn't my place to share secrets that aren't mine to spread."

"I'm a fairly powerful Seer that can see potential futures, Richard. I saw your plans repeatedly in fact. In one particular instance I saw you succeed, in another one you did likewise but didn't enjoy it for long, and in yet another you were killed by the Slayers before you got very far."

The Mayor took a moment to process that, quickly flashed a look towards Liam and seemed to come to a decision, and turned his gaze back towards me.

"You are just full of surprises aren't you, son? Do not fret; no one living or dead will ever find this out through my action or inaction."

Shit.

This obviously was an attempt to get me to make the same promise. I wasn't exactly opposed to it but the wording worried me. If he meant what I thought he did he might actually expect...

Fine.

This better be worth it.

"Thank you, Richard. I'm glad the two of us are on the same page."

He nodded and replied, "So am I, Nicolas. Perhaps we might get to working out an agreement then?"

"That would be lovely. How would you like to proceed?"

Richard leaned back into his comfortable couch and pretended to consider my question.

"I do believe we agree on the big picture so it might be best to start with the practical considerations. Since the two of us already agreed to keep each other's secrets we are bound together in that sense. I would however not wish to see our agreement as one that stifles us. Instead I'll start by asking whether there is anything in particular I can do for you?"

I took a brief moment to think on what I really wanted from the man. If I was being honest with myself... getting him to not try and murder me in my sleep was the biggest favor I could want. I just knew however if I brought that up I would risk upsetting the man.

I knew just the thing to ask for.

"Thank you, Richard. I would like for you to introduce me to certain factions in this town."

Come on Dick; read between the lines.

The Mayor smiled widely and replied, "I was already planning on doing just that, son. Why don't you ask me for something else?"

Oh.

Wonderful!

"That is very kind of you. Hmm... there is a certain treasure located somewhere in Sunnydale I'm having some trouble extracting. Would you be able to spare the manpower to search for it?"

"Done! I'm sure you'll tell me what exactly it is my men would be looking for when you're done?"

"If that's what you want, Richard, I will of course do so."

"Oh! Please do not feel compelled to share any secret you feel you must absolutely keep. I'm simply speaking from experience that trying to hold on to lesser ones only leads to strife."

"I understand. Would you mind if I gave it some thought?"

"I wouldn't mind at all, son! Take all the time you need. Well, I do believe it's my turn isn't it? If you're amenable to it, after taking our schedules into consideration of course, I would like for you to spend one evening a week with me."

I froze in shock.

This wasn't what I expected. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it...

I gathered my wits again and decided to make the best of it, "I think I would enjoy that, Richard."

"Excellent! Ever since my wife passed away I have so few people to associate with. I know a young man like yourself intensely cherishes his free time so I promise you I will make it worth your time."

I think I just acquired another teacher. How would Uncle Bob take this?

Fuck.

"Then I would likely enjoy it even more!"

Richard didn't reply beyond a firm nod and gestured for me to continue.

"This one might be difficult to accept. If it's too much; please do not hesitate to let me know. How attached are you to the local vampire populace?"

The man stroked his chin with his finger and thumb but fell silent for a moment. He had to know where I was going with this. The vast majority of the demon didn't need to kill daily. They could be negotiated with. Vampires, excepting those few that had the ability for moderation, however could not.

"I have very little use for them beyond those that work for me directly. I don't see how I can offer you anything in that regard though."

I took a deep breath and spoke up, "I would like for the Police Department of Sunnydale to become involved with keeping their population levels down."

The Mayor exploded in laughter and replied, "Ambitious. I like it, Nicolas! Done! I'll even pick up the tab to equip them appropriately."

"I appreciate that, Richard. I will endeavor to pay you back once I acquire a better source of funding."

"Oh no, please do not bother, money isn't something that should ever come between us. If you do not have enough I'll sign over a handful of trusts for you. In fact... I'll give you and each of your circle of friends an account they and you can draw funds from."

Holy.

Fucking.

Crap.

Why is he being so accommodating?

"I don't mean to offend you, Richard... but might I inquire why you are being so generous?"

"Where you see generosity, son, I see investments in a wonderful future. Besides... after a lifetime such as mine... money and possessions mean extraordinarily little to me. I will of course not actually need them for much longer. Does this put you on ease?"

Ah.

He was right... the only thing of true value, to him at least, that I asked for was me co-opting his police force.

"It does indeed. Again, thank you."

"Don't mention it, son. Now since it's my turn again. There are a handful of cabals and firms led by sorcerers in Los Angeles. I've been hearing rumors about one of them who will be coming into a great deal of power in the near future. I have not been able to ascertain how and I would like for you do so for me."

I struggled enormously to not show any reaction. I wasn't sure how successful I was with that but perhaps he would attribute it to mild confusion.

On second thought... fuck that.

Instead I smiled as wide as I could and asked the man, "Would this sorcerer be Mr. Bryce?"

Boom... headshot!

The Mayor exploded once again in laughter but this time he seemed slightly lost in his feelings. It took at least a minute for the man to calm down from his hysterics and it left me wondering...

Does he really feel this excited or is it another affectation?

"Yes, son, that is indeed the wizard in question. Magnus has always been a dangerous man and I'm left wondering what he would do if he suddenly became even more powerful."

"I'll have to do some more research, Richard, but my initial guess would be... cleaning house. Isn't the House of Lanier one of his greatest rivals?"

"Yes, that does make a certain sort of sense. Do you have any guesses beyond that?"

"Not at the moment. I will of course get back to you once I do know more."

"Wonderful! Absolute wonderful... I so do look forward to getting to know you better young man. I do believe it is your turn again, son."

This time I didn't reply and instead settled in with a smile and a nod. What else could I ask from the man? He does seem exceedingly eager to acquire my goodwill.

"There is an organization in LA that arranges demonic blood sports. They have access to a certain magical technology that I am incredibly interested in. I fear however they would not take me approaching them very well. Could I persuade you to handle the negotiations on my behalf?"

XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX

*Chapter 063: June 21st, 1997-E*

"I don't see how that would be a problem, Nicolas. I'll require additional information of course but I can certainly handle that."

The organization that captured prize fighting demons somehow managed to control them through a nifty bracelet that simply disintegrated them if they crossed certain literal lines. There simply has to be a way to edit the parameters of that lovely setup...

"Beyond what we just discussed I have no more requests to make of you at this junction, son. Do not let that stop you from making yours though."

"You have already satisfied most of my urgent needs, Richard. I'll need to spend the next few days handling a few issues but when would you like me to come by?"

Not that I would ever come alone obviously. At the very least Marcie and Andrew's little summon would be trailing me at all times.

"How does next weekend sound? I already have a gathering planned for this Saturday."

"That sounds good. I look forward to it."

"So do I son, so do I. If you'll excuse me for not escorting you out... I do have some rather pressing business to get to. I wish you and your people well with your endeavors Nicolas."

"Likewise Richard and have a good weekend."

After Liam and I got up I waited for a brief moment until I felt Marcie's hand on my shoulder. Once I felt the girl become clearer to my sense we strode confidently out into the night. The limo trip back to my house was just as awkwardly quiet as our initial trip was.

I wasn't exactly looking forward to explaining myself to Liam but I knew I couldn't put it off once we reached my place. Andrew still had me under remote surveillance with his creation and it showed when the door swung open just as we arrived.

The Deputy Mayor walked out, nodded once to us, and power walked the rest the way to his ride.

"Nick, I would like to have some words with you."

"Alright, let's go up to my study."

Andrew spoke up before we could walk off though, "Wait! I need to tell you something, Nick! We... uhh... finished Little Sunnydale while you were convalescing in the hospital. It's still crude but we kind of need you to power it."

"Oh, that's wonderful news! Did Robert give you the all clear?"

"Not exactly... he said he gave it some thought and decided that an external power source would be more... optimal. I think he's just worried about you... not being around to power it though. What should we do?"

It obviously made sense to go for a mystical battery set up so why was Drew so worried about this? The boy didn't spook easily anymore and had recently turned out be exceptionally sneaky so what was it...

"Let's table it for now and revisit it in the morning, alright?"

The lad simply nodded and walked off.

I really needed to get on top of that but I the things I had to consider were piling up quickly. This, yet again, wasn't the time for it.

"Explain."

Angel had his 'brooding' face with hints of 'stubborn' sown all over.

