Chapter Thirty-Five



The next day, Darry was a little sad to know that everything would go back to normal. However, she still had Oz's wonderful present (which she hadn't taken off since Oz had given it to her and never planned to take it off) and Kellie had taken a few pictures last night, which she had already taken out to get developed.
Darry went downstairs and heard clashing and yelling coming from the basement. 'That would explain where everyone is.' Darry thought and headed into the basement.
Dracovuimago was banging his chains on the ground and roaring at the top of her little lungs. Dawn and Buffy were yelling at each other, about something, and Kellie was yelling at Dracovuimago. Tara had a broom in her hand and was pointing it at the demon's head, as though the broom would save them if it got lose. Willow was sitting on the stairs with her hands over her ears.
Darry walked down the stairs; Willow looked up. "It's been like this all morning!" Willow yelled, making her voice heard over the yelling and noise.
Darry put her hands over her ears and walked closer to the Dracovuimago on the floor. "Shut up!" She commanded and kicked it in the head.
Dracovuimago fell silent and looked over at Darry, glaring at her. "You will die, Slayer's friend, everyone will die!" He roared.
Buffy looked over at the demon. "Yeah, yeah, do you have any other lines in that tiny brain of yours?" Buffy asked.
"Foolish Slayer. It is coming; it is coming!" Dracovuimago roared. "You all will die at his hand."
"What's coming?" Buffy asked and grabbed the broom away from Tara. "If you don't answer you will be eating broom." Buffy said.
"His grand day; his grand Ascension." Dracovuimago answered and looked away from the broom.
"When?" Buffy asked.
Dracovuimago looked at Buffy. "Today." He answered.

In the cavern under Sunnydale, the man listened to Dracovuimago 2's message from Buffy; it had taken the stupid creature a long time to find its way back to the cavern.
"So the Slayer is beginning to suspect." The man said. "It is no matter, for today is that grand day. Tonight the entire tonight world will tremble before me and I will rule. So it is written, so shall it be." The man said with satisfaction.
"I will make the Slayer food for you and the brethren." The man said to Dracovuimago 2.
The stupid lizard demon smiled. "And we will feed." He said.

Buffy knew that she had a lot to prepare for so she didn't waste anytime. Aside from the fact that this was the first battle since facing Glory that actually made her jittery. However, their latest enemy wasn't a God but there was no telling what he could do.
"Okay, I think we're going to need everyone's help with this battle. That includes Anya and Xander, as well as Oz and Spike." Buffy said to Willow as she paced the kitchen.
"I call dibs on the crossbow." Dawn said.
Buffy turned to her sister. "Oh no, you're not going anywhere. You are going to stay in this house until I or one of the others come back." Buffy commanded.
"Why can't I go?" Dawn asked.
"Because, you're only sixteen, you're my sister and battle is no place for you." Buffy answered.
"Then I call dibs on crossbow." Kellie said.
"You're not going either." Buffy said, looking over at Kellie.
"Why not?" Kellie asked, standing up. "I can fight." She said and took the fighters' stance.
"You're not going, Kellie. You're not really trained to use weapons, you have no special 'powers' and I can't take the risk that something might happen to you." Buffy said sternly. "Besides, I need someone to stay here with Dawn." She added.
"What, first I can't fight and now I need a babysitter?" Dawn asked. "God, Buffy, I'm not five." She spat.
Buffy turned to face her sister. "You're staying and that's the end of it; you're staying too Kellie, does anyone else want to bring up any points that I can solve in ten words or less?" Buffy asked.
"Wh-what can I do?" Tara asked, looking over at Buffy.
"We might need a few spell casters of our own to combat this guys magick." Buffy answered. She looked over at Willow and Tara. "And I happen to know that you two are the best spell casters that money can buy." She added.
Tara and Willow both smiled. "What about me?" Darry asked.
"You and Anya and Xander and Spike and Oz, as well as myself, are the hand-to-hand battlers, if Willow and Tara can't do him in with a spell, that's where we come in. Also, there's no telling what other big-n-nastys he had waiting for us.
"Weapons?" Willow asked.
"Yes, the most important part." Buffy said with a smile.

