Author notes: please note that in many cases, the text below will reflect the character's opinions. These are neither always matching mine nor necessarily true.
Mike3207: well in this story, the Slayer's strength are not linked to Earth in particular. As you have seen, I am making the Buffyverse a part of the Planescape cosmology. You will have also some more reflection on the Rosenberg family in this chapter as well as an answer to your questions regarding family names (House here has to be understood as clan and a clan can have several families).
"What a mess," said Mystra.
She was looking at a world not unlike Toril except that… magic was a mess there. The little probes she had sent through the barrier here and there had allowed her to understand the situation while staying undetected. The Powers That Be, probably thanks to the advice of their Baatezu 'friends', had created a system riddled with loopholes so that magic often exacted an awful price of their users.
Or in short, makes it all the easier to corrupt anyone daring to use it… I think I guess how they sold them the idea. This way, the barrier is powered by the faith of Earth's mortals. Rather clever actually. The more they believe in their gods and the stronger the barrier preventing them from reaching the Outer Planes gets.
"And I think I know what Thoth wants to do. He wants to use Joyleen as a beachhead. But that won't work, unless he planned on having my predecessor do something for him."
She remembered the meeting she had held with the other Torilian gods of magic shortly after her ascension. The point had been to ensure the damage of the Time of Troubles was fixed but then… Thoth and Isis had been very eager to offer advice on how she could better hold her office. So eager that the bullshit senses she had developed after traveling for too long with Cyric when she was mortal had tingled.
"They want me to do something. Probably tear up the barrier while they ready to rush in."
She scowled. The whole point, the lesson Ao had wanted to drive into Toril's gods with the Time of Troubles had been about the old guard considering mortals like chess pieces. She knew how some of them thought. While, of course, they would never say it aloud, their worshipers were to them a mix of cattle and attack dogs. To them, it was just a big game of who got the biggest flock.
"They're like Sembian merchants maneuvering to get hold of a new market. They have forgotten their duty to the world."
She knew what Thoth would tell her, that she was just a naïve little girl trying to fill shoes too big for her. That she had no idea how the Multiverse really worked and should stay in her backwater world.
"It's not because they have done things that way for so long that it's the right way. The right way… the Time of Troubles…"
She scanned the barrier again. Something was nagging her. Lord Ao had dispelled the barrier on Toril very easily. Even if this one was stronger, it made sense that Lady Gaia could have done so as well.
"But she hasn't. The question now becomes: why?"
She thought for a while, looking at the data, wondering what to do. She was pretty sure that Thoth, probably helped by several other 'sneaky' gods of the old Earth pantheons, expected her to tear down the barrier. It was something she could do because the barrier would be unable to leech her power away like it could for the ones of the former Earth deities. Thoth probably had to adapt his plans as she had a different personality from her predecessor.
Unless my predecessor's demise was… no, even Thoth could not have planned for that. Convincing my predecessor of doing it to get Joyleen back then not bother about Earth anymore… easy, particularly given what she has on her finger. He thought that it wouldn't change much with me in charge. He's wrong. I know what the right thing to do is.
She delved deeper in her scanning spell, looking for the faintest presence. Here it was. It was different from the eerie feeling she got around Lord Ao. It rather felt like Sylvanus' aura but more ancient and more powerful. It was a heartbeat that resonated when magma flew in the Earth's molten core, a breath that felt like the wind on the ocean.
"Lady Gaia?" she broadcasted as delicately as possible.
Another feeling, more powerful, a voice that spoke in the roar of volcanoes. A yes followed by an interrogation: who are you?
"I am Mystra, my lady. I am a goddess of Toril, the world created by Lord Ao. I humbly ask for an audience."
More feelings coming more alert, more precise, hitting her probes like a swift wind. Mystra took the strands of power and weaved them, translating them so that they displayed as an illusion on the large mirror on the wall. The image of a middle-aged lady appeared in the mirror of her study. She seemed to be a harmonious mix of all human races.
"So you are one of Ao's… At least you are better behaved than my own children. Did you see what they did?"
"I saw it and I weep at what has become of magic on Earth, my lady."
"Magic… yes, you are Mystryl's successor. Tell me what happened."