"Which part?"

"All of it, Nick. That man... he's admitted to being responsible for so many deaths."

"Not that I don't agree with you... but he's also responsible for the stopping of a handful off... what's the right term for more than a single apocalypse?"

"That doesn't make it any better. He didn't do any of with the intent to save people."

"What exactly has you worried, Liam?"

The handsome Irishman fell silent, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and said, "All of it."

I took a deep breath and replied, "Imagine this Liam. Imagine a scale from one to ten. Now imagine that one is how powerful and scary The Master was to us. I would estimate the Mayor to be a solid six or even seven."

"That still doesn't mean we can deal with the Devil!"

"What's the alternative, Liam? Please... tell me."

The vampire fell quiet again but before he could respond I spoke up, "As it stands we cannot beat him. That's not the worst part though... that honor is reserved for the utter shit storm removing the Mayor from the equation would be."

"I do get that, Nick. I know the chaos that comes from a power vacuum but you were so... "

"Liam. Are you worried he might betray our agreement?"

"Of course I am!"

"Or are you more worried he won't?"

Liam froze up and even stopped pretending to breath. For a full minute he didn't so much as move a muscle before he finally replied.

"Both. I'm not saying I don't trust you, Nick. I do... but power... especially the kind he offers. I'm saying I know exactly where that leads."

I nodded and gestured for the man to continue.

"This won't end well I promise you, Nick."

"I asked you before, Liam, and I'll ask again. What's the alternative here? Do you want to face the Mayor? He already tried to kill me... the only reason it didn't work was because it wasn't a serious attempt. It was the work of a man going through the fucking motions."

"I... "

"No! For fucks sake... if Spike wasn't so goddamned retarded I'd be dead now. All it took was a single phone call from him. Why won't you grasp how fucking dangerous he is?"

Breathe in and out.

"I'm willing to risk it."

Good lord...

"I'm not Liam. I can sit here and give specific reasons why I believe this is best course of action... but I'm not going to. I told you how to attain your deepest desire Liam. If I don't have your full support this whole ordeal becomes pointless and I'd sooner just hunt a Mohra demon for you tomorrow."

Fuck!

Why can't he just see things my way?

"I don't want to abandon you, Nick. We were interrupted while I was trying to give you my word I wouldn't leave your people in cold... and I still consider myself bound by that."

Well... that's something I guess. I really, really, shouldn't have taken the vampire with me.

I took another couple of deep breaths before I replied, "Ok. You're right... this will end badly. I'm fairly confident it will. All I can do is minimize the damage and provide enough shelter for my allies... and myself... to grow strong."

"I understand."

"I don't want you here if you're going to be dragging your feet."

"I don't want to be here if this is how you respond to concern."

As much as I hated hearing that... the man was right. I really can't to crack up every time something doesn't go my way. I mentally added another item to my long, long, list of this to do. I needed to arrange for more meditating sessions with Giles.

Right now I needed to apologize.

"I'm sorry for that... do you want to go over my reasoning now?"

"Accepted and I... shouldn't have... I don't have an alternative. I know you're doing your best Nick."

"Thank you. I didn't lie about the visions, Liam. He wins most of the time. The man keeps his word a lot more than most of the time. I believe that if I play ball with him he will consent to keeping the death toll down. Far down what would be the case without my involvement with him."

"Ok. "

"I also believe I'm willing to jump through whatever hoops to make that happen. In the meanwhile I intend on extracting every single advantage for my people that I can. The better we are the better we can help others."

"But that isn't your main concern is it?"

Every once in a while Liam reminds me he has an actually functioning brain.

"No. I'd feel bad if Sunnydale burnt to the ground but if my friends make it out... I won't lose sleep over it."

How would he take this?

"I already got a sense of that. You're not a hero."

"But you are and so is Buffy. Drew, Johnny and Marcie are heroes. Giles, Xander and Willow are heroes. Du Blanc and I... we're the ones keeping an eye out on the long term."

"Du Blanc... on his best day I wouldn't ascribe any altruistic thoughts to him."

"And yet when he thought the Master had me he came to find me. When he didn't find me... he didn't leave and expended an ungodly amount of magic to keep Buffy alive."

"I know, trust me, I know. You seem to bring out people's strengths... I'm just not convinced it is their 'good' side your strengthening."

"And yet as a side effect... " I trailed off for a moment before I continued, "As a side effect we'll save staggering amounts of people. Just the sanctioned campaign against vampires alone will do incredible good, Liam. Just... tell me whether I have your full support."

The handsome Irishman looked down for an uncomfortable length of time before he responded.

"You have me for a year, Nick. After that... after that I'll take my leave."

"Thank you."

"I won't stop telling you what you don't want to hear."

"I don't expect that. Again, I'm sorry I reacted so badly... I was still on edge from the most upsetting hour of my life."

Liam snorted softly before he said, "Don't mention it."

XxXXxX

June 21st, 1997

After Liam had left I settled in behind my desk and reached for the phone. I needed to call Giles and well... blow his mind.

"Hello, this is Rupert Giles speaking."

"Good evening, Giles. It's Nick."

"Nick! We had heard you were awake. How do you find yourself?"

"Once I actually woke up I fixed myself... so I'm tiptop."

"Good good, Buffy wants to speak to you for a moment."

"Before we do that can I talk to you for a moment, Giles?"

"Ah, of course, will this be one of those conversations?"

I only had one shot at this but I simply didn't want to wait until I saw Giles face to face.

"I cajoled the First Slayer into activating a new Slayer line."

Quiet.

There was just quiet on the other line.

"Oh dear, I... I don't know what to say."

"Has the Council made contact with you? I saw a whole bunch of potentials but only two came across as spectacular to me. If you could ask around and see whether Faith Lehane or Kendra Young have been called... I would appreciate it."

"What do you mean when you say spectacular?"

"I mean that they are Buffy grade quality. Most of the others won't last beyond the first two years."

The line was quiet again.

"I see. I will ask around, Nick. Try to have some mercy for my heart the next time we speak. Oh, and before I forget... I have your check from the Council. It has... quite the number of zeroes."

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*Chapter 064: June 22nd, 1997-A*

Marcie and Jonathan had gone above and beyond with the banquet like breakfast meal. We feasted like kings on an assortment of breads, bacon and more bacon.

"So, Drew, you mentioned you were hesitant about letting me power Little Sunnydale?"

The boy swallowed his mouthful and replied, "I think Uncle Bob doesn't like the idea that no one but you could manipulate it. In the original set up you were supposed to build the structure while he connected the finer threads of magic... "

"Ok. I'm following you so far."

Not that I entirely agreed but I had come to trust Robert a lot more than Andrew had.

Andrew nodded towards Jonathan and said, "Instead we took over the detailed linking process and built off the structure you left for us. We gathered all the little chips, bits and pieces of the main roads and important buildings of the city. He didn't seem to like that."

"Oh... I trust you Drew. If you think your way is better I'll back you, buddy."

Drew smiled his adorable smile and continued, "Thank you... "

"So... are we firing it up? I'm incredibly excited!"

Everyone around the table agreed and Johnny whipped out his masterful TK abilities to clean everything up. His increase in control and power made me positively glow with glee.

The four of walked over to my cellar where Andrew had set up his workshop. I hadn't been in there for a while so I was immediately struck by the changes. The far wall was entirely covered with 'flat screen' computer monitors that all individually showed different locations of the city. They flickered around from time to time to ever changing locations and I was in love.

I was just completely... utterly... in love.

"Holy... fuck."

Marcie started clapping and said, "Told you. You owe me fifty bucks now!"

I ignored the little by play and walked over what Jonathan called our Big Brother surveillance wall. We had eyes on the area around the school, every single one of the cemeteries, a bunch of sewers and an entire line of monitors was showing the warehouse district around the Bronze.

"How? When? What the fuck guys. This is... "

"Amazing? Badass? Extemely awesome?"

"Yes. Yes to all of that. Again I say... holy fuck. I thought this would have taken ages... "

Jonathan coughed in his fist and said, "It did but we have telekinesis. We also had Marcie, Willow and Liam helping. More importantly... we had Andrew's little monster. I mean... yes... monster is the word."

Andrew slapped Johnny and directed me to the seat next to him. I sat down next to the control desk while Andrew guided me through the process. The technobabble was a little beyond me but if I understood him right... this was what he was using to control his creature. He had named it his Imp and it was basically a living program.

