FOOLS FOR LIFE:
CHAPTER 44: SURPRISES
"NOO!!"
He roared like a man whose final link to sanity had snapped.
He stood in front of the door. He saw the jewel. It was right there.
He couldn't get in.
He had thrown himself against the invisible barrier with everything he had but even before he began he knew it was useless. It was a bit different from a barrier that kept a vampire outside someone's house unless invited, but not by much. If anything it felt stronger, more rigid. Unmovable. He had a bigger chance ramming into Buffy's house when he was uninvited after that thing with Dru.
He had tried to wish to the jewel from the door opening. He had wished, he had asked, he had begged, he a screamed, he had pleaded, and he had threatened. Nothing worked. The stone just lay there.
Looking pretty and shiny.
He had been almost certain that wouldn't work either, even before he tried. Usually not how it goes with this stuff. You had to enter the room and touch the jewel.
By now he thought he was going mad. "WHY?? I DID EVERYTHING NECESSARY!" he roared to the empty rooms. Buffy lay at his feet, still unconscious. Probably yet a little closer to death, while salvation was so close.
He beat the walls and tore at his hair. What? What??? What did he miss, what did he need to do? The door had bloody opened! That meant something right? Right?? Had D'Hoffryn lied?
"That it you bastard??" he yelled out. "You playing a game?? Having a bit of fun??"
He pointed his finger at the ceiling without knowing why, as if the Vengeance Lord was hanging from it.
"Well if that's it, you're DEAD!"
He shivered with anger. "Yeah that's right! I don't care what a big shot you are, if you been playing me, I'm going to RIP.."
'Please. Spare me the threats. And stop shouting if you could. This is giving me a headache.'
"Wuh..."
Spike stopped dead in his tracks. That was D'Hoffryn's voice. Was he really going mad now?
'Yes my hot-tempered vampire friend, this is DHoffryn.'
"Where the bloody hell are you?"
'In my halls at Arash Ma'har. I took the liberty of establishing a link.'
"Great! Couldn't you have done that a little sooner and helped us a little with this whole room-thing??"
'No actually. I wasn't able to establish a link until you opened the door to the stone. I can feel it's power through you...as I said, all wish granting magic is related. And say, what 'room-thing' would that be?"
"Never mind!" Spike snarled. "If you weren't having me on then tell me why I can bloody well NOT ENTER THE SODDIN' ROOM!"
'And again with the shouting. I can hear you perfectly well thank you. So you've hit a snag. Interesting.'
"YES! Just what I was thinking! Now what's the deal! You said I was the guy with the honest wish, and that worked, I opened the door! But now it won't let me in!'
'That is....curious. The fact you opened the door proves your. ..unless. ..'
"What?? I need an invitation? Like in houses? So who can invite me? The bloody stone itself?"
For a moment it was silent.
"Well?"
'I'm thinking, and your shouting isn't helping, vampire! And be advised to keep a civil tongue in your mouth, lest it be torn...oh thank you.'
"For what?"
'Sorry, my servant just brought me my tea.'
"Grrreattttt...."
'My what a tightly wound little demon you are. Cease your growling. Now then, I think I understand. There are many spells protecting the stone, but they seem to be compartmentalized a bit."
What does that mean?"
'You need a true selfless wish in your heart and mind to open the door that leads to the room. This I knew. Also you need to be more powerful than a human to even enter the first chambers. But it would appear the room where the stone is kept has a spell by itself that is indeed similar to the natural resistance of human houses against vampires.'
"So ..I was right? The stone needs to give me an invite? Is it alive can it talk or something?"
'Are you crazy? It's a stone. A ruby! Stones don't talk, even if their pretty! Honestly....what either Halfrek or Anyanka saw in you..."
"Right!" Spike muttered. "We can have demons, rooms that go on forever and musical curses that make you sing and dance, but talking stones are insane. Soddin' stupid of me. What then? Is there someone else? Should I get another guardian and force an invite out of him?"
'No, you're not listening. I said this was similar. Not the exact same.'
For a moment it was silent and Spike forced himself not to start yelling again. But it was hard. He glanced at Buffy and it wasn't easy to keep himself from screaming some more.
'Yes... Now that I can sense the stone, it is simple to see the powers of the temple. The assurance only someone more-than-human with a selfless wish can open the door wasn't enough apparently. They wanted to make sure the stone would be guarded from evil. The room itself can not be entered by you because you are too much 'demon' if you will. Not enough humanity in you.'
"You....what do you..."
'You have no soul vampire. I'm afraid to enter the room and get the stone..you also need a soul.'
** **
TBC!
(BTW, sorry about yesterday, I accidentally loaded chapter 44 in the place of 43. So for those of you wondering why Buffy was 'suddenly' unconscious or why you've read this chapter (44) already...sorry. I mailed a couple of you but I thought this'd be easier. Rest assured my lovely wife has already beaten me severely for it. No, really.)
