Buffy swung a powerful roundhouse kick at Morlun. She then cursed herself as her leg was racked in pain. Morlun on the other hand just smiled. He was completely unfazed.
"No no, you kick him like this!" Spider-Man said as he rebounded off the wall of a nearby building and delivered a flying jump kick to Morlun's face that backed the ancient hunter up. Morlun then struck out with astonishing speed, catching Spider-Man in the nose with a crunch.
"Okay, so maybe we both suck at this… CYKE!" Spider-Man called.
Morlun was instantly hit in the stomach by red concussive force that sent him sprawling. He sat up a mere moment after hitting the ground. His new shirt had just been ruined. How rude.
"Just how powerful are those Scott?" Buffy asked, panting. They had been fighting for at least two hours.
"If I really try I can put a hole in a mountain." Cyclops replied firing at Morlun again as he dodged, "So why's this guy have a hard on for you exactly Spidey? You haven't said"
"Ancient hunter, sucks life force from people, wants to kill me because I'm a spider totem. You know the drill." Spider-Man answered.
"Any ideas how to stop him?" Buffy asked.
"Radiation worked the last time, course we're not exactly at Three Mile Island at the moment. Only other way is just hit him till he falls I guess. Course he seems pretty unstoppable." Spider-Man answered again.
"Try fighting the Juggernaut." Cyclops answered firing more and more blasts from his eyes at Morlun.
"I have. Same result: I got my ass kicked." Spider-Man replied.
Cyclops suppressed a smirk and fired on Morlun again, this time tagging him. However Morlun managed to keep his footing and looked at the car next to him. He ripped the car door off a second later and threw it at the exact moment that Cyclops fired his optic blasts. The car door spun through the air like a discus just under the blast. It was going to decapitate him. Or at least that was the plan until Spider-Man fired a webline that stuck to the door. With a mighty heave, he used the door's own momentum and swung it back towards Morlun. The car door was effortlessly smacked away.
"Okay. This guy is good, but I have an idea. It may seem a little crazy at first but trust me; I know what to do when it comes to battle plans. Scott, aim for his arms. Spider-Man, can you follow my lead?" Buffy asked.
"Eh. Got nothing to better to do." Spider-Man replied.
"Alright…one…two…three…NOW!" Buffy cried as she ran forward into battle. Morlun was approaching. Cyclops fired his optic blasts and hit Morlun in each elbow. To Cyclops' credit, Morlun cried out in pain. Buffy turned to Spider-Man.
"Give me a web!" Buffy ordered. Spider-Man sighed. Women were so pushy, but nonetheless he fired a webline that she caught using her Slayer reflexes. "Now, swing me."
"What?!" Spider-Man asked.
"Swing me into him while his arms are hurt!" Buffy ordered again.
"Fine. You want assisted suicide, who am I to disagree?" Spider-Man said as he swung Buffy around his head on the webline. In the air, Buffy closed her eyes and focused. She reached into her jacket pocket and withdrew her trusted Mr. Pointy.
"Now let go." She said quietly. She went flying forward at extreme force, a virtual living bullet. As she neared her target, her eyes opened. She could even smell Morlun's breath: minty fresh. She brought her arm up at the very last second and braced herself as Mr. Pointy became buried deep in Morlun's chest. His eyes opened wide and he gasped in pain. Buffy's feet hit the ground only briefly as she used it to flip over Morlun's back and place a death grip on his head. With all the force she could muster, she twisted. The loud snap was her reward. Morlun fell to the ground, dead. Buffy smirked and pulled Mr. Pointy back out of Morlun's chest.
"All in a day's work." Buffy smirked as she walked up to Cyclops and Spider-Man.
"You….killed him?" Spider-Man asked, "You didn't have to kill him."
"I'm the Slayer. That's not just a rock band from the eighties. I slay." Buffy explained.
"It's necessary sometimes." Cyclops said to Spider-Man.
"Well I'm not going to mourn or anything seeing as he was trying to kill me. But there had to have been another way." Spider-Man said. Suddenly his head started ringing, "Uh oh."
"Yes….there…would be…another way." Morlun said he said as he began to stand clutching his chest as his head hung awkwardly, "Just a moment…"
Morlun reached up and snapped his head back into place, "Ah that's better. As I was saying before, you said there had to be another way. There is. Just let me kill you."
"Man and here I was upset that she did that!" Spider-Man groaned.
A few blocks down, Xander and Dawn were attempting to observe the battle.
"How's it going?" Dawn asked.