Buffy placed a call to Anya and Xander and then one to Oz, telling them to meet her here as soon as they could. Kellie offered to go get Spike.
The Scooby Gang entered the hallway and Buffy took out the weapons trunk. There were also some other, larger, weapons in the back of the closet.
Buffy took at a large stick looking weapon and handed it to Darry.
"What, what is this? I have to fight with a stick?" Darry asked and looked down at the thing in her hands.
Buffy drew a sword from the trunk and unsheathed it. "It's a Quarting Staff." Buff answered.
"I don't want to gave into battle waving a 'Quarter Staff'. That's not intimidating." Darry said.
Buffy turned around and swung the sword at Darry; Darry raised the staff and easily deflected Buffy's attack. She used the end of the staff to hit Buffy's hand, causing her to drop the sword.
"I didn't say that I didn't know how to use one." Darry said with a smile.
Buffy smiled back and picked up her sword; she tied the sheath around her waist and slipped the sword into it. She opened the trunk and handed a crossbow to Willow.
"Do you think you'll need this?" She asked. Willow shook her head.
"Tara and I are weapon accounted for." She said.
Shortly after, Xander and Anya arrived as well as the rest of the Scooby Gang. Buffy continued to dish out weapons: giving both Xander and Anya crossbows, Oz a pickaxe and Spike a machete.
"Okay, I have a question that I'm sure can be easily answered with Buffy logic but how are we doing to find the place where Dr. Evil is hiding out?" Xander asked, trying to crack a joke while he asked a question.
"Easy, the loud-mouthed wonder downstairs will take us there." Buffy answered.

As the sun began to set, Buffy put Dracovuimago on a chained lease and lead him out of the basement. "Are you sure he'll take us there?" Darry asked.
"Of yeah." Buffy answered and kicked Dracovuimago in the side. "Won't you?" Buffy asked.
"I will not betray my master." The demon hissed.
"Well, you're gonna." Buffy said and kicked it again.
The Scooby Gang looked like a regular army team (except Darry and her Quarter Staff) and Buffy was proud that she had 'groomed' them to such perfection. Buffy turned to her sister and Kellie. "Do not leave the house." She commanded.
Dawn nodded. "Yeah, yeah." She muttered.
The group left the house, lead by Dracovuimago, pulling at his chains. Buffy was confidant that the creature was leading them in the right direction because of its eagerness to get where it was going.
Buffy realized that she should have known where the demon was leading them: the cavern where the Master had took up residence.
"Doesn't this place look familiar?" Xander asked, keeping his voice low.
"It's the Master's cave." Buffy answered.
"Oh, what wonderful memories." Xander muttered.
"Is this the place?" Buffy asked Dracovuimago.
"Yes." He answered. Buffy unsheathed her sword and cut the chains off the demon. "Go tell him we're here." She commanded.

Dracovuimago bolted down the cavern, running to the large room where his master sat. "Master, I have returned." It cried.
"And the Slayer?" The man asked.
"Is coming." Dracovuimago answered.
The man looked up, not sure whether to be surprise to angry. "Excellent." He finally said.