"I am the third to hold that mantle my lady. Mystryl passed away a long time ago and was replaced by the first Mystra. More recently, three of the gods of Toril stole the Tablets of Destiny from Lord Ao, my lady. He punished them by sending them as avatars on the Prime Material Plane until the artefacts were returned. My predecessor died during what we called the Time of Troubles. Lord Ao chose me to ascend and replace her."
"An ascended mortal… the last one on Earth was the young Psyche, thousands of years ago, before most of my children left, leaving their servants in charge. Tell me, young one. Do you remember being mortal?"
"I do milady. It was only a few years ago."
"Hold on that sentiment. Too many of my children have become jaded, only caring about mortals for the energy their worship can grant them. So, young Mystra, what do you want of me?"
"When Ra's family came on Toril, a pact was passed with Lord Ao. It included a reciprocity clause."
"And how many worshipers do you intend to save?"
"I have but one on Earth, maybe three if two possible converts confirm their choice. However, I would like to offer much more."
"Offer?" asked Gaia with a bemused smile. "You are truly still a mortal in heart… or maybe I have become too bitter thanks to my children's ungratefulness. Tell me, then."
Mystra knew she had hit the mark. This was just like the Time of Troubles. Gaia was letting the barrier up. Was it because she wanted to teach them a lesson or had she just cast them out of the house? This was what she intended to discover.
"I offer to take the charge that was abandoned by Thoth and Isis. I offer to spread my Weave on Earth and dispel the poison of Baator."
"Why? Why would you do that for me?"
Right again, thought the young goddess. She must think that having them back will only worsen things.
"Because it's the right thing to do," replied the former mortal.
Gaia brushed her soul and Mystra lowered her defenses. She knew that the Elder Goddess could easily crush them if she so wished but this wasn't the point. This was about to prove she was different from the old geezers.
"You ask yourself why I did not simply remove their power," said Gaia. "Like Ao did in your world… maybe because I hoped it would be enough. Unfortunately, your suspicions are right and this is why I tolerated what my children's former servants and the Baatezu have been doing. Would you let the barrier stand if I asked you for it?"
"I'm sorry, but no. The Powers That Be think they can outmaneuver the Baatezu but they are wrong. Through my Chosen on Earth, I have seen a world teetering on the brink of destruction, each victory requiring darker sacrifices. I know I must act now and I see a way to prevent both the Baatezu and your brats from winning."
"By letting you and your Torilian friends be in charge. This may be worth it… even if only to see Zeus' face. Very well, I give you my blessing, young goddess. But be aware that like Ao, I am a being of Balance. If I allow you, I will also allow Cyric to come to my world. My wayward children though… I will only allow them if they show proper remorse about the way they treated their mother."
Mystra let her shoulders sag a little. Still, it was something she had more or less expected. Unfortunately, this meant that some of her potential allies like Tyr and Mielikki would have to do a lot of groveling to come back.
"I understand and I thank you for your generosity, Lady Gaia."
She felt the connection break. Now, she needed to act quickly. As much as she disliked it, she now had to play the chessmaster and move her own pieces…
Buffy sighed of contentment as she lowered herself in the hot water of the house's bath. The day had started in a rush, with Mandor giving her four new spells to learn before noon. She had pouted when she had seen the stack of texts but also known it was possible. Simple spells like those took around one hour for a trained wizard to learn. So she had gathered her wits and set herself to work.
Three out of four is not too shabby. Bed of Iron will be really practical if I have to sleep in my armor. Shocking Grasp was a given and Expeditious Retreat… guess the guy who invented the spell mostly wanted a way to run away from danger but for me… come to me sweet tactical speed. This leaves Color Spray out. Illusion spells are really picky on the details. I will have to rework on it later.
Of course, it had been when Viviane had come back from a job for the Society of Sensation and decided to see if Mandor was turning her into a frail bookworm. That had meant a lot of sparring, with live blades and armor so that they had true combat conditions. It had been… a pleasurable torture. Pleasure because she had never met someone with such a level of training, except maybe Angel. Torture because of the way her body ached now…
The Storm Riders would go through the Master's vamp horde in less than five minutes… rather two if I understood correctly Neti's explanations on positive energy channeling.
Positive energy. From what she remembered of her science classes, the expression would make little sense to a scientist from Earth and probably even to someone like Giles. It wasn't that the concept was unknown, but not under that… quaint name the planewalkers gave it. Giles would probably rather talk about things like Life Essence or maybe Yang Chi. Where it became truly interesting was that divine spellcasters like Neti or Viviane had an affinity with the thing and could channel it for various effects, including healing the living or burning the undead.