"Are you... are you saying this is a workable AI?"

"Oh no! It had an incredibly limited range of action. It does however do three things really, really, well. It kills demons, it can handle maintenance as well as reorganization, and it can track anything through the city. We have well over three hundred cameras throughout the city and Imp can arbitrarily change the camera's locations to where it feels we need them. I'm not sure how it does that... "

I love my people.

"This is just... this is fucking amazing guys."

Marcie coughed and I immediately amended it, "And gals. All of you."

Jonathan demanded my attention when he dragged me over to the table in the corner of the basement. The large metal table was covered by an oversized map of Sunnydale upon which small red, blue and black pins were arrayed. On top of every little pin was a piece of plastic that was wrapped around a stub of wood, stone or plastic.

It wasn't quite what I had in mind, frankly I was thinking more along the lines of a miniature model, but I could hardly complain. The little replicas of camera stands however interested me greatly. Each of them had a little, and I mean extremely little, crystal on a thin piece of string. I could only assume that was how we'd find things with it.

"Well well... how does this work?"

Jonathan charged ahead with his explanation, "It's roughly activated right now but the only reason we got any responses out of it is likely the fact that we live on the Hell Mouth."

The boy must have seen the shocked expression on me face because he immediately continued, "Oh, it's not bad per se in this case. It's just that the ambient power in the atmosphere gets soaked up by the map."

"I'm still not exactly-."

"Come on, Nick! Trust me on this. The moment you charge the little crystals and the table with a claiming ritual we'll be golden."

Right.

"Ok. Fair enough. When's the next full moon?"

"Erm, roughly a week from now, but why would you need it?"

"I don't really need it but considering that things been soaking up Hellmouthy-ness... I'm inclined to go big or go home... and I don't want to go home."

"All righty then. So... what do you think?"

"I think... that I'm just bursting with fucking pride, lads and gal. This is going to give us a major boost. Oh! Oh! Before I forget I have some things to share."

My minions all settled in around me and I started explaining what happened yesterday. I knew Marcie wouldn't have blabbed anything to the boys so for them it was... quite the shock. Johnny offered to dig up any and all counter magic spells he could while Andrew pledged to drag up every last bit of information he could hunt down on the Mayor.

Marcie however stuck her tongue out and just said, "If he starts to become a problem... well... let's just say I know where to stick him!"

"I don't think that will be necessary any time soon, Marcie, but thank you for offering."

The girl broke out in a wide smile and said, "Anytime!"

After a brief moment Andrew spoke up, "So... are we rich now?"

"Kind of yeah. I mean Giles mentioned we got a nice windfall from the Watchers but I'd suggest we bank that money and spent the Mayors first."

"Just how much are we talking, Nick? Because Johnny and I had a lot of ideas that just cost too much to be viable... but now they might be?"

"We won't know until I meet with the man again but I suspect... quite a lot. Before we do anything else though we're going to need to use the money to either lease or buy some property."

Marcie piped up with, "Why?"

"If the boogiemen find out my home doubles as my base of operations... I'm just saying we shouldn't put all of our eggs in one basket."

"Oh. Ok! I can come to the new place too right?"

I pulled the girl in close and swung my arm around her, "Marcie, I'm not going to let you or my lads go unless you walk out of the door yourself."

XxXXxX

June 22nd, 1997

I heard the phone ring in the living room and with nothing better to do I waved off my minions and raced for it myself.

"Hello, this is Nick."

"Nick! Buffy here! Giles told me to call you when he got word back from the Council."

"Hey Buffy. How are you? I'm fine."

"Oh pishposh. Do you want to hear the news or not?"

"Shoot."

"It's not exactly pleasant. Seven days ago a Slayer called Kendra was called but the girl died in a car accident."

What.

"Oh... "

"Yeah... how come you didn't see that?"

"I don't have all the answers, Buffy. Sometimes the universe just gives a the big ole middle finger."

"I know right... but anyways. That same day a Japanese Slayer called Minami something was called. The Faith girl you mentioned is with her Watcher in Boston, apparently she was already under surveillance but you asking for her by name moved up her schedule, but she wasn't called."

"Ok. It's fairly important nothing bad happens to that girl. Especially now we're down... well Kendra."

"Giles said you thought they were as good as... me?"

"They could have been Buffy."

"Why?"

"Why I think they were as good as you?"

"Yes and no. I mean... why am I a standard for you?"

"Ah. Can I get back to you on that? I'd rather not do this over the phone."

XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX

*Chapter 065: June 22nd, 1997-B*

"Hello people."

I walked through the wide library doors trailed by Andrew, Jonathan and Marcie. I was greeted by the sight of Buffy furiously swinging my axe around a stubbornly resisting Giles.

"Hi, Nick! It's good to see you're up and running again."

"Thanks Willow. It feels good too!"

With the pleasantries out of the way Andrew immediately honed in on Willow and dragged her with him to the computer lab. Jonathan walked over to Xander and offered to practice their hand to hand exercises together with Marcie. I settled in to wait Buffy and Giles out.

After a few minutes Giles admitted defeat and disappeared into his office. Presumably to salve his wounded male pride.

"Hey Nick."

"You're not even out of breath. This is just bullshit Buffy."

The girl cracked a wide smile but immediately after she tried to land a slap on me. I ducked under her extended arm and kicked at her leg. The Slayer jumped up before I could connect and swung around her axis to kick out at my face. I blocked the obvious attempt by punching at her ankle but her retaliatory caught me by surprise.

Her powerful punch to my gut doubled me over momentarily and her follow up swipe landed me on my back. I rolled with the motion, found myself back on my feet, and slapped the girl in the face with my telekinesis.

Her squeak of surprise was like music to my ears as I took advantage of the opening to close in and jump over the girl while grabbing on to her axe holding arm. For the split second I was flying to the air our eyes met as I hung straight above her. The Slayer tried pulling her hand back but my strength coupled with my momentum meant I won that particular disagreement.

When I landed behind her I still had her arm firmly gripped and secured behind her arm. Buffy threw her head backwards but only impacted empty air. I had let her arm go and twisted the axe out of it.

"I'll take that back now, Buffy."

The girl didn't bother replying and swung around with her elbow and connected with it on my shoulder. The impact threw me backwards but I kept my footing. I fired of a quick Fortress and watched as the Slayer punched me hard in the face.

Her grunt of frustration came accompanied by a knee to my gut and she followed up that by grabbed me by the shoulders. While I was still mildly disoriented she repeated my own trick and flew over my head.

A minor growl escaped my throat as I involuntarily flew through the air and landed in front of Giles' feet.

"Are you having fun children?"

Buffy immediately exclaimed, "Totally!

At same time I groaned out, "Kind of?"

Buffy helped me back on my feet and I was wary of her for a moment before I felt her arms around me.

"I hadn't properly thanked you yet. So there... thank you."

Oh.

"Uhh, no problem, Buffy."

Giles spoke up again to ask me if there were any more knowledge bombs I was about the drop. Obviously he didn't phrase it like that but it was the gist of it.

"I'm not sure. What can you tell me about Kendra's car 'accident'?"

Giles motioned for us to follow him to his office where he proceeded to offer us tea. Buffy declined and immediately withered under the combined glare of Giles and me.

"I only know what I've been told by the Council, Nick. They said the girl was called, was accompanied by her Watcher to head out to their assignment, but they were run off one of the mountain roads by another vehicle. Nobody survived."

That... told me exactly zilch.

"I see. This is a terrible loss."

"I agree but somehow I doubt we're talking about the same thing, Nick."

Whoops.

"Obviously the loss of a young girl is bad, Giles. I meant that we also lost the Slayer who would scare off the Order of Tarakan with minimal assistance."

"Oh... "

Giles removed his glasses but before he could speak up again I interjected "It's also incredibly sad that Kendra died before she could experience anything beyond the confines of the Council."

Buffy finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "Oh, who are the order thingies and what do you mean?"

I left it up to Giles to explain who the mystically gifted assassins were but when Buffy noticed he was hesitant about Kendra's circumstances she turned to me.

"Kendra was taken, with her family's permission, in by the Council when she was a toddler. She spent her entire life training to be a Slayer and had nothing in her life beyond that. I'm not even going to claim I'm upset by how things would have progressed for her when I say that the girl would learn how to live after her overbearing and ridiculously controlling freak of a Watcher finally died."