"Lots of crashing sounds, lots of bright red lights. Overall I'd say not good if they still haven't got him." Xander replied to her, "Man I just hope I didn't get Buff into too much trouble. This guy seems pretty major league."
Dawn put a hand on his shoulder, "Xander you did the right thing. You saw Spider-Man taking a beating and you told people who could help him."
"I know, but I wish I could do more too." Xander stated. Then he smiled as he looked to his side, "Dawn, how would you like to do something really stupid?"
"Do we have to?" Dawn pouted.
"Yes. Yes we do." Xander replied as he pulled Dawn along and they jumped into the still running taxicab next to them. As they sped off, the cab's driver who had been explaining what happened to one of the policemen at the scene began screaming and shaking his fist.
"This country….it is so stupid!" Latka yelled and then began stringing together a group of eastern European obscenities. One involving a cow, but its probably best not to go into that.
"All you are doing is putting off the inevitable. I will feed, first on the spider, then upon the Slayer. You," Morlun said in reference to Cyclops, "will be a side dish."
"You'll choke on me." Cyclops sneered.
"It's really quite pointless. I may be weakened, but still I have more than enough power to do what is required of me to survive. I will……what's that noise?" Morlun said turning. He saw the taxicab occupied by Xander and Dawn barreling at him at high speeds. He cocked his head slightly and ran to meet the cab. Buffy and Spider-Man each tried to take him from behind but were each met by a backhand. Cyclops on the other hand could not fire. The force from his blasts would send Morlun flying forward into the cab killing both the occupants. Frozen, he could only watch as Morlun's hands sunk into the cab. For a moment, neither the cab nor Morlun moved. Then almost impossibly, the cab rose into the air. Morlun held it by its front and shook it. Luckily Xander was buckled into his seat belt so he would not fall through the nonexistent windshield which had earlier been destroyed by Morlun. Dawn however was not so lucky. Morlun looked at her and was awestruck as she lay on the ground writhing in pain. He dropped the cab to the side causing Xander a good deal of pain and just stared at Dawn.
"The energy….you're soaked in it. It's amazing. Give me yourself!" Morlun said reaching for Dawn, his hand glowing.
In doing this, Morlun had made two primary mistakes. One, time had little meaning to him so he did not notice that the sun had by now gone down. And Two, he was going to hurt the Nibblit. NO ONE hurts the Nibblit!
Morlun paused as he heard the loud roar but could not place where it had come from. Stories above him, an attacker was dropping having leapt from the top of the building. An instant later, sharp pain rocked his senses and he fell to his knees. He looked up and got a kick to the face for his troubles. He fell back into a sitting position and felt his head. Something long, hard, and metal had been impaled into his head. A railroad spike. Had Morlun been the least bit normal, he would have been dead. Morlun was then tackled and knocked onto his back. His attacker straddled him and began raining blow after blow onto him. Long white fangs and bright yellow eyes glistened. Spike was angry. Morlun regained his composure and threw the vampire off of him, landing with a thud. He then reached up and with a good deal of pain, pulled the railroad spike out of his head. Morlun stared at Spike murderously. Spike stood and stared back just as evilly.
"That…hurt…" Morlun growled.
"Good. It was supposed to." Spike growled back, "You don't hurt Dawn. She's my friend."
Dawn was awestruck. Things had been tense with Spike since he had returned earlier in the year. Just recently, they began to get better. The bus ride out to New York had helped make things slightly easier. And now here he was protecting her like she was his child. She smiled slightly as Morlun and Spike circled one another.
"Why do you care, demon?" Morlun asked, venomously.
"She was the only one who was good to me when I was a monster. That's why. You hurt the Nibblit, you die. It's that simple, mate." Spike growled.
"You honestly think you can defeat me, even in my weakened condition?" Morlun asked as blood flowed down his forehead. Spike sniffed the air and smiled at the coppery smell. And he laughed.
"Maybe not Nancy, maybe not. You'll probably kill me, but I guarantee you'll never be the same. You're not dealing with one of the good guys here. You're dealing with the Slayer of Slayers. You're dealing with the BIG BAD NOW! And you WILL remember me because I got more tricks than just my little present I put in your head." Spike smirked evilly.
"And he's got friends." Buffy said, standing side by side with Spike. Cyclops and Spider-Man joined her a moment later. "You will not get my sister. But if you want us, then come and get us."
Morlun eyed his four opponents. They were no longer a necessary food source, now that he had seen that near infinite power in the girl. She was all he needed now. But they barred his way. The spider, the Slayer, a mutant, and a vampire. He was weakened. They were tired. The battle would be fierce, bloody, and violent. And Morlun smiled because this is what truly made life worth living!