Fray Episode 17: One Last Final Battle
The opening to the Hellmouth was a gaping cavern of darkness. Fray shined her flashlight into the opening but it barley pierced the dark inside. "Alright," she said, turning to Hunter. "Time to fight."
Hunter tilted his head slightly. He hadn't heard anything, there were no signs of anyone else but them being here. He tightened his grip on his sword anyway. Fray walked down the steps first, Hunter was close behind with Buffy and Willow after that. The rest of the group followed slowly, trying to shine their flashlights into the darkness. "What are we looking for?" Kennedy yelled forward.
"I don't know," Fray yelled back. "Look for something that's out of place."
Hunter smiled. "Well," he said, "how about a giant cave in the middle of a city that was once inhabited by thousands of ancient vampires brought back by the First Evil. Is that out of place enough for you?"
Fray scoffed. "Not even close."
Hunter just rolled his eyes. When they entered the massive cavern their lights were of even less use. "This is hopeless," Kennedy said. "We'll never see anything down here."
"Were there torches?" Hunter asked, turning towards Buffy and Kennedy.
Buffy shrugged but Kennedy looked around, her dark eyes fighting to see through the shadows. "Yeah," she said. "I remember a few. The Turok Han were carrying them. There were also a few on wall brackets."
Hunter nodded and Fray saw a light begin to form in his palm. He let out a heavy groan and a wave of fire spread from his outstretched hand. It rippled across the cavern, lighting at least a dozen wall mounted torches and even more that had once been held in the hands of ancient vampires. Hunter walked over to one of the torches and picked it up. He tossed it to Fray. "That should help some," he said.
And it did. The cavern seemed to glow now, pale yellow light reaching into shadowed corners and down the cliff deeper into the Hellmouth. Fray started forward and Hunter took a step to follow. He stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Buffy standing there. "She has to do this on her own."
Hunter glared at her but he remained where he was. The Slayers fanned out across the cavern and stood, their eyes roaming around the rock walls. They were all searching for unseen foes and they could all feel them. Even Xander felt a shiver run down his spine. Fray was to the edge of the cliff when she suddenly recoiled and started to run back towards the others. "Look out," she yelled. "It's a trap."
Suddenly huge masses of black shapes climbed up over the edge of the cliff and out onto where all of the others were standing. Their leader came last and the mass parted to allow him a space down the center of their numbers. He wore all black but the mask on his face was streaked with white. The Timer seemed to smile when he laid his hidden eyes on Fray. "Fader," he said, "I have long awaited the honor of facing one of your kind. I believe I will be disappointed tonight."
Faith walked up and gripped the hilt of her sword even tighter. "No," she hissed. "You'll be dead tonight."
Fray grabbed Faith's wrist. "He's mine. You all take the others."
Fray pulled her sword out of its scabbard and spun the blade through the air a few times, feeling the balance of the metal in her hand. The blade whistled through the air and Fray suddenly stopped it, holding the blade diagonal to her body, preparing for both defense and attack. "Alright," she said. "I'm ready."
The black mass of Timers pressed forward into the line of Slayers but they left space around their leader. Fray spun her sword once more, feeling her muscles loosen. Then her lip curled in a snarl and she leapt forward with a primal growl. The Timer met her sword with one of his own. His sword was one of magick, a yellow blade of light that scattered sparks at it met Fray's. Fray pushed forward and touched the Timer's chest. He yelled and pulled back, a blue handprint frozen into his shirt.
Fray smiled. "Bet you didn't know about that little trick."
The Timer yelled and lunged forward once again.
Behind Fray and the Timer's leader, a massive battle was taking place. There were at least three black clad creatures for every combatant and they were using their numbers to overtake the fighters. Willow bound two of them with a quick spell and slammed them into a wall, breaking their necks and causing them to disappear a few seconds later. She felt a sharp pain in her arm as a dark yellow sword of muddied light struck her arm. She threw up her defenses but she could feel blood running from a shallow cut near her wrist.