Giles froze and did his best Liam impression when he schooled his face into a gloomy expression.

Before Buffy could say anything I continued, "There are several kinds of Watcher. You have the ones like Giles who want to keep their charges alive and happy. Then you have the bastards who just see Slayers as disposable tools... easily replaced disposable tools. All I can say is that an organization as big as the Watchers Council will always have some bad apples."

Buffy digested that for a moment and eventually spoke up, "Then I guess I'm lucky to have Giles aren't I?"

Giles tried to stammer out a reply but found himself floundering and flushing under Buffy's frankly disturbingly intense stare.

"On the subject of Faith Lehane... is her Watcher Diana Dormer?"

Giles frowned a little but confirmed, "Yes. She had been assigned to watch Faith when she was recognized as a potential. When I passed the word from you to the Council they agreed to approach the girl sooner."

"Ok, good. Do you... do you know how the Watcher's Council feels about me?"

The British librarian sighed deeply and replied, "Mind you, I haven't been directly involved in the intricate power politics of the Council in some time, but from what I gather your biggest proponent is a man called Travers-."

I spit out my tea of out shock and stared wide eyed at Giles.

"What!"

Giles' frown intensified and he continued, "Yes, Travers has expressed a desire to-."

"Quentin Travers is the one pushing for me? Why?"

"One of these days, Nick, we're having a long conversation about what it is you exactly see. From your earlier outburst I think I understand why you're not pleased by this but would you mind elaborating?"

"Is he the Head Watcher now? Or will he be soon?"

Rupert raised an eyebrow and said, "He is in the running now, yes. Have you seen him win the position?"

I didn't respond and instead took several deep breaths.

Saying I wasn't pleased by Travers attention was a laughable understatement. Perhaps he wouldn't be as antagonistic to me as he was to everyone in the show but I wasn't counting on it. If he wasn't the Head Watcher yet... it meant that he would have used Buffy's first death and afterwards Kendra's death to propel himself to the top. Probably at the expense of whatever 'good' Watcher's like Giles there were.

This didn't mean I couldn't work with the man though. He so very obviously was power hungry but antagonizing him to the point where he'll treat me as he did Buffy didn't seem like the correct play.

"I see. Will he be using Buffy's... ?" I briefly looked over at the girl, "Temporary death as a means to win more influence?"

"That does sound in line with what I expect from the man, Nick."

"Ok. Let's start from the beginning, please."

This time it was Giles who took a deep breath and said, "I had to admit that most of this might be my fault. In the reports I sent back to the Council I didn't... I hadn't omitted anything until we had our... heated conversation a few weeks ago."

Ok. So they didn't know about my particular brand of magic. That was good; but in all honesty... unless Giles suspected more he himself didn't know anything either.

"The impression the Council has of you is one of a naturally occurring Seer, albeit an extraordinarily powerful one, who seemed well disposed towards it. There was some outrage when we destroyed the... first artifact you brought here-."

I bit down on my tongue to stop me from telling him about Post. That was a card I intended to play with Travers down the line.

"There were elements who believed we should have had the opportunity to study the artifact. Travers was the first to say that removing such a powerful and corrupting object was to be commended. When afterward you forwarded to the Council the Cross of Du Lac you gave them a wealth of information. It was when you gave them the amulet of Balthazar that Travers picked up your banner."

"But why?"

"Travers, and his father before him, was the one who pushed for and first introduced the wetwork teams the council now has on retainer. I believe he intends to push for a more active role in gathering up independents and supporting them."

Wow.

That... doesn't actually sound terrible.

"I see... and now I've proven myself useful."

"Indeed. I would warn you about getting directly involved with Travers but you seem remarkably well informed."

I ignored the obvious fishing attempt and asked the man another question.

"So if Travers faction is one side of the equation... is Roger Wyndam-Pryce opposing him?"

Another raised eyebrow later and Giles replied, "No. For now the two are allied and pushing for Travers to win the Head Watcher position. The main opposition to their collective block is Duncan Fillworthe and Archibald Lassiter."

"Ah. That makes sense. Could you do me a favor and find out everything you can about Wesley Wyndam-Pryce? He's another one of those people that show up heavily in my visions but there is something off. Maybe it's just that he's young and inexperienced but... he'll be important some day."

"Roger's son? From what I gather he did exceptionally well on the theoretical side of the Watcher exams but... " the man sighed and continued, "I will endeavor to find out what I can, discretely."

"Thank you. Well that's all for today I guess. Now I need Willow."

"Oh? Do share if you would, Nick."

"There is a fraternity in town that has been featuring in my visions. It's not entirely clear why but I'm sure it's not good at all. I need Willow to work her mojo to figure out who their members, and ex-members are, and which companies they are working for."

I could tell both Buffy and Giles wanted to speak up so I cut them off, "I think they are using magic to augment their good fortunes and as far as I'm aware... there is no single magics like that which isn't actively malevolent."

"Oh dear, yes, that would indeed imply something dreadful is going on behind closed doors. Why would you need information about their previous members still baffles me, Nick, if you would explain?"

I smiled wickedly, "Oh. I intend to use my massive paycheck, courtesy of Travers I guess, to short on every single one of their companies right before we take them down."

XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX

*Chapter 066: June 22nd, 1997-C*

"Hey Robert."

The Warlock nodded once and said, "You're still in one piece. Good."

I smile widely and replied, "Yup. Thanks to you I gather."

"Don't make a habit of it, boy. That being said... it's not like you could get any deeper in my debt."

Oddly enough I didn't even mind that.

"Alright. I'm driving to LA now. Care to join me?"

Robert frowned and seemed to consider it for a moment. He looked like he was about to reply but then turned and disappeared into his office.

Ok...

When the man came back out he wore his sunglasses, an exotic amulet around his neck and a fedora hat and asked me, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

I watched as Robert closed up his shop for the day and walked with me to my car in silence. By unspoken agreement we continued our silence until we passed the Sunnydale borders.

"Talk, Nicolas."

"I've had a successful parlay with the Mayor, Robert."

I could hear him abruptly suck in some air, "Boy... do you have any idea what that creature is?"

"Yes. Unfortunately I do. He's you and I but without our obsessive pride that stops the both of us from whoring ourselves out for power."

I kept my gaze on the road in front of us but was intensely aware of Robert's glare. A minute passed in silence, then another and then yet another.

Finally Robert spoke up, "That is... surprisingly accurate, Nicolas. What foolish pact have you made?"

"We have an agreement. I keep his secrets and he keeps mine. Beyond that... we trade favors."

"Obviously boy, you're still alive, tell me the gist of it."

We spent the next half hour going over the conversation I had with Wilkins. I told Robert about the favors I asked for and told him outright I couldn't share the specifics of the Mayor's requests. He slapped me on the back of my head and told me to stop assuming he's an idiot.

"What's the spirit of the agreement you made, Nicolas?"

"I acknowledge him as the lord of his demesne and he doesn't order me around."

Robert fell quiet again for a while and slipped into one of his trances. It was only when we reached the city limits of LA that the man spoke up again.

"You're playing with fire, boy. I... I'm doubtful about your chances of coming away from this as you are."

I nodded and replied, "Is he right, Robert?"

"About what?"

"Will I lose you if I continue keeping him as a lord?"

This time Robert's answer came a lot quicker, "What did I just tell you boy? Do not take me for a fool. Wilkins will have to pry you from my cold dead hands."

All I could do was smile.

XxXXxX

June 22nd, 1997

We finally arrived at our destination. The two of us got out of my car and sauntered into the establishment that was known as the Sanctuary. The bouncers at the door let Uncle Bob through without a second glance but demanded to see my ID and claimed they doubted a place like this was fit for a child.

Robert tried to interject but I simply smiled and showed them my magical school ID.

There wasn't a problem after that.

Caritas was... well exactly as the show portrayed it. Given the early hour it wasn't as packed as usual but the clientele that was present was varied. I saw demons enjoying a drink with other demons. There was an elderly couple, which smelled just like normal humans, having a quiet moment with each other in a corner.

All that was missing was the contingent of vampires.

"Greetings and welcome to Caritas!"

Lorne, the green Pylean demon with the red horns and eyes, suddenly materialized in front of us.