Because the undead work with negative energy…
Another thing she had discovered since she arrived in the planes was that things were far less simple than putting everything in the 'demon' bag. There were many types of creatures and she now realized that she had probably never met what a planewalker would call a demon.
Thankfully I should say. From what Viviane told me, Tanar'ri are stronger than Baatezu on a one-on-one basis but my favorite fascist fiends compensate with discipline.
"Buffy, sorry to disturb you, but I need to talk to you," said Mandor's voice from the changing room area.
"Cannot this wait?" she asked back. "I just got in."
"Unfortunately, no. I had a call from a friend and I have to leave in a few moments."
"So If I want the Dream spell today, it's now, right?"
"Yes."
She sighed. So much for her nice, resting bath.
"Give me two minutes to get dry and dressed. Doing it while I soak in the bath… not of the good."
"I will be upstairs," he replied, exiting the changing room.
She lost no time and got out of the bath. A burst of magic and she was dry, thanking once again the cantrips she had learnt in the last days. She looked at her clothes and decided not to bother with underwear and to just put her tunic on. It was long enough to cover her strategic areas if she didn't move too much.
I'm going to bed anyway.
She rushed upstairs, toward her room. She saw Mandor's raised eyebrow at her clothes and smiled sheepishly. She quickly went under her sheets and he laid his hand on her brow.
"I'll see you tomorrow," said Mandor. "Sweet dreams, Buffy."
She felt herself go into the spell's trance again and thought intensely about her Mom. This was the second time and she found her easily but there was something, a resistance. The mindscape suddenly materialized in an endless space of gray mist. In front of her stood a bronze gate bathed in silvery flames. Using the techniques she had learnt these last days, she quickly memorized the symbols engraved on the door. The flames danced in tongues that didn't burn, caressing her dream body before they retracted and pushed to open the gate.
Defenses… Giles' doing?
She went through, feeling the now familiar contact of her Mom's mind. A jolt of power and she materialized the dreamscape she wanted, a representation of the streets of Sylvania. Also, her Mom would see her in full adventurer garb, including the chain shirt and longsword she was now used to.
"Hi, Mom. Sorry for the long time without calling but… it hurts to do it like that, knowing that you received the message but not what you think of it. Bertuccio – he's Mandor's butler by the way – convinced me that I should anyway, so that you know I'm all right. I have a hundred questions but… well as you cannot reply I will have to do with just telling you about me."
She paced a little in the street, finally leaning against a wooden pillar.
"I studied hard those last weeks. I'm a confirmed wizard now, specialized in Aeromancy," she said, internally proud that she had not defaulted to an easier word like Air Magic. "I only know a few spells but Mandor says I've got a gift for it and…"
Joyce was humming while she prepared some breakfast for her guests. She had spent a very good night, Buffy having sent her another dream. She smiled as she let the special herbal tea simmer.
My little girl is learning magic!
Sure, her daughter's choice to specialize in Aeromancy was unusual from her Netherese perspective. Elemental Schools were not really developed in her home country's academies. They were more well-known in another country of Toril: Calimshan. A country that owed much of its magical traditions from its dealings with the djinns.
In the end it doesn't matter. What matters is that she is a true daughter of Netheril. I'm so proud!
She turned to look at the person entering the kitchen. It was Sheila, wearing one her old flannel bathrobes that she had left for her guest to find. The woman was holding her own shoulders, almost shivering. Joyce could easily see that it wasn't some kind of physical affliction but that the haunted eyes of the human were very similar to the ones of her then innocent self when she understood about the Slayer.
"Good morning, Sheila. How do you feel?" asked the half-elf.
"Disturbingly sane," replied, the other woman as she sat at the kitchen island, just in front of Joyce.
"An interesting statement, one that requires elaboration. I have something here that will help you shake off the aftereffects of the snake's venom," said Joyce as she poured a cup of amber-colored tea and set it in front of her.
"You will understand, I suppose, if I am wary about taking a… home remedy given what happened."
"Perfectly. This is a mild stimulant but it also has a calming effect on the libido, overall helping you to stay concentrated. In my home country, it was used by some students during exam sessions."
The psychologist took the cup and looked at her host. The word home country called a lot of questions to mind but one was fairly evident with what she was seeing. She inhaled a little of the vapor coming out of the beverage and effectively felt it chase the fog in her brain away. She took a sip.