Kennedy met the Timer's sword with her own and then ducked, spinning her foot and knocking the creature's legs out from under him. She drove her sword into his neck and spun to face another attacker. She was suddenly driven to the ground by a dark shape. Kennedy tasted blood as her head hit the rock floor of the Hellmouth and she bit her tongue. She made a move to rise but was driven back down.
Buffy and Vi fought side by side. Vi's crossbow sending bolt after bolt into chest and arms. For each creature killed, ten seemed to take its place. Buffy slid her sword across one of the Timer's stomach's and then drive her knife into its throat with an uppercut. She heard Vi let out a strangled scream from behind. Buffy turned and saw the younger woman on the floor, one of the Timer's swords of light at her throat. Buffy lunged forward and kicked the Timer off the Slayer, feeling the satisfying crunch of ribs under her boot.
Faith yelled as a fist slammed into her back and drove her to the ground. She heard the Timer's strangled gasp as Wood drove his sword into the creature's chest. Wood quickly picked Faith off the ground and pushed her lightly off to the side while she regained her breath. Faith swung the broad ax in her hands a few times, shook her head to clear the dizziness away, and jumped back into the battle.
Fray felt the jolt of the Timer's sword all the way to her teeth as she caught his blade before it could touch her. She noticed that the Timer's mask was sticking to his face. Sweat Fray thought, catching another of his blows. I am proving a better match than he believed.
Fray pushed his sword away and ran forward, her sword whistling through the stifling air of the cavern. Blood of my Blood, Fray thought, remembering some forgotten prayer, Flesh of my Flesh, show me where to plant my sword in this foul beast. Fray let out another yell and spun, catching the Timer's sword behind her back, pushing it out of the way, and slashing at his stomach as she continued to spin.
The Timer clutched at his wound as his sword wavered in the air. The battle behind Fray seemed to fade and the young woman found herself moving with ease, her mind tuned to battle. Hunter turned to her, slamming a Timer into the wall with one arm. "She remembers," he whispered.
Fray smiled, thousands of memories flooding back into her mind. Her training, her life, her mission, everything flooded into her head in a single instant. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with the amount of information, she quickly sifted through it. "It's time to end this," Fray said, her voice echoing through the cavern.
Fray allowed her blade to drop to the ground, in its place, a thin curved blade of ice found itself in her hands. "Ice," the Timer scoffed, "against light."
Fray smiled again. "Water is the most powerful of all elements. Ice is the upgraded form."
She ran forward, met his blade with hers, and pushed forward. The Timer took a few steps back to recover his balance. Fray attacked with such ferocity that she quickly drove him to the edge of the cliff. The Timer looked at the cliff below him and then back at Fray. "I will not give you the satisfaction of killing me," he said.
"Then die like a coward," Fray spat back at him.
The Timer smiled. "Compared to you Fader, all pale."
The Timer raised his sword above his head, and drove it into his stomach. He let out a gasp as he toppled backwards over the edge of the cliff. Fray glanced over the side, watching his body spin towards the bottom of the cavern, before turning to the battle behind her. "You remember," Hunter said, slashing at an enemy beside him.
Fray smiled and raised her sword, striking at an enemy. "Yeah," she said. "And it's time to kick ass."
The pair fought side by side, their moves synchronized, rhythmic. Whenever Fray was open to attack, Hunter would defend her, and whenever Hunter was overrun by enemies, Fray would be at his side helping drive them back. Soon there was only one left. He stood at the center of a circle of attackers. "I will not go quietly," he declared.
"That's alright," Kennedy said. "We'll kill you no matter how loud you are."
Something caught the Timer's eye and he rolled across the floor, grabbing whatever it was, and hurling it as Fray. At the same instant, a crossbow bolt slammed into his neck and the creature disappeared. Fray realized, too late to do anything about it, that the object flying towards her was a knife. "Blood of my blood," she whispered.
