Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Twenty Eight

"Three story house," Faith recited as she stood in the middle of Buffy's home, "looked sorta English. Has a old fashioned steel fence, but the garden and trees will provide some cover to get near the building. There are balconies on the second floor we could use to get in, but every window is covered with paper so we don't know the interior layout."

"Huh," Buffy nodded thoughtfully, the dirty blond noting things from the photo's Faith had taken with her phone, including possible avenues of attack. She looked over at Tara as she asked, "What do you think?"

Tara frowned as she considered what to say. "There was a certain aura of magic around the place," she told them, "but I didn't feel any specific magic defenses."

"Which doesn't mean there won't be any," Willow mused. "I don't think Amy summoned up a troll on her own."

"True," Tara admitted, "in fact, that was very high level summoning magic. They would almost have to have a magic user assisting them."

"Willing, or a captive?" Buffy speculated.

Rupert Giles returned from where he had been caring for Jenny Calendar, the older man looking tired but relieved. "I would suspect willing," he noted thoughtfully, "there are very few ways you can force a mystic."

"Not that won't bite you on the ass later," Faith noted. You could try blackmailing or coercing a mage, she supposed, but any mage powerful enough to be a threat would be powerful enough to hurt you really badly too.

"How's Jenny?" Willow asked quietly.

"Resting comfortably," Giles answered. He smiled faintly, "Thank you for suggesting we move everyone to a central location."

"Seemed safest," Buffy shrugged. She looked around at the group, "So, what do we do now?"

"Go after them," Faith suggested instantly. "We know where they are, we can hit them during a daylight raid."

"Scout out the situation better," Willow surprised them by saying, "we have no idea what else they might have in there. Not to mention the possibility of innocent people...."

"She's... got a point," Tara conceded reluctantly. "There was no way to check for people in the building when we trailed them there...."

"Jenny might be able to acquire the building plans for us," Giles offered, "once she has recovered a bit more."

"I think we should scout the place out by daylight better," Buffy gave Tara a apologetic look, "I know you want to finish this, but I don't want any of us getting hurt or killed charging in there."

"I understand," Tara nodded.

"Buffy," Dawn stuck her head around the corner, "could I borrow Willow? I need help with my homework again."

Willow laughed as she got up, "Be right back."

Faith drank some soda, almost feeling the sun moving across the sky as evening came. Soon the night would fall and it'd be patrol time again. "We'd better be careful tonight," she mused, "if Amy and Dru know we're after them, they'll try something."

"As long as it's not another troll," Giles said with a sigh.

Buffy made a face, "I'm just hoping they don't manage to dig up something worse."

"Now there's a happy thought," Faith groaned. "But we've handled everything they've thrown at us so far...."

"It all depends on how much power they're willing to expend to call up monsters," Tara admitted with a frown.

"Like...?" Buffy asked curiously.

Giles took off his glasses as he thoughtfully mused, "Oh, there are a enormous number of threats they could try to summon. The Bane Sidhe, Satyrs, I don't believe we've faced a minotaur yet, either. It's all quite fascinating."

"There are real minotaurs?" Faith nearly dropped her can of soda.

"Oh yes," Giles nodded eagerly, "almost all of the monsters of mythology are based upon real creatures." He paused, "Suitably whitewashed, of course."

"As in...?" Tara looked curious.

"Most of the humanoid creatures are generally less human than they seem," Giles pointed out. "The purpose of many of them is continuing their species, so...."

"Ewww," Buffy got where he was going very quickly.

"Precisely," Giles agreed. "Thankfully most of those kind of creatures do not breed true, or we'd be overwhelmed with such beasts."

"I hope it's a Slayer's duty to kill these things too," Faith said dangerously.

"Oh, of course," Giles quickly agreed, knowing when he was outnumbered.

"So what's the plan?" Willow asked as she rejoined them, "It's going to be dark soon."

Buffy looked around the group, "For tonight we patrol in force, as a larger group. That way, if they throw something nasty at us we can handle it better."

"Makes sense," Faith agreed.

"And tomorrow morning we check out Amy and Dru's new home," Willow said, "and hopefully find out more."

"Yes," Tara nodded firmly.

Giles looked regretful as he said, "I'll need to stay here to monitor Jenny's condition. However, please stay in touch by cellular phone."

"Yes, Daddy," Buffy teased, enjoying seeing him flush.

Not long afterward they were preforming a sweep of the city, moving from the west side along random side streets. Buffy carried a stake, a axe over her shoulder, while Willow wore a sword concealed under her coat. Faith had stuck with her trusty crossbow, and Tara was hefting a stake while her bag of magic ingredients was ready by her side.

The vampire ambush hit nearby the Bronze, the club closed due to the rise of vampire activity. The six or so vamps swarmed out of an alley, attacking with a feral intensity but the team was ready. "Die!" the vampire leaped, his fangs gleaming as his tattered clothes swirled around him.

"Not today," Buffy smoothly drove the stake into his chest, the vampire's surprised look lasting a second as he crumbled to dust.

"Destroy the traitor!" a female vamp yelled as she lead another against Willow. Smoothly and silently Willow drew her sword, waiting calmly as they neared, then swiftly chopped one's head clean off. Before the other could strike she recovered, turned and swung once more, dusting the other.

Faith and Tara took down the other three, using a combination of magic and Slayer skills. "Well, that was disappointing," Faith noted, "where's the challenge?"

Just then they heard a roar off in the distance. "You had to say it, didn't you?" Tara sighed.

"Sorry," Faith smiled as they took off at a run to find out the source of the inhuman sound.

They swung around a corner only to skid to a stop, all four gazing at the massive lizard thing in shock. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Buffy breathed out as it turned a triangular lizard head towards her.

"Is that...?" Tara gulped.

"Yup," Willow looked up at it in awe too, "I really think that's a dragon."

To be continued!