I simply grinned and said, "Hello."

The demon settled in to give me a slow once over and seemed to shrink in on himself before rallying and replying, "What can I do for you, traveler?"

"I'd like for you to read me, Lorne. After that I have a few questions for you."

"T-that is what I'm here for, sunshine. You can go up after the Trasque demons are finished."

Robert and I sat down after ordering our drinks at the bar. The bartender gave me the stink eye but a short growl later and his pale ass stopped bothering me. Robert chuckled and said I should at least try to place nice.

The two of us settled in to wait out the three or so demons ahead of me and for the first time I started regretting my supernatural hearing. My own voice may have not been amazing but damn... these creatures were just assaulting my ears.

"Sunshine, which song are you going to be delighting us all with?"

"Do I absolutely need to be accompanied by music? Or is my voice enough?"

The Pylean frowned for a moment, brightened significantly after a heartbeat and said, "No, if you just want sing that's fine too. You're not exactly like the others are you?"

The green skinned demon looked over at the creature walking off the stage and gestured for me to get up there. When I got in front of the microphone I saw Robert grinning madly. His slow winking was incredibly annoying which was probably why he did it.

I cleared my throat once and began shameless ripping off the future.

They see you as small and helpless.

They see you as just a child.

Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild.

Prepare for your greatest moments.

Prepare for your finest hour.

The dream you always dreamed about it suddenly about to flower.

We are lightning.

Straying from the thunder.

Miracles of ancient wonder.

Beware that the light is fading.

Beware if the dark returns.

This world's unforgiving even brilliant lights will cease to burn.

Legends scatter.

Day and night will sever.

Hope and peace are lost forever.

This will be the day we're waiting for.

We are lightning.

Welcome to the world of new solutions.

Roberts grin slowly evaporated throughout the song and I was curious about the reason until I looked over to Lorne. The green skinned demon was staring at me wide eyed and there was a trail of blood coming out of his nose and ears.

I ignored the polite clapping as I walked over to Lorne and reached the soothsayer just as Robert did. Lorne simply stared at me and even ignored Roberts poke in his sides. Then suddenly something seemed to change and the Pylean snapped out of his haze only to promptly pass out.

"Well... fuck."

Lorne's employees raced to the fallen demons side and attended to its needs. One of them turned to me and said, "This happens... sometimes. Just give him a moment to recover; drinks are on the house until he does."

This was obviously music to Robert's ears and the immediately demanded they bring a bottle of Four Roses Whiskey to be brought to our table. The employee looked like was about to complain but was interrupted by a stunningly beautiful lady in a three thousand dollar suit.

"Come on now, Frank. Give them what they want; if our sweet little empath is upset I'll pick up the tab."

I immediately felt the bottom drop out of my stomach.

The lady looked over at Robert and seemed to recognize him if her eager expression was anything to go by.

"I hope you don't mind but I simply had to come introduce myself to the Terror of New Orleans."

Robert scoffed but still accepted her extended arm when the women continued, "My name is Lilah Morgan and I work for Wolfram & Heart." She closed in a bit and whispered, "Did you know that your reign back in the eighteenth century over New Orleans is one of the case studies our bosses make us study?"

Holy.

Fucking.

Hell.

I kept a firm grasp on my facial expression but my mind was reeling from the implications. I knew my mentor was older then he looked but I had no idea he could give Spike a run for his money. I was also aware that you don't get to be called the Terror without doing something impressive but... I really needed to have some words with the man.

"Save your compliments for someone else, lawyer."

The sheer amount of cutting contempt the man put into the word was glorious. Lilah was obviously too experienced to blush but I could tell from her body language that she wasn't entirely comfortable anymore. I really needed to learn how to do that.

I was something my mentor and the Mayor, to a certain extend Giles as well, had in common. The ability to exude a presence that just daunted whoever was around them seemed extraordinarily useful and I would eventually make it mine.

"Yes, of course, forgive me if I have offended you, Monseigneur du Blanc. It's just that my bosses wouldn't forgive me if I didn't extend their standing offer to you."

"My stance has not changed, lawyer."

"But your actions have, Monseigneur."

The women looked over to me, flashed back to Robert, and said, "You seem more than willing to finally share you-."

I saw the telltale signs of an impending train wreck. Robert was seconds away from exploding and I knew from experience this would either end in blood or tears.

I wish I had popcorn with me.

The Warlock twitched his fingers minutely and the lawyer was forcibly thrown to the ceiling. I winced, remembering my own treatment, but still settled in for the show only to be disappointed when Robert didn't speak up.

Instead I felt his magic continually constrict the women until she stopped struggling. Once she did he let the spell fall away abruptly. The lawyer fell to ground awkwardly but managed to rally and get on her feet surprisingly quick.

"I'll take that as a firm maybe. I wish you the best, Monseigneur du Blanc." The lady turned to me and continued, "And apprentice."

She strode off as if nothing had happened, and boy did I admire her set of brass fucking balls, and I watched as she rejoined her cadre of lawyers who had been paying especially close attention to us.

It wasn't just them though. The entire club had its eyes on us and the even the bouncers had been called in. When they noticed the situation had calmed down they backed off.

Robert inclined his head towards our table and we headed back over to it after he floated the bottle of whiskey out behind him.

The Warlock obviously thought he knew I would be foolish enough to question him in public and seemed to try and distract me.

"What are you hoping he'll tell you?"

"I don't know. I wasn't exactly hopeful he could tell me anything. I'm more interested in the other answers I plan on extracting from him. About... you know."

The warlock simply nodded and passed a glass to me. When I raised my eyebrows and tried to remind him I was the one driving he just gave me a look.

"So heal the damage it does to you. Sometimes boy... ."

I just face palmed and thanked the man for his insight. The drink was smooth, tasty and a fair cut above what I was used to back home. I was just about to comment on it when I heard Lorne's dulcet tones.

"Well, well sunshine. That was quite... something. I think you're going to want to follow me to the back."

He turned towards Robert and said, "I'll have him back to you in no time, cupcake."

Oh boy...

I tried to head off yet another train wreck by throwing Lorne for a loop, "I suggest you don't address him like that again Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan... unless of course you'd like to end up as your older brother."

XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX -=-=-=- XxXXxX

*Chapter 067: June 22nd, 1997-D*

Lorne froze in his tracks for the briefest of moments before shaking off his confusion and heading towards his back office. I stalked after him but not before flashing a grin at Robert.

"How's my bark now?"

I walked away from with the sounds of his chuckle following me out of the room. Lorne was already seated at his desk when I arrived in his office and the green empath direct me to sit with him.

Lorne sighed deeply and said, "Well sunshine... I can't say I like the sight of your vibes."

"But you'll tell me regardless Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan."

"I cannot direct to your path, cupcake. That is not for me to do."

I wasn't so much surprised as much as disappointed. I didn't actually expect the empath to be able to help me but his admission that he couldn't... or wouldn't still stung a little.

"I see."

"No. No you really do not see sunshine. I said I cannot direct you. You're already being directed."

Well... isn't that just ominous.

I didn't bother replying and employed one of my favorite tactics. Just staying quiet until the other side blinks first and starts babbling.

"I have... a message for you. Don't ask me what they mean... I really don't know. Are you ready?"

"Shoot."

Lorne seemed to slip into an altered state, shiver exploded all over my body, and I heard him slowly chant, "From Before it Guides the ooze that eats itself. From Before it Watches the ooze that shone brightly in the night. From Before it was Betrayed."

I committed the words to my mind as best I could before taking out a piece of paper and writing them down. The words felt familiar but I couldn't really place them. It was as if I knew the truth of them before I had ever heard of it.

At the same time I was immediately struck by Sineya's warning; "Do not trust the Shadow Men. Their magic is tainted."

Good god... the complications staggered the mind. I guess I needed to figure this one out without involving Giles and his ilk.

"Thank you, Lorne."

"You're welcome, baby cakes. You... you said you had questions before?"

"Yes. I want to know under which post office the entrance to the Oracles can be found. I'd also like the addresses for these enterprises."

I had handed him a list, watched as he went over it, and finally heard him say, "The Orcacles... only those who are Champions can enter and trust me sunshine... you don't apply."

"The Powers disagree with you."

The shock on the green demons face was wonderful but I didn't have much time to enjoy it.

"Just write down the addresses, Lorne. I'd like get out of here."