Suddenly Hunter's bulk slammed her to the ground, she heard him grunt as he hit the ground. Fray pushed herself up, she hadn't heard the knife hit the ground or the wall. There was only one other place that it could be. She rolled Hunter over onto his back. The knife protruded from a blood-soaked circle in his chest.
"No," Fray yelled, pounding the ground with a fist. "Hunter," she yelled.
His eyes remained closed. "Hunter," she yelled even louder. "Sevan."
Hunter coughed lightly, his bright eyes fluttering open. "What did you call me?" he asked.
"Sevan," Fray said, brushing a strand of sweat soaked hair off of his forehead.
Hunter shook his head. "A name of a warrior that I am not worthy of," he choked.
"You are my warrior," Fray said. "Isn't that enough?"
Hunter smiled and nodded. "I will stand by your side until the day I die," he said.
"I know," Fray smiled sadly.
"I am yours Fader. In life and death," Hunter whispered, his voice weakening.
Fray's voice caught in her throat. The words from the dream, never to be spoken on the mountain side in front of an army. "I am yours Shielder. In love and hate, in pain and sorrow and happiness and joy. You brought me back. I am yours."
Hunter smiled and Fray bent and kissed him lightly. She heard a sob from somewhere behind her. When Fray pulled her head back, Hunter's eyes were closed and his chest was still. "We'll find a way to get him back to the surface," Fray dimly heard Xander saying.
"No," Fray said, rising from the body's side. "The bones of champions lay scattered here. His shall remain."
Buffy nodded and Fray noticed that tears were streaming down her face. Kennedy looked like she was holding them back but a sob escaped from her throat. Willow and Dawn were also crying. Xander's eyes were red. Fray turned towards the cliff and smiled lightly. "He helped me remember," she said. "I owe him this much."
Tears began to stream down the Fader's cheeks as she ran towards the edge of the cliff and dove over the edge.
The opening to the Hellmouth was a gaping cavern of darkness. Fray shined her flashlight into the opening but it barley pierced the dark inside. "Alright," she said, turning to Hunter. "Time to fight."
Hunter tilted his head slightly. He hadn't heard anything, there were no signs of anyone else but them being here. He tightened his grip on his sword anyway. Fray walked down the steps first, Hunter was close behind with Buffy and Willow after that. The rest of the group followed slowly, trying to shine their flashlights into the darkness. "What are we looking for?" Kennedy yelled forward.
"I don't know," Fray yelled back. "Look for something that's out of place."
Hunter smiled. "Well," he said, "how about a giant cave in the middle of a city that was once inhabited by thousands of ancient vampires brought back by the First Evil. Is that out of place enough for you?"
Fray scoffed. "Not even close."
Hunter just rolled his eyes. When they entered the massive cavern their lights were of even less use. "This is hopeless," Kennedy said. "We'll never see anything down here."
"Were there torches?" Hunter asked, turning towards Buffy and Kennedy.
Buffy shrugged but Kennedy looked around, her dark eyes fighting to see through the shadows. "Yeah," she said. "I remember a few. The Turok Han were carrying them. There were also a few on wall brackets."
Hunter nodded and Fray saw a light begin to form in his palm. He let out a heavy groan and a wave of fire spread from his outstretched hand. It rippled across the cavern, lighting at least a dozen wall mounted torches and even more that had once been held in the hands of ancient vampires. Hunter walked over to one of the torches and picked it up. He tossed it to Fray. "That should help some," he said.
And it did. The cavern seemed to glow now, pale yellow light reaching into shadowed corners and down the cliff deeper into the Hellmouth. Fray started forward and Hunter took a step to follow. He stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Buffy standing there. "She has to do this on her own."