With Buffy leading the way, the Scooby Gang entered the cavern; the beginning of the cavern was a large set of twisting tunnels and Buffy wished she brought a flashlight.
Darry was bringing up the end of the group, slightly hanging back. Oz turned around to face her.
"Are you okay?" He asked, looking at her.
Darry nodded. "Yeah, it's just that this new evil could bring about an Apocalypse and the only way to stop it depends on how well Buffy and everyone else fights tonight. I've been in lots of fights before but not a single one has ever depended on the fate of the world." Darry said, whispering so that their arrival wasn't heard.
Oz smiled at her, the comforting smile that made Darry always forget what was bothering her. "It'll be fine, darling, you'll see. We'll beat this evil, just like always and then everything will go back to normal." Oz told her.
Darry smiled and nodded. Oz and Darry caught up with the others. The tunnels suddenly ended and gave way to a large cavern.
Buffy knew this place from her dreams; two single candles were burning toward the back of the room.
"I think this place is empty." Anya whispered.
"No, someone is in here." Darry said, looking around.
Suddenly, many candles in the room began to light, filling the cavern with brightness. The Scooby Gang all took steps back and raised their weapons, not sure at what they were aiming at.
"Correct." A voice said from somewhere in the cavern. Buffy turned to face the voice.
A man stepped out of the shadows and into the candlelight. At first, Buffy thought it was a man but then she saw differently. The thing that stood in front of them was half-human, half-wolf in body. Almost all of the upper part of the man's body was human but he stood on wolf like legs, with a long tail trailing behind him. He was almost all covered in fur; his fingers had claws at the ends instead of nails. His face was mostly human, aside from a few stray hairs that looked like they belonged on the rest of his body.
Darry gasped and took a step back, nearly bumping into Oz.
"Welcome Slayer and her associates." The man said.
Buffy held her sword up as if to say 'cut the small talk'. The man gazed around at the Scooby Gang and his eyes stopped on Darry.
More candles in the room began to light, revealing about a hundred or so Dracovuimago sitting along the edges of the cavern. Anya saw the Dracovuimago and took a step back; Xander laid a comforting arm on her shoulder.
"Are you playing for the good-guys now?" The man asked, his eyes still on Darry.
Darry returned his cold stare but didn't say a word; her hands gripped the staff so tightly her knuckles and fingers turned white.
Buffy glanced over at Darry, slightly surprised that the villain was paying so much attention to her. Darry was still returning the man's cold stare, tensing.
"Who are you?" Buffy asked, hoping to break the tension.
The man turned back to Buffy. "Why, Slayer, I'm hurt that you don't know me, since you're in cohorts with my daughter." He said.
Darry took another step back and raised the Quarter Staff, as though to show the man that Buffy wasn't the only one with a weapon.
Buffy couldn't help but do a double take. "What?" Buffy asked.
The man laughed softly. "That's right; since you don't know, I will introduce myself: my name is Eric Moore." The man said.
He turned his attention back to Darry. "Daralyn, I feel insulted to think that you would work with the Slayer." He said.
"I'm not evil." Darry whispered, clutching the Quarter Staff tighter.
"Oh but you are, it is in your blood. Just as being a werewolf is." Eric said and took a step toward Darry.
"Okay, I'm confused." Anya said, lowering her crossbow. "You can't be Darry's father because she said that her father and mother were dead." Anya said.
"Is that what she told you? I'm flattered Daralyn, really." Eric said. Willow and Tara couldn't help but backup when Eric walked closer.
"Her mother is dead, indeed that part was true but as you can see I'm very much alive." Eric said.
Darry flinched as her father mentioned her mother. "Do you remember, Daralyn?" Eric asked. Darry closed her eyes and shook her head. "You do." He said.

~L.A.
1986 ~


The moon was one week shy of full but many of the creatures of the night had already come out to play. Five-year-old Daralyn Moore sat on the couch in the living room of the apartment that she lived in with her mother and father.
Her mother, Melissa Moore, sat on the couch beside her but her father was not on the couch or even in the apartment. Melissa Moore had known for sometime that her husband was a werewolf, as was (more or less likely) her daughter but being a werewolf didn't explain her husband's violent outbursts or tempters. It was nights when he was out of the house that were prefect nights; she had time to spend with Daralyn, away from her father.
That night, however, would be different because at that moment, Eric Moore stormed into the apartment. Daralyn looked up and cringed slightly, though she was used to her father's violent moods. This night, however, would not be like another one of his violent moods. It was that night when Daralyn's father killed her mother right in front of her.

~L.A.
1989~

Daralyn was eight the day she ran away from her father. After some time of living with him, after he had slain her mother, she was finally beginning to understand that he was indeed evil. Daralyn didn't want to turn out like him; Eric didn't seem to mind that his daughter had run away. It was during that year when he was beginning to experiment with the power of spells and Wicca. The night Daralyn ran away was the night that Eric's spell had backfired on him, turning him into the half-wolf, half-man beast that he was now. But, it was also that day that he had learned about a stone called the Acathla Stone, which would give him power to unleash Hell on Earth and give unlimited power.
Eric had planned to forge the stone that night but the spell he was practicing at the moment had gone wrong and left him the state that he was in now. Eric had been forced to lock himself away, forced to plan the day when he would create the Acathla Stone and rule the world. He barely give his daughter a thought, after the night she ran away.