XxXXxX

June 22nd, 1997

"Did you get what you came for, Nicolas?"

"That and a little more... "

I handed Robert the words I had written down on the note and was utterly shocked by his response.

"I can't read this boy. These aren't words."

What?

I took the words back, looked at them again, and noted that they were plain as English to me. I couldn't make head or tails of the situation and Robert wasn't much help either once I tried speaking the words to him.

"I'm telling you this isn't a language, boy."

Frustrate I bit out, "Then what is it?"

For the first time since I knew the man I could smell a sharp spike of fear of off him, "I do not know, Nicolas."

This is just fucking great. I guess what I told Buffy yesterday was true after all. The universe is trying to give me the finger.

"Fine. We'll figure it out somehow. Let's go see the doctor."

The two of us drove off to one of the businesses Lorne gave me the address of. The man we were going to see was called Dr. Sparrow and he was an on-again off-again consultant for the evil law firm Wolfram & Heart. The man specializes in fulfilling certain esoteric needs ranging from custom built drugs for cartels to downloading knowledge into people's brains.

When we arrived at the nondescript building I simply knocked on the door and waited. Less than ten seconds after the door swung open and a massively built demon came out.

Out of sheer reflex I fired off a Fortress and waited to see what would happen.

"What do you want?"

Robert immediately took the lead and spoke up, "We came for the doctor, fell beast. Stand aside."

I wasn't exactly sure why the man was being so gruff to the thing but wonder above wonder... it just stepped back and waved us in. I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth so we simply followed the demon through the maze of corridor until we finally reached the operating room where Dr. Sparrow was fiddling with his machinery.

His smooth voice greeted us, "What can I do for you two?"

This time Robert inclined his head towards me and I guessed that was my cue to start talking.

"I've heard you are a miracle worker, Dr. Sparrow. I would like to acquire your particular services."

The doctor scoffed at me and exclaimed, "Somehow I doubt you could afford them young man."

I so did not appreciate his smug tone but before I could respond he continued, "However... I will hear you out. What exactly do you want?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

That wasn't enough so I took another... and another.

"You offer knowledge implantations and custom built drugs. I want both."

Sparrow got a gleeful expression on his face and I swear I could see the gears turning in his mind. After a brief moment the odd doctor walked over to his desk and started rummaging for something. Robert busied himself examining the artifacts that lined the walls while I impatiently tapped my feet.

"I'll venture a guess, young man, that you do not have eight million for either service ready?"

Eight million?

"No... I didn't expect such a high-"

The doctor brusquely interrupted me, "Then why should I even consider this? My time and efforts are clearly beyond your means."

The man obviously made a good point but there was something about the way he said that set me on edge. I had several cards to play with Sparrow but I wasn't sure how to progress from here.

Blackmail was on the table, as was explicit threats, and in the worst case scenario... I was fairly certain the Mayor wouldn't even balk at the sum if I asked for him. What the money would cost me though... was unclear. Not to mention that one of the reasons why I wanted the procedure done was to give me a proportional advantage to the man.

The doctor apparently didn't like my silence because he bit out, "Well?"

I once again tried to settle myself down and when I was fairly certain I did I materialized a smile on my face.

"I guess I was hoping you would accept a quid pro quo."

Sparrow gripped his chin with his thumb and index finger and seemed to consider that.

"What would you possible have on offer, young man?"

My grin didn't as much as falter when I replied, "I've found that truly contented men are far and few between. Unless you are one of these precious few... I'm sure there are things you desire."

The doctor continued tapping his finger on his chin and said, "Perhaps I do. Perhaps I do not. Let's say that I do, young man. What guarantee do I have that you will be able to follow through?"

My reply came swiftly this time, "You do not. Life is uncertain, doctor. I doubt a man like you got where he is by... playing things safely."

Sparrow chuckled under his breath and replied, "Flattery won't get you anywhere... but that was a nice attempt."

"You're right, Sparrow. That was indeed me being nice."

The man's body language changed immediately and he hunched into a slightly more defensive posture before he exclaimed, "Are you daft, boy? Threatening me in my own office?"

I pulled at my Primal, laughed, and lightly growled, "Trust me when I say, doctor, you would know if I did."

I saw Sparrow's eyes fractionally widen before he replied, "Interesting."

I didn't bother replying and settled in to wait the man out. I had all day and with Robert close by... I wasn't exactly worried about what the man could throw at me.

"I decline, boy. Now get out of my office."

This wasn't exactly unexpected so I played my last card.

"Very well... it appears I'll have to go through the Wolf... Ram... and the Heart to get what I want."

I saw the doctors frown but still gestured for Robert to follow me out. I had already discussed this ploy with him so I wasn't worried about a freak out on his part... but I knew he didn't like my even implying getting involved with the law firm.

When we I almost reached the door though I spoke up again, "I do so wonder how they'll feel about your particular religious practices. I'm fairly certain they don't like sharing this world... do you Robert?"

Uncle Bob chuckled and nodded his in agreement and in the back ground Sparrow was rapidly turning pale. I could hear the man's hiss, the faint increase in heartbeat, and the sharp waves of fear that emanated from him. Now all I could do was hope he took the bait.

"Wait!"

I kept walking.

"I said wait!"

I slowly turned back towards the man and simply raised an eyebrow.

"W-what do you know?

"I know just enough to make things awkward, Sparrow. The Merciless and your own nominal... allies at the law firm... don't like each other do they?"

I could tell the man was quietly seething in fury, and not a little bit of fear, so I attempted to alleviate at least part of it.

"I on the other hand have nothing to fear from her. Especially since I'm aware of her Vahla ha'nesh and how very... very empty it stands."

"What!"

"This shouldn't have to be antagonistic, Sparrow. Would you like to make a deal with me?"

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*Chapter 068: June 22nd, 1997-E*

"H-how do you know all of this? Who talked! TELL ME!"

Sparrow certainly wasn't taking this very well. I walked over to the man, sat down on his desk, and patiently waited for the man to calm down. It took a little while but he finally got himself under control.

"I understand this is a shock, Sparrow. I hope the two of us can look past this and forge a working relationship that benefits us equally."

"How... what could you possibly say? What's stopping me from calling all of my security forces on your head?"

I clicked my tongue at the man and said, "If you were going to do you already would have, Sparrow. I'll even tell you who spilled the beans if you really must know."

The man took a moment to compose his fraying nerves and replied, "Tell me."

"Do we have an agreement, Sparrow? I'm not interested in half measures... I want the permanent mental upgrade and one drug concoction."

"Yes! Now... please tell me. I need to know who betrayed us."

"Good. It was the man you know as Knox. He foolishly kept a diary... which I assume was to be a safeguard in case the Senior Partners figured out he wasn't as loyal as he portrayed himself to be."

The shock was evident on Sparrow's face, "No... that can't be... he's-."

"He is the Qwa'ha Xhan... I know. He even had the sacraments sown over his heart... and yet the man is an accomplished liar. Is it really so farfetched that the little scientist boy would hedge his bets?"

If I didn't know the doctor would have gladly watched the world burn under Illyria's eternal gaze I might have felt bad for the grief that was etched all over him. His entire being screamed out in pain about the betrayal that went against everything he believed in.

Or not.

Fuck the kook.

The man's broken voice eventually came, "We... we have a deal young man."

"Thank you, Sparrow. Which mental upgrades do you have available?"

The doctor seemingly put himself together through sheer force of will and replied, "Quiet a few; ranging from enhanced deductive reasoning, any languages you could think of, most skills you could come up with and whatever knowledge you desire."

Wow.

Ok... there has to be a downside to this.

"What is stopping from people from stuffing their head fullwith all of the above?"

The man gasped and immediately replied, "In layman's terms... you brain would go splat. The best we could do is repeated exposure to the procedure and ease all of them in slowly but even that... it's risky."

"I need the languages, all demonic and human languages, and the deductive reasoning skills. How much more could I reasonably acquire?"

This talk about his specialty seemed to finally draw the man out of his haze when he replied, "Perhaps you might be able to assimilate a singular technical skill. The applications of it are extensive and varied though. For instance you could acquire every golfing technique in the world or become a reasonably gifted marksman overnight. The more you exercise with the skill after assimilating it... the better the result eventually becomes. It's a shortcut not an end result."

This was all extremely interesting to me but... not so interesting as to override myself preservation instincts.