Hunter glared at her but he remained where he was. The Slayers fanned out across the cavern and stood, their eyes roaming around the rock walls. They were all searching for unseen foes and they could all feel them. Even Xander felt a shiver run down his spine. Fray was to the edge of the cliff when she suddenly recoiled and started to run back towards the others. "Look out," she yelled. "It's a trap."
Suddenly huge masses of black shapes climbed up over the edge of the cliff and out onto where all of the others were standing. Their leader came last and the mass parted to allow him a space down the center of their numbers. He wore all black but the mask on his face was streaked with white. The Timer seemed to smile when he laid his hidden eyes on Fray. "Fader," he said, "I have long awaited the honor of facing one of your kind. I believe I will be disappointed tonight."
Faith walked up and gripped the hilt of her sword even tighter. "No," she hissed. "You'll be dead tonight."
Fray grabbed Faith's wrist. "He's mine. You all take the others."
Fray pulled her sword out of its scabbard and spun the blade through the air a few times, feeling the balance of the metal in her hand. The blade whistled through the air and Fray suddenly stopped it, holding the blade diagonal to her body, preparing for both defense and attack. "Alright," she said. "I'm ready."
The black mass of Timers pressed forward into the line of Slayers but they left space around their leader. Fray spun her sword once more, feeling her muscles loosen. Then her lip curled in a snarl and she leapt forward with a primal growl. The Timer met her sword with one of his own. His sword was one of magick, a yellow blade of light that scattered sparks at it met Fray's. Fray pushed forward and touched the Timer's chest. He yelled and pulled back, a blue handprint frozen into his shirt.
Fray smiled. "Bet you didn't know about that little trick."
The Timer yelled and lunged forward once again.
Behind Fray and the Timer's leader, a massive battle was taking place. There were at least three black clad creatures for every combatant and they were using their numbers to overtake the fighters. Willow bound two of them with a quick spell and slammed them into a wall, breaking their necks and causing them to disappear a few seconds later. She felt a sharp pain in her arm as a dark yellow sword of muddied light struck her arm. She threw up her defenses but she could feel blood running from a shallow cut near her wrist.
Kennedy met the Timer's sword with her own and then ducked, spinning her foot and knocking the creature's legs out from under him. She drove her sword into his neck and spun to face another attacker. She was suddenly driven to the ground by a dark shape. Kennedy tasted blood as her head hit the rock floor of the Hellmouth and she bit her tongue. She made a move to rise but was driven back down.
Buffy and Vi fought side by side. Vi's crossbow sending bolt after bolt into chest and arms. For each creature killed, ten seemed to take its place. Buffy slid her sword across one of the Timer's stomach's and then drive her knife into its throat with an uppercut. She heard Vi let out a strangled scream from behind. Buffy turned and saw the younger woman on the floor, one of the Timer's swords of light at her throat. Buffy lunged forward and kicked the Timer off the Slayer, feeling the satisfying crunch of ribs under her boot.
Faith yelled as a fist slammed into her back and drove her to the ground. She heard the Timer's strangled gasp as Wood drove his sword into the creature's chest. Wood quickly picked Faith off the ground and pushed her lightly off to the side while she regained her breath. Faith swung the broad ax in her hands a few times, shook her head to clear the dizziness away, and jumped back into the battle.
Fray felt the jolt of the Timer's sword all the way to her teeth as she caught his blade before it could touch her. She noticed that the Timer's mask was sticking to his face. Sweat Fray thought, catching another of his blows. I am proving a better match than he believed.
Fray pushed his sword away and ran forward, her sword whistling through the stifling air of the cavern. Blood of my Blood, Fray thought, remembering some forgotten prayer, Flesh of my Flesh, show me where to plant my sword in this foul beast. Fray let out another yell and spun, catching the Timer's sword behind her back, pushing it out of the way, and slashing at his stomach as she continued to spin.
The Timer clutched at his wound as his sword wavered in the air. The battle behind Fray seemed to fade and the young woman found herself moving with ease, her mind tuned to battle. Hunter turned to her, slamming a Timer into the wall with one arm. "She remembers," he whispered.