~Sunnydale, Present~

"It is a wonder you are still alive." Eric said.
"What can I say, it takes more then that to get me down." Darry whispered.
Buffy looked over at Darry and then to Eric. "Darry, you never told us that; you lied to us from the beginning." Buffy said, staring at her.
Darry shook her head. "No, that's not it at all." She protested.
The feelings of Darry's betrayal seemed to be mutual through the Scooby Gang, including Oz. "You lied to me Darry, after I trusted you." He said, looking her right in eye.
"No, Oz, it's not like that at all." Darry protested, hearing her voice crack with the last word.
"But it is, Daralyn." He father said and put his hand on her shoulder. Even though she tried to shake it off, his hand remained. "You are evil; creatures of the Underworld can't afford to have friends because no one really understands. I understand you, Daralyn, because I am evil just as you are." Eric said.
Darry raised the Quarter Staff and swung it, hitting Eric in the side; he doubled over in pain and surprise. "I am not like you." She hissed.
Eric straightened and reached for his own sword, tied around his waste. He drew it and pointed it at Darry. "There is no longer anything standing in the way of my grand Ascension." Eric growled. The Dracovuimago in the cavern began to roar, as though they were agreeing.
Eric whipped his sword forward and brought it down on Darry's hands; she cried out in surprise and pain and dropped the Quarter Staff, drawing her hands back. Eric lunged forward and grabbed his daughter in a chokehold. Before anyone could move to do anything, the Dracovuimago leapt forward and attacked the Scooby Gang.
"Now, my daughter, you will bring to life the grand Ascension and the end of the world." Eric said and grabbed one of Darry's hands. He took his sword and cut into her palm; he turned her hand, palm side down, and let the blood drip onto the ground. There was a bright flash of light and a stone formed where blood had been.
Buffy skewered a Dracovuimago and looked over to where Eric and Darry where. She recognized that stone as the Acathla Stone and knew that if she didn't do anything soon then the Ascension was indeed coming.
Eric grabbed the stone and tossed Darry aside; the girl landed hard on the ground, somewhat surprised and stunned. Dracovuimago leapt at her, their teeth bared and claws flashing. Darry met one of the creature's attack and kicked it in the head, driving it backward.
Eric held the Acathla Stone tightly in his palm. He picked up his sword again and made the same cut on his palm; he pressed the stone to his palm and another bright light filled the cavern.
It didn't take Buffy long to realize that was going on; she lunged at Eric and knocked him to the ground. The stone fell out of his hand and bounced along the ground. Eric looked over at Buffy.
"You are too late, the Ascension has already begun. You cannot stop it now." Eric said. He brandished his sword and hit Buffy in the arm; he knocked her backward and Dracovuimago were upon her.
Buffy's sword fell to the ground; Oz beat a Dracovuimago to death his pickaxe and then ran forward to pick up Buffy's sword. He picked it up and pointed it at Eric.
"Foolish boy, do you think you can defeat me?" Eric asked. He raised his own sword and swung it to hit Oz's. The sword was knocked out of Oz's hand with such force that he felt his hands vibrate.
Eric knocked Oz to the ground and raised his sword. "Now you will be the first to die." He said. Oz attempted to move but Eric began chanting a spell that kept him frozen in place.
Darry threw the last attacking Dracovuimago into a wall and looked over to where her father stood. "Oz!" She yelled when she saw Eric raise the sword in preparation to kill him.
Darry leapt forward and tackled her father to the ground; the tip of the sword impaled Darry's shoulder as they hit the ground. Oz found that he could move again and looked over to where Darry and Eric were.
Eric pulled his sword out of Darry's shoulder and looked at her, enraged. Darry struggled to stand up; Oz was amazed, even after he had turned against her, Darry had still taken a blow that was meant for him.
"My own daughter, how could you?" Eric asked, enraged by Darry's betrayal. Eric stood as well, meeting his daughter's cold gaze.
Darry looked around, trying to find something to defend herself with; Eric grabbed her in a chokehold once more and looked at her. He noticed the necklace with her name, around her neck.
"What's this?" He asked and grabbed the necklace, snapping it off her neck.
