Jehonas tears himself from Buffy, his pulse racing as -- CUT TO: INT. TEMPLE SANCTUARY - NIGHT -- the invocation of LaMagra reaches critical mass. Frost is consumed by a hellish force, unable to withstand the onslaught of spirit energy any longer. CUT TO: INT. ANTECHAMBER - NIGHT -- Buffy clawing at Jehonas, tears streaming down her cheeks. Jehonas returns back to her neck, lapping it over once with his tongue, sealing off her wounds. BUFFY Don't stop -- But Jehonas grips her by her shoulders, shoving her back, throwing her away. Buffy stares at Jehonas, wide-eyed, as if waking from a trance. She weakly moves away from him -- Jehonas is on his knees, SCREAMING in an animalistic roar. His strength has more than returned, it's been enhanced by the infusion of a Slayer's blood. And there's something else in his gaze now too - an animal fury that was missing before. Jehonas has taken his steps closer to the once darkness he left before. BUFFY (hesitant) Are you - all right? Jehonas collapses back to the floor, on his hands, his face in pure hate. A deep growl emanates from his throat, near demonic. He turns his head to Buffy, gritting his teeth, showing his fangs. Buffy gets up and staggers out of the bleeding antechamber, not waiting for his answer. EXT. ANTECHAMBER - HALWAY - NIGHT Buffy falls against a wall, stumbling in her path, reaching up and feeling the wound on her bleeding neck. INT. ANTECHAMBER - NIGHT Jehonas can HEAR footsteps approaching fast from his other side, the taps of high-heels. Jehonas stands up and turns and SEES, ALYSSA approaching him from the shadows. She smiles, proudly, after what she had just witnessed before her. ALYSSA How was it? Jehonas stares, unmoved then -- -- Alyssa, flashing a mouthful of viper-like fangs, SNARLS and strikes Jehonas. EXT. BANK OF EREBUS - NIGHT A view of the nightscape of the city. STORM CLOUDS start to gather around quickly, LIGHTNING flashing along the skies, and WIND picking up and blowing debris everywhere. The triggering of the welcoming of LaMagra. A BOLT of lightning flashes downwards, striking the bank and -- CUT TO: INT. ANTECHAMBER - NIGHT strikes down into the chamber where Jehonas was strapped to, causing it to glow. The floor tremors around them from the impact of the lightning, as the symbols of the Houses of Erebus light up in an eye searing flash. CUT TO: INT. TEMPLE SANCTUARY - NIGHT The flash splits into twelve individual ones, each hitting the twelve tombs of the ancient vampires. The WRAITHS scream in a high pitched squeal as if they felt the force of the lightning. CLOSER ON FROST as we can see the expression of his face trying to hold down the overwhelming energy coursing through him. His EYES, turning. Blood red swirling into his pupils, filling his whites with red. Then, the WRAITHS all fly high up and suspended, then finally in one line and swoop, ram themselves into Frost's body. He is instantly catapulted backwards by the force. CUT TO: INT. ANTECHAMBER - NIGHT Jehonas dodges left and right, avoiding Alyssa's claws, and in one quick motion grabs one of the sharp femurs Buffy dropped. Jehonas dodges another slash and shoots his arm forward, gripping his mother's neck and forcing her against a wall. She doesn't struggle against his grip, but instead calms down and looks him sadly in the eye. A motherly look. ALYSSA Jehonas, I'm your mother. You wouldn't hurt your mother, would you? Jehonas loosens his hold, nods. ALYSSA (softly) Come here. Alyssa brings Jehonas closer to her, embracing him in a hug. Jehonas closes his eyes, then his EXPRESSION turns serious. JEHONAS I must release you. In one hard shove, Jehonas impales her with the sharp femur right through her heart. Alyssa SCREAMS. CUT TO: INT. TEMPLE SANCTUARY - LEVELS ABOVE - NIGHT Buffy emerges from a corner and notices a guard, armed. She creeps up silently, EYEING the shotgun, and grabs the handle. The guard is startled, turns, see that Buffy has pulled back the handle enough for the barrel is pointing at his chest. She PULLS the trigger -- BANG -- The vampire gets propelled back, exploding into ash and black oil. Buffy pumps the shotgun once, looks down -- Below. The aftermath. An eerie whirlwind of red swirling about the center chamber now as stone steps starts to appear around the circular platform