Fray smiled, thousands of memories flooding back into her mind. Her training, her life, her mission, everything flooded into her head in a single instant. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with the amount of information, she quickly sifted through it. "It's time to end this," Fray said, her voice echoing through the cavern.
Fray allowed her blade to drop to the ground, in its place, a thin curved blade of ice found itself in her hands. "Ice," the Timer scoffed, "against light."
Fray smiled again. "Water is the most powerful of all elements. Ice is the upgraded form."
She ran forward, met his blade with hers, and pushed forward. The Timer took a few steps back to recover his balance. Fray attacked with such ferocity that she quickly drove him to the edge of the cliff. The Timer looked at the cliff below him and then back at Fray. "I will not give you the satisfaction of killing me," he said.
"Then die like a coward," Fray spat back at him.
The Timer smiled. "Compared to you Fader, all pale."
The Timer raised his sword above his head, and drove it into his stomach. He let out a gasp as he toppled backwards over the edge of the cliff. Fray glanced over the side, watching his body spin towards the bottom of the cavern, before turning to the battle behind her. "You remember," Hunter said, slashing at an enemy beside him.
Fray smiled and raised her sword, striking at an enemy. "Yeah," she said. "And it's time to kick ass."
The pair fought side by side, their moves synchronized, rhythmic. Whenever Fray was open to attack, Hunter would defend her, and whenever Hunter was overrun by enemies, Fray would be at his side helping drive them back. Soon there was only one left. He stood at the center of a circle of attackers. "I will not go quietly," he declared.
"That's alright," Kennedy said. "We'll kill you no matter how loud you are."
Something caught the Timer's eye and he rolled across the floor, grabbing whatever it was, and hurling it as Fray. At the same instant, a crossbow bolt slammed into his neck and the creature disappeared. Fray realized, too late to do anything about it, that the object flying towards her was a knife. "Blood of my blood," she whispered.
Suddenly Hunter's bulk slammed her to the ground, she heard him grunt as he hit the ground. Fray pushed herself up, she hadn't heard the knife hit the ground or the wall. There was only one other place that it could be. She rolled Hunter over onto his back. The knife protruded from a blood-soaked circle in his chest.
"No," Fray yelled, pounding the ground with a fist. "Hunter," she yelled.
His eyes remained closed. "Hunter," she yelled even louder. "Sevan."
Hunter coughed lightly, his bright eyes fluttering open. "What did you call me?" he asked.
"Sevan," Fray said, brushing a strand of sweat soaked hair off of his forehead.
Hunter shook his head. "A name of a warrior that I am not worthy of," he choked.
"You are my warrior," Fray said. "Isn't that enough?"
Hunter smiled and nodded. "I will stand by your side until the day I die," he said.
"I know," Fray smiled sadly.
"I am yours Fader. In life and death," Hunter whispered, his voice weakening.
Fray's voice caught in her throat. The words from the dream, never to be spoken on the mountain side in front of an army. "I am yours Shielder. In love and hate, in pain and sorrow and happiness and joy. You brought me back. I am yours."
Hunter smiled and Fray bent and kissed him lightly. She heard a sob from somewhere behind her. When Fray pulled her head back, Hunter's eyes were closed and his chest was still. "We'll find a way to get him back to the surface," Fray dimly heard Xander saying.
"No," Fray said, rising from the body's side. "The bones of champions lay scattered here. His shall remain."
Buffy nodded and Fray noticed that tears were streaming down her face. Kennedy looked like she was holding them back but a sob escaped from her throat. Willow and Dawn were also crying. Xander's eyes were red. Fray turned towards the cliff and smiled lightly. "He helped me remember," she said. "I owe him this much."
Tears began to stream down the Fader's cheeks as she ran towards the edge of the cliff and dove over the edge.