"Interesting taste. You like it spicy on Vulcan, I suppose."
Joyce chuckled. It was true that she had not bothered to hide her ears or the fact her eyebrows had taken that upward bent the Star Trek aliens had.
"My world is called Toril but it is true that I have something in common with Spock. I am half-human."
"There are humans on your world?"
"Yes. To make things clear, Toril is a 'parallel Earth' kind of world. Also, the other half of me is elven, not Vulcan. By 'disturbingly sane', I suppose you meant that you are somehow able to consider all of this with a rational mind."
"Yes. There is a part of me that wants to think everything that happened yesterday is some kind of psychotic episode, that I am still hallucinating. After all… an aphrodisiac venom capable of having me slut myself in front of everyone in mere seconds? A giant hand of silvery light? Making love with an alien? It would be far more comfortable to think that my marital issues made me crack."
"But you don't."
"No… this is amusing in a way because I think I have to thank that… demon for it."
"How?"
"I thought about it after Hasiar left me to rest. After he gave me the most mind-blowing experience… so, the first thing Willow asked to the demon was why she was bewitching us. Conclusion, my behavior since I arrived in Sunnydale is suspect. From there and seeing Ira and I's behavior, it was easy to understand that my personality faults had been reinforced, my buttons pushed. My current problem is where that fault lies."
"This kind of demon has indeed mind-altering powers. They can force people to do things against their will but they have also subtler tools, ways to seed ideas in someone's mind. I suppose…"
"No, you don't have to tell me the possibilities of such a power in the hands of a skilled psychologist. In my case, my marriage was already shaky but… I suppose Ira and I still tolerated each other for Willow's sake even if we didn't want to admit it. The demon removed my ability to lie to myself and was probably on her way to turn me into a sociopath. Suddenly it was just facts assembling to a conclusion and the most efficient route taken. Applied to yesterday… and to all the things I observed in Sunnydale but just dismissed, then I arrive to the conclusion that magic is real. It leads me to a lot of other questions, some of which you may agree to answer. The first of those is actually a confirmation. I have my own theory but I would like to know why you think people do not notice it."
"In your world… I suppose it will vary depending on the area. For Westerners, I suppose is it as the Smoking Man said in one X-Files episode: 'they don't want truth. They want happiness.' It is better to ignore it. Better to believe there are gangs on PCP than to acknowledge the existence of vampires."
"How does your world cope with it?"
"Again, there will be variations. In my home country… magic is just part of life. Everybody can do at least one or two cantrips and most of those with the capacity learn to do more. So demons, undead? Our police force is trained to deal with it. We have laws to define which magics are legal and which aren't. As you can guess, demon summoning is a capital offense unless you have a special governmental dispense."
"So, Willow…" asked Sheila, suddenly afraid.
"If you are afraid of what I will do about her, don't be. Willow needs guidance, not punition. This leads me to a question of my own. As her mother, do you agree to her becoming my apprentice?"
Sheila finished her cup of herbal tea, feeling once again the conflict in her soul. The demon's taint was still here, short-circuiting any concern of her about to just go hug her daughter and take her far away from all of this, to a place where she could be a normal girl. But that other, darker part was again just shoving facts in front of her.
"Darkness, once gazed upon, can never be lost," she quoted, recognizing the futility of trying to flee it. "How much can she already do?"
"Enough to be considered a professional in my home country. A poorly-trained one, however. She mostly needs someone to fill the gaps in her basics and give her a strong work ethics. Mistakes are often fatal in our line of work."
"Then I suppose we have no choice. I will convince Willow if she doesn't agree by herself. However, I have one condition. I want to learn too. I was a victim because of my ignorance. Never again. I can take a sabbatical."
Joyce looked at Sheila, gauging her, calculating.
Her psychology training will give her some serious insights about the workings of Enchantment magic… let's do it. I took her in my House too so better to train her properly.
"Very well. One last thing: Ira. I asked him to renounce to any rights on Willow and you."
"And he did of course," she replied with a sigh. "I would like to believe it was just the demon's taint speaking when he said that. Thanks to my own taint, I know better. What Willow is… what I will become… this is not something he can accept, even without the taint. His family… they will probably remind him that I was not good enough for him."
"How so?"
