"We have to hit them fast, and hard", Buffy recapped their plan for the rescue mission at the exact same moment, making the rest of the Scoobie Gang nod in agreement, "we can't even give them time to think and realize what is going on. Willow, the spells?"
"Ready", Willow gave back at once, her face pale, but full of resolve and determination, "so let's go, I am not leaving her there one second longer than I have to."
Nodding, Buffy gripped her sword tighter, prompting the rest of the group to do the same; with the exception of the witch, they all were armed to the teeth, and the blonde thought to herself that it was a miracle none of them were clanking loudly as they headed to Giles' car, the Brit and Xander in the lead, Anya right behind, Willow and her bringing up the rear.
"Let's hope nothing will go wrong", Buffy mumbled after they all had piled into the car, making sure that they wouldn't accidentally cut each other up with their swords and axes, "the last thing we need now is that all of us get captured."
"It won't go wrong", Willow replied, with more confidence than she actually was feeling, "if no one messes up, that is."
Nodding, the Slayer held back a comment about this was exactly what she was fearing; instead, she looked out the window, breathing slowly and deeply as she focused on the upcoming battle. If everything went according to plan, there wouldn't be much to fight, as she very well knew; still, there was always the possibility of something not working, of the spell not affecting them or simply going wrong, and she wanted to be ready for all scenarios.
Just like they had during the first trip to the mansion, Giles parked the car two blocks away from the mansion; none of them wasted any time on speeches, all of them merely getting out of the car and starting to walk again, Willow taking the lead now as one of her spells was the first attack they'd launch against their new opponents, her Resolve Face now firmly in place, one hand clenched around the small bag filled with powder she had tied to her belt.
When the mansion came into view, her heart started to beat faster, but she didn't falter or slow down her steps; instead, she untied the short bit of string with one hand, then grasped the pouch firmly, feeling the reassuring weight of the powder inside it and the stones she had tied to it so it'd fly properly, Buffy catching up to her just as they reached the mansion, the look she was giving her being more than enough as the signal that she could get started.
In response, the witch took in another deep breath, focusing on the magic she could feel within her; and then, she brought back her arm and threw the pouch, the window she had aimed for shattering as it hit the glass and flew through it, the witch snapping out the words for the spell just as the pouch hit the floor and burst open. "Nos nebulosus!"
Just as it had been intended, the spell took effect immediately, thick mist rising from the powder on the ground and quickly spreading; surprised cries came from all over the house, but none of them paid them any attention as Buffy simply kicked the front door open with the aid of her Slayer strength and they all rushed towards the stairs leading into the cellar, Xander using his axe to strike down a startled looking man on the way, said man falling without even getting out a single sound.
In in front of him, Willow mumbled "illuminate" under her breath again and again as her focus moved from one member of the gang to the next, making sure that they would be able to see through the mist; immediately, his sight cleared, just in time to keep him from falling down the stairs as he followed Buffy into the cellar, watching how she hacked down a woman at the bottom of said stairs, then moved on, calling out to Willow so the witch could point out the room in which the demon had been locked up in.
"Third door up ahead!" the witch let her know in reply, flinching back as one of them came out of one of the cells lining the corridor; before he could touch her though, Giles was there, his sword coming down in an almost beautiful, glittering arch, a low gurgle coming from the man as he was cut down, falling just as his comrades had and not getting up anymore, allowing them all to move on.
Just like the entrance door, the one leading to Pat's cell didn't withstand Buffy's ferocious kicks for long; it didn't just swing open, as the front door had, but actually got torn off the hinges and slammed to the ground after the second kick, and within moments, Buffy had moved into the cell and behind the metal structure, not letting the horrible state the demon was in slow her down as she raised her sword, then brought it down with all her might, almost effortlessly cutting through the chain binding her right wrist to the steel.
The moment the chain had been sliced apart and fell to the ground, Pat slumped forward, but Willow was already there to catch her, holding her and mumbling soothing words to her while Buffy made short work of the remaining three shackles; and once the taller woman had been freed, the blonde moved to her side, without a word picking her up and slinging her over her shoulders in a fireman's grip, a low groan coming from the black haired woman at the movement.
"Let's go!" Buffy commanded, already heading back out to the hallway, not letting it show if the demon's height and weight hindered her; instead, she ran down the hallway, the rest of the group close behind her, their weapons readied as they rushed towards the stairs.
At the bottom, two of their opponents were already waiting for them, but before any of them got close enough to think of attacking them, Willow already had taken care of them, using the spell she had utilized a few hours ago to throw them aside, cries of surprise and pain coming from them when they hit the wall hard.
"Good job!" Buffy called out, then started climbing the stairs, the witch right behind her; another woman tried to stop them up ahead, and the redhead unleashed the spell against her, as well, the magic taking its toll on her by now though, the woman merely stumbling instead of falling – but before she could regain her balance, Anya was there and ran her through with her sword, jerking the weapon back out almost automatically as she ran past the gurgling woman, the front door in sight moments later, blocked by two more men, sneers on their faces as they glared at the small group.
"Stop at once!" one of them called out, the only reply he got being that Buffy and Willow slowed down so Giles and Xander could pass them; since none of the men had weapons, it was easy for them to cut them down, both of them falling with shocked cries, clearly not having expected such a level of aggression.
"Good", Buffy said as they ran out the front door and down the sidewalk, by now panting a bit, but not slowing down, "Giles, go ahead and ready the car!"
Even though sweat was glistening on his brow, the Watcher nodded, speeding up even more; while he ran, he already dug out the car keys, and by the time the rest of the group reached the vehicle, he was already behind the steering wheel and the engine was running, clutching the wheel with both hands as he was fighting to regain his breath.
Still, he stepped down on the gas pedal the moment Buffy had loaded the demon into the car and the rest of them had gotten in; and just a few minutes after they had arrived, they were off again, speeding away from the mansion and to the couple's apartment, Willow holding her partner close the entire ride and mumbling soothing words to her, her relief about having her back obvious on her face and through her voice.
