Halliwell Basement

"Well what does the book have to say?" Paige demanded.

"It doesn't say anything. The idea that we would be even thinking about this must've seemed ludicrous to the previous Halliwells." Phoebe answered. She was flipping through the pages of the Book of Shadows. "How are you making out."

"Not well, ground bloodstone, and thyme apparently don't have the same effect on a demon. Nothing?" Paige asked with worry. Corthion lay on a cot dazed with a stream of foam leaving his mouth. "We have to save him."

"It may not be possible," Phoebe said in an understanding tone. "But listen to this. It says here that many demon bounty hunters do use darts like this," Holding the one Corthion caught. "'Amongst the different types of poison used include dark-lighter poison.'"

"That helps us how?" Paige interjected.

"Also," Phoebe continued. "Common types of poison include, Aresnet which paralyzes witches temporarily, Hakores which kills instantaneously, Lolirep which wait he threw this at you."

"Yeahoh!" Paige's response brought out the answer they'd been looking for.

Corthion made painful sounding rasps as he tried to speak. "Waatger"

"What did you say?" Phoebe asked.

"Waatger," he weakly held up his now weaponless scabbard.

"What good's water going to do," Phoebe wondered, still ill at ease with what they were trying to do.

"It can't hurt to try it, Paige said taking the scabbard before running upstairs.

"Just remember the Perrier is Piper's," Phoebe hollered after her.

Paige returned with Scabbard in hand.

"That's not Piper's is it?" Phoebe wondered.

"San Francisco's finest tap," Paige assured her. "Here drink this." She pressed the water to his lips. With that, he passed into unconsciousness.

Non descript cave somewhere in the underworld:

"THIS IS WHAT YOU GOT OFF OF HIM! THIS DAGGER IS USELESS!" A cloaked figure yelled at an one-armed demon bounty hunter.

"Dayvis died to get you that blade and I lost my arm. You said that he was a bumbling fool," the injured demon threw back. "Candy from a baby you said."

"DON'T USE MY WORDS AGAINST ME!" the figure ordered. "He must be hiding it on me. Still he must keep it within easy reach. You! If the operation is to go off as planned, we need that dagger. Take whom you need."

"What about my reward?" the bounty hunter asked coolly.

"Oh yes," the figure said slightly aloof. "Your arm I give back to you. Succeed I will reward handsomely in the new order. Fail me and the ranks will tear you to pieces.

Later that evening in the Halliwell basement:

Corthion's world comprised little more than loud static and blinding white light. Then the intrusion of the greater world. His eyes hurt. The noise of his breathing hurt his ears. Even thinking hurt.

"I thought you'd never wake up." Paige said in a nurturing tone.

"I'm not dead?" Corthion replied in almost disappointed humor.

"I'm sorry to let you down," Paige answered.

"You didn't. I'm just waiting for it," He dryly responded. "So do I have you to thank for my recovery? "

"I got the water. If that's what you mean," Paige rejoined.

"Well thank you. I can imagine someone in your position would soon as kill me as save me."

"Well I can't imagine why you'd save me."

"Why's that?"

"I assumed after the argument with Piper that you'd want nothing to do with us."

"Can I assume you are not your sister?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"Well it's what I do. Try to do. Anything else you need to know? Your sister did put me under a truth spell. "

"She didn't mention that."

"Yeah well I guess when you're dealing with what I happen to be, certain precautions should be taken."

"So what did you mean by the whole 'your fault' thing?"

"I threw that one out in anger but it's true. One of you did start the demon army. All I know is that one of you gathered together a small band of demons, then abandoned them."

"Ewl"

"That was you?"

"It seemed to be the right idea at the time."

"Good intentions I guess. You have my scabbard, right?"

"Yeah what's so important about it? They ran off with your knife."

"This is what we call story time. A long time ago the first witch, wizard, warlock, demon, local deity, or some other magical being learned how to store great power into a weapon. Now don't ask me how someone thought this was a good idea. Legends of these weapons filtered through the ages. Now not so long ago Aradia created twenty such weapons. More powerful than any of those have come before. I was entrusted with one."

"But that bounty hunter ran off with it."

"No he didn't. When looking for the blade natural assumption leads all to the tanto, ignoring the knife on the side of the scabbard. That knife has the power to heal and to destroy. Theoretically it could cut down the barriers between the demon, human, and other realms."

"That sounds bad."

"Brussels sprouts bad"