"Simple. He is from a very old Jewish line, going all the way to the old kingdom, and counting several famous rabbis. As for me… let's just say that they made me feel that I was barely better than a Gentile in their mind."
"Where does your family come from?"
"Russia, my maiden name is Shapiro. My grandmother was a maid at the imperial palace in Saint-Petersburg and managed to leave the country with my baby mother shortly before the revolution. She often told me stories about the Romanov when I was a kid."
"Your grandfather didn't make it?"
"I never knew who he was. Not a Jew is about all I can say about him."
Where am I… right, Faith's room, thought Willow as she felt the sun creeping on her skin as the morning rose.
She stretched languorously in the bed, feeling the sheets glide on her naked body. This was the first time in weeks that she felt truly rested. It was also the first time that she awoke without that need burning between her legs. Sure, thinking about what she did in that bed last night triggered the now familiar tingle but… it left her with a dreamy smile and maybe, just maybe, a desire to play with herself. It wasn't a maddening, uncontrollable need.
Like Esegolt told me when we cuddled last night… having sexy fun is not evil. But what L… Malcanthet does is. What she does is making sex a need, a drug. To her this is about using people, about degrading them.
She remembered how her mood had evolved during last night. First, her anger at Tasha when she realized her familiar was toying with her parents' minds. Then the quick pain when the snake bit her, quickly replaced by a need to orgasm so powerful she didn't care about anything else. People around? This just made things more exciting to know that she had a public. She had even looked at her mother and thought something like: "She seems horny. I'm sure she will help me to get off."
She shuddered at the thought of what could have happened. Thankfully Esegolt and his brother had intervened on Mrs. Summers' orders. When the former touched her, her mood had swung curiously. Just before, it had been that mindless lust, the need that saw in him just a way for her to get pleasure. Then, at the moment of contact, an instant of revulsion.
I bet the demonic essence in my body reacted to his angel blood…
After… it was the after that left her with a dreamy smile. The burning need had subsumed. She still felt horny but in a different way. This wasn't about how to reach orgasm as quickly as possible anymore. This was about desire. She wanted him to desire her and she had allowed a little of her shyness to show again, to make her look, if only a little, like a virgin waiting to be ravished. He had taken his time to bring her to pleasure, also teaching her how she could be a good lover herself. She knew it had not been love as this kind of bond did not exist between them. Yet, this had been more than physical pleasure. At some moments, she thought she could see huge mountains and hear the wind rush between the snowy peaks, Pegasi playing on the fierce currents.
She got up, half-expecting to be sore and aching but finding her deliciously refreshed. The only thing she really needed was a shower. Yes, a good shower to wash away what was left of Tasha's taint and also of her smell…
"Oz…" she muttered.
She started to shake, tears running down her cheeks. She had cheated on him even if she had some extenuating circumstances. She knew that his wolf side was very jealous and she didn't want him to try anything against Esegolt. She didn't want two of the most important men in her life fighting about her. She would come clean with Oz, tell him she would understand if he never wanted to see her again.
"You all right?" asked a voice from the room's entrance.
"Eeep! Faith!" said Willow, reaching for the sheets and draping herself in them. "I'm naked!"
"Sorry, I thought that as it was just us girls… unless…" she said, raising an appreciative eyebrow.
Willow blushed and realized she felt the familiar tingle between her legs returning.
Probably some leftovers from Tasha's venom, she thought, smiling nervously. That must be… no, stop it. Remember what Esegolt said. Be true to yourself. Don't care about what those stuck-up Archons – wonder who he was talking about – say. If you like girls too, that's no big deal.
"You know that I could find a flat for Willow and I," said Sheila as she watched Joyce trace some symbols on the wall with glowing silvery paint.
"As I will have to teach to the both of you, it will be far easier to house you here. Plus it will save me some time for tonight's meeting."
"I still fail to see how…"
Joyce just smiled, coming back to the circle drawn on the floor at the center of the living room. She stood in the small inscribed triangle in front of it.
"Everyone on the couch without your feet touching ground," said the half-elf. "Also, don't speak while I call him. He can get a little grumpy."
The three women nodded while they took place. Sheila could see the look of concentration on her daughter's face and guessed that she was using a kind of magic sight to observe what was happening at another level.
Joyce started to incant and there was suddenly a crack in the living room's floor, at the center of the circle. Another sentence from the archmage and something started to rise. Sheila first thought it to be a rock but quickly realized it was vaguely humanoid and quite mobile.