Darry reached up and grabbed the necklace away from her father; she clutched it tightly in her hand. Eric raised his sword and impaled Darry in the stomach.
Darry's eyes widened in pain and surprise as she gasped for a breath. Eric dropped his sword and steadied his daughter, keeping her from falling over. Darry looked up at him, her vision becoming blurry.
"Sorry, darling, this is where you get off." Eric growled and took Darry's head in his hands. Before Darry could so much as flinch, Eric cracked her neck.
Darry slid to the ground limply, with her neck lolled to one side. Eric grabbed his daughter's lifeless body and flung it toward the place where many of the Dracovuimago were clustered.
Oz couldn't believe what he had just witnessed; it felt as though someone had ripped his heart out and cut it into a million pieces. He reached beside him and picked up Buffy's discarded sword and lifted it.
With a yell of rage, Oz flung himself at Eric, catching the man by surprise. Oz attempted to impale Eric but the man countered the blow with his own sword.
A Dracovuimago leapt at Oz but it dropped to the ground before it had a chance to attack. Anya loaded another bolt into her crossbow and fired it at Eric.
Eric dodged the attack and swung at Oz with his sword. The sword hit Oz in the side, causing him to step back and falter slightly.
Oz, however, wouldn't stop his attack until Eric was dead or until he himself was dead. Oz swung his sword and hit Eric in the side as well; the man seemed surprised that Oz had hit him at all.
Oz used that surprise to his advantage. He rammed the sword into Eric's stomach, the same way he had did to Darry. Eric cried out in surprise and pain and fell to the ground. He looked up at Oz with hate in his eyes and then he died.
All the Dracovuimago seemed infuriated that Oz had killed their master. They all began to charge at him. Buffy struggled to stand up after the Dracovuimago had nearly made her a chew toy.
Everyone joined the battle against the enraged lizard demons; Buffy looked over and saw the Acathla Stone, lying were Eric had dropped it. Buffy made her way over to the stone and crushed it beneath the heel of her shoe.
The cavern began to rumble and bits of rock began to fall from the ceiling. There was a flash of red light; the light engulfed the whole cavern. Buffy had to look away for fear that she would be blinded. All the Dracovuimago screeched in pain.
The entire Scooby Gang had to duck and cover for fear that they would get crushed by the falling rock.
What seemed to last a century, only last less then five minutes. When the light cleared out of the cavern and the rocks stopped falling, Buffy looked up.
The Dracovuimago were gone, killed no doubt, and the Scooby Gang were the only living things in the cavern.
Slowly, the rest of the Scoobies began to raise their heads and shook off bits of dirt and rubble.
Oz raised his head and looked around; his eyes rested on the lifeless body of his beloved. He slowly stood up and walked over to her; Buffy watched him and then followed him, not believing that Darry was truly dead.
Oz dropped to his knees beside Darry's body and lifted her into his arms. Oz was surprised when Darry slowly opened her eyes and attempted to look at him, but really couldn't because she couldn't move her head.
"Darry." Oz said, the word came out like a breathless gasp.
Darry looked over at him, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Hold me, darling, just a little while." Darry said, her voice barely coming out above a whispered.
Oz held her tighter, feeling his own tears fall. "Hang on Darry; you're going to be okay just hold on." Oz whispered to her.
Darry attempted to force a smile but couldn't; her eyes slowly begun to close. "Don't leave me, Darry, you can't." Oz whispered.
"If you want to remember me, just close your eyes." Darry said. Her eyes closed and her head lolled to the side, even more then before.
Oz began to cry, his body racked with sobs. "Darry…no." He sobbed. He noticed that her left hand was clenched into a fist, as though she was holding something. Oz gently opened her clenched hand and saw the golden necklace, gripped securely in her hand.
Oz picked up the necklace and began to cry again; his body shook with sobs as he held Darry's body close. Buffy couldn't help but cry as well and noticed that everyone else was too.
Even though they had stopped the Apocalypse, it now seemed to be useless because one of them had given her life in order to accomplish that. Buffy felt empty inside as she felt her tears fall.