CHAPTER 44: SURPRISES
"NOO!!"
He roared like a man whose final link to sanity had snapped.
He stood in front of the door. He saw the jewel. It was right there.
He couldn't get in.
He had thrown himself against the invisible barrier with everything he had but even before he began he knew it was useless. It was a bit different from a barrier that kept a vampire outside someone's house unless invited, but not by much. If anything it felt stronger, more rigid. Unmovable. He had a bigger chance ramming into Buffy's house when he was uninvited after that thing with Dru.
He had tried to wish to the jewel from the door opening. He had wished, he had asked, he had begged, he a screamed, he had pleaded, and he had threatened. Nothing worked. The stone just lay there.
Looking pretty and shiny.
He had been almost certain that wouldn't work either, even before he tried. Usually not how it goes with this stuff. You had to enter the room and touch the jewel.
By now he thought he was going mad. "WHY?? I DID EVERYTHING NECESSARY!" he roared to the empty rooms. Buffy lay at his feet, still unconscious. Probably yet a little closer to death, while salvation was so close.
He beat the walls and tore at his hair. What? What??? What did he miss, what did he need to do? The door had bloody opened! That meant something right? Right?? Had D'Hoffryn lied?
"That it you bastard??" he yelled out. "You playing a game?? Having a bit of fun??"
He pointed his finger at the ceiling without knowing why, as if the Vengeance Lord was hanging from it.
"Well if that's it, you're DEAD!"
He shivered with anger. "Yeah that's right! I don't care what a big shot you are, if you been playing me, I'm going to RIP.."
'Please. Spare me the threats. And stop shouting if you could. This is giving me a headache.'
"Wuh..."
Spike stopped dead in his tracks. That was D'Hoffryn's voice. Was he really going mad now?
'Yes my hot-tempered vampire friend, this is DHoffryn.'
"Where the bloody hell are you?"
'In my halls at Arash Ma'har. I took the liberty of establishing a link.'
"Great! Couldn't you have done that a little sooner and helped us a little with this whole room-thing??"
'No actually. I wasn't able to establish a link until you opened the door to the stone. I can feel it's power through you...as I said, all wish granting magic is related. And say, what 'room-thing' would that be?"
"Never mind!" Spike snarled. "If you weren't having me on then tell me why I can bloody well NOT ENTER THE SODDIN' ROOM!"
'And again with the shouting. I can hear you perfectly well thank you. So you've hit a snag. Interesting.'
"YES! Just what I was thinking! Now what's the deal! You said I was the guy with the honest wish, and that worked, I opened the door! But now it won't let me in!'
'That is....curious. The fact you opened the door proves your. ..unless. ..'
"What?? I need an invitation? Like in houses? So who can invite me? The bloody stone itself?"
For a moment it was silent.
"Well?"
'I'm thinking, and your shouting isn't helping, vampire! And be advised to keep a civil tongue in your mouth, lest it be torn...oh thank you.'
"For what?"
'Sorry, my servant just brought me my tea.'
"Grrreattttt...."
'My what a tightly wound little demon you are. Cease your growling. Now then, I think I understand. There are many spells protecting the stone, but they seem to be compartmentalized a bit."
What does that mean?"
'You need a true selfless wish in your heart and mind to open the door that leads to the room. This I knew. Also you need to be more powerful than a human to even enter the first chambers. But it would appear the room where the stone is kept has a spell by itself that is indeed similar to the natural resistance of human houses against vampires.'
"So ..I was right? The stone needs to give me an invite? Is it alive can it talk or something?"
'Are you crazy? It's a stone. A ruby! Stones don't talk, even if their pretty! Honestly....what either Halfrek or Anyanka saw in you..."
"Right!" Spike muttered. "We can have demons, rooms that go on forever and musical curses that make you sing and dance, but talking stones are insane. Soddin' stupid of me. What then? Is there someone else? Should I get another guardian and force an invite out of him?"
'No, you're not listening. I said this was similar. Not the exact same.'
For a moment it was silent and Spike forced himself not to start yelling again. But it was hard. He glanced at Buffy and it wasn't easy to keep himself from screaming some more.
'Yes... Now that I can sense the stone, it is simple to see the powers of the temple. The assurance only someone more-than-human with a selfless wish can open the door wasn't enough apparently. They wanted to make sure the stone would be guarded from evil. The room itself can not be entered by you because you are too much 'demon' if you will. Not enough humanity in you.'
"You....what do you..."
'You have no soul vampire. I'm afraid to enter the room and get the stone..you also need a soul.'
** **
TBC!
(BTW, sorry about yesterday, I accidentally loaded chapter 44 in the place of 43. So for those of you wondering why Buffy was 'suddenly' unconscious or why you've read this chapter (44) already...sorry. I mailed a couple of you but I thought this'd be easier. Rest assured my lovely wife has already beaten me severely for it. No, really.)