Their host started to talk to… him, it was a him, Sheila remembered. She was not using any human tongue but something that sounded like the fall of stones during a landslide, the clang of hammers on metal and the low rumble of earthquakes. Sheila quickly got the impression that the two beings were… negotiating something. Finally, the alien creature nodded and Joyce dispelled the circle around him with a wave of her hand.
Another incantation started and the people on the couch started to feel strange, like if they were put through a roller coaster. The creature was sinking in the ground again but this time it did not seem to go elsewhere. It was rather as if it was dissolving in the house's floor and walls, his essence joining the ones of the wards.
Around them, the walls started to warp and the furniture to move. There was something like a hiccup and everything stopped, all the symbols drawn on the walls having disappeared.
"Is it… a failure?" asked Willow.
"No Willow, it worked as intended. It is just that I cannot have the… public areas of the house look too much out of the ordinary. For now. So the changes are on the other floors."
"People won't notice it?"
"As far as the rest of the planet is concerned, this house is still occupying the same volume," replied Joyce with a grin.
"You put the other floors on that Shadow Plane you told me about?" asked Faith.
"No. While doing things that way is possible, I prefer to work with extradimensional spaces in such matters. In short the house is its own pocket universe, an anomaly in the space-time continuum."
Sheila looked at her daughter, seeing the weird face she was doing. She thought she knew why. Ironically, the teenage witch's instruction in traditional magic was a hindrance.
"Willow, stop thinking in terms of traditional rituals and occultism," she said. "Think that Joyce is an alien from a civilization that uses spells instead of machines to apply physics, chemistry and so on."
"But magic and science…" said Willow. "I mean, I know that they can work together, Miss Calendar was a technopagan and there was that time where we scanned a demon in the Internet but…"
"But science is a method to understand the multiverse," cut Joyce. "Analyzing phenomena, deducing models, that's what science is about. The tools used by science are what changes between Earth and Netheril. As your mother said, machines and spells. Technology and wizardry. Two paths to use science to master reality. As for what I did here, this is a variation on a relatively common spell called the Magnificent Mansion. By contracting an Earth Elemental during the spell, I make it permanent and allow for more flexibility. By the way, we human women have absolutely no sex appeal to his own species and he will only make himself known in case the house need to be defended so… who is with me about trying out the thermae I installed?" she asked with a grin.
Rupert Giles paused as he set foot on the grounds of the 1630 Revello Drive. He looked at the house, searching for clues, for anything abnormal. Everything seemed to be in place and yet…
"Something wrong?" asked Xander.
"No," he said while he started to clean his glasses.
The little group soon reached the door and Cordelia rang. Faith arrived to open almost immediately and let them in without a verbal invite.
"Faith," he said.
"Will is all right, Xan," replied the Slayer as she led them in the living room. "She just needed to rest today."
"Giles?" asked Cordelia as she watched the Englishman stare at the house's walls with round eyes.
The Watcher snapped out of his contemplation.
"Listen all," he said, "we have to…"
"What Rupert, get the hell out of here?" asked Joyce, grinning as she came out of the kitchen with a tray loaded with refreshments, soon followed by Sheila who held another tray.
They all looked at her. In many ways she was the woman they knew but her traits…
"Live long and prosper, Mrs. Summers," said Oz while making the Vulcan Peace sign.
"Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo, Daniel," replied Joyce with a kind smile, "though I must say that Tolkien's Quenya would be considered… a strange dialect where I come from. Anyway, please all sit down. Rupert, you have my word that you are in no danger in my house."
"I guess that Mrs. Rosenberg is aware of the supernatural now," said the Watcher.
"Yes, due to circumstances I will explain."
"Ms. Summers," said Oz. "I came here because Willow asked but I need to tell you…"
"Tell me, Daniel, do you feel the Moon?"
He frowned. He tried not to think about it but it was true that at this time of the month, he could always feel the moon, particularly when it would soon rise. Except he wasn't.
"How?"
"I will explain it all. For now, just know that your lycanthropy cannot activate here."
Sounds came from the stairs as Willow came in, wearing one of her black gothic outfits. The redhead teen could feel the stares of her friends on her body. This was not something she had already worn in their presence, only when assisting Faith in her Shadow guise. In particular, she could feel Cordelia's gaze who was doing more than judging her fashion sense. She suddenly remembered something the other teen had told her about her travel to a parallel universe where she had met a vampire Willow.