"I'll just take the languages and the deductive reasoning skills."

The man sighed deeply and said, "Very well, young man. That procedure can be done immediately and is fairly straightforward. The custom drugs however won't be. What specifications did you want them to be?"

"Ah, before we get to that. As a token of my goodwill; I'll offer you another piece of valuable information. The Wolf, Ram and the Heart have blocked off the Merciless' dimension. When you are good and ready... contact me to open it for you. That is in case other means fail you, of course."

"And how do you know that?"

Time for another bald faced lie; "I felt the barriers when I hopped around from Pylea to this world."

"Oh. Thank you. My... my people will appreciate this."

"You're quite welcome, Doctor. About the drug... I need something that can kill a Slayer temporarily... and without any complications revive them. They only need to be 'dead' for minutes at the longest."

"Hmm... Slayer's have an extraordinarily strong constitution... this will take some time and effort. A deal is a deal though, young man, I will have it for you soon. Now; if you could sit over there we can get started."

XxXXxX

June 22nd, 1997

"This... is amazing, Robert."

"Instead of gushing about your stolen skills, boy, perhaps you could explain why you don't think the god damned God-King isn't a threat?"

We had left the doctor's office after what was, for me at least, a few hours of excruciating pain. The kind of pain that makes vampire bites feel like annoying little mosquito pricks. Once we got a decent distance from the fanatics office I finally answers Uncle Bob's question.

"Because, Robert, I'm going to use the Council to send a message to the 'Guardian of the Deeper Wells'... obviously."

The man scoffed, slapped me yet again, and replied, "What if the Old Ones container is already gone?"

"It can be recalled through a ritual the Guardian performs."

"I see. You are aware such powerful magic comes at a price?"

"I know, Robert... you have to be a Champion and you have to be willing to sacrifice thousands of lives. The thing is... her return is rather well set in stone. Prophecies can be a right bitch."

"Just last week you were unwilling to sacrifice a single person. What changed?"

"Nothing really did change. I mean... I'd still prefer not to get anyone killed. It's just that a couple of thousand of lives are cheap compared to the horror that an unleashed Illyria might cause."

"So the ends justify the means? I've been telling you this from the start boy!"

"Are you angling for an 'I told you so'?"

"Don't push me, Nicolas."

I probably shouldn't have started madly giggling but what can you do when the mood strikes you?

"What's next, boy?"

"We have dinner somewhere nice. I feel like splurging for a while. Oh... and we're going to contact the House of Lanier. I want to see how much I can make them pay me for some information."

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*Chapter 069: June 22nd, 1997-F*

"No!"

Huh?

"What do you mean no?"

Robert gave me a look that signified his plummeting levels of regard for me.

"I'm telling you, boy, I won't let you tangle with the Lanier's... or any other Wizard Firm for that matter."

That threw me for a loop. Robert had gleefully let me play with the Primal, didn't so much as bat an eye about my incipient warlord-ism , but apparently these firms were off limits? Instead of responding before my brain could catch up with my mouth I considered the possible issues.

From what I knew these firms were all family held companies of wizards that have access to generations of high individualized spells. Spells that could almost literally do anything you wanted them to do. I could see Robert's hesitation about letting me off all people come near them. I didn't understand why he felt any contact was off the table though.

"Ok. I'm not pushing the subject Robert but could you explain why not?"

The warlock sighed deeply and said, "It's... most my fault. If you had told me you wanted to deal with them earlier I could have guided you through the protocols. Unfortunately we were spotted by the Wolfram& Heart lawyer... which means that the entire city now likely knows I'm here."

"And this is a problem because... ?"

"It's because I'm the Terror, boy. I've made enemies, a significant chunk of them are obviously no longer an issue, but some of them have families with long memories. If they know I have an apprentice... they'll strike at me through you. I'm sorry I'm tying you down in this, Nicolas."

Oh.

To be frank it wasn't a major issue. I didn't exactly have a pressing need to deal with the firms and I actually was touched by Robert's concern about me.

"Oh. Ok, no problem."

"Nicolas... if you tell me what you wanted from them I can try my hand at acquiring it through other firms. Likely one of the very few I haven't pissed upon in my youth."

Well, wasn't that sweet!

"One of the other houses, a young firm led by Magnus Bryce, is planning on sacrificing his daughter in a year or two to his patron on his fiftieth birthday for an enormous power boost. I wanted to parlay that information for a handful of spells dealing with enchantments. It wasn't a big deal, Robert, but I thought it would make a nice surprise for Jonathan. Their magic is fairly useless to me."

"Bryce made a deal with the Yeska? I wonder... "

Robert fell silent for a moment and slipped into one of his trademark trances again. With nothing better to do I thought over my options. If dealing with the firms wasn't going to happen I might as well go back to Sunnydale after dinner.

I was just about to throw in the towel and cut the trip short when I made a startling connection in my mind. Perhaps it was Robert's rather uncharacteristic apology or my new mental skills but it wasn't pleasant.

These firms, wizards with generation's worth of spells and rituals, have managed to set up shop in LA. I obviously knew this but now I knew it. This town has some major players in it. Companies, people and creatures with frankly astounding powers...

And these wizarding houses managed to hold on to their turf. In a city where Wolfram & Heart have their main division they managed to thrive. Even a recent upstart house like Magnus Bryce's organization clawed itself into the power structure within a single generation. His grandfather had come to LA to make his fortune, succeeded, and had his son expand the operation.

And I was about to spill one of his secrets to a competitor.

God I was... such a fucking idiot.

Not only would this clearly involve me into this world... the backlash of having to deal with them would spill over to Sunnydale. I had no idea whether the Mayor could keep them away and considering he employed the services of a 'Seer' to finagle out the secrets of a relatively new firm didn't give me much hope on that front.

I pulled up my Primal to keep my budding panic in check and started my breathing exercises.

"Alright, Nicolas, go amuse yourself somewhere and I'll find you some interesting spells for your pet."

Before I could respond the Warlock floated out of the car while it was still moving and abruptly disappeared from my senses.

Oh fuck... .

Great, what do I do now?

I wasn't actually worried about being bored waiting for Robert, being in LA rather precluded that, but I didn't want to feel like I was wasting my time playing the tourist. Instead I decided to drop in on the UCLA library and acquire the book on portals.

I had just given my word that I would be able to assist the Illyria worshippers and perhaps disappointing the God-Kings fanatics wasn't a good idea. The thought that they might question Knox... not find anything... and conclude I was full of shit wasn't pleasant either.

I was fairly certain my mind was safe but the drug... fuck. How am I supposed to risk a Slayer's life with a drug made by someone who may or not have sufficient cause to fuck me over?

The mental upgrade was a double edged blade in the sense that I loved the speed at which I thought. It however also ticked off all the flags of my utter stupidity in the past. I firmly resolved to spend the next couple of days going over all my actions of the past month and a half... and see where I could improve.

I probably should have done this before but well... life got in the way. That really, really, wasn't an excuse though.

After a little over fifteen minutes I arrived at the library and walked up to receptionist at the desk.

"Hi, I'm looking for the foreign language section. Could you please direct me there?"

The receptionist looked at me funny and said, "Did you just come from a fantasy fair? That axe looks really good!"

Oh...

This isn't Sunnydale.

No Sunnydale syndrome keeping prying eyes away from me.

"Yes! Do you like it?"

"Oh definitely! Where did you have it made?"

I spent the next five minutes talking myself out of my fuckup and the young girl finally told me where to go. When I found myself in the occult/foreign language corner of the library I settled in for a lengthy search. After a good half hour, which felt more like a full day, I had to admit defeat.

I didn't exactly want to give up though so all that was left for me to do was to track down Professor Seidel's office. The man that was responsible for the disappearance of every promising student in his department that might grow to threaten him. I reminded myself I wasn't here to fix that situation.

All I needed was to get into his office, steal his books, and get out. Perhaps I was extraordinarily lucky I might even locate his handheld portal opening device. Considering the world I lived in though... this seemed fairly farfetched.

I tried asking a couple of students for help but they either pretended not to know or just didn't respond as they raced past me. Oh, right, the axe on my back. Finally though someone took pity on me gave me directions to Seidel's department.

When I arrived at the physics department led by the professor I strode in confidently and simply ignored all the curious stares that were sent my way. A few minutes of walking through the massive building led me to Seidel's office and wonder above wonder... no-one was in there.