leading to below. We hear distant screams echoing from the depths. As we look closer at the wind, we could actually make out faces distorted in them swirling about; faces of horror, terror, and pain. The gate is forming from Hell. Smoke hangs heavy in the air. As it dissipates, Mercury and the others creep forward, apprehensive -- MERCURY Deacon? FROST stands with his back to us, his body trailing wisps of occult fumes. As he slowly turns, we catch a glimpse of his eyes -- burning with an awesome, inner fire. FROST No longer. CUT TO: INT. ANTECHAMBER - NIGHT ON JEHONAS He shoves the stake harder, Alyssa SCREAMS louder as the stake takes its effects. Jehonas backs away, watching her writhe in pain. Her body impaled to the wall. In the same instant, Alyssa's features morph, taking on the angelic, youthful vibrancy she possessed in the portrait. She starts to cry, teary -- ALYSSA (softly) Jehonas -- Jehonas takes a step forward, his hands reaching for her. JEHONAS Mother -- A brief flash envelopes her body, and in her final sight of her son, she nods to him with a thankful expression. Then, all that is left is the femur impaled to the wall and a pile of ash and dust beneath it. What seemed like moments, Jehonas stares at his mother's remains, then turns his head to the exit. He SNARLS and with inhuman speed, runs out, grabbing his vest along the way. INT. TEMPLE SANCTUARY - NIGHT JEHONAS dashes through the balcony where Buffy was standing. He leaps from it, Buffy following his movement with her eyes, somersaulting down to the center platform below, landing on his feet like a predatory cat. JEHONAS FROST!!!!! Mercury turns to Jehonas. FROST Take him. Quinn GROWLS, stepping forward, armed with a punching dagger. He offers his second "new hand" up for view. QUINN Wait!! I owe you , man! I've got two new hands and I can't decide which one I'm gonna kill you with. Quinn charges. Jehonas meets the vampire head-on, dropping into a low kick and sweeping the vampire's legs out from under him. He spins behind Quinn -- Jehonas hooks a finger through the metal ring at the end of his jacket sleeve, pulling out a retractable strangle-wire which he twists around Quinn's throat. Jehonas tightens the wire, decapitating Quinn. The headless body staggers about, then drops to the cavern floor, exploding in a ash and dust. The shades come off, FLYING through the air - Jehonas grabs it in mid flight, and puts it back in place, his own eyes. Buffy emerges from a doorway ahead of him. She runs up to his side with the shotgun, smiling, Jehonas turns around and glares at Frost and his group. The vampires stare back, two really peeved Slayers. BUFFY So who dies first? Mercury and the other faithful vampires charge en masse. One of the vampires jumps into the arena, Jehonas launches a spinning wheel kick into the first vamp's body, sending him down the spiral staircase and into the red oblivion below-- Buffy fires one shot from her shotgun, blowing away a vampire, sees that the gun is now empty. A vampire screams and lunges for her from behind, Buffy pivots on one foot and spin kicks his face, SNAPPING its neck -- A bloodbath ensues. Jehonas moves like speed-personified, aggressively parrying every attack and countering with explosive fists and kicks, taking down every vampire stepping foot into the arena. A vampire gets kicked into the stomach by Jehonas. He bends over in pain. Jehonas grabs him by the hair and knees him in the face, once, twice, and snaps his neck. Jehonas spins, roundhouse kicks another vampire hard. Grabs a punching arm, pulls him forward and grabs his head and twists. Ash and dust explode around him as the two disintegrate. Mercury runs up to Buffy, snarling with fangs -- Buffy SEES Mercury as she finishes punching a vampire to oblivion. She uppercuts, sending the vampire backwards into the pit, and turns to spin kick Mercury. Mercury ducks, but catches a kick in her face anyway as Buffy adjusts her first attack. Buffy presses her advantage, punches Mercury in the face. Mercury retaliates, punches Buffy hard. Buffy staggers from the blow. MERCURY I'm really going to enjoy this now. She opens her mouth wide, FANGS fully extended, and charges. Buffy FUMBLES in a pocket of her leather jacket and pulls out the vampire mace canister. Just as Mercury