"It's alright," said the teenage witch. "I'm still alive," she added, pointing her reflection in the mirror. "I just wanted… no more lies."
"Will, what did happen?" asked Xander. "Is this truly…"
"Yes, Xander, she is truly Ms. Summers but… we never really knew her."
They all sat down, two groups constituting, one around Joyce and the other around Giles. Finally, Nyctimene flew in the room and perched herself on a cupboard.
"Oh my! Such a stare, Rupert," said Joyce. "What did I do?"
"Giles?" asked Xander. "Should we…"
"It doesn't matter anymore. The trap's jaws have shut down the moment we entered the house."
"I suppose you are referring to my wards… they are here to protect the privacy of this house and offer various degrees of defense against magical and physical threats. Using them against guests though, would be… rude. Rupert, did the old boys in that London club send you my medical records?"
The Watcher nodded back. He had started to look for inconsistencies in Joyce's background after the dream and her slip about the owl.
"Giles, what does she mean?" asked Xander.
"That Joyce Summers one day appeared as an amnesiac ten-year old child in a forest in Oregon. No records anywhere, no memories of her past. It seems now it was the way she used to insert herself in human society."
"Nothing so well planned, at least not by me," replied Joyce. "What exactly happened is for me to know at this point. What I will tell you is the following. My years as Joyce Summers were true and my personality is not that different. I just regained the appearance that was mine before and the memories of my past."
"Which leads to a question. If Joyce Summers is… your official identity, who are you really?" asked Cordelia.
"Good question. I am Joyleen, daughter of Ioulaum, a mage from Netheril. I came on Earth… a long time ago to explore your world on my country's behalf."
"And you're an elf?" asked Oz.
"Half-elf actually, on my mother's side. I called this meeting for several reasons. One was to make you realize what I am. This may cause some of you to distrust me or even declare me an enemy. I am almost sure that the Watchers' Council will – at the very least – consider me dangerous. They are going to try to take Faith away from me."
"And I suppose you will retaliate if they try," said Giles.
"Retaliate is not the word I would use, Rupert. I will consider any attack against my family as an act of war against the Empire of Netheril. I also want you to know that my home culture is in many ways similar to the one of the Imperial Rome."
Giles paled. He had felt the wards. He had seen their power and their intricacy and knew that the Council's most proficient warlocks would need years of complex rituals to weave something that would look like a rough draft of what he had seen. A draft of wards that had been woven in less than a month by this woman. He also knew his history. He knew Rome and a nation of such powerful spellcasters with that mindset… She was alone and they should be able to stop her, but at what cost?
"So, what do you want with Willow and Faith?" asked Xander.
"Faith is my daughter through the laws of magic and the ones of Netheril. The official papers for the law of this country will soon be filed and I expect the Watchers not to try anything against it. In exchange, my House will make sure the Hellmouth stays sealed and we will put Sunnydale under control. Rupert, you may stress that I will not try anything to get the second Slayer under my influence. As much as I despise your organization's methods regarding the Slayer, I recognize your work. Just do not force me to take steps that would make this same work very difficult. Regarding Willow… well I guess we could play whose fault it is for long but in the end it doesn't matter. Willow did no worse than you did. She dabbled, took one risk too many and paid for it."
Joyce made a gesture and a statuette of pink marble floated on the coffee table between them.
"Tacky," said Cordelia, which made Faith bit back a chuckle.
"Cordelia," said Willow, "this is not some bad art. It is a demon Mrs. Summers turned to stone to save me."
"Why not simply kill it?" asked Oz.
"Good question," replied Joyce. "The demons you met so far in Sunnydale were rarely what I would call such. In fact, only the Hellmouth's creature you fought and maybe the ones called the Judge and Acathla may be so. The others… monsters surely but demons not so much. Anyway, the problem with real demons is that they are not creatures of this plane. When you kill them, their soul just go back to the Lower Plane they come from and they form themselves another body. So if you want to put them out of the picture, you need to trap them, not kill them. This particular demon is one that seemingly serve a spellcaster as a familiar, often presenting itself under a friendly guise. It has powers of suggestion and…"
"And it destroyed our family," said Sheila. "True, things weren't that good between my husband and I but… that demon made sure everything would just blow up. We suppose its plan was to make my husband so mad that Willow would have had no choice but to kill him to protect us. Now…"
"It's all right, Mom, I'm here," said Willow, hugging her. "We'll manage together."