Good. I was due some good fortune after the day I had.

I grabbed the handle of the door, looked around to see if the coast was clear, and pushed the door open. I heard the lock snap, the sides of the frame crumple, and I was in the clear. I needed to repeat the procedure again for Seidel's personal office and found myself staring at his wall of ancient books.

I dragged my finger across the rims of the books, trying to find the book I needed and was never more pleased about my newfound language skills and located the book I wanted. The experience was a bit odd in the sense that I didn't know which language was which so all of it read as Dutch to me.

Magic has some odd... intricacies.

I closed the book just as I heard footsteps entering the office. My first instinct was to open the window but before I could I noticed security system... I walked over to the window and saw a bunch of students enjoying a picnic right in front of the building. While that wasn't what had me upset it didn't help. No, the real problem was the campus security forces that of course were patrolling the grounds.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

While I wasn't worried about being caught on camera, thank you Angelic language runes, clearly I wasn't protected from setting off security systems by breaking down doors. My hesitation in extracting myself from the situation distracted me long enough for someone to find me in Seidel's personal office.

"Who are you and what do you-."

Professor Seidel looked at me, looked at the book in my hand, and reached for his pocket. I ran towards him but before I knew what happened the air around me shimmered and I knew no more.

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*Chapter 070: ?, ?-A*

Everything spun and I felt like I was being pulled into a million different directions. Strange pressures racked my body all over the place and the sense of sheer traumatic disorientation gripped me for long moments.

I appeared in midair and the first thing I felt was the awkward way in which I landed on the ground. The dirt was sufficiently loose to not really hurt but my disorientation didn't help matters at all. The first thing I did however was puke my fucking guts out.

Traveling through portals is not pleasant and fuck the ever living crap out of Charles Gunn for implying it is. When I had expelled the last of the contents of my stomach on the ground I recovered enough to look around.

My surroundings were compellingly serene. The trees and their branches danced in the wind, in the distance I could see the earth curving into small picturesque hills and the two sun's were surprisingly dim.

Yes.

Of course the bastard would send me to Pylea. Why didn't I just ignore the guards and jump out of the window? Was I worried they'd be able to chase me? The only thing I could be thankful of was that when I jerked my bracelet I felt a Fortress kick in just as hoped. My magic wasn't gone.

I let my Primal rush to the foreground and felt myself change. A light coat of fur exploded out my skin to cover every inch of me, my teeth sharpened, and my eyesight changed to include spectrums I wasn't even aware of. Claws erupted from my nails and I felt my entire being shift. My clothes felt incredibly restrictive but I mightily resisted the urge to rip free of them.

I had a tail now.

It was just a stub but...I have a fucking tail.

Despite my changes I knew I had butchered the actual Primal... I still felt surprisingly like me but... more and less. Maybe this was something I should consider more carefully...

Now wasn't the time for it as an incredibly strange smell hit my nostrils. The thing was circling me and I felt rage bubbling up from deep inside me.

Something is HUNTING me. RIP TEAR KILL IT NOW NOW NOW.

I was already running straight at the direction its footsteps came from before I fully comprehended was happening. The creature darted off towards me and that left me no time to regain control.

IT'S CHALLENGING ME. RIP TEAR KILL KILL KILL.

The grey skinned demon and I clashed in an orgy off violence. I scratched, bit and tore at it. My jacket kept most of its blows from actually hurting me but that wasn't anything that mattered at all.

KILL KILL KILL.

The whole thing passed in a haze for me. There were no barriers between my conscious thought and my actions. Impulses were acted out the moment a thought passed my mind. I bit a chunk off its neck just as I considered ripped its head off. My claws found themselves embedded in its throat when I thought about making it stop breathing. When the thing stopped moving I began eating bits of it when I noticed how delicious its blood smelled to me.

EXHILARATION PRIDE ROAR.

The whole ordeal was over in seconds and I slowly felt the haze of combat retreat.

Fuck. This didn't promise anything good. I needed to find a place to sit down and regain control.

That idea was nixed when I heard more things closing in on me.

MORE ANGER HATE FIGHT FIGHT.

When I caught sight of what it was approaching me I faintly noted I knew what it was. Horses, six of them, all carrying people on top of them encased in metal...

I was a split second from charging them when their leader, I didn't question how I knew which one he was, held up his hand and reigned in his pack.

"Hold! I said hold!"

I hunched down, readied myself to explode out at them, and waited.

"You killed the fell beast; you have our thanks for that stranger, what is your name?"

SUPPLICATION GOOD KNOW THEIR PLACE.

"I'm... call me.." I chuckled and continued, "Apex-Nick."

It just felt incredibly right when the humanoid demon nodded and spoke up.

"Greetings, Apex-Nick. I am known as Roth and I'm the Captain of these men. Please allow us to properly thank you for your service."

SUPPLICATION GOOD GOOD GOOD.

I grinned widely, licked the blood off around the edges of my mouth, and roared, "YES! Give me food."

The captain inclined his head towards me and directed one of his men to through me a package. It landed in front of my feet and I darted out to grab it. I ripped through the skins keeping it together and gobbled up the mix of cheeses and bread.

"Would you care to join us, Apex-Nick?"

SUSPICION!

"Why? Do not lie!"

The captain held out his hands and said, "Our people could use a fine warrior like you! Do not take offense, little one."

RAGE RAGE RAGE.

I exploded towards the captain and before the man could so much as twitch I was on top of him. I tore out a large chunk of his throat and the two us were thrown off the horse. Before the captain so much as touched the ground he had already stopped twitching.

I looked up at the other and roared, "NOT LITTLE! NEVER LITTLE!"

Their fear tasted perfect and when they backed off another one of them took the lead.

"W-we... we apologize for the offense! Please we do not mean anything by it."

SUPPLICATION GOOD GOOD.

"Lead on, new pack leader... I will follow"

The demon looked at his companions who all seemed to pass the buck. Finally he just nodded and turned barking orders. The entire group fell back to the road and headed off to where ever it was they were taking me.

I kept my distance from them and trailed them by virtue of their scents. After a good long time my nostrils were assaulted by the faint smells of burning wood, sweaty bodies and the other assorted smells you'd associate with a stinking medieval town.

The group of horsemen had thinned but now only the new captain and two of men were waiting for me at the gates.

"Please, Apex-Nick, wait here while we tell our Imperial General about your...accomplishments."

SUPPLICATION GOOD GOOD.

I nodded and settled down to languidly stretch over a reasonably comfortable rock. An indistinct amount of time passed before that same captain slowly inched towards me and threw a blanket roll over at me.

I didn't smell any food so I started growling which led the new captain to fall to his knees.

"T-that's only to make you more comfortable Apex-Nick. Please come with me to my General."

I grabbed up the blanket, sniffed at it, and threw it back on ground.

"Stinks."

The creature seemed to shrink into itself and babbled out incessant apologies. His abject submission was what was obviously due to me but the fear that accompanied it was intoxicating.

We walked through the gate and I was struck by all the demons that were peeking out from their windows at me. Did they think they could hide from me? If I didn't smell the assorted fears of the entire village I would have...

I was distracted when I saw the company of demons waiting at the square. The captain walked over to them but I stood my ground when I recognized one of them.

I roared out, "LANDOKMAR of the Death Wok Clan. I know your pack!"

I couldn't fault the green skinned demon's bravery when he walked over to me without so much as drawing a weapon.

"You know my name, Apex-Nick? What wonder; who is it that told you of me."

"The one known as Krevlornswath. He did me a favor despite his weakness at great cost to himself."

"Krevlornswath did you a favor? I did not expect that, Apex-Nick."

"Yes. I know of this place... " I lost track of where I was going with this but continued on regardless.

"I'm thirsty. Bring me something Landokmar."

The demon snapped his fingers and a human walked over to hand him a jug of something. Landokamar walked over to me, ever so slowly, and handed me the jug. I emptied it one deep flow and threw it back at him.

I looked around me again and noticed that the company of demons had all taken up position around me.

SUSPICION! TEACH THEM THEIR PLACE.

"Landokmar! You and the new captain die first if-."

The world spun out of control and I fell to ground. I passed out before I impacted it and my last thoughts were; BETRAYAL! RIP ROAR KILL ALL OF THEM ALL ALL ALL!

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