closes in, Buffy brings it up and fires, triggering a jet of TOXIC MIST into her mouth. Mercury recoils in pain and CHOKES. MERCURY'S FACE is expanding from the effects of ingested garlic! BUFFY Enjoy this! Buffy tosses the canister away and does a spinning wheel kick, very similar to Jehonas', and nails Mercury in the face. Mercury's head explodes just as she goes over the edge. We SEE her body twisting end over end and then consumed by the fires below. Jehonas catches another lunging vampire by the arm, sweeps out his legs from under him, and stamp kicks the vampire on his throat, crushing it. JEHONAS Frost!! More vampires attack in a new wave. Buffy and Jehonas are fighting back to back. Jehonas kicks left and right, knocking aside the advancing foes like they were nothing more than dummies for practice. Buffy spins kick one vampire, sweep kicks another, and spins kick another all in one motion, smooth, rhythmic. Jehonas kicks one in the face, and then again. Seeing he's only a familiar, Jehonas shoves him aside and makes his way off the arena. ON BUFFY Buffy throws a familiar over her shoulder, and lands a hard punch across his face, knocking him out. A vampire grabs one of her legs and drags her from behind. Buffy sees, spins her body and kicks the vampire away. She looks up for Jehonas and sees him leaving. JEHONAS A vampire screams and charges. Jehonas catches the vampire by the neck, and in a sickening motion rips off his larynx and moves off. The vampire gurgles in his own blood and falls into the pit. Jehonas tosses the piece of throat at another vampire and kicks him aside. Vampires advance one by one. Jehonas punches one several times in the chest, the uppercuts. Next. A punch. He dodges, grabs the arm, snaps it painfully, elbows the vampire, backhand punches the vampire sending him sprawling to the floor. More! A vampire charges forward. Jehonas spins away, grabs the vampire in a headlock and snaps his neck in two. The vampire goes limp in his arms as Jehonas eyes around, searching for things to kill. A familiar emerges from an opening, Jehonas runs and jump kicks the familiar back into the opening. INT. OUTSIDE RITUAL ARENA - NIGHT The familiar lands hard on the floor. Jehonas is all over him now, kicking the shit out of him without mercy. Jehonas ROARS with a surge of more adrenaline and kicks the familiar aside. A vampire attacks with a hand shovel. Jehonas moves aside, grabs the shovel away and in one motion spins it and stabs the vampire in the chest with it. Another vampire jump kicks Jehonas. Jehonas knocks his foot aside with a shovel and they engage, fierce and fast. The vampire, trying to land blows on Jehonas but he knocks them all aside with the hand shovel. Then, Jehonas whacks the vampire in the head with the shovel. In one downward stab, impales the vampire with the tool. A familiar with a 4x4 leaps in, swinging madly. Jehonas ducks under each blow and grabs the makeshift staff, pulls him towards his body and knees him hard. Taking away his 4x4, Jehonas spins with the piece of wood and nails the familiar in the back of the head. Three vampires attack simultaneously. One spin kicks but Jehonas ducks underneath and nails him in the groin with an uppercut. He gets up, blocks a punch, and grabs the vampire in another headlock. The third vampire tries to high kick but Jehonas moves the vampire he has in a headlock forward, allowing him to absorb the blow. Jehonas kicks away the third with his off leg and snaps the second vampire's neck. The first vampire gets back up, staggering. Jehonas grabs him and throws him, head first, to the nearby wall. His collarbone shattering to bone dust. RIVEN (O.S.) Jehonas!! Jehonas jumps back in time just as Riven delivers a double kick -- a jump kick quickly followed by a spin kick while in the air. Reminiscent of their last encounter, both Jehonas and Riven match skill for skill, speed for speed. The power and strength from each of their blows evident by the dust flying about whenever they block each other. Then, they're trapped into each others grip. For a moment, both vampires are eye to eye, their arms locked together, then, Jehonas forces Riven backwards -- -- and with a ROAR, tosses Riven away from him. INT. TEMPLE SANCTUARY - RITUAL ARENA - NIGHT Buffy SEES Riven land