"So that such mistakes do not happen again, I am taking Willow as an apprentice," said Joyce.
"I suppose you have the necessary resources?" asked Giles.
"It will be simpler for me to show you. It will also serve a point as some here cannot sense the wards like you do and have little reason to believe me. Please follow me."
She got up and led them to the cellar's stairs. Xander started to frown. He knew the place and the stairs had just been your standard wooden basement stairs, at least until tonight. Now, they were made of stone and the walls around them quickly let place to an arched ceiling. It could have looked a little like some things he had seen in crypts in some of Sunnydale's graveyards but a lot tidier.
Faith opened a steel door at the bottom of the stairs and let them in. Beyond it, domed ceilings and arches again but definitely not with a crypt vibe. Too tidy, too much white stone. And yes it was definitely familiar except that place didn't exist for real except maybe as some movie décor.
"Oz buddy… you think what I think," he said softly.
"Lex Luthor's lair in the old Superman movie," replied the other teen. "But with different furniture. More modern."
Xander nodded back, trying to put a style on the furniture.
"If we had a doubt on her identity, this place has Ms. Summers' style written all over," said Cordelia.
"What do you mean?" asked Xander.
"The art pieces are things I have seen in her gallery and their placement shows the same logic as the one she would use. As for the furniture itself… definitely art deco. I like it."
They turned to look at Joyce, seeing her leaning on a white marble rail, a bemused smile on her lips.
"So, what do you think of my latest refurbishing?" she asked.
"Were are we?" asked Giles. "This place cannot physically fit under the house. Even the stairs that led here were too short considering the ceiling's height."
"Rupert, two concepts: impractically long scarves and blue police box."
"Good Lord," he replied, starting to clean his glasses nervously.
"Hem… can someone explain?" asked Cordelia.
"This is a pocket universe," said Willow. "We are still in the house but what the house contains is now a lot bigger than what can be seen from the outside."
"Got it," said Oz. "That's why I'm not feeling the Moon. Because we're in a place without one. No moon, no werewolf."
"Exactly," replied Joyce.
"If you can do all this. Why can't you bring back Buffy?" asked Xander.
"Now, this is where it gets complicated," she said as she led them to a ring-like table surrounded by eight chairs. "I need to tell you about who are really the Powers That Be…"
"You seem awfully busy," asked Neti as she entered the library of the Storm Riders' home.
"Hmm… yes," said Buffy, not even raising her head from the tome she was studying. "I saw some strange things when I sent a Dream to Mom and I'm trying to understand what I saw."
"As in?"
"Mom's mind was warded. I'm not sure if it was because of the place she was in or something cast on her but I saw some symbols on the wards and I'm trying to identify it… I need to know if it's a danger to her."
"Maybe I can help?"
"Sure, my drawing of the symbols is here."
"Hmm… I don't know for the others, but this one is a symbol for Mystra, the Torilian goddess of magic."
"You're sure?"
"Certain."
Buffy laid back in her chair, trying to add the clues together. First clue, her Mom had no idea where she came from. Second clue, the ancestry spell backfired in a very showy way when it tried to check her Mom's bloodline. Third clue, there were wards with the symbol of a goddess from Vivian's world around her Mom's mind.
"Conclusion, my Mom is a half-elf from Toril," she said aloud.
She rose and went through the stacks, finally taking a thick volume and the translation glasses.
"Neti, what do you know about the Imaskari?"
"They are not a popular subject in any land under the Eye of Ra, Buffy. Why do you think of them?"
"They are the only almost sure contact between Earth and Toril, so if Mom…"
"Doubtful," said Neti, shaking her head. "The Artificers only worshiped themselves. But we can still explore that lead."
He got out of the limo and looked at the town, his cloven feet tapping audibly on the asphalt.
"Sunnydale… and Faith. Finally I found her. I'm going to rip her spine out of her body, then I'm going to eat her heart and suck the marrow of her bones. She is here. Trick? Find her."
"Yes, Master Kakistos," replied a black man in an expensive suit.
Gaming notes
Sheila has now set up on a path to retrain her 4 Expert levels into 4 Wizard (Enchanter) levels.