hard on his back just as Jehonas explode from the opening. Riven gets back up, his face even more infuriated and mad after being tossed some several feet. Buffy jumps in and attacks Riven in a double team. Riven spin kicks Buffy in the face, and turns to see Jehonas launch a series of punches and kicks. Riven slowly gives ground to Jehonas. Buffy gets up, sees Riven backing towards her, and kicks him hard in the back. Riven staggers forward into Jehonas' spin kick, and gets lifted off the floor. Jehonas looks up and SEES his sword stuck into the wall on the far side. Riven sees it, too, and they both make a mad dash for it. TIGHT ON JEHONAS' SWORD Riven reaches it first and grabs the hilt. Jehonas grabs his arm and pulls him back. In what appears to be a game of who gets to be on top, Jehonas and Riven both try grabbing the hilt, knocking arms away, and retrying. Jehonas pulls the sword free, Riven smacks his hand aside, grabbing the weapon away. Jehonas counters, does the same. Jehonas tosses the sword into the air, lands several punches into Riven and roundhouse punches his face, forcing Riven to stagger back. The sword comes back down and Jehonas grabs the hilt, spins it, and turns away just as Riven lunges back at him. Riven is impaled by the sword. He's beat. Jehonas pulls out his sword from Riven's chest, whips it about him in a display of skill, and waits triumphant. Riven's body explode into ash and dust behind him. FROST (O.S.) Hey, Jehonas!! Jehonas looks up to -- TIGHT ON FROST, who's advancing, clutching his own katana in his hand in a double grip, smiling -- FROST Let's do this. Jehonas charges forward with his sword lowered, somersaults in the air and lands right in front of Frost. They make one pass to each other, their blades RASP and CLANG as metal collides with metal. Jehonas stops, stretches himself and looks. Frost nods, waiting -- What happens next is the most blindingly-fast sword fight ever exposed to celluloid. Both men, fueled by super-human speed, lunge and spin across the central floor in a blurred ballet of lethal moves. The WHIRLWIND rising from the depths, seemingly forming a barrier of red around the two. Frost swings at Jehonas' neck, looking to decapitate. Jehonas bends back, allowing the katana to barely sweep by his skin, and kicks Frost. Frost ducks, but Jehonas readjusts and kicks Frost again in the back. Frost staggers forward -- Frost spins quickly and re-engages Jehonas in the sword fight. Both of their blades CLANGING and slashing in a whirlwind of blows -- too fast for the eye to catch each attack. -- then Jehonas sees an opening and takes it, slicing Frost's left arm off at the shoulder - The severed arm flies off, Jehonas spins and in one smooth and clean motion, slices through Frost's abdomen, cutting him in two. but the body doesn't fall! To Frost's surprise his body floats in mid-air, bleeding red, quivering like zero-G liquid, then SLURPING back to each other to re-attach itself! CLOSER TO JEHONAS as he turns his head and sees that Frost is reattached at the abdomen, flesh resealing and to our surprise he says this. JEHONAS -- the fuck? Frost grabs his hand, then shows it to Jehonas. Liquid hemoglobin swirl about his stump and solidifies. In an instant, a new hand is there. FROST You're too late, Jehonas. I'm the avatar now, blood incarnate. Undaunted, Jehonas fakes a retreat, then in a cartwheel like fashion, jumps on one hand and double kicks Frost. Frost snarls and grabs Jehonas by his shoulder. Jehonas knocks his arm away and open palmed punches him. He presses his attack and starts slashing in multiple directions. To Jehonas' total shock, Frost is parrying his attacks! His arms whirling in speed, going with Jehonas' attacks. Shreds of cloth fly all about as they fight. Then, Frost hops away from Jehonas. FROST My turn -- In the blink of an eye, Frost dashes around Jehonas like a cyclone. Jehonas tries to keep up, looking left and right. JEHONAS' POV: Frost stops suddenly in front of him, snarling. Jehonas gives another 'What the fuck' look. Frost uppercuts Jehonas and he flies back, landing against a wall. He bounces off and falls to the floor. Frost somersaults over the pit and approaches him. Jehonas sees him coming, tries to kick him from the floor but Frost grabs his leg and throws him. Jehonas gets up and runs, Frost hot on his heels. Suddenly, he turns and impales his sword into Frost's mid-section, meeting only liquid-like resistance. Frost grins, and pushes Jehonas away from him. Jehonas hesitates now, uncertain - and Frost laughs. FROST Don't you see? A gift of the Gods to those who serve LaMagra. I'm not just Frost anymore. Even as Frost utters the words, his body begins to ripple and morph, bleeding red, taking on the characteristics of liquid. He doesn't walk so much now as flow. He's becoming a three- dimensional creature of animated blood! A blood demon. ON BUFFY, as she watches Frost's transformation, wide-eyed. She SEES Frost's discarded katana, reaches for it. BACK TO FROST, who towers above Jehonas, swaying back and forth in his new, liquid-like form. FROST You can't hurt me. WHOOSH! Frost rises upwards on a spiraling column of blood, HOWLING WITH LAUGHTER, then just as suddenly -- -- splashes back to earth, spreading out in a widening pool. In the blink of an eye, he streams through Jehonas' feet, re- solidifying behind Jehonas. Jehonas spins, swings his sword -- Once again, Frost morphs into blood-form. He races around Jehonas in a series of spouting arcs, turning from blood-form to solid and back again in a series of split-second transformations. Jehonas whirls, striking with his sword and missing every time -- WHOOSH! Frost suddenly dissipates, SPLASHING away into a million zero-G blood bubbles, vanishing. Jehonas spins, unnerved, trying to pin-point his foe's next manifestation. JEHONAS Where are you?! Frost's voice answers from all directions. FROST Everywhere. a droplet of blood spatters the floor at Jehonas' feet. Jehonas looks up -- A SHOWER OF BLOOD rains from above, coalescing into Frost as he sweeps down on Jehonas like a giant bird of prey, crushing him against the temple floor. FROST You want my blood so much?! Take it! Take it all! Frost's arms elongate and liquefy, flowing into two snake-like spouts of blood -- the rest of Frost remains solid. The blood- spouts twist around Jehonas' neck, melding together, completely encasing Jehonas' head in a bubble of blood. Jehonas claws at the blood-bubble as if it were a solid object that he could dislodge, but his fingers just pass through it! Jehonas is drowning in Frost's blood. His eyes bulge. Oxygen bubbles stream from his mouth. Frost leans in close, his face a twisted mask of insanity. FROST Look at you, like a little bitch. BUFFY (O.S.) Get away from him! Frost looks up -- Buffy is wielding his sword. She swings it in an arc on Frost, decapitating him. The blood-bubble dissolves instantly, flowing away from Jehonas' face. He gasps, spitting blood -- BUFFY Jehonas! Frost swings one of his arms at Buffy, knocking her aside. She slams into the wall and falls to the floor. She weakly tries to get to her knees and arms, but Frost rematerializing back to solid form runs over and kicks her hard in her stomach. Buffy grunts in pain as she falls back down. FROST'S POV: His SHADOW covering her as he approaches. FROST (O.S.) You are starting to become a pain in the neck. Jehonas hops back to his feet, and sees Buffy. He dashes over and leaps in the air, kicking Frost aside. Just as Frost staggers from the blow, Jehonas is upon Buffy, reaching down and grabbing her by the arm, hoisting her up. Frost is instantly back on Jehonas, grabbing him by his vest and tossing him away from Buffy. Jehonas lands some ten feet away from Frost. FROST (gloating) You're too human, Jehonas. You should be worrying about me than your little girlfriend. Jehonas hops back up. Suddenly, a deep terrifying roar alerts the two. They both turn and hear it coming from the spiral stairway, resonating throughout the chamber, followed by heavy footsteps. Something is coming up those stairs. Frost chuckles triumphantly. FROST It's over Jehonas. Once LaMagra arrives, everything you've fought for comes to a bloody end. Jehonas looks back at Frost, notices the fumes emanating from his body appearing humanoid like. Spirits, and they are feeding the whirlwind. Frost turns, grinning. Jehonas then notices something up above. HIS POV: He can see the sodium citrate STAKES lodged in a large crack. Barely beyond his reach. Frost notices him looking up and looks, SEES the stakes also.
